#alya living her best life being amazing

[charlietheepicwriter7]

Hey, Little Songbird

Chapter 30 - AO3

Alya stared at him with an expression so filled with disgust and regret that Felix shuffled uncomfortable. She spun away, her shoulders shaking. “You know, I used to wonder how you and Adrien could possibly be related, but now? I totally see it.”

Felix sputtered. “Excuse me!?”

“You’re excused. This is too stupid and doesn’t make any sense; I’m not dealing with it. Let’s just… get this done, okay?”

“What are you talking about, it makes sense—!”

“I’ve learned my lesson about speculating hero identities. Trust me, it is not worth it. So can we please drop this?” She passed him a flash drive.

Felix considered her words and agreed. This really wasn’t the time for speculation. It was the time—he looked down at his chest, but unfortunately the brooch was still there—for action.

He and Alya walked to their homeroom, but while Alya went inside with a wave, Felix hid around the corner, so everyone would be inside before they started. As the morning bell rang, he stepped into the room.

Mme. Bustier frowned at him. “Young man, you need to go to your homeroom—” Felix removed his hood, Duusu squirming in the fabric to hide. “Felix? I guess your suspension is over now… Then the only person we’re waiting on is Marinette.”

“Marinette won’t be at school today,” Felix told her, taking a moment to survey the class. The sheeple were glaring at him, Alya was vibrating in her seat, Rossi looked smug… and Adrien. He looked horrified to see Felix here. Had Gabriel told him what Felix did? Was he on Gabriel’s side now? “Something about a family emergency? She should have a note to give you tomorrow.”

“Well… you were supposed to apologize to her today, but if that’s the case…”

“I’ve already apologized to Marinette,” Felix reassured her. “But there’s someone else in this room I must apologize too; after all, I was trying to frame someone as well. That’s why I created a video to properly explain my feelings. May I?” He gestured towards the computer. “It won’t take long.”

Bustier fretted but agree. “If you’ve already made something…” She even helped him setup the projector screen while Felix got to the video. There were only two files on the flash drive: one labeled “Apology”, and the other labeled “After.” He opened the “Apology” video.

Jagged Stone’s face covered the whiteboard. “Cat? I’ve never owned a bloody cat, especially not one saved by a Lila Rossi.”

One by one, her lies unraveled. Interviews with the celebrities Rossi lied about, logs indicating that the Italian Ambassador hasn’t left Paris in over a year, doctors explaining Rossi’s various illnesses to contradict her actions, exerts from her diary… Even though their classmates’ faith in Rossi broke with that first interview, it was fascinating to watch their opinions of her sink lower and lower as the tears and glares multiplied. Rossi was mortified, watching the video with wide eyes as her claws sunk into Adrien’s arm. Even Bustier, the supposed adult in the room, could only watch, even though stopping the video was totally within her power. The collective mood sunk,

And sunk,

And sunk.

It was glorious. Felix wished he was recording.

Felix paused the video before the last scene could play and smirked as Rossi glared at him hatefully. “I’m so terribly sorry I tried to frame you, Rossi. As it turns out, that was the only think you were actually innocent of!”

She jerked at his address, then turned around to the class, fishing for sympathy. She found none in the furious gazes and tear-filled eyes. She shook, from rage or humiliation, Felix knew not. “You… you bastard…”

“My parents were happily married when they had me,” Felix purred. “Pity the same couldn’t be said about you, no?”

Her eyes widened with fear. Oh, yes, Felix knew an awful lot about Rossi now, perhaps more than he ever wanted to know. Usually he wouldn’t taunt someone because they were the result of an affair, but… Rossi seemed to bring out the worst in him.

Realizing that she had no allies in the room, Rossi’s eyes welled with possibly-fake tears and she ran from the room, practically wailing. Felix sniffed. “How cliché.”

That snapped Bustier out of her daze. “Felix! We are going to the principal’s office right now!” He shot Alya a panicked looked, but she was already running to the front of the room as Bustier grabbed his arm. “There was no need to humiliate another student, no matter what she did—!”

He tore his arm from her grip. The only reason she hadn’t left claw marks was the protection is hoodie gave him. “If she didn’t want to be humiliated, maybe she shouldn’t have done something humiliating!”

That set certain people off.

“Dude, that’s too cruel!”

“She might have been horrible, but you didn’t need to be so mean about it!”

“I don’t know what has gotten into you, young man, but hurting people—”

Finally reaching the front, Alya restarted the video and the last scene played. Bustier shut up as she and the rest of the room saw the video footage Felix had taken of Rossi willingly taking an akuma. While they were enthralled, Felix took his chance to lock their classroom door. They didn’t have much time before Rossi showed up again. “She’s a terrorist; why should I respect her?”

Climbing up on the desk, Alya took her place before the class while Felix readily the second video. She addressed the class. “Like Felix said, it’s been confirmed that Lila Rossi is working with Hawkmoth. Thanks to this information, Ladybug has discovered the possible identities of Hawkmoth and Mayura and is now working with the police to conduct a sting operation while his attention is on akumatizing Lila.”

“Alya!” Bustier hissed, “Get down from there—”

They had anticipated that someone wouldn’t believe them, and Alya had planned ahead by getting evidence from a source no one could argue with. Felix opened the second video and now Ladybug’s face covered the whiteboard. “Hey, Mme. Bustier’s class, this is Ladybug speaking! As Mlle. Cesaire might have already told you, today the police, temporary heroes, and I are conducting a sting operation against the possible identity of Hawkmoth. But while I say ‘possible,’ we’ve received evidence that proves without a doubt that this individual we’re raiding is Hawkmoth.” Felix covered the brooch with his hands. “It’s because of this evidence that I asked M. Graham de Vanily and Mlle. Cesaire to expose Lila Rossi today. As his only known civilian helper, my partner and I are certain that Hawkmoth will akumatize her, given how successful she’s been against the heroes in the past.

“This is why I am talking to you now. As of now, all of you are part of the sting operation.” He noticed several classmates sit up at her words, the sadness and anger dissipating from the room. “I need you all to evacuate the school and help the other classes evacuate as well. But most importantly, you can’t do anything that will indicate that we’re attacking Hawkmoth during her akumatizations. I know I can trust you.” It felt… like she was talking directly to Felix. He held the brooch tighter, rough edges cutting into his hand. “Thank you. Bug out.”

The video stopped and Alya organized the evacuation out the windows. Fortunately, they were on the first floor, so it wasn’t much of a drop. Mme. Bustier left first and helped the other student drop down. Felix tried to help, but Adrien pulled him aside. “You’re working with Ladybug?” Adrien asked. Was that… awe in his voice? Did Gabriel not tell him anything yet.

“She asked,” Felix answered uncomfortable. “Come, it’s time for you to leave…” Felix tried to get Adrien out the window so they’d stop talking, but Adrien refused to drop. He just… dangled out the window.

“You’re not coming?”

Felix looked away. “I’m the bait. Hopefully we can keep Rossi focused on me long enough for Ladybug to defeat Hawkmoth, but to do that… I need to keep her mad.”

Adrien smiled. “Well, they picked the perfect person for that.”

He laughed. “Certainly. Adrien… about what happened at your house…” Something—or rather, someone—pounded on the door, making it shake on its hinges.

“What happened at my house?”

Had Gabriel told him nothing!? No, there was no time. “Adrien, you can’t go home.” He told him instead.

“What?”

“When you evacuate, you can’t go home, okay? Go anywhere else, anywhere at all, but don’t go home. Just trust me, you don’t want to be there.”

The door collapsed, and a hot rush of air ploomed into the room. Felix pushed Adrien out the window and he landed on the ground in a heap. There were still other classmates stuck inside—the goth girl, the jock, the dreadlock girl, he really should start learning people’s names—but there was nothing he could do now to get them out.

He faced Rossi. She… looked horrible.

Fashion-disaster Hawkmoth struck again, he supposed. Though, now that he knew Hawkmoth was Gabriel, perhaps these were designs that the board of directors at the company refused? Because instead of something relatively fashionable, Rossi loomed in the doorway dressed like a cartoon devil in a prom dress, her skin hazard orange and her pigtails mutated and curled up in mock devil horns. She scowled at Felix; her teeth looked like jagged shards of glass. “You…”

“Rossi.” He sneered.

Her eye twitched. “It’s End Days now! And I’m going to ruin your life, just like you’ve ruined mine!”

Taglist: @graduatedmelon @novicevoice@dur55@kris-pines04@18-fandoms-unite-08@moonlightstar64@bee-a-garbage-shipper@sol-o-shade@kittyotakunoir666@tinyterror333@allieoftheenemy@marichat00@xgxmxtx@two-faced-biatch@feliciakainzofspades@evil-cricket@emilytopaz@spicybelladonna@chocolateherringtacofan@user00000003@wannajointhecrabcult@happymonster-pants @duquesapincarrasca  @throneoffirebreathingbitchqueen  @sxltinette @kittydemon9000 @thetrashypanda423 @unoriginalmess @toodaloo-kangaroo @troycattribunny

[miracleandplagueau]

You know bitch is fucked in the head when the series' villain is uncomfortable working with her. (I'm not talking about canon) ✦✦ Short canon Lila rant + no-spoiler MnP changes

Lila Rossi in canon is... how do I put this... I can't even say she's wasted potential, she's straight up unbearable. She's fascinating, yet I can't help to hate her and not in a good way. The thing that really ruins her is the fact that she ALWAYS gets away with everything and ALWAYS gets her way, but not because she's smart - because nobody seems to see through her obvious lies. I mean, really, the prince? The hearing loss? Seriously, even ALYA is stupid in that regard despite knowing full well that Marinette is THE Ladybug, why is she still doubting her?! All that as an addition to ignoring most of the season 5, because I did not get to that point yet but I know that she pulls some serious crap in like episode 18 or 19

And that's not even the end of it. If you look at the logic of just her general, she's a master in identity theft and disguise, has like 3 separate families, amazing at hacking, is able to retrieve items from the bottom of deep bodies of water effortlessly etc... etc.... sighs

Away with canon Lila, let's talk more about MnP!Lila instead. For starters, Lila is not going to study in the same school as the rest of the cast. The major difference in the way she'll work is that she'll work from the outside and rely on the information she manages to obtain from others. It will require her to be witty and thread carefully to not let herself be caught in the act - especially by Jiayi, being alarmed by her sudden reappearance in her life

SPEAKING OF WHICH! The only thing in canon that really connected the two is the fact that Marinette was the only one using her brain to see through her lies. In MnP, Lila Rossi has a deeper, past connection to Jiayi Dupain-Cheng which I very vaguely showed in this little doodle. Being close friends in the past, Jiayi has already trained herself in seeing through Lila's schemes and lies. However, a ruined reputation amongst the miracuclass won't stop this sly fox from coming back in attempt to ruin the lives of those who got in her way. It opens up much more opportunities for confronations and arguments between the two due to knowing one another's secrets and creates a game of cat and mouse between them.

Keeping MnP spoilers to possibly minimum, she appears back in Paris after a fashion show that included Jiayi's designs. What a great opportunity to not only reunite, but to also congratulate your old friend on their success, isn't it? Seeing Jiayi's distain to see her again, she decides to try and bring her back to her side, just as it was in the past. She does a ton of morally questionable things to members of miracuclass and Jiayi across seasons 1 and 2, throws herself at danger If It means she gets to prove a point. For the best part - she decides to take up a partnership with Monarch during which she finds out just how much she enjoys spreading chaos. Why did she do it in the first place? Well, I guess we'll see :)

Her and Jiayi's rivarly is possibly one of my favorite parts of MnP to write so far. It goes a long way, carries a ton of personal baggage and creates conflict years after separation, which later translates into the heroine's second identity so just conflict all around. Giving it some spice,, you know :3c

[airi-p4]

The choice

Summary: After sharing her secret with Luka and getting back to dating again, Marinette's boyfriend informs her he has decided to leave Paris because it's dangerous.

Now she has to choose: stay with her family, friends and superhero duties or leave Paris with Luka? The choice is easier than expected.

Warning: salt 🧂🧂🧂

AO3

___________________________________

The choice

Marinette gulped when she saw the new message her boyfriend Luka had sent to her a few minutes ago.

'Marinette. I have to talk to you. It's important'

She couldn't deny she was worried, anxious, and a little scared.

She knew that she didn't need to be. That now that he knew about her being Ladybug and that they had started dating again, that she had nothing to worry about. She knew she could fully trust him, and that he gave her all the love and comfort she could ever ask for.

She was happy with him, even with those akumas messing with their dates.

But since when have good things lasted for her?

There was a glimpse of worry she couldn't ignore.

"Luka! Sorry for the wait!"

"It's fine, Marinette, I saw the akuma on the news. Good job" he praised, kissing her check rewardingly. She felt her cheeks warm up at the contact.

"I didn't want to keep you waiting, so I handled it as fast as I could" she bragged and he smiled fondly at her.

"Thank you. You're amazing"

She blushed at the compliment. She was so glad she found the courage to tell him about her secret, even if he already knew. They had just started dating again and she couldn't be more thankful to have him in her life.

"And what did you want to talk about? You said it was important…"

"It is." Luka held her hand gently. "Listen Marinette: I want to leave Paris"

"Eh?" She jolted in shock. "Why?"

"Because-" he looked down as he talked. "I was almost akumatized the other day and I realized I was putting you in danger. I can't stand the thought of me betraying you under Miss Butterfly's influence, so I decided it was best to leave"

"But Luka-! I'll protect you!"

"I know you would, Marinette. I have no doubts about that" he reassured her, caressing her hands in his. "But there are things that go beyond our control and I don't want to risk your safety"

"But…" she shrugged sadly.

"But-" he interrupted. "There's something I want to ask you"

"What is it?" she looked up at him again.

"Would you come with me, Marinette?"

"Eh?" Her eyes glowed in awe.

"We're adults now, and we can freely decide what to do with our lives- and I know I want you in mine" he spoke softly and honestly. "But, for me, your safety will always come first" She listened, fascinated and moved by his concern and care. "I'd really love it for you to come with me, Marinette. But I know it's a difficult choice to make and-"

"Yes"

"Huh?" He blinked, surprised by how quickly she answered.

"Yes, I want to go with you, Luka! Wherever you go," she grinned lovingly.

"Are you sure?" He blinked twice. "We are talking about choosing between me or your city! With your family, friends and superhero duties, Marinette! If you need time to-"

"Gosh- It makes it even easier when you say it like that!" She laughed at his seriousness and confusion.

The question sounded ridiculous to her, choosing between…

On one hand: her family, friends, and Ladybug duties…

Her family? They hadn't been very supportive of her. Sure, they cared and loved her, but they never really checked on her despite knowing what was going on at school with Chloe and even sided with Lila when she was almost expelled! Their bond wasn't as strong anymore, not since then…

Her friends? She wished she could still call them that, but they had turned their backs on her in favor of Lila. It hurt her deeply, especially Alya. She had very few people left who she could call 'friend'.

As for her duties as Ladybug… She had been doing it for years! The thought of getting rid of Chat Noir's uncomfortable advances for once sounded like a dream come true. Of course she wanted to quit!

And on the other hand, there was Luka.

Her loving, caring and reliable boyfriend who she loved deeply. Her best friend, cool and talented, who always checked on her to make sure she was doing well. The one who welcomed her with open arms to comfort her anytime she needed someone. The person she trusted the most, even with her life, who was always so protective and always put her first (which was apparently the reason he decided to leave and ask her the question)

So yes- choosing between Luka or the rest, seemed like a joke.

"Marinette?" Luka called, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"It's not a difficult choice at all, Luka. It's easy, in fact" She smiled happily at him. "I love you and I want you in my life. I want to be with you and I'd rather take you than a bunch of people who don't fill me with joy anymore. Or anything else, really"

She loved when he stared at her with those glowing eyes of his, filled with love, fascination and adoration. Even when his mouth was absurdly open, lips curved upright.

She loved it when Luka was happy. But she loved it even more knowing that it was her that made him happy.

"So you're really coming with me? Even though I haven't told you where we're going?" Luka asked with joy and a bit of disbelief.

"Yes, I am! I want to be with you. Anywhere. Always"

"Always" he smiled like the lovefool he was. "What about your earrings?"

"I think Socqueline could be a great Ladybug. She was my inspiration when we were at school together. I learned a lot from her and I know I can trust her" she pressed their hands together.

"Sounds like a plan" he leaned in to kiss her forehead and she giggled, content with the contact. "We can leave tomorrow. Or next week, if you need more time"

"Tomorrow sounds perfect" She grinned. "Thank you for taking me with you"

"Thank you for choosing to come with me" he smiled, caressing her hands softly. "I love you, Marinette"

"I love you too, Luka"

They melted in a tender kiss, needy but steady, losing themselves in their mutual love.

It was the best feeling in the world, they agreed.

____________

Years later, and away from Paris, they cuddled happily together on the sofa of their living room. Wedding bands on their ring fingers and toddlers running around the garden. They thought fondly over how thankful they were for all the choices that lead them to that precise moment.

The choices to their happiness.

The end

[gamma-squad]

The Ultimate Gamma Squad Fic Rec List

From Angst to Fluff to Reveals, fanfiction will make you cry :D

Adrinette

Double Blind Date -  Alya knows Ladybug and Chat Noir's identities, and now that they're finally in the same city at the same time, she is determined to get them to meet.

The Bravery of Adrien Agreste -  adrien ends up living on the streets for a while, it's extremely well written and has also adrien marrying marinette to emancipate from his father.  There's also a sequel, the Bravery of Marinette Dupain-Cheng, which the author is currently writing. 

Lovelace -  Convinced that he's unlovable, Adrien is quickly thrown for a loop when Marinette confesses her love for him out of the blue. An akumatization and reveal later, he changes his mind about being unlovable.

The Bravery of Marinette Dupain-Cheng -  After the defeat of Hawkmoth, Adrien and Marinette are strangers to each other, but somehow… married? - Sequel to The Bravery of Adrien Agreste

Soulmate Survey -  A brand new dating app hits the scene, giving you a percentage of how well you match with someone else. And it is taking the world, and certain teenagers, by storm.

Cats are Colorblind! - Reverse Crush AU - Ladynoir/Adrinette - Adrien is blind but he can... feel Marinette’s features? Which happen to be the same ones as Ladybugs (Reveal)

have the stars blotted out in a brilliant morse code - Fluffy Adrinette moments and reveal? beautiful

Strength - Crack/Fluff oneshot with a reveal

Marry That Girl -  Adrien finds Marinette’s plans for their wedding and just falls

League of Losers - Slightly Different Superhero AU with crack angst and fluff

You, Me & A Little Bit of the Future - future ladynoir asks adrinette to babysit and everythings cute

Practice Makes Purr-fect - Adrinette/Ladynoir + Reveal and kisses (all you need in life <3)

wish you were here - demon au, adrien is just really confused

The Moving Statue - AKDJSSD - Adrinette + Reveal

Operation Mega-Sleepover - Adrinette Sleepover Shenanigans

Butt Dial - Marinette butt dials Adrien and all his plans for a normal afternoon jumped out the window (Reveal)

The Wedding Plans of Marinette Dupain-Cheng - Adrien finds Marinette’s wedding guest list for their future wedding and he’s like ‘WHERE AM I?’ (boy you’re the groom)

Plagg Meets Marinette

i hope that fate will forgive us (for tempting the sea) - mermaid royalty au and arranged marriages - Felix x Bridgette and Adrinette - also the author is v nice <33

The Player and the Princess - Childhood friends turned enemies turned lovers <3

take me back- By marvelousmsmol

By Design - By marvelousmsmol (Still going!)

Graine de toi - By komorebirei (Still going? I’m not sure)

Smoulder - By midnightstarlightwrites (this is adorable and full of ships! Also, finished 36/36).

Lucky Us - By PrincessKitty1 (Sigh, it’s too cute! Finished 30/30).

Facades -   AU with dark!Adrien. Has even a short sequel (lovesquare but mainly centered around the two main ships)

 Kiss shy - By emsylcatac (This is a great one-shot!)

i don't have a latte but give me a shot - By marvelousmsmol (The one-shot, i wish was a series).

 Under Lock and Key - By EdenDaphne, Maerynn (the antics! Finish 10/10)

The Woman With Blue Eyes - By ghostgirl19 (One-shot!)

