#alya and nino are so precious

[sweetcloverheart]

You know, thinking about it some more, by "Derision"'s own premise - Marinette should have absolutely hated (or at least distrusted) Adrien day one regardless of the Umbrella apology, because him being friends with Chloe would have been the major issue/deal breaker. The moment she hears he's Chloe's childhood friend, she would have been doing utmost to avoid him at every turn despite him being so nice to her (After all, Kim was nice to her too, and look what happened there) because all the apparent deepseated trauma Chloe's prank left her.

Also, by extension, the class would have distrusted him too (and Kim maybe)? This is a dude that's apparently besties with the girl who's been harassing them for years and made their beloved favorite classmate go through a super traumatizing event the year before. A good majority of Adrien's first few months at Francois Dupount should have been the miraclass all avoiding him and playing interference whenever he tried to interact with Marinette, with the only minor exceptions being Nino (Who is the goodest of boys and also wasn't in the same class as Mari and Co when it happened but really should know regardless considering Chloe videotaped it and put it online?), Alya (Who just transferred in and likely wouldn't know what's happening either), and Chloe+Sabrina (The former of whom is more than happy that the losers are keeping away from her precious Adrichou! More of him for her then!). (And maybe also Kim? He probably sees it as Adrien going through what he did after the prank and deciding to buddy up/help him out since "nobody here knows how to take a joke")

Meanwhile, Adrien would feel so confused and isolated because his class all just hates him for some reason and he has no clue what he might of did to make them all mad at him? And it just makes school feel like home except 100 times worst because at least he (thinks he) knows why his dad often ignores and avoids him. And speaking of, he can't go to him about the problem because he'll just use the class's actions as an excuse to lock him back up in the manor for homeschool because it just "proves" he was completely right about Adrien not being safe at public school, and Chloe's no good either because her "help" (i.e Calling daddy or the principal to take away a class privilege or get a trip/activity cancelled those mean losers made her precious Adrien sad - so fix it or else!) ends up just worsening the divide, so he's basically on his own except for Plagg (who sadly can't really intervene in a way that would actually solve the issue). It also ends up funneling into making his crush on Ladybug 220% more codependent because it's literally one of the very few relationships he has where he isn't being treated like a leaper, idol, or a nuisance...except it turns out she also hates Adrien - but that's fine, because Chat Noir hates Adrien too! Dude's just the worst, don't you think my lady? So everything fine because they can hate Adrien together and bond through that (self hatred and poor coping mechanisms go brrr~)!

Basically the first 2 and a half seasons should have played out like an "Enemies!AU" where Marinette and most of the Miraclass is convinced Adrien is Chloe's new vice chief bully and act accordingly as Adrien desperately tries (and fails) to make friends and figure out why everyone dislikes him so much, while the Ladynoir side has the two bonding over how much they hate that lame blonde modeling twink from the magazines.

...Ah crap, now I want to make an AU.

[toxinellebug]

Paris Special HEADCANONS

Marinette only became emo after Chloe posted the video of Kim humiliating her online because there was no Socqulien to stop her.

Marinetter didn’t wear fishnet gloves or a scarf until those black veins started to appear.

Adrien only cut his hair after his father FORCED him to go to school, (because socializing with kids his own age would be good for his mental health) as an act of rebellion.

When the black lines started to appear, Adrien took inspiration from the Baker girl’s emo makeup to hide it.

Marinette ended up in Ms. Mendeliev’s class, NOT Ms. Bustier, which is why she never met Alya or met Adrien personally, but knew he was a spoiled brat because Chloe paraded him around the school as her Adrikins.

Adrien, who resented being sent to school, followed Chloe’s lead and probably bullied Nino, while Chloe made Alya her new fav target.

Marinette never met Luka since she and Juleka never became friends.

The Crush who thinks she’s a pathetic loser that she references is Kim. (In eng dub she says bf, which makes no sense since the special takes place at the begining of S5 after they got the Rabbit back and right after Cat Noir cataclysmed Monarch at the wax museum- and at this time Adrien has not yet fully accepted his feelings for Marinette and Marinette had broken up with Luka in ep 1 of s4 so she doesn’t have a boyfriend, which would be clear in her diary, but she does have a crush who sees her as a very good friend, whereas bad marinette’s last crush would have been Kim)

Adrien probably enjoys fame and modeling. His mother wanted to be a famous movie star after all. Also, he praises the perfection of Adrien Agreste when he is Claw Noir/Griffe Noir, and frowns when Shadybug/Toxinelle insults him. But Cat Noir has said that he is better looking and better dressed than Adrien and doesn’t understand why girls were fighting over him. Enjoying his fame and possibly relishing in signing autographs at school could also reinforce Marinette’s belief that he is self-centered despite not knowing him… Cuz remember, she was surprised that he seemed to know her, which means they aren’t classmates.

Good Gabriel obviously made Adrien go to school since being alone isn’t healthy for a teen, and Gabriel can’t design for his brand, save the world AND homeschool his son all at the same time. Plus, making friends and learning social skills would help Adrien overcome his grief.

The Centralist nature of the world ruled by the Supreme would result in Sabine having more conservative values, which would make her a more harsh disciplinarian who criticizes her daughter frequently.

Good Gabriel could not risk someone else suffering from the peacock, nor having his identity exposed to the Supreme, therefore FELIX was never born because Fathom Colt could not be trusted. (Sure, you could argue that the Supreme willingly lent Colt the peacock in exchange for something and that’s where Gabriel got the idea from but he had nothing to offer so he stole it, but since his wife is Amalie’s twin and suffered from the same infertility issues, it would be too suspicious if Emelie just miraculously got pregnant when it was impossible for her suster to do so without a miraculous.) The Gorilla was sent at Amalie’s insistence since Adrien is the heir of the precious DeVanilly bloodline and thus must be protected!

Gabriel accepted only because it stopped Amalie from insisting that she be allowed to adopt her nephew after her sister’s death.

This would also mean Amalie sees Adrien as the rightful owner of the DeVanilly twin rings and she would not insist on having them back, which means Gabriel could claim to keep them in a safe until Adrien comes of age because he knows Adrien will lose his free will if anyone gets their hands on those rings and good Gabriel respects his son’s autonomy as a person.

Gabriel never met Nathalie. She was a relic hunter, and since Gabriel stole what he needed from the Supreme, he never needed to hire Nathalie to search for magic jewels.

XY is famous and popular, Jagged Stone is either a nobody or his music is strictly underground indie because it is banned for it’s anarchist nature.

Andre never became Mayor, but he still has the Hotel and is a Movie Director. Chloe’s bad attitude still comes from her father’s wealth and Mother’s influence.

Mylene would not be allowed to attend Francios Dupont.

(Let’s face it, it is a Private school and all the kids who go there are either rich, middle class, or have show biz connections. They have an exclusive curriculum, including textbooks no other school uses, and no handicap access. Nino DJ’s as a hobby- do you know how expensive equipment is? For a 14 year old kid to have that as a hobby he needs to come from money. Building an AI robot isn’t cheap either, Max- son of an astronaut. Alya’s dad has at least a Master’s Degree if not a Doctorate in order to be a zookeeper and her mom is a chief in a 5 star hotel which affords her an apartment in one of the most expensive cities in the world, and ALYA, despite having 3 sisters, has her own bedroom with a balcony. Bakers in Paris also earn more than just a decent living, and sewing is not a cheap hobby either for a 13/14 year old who could lose interest because she’s a teenager. Mirelle and Aurora have the networking and connections to get on TV, you really think their parents wouldn’t send them to a highly rated private school? Chloe is repulsed by public transportation, do you think she’d be caught dead in a public school? Do you think the daughter of the Mayor and the Queen of fashion would go to public school? Do you think Gabriel Agreste who has a bodyguard for his supermodel son would allow him to attend public school? Do you think a world famous Fencer who also runs for political office would teach at a public school? Do you think Tsurugi san, who demands perfection and nothing short of the best, would allow Kagami to join a fencing club at a public school? No, Francois Dupont is a private school, and the only reason Mylene is able to attend is because her dad works there as a janitor. That’s why Chloe is always digging at how poor her clothes are.)

Betterfly said mutual aid is a crime in his world, meaning it is Centralist politics, which means Mylene and Ivan would not be able to protest anything legally and Ms. Bustier would not be able to get a job as a teacher with her idealistic liberal values… meaning she is not a teacher, or she is a mean teacher and probably even has a husband rather than a wife.

Post Paris Special, in addition to being homeless fugitives, Adrien will be a mess because the girl he has been yelling at, calling a cockroach, and trying to steal from is also the girl he’s been head over heels in love with but never had the guts to actually TALK to and it turns out she HATES his civilian identity and he has no idea how to talk to her without his mask but wearing the mask he falls into old habits and has to constantly correct himself before calling her cockroach and he constantly berates himself “WHY did I say that?? Stupid, stupid!” Everytime he ends up saying something snarky, rude, or tries to flirt and it just comes out cringe because he REALLY wants her to like him but he is also low key terrified of her hating him, yet just her grabbing his hand turns his brain into mush and have him daydreaming about wedding bells and a hamster.

Meanwhile, Marinette has never had a friend before, and has zero idea how to work as a team, especially with a moron who is as conceited and spoiled as Adrien Agreste, but they are stuck together now, and she DOES want to give it a shot, especially if it means she can change her crappy life and NOT be destroyed by her own powers. But she has no idea why her so called Partner is so bi-polar; one minute he’s acting smug and showing off, the next aloof (trying to play it cool), then he’s trying to crack jokes and get her praise, then he seems like he’s ready to snap and call her shittybug only to become apologetic, nervous/embarressed/awkward, and try to change the subject. Sometimes he acts like her touch burns him, othertimes he acts like he wants to hold her hsnd and follow her like a lost puppy. But most annoying is when he screws up her plans by trying to protect her by becoming a human shield or tackling her out of harms way (and spending way too long on top of her) when he used to be content to let her hit the ground and laugh about it. She doesn’t know if treating her like a damsel in distress is his idea of “team work” but it is annoying because for her plans to work he needs to focus and do the jobs she TELLS him to!

Marinette is still anti-love after her trauma from Kim so she has no romantic interest in anyone and is completely clueless to Adrien’s feelings and gets annoyed because she sees Paw Noir’s pathetic attempts at flirting as him mocking her even though they are supposed to be “good guys” on the same team now.

Gabriel is aware of both their feelings and it gives him a headache because teen romance is the worst and he knows Claw Noir would sooner drop dead from embarrassment than accept love advice from him, and quite frankly, Gabriel is far more worried about these children being put in danger and all the school they are missing and how worried Marinette’s parents must be with their daughter missing. But he knows the Supreme would show these two no mercy so they can’t return to their civilian lives until the Supreme is defeated.

IDK if Gabriel was able to remove Nooru’s muzzle, or if the Supreme started muzzling Kwami’s after the butterfly and peacock was stolen, but if Ladybug and Paw Noir are going to use their miraculous the right way, they will need to feed their kwamis.

Plagg still does not trust Adrien; it’s not the first time his miraculous has fallen into the wrong hands and been misused and the whole thing has left him jaded with a strong dislike of humans (who are only good for making cheese!) so Plagg will hate and be an asshole towards Adrien for a while before the kid can earn his trust and friendship.

Tikki wants to trust but she is nervous and dispirited from all the harm that has been done with her powers. She wants to believe there is still hope for her young holder, but she’s also not ready to open up her heart just yet. Marinette also is not used to showing or receiving affection, but she knows from reading her other self’s diary that Tikki is supposed to be her friend but she has no idea how to open up to the tiny creature that until now has only been her slave.

Gabriel feels great sympathy towards Marinette who has suffered so much abuse, and great guilt towards Adrien who has never learned how to socialize with kids his own age or deal with negative emotions in a healthy way, but he is certain that these two kids are made for each other.

Nino is still terrified of Paw Noir, and is super weirded out that the biggest bully in School after Chloe is now suddenly, awkwardly, trying to talk to him and asking about his favorite movies for dome reason? But they are members of the underground resistance together now and he’s not going to risk ticking this kid off and getting cataclysmed.

Alya is wary because Shadybug has tried to kill her several times these past few months… and now they are suddenly allies? Sure, that’s not weird or suspicious AT ALL.

[kasienda]

Celebrity Status - Ch 12: Something Important to Tell You

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Read on Ao3

This chapter was written for @ladrienjune Day 28: Sharing Secrets. I'm super excited to bring this story to a close for all of you! I had a lot of fun with it and I hope you do as well!

Chapter 12: Something Important to Tell You

Once out of hearing range, Adrien was tempted to find the nearest alleyway, transform, and storm Marinette's balcony. But Ladybug might not forgive Chat for figuring out her identity. It was safer to do this as Adrien.

He would have gotten to the bakery faster if they had eaten at school, but it ended up not mattering because Marinette wasn’t home. 

He ended up back on the streets, wandering aimlessly. 

He texted Marinette, but she didn’t respond. 

A few minutes later, Ladybug was seen swinging overhead. And he grinned. Time for a new plan. 

He found an alleyway and transformed. He didn’t go directly to her. It was still safer to do this as Adrien. 

He found the most isolated rooftop that he could find - one without sight lines. 

He shot off a message to Ladybug. 

CN: 

Please meet me here as soon as possible. It’s important. 

Then, he let go of his transformation and just waited. 

It didn’t take long. She was there in less than five minutes. And it was wild how clearly she was Marinette under the mask. 

He found himself smiling fondly at her. 

She did not share his expression. Her expression twisted into panic.

“That damn cat! We can’t do this!” she insisted, raising her arm to cast out her yo-yo. 

“No, wait!” He leapt up from the roof to block her departure. “I didn’t mean to trick you. I have to tell you something. It is important, and has nothing to do with us.”

Well, sort’ve. 

Her stance softened. “Adrien,” she whined. “We can’t risk this.” 

“No one can see us up here. Chat Noir made sure of it.” 

Her scowl deepened, but she didn’t leave. 

He bit his lower lip. 

“Well?” she prompted. “What is it?” 

“I'm sorry! I’m just nervous. I think you’re going to be pissed.” 

She softened completely and came to him, her hand reaching out for his, which he took instantly. “If it helps,” she said with a shy smile, “it’s literally impossible for me to stay mad at you.” 

He barked a laugh. He doubted that would hold once she knew he was Chat Noir. 

“I love you,” he said. 

Her forehead scrunched together. “You said this wasn’t about us.” 

“And it’s not. Not really. I just–” He rubbed the back of his head nervously.

She frowned in concern, stepping closer and squeezing the hand she already held. “Are you okay?”

He nodded. “I’m fine. Better than fine, really.” He squeezed her hand back, and looked up into her crystal blue eyes, still swirling in concern. “I know who you are.” 

Her eyes widened and she froze, but said nothing.

"Marinette," he added.

She jerked away from him, her arms pinwheeling backwards. He leapt forward, to catch her. Suddenly, he was laughing. 

"Oh my god. Did I break you?"

She clutched onto his arms to steady herself, and then looked right at him. "How?" she asked.

“So… Alya kinda crashed my lunch with Nino.” 

Her face paled. "Ayla knows ?!"

"No!" he was quick to reassure. "At least, I don't think so. She wouldn't be so mad at you if she knew."

And then Ladybug deflated completely, and burst into tears. His arms were around her in a second.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, holding her tightly. "I know it sucks."

