#but instead adrien is ALSO a superhero adrien gets to CHOOSE to jump into this conflict headfirst and play an active part

[dimensionzero]

spider-gwen🤝 adrien agreste

being the archetypal Love Interest who would be the damsel in distress in most stories --- except for this one where they have agency and the power to save themselves

[ilikekidsshows]

"I wrote a thing ages ago about how Marinette doesn’t actually care that Lila lied about knowing Ladybug, she only cared that Lila lied about Ladybug to try to impress Adrien."

It's funny cause I saw salters use the argument that the excuses people give as to why Adrien gave the high road advice (like how he believed that Lila was just like a celebrity gossiper, or that their classmates would figure out on their own, etc...) are arguments that the fans came up with and that the show itself never had Adrien say those are the reasons he believe they should take the high road, which fair enough. But then these same salters turn around and try to make Marinette wanting to reveal Lila's deception as much more noble than it actually was, like making up the idea that Marinette was just concerned about Lila putting a massive target on her back by saying she was Ladybug's friend.

---

Also, like, Adrien’s “high road advice” isn’t even about taking the high road. Taking the high road means trying to be the better person in a situation, but Adrien actually tells Marinette that her method will not get her the result she wants. And to make this nitpicking about Adrien’s advice even more ridiculous, Adrien even assumes Marinette’s motivation is that she opposes Lila’s lying on principle alone, instead of her having a personal vendetta against her. Even the audience doesn’t know what Marinette’s end goal was. To get Lila to stop lying? To get her away from Adrien? To humiliate her so badly she’d transfer schools? We just don’t know because Marinette never thinks about it that far. She just sees Lila and sees red. She hears her lie about the most petty stuff and thinks that's her justification to bully her as a superhero.

“It’s enough that we know the truth,” is Adrien’s way of telling Marinette that they don’t need to care about Lila’s petty lying to get popular, because it’s not hurting anyone because it wasn’t. Lila was incredibly harmless to basically everyone when she wasn’t akumatized. Even her “threat” to Marinette was based completely on Marinette herself publicly harassing Lila and making herself look bad through no effort on Lila’s part. Pre-’Ladybug’, Lila’s lies never actually hurt anyone, the only time she actually hurt anyone was when she framed Marinette in ‘Ladybug’, which hadn’t yet happened in ‘Chameleon’.

Adrien is actually so correct about Lila in ‘Chameleon’ and that’s what pisses me off about the retool trying to turn Lila into this super evil obviously nasty person so Adrien has to apologize for giving good, solid advice that actually worked. I can’t emphasize enough that Adrien’s advice actually helped Marinette. It was the correct way to handle the situation, and no amount of retooling will change what happened in those earlier episodes. The fans don’t need to come up with reasons or defenses for Adrien because his advice worked, therefore it was the right thing to do. Meanwhile, Marinette’s methods never made any progress before the retool.

I also can’t emphasize enough that we don’t know what Marinette was trying to accomplish with her harassment campaign against Lila in the earlier seasons. Indeed, she never says anything about Lila putting herself in danger. She never says anything about how Ladybug’s reputation could somehow be harmed. She was just angry and wanted to hurt Lila for trying to get close to Adrien. The thing that makes Marinette ready to jump Lila in the library isn’t her lying about knowing Ladybug, it’s suggesting to Adrien they should meet at the park. “I just hate liars” is what Marinette said when Adrien told her she was acting weird and not like the Ladybug she should be, and even after the excuse, Adrien was left concerned that there was something wrong with her. Marinette’s actions weren’t justified even in the episode itself.

This is such a weird hill for people to choose to die on and for the show to walk itself back on. It was pretty clear in its messaging the first time around.

[immaturityofthomasastruc]

IOTA Reviews: Lies

You guys ready for almost twenty straight minutes of Angstdrien Depreste? Neither am I.

Let's get into the third (chronologically the second) episode of Miraculous Ladybug's fourth season: Lies (Oh, I get what they did there).

We open with Marinette struggling to decipher the grimoire she inherited from Fu, before two of the Kwamis screw around and play a video about Adrien.

Jesus Christ... it hasn't even been an episode since she broke up with Luka, and the writers are already back to making her simp over Adrien again. And this part of the episode takes place during “Truth”, where she's still dating Luka. This is supposedly meant to show her conflicting feelings regarding both Adrien and Luka, but it just comes across as yet another joke about Marinette simping over Adrien because the writers have forgotten she has other interests outside of her hero life.

And here we go. The writers are going to go out of their way to make the audience feel bad for Adrien in this episode by showing how tough his life is. What do we see him do that is allegedly so exhausting? He models for another statue, goes to a photoshoot, and then goes to some drama class where he repeats some phrase (I think it's supposed to be a warmup, but it's never explained why he's there in the first place). That's it. This is his definition of an “endless day”? Oh yeah, his life must be soooooooo hard.

Adrien is a rich white boy who is the son of one of the biggest names in fashion across the world, has legions of fans, an honest education, and is also one of the most beloved superheroes in the city while not having to struggle with the same responsibility his partner has. But no, Adrien's life is much harder than anyone else who has suffered this past year. It's yet another trick the writers are pulling to make people feel bad for Adrien instead of criticizing his behavior. I'm sorry, but I find it a little hard to relate to someone whose biggest problems amount his diamond shoes being too tight.

Good lord, I'm not even a minute in...

So Adrien transforms into Cat Noir and heads off to patrol. Keep in mind that the first part of this episode takes place during the events of “Truth”, so we see how he reacts to Ladybug not showing up for patrol. He waits for a while before he starts, but not before leaving a message for his partner.

Now, this moment honestly could have worked. What doesn't make it work is the air quotes Cat Noir starts off with. If he had said something like that honestly and kept his feelings a secret, it could have shown he understands the burden Ladybug has to bear now that she's the Guardian, but doesn't want to worry her. The problem is that the way he phrased the first sentence coupled with the air quotes make it seem like he doesn't care about what Ladybug has to deal with now, and only wants her to spend time with him.

You think I'm being overdramatic or I'm just jumping to conclusions? In the very next scene, Cat Noir actually tries to see if Mr. Ramier is emotional enough to get akumatized into Mr. Pigeon again just so he can see Ladybug.

This is just... why? Why would any of the writers expect the audience to feel bad for Cat Noir here? It's one thing for him to miss Ladybug's company, which is natural considering how much time they spend together, but wanting to start a life-threatening situation just to see Ladybug just isn't cool. What makes this any different from Chloe causing a subway to go out of control so she can save it herself, or Lila intentionally akumatizing herself and working with Hawkmoth just because she hates Ladybug? If you can find a reason other than “because the plot says so”, I'll want to hear an explanation.

So Cat Noir goes to Le Grand Paris to drown his sorrows in alcohol with his favorite drink, a White Russian without the vodka and coffee liqueur. Also, instead of cream, it's skim milk. And speaking of Chloe, we see her get into a brief squabble with Sabrina over missing a bag she has underneath her shoulder, and Cat Noir gets excited again at the prospect of getting to fight an Akuma, but thankfully, the situation is resolved fairly quickly.

Ignoring how unheroic this makes this supposed “superhero” look, I have a quick question. SHOULDN'T CHLOE BE IN PRISON RIGHT NOW? She essentially committed treason against her country by willingly conspiring with a terrorist. I get that everyone in Paris was paralyzed at the time, but did Ladybug not tell anyone what happened? How is she not in trouble? Did her father pardon her or something? Is she not even going to do any community service? You would think given how much Astruc hates her, Chloe would be forced to face more consequences for her actions other than losing her Miraculous permanently. Hopefully, “Queen Banana” will shed some light on Chloe's situation, but I'm not exactly holding my breath on that.

But yeah, Cat Noir actually gets excited at the prospect at fighting an akumatized Sabrina, while ignoring how cruel Chloe's being to her, because I guess it's a day that ends with a “Y”. Remember when Adrien actually called out  Lila and compromised with her in order to get Marinette back into school? Good times.

Cat Noir keeps calling and leaving messages for Ladybug, but changes his mind as soon as he sees Kagami, because he has the attention span of a puppy looking for someone to play with. Adrien stares at his phone's wallpaper of Ladybug, implying he still has feelings for her, and is then informed by Nathalie that his fencing class with Kagami was moved back by an hour. In reality, it was a trick by Kagami to get the two to spend some quality time together.

They choose to hang out in the art room because, get this, Kagami has always had a passion for drawing. Of course! That explains why it's never been mentioned in any earlier episodes, not even the one where she attended the premiere of an animated movie, which is a similar form of art. It's almost like the writers wanted to have Kagami do something that doesn't involve swinging a sword around. It's a good reason, mind you, but maybe if it was foreshadowed more, I would be more open to it.

Kagami says that she loves drawing because “art never lies”. Because it's not like someone can draw something completely inaccurate to what's actually being depicted, much like a certain character who likes to make up stories of people she knows to get others to like her, right? Kagami also says that her mother doesn't let her draw because she doesn't think her art isn't good, even though she's blind. Because when it comes to parents in Miraculous Ladybug, they're either amazing people who love their children, or they're emotionally abusive pieces of garbage who make you wonder why they even had kids in the first place. There is literally no middle ground. Maybe some of the writers have daddy issues?

So Kagami decides to draw a picture of Adrien, but wants him to give her a more “natural” pose instead of the standard model poses he usually gives.

Okay, this scene is raising so many red flags, the dialogue might as well be in semaphore. Where the hell did this side of Kagami come from? Why is she so controlling and forceful all of a sudden? In fact, why is she so obsessed with Adrien being “perfect”? The two made jokes before in the past (Desperada), and even spent half of the Season 3 finale playing around with Marinette? Why is she now Little Miss Serious?

Also, Kagami is really overstepping boundaries with Adrien here. Like, to a seriously uncomfortable degree. I get she isn't good with social cues, but how can she not see how anxious Adrien looks while she forces him into a pose, all while saying how wrong he is for doing what he sees as “natural”? This is not what a healthy relationship looks like, and spoiler alert, this isn't exactly why they even break up at the end of the episode.

Before the two can kiss while they're actually at fencing practice, Adrien is forced to leave Kagami to help Ladybug fight Mr. Pigeon (which means the narrative basically gave him what he wanted for no reason), leading to the same scene where Ladybug almost kills him, while he jokes about how he likes how angry she gets, and she apologizes for something that wasn't her fault. Just remember, he flirts with Ladybug right after he left his girlfriend to join her for an Akuma battle. The same montage from “Truth” happens, only it's Adrien missing opportunities to be close with Kagami, culminating with the little Kitty Section concert that happened right before Luka got akumatized.

While the two wait for their rides, Adrien accidentally drops the charm Marinette gave him all the way back in “Gamer”, which Kagami picks up. When he sees an Akuma flying, Adrien soon heads off to fight him, saving Ladybug from blowing her cover. After the events of “Truth”, Adrien apparently heads to Prince Ali's birthday party (yet Rose isn't there for some reason), meaning the second half of this episode takes place immediately after the previous one, even though it's been established that Hawkmoth/Shadowmoth needs time to recharge.

After Cat Noir flirts a little with Ladybug again, he heads off to the party to meet up with Kagami. When he had to leave to fight Truth, Adrien claimed that he left something on the Liberty, which Adrien later claims was the charm Marinette gave him. Kagami soon realizes he's lying about something, and doesn't take it well.

There's a good performance from Kagami's voice actress here, and it's a nice parallel to Luka, who also feels a sense of betrayal when Marinette can't be honest with him. But this scene does tie into the problem with Adrien and Kagami in this episode, and I'll get into it towards the end.

Kagami storms off, and is immediately akumatized by Shadowmoth, turning her into Lies.

Like Truth, the design here is really forgettable. The design is all white and gives Kagami a haircut that looks like it belongs in The Jetsons, but that's it. The one thing I like about her is the way her powers work. Instead of going from victim to victim, Lies creates an energy dome that slowly grows and paralyzes anyone has lied before in the past, which is basically everyone who comes into contact with it. It's a pretty interesting idea, and it means that Ladybug and Cat Noir have to rely more on strategy while avoiding any contact with the dome.

Adrien transforms into Cat Noir and charges into action, with Jagged Stone offering to help out.

I don't think you can say the same for your family, can you, Jagged?

Cat Noir tells Jagged to get to a safe place, but much like his one night stand with Anarka, he refuses to pull out, so he gets paralyzed by the dome, along with everyone in the building.

Ladybug meets up with Cat Noir and immediately summons her Lucky Charm, a remote control drone. Since it hasn't lied, it can go into the dome and be used as surveillance while Cat Noir distracts Lies. While it seems like nobody inside the dome can touch Lies, Ladybug realizes that Fang, Jagged Stone's pet crocodile, hasn't lied either, so she uses the drone to lure him out of the building.

Cat Noir thinks of a way to distract Lies by doing what he always does to increase the tension.

You know, I thought of a little game we could play. Why don't we count how many times Cat Noir sacrifices himself this season? So far, the Cat Noir Self-Kill Counter is at 1, but I'm guessing it will be higher the longer this season goes on.

So while Lies is distracted by Cat Noir's unconscious body, Fang runs over and breaks her corrupted object, Marinette's charm. So after using Miraculous Ladybug, Ladybug runs over and, for good reason, I may add, scolds Cat Noir for recklessly sacrificing himself yet again.

You know if this plan failed, not only would Shadowmoth get your Miraculous, but Ladybug would be all alone, you idiot! And we're supposed to find this reckless endangerment funny!? Seriously, Ladybug smiles at Cat Noir's stupid little quip as he still flirts with her right after he got into a fight with his girlfriend.

The next day, Adrien apologizes to Kagami, but she says she can't trust him, not as a boyfriend, and not as a friend either. And here is the problem with the Adrigami breakup. Like with the Lukanette breakup, it chooses to focus on one detail instead of the other, and glaringly obvious detail. The episode is trying to say that the whole reason Kagami and Adrien can't work as a couple is because of Adrien keeping his life as Cat Noir a secret. In reality, both of them have problems that they need to work on before they consider dating. Kagami has shown herself to be a massive control freak in this episode because of her own vision of what Adrien is like, showing she doesn't respect his boundaries or beliefs.

And Adrien? Where do I begin?

Adrien clearly shows several signs that he hasn't moved on from Ladybug with how much he flirts with her, even before he and Kagami got together, and there's the fact that unlike Marinette who realizes how she can't have a love life, it doesn't feel like Adrien actually learned that lesson.

We are supposed to see Adrien focusing on his secret life as Cat Noir as the responsible thing to do, and that like Ladybug, he needs to prioritize being Cat Noir over dating. The thing is that this episode has only showed how he doesn't take any of the hero stuff seriously. Throughout the episode, he treats being Cat Noir as a fun pasttime, when it comes to craving Ladybug's attention to the point where he's just short of causing an Akuma attack out of desperation until he sees someone else to spend time with, constantly flirts with Ladybug despite how annoyed she can come across, doesn't understand any of the stuff she has to deal with now that she's Guardian, and will sacrifice himself all so Ladybug can do all the work for him. He doesn't care about anything unless he gains something in return. It doesn't matter if lives are in danger, he thinks his personal feelings are more important because his civilian life is sO hAaArRd.

At one point when we were all kids, we all wanted to be superheroes because we all thought the idea of having superpowers and the freedom to do whatever we wanted sounded awesome. But that's not what being a hero is. We never thought about the responsibility that comes with being a superhero. One of the main themes of superhero media that we all watched growing up was that they would help us to learn right from wrong, and that sometimes, personal sacrifices have to be made for the greater good, and our feelings just aren't that important in the grand scheme of things. Whether we learned this lesson from Superman, Spider-Man, Sailor Moon, the Power Rangers, or even the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, what matters is that by the time we reached the age of these heroes, we would have a similar moral compass so we would understand why these heroes would make some of the choices they did, and we would be able to make similar choices if we encountered situations like the ones they went through.

Part of growing up is realizing that being a superhero isn't all fun and games. Sometimes, you need to put your own personal desires aside to make sure nobody gets hurt because of something you did or didn't do. We are currently in the fourth season of this show, and after 82 episodes, Cat Noir has still failed to learn that lesson. He doesn't understand that even if his “true self” is clowning around, that's not how a hero acts. You don't see Batman or Captain America acting this way, and you don't see real life soldiers or emergency workers acting this way either.

And that's not even getting into the fact that this is the same problem the Lukanette breakup had. Even though Marinette had a valid reason to break things off with Luka because she realized being Guardian was more important, the narrative framed it like she was still into Adrien, no matter if she was making an effort to get over him. Likewise, even though both Adrien and Kagami have issues the narrative refuses to actually acknowledge, they frame it as Adrien's hero life was ruining their relationship, when in reality, the reasons for both the Adrigami breakup and the Lukanette breakup should have been flipped. “Truth” should have been about Marinette coming to terms with her new responsibilities as the Guardian, and “Lies” should have been about Adrien realizing he needs to work on his own personal issues before he considers his feelings for Kagami or Ladybug.

So the episode just ends with Ladybug and Cat Noir saying that even if they have to keep secrets about their identities, they can still trust each other. Also, before Kagami dumped him, Adrien reaffirmed his feelings for Ladybug (the only time they were actually referenced outside of flirting and his phone's wallpaper), which implies that Adrien is going to continue to pursue Ladybug, having learned nothing from this whole episode.

You know, after watching both this episode and “Truth”,  and seeing how it undid two of the major changes from the Season 3 finale, does it almost feel like nothing's changed at all? Does it almost feel like you've been here before? How am I gonna be a optimist about this? Hell if I know, this episode's honestly worse than “Truth” was.

Put aside your feelings on the Adrigami breakup, the pacing here was awful. Because the writers thought it would be interesting to have some continuity for once by having it take place right after “Truth”, the timeline is incredibly confusing. Can Shadowmoth just create more Akumas at once without having to recharge? And shouldn't Ladybug and Cat Noir be exhausted from having to fight two Akumas and a Sentimonster in one day?

Even then, about half of the episode was spent following Adrien as he whined about how hard he supposedly has it, proving despite what Astruc continues to state, he is far from perfect, and like what he loves to say about Chloe, refuses to change. Wow, that's so interesting. And we're supposed to feel bad for Cat Noir and be mad at Ladybug for missing their patrol, forgetting everything she's been going through in the last week, considering how Gabriel just fixed the Peacock Miraculous, suggesting that the events of “Truth” and “Lies” happened not too long after “Miracle Queen”. Even the Akuma fight wasn't that interesting because it was crammed into about five minutes thanks to everything else going on in this episode.

In an attempt to make the audience sympathize with him, this episode only made me loathe the way Adrien is portrayed even more. Seriously, he reaches “Frozer” levels of unlikability in this episode. Maybe he'll get some much needed character development, but given how much Astruc will put him on a pedestal and ignore his flaws, I don't think it's going to happen anytime soon.

But I still don't see the point of spending so much time building up this relationship for two seasons just to end it as soon as they hook up. At the end of the day, all Lukanette and Adrigami amounted to was filler. It was a way to get in some romantic scenes for the fans while the writers continue to drag out the Love Square drama like a taffy puller. And now that Luka and Kagami have served their purpose, watch as Astruc and the other writers start to slowly remove them from the narrative until they appear about as often as Nino does now.

After all, why care about anything in this show that isn’t related to the Love Square? It’s clear none of the writers do.

[s-and-n-writes]

accidental reveals

summary: Ladybug and Chat Noir are celebrating the arrival of summer on a rooftop in France, high above the busy streets of Paris, when Chat Noir wonders why Marinette never showed up during Miracle Queen. After all, everyone who was an temporary Miraculous holder showed up at the time, right?

Ladybug points out the Adrien actually didn’t come as well. What a weird coincidence....

And it’s just that: a coincidence, but only until the duo starts connecting the dots. Just...not in the way that you’d imagine.

a/n: based off of this reddit post i found, and the first comment right under it (comment by DonDove) asdfghjkl omg... but anyway, yes this is a quick crack drabble for self-indulgence, yes you can ignore me lmao, also fair warning this gets worse as it goes but like i wrote it at 1 am so thats to be expected

quick links: | miraculous masterlist |

“Ladybug? Can I ask you something? 

  It’s a quiet night in Paris, and two of the city’s finest superheroes are spending their time on a rooftop. The akumas are dwindling, summer is here, and Hawkmoth seems to spend his time doing something other than terrorizing innocent citizens these days. All of these good things happening together can only mean one thing: a celebration.

  So, they celebrate. They grab a spare picnic blanket from a store-owner (who was only so eager to give it them), get snacks galore from the Dupain-Cheng Bakery (they get the Official Superhero Discount TM , something Rena was bragging about only a couple nights ago), and finding a spare rooftop, they sit, and eat, and laugh, and joke, and just talk the night away.

  Even if the conversation lulls eventually, the two simply enjoying each other’s company, the silence isn’t uncomfortable or weird. It’s warm and friendly, like Chat Noir is , Ladybug thinks.

  At the moment, Ladybug feels happier than ever before.

  “ Oui, Chaton,” she smiles. 

  “I’ve been thinking…” he says, pausing. His demeanor is different, more inquisitive, and Ladybug holds a breath as he talks. 

  Does he...know my identity?

  “You? Thinking? Kitty, that’s never good,” Ladybug deflects, interrupting and laughing the thought off.

  “ Meow -ch, milady you wound me,” Chat puns, going back to his usual self. Ladybug stifles a laugh with the back of her hand, choosing to roll her eyes instead.

  “Anyways, I was thinking about what happened. Y’know, Miracle Queen,”

  Ladybug swallows. “And..?” 

  “So, Chloe forced all the miraculous holders to reveal themselves, except us, because we’re miraculous and we jumped into the Seine, right?”

  Ladybug nods, cringing at the horrible pun. “Where are you going with this, kitty?”

  Chat Noir falls back onto the picnic blanket, his eyes staring up at the stars. “It’s nothing, just-Marinette wasn’t there. Multimouse, remember her?”

  Ladybug feels her palms getting very sweaty.

  She laughs nervously, and prays for him to make a lighthearted joke that would change the tone of the conversation. But she waits for a while, and he doesn’t, instead starting up at her for an answer.

  Ladybug gulps. 

  She needs a distraction. And fast. 

  Searching the skyline, her eyes land on a billboard of Adrien Agreste: her classmate, friend, crush. It’s a promotional poster from the Adrien, the Fragrance line. 

  In Ladybug’s mind, the world turns black and white, just like in the middle of Lucky Charm. Adrien’s face glows red.

  Aha! Adrien!