 Friends By Day, Enemies By Night - By Dristi5683 (This is 49/49, there’s also marichat and angst ladynoir)

A Bride for the Prince - by ChocoluckChipz (Totally_lucky) and TheNovelArtist

Penumbra - Adrienette hurt comfort, rated M for serious topics like implied noncon as a minor

keep me in your thoughts - adrienette soulmate au

Passionfruit- Adrienette soulmate au series with 3 parts

a chat in disneyland - pretty self explanatory, chat noir antics and slightly traumatized workers, everythings great

Finding Diamonds in the Rough -  A prince escaping the confines of his castle. A girl who saves a naive visitor. The connection built between these two of different worlds. Welcome to another Arabian night.

Out of Your Hair -  Adrien wants to support Kitty Section during their first large concert in the park, but dad says no. So of course there’s only one way this can go

Infatuation - Adrinette childhood enemies to ‘I hate you but i seriously want to kiss you’

Blindsided - Adrinette/Ladynoir - Ladybug gets hit by an akuma and goes blind but hey! Adrien/Chat Noir is literally the most amazing person ever and that helps (Reveal)

Just a Friendly Game Night -  The four teenagers arrange a game night at Marinette’s house. What could go wrong

Just Best Friends -  The sequel to ‘Just a Friendly Game Night’ where the teenagers deal with what went wrong

We’ve Got It Covered -  Marinette needs to create a concept album cover design for Jagged Stone, but when she can’t get anything, the stress builds…

Le Prix du Silence -   this is in French, by Etoile-lead-Sama, but it's so worth google translating! Especially her inverted umbrella scene where Marinette gives the umbrella back to Adrien because she wants to rid her feelings for him and in that moment he realises that he's in love with her…  *heartbreak* but it's all wonderful and her slow burn is exceptional

Shop, Bake, Eat... - Crack, mature humor and content

Having a Ball - Adrien and Marinette attend a Victorian ball without recognizing each other.

In Which Adrien Agreste Butt Dials Ladybug - Based on NY Special, what if Adrien kept the remote to the cat toy in his back pocket?

The Jacket - Marinette gives a black jacket to Adrien and he thinks she's figured him out. 

Stuck In A Bakery (With You) -  during the pandemic, Adrien gets stuck in the bakery with Marinette and family. 

MariChat:

Chat Got Your Back - Lila I don’t like you and neither does Chat

Burgundy and Blush -  Marinette needs a date for the dance, and Chat Noir is happy to help. But can the two teens in denial make it through the night without catching feelings?

The Trouble With Kissing Boys -  When an akuma handcuffs Chat Noir and Marinette together, true feelings are revealed… but only to get the cuffs off. Really

double jeu -  An injured Chat Noir leads to a frantic Marinette and frequent midnight visits neither of them had expected to get used to.

Lace or Leather - Sequel to Burgundy and Blush

Stand-In Journalist - MariChat being besties

spark - marichat dating app shenanigans

Forget-Me-Not  -  Marinette looses her memories a little bit (unfinished)

Jealousy - Onesided reveal and then it turns into a love confession and a reveal

When Duty and Desire Meet - By EdenDaphne, midnightstarlightwrites. (Still going! Its so romantic, the yellow rose hits me the most)

Selfless - By ghostgirl19 ( I wish this fic was still going but it’s not! It’s discontinued!! T~T)

The Cat, the Bell, and the Wardrobe (Malfunction) - ChocoluckChipz (Totally_lucky), Eizabet, KryallaOrchid, Maerynn, midnightstarlightwrites. (I know the embracement... It’s also a one-shot!)

The Wingman Visits - By NiuNiu. (This is completed with 16/16 and rated mature!).

I Won’t Hold You Back - THE BEST PROM FIC YOU’LL EVER READ. Adrien invites Mari to prom. In which Adrien Awkward Awkward Awkward Athanase  Agreste makes an appearance. 

A Gamer’s Pride - No miraculous but they’re video game partners and they hate each other but they like each other and HHHHHHHH

Diamonds never leave you... men do! - Marinette the cop and Chat Noir the criminal (they’re dating <3)

Kiss and Dash -  It starts of when Marinette kisses Adrien on a dare and runs off but it really spirals out of control when Chat Noir takes revenge with his own kiss and dash. Do all people kiss the same way? Adrienette/Marichat/Ladynoir/Ladrien. - I THINK I ASCENDED WHILE READING THE FIRST CHAPTER

No Longer Running From -  After an Akuma attack, Marinette runs off in order to avoid Chat Noir, but she didn’t count on him being so willing to come after her.

Chat Blanc - Chat Blanc fights with reveals and Adrien being a good person even when akumatized

Worries - Chat is very concerned for the well-being of Marinette who he has noticed, decides to run into akuma battles in a very much not safe way

Rooftop Tears and Gentle Hugs [Vent] -  Marinette goes mute for a week, and everybody is worried. It seems only a concerned Chat is the one to finally reach her.

Tendencies - (series) lots of good writing starting out as marichat and then a reveal

Just Chatting -  Chat crashes onto Marinette's balcony and continues to visit. Marinette finds herself impulsively getting closer to him, and then everything goes to shit.

Reves de Noir et Blanc - LISTEN. MARICHAT HURT/COMFORT AFTER A NIGHTMARE MAKES ME FEEL CERTAIN THINGS

Physical Touch - Chat Noir, my amazing child, is touch starved. Marinette is happy to help with some cuddles

It’s Okay to Cry - THE SUMMARY ALONE GOT ME FEELING SOME STUFF LET MARINETTE SHOW EMOTION -  Marinette feels the burden of not letting her negative emotions show, since Ladybug cannot let herself be akumatized, no matter what. A cat is there to let her vent.

heartstrings - HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA - they frggin kiss and its dramatic and teenage drama and romace 

Crushed - Stuck under a collapsed building together, Chat Noir and Marinette have a heart to heart.  (Reveal)

Every Heartbeat: A Marichat May 2021 Story:  -   Reeling from a brutally difficult day, Marinette finds her life becomes amazingly complicated after impulsively inviting Chat Noir to spend the evening with her. But when the suave feline begins to weave his way into her heart, she realizes rather quickly just how conflicted her feelings for her partner truly are.

A Roll of the Dice - AVERT YOUR EYES INNOCENT CHILDREN - mature (obviously) Alya gives Marinette an adult dice set and at night time, Chat Noir dares her to use it. 

tell me something i don’t know - the infamous marichat soulmate au by the beloved carpisuns

Trading (Momentary) Burdens - UM. YOU HAD ON RIGHT?? I AM SAD??- Ladybug gets hurt mid-fight and Chat has to turn into Misterbug to save her

Miraculous Dupont -  Marinette finds herself attacked by Chat Blanc, an akuma at the orders of Hawkmoth. But before the akuma can do any damage, she's saved by Chat Noir, a superhero who is fighting the akumas. Chat Noir senses something in her and takes her to the magical school he attends, Miraculous Dupont, where Master Fu, the head teacher, agrees that she has potential to be a Miraculous holder. So Marinette is thrown into a world of hidden identities, akuma fights and mysteries and ends up by discovering that this whole world wasn't that unknown to her to start with, that the boy behind the mask, of whom she desperately falls in love, wasn't a stranger from her too, and it's all connected to two lucky charms, a seal and a mysterious magical potion she (and her friends) should never have been exposed to...

Tyger, Tyger, Burning Bright -  chat noir gives the tiger miraculous to marinette. I love her concept of the tiger miraculous, so cool!

Terror on La Seine - Villains weren't supposed to help when there are others in need. But can Hawk Moth truly stand aside and do nothing? Especially when a young woman he knows personally is in danger? TW: implied trafficking

Madness Within -  If you want slowburn, feral Chat Noir and dark themes this is a great place to start and I’m super excited for what’s to come. Very highly recommend

you came to me with gold and i mended the pieces -  Adrien gets into a really ugly argument with his father, and as a result the poor boy gets a slap right across the face. In a daze, he runs away from home, transforms, and decides to seek comfort in a really close friend of his.

I’ll Be Your (Wing)Man -  When Chat Noir finds Marinette sighing over her failed love life, he decides to help her get the boy of her dreams. Nothing can go wrong here. Absolutely nothing.

The Tendencies Series -  HIGHLY RECOMMEND and will sure to keep you busy for a while

LadyNoir:

A Summer Treat - LadyNoir Icecream date in Shanghai and lovestruck adrien

TKO - LadyNoir workouts and they KISS

Doctor, Doctor, Give me The News (Your Lips Is The Only Cure I Could Use) -   Plagg’s sick, Adrien’s in love, Shit Happens™ 

 Of Yellows, Pinks and Blues - New York Special LadyNoir but with ROSES 

Long Live - LadyNoir based on the song <3

Letters of Lovers - LadyNoir writing down all their feelings on letters BUT THEN AT THE END THEY READ IT + Reveal

A Bad Dream - Ladybug tells Chat about a ‘dream’ where he was Chat Blanc (spoiler alert: it wasn’t a dream)

The Bug and Cat Show - ADKLJSASD READ THIS

You’re My Sight - Adrien is blind but with the miraculous, he can see and this is very much a wonderful thing to happen to him. One day he tells Ladybug.

United - OMFG - ladynoir established relationship (+Reveal)

a nine-year-old - i havent met anyone that hasn’t read this fic but still (im still sorry emsy, i believed you were 9 with my entire heart 😭)

Death By Ladybug - Flirty Ladybug and Flustered Chat Noir

Chat Noir’s White French Man Hitlist For Feminist Purposes - (THIS HAS A PODFIC NOW)

Liquid Luck - LadyNoir Banter + Reveal

Symphony - Adrinette/LadyNoir + Reveal (with the best ending ever omg)

 The Miraculous Tweets of @luckylady and @chatnoir - Internet Shenanigans

Problems - ladynoir fluff

Only a beat a cat can hear - Ladybug tells Chat when he finds out about her blindness that she scared about him leaving her. He’s having none of this self deprecating stuff and reassures her that he loves her a lot and nothing changes that. 

M’Lady - THEIR LAST DAYS AS SUPERHEROES :’’’’))) (Reveal)

It was just a cheek kiss! - Ladybug slowly falling for Chat and them finally getting together (my friends thought I was getting murdered when I readthis. So many screams)

Discordant Sonata - EdenDaphne (Still going!)

like poles of a magnet - By maketea (8/8! It's finished!)

From the Ashes - By MiniMinou (Finish! Btw this is angst and mature rated)

Ladybug and Chat Noir's Guide to the Rooftops of Paris - PipTheMagnificent (One-shot!)

 in the dead of night, your eyes so green - this ones by miraculouslycool so you know its good 

 Day 7: Interview - Chat Noir being cute with kids

Misunderstanding - LadyNoir Identity Shenanigans <3

Not Kitten Around, Badylug - the road to reveal, integrating parts of S4, all in mobile texts. Sweet, funny. The kind of pick-me up you need after an angsty ep.

Two Seconds -  perfect for a light morning read.

i think it’s time i told you (im a fan of your universe) - LadyNoir (AND THEY GET MARRIED)

It’s Not PDA If You’re Just Friends - They’re just friends! Friends can kiss each others shoulders and spin each other around, right?

I Guess That Makes Us Even - Chat Noir dying = REALLY SAD LADYBUG AND COMFORT - its by buggchat so you already know its simply superior

Red Strings and Markers - Soulmate AU my beloved

little kitty on the rood, wearing his lady’s boxers - Adrien in Ladybug boxers, Marinette in the pool with her pjamas, Adrien uses his one braincell and realizes some pretty shocking things (Reveal)

dont let me die alone - okay so you may get a lil sad but you know

Return to Base - LadyNoir laser tag baby, Adrienette laser tag with LadyNoir dynamic, reveal

The Ladyblog Comment Section - they like to annoy alya in the comments. and flirt. but they dont realize the last part yet

Irreplaceable -  Adrien is insecure. Marinette doesn't let anyone talk bad about her partner.

Where are you Chat Noir? -  As the final battle unfolds to their defeat, Hawkmoth and Mayura use plan b and withdraw in a 'Sentiworld', a parallel reality created with an Amok. What's worse, they drag Chat Noir with them. What's even worse, Ladybug can't say goodbye, or I love you. Guilty and desperate, what will she be ready to sacrifice to get her partner back? (Rated R for mature content)

Kitty Chat Kisses -  Give Chat more kisses please, this was so sweet and cute and sad and just...someone give Chat some hugs and kisses and tell him he did a good job

i’ll marry you - Chat Noir talks to his sleepy girlfriend about their future.

Upon the Eiffel Tower, They Reveal it All. -  Chat Noir spots Ladybug heading towards the Eiffel tower without telling him, and when he checks on her, finds out more than he thought he would.

Two Hundred and Fifty Four -  aspik angst :’)

Ladrien:

bang bang - KISSES

whose woods these are (I think I know) - FIRST OF ALL, its a cinderella au and its MAGNIFICENT - Four years after his future turns to cinders, Adrien is a servant in the house he was meant to inherit. Disowned by his father and abused by his stepmother, his days are filled with drudgery until he meets a masked huntress in the forest behind his father's chateau.As his friendship with Ladybug turns to first love, he dreams of a future spent at her side.Then, on the eve of the Princess's masquerade, he meets his guardian—and is granted a wish.

The Tell-Tale Kiss - Adrien gets discouraged when Ladybug turns down Paris’ favorite cat every time. But what if Paris’ favorite model asks her?

The Cat and His Daffodils -  I adore Hanahaki AU’s and this was one was really good and wonderfully angsty.

Post/One Sided Reveal: 

Serendipitous Fate -  With Hawkmoth growing stronger, Chat Noir and Ladybug need to practice. And get teammates. And grow stronger together. Which means learning each other’s identity, no matter the risks. Unfinished, but worth it. Also, there is some smut near the end, but the author warns the reader on the exact chapter and it is very skippable

switch it up - Adrien uses the Ladybug miraculous and everyone simps even harder

Remember That Time When... - Marinette is ready to enjoy her wedding anniversary with her wondrful husband. Except when she wakes up, she’s not going to be able to celebrate her anniversary. In fact, she’s seventeen again.

Divide By Infinity - Post-Reveal Adrinette being adorable and looking at LadyNoir moments

Bad Day - Adrien finds out Marinette’s Ladybug on the toilet and everything just does downhill from there

Get Agrekt - Post Reveal + Drunk Adrien my beloved

Under The Stars - PROPOSAL

Do You Hear That, Love? - Post-Reveal angst and babies

Side Effects of Paw-esome Merch: Model Chokes on Air - Post Reveal Marinette making my poor boy adrien consciously try not to die by wearing Chat Noir merch

Serotonin Boosts - ADRIEN LOVES HIS GIRLFRIEND OKAY?

When the Wedding Bells Toll - Post Reveal Adrinette pretend to date to get free food at a wedding (ha ha guess who fell in love againnnn)

All You Had to Do Was Stay - first of all, OOF - Marinette and Adrien reveal their identities and he panics and Marinette, three years later, sees him again for Alya’s wedding with the urge to both kiss him and punch him in the face

Adrinette April Day 23: Sunset - CUTE FLUFFY PEOPLE (its by sketchy-panda)

Forget-Me-Not - written way before oblivio but basically, oblivio

The Wall Between Us -  Lukanette, Adrigami, Alya finding out, lovesquare reveal, Adrien finding out Gabe is Hawkmoth, then theres Adrinette being in love and MarcNath walking in them making out. Its a whole vibe. Two Seconds was written in response to this :D

Mari Me - CHRISTMAS PROPOSALS AND CHILDREN ARE BEAUTIFUL OKAY?

Trolling Alya -  After Adrien and Marinette reveal their identities to each other, instead of going right into dating, they agree to just be friends and take their time. Alya is not having it.

The Biological Imperative - excellent explicit story with an interesting concept about tikki being able to freeze the power of all miraculouses in her box in case of marinette's pregnancy. Adrienette of course. 

The Closest Thing to Love - god i love a good fake dating story - post reveal Aged Up - adrien decides that the best way to gain independence from his dad was to get married. To who you ask? Of course its his lady, Marinette Dupain Cheng. Nothing could go wrong! They’re just friends after all.

Not A Ship But Hella good Stories

Papa Bear -  In which Tom is the one to figure out Adrien’s home life is putting him in danger and helps Adrien escape.

Nooroo Uses a Swear Word -  He really, really does. But he has a very good reason, so... let's hear him out, shall we? Crackfic, one-shot.

Move to Safety - Sort of a longer take on the ‘ Adrien runs away and seeks shelter with the Dupain-Chengs’. Involves the final battle and Adrien knowing Gabe is Hawkmoth. 

I Know, Kid - Plagg has a very important conversation with his holder when they return home after defeating Guiltrip.

Chat Noir is My Science Teacher - When Mattheu Magan witnesses his chemistry teacher, Adrien Dupain-Cheng, transform into his favorite superhero Chat Noir, he becomes the Monkey Miraculous holder Monkid, going on adventures and learning what it means to be a hero alongside under his new meow-ntor. (OC, Adventure, Aged-up - Yall ive only known Mattheu for like, a month BUT I LOVE HIM WITH ALL MY HEART)

Won’t Tell a Soul - Nino finds out that Marinette is Ladybug and keeps the secret. Kind of. 

Motherfucking Superheroes - Directly following the events of the season 3 finale, Alya Cesaire decides to create a groupchat with all the known Miraculous holders, which sets off an investigation into Ladybug’s identity. (Crack, Groupchat/Text fic)

My Boy - Gabriel creates a sentimonster copy of himself to free himself from unimportant matters, but he didn’t expect it to become more human than himself. (Angst, Mentions of torture)

The Malicious Pavilin - Evil gay Emilie is a whole ass mood

Never Sing At Home - Based on that ‘hey, bad news and good news. Bad news, Hawkmoth knows my identity, good news, I know his!’ prompt on tumblr

Bite off more than you can chew and you’ll choke - Lila gets exposed fics my beloved

ouef, ouch, owie - Chat and Rena plan some Aspik-related shenanigans to cover up Chat’s secret identity when Ladybug decides to have all the Miraculous heroes train together. (Crack)

What the Cat Dragged In - MCU Crossover

the last day on earth - Chat Blanc angst is top-tier

Air Miraculous - Miraculous but with Basketball and Shoes

how the strings intertwine - MDC Fic - UNFINISHED BUT AMAZING

Nine Lives - Hurt/Comfort, Adrien Centric

In Good Hands -  in which Ladybug tells Chat Noir about her new confidant and Chat chooses his own.

How Nino Waged War with Gabriel Agreste - By ChocolateXMyMouth (Still going!)

The Inappropriate Touching Talk -  this is another pure crack. Gabriel finds out that Adrien "touches inappropriately" Marinette and decides to have "the talk" (or rather have someone else have the talk with him)

Broken - Cop AU with lots of angst :D

Informant - miracuclass group chat au with identity shenanigans 

Lucky Fox Paradox - Marinette gives succeeds in giving Alya the ladybug miraculous. And regrets it. Enter, the fox miraculous.

“I have plan” - based on the ‘Ladybug joins the fight as multimous and she and rena rouge won’t let adrien leave to transform and its just crack’

Sting -  Chat Noir mysteriously vanished, and as much as Ladybug hates it, she can’t do her job alone. Which is why she decides to give Adrien to bee miraculous until her partner returns!

Accidental Dates - The four friends make a group chat to plan game nights. Some people tend to take it further

Leave for Mendeleiev -  Marinette is in Mendeleiev’s class instead of Bustier’s, meaning new friends and different relationships

Ridiculous, Utterly Ridiculous - rejected one time too many, Chat Noir ends in tears on someone's balcony. No, not Marinette's. Chloé's. And no, it doesn't end with an adrikloe (or how it's called). Chloé actually ends up being a good friend (*insert ohhhh of surprise*)

I’ll Handle This - Adrien accepts a deal with Plagg for the black kwami to resolve his problems. And Plagg succeeds. 

let’s get covered in flames and play some games with the smoke -  1920s enemies to lovers soulmates au that makes me want to jump off a building in a good way

Ruffled -  Harry Potter AU

Passionfruit -  Adrienette soulmate au series with 3 parts

Repetition -  One day adrien stumbles upon hawkmoth’s lair. In response, Gabe wipes his memory and is done with it. until it happens again, and again, and again…

Bite Me. -  Vampire!Alya one-shot. Really good world-building in this one chapter alone!

