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knifedancer · 9 months

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What-If: MultiFelix

What if Felix met Multimouse before his appearance in canon?

What if Adrien wasn’t the only blond crushing on a super heroine in the family?

~~~~~~~ “Shit!” Felix cursed as he dodged a wayward akuma blast, the wall of the store he had been hiding beside becoming nothing more than a crumbling pile of bricks in his wake. He stumbled as the ground shook again, hazel eyes darting around to seek out another route away from the battlefront before the akuma-of-the-week targeted the blond directly instead of the thinning crowds around him.

‘There! I can hide in that alley!’ Felix rushed forward, panting as he sprinted across the street towards perceived safety. However, just before he could breach it, another blast struck the building to the left and the debris blocked the mouth of the alleyway – a few bricks slammed into his left leg, their bruising impacts ripping his pants and leaving a smattering of cuts on his thigh. By the way the material of his black slacks bloomed matching glossy spots, there were likely more bloody wounds than those visible through the tears. Cursing under his breath, he spun to his right to begin limping further down the avenue when the sound of maniacal laughter sent chills down his spine. Felix turned and dropped into a fighting stance; hazel eyes focused on the threat approaching slowly. The akuma was dressed as a Medieval court jester; bells jingling as they bounced from foot to foot, legs and arms as pale as snow and unnaturally long like some sort of spider. Eyes wild and toothy grin wide, their head tilted like an inquisitive puppy looking at a new toy.

‘Well, new fear unlocked…’ Felix thought, his rising panic hidden behind a carefully constructed mask of indifference and splotches of plaster dust.

“When I was a lad, I was gloomy and sad / As I was from the day I was born / When other babes giggled and gurgled and wiggled / I proudly was loudly forlorn. / My friends and my family looked at me clammily / Thought there was something amiss…” the akuma’s unhinged, sing-songed limerick coming out dejected as it approached slowly, their grin temporarily dropping into an overexaggerated frown. Felix took a cautious step back, was this the victim’s backstory?

“What else could he be but a Jester? / A Jester? A Jester! / A funny idea, a Jester!” Suddenly the akuma’s mouth stretched up into an unnaturally feral grin, like some sort of horror game villain – equal parts terrifying and disturbing that would certainly not haunt his dreams later – and squealed with joy, clapping its hands around their marotte. “Only the sharpest eye, the keenest nose / the quickest ear and the fleetest toes / Can ever outfox the Jester! Can ever outfox the Jester! / Only the stoutest arm, the bravest heart / with a magic charm and a good head start / Will ever outfox the Jester!”

The hazel-eyed teen braced himself to fight as the akuma lunged with a sharp jingle, marotte extended above their head as if to club the blond over his skull rather than shoot a blast from the tip. Out of nowhere and with a quiet fwip, a pink jump rope shot in front of the jester, tripping them. Just as soon as the rope appeared, it retracted in the blink of an eye and, in its place, a grey dressed figure somersaulted in the air directly above the flattened akuma. Time seemed to slow as Felix watched her pink hair ribbons flutter in the air behind the space buns holding back her hair, tresses as dark as a raven’s wing. His breath briefly caught as bright, bluebell eyes flashed – focused and calculating – from behind the edges of a baby pink domino mask. She brought her black booted feet together and ruthlessly planted them directly into the back of the akuma’s skull, impaling their head into the pavement like some sort of avenging Valkyrie taking down a mythical beast. Felix felt breathless and his knees turned to putty watching the graceful, powerful display. Just who was she?

Shaking off the foreign feelings clouding his mind, the blond limped backwards, unsure if this lithe woman was a friend or foe. Perhaps she would attack him next. Why did he feel a thrill at the idea of sparring with her? Focus! The movement drew the attention of those enchanting blue eyes. She squeaked in surprise, as if just noticing him for the first time. However, they took on an intelligent gleam, quickly assessing his physical state – those eyes pausing on his leg – as she approached him with her hands outstretched in a placating manner. “Um. Excuse me, garçon, I’m here to help. You need to evacuate. Are you badly injured?”

Ignoring the way that her sweet voice – which sounded like silk wrapped around steel – made his heartbeat quicken, he evaluated her for a threat. She was petite and so thin that it looked like the next strong breeze might knock her over. Hazel eyes trailed down the woman’s grey suit – lines of pink breaking the black and grey tightly hugging her tiny frame, the fabric caressing each toned curve and valley in a way that made his mouth run dry – before taking note of a familiar pink jump rope hanging around her waist like a tail. He relaxed fractionally and cleared his throat. “You were the one that tripped him before, weren’t you?” he questioned, gesturing to the now thrashing akuma attempting to free itself from the ground. If Jester had not been struggling to free themselves, Felix would liken the akuma’s current state to an ostrich hiding their head in a hole – the blond choked on a laugh over that mental image!

The grey suited woman glanced back and nodded, “I apologize but…we need to get you out of here before Jester sees us and decides to get revenge.” She drew out the jump rope and stepped into his personal space. Felix realized just how much shorter she was, the top of her head just barely clearing his shoulder, before her words finally registered.

“W-wait, what are you—OOF!” The lithe figure quickly lifted him in a fireman’s carry over her shoulder with shockingly little effort before whipping out the rope and tugging them into the air as if snapping a rubber band. Watching the ground flash by beneath them at a dizzying speed, Felix was pretty sure he was going to be sick. ‘What a way to go…throwing up while escaping an akuma, being manhandled by some superhuman, spandex wearing, midget!’ He refused to admit that this position also provided a lovely angle on some of her finer assets…which was distracting enough to assuage the rising bile in his throat.

With a jolt, they landed on a rooftop, but she only paused for a moment. The woman returned the rope to her waist and shifted him into a bridal carry before dashing quickly across the uneven terrain as if it were second nature. Felix’s arms instinctually wrapped around her neck in a desperate attempt to prevent being dropped. He glanced over her shoulder to see the rapidly expanding distance from whence he was kidnapped – perhaps rescued? – off the street while the wind whipped noisily past his ears. ‘It appears she’s just as strong and fast, even with my added weight,’ the blond thought with mounting admiration. The grey suited woman began to slow and hopped onto a flat roof with a small garden next to a fire escape, finally halting their advance and gingerly returning him to his feet. The blond attributed his racing heart from the unexpected flight rather than their proximity.

“Sorry about that! We didn’t have much time and I needed to get you away from that akuma before they freed themselves. You should be safe here and, if you’re not in too much pain, you can easily take the fire escape down to the streets. Just try to avoid Rue de Rivoli or else you might bump into our crazed jester friend again.” Her lips curved into a gentle smile that made him feel fluttery—er, reassured.

Felix furrowed his brow, “Who even are you?”

The woman blinked and opened her mouth to reply when a cry of “MOUSINETTE!” came from his right, followed by a black blur crashing into the grey suited woman. She stumbled back a few steps with a giggle that sounded like wind chimes dancing in sunlight. Wrapped around Felix’s savior, belt tail seemingly interweaving with the hanging jump rope length, was none other than a grinning Chat Noir. “What are you doing here?! Milady said she was sending in help, but I didn’t think she’d send you after…” The cat hero trailed off, one hand gesturing towards her mask. Now what was that about?

“O-Oh…Yeah…She said that it was just temp-temporary since she’s…uh…” The young woman glanced over towards Felix and then back to Chat, dropping her voice to a soft whisper, “…indisposed.”

“Indisposed? But isn’t her kwam—” Chat Noir looked confused before finally realizing they had company, his mouth dropping into a silent ‘oh’. “Gotcha. Ixnay.” Then he grinned again and ruffled her hair, “It’s good to see you again, Little Mouse! No one deserves it more than you!”

Her cheeks flared in rosy embarrassment and her lips protruded in a pout at the hero’s praise. “Um…I-I…Thank you, Chat. That’s very sweet but…uh, don’t get your hopes up?” The mousey girl cringed and backed away, tugging her jump rope free as she prepared for her departure.

Felix’s lips quirked up slightly at her increased nervous vocal quirks, ‘First she’s badass, then she’s adorable. Just who is she?’

“Since you’re more, uh experienced than me, wo-would you mind checking out this man’s le-leg? I’m heading back to see if Jester has um…broken free from where I…uh…left him.” With that, she scurried away, using her jump rope to swing back towards the akuma.

“Wow! You don’t know it, sir, but you’re a very lucky man… saved by THE Multimouse!” Chat crowed with joy while slitted eyes watched her disappear from sight.

“…Multi-who?” Felix questioned awkwardly, wondering why the cat hero appeared to be so excited.

Chat chuckled softly before turning to him, “Multimouse. She’s smart and funny and strong and sweet…She’s one of the temporary heroes, our greatest strategist (next to my Bugaboo, of course)! Our heavy hitter!”

“Is she some sort of stealth hero? I don’t recall ever hearing about her online…” In fact, he had researched all the heroes before this trip and found not a single mention of a mouse hero.

The black clad cat deflated slightly and sighed, “Yeah…she’s only been out once or twice before this…never really been caught on camera but something happened last time and…well, Ladybug said we couldn’t call her back out. I guess Milady decided it was enough of an emergency… Not that I mind!”

Felix took in the goofy smile that slowly stretched across Chat’s face while he looked off in the direction Multimouse had retreated. Suddenly he felt nauseous, as if something ugly was twisting up and clenching in his stomach, causing his neck to burn red. Unable to control his emotions any longer, his tone became clipped and hard as a lump of anger gripped his vocal cords. “Aren’t you…supposed to be in love with Ladybug?” Did he sound jealous? It was definitely not jealousy!

Chat Noir’s eyes widened comically, his arms swinging wildly in the air as if to physically dispel any misunderstanding. “Yes! Milady is the only one for me! B-but—wait...” Green eyes narrowed with suspicion and the cat stalked closer to the injured teen, his entire demeanor flipping like a switch: from nervous house cat to dangerous panther. Felix struggled to keep himself calm and attention locked on the approaching predator so that he could leap away at a moment’s notice. The cat leaned into his face before a huge grin broke through, his voice a smug murmur. “Do you have a crush on Mousinette?”

Now it was Felix’s turn to panic – eyes widening, heart racing, body trembling, and face burning red – as the image of a grey suited, blue-eyed Valkyrie popped up in his head. His mind replayed the way the breeze tugged at the ribbons in her hair, the obvious strength her petite body contained while effortlessly holding him, the intelligence that showed in her eyes, the blush painted across her cheeks and a giggle that made something inside him sing!

‘Oh…’ he thought dazedly. Sure, Felix had always heard of ‘love at first sight’ but had excused it as nothing more than romantic fantasy! Some unrealistic and overused movie trope! Yet here he was…falling for some mystery heroine that hadn’t even spoken more than a handful of meaningless sentences to him. Mortification bled through the warmth expanding in his chest.

Chat Noir’s grin became sharp, as if he could hear the hazel-eyed blond’s heart beating in time to the heroine’s name. “You and I aren’t so different; I was the same way for Ladybug. Don’t worry. Your secret is safe with me.”