  “Haha! Haha. You’re right, that’s so odd, how weird...but look who else didn’t show up! Adrien! I gave him the Snake miraculous before Viperion. Poor guy, went through a lot alone. He said he kept using Second Chance during. Desperada, over, and over, and over again, for months. Bet he saw us die too,”

  Ladybug thinks, for a split second, that she sees Chat Noir freeze up and shudder, but she waves off the thought.

  “Anyway, Adrien didn’t come either, haha! Weird, right?”

  Chat nods. “I wonder why…”

  They both pause, staring at each other for a few seconds.

  Adrien didn’t come. 

  Hawk Moth didn’t get affected.

  Ladybug’s eyes widen, her expression matching Chat’s bewildered one. Adrien’s mysterious disappearance and Hawk Moth’s unusual arrival can only mean one thing. 

  Ladybug pauses, looking at Chat Noir, who she thinks has made the connection. 

  “Adrien’s Hawkmoth!” Ladybug says, waiting for Chat’s reaction. 

  It never comes. 

  Instead, Chat Noir has a retort of his own. 

  “Marinette is Mayura!” Chat Noir gasps, looking at Ladybug for confirmation.

  Chat is flabbergasted (Ladybug? Accusing him? To be Hawkmoth?), but his partner seems to be much calmer than he is. 

  The duo pauses again, and they stare at each other for a lot longer than just a couple minutes. 

  But then Ladybug breaks the silence.

  “Well,” she sighs. “Just my luck. If Adrien Agreste is Hawkmoth, I guess I’m in love with my mortal enemy then,”

  Chat’s jaw drops. He gasps, struggling for words.

  “You-in love- Adrien?” he chokes.

  And then he faints.

  Needless to say, finding himself in Marinette’s room with two concerned kwamis poking at his face is not how he wants to start the morning.

  (Or at least, at the moment. He finds out quickly that it’s exactly how he wants to start his morning.)

  If Chat Noir.exe has stopped working...

  Adrien.exe has burned and crashed. 

a/n: hope you liked it! feedback is appreciated (as always) and thanks for reading!

[miraculousrainbow]

Sleeping In The Bathroom Is Better Than Home

Description:

Chat noir cannot stand being at home anymore and by chance stumbles upon Marinette wich turns into an unexpected sleepover

Hurt/comfort

Marichat (can be viewd as romantic or platonic)

Oneshot

Trigger warnings : mention of verbal abuse, mentions of neglect, discussions of bad mental health, bad mental health, insomnia, anxiety, trapping a child mention (ask to tag)

"Im done and sick of it"

He couldnt think straight, he just knew that he needed to get out as fast as he can

Plag popped out in a look of concern but before he could say anything Adrien already climbed out the window and yelled "Plagg claws out" and jumped out

His movement wasent his usual cat like swiftness

It was heavy and frantic

He was stumbling around in the dark and crashing into a wall or a random pole every once in a while but ignoring it as nothing happened and just, keeps going

He was going around blindly

With the only purpose of just, getting away

After a while of hanging about at the dark he calmed down a bit, but he was still fearful

His dad yelling still ringing in his ears and with each sound feeling like another hit

"Ignore it he insisted"

"You are here, you are safe, you are not at home anymore."

"You are safe." he whispered to himself loudly with a bit of a panic in his voice and a desperation to make these words feel true

But it was getting late he knew that soon he will need to go back home but he couldnt bring himself

He would rather sleep outside

"The only problem is that he would be an easy target for hawkmoth or criminals depending on the form"

"Or he could just stay a-"

His thought had been cut mid sentence while he was walking he realised he sees a familiar light and in the light had been basking a familiar figure

"Marinette!" He exclaimed with relief in his voice

"It was nice seeing a friend out here and a light source when everything else seems so dark and bleak and eerily quiet..."

"Chat Noir?" Marinette blinked trying to figure out where the dark ends and where the cat starts

"Its nice to see you" he said with a sheepishly smile

"Is there an akuma" Marinette eyes darted from place to place while her expression seemed so focused she wouldnt miss a fly

"Not tonight princess" he replied feeling a bit guilty he made her worry

A sigh of relief escaped the teen's mouth and her expression softened

And when she looked up to his surprise she looked like she is actually happy to see him

"So what brings you here ~Chat Noir~." she said his superhero name like you would call someone a royalty title jokingly

"Wich... was fair, but! he just hoped she knew every time he called her princess it was full of fondness"

"Oh um, just going for a walk, getting some fresh air"

"At two at night"

"I can ask you the same princess" he stumbled on his words he didnt expect that

"He havent being keeping an eye on the hour"

"He hoped he wasent missing for too long"

"But with his father absence he sometimes thinks he could of being kidnaped by hawkmoth for days and he wouldnt even notice"

"and sometimes he could of just barged into the room out of the blue"

"For ones he hoped for the first one"

Marinette unexpectedly decided to be the first one to break the silence

"Thoughts, just too many thoughts" she replied honestly and wiped her eyes in tiredness and maybe tears

Even though her answer seemed quite generic he recognised the real weight these words hold

"You?" She asked softly in sleepiness

"I just couldnt handle staying there anymore"

He blurted out choking on a bit of tears

"Her honestly just made him feel like he couldnt keep it inside anymore and that he could just share it safely and it will be okay"

"Like he didnt have to keep it down anymore and he really couldnt not like this not when he finally feels safe and the adrenaline from earlier is starting to die out and the tiredness is kicking in"

"Not next to Marinette"

"When she just comes with honestly openness and without anything to hide behind"

"She could of waited a little longer he would have come up with a joke to sweep her off her feet or at least made her laugh thats a win too"

"And just have a normal conversation"

"But she chose openness and he couldnt help, but choose it too"

He was a bit shaking he didnt notice till Marinette put a hand on him "hey, do you wanna go talk inside?"

The cat was frozen in surprise at the sudden touch

but as soon as it went is as soon as it goes

"And I know your identity needs to remain a secret for yours and the safety of your loved ones"

"So tell me just as you can and want of course" she made a serious face in the end but he couldnt ignore how cute it was

He noded thankful and followed her in

"Not surprisingly her room was much warmer than the cold outside"

They set down and Marinette asked while fiddling with her fingers "So, what happened?"

"My dad just yelled at me"

"Again" he rolled his eyes with a snort of someone who learned to turn their anger into despair and nihilistic jokes

"Its or he leaves me alone and neglects me or he yells at me and traps me"

"And in the past it used to be or he neglects me and traps me or he yells at me and traps me"

"But good luck trapping Chat Noir ha ha" he said with exhaustion and finger guns

"Unless you are hawkmoth if he would of being I bet he would have trapped me then too" another bitter laugh escaped his mouth

"What about you?"

"So you know those nights when you try to go to bed and you just lay there but you cant stop thinking and your thought are running and running and you just start shaking and you cant stop and no matter what you cant sleep and you wish so badly you can but you just cant so you stand up cause you cant take it anymore"

She blurted out as well just more in a mini frantic tangent

Instead of a frantic blurt out

"So maybe" she says with a twirl of her hand like she tries to drag the word longer and just not let the sentence end

"Im having one of these nights"

She covered her face with her hand and looked away like she is even ashamed of having a problem

"Wich is super unfair everyone has problems" he scoffed in his head

"And also one thing was made sure by this conversation she was crying earlier"

"Actually yeah" he replied looking up from his knees and surprising them both

"I do get these nights from time to time"

"Now it was his turn to look away"

"Now he is the one feeling shame in having problems"

"Honestly, he thinks it made both of them feel better knowing they are not the only ones even though he and of course Marinette! would never wish this upon each other it was still nice being in the same boat"

"Its exhausting" she exclaimed and looked like she was trying to rest her had on air and getting grumpy each time it doesnt work

Chat tapped to time on his knees to signal that she can use him as a pillow

Marinette without taking a second thought took the invite and settled down

At the moment of contact Chat Noir felt like lightening were running up his spine he just hoped he didnt move

He wasent used to other ppl contact much

And he always withdrew away quite quickly

"Its not that he didnt like others touch"

"Its just that it would always overwhelm him so much"

"And it made him feel like he needed a break but every time he was ready to come back"

"There was nobody left"

"And lets not talk about how it was before school when there was nobody to begin with"

"She looked so comfortable like it was all natural being so close to someone and just putting your head down"

"He wishes he could feel like that too"

"He hopes one day he will"

After a moment of rest and a sigh of relief Marinette asked "So, whats the plan?"

"Kinda how he would of asked his lady on battle he wondered if thats how he looks like"

"Uh, I kinda planned on staying awake outside until I will collapse of exhaustion..."

"Well, thats a horrible plan."

"In retrospect, he agreed but its not like he had any other options" he thought to himself

"The only room with a decent lock is the bathroom but I cant let you sleep in the bathroom!"

"I considered sleeping outside so this sounds much better"

"Chat!" She protested

"Its not like I have any better options" he sighed into his hand

"Okie but Im putting a clock to 5 in the morning so you will be back before anyone notices"

"But then what about you? dont you need any sleep?"

"I dont think I will fall asleep befor 5 am to be honest" she made an awkward laugh in an attempt to make it seem not as bad

"And, having company for a change even if will be a sleeping one soon is nice."

She looked up to him still resting on his lap with a soft smile that looks like it means Im really thankful you are here but you need to go to sleep now

"Marinette I-" he couldnt help but let a sigh of relief escape his mouth "I cant thank you enough"

"Hey what there are partne- pretty good friends for!"

"She started stammering. Now he was sure she was too tired for communication and needed some rest"

"So lets get ready for the sleep part in our kind of spontaneous sleepover!" she said like it was all part of just a regular late night party

He chuckled and replied with a simple sappy "yeah" and he got ready to bed

And in a long time he actually had a good sleep even though it was in the bathroom

The end <3

Update: thank you everyone for the feedback!!!

[milknette]

day 10 - reverse crush

my heart’s in overdrive, and, you’re behind the steering wheel.

tumblr month: @auyeahaugust

links: ao3 | ff.net

EVERYONE expects his answer to be Ladybug.

Because it's always Ladybug. The savior of Paris. The one who can undo all the damage. The one who always brings hope wherever she goes. The face of the superhero movement. (One can argue that Chat Noir is equally as important, and he definitely believes it to be true, but the question, in the end, is who his superhero crush is— and as far as Adrien's concerned, he can't have a crush on himself.

Though the apparent adrichat shippers beg to differ.)

In any case, Ladybug's not the answer.

Only one girl has his heart, really, and it's by sheer luck that she happens to be a superhero— and an even bigger bout of luck when he finds out about it. So the answer flows out of his tongue without so much as a thought:

"Multimouse."

Nadja Chamack is, understandably, caught off-guard. (In reality, she had come into this interview hoping to find some truth to the fact that two of Paris' biggest idols were in love with each other)— but this seemed to be a lot more interesting.

"She's… the one who helped Chat Noir and Ladybug with Kwamibuster, right?"

"Yeah!" Adrien's eyes almost sparkle as he talks about her. "She's the only reason why we— all of Paris, I mean, managed to defeat her then! Ladybug and Chat Noir would've been in real trouble if she wasn't there to save the day. And she's so cool like Multimouse has the power to become tiny, and when she used her power it was so adorable and amazing and wonderful—!"

"A Multimouse fanboy, then?" Nadja asks, an amused smile playing on her face. "I'm sure a lot of our viewers are surprised. They, and even I thought you'd choose Ladybug. What makes Multimouse so unique?"

Because it's her. Because it's the girl he's so desparately in love with. Because it's Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

(Not like he can say that, of course.)

"I do love Ladybug," Adrien begins. "She's a hero and I look up to her sense of duty and professionalism in saving Paris." Then, a pause. "But I admire Ma—Multimouse. She was thrown into the superhero role so suddenly, in a situation as high-stakes as back then, and managed to do perfectly." He looks down and smiles. "And… she's cute."

(Oops, now that wasn't meant to slip out.)

Nadja's look of victory at receiving— and being responsible for breaking the news of Adrien Agreste's Crush is clear. "Well, she does sound like quite a hero when you describe her like that. It's a shame that she hasn't showed up so much."

"You're right," Adrien mutters, and the disappointment in his tone is evident. "But I trust in Ladybug… and Chat Noir's judgment. If they need her, then she'll appear again."

"For the sake of your crush, let's hope so!"

Adrien splutters. "Wait, Ms. Chamack, this isn't a crush, it's just admiration from a purely superhero-civilian perspective…"

She turns to the video camera. "Young love is sweet, isn't it? For Adrien, let's all wish that Multimouse shows up again soon! Ladybug and Chat Noir, maybe you'd be interested in lending a hand?"

The show comes to a close with Adrien beet-red and almost desparately coveting her face.

.

.

Marinette is exhausted.

Which is saying a lot, because she's already exhausted on a regular day— from balancing her studies, being a class representative, fashion designing, helping at the bakery, and of course, being Ladybug, but this brought everything to an entirely new level.

Because now, not only did she have to run around Paris in one full-body suit, but with Adrien's apparent declaration of love on national television— and multiple angrily-worded 'why do you hate love / Multimouse / Adrien Agreste' letters to her superhero persona after— Marinette was now made to run around using two.

Ladybug with an akuma, Multimouse when patrolling. And also Ladybug when patrolling. And sometimes Multimouse with an akuma.

Just to keep everyone in Paris happy. (And non-suspicious, really.)

All because of that damned interview.

She has to stop herself from yelling a string of not-so-kind words into the sky.

Marinette likes Adrien. She really does.

He's a good friend, and after that whole misunderstanding with Chloé and the gum, basically cemented himself as an all-around good person. He's given her more homework help, fashion advice, and general pep talks than she could ever count.

But Marinette doesn't like like him.

(And maybe she would, in an alternate universe— he's kind, sweet, handsome, and all of Paris is quite frankly in love with him, but her heart belongs completely to someone else.)

So a sudden reveal that he has a crush on her superhero persona… and not even her primary one, doesn't really bother her as much as it could.

Besides, as far as she was concerned, Adrien had never interacted with Multimouse. She wonders how he could've gotten all those thoughts about her in his head, but decides it's just one of his stranger quirks and leaves it aside.

It's probably infatuation with a superhero. Nothing new, really. (She's experienced fans claiming they 'loved' her when all they truly felt was admiration. Nothing less, and honestly, nothing more.)

Marinette knows what true love is.

She knows it so clearly that when it comes jumping from the buildings, rooftop to rooftop, her heart threatens to beat out of her chest and follow him.

He lands on the empty balcony with ease.

"Why so glum, bugaboo?" Adrien asks. "You look exhausted. Didn't get enough rest last night?"

Marinette wants to scream. They're supposed to be patrolling tonight; alternating between Ladybug and Chat Noir, then Multimouse and Chat Noir, then Ladybug and Multimouse— a plan which, on paper, sounds perfect.

But in this case, Marinette's both, she's Ladybug and Multimouse (and herself at every other point of the day), and therefore hasn't had any sleep at all.

It's tiring, but seeing Chat Noir, she finds, makes her feel a lot better.

"Had some things to do… in the real world," she mumbles instead, lazily leaning upon the railing. "How was it yesterday?" Marinette asks, opting to change topics. "Multimouse said you're working well together."

Chat Noir almost beams when the words escape her mouth.

(Marinette vaguely wonders if it's possible to be jealous of herself.)

"Really?" He asks, eyes bright. "She said that? I've honestly been so worried about whether or not I've been making her uncomfortable… she doesn't talk a lot, which I think is a shame, because I'm sure she has a ton of interesting stories…"

"Hey," Marinette stops him. "Remember that Multimouse has to keep her identity secret. She can't risk giving any information that might lead back to her civilian self. She's new to this, so it's only right that she's more careful than we are."

It's strange, talking about herself like this.

"You're right," he sighs, before turning to her. "Hey… can I tell you a secret?"

Marinette frowns. What could this be?

"I actually know who Multimouse is," he finally confesses. "I know it's Marinette."

Well, she already knew that. She was the one responsible for him making that realization, after all.

But what gets her is how comfortable he is saying her name— when really, all he should know is Ladybug and Multimouse.

"So you saw her detransform, huh?" Marinette asks, looking up to the sky. "I hope you'll keep it secret."

"Of course I will!" Chat Noir protests, then takes a deep breath. "I'm glad you trusted her. She's a good person."

Now how does he know that?

"I mean—," he stumbles over his words. "From what I've heard! From her friends… and online posts… and stuff… I've definitely never met her before!"

Liar.

Why is he so terrible at lying?

Because that's something she knows now. That Chat Noir knows her. That he knows Marinette. So to some extent, she knows him.

Which means that there's a very large possibility that Marinette has spoken to Chat Noir. That Marinette has interacted with Chat Noir. That Marinette is maybe even friends with Chat Noir. And that for all her talk about being in love with him, she doesn't recognize him at all.

"... Ladybug?"

"How do you know Marinette?"

The question escapes her tongue before she can stop it. It's a dangerous question, one that can ruin their secret identities completely, but she can't help doing so.

She needs to know.

He's evidently panicking. Marinette watches him with a steady gaze, even though she's all but in complete chaos on the inside.

"I'm kinda maybe in love with her."

Well.

She wasn't expecting that at all.

"You… love…," the words aren't registering, and she's struggling to get a single word out.

He sighs. "Yeah, cat's out of the bag now? I know her a bit in real life. She's just so kind and talented and cute… it's impossible not to fall in love with her. That's why I was so excited when you started recruiting Multimouse again— and why I've been so insistent on having her on patrols with me."

Wait.

"But it's okay! I'll never tell her that we actually know each other. Cat's honour!" Chat Noir smiles at her, acting as if there was nothing at all wrong in the world. "And don't worry, everyone I know has or had a crush on Marinette at some point. I'm one-in-a-million, so I don't think this'll narrow your search on me by that much…," he begins, "as long as you don't look."

Except she's looking. Even against her will, Marinette's mind speeds through everyone she knows that has a similar build to his.

Blonde hair, green eyes, about her size…

Only one person fits that bill.

The word escapes her mouth before she can stop it.

"Adrien?"

"... okay, so maybe I messed up."

"So you're the reason I haven't been sleeping?"

"Well I mean, I'm flattered…"

Marinette gets the situation she's in quickly. Adrien, however, takes a little bit longer.

"I meant for patrolling you absolute zero-braincelled—

"Patrolling? Ladybug, what do you mean…"

"Hhh. Think about it for a second."

"Ladybug…"

"You can do it."

"… you're Multimouse?"

"And…"

"And that means…"

"Come on now."

.

.

"Marinette?!"

[ronninoir]

Can I Steal You For A Second Chapter 34

Summary: Adrien is forced to participate in a new dating show, but becomes more excited when Ladybug says she’ll participate as her civilian self.

AKA: AU where Adrien doesn’t know Marinette, the superheroes are 22 and Gabriel is mean and ruthless but not Hawkmoth.

Read on AO3

Start from the beginning Chp 1 on AO3

The jump to the mansion was exhilarating. Chat had forgotten how much freedom he felt while flying across the rooftops, especially with how trapped he’d been these past four days. Chat inadvertently flinched when he thought of all that he’d done since the last rose ceremony.

The producers kept pressuring him to have dates and have Lucie meet his dad, but he couldn’t focus on anything besides the task at hand. He met with teams of lawyers, scoured through paperwork and legal documents relating to the show (and in the process he found out how much Chris Harrison was making... damn.) and anything else that could give him an edge over his father. Thankfully, he had it in with various employees at his father’s company, a plus side of being the nice-Agreste, and kept Gabriel busy and unaware of what Adrien was going through.

But Adrien had had enough. He needed a break, a breath of fresh air that wasn’t just sitting down to eat. He needed to see Marinette, and it was a need that he couldn’t resist.

That’s why, as Chat, of course, Adrien was running across the rooftops of Paris trying to remember which room Marinette slept in. Thankfully, Plagg remembered from the night of The Task and gently guided him towards the right window. Once he pushed open the window, however, he learned that Plagg’s guidance wasn’t necessary. Marinette was wide awake, staring at the window as if she had been expecting him. He dropped his transformation as soon as their eyes met and went to sit next to her on the bed, while Plagg joined Tikki off in the corner.

“Why are you sitting here with the lights off?” Adrien blurted, feeling the pressure of the silence and needing to break it.

Marinette, who’s gaze was locked on her lap, gave a small smile before responding, “Waiting for you, Chaton. I had a feeling you would come tonight.”

Adrien gave a small smile and scooted closer to her so he could grab her hand. She twined his fingers with hers and he was able to appreciate how well they fit together. “Why so somber?”

Marinette sighed, but still wouldn’t meet his eyes. “You know why. Just get it over with, okay?”

Adrien blanched and glanced around the room for some sort of clue for what she was talking about. “What am I supposed to be doing?” He asked quietly, reaching out to stroke her cheek, but Marinette turned away.

“I figured it out, okay? It’s been four days since the rose ceremony and nothing has happened. The producers have been whispering and prepping Lucie and completely ignoring me. I put the pieces together, and the only conclusion I came up with is that we’ve reached the end. Your dad won and I’m being forced out of the show.” She let out a shaky breath and finally turned to look at him head on. “I’m sorry you couldn’t find any leverage, or anything to blackmail your dad with, but at least you tried.” Marinette smiled a smile that was almost a grimace.

But Adrien had stopped listening.

“Marinette you’re brilliant!” He said confidently, reaching over to kiss her. When he pulled away, Marinette just looked stunned. And a little hurt.

“Why do you sound so excited about that?” She asked in a small voice, but Adrien was already explaining his line of thinking to a newly curious Plagg and Tikki.

“You see, we’ve been going about this the wrong way. I should have known that Father is too organized about his formalities to leave any loopholes in the paperwork. I’ve been trying to work through this the legal way. What we’ve been needing is the illegal.” 

Marinette stood up then, and Adrien turned towards her, expecting her to be celebrating with him. Instead, she was incredulous, and Adrien took an inadvertent step back. “Are you telling me, that for the past four days, while I’ve been packing and unpacking and trying to figure out how to say goodbye to you, you’ve been searching for a way to take down your Father LEGALLY?!”

Adrien just shrugged, “What’s wrong with that?”

Marinette let out a small chuckle, “Oh my innocent little Kitty,” before pulling Adrien into a hug.

Adrien melted into her hug before her words registered in his mind. “Wait, why were you trying to say goodbye to me?”

Marinette just laughed and pulled him in tighter, “I’ll tell you when you’re older.”

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

 The next day, Lucie was whisked off by the producers first thing in the morning, and Marinette was given a sealed note. She kindly thanked the producer before running off to her room to read it.

Marinette giggled with relief when read her instructions and was relieved that it was finally going down tonight. Inside the note was a list of things she needed to do, and was grateful that she would have the whole mansion to herself today.

“Okay Tikki, I’ve done everything he asked. Do you really think this is going to work?” Marinette’s eyes were sparkling with excitement and thankfully, Tikki’s were too.