“I have a plan.” -  Really funny one-shot where Marinette’s idea of going in as Multimouse doesn’t exactly pan out how she wanted it to.

Back to Us -  After a reveal so shocking it rocks the core of Paris itself, the villain Hawk Moth is finally defeated...at a great personal cost to heroes Ladybug and Chat Noir. With the city safe, they go their separate ways, returning to the lives they were forced to put on hold since receiving their Miraculous.

Free Falling - Fantastic story with amazing and well written themes that I really just adored reading. Beautifully written and wonderful plot/story

Other Ships (outside of Love Square):

The Worst and Best Thing - GabeNath, drama and angst with a happy ending

Operation Lovebirds -  DJWifi - Alya and Nino try and get Adrien and Marinette together, and get more than they thought they would

Phase Eight - Sequel to Operaton Lovebirds -  Three years after the failure of Operation Lovebirds, Alya and Nino’s relationship is tested when Alya comes across a startling secret.

Cola Date - DJWifi -  When Alya finds herself on a date with the wrong guy she searches for unconventional help to get her out of this. Luckily, the cute waiter doesn't mind to help her out with a favor.

Soundless - Lukadrien - Luka has the Ladybug Miraculous and can pretty much tell who’s Chat Noir

Hotdogs and Icecream - Lukagami - Luka and Kagami hanging out while Adrinette are being in love during the NY Special

[mc-lukanette]

Omg I am loving your dreaded string of fate au this is such an interesting take! As always your writing and ideas absolutely amaze me You are such a wonderful writer! If it isnt too much of a bother could we get some more writing for dsaf? Either way I hope you are staying safe, taking care of yourself, and that overall life is doing you good.

Thanks, everyone! And sure, you can have more!!

—————

[Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3]

Luka wasn't sure why Marinette had called him over that day. As far as he knew, she was busy with projects, though he wouldn't complain about spending some time with her.

Still, he found himself tensing and steeling himself up as he walked up the stairs to her living room. The hum of her sewing machine could be heard as he got closer, reminding him of clothes, which led to the thought of thread, which then brought his mind to the red string of fate wrapped around her neck. His last venture as Viperion seemed to have improved his sensing, so now he could see someone's red string even if the person on the other end wasn't nearby.

Needless to say, he wasn't looking forward to it with Marinette.

He closed the living room door behind him, then went up the staircase, knocking to let Marinette know he was there. The sound of the sewing machine stopped, and he heard her footsteps come closer followed by the slight creak of the trapdoor.

Marinette's face was revealed to him, offering him a smile, and Luka tried not to stare too much at the red string still tied around her neck. He swallowed, but smiled back at her, which was genuine enough even if he was uncomfortable.

"Come on up," she welcomed, holding the trapdoor up for him. He nodded and walked up the rest of the stairs, hearing the trapdoor close behind him as he took a look around the room. He felt Marinette's eyes on him, but she voiced her thoughts before he could wonder about them.

"You didn't bring your guitar?" she asked.

He glanced at his back, then at her, having no way of telling her the real reason why he'd chosen not to bring it. "Yeah, I didn't. Sorry, did you want me to play for you?"

"Oh! No, it's okay—I mean, of course I love it when you play for me so I always want—but I understand!" She thankfully dropped the subject there, turning away to return to her seat. "You can make yourself at home or help yourself to the fridge downstairs if you want anything!"

"Thanks," he said with a smile, heading over to her chaise lounge and taking a seat on it. Even with Marinette's chair turned away from him while she used her sewing machine, he could still see the red string dangling off the side, though it faded into full transparency before it hit the floor.

In truth, he'd left his guitar behind to force himself to use less music and more words. He didn't want to hide behind it to try and ease his situation or make himself more comfortable with everything. The situation the love of his life - and more importantly, his friend - had gotten into through no fault of her own was horrible, and no matter how uncomfortable he was, he couldn't have been any more uncomfortable than her being strangled by fate itself.

He watched her, waiting for a lull in her work to ask, "Did you need anything?"

"Hm?" She looked over her chair to meet his gaze.

"I'm happy to be here anyway, but I didn't know if you needed me for something," he clarified.

"Oh." She understood. Waving a hand dismissively, she assured, "No! I just invited you here to hang out—" She gestured to her sewing machine, her eyes a bit shifty. "—with me, while I was busy but totally happy and relaxed and everything!"

Her wording was inherently suspicious. His eyes scanned over the room, noting the projects littered about that seemed so plentiful. He supposed he hadn't exactly been subtle in his concern for her, but he wasn't sure of exactly what tipped her off or made her feel like she had to "prove" her happiness to him.

Besides, he knew better, and he knew her. Even with the smile she gave him, her brows were furrowed and twitching, a tiredness to her eyes that definitely didn't show what he would call "happiness."

He gave her a nod anyway, not wanting to call her out when he was still piecing things together himself, and he didn't want to confirm her worries if she was merely suspecting that he felt that way.

He leaned back while she returned to working, his hand on the cushion underneath him as he considered what to say. If Sass was right in his beliefs, then Luka indeed had the power to change Marinette's fate, though there wasn't any specific method of how. He thought back to all of their conversations, wondering what he would've done differently if he'd known beforehand and trying not to get bogged down by "what if"s or blame himself for it.

He stared silently at the back of Marinette's head, remembering the day at the ice rink when he saw the same thing. She'd been running away, or more specifically running towards Adrien after he'd encouraged her to do so. It seemed like the right thing to do at the time, but from what he gathered from interactions he'd either seen or heard about, it hadn't gone anywhere. Maybe it hadn't even gone well at all.

Maybe he'd made a mistake?

Luka's mind grew heavy with the thoughts, his body falling back to lay down on Marinette's chaise. He didn't regret doing what he felt was right, but now he wondered if his wording could've been better.

"You should probably go over and talk to him."

He hadn't exactly been thinking at the time - a lot had happened that day - but he noted that he could've asked her how she felt. He could've questioned her on if she really wanted to go after Adrien. It was possible she'd wanted to go home on the subway with him, but was convinced to chase Adrien when he brought it up. Luka just imagined Marinette seeing Adrien and Kagami together, the red string tightening around her neck and then loosening when she was presented with the prospect of going after him.

He felt like he was the one being strangled, just thinking about it.

"Luka?"

He looked up, surprised, seeing that Marinette had stopped sewing at some point and had come to sit on the chaise lounge with him. She hovered over him, concern written across her features and the red string taunting him with its mere existence. Luka knew by now that she was very worried about him, and trying to wriggle or half-lie out of it wasn't going to convince her. He'd just really thought that she would've been sewing for longer.

He also jolted up into a sitting position upon realizing that he probably looked like he was making himself too comfy on her chaise lounge. She didn't seem to mind at least.

"...Marinette," he said slowly, trying to put his thoughts in order. She leaned closer as a sign that she was giving him her attention, and he continued, "Do you know why I let you go that day?"

She tilted her head and he belatedly caught that he hadn't been specific, still too lost in his own head. He opened his mouth to clarify, but realization struck Marinette before he could speak, her brows raising in recognition.

"Oh!" she gasped. Though the conversation was sudden, she didn't seem to mind rolling with it. "Um, yeah, I wondered about that sometimes. I mean, I knew that you knew that I—but I didn't know that you—but if you didn't back then, I—"

"No, your song was definitely in my head, even back then," he confirmed casually, smiling as he added, "Since the day we met, remember?"

She blushed at the mention of his confession, but nodded. "Y-yeah." Then, seeming to rethink the moment with that information in mind, she asked, "...Why did you let me go then?"

His eyes flickered to the red string, then back up to her face. "I want you to be happy, Marinette, no matter who it's with. I thought that Adrien would do that, but I hope I didn't make you feel like you had to go after him."

She blinked, the thought having seemingly not even occurred to her. She averted her gaze, her eyes darting around at nothing in particular. "Is...is that why you were looking like that?"

He didn't answer, but that was answer enough for her.

"Oh, Luka," she murmured sympathetically. "I—well—" She shifted uncomfortably. "—I shouldn't be talking to you about this. It'd be wrong when my feelings are so messed up. You..."

He shook his head. "You can talk about Adrien if you want. I'd be happy if you relied on me more."

He meant it. Even regardless of his fate sensing, he wanted Marinette to feel comfortable talking to him, even if it was about her love problems. He didn't want their relationship to be changed because of his feelings for her.

"Even more?" She raised a brow, the concept confusing her, but she didn't question him further. She hesitated, rubbing her cheek in thought, then dropped her hands to her lap and twiddled her fingers. "I-I don't know; about Adrien, I mean. I—" She sighed, giving a halfhearted shrug. "—he's not interested in me. He likes Kagami, but the girls kept telling me that I shouldn't give up on him because of how hard I tried." Then, stiffening, she waved her hands and rapidly assured, "N-not anything against your sister, of course! That's just what happened—and—" She huffed in frustration. "—it feels like I hit a wall, and I'm not going anywhere. Adrien doesn't notice me and I can't talk to him and... I'm tired."

Luka nodded silently to let her know that he was both listening and sympathetic towards her plight, also not wanting to interrupt her.

"Of course I tried hard, but Adrien and Kagami seem like they're good for each other and they should be happy together. Just, whenever I think of giving up or not trying, I..." She raised a hand to her neck in a gesture that he immediately understood. "It hurts, and Alya's always trying to get me together with Adrien no matter what I say. Maybe she knows best and maybe she's right, and that's why I always end up in crazy situations with him. Plus, everyone..." She looked away, her voice not having the enthusiasm one would imagine her next words would go with. "...everyone keeps saying we're made for each other."

Luka clutched his leg to ground himself while struggling to keep a straight face. He'd certainly never heard that one before, but it stung like his neck did just thinking about it. His lips pressed together, trying to contain his emotions, but he couldn't help blurting out, "No one's made for anyone."

She blinked at him, shocked, but he didn't take it back or apologize for saying it so suddenly. He recognized the fact that he was talking about destined love being nonexistent when he himself knew that "fate" was very much a real thing, but his actual opinion on the subject hadn't changed. As far as he was concerned, fate's "opinion" was about as valid as anyone else's when it came to someone else's relationship.

"No matter what Alya, or even Rose, say about you and who you love, Marinette, all that matters is you and who you want to play for. You deserve someone who makes you happy." He paused, lamenting the reality that she really hadn't gotten to think about it. "Does Adrien make you happy?"

He saw the string tighten, Marinette opening her mouth to respond before she seemed to stop herself. He felt like apologizing, but knew she wouldn't understand even if he did. She frowned, staring down at her lap and appearing conflicted with herself, so he reached out and carefully hovered his hand over her shoulder in a show of comfort. She glanced at his hand, noticing the gesture, but didn't immediately give him any sort of permission.

Then, to his surprise, she brought her hand up, gently grabbing his wrist and lowering it so his hand was placed perfectly on her shoulder. She didn't even let go, keeping his wrist held like she needed his hand there.

"...Luka," she whispered, her voice shaking, "I—no, you'll laugh, or think I'm crazy."

He squeezed her shoulder, not hesitating to insist, "I won't. I'm here for you, Marinette."

She finally met his gaze, and he saw a vulnerability there that wasn't there before. She was nervous, whether of his potential reaction to whatever she had to say, or something else entirely.

She took a breath, her fingers tightening around his wrist as she composed herself. The silence stretched, though he could tell that she was steeling herself up.

"The—the Adrien pictures," she began, tossing a pointed look to the wall where they were. "I don't remember putting them there."

He kept his expression schooled, not wanting her to overthink his reactions. Careful and quiet, he asked, "What do you mean?"

"I-I mean, obviously I started putting them there, back when I first met him," she admitted, "but I took them down. They'd been down for a while."

Luka could confirm that. He'd been to Marinette's room before when she'd been sending in their Kitty Section audition to Bob Roth, and the pictures weren’t there.

She continued, "I-it hurt when I did it, but I did, and I threw most of them away. But then—when I wake up sometimes, they're back, and I don't remember putting them up. I-I mean, maybe I did but I just don't remember it? I stay up late sometimes and I won't remember falling asleep, so it might be like that, you know? I-I know you're not exactly like me and I'm sure you don't sleepily put pictures on your wall but..."

He smiled as best as he could, even though he was hurting inside. "I know as well as you do that creativity doesn't have a schedule."

She managed a smile in return, but it returned to a frown as she dropped her gaze to her lap. "A-anyway, I can forget things, but it's never been that bad, and sometimes they'll be gone for a while but then they'll be back a few days later. There's just—there's no other explanation, so it has to be me, right? I-I don't know if it's a sign or what, but if it is then I don't know what it's telling me? Because whenever there are a lot of pictures—" She made a vague gesture with a wave of her free hand, cringing as she added, "—something humiliating always happens. That usually gets me to take them down again, but then... well, you know." She rubbed the back of her neck with a hand, blushing in embarrassment. "Sorry, I probably sound crazy. I-I swear, I'm not trying to—"

"I believe you."

Her mouth halted mid-sentence, hanging open as she stared at him.

"I believe you, Marinette," he repeated, giving her shoulder another squeeze. He didn't need any further detail to know what happened, as there was no way Marinette would take down those pictures and then put them back up the next day, or even the day before that. It didn't make any sense, and while he hadn't seen the wisps of fate move things or brush them aside, he had seen them trip Marinette, meaning they had some level of physical control. It explained it all: the convenience of the pictures appearing and disappearing, as well as the amount of them there'd be.

"T-thank you," she murmured, her lips briefly moving to form extra words but nothing coming out. She looked shy, possibly from admitting something she hadn't told anyone before, but she at least wasn't so nervous anymore.

"You don't need to thank me," he assured, "but you're welcome. Just know that you can tell me anything."

She ducked her head, peeking up at him to ask, "How much do you want to know?"

"Whatever you're comfortable sharing with me," he replied.

"Everything?" She'd said it quickly, as if she'd blurted it out, but she didn't panic afterward. She merely looked at him, hope in her eyes.

He nodded without hesitation, wanting her to be certain that he meant it. She searched his gaze for a few more seconds, one last shred of doubt remaining, but he knew he'd convinced her when her body relaxed and she smiled at him with her whole heart. Her grip on his wrist lightened, her hand sliding off and back down to her side. He pulled back as well, his heart a mixture of emotions but mostly just happy to see her happy.

"I..." She turned away, facing her trapdoor. "I'm going to get some snacks first."

He watched as she pushed herself up, then stood as well to follow after her. "Do you want any help carrying them?"

She looked at him, confused. "You don't have to."

Instead of responding with the obvious - that he wanted to - he simply replied, "You're not alone anymore, Marinette."

He didn't need to elaborate for her to understand. He let himself get lost in the warmth of her gaze, hoping that he might see it more one day if he could ever get her string removed, even if her warm gaze would end up being for someone else.

[flightfoot]

Sorry you had to see that person’s posts :( That kind of stuff can really dampen your day.

In order to put some positivity into her tag, would you like to share what all you love about Alya? Or do you have any headcanons? What would you like to see of Alya in S5 and beyond? :)

I love how clever and enthusiastic Alya is! Girl's out here living her best life, getting to be the top superhero blogger in the city, getting to BE a superhero, having fun with a loving boyfriend... Honestly Alya's just having an amazing time in canon, and I love to see her having that kind of fun! She likes superheroes, and BEING a superhero, about as much as Adrien does.

In future seasons, I'd love to see Alya come into her own as a leader. Marinette started training her as her replacement in Optigami, and we've seen how effective Alya can be in Sentibubbler and Hack-san, so I'd love to see that plotline continued. Alya giving up her Miraculous in Strike Back made sense under the circumstances, and showed that she's ready for more responsibility, in fact, when it's safe - she will put the safety of herself and her family above her own desires, no coaxing required. It'd be a shame to just let that development drop without doing something more with it. And I mean, we're getting several more seasons, so there's time. Or we could get a spin-off centered around Alya! I'd be down for that too.

On another note, I just finished reading this AMAZING 8K+ word count Alyanette fic that @bring-the-storm called "is it chill that you're in my head?". Hawkmoth has far better PR in this universe and has successfully convinced people that he's a superhero, while Ladybug and Chat Noir are dangerous vigilantes, if not outright evil. And Alya just got caught kissing Ladybug...

It's a great read, and I especially appreciate how it takes place from Alya's perspective and centers around her, with how much I've had issues with Alya salt today. It's just good to see fics that respect Alya as a character, as a person, that see value in her and consider her to be important in her own right.

[deathbymeow]

Screw Feelings

Chapter 1

 2  3

This is my first Maribat fic. As much as I love the love square, I tripped and stumbled into this fandom and can’t help but love it. This is salt free. I live for sugar and spice. 

Warning coarse language and some sexual references. You can’t change my mind that Jason Todd swears. 

This was not how Marinette wanted to start her day. Two weeks. Only two darn weeks she’d been living in Gotham and here she was stuck in an arsed-up attempt to rob a coffee shop. Why would anyone even bother to rob this place. The only answer she could think of, ‘it’s Gotham so why not’.

Nothing is sacred in Gotham, not even a god damn coffee shop.

Marinette was done. Done with Paris. Done with her old life. Done with being Ladybug. Done with her perfect relationship with Adrien Agreste even though he was amazing and loved her unconditionally. She wanted to be done with being the Guardian of 19 small gods but that wasn’t an option. So here she was after packing her life up, in a coffee shop with a gun against her head.

Let’s back it up though because before this asshole decided to ruin a perfectly nice day, Marinette was totally eyeing a fine piece of man candy. She was definitely not making a list of all the nasty things she’d like to do to him. As much as she didn’t want a relationship hence breaking up with Mr perfect super model, she still had hormones and eyes.

After parking her motorbike outside the coffee shop, Marinette took off her helmet and gloves then pulled her dark hair out of her jacket. She shook her head a few times and her long locks fell down her back. Still straddling the bike she’d quickly replied to Alya’s text then swung her leg over the bike. She unzipped her favoured red leather jacket and adjusted her Jagged Stone t-shirt underneath.

Tikki was asleep in one of the pockets Marinette had specially made for her and the young Guardian tried not to interrupt the tiny god as she put her phone, gloves and keys in her other pockets. Marinette’s love of bikes had come from her nonna, and it was the first thing she’d brought when she landed in the states.

Money wasn’t a problem for the twenty-year-old. MDC had taken off over the last two years and she had a steady flow of commissions, to the point that on more than one occasion she had to close her books. Marinette studied at ESMOD for two years before deciding she was going to burn out if she didn’t slow down and change something in her life.

Her family and friends all agreed that taking some time off studying to get her head together was a smart move. They hadn’t all agreed on the move but that was another conversation.

Marinette was living with Chloe and Kagami in the over-the-top penthouse suit of the Hotel Chloe’s father gifted to her for her twenty-first birthday. Marinette was planning on buying her own apartment eventually but her family, best friends and shrink all agreed she shouldn’t be living on her own for the time being.

The door chimed as she walked into the cute vintage style coffee shop. She did her normal casual sweep of the people and exits before her eyes landed on the dark-haired guy sitting by himself in the booth closest to the door. He was holding a paperback book, but his eyes were not so subtlety traveling over her body. His blue eyes landed on her’s and he had the decently to look slightly embarrassed before smiling at her. Marinette wasn’t as shy as she once was but somehow, she still felt her cheeks flush. A moment past before she managed to get her shit together, her lips turned up in a cheeky grin and she winked at him before turning to order her coffee.

Marinette had just paid for her coffee when her phone started to ring. At this point she was regretting her choice in friends as Doja Cat’s I’m a bitch I’m a boss started to play in her pocket.

I’m a bitch I’m a boss  

I’m a bitch I’m a boss, I’ma shine like gloss

I’m a bitch I’m a boss  

I’m a bitch I’m a boss, I’ma shine like gloss

Grabbing it as quickly as she could and answering, she mouthed sorry to an angry looking mother with a table full of giggling girls.

“Chloe, what did you do, why is my phone playing that trash?” Marinette asked in a hushed voice. She looked over her shoulder at hot book guy to find his eyes were back on his book, but he was snickering.