"I didn’t want to run out on her. She’s so important to me. But there’s the whole city to think about, and Chat had just been thrown into a building, so it’s not like I had a lot of time—”

"Shhh…” he soothed, rubbing her back. “I know. I know."

She dissolved into tears again, and then they dropped down to the roof with him continuing to hold her. She let her suit dissolve in a flash of pink light. His fingers were interlaced through hers. He was touching her bare skin! 

He knew who Ladybug was and she was the precious friend who had a crush on him!

"That's how you figured it out? Because Alya was mad that I bailed on her all the time?"

"Not just that. It was that you were fighting in general. You told me as Ladybug that things were dicey with your best friend, but I hadn’t realized you and Alya were fighting until today.” 

He still felt guilty about that. 

“She was angry that Marinette didn’t go to her award dinner where Ladybug presented her award, but it made no sense that you wouldn’t have gone given the way you were talking about it the day before. Then, you disappeared in the middle of your apology lunch during an akuma.” And she had a crush on him, but Adrien didn’t know Ladybug had a crush on him. Chat did. “It just fit. And then once my mind went there, it was obvious and I felt like an idiot."

"Can I ask you something?" her voice was barely above a whisper.

"Anything.”

"Why did you never get mad at me for ditching you? I've even managed to irritate Nino before he just decided that's who I was."

His hand flew to the back of his neck. "I... well, uh..."

"It wasn't that you felt guilty was it? For all the times your father pulled you away?"

There it was - a ready made explanation held out to him on a silver platter. He didn't want it though.

"The truth is Buginette, I wasn't even in a position to notice. When Alya lost it because you were flakey I was so confused."

Her brows furrowed. "But what about—”

He put a finger to her lips. "Let me finish."

She nodded.

"Every time you darted away with some lame excuse, I didn't notice because I was too busy trying to come up with my own explanation."  

Her eyebrows furrowed. “An explanation for what?” 

"Think about it. Why would I need to bail on my friends at the same time as you?"

She looked puzzled, and then she turned to him in shock.

"Chaton?"

He grinned. "Hi?"

“Oh my god!” She bolted to her feet and paced back and forth. She looked entirely like Ladybug to him in that moment for all that she wore Marientte’s clothes. 

"Are you mad?" he asked. 

"Yes!" she screeched, throwing a glare in his direction. "Chat Noir was trying to convince me to keep dating Adrien! You self serving jerk,” but her tone held absolutely no bite. “And no," she fell back to the rooftop, immediately cuddling into his side. "I mean, I get it. If I had learned Adrien liked Marinette while I was Ladybug, I probably would have been far less normal about it than you were. And I was the one who insisted on secret identities."

Her phone went off, and she pulled it out of her pocket and her eyes widened in panic all over again. 

“It’s Alya.”

… 

Adrien pushed the phone towards her urgently. “Answer it! I’m not here.” 

Marinette swallowed, her heart was pounding in her chest as she slid her thumb across the screen to answer the call.

“Alya?” 

Alya was sobbing.

“Alya! What’s wrong?”

“I’m awful. You’re right not to trust me with your secrets.” 

Marinette’s eyebrows scrunched together. “What are you talking about?” 

“I was angry with you and Adrien said something about how you never flaked on him. And I was angry. I may have let it slip that you have a crush on him.” 

Her gaze shot to Adrien. 

“You tom cat!” she mouthed at him. 

He grinned cheekily at her. That’s totally how he figured her out. 

“I’m so sorry, Marinette,” Alya cried. “I had no right to share that even though I was angry.”

“Alya! It’s okay!! I actually have to thank you! Because he just confessed to me, and I asked him out!” 

Adrien’s eyebrows rose into his hairline. 

“No way! Really?! What did he say?” 

“Well… umm… I’m kinda still waiting for an answer,” she said, staring right at him as his lips stretched into a smile. 

“Oh my god! He’s there, isn’t he?! I’ve been trying to get you to confess since forever and you finally do and I’m interrupting! I’m sorry! I’ll just go—”

“No! Don’t go!” Marinette begged. “Adrien can wait! Are we… are we okay?” 

There was a long pause, and Marinette held her breath. 

“I want us to be. And right now, I’m mad enough at myself that I think I could say we are, but if this keeps happening… I don’t know.” 

Marinette squeezed her eyes closed. “I think you’re right to be mad,” she said. “At me, not at yourself. That’s totally fine. I promise!” 

Adrien squeezed her hand in encouragement and she flashed him a smile. “I feel awful for how much I’ve hurt you. I feel absolutely terrible, but I can’t fix it, I can’t explain, and I can’t… I can’t promise it will stop happening.”

Her eyes welled with tears. 

“I actually appreciate your being that honest. Can I ask for one thing?”

“Of course!”  

“Can you just not lie? Just tell me you can’t explain. We can come up with a code word or something.” 

“Yeah, we can do that.”

“Then, I think we’re good. We’ll figure out that part later. Now, go finish your conversation with Adrien!! And then call me later with all the deets!” Alya literally squealed. 

“Okay! Sounds good! I love you!”

“Love you, too! Before I go, can I talk to Adrien for a second?”

“Umm… you’re not gonna give him a shovel talk are you?”

“No no no. Nothing like that!” 

She handed over the phone.

…

“She wants to talk to you.”

Adrien took the phone with more than a little trepidation, knowing he had pissed off Alya himself less than an hour ago. And Alya was someone he knew he didn’t want to piss off. 

“Hello?” he answered. 

“You know her secret, don’t you? Something I said at lunch, helped you put some pieces together.” 

He tensed. Marinette noticed. “She promised no shovel talk!” 

He shook his head, and held up a finger. 

“Umm… what secret?” 

Alya laughed. “Yeah, that’s fair. Can you just do me one favor?”

“Depends on the favor,” he said. 

“Do a better job protecting her secrets than I did?” She asked softly. 

He smiled. “Yeah, I’ll try. Thanks Alya.” 

“Okay, now scat! Don’t leave my girl hanging!” 

He laughed. “Thanks, Alya.” 

The call ended and he held out the phone to Marinette. But she didn’t take it. Instead she just smiled at him. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were smiling. 

“You going to answer my question?” 

He grinned, feeling playful. “I don’t know. I distinctly remember you telling Chat Noir that you had feelings for someone else, and Adrien that we couldn’t be in a relationship.” 

“This is payback for all the times I’ve rejected you, isn’t it?”

He pulled her into his arms, and leaned in for a kiss, but he stopped two centimeters from her lips. “I think I could be persuaded.” 

She closed the distance between them. And kissing Marinette was exactly like kissing Ladybug, except better because he could feel the warmth of her hand, and the beating of her heart against his chest. 

Because he didn’t have to be worry about Adrien and Marinette being caught in quite the same way.

“I would absolutely love to go out with you,” he said. “I love you so much, m’lady.”

It felt so good to finally be able to call her that as himself. 

Her cheeks bloomed with pink and she kissed him again. “I love you, too. Can we take a selfie of us kissing?” she asked, grinning. 

“You’re not tired of the picture we already have of us kissing?”

“Honestly, I kinda love that picture,” she admitted. “I might not have chosen to share it with the rest of the world, and I definitely would have preferred they didn’t all feel like they were allowed to ask invasive questions or interpret it however—”

He was never going to stop smiling. He interrupted her with another kiss. He wasn’t actually trying to interrupt or stop her from talking. She was just so pretty, and she had just asked him out, and he was still definitely over the moon. And so he kissed her. 

He took the picture she wanted for her a beat later, but the kiss kept going so he took more. 

When she finally pulled away gasping for air, he held out his phone so she could choose her favorite. 

“This picture can be just for us if you want,” he offered as she swiped through the pictures, picking out her favorites. 

She winced. “And maybe for Alya?” She asked, smiling guiltily. 

“You already sent it to Alya?!” 

He got three texts in rapid succession. 

“I’m sorry. I’ll ask next time.”

He laughed, and pulled her in again. “Is it weird that I’m happy you want to share it instead of keep it a secret?”

She smiled softly, her fingers brushing locks of his hair out of his face.

“No, not weird at all. I’m sorry we had to be a secret before. If I was brave enough to confess as Marinette instead of being creepy with you as Ladybug—”

“Your visits were never creepy!” he objected. “I loved your visits!”

“—maybe we could have had this without the scandal and maybe without the reveal.” 

His heart sank into his gut. “Do you regret that we know now?” 

She shook her head, grinning. “No, probably not. I just— I want you to be safe.” 

“I am Chat Noir,” he reminded her. “I can protect myself.” 

“That almost makes it worse, but yeah, I do feel better.” She grinned, her front teeth were biting down on her lower lip. “I’m super excited that we don’t have to risk being out as Ladybug and Adrien. We can just be Ladybug and Chat. No one will suspect a thing.”

Not a thing! Until they got kissing on camera again, but Adrien wasn’t about to bring that up. 

… 

They lasted a week. A whole seven days without being caught with lips locked. And that was a miracle with how much they had been meeting up to do exactly that. 

But it felt different. 

When reporters came out of the woodwork asking for details, Chat Noir was right there, holding her hand. This time, she denied nothing, and instead she dipped him into a kiss for all the world to see. 

“What softened you towards the cat?” Alya asked her in an interview that Marinette was only too excited to grant her. 

Ladybug giggled. “Honestly? It was how supportive he was when everyone was hounding me over my dalliance with Adrien Agreste. He was so respectful of my boundaries and he defended my right to make decisions in my own life when I knew he had feelings for me.

“That told me he cared more about my happiness than his own and that he would always respect my boundaries. He has already died for me. How could I not fall in love with that?” 

Chat Noir pulled the mic towards himself. 

“Thank you, Adrien Agreste. You truly did me a solid!” 

“Oh my god! Stop!” Ladybug squawked.

The interview dissolved into incoherent  giggles and silliness after that. Alya didn’t cut any of the footage. It was her most popular post to date. 

…

At the end of the day, nothing had changed for Marinette. And yet, everything was different.

Adrien sought out Marinette at school. She didn’t stumble over her words. He actually kissed her and they didn’t have to hide any of it away. 

His knowing her identity didn’t make her flake out on Alya less often, or suddenly stop driving her parents to madness with too many truancies. Ladybug’s fans were still mostly sweet if exhausting. Others were still beyond aggravating.

The difference was Marinette had three people – well, beings might be a better word – that knew her on both sides of the mask.

Tikki was a great listener and gave great advice just as she always had.

Plagg was more fun. He would give into her more frustrated rants or violent fantasies. He would occasionally play mostly harmless pranks on people who were giving her a hard time, which, while childish especially in Tikki’s eyes, always made her feel better.

And Adrien... Adrien understood. He understood the pressure of living up to an impossible ideal, the stress of living a double life, and how being a celebrity could push into your private life. He could listen, he could back up her stories. When they both disappeared they could pretend they were together.

Although it wasn’t really pretending. They were together. Just not hiding or making out in some broom closet like everyone thought.

And with the support and with time, she got better at covering, at telling selective truths instead of outright lies.

Of making it up to her friends in general, and Alya in particular. Of pulling off miracles in her attendance record. Though that may have involved hiring a guy Adrien knew to do some hacking. She earned the best marks ever with access to a study partner who would pull all nighters on rooftops with her though, so she figured it didn’t matter.

Hawkmoth was still at large, but Ladybug was confident that with her partner’s aid, they would hold him at bay for as long as they needed to until they could uncover his identity and recover his stolen miraculous.

Life as a hero and as a celebrity just didn’t feel quite as overwhelming as it had before. 

In fact, Marinette was loving it.

[xhanisai]

What Do Kisses Taste Like?

AO3

Pairing - Adrinette + Ladynoir

Prompt - ‘Toothpaste And Energy Drinks’

Summary -

"We were discussing what kisses taste like, Marinette!" Rose happily quipped, more energetic than Marinette has ever been in her entire lifetime. The sweet girl clasped her hands together and pressed them against the side of her head in a precious pose. "What do you think they taste like?"

Marinette hummed lowly with little to no interest, placing the travel mug down on a nearby desk and her eyes fluttered shut. Everyone thought she was just mulling over it, coming up with an answer that'll satisfy them all in class president style.

.

They were wrong.

Before anyone could even take another breath, Marinette had Adrien's collar in her fingers instantly and then suddenly her lips were firmly pressed against his in one, deep kiss.

