#cause noir at least was in the ‘strike force’
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Spiderverse peoples im ashamed to have just realized smth from one of the new trailers. Let’s preface this with I’m American. I have never heard someone say Hobie out loud. I’ve been pronouncing Hobie like hobby for the past 5 or 6 years in my head as I’m reading comics. ITS BEEN h-OBIE THE WHOLE TIME?!
#these movies r KILLING ME#now that I’ve heard it out loud it makes so much more sense#like I can’t go back#I have been blindsided#spiderverse#hobie brown#pavitr prabhakar#gwen stacy#miles morales#literally have read all the comics#started with spidernoir and expanded#also I’m still sad spider ham penny parker and spiderman noir aren’t in the movie#:(#cause noir at least was in the ‘strike force’
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ML Fanfic Recs for 2023: 125K+ Words
So I’ve been going through and adding particularly good fics I’ve read throughout the year. Only Complete fics, of course. Enjoy!
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Dreams of You by @chocoluckchipz
Dreams had long been his only escape. Dreams of Ladybug, the girl who had always been there for him.
If only in his dreams. And only while she was also sleeping.
Because with the first rays of sunshine gliding over her skin, with the first fluttering of her eyelashes, from the moment she opened her eyes in the morning, memories of Adrien would vanish from her mind.
She would go on living her life.
He would always be the only one who remembered.
At least until they meet in the real world and fall in love all over again, something that would’ve been easier to do if Adrien wasn't a prisoner in his own home.
Chocoluckchipz has some of the most beautifully executed lovesquare fics I’ve read, and this is no exception. Most of the fic is dedicated to Adrien wooing Marinette, spending time with her, with her own dream self acting as his wingman, giving her tips on how to get her to fall for him, all the while frustrated that she can’t share memories with her waking self, and that she and Adrien can’t share as much information as they’d like while asleep, due to limitations of the “curse” that allows Adrien to share dreams with his soulmate.
It’s not all cute Adrienette fluff though. There’s a threat in the background waiting to erupt, as the weirdness of Gabriel’s ultimatum to Adrien about finding Ladybug or else being forced to marry Lila keeps on gnawing at him - and with good reason. This is a world with magic and kwamis still, and that fact makes itself very relevant in the last third of the story.
It’s a well-written tale and very much worth a read!
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one does not love breathing by @wackus-bonkus-maximus
All of Paris watched as Hawkmoth murdered Chat Noir, taking the Black Cat Miraculous for himself. Ladybug swears revenge, but her enemy—and every miraculous in his possession—disappear without a trace.
Six years later, a new team of villains launches an attack for the last remaining Miraculous: Volpina, armed with new powers; Queen Bee, with questionable loyalty; Argos, the new holder of the Peacock Miraculous; and Cat Walker, who Ladybug hates the most.
Takes place after S4 - Strike Back.
This is a simply phenomenal fic. You get to explore a lot of different perspectives, like Felix, Kagami, Marinette, and Adrien’s, just to name a few, and see their different thought processes and plans and priorities, and how it can cause their plans to collide with each other, even when they all ultimately are aiming for a good outcome for everyone. The characters are pretty complex and can mess up at times, even when they’re doing things (or not doing things, looking at you Luka) with the best of intentions. It was a joy to read and a real nail-biter the whole time, I actually wrote a fic for it halfway through just to resolve some of the tension for myself, One Does Not Love Shadows.
It also features the version of Luka I’ve connected best with to date, as he feels like Luka, but also is a lot more fleshed out, and can make some major errors while simply trying to avoid missteps. It’s helped me get a better handle on a character who I’ve generally had a lot of problems with really understanding.
It is an M-rated fic, though I think Wackus is being overly cautious on that front. There’s no sexual content and I wouldn’t put the violence or gore above a T-rating, so I wouldn’t let the rating scare you off.
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Boomer!Luka: FeLuka Ending series by @19thsentry-blog
In the Shadows (the first fic in the series) summary:
On one side is Luka, 140-year-old Snake Miraculous holder and keeper of the Guardian's secrets, on the other is Marinette Dupain-Cheng, a relatively newly minted hero of Paris and Guardian of the Miracle Box. Each is looking to fulfill their promises to their now gone mentors to reunite the Kwamis and keep them safe. Sounds simple--until you throw in a rocky start, the Atlantic Ocean, Félix Graham de Vanily, and a whole host of secrets…and suddenly simple becomes complicated (story of Marinette's life, right?).
So this is obviously way outside my normal wheelhouse. I don’t typically read Lukanette fics, even ones that turn into FeLuka later on in the series (though boy it becomes apparent quickly that the author’s fascinated with FeLuka’s dynamic.) But this one is really good, with the best Luka-centric fics I’ve ever read, and some of the best Felix-centric content as well. I love how Luka has his own baggage here, with all the pressure of wandering around for over a century, looking after the few Miraculous he found, trying to keep what’s left of the Order alive, unaware of Fu’s survival or of the Miraculous user’s re-emergence in Paris. There’s a lot of focus on Luka’s own feelings and thoughts and problems, not just on helping other people with them.
The plot works even without the romantic aspect, so even if Lukanette isn’t a pairing that draws you in, I still recommend this fic, so long as you don’t actively dislike the pairing itself. And even though it’s a Lukanette fic, Adrien and Alya are treated fairly and with respect. Adrien may not end up with Marinette and is bummed about it, but the narrative is still kind to him overall, there’s clearly no ill well towards him, or Alya for that matter. (There are later fics in the series that focus more on Adrien just healing and coping and living after finding out that his father’s a villain and his mom’s been in the basement this whole time, and in the multiversal travel fic, Alya gets some standout appearances as Scarabella which are fun).
And FELIX - it’s clear that 19thsentry has this whole conception about Felix’s psychology. He’s wrapped in a ton of self-loathing until it started to consume him, made him lash out. Him being a sentimonster, wanting to get the Peacock Miraculous, actually gave him some direction for that at least. And he’s just in this pit of his own making, until he meets Luka, who can see through him when no one else can, who cares for him even though he doesn’t understand why, who’d been through so much over the years and yet kept himself kind. He’s attracted like a moth to a flame, infuriated that he cares, yet not able to stop himself from caring about this mysterious, infuriating musician.
Yeah if you can’t tell this is the series that really sold me on FeLuka as a couple.
Oh yeah, one of the fics in here is M-rated, and it does earn the M rating for sexual content, though it’s nothing too major.
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Accidents Are Also Miracles by @liiinerle
After a few turbulent days where four new people discover her secret identity, Marinette loses faith in her ability to keep the secret hidden. Wracked with doubts and insecurities, she pleads with Alya to take over as Scarabella, but she still can't let those worries go. Especially not once Monarch starts taking a particular, and personal, interest in her.
Along the way, she also starts to date Kagami, and has to deal with changing feelings about herself, Adrien, Alya, Kagami, and the idea of being Ladybug. At the same time, Alya works to uncover Monarch's secret identity, while Kagami struggles against a controlling parent, and a girlfriend who seems bent on destroying herself - with or without Monarch's involvement.
Fantastic Marigami fic here! You’ve got three major POVs in this fic: Marinette, Kagami, and to my delight, Alya. I loved getting to see Alya cope with taking over as Scarabella especially.
But of course, this fic centers more around Marinette and Kagami, with Marinette struggling with Monarch targeting her, and Kagami struggling against her abusive parent, as well as both of them trying to navigate their relationship together when they know that not everyone will approve.
There’s also some other plots going on in here, like Sabrina breaking away from Chloe and becoming more independent (and closer to Adrien in fact), as well as a Lila takedown plot, though thankfully not one that involves demonizing other characters. While there are conversations about people believing Lila and siding with her, no one’s actually attacked for it except for Lila herself.
Oh yeah, and while this fic may not have much focus on Adrien, he’s still treated fairly and with respect, even when he messes up. He can make mistakes, but people understand where he’s coming from, and are still kind to him and want things to be okay, and to help him escape his abusive circumstances.
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Awaken by InkyIbis
The previously white butterfly, now oozing black and purple as a conduit of the butterfly miraculous powers, flutters softly within the silvered-gloved hand.
It sits there for a long time.
"Go, my akuma," The soft sigh pushes the butterfly, the akuma, out towards the despair of a love not returned. The same ache within his chest. On a level so great that he's willing to sacrifice the city to mend it.
It's okay if he's the villain for now. He'll force the miraculous of creation and destruction to be revealed, and once he gets his hands on them, none of this pain, none of his loss, will ever happen.
This is essentially a canon rewrite for Miraculous (specifically seasons 1 and 2, with a bunch of the events mixed around) that focuses primarily on Adrien, with his relationship with Nino being the main driving relationship of the fic. (Don’t worry, Marinette’s still treated fine, she’s just not the focus). This is the best “rewrite Miraculous with more of a focus on Adrien” type fic I’ve seen, with it reworking the plots of the episodes so that they’re different enough to be their own distinct thing - it’s not trying to just rewrite the canon episodes but from Adrien’s POV, there’s a lot of lore changes going on as well, and things occur in different orders.
Like lorewise, Chat’s given a more important role in cleaning up the mess the akumas leave, with his power helping to cleanse akuma victims and he and Ladybug needing to use their powers in tandem in order to cast Miraculous Ladybug. There’s also no Miracle Box holding the kwamis. Instead, Chat sometimes surpasses his limits and ends up summoning kwamis, which is dangerous to him, but very useful.
What really makes this fic great though, is its focus on Adrien’s emotions. You really get a feel for Adrien’s insecurities, especially when it comes to not feeling like he’s good enough for Nino, with not wanting to bother him when he absolutely should, with feeling like he’s not a good enough friend to him, and then there’s dealing with all of Gabriel’s usual abuse on top of that.
Speaking of Nino, this is an Adrino fic (though several characters get crushes on Adrien, Nino’s the one who matters most for this), though a slowburn one. Nino’s clearly head-over-heels for Adrien, but Adrien has like, no context for what a romantic crush feels like and is basically viewing Nino the way he viewed Marinette in canon prior to season 5. He clearly cares for him a lot, including romantically, he just... doesn’t get it.
Anyway, if you want an interesting canon rewrite fic from Adrien’s perspective with Adrino as the main pairing, this is a good story to pick up!
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Kintsugi - The Beauty Of Broken Things by @xaran-alamas
When freed from Mayura's control, and given a chance at a normal life, the Sentimonster clone of Ladybug must learn what it is to be not only a hero, but also a human being, and part of a family.
Meanwhile Marinette needs to figure out what to do with a hyper-energetic Kwami with a broken Miraculous.
Sentibug-centric fic here! The longest one in existence, in fact. Xaran does a great job of developing Centi, having her figure out what she wants and how to belong, and also deal with her feelings towards her creator - which are pretty negative since, you know, Mayura tried to kill her. The way she’s developed is excellent, and I adore her fitting into the Couffaine family after they take her in, with Juleka, Luka, and Anarka taking a shine to her quickly, and her to them. We spend a lot of time with the Couffaines as a result, so it’s also worth reading if you want to see more of that family, especially Juleka.
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you made me a hero - reverse crush short stories series by @non-fantasy
This series is just plain fun! Like the title says, it’s a reverse crush AU, so Adrien’s head-over-heels for Marinette, while Ladybug’s smitten with Chat Noir. Which means that Adrien’s constantly trying to woo Marinette while Ladybug’s attempting to have normal conversations with Chat Noir (and failing), and both of them are oblivious to each other’s feelings.
I love the way non-fantasy executes it, with Alya literally carrying around a spray bottle because of how eager Adrien is, and Ladybug being VERY SCARY if you ever lay a finger on Chat Noir (seriously akumas will literally beg for their akumatized object to be broken just to escape her wrath).
Oh, also, Ladybug regularly stops by Adrien’s room so they can both lament how difficult of a time they’re having wooing their crushes, and just have fun together.
There’s a lot of entries in this series - 29 of them in fact - but most of them are pretty short, making it great if you want to devour some quick, cute, hilarious romcom action!
Some stuff does actually change over the course of the series, it’s not just slice-of-life. Like identity reveals, dating, and even Hawkmoth’s defeat, so there’s clear progression and changes in circumstances as well.
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Not a Monster at All by @book-sandwich
Adrien Agreste overhears a conversation he shouldn't, and a revelation sends him falling onto the terrace of the only person he can trust: his good friend (?) Marinette Dupain-Cheng.
Takes place sometime after the first two episodes of season 5!
As you can probably guess from the title, this is a Sentimonster Adrien, Monarch takedown fic. Adrien’s going through a tough time, and Marinette’s just trying to be there for him as his whole world’s collapsing around him. Unfrotunately, they still don’t know what the object is, or how likely Gabriel would be to control Adrien if he hinted that he knew the truth, which leaves Adrien in a precarious position - still not having done an identity reveal doesn’t help matters.
It’s a really solid fic for the genre, though since it started up before the later parts of season 5, there are a few things that don’t match up with the canon information we obtained later on.
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Under Oath by @eoscenes
In the aftermath of Hawk Moth's defeat, Ladybug finds her heart torn between her schoolgirl crush and her superhero partner ― who returns, after an unexplained hiatus, more irresistible than ever.
⋆☆⋆
Gabriel Agreste is unmasked, and Paris rises up in the aftermath.
Marinette Dupain-Cheng must weather Paris' anxious protesters, ravenous reporters, a scattered team of judiciary investigators, and her conflicting feelings for two different boys. In the eye of this storm is the elusive Adrien Agreste, the primary witness in his own father's trial, who might just hold the secret to finding the Peacock Miraculous.
(If only she wasn't in love with him.)
Meanwhile, locked away in Le Grand Paris hotel, Adrien grapples with his responsibilities to a city that can't decide if it hates or loves him. Keeping his daytime persona and Chat Noir separate entities becomes even harder when Ladybug, whom he has finally decided to get over, starts visiting him at night, determined to figure his secrets out.
(If only he wasn't in love with her.)
When an unknown figure returns with the Peacock Miraculous, Ladybug and Chat Noir will have to save their city once more — or lose each other trying.
I love how this fic shows Adrien just breaking down over the reveal of Hawk Moth’s identity, he’s in a Very Bad Place for a substantial portion of the fic, and being a suspect and witness in the case does NOT help. It’s got the most detailed “Adrien suffering the consequences of the backlash to his father’s prosecution” plot that I’ve seen.
Still, things get better with time, slowly, gradually. It’s not all at once, or a completely linear road, but he’s got his friends, even after everything.
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Hi! I read your AU of Marc being Marinette's cousin and I have to say that I LOVE it! If you have read any of my stuff, I make it very clear how much I do not like Marinette. I have always preferred the male characters while only liking a few female characters, such as Juleka and Kagami. I would definitely love to hear more about this AU, even though I greatly dislike that Lila is actually good in the AU. But, I weirdly hate Marinette more than I do Lila.
I think it would be fun to think about some of your stories through the eyes of this AU. Like, how different stories like Scarlet Warlock, Sorrow, and Brotherhood of Secrets would be in this AU.
My favorite thing about this AU is actually that Adrien is shipped with Luka. Those two are my FAVORITE Miraculous ship!
Let’s see…
Scarlet Warlock
The week of Halloween, Mme. Bustier tells the story of Nicholas Kress and how he cursed his small town with a famine that lasted years after he was burned at the stake
Just to be awful after Nathaniel decided to sever ties with her, Marinette spreads the rumor that Nathaniel is the reincarnation of Nicholas
And she makes it out like she’s only doing it for the good of her fellow students since Nathaniel’s been straying by spending time with Marc and Lila lately, and he bared a striking resemblance to Nicholas
Plus, with the Miraculous being around, who knows? Witches and warlocks could exist (I know they do, but here, they think witches and warlocks are just folklore and shit. If any of my followers are witches or warlocks, y’all are valid 🩷)
Her followers believe her and keep the rumor going, turning Nathaniel into even more of an outcast
All throughout the week, he gets doused with holy water, has his home egged, he sees at least one priest following him home from school, and ‘Burn the Witch’ is written on his locker in permanent marker
Eventually, Halloween rolls around, and things don’t get any better. During study hall, a few students corner him in the locker room and try to force him to admit that he’s a warlock on video until an Akuma infects part of his costume and he’s turned into Scarlet Warlock
His first spell causes all sorts of spiders to invade the school and crawl all over everyone
He makes his flashy entrance and creates all sorts of misfortune for the students
While the school is delved into chaos, he goes searching for Marinette, knowing she had something to do with this. Instead, he runs into Marc, who pleads with him to not hurt Marinette because she’ll only get more ammo and hurt him later
So, he turns Marc into a vampire to help him track down Marinette so that they can burn her at the stake
Lila: *Flicks a spider off of her shoulder* Should we help?