“So you know it’s me, duh. And Doja Cat is anything but trash, thank you M.”

“Yup, you keep telling yourself that Bee. What’s up? I only saw you twenty minutes ago.”

While talking to Chloe, Marinette missed the chime of the bell above the door. She didn’t however miss the strong arm that snaked around her neck or the cold gun barrel that pressed against her temple. The person smelt of stale smoke and booze.

“Give me everythin in the till or you gonna be wearin this girl’s brains, ya hear me?” The man yelled at the barista while dragging her closer to the counter. Marinette felt his breath on her neck and in that moment the only thought going through her head was a big ‘fuck you, you inconsiderate arsehole’.

“Bee, I’ll call you back in a sec.” Marinette said calmly into her phone before sliding it into her pocket.

Marinette noticed out of the corner of her eye that the hot book guy was edging close to where they were standing. “Let the lady go and we can work this out, ok?”

Was it wrong that even with a gun to her head Marinette was still wondering what it would be like to kiss hot book guy and run her hand through the unusual but oh so sexy white streak at the front of his dark hair? It should be illegal to look that good. Everything about him screamed I’m not the type of guy you take home to meet the parents but if you let me, I’ll make you scream my name multiple times.

“Not gonna happen arsehole back the fuck off. Bitch what’s taking so long? Hurry up I don’t got all day.”