“If everything goes as planned, then this should work flawlessly.” Marinette giggled at the idea. She could be engaged to the love of her life by the end of the week. All that stood in her way was tonight.

Marinette dressed in pair of black pants and a black shirt and pulled her dark hair up into a messy bun, hiding it in the red ballcap that she had stolen. Besides her obviously feminine face, she looked exactly like an intern that had been itching to get behind a camera all season long. As long as no one looked too closely at her face, she was golden.

Right after Lucie got back, Marinette snuck out. She found the band of producers that had taken Lucie home and followed them to what she could only assume was production headquarters. No one looked twice at her, but Marinette didn’t dare speak. The hardest test was yet to come. Once inside the hotel, which Marinette realized with a jolt was the same one that Adrien was staying in, she broke off and followed the map that had been delivered to her by Plagg. She followed the long hallway, and, after making a handful of turns, stopped at an unmarked door. She knocked confidently and counted to fifteen before the door opened.

“What is it?” Gabriel Agreste asked glancing down at the red ballcap but not at her face.

Marinette threw her voice an octave lower, “They want you for an interview in room three.”

Marinette could still feel Gabriel’s eyes boring into her head, but she finally heard a swift “Fine,” before the door was closed and he started walking down the hall. Marinette smiled to herself and followed.

“I don’t know why this wasn’t put on my schedule. You all have become sloppier as the show has gone along. I’m grateful this is almost over and I’ll never have to work with camera crews and ignorant producers ever again.” Gabriel snapped as they walked. Marinette just stayed silent, knowing that’s how most of the producers treated him anyway.

When they arrived at the door, Marinette unlocked it, with a key that was also delivered (and most likely stolen) by Plagg earlier that day. She held the door open for Gabriel and quickly shut the door behind them before ducking behind the very large camera that had been set up in here. Someone had done a great job, as the room truly looking like an interview space. Marinette pretended to fiddle with the camera as Adrien, who was not disguised in any way, slipped into the shadows and shot her a wink.

“Whenever you’re ready,” Marinette said, throwing her voice again.

Gabriel frowned but started. “Meeting Lucie today was such an enlightening experience. She was such a pleasant girl and I truly hope that Adrien chooses her. She would be a wonderful addition to the family.”

“Even though I don’t love her?” Adrien asked, stepping out from the shadows.

Gabriel did a double take and put one hand to his forehead, as if he had a headache. “Adrien, what are you doing here?”

“I’ve come to discuss something with you, Father.”

“Can it wait?” Gabriel snapped, removing his hand from his face and gesturing to the camera, “I’m trying to get this interview over with.”

“No. We’re talking now.” Adrien said firmly.

Gabriel glanced at the camera and then back at his son. “Fine. Stop filming,” he instructed the camera before turning back to his son. “Speak.”

“I’m through with the lies.”

“What in the world are you talking—”

“You know what I’m talking about! I’m done with lying to the cameras, to you... no, for you. This ends now.”

Gabriel let out a humorless laugh. “Very funny, Adrien. Let’s go.”

“No.” Adrien responded. “I’m serious. You have to butt out of my personal life.”

“And I will, as soon as you and Lucie have been engaged for 6 months. By then the company merger will be final and you can break up with Lucie and marry that other girl—”

“Marinette,” Adrien nearly growled her name and Marinette shivered behind the camera.

“Yes, that one. Once you’ve done what I need you to, I will happily leave you alone. But for now, you’re mine.” Gabriel stood up and straightened his suit. “Now, we’re done here.” Marinette gently shifted the camera to follow Gabriel, slow enough to where he didn’t notice the movement.

“Sit.” Adrien commanded, but Gabriel ignored him. He was halfway to the door when, “Father, I’m quitting the company,” finally got his attention.

Gabriel turned around slowly. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me! I’m done. I refuse to be your perfect model son anymore. I’m going to get a degree in something I actually want to do and sue you for the use of my face. You’ll be out millions and a spokesperson. Plus, I doubt my lawyer would find it a good idea to still have you in my life, so you’d never get to see your son again.”

“Why would you say something so—”

“But,” Adrien cut him off, with a new sense of hope evident in his voice. “You can stay in my life. You convince me to stay at the company. Under one condition.”

There was a long pause. Adrien was standing tall and so sure of himself that Marinette beamed with pride. This was so much more than the boy who, in the beginning of the season, was hoodwinked into keeping Lila for eight weeks. He was standing tall with his head held high, and Marinette could finally see her wonderfully brave partner without the suit on.

Finally, Gabriel replied, “What’s your condition?”

Adrien breathed a small sigh of relief before replying, “Marinette.”

“No—”

“You’re not listening,” Adrien cut him off once more. “You have two choices. You either stay in my life and keep me in the company, but Marinette gets to be the winner. Or, you lose me, my face, and everything else and I still run off to marry Marinette without you and this stupid show.”

“Is that all?” Gabriel asked sarcastically, and turned on his heels towards the door. 

“I wouldn’t if I were you. That camera has been filming the whole time and as soon as you walk out that door, I post this on the internet and ruin the show and your reputation.”

Gabriel’s eyes shot a furious look at Marinette, who finally made eye contact, smiled and gave Gabriel a wave. Recognition crossed Gabriel’s face before he turned back towards Adrien. “If you think that you and your little bitch will get away with this—”

“We already have.” Adrien spat, anger coloring his voice.

Marinette could see Gabriel working it out, looking for loopholes, something that could still get him everything he wanted. Slowly his face got redder and his eyes began to narrow as he realized he was cornered. Gabriel was about to open his mouth to speak, when Adrien cut him off again.

“You know what? I’ve changed my conditions.” Adrien was still angry, and he slowly started stepping towards his father. “Not only will you butt out of my life on the show, but you’ll also train Marinette to take over your company. God knows it could use better leadership than what it has now and Marinette is perfect for that job.”

Marinette let out a little gasp, which caused Gabriel to once again look at her. “You,” he hissed. “You’ve hoodwinked my son into handing over his fortune! You are just a little gold digger! I knew it was a mistake not to take care of you and your poisonous ambitions myself!”

“Do not talk to her like that!” Adrien yelled at the same time that Marinette stepped out from behind the camera and yelled, “Why do you think so little of him?”

Both Agreste men froze and stared at her.

Marinette made eye contact with Adrien, who’s eyes were wide with shock. The look on his face broke her heart, but she turned to Gabriel, knowing she needed to get this off of her chest before they continued.

“Why do you still treat Adrien like a child? He is a grown adult, who is smart, kind, polite, and so aware of his actions and the consequences they could have on you it’s insane. He only looks out for you and your company. He cares about this company even though he hates working for it, but he’s too nice to leave because he knows that if he does, there wouldn’t be a kind-hearted Agreste left to smooth over all of the problems you make with everyone. He is the first boy to notice me, my flaws, my mistakes, my over-thinking everything, and he still gets me. This sweet, amazing boy that you raised doesn’t care about his own dreams in life. If he can help me accomplish mine then he will drop everything to do so. I love him more than words could every express, and I know that you’re too heartless to understand this, but Adrien could be poor, and dirty, and homeless, and have no visible benefit to me, and I would still choose him every day.” 

There was a long pause where both men just stared at Marinette. Adrien with tears in his eyes, and Gabriel quizzically. Finally, Adrien cleared his throat and addressed his father once more.

“I’ve presented you with your options. Marinette deserves to run your company, and she deserves your respect. You’re free to leave, Father, just know that camera footage will be kept in a secret place until the show has finished filming.”

Gabriel stared at Adrien for a long time before turning on his heel and walking out of the room.

No one dared to breath for a solid minute. “That went better than I expected,” Plagg announced as he flew out of the corner where he had apparently been hiding. Tikki joined him and flew next to Marinette. “Are you okay?” She asked, placing a gentle hand on her cheek.

Marinette just looked up at Adrien. “Why did you ask your father to make me the head of Gabriel fashion?”

Adrien, who was beaming at her from ear to ear, just engulfed her in a hug, “Because no one else in this world is more deserving than you. Plus, I want to keep the company in the family, and this seemed like the best way to do it.”

“We really did it, didn’t we?” Marinette breathed, resting her forehead on Adrien’s.

“Yes, we really did.”

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

 Marinette didn’t have much time to enjoy their success the next day, before the producers were grooming her for her “meet the family” date. Marinette didn’t know what to do, what to say, what to think about how Gabriel was going to react to this, but thankfully, Adrien knew her well.

“He’s going to behave.” Adrien reassured her on the phone minutes before she got out of the car to see him in person. This conversation was happening off the record. “I’ve talked to him since and he knows that in order to make this seem like a normal day filming the show that he’s going to have to act civilly.”

“If you trust him, then I will.” Marinette whispered, aware of the producer who provided the phone sitting next to her. She was sure that he didn’t know what the phone call was specifically about.

Adrien laughed, and even through the phone, the sound made her heart skip a couple of beats. “Oh, I don’t trust him. I just know that he’s very good at compartmentalizing, considering he’s done that with me my whole life. This date should seem completely normal to an observer.”

“Understood.” Marinette turned towards the window, as the producer slowly started to lean closer to the phone. “I’ll see you soon.”

“See you soon, Bugaboo.”

Marinette handed the phone back to the producer and thanked him. He didn’t ask any questions.

A couple of minutes later, Marinette was out of the car before it even fully came to a stop. She knew the cameras were watching her, but part of her didn’t care. They had defeated the big bad wolf, what was stopping her from diving into her new life with Adrien at her side? If they didn’t have to play by the rules, they would have already moved in together and started planning a wedding. Sadly, Lucie was still madly in love with Adrien, and no matter how much she loved him herself, she didn’t have it in her to hurt Lucie more than she already was going to be.

She managed to walk towards Adrien calmly, smiling like an idiot and playing her role very well. Thirty-six hours between us and forever. Marinette could survive today. 

“Hey, beautiful,” Adrien said as Marinette got closer. He wrapped her up in a hug and he gently kissed her. When he pulled away, the smile on her face wasn’t faked.

“I’ve missed you,” Marinette gushed, bouncing on her toes with excitement. Their time after Gabriel had left the night before was not long. They had enough time for words of encouragement before Marinette had to get back. Thankfully, Tikki helped her slip into her bed right as the first producer came looking for her, so no one noticed she was missing. She did have enough time this morning to give Lucie one last squeeze and for her to give a whispered “Good luck,” before Marinette was rushed out the door.

“I’ve missed you too. Are you ready for today?” Adrien asked, casually taking her hand and leading her to a bench nearby. Marinette, who was just now becoming aware of their surroundings, realized they were at the actual Agreste Mansion. She’s always been curious as to what lies beyond those gates, and today seemed to be the day she’d find out.

Marinette breathed in a shaky breath, “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

Adrien gave her hand a squeeze, “They are going to love you.”

“They?” a strangled cry left her lips, but Adrien had already stood her up and was leading her for the main gate. Marinette was able to appreciate the grandness of the mansion once more before the gates opened and she was led down the long driveway towards the looming front doors.

Funnily enough, the only thing that Marinette could think of while walking towards the mysterious people in her future family was how grand this place would look all dressed up for a ball. Like she was a princess in a movie, walking up to the castle for the first time. She could imagine the people in Victorian dresses and tall wigs and powdery make-up and a beautiful 25-piece orchestra playing the waltz as the doors slowly slid open, reveal the hidden prince. Her illusion shattered however when her real-life prince charming squeezed her hand one last time as he slowly pushed the door open.

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

Marinette had to admit, Gabriel really was being civil. As soon as they arrived Gabriel had been cordial, acting as though nothing major had happened between them in the past 24 hours. He addressed her directly and asked a couple of surface-level questions, and they were able to carry on in front of the cameras well.

Thankfully she was spared the one-on-one conversation with him, when Adrien’s bodyguard, who Adrien introduced as Gorilla, whisked her away first. They had a nice chat about Adrien, and she felt as though he was asking her more dad-like questions than Gabriel would have. “What are your intentions? What did your parents say to you about Adrien? Will you be comfortable adapting to Adrien’s lifestyle?” Marinette answered every one calmly and truthfully, hoping that the Gorilla accepted how much she really cared for him.

After Gorilla came Natalie, who was stiff and clearly just there as a diversion so she wouldn’t have to talk with Gabriel. Although, right as Marinette was about to be taken away, Natalie cleared her throat and said, “Whatever he decides, I hope you love him enough for this to work,” and Marinette detected a hint of actual feelings in her statement. 

After Natalie, Marinette was preparing herself for Gabriel, when a different Agreste showed up. “I want to show you something,” Adrien whispered, grabbing her hand and leading her up the grand staircase in the main foyer.

“Mr. Agreste, if you’re taking me away to take advantage of me, you should know that I know how to defend myself,” Marinette joked as they ran up the stairs. Adrien’s laughter almost gave them away as they slid into a room off of the hallway.

The first thing Marinette noticed was the view. It was gorgeous. There were at least 6 sets of floor-to-ceiling windows that showed off all of the beauty of Paris in one glance. Once she tore her eyes away from the view, though, she was caught breathless again. It was clear this room had everything a little boy could have dreamed. From the latest video game console to the half pipe and basketball hoop on one side of the room, to the entire balcony full of what Marinette could only assume were movies or video games. But, there was also evidence in this room that a young adult had lived here as well. The desk took up almost the entire corner of the room, three times bigger than a normal desk, and on it was stacks of papers and textbooks, as well as three computer screens and a laptop. On the couch was some sort of science project that looked much too complicated for Marinette to understand. And standing right in front of the gigantic bed, looking abashed and red in the cheeks was the young adult himself.

“Adrien this room is—”

“Too much, I know. It has evolved throughout my childhood and there is even a piano hidden out of sight that will appear at the touch of a button.” Marinette just felt her jaw drop, but Adrien continued as if nothing unusual had happened. “That’s not the reason I brought you up here, although I did want to show you a piece of my childhood.” Adrien grabbed her hand once again and walked her towards the crazy mess of a desk. He came to what seemed to be a random drawer, and pulled out something dark and square. “I want you to meet the most important person in my life.” Adrien said as he passed the object towards her. 

It was a picture frame, and inside of it was a woman. She was blonde and green-eyed like Adrien and absolutely stunning. Marinette could tell that the picture was slightly old, but it was a great picture, and only one person who this could be. “This is your mother,” Marinette told him, and he gave her a bright smile and nodded. “She looks just like you,” Marinette smiled, the love obvious in her voice, as her fingers caressed the glass.

“I get that a lot.” Adrien beamed back. “I just didn’t think that my family would be complete if you didn’t at least see her before you left.”

“Can you tell me about her?” Marinette asked, offering the picture frame back to him.

“She was the most kind-hearted person I’ve ever met. She loved me more than anything else and brought the best out of everyone, including Father. He was happy when she was around, and he acted like a true father. She was pure light, and everyone who interacted with her could see. She starred in a movie, right before she passed, and I watch it every year on the day she disappeared, so it feels like she’s there with me. Next year, you can watch it with me,” Marinette blushed and she was overwhelmed with love for this woman she had never met. But, if there was someone who could very clearly make such an outstanding impact on Adrien, Marinette couldn’t help but love them as well.

“She sounds wonderful, Adrien.” Marinette pulled him into a hug and he squeezed her tight.

“She was. I wish you could have met her, she would have loved you.” Marinette made a happy humming noise in response, and the two just stayed locked together for a moment. When Adrien started to pull away, he was smiling so sweetly that Marinette almost melted to the floor. He rested his forehead on hers and asked, “You wanna know how I know?”

“Sure.”

“You have similar energies. You both bring so much joy to those around you and put positive experiences out into the world. You never cause someone to be upset and if you do, you find a way to fix it, and she was just like that. She made friends with Audrey Bourgeois, for goodness sakes!” Both of them let out a giggle, although Marinette felt her eyes tearing up at his words. “But most of all, even without all of that stuff, she would have loved you because I love you. She would have seen the way I look at you and known and that would have been enough for you to be a good person in her book.” Marinette felt a tear slip down her cheek, but Adrien wiped it gently off her face.

“Thank you for sharing her with me, Adrien.” Marinette said in a thick voice, feeling more tears threaten to slip out.

“Always.” Adrien’s lips found hers and they shared a deep kiss for a moment, until a knock came at the door.

“We’ve been discovered,” Adrien whispered, reluctance to walk away clear in his voice.