~(x)~ . . . "What do you think, mec? What do kisses taste like?" When the class discussion (sans Marinette who was most likely going to arrive much later) put him on the hot seat early in the morning (with Madame. Bustier having stepped out for some business for a little while), Adrien was immediately put off guard. However, it wasn't that he was intimidated by all the eyes on him nor did he feel pressured to do anything stupid or say anything equally as embarrassing. 'What do I say to this? The only times I've ever been kissed was by my Lady under the influence of an akuma where my memories were wiped and when Marinette kissed me as a prank...but I pulled away too fast to actually taste her lips...not to mention all those times my lips accidentally brushed my Lady's or my Princesse's by accident when helping them get out of an Akuma's way were all too fast for me to even register properly...' He thought long hard and deep, a comical look of concentration and focus plastered on his face adorably, peaking the curiosities of all his friends. He even had a hand clutching his chin in a manner that brought out endeared grins from some of his classmates, finding him quite cute and charming like a little kitten trying to make up its mind after being presented with two of its favourite treats. "Doesn't...well, doesn't it depend on who you kiss and when? And that multiple factors come into play when kissing?" Adrien finally asked after some time, still not able to come up with a definite answer and having his companions use the little brain cells they had that barely worked this early. "Like...say Rose had some chocolates and she kisses Juleka, wouldn't that make her kiss taste of chocolates too? Or Alya just came in from outside and kisses Nino, wouldn't their kiss taste like the cold, crisp air?" "True, true," Alya began, her sly, impish, fox-like smirk unseen by the blond boy who was still wracking his brain for more answers. "But I assumed you've already kissed a couple of times, Adrien- especially with how confident you looked when you and Marinette had to do it for our class film...unless...you have never been kissed?" "Our lips did lightly brush before Chloé interrupted us," Adrien sighed a little sadly and there was a tone of regret, ignoring the mayor's daughter who squawked indignantly in the background and simultaneously blind to the way everyone else's expressions (except Lila's) lightened up with pure delight and mischief. "Marinette smelt really, really sweet and so good...like spiced vanilla...and her lips were dewy with a cute gloss and it smelt fruity...so I'm not sure if she would've tasted like sweets or fruits or even the delicious cookies that she often shares with us in class. That would've been my first kiss too. What a missed opportunity." His unfiltered babbles and lovesick sighs were like the most delicious cheese in the world and all of his classmates except for the two grumpy, seething girls were Plagg. The way he looked despondent over losing an opportunity to kiss his beloved Marinette and the way he lightly pressed his bottom lip with his fingertips with the definition of unadulterated yearning within his big, green, sparkly eyes was just too good for his gossip-hungry, giggly friends. Though, neither of them got a chance to prod and pry further. "Ughhh...it's too early in the morning! Why are you all so loud?" A sudden, dead on her feet, sleep-deprived Marinette appeared, leaning against the door with a travel mug full of coffee in hand. She didn't even blink at the way Adrien physically lightened up at her presence, his body looking more than ready to pounce her in a huge embrace like his alter-ego's namesake and his emerald greens glittering with adoration and delight. The poor heroine was far too out of it to properly comprehend anything and was currently fuelled by less than three hours of sleep from the past forty-eight hours and many, many beverages.   "We were discussing what kisses taste like, Marinette!" Rose happily quipped, more energetic than Marinette has ever been in her entire lifetime. The sweet girl clasped her hands together and pressed them against the side of her head in a precious pose. "What do you think they taste like?" Marinette hummed lowly with little to no interest, placing the travel mug down on a nearby desk and her eyes fluttered shut. Everyone thought she was just mulling over it, coming up with an answer that'll satisfy them all in class president style. . They were wrong. Before anyone could even take another breath, Marinette had Adrien's collar in her fingers instantly and then suddenly her lips were firmly pressed against his in one, deep kiss. His eyes practically bulged out of their sockets, his body frozen under her fiery touch and before he could even think of reciprocating or even holding her with his burning, desperate hands, she pulled away. . Meeting the gazes of their baffled classmates, the super-tired Marinette eyed them with something similar to boredom and nonchalance. "Mint. Kisses taste of fresh mint...like toothpaste. There's your answer." She released her grip on the lovestruck Adrien, about to head for her cup of coffee, only for the feline hero to snap out of his stupor and grasp Marinette by her shoulders. "Wait a minute!" He growled with both annoyance and disbelief, slamming his lips back on hers without wasting any time. The speechless students around them gawked unattractively as Adrien clenched the back of Marinette's dark blazer with one white-knuckled hand and tangled his fingers up in her messy hair with the other, hungrily parting his lips against her rosy pair over and over again until he finally gained access to her mouth with his eager tongue. The more innocent of their classmates such as Ivan and Sabrina averted their eyes from the clearly, hormone-riddled kiss that shouldn't ever be seen in public, their hands covering their faces. The more excited and outrageous classmates such as Kim and Alya and Rose watched with glee and cheered them on, hearts pounding happily on behalf of the very occupied duo and relishing the joy of seeing their ship sail after all this time. A few of them took a couple of pictures and videos on their phones whilst a handle of the students from the class had to restrain a furious, fire-breathing Chloé from tearing apart their one-true-pairing (and no one paid any mind to the way Lila fainted from absolute disgust at the sight of her enemies shoving their tongues down each other's throats). . Finally, after what seemed like forever, Adrien reluctantly parted from Marinette's lips for some needed oxygen, his hands tenderly cradling her soft face and the two of them panting with cheeks more rouge than Ladybug's suit and their eyes glazed as if they've just woken up from a dream. . That was until Adrien's eyes flashed with irritation. . "Energy drinks...why do you taste like energy drinks? I thought your parents banned you from them because they completely messed up your sleep schedule. And you also brought a cup of coffee with you?" Blinking slowly at her frustrated friend, Marinette did the one thing that her slumbering brain could only think of. . She ran. . "Hey! Marinette! Wait up! You're not getting away with this!" . And Adrien followed suit. . "So...does this mean kisses taste like toothpaste and energy drinks?" "Kim. Shut up." ~(x)~ Alya was living her best life. The bestest of them all. She didn't know what she did in her past life or the previous one before that but dammit it must have been something so amazing because all the Gods and higher powers must have blessed her, evident in the way one of her treasured OTPs were kissing messily right there and then and her hands trembling with indescribable elation as she recorded the event with her trusty phone. Her personal 'adrinette' album was pretty much spilling with so much content! "Cappuccino. With five teaspoons of sugar. Five!" Adrien grumbled with irk, pulling away from Marinette's lips with a soft glare, his hands cradling her face and slightly squishing her cheeks so that her lips were pooched. The girl in his grasp only scowled with an intensity of a kitten stuck on a tree branch, her tired baby blues glinting with defiance and her arms crossed as she scoffed and looked away childishly. This only made her blond drawl out her name as a warning. "No way! I only had one and a half teaspoons of sugar in my coffee for breakfast!" She attempted to fib, cheeks and ears reddening as she tried not to give in to his narrowed (but gorgeous, beautiful) greens. "Besides, all that excess sugar is from the fruits I've also had with my breakfast!" "Do I need to shove my tongue back in your mouth, again?" And like the married couple they totally are, the duo began bickering once anew in a manner that reminded Alya of her other OTP, donned with polka dots and feline assets. She didn't pay any mind to Nino who gave her a slightly worried look as she manically cackled quietly behind her phone, squealing when this time, Marinette shoved her tongue down Adrien's throat and then pulled away triumphantly. "Aha! You also had coffee! And not just any coffee...an espresso! With at least three teaspoons of sugar!" The finger Marinette jabbed at Adrien's chest was caught by the taller teen, using the momentum to tug her back to his chest. "Unlike you, I take my caffeine and sugar in moderation and know how to not overwork myself. You? You go through the day with five or six cups daily!" "I'm not gonna let you stop me, Agreste!" "Oh, we'll see about that, Dupain-Cheng!" Alya once again, thanked the higher deities and her boyfriend simply just rolled his eyes with both love and affection for her and his good friends. Though, he much rathered that neither Marinette nor Adrien ended up in a heap of exhaustion and fatigue in the corner desk of the classroom again. The two of them were just as bad as each other. ~(x)~ A sleep-deprived Chat Noir registered the scent of sugar and sweeteners and artificial fruit flavours before the sound of his Lady's feet landing on one of La Tour Eiffel's beams, making her way towards him. He whirled around to face her without opening his eyes, swallowing her gasps as he slammed their lips together in one, bruising kiss. All that his tired mind could register was the extreme sugariness and silkiness of her yielding lips, flavoured with something she definitely should not have been consuming and her body melting like putty in his hands. "Energy drinks again, Marinette?" He sighed groggily as he pulled away from her lips, resting his aching head against hers with a quiet grunt. "At this rate, you'll give me a heart attack from worrying about you constantly-" He snapped his eyes open, feline greens constricting, finally realising that within his arms was one gaping, tight-lipped Ladybug, her face so red it blended in with her suit magnificently and her chest pressed against his as she had to strain her neck to meet his gaze above due to their height difference. "A...Adrien?" She whispered questionably, baby blues glittering and her rosy lips reddened deliciously thanks to his ministrations. Had he been in his right mind, Chat Noir would have probably whooped in joy and kissed her enthusiastically and maybe gotten down on one knee and proposed or something like that. . Too bad he was severely sleep deprived. "You. You're going to bed. You shouldn't even be up at this time!" Was all he muttered, his partner mutely allowing him to carry her away in his arms to her humble abode. She could freak out properly the very next day after a good night's sleep but for now, she casually just let her Chaton drop to her side on her bed after detransforming and snoozing in the comforts of her arms (but not before kissing her goodnight). . . . ~(x)~

[shadyclawluvbot]

Precious

shadyclaw post reaveal oneshot 🐈‍⬛✨

claw noir hears about marinette's recent break up with luka however he didn't like hearing about how that happened

the moon sat in the center of the sky illuminating the alleys no one dared set foot in, claw noir desided to take a stroll outside, as he wondered around aimlessly on the endless roofs of paris he ended up unintentionally on a rooftop right across the bakery

"why am i here again?" he muttered to himself slightly annoyed, of course, he didn't hate coming here but he didn't wanna bother marinette, what if she thinks he's too clingy or something?

"ah fuck it" he said "am already here I'll go check up on her"

he jumped to the balcony, to his surprise the blunette was sitting out there, her head in her hands, his heart sank as he heard muffled sobs.

"marinette?" the girl jumped

"claw?" she said wiping her eyes with her sleeves "what are you doing here?"

"why are you crying" he said slightly approaching her.

"am not crying" she said defensively "it's a little cold out here that's why am tearing up" she looked away clenching her fists

"why are you up here in the middle of the night ? are you okay ?" he said putting a hand on her shoulder, the girl slightly flinched at his gesture

"I found this," she said pushing some sort of bracelet into his arms "it's the snake miraculous, I think"

"where did you find this ?" he said with gasp

"remember luka, my boyfriend ?" she replied looking away hugging herself "well he had it and I stole it well not really it fell from his hand when we were-"

she stopped a cold chill running down her spine

"when you were what marinette ?" the green haired boy said with a forrowed brow

"talking...." she said frowning "and he didn't notice he dropped so I hid it and yeah..."

"I don't think you'll be out here bawling your eyes out in the middle of the night because of a talk marinette" he said leaning on the railing

"Didn't think that it was important what we were talking about I was just telling you how i got the-"

"I don't care about the miraculous, marinette, what's wrong" he interrupted

tears pooled in her eyes as she looked at the floor, her fists clenched on her sides, her shoulders slightly trembling

"I really tried to make this think work with him you know" she sobbed "but he can't start yelling and screaming all the time and expect me to listen and fix it all"

"oh mari" he said pulling her in for a hug "you really need to let go of him"

"I did" her voice shackingly said "that's why we fought in the first place, he started calling me names and telling me how horrible I am and then I started to yell at him more then he slapped me and then i-"

"he slapped you ? " the blondie shouted as he pulled away from her grip, holding her by the shoulders facing him

"yeah... why are you asking?" the bluenette said tucking a strand of hair behind her ear

"marinette he hit you" he said a hint of worry in his voice

"so ?" she asked "it's not the first time he does, he loves me you know if he hit me it's for a reason"

"what" the masked guy muttered with a frown

"yeah I mean, you know me I can be a little too annoying"

"you're not annoying" he muttered "mari, you don't hit people you love, ever"

"no you do what?" she said with a sad smile

"oh marinette, you really need better people in your life" the hero said pulling her for a hug again, sneakily sliding his hand in her hair

"I have good people in my life" she said chuckling

"like who" he asked

"well there's alya and nino"

"one hates you and the other is scared to death of you"

"there's betterfly"

"you're barely around him, you don't even know who he is"

"okay then there's my parents"

he pulled away looking at her with an annoyed expression

"you did not just say that" he muttered "hate to break it to you cockroach but you're parents are my prime suspects for who's the supreme"

"you're right" she sighed "I guess that just leaves you"

she smiled and his heart skipped a beat, that was a strange sight for him, even strangely he didn't mind it, even though he doesn't like when stuff are different, he didn't mind this matter of fact he could look at this for all eternity and never have enough, It was like cigarettes, only took him one try and he's hooked, craving more of it even when he has it already.

"if you say so, i mean" his lips quiverd and he turned his gaze to the ground "I'm not any better than any of these people, probably even worse"

"so was I" she muttered "I forgive you for everything that happened before we joined the resistance, you know that right" she said taking his hands in hers

"I do" he said a slight blush creeping up his face "you should do that more by the way"

"do what?" she said confused

"smile" he muttered "you should smile more

"oh..." her cheeks where now the color of her suit if she was wearing it and her heart skipped a few beats "i guess, hey isn't it getting a little late you should probably take this and go find betterfly or keep it or something"

"erm yeah i should probably get going but-"

"yeah you really should get going" she interrupted "anyways goodnightiloveyoubesafebye" she said as she rushed to shut the trap door behind her

"oh goodnight" he said a blush spreading on his cheeks

he looked back one last time at that house than extended his baton and hopped away setting course back home

[aliensunflower-fics]

Considering what happens in the finale, do you feel awkward still writing Adrien salt fics?

Not really.

If anything the ending just made me more annoyed at the way they chose to write Adrien. The whole reason I started writing salt and fics was because I hated the writing choices the staff made. Because its a story idea with genuine promise. But…

Marinette was written to have her life revolve around a boy while her genuine trauma was ignored. Alya was a flip floppy bad friend good friend with missed potential. Nino was just forgotten about.

And dont get me started on the mess of Kagami, Felix and Luka’s writing.

For Adrien I hated that he was simultaneously the object of Marinettes life while also somehow being underdeveloped??? His obsession with Ladybug was just as bad as Marinettes with Adrien and his reactions to rejection weren’t funny but rather frustrating and awful. Also hes related to the villain and a senti-being ect ect but hes so under utilized and instead is just held up on this pedastal as this sad tragic perfect precious baby!!!

So when I saw the show finally get him and Marinette together and gearing up for the Finale I thought “wow maybe they will do something with him? Maybe he will get character development and it will fix all my issues?!” Thennnn they locked him in a box and said no no! Adwien is a perfect angel baby! He cant be made to fight or grow or be challenged! Mawinette has to pwotect his pwecious innocence.

It infuriated me. It made me want to write salt like I’ve never written salt before. (Mostly Gabriel salt but still). Anyway then I went outside touched grass and realized this is a kids show written by a narcissist creep so whatever. Point is il continue writing salt and if that upsets people thats fair and they dont need to read my content. But as I’ve said before my library of content features both Adrien salt and sugar so im a flexible gal who writes whatever I feel at the moment

[the-delta-42]

Pulling the Trigger

Pulling the Trigger

Marinette nervously bit her bottom lip; her new school was a boarding school just outside of Paris. Kaalki had agreed to help her get back to the city in the event of an Akuma attack. She’d been forced to change schools after Adrien had gotten her a meeting with his father, Gabriel Agreste, one of Marinette’s idols. In the meeting, Gabriel had torn into Marinette’s designs, belittling them and mocking her choice of style, before tearing into Marinette as a person and her effects on his son and then, quite coldly, informed her that she would never have a future in the fashion industry and if she was ever near his son again, he’d be sure to have her behind bars.

So, here Marinette was, sitting in a hallway, waiting to be called into a classroom full of strangers. No pressure.

PTT

A blonde-haired girl with tanned skin, called Allegra, pulled Marinette through the halls, talking at a mile-a-minute and introducing Marinette to other students along the way.

“Claude, Allen!” Yelled Allegra, waving at a light-skinned boy with brown hair and a dark-skinned boy.

“Who’s this?” Joked the light-skinned boy.

“This is Marinette Dupain-Cheng!” Said Allegra, making the dark-skinned boy choke on his drink.

“That designer you’re obsessed with?” Asked the boy, as Allegra nodded eagerly, “I’m Allen, this wannabe magician is Claude.”

Marinette waved nervously.

“Sorry, we’re not used to being in the presence of a celebrity.” Said Claude, grinning, “Speaking of, what are your next designs like?”

Marinette winced, “It’s not, I’ve, erm, I’ve kinda been black-listed.”

The three froze.

“Um, can I ask by who?” Asked Allegra, her voice strained.

“Gabriel Agreste.” Responded Marinette, as Allegra sighed in relief.

“Oh, phew, for a moment I thought it was someone relevant.” Said Allegra, “The Gabriel Brand has really gone downhill lately, it doesn’t help that the new model keeps making Adrien look uncomfortable.”

“Yeah, she’s always like that,” Said Marinette, folding her arms, “trust me I went to school with them.”

Allegra froze, and then started squealing.

PTT

Adrien’s leg bounced as he waited for class to start. His father had spoken to him last night about how he had issued a restraining order against Marinette, as well as blacklisting her. He’d made a similar announcement at a social dinner with other fashion designers and members of the elite. His father didn’t like the fact he’d been laughed out of a room.

“Hey, dude!” Greeted Nino, Alya and the rest of the class behind him, “How were your holidays?”

“Could’ve been better.” Said Adrien, glumly.

“How’d things pan out with Marinette?” Asked Alya, smirking slightly.

“Terribly, my father issued a restraining order against her and black-listed her.” Answered Adrien, glaring at the table, “All because Lila claimed Marinette was a stalker and was crazy.”

“Lila, said that?” Asked Alya, in disbelief.

“She practically gloated about it at the photoshoot, actually,” Said Adrien, looking around for Juleka, “Juleka, I need to borrow some of your makeup.”