~~~

He refreshed the Ladyblog and scrolled through the latest posts for possibly the hundredth time, the habit becoming a daily routine for the blond. There was no real evidence of Multimouse’s existence, merely anecdotal or the occasional passing comment about a pink jump rope appearing during a time of crisis. The only images captured during the Jester akuma were blurry and taken at too far of a distance, Felix checked. Thoroughly. He questioned his memory more with each passing day as little details seemed to slip away, like a well-worn film played so many times that the sound and images began to distort. He could recall that her voice and laughter were sweet but why was it so hard to remember the exact tone? Was she really as lovely as in his dreams? Did her eyes sparkle like the sun glancing off a lake’s surface or were they more like the color of a cloudless sky at noon? What was the shape of her face like again? Did she have freckles?

Frustrated, the blond refreshed the page yet again.

The next time that Felix visited Paris, he watched the skies for a streak of grey and pink. No matter how many akumas appeared, it was simply the original pair: Ladybug and Chat Noir. His attention was divided between his phone and the skies, constantly hoping for another glimpse of the heroine that stole his heart; enough that even his cousin seemed to notice the level of his distraction.

“Hey Fe, you seem really out of it. You okay?” Adrien asked, concern seeming to drip from every pore.

Felix sighed and dropped his phone back down into his lap, “Yes. Apologies, cousin, I’m simply…” He made a motion with one hand as if scrolling through a list of words before settling on one, “…distracted.”

The model approached and hung himself over the back of the couch like a discarded throw blanket, glancing down at what had captured his interest on the screen. “Oh, are you checking out the Ladyblog? My friend, Alya, actually runs it!”

The hazel eyed teen turned with interest, desperately he tried to keep hope from bleeding into his voice. “Do you know if she has a database of images of the various heroes, perchance?”

“Besides the gallery on the blog itself, no, I don’t think so. Why?”

Felix’s posture deflated a bit as he stifled a groan, “It’s…nothing.”

“Are you looking for a certain hero, maybe?” Adrien innocently asked.

“No!” The Londoner answered a little too quickly, unable to keep his ears from turning bright red as he denied the question emphatically.

A playful grin spread across the green-eyed blond’s face, “Yes, you are, Fe! Who is it? Was it a temporary hero during that attack you were caught up in last time?”

He gripped his phone and clenched his teeth, attempting to stifle the spread of the blush now blooming across his cheeks. Good gods, he would never live this down…but his cousin was a fan of the heroes, surely, he might have some information? He hated feeling vulnerable. Felix pressed his eyes shut as if pained to admit it, his voice coming out as more of a whispered hiss than he would care to admit. “…Yes.”

Adrien seemed to light up, “Really? Who was it?” Bouncing like a puppy with a new toy, the model’s eyes gleamed. “Viperion? Or perhaps Ryuko? Rena Rouge? Or...Carapace?! No judgment.”

Felix scoffed and looked down into his lap pensively, his fingers gliding over the darkened surface of his phone’s screen as he struggled to open up. “No…none of them. She doesn’t appear on the Ladyblog anywhere and there’s no pictures of her in battle…I—”

The model gently set a hand on his shoulder, finally hazel met green. “Hey, it’s okay to have a crush on whoever it is. I mean I…” He watched as his cousin blushed, his eyes looking out the wall of windows with a dreamy, far-off look. Felix couldn’t help but think that his cousin looked like some sort of melancholic-romantic lead pining for their lover. “I’ve…had a huge crush on Ladybug ever since she saved me.”

The formal boy stared at his cousin’s profile, dumbfounded at finding common ground with his lookalike. They had been raised so differently, had lost contact, lost parents, and pursued different routes in life… The model was like sunshine incarnate while the magician resembled that of a thunderstorm. All their lives, Felix had always been compared to Adrien and found lacking. Perhaps they weren’t so different after all?

Adrien sighed softly and turned his gaze back towards him, excited once more. “So? What was she like?”

“She…” He allowed his eyes to drift up briefly as he recalled the encounter once again. “She was…strong and agile. Small, but powerful, like some sort of petite battle angel.”

“Yeah… I’m a sucker for a strong woman, too.” Adrien climbed over the sofa and settled beside him with a chuckle, leaning back so that the model’s face looked up at the ceiling. “And beautiful.”

“Graceful,” Felix supplied with an agreeable hum, lost in thought as his eyes drifted down to his lap once again. Fingers tracing the edges of his phone case as the image of bright eyes framed by a pink mask flooded his memories.

“Kind,” his cousin sighed into the air around them, his mind’s eye bringing forward images of his Lady.

“Capable.”

“Smart.”

“Clever.”

“Confident.”

“…yet adorable.”

“Especially how her nose crinkles when she laughs…”

“Laughter that makes your heart dance.”

“And a smile that makes you feel warm all over.”

“With blue eyes as clear as crystal…”

“Hair the color of the midnight sky…”

Felix laughed wryly, “Almost sounds like we’re in love with the same girl.”

“Oh gods, I think we have a type!” Adrien’s whole body shook with his laughter.

“Seems so, cousin!” The formal boy’s chuckles died out as the original issue arose to the forefront of his mind yet again. “At least you can find pictures of Ladybug all over the blog. Multimouse doesn’t appear on camera nor is she called out much. It’s…It’s like she never existed!” He ran a hand through his hair in visible frustration.

“Yeah, I’ve…uh…heard rumors of a mouse hero. But I’ve um, never seen her myself,” the model admitted while twisting his ring. “Wait! What if I ask Chat Noir – he, uh…patrols nearby sometimes – to get you a picture?”

Felix scoffed at the idea, “That’s not likely to happen. Even that cat mentioned that she is hardly ever called out to help. Besides, I don’t need any of the heroes to find out about my…inclinations. They might think I’m some sort of stalker and never call her out again.” Crossing his arms, he glared at the tops of his knees.

“Oh. Um.” Adrien seemed to deflate a little, his eyes twitching back and forth pensively as if trying to find an answer. “Then…what if you describe her to me and I can try to get my friend to draw her for you? His name’s Nathaniel, he’s really good – even has his own Ladybug comic book! Here, I’ll show you some of his work.”

Felix watched as his cousin pulled up a few screenshots he had saved of the bug heroine – obviously full colored, pre-print cells from the final draft – and was begrudgingly impressed. “That…that might just work. I…” He furrowed his brow and cleared his throat; an uncomfortable tightness having lodged deep in his chest. Hazel eyes rose to look into the model’s face once again, his voice a murmur of gratitude. “Thank you, Adrien.”

A genuine smile stretched across the model’s face. “Hey, what is family for?”

~~~

A few weeks later, a small package arrived at Felix’s door in London with a return address from Paris.

Retreating to the privacy of his room, the blond allowed his emotions to go unguarded as he quickly peeled back the tape with anticipation. A small gasp echoed in the silent room as hazel eyes finally laid upon the contents. Inside the rigid packaging and protected by a stiff plastic sleeve, lay three realistic drawings of various sizes and poses, all professionally colored and inked in a way that made it seem almost like the heroine could jump straight off the page.

“Multimouse…” his whispered voice filled with awe and admiration.

Felix pulled the largest image from the sleeve, an action shot that he had described in great detail – repetitively – to Adrien. Jump rope curled around her waist, ribbons blowing in the breeze, her booted feet together and arms extended above her head as she came down upon the akuma… Suddenly he felt as if he was right back in that moment! The artist had drawn her form as if hovering in the air, looking like an instant frozen in time, and filled in the background with a simple watercolor burst that accentuated the grays, pinks, and dark blues in the rest of the piece. With trembling fingers, he reverently traced the curve of Multimouse’s domino mask. He gazed into the bright blue eyes that had bewitched him and haunted his dreams. Somehow Adrien’s artist friend had even perfectly captured the determined sparkle in her eyes!

Gently setting that drawing aside, he pulled the medium sized image out next and found another action shot of the heroine mid-flight. Jump rope extended beyond the paper’s edges, legs extended behind her in freefall, her eyes partially closed against the wind whipping at her face – it was a beautiful vision! However, what captured his interest and stole his breath was the bright smile stretched across her face. She looked so carefree and relaxed, as if she were simply patrolling the rooftops with the rest of the team. Had they used Ladybug for reference? Or did someone see her recently?

No, if she had been seen, it would have been on the Ladyblog.

Placing that piece beside the other on his desktop, Felix finally pulled the last from the sleeve. Unlike the others, this one was laminated and covered by a sticky note in Adrien’s usual scrawl.

Dear Fe, I asked Nath to make this one small enough to fit in your wallet. We asked my very good friend, Marinette, to pose for it. I hope you like it! ~AA

The hazel eyed teen scoffed and peeled it away, freezing once he revealed the image beneath. The mouse heroine was pictured sitting on the edge of a building, reclined back on one arm while glancing over her shoulder almost flirtatiously, the sunset and Eiffel Tower behind her so that part of her face was cast in shadow. One delicate hand was brushing her bangs from her eyes, a shy smile upon her lips, her body language open and comfortable. The angle was close enough to make out long lashes and a light blush on her freckled cheeks. It almost felt as if she were looking right at him!

Knees shaking from the weight of his overwhelming emotions and eyes still locked on the small drawing, he sat heavily into the desk chair with a sharp creak in protest. Felix raised a hand to his chest, as if trying to calm the rapidly thumping organ currently threatening to flee from his body. His imagination ran wild – supplanting memories of the Jester with daydreams of shy smiles, sweet giggles, and teasing banter as they watched the sunset…

‘Wow…’ thought Felix, looking back over the three drawings before his eyes settled back on the one still in his hand. ‘I don’t know how I’m ever going to return the favor for this… Perhaps I can help my cousin with his crush the next time I visit?’

After all, what could possibly go wrong?

~~~~~~~Author's Notes: I had a this thought and decided to type it up. I'm the only one to blame here. I couldn't stop myself if I tried. I swear, I don't know why my brain spits this stuff out…

Jester lines are modified prose from character dialogue in 'The Court Jester' (1955).

Jester's visuals were inspired by a combination of Spinel (corrupted) from 'Steven Universe', Joker from 'Batman', and Huggy Wuggy and Mommy Longlegs from 'Poppy's Playtime'. Disturbing enough? Check.