Félix: Marinette or Nathaniel?
Lila: … Uh… Nath first, Marinette later.
Félix: Sounds good.
Scarlet Warlock soon faces off against Ladybug and doesn’t hold back becuase he’s not exactly fond of her either. Something about her just reminds him of Marinette
Meanwhile, Marc bit a few of his classmates to have them assist Scarlet Warlock and make things harder for the heroes. When Ladybug summons her Lucky Charm, she’s quick to dismiss it and goes to recharge while Chat Noir keeps the Lucky Charm on hand
Unfortunately (Not really), Marinette gets found and taken to the pyre where she’ll await execution
With help from Félix, Chat Noir heads to the oldest library in the city, where he comes across an old journal detailing Nicholas Kress’ life with his lover Miles Arcel up until his tragic death. And in a secret compartment, is a bat-shaped brooch…
… Well, like hell he’s letting Ladybug get his hands on it
Just as Scarlet Warlock is about to burn Marinette, Bat Noir swoops in and destroys the pyre just by calling for it to be rendered to ashes
Marinette runs off without so much as a ‘Thank you,’ and Ladybug arrives just demanding the his second Miraculous since Bat Noir will use it “recklessly”
Instead, Bat Noir calls for Scarlet Warlock’s wand to turn to dust and release the Akuma just to shut her up. Miraculous Ladybug, all is well, and Ladybug goes to reprimand Nathaniel for trying to hurt such a “sweet girl”
Lila: “Sweet” my butt! Marinette spread a rumor that Nathaniel was the reincarnation of Nicholas Kress and was going to wipe us all out unless he was stopped!
And all is well
Sorrow
Adrien’s having a particularly shitty month, and it only gets worse when Gabriel hires Marinette as an intern for the photo shoots
At first, Adrien is happy to have a friend around, but comes to realize that he hates every second of it. Marinette is constantly touching him when mending his clothes, taking pictures of him when she thinks he’s not looking, and badmouthing a few students
His classmates dismiss this as Marinette being friendly and looking out for him, but Marc, Nathaniel, Lila, Chloé, and Félix hear him out
And when he’s not around them, he vents his frustrations to Luka and visits him with the minimal breaks he has
On top of Marinette’s behavior, Gabriel has been pushing him to get up at unholy hours when he should be sleeping to do photo shoots and has been keeping him on a very strict diet. Should Adrien stray, he’s going to pull him out of school
They sneak him some food and hide him from the rest of the class so he can get some sleep during breaks, but, as if Gabriel somehow has hidden cameras in the school, he forbids Adrien from spending time with them and keeps him from seeing Luka
It doesn’t take long for Félix to discover Marinette blabbed to Gabriel, so in retaliation, he says a few unsavory words to her
Marinette starts crying as gaslighting Adrien into defending her with the unspoken threat of getting his father involved, but he doesn’t say anything and just leaves
While her classmates are tearing into Félix, she texts Gabriel and lets him know what happened
Gabriel calls and scolds Adrien while he’s crying in the locker room, and threatens to pull him out of school unless he gets along with Marinette, causing Adrien to snap and demand to know why he wants them to get along
So, Gabriel reveals his plan to have them date and be the faces of the company: A famous model and his designer turned girlfriend
Of course, this makes him sick and he wants nothing to do with Marinette, but there’s still the threat of being pulled out of school and having no one but Marinette to hang out with
Cue HawkAss practically forcing an Akuma on him
Félix: And another thing, you bloody witch! When a man says ‘no!’ He means, ‘Get your witch hands off of me!’ Also- What the hell is that?! *Points to Sorrow*
Sorrow uses his power to force everyone at school to feel his anguish and see what he was going through at home, during shoots, and at school
He has those under his control kidnap Marinette before she can transform while he goes to use his powers on the rest of Paris
Marc, Nathaniel, Chloé, Félix, and Lila, who managed to avoid Sorrow’s power and decide to wait things out at the hotel until they’re stopped by black and red sprites
Plagg and Tikki managed to slip the Miraculous off of Adrien and Marinette before they were Akumatized and kidnapped respectively
Plagg: So? Which two of you will take on this possibly dangerous mission and save your friend?
Marc/Nathaniel/Chloé/Félix/Lila: …
Lila: Not it!
Chloé/Félix: Not it!
Marc/Nathaniel: Not-!
Marc: Damn it!
Lila: Twas fate.
Marc and Nathaniel turn into Plague and Coccinelle
Meanwhile, at the very top of the Eiffel Tower, Sorrow REALLY lets Marinette have it and makes sure everyone knows what she and Gabriel did, causing her classmates to cry harder than everyone else when they realize they’ve just been encouraging her behavior
When Gabriel is brought in, tied up, Sorrow lets him know how much he hates him before throwing both him and Marinette over the railing…
…
… Only for them to be caught by Plague and Coccinelle, much to Marinette’s anger
When everything’s fine and well, and Adrien’s de-akumatized, the moment Gabriel gets arrested, the students demand for Marinette to get arrested, too
Even when she screams that she’s Ladybug, no one cares, and she’s sent away while Nathalie sneakily steals the Butterfly Miraculous
And that’s the end of that… Oh, and Adrien dates Luka and lives with Nathalie
Brotherhood of Secrets
For a while now, the other four Akuma Class boys have been wary of Marinette. Her behavior lately is kind of scaring them, especially the Adrinette plans
When they go to hear Nathaniel’s side of things after realizing they’ve only be listening to Marinette for so long, they hear what they expect- “Marinette’s blackmailing all of you,” “Marinette has been making Marc’s life hell since she was born,” “Marinette framed Marc for all sorts of things and is still doing it,” “Marinette’s stalking Adrien, stealing his belongings, and you’re all enabling her.”
At first, they don’t believe him, but then Nathaniel reveals an audio recording of Marinette talking to Marc and revealing several of her crimes, including her declaration of how Adrien will belong to her all thanks to her idiot classmates
This pisses them off enough to get Akumatized, and unfortunately for Nathaniel, he’s caught in the Akumatization, turning them into the Brotherhood of Retribution
They track down Marinette and try to force her to confess to what she’s done, but she’s denying everything and continues running
Chloé: *Recording Marinette getting flung around by Dark Cupid* This is fun. This is a good time.
Félix: It really is, isn’t it?
Marc: *Sips his coffee* … Should we warn Adrien they’re torturing Marinette in his honor?
Lila: Shh… Later…
Chat Noir arrives while they’re playing volleyball with her as the ball and tries to talk them down even after they explain what Marinette has done. Loudly.
Chat Noir brings Marinette to safety, gets no gratitude in return, and gets back to fighting
After separating Bubbler from the group and convincing him to break from Shadow Moth’s control, Chat Noir goes to get the turtle miraculous and hands it to Nino
One battle later, and everything’s normal again. Once she’s done recharging, Marinette is about to to transform so she can have the boys apologize, but is stopped by a police officer who promptly arrests her and takes her in for questioning
But before she’s forced into the cop car, she transforms into Ladybug, believing no one would want their beloved heroine arrested… But, she’s not exactly popular with most of the akuma victims, so Chat Noir takes her Miraculous while she’s in shock
He passes the earrings along to Marc so he can undo his cousin’s damage, and all is well
And that’s all I got
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Hazbin Hotel season 2 episode ideas
Though season 1 of Hazbin Hotel ended a while ago, it’s been made clear since the announcement date of season 1 that season 2 of Hazbin Hotel is already in production and could come out earlier then we think.
Sure Vivzie will likely want to wrap up on Helluva Boss season 2 now, but I could still see HH season 2 coming out around late 2025/early 2026. Hopefully all the success the first season of Hazbin Hotel brought convinces the people at A24 and Amazon to give VIvzie and the others more funding to make more episodes for season 2 and/or get the next season out sooner.
Only time will tell, but till there here are a few ideas for episodes that I could see happening in Hazbin Hotel season 2 in no particular order.
Trial S2x01: Lute vs. Hazbin Hotel- A possible idea for the season 2 premiere. We find out that ever since Lute became in charge of the Exorcist and is still angry at Charlie and co., Lute has been threatening to use the Exorcist army to attack Hell more often than just once a year, or put the Exorcist army on strike, unless Heaven punishes Charlie and her friends for the murder of Adam. Heaven in a combination of fearing of what could happen if Lute does anything like this, and that Adam’s death was indeed a shock, does decide to at least hold a trial to assemble the whole story of what happened and if someone is possibly responsible and should be punished. Things get intense when Lute negotiates a deal where if she wins this trial, she wants Niffty to be executed since she was the one who killed Adam.
This could be a good way to recap the events of last season as Heaven could use their version of the MMPR viewing globe to show events of the past AKA clips. To not make it a full clip show, I could see the episode review the events through the eyes of certain characters where we see the events shown in certain ways like Charlie has a lot of things look very happy, Husk see’s everything in a Noir setting, and Angel has all the male characters be very sexy before Heaven tells him to stop XD. We also could have segments where the angels give some of the backstory of several characters when they were human like Angel Dust, Niffty, and Husk. Sadly no Alastor as that deserves its own episode.
There is also the possibility of Charlie and the gang find out what happened to Sir Pentious while there, or not which could lead to plot of a future episode but more on that later.
In the end Heaven finds Charlie and co. not guilty cause they were technically in their rights to defend themselves, BUT Niffty is forced to go to court ordered therapy. Lute is furious at this decision and it is made worse when while out of the court she overhears that some angels/winners are glad/don’t mind that Adam is gone. This drives Lute insane and secretly vows to destroy Charlie’s hotel, the forces of Hell, and the “traitors”, in Heaven. This could lead to something related to the Lilith Imposter theory or hint at a future threat to the series, as someone tricks Lute into allying with it. Charlie and the Hazbin crew happily return to the hotel thankful that nothing big happened to them until they see Lucifer there with Lilith, surprising them especially Charlie.
Grand Reopening- Another possible choice for the season 2 premiere. I talked a little bit about this in my review of season 1 finale, but I could the first episode of season 2 starting with a bit of a recap of the events of season 1 told by Katie Killjoy and Tom Trench, where through them we also find out what has happened to everyone and Hell/Heaven since the season 1 finale. It could then cut to Charlie and the others going back to the season 1 problem of trying to recruit more guest for the Hotel and depending on if they know about Sir Pentious’ fate, how they can redeem a sinner. After shenanigans and problems, like now people don’t want to be associated with the people the Exorcist hate or poking at Charlie at still not knowing how to redeem sinners (again if she doesn’t know about Pentious), they do recruit a few more people like Mimzy, Baxter, and that Cryimini character to name a few possibilities which makes Charlie happy but then the episode ends on a cliffhanger with Lilith appearing to say hello to Charlie, much to her and all the S1 character’s shock.
If it isn’t the season premiere, then I still see it being about Charlie and the gang having another attempt to try to get some residents in the redemption program, but the same problems from the previous paragraph still happen and maybe Lilith’s new presence there makes things awkward until she tells Charlie about something (maybe the story of Dante’s Purgatorio) that helps her in a way. It also could hint at something being up with “Lilith”.
Party Time- To celebrate Lilith’s return, the Morningstars hold a party to welcome her back. While happy to see her mom back, Charlie also thinks this would be a good chance to get some news clients for her hotel and to get people in Hell to help support her dream, but sadly her plans are put on hold when the Von Eldritch family arrive.
For the rest of the episode we see various characters deal with the family members like Charlie dealing with her rival Helsa, Seviathan bothering/annoying both Charlie and Vaggie by bringing up how he and Charlie dated in the past, Angel clashing with Bethesda while Niffty wants to learn from her, and Fredrick talking to Husk and Alastor about business ideas, deals, and “deals”.
Pentious’ Paradiso- A Sir Pentious centered episode where we see him handle his new life in Heaven and being shown around by Emily like the poem the episode’s title is referencing. An episode like this is another chance to learn more unique things about Heaven and how it works, as well as be introduced to/foreshadow more angels and angelic characters that can appear later like archangel Michael and Jesus Christ.
If Charlie doesn’t know that Sir Pentious is in Heaven, then the main story for this episode would be how Sera has, until further noticed, forbidden Pentious and Emily from informing Charlie that he is there. They of course don’t like this as they think she is trying to stop Charlie’s plan, as I can imagine there being people in Heaven fighting against Charlie’s redemption program at this point, so they decide to go against the order and try to contact Charlie to confirm that redemption is possible for sinners. They eventually succeed (Helluva Boss did show us that Hell can receive video from Heaven) but of course get caught afterwards, where Emily takes the blame. The episode could end in 2 ways with Emily instantly becoming a fallen angel, or it’s another step to her facing such a eventually fate. I prefer the second option as her becoming a fallen angel should happen dramatically and after doing something really big like maybe cursing in front of someone XD.
A Day in the Garden- This is a prequel episode that would showing us how Lucifer met Lilith, the day they gave the apple to Eve and Adam, and Lucifer and Lilith being banished to Hell. It’s a fun episode that could give us more info on how things came to be, and maybe foreshadow things to come later in the season or series like something related to the Lilith Imposter theory I’ve been talking about.
Field Trip- During another debate between Charlie and Heaven about how a soul is truly judged, someone brings up the idea if Earth could somehow have a factor in it. After both sides take interest in seeing if it does Charlie, Emily, and a few other characters are allowed to visit Earth to do some research. This would be a fun episode as we could see how both react to Earth, as it was implied that Charlie likely never went to Earth, or not as much.
Such an episode could also have references to Helluva Boss, like seeing Blitzo and co. in the background or maybe Charlie and co. find Cletus and his other banished Cherubs there and try to get them to help with the redemption process. Not to mention it would be a good excuse to see the human disguises for characters.
End of Act 1- The season 2 finale. I’m calling it this cause I’m personally hoping for Hazbin Hotel to have at least 4 to 5 seasons, I mean if Helluva Boss is getting 4 then so should Hazbin Hotel. It’s also a callback to how the title of the S1 premiere is a reference to how a play/musical starts and how the finale didn’t end with such a title as this.
Some things I can see happening here is that Alastor calls in his favor to Charlie and this causes Lilith to do something that along with spelling out bad news later on in the series, finally reveals that she has been an Imposter for most of the season as if the Imposter Lilith theory does turn out to be true, it would get old wonder if the character was really her or not.
Maybe said Imposter gets destroyed, only for an eviler threat to be hinted at for the next season.
That is all I can think of right now, but I’m sure there are other ideas for what could happen next season like the eventual Vox confronting Alastor, Angel getting free for Valentino and seeing the moth pimp try to get him back, and an episode about the other Overlords like Zilla and Zestial.
Do you want to see any of these episodes happen in season 2? What could you see happening?
#hazbin hotel#vivziepop#hazbin hotel charlie#hazbin hotel lilith#hazbin hotel sir pentious#hazbin hotel emily
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ML Season 4: (If I called the shots)
-Alya knowing Marinette is Ladybug is still totally fine.
-I wouldnt alter Truth but I would change Lies a bit to make Adrien more clearly attempt to do more for the relationship. (and possibly alter Lies as an akuma) I think Truth did a great job with Luka and the akuma so I dont want to change it.
-Blatant Confirmation that Harry and Gabriel dated at University.
-More build up on how the akuma charms have been made. (Maybe Ladybug looking into Fu's old notes about it.)
-Kwami bond being the source of New Powers or developed powers. But the alternative is the person FORCING the new power. (which has negative effects)
-Lila being more in the season. (she is in the background but does nothing until the literal last 3 episodes.) Id at least have her mentioned more.