“Why?” Asked the Goth, frowning slightly.

Adrien pulled back his sleeve, revealing crescent-shaped scars all along his arm, “Lila got handsy and refused to let go.”

“Didn’t anyone do something?” Asked Rose, tears gathering in her eyes.

“They did, but father,” Adrien spat the word out like it was a curse, “refused to listen to anyone but his precious little Lila.”

Alya looked Lila up on her phone, dread filling her when the only result was her interview and Lila’s social medias.

“The lying bitch.” Said Alya, collapsing into her seat, “Marinette told me, and I didn’t think to check!”

Adrien glared at the table, trying to set it on fire with his gaze, “Father’s lost two of his biggest sponsors because of this.”

Alya frowned, just as Lila walked into the class.

“You guys aren’t going to believe what Marinette did to me!” Whimpered Lila, as everyone in the class glared at her.

“You mean telling us about your lies?” Snapped Alya, burning holes into Lila’s head.

“I’m not a liar!” Gasped Lila, her eyes darting to Adrien with a silent command to defend her.

“What?” Scowled Adrien, glaring at Lila as well, “If you’re expecting me to defend you, that deal only worked while Marinette was still in school.”

Lila gaped like a fish, as Adrien leaned forwards, “You do know that lying to my father made him lose two of his biggest sponsors? The Cheng’s and the Ricca’s cut their contracts immediately. The thing is, they had a little clause in their contracts that should their partnership with my father was ever terminated for whatever reasons, he would have to pay back every penny they gave him?”

Lila continued to gape, before clearing her throat, “Well, my mother is a Ricca, they’ll be back in the fold soon enough.”

“Lila, they’ve started proceedings to claim the mansion and they’re claiming all the bank accounts in my father’s name.” Stated Adrien, “Your lies have practically cost my father everything.”

“What’s going to happen to you?” Asked Nino, breaking his glare form Lila to look at Adrien.

“Father’s been under investigation, and I’ve been moved into a temporary home.” Shrugged Adrien, leaning back in his chair, “I’m not getting my hopes up about anything yet.”

Lila went pale, if Gabriel went under, she could kiss her dreams of being rich, famous and wanted goodbye. Lila’s eyes darted around the room, before she scarpered out and started to make her way home. Perhaps it was time for a fresh start somewhere else, somewhere far away from this mess.

PTT

“I can’t do that!” Protested Marinette, as Allegra stared at her with starry eyes.

“Please?” Begged the girl, forming a pout, “I can ask him for modelling tips, and you can just happen to be in the classroom?”

“That would only succeed in getting you in trouble, Allegra.” Said Felix, a blonde-haired, grey eyed boy a couple seats away from them. Marinette felt she’d met him before.

“Oh, please, Felix,” Sighed Claude, “just because you can’t meet Kitty section doesn’t meant I can’t meet Adrien Agreste.”

“Ms. Dupain-Cheng, Ms. Grey, Mr. Cadabra, Mr. Ricca, please be quiet and face the front.” Said the teacher, making the four flush.

“Sorry.” They all muttered and focused on their books.

The name Ricca niggled in the back of Marinette’s mind, trying to remember where she’d last heard it. Her Nonna’s maiden name was Ricca. Marinette’s mind screeched to a halt, and the girl’s head snapped up and stared at Felix.

“Is there anyone in your family called Gina?” Marinette asked Felix, making the boy look up.

“Yeah, my great-aunt, she travels around the world, why?” Responded Felix, as Marinette gaped at him.

“Her surname wouldn’t happen to be Dupain, would it?” Questioned Marinette, leaning forwards.

Felix frowned, before he made the connection.

“Holy shit.”

PTT

Candence Ricca jumped when the phone went off, she quickly checked the caller ID and frowned when she saw it was Felix.

“Sweetie, what’s wrong?” Asked Candence, before quickly pulling the phone away from her ear.

“Why didn’t you say Great-Aunt Gina had family here?!” Demanded Felix, making Candence sigh.

“Rolland doesn’t want to be part of the family, Felix-” Felix cut her off.

“No, not him, Aunt Gina’s son and granddaughter!” Said Felix, making Candence frown.

“I thought they were still in China.” Mused Candence, as the dog ran behind her, chasing the cat.

“Marinette’s attending my school!” Said Felix, making Candence freeze.

“Felix,” Said Candence, her tone serious, “Keep Marinette with you, I’m coming to you.”

“Why?” Asked Felix, confused at his mother’s tone.

“Because we’ve been operating under the assumption that Marinette and her parents died in that plane crash.” Growled Candence, before hanging up.

Candence grabbed her coat and walked out the door towards her car.

PTT

Marinette stared at Felix’s phone. She and her parents were believed to be dead? But they weren’t. They were alive. Weren’t they? Marinette pinched herself, wincing as her nails dug into the skin on the back of her hand. Nope, definitely not dead.

“Any idea what that was supposed to be about?” Asked Felix, looking at Marinette.

“This is the first I’ve heard of being dead.” Shrugged Marinette, frowning, “Unless everyone’s actually dead and this is the afterlife.”

“The afterlife fucking sucks.” Said Felix, before looking at his phone, “Should we head outside and meet her, or should we just wait for the wardens to collect us for death row?”

Everyone stared at Felix.

“Boy, you’re a freak.” Said Claude, after a moment had passed.

The sound of squealing tyres made them look towards the window, a woman with brown hair and forest green eyes all but charged out of the car, while a chauffeur calmly started reading a book.

Felix shrunk slightly, Candence was tall and boarder line intimidating and the impassive expression on her face was usually reserved for the paparazzi. Candence stopped in front of her son and looked down at the, ridiculously, short girl next to him. A familiar pair of blue eyes stared back up at her.

“Marinette?” Murmured Candence, frowning.

“Hi?” Marinette gave a small wave.

Candence grabbed her face and looked either side of Marinette’s head. After letting Marinette go, she turned to Felix, “Wait here.”

Marinette and Felix watched Candence stalk over to the school’s receptionist. A moment later, both of them were in the back of the car Candence arrived in, while Candence was snarling down her phone in Italian. Marinette prided herself on how much Italian she’d learnt from her Grandmother, but now she was silent in shock at the number of profanities coming from Candence’s mouth.

The car came to a stop and Candence hopped out and stalked into a building. Marinette paled that the bakery, before sinking into her seat in an attempt to hide from any passers-by. Felix idly watched his mother speaking with one of the bakery’s owners, a short Asian woman who looked confused. His mother’s posture relaxed, before she calmly made her way back to the car. Opening the door, she gestured for Felix and Marinette to get out. Marinette rushed into the bakery as fast as she could, in an attempt to avoid being seen.

“Marinette?” Asked Sabine, as Felix and Candence came in after her.

“Hi?” Marinette waved.

“What’s this about?” Asked Sabine, looking at Candence, “I’m not sure I understand what you meant when you said we’re ‘supposed to be dead’.”

“You were in a plane crash, ten years ago.” Said Candence, “The majority of my family were under the impression that you, Tom and all five of your children were on board.”

Marinette frowned, “What do you mean ‘five’? The only siblings I have are Michael, Skye and Toby.”

Sabine groaned, before locking the Bakery door and leading the group upstairs.

“This is going to take a while.” Muttered Sabine, as they entered the apartment.

PTT

Adrien shifted uncomfortably as Chris ran around being chased by the twins. The rest of the class were scattered around the living room, Chloé was hugging her legs to her chest, in an attempt to prevent either Chris or the twins from touching her.

“Why are we here again?” Complained Chloé, getting scowls from most of the group.

“Chloé, you weren’t invited, you just followed Adrien here.” Said Alix, leaning back against the sofa.

Chloé huffed, but didn’t say anything.

“We’re here to figure out how to get Adrien’s dad to withdraw the restraining order and blacklist on Marinette.” Said Alya, “She’d do the same for us. Now, we need to focus on what Lila said to him and how we can disprove it.”

Meanwhile, across Paris in Gabriel’s office, Gabriel was fighting off an incoming headache.

“The Chengs and the Riccas are willing to come back to the table if you reverse you decision on Dupain-Cheng’s restraining order and Blacklist status.” Said Nathalie, standing by the door, “It would seem your attempt to akumatize her has failed. Again.”

Gabriel groaned, but Nathalie found she had little sympathy for him, “There’s also the matter of Mlle. Rossi, she’s at risk of being sued for defamation and/or slander by a number of parties. A number of Gabriel employees have now come forward and have reported that Mlle. Rossi has been harassing Adrien during the photoshoots.”

“Release her from her contract, as get M. Hayworth on the phone.” Grumbled Gabriel, as Nathalie sent the various messages off.

“Today couldn’t possibly get any worse.” Muttered Gabriel, taking his glasses off and looking up.

PTT

Hector frowned at the letter in his hand. He’d just posted his notice; he was getting too old to deal with the mayor and having to cave to his whims and wants. He hoped Arthur would accept his request.

Contrary to popular belief, he didn’t tolerate Bourgeois, any of them. He only bowed to their wishes because otherwise the school’s funding would ‘mysteriously’ get cut. But, Arthur’s school was independently funded. It had a lot of wealthy doners, preventing Bourgeois from taking full control of the school for their principle. Hector knew he wasn’t a good man, evidenced by his handling of the Dupain-Cheng-Rossi incident. He acted to hastily, due to the fact that Rossi was shaping up to be another Bourgeois. A headache within a migraine, within another migraine. Hector ignored the pain in his chest, putting his proposal to Arthur in an envelope, before getting to his feet and walking out of the school to find the nearest post box.

PTT

Marinette choked on her drink as she saw the headline on the common room tv.

Local Paris School Principal found dead

Marinette quickly located the remote, before turning up the volume.

“Don’t be bemused, it’s just news,” Said Nadja, to the camera, “Earlier today, Hector Damocles, Principal of College Francais Dupont, was found dead near the Eiffel Tower. Police are not treating his death as suspicious, and believe it to natural causes.”

Marinette stared at Damocles’ picture before it faded away as Nadja moved on to other topics she had to cover.

PTT

Arthur Coleman frowned down at Damocles’ letter to him. The Academy had been looking to expand its reach, as well as find an appropriate campus for ‘day’ students. He decided to put the letter to the side and bring it up at the next governors meeting.

PTT

“Don’t be bemused it’s just news,” Marinette idly listened to the TV in the common room, as she scribbled in her sketch book, “earlier today, Gabriel Agreste, Head designer and owner of the ‘Gabriel’ brand, formally ‘Papillon’, has declared bankruptcy. This occurred after two of his main investors unexpectedly withdrew their support after nearly twenty-five years. Neither Gabriel Agreste nor the investors were available to comment.”

Marinette stared at the TV, before Allegra dropped down onto one of the sofas, “Didja hear the news?”

“You know, you have the powerful ability to chew and swallow before you speak.” Said Felix, snapping his book shut, “But of course, you have to get the first word in, as always.”

Allegra chewed a couple of times, before getting up and walking over to Felix, crouched down to they were level and opened her mouth, showing him the mess of chewed food and saliva, “Blegh!”

Marinette internally groaned, before resting her head against her sketchbook. Claude and Allan were greeted to Felix trying to hit Allegra with his book, with Marinette curled into a ball with her hands over her ears, nursing a headache.

PTT

Adrien stared down at the pile of paper in front of him, “You mean I own everything?”

“More or less.” Said M. Hayworth, “The house, the company, practically everything your father had been using.”

Gabriel scowled as Hayworth spoke.

“If he hadn’t made that ridiculous restraining order, no one would’ve known.”

“Oh.”

“As it stands, your father made illegal modifications to your property, as well as some other, far more serious, charges.” Stated Hayworth, “Mdm. Sancoeur has volunteered to look after you while this matter has been settled.”

“Okay, what were the other charges?” Asked Adrien, making Hayworth sigh, before he cast a dark look at Gabriel.

“It came out that your father has some…connection to Hawkmoth.” Revealed Hayworth.

“What the fucking shit?!”

PTT

Ladybug skidded to a stop on the roof of the police station, before looking up at the detective, “Sorry, I’m late. I had to sneak out of my dorm.”

“You’re in university?” Asked the detective, getting a wince from Ladybug.

“No, I’ve started to attend a boarding school.” Answered Ladybug, rubbing her arm.

“And you’ve snuck out and come here,” Said the detective, slowly, “on a school night?”

“You, erm, you said you had a lead on Hawkmoth.” Excused Ladybug, looking up at them.

“Gabriel Agreste had been allowing Hawkmoth to use modified areas of his home as a lair.” Said the detective, “He’s been cautioned and is currently being questioned. We’ve also made sure to confiscate everything he had on him, minus his clothes and glasses.”

“And you want me to go over the stuff and see if any of them are a miraculous.” Stated Ladybug, getting a nod from the detective. “Okay,” Sighed Ladybug, “let’s do this.”

PTT

“Settle down.” Yelled M. Coleman, looking out at the sea of students, “SILENCE!”

Everyone went quiet, allowing M. Colman to continue, “As everyone knows, the foundations beneath our school has started to degrade and, as we are a private school, we lack the funds to repair it.” Coleman took in the faces of the students in the first few rows, “Which is why we are entering a partnership with College Francois Dupont, allowing us to continue your education while were repair and decided what to do with this campus.”

Some muttering broke out amongst the students.

“As of January, everyone will be attending Dupont.” Said Coleman, “We have been allocated dorms by Dupont, so that any students who live further away from Dupont will still be able to attend and keep with any groups they may have made or joined.”

The muttering started up again, as Coleman walked away from his podium, talking quietly with another member of staff.

PTT

“So,” Said Allegra, looking up at the school, “I guess this is the last time we can look at the dump before we go to your old stomping ground.”

Marinette hummed, “Part of me doesn’t want to go back. I haven’t been in contact with my friends there, I didn’t want to find out if they’d agreed with Adrien’s dad. I mean, I know they probably didn’t, but I didn’t want to take that risk, and I didn’t know if the restraining order covered allowed me to contact them, since there were around Adrien so much.”

“Being scared is normal,” Shrugged Claude, playing with his deck of cards, “unless you’re Felix, who has no emotions.”

“Say that again and I shove those cards right up your-” Felix was cut off by Allan clearing his throat, “rear.”

The group silently looked up at the school.

“Two and a half years.” Said Allegra, suddenly.

“What?”

“It’s been two and a half years since Marinette came here.” Answered Allegra, wistfully, “It’s been a fucking ride.”

“You can say that again.” Muttered Allan, before picking up his bag, “I think I can hear the bus arriving.”

“Thank god, I’m freezing my tits off.” Shivered Allegra, getting a snort from Felix.

PTT

Tom helped Marinette carry her bags into the apartment above the bakery, with the latter making sure she didn’t walk into anything. Marinette blinked as she tried to adjust to the darkness of the living room, after placing her bag on the floor, she reached out for the light switch and clicked it on.

“SURPRISE!” Everyone yelled, making Marinette yelp and jump a foot in the air.

All of Marinette’s former classmates, and the friends she made at the boarding school stood in front of her.

“The, the ‘surprise party’ trick,” Gasped Marinette, “is for birthdays only.”

“No, it isn’t.” Disagreed Alya, before throwing her arms around Marinette, “I’ve missed you girl.”

Marinette gingerly wrapped her arms around Alya, “Me too. I’m, I’m sorry that I haven’t been in contact with you.”