Marotte: Originally the medieval fool's stick or sceptre, a short rod topped with a small head.

Adrien hints about Marinette's secret mouse identity, said hint goes right over Felix's head.

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continous-mistakes · 2 years

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First Fic: Thank You for the Topic of My Next Therapy Session

Crossposted on ao3 Leave a comment if ya like it or have ideas!

Inspiration: BioDad!BruceWayne

Chapter 1 of 4

Marinette has not been having the best few weeks lately. Akuma Attacks are becoming more frequent and violent, Luka has just been turned into an Akuma (again), and she is having to deal with a life-changing revelation (also again!?) that she should have been ignorant of for the next few years! But no. Her Ladybug luck just had to be with her as she opened her mother’s important documents drawer while in search of something significantly less important than what she did find! Her Maman only asked her to find her pearls, but what Marinette found were lies and significant emotional damage.

That happened weeks ago. She refuses to acknowledge it, so Sabine has no idea that Marinette knows, and honestly? Marinette would like to keep it that way. For as long as possible. Which might not be very long at all with the way this day is shaping up.

Luka Couffaine, an amazing boy who Marinette genuinely cares about and trusts as a friend and permanent member of Team Miraculous, has been akumatized into Truth (AGAIN! Can Hawkmoth be original? For once?) because she refuses to admit to being stressed and yes she was fine, Luka. There is no need to be worried. Now, he is gunning to expose her secrets. Starting with her classmates who are with them on the Liberty.

“What is Marinette’s biggest secret?” Truth demands, enforced by the magic eye-thing strapped to his back. Hawkmoth’s really pushing it with these Akuma designs lately. Like, the black with the blue assented suit is nice and the glowing three eyes are a cool touch. What Marinette draws the line at is the frEAKING HUGE HUMAN EYE THAT IS HANGING JUST BEHIND HIS HEAD. Safe to say, she is not impressed.

“Marinette has a crush on Adrien!” Each student yelled when hit by a beam of white-colored light. Right, the Akuma is trying to find her secrets and should be taken down without getting hit. She can do that. Also, this is exactly why she will not be sharing Ladybug's identity with you, Alya. Just because you are part of the Underground does not mean you are privy to all of the secrets.

“Everybody knows that! That’s not a secret!” Wow. Like... ow. Truth is just being mean at this point. Marinette can keep a secret! She has been Ladybug, Multimouse, and the Guardian for years with nobody finding out her civilian identity unless given permission. ALSO! She can confidently say that she has gotten over her crush on Adrien Agreste. Was it hard? Yes. Will Marinette always have a soft spot for the boy who was also her partner in cri- heroism? Absolutely. Did she realistically have time between being Ladybug, running the Underground as Multimouse, going to school, completing commissions as MDC, and helping her parents in the pâtisserie for a crush? No, she did not. The stress of doing so was actually the main motivator to let the crush go (unknowingly advised by said crush before the reveal).

Though it is a bit freeing to know that she now blushes, not from the reveal of her once crush on Adrien, but because everyone still believes she hasn't worked past it. Which... wow, that really says something. Something that Marinette will put on her "deal with later" list.

Oh no, Truth is looking at her. He must have heard her sigh. Fuck

“Ladybug, tell me your biggest secret!” he demands. If she was just a bit faster in hitting the deck, she wouldn’t have been hit on her right foot. was touched by the compelling laser. Double Fuck.

The distinct purple moth mask appears over the face of Truth. Hawkmoth was watching, the psychotic bastard. Marinette has run out of fucks to give. Three is too many.

“M’lady!” yells her partner, Chat Noir. He must have seen her get hit because he began to run at her, unbuckling his belt. Thank all that is good, for she had the same thought as Chat to use the belt as a gage. The problem with that idea is that it is assuming that he can get it to her before she spills any secrets. You know what they say, assume makes an ass out of u-and me.

Marinette could tell from the sudden tension on the boat that everyone on that boat, Hawkmoth, and the thousands of people watching on the live stream Alya's blog was hosting were waiting for the admission of her civilian identity. It was what made Chat Noir run faster. What made the students (and Hawkmoth) hold their breath. It was not, however, what was causing Marinette to go through three panic attacks at the same time. No, that went to the knowledge that written on her birth certificate, in the space that was for the name of the birth father, was Bruce FREAKING Wayne. Also, the adoption papers claim her as Tom Dupain’s daughter.

Her birth father wasn't the man who raised her! The man that she has grown up loving and hugging and bonding over video games with wasn’t her blood. The man who was her blood didn’t want her. And she knows this because she found no divorce or marriage certificates between her mother and Bruce Wayne: meaning he got her mother pregnant in a one-night stand or broke up with her as soon as he found out she was pregnant!

Then he went and adopted Richard Greyson only a few months after she was born, making her self-confidence dive off the Eiffel Tower! The emotional weight just got heavier as she researched, and Instagram/Twitter stocked her would-be-siblings in the weeks since she found out. They looked so happy and comfortable! Happiness she could have been a part of if she had reached some type of criteria her father had that the others did. Marinette is sure that she would get along super well with them, yet she couldn't be claimed as their sister when Bruce had so easily thrown her away.

Under no circumstances can she say all that as Ladybug, though. It could lead anyone curious enough to look to find out her identity. Good thing she knew Bruce Wayne was Batman. A startling realization at the time, but ultimately made sense. Didn’t make the feeling of inadequacy any better. Against her will, she opens her mouth and just barely finds the mental strength to switch the names Bruce Wayne and Batman before speaking.

“My father isn’t my father! My bio dad is Batman, and he abandoned me, and my mother doesn’t know that I know now... FUCK.”

Silence. Pure silence. Able-to-hear-a-pin-drop silence.

“...what?” The silence is broken. Chat stands stunned staring incredulously at Ladybug like everyone else on the boat, but with the added layer of actually knowing her civilian identity. If Marinette could see Hawkmoth right then, she would have seen the same state of shock as her classmates. The would-have-been-helpful belt lays limp in Chat’s hand as they all try to reboot their brains. Truth rebooted faster than the others.

“Why did he abandon you?” Ladybug, mentally screaming, couldn't move before the laser hit.

“The hell if I know, he left as soon as he found out my mom was pregnant!” An assumption on her part, but pitying and sympathetic looks come from her classmates anyway. Chat is still stunned. The chat on the live stream Marinette had forgotten about stops for a second before rapidly whizzing by with many expletives and shocked face emojis. This will hopefully be a moment to laugh at in a few days... oh Kwami, please.

“Do you resent him for it?” Ladybug tried to dodge, but her section of the boat was small and open. She got hit.

“Yeah, a little. He abandons me and my mom and then a few months after I was born, the first Robin comes into the picture. So, it kind of hurts.” At this point, the students are too invested to move, and it is safe to assume that Chat will not be of any help during this fight as he is too far gone.

“Are you jealous of the first robin?” Ladybug has no choice but to charge head-on and take the laser.

“I don’t think so. I’m more hurt by the fact that he continued to adopt more kids, but never came back for me. And STOP ASKING INVASIVE QUESTIONS!” He engages her in hand-to-hand combat that has her performing awe-inspiring acrobatics to get around the eye. She lands a solid punch to his liver that has him doubling over just as the next question is asked.

“Would you want a relationship with your siblings?”

“I have always wanted siblings, but I don’t know if I can even call them that since Batman didn’t choose me but chooSE THE OTHERS!” Her last words were yelled in exertion as she judo-flips Truth over her shoulder with impressive agility and core strength. She is quick to snatch the akumatized necklace and break it. Purifying the Akuma and Amok, Marinette looks to the sky and heaves a long-suffering sigh. “Holy FUCK Batman. Thank you for giving me the next topic of my therapy sessions.”

The French Government issued a blackout of all things Akuma-related at the beginning of this whole fiasco to keep from attracting the Justice League and their million-dollar guarantee solutions. It did not, however, withstand France's 64.6 million citizens working towards the same goal.

They loved Ladybug. Like they loved her. She is the hero that created the team they can always depend on to save the day anywhere in France! Much more than the Justice League who had ignored her repeated calls that were sent outside of France and the blackout (It was a busy week for reporters when their beloved heroin had gone public with the ignored request for help. Fuck you Green Lantern).

They loved her so much that to not only find out that Ladybug is the daughter of the American vigilante, detective extraordinaire, Batman, but that he also abandoned her, their displeasure will not go unheard. Every one of the thousands of people tuned into the Ladyblog’s live stream had saved it, cut it to manageable bits, and then sent it to everyone they knew on every internet platform they were on. 26 hours later, the rest of the world was calling for an explanation for the viral video that kept changing titles to not get deleted.

The French government had no choice but to lift the blackout.

As a result, the Ladyblog skyrocketed in viewership and recognition for its consistency in recording the Akuma fights (much to Alya’s delight and her friend's bemusement). Many viewers would just watch the saved live stream. More would watch the rest of the videos. News articles are read, websites visited, and people watched the Duo of Paris and, later, their Miracle Team take down villain after villain, day after day, battle after gruesome battle. With the Parisian public singing their praises, it wasn’t long before the rest of the world adored the Parisian Heros just as much as the locals - if not more so.

All that the world was waiting for at this point was the inevitable reunion of the "Batfamily" and the Justice League's response to the Heroes of Paris.

#maribat #bio dad bruce wayne #bruce wayne #batman #hawkmoth #chat noir #marinette dupain cheng #batfam #light angst #ish #maribat fanfic #fanfiction #fanfic

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flightfoot · 2 years

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Lovesquare Variations that matter

So I was just thinking about this, and while there are lots of different outfits and monikers that our heroes go through, there are only a few that actually change how they interact with each other. I’m not counting joke identities like Marino the clumsy waiter or Comrade Mayo here.

Adrien Identities: Adrien Agreste, Chat Noir, Aspik, Cat Walker

Marinette Identities: Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Ladybug, Multimouse

I’m gonna skip past the main Lovesquare of Adrienette, Ladrien, Marichat, and Ladynoir because anyone with any familiarity with the show already knows those, and skip to the more interesting side ones, some of which have never gotten a chance to actually happen, but would theoretically have interesting and unique interactions. I’m leaving out ones that are basically the same interactions with different names, like how Multichat is Marichat, and Aspbug is Ladrien.

That leaves us with:

Snekmouse: This one has an actual ship name, along with fanfics and fanart, ever since we first found out that Adrien was getting the Snake and Marinette was getting the Mouse. Both of them know each other’s identities, but don’t KNOW that the other person knows, which leads to the two of them getting to be more bold with each other underneath the veil of their perceived anonymity. Could be especially useful for resolving misunderstandings.