“We better get it, we need to finish filming,” Marinette’s voice was a whisper too and he leaned down and kissed her one last time, before grabbing her hand once more and leading her towards the knocking and back downstairs.

~~~

Sorry for the late update!! My sister was faster than me in getting it out but I finally did lol! We are nearing the end of this lovely story and I sure do hope y’all stick around for it all! 

Let me know if you wanna be added to the tag list

@momor3202

@legendaryneckjudgestudent

@discoveringmiraculouswriters

@adrianarfox

@verooquieremimir

@jeminiikrystal

[alexannah]

MLB: Villain Interview: Hawkyura Crack!

This was meant to just be a short crack scene … it got a bit out of hand … I’m now planning to turn it into a full multi-chapter fanfiction. But for now, it’s this.

~*~

Nadja: Thank you very much for agreeing to do this interview.

Hawk Moth: Mayura thought it would be a good idea. I’m still not convinced.

Mayura: You really want Ladybug and Cat Noir getting all the media attention?

Hawk Moth: Hmph. Fine, let’s get this over with.

Nadja: Let’s start off with what everyone wants to know. Why exactly do you want Ladybug and Cat Noir’s Miraculouses?

Hawk Moth: I’m not telling you that!

Nadja: Why not?

Hawk Moth: Firstly, it’s none of your business. Secondly, I’m never telling anyone that ever again. I don’t need the competition, thank you very much.

Nadja: How intriguing. You told someone before? Who? What happened?

Hawk Moth: What? I—Nothing. Forget I mentioned it.

Mayura: He told Robostus what the Miraculouses were for, and he decided he wanted them for himself. When Hawk Moth threatened to take away his powers—

Hawk Moth: Mayura! We don’t have to tell that story!

Nadja: Please go on.

Mayura: … Robostus set off Hawk Moth’s self-defence system and almost killed him.

Hawk Moth: Thanks a lot, Mayura. What did you do that for?

Mayura: To show how much you need me to vet your ideas.

Hawk Moth: It was one miscalculation!

Nadja: *hiding a smirk*

Mayura: Anyway, I have to agree with Hawk Moth, Nadja. We’re not answering that question.

Nadja: Fair enough. Next question, then …

Nadja: If you could be any one of the superheroes, which would it be?

Hawk Moth: I take offence at that question!

Hawk Moth: I would not want to be any of the heroes, because I will eventually defeat them.

Hawk Moth: …

Hawk Moth: …

Hawk Moth: …

Hawk Moth: … But if I have to answer …

Hawk Moth: Ladybug.

Hawk Moth: She’s clearly the brains of the operation.

Nadja: And you, Mayura?

Mayura: Hmm … I think I would prefer to be Ladybug. But I have to admit, I do rather like Cat Noir’s sense of humour.

Hawk Moth: *gives her an incredulous stare*

Mayura: Don’t look at me like that.

Nadja: For example?

Mayura: Well, the last time he texted me—

Hawk Moth: Texted??? WAIT. YOU’RE IN CONTACT WITH CAT NOIR???

Mayura: He sends me memes that make fun of you.

Mayura: I think his intention is to break up our partnership by undermining your authority.

Mayura: It doesn’t work, of course.

Hawk Moth: *smugly* Of course not.

Mayura: First of all, because I’m the ‘brains of the operation’, aren’t I?

Hawk Moth: *mutters* Yes, dear.

Nadja: *smirking openly now*

Mayura: Secondly, because I’m the one who had to untangle him from Rapunzel’s hair after a fairy tale themed villain catastrophe, make an amphibious bloodhound sentimonster when he accidentally dropped his Miraculous down the drain, and give him the Heimlich manoeuvre when he swallowed an akuma while practising his villain laugh.

Hawk Moth: *scarlet in the face*

Nadja: *trying very hard not to laugh*

Mayura: And I’m still here.

Nadja: Why are you still here?

Hawk Moth: *with pride* Her loyalty to me knows no bounds.

Mayura: Because without me he’d have lost ten times over by now.

Hawk Moth: Did you insist on doing this interview just to help Cat Noir undermine me?

Mayura: *quickly* Anyway, you can’t deny you respect Cat Noir’s sense of humour as well.

Hawk Moth: How dare you! I don’t respect anything about any of them!

Mayura: Don’t lie to me; I’ve heard you repeating his puns to yourself and laughing.

Nadja: *giggles*

Hawk Moth: I … wasn’t laughing at them! I was …

Hawk Moth: …

Hawk Moth: …

Hawk Moth: … mocking him for his stupid juvenile sense of humour!

Mayura: That would make your own sense of humour stupid and juvenile, wouldn’t it?

Hawk Moth: Shut up.

Hawk Moth: Next question?

Nadja: It’s obvious the two of you are very close.

Hawk Moth: What makes you say that?

Nadja: Well, for one thing, Mayura is practically sitting on your lap with your arms around her waist.

Mayura: He’s just protective.

Nadja: How long have you been together?

Mayura: We couldn’t possibly say. Secret identities and all.

Hawk Moth: But we’ve been working together long enough to make a formidable partnership.

Nadja: I meant personally, Hawk Moth.

Hawk Moth: Sorry? … Wait, you mean—We’re not a couple!

Nadja: You called Mayura ‘dear’ earlier.

Hawk Moth: That doesn’t mean anything! It’s just a term of endearment for a friend!

Mayura: He calls me ‘my dear Mayura’ sometimes, too.

Hawk Moth: Not helping, Mayura!

Nadja: Also you two bicker like an old married couple.

Hawk Moth and Mayura: …

Nadja: And I have to say, for two supervillains, you’re quite endearing.

Mayura: … Er … thank you?

Hawk Moth: Don’t thank her! She’s wrong!

Nadja: There’s no need to get defensive, Hawk Moth.

Hawk Moth: *jumps to his feet*

Hawk Moth: I AM NOT DEFENSIVE!

Nadja: Why are you denying so much that the two of you are in love?

Hawk Moth: *splutters incoherently*

Hawk Moth: Because we’re not!

Nadja: You so are.

Hawk Moth: I’M MARRIED, OKAY?

Nadja: Oh, congratulations! When did you and Mayura tie the knot?

Hawk Moth: NOT TO HER!

Nadja: Oh. I see. How very awkward. My commiserations to Mrs Hawk Moth if she’s watching.

Hawk Moth: *facepalms*

Mayura: *clears throat* Was there something else that gave you the impression we were a couple, Nadja?

Hawk Moth: Don’t encourage her!

Nadja: So glad you asked, Mayura! Run the slideshow, please.

Hawk Moth: *muttering* I liked her much better as Prime Queen.

*screen shows photo of Hawk Moth holding Mayura in his arms*

Hawk Moth: That’s completely out of context!

*screen shows photo of Hawk Moth holding Mayura in his arms again*

Hawk Moth: So is that!

*screen shows photo of Hawk Moth carrying Mayura bridal style as he races across the rooftops of Paris*

Hawk Moth: That doesn’t mean anything! We’re not in love!

Nadja: Are you quite sure about that, Hawk Moth?

*screen shows photo of Hawk Moth momentarily distracted gazing rapturously at Mayura as she fights Ladybug*

Hawk Moth: …

*screen shows Hawk Moth kissing a battle-worn Mayura tenderly on the forehead*

Hawk Moth: …

*screen starts playing footage*

On Screen Hawk Moth: At last, the Miraculouses are mine!

On Screen Hawk Moth: *literally has Ladybug and Cat Noir right where he wants them*

On Screen Mayura: *stumbles slightly*

On Screen Hawk Moth: *immediately abandons his chance to get the Miraculouses and runs to her side*

On Screen Mayura: What did you do that for? You were so close!

On Screen Hawk Moth: I thought you were falling over!

Studio Audience: Ahhhhh!

Hawk Moth: …

Mayura: *gently takes Hawk Moth’s hand*

Mayura: Why did you choose me, Hawk Moth? That wasn’t the only time.

Hawk Moth: *stares at her as if he has never seen her before*

Hawk Moth: …

Hawk Moth: …

Hawk Moth: *realisation finally dawns*

Hawk Moth: …

Hawk Moth: … Because you’re more important to me than winning.

Hawk Moth: More important than all the power in the world.

Hawk Moth: More important to me than …

Hawk Moth: … what I wanted to do with it.

Mayura: …

Everyone Else in the Studio: *apprehensive silence*

All the Millions of Viewers: *apprehensive silence*

Hawk Moth: *gently tugs on Mayura’s hand*

Mayura: *stands up*

Hawk Moth: *slowly draws her close to him*

Hawk Moth and Mayura: *kiss*

Nadja: *wiping her eyes* And there you have it, viewers. A love story of fairy tales.

Nadja: … Sort of.

Hawk Moth and Mayura: *keep kissing*

~*~

*OFF AIR*

Mayura: *approaches a smirking Cat Noir*

Mayura: Thanks for setting this up.

Cat Noir: You’re welcome, Meow-ra. Seeing Hawk Moth getting embarrassed live on television was enough reason on its own.

Cat Noir: By the way, does he really laugh at my puns?

Mayura: Yes.

Mayura: And his own are worse. But don’t tell him I told you that.

Cat Noir: *grins* My lips are sealed.

Cat Noir: Though …

Cat Noir: … I’m not sure I understand how making him realise he’s in love with you was the key to stopping him from akumatizing people …?

Mayura: He wanted to use the wish to resurrect his wife.

Cat Noir: OH.

Cat Noir: Now I get it. Except …

Cat Noir: Why were you helping him? If you love him …

Mayura: I wanted him to be happy.

Mayura: And until you directed me to that Hawkyura tag on the Ladyblog …

Mayura: I didn’t believe I could do that for him.

Cat Noir: Yeah, his expressions when he looks at you are pretty telling.

Cat Noir: And kinda priceless.

Mayura: The one where he’s kissing my forehead is now my phone wallpaper.

Cat Noir: Are you going to tell him that this was all your plan and that you conspired with me and Nadja to pull it off?

Mayura: …

Mayura: Maybe after the honeymoon.

~*~

*THE NEXT DAY*

Adrien: Nathalie, my phone’s run out of battery. Can I borrow yours?

Nathalie: Of course.

Adrien: …

Adrien: …

Adrien: …

Adrien: Nathalie, why do you have this picture from the Ladyblog as your wallpaper?

Nathalie: Er …

Nathalie: …

Adrien: Are you …

Nathalie: *tenses in anticipation*

Adrien: … a secret Hawkyura shipper?

Nathalie: *relieved sigh*

Nathalie: …

Nathalie: … Yes.

Adrien: Oh.

Nathalie: On a completely unrelated note, Adrien, your father and I have something to tell you …

~*~

Anyone fancy doing some fanart for this? Please do! My own drawing skills aren’t good enough and I don’t have the patience to wait until they are ...

When I post the full fic, I’ll tag it “hawkyura interview” as well so people can find it, since I haven’t decided on a title yet. (I have an idea but might use it for a chapter title instead.)

The bit about Hawk Moth choking on one of his akumas is based on a piece of fanart I saw but now can’t find. Can someone help?

[morning-star-57]

Miraculous Quirk AU

Idk if someone has already done this but here we go!

So, I recently got into Boku no Hero Academia and I got to thinking, what if the Miraculous universe was set in the same one as Bnha?

So, those of us who watch Bnha know the drill, 80% of the population has superpowers, called “quirks.” The other 20% are “quirkless.” So here’s how it would play out in my brain.

Super duper long, oops, so under the cut!

Miraculous:

works pretty much the same way as canon

only doesn’t give you a suit the holder picks that themselves

they work similar to One For All does in Bnha

the power of the previous owner fuels the power of the miraculous and the previous user can still use the power, but a weakened version of it

Ladybug miraculous gives the holder the power to create things and heal

Black Cat miraculous gives the power to destroy things with a touch (at will)

And so on, pretty much like canon but with some modifications

Marinette

was born quirkless

when she was younger, kids (cough Chloe cough) would make fun of her for it

was insecure about it for a long time and then saw all of the ways that quirks could backfire and decided it wasn’t worth it and it no longer bothers her (much)

(seeing Chloe blind herself was funny tho, even if it was temporary)

still wants to be a fashion designer

wary of superheros because of all of that property damage and also some of them are lowkey sus.

parents still own a bakery

Sabine’s quirk is levitation. She can make items and people float with her  mind but they have to be things she can physically lift (it’s okay tho cause she’s smol but strong). The drawback is that she gets really bad headaches and if she uses it too much or for too long, she can get a migraine.

Tom has a smaller, tamer version of pyrokinesis. He can’t make his entire body burst into flame but he can make certain parts, like his hands. He has a naturally high resistance to extreme weathers as his body heat is unusally high (hugs from him during the summer are bittersweet b/c he’s a great hugger but it’s too damn HOT DAD GET OFF-). The drawback is that he can’t control the temperature of the flame so if he’s not careful or if he uses his quirk for too long, it’ll burn him. His arms have many burn scars, rip.

back to Marinette

Decided the Hero Life wasn’t for her but still supports her friends who want to do it

Until she met the Lucky Hero, Tikki, her favorite

After plot happens, Tikki gives her the source of her “quirk”, the miraculous, and entrusts Marinette to carry on her legacy

Lots of angsty turmoil before she accepts the miraculous and decided to become a hero.

Chooses to be named the Ladybug, same as canon

Her hero costume would be the same as canon AT FIRST since her decision to go to a hero school was last minute af but then the suit will go through modifications to better suit her power needs and fashion needs

Got through the entrance exam after training with Tikki and because she’s badass shh

Doesn’t get a crush on Adrien until later once they’re already friends (or at all really idk yet)

Adrien

was the result of a quirk marriage

was the *failed result of a quirk marriage

Instead of inheriting both quirks of his parents, like intended, they combined and created a new one

His quirk is Charm. His body releases an invisible pheromone that makes him seem more attractive or trustworthy, sometimes both, depending on the person who smells it. This makes the “victim” more susceptible to his suggestions, but it’s not a total brainwash, unlike his father, so they can still easily fight it off if they wanted to. The drawbacks are that he can’t really stop it so he has to be constantly covered so that he doesn’t accidentally charm everyone. Also, after a while, people can build up tolerance to him and it won’t work as strongly on them.

Gabriel has Brainwash, which is often seen as a villain’s quirk. Everyone is thankful the he decided on fashion as a career and not villainy (oh those poor naive souls). If he looks into your eyes, you are put in his control and won’t be able to fight it unless he lets you go or if you receive a blunt impact to the head. The drawbacks are that he can’t control it so anyone who he makes eye contact with gets brainwashed unless there’s an obstacle in the way i.e.: glasses

Emilie’s quirk is sleep gas. Her skin cells naturally produce a gas that can put people in a coma-like state. The drawbacks are, again, can’t turn it off and the person has to be within range. She also has to be constantly covered.

Adrien wanted to be a hero at first to spite his father

Gabriel always hated heroes and saw them as a nuisance.

So Adrien basically said “fuck you, I’m going to be the best hero because I can”

And somehow convinced his dad to enroll him in College Francois Dupont, a local hero school

(he acutally just charmed him cause his dad isn’t around him enough to build up immunity to his quirk but shh)

He gets in through recommendations and is put in the hero course

This version of Adrien was still childhood friends with Chloe (who is immune to him) and a lot more distrustful of people, especially if they’re nice since he has no way of know if they’re genuinely a nice person or if they just fell prey to his quirk

rip the sunshine boy he has no friends except Chloe for the first few weeks of class

Becomes friends with Nino after they got paired up in a fight simulation

The slowly gets more comfortable around people and becomes more open to friendships

Doesn’t get the Black Cat Miraculous until much, much later when the Squad gets caught up in a fight with villains and the Unlucky Hero, Plagg (Tikki’s partner and husband) decides to entrust him with it

Impulsive chaotic gremlin that gets threatened to be put on a leash made by Marinette 

Chloe

also the result of a quirk marriage, this one being successful

Her quirk is called Diamond. Her skin has an extra layer that acts very similarly to an actual diamond so she can reflect, refract, and disperse light. This layer can also harden at her will so that she can become a semi-indestructible prism. Her body’s reaction to light intensifies while in this state. The drawbacks are that while her body is hardened, she cannot move easily and her speed will be greatly reduced. Also, her skin is just very sparkly almost all of the time which makes it hard to hide from villains and to see when it’s sunny out. Usually wear large sunhats and sunglasses to try and reduce the shine

Her and Adrien bond by being products of a quirk marriage

also got in through recommendation and everyone thinks she bought her way in but actually tried very hard to earn her spot

is VERY protective over Adrien and will blind someone if they say anything she deems offensive

She and Marinette practically hate each other on a good day before they were forced to hang out since Adrien kept bringing Chloe along with him whenever the Squad would get into shenanigans

They developed a mutual agreement to be civil at one point and that slowly turned into friendship

Y’know the type of friends that insult each other and fight over every small thing but the second someone else tries to come for the other they won’t h e s i t a t e BITCH

yeah that’s them

anyways, I digress

Is surprisingly the sensible one of the group

“no you cannot run headfirst into the fight Adrien, these are actual villains and you can’t even pass a simulation without dumb luck.”

“I don’t care if your quirk can heal you Marinette, stop jumping off of rooftops and go down the stairs like a normal person!”

“Put it down, Nino.”

“Luka. No.”

you get the idea

she is Mom

Says she wants to be a hero because hero’s are cool and she’s cool so it just makes sense for her to be a hero

(actually though because she wanted to make her mother proud of her but you didn’t hear it from me)

Is lowkey really powerful and if she tried to use the full extent of her powers, she’d be a beast

but don’t tell her that, she’s already got a big head

Luka

is working towards becoming an underground hero

His quirk is sound amplification. He amplifies preexisting sound waves to what ever frequency is needed. Depending on the frequency, he can break through almost any object. The drawback is that sound waves can damage his hearing and can become temporarily deaf if he uses it too long or if he creates a frequency that’s too high for his body to handle. Has a chance of becoming permanently deaf if he overuses his quirk too many times

His suit comes with modifications to help with that so he should be fine he hopes

His guitar doubles as a weapon since he usually amplifies whatever chord he plays

Already has his provisional hero licence

is still really chill

is one of the first to figure out Marinette’s secret but is a good boi so he doesn’t tell

you’d think that being the oldest of the group he’d be the sensible one but nope

is accidentally the one that encourages shenanigans 

Luka, innocently: Hey, did you know that the teachers don’t lock up the sim rooms?

Chloe: *Death glare*

Luka: *nervous confusion*

the one who encouraged Juleka to go for the hero course 

Nino

Adrien’s best friend, just like canon

started out as general studies since he wasn’t sure if he was good enough to be a hero but a teacher saw his potential and was transferred into the hero course

His quirk is time reduction. He can slow time or even stop it completely if he concentrates very hard, allowing him to get one place to the next in literally no time at all. He used to think it was super speed because this but found out what it really was when he tried to save a cat from being run over and stopped time. He can also stop  only certain objects in time but that takes up more energy. The drawback is that if he overuses his quirk he starts to speed up his own time in order to compensate for the time he’s losing so he becomes very tired and after “3 hours” of his own time passed he will pass out from exhaustion. Also, he can only manipulate the time within his quirk’s range which can go up to about the size of an american football field (160 feet/49) meters.

is super insecure of his quirk because he thinks it’s not as cool as everyone else’s

they make sure to let him know that that’s bs and he’s very cool

feeds off of Adiren’s chaotic energy during simulations

has been put in timeout by Chloe when this happens

will stop time to bask in the moment 

gets emotional during this

there have been many times where the Squad is chilling and suddenly everyone just sees Nino sobbing 

group hugs ensue

Adrien, probably: “Chloe get your shiny ass in the cuddle pile or so help me-!”

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 I’ll make a part two since this is already so long, but that’s it for now! What do y’all think?

Part 2 is now up!

[phoenixplume117]

Aspik & Marinette

(If you  read my other works this does NOT fit in with that timeline)

2017

Ladybug turned to Rena Rouge she needed someone to deliver Sass to Luka but she couldn't do it right now.  She looked over at Nino-er Carapace, right now they were on the offensive, they didn't require his defensive power she ran to him.

"Carapace!  I need your help!"

Carapace turned to her and nodded while watching the Akumatized woman begin to run their way, along the river, "uh.. sure?"

Ladybug opened her yoyo and produced a box, "I need you to find--  Ugh, I hate telling you this.  You already know who Rena is…" she mentally argued if she could deliver it herself.

"How about instead of telling me who it goes to, you let me guess?" he offered?

Ladybug looked down the Seine at the quickly approaching Melusine that decided to dive under the water and gain it's mermaid tail, dragon wings, "Alright, it's the Miraculous of the snake."

"Um, Julika's older brother?" Carapace didn't bother to tell her that everyone already knew everyone else except who she and Chat Noir were.

Ladybug took a step back in surprise then recovered and pretended he was wrong, "Uh, I've met him, he sounds like a good match for a one time use, take it to him let the kwami, his name is Sass, explain how it works, now go!"

Carapace ran to the Couffain's boat and he was nearly there before he remembered, Luka broke his leg the day before.  He quickly thought then veered to his best friend's house, Adrien wasn't home, he would just be getting out of fencing, he ran to school.  Out of breath he hid in the shadows of the courtyard stairs and waited.  When Adrien walked out of the cloakroom doors he rushed him, picked him up and pulled him under the opposite stairs so no one would see them.

"Adrien Agreste?"

Adrien looked at the turtle superhero and knew he was needed, some place, IN BLACK but he was about to be offered something else.  Plagg was going to be pissed… again.  He nodded,  "Yes?"

Carapace looked around and finding no one he pulled the box out from under his shield, "This is the miraculous of the snake…"

Adrien did even hear the rest of what his sometimes partner was saying. He just looked at the box trying to figure out a way to say he did not want to do this.

Carapace opened the box with a grin and a flourish, "Well?" a heartbeat went by and his best friend didn't respond, not that he knew they were best friends but he thought for sure Adrien would be at least a little excited.  He'd been completely stoked when LB had given him Lil' Dude. "Uh, Du- er M. Agreste?"

Adrien looked like he was in pain or at the very least mildly constipated.

Sass spoke up, "Master Agreste, may I explain the way my miraculous works?"

Adrien looked at Sass, "um, can I not?  I'm kind of not supposed to put myself in danger."

Carapace looked surprised but Sass didn't, he remembered their time together. 

"Um, dude, I'm sure you can, but I'm begging you, LB needs our help Chat Noir is totally MIA and this is the first time she's ever asked me to do something so important. Please, don't make me let her down."

Adrien had to smile, Carapace was such a team player, how could he let his friend down, he reminded him so much of Nino sometimes.  On the other hand he really did not want to do this, after all history had shown him, the odds were not in their favor if he were Aspik.  He looked at Sass who also didn't seem thrilled, where was Luka?  His face lit up, Luka!  "Actually, I know who Viperi.." Adrien trailed off and his smile faded, he'd forgotten.

Carapace nodded, "Yeah, I guess, I was right, the guy who broke his leg yesterday?"

Adrien shrugged, "Ladybug said I had to keep it a secret so I'm not really sure how I should answer that."

Carapace grinned and held out the box again, "Adrien Agreste-"

Adrien pursed his lips then put his hand out, "Okay," he put the miraculous on and quickly called the Gorilla to tell him the team had extra drills and stashed his bag then transformed.

Carapace watched his efficiency and reminded himself to tell LB to give Adrien a Miraculous more often.  "Ready?"

Aspik nodded and ran after Carapace into battle.

With a little black blur tucked between him and his lyre giving constant negative feedback.

"You could have said no," Plagg said.

"I tried," Aspik whispered.

"Did you forget the last time?"

"No, I just need to figure out a way to, get hurt or something," he said.

"Did you say something?" Carapace said, turning toward the river.

"Yeah, what am I supposed to be fighting?"

"Oh, it's like a massive Melusine the size of a statue, it can switch between legs and fins.  And we haven't figured out what the akumatized object is."

"She needs her Chat Noir not Snekboi," Plagg said dryly, then to make sure Aspik understood he was being made fun of, "That's spelled S-N-E-K-B-O-I."

"Yeah, I figured," then louder he replied to Carapace, "Um, I'm going to meet you at the riverfront on the other side, see if I can get a lay of the area."

Carapace nodded, Adrien was smart, Viperion did that a lot, watched the entire battle area, to see what needed to be done, "Okay!  Thanks I appreciate it so much!" Carapace said, then ran ahead.

Aspik ran diagonally away from him, then found a recessed area and detransformed.  "Sorry Sass but-"

"He's mine!" Plagg interrupted, "Stop trying to take MY chosen."

Sass looked unimpressed, "First, I don't choose to be GIVEN although Master Adrien is very nice I much prefer Master Luka, Second, until now, I had no idea you were Chat Noir… My condolences having to work with… Him," Sass said looking at Plagg.

Plagg's chin dropped in shock, that anyone would think that he was anything less than amazing. After all, he was!

Adrien rolled his eyes and reached into his pocket for some blue colored cheese and popped it in Plagg's, still open mouth, "Snack time." he said.

"Yuck, that completely messes wi-" he grumbled with his mouth full.

"Aqua Plagg, Transform Me," Adrien said, looking both ways then ran for the water, tucking the Snake Miraculous's bracelet into his pocket.  Now Sass was hiding in his hair, something that occasionally Plagg would do.