-I'd cut Zoe. Im sorry girl you are too rushed in there. But if there needs to bee a new Bee. I would suggest Aurore.
-Chloé would still be just as mean as in this season but a twist. She is forcing it. Like this isnt a default, she is legit trying to be meaner but is realizing that her mean streak is failing because she regrets her actions. Corrupted by goodness
- Mega Akuma are still a thing but they are much more chaotic and destructive. Shadowmoth cant call them back when sent out and the person's powers go out of control. BUT they can break charms.
-I'd remove Ephemeral. Make Kuro Neko a two part episode. (I will probably make a post about this later on depending on how strike back happens)
-(Now Strikeback has not aired yet so this following idea could happen) Chat noir finding out about the whole Rena Furtive bit and Realizing Ladybug had basically replaced him as her trusted partner. In my version this happens in Kuro neko.
-Wishmaker could still happen, but I only want Luka to know Adrien's identity. (Give Adrien someone to actually talk to. Yes this comes into play later.)
- Alya should have been the one to figure out Carapace was a sentimonster.
-Some f***ing backstory on how Emilie ended up like this.
-Also I Probably would have found a way to divide up the episodes with the heroes.
-Like how about Mega Leech had Ivan and Mylene get their hero power for the first time.
-Then Sabrina could have had it happen in Qilin (where she helps set her dad straight. BTW I am re-writing that whole episode cause the conflict was dumb as f***. Sabine was hot tho.)
-Penalteam could have been the episode that Marc and Nathaniel got their powers for the first time. (Just a bit more focus added to them)
-The whole Adrien being a potential sentimonster? So I have two roads.
-If we want this to be a to "road to hell with good intentions" Adrien was a sickly child and in order to save him. His mother used the peacock miraculous to create a sentimonster that acted as a heart replacement. This allowed Adrien to live a normal happy life. The References to "perfect" are Adrien's perfect health. The Rings power could be that it sways Adrien's heart. Making him feel weak trying to go against them. It would allow for ALL the drama of sentimonster business but also totally make is so it doesnt bring Adrien's whole being into some sort of debate. Plus its a good fake out.
-The Other road is that the Ring is actually a magical item of control on Adrien. The peacock was used in other ways that were beneficial to Gabriel and Emilie but the abuse resulted in the situation.
#ml#ml season four#ml gale cut#if I had to work with what I got#miraculous ladybug#ml season 4 finale spoilers
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‘Out Of Character’ 18th September 2022
‘Out Of Character’ master page
Read on AO3
“Today is the day.”
Rena Rouge looked up from her lunch to raise an eyebrow at Ladybug. “The day for what?”
“The day for telling Chat Noir how I feel!”
“Say what?!”
Ladybug stood up, striking an heroic pose, but she still felt her entire body shaking from nerves. “I’m gonna tell him! I… am… I am! I am. Going. To. Tell. Him!” She enunciated each word with a fist slamming into her other palm as if to hammer home the idea that it was going to happen and that it would go well. So she hadn’t slept much last night thanks to panicking about his reaction. That didn’t mean it wasn’t the right thing to do. How would they ever get married and have three kids and a hamster if she didn’t take the step of telling him and finding out who he is first? Besides which, she had the right to let her feelings be known, and he had the right to know that someone loved him. “I’m going to tell Chat Noir I love him!”
Rena’s jaw dropped open, but she never had the chance to say anything, as the small cough of someone clearing their throat nearby caused the pair to whip around in surprise. Ladybug’s arms flailed all over the place when she saw it was Ryuko who had interrupted - and had probably heard what she had just loudly declared…
“I would advise against that.”
“W-why is that?”
Looking Ladybug up and down, Ryuko’s expression did not change. “Because his heart belongs to someone else.”
“S… someone else…?” Ladybug felt her stomach sink through the floor and the blood drain from her face.
“Have you not noticed Chat Noir has been… distracted recently?”
Thinking back over the last day and a half, Ladybug had noticed his mind had indeed seemed to wander occasionally. But Ryuko had always managed to- wait. Ryuko? Ladybug looked back at the dragon hero with a dejected expression. Had she won him over? Or was she just better at pursuing love interests than Marinette was? “Is… is this something that has gone on for a while?”
“Yes. I am surprised he has not told you. I thought you were close, being superhero partners.”
Feeling Ryuko’s words like a knife in her heart, Marinette turned away and wrapped her arms around herself. How could she be so stupid? Of course Chat would fall for the elegant and calculated dragon hero over the clumsy and scatterbrained Ladybug. And him asking for Marinette’s number at Comic Con hadn’t actually led to much, just the occasional jokey conversation when they were both free. Had she totally misinterpreted his intentions? Had she let her imagination get away from her and fantasised the flirtatious undertones between the two of them?
She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned her head slightly to see Ryuko’s black glove. “I am sorry, Ladybug. I shall leave you be. But first, I came to tell you that Viperion is looking for you.”
As she watched Ryuko walk away, a thought niggled at the back of her mind about Viperion. About Luka. He had been very open from the very beginning of their characters meeting, and had made his affections for her very clear, even despite their break up a few years ago. But, he had also been respectful of her choice to not continue things with him. It was impossible to dislike him. Was she just being stubborn about him? She shook her head. She couldn’t force herself to like him in the way he wanted, especially when she had feelings for someone else…
Feeling another hand on her shoulder, Ladybug turned and allowed Rena to envelop her in a comforting hug.
-
Adrien had noticed a change in Ladybug after lunch. She had barely looked at him all afternoon and seemed a bit down in the dumps. He had attempted to make more puns to try to cheer her up, but it just seemed to upset her more, and when he had tried asking her about it at the end of the game, she had brushed him off. He wondered if it was an in-character thing she was doing or if the player behind the mask really was upset and couldn’t hide it. At least Viperion had made some headway in lightening her mood, though watching their interactions kept sparking an almost nauseous feeling in the pit of his stomach he couldn’t quite comprehend.
He was still worrying about Ladybug when he and Nino walked into the bar to watch Kitty Section perform their newest single, but then he saw Marinette and all thoughts of other girls vanished. He never ceased to be impressed by her fashion sense as she looked heart-stoppingly pretty in a grey plaid pinafore dress over a pink turtleneck jumper. When she turned to greet the boys as they approached, however, her expression nearly did stop his heart. She looked dejected, as if she’d received some bad news and she wasn’t taking it well. What was happening with the girls in his life today?
Alya paid for the first round of drinks and the four friends found a booth to sit at while the band did their sound checks. Alya and Nino had sat on one side together, probably without thinking about it as Marinette rarely joined for after-game drinks, which left Adrien to awkwardly ask if she preferred the inner or outer seat. She gave him an odd look and stated she would prefer the outer seat as she wouldn’t be able to see the band otherwise, what with Adrien being nearly a foot taller than her. He nervously nodded at her logic and scooted along the bench, trying to press himself as close to the wall as he could to be respectful of her space. Her odd expression persisted as she sat down next to him, but then she turned back to look at the band. The guitarist, Luka, gave a wave which Marinette timidly returned, and the nauseous feeling from earlier returned to Adrien’s stomach ten-fold. Was this jealousy?
He sneakily got his phone out and began typing out an atrocious pun to send Marinette as Chat Noir, in the hopes that she would pay him more attention that way, but she merely looked at who the text was from and put her phone back in her pinafore pocket with a sigh. What did that sigh mean? Was she annoyed with him? What had he done? Or… was she too enamoured with Luka to pay him any attention? He frowned and looked over at his friends on the other side of the table, then sent a text to Nino hoping to glean more information on the matter.
[Does Marinette like Luka?]
[Yh dude theyve been friends 4 ages]
[No, I mean… LIKE like.]
Nino shot Adrien a concerned look then returned to texting. [Uh… well they dated a few yrs back but I dunno about any current feelings…
From her side at least]
Looking up again, Adrien felt his heart skip a beat. [So, you’re saying Luka still has feelings for her?] He turned to watch the guitarist carefully as Nino typed out his reply, and he noticed an almost imperceptible smile that played on his lips when he glanced at Marinette.
[I don’t think hell ever stop liking her…
But hes totally respectful of her!
He wont ever try anything unless she invites him 2]
Nino’s reply didn’t do much to assuage Adrien’s concerns. Though he could only see the back of her head, Marinette’s body language changed each time Luka looked at her, and he couldn’t tell if it was in a good or a bad way. He leaned an elbow on the table and put his phone screen-side down next to it. When Marinette turned at the movement, he looked away, not wanting her to know he was watching her.
The band put their instruments down once their sound check was done and wandered over to the bar for one last drink before they started their set. As Alya started talking to the boys about the costumes Marinette had designed for the band, Marinette got her phone out again and began typing on it. Adrien pretended not to notice his phone lighting up next to his elbow and tried to pay attention to what Alya was saying, though he was far too eager to see what Marinette had replied with.
When he finally looked at his phone, his heart sank. [Very funny Chaton, but I’m kinda busy at the moment.] She normally responded with a string of cry-laughing emojis when she thought he was being funny, so to get a properly typed out message felt bad. At least she had called him Chaton. That was still a good sign, right?
He decided to leave things open with his response. [Has my Purrincess been dragged into some important business? Her Chaton will await her return all night if he has to, singing on the castle walls!]
Marinette snorted as she looked at her phone. Was that another good sign? [Singing? I think you mean yowling]
[Hey! I have a meowtiful singing voice. It’s not my fault no-one else’s hearing is attuned to it.]
That one made her giggle and Adrien felt his heart race as he watched her. Surely that was definitely a good sign. Then he got a text from Nino. [Stop sneaky flirting with Marinette n pay attention 2 my gf damnit!]
Adrien put his phone down again and gave Nino an apologetic grin before turning back to Alya, but as much as he tried to give her his full attention, he couldn’t help throwing furtive glances Marinette’s way. She seemed less upset now, and Adrien was going to count that as a win.
#hcm92literature#miraculous ladybug#'out of character'#fanfic#au#Ladybug#Marinette Dupain-Cheng#Chat Noir#Adrien Agreste#Rena Rouge#Alya Cesaire#Nino Lahiffe#Ryuko#Kagami Tsurugi#Viperion#Luka Couffaine#adrinette#marichat#ladynoir
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Rabbit Huntress AU
Queen Azure/The Future Butterfly Wielder
Months after dealing with an akuma that forced Alix to reveal to Chloé that she was Bunnyx, the two start dating.
Of course this happiness wasn't going last, so here comes Gabriel!
The heroes do in fact get their Miraculous taken away by Hawkmoth (a Strike Back replacement, cause YIKES).
The only Miraculous that were safe were the Ladybug, the black cat, & the rabbit. Cause of their permanent Wielders.
Ladybug comes up with a plan of course and tells her allies about it.
When Alix tells Chloé the plan, she obviously wants to help out.
Alix: No.
Chloé: You guys need all the help you can get on this one!
Alix: But we don't have a Miraculous to give you!
Chloé: I know, but…
Alix: Like with everyone else in Paris, your support is all we need. *kisses her on the lips* Stay outta danger, okay?
Chloé: Okay…
When it comes to the night before that fight, Chloé takes the rabbit Miraculous from a sleeping Alix, becomes "Beau Bunny", and quickly looks for Hawkmoth through the Burrow.
Not only does she see where he's keeping the Miraculous, but she also finds out that he's Gabriel Agreste.
She forces herself to keep calm as she quickly exits and closes the Burrow, without waking Alix.
Chloé, putting the pocket watch back: I'm sorry, Ally-Bun. It had to be done. *kisses Alix on the cheek before leaving*
The next day the heroes were given quite the information set on Hawkmoth, that only someone who was close with the Agreste Family knew.
The heroes were shocked that Gabriel Agreste was Hawkmoth (Chat Noir obviously cries), but they need to get the job done.
Bunnyx already knows who sent them the in tell, but decided to deal with that after the battle.
After that long and painful battle, the heroes win and get the Miraculous back. The Butterfly and Peacock Miraculous included.
When figuring who to give the Butterfly Miraculous to, Bunnyx knew just who would be the right pick.
Bunnyx: I know you're the one who told us about Hawkmoth.
Chloé: How did you find out it was me?!
Bunnyx: There are cameras all over the Louvre. You're lucky I was able to get to the footage before my dad. You obviously used the rabbit Miraculous to get all this information.
Chloé: I just really wanted to help… I'm sorry. If you wanna break up with me, I'd understand.
Bunnyx: I actually I came here to offer you a different Miraculous. *pulls the Butterfly Miraculous out of her pocket*
Chloé: Are you sure about this?
Bunnyx: I already talked it over with LB and Chat. Welcome back to the team, Chloé.
Chloé: THANK YOU! *tackles Bunnyx to the floor and starts kissing her face*
After that Queen Azure became the newest member of Ladybug and Chat Noir's team of Super Heroes. She and the other heroes became permanent Wielders as well.
It took a while for people to get use to the Butterfly Miraculous being used for good, but Queen Azure grew on the people of Paris.
~Years into the Future~
Chloé and Alix are happily married and still super heroines.
Queen Azure akumatizes herself into upgraded versions of Hare Huntress & Queen Alice to help out with certain battles
She's even got an Akuma Form for Bunnyx as well; Hera Lièvre! Who is quite flirtatious with her.
Hera Lièvre: An absolute pleasure to be here my Queen~ *kisses Queen Azure's cheek*
Queen Azure, blushing: You should really be focusing on the battle Hera!
Of course she gets her back as Hare Huntress, just for fun.
Bunnyx, backed against a wall: Aren't you afraid of the other heroes seeing this?
Hare Huntress: Nope. *kisses her jaw and neck*
Chloé has a wedding ring with a diamond shaped like a rabbit & Alix's wedding had an amethyst shaped like a butterfly.
Those rings double as their go to items for akumatization.
The other members of the Miraculous Team often witness the two heroines being affectionate with each other.
Sabrina (Miss Hound) is the least fazed by it.
Queen Azure: Be careful, Bunny-Kins. I love you!
Bunnyx: Love you too, Queenie!
Miss Hound: And I love the idea of getting this over with, so I can go home!
Chloé is happily living her dream life with her dream girl.
Chloé and Alix are both living their absolute best lives together.
Let me know what you all think!
#Miraculous Ladybug#Miraculous Tales of Ladybug and Chat Noir#Chloé Bourgeois#Chloe Bourgeois#Alix Kubdel#Chloe x Alix#Chlolix#Aloé#Rabbit Huntress AU#AUs
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WINGLESS | Ch. 2
***WARNING: Season 4 Spoilers Ahead
***New to Wingless? Start at Chapter 1!
CH. SUMMARY: Of all the people Rena could let slip that she knows Ladybug's identity in front of . . . it had to be Chat Noir.
< < < THREE MONTHS AGO < < <
Ladybug swung from building to building, the exhilaration of a job well done fueling the fire in her veins. Traffic it would seem had resumed immediately, the sounds of wheels on pavement and cars obnoxiously honking ricocheting throughout the city’s architecture. This didn’t surprise Ladybug, seeing as the city had grown quite accustomed to akumas blocking the roads. Once the tips of her toes touched a rooftop, it wasn’t long before she was joined by another pair of boots.
“That went well,” commented Ladybug as she swiveled to face her teammate.
Rena Rouge folded her arms across her chest and popped a hip, lips puckered in a frown. “Are you kidding, girl?”
Ladybug’s face fell. No, she wasn’t kidding. She honestly had felt it went well. Was she missing something? Did a disaster strike while she was focused on her lucky charm? Had her Miraculous ladybugs not corrected all of the damage? Were there civilians hurt somewhere--
Abruptly, Rena clapped her hands on Ladybug’s shoulders and squealed, putting a halt to Ladybug’s internal meltdown. “That went amazing! We’re like a well-oiled machine, you and me. I still can’t believe I get to do superhero stuff!” At the sound of Alya’s impromptu shrieking, some pigeons nearby took flight, cooing what Ladybug imagined was a bird version of crotchety old people grumbling. Not even the least bit deterred, Rena leaned forward into Ladybug’s personal bubble, eyes wide with excitement. “But what I really can’t believe is that I’m doing it all with my best friend!”