Aspik/Marinette: Haven’t actually seen this one show up except once, I think, in a compilation, weirdly enough, but they WOULD have a unique interaction. Aspik doesn’t know that Marinette knows he’s Adrien, after all. I figure this interaction would mostly be like Adrienette, but with Adrien attempting to be a little more suave, and Marinette maybe being able to talk to him a little better... maybe.

Cat Walker/Marinette: All of the Cat Walker interactions are unique, since Adrien not only has an identity here that Marinette doesn’t know of in any of her forms, but a different personality as well. It’d be interesting to see him attempt to be the perfect prince with her. I wonder whether she’d see through him and realize he wasn’t comfortable acting that way if she spent more time with him? I could see him opening up to her about his reasons for putting up this facade, maybe even admitting to being Chat Noir, and honestly telling her how he’d been thinking and feeling the past few weeks, that he didn’t think Ladybug liked or valued him at all, and he wanted to assume a form where he’d matter again, because if she didn’t need or want him... well, there was a reason he’d had no energy the past week or so.

Cat Walker/Multimouse: I think Multimouse might mention how she had to give up her Miraculous before because Chat Noir found out who she was, possibly leading to Cat Walker badmouthing Chat Noir as being untrustworthy, and Multimouse explaining that wasn’t true, leading to Cat Walker going over all the ways that Ladybug didn’t trust Chat Noir (according to what Plagg told him supposedly) and Multimouse refuting him. Or trying to, since she couldn’t say she was Ladybug.

Ladywalker: Now this one, we actually saw. Very suave, very gentlemanly interaction on Cat Walker’s part, leaving Ladybug a blushy mess. Turns out, she has a really hard time concentrating when head-over-heels for someone. They did work well together, but ultimately, she missed her usual kitty.

#adrien agreste #marinette dupain cheng #cat walker #aspik #multimouse #snekmouse #Miraculous ladybug

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jessicavz-creates · 1 month

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Better Place (Pt.1)

Miraculous Ladybug Fanfic written by JessicaVZ inspired by Rachel Platten’s song Better Place.

Art created by JessicaVZ.

Adrien sat at a table in the library tapping his pencil. He was there to work on a project but just couldn’t concentrate. Not when he had been paired with Marinette and her eyes drew him in every time he looked her way. Deep ocean blue waters that you could drown in until they sparkled like a lighthouse and sent you above the clouds. That was the first thing that made him think that maybe…

Sighing, Adrien put down his pencil. This thought kept coming back like an intruder seeking to complicate his life while fulfilling his greatest wish all at the same time. He so wanted it to be true, for Marinette to be Ladybug. Everything fit, well except for the time Marinette was Multimouse, but after years of being a superhero nothing seemed impossible anymore.

“Adrien… Adrien!” Marinette snapped her fingers in his face. He opened his eyes. “There you are! I was beginning to think there was a mind stealing akuma around here. What’s going on? Are you alright?”

Shaking his head, Adrien apologized. “Yeah, sorry. Just lost in thought I guess. What were we doing?”

Marinette crossed her arms. “There you go again pretending like everything’s alright. That was the fifth time you sighed in the last thirty minutes. And it’s not like you’re just having an off day. You’ve been like this all week. So what’s up?”

What could he say? I suspect you are Paris’ superhero Ladybug? Whether it was true or not, she’d deny it. And even if she did affirm it’s not like he could confess his feelings right away. She’d think he was only doing it because she was Ladybug. The truth was that to find out the two women who held his heart are the same and he would no longer be conflicted would be perfect, but she wouldn’t think that. Both Ladybug and Marinette were self conscious like that. It would make sense, if he loved the masked version of her what was to stop him from loving the civilian form? But if he was wrong… Adrien sighed again.

“I’m worried about a friend of mine. She’s amazing and helps others any chance she gets but leaves little time for herself. To top it off she doesn’t seem to realize just how wonderful she is and puts herself down so often. I’m afraid that one of these days it’s going to be too much for her and…” Adrien trailed off as he realized just how close Ladybug and Marinette were to the brink of akumatization.

“She’s the girl that you like, isn’t she?” Marinette’s words broke him out of his dysphoria. “The one that doesn't get your jokes?”

“Yeah… how did you?”

“The way you talked about her. She’s lucky to have someone like you by her side.” Marinette gave him a sad wistful smile.

“I just wish I could do something for her, even if it’s just words of encouragement to let her know I’m there. She seems to feel like she needs to do everything alone. Even though there are people surrounding her to help.” It was a little strange telling Marinette about herself in this way. And it amazed him how easy it was to describe her and Ladybug at the same time.

Marinette thought for a minute. “I have a friend that’s having a hard time too. He puts on a smile so that others think he’s alright. But I know he’s not. He seems pretty lonely but I don’t think he has much control over that. His family life doesn’t seem to be very supportive either.”

Was she talking about Cat? Or Adrien? Was she talking about both like he was? Adrien started to feel a little excited.

“And I want to do more for him too but in order to do that I would need to tell him how I feel…” Marinette’s voice got soft and her cheeks became roses.

Oh. She was talking about “Buttercup”. Adrien didn’t realize he had mumbled the name of Marinette’s secret crush. He was too busy freaking out about that little detail. And Ladybug’s special guy. But if Marinette and Ladybug were the same then the two guys…

“What?!” Marinette squeaked.

“Shhh!” A passing teacher scolded.

“Désolé.” They both apologized.

“Uh, yeah. Sorry about that. Cat Noir just let it slip one time that there’s a guy you like and you code named him Buttercup.” Adrien rubbed the back of his neck as he looked at Marinette apologetically.

Marinette’s breathing was calm but her eyes looked frantic. “Did… did Cat say anything else about him? Or how he found out?”

It was strange. As Cat, Adrien had no problem shouting his love for Ladybug but Marinette seemed to have the opposite reaction. She protected her secret love and found it hard to say. “Well, he said you practiced your confession with him. It was a little awkward at first but you finally came up with one from your heart. Cat Noir found it so beautiful and he wished that someone had words like those for him.” Adrien smiled at Marinette. “Whoever this guy is, I hope you tell him how you feel. You deserve to be happy.”

Marinette’s face flushed again. “Thank you, Adrien. That means a lot coming from you.” An idea seemed to cross her mind and her blush deepened. “A-Adrien?”

“Yes?”

Marinette hesitated. “What would you tell the girl you like, to let her know you’re there for her?”

This was it. If he told her and then said it to Ladybug too and she recognized it, then he would know for sure if they were the same person.

She turned to face him. “Pretend I’m her, what would you say?”

There was an eagerness in her eyes he hadn’t seen before. Marinette didn’t just want to help him, she needed to hear the words for personal reasons. But she was going into this believing the words were meant for someone else. Wouldn’t that hurt her?

“Are you sure? I wouldn’t want to make you uncomfortable.” Part of him wanted her to back out, part of him wanted her to say yes so that he could finally know.

Marinette bit her lip. “I’m sure. I want to help you Adrien. And it’s nice to know I’ll be helping someone else in the process too.”

Adrien took a deep breath. “Ok.” He turned to face her, closing his eyes and taking a moment to think of the words. As his eyes refocused, her eyes bloomed in anticipation. And he knew what to do.

“Bluebonnet,” Adrien grinned and winked at Marinette as her cheeks started to bloom too.

“Take this seriously, Adrien!” Marinette gave him a playful slug to the arm.

Adrien chuckled, “I am! Now, where was I? Oh yes. Bluebonnet, I know you have a big job to do. It’s bigger than anyone or anything. And I know that you can and have done it on your own. You don’t need me. But I wanted you to know that you don’t have to do it alone. I am here for you however you need me: as your friend, your partner,” Adrien slipped his hand into Marinette’s and she gasped. “As someone who loves you. I will always,” Her hair was shining blue in the window light. “Be,” Her eyes were wide and hungry with longing. “There,” her lips were soft, pink, and slightly parted as deep breaths escaped her. “For you.”

Their faces were nearly touching when Adrien’s phone buzzed and Marinette flung herself backward resulting in Adrien diving over her chair in an attempt to save her but ended up being pulled on top from the force of her fall.

“I’m so sorry! So sorry! Your phone, it startled me, that’s all. I’m… I’m…” It was then she realized the position they were in and the heat rose to her face. Adrien wasn’t sure if her blush was from their closeness or maybe she had felt the soft hum that was his civilian’s version of a purr before removing her hands from his chest. But her voice was as clear as ever when she said, “I’m just clumsy. Madly clumsy Marinette.”

Madly clumsy? Hadn’t he heard that before? But not from Marinette… he heard it from Ladybug the first time they met. Adrien’s eyes widened under Marinette’s intense gaze. His phone buzzed again.

“I… I should probably check that.” Adrien gasped. They stood and he checked his phone. Two messages from his body guard saying it was time to go. “Guess I gotta go home. I’m sorry we didn’t get much done for our project.”

Marinette smiled, “It’s ok. We’ll just have to work extra hard on it tomorrow.”

“Yeah, I’ll see you then.” Adrien picked up his bag and turned to go but stopped. “Marinette?”

“Yes?”

He tucked a hair behind her ear. “This world has been a better place since we met.” Before he was aware of what he was doing, Adrien kissed the top of her head and left.

Pt.2

#miraculous ladybug #adrien agreste #chat noir #marinette dupain cheng #ml ladybug #cat noir #Buttercup #Bluebonnet #song inspired #ml reveal #love square

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starguardianniom · 11 months

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The Paris Special irony

I'm gonna be real here people, the Paris Special was flooded with irony.

We basically got to see tons of stuff we wanted to see forever in it alone, many of which are also quite ironic themselves.

Akumatized Ladybug? Check. Well kamikotized or something similar. The purple Hatsune Miku look slayed.

Akumatized Chat Noir that actually sticks and isn't erased from a timeline? Check. Funny how he's still all white like Chat Blanc but also has white angel wings despite wielding the power of destruction, makes me think of Lucifer.

Evil Ladybug and Chat Noir? Check. Shadybug and Claw Noir are the new cool kids. And dang I want to have an entire series/spinoff of just them, heck I want an origin story of their first outting as villains and how they got their miraculouses cause I need answers on how that happened thank you very much.