“Allegra explained everything, with the whole restraining order and phone troubles you’d been having.” Said Alya, “Adrien’s had his lawyer rescind the restraining order, but I think they’re attempting to use it as evidence in his dad’s trial.”

Marinette winced, before glancing over at Adrien, “Yeah, I heard about that. I’m so sorry.”

“I’m not.” Chirped Adrien, his hair streaked with green, “I brought a copy of the restraining order. And a cigarette lighter.”

Marinette gave Adrien a small smile, before the sound of someone choking got her attention, “Allegra, you're supposed to chew before swallowing.”

[artzychic27]

What happened to the recess class in paintball game, did they get out or something?

*The Recess Class are minding their own business in the waiting area when the Akuma Class and Science Kids return*

Gia: Hey, guys! How’d it go?

Denise: *Takes off their mask* I kinda wish we were timing that.

Jean: Still, one of our best. So, are you guys ready?

Akuma Class: …

Adrien: For what?!

Sabrina: Is it too late to run?

Victoria: You wusses got nothing to worry about. The winning class gets to face us in the next round.

Austin A: And now that you pansies are out, we all get to go fucking feral without hurting your precious little heads.

Marinette: Excuse me?!

Nino: That wasn’t them going feral?!

Mireille: Nah, did you see those guns? Come on!

Simon: And my usual paint grenades are more, uh… Ah, what’s the word?… More war-like.

Marc: Hey, but since you guys lost, you can watch our match and see the slight differences when we go against M. Grotke’s students.

Austin T: Yeah, and it’s ttally fun and safe. And you know? I feel it brings all of us close together.

*Later*

Austin T: *Lets out a battle cry* YOUR ASS IS MINE, JEAN! * Shoots at Jean, who ducks and rolls into a river and starts throwing paint grenades*

Gia: BEHIND THE SHIELD! NOW! *Austin T gets behind her shield as multiple lavender explosions go off*

Lacey: *Putting Mason in a headlock and holding a gun to him* DROP THE GUN!

Spinelli: STAY! FUCKING! COOL!

Marc: *Pointing his gun at Gerard trying to climb over the fence* GET OFF THE FENCE! GET OFF THE DAMN FENCE!

Gerard: IF I DIE, YOU’RE COMING WITH ME! *Shoots at Marc with a small paintball gun, but he narrowly dodges each one*

Zoé: DIE, GERARD *Throws a bolo at Gerard’s ankles so he trips and falls hard on the floor*

*The Akuma Class sit in the waiting room and watch the viewing screen with horrified expressions*

Alix: Why are they using weapons?!

Ivan: Apparently, they’re permitted when they play!

Nino: We go to school with animals!

*Ismael mercilessly shoots Austin Q in the forehead… Then shoots him in the back and legs*

Sabrina: Good Lord.

*Denise who has their ankle caught in a rope trap, shoots at the rope and tucks and rolls onto the ground. Hearing a twig snap, they shoot Rochelle down*

Juleka: You have to admire their skill, though.

*Some time later, the game finally ends close to the evening as a draw due to Marc and DJ as the last two players shooting each other at the same time*

Spinelli: Hey, guys, no hard feelings, right?

Aurore: Oh, you just wait when we kick your asses next time.

Spinelli: *Laughs* As if!

Max: How can you all be so calm after that?! What you just went through was a… A grueling, I wouldn’t even call it a sport. It… Why?!

Austin B: We all find that sports requiring strategic and quick thinking, camouflage skills, and the threat of danger help sharpen our skills w for in case of Akuma attacks.

Marinette: Oh. I guess that-

Reshma: Yeah, and it’s a great way to get out all the rage we feel towards you lot.

Akuma Class: …

Marinette: One more time?

Austin A: Yeah, you guys cause so many Akumas, we can’t keep track. And we’re the ones running and hiding for our lives because some of you just love pissing people off.

Victoria: And you guys get re-akumatized, which is always fun, because I do so enjoy turning into a singing servant for a perfume-spraying princess and getting shot by an arrow that makes me hate my friends.

Mindy: So… Yeah, paintball and dodgeball are sort of stress relievers for us. We admit, it’s not perfect and sone of us end up in the hospital, but it’s better than yelling at you guys and getting you akumatized again.

Alya: Th-that is so-

Rochelle: Valid? We’re aware. Now, we’re gonna get milkshakes. Nath, you coming?

Nathaniel: Yep.

Alix: Wait! You’re going with them?! Why?!

Nathaniel: Where was I during Zombizou?

Akuma Class: …

Nathaniel: That’s why. *Follows the Science Kids and Recess Class out of the paintball arena*

[msweebyness]

Class of Heroes AU: Another HC Post

Ya girl had another random burst of inspiration, and this was what resulted from it. As always, credit to @imsparky2002 and @artzychic27! Enjoy!

The heroes regularly have ‘Feelings Circles’ (I like these, okay?) where they all come together and can share whatever they feel they need to, from emotional issues to academic problems to crisis management. They pass around Ondine’s dinglehopper as the ‘speaking stick’ and everyone leaves feeling better than they did prior. They give these gatherings quite a bit of credit for the closeness and trust between them.

Marinette owns eight different swords, each one given a name relating to how she got it. They are all mounted on the wall of her room and she uses them interchangeably.

As a member of the royal family of the Pride Lands, Mireille's roar is loud enough to cause shockwaves that shake the entire school as well as shattering windows.

Lacey is the only fairy in Neverland whose wings emit a sound like bells when they flutter. This has earned her the nicknames 'Jingles' from Simon.

Alya has learned to cook all of her friends' favorite foods in order to comfort them if they're feeling down.

Kim, Denise, and Ivan (much like in the MonsterVerse) have been christened the 'Buff Squad' by a few of the others. They have frequent group workouts and lifting sessions (which their partners love watching).

They will also happily carry any of their friends to their destination if they're tired or just not feeling up to it. They're just nice like that.

Aurore, Nino and Lacey have a special Fairy Squad handshake, where they stand back-to-back and flutter their wings in unison.

When Max is very stressed or extremely zoned into a project he's working on, he will communicate through Morse Code.

Ondine loves the song Baby Shark, completely unironically. She listens to it all the time. She likes it so much that the others actually sang it for her on her birthday.

Rose usually has her head in a book, and by this point, she's completely memorized the school halls so she never bumps into anything.

Alix has something small she's taken from each of her friends that she keeps in a special box to remember them if she ever ends up alone on the streets again.

Reshma has a giant pet Venus Flytrap that she grew herself. It's name is 'Precious'.

There are only two things, three words that can wake up Nathaniel from his sleep: "Marc" and "Tater Tots".

Leave thoughts in the comments and reblogs!

[mysteriouslee]

Can you please do ler Marinette and lee Adrien from Miraculous

Finally working on my inbox stuff

Lee!Adrien Ler!Marinette.

Marinette, Alya,Nino and Adrien were relaxing over at Alya's house. They watched movies and played games. Marinette was designing a model in her sketch book while Alya braided her hair as they were all playing truth or dare.

"All right dudes and dudettes, my turn" said Nino as he looked to choose his victim.

"Adrien, bro, truth or dare" said Nino eager for his answer.

Adrien hesitated for a moment before opting for the truth.

"You ticklish?" Nino asked.

Adrien's eyes showed a slight panic but he answered with a shy "No..".

That's when the others began chasing Adrien. Adrien tried to get away but was soon tackled by Marinette.

"Mari pleahehese"begged Adrien

"He's already giggling, that's so precious" said Nino

"Get him" said Alya

Marinette was so caught up in the sillyness and competetive aura of the situation that thankfully she didnt have a freak out.Marinette squeezed his ribs and Adrien's giggles spewed out like a fountain. He tried to squirm away but Marinette had a surprisingly strong grip. She them moved to his sides which Adrien didnt have much of a reaction to.

"Hmm, now where is your weak spot golden boy" said Marinette who moved to his tummy.His giggles became more frantic and high pitched.

"Hehehehe Mahahrhihinehehtete" giggled Adrien.

"That's my name" responded Marinette.

Marinette shifted her psostion and went for his knees.

"*SNORT* AHANOHOHO" shrieked Adrien.

One thing most people didn't know was that Adrien's legs were a walking death spot.

"Score"said Nino, recording the whole ordeal.

Adrien's words started to mesh together with his laughter. Marinette went to attack his thighs, Adrien bucked and threw back his head. His hair was messsy and tears pricked his eyes. Marinette froze at the sight of the smiley and giggly Adrien.

"Girl, you're staring" stated a smirking Alya.

"Uh.." said Marinette before she was tackled by Adrien.

Before Adrien could do anything, Marinette rolled over and blew raspberries on his neck.

"EEE! MARINEHEHETTE" shrieked Adrien.

"Nice try Agreste" said Marinette as she continued her assault.

After a while Adrien was let up and he eventually took his revenge, the evening went on full of silly shenanigans and laughter.

[sweetcloverheart]

Public Enemies: Lunch Date

A small snippet regarding Lila in the AU

Curious olive eyes dart back and forth between the courtyard in the rare moments she had no attention on her as she entered the space, watching the students scurry as she spied on the two groups her class had split into to try to decide which one would make a better meal.

To the left was Marinette - surrounded by her beloved court as always with the clearly loyal Alya by her side. Normally, it would have been a simple choice of aiming for her - after all, her lies tend to land better when she has support from the class leaders, and the brunette, despite her (seeming) obliviousness to it, used her position quite effectively. It'd be so very easy to spin a few stories about her old school and worm her way into the pack so she could get a taste of that popularity pie and find a way to make it hers permanently.

But in the end, that's really all she'd get from it. True, Marinette might have been popular (and those scones she shared from her parents' bakery were to die for), but in the end, she's really only college popular - the kind that gets you facebook updates and wedding invites. While it might be useful in the short-term, it was nothing of use or substance that Lila could actually make something of for herself, especially when it was the last year and she herself had no clue if her stay in Paris was permanent or not. The best she'd get would be control over her little army of useful idiot worryworts.

Which brings her to her prey on the far right - Adrien Agreste, curled up in the corner all by his lonesome (a shocking sight, seeing how often he had that other famous blonde or that Nino kid hanging off him). Now that was someone with good books worth getting into! Son of a famed fashion mogul, friends with the mayor's infamously mercurial daughter (who had all sorts of connections), and handsome to boot! Under different circumstance, she could never even dream of ever having the chance to even meet someone like him off the street, let alone at school. Boys like Adrien Agreste were the very definition of "Untouchable", and often with a sea of admirers required to fight through to back it up. Yet here the boy was, all alone and clearly looking like he was in desperate need of company - and here was little old Lila, completely unattached. If she played her cards right and smoozed him up properly, her future would be set in diamonds and paved in gold.

But such a high end prize came with unfortunate high risks; Adrien might be the precious son of the world's most renowned and wealthiest fashion designer to the world at large, but as far as the tiny garden society of Francois Dupount and Bustier's class seemed concerned - Adrien was a bug, unworthy of their dear princess Marinette and by extension them. From what she had observed in her short time in class, it was clear some sort of divide had occurred some time before Lila's transfer, with Marinette and Adrien obviously the center of it, resulting in him being on the outs of the class's social ring. Boy was lucky to even get a hello that wasn't socially obligated, and really only seemed to interact with one or two people. Which was a problem because in Lila's experience, being in the outs with the class didn't really do your reputation any favors (and especially so when you had lofty goals and a big social appetite like she did). No matter how much of a useful golden goose Adrien was destined to be in the future, it wouldn't do her much good to set herself against her classmates and Marinette, who clearly had enough pull within the classroom to make that a regrettable decision on her part.

There was also-

"ADRICHOU~!"

Lila attempts to look disinterestedly distracted by the hustle and bustle of passersby as Chloe Bourgeois skipped into view, her little redheaded shadow not that far behind. Despite her efforts, however, Chloe manages to catch her eye and sneered before turning back to Adrien with a honey-filled smile, purposely blocking him from her view.

(It took all her strength not to roll her eyes)

As stated - boys like Adrien were the definition of "untouchable", and because of that, girls like Chloe made certain you were aware of this. Despite doing her best to hide her intentions, it seemed Lila was unable to avoid the blonde's eagle eyes, and had thoroughly landed herself on Chloe's hit list. Any attempts to approach Adrien ("accidentally" or otherwise), were likely going to be blocked by her unless she found a way around the gaudy gem-studded blockade.

"Come come Adrichou, this place is way too crowded for us." Chloe chirps loudly as she pulled him to his feet, purposely throwing a knowing and smug look both her and Marinette's way "I called you father ahead and he said we can hang out, so I got papa's secretary to reserve a spot for lunch at Lablanc's bistro - you know, that super expensive and exclusive restaurant that helped film that documentary on maman! They almost never take last minute appointments, but the minute I told them who I was, they cleared their whole schedule for us! Isn't that great!"

What she can barely see of Adrien's depressive shoulders visibly slump, but Chloe seems to be paying more attention to his face (and Marinette's annoyed glower) than anything, which is likely sporting a faked smile of gratitude. She's only observed them a short while, but it's clear the heiress tends to only look at things that pleased her.

It's probably why she also misses that little look of distraught on her little secretary's face before she starts complaining -

"B-but Chloe, you said we were heading to that new cafe downtown! We were gonna get their limited time frappes to post on Insta!"

She turns to her, blue yes narrowed in displeased at the interruption "I said maybe we could go. Besides, that place won't have anything Adrien likes and is outside the range of uncle Gabriel's approved lunch spots - the bistro is the better option."

She tries to argue, but the blonde puts up a stopping hand as riotous laughter from another group drowns out what she says, and Lila's finally able to put a name to the redhead's face; Sabrina Raincomprix - daughter of the police chief, who is very good friends with the mayor too she hears. She recalls her mother ranting to one of her ambassador friends on the phone that the main reason Mayor Bourgeois gets away with what he does with so little push back is directly thanks to him.

Understandable really. There's a lot one can get away with with the law directly in their pocket.

(and she bets daughter dearest gets those same perks by being buddy buddy with his kid)

Someone bumps into her and she's forces to school her expression into something kind and benevolent to hide her annoyance. Once all the apologizing and "graceful forgiving" is done, Lila turns her attention back to see the arguing had ended with Sabrina looking defeated, Adrien seeming a bit apologetic, Nino having suddenly materialized and joined the group as he glared, and Chloe making more orders.

"Now let's hurry! We need to beat traffic and - Oh, Sabrina, make sure to delete those unnecessary stops I mentioned before! Anyways, you're going to love their Ratatouille. Maman said it..."

And so Chloe drags Adrien off with Sabrina and that Nino kid following at a distance, and it's only when they pass her by that Lila sees soft turquoise eyes narrow and turn a tad greener as Sabrina glares at Adrien's back while practically stabbing at her digital tablet.

She hummed curiously as they disappeared around the corner.

Oh? Well isn't this interesting.

"Hey Lila!" she hears, and turns to see Alya bounding up to her "We're all about to head to Marinette's place to grab some pastries for lunch. Wanna join?"

Lila gives a faux apologetic smile, hand pressed to her heart to add to the reluctant air about her "Oh, that's so nice of you Alya, but I already have lunch plans sadly. Besides, I'm on a wheat-exclusion diet right now."

The brunette raised a brow, and she pressed on "You remember me mentioning having to leave my last school partially because of an illness right? The diet was recommend by my doctor to help with recovery - no wheat or bread products for at least three days."