"You know you don't have to pick on him," Chat Noir chastised Sass.

"He needs it, don't worry about him," Sass replied.

"So nice of you to join me!" a frustrated Ladybug was suddenly in front of him in the water.

Chat gave her a gallic shrug, "I came as soon as I could, and worse yet, I have to leave early, I know I've never done that before."

Ladybug looked ready to blow her top.

"Milady, I've told you my parents really worry about me well, I don't think the excuse I gave them was very good," Chat lied trying to come up with a way to show up as Aspik for at least a few minutes of the battle.  He didn't want Ladybug to think HE was a loser after all.

By this time they had finally caught up with the akumatized woman, "Woah! She's huge, are you sure she's not a sentimonster?"  And she was naked, Carapace hadn't said that.

Ladybug nodded, "Yes, she's been talking to Hawk Moth."

Chat nodded and shot forward and began climbing the Melusine's braid.

"Chat!  No!" Ladybug yelled, "Stupid cat," she muttered, then climbed up after him.

"Excuse me!" Chat Noir said from the Melusine's shoulder.

The Melusine stopped and a wave pulled Ladybug from her hair throwing her backward.

"Cat!" the Melusine yelled under the water.

Chat looked a little less certain of his plan at this point, "That's me," he said hurrying away, "so who are you?" 

The akumatized woman gestured to herself as if it were obvious, "Melusine, didn't you learn anything in history?!"

Ladybug swam up, "What happened?"

Melusine snapped her gaze to Ladybug, "Give me your miraculous and I'll tell you all about it."

Chat looked at the woman and realized she wasn't wearing anything he vaguely remembered the story but her hair was braided, he raced down her braid and sliced through the band with his nails hoping that was the object and ran off not waiting to find out if he was right.

Ladybug smiled, how could she have missed the clear elastic? The black butterfly floated toward her in the water trying to get to the surface but she swam after it.  When she broke free a hand was waiting to pull her out and she looked up, it was Aspik.  She'd told Nino to give Sass to Luka!  She'd deal with this later she only had seconds left from using her Lucky Charm before Chat had joined her.

She jumped out and purified the akuma and ran to detransform only to find she'd ran out of snacks for Tikki.

"It's okay Marinette, I'm sure Aspik can take care of the woman," Tikki said.

Marinette leaned around the bridge's side to see and Tikki was right, Aspik was talking to her and calming her.  Her heart melted, Adrien was so awesome, she would just watch for a second she thought.

"Marinette?  What are you doing?  You don't want to be caught."

"Okay I'm going," she said and began walking as if she'd been taking a stroll along the river suddenly she heard quick footsteps catch up to her.

"Hey, are you okay, were you hurt?"

Marinette  turned, "Me? No, why, wh-who are you?" she feigned ignorance.

Aspik introduced himself, "I'm Aspik, I'm, ah, just helping, I'm supposed to give my miraculous back but," he shrugged, "everyone left."

"Oh," Marinette smiled shyly.

Aspik grinned, this was kind of fun, he didn't get to see Marinette as often as he used to since they were in completely different classes.  It would be nice if LB would let her be Multimouse but he knew it wasn’t worth his time to even bother asking.

Marinette looked over her shoulder in confusion, “Um? Did something… Happen?”

Aspik looked at her with narrowed eyes then leaned back to check if maybe she had been hurt, “You didn’t know there was an akumatized giant?” 

Marinette felt her face get warmer and tried to calm herself, “Uh-uh?” She looked around, she had to get out of here so she could feed Tikki then get his miraculous back from him.  Aspik  was looking at her thoughtfully and she worried she was being too obvious.

Adrien worried, maybe Marinette had hearing problems, maybe that's why Ladybug wasn't giving her another chance, he sighed and looked up at her in time for her to throw her hands up and clip him in the chin.

"Actually I heard- OH!, Omigod!  I'msosorry!  Aaaaspik!!!!!" she wailed as she tried to correct herself from saying his real name.

Aspik smiled, this was the Marinette he knew and lov-uh…  liked.  Right, liked.  "It's okay, it was an accident you barely brushed me, what were you saying?"

Marinette wished there was a hole nearby for her to crawl into, "I heard something but just figured it was someone with their television too loud."

Aspik nodded then pointed across the street, surprised they were so close to her home already.

"Well, this is me, thanks for taking me home," Marinette smiled and waved as she hurried away from him.

Aspik nodded and waved with a silly grin.

"You can stop waving, she's not even looking at you," Plagg said from behind his shoulder.

Aspik dropped his hand and his silly grin and coughed as if it could make the embarrassing moment go away, "I hope she's okay."

Plagg rolled his eyes and went back to his hiding spot between Aspik and his lyre, "She's fine."

"She thought the fight was someone listening to their television."

"She's fine, let's get home so your pretty lady can get your miraculous.  Or should I say Luka's miraculous."

Aspik was walking toward school for his bag but detransformed in a crevice first.  

When he reached his bedroom he was surprised to find Ladybug sitting on his sofa watching his television.  

"Adrien!" She jumped up.

"M-Ladybug!" he said simultaneously.

"I-I'm sorry, I was just waiting and, I hope you don't mind," Ladybug said pointing to his television.

Adrien shook his head, "Not at all," he reached into his bag, "I didn't mean to keep this, but everyone just left."

Ladybug shook her head, her face turning pink, "I didn't think that, Chat Noir and I had to rush out, sorry, I should have said something or sent someone!  I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable," she said biting her lower lip.

Adrien walked forward, the sofa between them holding the oval box to her.  "I'm not, I'm happy you felt comfortable here.  You should come over more often-er-I mean- ifyouwant," Adrien rushed to finish.

Ladybug gently plucked the box from his hand then took her yoyo and opened it depositing it inside to give her something to do as she recovered her sanity.  Was he inviting her over?  She nearly squealed in her mind. "Thank you, Adrien, I know how hard being Aspik is for you."

Adrien shook his head, "It, it was fine."

Ladybug put her hand on the back of the sofa and leaned forward and kissed his  cheek and whispered, "Thank you."

Adrien's eyes fluttered shut and when they opened she was gone.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/23469514/chapters/57343678

@adrinetteapril

[angelofthequeers]

Hold Me By Both Hands: Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I don’t own ML.

Chapter 10 | Chapter 12 | AO3 link

“Excuse me, best friend.”

Oops. Well, one can only escape from Alya Césaire’s determination for so long.

“Hi, Alya!” Marinette pastes a wide smile on her face. But she’s not fooling either of them.

“So.” Alya loops her arm through Marinette’s, locking Marinette in place as they head into the school courtyard. Guess there’s no escape from this interrogation. “You’ll talk to Chat Noir but not to your best friend?”

“Huh? How did you –”

“Adrien called me last night. He ran into Chat Noir and asked him to check on you,” Alya says. Marinette bites back a growl. Adrien, that snitch. “But, you know, when your bestie gets there, you’re just too distraught to talk to her.”

“I…don’t know. I guess because you were there, but Chat wasn’t, so it was easier to talk to him about it. And after all the times he’s visited –”

“Wait. Hold the fuck up. Excuse me?” Alya skids to a halt. Marinette just grins sheepishly. Oops. “Since when has one of Paris’ superheroes been visiting you? Multiple times? And you didn’t even tell me, the Ladyblogger?”

“Because it would’ve ended up all across Paris, Miss Ladyblogger,” Marinette says dryly.

“Excuse me! As if!” Alya says. But she deflates when Marinette raises an eyebrow. “…Okay, yeah. I’ll give you that one. Anyway, Marinette, details. Now.”

Marinette sighs, but there’s no wriggling out of an interrogation with Alya the journalist unless either a) there’s an akuma attack, or b) she’s literally dying on the spot. So, she resigns herself to telling Alya all about her realisation after the group work with Adrien and Lila, her attempts to navigate being Adrien’s friend while dealing with her crush on him, Chat Noir’s occasional visits, and then what had happened last night. By the end of her tale, Alya’s eyes are as wide as golf balls.

“This is major!” she says. “Why didn’t you call me for all this Adrien stuff? I mean, sure, I love that you got to use a superhero as a diary, but I’m your best friend!”

“I’m sorry,” Marinette says. “I guess…well, after all the effort you put into getting me and Adrien together, I didn’t want to…let you down.”

“Excuse me?” Alya huffs. “Let me down? I was putting all that effort in to make you happy, girl, not because I got off on it or anything. You think I’d have been upset if you’d said you didn’t want to chase after him anymore? I’m with you no matter what, Marinette.”

Marinette smiles down at the ground before directing that smile at Alya. “Thanks, Al. I just…my head’s been a bit of a mess and I wanted to sort it out first, so I knew what I was exploding about.”

“That, I can accept,” Alya says. “But “not wanting to let me down”. Honestly, Mari, if I’ve sat through every single attempt to ask Adrien out and they didn’t let me down, I’m not sure what you think letting me down would involve.”

“True,” Marinette says just as they draw level with Adrien and Nino, who are sitting cross-legged on the ground next to one of the courtyard walls. She and Alya flop down next to them, and while Alya immediately snuggles into Nino’s side, Adrien waits until Marinette nods before he rests his head in her lap. Her stomach does a flip-flop, but she’s not in danger of melting into a puddle, and if Adrien’s choosing to act like everything’s normal between them and he hadn’t learned of her massive crush last night, well, Marinette’s not going to complain one bit.

“I can’t decide whether that’s the cutest or most sickening thing I’ve ever seen,” Alya says, then leans up to kiss Nino. Marinette raises an eyebrow.

“You were saying?” she drawls as she starts to rake her fingers through Adrien’s hair. Adrien makes an odd laugh-cough sound that has Alya narrowing her eyes at him, but that sound quickly morphs into a long purr when Marinette scratches a certain spot behind his ear.

“Did you just purr, dude?” Nino says.

“No!” Adrien bolts upright with pink cheeks. “Nope!”

“Uh huh,” Alya smirks. “Sure you didn’t. Speaking of purring –”

“I’m not sure I like where this is going,” Adrien says.

“– Mari, since you’ve got a new pet superhero,” Alya continues as though Adrien hadn’t spoken, “will we be expecting kittens anytime soon?”

“W-What?” Marinette splutters. For some reason, Adrien also reacts to Alya’s question by flushing a deep red and gaping like a fish. “Alya!”

“What?” Alya grins rather devilishly. “I mean, since you’re not going after Adrien anymore –uh, I mean –”

“It’s okay, I know,” Adrien says. Marinette makes an odd squeaking sound because how does he know that? “Uh – Chat Noir told me that she just wants to be friends. Because I asked if Marinette was okay last night after Glaciator attacked or if she was upset with me. I just wanted to be sure? Sorry if I overstepped…”

“I hate each and every single one of you,” Marinette says, wondering if it’s possible to boil her brain in her skull. “Except Nino. I’m adopting him.”

“If it means I get to live in the bakery, I got no problems with that, dude,” Nino says dreamily.

“I didn’t cross a line, did I?” Alya says, the teasing smile vanishing like smoke. “If I went too far –”

“No. No. It’s fine. I’m fine,” Marinette says. “If Adrien knows and he doesn’t care, tease away. But I’m still adopting Nino.”

“Like hell,” Alya says. “I got him first.”

“You can adopt me if you give me more head scratches?” Adrien says with a pout that might have made Marinette spontaneously combust before today, but now only fills her with pleasant warmth. He knows. He knows about her crush. And he doesn’t hate her! He still wants to be her friend! He’s even lying back down in her lap!

“So long as she gets to put a collar on you,” Alya says with her evil grin back in place. “Maybe she can even custom-make it Chat Noir style.”

“Alya!” Marinette whines, once again carding Adrien’s hair through her fingers as she leans against the cool brick wall behind her.

“What?” Alya says as she pulls out her phone and flicks through her notifications. She grimaces. “Ugh. That annoying Alternative News blogger’s trying to smear me again just because I’m willing to go out and get the footage. You know, instead of pinching off other sites and then whining that the quality’s always shit.”

“Hi, guys!” A beaming Lila bounds over to them. “Mind if I join you?”

Marinette, Adrien, and Nino exchange looks, while Alya’s so invested in her drama that she doesn’t even seem to have noticed Lila’s presence. Lila’s smile fades.

“I’m so, so sorry, Marinette,” she says. “I never meant to hurt you! I’ve never had many friends and I just wanted to tease you like friends do and, well, I guess I forgot that Adrien was right there. Do say you’ll forgive me!”

Marinette wants to say no. She really does. But that’ll only make her look like the bad guy at this point, so she just shrugs. Lila beams and throws herself down next to Marinette and pulls Adrien’s legs into her lap while he closes his eyes. Marinette wonders if she’s imagining the slight stiffness to Adrien when Lila’s got hold of his legs.

“That’s so cute!” Lila says when she realises what Marinette’s doing. She nudges Marinette and sidles even closer so that their arms are touching. Marinette’s about to slide away and cite personal space, but Adrien beats her to it when Lila leans over to try and stroke his hair too.

“No!” He hisses like a cat and curls himself around Marinette, cracking one green eye open to look at Lila. “Only Marinette.”

“Oh gosh, I’m sorry!” Lila says. “I shouldn’t have assumed! I just saw how happy you looked, and like I said, we’re very touchy in Italy –” Before she can finish her self-deprecating apology, she jumps up. “Never mind! See you in class, guys!”

“Is it just me, or does she make it all about her when she’s apologising?” Alya’s finally detached herself from her phone, just in time to catch the tail end of the drama.

“You noticed it too, babe?” Nino says. “Felt like she was trying to make Marinette feel bad.”

“I just don’t get her,” Marinette says. “She’s nice enough but…am I the only one feeling like there’s more to her than she lets on?”

“Definitely not.” Adrien pushes himself up and stretches with a groan. His shirt rides up and exposes a sliver of belly and even though Marinette’s trying to focus on being his friend rather than eating his face, she can’t help but look away with flaming cheeks. “She could just be scared of opening up. Or there could be more, because I don’t think last night was an accident. But I don’t think we can judge her until we know more about her.”

The four of them sit in silence for another minute or so, until Alya and Nino start to once again lean in closer.

“Okay, that’s our cue,” Adrien says. He jumps to his feet and offers Marinette his hand to help her up. “Wanna go for a walk and give them some alone time?”

“Yeah, go with him, Mari,” Alya says. “Both of you can go far away and get bent.”

Marinette sticks her tongue out at Alya, then follows Adrien just in time to avoid seeing the kiss that she knows is happening. The two of them escape to the courtyard’s staircase and huddle together on one of the steps, leaving enough room for people to get around them when heading up or down, and the feeling of Adrien’s arm pressed against her is probably going to make her spontaneously combust on the spot. But at the same time, why is there this tiny, nagging feeling that she’s somehow betraying Chat Noir by drinking in the physical contact with Adrien?

“Hey…sorry about yesterday.” Adrien finally shatters the silence that’s surrounding them like a bubble to keep out the chatter of the other students.

“Why are you sorry?” Marinette says. “Lila’s the one who ruined it, not you. I’m just glad to know you don’t hate me for my c-crush.” She gulps around the lump in her throat because there, she’s finally dropped the c-word to his face, and she ends up wiping her sweaty palms on her jeans.

“Wait, what?” Adrien says. “No way I’d hate you for the way you feel! I’m just glad to know why you were always so weird around me. Look…do you want to hang out this weekend? For real, since last night got interrupted? I’ve got a photoshoot on Saturday but I’m free on Sunday.”

“What if your father doesn’t let you?” Marinette says. “It must’ve been a pain to get out last night.”

“I’ll sneak out if I have to,” Adrien says immediately. “A certain friend told me that I need to stop walking on eggshells just to avoid upsetting my father because I’ve been worried about him since he became the Collector. My friend made me see that my freedom is worth more than letting my father dictate everything just because I’m worried that I’ll upset him. Part of it is keeping my head down so things don’t get worse but…that’s a reason and not an excuse, and just because I ignore what’s there won’t make it go away.”

“Your friend sounds wise,” Marinette says.

“He can be,” Adrien says with another little smirk that leaves Marinette feeling as though there’s an inside joke she’s missing. “When he’s not being a brat about everything.”

“Oh, I didn’t know you were still talking about Chat Noir,” Marinette teases, giggling when Adrien rolls his eyes at her and crosses his arms.

“He can be mature and wise,” Adrien says with an honest to god pout. “But the way he gets to be so free when he’s jumping through Paris is…inspiring. He helped me see that Father’s always going to control my life no matter what I do and that I’ve got good friends who are worth sneaking out for. I guess he helped me realise what I do have rather than what I don’t have.”

“Wow,” Marinette says, at a loss for words. There’s still so much she doesn’t know about her partner and while it’s partly her fault for insisting they not talk to each other about their private lives, she’s also certain that this is the best option for now. She already cares so much about him, so if his civilian identity was someone like, say, Nino or Adrien, she’d probably spend all battle worried sick about him and maybe even slip up in the heat of the moment. “I never knew Chat Noir had that side to him.”

“Not too many people do,” Adrien says. “So…do you want to hang out on Sunday? We don’t even have to go out anywhere if you don’t want to. I…really like your house. It was so cosy and warm when we trained for that gaming tournament.”

Marinette’s cheeks heat up at the fact that Adrien had literally just said to her face that her home is awesome. “I – sure! I’d show you fashion design but of course you know all about that, since you’re a model and all.”

“We’ll think of something. I’m just super happy that you actually like me and want to hang out with me.” Adrien looks like he’s made of pure sunshine, so brilliantly bright that he melts Marinette into goo on the spot. “Hold on…you could come to the photoshoot on Saturday! It’s really boring, so only if you want, but you did design that hat that Father liked and you did just say that you’re into fashion design, so it might be something that interests you.”

“Really?” Marinette tries to process the fact that she’s got an actual invitation to be there with his knowledge instead of awkwardly skulking around to look like she’s not watching. She tries not to wince at how…cringey she was. Tikki would totally scold her for thinking that and say that she’s just a teenage girl making mistakes and figuring things out but…still. “You’d actually want me there?”

“Of course,” Adrien says. “It might be nice to have a friend along. I can text you the details. So long as it doesn’t cause schedule conflict, Nathalie won’t care. I can –”

“Ugh, move!” Chloé shoves past Marinette, despite having plenty of room to climb the stairs, even with Sabrina right behind her. Marinette yelps and would’ve plummeted face-first if not for Adrien rushing to grab her and pull her back.

“Thanks,” Marinette says breathlessly.

“No pawblem,” Adrien grins, and she groans. “I guess I just have cat-like reflexes.”

“Well, at least you know your place, Dupain-Cheng. Beneath me.” Chloé scoffs. Her whole face changes when she turns to Adrien, and she bats her eyelashes and coos, “Hi, Adrikins! When you get tired of hanging out with this baker’s daughter, come and find me, okay?”

“God, she makes me so mad,” Marinette growls once Chloé and Sabrina are gone. “I don’t even know why she still gets to me! It’s so – so old!”

“I’m sorry,” Adrien says. “I should’ve said something. I know I said I’d try and stand up to people but…the thought of telling Chloé off scares me.”

“You’ve done it before,” Marinette says. “Remember when my uncle was akumatised?”

“Yeah. I know. But that’s…different.” Adrien sighs and runs a hand through his hair. “If I push her too hard, she could decide I’m more trouble than I’m worth. And I know I’ve got you and Nino and Alya but…I just…”

“The thought of anyone leaving you is terrifying because it feels like you weren’t good enough?” Marinette says softly. Adrien just grimaces and shrugs, so she holds her hand out and lets him make the move to take it and lace their fingers together. “I get it. I don’t like it, but I do get where you’re coming from. Um…how did you and Chloé even end up friends? And how are you both so different? You’re both rich and…well, you know, you both live with your dads, but you’re so nice and she’s so…”

“It’s…not really my place to say.” Adrien scratches the back of his neck.

“Oh! Then you don’t have to tell me!” Marinette babbles. “Really, I’m just poking my nose in –”

“Hey, it’s okay,” Adrien says with a small laugh. “I can tell you how we ended up friends. I just can’t tell you anything about Chloé’s mother unless she says I can. It’s not for me to say. All I can say is…I only lost my mother recently, so she was around for most of my life.”

“I get that,” Marinette says. All anyone knows is that Chloé’s mother is world-famous fashion critic Audrey Bourgeois – a fact that Chloé loves to parade around when she feels that being the mayor’s daughter isn’t enough of an advantage – but no one knows why Audrey doesn’t live in Paris with her husband and daughter.

“Father was actually found by Audrey Bourgeois when he first started designing. She helped him make a name for himself. And…she was my mother’s friend. That’s why Chloé’s my childhood friend: our parents knew each other since before we were born. And I know she’s not the nicest person but…she was all I had for so long. I don’t want to lose all those years where she was the only friend I was allowed to have because my parents didn’t want me out in the real world.”

“True friends call each other out when they’re wrong,” Marinette says. “Alya always tells me if I mess up. If Chloé hates you because you make her take responsibility for her actions, then she’s not really your friend. Sometimes…the right thing is the hard thing, and you just have to do it, even if that means losing those years of friendship. And I’m not saying that because I don’t like Chloé,” she hastens to add. “Part of why I love Alya so much is because she doesn’t sugar-coat things, so I know I can trust her to help me be a better person.”

“Yeah…” Adrien says.

“It’s not just that Chloé’s not a nice person. I’ve met a few people who weren’t nice but were also good people. She’s a bully, Adrien. She made my life so miserable for four years before now. I didn’t have any friends before Alya because Chloé made sure of that. I’m not telling you this because I want you to stop being her friend. I’m telling you this because you’re the only person she’ll listen to.”

“Well…I’ll try. I just haven’t stood up to anyone since my father was akumatised. I don’t want to make him more upset than usual. I’m still not sure he’s forgiven me for borrowing his book and brooch.”

“Feels like you can’t ever make him happy,” Marinette mutters, then she gasps. “Did I say that out loud? Crap, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to badmouth your dad in front of you –”

“Hey, no, don’t apologise!” Adrien squeezes her hand. “I appreciate knowing that you care. Just don’t say it in front of him, okay?”

“I make no promises,” Marinette says, trying to calm down her racing heart because holy shit, she’d just badmouthed her fashion idol in front of his son! “There’s a quote by Majestia that Alya told me on our first day of school that’s stuck with me: “all that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good people do nothing”. What it actually means is that I can’t seem to keep my big mouth shut when I need to.”

“Well, Ladybug can’t either, but everyone loves her for it,” Adrien says. “Although probably only Ladybug could get away with saying that to Father’s face, so I’d probably not do that unless you were secretly her or something.”

Marinette swallows. Oh, if only Adrien knew.

“Which is partly why I was in love with her, you know?” Adrien says, and that makes Marinette’s breath freeze in her lungs. “She’s just so…strong and independent but she’s also kind and gentle. You can tell she loves Paris and her job and she’s not just doing it because she has to or for the attention. I just love how she cares.”

“O-Oh,” Marinette forces out. “You were in love with her?”

“I still love her,” Adrien says. “I don’t think those feelings will ever fully go away. But I’m trying not to be in love with her anymore, so I can be a good friend without focusing on trying to make out with her – uh, if she ever wants that…you know, if that makes sense?”

“Yeah. Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. That, um…pretty much sums up how I feel about you.”

Adrien smiles and nudges her. “I’m flattered. You’re a great girl, Marinette. Whoever you end up with is gonna be so lucky to have you. So long as they can get through me first.”

“Oh, ha, ha.” Marinette rolls her eyes. “I don’t need you to defend my honour. Chat Noir would probably get in first.”

“He would, wouldn’t he?” Adrien says thoughtfully. Before Marinette can reply to that, the school bell rings, and both she and Adrien reflexively jump to their feet and laugh at the same time.

“Oh – right – we should get to class,” Adrien says.

“Yeah!” Marinette says. “For once, I’m not late!” She falls in step with Adrien and they dash down the stairs to their classroom’s corridor, laughing and weaving around the gaggle of students also swarming inside.

[nobodyfamousposts]

I loooove the way you write Alya!!! Tbh it feels much more in line with Alya's character than uhhh s2 and s3 canon Alya

Thank you!

Thank you. Despite everything, I see Alya as someone who is supposed to be a good friend. Her behavior in the series doesn’t match up with that and it’s difficult to reconcile what we’re seeing vs what we’ve built from what they’ve already shown us.