Yep, Marinette was so fucken done right now.

~~~~~~~~~~>:<~~~~~~~~~~

Jason hadn’t had the best morning. He’d woken to his phone ringing way too early for his day off. He’d tried to ignore it but when it rang for the third time, he finally answered it. It didn’t surprise him to hear his brother Dick on the other end.

“Hey Jaybird, sorry did I wake you?”

“What do you think dipshit. What do you want?”

“Just ringing to remind you about to night.”

“And you couldn’t do this after 7am or last night even? You know I only got home two hours ago, right?”

“Yeah, shit sorry. The informant wants to meet us at the Lady Luck night club at the Le Grand Gotham hotel. Get some sleep, I’ll pick you up at ten pm.”

“Was trying till you called. See ya then.”

After that Jason gave up on sleep. He never slept right anyway. What he’d give to have a full night’s sleep with no nightmares of fucken clowns and pools of green shit.

He’d gone for an early morning ride and ended up at his favourite coffee shop for breakfast. He was reading The Hunchback of Notre Dame when he heard a bike pull up to the curve.

The rider turned the black sports bike off and took their helmet off. He already had a pretty good idea that the rider was female due to their small frame, but Jason wasn’t prepared for the dark hair that tumbled down her back or the way her jeans clung to her perfect arse as she swung her leg over the bike. Not to mention her red leather jacket. She was wearing his colour and damn she looked fine in red.

Jason wasn’t blind and he appreciated a beautiful woman as much as the next guy. He’d had plenty of flings maybe not as many as Dick, but he’d never been interested in anything long term. When she walked through the door and caught him checking her out, he knew then and there he wanted to get to know this girl. The way her cheeks turned a light shade of pink was adorable but then she’d sealed the deal when her lips turned up into a cheeky grin and she winked at him. Talk about sass, he instantly got the impression she would be a handful but in all the right ways.

He tried to have some decency and looked down at his book while trying to think of the best way to approach her. When her phone started to ring with a ridiculous ring tone, he couldn’t help but snicker at her reaction. She clearly didn’t pick the ring tone and she wore the cutest little pout on her lips while she mumbled into the phone.

Jason wasn’t easily distracted but this girl was doing something to him, and he completely missed the signs of danger when the guy entered the coffee shop. Within seconds, he’d wrapped his arm around the raven-haired beauty and pointed a gun at her. Everything in Jason screamed at him to protect her but he knew he was only a civilian at the moment and any sudden movement could end in disaster.

He’d slowly stood up and edged out of the booth. She surprisingly didn’t look scared and even sounded annoyed as she ended her call.

“Let the lady go and we can work this out, ok?” Jason slowly raised his hands to show the fuckwit that he was unarmed. This of cause was a lie, Jason had two guns on him as well as several knives of different sizes.

“Not gonna happen arsehole back the fuck off. Bitch what’s taking so long? Hurry up I don’t got all day.” The criminal yelled as he started to wave his gun around.

Jason could tell the man was unhinged and probably fuelled by drugs or alcohol. He was running through the best action to take when the little firecracker made her move.

Jason watched in horror then awe as she knocked the arm holding the gun into the air then twisted out of the fuckwits arm. She jumped if she had wings, she’d have looked like a Pixie and kicked the gun out of his hand. Before he could recover, she punched him with a left hook then a right. His nose definitely looked broken as blood started to pour out of it. He stumbled towards her, she didn’t hesitate and flipped him over her shoulder like it was nothing. As she straightened up, she delivered a harsh but very deserving kick to the mans head knocking him out cold.

Within seconds it was over and Jason was officially in love. He snapped himself out of his daze and rushed over to her.

“Hey, are you ok?” Jason asked carefully looking her over without getting into her personal space.

“Yeah, other than the inconvenience. My family tried to warn me that Gotham was dangerous, but I thought it would take longer than two weeks before getting caught up in the bullshit.” Marinette said staring up into his eyes, he was at least a foot taller than her and sexy as fuck. Wow he had pretty eyes, not really a true blue but more of a turquoise.

Jason laughed and rubbed the back of his neck. She had a cute French accent, but her English was clear. “Not gonna lie, Gotham’s a bit of a shit show sometimes, but it does have its good points.”

Marinette bit her lip and ran her eyes over him again. “Oh, I can see that.”

And there was that sass Jason thought as she smiled up at him. Fuck, if she did this to him in the first few minutes how was he going to survive if he actually managed to get a date.

Pulling a cable tie out of his jacket he bent down to secure the wanna be thief. Pixie had really done a number on him. Standing up Jason made sure the barista had called the cops before turning back to the little minx.

“Remind me Pixie to never get on your bad side. Fuck me, that was impressive.”

“What, no dinner first and do you always carry cable ties around?”

He laughed again and shook his head mentally adding funny to his growing list of ‘why I need this girl in my life’. “Tell me the time and place, I’ll be there beautiful. And as for the cable ties, this is Gotham, you can never be too prepared.”  

“I’ll keep that in mind. I’ll be at the Lucky Lady tonight. Maybe I’ll see you there.” She smiled at him then took the coffee the barista was holding out for her.

Before Jason could get her name or number the police turned up and they were separated to give their statements. Jason got caught up talking to the officer about some other issues and when he went to find her, she’d already left.

He wasn’t too worried, he couldn’t explain it, but he knew that wouldn’t be the last time he saw her. Out of all the places he had to be tonight she was going to be there. It seemed like the universe was finally on his side.

[arty-shadow-morningstar]

A Failed Betrothal /Betrothal AU: Take Two

So here is the second part of the betrothal AU that I decided to name "A Failed Betrothal. This takes place before Part 1 which in hindsight should have been done first. Part 2 got too long so I cut it and started Part 3. I have no idea and nothing planned on how long this will go. Hope you enjoy ❤.

[Masterlist]

(Part 1)

PART 2

Marinette also wasn't having a good day or a good week.

Lila Rossi had been up to her usual tricks. You know, spewing lies from her mouth. How she met these awesome celebrities during this trip and they worship the ground she walks on for her amazing and humbling help. There were stories of these charities, trips and galas that she had been to or was invited to. She has problems with her wrists and can't do simple stuff like carry her own bag or do her homework. She has tinnitus in her ears so she needs to sit in the front where the only seat available would be next to Adrien.

And for the finale.

The desert after feeding the class a banquet of lies.

"Mari...nette..has been bullying me, she...told..me not to tell anyone..*sobs*..that she would kill me if I did.."

Lila dramatically gasped and slapped her hands over her mouth. Turning on the waterworks for a more dramatic effect. They all ate it up, jumping on the ‘let’s hate Marinette, a bad person’ train.

"She is going to kill me now and I am so scared." That snake managed to snuck an evil smirk past her glaring, oblivious classmates.

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Marinette, at this point of her life, had frankly given up caring for them due to the class's lack of brain cells and Agreste's spineless 'High Road' Approach.

For Kwami's sake, she went through a brutal torture that was training in some jungle temple in Asia before Sabine Cheng, former mercenary/assassin, kidnapped her (Little Marinette took a risk. She ran away and followed her around until Sabine begrudgingly accepted that she was now the 6- year-old girl's mother because screw it, Tom said he wanted children.) to raise/train as her own while she settled down with a baker whose mother may or may not have ties with the Mafia and other illegal activities.

(Mother-daughter bonding days became much more fun once she had Guardianship of the Miraculous. Sabine was ,at first, furious at Master Fu for dumping everything on the girl and losing his memories before swearing to help protect the jewels. Adopted or not, Marinette is her daughter and no one should let a child, even one with training, fight a war. A good thing to come out of her reveal was that her mother was a great tiger to have as back-up. But now, her training regime had become harder and challenging.)

The point was that Lila Rossi would be dead and body missing since that first time she threatened Marinette in the bathroom. The Italian was in perfect health despite what she claims otherwise, because Marinette didn’t want to be the person she was raised to be and also she didn’t want to disappoint Tikki, she was fond of the little red kwami. But sometimes, she just wanted to give into the urge to kill.

She had met and dealt with unsavory characters of all types and she can safely say that Lila Rossi was a manipulator that thrives on attention and like a parasite, latches herself onto the fame of others. None of the unsavory people she had met get under her skin like Rossi had.

Marinette had enough self-preservation to drop the nice girl act and sometimes let the dragon underneath to surface. She stopped doing last-minute favors and giving away free stuff which Lila uses to her full advantage to further destroy her relationships with her ‘friends’. It was better than sticking her neck out for classmates that were no longer worth her time. Attempts to expose Lila had backfired due to the denial they are in, believing the liar to be a sweet, nice girl living the high life.

Adrien with his rose-tinted glasses firmly stuck to his eyes was not happy at all with her decision. That may also have to do where she suggested he shove his advice after he tried to reason her to take the high road for defending herself for the umpteenth time. She felt like the biggest idiot to ever have a crush on him. Every time, Rossi blames Marinette for a problem, he would shoot disappointed looks in her direction.

Alya being Lila's biggest guard dog tore into Marinette for her newfound 'bad' behaviour. The rest of Lila's supporters backed her up with "How could you do that to Lila","I can't believe you changed." Nearly all her so-call friends had turned their backs and lost all common sense to the Italian's manipulations.

(Alya was supposed to be her best friend, aren’t you supposed to listen to your ‘bestie’ over a complete stranger)

The designer took it all with a bored expression on her face, used to the lecturing which was a waste of time because her behavior isn't going to change, no matter what, Lie-la will keep up the act of being the bully's (*cough*Marinette*cough*) victim.

Her heart that cracks the tiniest bit at the accusations. A small part of her, she admits, is hurt that they think so low of her.Was she really that worthless to them? All those times and efforts helping them out on last-minute favors and giving them free treats. Were they not enough to earn their friendship? Their trust or at the very least, a benefit of doubt?

The only ones who didn’t join the berating to 'correct' the raven-haired girl’s attitude were Chloe (who had proven herself to have changed after the miracle queen incident and Lila stole the spotlight and Sabrina. There were a lot of apologizes, gifts and ‘making up to do’) Alix (she came to her senses when the supposed bullying started) and Nathaniel (Lila blatantly claimed to be the artist for the Ladybug comic to his face).

“Girl, Marinette, are you even listening to me?”Alya demanded.

“Maybe. Did you say anything that doesn’t have to do with Lila or how I did her wrong or how I am no longer the person you knew?”

Marinette knew that being sarcastic would backfire but nothing she does or says will change what they think of her. One word from Lila and they will turn back on her. As much as she hates to admit it, Lila’s threat has fallen through and she was alone. Mostly.

She still had Chloe, Nathaniel, Alix, Luka and Kagami as friends. The trust-worthy and loyal kind.

“Girl,” Alya says in a disappointed tone, shaking her head,“when I look at you, I don’t see that girl who stood up to Chloe the bully-”, Chloe snorted, she had changed but they were too blind and prejudiced against her to notice her efforts, “-Picking on Lila, threatening and harassing her. This isn’t you and you know it. Just get over your jealousy on Lila being close to Adrien and apologize to her.”

If Alya had talked to her in the past 12 months other than demanding things that took away her time or anything relating to Lila, she would know that her infatuation had turned into annoyance.

Marinette sighed, too tired of this routine, tired of trying to knock heads so the brain cells can work again. Apologizing would mean that Lila had won. She was petty and stubborn enough to allow that to happen. Lila said she will take the class and Adrien. Fine, she can have them but Marinette Dupain-Cheng will not admit defeat. Bigger men had fallen to the ravenette for lesser offences. A year has passed since the expulsion and the class still hasn't regained common senses, so they can deal with the consequences after the inevitable downfall of Lila and Marinette will be there to see them lay in the grave they dug.

Steeling herself for the pain that will come with the execution of her plan,

“What if I don’t. I won’t apologize to her because I have not done anything to her or even interacted with her. If I apologize, it would be insincere and a lie. And I hate liars.” The former assassin said evenly.

“Lila is not a liar. I don’t know why you are like this.” Alya said, frustrated.

Marinette knew there would be a small chance of an akuma with Gabriel Agreste having an important meeting to attend on this day that would last for the next hour. This was the small window of opportunity to start the plan and also further confirm the identity of Hawkmoth. Killing two birds with one stone.

“Alya, this has always been me, you just never took the time to get to really know the real me.”, she replied, the last part with an icy tone.

“Well-... I- ..You-, fine, then if you can’t say those simple three words, we can’t be friends. I clearly don’t know what a selfish bitch you are. God, I can’t believe I wanted to be best friends with you. You are now replaced by Lila because unlike you, she is genuinely nice and selfless.” Alya declared. The rest of Lila’s supporters murmured in agreement.

Phase 1, complete. Lure the Lie-la into a false sense of security by making her think she won.

Marinette tried not to show how hurt she was, to be replaced by the scheming bitch. But at the same time she felt relieved, she no longer had to walk on eggshells in fear of losing the friendships of people she used to care about. It felt final as she maintained her stoic expression, hoping they didn't notice the glassy sheen her eyes had.

“Then, it is official. We are no longer friends.”

They haven’t been friends for a long time.

Mme. Bustier finally walked into the classroom to start the afternoon classes, signalling the end of the conversation. After class, Marinette resolves to inform them that she was resigning as class president which she was sure the class will be glad for. She was right.

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

Ladybug was, as the Americans say, pissed at Hawkmoth which was nothing new. He had sent out another akuma just as Marinette was back home and trying to relax after the stressful day. The akuma was not any of her ex-friends which she wasn’t sure to be thankful for or not.

Louise Martin was a boy about Luka’s age and mad at his friends who had blamed their fifth loss-in-a-row on him despite the fact that it was his skills that were getting them any progress. They were playing one of those recently released 5V5 skills and strategy battle games. (League of Legends or Mobile Legends. Take your pick, I am going with the latter)

He was akumatized into Hayakuma as proof of Hawkmoth’s lack of creativity. Hayakuma was a bleached out version of Louise’s chosen hero avatar, Hayabusa whose outfit was basically what the media portrays ninjas to look like with some samurai aspects.

Unfortunately, he also had the hero’s ultimate special powers which were making four shadow copies of himself and being able to switch positions with them. Thanks to Rattlesnake’s Second Chance, they know that he can only make a switch once every two minute. Hayakuma also wields a sword, showing off his skills.

Just lovely.

Hydra and Ladybug were the only ones able to counter his attacks with Hydra’s sword and Ladybug’s summoned one. (Let’s go with that headcanon(?)/trope that she can summon weapons for plot convenience and the others can too but just don’t have enough practise yet.)

The others managed to dodge and shield themselves from Hayakuma’s really sharp sword.

The shadows themselves were annoying as they would distract or hinder the miraculous users by grabbing them by their shadows and making them unable to move. Until Bunnix had the brilliant idea of shadow boxing which gave the heroes gain more even ground.

With how strong and handful the akuma was, it was code ‘all hands on deck’. Ladybug, Stinger, Rattlesnake, Hydra, Bunnix, Trickster. Well, nearly every hand. Lady Mǔ lǎohǔ was busy with the bakery. Chat Noir was nowhere to be seen or very late which had been the norm for the last year ever since Ladybug wanted to form a new miraculous team consisting of permanent heroes.

(He didn’t show up for the first few months because the first permanent member was Ladybug’s mother who did not like his attitude towards her daughter. He ran away with his tail between his legs once he found out how she was related to Ladybug. His face when he realized it, was something Marinette will cherish forever)

At least when Lady Mǔ lǎohǔ was around, he would not dare act out of line. When she is gone however, he is back to his old ways.

After saving one of Louise’s teammates from Hayakuma’s sword, they gathered the rest of the team and hid them someplace safe. Using Trickster’s illusions to trick all the shadows and the original to one place, the heroes were going to surround and ambush them and get the akumatized item. The plan would have been a success if it weren’t for Chat Noir hugging Ladybug from behind, making her miss her cue.

“Hey~ Bugaboo~ Did you miss me~? Your Chaton~?”

Thwack! Smack!

Chat Noir was on the rooftop, groaning pitifully in pain. Especially his crotch area. Ladybug glared at him and looked to the ambush point to see the illusions had disappeared and everyone else gone from their hiding place.

She sighed and turned on the comms, (Thank you, kwamis)

“Sting, did you venomed the akuma?”

“No, he escaped before I could. What happened, LB?”

“A certain cat got me delayed. What’s the status update?”

“Hydra is holding him off and Bunnix found that an umbrella is a good substitute for a sword. The rest of us are keeping track of the shadows. They split up but none of them are getting near where we hid the targets.”

“Where are you? I will meet you later with back-up.”

“Near Notre Dame and tell Mama Tigress I said hi.”

“Tell her yourself.”

She looked down at Chat No-, no he is not worthy of being a hero anymore with the amount of times he had derailed and hijacked the plans to defeat the akumas just so he can ‘earn’ Ladybug’s heart.

She looked down at Adrien Agreste, who was sitting and sulking like a child that was unfairly punished. (Once she got over her crush and started looking at the right things that she managed to piece together her ‘partner’s’ identity by accident. Tikki’s confirmation sealed the deal.)

“Chat Noir, this partnership of ours,” she said, gesturing to the two of them, “ is going to change tonight. Meet me at the ‘spot’ at 11 sharp. Now, go home.”

He left with a small glimmer of hope in his eyes at her words. She felt a little bad about the subtle manipulation but with the way things were now, it can’t go on. He was hindering more than helping and the people of Paris that weren’t shipping ‘Ladynoir’ saw that.

As she jumped towards Notre Dame, she called the bakery with her yoyo.

“Mama, are you free now? I need a little help with the akuma and can you bring the horse miraculous.”

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

Chat Noir waited excitedly at what they both dubbed at their ‘spot’, in the good old days when it was just the two of them. Maybe Ladybug was finally open to the idea of dating. Or maybe she must have seen what a great hero he is and was going to get rid of the team. Or realized that having her mother on her team was a bad idea. Parents are the worst and they both can be two rebellious teenagers in love. Like Romeo and Juliet. So romantic~.

He was so deep in his daydream that he didn’t hear his lady land.

“Chat Noir.” Startled, he nearly fell off the roof. No, don’t make a fool of yourself in front of Ladybug.

“Yes, Bugaboo.” Hoping she didn’t know that he was very distracted. His attention will always be hers 100%.

“Don’t call me Bugaboo. Tikki wants to talk to Plagg about Kwami stuff. So you go over and hide behind that chimney. Then, we can talk about why I told you to be here.” Adrien frowned and then smiled. His lady must be very embarrassed about her mistake that must be why she is taking her time. He tried listening to what they were saying but the kwamis were talking in their special Guardian Language. Was it him or did Tikki’s voice sound more like his lady’s voice?

Whizz!

Adrien was tied up with Ladybug’s yoyo. “M’Lady? Bugaboo!? LADYBUG! WHAT IS GOING ON?!! PLAGG-”

Ladybug cut in, “Adrien Agreste, you have been slack in your hero duty and choosing your own feelings over supporting your partner, me, the holder of the Ladybug Miraculous and current Grand Guardian, in the efforts to defeat the enemy of Paris, Hawkmoth. Due to those reasons, you are no longer worthy to be the Holder of the Black Cat Miraculous” in one swift motion, she took the ring off his finger, “As such you are hereby revoked of Plagg’s Ring.”

“NO, YOU CAN’T. YOU CAN’T DO THIS TO ME! I LOVE YOU AND I KNOW YOU LOVE ME BACK. WE ARE SOULMATES, WE ARE MEANT TO BE-”

Adrien went slack at Lady Tigress’s pinch on his pressure point.

“I don’t what you ever saw in the boy.”

“I don’t know either. I think I dodged a bullet here. Can you carry him back to his home? I think I have dealt with enough of him tonight.” Ladybug muttered, as she erased Adrien’s memories of being Chat Noir.

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Tag list: @alysrose-starchild, @buginetye, @lookatthestars1, @blackroserelina, @macncheesemonster, @mochinek0, @myazael, @tonicxworld, @thewitchwhowaited, @t1dwarrior-of-earth, @kissa-chan, @iwantasecretidentity, @theymakeupfairies, @user00000003, @woe-is-me0, @kashlyn, @mochegato,@moonlightstar64 , @greatcatblaze, @moongoddesskiana, @tazanna-blythe.

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

(Part 3)

[gale-gentlepenguin]

Gale Reviews: ML Season 4 Episode 24 Penalteam

(Spoilers below) Two episodes in 24 hours. I was a bit underwhelmed by Qilin. So Lets see what Penalteam brings to the table

-Kim and Marinette are Captains.

-Kim picked Max first then asked Markov who should he pick for the best chance of winning. (That is hilarious)

-Marinette picks alya

-Marinette points out Kim is cheating

-So Mr.Divia (idk how thats spelled.) He is gonna teach them soccer/Futbol

-I think the lesson for today is gonna be teamwork (call it a hunch)

-Alix suggesting Girls against boys. Which Kim points out they would lose again. Which a lot of people would take as the cliche of cartoons making girls better than boys but really... All of the girls except Chloé and Lila are CRAZY STRONG (rose is especially strong). And Aside from Kim and Adrien (and nino somewhat) none of the boys are really athletic. Ivan is big but he is slow.

-Nino throwing shade at Chloé.

-Nathaniel you a lazy bitch proving my point, I love you.

-Marc you are adorable little bean. boy gushing about Soccer. (I want to protect him

-So the coach is like a sports journalist. Marc would probably know about good writers. also 50 BUCKS SAYS THATS THE BABY DADDY

-Nathaniel making marc come up with an excuse for him. Dude... WHERE HAS NATHANIEL BEEN? I MISSED MY BOY

-Marc is pretty good at soccer (also he went over the top with that pass

-Marc getting some development.

-Sabrina is mad fast but then Chloé pulls the forbidden (listen to me card) And marinette encourages

-Ivan doesnt want to hurt anyone (cause he too stronk) Also i heard that cute nickname Myvan for LIFE

-GASP! Marinette found her self facing the perfect defence against her... ADRIEN.

-And Adrien doesnt know how to play soccer. Considering he litterally showed he can dribble and shoot in Furious Fu... Meh its. funny I will ignore it.

-NINO LOOKS SO BETRAYED

-Yo, That was some clever Play manuver (As a former soccer player i compliment Marinette's amazing Shot on goal.)

-And Lila is there but is on bench. As usual (also she never learned Lila's name) Marinette knows its bulls***

-Marinette's suggestion makes sense and Is a dig at Chloé

-WAIT... Is Chloe waiting to get akumatized?! OMG they really just said f*** all of that previous character development. But also using it to get out of class. Mood

-Oh look a reason for Mega akuma

-Chloé just like "Just do the thing already I know what you want."

-I really like the design of penalteam

-Chloé being next level petty (I am living for it

-Ms Bustier is like "Vengence isnt the answer" but like... isnt it though (jk) and she got red carded

-And Alya is out via slide tackle (which warps her out into a little ball)

-And Alix is out too... So no bunnyx

-Ooo, the more goals means less space

-Plagg hates soccer

-Ladybug is like "Me and Chat noir can kick your butt." But chat noir is fidgiting

-OH THAT WAS CLEVER OF CHLOÉ. Putting it so she cant be un akumatized.

-Chat noir whispering that he sucks at soccer. and Ladybug realizing (s*** we need reinforcements)

-The commenter is great

-Wtf was Luka, kagami and Zoe doing there? I get that marc took Nathaniel's place.

-Looks like they speed running the other miraculous holders

- Sabrina's power is called Fetch. PFFFFF (oh this will be useful in the finale)

-Sabrina is too much of a simp. Honey get a personality

-OHHHH. Marc has the cock Rooster. I was confused. okay neat.

-Wait she found nathaniel?!

-Ivan you sweet bean.

-"ITS NOT SPORT ANYMORE ITS ANIMAL ABUSE." Best line

-Okay so the announcer conveniently knows the old heroes.

-So new heroes. Miss Hound, Rooster bold (like booster gold i see you), Caprakid, and Minotaurox.

-Okay so now that I have seen the costumes. Rooster kid and Caprakid look cool

-Now i want a Miraculous Strikers game. GET ON THAT ZAG

-AND VIPERION IS DOWN! First one out.

-HOLY CRAP! CARAPACE GOT SMASHED THROUGH LIKE 4 BUILDINGS. CHAT NOIR WAS TAKING HITS LIKE THAT?!

-So now the field is all of Paris. Neat.

-Seriously giving me mario strikers vibes and I LOVE IT

-And Ryuuko is out.

-Man Ladybug really needs to learn about the lesson of the day

-CHAT NOIR OWN GOALED!!! AND HE LOOKED SO HAPPY. YOU STUPID CINNAMON ROLL. NEVER CHANGE

-And Pigella is down. They are getting their asses kicked

-12 to 0 at halftime. Really starting to feel like space jam

-Ladybug giving the team pep talk. She needed Mike's secret stuff

-YO!! THAT SHOT BY ROOSTER BOLD THO!

-And the game is tied up

-So minotaurox power is Called resistence. Which makes him immune to other powers. Like a charging bull. I expected it but it is very cool.

-And Penalteam cheated. What a surprise. (shadowmoth did say she could)

-"IM THE VILLAIN!" we get it thomas.

-And she red carded chat noir

-And now the game is on a 5 minute dead line

-Shadow moth is basically watching with popcorn

-And the Lucky charm.

-Oh so Ladybug's plan is really clever.

-And Caprikid can make any object he wants but its not magical. So its the exact opposite of Ladybug's lucky charm. Thats kind of situational AND a reference to evillustrator. AND IT HAS THE COOLEST NAME EVER! Genesis

-And they fooling her

-Sublimation. Basically the power to make a specific outcome occur. Thats a really cool power

-So this plan is really brilliant

-And DUCKIES!!!

-Shadowmoth is trying to calm her down

-Chloe just RAGE QUIT! Amazing

-And thats how ladybug and team wins

-Shadowmoth is salty

-And NATHANIEL JOINED THE GAME

-Oh and Lila-Chloe alliance. (welp. My fanfic was already outdated. so this doesnt matter) Risk now makes more sense

___________________________________________________________

Okay so I did feel the hero intros were rushed. But I was very entertained.