Good Hawk Moth? Check. Still lousy parent I guess, unless Emodrien actually makes it difficult for him, like he lashes out and refuse to spend anytime with his dad and Gabriel just tries to respect his privacy and boundaries and thinks he might just need some time to grieve maybe, we only have Emodrien's side of the story, but it's probably more complicated than that, I mean if Emodrien is angry that his father seems to have moved on from his mother he might takes it as a personal betrayal and acts out in some misplaced retribution, but I have a feeling he doesn't bother explaining himself to his father like he does with Adrien, though there might still be hope for them now.

Ladybug using the Butterfly Miraculous? Check. Lady Fly is a stupid name cause it sounds she has the Fly miraculous instead of the Butterfly, but at least her outfit is ok.

Seeing the Butterfly miraculous being used to create heroes instead of villains? Check. Ubiquity my beloved.

Goth/emo/punk Marinette and Adrien? Check. And I love them for it.

Reverse love square? Mostly check with Emodrien having a crush on Emonette who has no idea that he knows she exists until the special.

Alternate Universes? Check. I wanna see more of that Mister Bug and Lady Noire universe and that Scarabella and Kitty Noire Universe, I lowkey wished to see an Aspik and Multimouse universe but oh well, at least this probably means that all the heroes and villains probably gets to wield all the different miraculouses across universes.

Emodrien was slowly dying and Good!Gabriel wasn't even aware of it, probably Emodrien didn't bother telling him and just covered it up with his makeup. Check.

Emonette actually knows Emodrien by name and sight unlike Marinette in Origins despite him never going to her school. I really found that funny.

Emonette and Emodrien having better fashion sense than the main heroes, check. Until they switched to become good guys. Still pulled a bit more effort.

Everyone else in the other universe have different designs, check. And thank god for it, they all look better than the ones we've seen in the show.

Nooroo actually being happy and treated well? Check, judging by the Gabriel opening.

PV universe actually existing and not just being a movie, check.

Identity reveal that actually sticks, check. For Shadybug and Claw Noir sure but at least it will be a lot less frustrating for them than their counterparts, thank god they'll have a break on that.

Seriously the special delivered so many nice ideas and concepts and also there was tons of stuff we wanted to see forever and we got our wishes and it's also ironic in some ways but like hell I'm gonna complain when we were all so well served.

Not gonna lie but it almost gives me hope for season 6. Almost.

Now I'm just gonna watch the show in the hopes of ever seeing the heroes Shadybug and Claw Noir again (yes I know they changed their names and I don't care it's less confusing to keep calling them their original names rather than their new names, like Shadybug, we all know you wanted to be more like Ladybug, but you didn't need to take her name when you almost copied her looks, which was also a downgrade for you sweetie).

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generalluxun · 11 months

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Small Problems: A Lukanette fanfic

Well, Lukamouse mostly. This is just chapter 1 of the fic. This Chapter and all the rest will appear on AO3 (Link in my bio) if this wets anyone's appetite. Chapter after the break.

"It's weird; holding these again. Did she tell you anything about how long?"

Cat Noir's green eyes glowed against the moonless night. The earrings, half of the most powerful magics the world had to offer, looked so small in his palm.

Multimouse knew just how heavy they really were. "No, just that she needed time, and that she trusted you."

He closed his hand around the earrings slowly, then with that same weight moved to put them on. "I hope she finds what she's looking for. I wish I could have done more."

The pain on his face was real and an answering pain twisted in Multimouse's chest. Her kitty cared , and so did she, but the only thing it brought them was sorrow. Sorrow and now for her, anxiety. The cold fingers of it squeezed her heart just as strongly, this new pain born not of affection, but of expectation. It was why she was here and doing this.

She waved her hands instinctively, then clasped them to avoid giving away too much through body language. "No, no. You did everything a partner can be expected to do. This isn't on you. Just like you must have a life, so does she. None of us are muddling through middle school anymore. I think hers is just hitting a little too hard right now."

His lips turned up into a smile. She'd known him long enough to see through that mask though. "Yeah. Maybe once it's all said and done, I'll take a little vacation of my own. Would you like a chance to be Ladybug's purrtner for a while?"

Argh! He was asking too much, talking too much. Multimouse was supposed to allow a quick drop off and run. As always though, she couldn't disengage. They were entwined, and as she had begun to feel, trapped.

Multimouse gave him a smile every bit as forced as his own. "That sounds like a bit too much for me. I think I really only got the tap again because the other mouse holder has ventured beyond Paris too. I'll do my best for now, but I will be happy when I can pass it on again."

His smile turned serious. "You have everything it takes to be one of the very best, Multimouse, don't ever sell yourself short."

The intensity shocked her. It was so long ago, it was easy to forget he knew. He knew, and they had shared a singular kiss without her mask. Even disguised, she could not escape herself. Her pulse spiked, pounding in her ears. That twisty pain became an overwhelming pressure. Her eyes burned. Her legs tingled… she had to get away!

"I- have to- I'll meet you again next week!" Multimouse bolted.

She ran and swung, jumped and slid. She was halfway across Paris in minutes, and finally the pounding in her ears was from exertion, not emotion. Multimouse slumped against a chimney stack and tried to block it all out.

Chat, Adrien, Ladybug, Sentis, The Butterfly missing still, the Kwamis, The Guardianship, the team, Fu, Su-Han, Felix, that damn statue mocking her, Zoé, Kagami, Alya in the States, the bakery, university planning, commissions, her portfolio, contacts, Mayor Bustier; they all combined to a tide that rose up, swamping her, drowning her. Multimouse curled in on herself and pushed. She pushed her little void of space with everything still left to her. It was enough, only just. Her racing thoughts receded, her pulse slowed. Multimouse gasped- she'd forgotten to breathe. Slowly life came back to her limbs. She stood shakily, steadying herself. If ever she doubted this was necessary, she had her proof.

The last thoughts to recede were of Chat and Adrien both. They were warm thoughts, loving thoughts, but even the loveliest roses would leave you bloody and scarred if held too long and too tightly.

It was time to let go.

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

The wind in her face as she ran across rooftops on patrol helped to clear Multimouse's head somewhat. Being her gray self helped too. Far fewer people noticed her as she ran, and those who did rarely looked twice. The other heroes were welcomed in Paris, but they weren't Ladybug.

Crime was still way down in the city. Even with half their number retired, the Miraculous heroes were a presence that discouraged villainy of all sorts. Emotions could override judgment in even the most peaceful of cities though, butterflies or no. Multimouse also knew from experience that the new moon would bring out the few opportunists. She zigzaged across narrow alleyways and poorly lit neighborhoods as she made her circuit.

Shadows in a dead end street, a feminine yelp, harsh words. Multimouse homed in on the sounds and skittered to the edge of an overlooking gutter. She peered into the gloom. One person interposed between two others, a clear dispute. With another high-pitched wail one of the shadows fled. The other two squared off on each other, the interposing shadow now blocking the other from pursuing the one that had fled. Multimouse strained to hear when there was sudden motion; a distinctive shape caught her eye. Multimouse dove into the mix. She covered the interposing shadow, *pop*. She tackled him the the ground *pop* *pop* *pop*. Bullets were hot, like bee stings against her back with the protection of the miraculous. The remaining shadow -the gunman- fled past them both.

Multimouse was in shock. Not from the assault, but because of the pair of familiar ocean blue eyes that blinked up at her. A million questions, a million things left unsaid, all spiraled through her mind.

All that came out of her lips was, "Are you okay?"

Luka Couffaine blinked up at her, eyes wider than she had ever seen them. Laid atop him, she could feel his heart racing against her chest. He swallowed, "Yeah…"

She pushed herself up, arms suddenly wobbly. "Stay down."

He remained where he was, barely breathing. "Yeah…"

Focus! Multimouse undid her tail-rope. "I will be right back."

A gunman, especially one with the will to use it couldn't be left free. Multimouse whipped her tail rope around a chimney and launched herself after him. She overtook him quickly. One multimouse became three and the trio ambushed, disarmed, and tail-tied him in short order. Two of herself took the culprit to the nearest precinct station while the third returned to Luka.

She found him where she left him, with his gaze turned skyward. She landed her still half-sized self right in front of him, but still didn't startle him. He just turned those so gentle eyes down to her, "Good, you're safe."

She wanted to hug him and she wanted to shove him. "Me? You were the one in danger! He had a gun!"

He absorbed her agitation, and gave none of it back. He just stuck his hands in his pockets and gave her an abashed smile. "Yeah, I didn't know he had one when it started. I simply heard him and the lady having an… ahh.. disagreement about how their date should progress. I wanted to be sure it remained civil."

Years fell away. Multimouse found herself watching his lips. There was more, history told her there was more.

History was right. He scuffed one foot and his smile bloomed further. "Thank you for saving me."

He was so unfair! Now all she could think about under that gentle gaze was pulling him down by the ears to her level and…

"Don't mention it!" She interrupted herself, a trifle too loudly.

He prompted, "Polymouse, right?"

She shifted from foot to foot. "Multi- actually. Poly- is retired for now, I'm just a temp."

"Do I make you nervous?" He asked.

"No," She lied, "Why?"

He gestured with one hand, the motion fluid as a conductor's. "Because you're strangling your tail so tightly I'm afraid you might lose it."

Multimouse looked down and eeped. She let go of her tail rope, letting it hang free from her waist. "Oh! I- uhmm… okay so, maybe I am a little on edge."

She didn't need to go into why, right?

"Would it help if I kept you company, until the rest of you return? If you want, I could even give you a lift to wherever they are."

Superheroes don't need a lift. I can do just fine on my own! What she actually said was, "Sure, if you don't mind."

He turned wordlessly towards the mouth of the alley and she followed. At first she had to trot to keep up, but he shortened his steps to match her pace. Her mind kept dumping thoughts and words on her, ways to fill up the silence. Every time she was close to building up to a word explosion though, the aura of stillness about him drew it all away.

That stillness turned to mirth when they got back to where he had ditched his bicycle and she tried to scramble up on it behind him. Half-sized Multimouse wobbled even when he left her the whole seat. She'd be clinging to him and praying.

Her Ladybug-brain was already considering putting her tail through his belt loops when he volunteered, "I have an idea."

His hands had always been strong, and now they encircled her waist and then some. He lifted her off the seat and set her gently in the oversized delivery basket on the front of his bike.

"How's that?"

She didn't think 'Can you carry me like that the whole way?' would be an appropriate answer, so she just faced forward to hide her pink cheeks. "This works. I feel a little like a kid though."

Luka mounted the bike again, and at her direction started off towards her other selves. "Nothing wrong with that. We barely get any time as kids when we're young. Dipping back into it now and then is healthy I think."