In all honesty, I’ve seen Alya as a terrifying force to behold. In the first season, the greatest threat to Ladybug wasn’t Hawk Moth but the potential for Alya to discover her identity and out her to the populace. She was the epitome of the perfect reporter in a superhero setting archetype. Headstrong, a tendency of jumping into things without thinking, deductive reasoning skills, charisma, and an overall love of heroes and knowledge of the tropes. They could have done so much with her. Instead, they lost a lot of what made Alya interesting as a journalist and likable as a friend.

I can understand Alya believing Lila. I can even understand her being torn between Marinette and Lila at the time this takes place. What I don’t understand is how they have have Alya know both more and less than she reasonably SHOULD by the time these issues are cropping up.

How is it that Alya knows Lila took Adrien on a DATE but NOT that Ladybug crashed said date in the middle of a popular park on a sunny day? How is it she knows Lila was akumatized into Volpina but not why? How is it she knows enough about Volpina to know she was an akuma but not that she was present for Heroes Day? And if Marinette has been countering Lila’s claims the way we’ve clearly seen her doing, how has Alya not picked up on that enough to at least look into Lila’s stories herself?

It’s bad writing. And for all the salt I throw at Alya for her behavior in Chameleon, I can’t fully blame her for being a slave to the inconsistencies and antics the writers come up with. Hell, so much could have been forgiven in Chameleon if they had just had Alya text Marinette ahead of time to warn her about the change and Marinette either didn’t check her phone or an akuma fight still caused her to be late anyway. That way, Alya at least TRIED.

Even her disbelief of Lila’s deceptions could make sense! Realistically speaking, if Chameleon and the alluded to Lila vs Marinette war were taking place, I could see Alya being conflicted. Marinette is her best friend, but she likes Lila as well and nobody BUT Marinette seems to have a problem with her. She doesn’t want to be forced to choose between them and Lila would be skilled enough of a manipulator to make it seem like SHE’S not the one with the problem or trying to make Alya pick sides. I can see her still trying to have Marinette’s back while also trying to reign her in due to this conflict. She would be more able to see how Marinette’s behavior would appear to others even as she knows why Marinette is acting that way (even if she doesn’t agree with her). And in a realistic setting, there is only so much of Marinette’s behavior she could reasonably try to defend, especially when the others in the class are starting to notice.

In this case, Alya would be the mediator. She would try to get Marinette to notice how she’s coming across to others. But she certainly wouldn’t stand by and let anyone insult her best friend or brush off all her good deeds as being fake. After all, SHE knows what Marinette did for Adrien and really everyone else. She knows she’s done more than Adrien or Nino were even aware of. So it certainly wasn’t for attention, and she will happily fight anyone who tries to say otherwise.

Even Nino? Yes, I do think so.

After all, if it wasn’t for Marinette in the first place, Alya and Nino wouldn’t even be friends, much less together.

[quicksilversquared]

Lost Heart: Chapter 14

Panic

Magic can be a dangerous thing to play around with, particularly when that magic is tangled up in a curse. When Nathalie Sancoeur experiments with magic that she doesn’t fully understand, it sends her on a path to become Paris’ most dangerous supervillain and tips the balance between superheroes and supervillain.

But which way will the balance fall?

links in the reblog

"Oh no, Nathalie," Chat Noir breathed, flattening himself to the rooftop so he would be less visible. His eyes were huge. "Oh no."

"That's definitely her," Ladybug agreed. She could feel herself trembling against the rooftop. This was exactly what they hadn't wanted to happen- Nathalie transforming and coming out to fight them herself. It looked like she had taken charge of the Butterfly Miraculous, too, which would explain the super-violent akuma.

That must have been what the fight between her and Mr. Agreste had been about the night before. She had gotten fed up with his weak akumas and decided to take charge herself. Their one saving grace was that it looked like she had just transformed with the Butterfly Miraculous, and not with both the Butterfly and the Peacock at the same time. That meant that they wouldn't have to worry about any Peacock-generated monsters.

Well. Unless she had forced Mr. Agreste to transform with the Peacock, in which case she would just have to pull out the Tiger Miraculous and take a little tussle with it. Hopefully Mr. Agreste would be smart enough to choose Body if he had to transform, because they did not need to deal with two heartless people in Paris, particularly when one of them was currently hiding the fact that the superheroes knew everything.

"Okay, we gotta be super careful now," Ladybug murmured. "We'll head down to street level and then keep our jumps low. You can find Chloe, right?"

Chat Noir nodded. "She'll have been back at school already. I can just grab her in front of her classmates." He grinned. "I don't think any of them will be jealous right now."

"No, I don't imagine they would be."

Getting off of the rooftop without attracting the Purple Lady's attention was hard. Then Ladybug and Chat Noir sprinted through empty streets, headed for the collège. Chat Noir jumped in, while Ladybug headed for the bus stop, where she had seen a flash of Master Fu's distinctive red winter coat.

"Master Fu," Ladybug said breathlessly as she skidded to a stop. "Mayura has taken Hawkmoth's Miraculous and she's using it now instead of her own."

"Yes, I saw the news feed," Master Fu told her. He grabbed her hand and dropped his bracelet into it. "It will be a difficult fight. I need to take shelter now, but we will have to discuss how this will change our plan later."

Ladybug nodded in thanks, then spun around to haul herself into the school. It was more than likely that Nino and Alya knew that she would be coming for them, and so they would try to stay away from the rest of the students if possible. They also would have been back at school for sure, because they would want to be there to interrogate her and Adrien as soon as they got back.

Honestly, she would much prefer an interrogation over this.

As soon as she landed in the courtyard, Ladybug was moving. Teachers were ushering students into the boiler room, and Ladybug noted that as the last place she would look and instead dashed for the locker rooms. They were empty, and so were the bathrooms.

...she really, really hoped that Nino and Alya had managed to slip away from the rest of the students. It was bad enough that they knew each other's identities. There was no way that Ladybug was going to give them away in front of all of the other students.

The classrooms were all empty, and Ladybug couldn't help but whisper a prayer under her breath as she sprinted for the library. Chat Noir had no doubt gotten to Chloe by now, and the two of them would be coming out to the courtyard any minute now. She burst through the doors, fighting the reflexive urge to cringe at the clatter in the usually-quiet library, and cast a frantic look around.

"Psst! Ladybug!"

"Oh thank goodness," Ladybug said as soon as she spotted Nino and Alya peering out from under a table. A quick glance around told her that they were alone, and so she made a beeline for them. "Have you seen the news? This is the worst akuma we've had in a while, and Mayura took Hawkmoth's Miraculous and has come out."

"Wait, how do you know that she's Mayura?" Nino asked as he crawled out from under the table and straightened up, Alya right on his tail. "We haven't even seen Mayura before, have we?"

"Just trust us on this one," Ladybug told him, handing over both Miraculous. "We can't explain how we know right now, but we do. But I will just give you a heads-up that the Peacock Miraculous is cursed and since she's been using it regardless, she's pretty much lost her humanity. I think Chat Noir and I will go up against her and the rest of you will go for the akuma."

Nino winced. "Great! Fire and angry booming, my favorite."

"Trust me, it has to be better than Mayura," Ladybug told them. "And Chat Noir and I will probably end up combining two Miraculous each for extra power ourselves. Now transform, quickly!"

Alya and Nino nodded in unison and in a flash, Rena Rouge and Carapace replaced them. Ladybug gave a satisfied nod and spun around, leading the dash out of the school.

"Man, I hope this doesn't become, like, a thing," she heard Carapace commenting from behind her. "The teachers would totally be on our backs about missing class all the time. I mean, it's fine for Chloe because the whole city knows who she is, but for us?"

Ladybug smothered a snort. Oh, if only Carapace knew. She was really looking forward to the end of all this and no longer having to miss class all the time.

Chat Noir and Queen Bee met them on the roof of the school. Under her mask, Queen Bee was super pale, and it only took a second for Ladybug to figure out why.

The akuma had gotten really, really close to City Hall.

"Okay, I think it would be best if you three went for the akuma," Ladybug said, trying to map out the battle as best she could. "The akuma didn't seem to have impermeable skin or anything, so Ch- Queen Bee, maybe stay out of sight and try for a quick attack from behind, like we did with the last Scarlet Moth attack?"

Queen Bee grinned. "Got it, boss."

"Be sure to pay attention to the akuma while you're fighting it," Ladybug added. "If it's a case like Stoneheart, where it grows every time it gets hit, then try a different approach until you can get it Stung. And be on the lookout for any possibilities for the possessed item."

"And we get to fight the heartless butterfly boss," Chat Noir said. He pumped his fist in mock excitement. "Yippee!"

  Dragon Bug really couldn't say if the battle was going well or not.

On the positive side, no one had lost a Miraculous yet. None of the members of their team had been injured. The akuma had shifted focus from destroying buildings to fending off the three second-string superheroes.

On the other side, well...

The fight had been going on for hours. Queen Bee's sneak attack had failed and she had had to retreat and recharge. The Purple Lady was proving to be a formidable opponent, fighting both with her sword and without, lashing out at them and forcing them to stay back. They didn't seem to be winning yet.

And that was with the dual transformations.

There was no way to retreat and regroup, not with the Purple Lady pressing her every advantage and not letting them gain a step. Even if Dragon Bug came up with another plan, there would be no way for her to communicate it to the others without the Purple Lady overhearing.

Dragon Bug gritted her teeth as she dodged another blow, doing her best to work her way around to the Purple Lady's back. Paris was on fire, and she couldn't do anything about it.

If they were going to be facing off with the Purple Lady with every akuma attack, they needed someone who could match her in fighting prowess. Someone who could swordfight and also had a decent amount of training in martial arts. She had an idea for that, but there was no way to implement it now, even if she knew where the person in question was. Which she didn't.

"We could really use a bit of luck, Bug," Chat Noir gritted out as he parried another blow and immediately threw himself into dodging a kick. "I can hold her for ten seconds, at least. Go."

Dragon Bug nodded, throwing herself into a backflip to give herself some room. "Lucky Charm!"

A bomb dropped into her hand. Or maybe it was technically a grenade, but Ladybug hadn't exactly read up on her different types of explosives and she wasn't about to start now.

Well. So much for Tikki being a pacifist. Dragon Bug glanced up, and it only took her a second to figure out their plan. They needed some breathing room to defeat one problem at a time, and this would give her exactly that.

Chat Noir yelped as the Purple Lady threw him aside, clear to the opposite side of the rooftop. "Ten seconds up, my Lady!"

"Good, because that's all I need!" Dragon Bug pulled the pin and flung the grenade between herself and the Purple Lady before sprinting in the opposite direction, grabbing Chat Noir as she went. "Go!"

The grenade exploded, throwing the Purple Lady sky-high and shaking the rooftops. Ladybug winced as she pocketed the pin. Hopefully the occupants of the house weren't home. If they were….

Thank goodness for the Cure, that was all she could say.

"Carapace, we need your shield!" Dragon Bug yelled as she and Chat Noir made a beeline for the akuma fight still shaking the street. "As soon as we're close enough!"

Chat Noir grinned. "Aha! Keep the Purple Lady away from the fight and use all five of us to take down the akuma? Smart!"

"Yeah, I don't think we'll be able to take her down today. She'll probably clear off as soon as her akuma is defeated." Dragon Bug leapfrogged over Carapace, nodding to him. He activated his force field, extending it over the fight seconds before the Purple Lady reappeared on the rooftop. "All right, you guys! Let's do this!"

"What do you think we've been doing for the last several hours, exactly?" Queen Bee demanded as she dodged another blast of fire. "Because we've been fighting!"

Chat Noir grinned. It seemed less stressed around the edges now that it was just an akuma that they were facing. "Somebody is feeling a bit prickly today!"

"I'm missing my manicure, of course I'm annoyed about it!"

Dragon Bug ignored them, keeping her focus wholly on the akuma. It was blasting fire from its mouth, and each of its giant hand were swollen, almost as though there was something on them. Boxing gloves, perhaps? That would fit with the outfit.

"I can't figure out what the item is, Dragon Bug," Rena Rouge reported, landing next to her. "We've been looking and looking, but- watch out!"

Both superheroes flipped out of the way as a meaty hand came down at them, smashing the bit of road that they had been standing on to smithereens. As she dodged, Dragon Bug caught sight of the nearly invisible seam at the base of the hand, where it returned to normal proportions.

Gotcha.

"Chat Noir, we're going to need a Cataclysm from you!" Dragon Bug called, watching as the akuma swung again. She hadn't caught its name and at this point, she didn't care. It never swung out more than one hand at once and because both of them were identical, she needed them together for Chat Noir to destroy both at once. "As soon as I say the word!"

"Right!"

"Rena, Queen Bee, I need you over here for a second," Dragon Bug continued. rolling out of the way of a burst of fire. "I have a plan!"

"Oh, thank god!"

Dragon Bug grinned at Queen Bee's relieved exclamation. "Maybe wait until you hear the plan before you start getting too excited. You're not necessarily going to like it."

"If it works, I like it."

"I need you two to run around near each other, but not with each other," Dragon Bug explained hastily, keeping one eye on Chat Noir and the akuma. "I want the akuma to reach out with both hands at once so that I can snag them, and he's only done one at a time normally. He's getting impatient, though, so hopefully he'll try to grab one of you in each hand."

Queen Bee frowned. "You're right, I don't like this plan. I'll do it!" she added hastily. "I don't like being bait, but I'll do it."

"And be annoying as possible!" Dragon Bug called after them as they ran off. "So that he has his attention on you!"

"She's got that bit in the bag!" Rena Rouge called over her shoulder, and Queen Bee scowled.

"Hey!"

Dragon Bug sighed as she dropped back, circling around to keep out of the akuma's sight while still staying in a good position. She really wished that Chloe hadn't revealed her identity to the entire city, because Rena Rouge would no doubt be less tempted to make fun of Chloe if Queen Bee were simply another teammate, abet a prickly one. At least she was willing to work with Chloe.

In front of her, the akuma snarled as the two superheroes bounded back and forth. Queen Bee was calling out taunts, making faces as she dashed around. One hand lashed out at a time, missing every time. A purple mask appeared over the akuma's face, and it nodded before reaching out faster, the slow one, two turning into a one-two-one-two, and then even faster, onetwoonetwoonetwoone-

There.

Dragon Bug lashed out, ignoring her third beep. Her yo-yo sailed through the air, wrapping around the akuma's wrists as they were passing each other. She yanked, planting her feet, and the akuma's hands came together. "Chat Noir! Now!"

"Cataclysm!"

Dragon Bug's grin turned triumphant as the boxing gloves dissolved and the cursed butterfly fluttered free. Releasing the former akuma, she cast her yo-yo out again and snagged the butterfly, purifying it and setting it free again with a relieved breath. As her earrings beeped for a fourth time, she tossed the grenade ring into the air, setting everything right again.

As expected, the Purple Lady had fled. That was probably for the best, honestly. All five of them were exhausted.

"All right, let's go!" Dragon Bug called. Her earrings beeped one more time, and then the Ladybug part of her transformation gave. She let it go instead of calling up the spell, since Longg was still going strong and Tikki needed a break. She snagged Tikki and tucked her into her hair before Chloe could get a good look at her. "And hope against hope that no one's noticed us missing."

"I think that might be hoping for a little too much, my Lady," Chat Noir said wryly. Then he grinned. "Or should I say- my Dragon Lady?"

She could only sigh.

Five minutes later, all of the temporary Miraculous were back in the superheroes' hands, and they were headed for Master Fu's house. Tikki had recharged, and so Ladybug had re-transformed and released Longg, much more comfortable in her normal transformation and with her yo-yo at her side.

The sword was nice, sure, but she much preferred her yo-yo.

"I'm a bit worried about Mr. Agreste," Chat Noir said as the two of them landed across the street from Master Fu's apartment. "I mean, he wouldn't just give in and hand over the Butterfly, not when we're so close to succeeding. What if he got hurt?"

Ladybug frowned. "Maybe we should take a detour over there. We can just look in through the windows. If we don't see him, we'll investigate more. But we aren't going into the mansion without backup. And we'll have to keep an eye on our backs, in case Purple Lady is still around."

Chat Noir nodded. "And if we don't see him?"

Ladybug frowned. If they didn't see Mr. Agreste? Part of her wanted to say duh, we'll go in and investigate. But they couldn't. It would be dangerous. Besides, if there had been a fight and Mr. Agreste had been seriously injured, perhaps even critically (or worse), it would have happened ages ago, either the night before or several hours previously. There might be nothing that they could do. But there was someone who might be able to check, who wouldn't appear out of place. "We could approach the family's driver and ask him to check, though we would have to be careful with the wording."

"Right, right."

It took no time at all to get to the Agreste mansion and find a spot to hunker down and spy. Ladybug let Chat Noir peer in while she stood guard, eyes flashing back and forth over the skyline to make sure that they were safe. It barely took any time at all before Chat Noir let out a relieved breath.

"He's there. He's there, he's fine. He's pacing back and forth and he looks stressed, but he doesn't look- he doesn't look injured or anything."

"Hopefully it'll stay that way," Ladybug said. She glanced towards the mansion, then back out at the rest of the city. "I'd like to know how much she knows about the Miraculous. If she's still going to be using the Peacock. What we can expect in the fights until we get Mrs. Agreste awake and alive and can do the final battle."

"So we need to find a safe way to get in contact with him again," Chat Noir summed up. "Which will be hard without the kwami powers."

"Maybe Master Fu will have some suggestions," Ladybug offered. "Speaking of which- we should get over there. He's going to want an update. And we want to do that and get it all figured out as soon as possible." Her parents were going to be wondering where she was. Adrien was going to wonder where she had went. Her phone was probably drowning in messages. "C'mon, kitty."

Chat Noir nodded, sending one last look at the mansion before they headed out across the city. It didn't take long to slip into Master Fu's apartment- only after checking to make sure that they hadn't been seen or followed- and then they were being seated in the massage parlor by a worried-looking Master Fu.

"Mayura is a strong fighter," Master Fu told them, frowning deeply. "And she's going to make strong akumas. The move today was smart, focusing on the akuma so that she would have to either flee or face you on her own. But you won't necessarily be able to do that every time, because she'll catch on."

"Do you think she'll make an akuma every day?" Chat Noir asked anxiously. "I can't manage hours-long akuma attacks every day. I've got school, I've got activities- people will notice that I'm gone!"

Master Fu shook his head. "I don't know. It's impossible to tell. We have to hope that she will only go for the strongest potential akumas, which don't come up every day. And we can try to throw a wrench in her plans- though how, I'm not sure. It would be dangerous to enrage her. But based on the theories and conjecture of an old man..." He sighed, sitting back. "She is analytical. Unlike Hawkmoth, she will not continue doing the same thing over and over in hopes of something changing. She will look at where she failed, and she will change it for next time. It might mean a day or two between attacks as she plans out her next opportunity. She will go for quality of the attacks, not quantity."

"So it's likely that we'll have fewer attacks, but they'll be longer," Ladybug repeated. She made a face. As if it weren't hard enough already to cover up her absences. At least Master Fu didn't think that they would be frequent and long. "Ugh. At least we know who she is."

"Yes, and we can make a plan to take her down." Master Fu looked from one superhero to the other. "It's not going to be easy, I'm sure you saw that today. We might need to expand the team. We'll need to talk to the current team about other ways that they can use their powers. And we will have to be at the very top of our game. Any slip-up now will not be missed."

Ladybug and Chat Noir nodded.

"And I would not be surprised if the Mayor calls you in soon for a statement on the new supervillain," Master Fu added. "You will need to somehow emphasize that the new Butterfly is a bigger threat than before, without giving away too many details. We don't want her picking up on the fact that we know exactly what was going on there. It would be dangerous for Mr. Agreste, and potentially Mrs. Agreste as well for her to suspect that he had given in and was in contact with the superheroes. She would know that her own identity was at stake, and lash out."

"We need to proceed with caution. And then, when the time is right, we strike."

[edendaphne]

“Discordant Sonata” Chapter 4

Hey guys! I finally finished the next chapter of “Discordant Sonata”!

Read it here on Ao3

Read it here on Wattpad

CHAPTER 4:  WALTZ

(cw: panic attack)

Mood Music:  Medley from Frozer and Mayura (piano) - arranged by Corpington 

I can’t believe I’m doing this, I can’t believe I’m doing this, why am I doing this, this is super dumb, this is a very bad idea, why am I going through with it, do I look okay, do I have lipstick on my teeth, why did I have to open my big mouth, why do I turn into a numbskull anytime I‘m around him, why does he have to be so dang wonderful and gorgeous and kind and — Ladybug anxiously rambled and fretted internally as she walked towards the designated meeting area at the Trocadero.

Sighing, she looked up the Sunday evening movie times for the 10th time and checked her cardigan pockets (yet again) to make sure she’d brought enough money for snacks. While she knew that Adrien could afford his own fare, she wasn’t sure if she’d be the one to pay because she was the one who invited him.

What even is date protocol?! What even is date protocol when you’re a SUPERHERO?

Marinette had only ever gone on a handful of dates, none going further than awkwardly holding hands or maybe a quick peck on the cheek at the end. Her parents were high school sweethearts, which meant they were of no real help to her because they had spent practically every waking moment together since they were kids; the way they’d gone about their courtship was entirely relaxed, natural, and informal. So essentially, she was entirely lacking in experience in this field.

She finally spotted said object of her affections leaning against a pillar wearing a red zip-up hoodie, as promised. He wore his hood up, and yet he almost seemed to glow ethereally despite the dim evening light. Taking a deep breath, she walked towards him in what she hoped looked like a carefree and relaxed gait and not like a platypus, which is what she felt like in her disguise. To borrow a phrase from her school nemesis: utterly ridiculous.

A few dozen meters away, Adrien rubbed his hands nervously, then opted to stick them in his pockets to try to avoid drawing attention to himself. Plagg had snickered the whole way there and even now he kept busting out into fits of uncontrollable giggles every so often. Adrien rolled his eyes. Maybe Plagg was right and this was a horrible idea. And although Plagg did eventually warm up to the concept of going on a date with Ladybug, Adrien suspected that it was just because he wanted to watch him crash and burn.

He shook his head in determination, reminding himself that he was there on a mission: to investigate and determine whether Ladybug was trustworthy or whether she was two-faced.

Behind him someone abruptly cleared their throat. He turned to look at whoever was trying to get his attention and came face to face with a stunning young woman wearing a stylish, long sleeved cardigan and a flowing mid-length skirt. Her long, raven hair was in a low ponytail and she sported large Hello Kitty eyeglasses with tinted lenses that looked slightly out of place with the rest of her ensemble but somehow pulled the look together nonetheless.

“Hello,” he greeted. “Can I help you?” The thought entered his mind that maybe this was one of his fans and she had recognized him despite wearing his hood.

“Um,” the young woman replied, rubbing her arm nervously. “Hi Adrien. It’s me.” She waved with a gloved hand and smiled shyly, her lips shimmering with a soft pink lip gloss.