Alya winces sympathetically at the last part and nods "Oh, sorry to hear that, but maybe next time? I think she mentioned that they sell gluten-free stuff on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so maybe we can find something for you to be able to eat then."

Lila beamed. So naive "That's so kind of you to offers." she hums before adding "Oh, and don't worry, the place isn't too far, so I'll be sure to come back quick so I can do that secret lunchtime interview with you about how I became friends with Ladybug!"

"I'll hold you to it then!" the other girl laughs, and quickly runs back to the group as they leave, joining lockstep with Marinette before disappearing from view.

Lila just scoffs as she turns to follow the route she saw Adrien's group go, opening four tabs on her phone -

[Search: Nearby Cafes Grand Opening]

[Search: Photoshop alternatives]

[Search: How to make Frappe]

[Search: Sabrina Raincomprix Instagram]

[k7l4d4]

K Reviews and Rants: Miraculous Ladybug Season 5! Episode 18

Here we are, time for the "Emotion" review! Oohh boy... this is gonna be an annoying one.

Overall, beyond the issues with this episode in how it tries to shill Marinette and Zoe's friendship, Felix literally trying to wipe out Paris and all of humanity just because he can and the show framing it as "him having no choice" and "just doing what he needs to," the biggest issue with this episode is it's criticism of "the rich."

Like, I know, "eat the rich" is a thing, and there are a LOT of exploitative jerks who take advantage of the lower class in the world. But this? What this did was try and present a bunch of teenagers just being spoiled brats and doing nothing but being uncomfortable with a "poor person" around them as deserving of Felix's pointless rampage. It tries to have Zoe critique them by labeling them as "braindead zombies," which if anything makes Felix's actions WORSE because it makes them come off as not a threat, just annoyances. And what really sinks it home how shallow this episode's "message" is... is how it doesn't criticize the biggest Rich Hate Sinks in the show, Andre and Audrey. Oh it takes a stab at Gabe, but he's meant to be sympathetic later on (emphasis on "meant to be"), but the series has already downplayed how much of a corrupt official Andre is and ignores how horrible Audrey is as a person in favor of making her toxic control over Andre a joke and blowing off her emotional and verbal abuse of BOTH her daughters. It's aimless, weak, and just doesn't seem to have any overarching POINT to it.

Anyway, that's my two cents in hindsight. Onto the review!

Episode 18: Emotion 

And we start off with Andre giving a "couples' ice cream" to Adrien and Marinette, and aside from acting like a bit of a brat and demanding that there's no drama going on, he doesn't look like he'll go Akuma for once. 

And another near kiss between Adrien and Marinette got killed. Albeit this time it doesn't look like supernatural BS by Gabriel, just regular BS. 

Marinette is worried at how "weird" Adrien is being lately, and tries to get intel from Nino about what's happening to him... and we more or less get yet another case of the show trying to act as if Marinette's stalking was some big joke they could wink and nudge about. 

And now we have Marinette learning about the Diamond Dance. From Alya. Which, granted, wouldn't be so bad since Alya is a journalist... but she apparently didn't even do the research, she just "knows about it" and used Alliance to pull up the info for Marinette. 

Now we get a scene of Kagami training in swordsmanship with Tomoe, before...ughh... Lila shows up. Nope, not gonna mention how royally idiotic her still believing anything Lila says is, I'm not gonna do it. 

...PFFFT. Wow, I genuinely cannot tell if Kagami is that fucking dense or she is genuinely throwing shade at Lila. "You're not a precious stone, you're just a stone." Best line in this mess. 

If this is meant to be Kagami having an "autism" moment, though, I'm not impressed.

Zoe making a "joke" comparing the attendants of the Diamond Dance (the sons and daughters of Paris' elite) to a party of brain-eating Zombies is gonna set the tone for things. The unironic description of the children of the 1% in such a way is all kinds of toxic and obnoxious to me. 

We get a tiny reference to Zoe's life in New York (no real details beyond the "rich brats making her life a nightmare at school"). 

And a moment of Zoe shilling how "Marinette taught her not to let her family control her life" despite the fact that, by all accounts, THEY NEVER DID. 

I honestly just have no words at the moment. I can barely follow along with whatever thought process the writers are having Marinette go through right now. All I can get is that Marinette thinks she needs to "save" Adrien from his dad... again. 

Also, the masquerade masks acting as the invitations just screams obnoxious to me. 

Oh, and yet more proof that Gabe is a fucking hypocrite who puts his need for control over whatever alleged "love" he has for Adrien as his son.

The one upside is that we are getting more signs that Gabriel is gonna cut Lila loose... which is both one of the smartest and dumbest things he could possibly do. Smart since she's a manipulative troublemaker who isn't nearly as useful as she presents herself as, dumb because she's far too close to his operations at this point. 

Although the fact that Lila is genuinely dumb enough to think she can dictate terms to the guy who is literally HER BOSS makes his decision even smarter. This level of arrogant self-assurance and ignorance of reality is one of the biggest reasons her being so successful baffles me. 

Now we get a "funny" moment involving Andre, Audrey, and Chloe arriving at the ball.

Chloe describing Adrien as "the traitor" just sounds so completely and utterly WRONG to me. Like, it adds nothing and just sounds awkward with her voice. It's the issue with the lead-up to her becoming Sole Destroyer all over again. She just DOES NOT SOUND RIGHT when they try and put words nastier than kindergarten grade bullying in her mouth. 

Marinette's reasoning for why she's even going to the party screams of plot contrivance. She's literally forcing herself into a party she wasn't ever invited to... just to tell Adrien that it'd be okay if he told her about it and that she wouldn't have minded if he had to go but didn't want to. All things she could literally have just TEXTED HIM ABOUT. IT IS NOT THAT FUCKING HARD!!! 

There's one big fucking hole in Marinette's plan to infiltrate the dance: even if she has an invitation, she's walking through the front-door. While paparazzi are mobbing the entrance for photos, and unlike in Inside Job, they aren't just going to conveniently lose all ability to notice her. 

And we get Adrien's arrival and then his staring weirdly intently at Kagami's ring. THAT doesn't mean ANYTHING at all, I'm sure. /s 

And now Amelie is on the scene. And we get a scene of Amelia accusing Gabriel of having "changed" since whatever happened to Emilie, which doesn't make a lick of sense since Adrien, consistently, has described Gabe as ALWAYS having been this much of an ass.

And NOW we get a scene of Amelie criticizing Nathalie for going along with the "different" Gabe... and Nathalie going, sorry but I have no choice. The FUCK YOU DON'T WOMAN!! This, shit like THIS, is why them trying to make Nathalie redeemable DOES NOT FUCKING WORK!!! 

"There's always a choice, Nathalie," AMELIE IS THE LAST PERSON WHO SHOULD BE SAYING THIS!! She KNOWINGLY harbored her son from the heroes, CHOOSING to shield him from the consequences of his actions!! She does not get to say shit like this!! 

I'm honestly just baffled that the security detail isn't concerned on any level by how out of place Marinette is. Not to be classist, but literally EVERYONE looks dressed up, whereas she's... casual. Granted, so would Zoe, so maybe they somehow knew that's the kind of style Zoe likes? Who knows. 

And now, after using the mask/invitation to get in, she's just "suddenly dolled up to the nines," in the same ritzy style as the rest of the guests are. HOW!? Is, is it some kind of super-tech or something?? That would honestly be believable, IF we were given ANY kind of explanation at all!! 

And now we get Chloe shoving her face in the disguised Marinette's, with Marinette using Zoe's name... I'm honestly baffled on why Chloe doesn't recognize her, since she should know damn well that Zoe had an invitation and recognize Marinette's voice... nope, not gonna think about it, that way lies madness. Also, they are really hitting all the "shallow, vapid brat" stereotypes with her today, huh? 

The way she more or less implied that all rich kids have underlings makes me want to drive my head against a wall. Like, this is just obnoxiously stereotypical. THIS is what Astruc is dead set on implying is the deepest evil humanity can sink to!? THIS!? Also, her stating that they make fun of their "underlings" doesn't make a lick of sense since Chloe hasn't really ever made fun of Sabrina. She, at worst, just takes advantage of her.

We get a few brief muffled snippets of conversations of the other rich kids and, again, they are basically just cardboard cutouts of Chloe's post-flanderization personality. This is literally a "party" of walking stereotypes. Kagami and Adrien then have a conversation, with Kagami questioning why Adrien kissed her hand "because he's in love with Marinette," which is the kind of thing that's really shoehorned in. At a big fancy event like this, I'm pretty sure he would be expected to do that REGARDLESS OF HIS FEELINGS. 

Adrien, who I'm "suspecting" is not Adrien, asks Kagami if she's jealous. Kagami honestly answers, and I'm just... why? WHY!? Why would EITHER of them CARE enough to talk about this!? Is this meant to be a set-up of some kind?? I don't get what this is meant to introduce!! WHAT IS THE POINT OF THIS AWKWARD CONVERSATION!? 

Also, the way Kagami phrases her reaction as "shutting off her feelings" feels icky to me. If this is meant to be some kind of neurodivergence wink and a nudge, MY ANGER RISES. But even if it isn't, the set-up, treating emotions like something you have to "turn off for other people's happiness" DISGUSTS ME on so many levels!! You don't have to stop loving someone to want to support their happiness with somebody else!! God fucking DAMMIT I thought we were past this shit!! And now we get "Adrien" calling Kagami "his Queen." I am creeped out on so many levels, since he's not even pretending to talk like Adrien by now. 

Kagami saying things like "I am the descendant of Samurai women, we follow orders because we choose to" makes me want to puke. THIS is the kind of shit that I find infuriating, because they are all but blatantly stating that she is being emotionally abused and gaslit, and that's not even going into the implications she's a fucking SENTIMONSTER!!! God dammit does this infuriate me. 

"Let's leave." "Are you insane, we can't do that!" "Of course we can, I can." Well THAT isn't ominous at fucking ALL.

The way they frame Kagami realizing "Adrien" is serious as something interesting weirds me the fuck out. It comes off as kinda predatory, like him being someone who knows something deeply personal about another and intending to exploit her over it, with her being none the wiser. 

And after the remainder of that awkward "conversation," we get the sight of them before the guests of the Diamond Dance... and Marinette immediately rushes for Adrien. ...She's supposed to be SMART, right? RIGHT!? 

Honestly, even if she HAD been invited, her basically shoulder-checking her way past the other guests to get to Adrien SHOULD HAVE gotten her kicked out of this idiotic ball. 

And now she's in front of "Adrien" rambling like an idiot. Telling "him" things that she could've just fucking TEXTED HIM. Deep breathes... deep breathes... And now we get Marinette and Fadrian dancing together, nothing uncomfortable about that at all, while Chloe tries to rally the guests... who all can't bring themselves to touch Marinette for the most superficial reasons imaginable. Astruc really wasn't even TRYING. 

Also, for once? Chloe's basically entirely in the right about all this. While her elitist attitude is deplorable, not only does Marinette not have permission to be there at all, she had already massively disrupted the entire (boring, dull, unoriginal) party. I'm just wondering why the HELL none of the fully human security detail members from outside the ballroom itself haven't been called in to kick her out!? It's not as if she (in her civilian form) has any kind of powers that would let her get the drop on things!!

Also, I'm mildly surprised that Gabe hasn't tried ordering F-Adrien to pull away and stop dancing with her... but that would spoil the surprise, now wouldn't it? It's not as if he's had any problem using his power over Adrien in as unsubtle ways possible BEFORE today. 

"They're all looking at me like I'm a monster," Marinette, please shut the fuck up. They aren't looking at you like you're a monster, they are looking at you like you are someone who broke into a party you had no business being at under false pretenses (and being too much of a bunch of whiny brats to want to remove by their own power). Also, it's really "funny" how the only adults present are Gabe, Tomoe, Audrey, and Andre. 

For a so-called gathering of the Elite. 

"Look closer Marinette, THEY'RE the monsters." Why? What have they done, IN ANY WAY, to be described that harshly!? Adrien's a fucking shut-in, so it's not as if he knows any of these people, the worst you can say about them is that they are spoiled!! They aren't monsters, they are just people, people who don't yet know better, and whose only crime is being part of a group you don't fucking LIKE!!! GET THE ABSOLUTE FUCK OVER YOURSELF ASTRUC!!! 

Of fucking COURSE it's fucking Felix!! All it took was him saying something totally out of character within earshot of Marinette for it to make any kind of sense!! Also, I kinda just "love" how Marinette instantly thinks Felix "did something to Adrien," which doesn't make any sense given his track record. Even at his worst up until now, all Felix really did was impersonate Adrien and tried to damage his reputation. So her thinking he "did something to Adrien" just... feels insanely stupid.

Now we get Chloe literally JUMPING on Marinette to tear off her mask... instead of just calling in security from outside. Because WHY THE FUCK NOT!? Oh, and Felix is transforming in public, I guess. 

Wait, NOW I see the other adults, they were just out of most of the shots. 

"I can wipe out anyone bathed in the light of the Red Moon with the snap of my feathers!" Question: When did Felix get the fucking Rooster Miraculous? You know, the one that is supposed to grant people any superpower they can imagine so long as it doesn't violate some utterly arbitrary rule? 

And also, WHAT THE FUCK DID ANY OF THOSE PEOPLE DO TO DESERVE GETTING WIPED OUT AT ALL!? 

Argos honestly works fairly well as a delusional villain, honestly. He talks like he's "wiping people out" for some kind of moral basis, but literally EVERY TIME HE HAS SHOWED UP, he has done nothing but torment Adrien, damage his social life, enable Gabe's cruelty, so on and so forth to utterly idiotic degrees. Him acting like what he's doing is for the sake of others is BULLSHIT. He just wants to be the one doing the controlling. 

Kagami screaming in horror at the sight of her mother being wiped out is honestly the most believable part of this whole episode. As much as Tomoe has been shoehorned into the role of being a villain, Kagami genuinely CARES about her, which makes Felix's attitude even more stupid. Literally all of this is just him power-tripping over getting to do whatever the fuck he wants to the people around him. 

"Adrien is the last person I would want to hurt" LIES!! FUCKING LIES!! YOU LITERALLY DID NOTHING BUT TRY AND DAMAGE HIS REPUTATION THE LAST FEW TIMES YOU HAVE BEEN AROUND!! HOW DO YOU THINK THAT ISN'T HURTING HIM YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE!?

Now we get a cringe-inducing musical number. Like, the lyrics alone basically spell out that Felix is a selfish hypocrite who only cares about anything so far as it relates to him getting what he wants. 

Also, while he's right in that he isn't working for Monarch/Hawkmoth/WHOEVER THE FUCK HE IS, him acting as if he needed to hand over all the Miraculouses "for his plans" when he literally had the perfect Miraculous for stealing the Peacock without any problem at all just reeks of self-serving hypocrisy. 

And now we get to the root of his hypocrisy. His wish wouldn't even be BAD if he hasn't been consistently a self-serving hypocritical douche-canoe all this fucking TIME. The fact that he's labeling Marinette with the "controlling others, deciding others' fates" BS just spells that out. He doesn't know what he's talking about, and he doesn't fucking CARE. He just wants free rein to do what HE wants and fuck the consequences towards anyone else. Also, he can't realistically use snapping her away as a threat because he's already revealed he needs her to stick around. 