I wish they didnt bulk intro the other heroes. It feels like they got robbed. But I did enjoy the akuma and the set up.

The ending was also good.

The lesson of the day was obvious but that was expected. It was a lot more fun

8 out of 10.

If the other heroes were more fleshed out and Ivan and Sabrina were given more personality I feel like this would be higher.

[aalissy]

Wingwoman Alya

Here is chapter 2 of Ladrien June! And it's also part 1 where the next chapter will be released tomorrow. Sorry if this part is a little bit more Adrienette than Ladrien. I promise tomorrow's chapter is where Ladrien comes into play ;)! So stay tuned!!

AO3

“Marinette, Marinette, Marinette!” Alya rushed over to where she was climbing up the school steps. 

She blinked at her best friend in shock as Alya grabbed onto her arm, yanking her into the school. Marinette let out a startled shriek as she began to get dragged into a dark, quiet corner. What was she doing?  

When Alya finally dropped her arm, scanning the empty corridor suspiciously, Marinette rubbed it as she pouted over to her. “What on earth was that for?”

Her best friend gave the hallway one last, surreptitious glance before turning to her with a pair of gleaming hazel eyes. “Nino finally learned who Adrien’s crush is and guess who he just told!”

Marinette’s mouth fell open as she gaped at Alya. “No way!”

“Yes, way!” She beamed back at her. “And guess who it is!”

“Who?! Who?!” She practically trembled with excitement before panic flooded her stomach. Maybe she didn’t want to know. “Wait, no I don’t wanna know!”

If it wasn’t her, how was Marinette supposed to function around him? And if it was her... how was she still supposed to function around him?! But could she really live without knowing? 

Gnawing on her lower lip, she twisted one of her pigtails around. All at once, she felt a burst of confidence. “Actually, yes, I do wanna know!”

Alya opened her mouth to obviously reveal the answer before Marinette let out a shriek, slapping both of her hands onto her cheeks. “No I don’t!”

Her best friend chuckled before gently taking her hands off of her cheeks, squeezing them both. “Marinette, it’s you.”

As soon as the words left Alya’s lips, a choked gasp escaped from hers. Instantly, her heartbeat quickened its pace, beating rapidly in her chest. Her face flamed up as a wave of dizziness swept over her. Surely Alya didn’t mean that. Was it... was it even possible that he could feel the same way about her as she did him?

In the middle of a mental crisis, she almost missed Alya’s next words. “Or, well, more accurately Ladybug.”

When Marinette finally regained her sanity and actually registered what she had just said, she caught Alya throwing a wink her way. With a hint of panic in her tone, she whispered, “What?!”

She let go of her hands, beaming at her happily and ignoring the distress Marinette had currently found herself experiencing. “I know right! Isn’t it just amazing! All this time we’ve spent planning and he’s already been in love with you from the very start. That Ladybug luck has certainly worn off on you, huh, girl?”

She let out a groan, throwing her head up to stare up at the ceiling. Alya shot her a questioning glance before Marinette began to pace, trying to sort through her thoughts. “No, it most certainly did not! How could Adrien even be in love with Ladybug when he’s only met her a handful of times!? It’s not Ladybug could even do anything! She’s too busy being the savior of Paris!”

“Uh, Marinette?” Alya asked. 

She snapped her gaze over to meet her friend’s, seeing one of her eyebrows raised uncertainly. “What!?” Marinette scrubbed a hand down her face as turmoil roared to life in her chest. 

“You know that you’re Ladybug... right?” Her best friend crossed her arms and stared at her like she thought that Marinette had gone insane.

“Of course!” She scoffed, tilting her chin up. What was Alya even trying to insinuate?

“Are you sure... because you sound just a little bit jealous of yourself?” Alya’s gaze turned almost hesitant.

Marinette opened her mouth to respond before she deflated, staring down at the floor. Was Alya right? Was she jealous of herself? It certainly felt like she was. Scuffing her foot against the tiled floor, she muttered, “Maybe you’re right.”

“But why?” Alya asked incredulously. “This is great news! All you have to do is turn on the Ladybug charm as Marinette and wow him by how amazing both of you really are!”

She chuckled sardonically, shaking her head. “You’re forgetting about one little issue here. I can barely get any words out around Adrien! How am I supposed to ‘turn on the Ladybug charm’ when I’m practically foaming at the mouth?”

Alya frowned, turning her head to the side as she tapped her chin. Marinette’s lips quirked to the side as she listened to her friend hum softly. Now she finally understood her problem. 

She was about to step aside to get to her class when Alya snapped her fingers. “I got it! If you can’t turn on the Ladybug charm as Marinette then why don’t you just visit him as Ladybug?”

“What?!” Marinette shrieked again, feeling her face flame as ideas flooded her mind unbidden. Was Alya trying to murder her? Shaking her head roughly, she glared over at her. “I can’t do that!”

“Why not?” Alya nudged her mischievously. “You save Paris every day! You deserve a little fun now and then.”

Marinette huffed, letting herself entertain the possibility for a brief moment before discarding it entirely. “It’s exactly because I save Paris every day that I can’t! What if people found out?”

Alya let out a long-suffering sigh, clicking her tongue at her. “Oh come on, girl. I know for sure that a certain Chat has come to visit you a couple of times. You can’t tell me that anything that drastic has happened because of it.”

She opened her mouth, closed it, then opened it again. Okay... so maybe Alya had a point. “We got André akumatized once,” she muttered.

“Yeah, and you also got him akumatized when you decided not to eat his magic ice cream. What’s your point?” She stared over at her pointedly, crossing her arms.

Struggling to come up with anything else, Marinette hung her head when she couldn’t think of anything. “Alright, so maybe you’re right,” she mumbled quietly.

“Of course I am!” Alya cheered before glancing over at her softly. “So will you at least give my idea a try? I mean, this is Adrien we’re talking about.”

“Maybe.” Marinette blew out a loud exhale. “But only maybe... I’ll have to think about it.”

Her best friend gave her a bright grin before the bell rang and they both looked at each other with wide eyes. Grabbing a hold of her hand, she took off with Alya towards their classroom. Bursting through the doors, Marinette grinned and murmured a quiet apology at Mlle. Bustier before taking her seat. 

Nibbling on her lower lip, she couldn’t stop her gaze from drawing over to stare at the back of Adrien’s head. Was it really possible that he’s been in love with her this entire time? Her heart fluttered at just the possibility. 

Oh, she was definitely going to get in trouble for this. Because currently, Marinette Dupain-Cheng had decided that she was going to visit Adrien Agreste as Ladybug. Whether or not he or she admitted their feelings, she was going to take a chance. 

If everything went okay, maybe she’d be able to further explore their friendship. If everything went perfectly then she would officially be in a relationship with the boy she had been in love with for so long. And, if it all went badly, she could always blame Alya. Biting down on her lip to contain a smile, Marinette ducked her head down to focus on her notes. And if , maybe, she was hoping for everything to go perfectly... well, she wouldn’t admit that to herself.

[airi-p4]

JATP AU: Everlasting musical connection - Chapter 7

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Epilogue

Julie and the Phantoms x Lukanette AU

_______________________________

TW: check AO3 for the tags ( !!! )

Chapter summary:

The ending

___________________________________________

AO3

___________________________________________

CHAPTER 7 The sun was already rising when they arrived at Marinette's home. There, Alya was waiting for her best friend. She certainly didn’t expect her to come back with company.

"Girl- I know your music is ‘miraculous’ but bringing a ghost back to life? This is another level of a miracle!" She laughed.

The girl couldn’t hold her laugh at her friend’s comment and Luka shrugged, amused, agreeing with Alya about how amazing Marinette is.

"Sooo have you kissed yet?"

"Alya!!"

“Yeah. We have,” Luka answered proudly, to Alya's contentment and Marinette’s embarrassment. “And I hope we do it many more times in the future.”

“Luka!!” Marinette blushed.

“I knew I'd like you!” Alya smacked his back.

“Ouch!” he whined, bending down from Alya’s push.

“Luka! Are you ok!?” Marinette worried.

“Yeah- All good- Still new to this,” he coughed.

“Ok, certainly not a ghost anymore. Weird.” Alya narrowed her eyes as she stared at her hand. “What are you going to do now?”

“It’s been a long day today. We’ll think about it later,” Marinette said. “Now I just want to go back home and get some rest. With Luka.”

“You mean your boyfriend?” Alya smirked and Marinette nodded shyly. “Aww Marinette. I’m happy for you.” The best friends hugged, and finally Alya left back to her house. “See you later, guys!”

“Alya’s so intense.”

“You're telling me!” Marinette groaned and Luka laughed. “You shouldn’t laugh. You should know that you’ll have to endure her more often from now on.”

“Ah- crap.” They laughed again. “So I’m your boyfriend?” He smirked.

“Ah-! Yes.” They hadn’t mentioned or clarified that part yet, mostly because there hadn't been any time to, but she certainly wanted to be his girlfriend. “I mean- if you want to be?”

“Of course I want to be!” He tried lifting her body but failed in the attempt, so he leaned down to kiss her instead. “My girlfriend. I like it.”

“I like it too: my boyfriend.” She grinned and Luka kissed her cheek.

“Let’s go back home. I’m exhausted,” he groaned.

“Yes… me, too.”

_______________________

Luka blinked when they reached their destination.

“Ok- Why are we here?”

“I thought you lived here?”

“I did. When I was a ghost. I thought-” He scoffed. “Are you leaving me in the garage again, Marinette? Your boyfriend?” he remarked.  

“Sorry, Luka! But I have no choice until we figure something out! Imagine what my dad would say if I brought a boy to my room!”

“Oh- that makes sense,” Luka said, resigned. “It was very convenient how I could go to your room anytime as a ghost. I'm going to miss that.”

“Boundaries!!” She pressed the tip of his nose with her index finger.

Luka laughed. "I know, I know."

“But… you know? I'm going to stay with you today. Just to make sure you won't disappear again.” She held him close. “I'm not letting you go even in my sleep.”

He grinned at her and she held him even tighter.

“Sure, but- ouch! Try not to crush me!” he whined. “I could die.”

“Luka!!”

Since there was no bed in the garage, they went to the sofa together, cuddling, and it didn’t take much until they fell asleep out of exhaustion.  

____________________________

When Marinette opened her eyes, she was overjoyed to see Luka beside her, sleeping peacefully and warm to her touch.

He was there. He was real. He wasn’t going to disappear.

“My miracle,” she called him, kissing his cheek.

He woke up with the contact of her lips on his skin, and it made him smile happily.

She thanked Alya for keeping her cover-up for the whole day. She’d apologize and explain to her dad later, but, for the time being, she needed time to process all that had happened the previous night. So she stayed with Luka in the garage, snuggled together, and talked about everything- the past, the previous day, the future… about their bandmates and what to do about the band. They also shared a few more kisses. Ok- A lot of them.

“I’m already missing Ivan and Juleka a lot…”

“Me, too, Marinette, me, too…”

______________

From somewhere in the garage, unseen to the couple, someone was looking over them.

“Hey, Juleka. Don’t you think it’s about time to come out of our hiding spot?”

“Shhh! Shut up, Ivan! I’m looking for the best moment, but they won’t stop smooching! Ew!”

They hadn’t been hiding very well because when they were to smooch again, two pairs of eyes spotted them and…

AAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!

AAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!

AAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!

AAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!

“Ivan!? Juleka!?” Luka exclaimed. “HOW!? I thought you crossed over!”

Marinette was too astonished to say anything.

“Well… We were about to, but then-” Ivan started, eyeing Juleka.

“-Rose kicked me out,” Juleka shyly admitted. “She said I still had friends and a brother to take care of so that I’d better go back to the lifers world for a longer time or she would literally: ‘get crazy angry’ at me.”

“Wow… She’s so fierce despite being small.” Luka said sheepishly . “What about Ivan, then?”

“Oh- I dragged him with me.” There was a face of disbelief for the two lifers. “What? You wouldn’t expect me to be the only ghost around you two, would you!?”

“Juleka you-” Luka pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Besides-” she interrupted her brother. “Marinette and the Phantoms is only completed with the 4 of us.”

Luka and Marinette shared a look and beamed.

The band was back!

“So… Uhm…” Ivan shrugged. “Power hug?”

Despite knowing they wouldn’t be able to touch them, the lifers crushed them into a hug.

“I love you so much, guys,” Marinette whimpered.

“We love you too, Marinette.”

Were they here because Sabine’s wish actually worked at the end?

She had no way to know, but she- they- believed so.

‘Thank you mom for bringing them back to me,’ Marinette thought, looking up at the ceiling.

“Welcome back, guys.”

[immaturityofthomasastruc]

IOTA Reviews: Crocoduel

When you stop and think about it, this episode is really just the world's most intense custody battle.

Let's get into the thirteenth (chronologically the twelfth) episode of Miraculous Ladybug's fourth season: Crocoduel

We start off with the band Kitty Section (composed of Luka, his timid sister Juleka, her “best friend” Rose, and Ivan) performing a concert for the super amazing Zoe and all the peons beneath her greatness (Alya, Alix, Nino, and Mylene). Luka notes its been a while since Marinette came to the Liberty. Because I guess even the show wants to forget the events of “Sole Crusher”.

Luka is still upset that Marinette hasn't wanted to be around him since their breakup, so after he walks away, the others scheme to force them to spend time together.

Yep, even though they promised to back off in “Gang of Secrets”, Marinette's friends are once again trying to meddle in Marinette's personal life as well as Luka's this time. Because it's not like they can understand how hard it is for two exes to remain friends after a breakup and give them their space, right? They plan to invite Marinette to Luka and Juleka's birthday party while reminding the audience that they're twins.

YES. THEY HAVE ALWAYS BEEN TWINS. ASTRUC HAS NEVER SAID OTHERWISE OR CONTRADICTED THIS STATEMENT IN THE PAST.

LUKA WAS NEVER TWO YEARS OLDER THAN JULEKA, JUST LIKE THERE WAS NEVER A WAR IN BA SING SE.

In all seriousness, I do feel like I was a little hard on Astruc for this. Compared to other things he's made canon on Twitter, this is fairly minor, and we only knew Luka was the older brother at first through a tweet. And considering the other retcon we'll see in the very next scene, this isn't as big of a deal as I made it initially.

Alya invites Marinette to the party, but she easily deduces that it's a trap. Alya then tries to convince Marinette to talk to Luka.

Uh... since when? When did Marinette lose all romantic feelings for Luka? The whole point of the breakup in “Truth” was to show that she couldn't pursue a romantic relationship with Luka because of her duties as Ladybug. She never showed any signs of not loving him, which made the breakup all the more tragic. Yeah, “Mr. Pigeon 72” was an excuse for her to go back to loving Adrien because the writers don't know how to write anything else, but it didn't mean she stopped loving Luka. You know, it's almost like the writers want to make sure the audience knows Lukanette will never happen and the sacred Love Square is the only way Marinette will ever feel love for someone else.

Alya still forces Marinette to go, making her ask Juleka if Luka won't be there. Some people have gone down on Marinette for this, but she does later acknowledge how wrong this was to ask, and apologizes to Juleka for trying to force her to do something she didn't want to do. If only Marinette's friends learned the same lesson.

Juleka goes to tell Luka about the party, but hesitates to tell Luka he can't go there. While he knows Juleka is hiding something, Luka is distracted by the sudden arrival of his father who he loves despite abandoning him for his entire life, Jagged Stone. However, Luka and Juleka's mother, the anarchy-loving Anarka isn't happy that much like his sperm when the condom broke, Jagged came in without her permission.

At the day of the party, Marinette panics as soon as she sees Luka, who in turn realizes she didn't want to see him. Rather than comfort Juleka who just ran away crying, the others comfort Luka, preventing him from being akumatized by Shadowmoth, though he still keeps his Akuma around just to be safe. Marinette apologizes to Juleka before Shadowmoth can akumatize her too (even though she got a Magical Charm in “Guiltrip” so it wouldn't work either way). Then Shadowmoth tries to akumatize one of the guests as they find out Jagged (who just arrived) is Luka's father, but since they're dumb teenagers who don't know Jagged was winning awards and being celebrated as a rock icon while Anarka was working two jobs and struggling to make enough money for rent, they think it's awesome. Very confusing day for Shadowmoth, isn't it?

Marinette also finds out Jagged is Juleka's father and finds out Juleka worries Jagged loves Luka more since they share more interests, which she thinks is true when Jagged gives Luka a guitar case and instructs her to not tell his sister. Marinette tries to call out Jagged for neglecting Juleka over Luka even though Jagged was more of a father to his pet crocodile than either of his biological children, but it's obviously a gift for Juleka, the first bass guitar Jagged ever owned, which calms her down. Funny how nobody acknowledges how Jagged practically abandoned his family, isn't it? Sure, it looks like he's trying to make up for it, but he just acts like he's always been Luka and Juleka's dad and they don't have any problems with their father literally never being in their lives until now.

Jagged's gift to Luka is a record of the first record he made in his band with Anarka before they broke up, Crododuel, but Anarka is naturally pissed he wants to give that to Luka. Jagged and Anarka argue over which one was the Yoko Ono in their relationship while they both grab the record, which Shadowmoth uses to akumatize the two as it breaks, turning them back into Guitar Villain and Captain Hardrock respectively, Shadowmoth labeling them as Crocoduel.

Unlike the other team Akumas like the Punishers or the Gang of Secrets, Guitar Villain and Captain Hardrock care more about fighting each other than working together, and they see getting Ladybug and Cat Noir's Miraculous as a competition to help prove who was right in their argument. It's a pretty interesting gimmick, though I don't get how Shadowmoth thinks this will help him and not ignore Ladybug and Cat Noir while they fight.

Alya provides a distraction to help Marinette transform, and after we get Adrien's single scene to remind the audience he's still a main character, he transforms into Cat Noir. The two heroes give chase, but then Guitar Villain and Captain Hardrock decide to take their fight to above the clouds.

Yeah, it's not like you have a form that specifically allows you two to fly, right?

All they had to say was that Marinette was still making more potions for that form, and it would have been better than ignoring the fact that they can fly.

Much like the hotel room during the night Luka and Juleka were conceived, the crossfire from Guitar Villain and Captain Hardrock's fight starts to damage the area around them. Ladybug and Cat Noir get Luka and Juleka to safety, and Luka tells them about what's happening, while Ladybug spouts the lesson about people needing to talk even though they don't love each other anymore, reflecting the situation the writers retconned her into learning.

Ladybug summons her Lucky Charm, a roll of scotch tape, and comes up with an idea that involves Juleka. She takes her away into an alleyway and gives her the Tiger Miraculous. The tiger Kwami, Roarr, demands Juleka show some courage, so Juleka yells in her face. Unfortunately, as much as I want to show this scene, the subs I got don't really match up, so I can't really give some screenshots of it. So I guess you can watch this scene from Full Metal Jacket instead to get the gist of things.

So Juleka takes the Tiger Miraculous and transforms into Purple Tigress.

I think the suit has a pretty good design. I like the striped pattern with the gold highlights around the black stripes, and think the color scheme is visually pleasing, especially the hair. I wouldn't call it one of my favorite hero suits, but I still like the way it looks.

Cat Noir launches Ladybug and Purple Tigress into the air where they split up to steal both halves of the record, but when they break them, no Akuma comes out. It turns out that since the record was broken while Jagged and Anarka were akumatized, they need to put it together again before breaking it in order to free the Akuma.

Purple Tigresse goes to distract Guitar Villain and Captain Hardrock with her power, Collision, which she uses to KNOCK CAPTAIN HARDROCK'S SHIP ABOVE THE CLOUDS, TAKING GUITAR VILLAIN WITH HER.

Why the hell did it take four seasons to break this Miraculous out if it gives the user the ability to go Super Saiyan on the enemy? I think Cat Noir's expression after seeing the power in action says it all.

Cat Noir Cataclysms the record (because a record is just so hard to break without using the power of destruction, isn't it?), Ladybug de-evilizes the Akuma, uses Miraculous Ladybug to fix everything, Jagged and Anarka somehow weren't killed by their own daughter, the three heroes pound it, and Ladybug gives two Magical Charms to Jagged and Anarka.

Back at the Liberty, Juleka tells the two to forget what caused them to break up and just apologize while they ignore the past, proving the writers really don't get how hard it is to move on from tough events in life. And despite building it up for the entire episode, Marinette and Luka talk in the final thirty seconds of the episode and just agree to be friends, meaning once again, Luka was sidelined in what should have been a focus episode for him.

Aside from the way Jagged and Anarka's relationship was portrayed coupled with the retcons surrounding Luka, this episode was alright in my opinion. Guitar Villain and Captain Hardrock are some of my favorite Akumas, so I thought it was nice to see them again, even if we didn't get to see their powers at full potential. I also thought this was a really good episode for Juleka, as I felt like the hero debut really helped her grow as a person and didn't just feel like she was given a Miraculous because the plot said so. She wanted to help her parents, and using the Tiger gave her the courage to symbolically speak out while potentially launching them into the stratosphere.

But the biggest problem to me has to be the way Jagged is portrayed in the episode. Just like with “Truth”, the idea of Jagged being a terrible parent is just swept under the rug and everyone just accepts the fact that Jagged is Luka and Juleka's dad very well. Despite the idea leading to some interesting drama in a show that's no stranger to family drama, they don't really do much with the whole “Jagged abandoning Anarka” thing. Aside from a brief interaction between Luka and Jagged while the former was akumatized into Truth, nobody is really angry at Jagged. Nobody really feels angry at Jagged for what he did, despite the drama being the main focus behind the episode that also had the Lukanette breakup. You would think this would at least lead to some tension between his family, but nothing really comes from it other than an argument that was pretty much played for laughs. But considering this show has a history of teaching kids to love their parents no matter how cruel they are to them, I'm not entirely surprised.

Overall, it's just a decent, albeit forgettable episode. If the writing with Jagged was different, it could have been a lot better in my opinion.

[goggles-mcgee]

For the tattle tail au: so the rest of the school, students and teachers are going to take some measures with all these truth bombs?

How will the guilty party, try to sweet it under the rug but fail?

I'm eager to know more about it when you post more about it.

PS: about the Marinette stone Au, do things get better for her? Any friends still loyal?

Yes, as best they can. The reason most of the kids are recording is so they can send the videos to their parents because you know they want to help but they don't know what to do given their principal just admitted to being corrupt. He admits to a lot more than just not letting Marinette get away from her bully, but he admits to everyone that he throws out bullying reports and anything that can paint Collège Françoise Dupont in a negative light. He also admits to embezzling a little money that should have gone towards locks for students lockers and updated security equipment for his Owlman collection and his wannabe Owl Headquarters.

The teachers are disgusted and are already calling the school board because this is frankly horrifying and too much. While they do that Mlle Mendeleiev goes down to try and help get Marinette away from everyone and to her parents who she had spotted from her previous position upstairs. Tattle-Tail is so overwhelmed with anger and guilt and sadness for Marinette that her hair lashes out at anyone who gets close.

Mendeleiev's truth is just that she worries about Marinette and wishes she was her student because she knows she was Multimouse (in my version of MLB she is called Mouseketeer) but Mendeleiev is able to just say she knows Marinette was a great mouse hero and she knows that despite Marinette accidentally showing her identity that she was an amazing hero so there was no way Ladybug didn't go to her for help anymore. And she wished she did more to get Marinette in her class so the teenager wouldn't be as stressed.

The school is going nuts at this info, Tom and Sabine are absolutely bewildered and feeling guilty because they knew Marinette was stressed but they just figured their daughter could handle it because she could handle anything right?

Marinette may also find out that a good majority of the school has a crush on her.

All the guilty parties do what everyone usually does after an akuma, they act like nothing happened but the school isn't having it and it's hard to act normal when you're homeroom teacher is fired for her incompetence, one classmate is being deported and sent to juvenile detention for working with a terrorist and a long list of other offenses, and another student went from teen heartthrob to Paris’s biggest jerk, and another classmate just doesn't show up for class when all you want to do is apologize to her.

The school doesn't bully them or anything but they do shun them, they basically just don't want to interact with them because they are fake people in their eyes.

Of course the ones who are spared all this are Rose, Juleka, Nathaniel, Nino, and Sabrina.

Rose's truth is that she only pushed so hard for Adrien and Marinette to be together because she was lonely and wanted romance but since she didn't have anyone she wanted to live out romance through Marinette. So she pushed even when Marinette was uncomfortable and she felt so guilty everytime.

Juleka’s truth is that she hates when girl time turned into a scheme to get Marinette and Adrien together because she can see how much happier and calmer Marinette is with her brother and how much happier Luka is meeting her. But she also misdirected her anger on Marinette each scheme because she knew it would hurt her brother, and she knew her anger was misplaced but she still acted out on it. Which resulted in Juleka ignoring her messages and just small things like that. She was also sorry that she couldn't be like Marinette and stand up for her friend when she saw Marinette getting mistreated, she was scared. She was scared of becoming friendless and shunned but she knew it was wrong.

Nathaniel's truth is that he didn't quite believe Lila but he didn't really check her lies out himself when he did Lila saw and the look she gave him before smiling and asking what he was doing scared him so much that he never attempted to look up her stories again. He was overloaded with guilt and shame and fear.