Adrien moved closer so he could see her face more clearly. He squinted for a moment, then his eyes widened in recognition. He gave a small gasp and started to exclaim, “Ladyb--!”

Ladybug surged forward and put her hand over his mouth, and raised her other hand to made a “Shh” sign. Adrien finally noticed that she was wearing her mask under the tinted glasses. He realized that she was transformed under the clothes she was wearing. He had half expected her to show up as herself, although, all things considered, that may have been a very bad idea. He had also wondered if she’d show up in her civilian form and potentially reveal her identity, but Ladybug wasn’t reckless enough to do something like that. He hadn’t considered the possibility of her wearing a disguise over a disguise.

Ladybug stood on her tiptoes and put her free hand on his shoulder so she could whisper into his ear, her breath tickling his neck pleasantly, “I didn’t want us to attract any attention but I had to come while transformed. Miraculouses have glamour magic that helps protect the wearer's identity, otherwise there’s a chance I’d be recognized.” She lowered herself and asked timidly, “I-is that okay?” 

Adrien felt like his heart was trying to jump out of his chest and he desperately hoped he wasn’t as red as he felt.  At this proximity, even without his enhanced Chat Noir sense he could still subtly smell her familiar floral scent, which always brought him inexplicable comfort. He could count the adorable tiny freckles speckled on her nose, could feel the warmth radiating from her hand in spite of the thin material of her suit, could see the lights from the Eiffel Tower reflected in her piercing, azure eyes. Suppressing a dreamy sigh, he nodded slightly and let out a muffled, “Mm-hmm.”

Ladybug gasped. “Oh! I’m sorry!” she sputtered and released him, then put some distance between them.

Wringing her hands, she spoke softly, her cheeks pink, “Thank you, by the way. For coming here. I realize this... ‘outing’ may not be exactly what you’re used to, but... it means a lot to me that you even showed up.”

Ladybug’s captivating smile almost caused Adrien’s knees to buckle, which confused him to no end. We’re literally just standing here talking, what is WRONG with me??

Shaking himself out of his slight haze, he replied, “Thanking you for inviting me. I’ve been looking forward to it,” he half-lied. She didn’t really need to know just how terrified he’d been.

“Thanks, Adrien. I appreciate it. But, having said that,” she added anxiously, “I... I wanted to give you one last chance to back out. I don’t want you to feel obligated to go through with it.” She looked up at him, eyes filled with apprehension and dread. “I’ll totally understand if you change your mind. Really. I wouldn’t want you to have to do something that you’re uncomfortable with.” 

Adrien smiled at her fondly. She was so unexpectedly considerate, as she’d proven to both sides of himself. He wasn’t accustomed to being given a choice, of having the agency to do whatever he was comfortable or not comfortable with doing. Her thoughtful gesture filled his chest with warm tingles, and he found himself suppressing an indescribably strong urge to hug her.

Grinning sympathetically, he took a step towards her and offered her his arm. “Shall we?”

Ladybug beamed and her whole countenance brightened, then she took his arm. “Yes!”

It was extraordinarily difficult for Adrien to keep his attention on the movie. All around him everyone laughed and exclaimed at the protagonists’ antics and misadventures, but, as if by some magnetic force, his eyes were pulled elsewhere; he unwittingly yet frequently stole glances at his masked companion, who laughed along with the rest of the audience. Her radiant smile and unbridled laughter was so infectious, he couldn’t keep himself from grinning widely himself whenever he peeked at her. Anytime their hands brushed while sharing snacks (which, after a short debate on who would pay for what, they’d settled on her buying the tickets and him buying the snacks), it would send his heart racing for reasons he could not fully comprehend. At one point their eyes met and she grinned cheerfully at him. He returned the smile and was infinitely grateful that the theater was dark, since he was pretty sure that his face was beet red instead of its usual color.

Ladybug seemed so ordinary here, but in the best way. A way that made her extremely approachable and warm. A way that put his nerves at ease while simultaneously setting fire to his chest. In the battlefield she had always seemed so fierce and intimidating to him, but that was not how he felt now. He felt perfectly comfortable and, dare he say it… safe . How was this chipper and animated girl that same intense and formidable opponent that he was so used to seeing as Chat Noir? It was baffling, to say the least.

UGH, I need to stop thinking and actually try to focus on the movie so I can have something to talk about afterwards, he scolded himself.

Instead of paying attention, however, Adrien found himself wondering about just that: what exactly they would be doing after the movie. The plan was for them to go to an outdoor cafe so the darkness would help to conceal Ladybug’s presence from others, followed by a walk along the Seine.

He wasn’t really sure what was considered “normal,” as this was the first date he had ever actually agreed to go on. All of his previous (and numerous) other dates had been arranged by either Nathalie or his father and added to his schedule without him even being consulted about it; each and every one of them meticulously fabricated for some strategic socioeconomic or business purpose. Some of those dates ended with a bored, cordial handshake from both parties (much to his relief), but most of the time his companions were superficial and flirtatious, always aiming to take advantage of him and benefit from their affiliations, which only worsened as he got older. His dates had become increasingly provocative and pushy, which he detested and almost feared.  

However, since this date had all been entirely voluntary and Ladybug was letting Adrien participate in all the decision making, did that also mean that he would also get to choose how to end his date with her?

Is there a handshake? A hug? Is there a k-- A kis-- AUGH!!

His stomach flip-flopped anxiously just thinking about it. What was the traditional way of doing things? Although, he supposed, this date wasn’t exactly like a traditional date, to say the least.

 Before he knew it, the movie was over and Ladybug reached over to touch his forearm, since apparently she’d been trying to get his attention.

She smiled sweetly and asked, “Um, shall we go? Unless you really wanted to stay til the end of the credits.”

Adrien stammered as he stood, “Oh- uh, no, it’s fine. We can go.” They walked over to the garbage and recycling bins to get rid of all their empty wrappers and containers, then walked out of the auditorium.

As they made their way towards the theater’s exit, Ladybug asked, “So how did you like the movie?”

Adrien’s brain froze, but he managed to stutter out, “Uh, it was… it was really something, huh?”

Ladybug replied enthusiastically, “Yes, it sure was! I can’t remember the last time I laughed so hard!” she giggled and continued, “What was your favorite part?”

Drawing a complete blank, Adrien desperately tried to remember an event from the movie, just anything at all. “W-well, it- it was…”

“Holy crap, is that Adrien Agreste?!” a voice exclaimed from a few meters away.

Ladybug and Adrien whipped their heads around towards the source of the yelling.

“Oh no,” Adrien let out a bleak sigh.

Instantly more excited cries chimed in.

“No way! It’s really him!”

“It’s the legit Adrien Agreste!”

“Wow! He watches movies like regular people!”

“Oh my goodness, let’s get his picture!”

Within seconds they were surrounded by squealing fans, all shuffling to try to get as close to him as possible.

It was then that Adrien realized that he’d forgotten to put his sweatshirt’s hood back on. He groaned internally, berating himself for his absent-mindedness. This situation could very quickly spiral out of control.

Ladybug touched his shoulder apprehensively. “We need to get you out of here,” she whispered to him. He glanced at her nervously and nodded. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders protectively and they began their attempt to shuffle away from the mob of starry-eyed teenagers.

In the commotion, Ladybug cried out as she was jostled roughly and knocked over against Adrien, who instinctively caught her by the waist. She held tightly onto his arms, stabilizing herself.

“My L- uh... hey, Ladybug, are you alright?” he asked quietly, concern lacing his voice.

Ladybug looked up at him, her eyes still wide and startled, but a beat later she relaxed a bit then smiled at him, replying softly, “Yeah. Thanks.”

Adrien could feel his face flush as he stared down at her, the latter looking more vulnerable, more… human than he was used to. He smiled back and gently helped her right herself, hands still on her waist. She held his gaze, her own cheeks a bit pink as well... most likely flustered from being shoved by the crowd, he surmised. Her eyelashes fluttered slowly, her bright eyes contrasting against the deep red of her mask.

...Her mask.

He could see her mask.

Adrien’s expression changed from one of fondness to one of complete shock, and Ladybug’s face scrunched in confusion.

Mortified, Adrien stammered, “Y-your glasses—”

Ladybug reached up to touch her face and realized that they’d fallen when she was pushed. She quickly scanned the floor, trying to spot her fallen glasses. After a few moments of searching she realized that it would be near impossible to find them in this crowd.

“Forget it,” she said, shaking her head. “There’s no way I’ll find them. Let’s just leave.”

Beside them, a fan yelled, “Is that Ladybug?!”

More voices clamored, “It is Ladybug!”

“What? She’s here??”

“She’s with Adrien!”

“A celebrity date?! How romantic!”

“Someone get a picture!!”

Adrien winced and let out a grumble. “Great.”

He whipped around and snatched Ladybug’s hand. “Run!” he cried.

Ladybug made no objections as they bolted through the crowd, making their way out of the theater and into the enormous shopping center. As it was indoors, Ladybug couldn’t swing them away from the crowd using her yoyo, which would have been ideal. Instead, they were forced to try to leave the mall through the proper exit. Unfortunately, said exit was quite a ways from their current location; additionally they were on the third level.

Deciding to skip the escalators altogether, Ladybug picked up a very surprised Adrien and leaped to the floor below. Adrien let out an involuntary gasp and wrapped his arms tightly around her shoulders, pressing himself close to her small yet powerful frame. They landed gracefully and Ladybug uttered a quick apology as she set him down, taking his hand once again.

The two quickly made their way towards the exit… only to encounter another sizable group of teenagers who were loitering near the doors of the shopping center, as it was closing time. Despite them still being a few meters away, Adrien was instantly recognized and they approached the pair. He swore under his breath, then pulled Ladybug in the opposite direction.

As they ran back, they caught sight of the previous crowd from the movies making their way down the escalators, who would no doubt notice them in a few moments. Stopping short, Ladybug let out a short whimper and looked up at Adrien, her expression full of worry and clearly having run out of ideas. His eyes darted around looking for another escape route. A beat later, he located a possible hiding spot and tugged on Ladybug’s hand to get her attention. She quickly understood and followed him.

Together they dashed into a small side hallway and scrambled into a storage closet at the far end, shutting the door quietly.

Panting from the exertion of having sprinted across the mall, Ladybug and Adrien met each others’ eyes, chuckling awkwardly as they stood tightly pressed up against each other in the tiny room, which was full of large, heavy boxes.

For a few of minutes neither of them spoke a word, but strained to listen to the commotion outside, trying to figure out if they had been discovered. 

Once the noise dissipated (no doubt due to the crowd being ushered outside by mall security), they shared a hopeful look. Breathing slowed as they took the time to loosen their postures and relax. Head still reeling from what had occurred, Ladybug asked him, “Is… is it always like this? With your fans?”

Adrien shrugged, resting his back against the closed door. “Well, not always. But…” he mused, “We did have a photo shoot a couple of weeks ago and, uhhh... there was a lot of leather.”

Ladybug’s eyes widened in confusion and her head tilted to the side. “...Leather?” she queried. “Sounds like an… interesting shoot.”

Flustered, Adrien clarified, “Th-that is...! Leather clothes! Leather pants and leather jackets, motorcycles, the ‘bad boy’ look, that sort of thing.”

Ladybug realized that she knew exactly which photo shoot he was talking about. In fact, she remembered it very well. It was her new favorite magazine spread of his. He had always played the part of the angelic, flawless, studious blonde model who you’d want to take home to meet your parents over dinner. The leather photo shoot, however, complete with deadly smouldering eyes and sinful parted lips, was a complete change from his usual innocent portrayal. She’d already purchased two copies of the magazine... although she wasn’t about to divulge that information to the aforementioned model while standing chest to chest against him in a tiny closet.

“Aha, gotcha,” she replied nonchalantly. She looked up at Adrien who chuckled sheepishly, cheeks tinged with a delightful shade of pink which was visible despite having a dim light bulb as the only light source.

“Well, I bet you looked amazing. Especially if this is the reaction you’ve been getting lately. Maybe you should wear leather more often,” she teased with a wink.

Adrien blushed and rubbed the back of his neck. “Ah, um, well, I guess- maybe,” he stammered timidly. Was she flirting with him? Not that he was opposed to the idea. They’d flirted playfully as Chat Noir and Ladybug many times, but he wasn’t used to being flirted with as Adrien by anyone without ulterior motives. It was… nice.

They stood in silence for a few moments, neither knowing what to do or say next.

Mood Music: The Dark Side - Muse

Eyeing the door across from her, Ladybug decided to take the initiative and speak first. “Well, I’m sure all your rabid fans are gone,” she said as she tried to go around him and failed because of the lack of available space. She abandoned that idea and instead she reached across to grab the doorknob next to Adrien’s waist. “We should head out too, since it’s getting pretty la-” she suddenly went quiet and her eyebrows furrowed. She tried turning the doorknob again, but as before, it didn’t budge.

It was locked from the outside.

“Wh-what’s wrong?” Adrien asked nervously in spite of himself, already suspecting exactly what was wrong.

Ladybug quirked her mouth to the side. “It’s stuck. Or locked.”

Adrien’s hand instantly reached for the door for confirmation. He roughly twisted and yanked on the doorknob in desperation, his hands suddenly becoming clammy and slick. 

Ladybug noticed his erratic movements and grew increasingly concerned. “Hey, are you feeling alright?”

Adrien didn’t answer. Was he trembling? She looked closely at him and noticed his pupils becoming dilated. His breathing was rapidly becoming more and more shallow. His other hand was clenched into a painfully tight fist and he appeared as though he’d collapse at any moment.

He looks woozy and disoriented… Is he sick??  

“It’s going to be okay, Adrien,” she attempted to reassure him. “We’ll find a way out and we can find someplace for you to lie down if you’re not feeling well.”

But it was like he hadn’t even heard her. He quietly muttered, “No, no, no… We’re trapped. We can’t get out of here and we’re stuck, just- trapped. What if we never get out? What-what if we can’t-- Don’t keep me in here, please, please let me out...” he trailed off, mumbling absently.

Ladybug’s eyes popped wide open in realization. Adrien was claustrophobic. He was having a panic attack.

Oh no… What have I done?

Guilt flooded into her like a waterfall. She never should have brought Adrien here. This whole thing was wrong. She shouldn’t have approached him as Ladybug. He didn’t know anything about her, and “Ladybug” wasn’t supposed to know anything about him. Getting close to him would only put him in danger. If Hawkmoth were to find out that he’d been associated with her it would be disastrous. But she’d been too careless, too selfish, too self-absorbed and infatuated to think clearly and now Adrien was the one paying for her grievous lack of judgment.

Ladybug was brought back to reality as Adrien’s breathing hitched sporadically and his chest heaved laboriously. She braced herself in case she needed to catch him were he to pass out from lack of oxygen, but she hoped it wouldn’t come to that.

Watching Adrien helplessly as he continued down a spiral of fear, she knew she had to do something. She tried desperately to stay calm and level-headed for his sake. She needed to help him get through this.

Pulling herself together after a brief self-pep talk, she tried to reassure him softly, “Hey. It’s okay, Adrien. I’m right here with you, you’re not alone. Nothing bad is going to happen to you. You’re not going to get hurt, I promise.”

Adrien squeezed his eyes shut. She could tell that he’d heard her and was trying to process her words. She waited a few moments and added, “Are you okay with physical touch? Is it alright if I touch your arm?”

Adrien paused, then nodded slightly in response.

Ladybug’s hand reached over slowly and tentatively touched his forearm. Once she was sure that he really was okay with the contact, she eased upwards to his shoulder and rubbed it gently.

She tried again, “We need to slow down your breathing. Try to take some deep breaths.”

Frantic, he stammered, “I ca- I can’t! I’m... it-it’s too… I can’t!” he cried.

Ladybug slowly took his hand and gently pressed it up to the area just below her neck at the collarbone. She held it there with an almost featherlight touch.

As calmly as she could, she cooed soothingly, “Breathe with me, Adrien. Follow my lead.”

His head turned and he stared at where his hand rested on her. Finally meeting her eyes, his pupils finally began to focus again. With a last shaky breath, he nodded.

Adrien accepted Ladybug’s other hand and placed it on his own chest, his larger hand covering hers completely.

She took deep breaths and he did the same, their hands a physical indicator to help him follow along. Their breaths intermingled during their synchronizations, and Adrien’s trembling steadily decreased, as did his heart rate.

Ladybug smiled comfortingly. “You’re doing so awesome, Adrien. Would it help if I rubbed your back?”

His eyes were still squeezed shut, but he replied, “Y-ye-… Please.”

Ladybug reached behind him and gently placed her hand on his back when he suddenly lurched forward to crush her into a tight embrace, holding onto her as if she were a tether to reality. She leaned her head against his as she practically held up his body from falling over. It broke her heart to see him like this, to learn of yet another hardship he had to struggle with.

Pushing those thoughts aside, she whispered softly, repeating, “Everything’s okay… you’re okay… We’re going to be completely fine… we’re not in any danger. You’re doing so great…” Her hands gently slid in wide, smooth strokes and circles on his back.

They stayed that way for a few minutes, the only sounds were Adrien breathing and Ladybug’s peaceful ministrations.

Adrien practically nuzzled into her as he whispered, “Thanks, Ladybug.”

Ladybug blushed despite herself. Adrien had been able to push through and recover from his panic attack. Butterflies swelled within her and she was so immensely proud of him; she couldn’t help but smile.

“We won’t be in here forever,” she spoke soothingly. She knew she needed to talk about the situation rationally to try to help Adrien keep his fears under control.  “Even if we can’t get out right this moment, someone will find us eventually.”

“But that could take hours,” he replied, gulping, and pulled away slightly. “The mall doesn’t open until 9am.”

They both thought for a few moments, trying to come up with an idea.

“Couldn’t you like… punch the door open?” he asked. “You’re pretty strong. I could always pay the mall back for the, uh… vandalism.”

Ladybug scrunched her face in consideration. “I could possibly kick it open. But… there’s not quite enough room for me to raise my leg. Plus, you’re right in front of the door and you’d be in the way, since I can’t go around. I might hurt you. I don’t want to risk that.”

Adrien breathed out through his mouth, much calmer than before but obviously still distressed. “What else can we do?” He looked at her hopelessly.

Ladybug frowned. There weren’t a lot of options. She couldn’t use her Lucky Charm for self-gain. Detransforming while Adrien closed his eyes so Tikki could unlock the door was out of the question also (Fu had made it crystal clear that she was never to trust anyone with her detransformation, no matter the circumstances).

She looked around, examining her surroundings. Above the boxes behind her she spotted a single vent on the ceiling. It was the only escape route. If they made their way through the air ducts, it would lead them back out into the mall and they could finally leave.

We could climb up the vent, she thought. However... it looks too small for Adrien. She furrowed her brows, deep in concentration.

Adrien followed her gaze and noticed the vent as well. He shook his head. “That won’t work. I’m way too big, I’d never fit through that hole. But...” He stopped suddenly, eyes wide and he looked back at her, throat dry. “But you could.”

“No! No, don’t worry, Adrien. I wouldn’t leave without you,” she quickly reassured him. “You have nothing to worry about.”

Adrien continued resolutely, “I don’t think we have a choice. I think you need to do it.”

“What?! But Adrien, I-” she cried, bewildered. “I can’t leave you alone in here! There’s gotta be another way,” she argued, arms flailing as much as the available space allowed.

He placed both his hands on her shoulders and gave her a small smile. “I’ll be fine, really. Unless you want to spend the next 10 hours in here without food or a bathroom break, you have to. I...” he stopped and considered carefully. “I’ll be alright. I believe in you,” he said quietly.

Ladybug bit her lip, debating his proposal. She twisted the edge of her cardigan nervously. She didn’t want to leave him lest he have another panic attack. He was right though. They had to escape unless they wanted to wait an obscenely long amount of time locked in a closet together. Which, had she been asked prior to this experience whether she’d be okay with being stuck in a closet overnight with the love of her life, she would have gladly leaped at the chance. But she’d never known about his claustrophobia. She felt horrible about this. How could she not have known? Had he ever told anyone?

All things considered, however, it made perfect sense. If anyone knew a thing or two about what it’s like to be trapped, it was Adrien Agreste. He could hardly ask for a drink of water without being closely monitored. It was a miracle that he’d even been allowed to go on a date with a girl his father hadn’t run a background check on. Or… had he snuck out? How would he be able to do it without being detecte-

“Ladybug?” Adrien asked uncertain, interrupting her thoughts and bringing her attention back to the current situation.

She finally looked up at him, expression resolute. “Okay, I’ll do it. I won’t be long, I promise.”

Ladybug reached into her pocket and pulled something out; a flash of red caught his attention.

“Here, take this,” she said, holding out the item out in front of her. Adrien’s eyes widened as he realized what it was.

“Your yo-yo?!” Adrien stammered. “W-why? I don’t know how to use it.”

Ladybug placed it on his hand squeezed reassuringly with both of hers. “You don’t need to. I want you to hold onto it. That’s how you’ll know that I’m coming back and that you’re not alone.” She looked straight into his eyes earnestly. “So you know that I would never leave you behind.”

A shiver ran up Adrien’s spine and his stomach twisted into knots. He had never seen her without her yo-yo. It was her only defense and weapon. 

And Ladybug trusted him with it. Trusted him.

Breathless, Adrien nodded.

Ladybug quickly shrugged off her outer clothes so all that remained was her regular costume. Adrien gathered up as much courage as he could, watching her climb haphazardly up the tall mountain of boxes at the back of the room. She stuck her fingers between the vent slats and easily pulled it out.

Turning her head back towards Adrien, she called at him with forced cheerfulness, “See you in a minute!” Then she disappeared.

Adrien was alone. It was just him and the darkness.

He squeezed his eyes shut and leaned up against the door, working hard to keep his breathing even. He could feel his heart begin to race and and a wave of nausea hit him yet again. He struggled and fought to push away the thoughts of hopelessness, clutching Ladybug’s yo-yo tightly against his chest, which gave him a sense of security and control.

Plagg peeked out from Adrien’s pocket before he emerged to perch on his shoulder. “Hey, kid, you know I could get you out in a jiffy! I could touch the door and KABOOM! Free as a bird!” “What?! Plagg, no!” Adrien protested.

Pouting in response, Plagg muttered, “Party pooper.” He amended, “ Fine. I guess I could just phase through the door and unlock it for you.”

Adrien seemed to consider Plagg’s suggestion for a second but replied, “No, we can’t do that. How would I even begin to explain it to her?” With fake cheer, he dramatized, “‘Hey Ladybug! By the way, I had my kwami open the door for me, I hope you don’t mind,’” then added sarcastically, “Because that’s not suspicious at allllll.”

“So we’re just going to sit here and wait?” Plagg protested.

Sighing, Adrien said, “Yeah. We have to trust Ladybug. She’ll get us out.”

Storing that thought for later teasing when Adrien wasn't so emotional, Plagg flew to the top of Adrien’s head to lay down and assured him, gently patting his head, “Don’t worry, buddy. She’ll get here soon.”

Concentrating, he thought of Ladybug assisting him with his breathing earlier; he visualized their hands on each other, remembering the rhythm of their breaths. He followed along with this memory, inhaling and exhaling deeply and slowly, his mind focusing on thinking about Ladybug and her calming presence instead of thinking about where he was at the moment. He thought about her words, her whispered reassurances that his situation was only temporary, that the chances of him being stuck in that closet forever were slim to none.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