Ladybug relaxed her posture and let out a breath she hadn’t known she was holding. But she quickly regretted it when she got a nice, big whiff of crepes, urine, and cigarette smoke. Ah, Paris. Home, sweet home. However, noticing her thoughts were veering dangerously offtrack, Ladybug shook herself mentally.
So nothing had gone wrong. Rena was just being Rena and drawing out the suspense. Ladybug patted her friend’s right hand--which was still firmly squeezing her shoulder--and smiled sweetly.
“It sure is convenient that I don’t have to hide from you anymore,” the spotted-heroine remarked. “I think half the time I took so long to get to a battle because I always had to come up with excuses.”
Rena grinned with a knowing glint in her eye. “I might be impressed if your excuses were actually good.”
Rolling her eyes, Ladybug turned away from Rena, causing Rena’s hands to fall to her sides. “Hey, you try having to come up with five hundred different reasons you have to flake on your friends and see if you fare any better.”
Rena was about to sass her best friend some more, but the words caught in her throat at the sight of Ladybug hugging herself. She recognized this stance. Ladybug’s head was in what Rena deemed the “Guilt Grotto.”
Rena stepped forward to wrap Ladybug in a warm, girl-you-better-get-your-head-out-of-the-guilt-grotto-or-I’ll-tickle-you embrace when there was movement across the rooftops in her periphery. She craned her head to the right to find the familiar silhouette of Chat Noir vaulting his way over, a goofy grin clearly plastered across his face the closer he got.
In a matter of seconds, he landed squarely beside Ladybug, startling her. Ladybug, the epitome of grace that she was, did a series of awkward hand gestures before falling back on her bum, shrieking.
Chat Noir didn’t even look a teeny bit remorseful.
“Looks like I got here just in time!” he quipped, bowing and sliding his baton back into place on his suit.
Rena held out a hand for her friend as Ladybug voiced her question: “In time for what?”
Chat bounced on the balls of his feet. “Well, for the akuma, of course! You guys were having a quick team meeting, right?”
Rena and Ladybug shared a look. So that’s what he was so happy about. Ladybug opened her mouth to reply, but Rena beat her to it.
“Actually, we already took care of the akuma.”
Chat Noir visibly deflated. His ears drooped and his belt tail started to swish back and forth. “Oh.” He turned to the edge of the rooftop and hunkered down, letting his legs kick to and fro in an attempt to get rid of some of the adrenaline.
Ladybug winced. Chat did not sound happy. Hesitantly, she sat next to him. Rena then took a seat beside her, making her the middle. “Sorry, Chat. I know you like battling akumas more than I do.”
Chat nodded before murmuring, “Thirteen.”
“Hm?” Ladybug scooted closer to him to hear him better, their legs nearly touching. She leaned to her right to get a better look at his face and tilted her head innocently. If she were Marinette then, she might have fallen off the rooftop altogether, but she was Ladybug, and Ladybug had way more poise.
Chat didn’t answer immediately. Whatever it was that he was about to say, Ladybug knew it must be something important if he, the guy who was always upfront about his feelings, found it difficult to say. The guy who told her . . .
It’s precisely when something is important that it’s important to say it.
No matter what.
Ladybug gingerly rested a hand on his arm, hoping he understood what the gesture meant. It’s okay. Take your time. I’m ready to listen.
After a few more moments of staring at his feet, Chat Noir lifted his head so his eyes bore into Ladybug’s. They creased with . . . Was that worry? Sadness? Fear?
“Thirteen,” he repeated, a bit louder. “That makes it thirteen times you and Rena have battled an akuma without me. Since Montparnasse Tower.”
Ladybug was speechless. As she stared ahead, eyes unfocused, she tried her hardest to recall all the akuma battles. It was challenging as her memory loved to fail her when she needed it most. Had he really not been in any of those battles? Had it really been thirteen times?
Had he . . . had he really been keeping count?
Ladybug didn’t know what to say, but she knew she had to say something, anything. But what could she say? Was she sorry?
No, she couldn’t be sorry that the akumas had been defeated, that the victims had been rescued, that she had been able to do so quickly because Alya had been spending a record amount of hours by her side.
She couldn’t be sorry about any of that. She was only sad that he felt sidelined.
That was not her intention.
But she knew what the solution to that was.
And she would rather die before she let Chat Blanc see the light of day.
Somehow, knowing her identity had led to him being akumatized. Somehow, whether it was in an alternate timeline or when their memories had been wiped by Oblivio, she knew that what he said at Montparnasse Tower--that to know him was to love him--was truth. And Chat Blanc had told her what their love did.
Their love destroyed the world.
Their love had killed her.
Their love broke the moon, for crying out loud.
But, most importantly, their love hurt him.
Chat Noir had told her he loved her, many times, and she had even been considering giving his pun-spurting, jokes-at-the-worst-times self a chance. But being forced into combat with her akumatized partner had violently squashed any hope she had for them, for LadyNoir as Alya coined it on her blog. Ladybug would be damned if she allowed that to happen again. And if that meant encouraging him to move on even though it broke her heart . . .
Well, it wasn’t supposed to be easy being a hero.
Ladybug had this entire conversation with herself in a matter of seconds. She was careful not to let her face expose any of her innermost feelings, instead sporting an expression of neutrality. What she ultimately decided to do was tell him the only truth she had to offer. He hated secrets and she hated lying. What a pair they made.
“I wish it could be different,” she whispered.
And oh, how she did. She desperately yearned to tell him who she was, to know who he was, to tell him about Alya and Nino and all the other people she had entrusted with a Miraculous.
She wanted him to know how she grew up, what kinds of things she did at school, how she was utterly ridiculous when it came to her rotten luck (and she tried very hard to push a certain blue-eyed blonde out of her head the moment that phrase came to mind). She was sure he would snicker at all the times she made a fool of herself in front of Adrien, of all the ways she made her own life a living hell with her clumsiness.
Or perhaps he wouldn’t laugh. Perhaps he would pat her shoulder and uplift her with words of encouragement. She didn’t know. After the stunt he pulled with the balcony of candle-lit roses, the boy was a wild card, an enigma. He was complex.
And it thrilled her.
But no matter how she felt about him, they couldn’t know each other that way.
Sighing quietly, Ladybug brought her knees up to her chest and turned away from Chat Noir. If she had been watching him when she responded, she might have seen him look longingly at her, but she didn’t.
Rena Rouge did, though.
Wanting to make her friends feel better, Rena added, “Don’t you worry your pretty kitty head about it. I’m sure all those battles would have taken way longer if we weren’t already together.”
Ladybug and Chat Noir both stiffened. Chat’s gaze flicked from Rena to his partner over and over before they finally rested on Ladybug. “Uh, what does she mean by that?”
Ladybug shot a glare in Rena’s direction, but her eyes softened when she saw that Rena genuinely appeared surprised.
He didn’t know? Rena’s eyes asked Ladybug.
He didn’t know, Ladybug’s affirmed.
One would think Rena was Lady Luck because her pendant had decided that that moment was the best time to beep, and she couldn’t agree more. Now she had an escape route from this conversation. “Welp,” she clapped her hands together, “I’m gonna go chill in that fine-lookin’ alley over there.”
Before Ladybug could agree, Rena sprang from her spot and promptly disappeared. She was a regular magician, and her latest trick was leaving Ladybug with a rabbit to put back in the hat.
Or, er--a cat back in the bag. Whatever.
“What she meant by that . . . ” Ladybug began slowly, like she was addressing a wounded animal. Which, maybe she was but just, you know, emotionally wounded.
“Yeah . . . ” prompted Chat, signalling that he was not going to drop this.
Ladybug quickly jumped to her feet and began her ritual of frantic pacing. “Look, I’ve been wanting to tell you this for a while, but I didn’t know how to because I knew it would raise questions that I couldn’t answer--”
A blonde boy in white leather with somber blue eyes appeared in front of her and she dug her heels into the cement, skidding to a stop.
Chat Noir was behind Ladybug now, his voice soft and curious. “Bug?”
Ladybug was frozen in place for a few more seconds before she shook her head hard enough to give herself shaken-baby syndrome and nodded, satisfied that the aggressive head-shaking had rid her of he who shall not be named. She whipped around and started.
Chat Noir was incredibly close.
She didn’t know he had gotten this close.
Geez, his eyes were really cat-like.
He also had a really cute nose--
Ladybug, FOCUS!
Ladybug took a step back. She made it her mission to ogle his bell instead of looking into his dumb kitten eyes. “You--” she began, but Ladybug’s throat was suddenly dry. She gulped. “You know how much I hate secrets and lying. And I know how much you hate secrets and lying. So I’m not going to lie to you. But I may not be able to answer the questions I’m sure you’ll have, so please . . . ”
Ladybug grabbed one of his hands then and held it firmly between her own, pleading with every fiber of her being that this would communicate how much he meant to her even though she knew what she was about to tell him would make it seem like he didn’t mean anything.
Please forgive me, Ladybug’s heart supplied.
When he didn’t immediately take his hand back, she looked up at him. She looked into those dumb kitten eyes and knew without a shadow of a doubt--
She was a masochist.
This was going to hurt. He didn’t like when she was the only one to know Rena’s identity. He definitely wasn’t going to like that Rena knew hers. This would be so much easier if she wasn’t ogling those big, emerald green, beautiful, brazenly dumb kitten eyes.
But she was a masochist. And she needed to see them while they still held love for her.
“I told Rena Rouge who I am.”
There. She ripped off the band-aid. Straight to the point. Zero room for interpretation. After all, her worst arguments started because of her clumsy miscommunication.
Ladybug braced herself for an explosion. She had played this moment in her head a couple hundred times since exposing herself to Alya.
Yelling. There was always yelling.
Sometimes, he stomped away while doing that weird T pose where his fists didn’t connect to his hips . . . a pose she herself was guilty of, too.
Others, he chastised her about her thoughtlessness--to which she responded that she definitely thought about it long and hard that day.
Ladybug braced herself for an explosion because she was sure there was going to be one, especially after seeing him upset about her always running off to Master Fu. He hadn’t even known there was a Guardian for a while.
What she hadn’t braced herself for was the expression on his face.
Thump, thump. Thump, thump.
His head was bowed.
His eyes were closed.
A lone tear slid down his cheek.
Thump, thump. Thump, thump.
Her heart thudded against her ribcage, screaming at her to run because he wanted her Miracul--!
No! She refused to finish that thought.
Her head yelled back that he wasn’t akumatized right now, that she wasn’t back there, that she wasn’t with him. She desperately tried to shove the image from her mind. This was more than she could bear. She just--she couldn’t take it! She couldn’t take it because . . .
Because . . .
Thump, thump. Thump, thump.
Because he looked just like him.
Thump-thump. Thump-thump.
He looked like Chat Blanc.
-----
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Noir
I stood there leaning against the dim, occasionally flickering, streetlamp.
It was raining, and thunder rumbled in the distance. It wasn't heavy enough to soak through my trench coat, but enough that the water channeled around the brim of my fedora, and cascaded to the ground at the front of it.
A cigar was burning in my hand, and I took long drags on it, with no particular rhythm.
The orange cherry glowing bright each time I brought it to my lips, the smoke expanding my lungs, slowly killing me, the pain in my abdomen was excruciating.
"At least, he got to die faster"
I thought to myself, remembering back just an hour before.
He was holding her down in the alley, forcing himself upon her, his back hunched over top, tearing at her clothing. The image of a werewolf shredding into its victim ready to feast, flashed inside my mind for a split-second.
They always l told me I had an overactive imagination.
I remember her screams, her cries for mercy.
She would receive none.
There's only one kind of way women scream, when they are in that situation, and I have yet to hear a more disturbing and soul-shattering sound.
I ran towards them, adrenaline dumping into my muscles, and stumbled over a discarded can.
Somehow, he heard the distinct metal sound that a can makes when it skips across pavement, over the din of her wails for help.
His head quickly flicked round, and I saw the blistering fire of murderous passion burning in his eyes.
He was after more than sexual deviance.
He wanted blood.
He spun to face me, and rose to his full stature, revealing his true size. The "man" was several heads taller than me, and built like an Abrams.
He furiously launched himself towards me, giving me mere seconds to brace myself against the onslaught.
He latched on, and threw me against the wall of the building to my left, knocking the wind out of my lungs. I recovered and looked up, just in time to see his gargantuan fist careening towards my face. I slipped my head to the side, and his hand smashed against the bricks with a sickening crunch.
He yelled out in pain, and I took the opportunity to throw a strike of my own. I practically had to jump, to reach his head, but my fist landed squarely on his nose, sending him reeling backwards a few steps as he clutched his face with one hand.
He regained his composure, and reached for me once more, as he did so I swiftly rose my foot up through the middle of his legs, and struck him in the groin as hard as I could. It fazed him, only slightly, but it gave me enough time to reposition myself more advantageously and scan my surroundings for anything that I could use to give myself an edge. There were some beer bottles about, but none were within a viable range for me to aquire.
I had taken too long looking around, and his massive shoe mashed into my stomach and thrust me violently against a dumpster. He came forward and swung his fist, it crashed into my ear causing me to stumble, and a sharp ringing resounded in my skull.
I had to end this soon, or I would not survive to see another morning.
He struck at me once more, and I defensively raised my elbow angling it towards his oncoming fist. It collided, and I heard the bones in his hand breaking.
As he grasped his mangled hand, I snatched a bottle from the ground.
He grabbed me around the waist, lifted me into the air, and began crushing my torso. I felt my ribs begin to crack under the pressure of his immense strength.
I swung the bottle and shattered it against his temple, he squeezed me tighter, and one of my ribs finally snapped. I moaned in agony, and used my remaining willpower to jam the jagged bottle into his jugular vein, and tore downward.
Blood ran from his neck like a cataract, pooling on the pavement.
He released me and staggered backwards, both hands on his throat, instinctually trying to stop the gushing flow of his life force from draining away.
I scrambled to my feet, looking past him.
She had escaped.
It's not like the movies where the damsel in distress waits around to embrace the hero who saved her life. I was sure she had fled the moment he turned his attention to me.
I shuffled away from the alley.
I made it a few blocks before the piercing pain halted me. I slumped against the nearby lamppost and fumbled around in my coat for a cigar and lighter.
It was becoming difficult to breathe, and every inhaled breath drew forth an intense aching from within.
It began to rain, and I started to wonder if she had made it to safety.
Had my sacrifice made a difference?
I suppose it didn't matter now, she was elsewhere, and I was here, fading from reality.
I stood there leaning against the dim, occasionally flickering, streetlamp, and my consciousness slipped away into the night...
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A Queen Serves and Protects
Chapter Three
First Chapter --> Last Chapter --> Current --> Next Chapter Summary:
Post-Style Queen, Pre-Queen Wasp.
Chloe finds the Bee Miraculous, but instead of finding an obliging, subservient Kwami, she finds the Kwami of Order and Subjugation, and Pollen is not about to let herself be used like Nooroo was.
Granted, the only danger in a teenage girl is the damage she poses to herself. Can Pollen shape Chloe into a hero? Or will she stubbornly refuse to change and remain the bitter, harsh person the city has long since known?
[My take on how Chloe’s character could have developed] ——————————————————————————————
Getting akumatized was a special sort of uncomfortable. But it was exhilarating in all the same ways. Everything that one felt became louder, bigger, something beyond what it used to be. It grew into power. The power to act and take what was yours.
For Chloe, it just made her more upset. The anger had almost fizzled out, but the akuma brought it back with a vengeance. But unlike the last time she had been akumatized, her sorrow manifested much stronger than her rage.
Her skin darkened to a deep blue, almost purple, like the edge of the night sky after the sun had set. Where her hair had been in a high ponytail, it was undone and draped down and around her face. It looked stuck together and damp as though she had just been rained on. Chloe’s makeup looked washed out and runny both from her own tears and the transformation.
Most notably, her clothes became a simple long t-shirt and sweatpants that looked worn down and overused. The pants were a bright, light blue, while the shirt was a dark, deep crimson. To top it off, her sunglasses molded into a hat not unlike what her mother wore, but with goggles inlaid into them.