Nino's truth is that he knew Lila's tales were false but he never said anything because he didn't want to lose Alya but once he decided he had enough and told Alya about her "new best friend" that Alya didn't care until he said they had to tell the class. They had to apologize to Marinette. She basically said it was her or Marinette and he loved Alya and didn't want to lose her so he just stood there like a coward.

Sabrina’s truth is that she hates how Chloe treats her but she puts up with it for her dad's sake. She felt like she had to stay Chloe's friend so her dad could keep his job. When Lila came around and her and Chloe found out she was a liar, Sabrina basically acted like she believed her because she really feared for her father's position more given that Lila's mom is a diplomat. She also confesses that Marinette was the best friend she had ever had no matter how short it was and she really regrets not sticking with her even if it was her and Marinette against the world.

Marinette basically clears things up with them with her own "truths." I put that in quotes not because they are not the truth it's just she does leave out a lot to do with being Ladybug. But she forgives these ones because they are the only ones who have shown remorse.

Now I won't say the remaining others aren't remorseful, they are, they're just remorseful Marinette found out and other's did too but in time they do genuinely reflect and feel bad. Like some can and will get redemption but that doesn't mean they will be in Marinette’s life again and that's something I really want to show is that people can grow and they can apologize and you still don't have to allow them back in your life.

You can accept their apology and that's it. And of they are grown they will accept your wishes which the class will do. Sans Lila and Adrien.

♤♡◇♧♤♡◇♧

For Marinette, the Rolling Stone I will say in that story Jagged is not canonically Luka and Juleka’s dad. For one the new episodes did that whole reveal wack, and two if Jagged was an absent father i feel like it wouldn't be because of his own doing. It would be because he wasn't aware of the pregnancy.

Anywho that being said the one's loyal to Marinette in that story are Kitty Section + Alix!

[thr-333]

Drastic Measures- Part 1

@daminette-december2019-2020 ​

~Inspiration~

*Emerges from my hole*: oh ho ho~ we have another month of inspiration on our hands!

Next

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

Marinette steps through the portal immediately collapsing; she doesn't drop the transformation until she hears Chat drop down next to her. She calls the transformation of both the Horse and Ladybug miraculous, knowing Chat will close his eyes without her asking, Marinette does the same for him as he calls off his own.

They stay like that, panting on the rooftop. It’ll be sunrise soon, Marinette knows what she has to do.

“He’s moved,” She breaks the silence. Stating the obvious, they’ve known this for months.

“At least he wont be bothering Paris anymore,” Chat laughs, without any humor.

“But Gotham is so much worse,” Marinette groans, “We can’t keep doing this, not like we are, Spots on,”

Marinette stands letting the transformation wash over her while keeping her eyes shut, this will be easier to say without looking at him anyway.

“Chat Noir, hand over your miraculous,” Marinette recoils at the wounded sound he makes, “I have to leave Paris,”

“What? No! Claws out!” Marinette opens her eyes to see Chat, furious and with tears in his eyes, “I’m coming with you!”

She thought he would say that. Probably would have hurt if he didn’t.

“I can’t just ask you to leave your life, your friends,” Marinette chokes up, “Your family,”

“And what about you?!” Chat says with such heartbreaking sincerity, “Who will you be leaving behind!?”

“... Everyone,”

But she had put it off for too long. Hawkmoth slowed his attacks in Paris months ago, they thought he was giving up… then he attacked Gotham. The attacks in Paris stopped. The ones in Gotham were so much worse. She thought… she thought she could keep it up, jumping through a portal every time Gotham needed her. It was the best of both worlds. Her family and friends were safe and she could still defeat Hawkmoth. But nothing was ever that easy. Gotham needed her, completely, with undivided attention. Paris didn’t. Gotham needed Ladybug more than Paris needed Marinette.

“Not me,” Chat breaks Marinette from her thoughts, gently holding her shoulders, “I’m coming with you,”

She should argue. She planned to argue, every detail ever rebuttal. But she was weak. Marinette so desperately wanted him to come. To have someone, anyone there for her. No not anyone she wanted Chat by her side. Her partner through thick and thin. The one who would help her take down Hawkmoth. It was so unbelievably selfish. 

She wanted him with her more than she wanted him to live his life here.

“Chat you realize we can’t tell anyone,” They could make the connection, they would try to stop them, or worse, follow them. If they went to Gotham alone at least they wouldn't have a life outside of this, they could focus wholly on taking down Hawkmoth, and maybe finally succeed, “... we have to run away,”

“Bug a boo that's the fun part,” Chat teases, Marinette couldn't see how leaving her friends and family would be at all fun, “... sorry… I know you’re leaving a lot behind,”

“If you do this-”

“When I do this,” Marinette raises a brow at him, he does it right back.

“We should reveal our identities,”

“Oh no, what a shame,” Chat dramatically ‘faints’, “Damn that makes this so much harder,”

“You know what?” Marinette ‘thoughtfully’ taps her chin, “I can probably find a new Chat Noir,”

“No, no! Sorry,” Chat immediately stands back up, “That’s obviously not why I’m doing this,”

“I know kitty,” Marinette smiles, getting him to relax, “But you need to think this over, I’m… I’m going to go pack,”

“Don’t need to think it over,” Chat smirks, “Claws off!”

“Chat! NO!” Marinette yelps, chiding, before actually processing who it was standing before her, “Adrien?!”

“Uhh, you know me?” Adrien stands there so awkwardly Marinette just burst into laughter, “Ummm,”

“S-sorry it’s it’s just,” Marinette held her sides as she kept cracking up, “Spots off!”

Her transformation fell and at that moment Marinette couldn’t even manage to feel any anxiety at him finding out, the ‘o’ face he made was too priceless. Before she could even think of being nervous Adrien also bursts out laughing, the two ending up as wheezing messes on the rooftop. It took a long while and lots of giggling to calm down.

“Well at least I’m not leaving all my friends behind,” Marinette says to the sky, “That is if you still want to come?”

“Meet you here tomorrow Marinette,” Adrien stands up, offering a hand to Marinette, “Same time,”

“See you kitty,” Marinette waves as they part ways, for now. She had a lot she needed to do today.

Marinette doesn't sleep when she gets home. She searches deep in her draws for that special fabric she put aside. Flips through her sketchbook to find that perfect design she did once. Then gets to work making a pattern. It is well past sunrise by the time she is done. She’s late for school. It doesn't matter anymore.

Not running to class for once she makes sure her parents are free later that night. She’d like to spend all day with them, but Marinette wants to see her friends one last time. She stuffs her bag with all the presents she had made her friends for future birthdays. Might as well give them now. Lila smirks at her as she walks into class, Marinette would usually worry. It doesn't matter anymore.

“Hey girl, I was wondering, Lila said some-” Marinette cuts her off, handing Alya a pile of wrapped gifts.

“Hi, sorry I’ve been busy, kind of went into a design frenzy,” Marinette laughs sheepishly, “I was going to give them at your birthday, but I just couldn't wait,”

“Awe, girl this is amazing!” Alya holds up the jacket Marinette made a few months ago, she hugs Marinette tight, “See I told you, Lila, Marinette's just been busy!”

“Too busy to make me anything, I’m sure,” Lila says, teary eyed.

“Actually no,” Marinette smiles, enjoying the utterly shocked look.

“I made this to welcome you to the class, but then you went to Achu,” Marinette places it down with open hostility, “And, well, there wasn't really an opportunity after that,”

After that Lila has a hard time trying to twist it against her. Even the complaints that the bandanna is so much smaller than everyone else's gifts is weak as it has beautiful embroidery of a fox and ladybug, everyone cooing over how sweet and personal the design is. Back when Marinette actually believed her lie that they could start over and be friends. It also was hard to turn anyone against Marinette as she handed out presents to anyone that walked through the door. Laughing and apologizing for her absence lately, claiming the whole time she was making things for them.

When Adrien came to class they both tried to stifle their laughter. Marinette only gave him one thing, so as not to be suspicious. It would help to have all new clothes when they ran away, she would give the rest to him then. It was a scarf, one she made a while ago with the new addition of a green cat paw in the corner.

Marinette, for all intents and purposes, felt wonderful for the rest of the day. She caught up with her friends, felt closer to them than she had in a while actually. They talked and laughed, Marinette for once not encouraging them to keep quiet, joking along with them, and taking a million pictures. Madame bustier didn't complain much, after all, she had an all-new makeup bag plus more.

It was fun. And the ‘see you tomorrow’ was hollow.

Marinette was dreading going back home. She asked for a special dinner that night, saying she had a special surprise to show them. And special it was, Marinette had made a new dress for her Maman, a more casual version of her wedding dress, with a special Marinette flare, plus a matching outfit for her Papa. They smiled saying it was beautiful, just as they had with her very first design and everything she made since then. They ate together and played video games together.

Marinette asked to look at old photo albums and they spent the rest of the night pouring over them. If she slipped a few out to take with her, neither noticed.

“I love you both,” Marinette hugs them tight, imagining she’ll never see them again.

Even if they do defeat Hawkmoth, Marinette's not sure she’ll make it through the fight. She could be gone for years, or maybe never return to Paris. Marinette didn’t know if she’d ever see them again, this could be it.

“We love you too,” Her Maman smiles, cupping her cheek, “Now go to bed we don't want you to be late for school tomorrow,”

Sorry I will be

Marinette just nods, hugging them one last time before heading upstairs. She packs her bag, full of newly brought or made clothes, clothes for Adrien, food, and whatever cash she had on hand. She leaves a note, saying there's something she has to do, that she loves them both and this is in no way their fault, not to look for her but Marinette doubts they’ll listen. She grabs her bag and the miracle box, saying goodbye to her home and disappearing into the night with Tikki.

By the time she meets up with Adrien Marinette is a sobbing mess. They hug each other. Adrien's not crying but she can sense the deep sadness in him. Tikki hugs her too, getting Marinette to calm down.

“So what’s the plan?”

“Go to Gotham,” Marinette shrugs, that was really the extent of it.

“We have nowhere to go,” Chat hums, trying to act nonchalant about everything, 

“I guess this means we’re homeless,” Marinette shrugs again, she had really only planned this for herself, and none of that seemed like a concern.

“We can find an abandoned warehouse, set up shop,”

“Either way we’re going to be pretty busy,” Constantly on the run, either running from someone or running after someone.

“Well, you know what they say,” Chat smirks, “We’ll sleep when this bastard is taken down,”

“You know it,” Marinette smiles, genuinely this time, “Pound it?”

“Pound it,”

 ---

 “After last week we can indeed confirm these attacks are occurring,”

“Oh sure it wasn't like I told you a month ago,” Jason scoffs, getting glared at by Bruce for interrupting.

“Well you have to admit ‘this guy came and destroyed ten blocks’ is pretty unbelievable when everything’s unscratched,” Tim continues to tap away at his computer, “And now we know the cause,”

The footage was shakily taken from the next building over, partly destroyed. With a bright light everything was fixed.

“Magic,” Dick says needlessly.

“Meta humans,” Batman growls, “Not approved and playing at being heroes,”

“Can we really complain if they fix everything after a fight?” Duke speaks up, “The police didn't even report any casualties, they don’t seem to be rookies,”

“Magic makes them reckless,” Batman shuts the argument down, “More so if they can fix everything, what happens when they can’t?”

“So basically you want them out,” Damian cuts in, there was no point arguing over it for however long, Bruce wouldn't allow them to keep roaming the city.

“Yes,” Bruce fixes them all with a hard stare, making it clear this is an order, “When you come in contact tell them they are to leave or be removed,”

They all agreed. Damian wishes he didn’t have to waste his time worrying about some second rate wannabes thinking they could challenge Batman for the protection of Gotham. They couldn't. What did they have that Batman didn’t?

 ---

 A lot was the answer. 

Or this particular new villain. It didn’t make any sense, usually, first time villains were easier to deal with, but no, here Robin was watching as Batman fought a losing battle against them. It didn’t help that they were brainwashing civilians, turning them against the rest. Robin was given very specific instructions not to harm them. Hard when they had no such orders.

Robin barely processes that Batman is thrown through a building before the main villain is turning to him. At least he could use more drastic measures with the actual villain, unsheathing his sword Robin lunges. He trades a few blows, unfortunately doing less damage than the villain can do with a singular super powered punch. With super strength, magic and Gotham citizens being steadily taken over this was looking more like a Justice league threat by the second. Everytime the villains should be down for the count they got back up, Damian couldn't find their weakness.

Robin knows he took a wrong step as the villain doesn't rush forward to take advantage but shoots out a beam, the same one Damian had just watch turn a civilian against the rest of his family. And he has no leverage to dodge. This would be so much worse than the civilians, setting his strength against the others? Without concern for killing them? Would Damian remember?

“Watch out!” A wire wraps around Robin, yanking him out of the way. He falls at someone's feet the wire slipping away, he can hear it whirling above him. 

Damian sits up, looking to who grabbed him, ready to fight if necessary, and- Loses his breath.

She's standing over him protectively, a makeshift wire shield repelling the beams that had been causing them so much trouble with ease. Like it was second nature. She looks down at him and smiles so gently, without a hint of fear or worry. Promising she has everything under control.

There's something to be said of Batman's intimidating, steady nature. It can put people at ease in its own way and be even more effective at cutting down enemies with a glare. But this? This is warmth, assurance, a steady appearance more in line with Wonder Woman yet still completely it’s own.

“You alright?” She holds out a hand for him.

Damian snaps out of it taking her hand startling at how she actually lifts him up without any effort on his part.

“Chat you ready?”

“Ready my Lady!”

My lady? Who’s Chat?

His answer comes a second later as a spotted container comes crashing down, fracturing the street. In an instant, the wire wraps around the container a hundred times over.

“Now!” My Lady commands.

“Cataclysm!” Chat yells out, the container crumbles under his touch, wire moving in to constrict around the villain.

The villain thrashes, still being able to send out beams wildly and with their minions closing in. Chat breaks off to fend them all off while Robin tries to catch his breath, Batman still in the rubble of a building. My Lady can’t hold the villain back and fight at the same time. Damian struggles to stand up and help her.

“Lucky charm replay!” 

Robin cringes at the bright light then watches as another spotted object falls into her hands. It’s a bent tube she looks around for a few seconds before holding it up. Damian rushes forward as a beam races towards her and she makes no effort to dodge. She catches it with the tube sending it back to the villain, it hits them square in the chest with no effect. Lady nods to herself before doing the same with the next beam. This time robin watches as it misses the villain, grazing their ear and sending their ear peice flying off.

“Chat!”

“On it!” Chat Noir catches the earring from midair, calling cataclysm again turning it to dust.

Damian watches not willing to let his jaw drop as the hideous villain transforms into a normal civilian. It’s such an intriguing sight that Robin startles when something flies towards Chat Noir snatching a purple butterfly from the air and pulling it back to My Lady. A few seconds later a white butterfly is flying out a… yo yo?

“Bye bye little butterfly,” She waves the glowing white butterfly away.

That was so cute

“Who are you?” Batman demands having just recovered, motioning for them to circle around them.

“Uh, your welcome,” Chat Noir scoffs, helping the previous villain up.

“I am Ladybug, this is my partner Chat Noir,” Partner? “We’re the previous heroes of Paris,”

“Paris has no heroes,” Batman glares at them, civilians around them still closing in Robin turns his defenses towards them.

“Then that makes the past what six? Seven? Years really awkward,” Chat Noir looks at Ladybug who shrugs, a civilian takes a swing at her she dodges smoothly before throwing the pipe in the air.

“Miraculous Ladybug!” Now Robin's jaw does drop as a thousand glowing ladybugs swarm around the nearby buildings, maybe all of Gotham not even leaving a scratch behind.

“Why are you in Gotham now then?” Batman recovers first, civilians nearby blinking back into reality.

“Hawkmoth has moved his operations to Gotham to feed off the negative emotions here,” well there’s plenty of that here “It makes his Akuma more powerful and we can no longer continue to operate from Paris,”

“Then he’s in Gotham now and is my problem,” our problem “I can handle this,”

“Well you did a great job of that,” Chat Noir rolls his eyes, leaning on his staff, “How's your back by the way?”

“Chat Noir,”  Ladybug scowls, then turns to Batman, “You can’t and it’s my responsibility as Ladybug and as guardian of the miraculous,”

“What's that-”

Nightwing is interrupted by a beeping from Chat Noir's ring.

“It would be that, we have to go now,” Chat Noir salutes moving to leave, they tighten their circle surrounding them.

“You will leave Gotham,” Batman demands, this time its Ladybugs turn to glare she tsks and rounds on him, not managing to seem that threatening in her brightly colored costume.

“You don’t know who Hawkmoth is, you don’t know what Akuma are, you don't know about the miraculous, you have no clue about the guardians, you hadn't heard of whats been happening in Paris for years and you don’t know who we are or what we’ve done,” Batman is shocked under the forces of the heroine's righteous fury, “There are things going on here that you don't understand, we are here to stay until hawkmoth is defeated,”

Robin watches as she leaves a shell shocked Batman behind dissapering into Gotham’s night with her partner.

Inspiring

 —-

 “And why can’t they be in Gotham?” Damian demands from him yet again.

“No metahumans,” Bruce sighs, Damian had been unreasonably stubborn on this front, “They only cause more damage,”

“Actually they repaired a lot,” Damian leans over the desk to glare over that him, “And saved you,”

“Go to bed,” Bruce demands, Alfred busy patching up his wounds. Damian scoffs before storming out of the cave, still half in his robin uniform, “Whats wrong with him?”

“I couldn’t say, master Bruce,” Usually for Alfred that meant he knew exactly what was going on. He tied the final bandage before holding the phone out, “There's a call for you,”

Bruce shrugs on his shirt before answering. It wasn't the phone reserved for business so at least it wouldn't be that big a pain in the neck.

“Bruce,”

Never mind

“Talia,” Bruce growls, going to glare at Alfred who had already made himself scarce, “What do you want?”

“Oh please I’m not up to anything sinister,” Bruce can just imagine her waving him off with a smirk, “This time,”

“But you still want something,” Bruce acknowledged, sinister or not she can cause a lot more trouble without being out too.

“A missing person case, a friend of mine got in touch, her daughter ran away yesterday, l thought it would be right up your alley,”

“Why would you tell me this,” There was obviously more to this, there always was with Talia, “And more importantly why do you care,”

“Oh because she’s Sabine's daughter,” Bruce freezes, a million case files and reports flashing through his mind, none of which outlined a daughter let alone a family, “Surely you’ve heard of Sabine?”

“... We’re on the case,”

“Great, good luck~”

Now he has to worry about potentially one of the most dangerous assassins in the world on the loose. A shift in the shadows catches his eye before disappearing. Great. And now the whole family knew, or would soon.

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

Taglist? nope don’t have one, horrible at keeping track of them sorry~

[mc-lukanette]

GOD Furious Fu genuinely pissed me off SO MUCH so hopefully you don’t mind me coming over here to ask for some kinda Lukanette fix it for that train wreck??? Like, not even anything super detailed, if you don’t feel like it, maybe just “Marinette caves, gives the Miracle Box to Su-Han, gets spotty memories and Luka (+ Kitty Section and Kagami, maybe) help her out and worry over her.” Maybe Tikki even realizes she screwed up. If not it’s fine but Lukanette makes everything better so I had to ask.

Warning: it’s gonna be a ride.

—————

Luka looked over as his phone started ringing, brows raising at the sight of Marinette's icon popping up on the screen. It'd been rare for her to call him after all the complications that came with them dating, so he was surprised to say the least.

Nevertheless, he rested an arm on his guitar and reached across his bed with his other to pick up the phone, answering the call and moving the device to his ear. "Hey, Marinette."

"Hey, Luka..."

His heart sank at the sound of her voice. It was a whole mix of emotions, but above all else, she sounded tired. He wondered what she'd gone through for her voice to play those sorts of notes.

"Did anything happen?"

"No," she answered almost instantaneously. She paused, then let out a small whine. "I-I'm sorry. I'm so used to lying, but—I guess I don't have to do that anymore."

He stayed silent, allowing her to continue.

"I—" Marinette took an audible breath, then let it out, her voice lowering to a whisper as if she were scared of someone else hearing.

"I'm...I'm Ladybug, Luka."

Luka's first reaction was shock, though he couldn't be sure if it was the identity bomb she dropped or just the fact that she told him at all. Then, once the surprise died down, the idea that Marinette was Ladybug wasn't that surprising in itself. and he couldn't imagine who else it could've been otherwise.

Smart, talented, caring, selfless... it all added up.

But that also made it all the more painful when he realized what it meant. Immediately, all the dates that she'd missed and all the things he'd been concerned about made sense, and it hurt.

That was the secret she couldn't share with him, no matter how badly she might've wanted to.

The last thought in particular was odd to him, and he couldn't help voicing it, "I... thank you for telling me, Marinette, but... why now?"

She took another breath, more unsteady this time, like she were a guitar with something jammed inside the base. "Because—I'm about to forget it, and now I can't stop thinking about everything I might forget; how I want someone to know. You were the first - the only - person I thought of." Then, hesitantly, she asked, "Is that okay?"

Luka swallowed, feeling the whiplash of another dropped bomb right before the kind of casual compliment that made his heart race. "Of...of course it is."

She sighed in relief. "Thank you."

He tried to keep quiet, but couldn't hold back from questioning, "You said 'forget'..."

"Yeah, because I'm guardian now. There was someone else before and they gave me the ladybug miraculous, but—" She paused, as if considering something, then seemed to shift the conversation. "See, I didn't know anything about being a hero at the start, and... I screwed up." Before Luka could ask or recall the event, she continued, "I let the first ever akuma go, and it let Hawk Moth spread his butterflies everywhere when Ivan got akumatized again. I fixed it, but it was still my mistake that started it."

"Marinette—"

"—and I always tried. I tried my best no matter what I did. I tried to be a good Ladybug, a good student, a good daughter, a good friend... and I tried to get Adrien's attention." She groaned, though the sound seemed muffled, perhaps by her hand. Her voice cracked as she went on, "That's where everything went so wrong, Luka. I knew I had bad luck, but no matter how hard I tried, things would go bad. It was humiliating, and I kept thinking that maybe I just wasn't trying hard enough. My parents had such a happy relationship and I wanted that, but I was just wasting my time. He was barely in my life but he got put into everything I did, and I made so many mistakes from him. There's a liar in school who wants to turn everyone against me, and Alya thinks I'm just jealous because of Adrien. Chloe convinced me to do things I'm not proud of, and it took a while for me to be Kagami's friend. I didn't listen to my kwami and used my miraculous for my own gain, and..."

"What's wrong with that?" he questioned, voice pained. "What's wrong with using your miraculous for you? You save Paris every other day—"

"—because bad things happen, Luka," she stressed as if it were something urgent. "Bad things happen when I... feel."

There was a pit in his stomach. He knew he shouldn't ask - knew he wouldn't like the answer - but he hoped for better regardless. "Feel... what?"

"Anything."

He hunched forward, not strumming his guitar but running his fingers along the strings, desperate for something to busy himself with. His shoulders were stiff and his chest felt tight, unable to fathom what she'd been going through compared to what he'd merely seen on the surface.

"No matter what I did, no matter what I felt... it was wrong, Luka. I embarrassed Chloe in front of the whole class and she wanted to move to New York. She'd bullied me for years and I was so happy." She sounded conflicted, like instruments that didn't go together. "Adrien told me it was terrible. He didn't know why I could celebrate it. I felt awful, so I gave her a chance; I gave her a miraculous."

Luka anxiously rubbed one of the strings between his thumb and index finger, torn between seething and trying to reassure her despite knowing that she'd cut him off.

"She got it in her head that she deserved it, but with Mayura around, it wasn't safe to let her keep having it. I had to tell her 'no,' and..." She let out a defeated noise. "Do you remember that day? At the park?"

She didn't need to specify, and his voice lost all life at the memory. "Yeah..."

"Adrien and Kagami were together. I let them go. They seemed so happy together and it was the right thing to do, but..."

She paused, and he braced himself.

"When I was going to see the guardian to get a miraculous, I saw them. I got distracted and I forgot to de-transform. Because of me, Hawk Moth found the guardian, and he got the miraculouses from him. By the time I realized what happened, it was too late, and Chloe got akumatized again to ruin me. Those bees you saw—they were hers. They mind-controlled everyone, and that's why your identities were compromised. The guardian had to give up the box with all the miraculouses in it to me - ladybug me - because Hawk Moth was probably about to kill him and become the next guardian." She let out a sob. "Giving up the box... it takes your memory with it."

Luka gripped the string he'd been rubbing.

"I don't know how much he lost, but... anything about the miraculouses was gone. He didn't recognize me. He didn't even recognize the love of his life. He had... feelings, but that was it. All because of me."

"Marinette—" he desperately tried to interject.