I can do this. She’s coming back.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

She will come back. She’s not like Father. She’ll keep her promise, right?

Breathe in. Breathe out.

Right...?

After what felt like an eternity, there was a jiggle at the doorknob. Adrien’s back straightened like a shot and he stepped away from the door, waiting expectantly.

The door swung open, and there stood Ladybug, who looked concerned at first, but upon seeing that he was relatively calm and not panicking, she smiled brightly at him.

“Ta-da!” She said in sing-song. “I’m back! A little dusty but no worse for wear.” More quietly, she asked, “How about you? Are you alright?”

He said nothing but walked up to her slowly practically dragging his feet and stopped right in front of her. She looked up at him through her lashes, eyebrows slightly upturned, eyeing him curiously. Bending over, he hugged her, a shudder racking his large frame, which suddenly felt smaller than Ladybug had ever witnessed. He buried his face into the crook of her neck, gripping her tightly.

“Adrien…”  Ladybug was speechless and confused, yet she gingerly wrapped her arms around him in return.

“You…” he panted as he squeezed her tightly. “You came back for me.”

“Oh, Adrien.” She reached up with one hand, gently stroking the back of his head, threading her fingers slowly through his soft (yet a bit damp from sweat) hair. “I would never abandon you. Not ever.”

They stayed that way for a while, both relieved to be out of that horrid, musty space.

Mood Music:  Someone to Die For - Jimmy Gnecco

The night air was fresh and crisp and the breeze felt particularly amazing after their unprecedented ordeal. Adrien let out a relieved sigh, clearly elated to be out in the open once again.

“This is much better, huh?” Ladybug sighed lightly, having donned her previous disguise again.

“Absolutely,” Adrien replied airily, stretching his arms over his head. “It always feels amazing to be outdoors.”

Ladybug glanced towards the direction of the café they were supposed to go to and frowned. There was still enough time to do a quick meal before it closed, but she knew it would be useless to try to salvage this poor excuse of a date and retain any semblance of normalcy after what had just happened.

“Listen, Adrien, I…” she started as she turned to face him. “I think I should take you home,” she said contritely.

“...Oh.” Adrien replied, feeling somewhat disappointed for some reason. He looked away, not knowing what to say or how to proceed. “I understand,” he finally answered, rubbing the back of his neck. Truth was, he didn’t entirely understand. But he wasn’t about to argue with Ladybug, so he allowed her to pick him up and carry him home.

Minutes later, Ladybug carefully avoided the Agreste mansion’s cameras and swung them both into Adrien’s bedroom through the large, slightly open window. After setting Adrien down, he and Ladybug stared at each other, both wanting to say something but not knowing what or how.

Ladybug shuffled her feet awkwardly and spoke first. “Adrien, I’m… I’m sorry about tonight.” Her gaze dropped, unable to look at him anymore. “I’m really, really sorry. I totally messed up.”

Adrien could see that she was struggling to keep her emotions under control. She inhaled sharply and resumed, voice quavering, “I didn’t keep your safety in mind, which is the most important duty I have to all of Paris, and I was irresponsible. I should have known better,” she said bitterly, clearly angry with herself.

Adrien stood stiffly, unsure of how to respond. He was so taken aback by this sudden outburst; he’d never seen Ladybug display any kind of negative emotion that wasn’t aimed towards Hawkmoth or at himself as Chat Noir. It wasn’t like her at all to show any sort of flaw in front of anybody, much less in front of someone who she thought was merely a civilian, someone who would depend on her strength and confidence to feel safe.

His father had always taught him that you must never show even the tiniest hint of insecurity or vulnerability in front of others because it would give your opponents the upper hand. They must never see you weak. Adrien had failed at meeting this principle countless times, although not from lack of trying. He always had figured he just wasn’t strong like his father, and that he needed to try harder to meet his expectations.

However, his current situation was causing him to examine and reconsider this ideology. Was showing “weakness” truly a weakness? He didn’t think any less of her after finding out that she made mistakes, and not only that, but she owned up to them and accepted the consequences of her actions. If anything, it made him feel better about himself to know that she experienced negative emotions like regret, frustration, and self-doubt. The knowledge that he wasn’t the only one out of the two of them, the ladybug and cat miraculous wielders, who had these faults, it felt… comforting. It felt right.

Ladybug quickly wiped away a tear, taking a deep breath. “I should have known it would be a disaster. People like me aren’t supposed to be doing stuff like this.” She scoffed with a grimace, “Some ‘hero’ I am, endangering a civilian, maybe even risking you getting akumatized in there. I’m supposed to protect you, not put you in harm’s way. It was selfish of me to try to pretend I was normal, I guess.”

Adrien guiltily recalled the conversation they’d had while dancing at the ballroom akuma attack a couple of nights prior:

“Just let me have your miraculous. We could stop fighting and then you��d never have to see me again. I’d be out of your hair and you could live a normal life and be a normal girl who worries about normal things, and not have to worry about all of this.”

He couldn’t help but feel empathy for her. She was just a regular person who’d been chosen out of everyone in one of the most populated cities in Europe to take on a huge power and burden, and she was doing it alone. And she had been for years; she’d been just a kid back then. It was a lot of pressure. He couldn’t blame her for wanting to reach out to someone and not feel as lonely.

Enemy or not, Adrien couldn’t stand to see her cry, especially not because of him.

“Ladybug, hey,” he lifted her chin and wiped away a stray tear with his other hand. “It’s okay. Really. I’m fine now.” He shrugged. “Maybe we both didn’t exactly make the best decision about doing this but I’m not upset with you, and I don’t regret it.” He then added without thinking, “And... I think you’re doing a great job trying to protect everyone. In fact, I really admire you.”

Wait, what?   His brain short-circuited.

Ladybug sniffled. “R-really?”

Do I really?!  Adrien internally yelled.

He couldn’t deny that she was impressive. He had his father on his side while she was by herself. Or maybe she had the guardian to help her, he wasn’t sure. But out in the battlefield it was just her. They’d gotten close to defeating her a few times only to have her turn it around on them using only her wits and creativity. And while it had been frustrating every time it happened, looking back on it, it really was quite remarkable, if he were to be completely honest with himself. He always did appreciate the tenacity of an underdog.

Smiling, Adrien replied decisively, “Yeah. I do.”

Eyes shining, she beamed at him and said, “Thank you. That’s so sweet of you to say.” Her cheeks turned a light shade of pink (most likely because she’d just been crying, he figured); nevertheless he felt his own face reddening as well.

She sighed and hesitated before speaking again. “In any case, this experience taught me that I must stick to my responsibilities and can’t make the same mistake again. I… I’ll stay away from you from now on. I won’t give you any more trouble and you’ll be out of danger. I’m sorry to have bothered you.”

Adrien felt a pang of inexplicable sadness upon hearing these words. But why? Why should he care that Ladybug couldn’t be seen hanging out with some random citizen? He understood why it would be risky from her perspective. And she didn’t owe him anything. They didn’t even know each other... Theoretically. It was for the best, he supposed.

And yet... it still hurt for some reason.

“I understand, Ladybug,” he finally replied, masking his disappointment. “Don’t worry about it, I’m not offended. And, for what it’s worth…” he added shyly, rubbing his neck. “I’m glad you asked me. To go out with you, that is. I really did enjoy spending time with you.”

“Really??” Ladybug replied incredulously, her face turning almost as red as her mask. “T-thank you, Adrien. That means a lot.”

Adrien held back a sigh. “I know you said we wouldn’t be hanging out with each other anymore but…” he said timidly, “If you ever see me around, will you- uh… will you be sure to stop and say hello? Don’t be a stranger.”

Grinning widely, she replied, “Of course.”

Her eyes bore into his, as if carefully considering his words. Hesitantly, Ladybug took a slow step forward so that their bodies almost touched. She tentatively took his hands and held them between hers, causing goosebumps to spread all over his body. As he was almost a whole head taller than she was, she craned her neck upwards so she could see in his face if her actions were unwelcome. Adrien’s heart skipped a beat in anticipation as he waited, unconsciously tilting his head down slightly.

Then it happened. Time seemed to slow down to a crawl and everything was silent. Ladybug gracefully stood on her toes and leaned forward to place a most delicate kiss on his cheek. He let out a soft gasp despite himself, heat flooding his face, chest swelling with a feeling he couldn’t identify. She didn’t pull away for a few moments, her soft, warm skin remaining on his, and he distinctly felt a sense of rightness, or belonging. It was as if their heartbeats and their breathing were in sync, like gears in a clock that fit together perfectly. What was this feeling, and more importantly, why was he yearning for more?

Before he could ponder it further, he felt Ladybug smile and she whispered, “See you around, handsome boy.”

With a quick wave, she sauntered towards the window and zipped away, leaving a very dazed and blushing Adrien behind holding his cheek, which almost seemed to tingle at that point.

Breathless, he muttered out loud, “Did… did she just call me ‘handsome boy’?”, which was followed by shrill hysterical laughing coming from his pocket.

[whenimgoodandready]

Adrienette, Lukanette, Adrienette, Lukanette, Adrienette, Lukanette, Adrienette, Lukanette, Adrienette, Lukanette, Adrienette, Lukanette, Adrienette, Lukanette, ADRIENETTE! LUKANETTE! ADRIENETTE! LUKANETTE! IDK!? STOP BADGARING ME FANDOM!!! Even Marinette is indecisive about it! She’s just a dumb teenager who doesn’t know what she wants!..........does she?

*Desperada-Marinette and the girl squad were hangin’ out at Julekas house boat listening to Kitty Section rehearse and Marinette and Luka get cozy with each other. It also looks to be that the squad is starting to jump onboard with the Lukanette ship. Well, Adrienette isn’t goin’ anywhere so how much longer are they gonna support something that hasn’t even set sail yet!? Adrien and Kagami show up (having ditched fencing practice) and Marinette quickly leaves Lukas side to not give Adrien the impression she likes Luka. Oh, Marinette, what are we gonna do with you? She even says they’re “just friends” too🤨.

Jagged Stone arrives and he tries to get Juleka and Lukas mother back into the band cuz they had “history”. Oh! Thing is, he fired his guitarist, Vivica, and now he’s looking for a new one. Hmmmm, a new guitarist? Like, someone who knows rock n’ roll? And who’s young and talented? Marinette knows a guy like that! IIIIIIt’s Lu-Adrien!? Whomp! Whomp! Whomp! 🤦‍♀️. Marinette WTF!? Adrien is a classical pianist! I highly doubt he’s strummed a guitar! She knows damn well Luka is a better fit and yet she’s still trying to give Adrien hints she wants him! Okay, Marinette, I know how much you want Adrien, but you can’t just ignore talent when you see it from Luka.

Just then, Vivica shows up in her akumatized form calling herself Desperada! OOOOOH! So she’s that mysterious villainess I saw in “Gamer 2.0”! Well, thanks for the closure! (I’m talking to you person in charge of episode scheduling 😑). Desperada, I like that name, reminds me of a Rihanna song. Thing is, it’s more like a Western name and she didn’t really look “Western”. I mean, she kinda did with the whole musical skeleton make-up look, which is pretty cool, but nothing really “Wild Wild West” to me. It was more like something outta “The Book of Life” or “Coco” with that sugar skull thing. I’m a little fan of westerns where there’s a female outlaw that’s why. Her powers were using any instrument like a gun to capture people in her guitar case with a pic of them appearing on it as a sticker. Let’s just say if she wasn’t a musician, she’d make a bada** sniper!

Anyways, Desperada captures everyone except the love triangle kids and Ladybug is given the lucky charm to bring in extra help from Master Fu again using the snake miraculous! The snake miraculous!? OOOOOH! We saw who that was! (“Party Crasher”), some people in the fandom were right about it too! And now, ladies and gentlemen, the holder of the snake miraculous, (drum roll) Luk(trumpets begin to sound)-ADRIEN!? AGAIN!? (trumpets die out). WTF!? WHY!? Okay, I get it, he did save Luka when Desperada almost got him and as we know, Marinette/Ladybug doesn’t know Adriens Cat Noir, but still! Adrien agrees to it thinking he’ll win over Ladybug in a new superhero form since this time, she knows who he is and becomes “Aspik”...........(turns to the trumpeteers) you guys can sound I guess, (trumpets sound, but not enthusiastically). Okay, thank you.

So um, the snake miraculous is a bracelet of a snake swallowing itself, a Kwami snake like being named Sass (remember him from “Sandboy”!? He’s kinda like the leader of the Kwamies), a harp weapon and its power is “Second Chance” where they can go back a few minutes in time by turning the snake head on their bracelet back and it’s not a one hit power! It can go on as many times until the snake head gets to the end! It’s almost like Bunnyxs power except hers is more serious and can go back (and fourth) many times and it’s more fragile. Huh, I always thought the snake miraculouses power would be hypnotism, but I’m thinking too much “Jungle Book” here (what do snakes have to do with time travel!?). That’s cool! So it’s just Ladybug and Aspik vs. Desperada. It. went. TERRIBLE! Ladybug kept getting captured again and again and again and again and again AND AGAIN! And do you know why!? Cuz Aspik over here was too busy trying to woo Ladybug and not focusing on defeating the bad guy! That’s why!

ENOUGH! Adrien quits cuz he’s had it with being a f**king failure as it’s been 25,913 times! 25,913 TIMES!? 25,913 TIMES!? 25,913 TIMES!? 25,913 TIMES!? DAMN ADRIEN! YOU SUCK! Ladybug finally sees she’s wrong again! So Adrien suggests Luka take the miraculous instead. HALLELUJAH! Ladies and gentlemen, the real holder of the snake miraculous, Viperion, a.k.a. Luka Couffaine! (trumpets sound and end with a big finish!). Now this guy, this guy! Does a hell of a better job than “Aspik” did and it only took him a few tries! Humph!

I apologize for my wild outbursts there, I’m a very passionate writer and I speak what others are afraid to say. I’m like a voice for the people. I’m sure that’s what all of you were probably thinking way in the back of your heads there about the plot that occurred in the episode. I’ve settled down now and I’ll explain more. Ahem, first off, the girl squad are now leaning towards the Lukanette ship cuz they’re probably sick and tired of all the Adrienette nonsense and want something new. More importantly, they think this ship better since Marinette is more comfortable with Luka and how he’s more liberated than the sheltered Adrien. Fair point. The character Vivica/Desperada was based off a fan who won a contest at comic con and was originally supposed to be a veterinarian until they changed it to a guitarist (she looked so cute!). I heard about that, they also said she was supposed to be a fan of Cat Noir and was upset that he wasn’t getting as much recognition as Ladybug. It would’ve been nice cuz according to my Love Chart (which I legit have), nobody and I mean NOBODY likes Cat Noir, so cut him some slack and give him at least one fangirl! C’mon! Adrien failed at being the snake miraculous holder, but it’s not because he sucked (25,913 TIMES!? That’s like 3 months!), but it’s cuz there was no black cat hero to assist Ladybug! It was just Ladybug and Aspik and no Cat Noir! I thought they would’ve realized by now that they can’t defeat the villain unless it’s both of ‘em (plus a third or fourth party if necessary) to stop ‘em! Sure Ladybug defeated Style Queen by herself, but at least she had a “black cat” like someone there to help! It has to be Ladybug and Cat Noir! Good luck/Bad luck, Yin/Yang! That’s the idea! The reason why they didn’t see that was cuz they were both blinded by love! Marinette/Ladybug mostly picked Adrien to be the snake miraculous holder cuz she thought, “OMG! I’m gonna be fighting crime with my crush!” and Adrien/Cat Noir said yes cuz he thought, “Maybe she’ll love me this time if she knows who I am!” :P. Even Plagg thought it was a bad idea cuz he knew they needed Cat Noir and they weren’t even focused on Desperada and just trying to court each other! You’d think Marinette/Ladybug would’ve listened to her own words about Adrien being a distraction in her life (“Chameleon”). Speaking of courting, during one of Aspiks failed Second Chances, he confessed to Ladybug that he was Cat Noir (cuz she knows he’s Adrien as Aspik) and we only see a brief look of shock on her face before she’s captured again. Wonder what was quickly goin’ through her head at that point? Flashbacks of all her moments with him as himself and Cat and how she acted like both herselves in front of ‘em realizing how stupid she’s been? Lol! The shocks gonna be more wilder when it happens though and I’ll be there to see it. Ladybug really should’ve picked Luka first cuz at least he was bold enough to step in and distract Desperada to save Ladybug like he did as Viperion. Poor Adrien though, now he’s gonna think his Lady is too incompetent to be a hero. Well, not a “snake” hero at least, but a different animal hero if only she knew. The problem is Marinette is indecisive. She doesn’t know what she wants which is why she can’t choose between Adrien and Luka. Tikki and Kagami can see that and the latter even points out how Marinette needs to make up her mind already! Actually, according to the Season 3 canon episode order, this is actually the start of the mid episodes which means things won’t get more complicated ‘til the end. Especially when the last few episodes are more focused on the love issues. Currently, we’re dealing with plot right now, but we’ll eventually get there.

[simplystefanie-rae]

Spoilers/leaks for new ep: I hope the situation with Chat and Mari don’t drag out.

If it even becomes much of a situation, though I have to assume it’s the premise of the episode. If so, don’t worry, episode plots barely last more than one as it is.

I guess I’ll just use this as an excuse to talk about it in general though. I actually don’t mind the plot itself. Marinette is a disaster sometimes, and if her being a disaster by saying the first excuse that pops up in her head leads to marichat hijinks then I am super okay with that. If it somehow leads to them both realizing some ~feelings~ (which they probably would choose not to act on right away, obvi), that that’s even better. 

Now, as ever, things I’m iffy about. Which is probably gonna get long as I reflect on possibilities, unfortunate patterns, blah blah hello my name is stefanie the buzzkill. 

Chat Noir being happy about Marinette confessing to him is sweet, but the fact that (at least what we know so far) it’s just because he never had a girl confess feelings to him before makes the entire situation feel very impersonal. He’s not happy because Marinette confessed to him, but that a girl did. Now, because this show loves to make him stupidly oblivious, I can chalk it up to that and call it a day, but I’m kind of tired of that by this point. I want this moment between them to feel personal, that he feels this happy from the confession because it’s Marinette, his everyday ladybug, the girl who helped him run away from fangirls and see a movie, who helped him out on a date, who’s genuinely one of the nicest girls he ever met and someone he admires. Him saying he’s happy because he never been confessed to before just feels super cheap to me, so I can only hope there’s some scene later with him reflecting on Marinette herself, and what a confession specifically from her means to him.

Also, I can’t help but feel like this is yet another moment of the show trying too hard to gain audience sympathy for Chat. Like,’ awww, poor chat, he never had anyone confess to him before, and this fake confession makes him so happy! What’s going to happen when he finds out the truth? ‘And I don’t want that. I don’t want them to keep manipulating the audience like this. What I want is for this scene to be a Marichat scene that develops the side of the love square, not a poorchat one simply meant to gain cheap sympathy for their favorite character. 

As usual, Marinette’s lesson she may have to learn seems like it’s going to be the wrong one. I think tikki said she shouldn’t lie about her feelings, and like, no duh, Marinette already knows this. She specifically said to Chat as Ladybug that she doesn’t want to lie about them to give him hope. That’s not the issue. Marinette’s issue will always and forever be that sometimes, when she gets just flustered enough, she says stupid shit. She has no filter. Where she would normally be level headed and clever, she trips herself up and creates potential disasters because her anxiousness gets the best of her. That’s what she should be working on, calming herself down enough before she can say the first thing that pops into her head. 99% of the time it’s the cause of most of her problems, so it would be great if the show would acknowledge that instead of making it seem like Marinette is being mean to chat for lying. The lie is not the root of the problem. Astruc even says her flaw is that she gets over emotional at times so why isn’t this ever acknowledged within the show as the thing she needs to work on? Anyway best case scenario, Marinette tries to work on that problem this episode while also clearing the air. A sorta good scenario is them just ignoring the lesson of the day all together to just focus on all the potential hilarity that can come out of the marichat dynamic. 

And final thing. I sure did get a lot out of a 3 minute clip. But an issue that I have had for quite a long time now is with Marinette’s parents. When Marinette’s bedroom was destroyed and Tom was running desperately up the stairs calling for his baby girl in fear, I loved that. He felt like an actual character there because his fear that Marinette could have been hurt very badly was raw and real, something a parent would feel. Too many times in this show Tom and Sabine are just simply given the character traits of ‘happy and supportive’, to the point where it seemed like they would support literally anything Marinette does, even if that included jumping off a building. They were all ready to uproot their lives just so Marinette could go to New York and pursue a potential career without asking any questions or showing the slightest bit of hesitancy over the situation, which is just insane and in it’s own way, neglectful. The problem is the show tries too hard to make them the polar opposite of Gabriel in every way, and unfortunately that means sacrificing character since opposite of Gabriel apparently just means ‘nice’. They accommodate everything Marinette wants because Gabriel gives Adrien nothing, but that runs the risk of coming off as wildly neglectful at times if her parents just never question potential risks their daughter might be taking. 

Which leads me to this spoiler. Tom running up the stairs screaming Marinette’s name? Perfect. I really felt for him there. Him finding the doll in Marinette’s bed instead of her and seeing him utterly confused? Even better, because this rightfully should have lead to Tom asking questions. A kid only does this if they are sneaking out when they’re not suppose to be, after all. 

Now, I know we haven’t seen the entire episode yet so Tom and Sabine could have a moment of questioning Marinette on her whereabouts, but I’m not inclined to think so since Tom does a complete 180 once he sees Marinette out on the balcony. I’m sorry, but this man was just confronted with the fear of Marinette being injured very badly, only to find her not in her bed at all and that she snuck out. When he sees Marinette hugging Chat, confessing her love to him while he has a baby in his arms, it’s like none of his previous fear mattered anymore as his mood flipped completely to the opposite end of the spectrum. They sacrificed an honest reaction from her parent for a fic trope. And it’s just more of the same supportive parents to the point of neglect bullshit that’s dressed up as being positive. Shouldn’t Tom be concerned even slightly that Marinette has a superhero for a boyfriend? Shouldn’t the scene of them embracing have been a little alarming, just a bit? Some reluctance from Tom would have even been nice, have the invite to eat with the family be a chance for Tom to gage the situation better, not to just go ‘awww’ over her daughter having a boyfriend. Chat is a superhero but Tom does not know him. Please, it would not kill the writers to have her parents question one of Marinette’s decisions and worry about her wellbeing.

And it’s just like he completely forgot he thought she was crushed to death. He forgot she snuck out and probably did it before. And I get humor, I get the show needs moments of levity, but this wasn’t the time for that. Maybe it would have worked better for me if this wasn’t the pattern in the show that often happens, but too often scenes of the dupain-cheng family just lack emotional weight. If a dad sees his daughter embracing a boy he never personally met and declaring her love for him on the balcony that was previously destroyed and potentially crushed said daughter, the reaction should not be to invite him over with a cheery smile. It’s weird! I’m sorry, but it is. Tom should be grilling the shit out of them. Maybe embracing Marinette in relief? Since you know, she’s not dead after all? 

Anyway, I think I said all I wanted to say. I am excited for it despite my doubts, since I love the marichat dynamic to death. I just hope it plays out better than what the clip shows. All I really want is some humor topped with confusing feelings, Chat really considering the idea of Marinette romantically because it’s Marinette and not just some girl, and for Tom and Sabine to show any type of misgivings over this situation. I doubt that last one but even if they just question Marinette and Chat at breakfast (assuming it happens) that would be good enough.