#but now my body is tense and achey and i haven’t even upped it yet T:

[clownaura]

i go back to 10mg of lexapro tmrw and i’m nervous…

[freedom-shamrock]

Something Familiar - Chp 13

Also on AO3 Chp 1   Chp 2   Chp 3   Chp 4   Chp 5   Chp 6   Chp 7   Chp 8   Chp 9 Chp 10   Chp 11   Chp 12   Chp 13   Chp 14 Now with art by Zelphaba

Here you go.  Have the penultimate chapter.  It probably should’ve been two, but I was rushed.

Marinette woke achey and warm to the hushed whispers of her mother and her familiar.

"But… what if…" Chat Noir was upset, bordering on terrified.  It was probably what woke her up.

"You're not going anywhere," her mother replied firmly.  "Tom consulted a lawyer friend of ours.  She's agreed to act on our behalf, even if it's just for a formal agreement."

"He'll target your business," he warned.  "I've… he's done it before.  For lesser… offenses."

"Which is why we'll go for a legal contract to prevent the ugliness," her mother said, in her most soothing voice.  But it wasn't enough.

"Kih-ee," Marinette mumbled, reaching behind herself, only to feel cold blankets.  "Chat?"  She blinked, her eyes feeling gooey and stuck.  She sat up, gasping at the sharp pain in her chest.  "Ah!"  There were suddenly warm bodies on either side of her, gently holding her up.

"Didn't the nurse explain how you should get up?" her mother asked, a hint of reprimand in her voice.  "Roll to the side and push yourself up with your arms."

Marinette nodded, wincing and trying to force her gasps to be shallow.  "Yeah," she mumbled.  "She said something about Cleopatra rising from her barge," she huffed.  "Like we have any idea how Cleopatra actually got up."

Chat Noir giggled.  "She was talking about golden age film Cleopatra, my Marinette."  He rubbed her cheek with his.  "But next time let me help."

She nodded, then focused carefully on him.  He was still worried about something.  She looked at her mother.  "Did dad really talk to a lawyer?"  It didn't surprise her that he had a plan, but she was surprised how fast he moved.

Her mother nodded.  "Yes.  And it's a good thing, too."  She sighed.  "Mr. Agreste has been alerted to the fact that his son saved Ladybug.  That's what they're calling you, because the film footage didn't show enough to identify you, and we haven't announced it."  She rubbed Marinette's back.  "He's pestering the police to release your information to him so he and his own private investigator can personally question you."

Marinette gawked at her mother.  The demand was both frightening and wildly inappropriate.

"As both cases are under police jurisdiction, and you're a minor, they aren't willing to cooperate, but as Chat said, he can be quite difficult."  She gave Marinette one last squeeze before standing up.  "The detective you talked to after the incident with Chloe will be over in about half an hour.  We've agreed to talk with him, because the police should probably know what's going on, and he seems sympathetic to you."

Marinette leaned against Chat a little more.  "Are you okay?"

He nodded, a jerky snap of his head.

"I need you two to think about how you want to handle this," her mother explained.  "If Chat is going to want to go out in human form, we don't want to restrict that, but we should probably be prepared to release a statement."

Feeling foggy and stupid, Marinette stared at her mother.  "Why?"

"I think it'll be easy for people to figure out you're Ladybug if they see us together," Chat said quietly.  "And it probably won't be long before someone points out that I'm your familiar.  And based on the previous video, it'll be obvious I'm a shapeshifter."  He sighed.  "Would it be easier if I stay in cat form outside of home?" he asked.  "I was prepared to live out my life as a cat anyway, so…"

"No!" Marinettte cried.  

At the very same time her mother let out a sharp, " Absolutely not! "  Smiling proudly at Marinette, she continued.  "We aren't going to restrict you, Chat.  Since you're Marinette's familiar, she would be within her rights, by ancient arcane law, to do so.  But we are modern witches, and you are not just her familiar or just a cat.  You deserve to keep your rights as a human, too."  Her hand reached out and hovered over his head for a moment.

Chat's eyes met Marinette's briefly, as if confirming he had permission, before pushing his crown against her mother's palm.