With those words lingering in her ears, Multimouse settled back into the basket. The whir of his bike, the sound of his breathing, and the breeze in her face all combined to whisk away more of her doubts and fears, despite herself. By the time her other two selves came into view, sitting on a low wall and kicking their feet, she was nearly asleep sitting up.

Her other two selves exchanged looks as the bike stopped. Multimouse stuck her tongue out at them while Luka couldn't see. She jumped down, and three became one. She turned back to Luka and was surprised by how much taller he still was than her. Has he grown in the last year? Jagged is a beanpole I guess.

"Thank you for the ride."

Luka dipped his head in a little bow, "My pleasure, thank you for your heroism Miss Mouse. I hope I'll get to see you again soon, under better circumstances."

Too many things she wanted to say were tangled up in all the reasons she shouldn't say them. Instead Multimouse snapped her tailwhip off in a flashy flourish, promptly lost her grip on it, and sent the whole thing flying into a nearby wall. With a defeated wail she ran over, snatched it up, and swung away before embarrassment killed her.

Luka's voice echoed after her, "I saw nothing!"

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

Luka Couffaine walked his bike down the plank to the Liberty's deck. It was a still night, save for the momentary excitement. He dropped himself into a chair on deck and looked for answers once more in the stars. The image of an earnest mouse in pink and gray tickled across his mind, eclipsing the crime prevented and close call both.

"Y'r late." His sister's rich alto accused.

He looked back over his shoulder as she approached. Juleka had their father's height even more than he did. She was a tall shadow even after stepping into the light.

Luka gave a non-answer, "I ran into one of your coworkers while I was out."

Her one visible eye narrowed accusingly, but her tone was gentle. "F'you wanted t' be h'ro, shoulda k'pt th' snake."

He gave her a smile tinged with sadness. "No, Jules. It never sat right on my shoulders. Time is a river, not a drain. You don't circle, you flow."

She gave him a little hmph and stepped closer, her hands settled on his shoulders. "y'not tuff 'nuff to be th' tiger," she teased. Then, "Who w's 't?"

"Someone new. A mouse hero, with the heart of a tigress herself, I think."

"MMmm, she made n'n 'pression."

He looked back again, "What makes you say that?"

Her hands left his shoulders. A rare smile bloomed on her face and she pointed down in front of him with one decaled black nail. Luka followed her line and-

"Huh…" He hadn't remembered picking up his guitar, but there it was in his lap. His fingers slid along strings dusty from lack of use.

Juleka left a giggle in her wake as she returned below decks. As Luka sat back again, his fingers continued to move of their own accord, searching out something unheard but felt. It wasn't long before a melody began to drift from the strings, single notes joining the stars in the night sky. A new melody to his ear, one without a name, but one with an owner nonetheless.

Luka let out a curious chuckle, "Well, this is unexpected."

#miraculous ladybug #marinette dupain cheng #luka couffaine #adrien agreste #ml fanfic #ml fic #lukanette endgame #lukanette #post S5 #post canon

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ali-annals · 8 months

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I Knew You'd Come Back To Me

Cardigan AU Masterlist | Part 1 | Master Masterlist | drabble 1 | ao3

Jasonette, Chapter 2/2, ~6k?

I Knew You’d Come Back To Me

Two nights after defeating the Untitled, Jason showed up in front of Marinette’s door.

“Hi.” She poked her head through the doorway.

“Hey, Marinette. Can we talk?”

She considered his words momentarily, then opened the door wider in silent invitation. He followed her to her living room, where she curled up in the fluffy recliner and picked up her tea mug.

Jason sat nervously on her loveseat, noting her clear boundaries in the choice of seating.

“Would you believe me if I gave you a good reason for my odd actions?”

“I’ll decide ‘good reasons,'” she interjected. “Let’s hear them.”

“I’m Red Hood. I was on Bat and Hood business when I left all those times. I would have told you sooner, but I saw how hurt you were after you told me about Multimouse and I knew I couldn’t drag you into that again, so I just… kept quiet. I figured out you’re Onyx from the things you said and I saw how capable you are and… I had to… At least tell you why I did those things. I know I broke your trust and I am very sorry for that. I was trying not to hurt you, but in doing so I still hurt you in a way I promised myself I never would, and I am so sorry for that.”

Marinette sat in silence and Jason focused on his breathing so he wouldn’t panic while she considered his words.

“You’re the Red Hood…and you know I’m Onyx,” she finally said slowly.

Jason nodded.

“Why tell me now? We broke up. We could’ve avoided each other. Do you feel guilty that you figured my identity out, so you’re giving me equal footing?”

“Well, I do feel guilty, but mostly because I didn’t trust you enough to tell you sooner and let you make your own decisions about it. I did know you kept in contact with your hero friends, and I should’ve given you the choice of what to do with my information, at least. That is what I feel guilty about.”

Marinette put her mug down on the coaster and leaned forwards a teeny bit. “So was anything else a lie?”

“No, I never lied to you about anything except my night job, I promise, Pi- Marinette.”

“I need time to think about this, Jay. I’ll text you when I’m ready, okay?”

Jason nodded and left.

He wasn’t happy, but he was relieved that she had listened and was thinking it over. She’d also addressed him as Jay, not Jason, so that was a good sign. At least she didn’t seem to hate him completely.

He just hoped she knew how sorry he was, even if he never saw her again.

•○•○•○•

Marinette was back at school, but they avoided each other like the plague and barely saw even a glimpse of each other’s hoodie when they weren’t in the same classes.

Nine days later, Jason’s phone buzzed with the specific tone he had set for Marinette’s contact.

Pixie: Can we talk tonight?

Yes!

Me: Yours, mine, neutral ground?

Pixie: Mine is okay. Can you bring supper from your secret Chinese supplier?

Me: Absolutely. Usual order?

Pixie: Yes, please.

Pixie: Can you make it for 5:45?

Me: I’ll be there.

The three dots of typing ceased and Jason flung his phone onto his couch and commenced panicking.

What was he going to face?

What should he wear? Dress up nicely to show her he was making an effort, or his usual tee and sweats or jeans to keep it casual?

What was he gonna say? He should definitely keep apologising, but he didn’t want to sound like a broken record and seem like he was pressuring her into getting back together or forgiving him.

Oh, did his freezer have enough ice cream to last future-him’s depression if she said she hated him and would never talk to him again?

Finally, he slapped himself out of the spiral of anxiety and made himself think logically.

She wanted to talk, and she wanted him to bring them both dinner, so clearly she wasn’t going to yell and then kick him out. She didn’t completely hate him, because she wanted food, and she still trusted him to bring their dinner. Plus, it was one of “their” things to go on dates or study dates and then come back and have Chinese at hers and watch a movie or hang out; so she still wanted their tradition.

So far, she was giving positive signs.

Okay. He could work with that.

•○•○•○•

At 5:45 on the dot he knocked on her door and was let in.

His brain short-circuited momentarily as Marinette appeared in his her Wonder Woman tee and jeans, and then nervous anxiety set in as she took the bag of food with a slight smile and headed to the kitchen to set it out. He’d finally decided on toeing the line between formal and casual, wearing jeans and a green button-down instead of his usual tee and/or hoodie, but it appeared Marinette went for straight casual.

What if she felt underdressed? He didn’t want to make her feel even more uncomfortable (the tension in her body language was very obvious).

He finally got his feet to move and followed her to the kitchen, rolling up his sleeves as he went. It was a little breezy outside, but rather warm in her apartment. No wonder she hauled out the tees, even though it was only March.

•○•○•○•

Marinette impatiently yanked the door open for Jason, unsurprised by his punctuality and waiting nervously.

While she’d stress-baked and stress-cleaned she’d tried to nail down the wording she wanted, but kept getting distracted and more stressed. Now, she hastily combed her memories for her explanation while she had a moment alone since Jason was staying in the foyer, for some reason.

Oh dear, had she made him feel unwelcome?

Was this a sign of his reluctance to associate with her anymore? What if he wanted to stay broken up? He deserved someone who wouldn’t drag him down with their own traumas-

She heard him finally follow her and turned to smile welcomingly at him. He was focused on rolling up the sleeves of his shirt and oh, he knew what he was doing, maybe he did still want them to be together.

That was illegal, surely, or unethical at the very least, giving her health problems this early on in life.

Reminding herself to breathe, she got out two pairs of chopsticks (her own, not the small bamboo ones the restaurant provided) and tried to act unaffected by his blatant show of forearm.

“I thought we could talk in the living room and watch the sunset while we have supper,” she waved at the penthouse’s wide scenic view of Gotham’s Diamond District and the faint line of ocean blue on the horizon peeking through the skyscrapers.

•○•○•○•

“Sounds good.” He nervously flipped the knife in his pocket around his fingers.

Why was she still so tense? Maybe she was overthinking it too; that sounded like Marinette.

They settled by the window with their food, on opposite ends of the couch, and ate quietly for several minutes.

Finally, Marinette spoke up. “I have many conflicting feelings about everything, but I’ve simplified them and worked them out; the bottom line is, I forgive you. I know the struggle of wondering how much to say and worrying if those you care about will be in more danger if you tell them, so I know how hard that must have been.”

She sighed and chewed a piece of broccoli slowly. “It’s not easy being a hero.”

A spring roll later, she continued, “I won’t deny that I was hurt by your lack of trust, and I am still hurt, but I don’t hold it against you. I considered telling you that I was the Guardian, myself, but decided against it. I do appreciate you attempting not to hurt me, even if it didn’t work out.”

Marinette inhaled deeply and Jason almost fell off the couch in tense anticipation of her next utterance.

“If… You are still willing…I’d like to continue our relationship, but with mutual trust in each other this time.”

“You really want to? I know I really hurt you, Mari, I-”

“Yes, Jason. I’ve thought it over and weighed our relationship carefully, and I want to continue. No relationship is easy, and I must confess I was waiting for the other shoe to drop part of the time, even when I ignored the suspicion of your…activities. Now that we know where the other stands — we do know, right?” she looked at him suddenly, a little panicked.

“I think so, but we should go over them once you’re done talking, just to make sure,” he replied. “We know where each other stands now, so…?”

“…we can have a more trusting relationship and we’ll likely be a lot happier not hiding all the hero secrets?”

Jason smiled happily at her. “I’d like nothing better, Marinette.”

He was about to ask to clarify where each other stood when she burst out.

“Now that that’s settled, will you please stop calling me Marinette?”

“…uh… What else am I supposed to call you?”

“You always call me Pixie or Pix, except when you’re super serious, and I missed it,” She pouted.

“I thought you didn’t like that I called you tiny?” He grinned.

“…I liked your nickname, though,” she mumbled.