Without a word, Chloe put her hands before her and a large pair of scissors, easily the size of her chest, formed in her hand. Transformation complete, she turned on a dime and walked out the locker room.
A moment of silence followed before Pollen poked her head out the locker she had hidden away in. “Well, this isn’t good.”
//////
Marinette had never been so uncomfortable in her life. That included that time when she was seven and her twice removed cousins from her dad’s side came over and asked her why she didn’t wear dresses if she liked making them so much. And that one time she stepped foot first into a mud puddle, lost her shoe, and had to walk home with a sock soaked in mud.
It was bad.
Audrey, once Chloe had stormed out, continued on her tirade. “Ugh, how dramatic. Little Charlie needs to learn her place. She simply can’t compare to talent like yours, dear.”
Starting at being addressed, Marinette gave her a pinched smile.
“Now,” Audrey continued. “You simply must come to New York with me. The opportunities are endless, and skill such as yours would flourish under my attention!”
Her heart skipped a beat. New York was a big deal for fashion. Next to Paris, it was the place to be, and opening up her contacts to overseas big names would be a huge step for her career.
But could she work with someone this awful?
Sure, Marinette didn’t like Chloe, but even she thought that how her own mother treated her was cruel. It made her feel bad for the girl. It explained a lot about her, and for a moment Marinette considered being nicer to Chloe.
Not that that would make Chloe suddenly decide to be a good person. It would take the inevitable explosion of the sun for that to happen.
“I-i, um, I need to think about it, Mrs. Bourgeois.” Marinette glanced over at her parents. “I have a lot to consider about leaving or staying, and my parents still need my help at the bakery.”
Her parents, and oh how she loved them, spoke up immediately, “Oh, we can manage the bakery dear! Don’t worry about little old us, what’s important is your future.”
Please, take the hint guys.
Before Marinette can struggle to find more excuses to deny her request, Adrien pipes up, “Mrs. Bourgeois,” he flashes her an award winning smile, “Don’t you think that the way Chloe was handled was a bit… out of hand?” Gabriel laid a hand on Adrien’s shoulder, squeezing it gently before sharing a look with Natalie and wandering off.
Audrey rolled her eyes behind her sunglasses. “Oh, darling, for such a sweet thing you can be so daft. Girls like that need a quick strike down before they let their misguidedness get to their head.”
Adrien, for his part, kept smiling. For those who knew him well enough, they could see the twitch in his eye as he struggled not to snap at the woman. “Ah, my apologies. In my experience, the best growth comes from a guiding hand that focuses on building a person up rather than tearing them down. But I suppose, for a critic, that is not the case at all. Though, the modelling experience is often different from the experience of those who make judgement calls on others’ hard work.”
Bringing a hand to her chest, Audrey sniffs derisively. “Sure, dear. Of course, most models are meant to make anything they wear look pretty, so it can be hard to see where their accessories are lacking when all they see is themselves.”
Marinette wanted to desperately be anywhere but where she was standing. She almost wished that someone had bust in with the Bee miraculous and caused a scene just so she could excuse herself.
She’d rather deal with her own mistakes a million fold over than this.
Mayor Andre, for his part, smiled a shaky press smile as he tried to talk his wife down.
Adrien, fed up with Audrey, grabbed Marinette ’s hand and pulled her away quickly. Natalie spared him a glance before going to converse with his bodyguard.
“Can you believe her!” Adrien simmered. “How cruel can you be to your own child!”
Marinette laughed awkwardly. “I mean, at least we know where Chloe gets it from?”
Adrien rounded on her. “Chloe is not as bad as her!”
Taking a step back, she watched Adrien wide-eyed. He sighed, taking a breath to calm himself. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have snapped at you. That display was just awful.”
He ran a hand through his hair, mussing up carefully styled locks.
Hesitating, Marinette asked, “Is she… always like that?”
Adrien gave a tense nod. “Since we were young. Chloe always wanted her mother’s support, but well,” he waved his hand back in her direction, “You try reasoning with that.”
Before either could pick the conversation back up the front doors to the building burst open. Carrying comically large scissors and dressed as what could only be called a fashion disaster was an akuma that looked one bad day away from a mental breakdown.
Or, well, in the middle of a breakdown.
“Audrey Bourgeois! You claim to recognize talent when you see it, but failed to see how your own daughter can be exceptional. Well, I am the Queen Killer and if I cannot be exceptional then no one can! I’ll cut your reign to shreds.” The akuma accented her speech with a threatening snip of her scissors before launching forward at the Style Queen.
Before anyone could react, Queen Killer had Audrey between her blades and closed. A thing, white line appeared where the blades connected and, as Queen drew her weapon away, there was a horrifying moment where Marinette was sure Audrey was split into two pieces.
Instead, a dark shadow started spilling out of Audrey, enveloping her body as she screamed. When the shadow dissipates, a twisted, snarling version of Audrey that looked like she was fused together with five other versions of herself appeared. It lashed out at those around her, screeching and clawing at them.
Queen Killer laughed. “Now everyone will see how hideous and cruel you are!”
Marinette jolted out her shock as Adrien roughly pulled her away. This, unfortunately, brought Queen’s attention to them as the rest of the room also began to run.
“Dupain-Cheng!” If she had any doubt that that was Chloe, she had none now. ”You stole my mother’s love from me!”
As Queen launched forward with her scissors open, Marinette screamed, “That was not my intention! I didn’t know she would ask me to go to New York with her all over a hat!”
Alas, her pleas were not enough. Stuck in her civilian form, Marinette could not outrun the enraged Queen. Twin blades circled around her waist and cut, forcing Marinette to stumble and fall.
Adrien, worried for his friend, stopped and tried to go back for her. But, between a snarling Queen and Marinette urging him to keep running as a dark shadow overtook her, he kept running. The best thing for Marinette would be Chat Noir and Ladybug. He would have time to check on her later.
Marinette , meanwhile, felt the shadows come off her and… she looked the same. For a moment, she was confused. What was the akuma’s power supposed to be?
But then it bubbled up. Nothing physical. No, that would be too easy. As she looked up towards Queen and thought ‘I need to transform into Ladybug’ a wave of crushing doubt and insecurity gripped her throat.
She would just mess up again. Like she had when she started out, when she lost the Bee miraculous, and every time she let someone get harmed by an akuma. There was no way she could do this. Chat Noir would be better off without her.
As the building cleared and Queen ran out to terrorize the fleeing patrons, Marinette stayed on the ground, shaking. What could she do? Make things worse? Disappoint all of Paris? Put Fu and Chat Noir in danger?
Distantly, she heard someone talking to her, urging her to get up and move. The voice disappeared as he heard footsteps and she was lifted into someone’s arms. A hop, skip, and a jump later had her safely placed down on a chair in a private room, looking into the eyes of Chat Noir. His eyebrows were brought together in concern.
“Stay here, okay? I promise Ladybug and I will fix things for you.” He offered a reassuring smile before dashing out of the room.
When she couldn’t hear his footsteps anymore, Tikki flew out of her pocket. “ Marinette !” The little ladybug placed her paws on her face, getting her to look at Tikki. “Are you okay? What happened after she cut you?”
Shaking her head, Marinette focused on her breathing. ‘C’mon Mari,’ she thought to herself, ‘You can’t let Chat do this alone.’
“I, uh,” she looked back at Tikki, “It’s so bad Tikki. I’m going to mess up and make things worse. Like yesterday with the Bee miraculous! I lost it! Instead of getting help, I lost a potential ally and a powerful magical artifact. If I can’t even keep track of things placed under my care, how can I protect Paris?”
Tikki was at a loss for words. This reminded her so much of the Marinette she first met- unconfident, afraid, and so uncertain in her actions. It was like the cut brought out all the most hurtful parts of herself…
“ Marinette ,” Tikki began, “We all make mistakes. What’s important is working to fix them. Sure, if you do nothing you can’t mess up or disappoint people, but you also can’t grow and succeed. Paris needs its Ladybug, regardless of what the people think of you. I know you can do this. Chat will be there to help you too, I’m sure of it.”
Doubt in her eyes, Marinette nodded. While her doubts and insecurity swirled in her mind, the urge to help others reigned supreme. She had to at least stop the akuma and set things back to normal.
“Alright Tikki,” Marinette swallowed thickly. “Spots On!”
///////////
Chat was not having a good time.
His first thought upon finding Queen snipping people in half with her scissors was that he could easily beat her in combat. What could she do with a pair of large scissors when he had a versatile staff?
A lot, apparently.
As he dodged backwards from another attempt to cut him in half from Queen, he tossed a jab her way. “So is clashing colors the new look, or did I miss the memo?”
Queen huffed at him, “Says the boy in full leather! I would know a fashion disaster when I see one!”
She ran at him again, holding the scissors completely open so she could swipe at him with a blade. Chat blocked it with his staff, before pushing her away as she tried to close the blades on him.
“Excuse you, Queenie!” He retorted. “I’ll have you know that my outfit is purr-fect.”
Clearly, she disagreed, if the groan and slash at him was anything to go by.
What a party pooper.
But what was worse was that he couldn’t get close enough to her to properly disarm her. Nor could he figure out where the akuma was while trying his best to not get cut in half. Chat needed to regroup with Ladybug, but she was nowhere in sight.
Biting his lip, Chat jumped back and up onto a rooftop. Giving Queen Killer a salute, he started away from her.
“Get back here you mangy cat!” Queen simmered on the ground below where he ran off. “You better bring back Ladybug so I can take you both off your high horse!”
///////////
Pollen was not the best at sneaking around. Not for lack of trying, of course, but people were ingrained to see a blur of yellow and the sound of buzzing and think ‘Bee!’ It didn’t help that she was larger than the average bee.
What did help, however, was people being too busy staring at an akuma running full tilt down the street to pay attention to the yellow being that was trying to stay unnoticed behind them. So Pollen got a front row seat to Queen’s akuma speech and display of her powers. When Chat Noir showed up she waited for her chance to talk to him or Ladybug whenever she came around.
And, well, there went Chat running for his life.
Pollen sighed. At least flying along rooftops was less obvious than following an akuma.
After shooting past building after building, she manages to get closer to the black blur that was Chat Noir. He was vaulting along, keeping an eye out as he worked on not plummeting to the ground. When he finally stopped to catch his breath, Pollen nearly sped past him.
As Chat retracts his staff and starts to dial Ladybug, Pollen drops down in front of him. “Oh!” He stumbles back, “Hello? Who are you?”
Pollen smooths out her fluff and offers a paw. “I am Pollen, Kwami and Order and Subjugation, and the one who dwells inside the Bee Miraculous. You must be Chat Noir. A pleasure.”
Chat, mystified, offers a finger. “Nice to meet you. I thought you would be with Master Fu and your miraculous?”
“Ah, well,” Pollen tilted her head. “Did Ladybug not tell you?”
He pinched his lips. “No?”
“Ladybug lost my miraculous in the fight with Style Queen. You weren’t there, though, were you?” Pollen considered him for a moment. “I don’t blame you for that, nor do I blame Ladybug for losing my miraculous. But that isn’t important right now.”
Accepting the hand Chat placed out for her, she settles into his palm. “I need to talk to you and Ladybug, but the akuma is our first priority. What do you know about them?”
“Well,” Chat began, “I believe it is Chloe Bourgeois. But as for the akuma,” He scratched the back of his head with his free hand, “I’m not too sure. My current two guesses are her scissors or her hat, since she normally doesn’t have either on her.”
Pollen nodded thoughtfully, despite having seen the akuma land in Chloe’s sunglasses. There was no way she could tell Chat Noir without him having at least some suspicions as to who she was with at the moment. At the very least, he could narrow it down to who had been around Chloe when she transformed.
Chat pushed on. “Even if we managed to subdue Queen Killer and get the akuma out, we wouldn’t be able to do anything until Ladybug gets here to purify it. The best we can do is wait and try to stop as much damage as possible.”
“Actually,” Pollen butt in, with a slow smile spreading across her face, “I may have a solution to that.” Chat tipped his head to the side. “I can immobilize people with my power. As long as I can hold onto the power they will remain frozen, or until I touch them to let them free.”
He perked up, stars in his eyes. “Like how Plagg can use Cataclysm when he’s himself! That’s perfect, Pollen.”
She nodded eagerly, before stopping. “Wait, did you not know kwamis can use their own power?”
Chat looked confused, but nodded slowly. “I didnt figure that out until he used it to free from an akuma a while ago.”
Pollen buzzed, frustrated, before saying, “The Guardian should have told you that! It’s important for a holder to know about their miraculous and kwami, especially a trouble maker like Plagg.”
“Well,” Chat scuffed his foot on the roof, “I don’t speak to the Guardian that much. Last time we talked was when he came to my house and talked about the Miracle Box and such.”
“That’s ridiculous!” Pollen moved out of Chat’s hand and floated in an irritated circle. “You should be just as informed as Ladybug. It’s not fair to you or her to pile information on one of you and expect the other to just go along with it!”
Chat shrugged. “That’s how it’s been for most of it. Besides, I trust Ladybug with my life.”
“But, when keeping so many secrets, can she trust hers with you?” Pollen replied with a meaningful look in her eyes.
She received no response. Instead of dwelling on the matter, she urged Chat to get back to Queen Killer. They still had a job to do, after all.
/////////
Ladybug arrived on the scene to find Chat nowhere in site and Queen Killer happily snipping at random citizens. Great. Before she can engage with the akuma, she hesitates. Could she really do this without Chat? What if she lost her miraculous because she let her civilian self get hit with the akuma’s power?
Shaking her head, she prepared to head in when a flash of black caught her eye. The familiar form of Chat pole vaulting across the rooftops to her left filled her with a sense of relief. She really, seriously needed to keep it together.
Taking a second, she throws her yo-yo to wrap around a chimney in Chat’s path. Her heart races as she tests the line and jumps. Shit, shit, shit, she’s gonna hit the wall, then Queen will notice her, then-
She made it on the roof with two scraped knees. Not flawless, but still unseen. Chat landed beside her, more than happy to see his Lady. A frown creased his brow as he took in her demeanor.
“Are you alright?” He checks her over for wounds, but comes back with nothing beyond a few scratches. “Did something happen?”
Ladybug goes to dismiss the idea before Tikki’s words ring in her head again ‘Chat will be there to help you too.’ Shaking her head, she gave Chat a grimace. “Queen managed to cut me while I was in my civilian form. Even after I transformed the effects are bothering me. It’s… brought back a lot of my insecurity and confidence issues. But we can do this, I know we can.”
Chat nodded, resting a hand on her shoulder and giving it a gentle squeeze. “Don’t worry, I have a plan. And some back up.”
“Backup?”
A yellow figure lands on Chat’s shoulder. “Hello, Ladybug. It’s nice to see you again.”
Blinking in shock, Ladybug exclaims, “You’re the kwami from the Bee miraculous! Oh god, another thing I messed up, I’m so, so sorry.”
Pollen holds up a paw, stopping her. “It’s not your fault. You were in a tight situation and did the best you could. Besides, I’m with someone who may be a good ally in the future. They just need time.”
Chat and Pollen brought Ladybug up to speed on their ideas, to which she poked and prodded at. They exchanged glances before nodding and Chat and Pollen split. Still standing on the roof, Ladybug calls her Lucky Charm. It dropped from the sky as a red and black spotted crowbar.
Keeping the crowbar in hand, Ladybug drew Queen’s attention with a hit to her scissors. “Hey!” Ladybug called out, “Don’t you know scissors are dangerous?”
Queen Killer growled back, “Of course you would start preaching at me, little miss perfect. I bet everyone in the whole city loves you. Well I’m here to cut your heroic tales short!” She launched forward, bouncing off a car and digging her scissors into the side of the building to propel her up to the rooftop to get on Ladybug’s level.
Ladybug, in a quick move, flipped over her and flung her yo-yo around the scissors to send Queen flying back to the ground. Before she could hit a lamppost, Queen dug the blades into the street to slow herself down, only to run back to Ladybug.
‘Good,’ Ladybug thought to herself, ‘Keep coming.’