She cut him off, as he'd feared, "I'm just fixing my own mistakes. People think I'm a good Ladybug because they don't get that. They don't get that I'm just going in circles. My friends don't believe in me, my parents think I'm too clumsy to carry a tray, and... it always feels like someone - somewhere - is laughing at me, with every screw-up." She whimpered. "What good is a ladybug who gets people akumatized? Who gets her own boyfriend akumatized?"

"I don't blame you for that!" he shouted, intentionally raising his voice to talk over her.

He heard a small noise in response, though he couldn't tell if it was another whimper or a giggle.

"I'm sorry," she said, though what she was apologizing for seemed vague, "and thank you, for always being there for me. I'm glad I have time to talk to you before he gets back."

Luka had to calm himself down to ask worriedly, "He...?"

"The guardian; the one that came before the one I knew. He showed up in my room today and saw how I had all the kwami outside of the box; I guess you're not supposed to do that, and he wasn't happy. He told me about all these rules I broke and how I had to give everything back. I took him to meet Chat Noir, but Chat ran for it when he realized that I'd forget about him. The guardian is chasing him down now and I'm just here, with the box, waiting for him to get back."

Luka leaned back and stared at the ceiling, overwhelmed by the rush of information she'd thrown at him all at once. He hadn't even been the one to experience any of it and he still felt worn down as if he had.

"I—" He paused, not liking how his voice shook. "I wish I could've helped you, Marinette. I wish you hadn't had to do all of that alone. I know you feel like it's your fault, but even the best musicians miss notes and mess up. Please don't blame yourself."

She let out a non-committal noise and he knew then that nothing he said would help her. He was sure that she believed him, but words could only do so much, and unlearning what apparent months of suffering had taught her would be difficult.

Though, he supposed it wouldn't matter. "Will you forget... everything?"

"I don't know, but at least everything about Ladybug or the miraculouses will go." She let out a half-hearted chuckle. "I guess it was all for nothing in the end."

"It wasn't," Luka replied. "Marinette, no matter how many times you feel like you screwed up, you were still an amazing ladybug. Everything you said didn't change my mind about that." After a moment of thought, he added, "And that other guardian... how is he?"

He heard her take a breath, as if to give an automatic answer, but she stopped herself. "...He's away from Paris, living with the love of his life."

"See? That sounds better than being the guardian, in Paris, where Hawk Moth is," he pointed out. "Maybe he forgot more than he would've wanted, but—"

"Luka," she interrupted, as if something had just occurred to her.

He considered finishing what he was saying, but stopped himself in favor of wanting to hear her out. "Yeah?"

"A-ah... mm." She struggled briefly while trying to get the words out. "If—if I forget too much... if I forget you... would you still visit me?"

It wasn't that he hadn't thought about the possibility, but it hadn't been on the forefront of his mind either, mostly for the sake of keeping himself grounded.

After having an internal debate with himself, he settled for asking, "Would you want me to?"

"Don't say it like that," she pleaded. "Don't leave it all up to me. I...I'd understand if you decide you don't want to see me again. I wouldn't blame you, I just—" Her voice lowered to something both shy and fond. "—I'm my best self when I'm with you, Luka. We didn't date for that long, and maybe it would've been better for you if we never met, but I..."

The pause she made had him holding his breath, his grip on the phone tightening. He couldn't believe she would dare to imply that he wouldn't do it all over again; meeting her, writing songs about her, dating her...

Marinette let out a breath, and Luka noted that it sounded so... final, like this was really the end.

"I love you, Luka."

His heart hammered in his chest. "Marinette."

"Thank you, and I'm sorry," she whispered. After going quiet for a few seconds, her tone suddenly shifted as she said, "I have to go now. He's on his way."

Luka took a sharp intake of breath, but the click of the call came before he could speak. He could only stare down at the phone, Marinette's contact image staring back as an emptiness washed over him.

Then, he was on his feet, guitar tossed aside, and he'd never moved so fast before in his life.

—————

Marinette gazed at Luka's picture for a few more seconds, as if doing so would permanently imprint it into her memory, then sighed and tossed it onto her chaise lounge. She rubbed at her eyes, wiping away tiredness and unshed tears, unable to help wondering if Fu falling unconscious after his memory loss was something peaceful for him.

When she uncovered her eyes, she noticed the kwami, all distancing themselves from her but staring at her like she was a corpse in a coffin.

"What...?" she asked, though part of her already knew the answer.

They all exchanged glances, like they were debating telepathically, then Wayzz flew forward.

"I - we - we're so sorry, Marinette," he said. Bowing in respect, he added, "We got so excited, and we only caused you more problems."

Marinette shrugged, only able to offer a defeated smile. "There's nothing we can do now. It's too late to change anything."

Tikki approached, her body hunched over and making her look even smaller than she already was. "I-I should've said something. I let him talk to you like that and I didn't do anything to stop him."

Marinette reached over, tempted to pet or touch her kwami in some way to help reassure her, but pulled back at the last moment, too conflicted about it.

The sound of something landing on the balcony followed, and Marinette stared up at it like she could see through her ceiling.

"...He's here," she stated. After giving one last look at all of her kwami, she focused specifically on Tikki and said, "Spots on."

Su-Han descended into her room, Ladybug standing in the center and wanting nothing more but to get things over with. He approached her, raising his fist and then opening it to show her the ring inside; Chat Noir's ring. Plagg, meanwhile, hovered aimlessly around the room, not meeting anyone's eyes and probably sensing the tension.

"That crybaby was even more of a fool than I'd thought," Su-Han commented, "giving a miraculous to a boy whose face is all over this village."

"What?" Ladybug blurted out. A boy whose face was all over—but that meant—"Adrien?"

Su-Han raised a brow. "A friend of yours?" He promptly scoffed. "That makes him even more foolish."

She couldn't even find it in herself to respond, too busy grappling with so casually being told something she'd intended to never learn about if she could help it.

Adrien was Chat Noir? It explained a little bit of everything and made her feel a lot of everything at the same time, like the two personalities meshed together to create something both shocking yet profoundly upsetting. She saw her memories with Adrien in place of Chat Noir and vice versa, unable to separate the two and pursing her lips as she recognized that, perhaps if things had been a little different...

"Young lady," Su-Han called strictly, pulling her out of her trance. "I don't have time to waste here. Relinquish the Miracle Box to me, at once."

"A-ah..." Ladybug could only nod, still dazed but at least focused enough to respond. She stared down at her hands, staring at the red and single black spot on the back of each, then sighed and closed her eyes, accepting that it was the last time she'd see them.

"I, Ladybug, hereby relinquish the Miracle Box..."

The last feeling she'd remember as Ladybug was a deep, unrelenting regret; regret for all the things she did do, didn't do, and the things that weren't even in her control.

Then, as her mind was fogging and she was slipping into darkness, she felt something else.

She felt free.

—————

Luka didn't bother saying a word to Tom or Sabine when he charged inside the bakery, both of them letting out various shouts of concern as he bolted past them and ran up the stairs. He nearly tripped multiple times, but he never stopped moving. He dashed up each flight until his eyes locked on the door to Marinette's living room.

He opened the door in a hurry, ignoring the sound of it slamming against the wall, and headed right for the stairs to Marinette's room. He threw caution to the wind and pushed open the trap door in the same fashion, his eyes scanning the place in a panic.

Then, his gaze fell upon Marinette, lying there on the floor, earrings gone, and he realized that he was too late. If he were honest, he hadn't known exactly what he'd rushed there to do - try and prevent the memory loss? tell her how wrong she'd been during their call? call out the guardian for treating his beloved so cruelly? - but now that he was there, all he could think about was being there for her.

He took a moment to catch his breath, then approached and knelt down next to her. Slipping his arms underneath her, he lifted her up and brought her over to her chaise lounge, wanting to at least get her off the floor. Her phone had been resting on the chaise’s cushion, but he simply moved it to the table after setting her down.

He paced around the room, raking his fingers through his hair and ruffling it. His mind was still racing, as was his heart, and his running had nothing to do with either. He knew that, whether Marinette had her memory or not, she was the song in his head, and any pain that would come with her not knowing him couldn't compare to the pain of not seeing her again. She wasn't a burden, and no matter how many excuses he might have to come up with, he wasn't going to let her be alone, especially not when she trusted him with a secret that she'd only let him hear.

He was so distracted by his thoughts that he almost didn't hear the slight shuffling noise, though the sound of Marinette stirring was what made him fully turn around to look at her. While she laid there, her eyes were half-lidded and unfocused, darting aimlessly around the room as if in search of something.

"Marinette," he whispered, rushing over to her. Bending over the chaise lounge, barely thinking, he asked gently, "Are you okay?"

"Mm..." Her eyes found his, and she blinked a few times before she actually seemed awake enough to answer him. "Luka?"

His breath, his words, his very sound, all caught in his throat. If he were a guitar, his strings would've snapped from the sudden release of tension.

"Y-you... know who I am?" he asked in a small voice.

She tilted her head at him, confused by the question. "Of course I do? You're my boyfriend."

Boyfriend. She said boyfriend. She didn't just remember him, she remembered her feelings for him.

He got misty-eyed from the realization, and Marinette's eyes widened in alarm.

"L-luka?" she called, brows furrowed with concern. She reached up with a hand, sliding it along his cheek. "What's wrong—what happened? I swear I'm okay, I—"

He shook his head, gently holding onto her wrist and feeling the steady rhythm of her pulse to ground himself. "Nothing, Marinette. Nothing happened. You—you just had a bad fall."

"O-oh. I...I'm sorry." She pushed herself up with her free hand. "I'm so clumsy. I didn't mean to worry—"

He couldn't wait any longer. He hugged her, squeezing her with every ounce of love that'd been accumulating since they'd originally broken up. Marinette didn't seem to understand the intensity of his actions, but didn't hesitate to hug him back either, even humming with content and burying her face into his shoulder.

Her song sang freely to him. It wasn't torn or twisted up, playing openly instead of staying locked in a music box. He couldn't have been happier after she'd given him such a scare before, and any remaining questions could come later.

For that moment, he just let their duet play free-er than it'd ever been able to before.

—————

"Luka~" Marinette called from the kitchen. When he looked over to her, she raised two different bottles of iced tea, waving them a bit for emphasis. "Which one do you want?"

He hummed, then pointed to the one in her left hand. She nodded at the decision, then put the other bottle back in the fridge, retrieving a bottled drink of her own before leaving the kitchen to join him on the couch.

The last few weeks had been a bit of a rollercoaster, but not necessarily in a bad way. He'd had to deal with Marinette's memory loss and simultaneously piece together how exactly it'd all worked out, but all in all, it was good for her.

Most of Marinette's memories outside of being Ladybug were in tact, and Luka had realized soon after she'd woken up from her memory loss that the reason she’d forgotten about their break up was exactly because it'd been related to her being Ladybug. He'd tried vaguely to explain it to her as if he hadn't known that she was Ladybug, wondering if those negative feelings still lingered, but they both still wanted to date each other and thus concluded that not dating after all that would've been silly. He knew full well that she wasn't going to be stressed or strapped for time anymore, so it wasn't a subject worth debating over, especially if it meant that they could move back into dating without issue.

She'd initially cried when he assured her that he was happy to continue dating her. She couldn’t comprehend why and he'd merely hugged her in reassurance, imagining that he was also hugging the Marinette of the past who didn't believe he'd want to date her again.

Outside of that, there were additional gaps in Marinette's memory that she couldn't explain, and Luka was certain that they were either Ladybug or guardian-related. Her parents had been particularly concerned by the losses, but Luka noted to himself that the lost memories were for the best. It was as if all of the memories that had caused her stress had evaporated, leaving only good ones behind.

Adrien was the big one, as she hadn't been able to remember him at all. At best, she was uncomfortable around him, and Luka did her the favor of removing any pictures of the guy from her cork board and phone. It took him a while to figure it out, but once he put together that Adrien was Chat Noir, things fell into place. Marinette had explained during their phone call that the previous guardian had lost his memory of the love of his life, but Luka imagined that she might've been his confidant for so long that thinking of her as anything else was impossible. Factor in that Marinette had also explained that her crush on Adrien had seeped into her being Ladybug, and it all added up; so long as the connection between the person and the miraculouses was unavoidable, they were forgotten.

And Marinette seemed all the happier for it. To some degree, it was tragic that Paris didn't have Ladybug anymore, but as far as Luka was concerned, Marinette needed to be rid of Ladybug more than Paris needed her, and Marinette's health took priority over all else.

The new ladybug holder was no replacement from the original, but Luka had expected that. Despite them being an adult and having access to as many lucky charms as they desired, no one could substitute Ladybug's instinct and ability to think on her feet.

But that wasn't Luka's problem, and he wholly intended to make sure that it wasn't Marinette's either. She'd heard that there was a previous ladybug, but had no interest in anything relating to the heroes nor their miraculouses. The most she'd said about them was one time where she'd idly commented that her homeroom and PE teachers had been "busier than she remembered," though she'd brushed it off as being related to her mild memory loss.

He'd giggled at that. He had been prepared to have to fall in love with a slightly different Marinette, but she honestly hadn't changed much; still caring, still generous, and still the adorable mess that he loved so much. She could afford to work on her confidence, sure, but he didn't fall for her due to what Ladybug had given her.

"Luka?"

He blinked, then looked down to her; her and her bright, happy eyes, the darkness underneath having faded long ago. She smiled at him, oblivious to his thoughts and a brow raised in amusement.

"Were you daydreaming?" she asked curiously, her hand covering his and giving it a casual squeeze.

Luka still couldn't quite believe that he was hers and she was his. He recalled Desperada, that fateful day where she - Ladybug at the time - had given him the snake miraculous, presumably after she'd tried to give it to Adrien. He wouldn't have admitted it at the time, but there was a pride in being able to do something that Adrien couldn't. He'd never forgotten her words either, knowing now that they were Marinette's.

"You were the right choice, Luka."

He sighed blissfully, bending down to press his forehead against hers and replying, "I'm just happy."

She let out a small whine at the sudden and sweet gesture, but still pressed back in return. "Me too."

They stayed in that moment until a sudden thumping noise brought them out of it, Luka jerking his head up to stare at where it'd come from: Marinette's room. Immediately recognizing what was happening, he groaned and rubbed his face in irritation.

As expected, the man Luka had come to know as Su-Han emerged, descending the stairs and locking eyes with Marinette. She recoiled, her hands clutching Luka's sleeve as she murmured, "Not you again..."

Luka gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder, then got up from the couch and walked around to face Su-Han himself.

The man huffed. "I'm not here for—"

"Marinette wants nothing to do with you," Luka said lowly. He went for the living room door, opening it and gesturing outside. Su-Han followed with an air of self-importance and Luka closed the door behind them, leaving Marinette safely out of the conversation.

"The former ladybug had not even informed me of what she'd done," Su-Han explained. "Therefore, it's time she take responsibility and—"

Luka snapped, "You don't get to blame anything on Marinette. She did everything you asked her to and you made her give up her memories." He purposefully left out the fact that she was better off without said memories. "You're the one who insulted her song before you even got to hear it."

Su-Han squinted, the phrase clearly going over his head. "...What?"

At that point, the sound of footsteps came from downstairs, Luka glancing past the railing to see Tom coming up, perhaps having heard the voices even if he didn't hear any specific words.

The moment he saw Su-Han, Tom glared.

"Honey! That man bothering our daughter is back!" he shouted.

More footsteps followed, this time from Sabine and simultaneously much faster than Tom’s. Su-Han clearly caught on that this would be a repeat of "last time" (one of Luka's fonder memories of seeing the man be dealt with) and quickly fled back into the other room to return to Marinette's balcony and escape.

Once Luka had confirmed that everything was okay, he returned to the couch to sit at Marinette's side again. She tilted her head at him, but didn't ask any questions, Su-Han having become something on a "frequent but harmless weirdo" who she didn't understand.

Luka held an arm out invitingly, then wrapped it around Marinette when she snuggled against him. He used his free hand to open the bottle of iced tea - finding it difficult but also not worth leaving their cuddle to allow for both hands - then tipped the drink to his mouth to take a sip.

"Hey, Luka?" Marinette called, slightly shy in her delivery.

Luka met her gaze, setting the drink back on the table so he could give her his full attention. "Hm?"

"Could we... go on a date tomorrow?" she asked, one of her hands idly fiddling with the fabric of his pant leg. "I was thinking we could go buy a movie to watch? The one with Jagged Stone?"

He didn't know if the request had anything to do with the failed date that she may or may not recall anymore, but regardless, he was grinning like a fool. He pulled her closer, his free hand falling upon one of hers as he nuzzled her. "I'd love that."

He silently looked forward to the day where all the new memories he made with her outmatched the time lost from her old ones.

[sturchling]

The Gilded Poppy Meets Marinette

First of all, I hit 1000 followers last night! Thank you all so much, this is so cool. If there is anything special y’all want me to do for 1000 followers, let me know. 

This is an idea that I saw and talked about with @anastasian-dreamer and @musicfeedsmysoul12 and I loved it so much. I just had to write it out! I will write another one where the Poppy helps to defeat Hawkmoth. Find it here. I hope you all like it!

Nikolai and Remy had met the Dupain-Chengs not long after they met each other. They were only 15 and had not yet mastered being thieves. They needed food and they decided to try stealing from a popular local bakery. The plan was for Remy to talk to the bakers and distract them, while Nikolai grabbed some bread. The plan, however didn’t work at all. Sabine caught Nikolai the instant he touched the bread. But instead of getting mad and calling the police, Sabine gave them the bread with a smile. Sabine could tell they were living on the streets when they came in and since the bakery was doing well, Sabine didn’t see the harm in giving the boys free food. The boys thanked them and left the bakery with their stomachs full.

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

That wasn’t the last time they went to Tom and Sabine’s bakery. They often went there and the couple always gave them free food. They grew close with the family and one day met their daughter Marinette. The boys were in the bakery, talking to the couple as they ate when a young girl, who couldn’t have been older than six, came into the room. The little girl looked at the teen boys and with a big smile on her face, asked her mother, “Mama, are they the ones you give all the bread to? Can they come play with me?” Sabine looked at the little girl with a kind smile, “If they want to Marinette.” That is how Remy and Nikolai found themselves being led into the most pink bedroom they had ever seen, with a plate full of fresh cookies and one very excited six year old. As they played with Marinette, the two boys agreed to make sure no harm ever came to this little girl and her parents, and to make sure to pay them back for their kindness.

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

Years went by, and the Gilded Poppy was now a well known group of thieves made up of six people. Despite being busy with their heists, Remy and Nikolai always made a point to visit their favorite bakery every time they were in Paris. The rest of the Gilded Poppy often came with them and had also grown to care for the Dupain-Cheng family. Remy and Nikolai acted as older brothers for Marinette and the rest of the Poppy were like the crazy aunts and uncles of their weird family. Jett, Remy, and Zoe often got up to crazy schemes (nothing illegal, but always funny) with Marinette, the four of them constantly laughing. Vivienne would talk to Marinette for hours about fashion and her latest designs. Remy and Nikolai had also started sending the family expensive gifts to pay back their kindness from all those years ago.

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

On one trip to the bakery, as they ate their food and talked with Tom and Sabine, the door to the bakery was flung open by Marinette, who rushed by and up to her room without a word, very clearly upset. Tom and Sabine just looked resigned at this point. They knew this was likely the work of that liar Lila Rossi, but there wasn’t much they had been able to do to help Marinette. They supported her as best they could at home, but they hadn’t made any progress with the school. When Nikolai asked what was wrong, they told the Poppy the whole story. Needless to say the Poppy was furious that some third rate con-woman had been making life hard for Marinette. And they were going to try there best to stop it right now. 

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

For the next few days, they followed the liar around discreetly. They listened to all her lies and listened to the class falling for them. Any time that Lila lied and said Marinette was bullying her, the Poppy had a hard time not jumping in right then, but they knew they needed to wait for the right lie at the right moment. So they watched as the liar continued to lie about everything under the sun and the class isolate Marinette more and more. The only person that seemed to stand by her was Adrien Agreste. Other than that, all her other friends had abandoned her, and it made the Poppy furious. But they soon got their perfect moment to intervene.

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

Marinette was away at a doctor’s appointment and Lila was using the opportunity to come up with the most outlandish lies she could say, since the designer wasn’t there to mess anything up. She was telling the class about some of her ‘adventures in Italy’ when she came up with a new story. The Gilded Poppy was in the news a lot lately, so Lila claimed to have almost caught them once during a heist in Venice. She told the class she had risked her safety to safeguard a priceless painting and how the Poppy had threatened her, but she still did what she thought was right. Alya was looking at Lila with stars in her eyes. “Wow Lila! That is amazing. No wonder you are Ladybug’s best friend, you are already like a hero.” The class fawned over their friend’s ‘heroic deeds’ not knowing they were being listened to by a certain conman.

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

Remy couldn’t believe the idiocy of this liar and the class. He and Nikolai really needed to convince Tom and Sabine to move Marinette out of this class. But that is a discussion for another time. For now, the liar had backed herself into a corner and Remy would be able to put an end to this madness. He quickly fell into character and approached the class. “Pardon me, but did I hear your story about the Gilded Poppy correctly?” Lila smiled at the stranger, always looking to charm and amaze the people she met. “Yes, it is true. If it wasn’t for me, they would have stolen that masterpiece.” Remy put on his most charming smile, making sure he sounded calm and happy. “That is amazing. I am a true crime author and am writing a book about the Gilded Poppy. I would love to include your story in my book. When did this happen? What were they trying to steal? And where were they stealing it? Tell me everything.” Remy knew the girl would take the bait. From what he could tell, this girl lied for attention and fame,  so the offer to be in a book would be too good to resist. Remy smirked as Lila jumped into a story about how last August, the Poppy had tried to steal the famous  Ginevra de’ Benci painting from the Museo Correr and ending her tale with how the Poppy had threatened to kill her for stopping them. 

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

Lila had finished her story and expected this author to be as astonished and fooled as the class. But instead she was met with a confused look. Remy made sure he looked perfectly confused before innocently asking, “Young lady, what are you talking about? Please don’t waste my time with made up stories.” The class looked confused at the man in front of them, before Nino spoke up. “What do you mean sir? Lila isn’t lying.” Remy looked at the class with a practiced cool look. “I do not wish to be rude, but she is lying. I have several accounts, including witnesses, police reports, and news articles that put the Poppy in New York from last July to September. They weren’t in Venice. They also are notoriously non-violent. They wouldn’t threaten to kill you. Also, the painting you mentioned is famously held in the National Art Gallery in Washington D.C., not the Museo Correr in Venice. You can all look this up, it is common knowledge.” The class all pulled out their phones, trying to prove that their friend wasn’t lying. Trying to defend her against this author. But they couldn’t find anything. They saw that everything this author said was true. About the Poppy, about the painting, everything. They quickly turned to their friend, now realizing that she was a liar. They started yelling at her and the school courtyard dissolved into chaos. It was so chaotic that no one noticed that Remy had disappeared.

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

Things got a lot better for Marinette after that. Lila was exposed as the liar she is and the chaos of that day even drew Mr. Damocles out of his office. Once he found out what happened and the extent of Lila’s lies, Lila was expelled from school. The class did apologize to Marinette, but the friendships were already to damaged to be mended by a simple apology. Remy and Nikolai did end up convincing Tom and Sabine to switch Marinette out of that class. Now Marinette was in Mrs. Mendeleiev’s class and was much happier. She had made a bunch of new friends and the class had a lot less drama going on. The Poppy was just happy to see their dear Marinette happy again and was glad they could help her.