“Okay, Pixie. Now, where do we stand with each other?”

“We have no more secrets to hide, right?”

“I don’t think I’ve forgotten any…” he mused.

“Good. We know the other is a hero-slash-vigilante, we want to be together without any secrets, and if we need to go hero-ing, we’ll let the other know first. Did I miss anything?”

“I don’t think so. If we think of something, we can always bring it up at a later time.”

“That sounds fair,” she agreed. “Now that all the details are hashed out, can I have a hug? I missed you.”

Be still my heart.

“Of course, Pix, you don’t need to ask.” He held his arms out in invitation.

She moved their dishes to the coffee table and scooched over to snuggle beside him, his arm wrapped around her.

“Cozy, Pixie?”

She nodded. “Quite. I’m so glad we worked that out, I missed you so much. Even when I didn’t know you were a hero, I felt that you understood me better than most.”

“I’m sorry I never told you anything.”

She wiggled around to face him. “I forgive you, you can stop apologising now. We both kept secrets and that hurt us. We’ve learned from this, hopefully, and we’re planning on doing better in the future. We don’t need to keep rehashing an already finished subject…unless you think it’s necessary?”

“No, I just…you’re the best thing I have, right now, Pix, and I’m infinitely sorry that I hurt you. I guess I just need to forgive myself.”

“…If you’re sure that’s all, then. Try not to beat yourself up too much over it or I’ll be sad, okay?”

“Whatever my Pixie commands,” he pressed a kiss to the side of her head.

•○•○•○•

"Hey, Jay.”

Jason opened his eyes and looked at Marinette, curled up and leaning on his chest.

“Yeah?”

“I know it’s a sensitive subject, but how’s it going with your family?”

He sighed. “Not great. When we broke up I was really mad at B because I was always leaving you to help him and kinda blamed him for our breakup. I didn’t tell him about you, because then he would’ve gotten all nosy and you don’t deserve that, but I yelled at him for a lot of stuff. I probably set our progress back a few months.”

“I thought you were doing Bat or Hood business when you ran off?”

“…Wait, did I not tell you?”

“Tell me what?”

“Uh, Batman is my dad…and the rest are my siblings.”

Marinette was quiet for a worryingly long time. “I should have put that together,” she said at last.

“Yeah, it’s a…thing. It’s not really broadcast, because Hood is still on iffy terms with the Bats and it would be suspicious if Red Hood suddenly reconciled with them at the same time Jason Todd’s death was repealed. There are enough scarily accurate theories about the Waynes being the Bats, we don’t need to give them more information to prove their hunch.”

“The Waynes — the Waynes are the Bats?!” Marinette yelped, sitting upright and muttering in French under her breath.

“I didn’t tell you that either? I’m sorry, I thought you knew and were just being polite and ignoring the elephant in the room.”

“I ignore the news, especially about celebrities. It’s usually gossip or dramatically inflated rumours, so I never take it as a reliable source on any of them if I do see 'reports’.”

“I wish everyone had your maturity,” he half-joked. “Yeah, the Waynes are the vigilante protectors of Gotham — the Batfamily, as they are called by some — confirmed. More with Red Hood at 9. I’m Vicki Vale, Gotham Gazette,” he mocked. “You got the first-hand report.”

“That makes a lot of sense actually…” Marinette mused. “So that’s why you were so popular in the beginning of the school year?”

“Yep. It always pays to be in the Waynes’ favour, or at least not their disfavour. It’s actually part of what made me notice you, how you ignored me and challenged me instead of trying to grovel or be friends. That and how quiet you were with everyone else. You were new, too, but you seemed happy that you weren’t getting as much attention as me.”

“I just wanted a drama-free final year,” she mourned. “No boyfriend, no hero-ing, just school…look at me — a boyfriend, a breakup, defeating the Untitled after my Miraculous, being the translator for the Parisian class — what happened to my quiet year?”

“I’m sorry, Pix.”

“It’s fine. I got one fewer enemy after me and I got a wonderful boyfriend out of it! It’s not a bad trade-off, in my opinion.”

○○○○○○○

A Friend to All is a Friend to None A couple months later

“The Parisian class arrives today.” Marinette nervously picked at the hem of her skirt.

“It’ll be fine, Pix, I promise. I’ll be right here beside you all day. This is your turf and you’re fighting for it, remember? And you have a Wayne backing you, so the school will definitely not hold back if anyone tries anything.”

“Thanks, mon chére, you’re right; though I hope we won’t need to use your father’s name.”

“Don’t worry about me, Pix. And you know what I think? You’ve told me so much about how selectively dumb they are, that they probably won’t recognize you with your new style and last name.”

“You have a point. Honestly, they probably wouldn’t notice me even if I only grew my hair out,” she rolled her eyes and pulled him into the school. “Let’s get it over with.”

No one batted an eye at her blatant manhandling (emphasis on the man), since the past few weeks they’d acted much closer than before, likely from meeting to practise their French and go over the details of their volunteering. (Mrs. Perez’s Marison-shipping-heart was well-fed lately, and she took credit for forcing them to work together in the first place months ago.)

“Channel your inner Ladybug and your outer Marinette Stone confidence, Pix. You got this!” Jason whispered as they walked over to Mr. Patel, who was preparing for the welcoming speech and reiterating the rules for the host and visiting classes.

Thankfully, the speech was fairly short and their introductions brief.

Principal Luther introduced Jason and Marinette as the class’s hosts and translators, ‘Mr. Todd’ and 'Ms. Stone’.

Then everyone was dismissed and Marinette and Jason decided how to divide the class.

Once everyone was seated and introduced to their temporary classmates, Marinette quickly ran through the introductory notes she’d prepared.

“Good morning, I am one of your temporary translators, Marinette Stone. My partner, Jason, and I have already completed the content you will be learning, so we can help explain as needed. If you need help, just raise your hand and we’ll translate as you need. Please respect the fact that there are only two of us, so it may take a minute to reach you. Your teacher, Ms. Lee, also speaks some French, so she may be able to help as well. I hope you enjoy your time here.”

From the back of the room, Jason gave her a sneaky thumbs-up, telling her that his recording of her was complete. If her ex-classmates recognized her and tried something, he’d have video proof of everything.

She smirked back and headed to her seat beside him, which had a lovely vantage point of the whole classroom.

"So, you have Juleka, Chloe, Rose, Ivan, Mylene, Marc, and Alix?”

“Yep. I’m good with that, as long as you have Lila, Alya, Adrien, Kim, and Sabrina,” Marinette responded. “They’ll be the ones asking for the most help.”

“Chloe and Juleka know who you are, right?” Jason whispered.

"Yeah. No one knows C and I made up because I left fairly soon after, and Jules and I made up when Uncle Jagged talked to her. They’ll be fine.”

•○•○•○•

For the next two weeks, the exchange program went fairly smoothly - Ms. Lee wouldn’t buy Lila & Co™’s excuses/lies, Lila couldn’t flirt with Jason too much because he loudly announced that he had a girlfriend and she was making him uncomfortable, and the class didn’t visibly recognize Marinette with her new style and name change.

On the final day of the exchange, Jason and Marinette rode in on his motorcycle (that no one was allowed to touch).

The curious GA students were buzzing over the latest gossip — was this year’s most popular ship actually coming true?!

Money was to be made on this, after all, many students had secret betting pools on what stage the enemies-to-friends-to-lovers arc was exactly at.

One of Marinette’s kind-of friends bravely walked up was pushed forward by everyone else in the betting pool she was part of to ask about their relationship status.

Jason and Marinette laughed in their faces and said they’d been dating for months.

The news spread quickly among the gossip mills but was quickly silenced when over the intercom, their names were called and their presence requested at the front office.

The couple shrugged at each other and walked leisurely hand-in-hand to the office.

•○•○•○•

Caline Bustier, Lila Rossi, and Principal Luther were waiting.

Marinette sighed. “What?” she asked sharply.

“Mlle. Rossi here says you are a missing person from Paris and a con artist. You dated her boyfriend, M. Agreste, until his father’s company went broke, and then came here to trick the Waynes, she claims. She also says you were unprofessional and ignored her all the time when she requested help in class.” Thankfully, Principal Luther looked sceptical of Lila’s charges.

“Right. Well, Mlle. Rossi here also claims to have saved Uncle Jagged kitten from being run over by an aeroplane, and that she has tinnitus from that event, and later became Uncle Jagged’s muse,” Marinette stated flatly.

Principal Luther looked like she was repressing a smile. “I see. But how is this pertinent to the allegations against you?”

“It’s proof that she claims ridiculous things. You can call Uncle Jagged if — actually, his daughter, Juleka, is in Lila’s class. You can confirm with her about Lila’s stories, and prove that she is lying about them. I did date Adrien Agreste, but I broke up with him because he was cheating on me with Lila. It was just after we split that Gabriel went under, but that was because of his acts of terrorism. And I actually didn’t know Jason was a Wayne until a few weeks ago when he told me. He goes by Jason Todd, and I don’t pay attention to celebrity news, so I had no way of knowing he was a Wayne.

“Also, I came here because it’s Uncle Jagged’s hometown and he helped me escape Paris, which wasn’t helping with my PTSD - which is also partly caused by Mlle. Rossi bullying me. I did not ignore her in class, Jason and I already agreed on how to divide our translating responsibilities. I did not purposely not help her. If you want proof, Jason and I have texts detailing our dividing.”

Principal Luther scrutinised Marinette and Lila, then turned to Jason. “Mr. Todd, any comments?”

“Marinette isn’t a gold-digger. She didn’t know I was a Wayne ‘til I told her, and my family ran a background check on her — she’s clean. And Marinette isn’t a missing person or a runaway — her godfather Jagged had her parent’s blessing to help her move to Gotham, and her parents are working on closing their bakery and moving here to be with her. Her friends, Chloé Bourgeois, and Juleka and Luka Couffaine, knew she was here. Also, no missing person report was filed for her. I’ve been with Marinette for several months now, and I’m sure that she isn’t faking the repercussions of her PTSD and Li- Mlle. Rossi’s bullying.”

“Juleka Couffaine to head office, please.”

Juleka arrived a minute later and confirmed Marinette’s story. She also called Jagged and he immediately jumped to Marinette and Juleka’s defence.

“Thank you, Mlle. Couffaine. Please return to class. Miss Stone and Mr. Todd, I think it’s alright if I give you a pass. You can have the day off. Before you go, could I have a word with Miss Stone in my office?”

Marinette followed Principal Luther into her tiny, cramped office behind the larger antechamber where she’d been pleading her case.