Also, them trying to make him sound sympathetic by acting like he has "nothing to lose" just screams "PITY ME!!" at max volume. It falls flat with how much of a selfish and despicable tool they've made him out to be. This isn't revealing someone previously thought bad has depths no one had considered (like what it looked like they were doing with Chloe in Season 2), this is them trying to ignore how blatantly hypocritical this idiot is. 

Like, he literally just admitted he would rather wipe out EVERYONE in the world if he has to if it means getting his way. 

"The whole world has been bathed in the light of the Red Moon." Seriously? Like, seriously. It's a spherical object hovering over the sky of Paris. It's not even covering ALL OF FRANCE, let alone the world. 

"All of humanity will disappear if you don't hand it over!" BECAUSE OF YOU!! YOU ARE TRYING TO PIN THE BLAME ON HER FOR YOUR FUCKING CRIMES YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE!!! THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!!! 

And we get some scenes of Felix wandering an empty Paris before getting confronted by Kagami. Ugghhh....

And he reveals he can bring people back, fantastic. 

If the transformations are meant to block people from realizing someone is transformed, how did Adrien notice that Argos is Felix? HOW!? Also, we literally fucking SAW Red Moon get created during the ball, so just... did he make TWO OF THEM? AND USED A SMALLER ONE IN PRIVATE OR SOMETHING??? 

Him calling Adrien his "favorite cousin" is a bad joke. Adrien is his ONLY fucking cousin, and he routinely treats him like shit. Unless Felix is delusional beyond words, this comes off more as him mocking Adrien for "not having the guts to stand up to his oppressors." 

Seriously, them framing the wholesale slaughter of the entirety of Paris as "saving Adrien" and conveniently ignoring how literally NOTHING Felix has ever done or said to Adrien prior to this has been anything other then malicious really makes me feel sick to my stomach. 

Okay, so he DID make the stupid thing earlier. Still doesn't explain how he made it disappear and reappear, OR how Adrien could see through his transformation. Also, he's apparently been stalking Adrien for WHO KNOWS how long, yet the knowledge that Adrien is in Love with Marinette came as a SURPRISE TO HIM!? WHAT KIND OF BULLSHIT IS THIS!? 

Wow, how convenient of him to ignore how he tried to ruin Adrien's social life. And tormented his friends pretending to be him. And all the other times he's done nothing but make life harder for the people he allegedly cares for to satisfy his personal whims. This... this is just some delusional psycho throwing a tantrum. I think I'm gonna throw up. 

I just... I just cannot take this seriously. Felix has been consistently utterly malicious and self-serving all this time. Trying to reframe that as him giving a shit about Adrien (who he hasn't properly seen in years and tried to ruin the life of) and Kagami (who he doesn't even fucking KNOW) just doesn't WORK. 

"Do you really think I'm that evil?" Yes. Yes they do. Because you literally ACT that evil. You literally threatened to WIPE OUT THE WORLD just to get your own way.

Something's wrong, I can usually bring back whoever I want!" How would you even KNOW THAT!? HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE YOU BEEN TESTING THIS FUCKED UP POWER ON IN SECRET!? 

Again, them trying to make him sound remorseful DOES NOT FUCKING WORK when he didn't have any problem wiping out ALL OF FUCKING PARIS. 

"I never meant to hurt you two," THAT IS FUCKING NEWS TO ME!! CONSIDERING YOU LITERALLY TRIED TO RUIN ADRIEN'S PERSONAL LIFE YOUR VERY FIRST DAY BACK IN PARIS!!! 

If him talking so remorsefully to the non-sentient orb in the sky he made is supposed to be touching, it fails. He just looks unhinged. 

And now we learn that Amelie knew all along about Felix being Argos and what he was planning. Mother of the fucking year people!!! You can't make her come across as sympathetic when she's the accomplice of the guy who tried to genocide Paris. 

And it's done. I'm just... drained by this. I don't hate this as much as the prior episode, even if I am infuriated by it, since my anger is more inflamed by... things going on in the world being carried over to the writing here. These writers are fucking HACKS.

[seas-of-silver]

WIP - His Princess and Her Knight

Hey @jjuuppiter, a little while back, you gave me permission to write a story based on your art:

Unfortunately I've been having a rough time over the past year or so, so not much writing for the story was done over that time, but I've been working on it recently and want to show you a bit of what I've got!

[Context: Ms Bustier has set them a group assignment to present something from their past that's shaped them into who they are today. Alya, Nino, Marinette and Adrien are a group together and decide to head to Marinette's place first after school to look at baby photos and content. Nino also went to the same preschool as Marinette.]

______________________________________________________________

Just as Adrien opened the photo album, already cooing at the adorable photo of a toddler Marinette posing like a star for the camera at the beach, Madam Cheng returned.

‘I knew I had these lying around somewhere!’ she exclaimed as she approached them. ‘This is a box where I had saved of some of Marinette’s first pieces of art that Tom and I could see identifiable shapes and figures-’ she put the shoe box in the middle of the coffee table in front of them, ‘-and this is the journal the educators put together about Marinette’s learning experiences in preschool - considering you two went to the same preschool, I thought this might be a good place to look.’

‘I’ll take that!’ Alya declared with a grin, dumping the heavy photo album back into Marinette’s arms and relieving Madam Cheng of the A3 book. ‘I can’t wait to see what you two got up to as little munchkins.’

Marinette rolled her eyes good naturedly at Alya’s antics as Madam Cheng chuckled. With a parting “let us know if you kids need anything”, Madam Cheng left them to their own devices.

Adrien found himself just as curious about Marinette’s preschool adventures as Alya clearly did, but the sound of pages turning reminded him of the treasure trove that was the weighty album on his lap, so he contented himself with the snapshots of toddler Marinette. Each photo or set of photos was accompanied by a line of description and a date. Marinette looked absolutely precious as she was captured pressing a cookie cutter into some sort of dough, looking very determined to do it right. His heart melted when he spotted her in a parent-toddler swimming class, where Mr Dupain was laughing as Marinette’s feet splashed up a storm. He couldn’t help but laugh at the sight of Marinette looking sheepish, covered in paint from head to toe as she was caught “redecorating” the living room walls. What was initially a researching mission turned into sharing photos and excerpts from their books with the group, fawning over the undeniably cute antics of what they had dubbed “baby Mari” - with the frequent appearances of “baby Nino” and “baby Kim” that were mostly found in the journal Alya had.

Adrien was just about to show the group a fun photo where Tom had spiked baby Mari’s hair up into a mohawk during bath time when someone else spoke up first.

‘Damn, Mari, you might have a type,’ Alya murmured.

His curiosity piqued, Adrien leaned over his photo album to peek at the journal - as did Nino and Marinette, prompting Alya to present the double-page spread to the group. The pictures on the pages all featured baby Mari with a blond boy, some included Nino and Kim too, but what caught his attention was the photo of baby Mari, dressed as a princess, kissing the furiously blushing blond knight on the cheek; a blond boy who looked eerily like him.

‘Baby Mari knows how to flirt!’ Alya said, nudging Marinette playfully with her elbow. ‘You should take some notes, girl!’

The group laughed as Marinette lightly swatted Alya’s arm, stating that she wasn’t “that bad…right?”, which only made the four of them laugh harder. Adrien wondered what Marinette flirting would look like, and if she ever got over her stammering and randomly decided to flirt with him using all the confidence and sass he knew she had, Adrien was sure he’d be a goner. No wonder the poor kid was so red.

‘You know,’ Nino said though his laughter, ‘this blond kid sure looks like how I’d imagine Adrien as a kid, don’t you think?’

The observation made the others stop laughing and lean in closer, but Adrien brushed off the idea.

‘It can’t be,’ Adrien said confidently, ‘I don’t even remember going to preschool and neither Mother nor Father made any mention of me attending one. He sure looks like me, but it must be some sort of coincidence, right?’

Alya poured over the pages as Nino and Marinette pulled away from the book and pondered his words, looking unsure, until Alya cried, ‘Holy shit! His name is Adrien, too!’

All four heads immediately moved closer to the book, almost bonking their heads together as they desperately searched the page for his name and- there. There it was.

Princess Marinette thanks her loyal knight, Adrien, with a kiss on the cheek.

‘Oh my god,’ breathed Adrien, not quite believing what was right in front of him. He had always heard stories of people being friends since they were young, and while he had Chloé, a part of him had longed to have met his friends earlier, to have known them longer, and this evidence right in front of him was almost too good to be true.

‘Coincidence, my a- uh, foot,’ Nino said. ‘That’s definitely you.’

‘B-But… how?’ Adrien floundered. ‘How do I not remember this?’

‘Or me?’ Marinette added, frowning at the book. ‘How on earth could I forget meeting Adrien?’

______________________________________________________________

I hope you like it!!!

Edit: here's part 2!

[generalluxun]

Control (an ML Fanfic) Chapter 1

CW: Senti-people, angst, so much angst. Referenced Child abuse and bullying. Full text below the cut, link to AO3 posting in Bio.

A fun and rebellious gesture by her friend Zoé leaves Marinette accidently in possession of something more precious than she ever expected to hold.

It's a blessing. It's a curse. It's life itself.

She has no idea what to do. There is so much wrapped up not only in WHAT, but also WHO. Her friends and partners can offer advice, consolation, and support, but in the end when you are both Ladybug and the Guardian you are the one in control.

“Okay, you need to check this out.” Zoé sat down beside Marinette at the lunchroom table.

She looked around quickly then reached into her bag and pulled out a small plain box. Marinette put down her sandwich and peered over curiously. She even went so far as to peek around herself, not sure who they were on the lookout for. Adrien was out for a modeling shoot, and the Nino & Alya show were getting in some extra Super Penguino practice down in the boiler room.

Zoé opened the box and upended it between them, a sparkling mound of gold and gems tipped out onto the table. Marinette, suddenly nervous, looked around again.

“Isn’t it cool?”

Zoe reached for one of the pieces of jewelry, using the box to ‘hide’ the pile from the room at large. She slipped a pendant on a thin chain over her head, letting the thumb sized sapphire thump against her chest. She flicked her bangs and held out one hand towards Marinette, fingers limp.

“Dahhhling, all the finest women are wearing big accessories this year.”

Zoé dissolved into giggles and Marinette’s nerves eased. She reached for a ring with a huge square cut emerald on it. “Where did you get all this? Costume jewelry store?”

Zoé shook her head, her giggles turning into an impish grin. “It’s my mom’s.”

Marinette dropped the ring back into the pile.

Zoé pouted, “Oh come on, have some fun. It’s not like she’ll ever miss it. I dug this box out of the back of one of her closets. You should have seen how dusty everything in it was. She won’t care if any of it never comes back.”

Marinette gave her friend a brittle smile, “Zooooééé…”

Zoé was already fishing through the pile again, trying on four rings on a single hand, as well as adding two necklaces to the one she was already wearing. She dropped her alliance ring into the pile to slip another ring on and waggled her fingers again.

Marinette hunched slightly, nervously poking the pile. She shifted jewelry that she had previously thought fake, jewelry that could buy a dozen new ovens for the bakery, and found a simple gold band at the bottom of the pile. She picked it up and glanced at Zoé.

Her pink’d friend gave her an encouraging smile, “C’mon Marinette, be a rebel, and look GREAT doing it.”

Marinette rolled the band between her fingers. Was it warm? Or was that just her nerves? I can always just give it back by the end of the day. It’s just borrowing.  She slipped it on and held up her hand for inspection. “Sorry, my outfit isn’t exactly made to go with gold. It’s a pretty ring though.”

Zoé gave it a critical glance but then flashed Marinette a pleased smile. “It’s okay, I just wanted to give you first dibs on anything. I’m going to Robin Hood the rest of it one way or the other. Do you think Adrien would like any of it? I know he’s rich, but you can’t tell me he wouldn’t look great in some dangly earrings.”

Marinette pictured it, and felt herself starting to flush when a sharp voice cut into her daydream.

“What are you two doing? Playing Dress up? What are we, ten?”

Zoé glowered as Chloé strode up to the table, running her gaze over the other two with her classic smirk well in place. Zoé pushed her chair back to stand but Marinette beat her to the retort.

“Just go away, Chloé.”

The Blonde terror blinked once, ”Yes, Dupain-Cheng.” Then she turned on her heel, and, without looking back, headed right out of the cafeteria.

Marinette stared after her. Zoé nudged Marinette gently, “You have to show me how you do that,” she teased.

I have no idea, is she just out of fight? Lila’s not around… Zoe interrupted her thoughts again, trying to slip a lovely pearled gold bracelet into Marinette’s purse. Marinette snatched Tikki’s home away from her in a rush. “Oh hey, that one looks cool. Let me try it on first though. I’m not sure my wrists are as big as your mother’s.”

By the time they’d picked through everything -Marinette avoided actually keeping anything else- she’d completely forgotten about the exchange.

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

It was two periods later when an akuma hit. Mr. Pigeon again, because of course Mr. Pigeon. Giving the power of Genesis to a flock of birds was surprisingly destructive. Usually the things pigeons dropped from the skies were cause for discomfort and disgust, not serious injury. Mr. Ramier wasn’t a villain at heart though, and so, once Ladybug had sorted out the chaos, wrapping the fight up was routine for her and her partner.

Marinette was the last one back to class as usual, and came in just in time to hear her least favorite auburn haired fox giving a deep heartfelt speech, “-so glad no one was hurt. These attacks are really just getting so dangerous anymore. I know everyone wants to help, but we have to be sure we don’t get in Ladybug’s way. Maybe if our class representative could take more of a leadership role, no one would be separate-” Lila stopped mid speech, “Oh! There you are Marinette. We were getting worried.”

Ms. Bustier gave an encouraging smile to Marinette, “We’re glad you’re safe. Lila had just brought up the idea of having a class rally point, and keeping together in a group when an akuma strikes.”

Lila turned her doe-eyes on Marinette, “As someone who is always finding herself isolated whenever there is trouble, I would hope you would support me on this, Marinette. It’s so very lucky you haven’t been hurt yet. I just want to keep everyone safe.”

Marinette’s mind raced to come up with a rebuttal. This was a challenge more dangerous than all the Mr. Pigeons put together. But before she could answer though there was another salvo.

Chloé pipped up from the front row, “Oh, who really cares, as long as it’s just Dupain-Cheng? Ladybug can’t even keep the miraculous safe, what hope do we have with her watching over us?”

Marinette, already riled up, had patience for this. She rubbed her face with a hand. “Stop it Chloé. The first thing Ladybug did was save you from becoming sidewalk crepe, you should be grateful.”

Chloé’s sudden, “You’re right,” sucked all the energy from the room. Marinette wasn’t the only one confused.

Lila cleared her throat petitely, “As much as I am Ladybug’s biggest fan, do we really want to put all this extra work on her? If the idea of organizing a group is too much for you, I would be happy to help.”

Marinette glowered. “Thanks, but no thanks, Lila. I think allowing people to act independently and make their own best decisions is better.”

Lila didn’t seem to have an instant answer. Marinette briefly enjoyed the unfamiliar feeling of getting the last word in, but Lila finally spoke up, "What was that, Chloé?"

The blond turned around in her seat. "What was what?"

Lila held her phone in both hands, giving it what appeared to Marinette to be a conspicuous little shake. Not that anyone else will see it that way. "I am quite sure, I heard you say something, didn't I?"