In the moments before Queen got back in range, Ladybug took a moment to eye the area around her for clues on how to use the Lucky Charm. Nothing stood out, so she sprung from the rooftop to land before Queen and send her yo-yo swinging at her feet.
Queen, quick to the punch, lowered her scissors to cut the yo-yo string. Ah, what a lovely and easy mistake to make when fighting a person who used scissors with a string based weapon. Panicking, Ladybug brought up the crowbar to stop the scissors from striking her.
Pulling back, Queen raced in again with the blades open, looking to trap Ladybug the same way she had Chat in their fight before. Ladybug readied her crowbar, bringing it up to block again. Queen smirked, shutting the blades in a smooth motion. By luck or skill, Ladybug managed to sidestep the action, getting the crowbar’s hook caught in between the blades. Seeing her chance, Ladybug used the hook to pull the scissors from Queen’s hands.
Spitting a curse, Queen abandoned her scissors to tackle Ladybug.
Chat, meanwhile, called forth his Cataclysm and rushed the scissors, destroying them with a touch. When no akuma appeared, he looked back confused. Queen kept fighting Ladybug, managing to get the upper hand as Ladybug hesitated in kicking her off. As Queen pinned Ladybug’s hand with one of her own and reached for her miraculous Chat sprung towards her.
He wouldn’t make it in time.
But Queen stopped dead in her tracks, eyes wide beneath the wide-brimmed hat. Pollen popped up from behind her, giving Ladybug a little giggle. “Sorry, I meant to do that a little earlier.”
This time with no reservations, Ladybug pushed Queen off of her. Chat bounded over to her to help her up, to which she shook her head and pointed at Queen. “Find the akuma.”
Receiving a nod, she picked herself up to retrieve the cut off part of her yo-yo. Chat, in this time, took Queen’s hat and ripped it. For good measure, he broke the goggles on them as well. Lo and behold, the akuma haphazardly fluttered out. Before it could escape, Ladybug snapped it up in her yo-yo.
“Bye, bye little butterfly,” Ladybug murmured, letting it fly off into the sky. With a nod to her partner, she threw her crowbar into the air and let forth the rush of ladybugs to fix the damage done.
Pollen, seeing Chloe safely de-akumatized, gave Chat a little nod before rushing off. He made a move to go after her when a bawl reached his ears. Chloe, freshly purified, was trying her best to keep it together. But as Chat knelt to help her to her feet, she jumped him for a hug.
“I’m sorry,” she cried. “I’m sorry that I was too pathetic to not get akumatized again. My mother was right about me, I’m so, so sorry.”
Chat rubbed her back slowly. “What your mother said was cruel and unfounded. You’re not pathetic at all, Chloe.”
“And it’s definitely not your fault. Even the strongest, most exceptional people can get akumatized,” Ladybug added, “Besides, even heroes have bad days.” Not that she considered Chloe even close to a hero.
Andre chose this moment to come bustling through the doors of the building behind them. “Princess, my darling!”
Seeing that she was in good hands, Chat and Ladybug pound their fists together and part ways.
Ladybug, however, is stopped by Pollen two blocks over. “There you are! Thank goodness. Can you show me where your miraculous is so I can return it to Master Fu?”
“No,” Pollen told her quietly, “But I want to ask you to trust me. I’ve found someone who needs my help. Maybe one day she could be a great hero, maybe not. But this person has gone through a lot of heartbreak and I don’t want to be another person that leaves her behind. I want you to tell Fu that I have decided to stay with them.”
“Wait, but what about secrecy? How will we know they won't spread the word about the miraculous or accidentally lead Hawkmoth to you?” Ladybug fretted, cupping her hands for Pollen to land in.
“I haven’t told her the transformation words, yet.” Pollen stroked her hand reassuringly. “That way if things go south I can still manage to keep my power from being abused. Please, Ladybug, trust me.”
Biting her lip, Ladybug hesitantly nodded. “Please stay safe, Pollen. If you ever need my help don’t hesitate to ask.”
Giving her a bright smile, Pollen floated up to nuzzle Ladybug’s forehead. After giving parting words, they went off in different directions.
Hopefully, Pollen hadn’t just made a huge mistake.
#miraculous ladybug#miraculous tales of ladybug and chat noir#ml#ml fanfic#ml fanfiction#chloe bourgeois#chloe bourgeois redemption#ladybug#marianette dupaign-cheng#chat noir#adrien agreste#pollen#pollen (ladybug)#pollen the kwami#bee kwami#tikki#plagg#marinette dupain cheng
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You're Not Alone Ch. 3
Ao3 the start Ch.1 Ch.2 Ch.4
Marinette looks back on her week as she gets ready to return to Paris and to school.
Marinette leaned against her bag in the bat cave. This was it, time to go home. She glanced fondly to where Damian and Tim were arguing over what her designation should be. Looking to her other side allowed her to see Kon and Jon who were supposedly keeping watch but instead were watching the two Robin’s argue.
“So you finish assigning me a designation then I get access to the tubes forever?” She watched as Damian and Tim paused in their scuffle, Damian's elbow jammed in Tim's ribs.
Tim smiled at her despite the painful position he seemed to be holding, “Yep, all you have to do is state your designation and you will have access to any of the tubes in Gotham or the one in Paris if you are here.”
Jon spoke up from across the cave, “Why don’t you two just ask her which name she likes better?”
Kon snorted, “Because the moment they decide on a name there is nothing to stop her from leaving.”
Neither Robin answered as they instead went back to their fight.
Marinette smiled and laid back on her bag. It was nice to see her birds getting along. Sure some may not see it, but neither had pulled out any weapons and none of the blows hit with force.
She looked back on her week, there were probably too many days where she cried on Tim, but she definitely felt better now, stronger. She could face her friend now and not have it hurt.
She almost laughed as she thought back to Monday night. Bruce saw her getting ready to join patrol and forbid her from lending Trixx to Tim. Not liking being told who she could and could not give the miraculous to she made the wonderful decision to lend Trixx to Jason instead. In hindering there was no way that was going to turn out well. She still thought it was worth the look on Bruce’s face.
The chaos was so great that he hadn’t even noticed Damian using Longg until after she had recruited Chat to help her control the chaos. Marinette hummed to herself, if anything calling Chat had only made things worse. Seeing him twice that day was really bad for her heart, but at least Batman had a worse time. She still wasn’t sure if he ever noticed Tim shield surfing amongst all the other chaos.
Bruce had banned her from handing out any more miraculous during patrols, she only agreed because he said he would let Red Robin patrol again. It also helped that she could still drag the boys with her to fight akumas. Orikko and Tim paired well together.
Sadly Damian couldn’t help during that akuma. The fight would have been over a lot sooner with a dragon. Probably would have been less food puns with Damian threatening to stab someone. She blamed Chat Noir. He called Tim Rouge-Gorge like the American restaurant. They probably shouldn’t let Kon know how often Tim was called yummy during that fight.
She was snapped out of remembering quite violently when Kon had tossed her suddenly towards the sparing mats. She landed herself in a fighting stance and noticed Damian doing the same as Jon tossed him. She looked quickly towards Tim and saw that he had pulled up a summary of her last spare and what she needed to work on. She smiled, guess the supers were working as lookouts after all.
She didn’t allow anymore time for thoughts as she launched into a series of fast palm strikes. Damian sadly wasn’t taken surprise and blocked her before launching into a counter.
“What is all this? I thought Little Red was leaving.” Dick looked over the cave as she and Damian stopped sparing to look at him.
Dick walked over to Tim without waiting for an answer. He closed the analysis and started typing.
“MLB-01 registered.” Flashed on the screen and Dick just shook his head and walked back the way he came without another word.
The five teens looked at each other a little sheepishly before Marinette decide to take the opportunity to hug Damian.
“Get off me woman.”
“I will miss you too Damian.” She smiled and let go before he stabbed her then walked over to the Kents. She grabbed them both in a hug, “Come visit after an akuma attack sometime.”
“No promises,” Kon laughed as he hugged her back and tugged one of her pigtails.
She batted his hand away then went to gove Tim a hug. “Thanks for being my rock.”
His return hug caused her ribs to ache slightly but she didn’t care. “Anytime Bug.”
Her eyes started to tear up. This week was so much fun, she would really miss them. “We never finished writing our love song.”
Tim laughed, “That's because neither of us are very good at coming up with a melody.” He released her from the hug a little reluctantly and grabbed her bag from Damian in order to hand it to her. “Call me when you get home Bug.”
She smiled a little watery but accepted the bag.
“None of that now,” Tim wiped her tears away with a handkerchief, “We are still on for Saturday Brunch next week.”
“DC.” She looked over at Damian glaring at her and smiled. He was trying to hide how upset he was. “Call if you need us, it will be a pleasure to trounce your villains for you.”
She smiled, “Of course.” She stepped up to the tube. “Thank you. I will talk to you soon, I promise.” She input her designation and was off to Paris before any of them had a chance to respond.
It was better this way. This way she wouldn’t cry anymore.
She opened her purse and smiled at Tikki. “As far as travel goes I think I prefer Kaalki's portals.”
Tikki just giggled and munched on a cookie.
Marinette closed her purse and carefully left the building. She wasn’t too surprised to find herself near the Grand Hotel. Her secret phone dinged and Tikki handed it up to her quietly.
‘The limo is for u.’
‘I took u away in style Im going to return u in style.’
‘u r worth it.’
She smiled and sent a thank you back to Tim. She would repay him with some pastries next Saturday.
Her parents were busy in the bakery but still made time to give her a quick hug. Her maman even commented on her smile. She flushed a little at that. Guess she wasn’t as good at faking them as she thought.
Once in her room she turned on her normal phone and listened to all the messages come in. There were a couple from Luka and Adrien asking her to let them know when she made it back and Luka hoping she found what she needed to.
Adrien let her know he was excited to see her at school and let her know he had a lot to catch her up on. Luka wanted to know if she could hang out after school since he had a new song to show her and wanted to know about her week.
She responded to both of them and then took a steadying breath. She couldn’t avoid it any longer.
She took her time to open up Alya's messages. Ninety-four messages, most of them creative rephrasing of the questions: How do you know the Waynes? Did you meet any heroes? Are you dating one of them? Why are you ignoring me? Oh and Marinette’s favourite; Lila says you would totally have cell service in the states.
She groaned and handed the phone over to Tikki to read while she thought of a response. Deciding that she really just wanted to call Tim and sleep she told Alya she was jetlagged and they could talk in person tomorrow.
Maybe future Marinette would be well rested enough to handle Alya.
One more chapter and we are done. Maybe then my brain will finally release me from this universe and let me write for other stories.
That said, let me know if there are any scenes you want to see. I am happy to try and write them.
Taglist: @novemberistired @novemberandmay @laurcad123 @certainmuffinbagelcalzone
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PGR COMMANDANT Q & A
FINALLY TOOK THE TIME TO ANSWER THIS-- ssdsjdlksd
link to OG post here! (made by @punishing-gray-raven-ocs)
1) How do you feel about being a Commandant? Are you proud of your job? Terrified of failing at your job?
Higetsu: Honestly speaking, it's nothing new compared to what I went through in the past-- just that now I've become an authority figure that has to lead people. ...Truthfully, however, a little unnerving, but it has to be done, and I knew what I was getting into when I decided to become one.
Yoko: Mhhmm... it's tough, I'm not gonna lie. Sometimes I have to make decisions I personally don't like but the situation demands it, and it ends up not sitting right with me. ...That's why an occasional loophole exploitation here and there is fine in spare amounts, ain't it~?
(Higetsu: Who the hell taught you to think like that-- you know what, never mind, I'd be shooting myself in the foot if I finished that sentence. // Yoko: *giggles, does a victory pose*)
2) Why did you become Commandant in the first place? How did you become a Commandant?
Yoko: Brother and I decided to become a Commandant to honor mom's memory. It sounds kinda childish to have that as a reason to take up a career as dangerous as this, but, at least to me (though I'm sure brother shares the same sentiment as I do), mom was everything to us, so we wanted to experience what she did, see the sights she did-- all the good and bad.
Higetsu: "That person", huh... Speaking of which, the relatively-fresh flowers at that grave--... No, it's nothing. In any case, "that person" took us in as her children after finding us in the remnants of our old home, bringing us back to Babylonia, to her home and husband. Well, things went as you can see, no?
3) How do your Constructs feel about your leadership skills? Are they comfortable with you? Do they fear you?
Higetsu: There's no issues at the moment with either Strike Hawk or Gray Raven. After all, if there was any problem, either Chrome or Lucia would've told me. ...Leading isn't my strongest skill, though, and sometimes they worry me. Actually, scratch that, not sometimes, FREQUENTLY. Haaaahh.
Yoko: Hrmm~... honestly, I'm not entirely too confident with my leadership skills, and the others often say that I'm a bit too lenient when it comes to dealing with Gray Raven, but... they're still people, you know? I don't want them to get hurt too much, but they don't seem to value their own lives as much as I'd wish they do...
4) Do you think the war against the Corrupted will ever come to an end?
Yoko: It will certainly come, I know it. As long as everyone continues to fight for a future, a future where we can all live in peace, then I believe that this war will come to an end. Be it in our lifetime, or the next generation.
Higetsu: ... Honestly speaking, I'm not as optimistic as Yoko. This war has been going on for a century at this point, and we are still barely scratching the surface of our objectives; that and it would seem like a bunch of rats managed to infiltrate the higher-ups. ...In any case, while I do think that the odds are stacked against us, it doesn't mean I don't believe that, one day, this entire hell will come to an end.
5) Are you in love with anyone? What drew you to them?
Higetsu: ....No comment.
Yoko: Brother~~!! It's no fun if you don't answer a harmless question like this~~!! Or do you want me to talk about your ex-penpal--
Higetsu: I evoke my right to remain silent, and DON'T YOU DARE- LIKE I KEEP SAYING, WE WERE ONLY FRIENDS-- Don't make me not let you come to the Oasis with me next time.
Yoko: Hrrmph...! Fiiine~. In any case, I'll answer here right now. I--
Higetsu: It's Lee. We all know it, you're way too obvious in your affections for him.
Yoko: Ehehe... E-Ehem--! I-In any case~~ the things I like about Lee, gosh, there's so many I might not be able to tell everything (and it would take too long)--!
Higetsu: Then just list off the top 3 things you like about him (to shorten the exposition).
Yoko: Hmmm, top 3 things about Lee, huh.... well, for starters, I like his caring nature; it's not that obvious at first glance, but he really does care about the people around him, so much so that while he may gripe and verbally snark at others, in the end he chooses to do good by them and will protect them. Secondly, I like his focus and determination; he's a man of his word, and he doesn't make promises lightly, seeing them as something that must be upheld in sincerity-- ehe, his face whenever he's working on his tools and machinery is something I can't ever not look at. Thirdly, I like him; he's equally easily flustered and annoyed by a lot of things, but at the same time, he's also very serious and earnest in what he sets out to do; he's not honest with himself, but his actions speak for itself. ....That got long, didn't it?
Higetsu: Very much so.
Yoko: Ehe~.
6) If you had to choose between saving your squad, or saving yourself to make sure you would fight on in their honor, which would you choose?
Yoko: Both. I would save myself and my squad. I won't accept any other option; rather, if there's no other option, then I WILL force that third option in!
Higetsu: Logically speaking, both of my squads would tell me to survive and live another day, and I would agree with that. ...However, such a thing doesn't sit well with me. Even if there's only the tiniest sliver of a possibility that I could save them, no matter how reckless or dangerous it may be, then I'd save the Strike Hawks and Gray Ravens.
7) You have to make a difficult choice that will affect your squad and another squad. Which squad do you prioritize? Why?
Higetsu: We can't always save people from out of our reach, so it's best to protect the ones closest to you.
Yoko: But if there's a chance that we could help them, then--
Higetsu: ...I know. ...In the end, it's your choice to do what you think is right, Yoko.
Yoko: ...Yeah. I get it. Brother wants to protect me, Gray Raven, and Strike Hawk, even at the cost of other's lives.... that's why I wish to save the others too.
8) Who is your least favorite Construct/person to be around? Why?