"Oh you sweet boy," she said, sadness creeping into her voice.  "You deserve a good life, an education of your choosing, and friends.  You may be bound to our daughter for the rest of your lives, but that isn't all there is to you.  Not by a long shot."  Her hand ran over his head.  "And we are prepared to do what we need to, to help you get that life."

Marinette felt a vibration from him and she grinned.  "You're purring!"

Blushing, he ducked his head.  "I've been cat so much lately, that part of my nature is… a little more at the fore than normal."

"Well I like it," Marinette insisted.

Her mother took a step back.  "You two have a talk.  Decide what you want to volunteer to the detective, and what you want to withhold.  I don't think you should lie, but I also don't expect he'll push too much if there's anything you don't want to talk about."  She headed for the stairs.  "I'll send Callie up when he gets here."

Marinette walked slowly down the stairs, leaning heavily on Chat's arm.  She kept her head up, watching the detective as she moved into the family living room.  His eyes were wide, and she could practically see smoke coming out of his ears as he worked through the logistics.  She waited to greet him until she sat down, so she wouldn't get quite so out of breath.

"Good evening, Detective Raincomprix," she said, offering up a smile.  She and Chat had come to what she felt was a pretty good plan.  "I'm sorry to keep you waiting."

"How badly were you hurt yesterday?" he asked in surprise.

Chat whimpered and tucked his head under her chin.

She ran her fingers into his hair and whispered to him.  "It's okay, Kitty.  You saved me, remember?"  She looked back up.  "I nearly drowned.  I understand the CPR saved my life, but left me more sore."

Detective Raincomprix nodded.  "I saw the video."  He cleared his throat.  "It wasn't comfortable to watch."

Marinette nodded.  "I haven't seen it yet, but that's what I've heard."  She nudged Chat out from her neck.  "I understand you have questions, and we want to help you with that, but the situation is complicated."

The detective nodded.  "I see that."  He sighed and held out his hand to Chat.  "We haven't met.  I'm Detective Raincomprix.  I've worked with Marinette before and…"  He jerked his hand back before Chat could respond.  "Oh hell."

"Does that mean you see his collar or that you realize what he is?" Marinette asked quietly.

"Both."  He rubbed at his face.  "Adrien Agreste is your familiar."

Marinette wrapped her arm around Chat's when he tensed at the name.  

"And last time I saw him, he was a cat," the detective continued.  "So either he was abducted and ensorceled, or he's a shapeshifter and he ran away from home."

Marinette nodded.  "Care to guess which of those is the correct story?"

He let out another sigh and slouched a bit.  "You ran away from your cold harsh father, didn't you?"

Chat nodded.

"When she brought you home to become her familiar, did you know what she had in mind, what it meant for you?" he asked.

Chat nodded again.  "I… I asked her to take me home.  I wanted to be her familiar."

"Did you really know what it meant, what you were signing up for?" the detective asked.

Chat nodded.  "We make each other stronger.  And it's permanent."

"And did you tell her what you were?" the detective asked, both eyebrows raised..

Chat shook his head.  "I'd planned to stay a cat.  She wasn't supposed to find out."  He looked down at his bare toes.  "But there was that demon, and…"  He faltered.  "You know."

Detective Raincomprix pulled out a small tablet and started swiping his fingers across it.  "All right.  I can close your missing person case, Adrien…"  He stopped when Chat flinched again.

"Could you please call him Chat or Chat Noir?" Marinette asked.  "I think, even Plagg?"  She glanced at him, waiting for his response.

Yes.

She nodded.  "Chat, Chat Noir, or Plagg, please.  He doesn't want the other name anymore."  She was very careful not to use it. herself.

Detective Raincomprix let out a harsh breath, something in his face horrified.

"Are you okay, detective?" Marinette asked, hoping they weren't getting a peek at his prejudice.

He held up one finger as if requesting a moment to compose himself.  "I have a daughter your age, I believe she's in your class, Marientte."

Marinette nodded.

"I can't imagine what I'd have to do to make her not want her name anymore."  He blinked a little more rapidly than normal, then addressed Chat again.  "In case you aren't ready to talk about it, I'm not going to ask.  But if there's anything you need to tell me, my door is always open.  Marinette has my card."

Marinette smiled at him.  "Thank you, detective."