Chloé looked down at her phone, then her face twisted into its habitual sneering frown. "I am not saying that! Why would I say Ladybug can't handle it, Lila? She can handle anything. She saved me, she's saved all of us. Your idea is ridiculous, utterly ridiculous!"

All eyes ping-ponged back to Lila, she looked down at her phone and her face turned to panic. "Oh no! My phone has a virus! It's sending random texts! I better get this fixed! We'll talk more later."

She ducked her head quickly, ending the exchange. Ms. Bustier looked lost for a moment before nodding Marinette back to her seat. Marinette glanced sidelong at Chloé before leaning over to Alya. "That was weird, right?"

Alya leaned in too. "Not that weird, malware is getting ridiculous lately."

Marinette grimaced. "Not that. Chloé, speaking up for Ladybug."

Alya looked past Marinette. The blond was pointedly ignoring Ms. Bustier, tapping away on her phone. "I don't know, it's Chloé. She was a fan before. And we all know she's a bit of a… butterfly."

Marinette groaned. "That was awful. You are not allowed to work on any more Cat Noir content for the blog for an entire week."

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

The next day started off rotten. Marinette had wanted to bring pastries in for the class while they filled out their prospective schedules for the next year. She’d gotten up too late to do it easily, but not late enough to not make it possible. Rushing around her parents, trying to stay out of the way, she’d managed to get three dozen assorted done and ran with them all the way to school.

In the front doors, up the stairs, no time for her locker! The boxes started to wobble as she ran. Rose yanked open the door to the classroom and Juleka lept aside. I’m going to make it! Ms. Bustier’s desk is right-

Marinette’s purse snagged on the doorframe. She spun as she fell, the boxes scattering and spilling. Marinette hit hard, skidding to a stop right in front of Chloé’s desk.

The blond leaned forward to peer down at her, “Another failure, Dusol-cheng?” She laughed into the back of her hand to punctuate the insult.

Marinette grumbled, crawling to retrieve one of the boxes. “Why don’t you get down here and help me, Solé?”

She’d gathered up half a dozen when she bumped heads with someone. Marinette flinched back onto her heels, rubbing the spot and blinking… right across into Chloé’s sapphire gaze. Chloé had four croissants in the crook of one arm, and was rubbing her head with the opposite hand. “Watch where you’re going, Dupain-Cheng. Here, take these.”

Chloé shoved the pastries into Marinette’s arms and crawled off in search of more. Marinette sat stunned for a long moment as others joined in too now, gathering up the fallen food. Soon everything was restored and two of the boxes had been taken up to the upper seats by Rose and Ivan to pass around.

Marinette let Nino and Adrien grab a couple each before tentatively walking over to Chloé’s desk. Sure why not. “Umm, thanks?”

Chloé looked up from her phone, clearly not paying attention. “What do you want, Dupain-Cheng?”

Of course. Marinette shook the box. “Look, just take one and we’ll ignore each other again.”

Chloé thrust a hand into the box and came out with a croissant. She didn’t say another word, or even look Marinette’s way after the fact. Marinette moved on to Sabrina, then sat down at her desk.

She pulled out a pen but could not concentrate on the form in front of her. Her head was filled right up to the top with nothing. She found five minutes had vanished without her putting a mark on the paper, and yet she still just sat quietly spinning the ring on her finger with her thumb. The ring- I have to give this back to Zoé.

Marinette’s eyes were drawn to it. It was such a simple, tasteful, piece of jewelry. It didn’t feel like something Audrey would own at all. Not nearly enough glitter. The passing thought made Marinette giggle. She felt light headed, staring at that golden band. Marinette blinked away an afterimage, then blinked again.

She was looking down at a form -her form?- She was doodling diamonds in the corner. It all seemed so pointless. She ran her pen back over her name again, making the letters thicker, more bold. She liked the way they curved and curled: Chloé Bourgeois.

Marinette jolted, bounced off the back of her seat, caught her sternum on her desk, and was left gasping for breath. Alya had a hand on her back instantly, rubbing. “Marinette, what’s wrong?”

Marinette waved her off, trying to steady her breathing while her brain screamed at her in mindless horror. She finally managed to get out. “Wrong- pipe- scone.”

It earned her amused smiles and looks of concern from the class, but thankfully a lifetime of actual disasters gave her plausibility for a handful of made up ones now and then. Alya helped her up with a concerned, “Maybe you should grab a drink?”

Marinette nodded, not trusting her voice for any complex thoughts. She glanced to the front of the room. Ms. Bustier nodded wordlessly to her over a smile, and Marinette bolted for the door.

She did actually stop and gulp down water at the fountain. She couldn’t drink enough, and yet her stomach threatened to return it all at any second. Marinette shuffled a step to the side and leaned on the brickwork wall. The rough facing tugged at her clothes as she sank to the floor. Head in hands, Marinette blocked out the too-bright light.

She could still feel it.  Her thumb wouldn’t leave it alone. Twist, twist, twist, it turned on her hand. It can’t be what I think it is. Even if life had taught her the world was full of impossibilities lately, this was one thing she was simply not ready to accept. I can throw it away right now. Zoé won’t even remember. I can just pretend it isn’t what I think it is, and no one has to know.

Someone did have to though. She did. She was Ladybug. Marinette raised her head slowly. She blocked out everything, which was easier than she had expected. Nothing in the world seemed to want to be in focus anyway right now. She stared at the golden band once more, and her vision began to blur.

Form, phone, form, phone, back and forth like a hyperactive puppy. Almost nothing was filled out. Her thumb scrolled insta so quickly she couldn’t even make out the images. Something caught her eye -no not hers- her thumb flicked ‘like’ and resumed scrolling. Sabrina was talking beside her, a low buzz of words that didn’t stick. Marinette had to know, there had to be some way to be sure. She made her eyes scan the form, they kept trying to drift back to her phone. There, perfect. She picked up her pen, spun it once with a deftness she admired, and scribbled on the line marked ‘Personal heroes’ Vesperia.

Marinette came back to herself, shaking. WhatdoIdowhatdoIdowhatdoIdo?

She grabbed the ring to pull it off, but froze. If I take it off, where do I put it? What do I do with it? God, she’s a…

It was insane. That stupid plain band shone dully on her finger; it was nothing. It was everything. It was power that no one should ever have. It was opportunity. It was every single slight piled up over a lifetime answered in a single object. Marinette was in complete control now, she could do anything, have anything, settle anything.

Marinette’s thumb wouldn’t stop playing with it. Twist, twist, twist, an entire life spun on her finger. Anything she wanted it to be. And nothing, if I want it to be.

That dark thought came from someplace wounded. Her better self flashed Sentibug before her eyes; flashed that brief look of pain and fear. Marinette pulled up her shirt to muffle a sob. Home. I need to get home. I can talk to Tikki. I can- She will know what to do.Marinette staggered to her feet. She lurched to the rail and slewed down the steps on legs that didn’t want to work. The door was a short sprint then she would be out of the building. She could run home without stopping, dash up to her room and be far from… it.

[crescent14]

Midnight

Here's another chapter for my story. Enjoy!

AO3

Almost every day of summer ended like this- they would discuss whether or not they had any plans for the day, and who was involved in said plans. If there was nothing occupying them for the day, one of them would decide to come over, just because. The days were spent tackling summer homework, playing video games, picnic dates, movie dates and just enjoying each other's company.

They always ended up staying for dinner before walking the other home, if only to spend more time together. Yep, Adrien and Marinette were truly made for each other, all the time they spent together was precious. However, after their first date at the swimming pool brought back some of the worst moments of Marinette's life, they decided to avoid it for a while. This meant that every time their friends invited the 2 of them to join them at the pool, they declined saying they had previously planned a date. With their friends giddy that those two finally got together, nobody dared question them.

Because of how late it was when walking each other home, they decided to continue the conversation via phone call as the other person walked back on their own. This was originally Adrien's idea the first time Marinette had to walk home alone after accompanying him home, since the idea of her wandering through the streets of Paris at night, did not settle well with him. He felt nervous to tell her the real reason, so he settled for saying he missed her- not a lie, but not the entire truth either. Of course, that meant she would call him whenever he had to walk solo as well, making him fall in love with her all over again.

If he weren't Chat Noir, Adrien wouldn't dare enter his house till he heard Marinette enter her own when they were on the call. But being Chat Noir, he would go to his room, lock the door, transform and jump across the rooftops following her from the shadows while talking, just to keep an eye on her. There were several times Marinette almost caught him when she would stop to turn around looking behind her, telling him she could sense someone following her. If he didn't know exactly who this 'someone' was, he would probably insist she walk home a little faster, which is exactly what he said so as to keep her suspicion at bay. Unbeknownst to her, he always bid her goodnight from the rooftop of their school, happy she was safe and sound in her bedroom, before hanging up and going back to his own.

Today, however, he was more than happy he decided to start following her. He decided to keep a little distance between them so she didn't hear him speak on the rooftops, which meant he was behind a billboard featuring his civilian self while talking to her about their double date with Nino and Alya the following day. His heart nearly stopped in his chest when he heard another voice on his phone, this was unfamiliar. He was sure his heart would break when she whimpered in fear, telling someone to stay away from her. He tried calling for her through the phone, but no sound came. He immediately hung up and ran towards her, only to see the worst scenario come to life before his eyes. A man about 25 years of age, was approaching a frightened Marinette with short, hazy strides, knife clutched in his right hand, ready to strike. She was backing away, phone forgotten on the street out of pure shock, as she tried to form words that would probably make the mugger go away. Chat Noir saw red, he didn't think twice before jumping down and punching the man square in the face. As a superhero, he had more strength than an average person, so the man was sent flying back into the wall of the ally behind him, knocking him out cold. Chat would've kept hitting him, but his first and most important priority was Marinette- he had to get her to safety. Wordlessly, he picked her up and used his baton to take her up onto her balcony. Then he went back down to retrieve her phone- screen now cracked- and glanced to the side noticing the man still on the ground- unmoving.

Satisfied, he went back up to return Marinette's phone. The moment he held it out to her, she lunged forward, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him into a tight hug murmuring numerous 'thank you' s. He reciprocated the hug, holding her around the waist, taking in the scent of her lavender shampoo. "I'm just glad you're safe. You're not hurt, are you?", he pulled back to assess her for any injuries. She smiled and shook her head no, feeling a sense of calm and relief wash over him.

"Not that I'm complaining, but what were you even doing transformed at this time?", she asked him, head tilted in curiosity.

Well, that was a problem, he couldn't very well tell her he was following her home, now could he? He hated this, but he decided to tell the first lie he could come up with, "Couldn't sleep. Needed fresh air." She nodded in understanding. "What was a pretty lady like you doing out in the middle of the night anyway?", he couldn't very well say he knew why she was there, that would be like yelling "I'M ADRIEN AGRESTE, YOU'RE BOYFRIEND! I WAS WORRIED ABOUT YOU!"

"Just coming home after spending the day with Adrien.", she sighed at his name, making his heart flip over in his chest.

He was about to leave the conversation there, but figured this was the perfect opportunity to learn about the mysterious 'Buttercup'. He felt a little jealous thinking about Marinette saying such beautiful words to someone else, she wouldn't when she was dating him, Marinette was nothing if not loyal. But the thought of a part of her heart belonging to someone else really bothered him.

"Hey, do you remember the confession we practised together, did you ever tell 'Buttercup' how you truly felt?", the question came out of nowhere, so her confusion was justified. He elaborated, "I felt terrible for how we left things the last time we spoke, so I was hoping you didn't give up on 'Buttercup' because of me.", he really did feel guilty for hurting her and nearly getting her akumatized.

"Thank you for worrying about me, kitty.", her words brought him out of his train of thought, "No, I didn't tell him the words we practised, but I did manage to finally tell him I love him in my own way, so it all worked out. He came over the day you and Ladybug temporarily gave up your miraculouses and told me he loved me, so it all worked out for the best. We spend almost every day together, this has got to be the best summer of my life.", she said happily looking up at the sky full of stars. Her words made Adrien realize something, but he needed her to say it so that he wasn't jumping to conclusions.

"I'm truly happy for you, princess. Buttercup seems like a great guy if he can make you this happy.", he smiled at her with a Cheshire grin on his face. She giggled, "You can call him Adrien you know. I admit I was nervous to tell anyone I had a huge crush on him since the day he gave me his umbrella, but now I don't mind if the entire world finds out how much I love him. He knows, and that's all that matters."

She finally said it- he was Buttercup, she said those words for him. To think someone as amazing as Marinette liked him for so long, he truly was blind to everything around him. He vowed he would make Marinette know just how happy loving her made him, she was the best thing that ever happened to him. It was time to finally make things official, time to ask her to be his girlfriend. Adrien was waiting for the perfect time to ask her, but now he realized every moment with her was perfect. Of course, he would ask her as Adrien, not Chat Noir, that was stupid. Steeling his courage, he bid her goodnight, before heading to an ally to detransform.

Marinette spent a few more seconds on the balcony, before taking a deep breath. Just as she turned to go back into her room, her phone began to ring on the table- Adrien. She immediately answered the call, "Hey, sorry I hung up so suddenly.", she thought about lying at first, but Adrien's concerned voice made her guilty for even thinking about it, so she told him everything about the mugger, Chat Noir saving her, and about their talk. She didn't want him to think she spent her nights with mysterious boys in leather suits after he left. To her surprise, Adrien appeared on the street below her balcony as she leaned across the railing, waving up to her. She waved back, before quickly and quietly making her way down to him. He pulled her to the park nearby by her hand, telling her he became worried about what he could make out on their phone call and rushed over to see if she was alright. He was so sweet and caring, she loved him so much.

Telling him about Chat Noir, Adrien asked her about the whole 'confession training' for 'Buttercup'. She told him how Kagami gave her advice from a manga practising your confession with someone you didn't have feelings for and how she meant it for him, but used a code name because she didn't want to say who it was for at that moment.

"Can I hear it? Your confession I mean.", Marinette blushed at the thought of looking into his emerald eyes as she said those words of admiration to him, but then shied away.

He noticed her discomfort and tensed a little, "It's okay if you're not ready, there's no pressure. You can tell me at your own time." She nodded gratefully to that.

"While I'm here, there is something I wanted to ask you.", she nodded for him to continue. Adrien took a deep breath to steel his nerves before blurting out, "Will you be my girlfriend?", he looked at her, not beating around the bush was an act of courage on his part. He looked into her eyes with nervousness, hoping she wouldn't turn him down after all the time they spent together.

"Yes", she shyly whispered. If it weren't for the stillness of the night, he probably wouldn't have heard her, but he did and his body felt like it was flying. He picked her up and spun her around before silencing her giggles and squeals with his lips. They stood in each other's arms for what felt like an eternity before deciding to part ways for the night, promising to see each other for their date later that day.

They fell asleep with the biggest smiles on their faces, hearts full of love and oh so happy.

[fragileizywriting]

there’s something so precious to me abojt marinette’s eyes being brown when she was younger, only to have flickers of blue show up every often. only during her tests and when she’s studying do her eyes change color, and all of her friends— luka, nino, alya, alix— know when she’s been studying really hard because she’s blinking stars. it takes a few hours for it to disappear, and always in the mornings marinette has dark eyes. beautiful brown eyes, eyes that luka loves.

but then chat appears. chat appears, and marinette’s eyes are never brown. luka swears that sometimes he catches glimpses where marinette’s eyes are white, but then he blinks, and it’s just the trick of the light.

just a trick of the light.