Higetsu: Nanami.
Yoko: EEEHHH!??! Why?! Nanami's fun to be around!!
Higetsu: Shall I list off the reasons?
Yoko: ....Ok you have a point, but she's not at all that bad--!!
Higetsu: True, but the amount of headaches she causes us is just... haaaah.
Yoko: Ah, you're starting to sound like Watanabe. Is Brother becoming an uncle now? (laughs)
Higetsu: ...I'm leaving.
Yoko: Wait I was just kidding-- brother-- BROTHER--!!! (We're not even finished with answering the questions yet~!!)
Higetsu: Just kidding.
Yoko: Really--!! (pout)
Higetsu: (amused chuckle) What about you, Yoko?
Yoko: Eh? Me? Hmm.... I suppose... it would have to be Gabriel. It's a first that I'm saying this but, I really do hate him.
Higetsu: ... Don't worry, I can say the same thing.
9) What other Commandants would you like to meet? (a clear invitation for you to involve any of my Commandants lol, because I'm always up for interacting with others)
Yoko: I'm always happy to meet other Commandants~. It's always nice to meet your colleagues whenever, especially during off-work hours.
Higetsu: Except Vanessa though. I'd rather not deal with her again.
Yoko: Ehehe... Brother, you're making a scary face right now~. In any case, I've always wanted to meet Qiu, Ash, Xiao, Kyrie, and Noir!
Higetsu: Aaaah, them. They're interesting people, not gonna lie.
10) What will you do once the war is over? Will you miss leading your squad, or will you be happy that the war is over?
Higetsu: What will I do after the war is over? ...I haven't actually put any thought into what I would do after this is all over. What about you, Yoko?
Yoko: Hmmm... honestly, I wanna join the Association of Arts, specifically the Archaeological team! Because, you know, by then, there would be no more worry of the Punishing attacking, and we could finally be able to recover in peace the remnants of the Golden Age. I want to see it all-- what other stuff left have we not unearthed from the sands of time, what potential wonders are there left from the past. ...And of course, I wanna settle down with Lee someday too, ehe.
Higetsu: I see. You've really thought about this through, huh.
Yoko: Only a little, and just fairly recently. ...Not gonna lie, I'm gonna end up missing these days; where we're all together, even through pain and suffering, because there are still a lot of good moments to cherish.
Higetsu: But it doesn't mean that you have to cut off your connections, now does it. So long as you still value them wholeheartedly and sincerely, those bonds you hold close to you will never die out.
Yoko: Aaawww, brother, you're being finally honest~! (pokes)
Higetsu: ....Shut it. (pout)
Yoko: What about you, brother? What're you gonna do after the war ends?
Higetsu: Like I said, I don't know, since I haven't thought of it yet. ...But, I suppose quietly settling down somewhere would be nice.
Yoko: Oh, right, speaking of which-- didn't Watanabe extend an offer for us to join the Oasis? ...Don't tell me, brother is thinking--
Higetsu: No, I am not.
Yoko: But you ARE thinking about it, yes?
Higetsu: ....
Yoko: Hehe~. To be fair, the Oasis isn't so bad. The people there are really nice and warm. They really do seem to be people just trying to live and get by, helping and supporting each other.
#punishing gray raven#pgr#战双帕弥什#パニシング#戰雙帕彌什#パニシンググレイレイヴン#ocs#pgr ocs#pgr yoko#pgr higetsu#pgr commandant#oc asks
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four ways to say i love you
Summary: It’s the little things—such as waking up at five in the morning to cook for him or lending her a coat when she’s cold—that mean the world.
Because Marinette loves her partner very, very much, and she’s so lucky that he feels the same.
Notes: I was initially going to do one side of the lovesquare, but all sides are equal and therefore have all four sides in this oneshot :) Post reveal, established relationship. A commissioned piece for @mlbforblm—there’s plenty of talented artists and writers who still have slots, so make sure to commission!
Or read on AO3
Adrien is brushing his teeth when Ladybug comes crashing through his window.
He’s a little later than usual today, still decked in his Ladybug pajamas that he’s so unashamedly proud of. He has tied his bangs back with an elastic band, and it sits like a little tree on top of his head, water still dripping from his face.
“And here I was, thinking you’d be ready to eat breakfast,” she tsks playfully.
He grins back. “Sorry, M’lady. Plagg turned my alarm off.”
His smile is, as usual, contagious and in a way that can’t help but to smile back. Ladybug returns to his room and takes out the box from her bag, where she’d painstakingly prepared breakfast for him at the expense of a shattered bowl and spilled jug of milk. It’s still warm to the touch, thankfully, and her slightly rough landing in his room hadn’t messed it up too much.
Adrien joins her a couple minutes later. He has taken the hair tie out, but his bangs fall softly over his eyes like it does when he’s Chat Noir, and Ladybug wants to run her hands over it so to feel just how soft it is. She refrains herself, though, as they both settle cross-legged on the ground where she has laid their breakfast out.
His mouth drops open. “Wow,” Adrien marvels. “When you said you were going to make a feast, I thought you’d fry an egg or two and slap it between some bread and that would’ve been it. This is… can you describe food as gorgeous? Because this is gorgeous.”
“Just because that’s the only thing you can cook doesn’t mean it’s all I’m capable of,” she sniffs, but underneath, Ladybug preens at the compliment.
It’d taken a lot of effort, and Ladybug had collected the ingredients the day before and planned every single detail before going to bed. Then, at five in the morning, she dragged herself out of bed looking and feeling like a zombie just to prepare it.
There are four egg rolls drizzled with homemade sauce, then sprinkled with dried seaweed and sesame. Next to that are neat cuts of green onion cake, made from absolute scratch (she burned herself in the process of deep-frying them). Inside the longest container are fried fish, the ones her mother had prepared the night before. Finally, the leftover mooncakes from the Lunar Festival are in the little box, tied with a red bow. Marinette had spent careful care on that one.
“Miso soup,” Ladybug tells him as she hands him the thermos. “Uh… I think I added too much paste and it’s too salty, so you might not want to drink that one. And…” She opens the last box, where a variety of fresh-cut fruit awaits. “For health reasons, there are fruits. Oh! Also a cheese platter for Plagg, but he’s still asleep, so he can have it later.”
Adrien is positively beaming when she unpacks everything. “You’re the absolute best,” he gushes.
“Couldn’t have you starving on your diet, right?” The nonchalant act can only go so far when she’s grinning so wide. “I’m just hoping it tastes as good as it looks.”
“It’ll taste good just because you made it.” He throws her an exaggerated wink, then immediately reaches for his chopsticks to dig in.
Ladybug watches him take a bite out of green onion cake. He chews, swallows, eyes lighting up. “This is amazing, and I promise I’m not just saying that because my diet’s forced me to eat boiled chicken breasts with no seasoning of the past week.”
She giggles. “Just let me know when you want me to bring you breakfast.”
He places a hand on his chest. “I can’t believe Ladybug’s my personal delivery girl. Do you offer lunch services as well?”
“Only for you, kitty.”
His grin is worth getting up for at 5am.
***
Marinette is freezing at lunch break, but they’ve agreed to eat outside, so she sucks it up. At least the lunch she’d packed for her and Adrien is warm.
It’s late autumn now, and the last couple of leaves cling to otherwise bare trees. She regrets the outfit she picked—cute, but not practical. Especially not in this weather. Looking at Alya bundled up in a hoodie and combat boots, Marinette really regrets the dress.
The noodles in the thermoses are slightly soggy, but the flavour is still there. They chat for a while—about upcoming tests, about projects and the end-of-the-year field trip that is still months away, and everything is lovely. Lovely, but cold.
Halfway through, her noodles emptied, Adrien notices her shivering. “Are you cold?” he asks, eyes growing wide in concern.
Alya halts her conversation with Nino as well. “Wait, Adrien’s right, you’re wearing a dress. I’m chilly and I have a sweater on.”
Marinette, who has refrained from speaking for the past couple of minutes in fear of her teeth chattering too loudly, manages to shake her head.
She gets a scrutinizing look-over by Adrien before he makes his verdict. “This isn’t going to do,” he declares firmly. Then, with one fluid movement, he shrugs his own sweater off and drapes it over her shoulders.
“Oh, he’s smooth,” Alya remarks with a wicked grin.
Smooth, indeed. The jacket is wonderfully warm, and, with a content sigh, Marinette slides her arms through the sleeves. There’s also the faint smell of his cologne and it’s so very him that she can’t help the smile that crosses her face.
He opens an arm in a beckoning gesture and Marinette happily settles into his embrace.
***
Because of his father’s strict rules, it’s much easier for Adrien to come by as Chat Noir after school, which he does almost everyday. Sometimes it’s between his schedules, sometimes it’s after, late into the night when both his father and Nathalie believe he’s asleep. Marinette always listens for the thump on the skylight, an indication that he’s there. The trap door is always left unlocked for him, so she only needs to wait as he climbs down the ladder.
It’s nearing nine when he comes this time. She sits at her desk finishing up the rest of the notes when the door creaks open and Chat Noir climbs down.
“Evening,” he greets. “What—ooh, you brought croissants for me.”
He zeroes in immediately on the food that Marinette had, admittedly, prepared for him. Between Adrien’s schedule and that godawful diet his father insisted putting him on and his time sprinting across rooftops and fighting akumas, it’s a miracle that he hasn’t fainted from lack of nutrition. Marinette has made it her personal goal to make sure he’s properly fed, and she ensures there’s a snack waiting for him every time he drops by.
Half a minute later, he’s munching enthusiastically on the food and Marinette can no longer focus on the rest of her notes. She sorts them out—there’s at least four pages that she’d copied in her neatest handwriting—and then hands them to Chat.
“Here,” she tells him. “You missed both physics and mathematics today because of the photoshoot, so I copied the notes from class and re-organized them. I also added a review section from last class so it’s easier to figure out just where we are since the two lessons are connected. And…” She shuffles through her desk once more, producing the textbook. “It’s on page one hundred and twenty seven to one hundred and twenty nine, if my notes don’t make sense. You can study here, if you’d like. My parents won’t be coming back up anyway, so we should be left alone for now.”
The last time her mother had walked in on her and Chat doing homework together, she’d been understanding. Understanding, but skeptical. It had been awfully hard to explain why Paris’ superhero was lounging in her room like he lived there—and much harder more awkward to explain that Adrien was one hundred supportive of her friendship with Chat after her father had become defensive that he had ulterior motives.
Chat takes the papers from her. “You’re absolutely unbelievable,” he tells her, eyes shining in a way only his can. “Seriously, Marinette, have I ever told you?”
She pretends to count on her fingers. “Let’s see… only about six times today. Why? He shakes his head, a grin pulling at the corner of his lips. In one fluid movement, he leans down to pluck the textbook from her hands and plants a quick kiss against her cheek in the process. “What would I do without you?”
“Go hungry, probably? Start lagging behind in all of your classes?” Marinette tsks at him. “God, you’re right. What would you do without me?”
Chat’s laugh is wonderful and full and happy. “Then aren’t I lucky to have you.”
***
The akuma strikes at midnight.
Marinette, about to change into her pajamas after just sending off Chat Noir, curses to herself. She’s tired and not in the mood to transform, but when Chat comes crashing back down from the skylight urgently, she knows she has no choice.
“Akuma!” he informs her, as if the tremors outside could be caused by anything else. “It’s close to here. We should be able to take this one quickly.”
“Why is Hawkmoth even awake?” Marinette grumbles, but transforms nonetheless. Chat waits patiently on the side, though he’s drawn taut, prepared to scramble into action the moment she’s ready. Then they’re climbing out of the skylight, into the light, where the akuma has begun its rampage. The once-quiet night is ripped apart with panic and terror.
The akuma is relatively easy to deal with: a little girl, apparently inspired by Frozen, is decked in full Elsa, wielding similar powers. She covers the streets in ice, a snowstorm whirling around her, as spirals of icy sculptures rise and fall.
Both she and Chat have icicles hanging off them by the time Ladybug purifies the akuma. Even after she releases the Miraculous Ladybug, the cold from the girl’s powers haven’t seeped out of her bones. Judging from Chat’s chattering teeth, he feels the same.
Despite her watch reading 12:32 and the next day hailing as a school day , they stop by at a 24-hour-cafe for hot chocolate. A couple minutes later, seated on the rooftops warming their chilled hands, they’re huddled against each other and staring out at the gleaming cityscape.
“Another successful take-down, m’lady?”
Ladybug laughs as he raises his cup for a toast, and she obliges and bumps her own against him. Hot chocolate sloshes over the lid, splashing onto her suit. She flicks it off. “What a team we make, huh? Now, if only Hawkmoth would get the memo and stop creating his akumas so late. Why is he even up now? Say, do you think he has a life outside of being Hawkmoth?”
“He probably wants to catch us off guard in the middle of the night. Remember that one time we got woken up at three because there was an akuma attack? Plagg wanted to tape my mouth shut so I couldn’t transform.”
Ladybug groans. “I did really bad on a test the next day because I got three and a half hours of sleep—I fell asleep halfway through the test! It’s— ugh. He’s so annoying.”
“There’s one good thing about midnight akumas, though,” Chat points out.
She takes a sip from the hot chocolate, which, during their conversation, has cooled down to just below scalding. “A good thing?” Ladybug echoes. “Name one good thing, chaton.”
He nudges her shoulder. “You, m’lady. It’s nice just being alone like this without anyone else, right?”
Then, like he’s said nothing out of the ordinary, Chat goes back to drinking his hot chocolate with infuriating nonchalance.
Ladybug finds herself smiling. “You know,” she tells Chat Noir. “You’re ridiculously good at this. Where do you even get the inspiration to say these things?”
“You.”
“You are completely overdoing it.”
“You love me, admit that.”
“No.”
“So you would get up at five in the morning to make breakfast for just anyone, Bugaboo?”
Ladybug relents. “Okay, maybe a little.”
Chat Noir’s laugh rings crystal clear throughout the night, loud against the crisp air. Ladybug wants to trap that laugh and hold it close to herself. She can’t help but treasure it, after all: it’s a sound that chases away worries, soothes fears, and she thinks she's so, so lucky to hear it everyday.
“I love you,” he tells her when his laughter dies down. “Don’t forget that, m’lady.”
Ladybug leans her head on her shoulder. “I love you too,” she replies quietly. “You better not forget it, either.”
Notes: Here’s my fics masterlist!
#miraculous ladybug#ladybug#chat noir#adrien agreste#marinette#marichat#ladrien#ladynoir#adrinette#fluff#post reveal#established relationship#mlbforblm#my writing#mlb fic
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When I predicted that “Strike Back: The Last Attack of Shadow Moth” meant that Gabriel wouldn’t be “Shadow Moth” anymore due to losing the peacock miraculous, this isn’t precisely what I had in mind.
Lucky that Hawkmoth won in the least direct manner without learning anyone’s identity and Ladybug’s yoyo respawned in her possession.
I am more than a little concerned about what he’s going to do now that he has nigh-limitless power. The rooster alone gives him any random ability he can think of, but he can also cause other miraculouses to malfunction, set save points in reality, travel through time, and create portals as far as the surface of the sun. He might not have the ladybug’s creation or the black cat’s destruction or their reality-reshaping combination, but he is effectively invincible and could easily learn Ladybug and Chat Noir’s identities with only a bit of effort using what he already has. Even without the story-breaking rabbit and snake, the mouse and horse combined would be enough. If there are thousands of tiny teleporting Hawkmoths combing through every home in Paris and one of them finds the miraculous box in Marinette’s room, it’s over. He could set up eyes over every square meter of the city and bait the heroes into a fight so he can catch them transforming back. Shit, if he can force kwami to obey him, couldn’t he just compel any one of them to talk?
I would guess that Hawkmoth intends to create an army of evil miraculous users, chiefly Lila with the fox and Chloe with the bee. I wonder if he would give a miraculous to Adrien believing he would be a trusted minion. I mean, if things worked out the right way, Adrien could end up doing what Felix just did and give Ladybug all the miraculouses back in one fell swoop.