He nodded sharply.  "Now, Plagg, then, I can let your... father... know you've been found, that you're safe, but that I can't release your location at this time.  You are probably going to need to meet with him at some point to get him to back off."

"My parents are working on that."  Marinette looked over to the kitchen, where her mother was watching the proceedings while staying out of it.

The Dupain-Cheng lawyer was able to put off Gabriel Agreste another four days.  Which meant Marinette was still quite sore, but not so exhausted, and Chat had shoes that fit.  They met at the lawyer's office, because Chat had advised against letting his father pick the location.

Mr Agreste breezed into the conference room at exactly three.  He stood near the doorway, surveying the room and its occupants in a way that made Marinette feel like he was assessing their worth.  "Come Adrien," he called.  "It's time to go home."  There was no warmth in his voice, no relief at the sight of his son healthy and well.

"No," Chat said calmly.  "I'm not going with you."

Mr. Agreste looked surprised.  "Come, Adrien," he repeated, and this time Marinette felt his magic looking for something.

"I'm sorry sir.  Your bindings aren't on him anymore," Marinette said.  "Your magic won't be able to stick."  She felt him drop his seeking.  

Mr. Agreste looked at her in surprise.  He'd been her idol once, the designer she wanted to be like.  Now she wanted to be nothing like him.

"I'm sure you're aware that it's unethical to tamper with another witch's spells," he said tightly, his expression going to her parents as if expecting them to chastise her.

Marinette nodded.  "As I'm sure you're aware of the modern ethical concerns with binding sentient beings contrary to their nature."  She wasn't even supposed to be talking.  Her parents and the lawyer could take hold of the conversation any time now.  His eyes narrowed, but she spoke again before he could.  "Either way, I didn't touch your spells.  None of us did.  They were in tatters when I found Chat Noir."

"Chat…"  He gave his son a less cursory look this time.  "You let her find you in cat form?  Are you a complete idiot?  What did you think I was trying to protect you from?"

She felt Chat's hand wrap around hers under the table.  "I picked her," he said.  "Not the other way around."

"And you've let her make a pet of you, by the look of it," he snapped gesturing toward Chat Noir's neck.

"Have you got a familiar, Mr. Agreste?" Marinette asked, already knowing the answer.  "Chat is no mere pet, and he's not a passing fancy.  He chose to become my familiar, free of bindings or drugs or lies."

"As you know, Mr. Agreste," the lawyer, Mrs Le Chien finally broke in, "a familiar contract is unbreakable, there is no recourse at this point.  By arcane canon law, which has been consistently upheld by civil law, Adrien Agreste now belongs to Marinette Dupain-Cheng."

"I insist that both children be relocated to my family home, so Adrien can continue being raised according to his social class," Gabriel said firmly.  "This does not interfere with their… partnership."  He made the word sound like something disgusting.  "And it takes into consideration that he has not been reared to the simple lifestyle of a baker's family."  While his eyes darted, he didn't quite look at Marinette's parents.

"I was a stray cat for five months," Chat pointed out.  "I assure you, the simple life of fresh bread and a warm bed is superior to hunting vermin and sleeping in cramped spaces behind heating ducts."  He shrugged.  "Though to be fair, rat isn't half bad."  This statement silenced the room.  Marinette saw her father desperately trying to hold in a laugh while Mr. Agreste looked positively revolted.

"We will continue to live with my parents," Marinette stated firmly.  "I appreciate your concern for my familiar's comfort, and while it's true he will not have some of the material benefits he had under your roof, he has been thriving without them.  He will enroll in school when I return to classes, so we are seeing to his education as well."

"He is a supermodel and the heir of a wealthy family," Mr. Agreste snapped.  "Has it ever occurred to you that he has been the target of abductions for ransom in the past?"

Marinette smiled at him.  "I'm capable of containing and banishing seventh circle demons with about thirty seconds warning and no backup.  Chat and I have acquired full telepathic abilities with each other.  And a witch can always find her familiar."

"The reverse is also true," Chat said quietly.

"He is safer now than he has ever been," Marinette said, thinking of the cuffs that used to keep him from changing.

"Have we heard all of your concerns regarding this issue?" Mrs Le Chien asked.

Mr. Agreste collected himself and finally addressed her parents.  "Are you prepared to care for my son, should your little business fail?"

"Is that a threat?" her mother asked quietly.

"Of course not," Mr. Agreste said, not even trying to sound sincere.  "I just want to be sure you are prepared for all contingencies."

"Our profits may not compare to yours, but our business is very successful," her father assured him.

Marinette could feel Chat getting more anxious the longer this dragged on.  "If I may?"

"The adults are talking now, child," Mr. Agreste snapped.  "Kindly hold your tongue."

Before anyone could react, Mrs Le Chien held up a hand, commanding attention with a hint of a compulsion spell.  "Mr. Agreste, I will remind you that by Arcane Canon law, Marinette has reached the age of majority.  And as all of this discussion concerns her familiar, her voice is relevant."  She sighed, setting her hand down and dropping the spell.  "If we can't come to an agreement here, we will have to involve a judge and mediation.  France has never had a legal case of this nature, and I expect it would be seen as extremely newsworthy."  She gave Mr. Agreste a long stare.  "Are you willing to endure the media circus?"

"Chat wants to keep this civil, and I'm happy to go along with that," Marinette said, feeling a little calmer now.  "If we work together, and do it now, we can develop a cover story that works for all of us."

Mr. Agreste continued to scowl at Marinette, but it felt less hostile somehow.

"You haven't enjoyed having him at home with you," she said gently.  "This fixes that completely."

"His condition will get out," Mr. Agreste said flatly.

Marinette nodded, though she hated it being referred to as though it were an illness that needed treatment.  "At this point, it's going to get out anyway.  Why not do it on your terms instead of as some reporter's scoop?"

"And I suppose you have a suggestion, Miss Dupain-Cheng," Mr. Agreste said.

"I know something of the fashion industry, and a little about the news," she said, mentally thanking both Alya and Nadja Chamack for sharing their interests with her.  "I think it would be in your best interest to appear supportive of shapeshifters.  You married one, and your son is another, after all.  You could say you kept it quiet because of the bias against their people."

"You want me to use my business as a platform for shapeshifter support?" he asked, incredulous.

"It would be more bold than Vianne's floral and striped collection from this past spring," she assured him.

" That was a travesty," Mr. Agreste muttered.

"It was quite hideous," Marinette agreed.  "But it was bold.  And it launched her small label into the ring with the big houses."  She didn't love this next part, but she had to agree it worked well into the narrative she was spinning.  "Chat is okay having an identity crisis.  If that explains why he vanished and how he ended up with me.  With no shifters to get guidance from, he went to explore is cat side."

Mr. Agreste sighed, looking sullen.  "You've stolen my best model," he said, most of the fight gone from his voice.  "Do you have a solution for that?"

"I would be willing to continue modeling for you," Chat said quietly.  He was planning something, but she couldn't tell what.

"You would?" Mr. Agreste asked, suspicious.

"But no more than one shoot per week," Chat added.  "I'm going to be going to school, so I'll need to be able to study."

"What about runway?" Mr. Agreste wanted to know.  "Fashion week is critical to the business, and it's not a one day affair.

Chat nodded.  "I'll walk runway for you under one condition."

"If it's about your salary, I'd expect to keep it the same for another year, then it should take a steep jump up, if you keep in shape."

Chat shook his head.  "For every design of yours I show, I get to wear one of my Marinette's."

"What?" Marinette demanded looking at him.  "What are you doing?"

"Will I have any choice in the designs?" Mr. Agreste asked, ignoring her outburst.

Chat nodded.  "She'll show you what she's working on, and you'll pick from those."

"Done."  Mr. Agreste got to his feet.  "Please send me the final draft of our agreement by tomorrow afternoon.  I would like to make a statement to the public in the next few days, and that should be signed first."  He nodded to Marinette's parents.  "Mr. and Mrs. Dupain-Cheng, my assistant will contact you with Adrien's medical records and information should you need to contact me."

While her parents smiled and shook hands with Mrs Le Chien, Marinette turned to her kitty.  "Why would you do that?"

There was a flash of green and he was a black cat again.  He hopped into her lap.  You help me.  This way I could help you too.

Marichat May - day 29, The Argument There will be one more chapter, ideally coming out June 1, after I’ve wrapped up the last two prompts.