Felix willing to trade everything- even his family’s ring he spent so much time and effort conniving for- for just the peacock miraculous is...interesting. I’m not 100% on board with the sentimonster theory, but something interesting is sure going on here.
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An Encounter Among Blossoms
Summary: Haru meets a young man who seems to have an affinity for her gardening neighbor. She's quite eager to scout him out before the two of them meet.
Rating: G
Warnings: Akechi sticks a rabbit in a bag, but the rabbit is fine.
Notes: It’s a Haru fic for Akechi’s birthday which is just a little strange but I really love the idea of her and Akechi as gardening neighbors. It’s super cute. Haru’s super cute. Shuake’s super cute. Cute!
***Alternate Ao3 Link***
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It hadn’t been a particularly bright or warm day. The diluted sunshine was still pleasant in its own way, comfortable like room temperature and unassuming. Another fine day, she would think as she headed down the usual path, humming a little tune as she did. The insignificance of the weather preceded the encounter which was anything but.
When Haru rounded around the corner to her garden, there was an unfamiliar young man standing by. It wasn’t unusual for people to pass by, nor was it unusual for them to stop with alarm once they heard the string of colorful curses and irate grumbles. This young man, however, was not frozen in place with alarm. He stared out into her gardening neighbor’s domain and even without seeing his face, Haru knew the young man was transfixed.
“Excuse me,” Haru called out politely, making the young man jump. She wondered what sort of face she expected under that head of messy black curls, but—perhaps she was surprised by how striking this stranger looked.
Yes, this young man had almost delicate features. A smooth jaw and soft lips parted in surprise before pulling into a more neutral line. His eyes were dark like iron—one that held other colors in its embrace rather than swallowed them whole.
“Staring is rude,” Haru said, then, aware that she was staring. “Is there something I can help you with?”
“No, I...” The young man steps back, ducking his head as if to hide that gaze behind his fringe. A shame, really, Haru almost wanted to comb them back to catch another glimpse.
...but if he had stopped to stare, then it was at...
“I just,” the young man continues, pinching a curl between his long fingers. Elegant if not for how the nails had been bitten short. “I was just...passing by.”
“That’s fine,” Haru said sunnily. “Would you mind helping me out, then?”
“Oh.” This person made a very familiar face. The kind where it’s clear the person finds it difficult to say no. “Is that...alright?”
“I could always use a helper bee,” Haru chirped and when she came close, she murmured to him, “And Goro does as well, even if he’s too stubborn to admit it.”
The young man is silent, but there’s the slightest twitch of a smile at his lips.
“I’m Haru,” she says, blushing now that she realized she hadn’t yet introduced herself.
“Amamiya...Ren.” He nodded politely in return. “It’s nice to meet you, Haru-san.”
“Just Haru is fine, Amamiya-kun.”
“Then just Ren is fine.”
Goodness...he doesn’t know the effect he has on people, does he?
She was almost glad to swoop in before Goro could see or notice.
--
She was especially glad when it turned out Ren was a dutiful helper. He would do anything asked without complaint. Admittedly, he’d be so docile it uncomfortably reminded her of her past self. At the very least, it was less that Ren was eager to please and more that it just—didn’t occur to him to perform half-heartedly.
As he meticulously pulled out weeds, she did notice his posture wasn’t dissimilar to Goro’s.
A hard worker, one who doesn’t complain. With natural charm.
“Ren, ren,” she says in a lilting voice, smiling when he looks up to her attentively. Her smile broadens and she hands him one freshly washed tomato. “They’re ripe today. What do you think?”
Ren does smile mildly before biting into the tomato. He’s quick to lick its juices off his fingers. He nods in approval but is too busy eating to give any verbal compliments.
“Good enough for Goro?” she asks, watching to see if he chokes. He does not, but he’s quieter. There’s a softer pink on his cheeks. Haru can’t help but grin. “Gather some up when you’re done. We’re going to visit him.”
Ren didn’t work half-heartedly, but it was only now that he worked eagerly and enthusiastically. He diligently picked, and painstakingly washed each one until it was spotless. She’d be lying if she said she wasn’t envious.
Ren was a charming young man. Even if she already has a beautiful girlfriend, she wouldn’t mind dating him as well. Only if her girlfriend was into it as well, of course.
Alas, I don’t think he’s interested in me at all.
She’s not too bothered, not when Ren follows her like a puppy and carries the basket of tomatoes with great care. As if he’d do anything to avoid even the slightest bruise. As she crosses the border from her garden into her neighbor’s, it’s not long before she spots that neighbor. Specifically his sunhat and his ponytail. Kneeling down, staring at a squirming sack no doubt with a look of deep consternation.
“Goro, what are you doing?” she asks cheerfully. “Is there a rabbit in that bag?”
“This fucking pest,” he hisses, snapping to attention and spinning on his heel to face her. “Won’t leave my goddamn...ah.” His expression drops the second he sees that someone else is with her. His face scrunches up. “Amamiya? What the hell?”
“Oh!” Haru gasped, looking between them. “You two know each other?”
Ren simply stares at Goro intensely, and Goro’s mouth twitches into a forced smile.
“Goodness, what a surprise,” he says, slipping into a more pleasant front with the elegance of the stepsister shoving her foot into the glass slipper. “Amamiya-kun is the barista of the café I frequent. We’ve played chess a few times. We’re...acquaintances, you can say. I’m quite embarrassed you’ve seen me in such an...improper state.” He even tugs at his sunhat to hide his face. Specifically that cute splatter of freckles that Haru appreciated even if the general populace didn’t. “I apologize greatly.”
He gives a bow.
“Goro,” Haru reprimanded gently. “Enough of that. Ren-kun already saw you cursing out the grass earlier.”
“I sure did,” Ren agreed, and he hands Goro the basket. “Here you are, Akechi.”
“Happy birthday!” Haru exclaimed excitedly and shoved Ren forward for good measure. Ren did yelp, as did Goro, but no one managed to fall. Not yet anyway. “I know you said not to get you anything, but I had...a bootyful harvest! And to top it off, Ren-kun’s just your type!”
“Haru,” Goro hissed, red in the face.
“You look really nice in a ponytail,” Ren offered awkwardly. “But, uh, you’re not going to eat that rabbit, right? Like...the big bad wolf?”
“Goodness, no!” Haru exclaimed. “Goro just catches them and gives them to me to release elsewhere. Although I’m not sure...” She trails off when she sees just how covered in dirt Goro is. “Well. You can at least try not to frighten them so much.”
“For whatever reason this one avoided the usual traps,” Goro huffed, gesturing at the sack as if it were obscene. “I had to personally deal with it.”
“Is it really your birthday?” Ren asks. “I, uh...didn’t know. But if you want, I can treat you to curry and coffee on the house later this afternoon...”
“Doesn’t that sound lovely?” Haru asks, and she goes to gingerly pick up the sack. She does glance inside and yes, it’s quite the energetic black bunny. She wonders if she’d get away with taking it home instead. Probably not. “I’ll take care of this darling.”
“Haru,” Goro warned again. “I-It’s not...”
“Please enjoy your tomatoes and your birthday, Goro! Don’t feel the need to wait on me if you want to go somewhere!”
She’d leave with a skip in her step but she doesn’t want to jostle the rabbit too much. Either way, she ignores Goro calling after her in exasperation and unease. He quiets, and a quick glance back—she sees that Ren is patting Goro’s shoulder as he sullenly bites into a tomato.
--
“Here you are, darling!”
Strangely, the rabbit doesn’t dart away the second Haru releases it. It just sniffs around, grooming its ear, blinking up at her with beady eyes.
“Curious dear, aren’t you,” she cooed. “And mischievous. Should I give you a name? How about Loki?”
The rabbit turns away, seeming disinterested.
“Or Noir!” Haru exclaimed, and laughed. “Either way, caused quite a bit of trouble for Goro, didn’t you? But you must know that his bark is often worse than his bite. Despite that, the flowers he grows are quite beautiful, aren’t they? Do you think under those roses is where he buried our fathers?”
No answer of course, but when it glanced back, she couldn’t help but be reminded of Ren.
...they met already, huh...? Then...I think things will be very interesting from here on out.
She and Goro had been associates for quite some time now. She’d like to think she knew him quite well, and she thought she had scouted Ren out well enough to know that he was Goro’s type.
“He deserves to be happy,” she told the rabbit and left it at that.
--
When she returns, Ren and Goro are already deep in some strange debate. Goro even laughs, but he quickly scowls when Ren points out the juice on his cheek. Ren’s commenting, likely on Goro’s demeanor, and the conversation is serious now.
As curious as she is, it’s improper to eavesdrop. Haru crosses the border once more, returning to her garden. There’s still work to be done.
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After the End Chapter 26: Reverse Crush
First | Previous | Next | Last
@marichatmay
Enjoy!
Read on Ao3
“Don’t leave in suspense, girl!” Alya rubbed her hands together. “Give us those juicy deets!”
“It starts with all four of us getting ready to attack the one place we know about.” Marinette looked at them meaningfully. “Suited up.”
Nino slammed his fist into his hand. “I’m down. Been a while since I’ve thrown down the Carapace hurt, but I can pull it off no prob.”
“Same here.” Alya smirked. “It’ll be nice to be Rena Rouge one more time.”
“And you know I’m more than willing to teach those guys a lesson on why you don’t kidnap super heroes.” Adrien crossed his arms in front of his chest.
Marinette smiled, an expression that didn’t reach her eyes. “Then I get the feeling that you’ll like this part of the plan the best”
---------------
Ladybug had her belly to the roof and a red spotted T-shirt cannon held in her hands. Her spot gave her an ideal vantage point on the building she had broken Chat Noir out of the week before. The only stronghold of the Gentlemen that they knew of, and the location of at least one of their lodestones.
Well, for now, at least. If everything goes right today, then it wouldn’t be housing much of anything anymore, let alone lodestones.
She had already renewed her transformation while she was alone, leaving her with nothing to do to pass the time. Minutes of waiting felt like hours as the tension built, her eyes locked on the door and hidden windows of the building. She nearly leapt out of her skin when her communicator vibrated, and almost forgot to count how many times it went off.
Twice. Rena Rouge was in position.
Shortly after that, there was a solitary buzz. Chat Noir had found his way to his spot - she could just barely see his outline from where she was, the black of his suit blending well into the shadowy alley. Three buzzes followed close behind, which was fitting. Carapace was close to Chat after all. He’d need to be for this to go well.
With all of them in position, she took a deep, steadying breath and sent an empty message to each of them. She imagined three devices going off, each of them activating their powers. The time crunch was on now.
Chat Noir streaked across the open road, his claws crackling with barely contained destructive power. He slammed it into the solid stone of the building.
---------------
“But won’t they just turn on the lodestones or whatever to stop us from doing that?”
Marinette shook her head. “That’s why we turn on our powers first. That aura doesn’t work on already active abilities.”
“Well, alright.” Alya tapped a steady rhythm against the arm of her chair. “Let’s assume that works out - I don’t see why it wouldn’t. And I can see why you’ve got Carapace on hand there, but from what you were saying, can’t they just activate the lodestone and bring it pretty close to the Shelter?”
“Yeah,” Nino chimed in, tugging at his cap. “That’ll def take even my shield down, right?”
“Yes, which is why they’ll do it.” Marinette leaned back and steepled her fingers. “And that’s exactly what we want.”
--------------
The illusion gripping the building guttered out just in time for the windows to be thrown open and the door to shake off its hinges as a whole mess of henchmen funneled out of it. Panic was on their faces, caused no doubt from the massive cracks in the stone of the building and from the way it was swaying unsettlingly in the winter winds.
Panic quickly turned to rage when they saw Chat Noir running backwards, toward the green glowing shield that Carapace had summoned to full size just as they began pulling out their weapons - everything ranging from clubs and medieval looking crossbows to more… modern arms.
“Out of the way, you idiots! That shield will stand up to everything you can manage!” A familiar voice cut through the rabble and pushed their way to the front.
This representative of the Gentlemen was no longer the calm and collected individual that Ladybug had sent running last week. There were dark rings around his eyes, and his hair was disheveled as if he had only been half paying attention when combing it. But the most important detail was what he was holding - a delicate piece of masonry, old and brittle, covered in new, deep etchings that no doubt compromised its integrity even more.
It was a gamble for them to bring it out, but they couldn’t go back into the building. ANd Ladybug knew that the man would at least want to claim a miraculous in exchange for its loss. After all, how much of a gamble could it be for them? He was surrounded by hired muscle and, shield or no, the superheroes lacked any super strength. Or even a catalcysm, since Chat had just ‘wasted’ it. Ladybug’s yoyo would be useless too, transforming into a normal yoyo before it could ever reach it.
What could they possibly do to thwart them?
Ladybug took careful aim with her T-shirt cannon, a grin on her face.
-------------
“Seems risky,” Adrien said with a frown. “Should we really leave it up to chance, using whatever the Lucky Charm gives us?”
Marinette held up one finger. “First, it hasn’t ever failed us yet.” Another finger joined the first. “Second, that’s why I’ll be the first one to summon my power, long before anyone else gets into position. If I get something that I just can’t use, then we’ll try again another time. It’ll probably be a sign from the Ladybug miraculous that then and there isn’t the best idea anyway.”
“Alright, so we destroy the lodestone thingy.” Nino tilted his hat back and scratched his head. “That still leaves us with a bunch of bad hombres and no super strength to toss ‘em around. What’s the plan to round ‘em up with just us four?”
“Simple.” Marinette smirked. “We don’t.”
-------------
The cannon had even more power to it than she thought. The Gentleman was clutching his wrist and even from here she was pretty sure it was broken. Much like that delicate piece of stone that was shattered into hundreds of pieces on the unforgiving cobbles of the Parisian streets.
Uncertainty gripped the little mob of armed henchmen as they desperately tried to split their attention between keeping an eye on the two heroes that they knew about and scanning the skyline for their mysterious T-shirt-based sniper. Naturally, she didn’t give them a chance to spot her.
A few tentative bolts and bullets were fired into Carapace’s shield, but none of it so much shook the energy field.
Gritting his teeth, the Gentlemen said, “Well played you little bastards. But there is no escape for you now - your time is limited and there is no one coming to help you now.”
It was unfortunate timing for him then that the blaring of police sirens barrelling down this very street arrived at just that moment. Bright headlights piercing through the relative dark disoriented the unruly bunch, which Ladybug took as her moment to strike.
With the lodestone destroyed, her and her yoyo remained at full strength - a few quick swings was enough to rip the weapons from their hands and pull them away, just as the Parisian police force emerged for their mass arrest.
--------------
“Clever!” Alya leaned back, whistling appreciatively. “Although I’ve still got two questions.”
“Go ahead,” Marinette gestured toward her best friend, one arm hanging over the back of the chair.
“First off - what about that library of intel you guys said they had? Even famous heroes Ladybug and Chat Noir can’t get away with just walking away with armfuls of damning evidence against a gang.” ALya raised an eyebrow. “And second, where am I in all this? Catboy and turtlelad have got their time in the spotlight, and you get your badass moment. So what about me?”
Marinette smiled. “You’ve got the answers to both of your questions right there.”
-------------
The three of them returned to the Agreste mansion and turned off their transformations. It wasn’t long before the window opened and closed again, seemingly by itself.
There was something like a heat wave in the air as Rena Rouge dropped her illusion of invisibility - and with it, a packed dufflebag.
Marinette unzipped it and couldn’t help but clap excitedly when she saw that it was filled to the brim with ledgers and notebooks - there was bound to be some important info in here, she was certain of it.
“How’d it go, babe?” Nino pressed a kiss to Rena Rouge’s cheek as her transformation dropped.
“They were way too busy staring daggers into you two to be looking back at their condemned building.” Alya grinned. “No one suspected a thing.”
Adrien began pulling out the papers, a strange look on his face. His eyes met Marinette’s and she could see something glimmering behind his eyes. She recognized it immediately.
Hope.
#Miraculous Ladybug#Marinette Dupain-Cheng#Adrien Agreste#Adrienette#Nino Lahiffe#Alya Cesaire#djwifi#MarichatMay2021#ml fanfiction#my writing#After the End
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