“I’m sorry for the way they treated you, Miss Stone. If you knew it was your class, though, why didn’t you turn down the volunteer role? I assure you we wouldn’t have held it against you.”

“Um… I guess I was just used to my old school in Paris, and how they supported Lila, so it didn’t really occur to me. And I thought I’d like to see my friends, at least. Jason dealt with the ones who were the meanest to me or needed the most help, so I didn’t have to interact with them that much…..Plus, I was kind of planning my revenge. I wanted to get records of them to turn in to the proper authorities so they could be punished.”

Principal Luther sighed. “Marinette… alright. Is your mental health okay? Will you need another couple of days off?”

“No, I should be okay. Thank you, though. Jason has really helped me with my mental health, and I’m seeing a therapist.”

“Okay… Don’t worry about translating at the goodbye party tonight. I’ll find someone else to do it. Thank you for your help these past two weeks.”

“You’re welcome! Have a good day. I don’t envy you dealing with the class,” she sympathised.

She left the small office, completely ignoring Lila and Mme. Bustier’s mean faces, striding quickly to the door, where Jason awaited.

“Hey, Pix. Are you good?”

“Yeah, she wanted to thank us for our work and apologise for making me translate. We don’t have to translate tonight either.”

“Sweet! What do you want to do, then?”

“Go home and watch a movie?”

“Sure. Let’s go.”

Jason took her hand and they escaped to his bike.

○○○○○○○

Giving me Your Weekends

The next morning Jason got Marinette to visit the Manor for Saturday brunch. They pulled up at ten to eight, and Jason warned Marinette once again of the craziness and suspicion that was sure to barrage her.

“Jay, I’ll be fine. I’ll take their suspicion as a sign that they care for you, because they want to make sure I’m not going to hurt you.”

He smiled at her. “You’re so optimistic. But you’re right, that’s a good way to look at it. Thanks, Pix.”

He kissed her head and led her into the chaos.

Damian was chasing Tim downstairs with his katana. Dick was on the chandelier shouting for both of them to slow down with sharp objects and Steph was stealing a waffle from the stack Alfred had made, choking on its texture. Babs, Bruce, Cass, and Alfred were nowhere to be seen.

The chandelier spun as Dick wiggled on it and he caught sight of the newcomers. The shouting and chaos ceased immediately.

“Jay! You’re here for breakfast!” Dick flipped off the chandelier. “And you brought a guest, welcome,” he smiled charmingly at Marinette, but she could see the cloud of questions in his eyes.

Alfred materialised and gave Damian the 'put-your-katana-away’ stare.

“Master Jason, you came for brunch today? I’m so glad to see you, my boy. And who is this?” he smiled warmly at Marinette, who thrust a plate of homemade waffles at him.

“It’s nice to meet you, Alfred! I’m Marinette. I made some waffles for breakfast, and couldn’t just show up empty-handed. Hope that’s okay!” her voice was higher-pitched in her anxiousness to have Alfred like her, but he just took the plate and handed it to Tim with a stern glance.

“It’s wonderful to meet you, Marinette. Brunch is almost ready, and these look lovely. I’m afraid mine will never turn out as good, although I tried a new recipe today…” he saw Steph’s frozen face of revolt and sighed.

“Ah. This didn’t work either. I’m sure Stephanie would love to be your critic. Please sit down, everyone will be here momentarily.”

“Thank you.” She smiled at everyone, suddenly nervous, and Jason put his arm supportingly around her waist and leaned down to whisper in her ear.

“Ignore them, Pix, they’ll warm up to you soon enough.”

The present Batfamily members sat down at the table somewhat robotically, sizing Marinette (and Jason) up.

“So, you’re Marinette? I’m Dick Grayson, Jason’s older brother. I assume you’re his girlfriend?”

She smiled, “You are correct.”

“So… how’d you meet Jay?”

“Um, at school. A teacher paired us up on a project, and we got to know each other and liked what we saw.”

Bruce and Babs came in, discussing a new update to their filing system, and paused when they saw the visitors.

Jason stood up. “Cass, I know you’re here somewhere, so since we’re all here I’m only going to say this once: This is Marinette, my girlfriend. I expect nothing, but I hope you’ll be polite since she’s the reason we’re even here in the first place.”

The family eyed Marinette after Jason’s declaration until Steph broke the silence.

“These waffles are so good, Marinette! You said you made them yourself?”

“I did, Jason told me you all liked waffles. He helped, of course.”

“They’re amazing. Do you bake a lot?”

“I stress bake, and I grew up in a bakery, so I know how to make a lot of baked goods.”

“Welcome, Marinette. I’m Jason’s father, Bruce. It’s nice to meet you,” Bruce smiled at her but she could see him calculating. “Do I detect a French accent?”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you as well, monsieur. And yes, you do. I’m from Paris. I moved here last summer for my final school year.”

Switching the focus from her, she casually asked as she took a sausage from the plate Cass handed her, “Jay hasn’t told me much about his family, beyond you being loud and crazy, so I’m looking forward to getting to know you all. What sort of hobbies do you have?”

Dick cleared his throat. “I’m an acrobat, and I teach gymnastics and aerial skills at a gym in Bludhaven some days. I also like solving puzzles, like most of the rest of us. Timmy is pretty good at computer games and stuff like that,” he nudged his brother jovially.

“Oh, do you know UMSIII?” Marinette leaned forwards eagerly to face Tim.

“Jay refuses to play with me anymore.”

“You don’t even leave me a chance, Pix,” he grumbled under his breath and she smiled sweetly at him.

“I’ve heard of it,” Tim acknowledged. “I take it you play? We mostly have MarioKart marathons in this house.”

“Oh, nice!” Marinette turned to Alfred. “Your French Toast is delicious, Monsieur Alfred.”

“Thank you, Miss Marinette. Perhaps we could exchange some recipes later?”

“I’d love to!” she grinned at him and looked at Damian, who was clearly eyeing her for nefarious intentions. “And I don’t believe we’ve been introduced yet, I’m Marinette.”

“Damian,” he grunted, sounding like a mini-Bruce. “Do you like animals?”

“I do! Unfortunately, I never got a pet because I lived above a bakery, so for health and hygiene reasons it wasn’t feasible, but I love playing with them when I can.”

“I will introduce you to Titus, Alfred the Cat, and Batcow after brunch if you desire,” he said stiffly.

“I’d love to meet your pets, thank you for offering!”

“So you attend GA with Jason?” Babs asked, finally speaking up now that most of the Bats had their mouths full of food.

“Yes. We were both the only new transfer students this year, so we had some camaraderie. We have most of the same classes together, which is nice.”

The inquisition calmed after that and normal conversation flowed, but all in all, it was the most subdued family meal the Wayne table had seen in a while.

After breakfast, Alfred requested Jason’s help with the dishes, presumably to interrogate him, and Damian kidnapped Marinette to meet his pets.

Titus absolutely loved her and became her new best friend. Damian was surprised at his Great Dane’s reaction since Titus was normally wary of strangers until he okayed them.

Even Alfred the Cat warmed up to her quickly, possibly smelling the Camembert on her from when she’d fed Plagg before coming for brunch.

“What are your intentions with my brother?” Damian inquired as he led Marinette to Batcow’s stable out back.

She smiled slightly at his protectiveness and replied, “I have no intentions with him beyond making him happy. I hope that means we stay together for a very long time, maybe eventually marry, but if we agree that he’s better off without me…then I’ll go. I don’t think that will happen, though.“

“I approve of your commitment. Father also wants to talk with you, I believe. Once Batcow has sufficient pets, I shall escort you to Father’s office.”

“Thank you, Damian. Oh, hello, Batcow! Aren’t you gorgeous, petit vache,” she cooed.

•○•○•○•

Damian showed Marinette the way to Bruce’s office, and she stepped inside when he bid her enter.

“I must admit I was quite surprised when Jason showed up for family brunch this morning, and even brought a guest,” Bruce started as soon as she sat in the comfy leather chair before his desk.

“Jason hasn’t been…very active with our family, lately. I believe I have you to thank for encouraging his visit?”

“Yes, M. Wayne. He hasn’t spoken to me about much of you – I didn’t even know his family were the Waynes until a couple months ago–but I did want to meet all of you, since you are all important to him.”

“Thank you for the encouragement, Mlle. Stone. I had wondered if I had driven him away for good, after the last fight we had. Looking back on it now, I think it was because of you that he was so angry with me. He certainly acted more strangely than normal, like he was protecting someone or something, with all his warnings not to spy on him.”

“He told me he was quite angry with you for constantly calling him away on our dates, and he worried he’d set your progress back months. I do hope that’s not the case.”

Bruce noticed a cold edge to Marinette’s previously polite, warm tone.

“Of course not, I was merely confused at his sudden anger. I didn’t know he was dating anyone. I can give you my word that it certainly wasn’t a targeted attack against him or your relationship.”

“Good. I think we should all get on well, then. Is there anything else you wanted to ask me?”

“…No. Thank you for your time, and for coming for brunch with Jason. I’m quite pleased to have met you.”

“You as well, M. Wayne.”

Marinette left the office and walked into an eavesdropping Jason.

“Hey, Jay. Everything okay?”

“Yeah, just waiting for you. The others want to interrogate you now, but we don’t have to meet them if you don’t want to…” he nodded at Bruce’s now-closed office door.

"I’m fine, Bruce just wanted to thank me for coming and bringing you. I’ll go be questioned by the rest of your siblings now.”

“Yeah, they’re all hanging out in the family sitting room,” he took her hand and they walked side-by-side, following the increasingly louder noises of all his siblings in one room.

“Dami didn’t scare you away?” asked Dick as soon as they entered the room.

Marinette shook her head. “He was quite polite, and I really enjoyed my time with him. So, what do you guys do for fun around here? All Jay has said is that it’s loud and chaotic and you take things to extremes.”

“Regular games are too boring, so we spice them up with house rules or dares, stuff like that,” said Tim, slurping something out of a 42-oz mug.

Steph grinned sharply. “How about some icebreakers? Truth or Dare, perhaps?”

“I’m in,” Marinette said immediately, to Jason’s horror but not his surprise.

She plopped on the couch between Babs and Cass and motioned for Jason to join, which he did reluctantly.

Babs was usually the mediator/emcee/referee, so she explained Bat-Truth or Dare quickly and the game began.

They had cards specially made that said ‘truth’ or ‘dare’ on them, which removed any bias for one choice over the other. The second deck of cards, which were blank and only coloured in to match the ‘truth’ and ‘dare’ cards, were dealt as in Uno, though only 5 cards were dispersed, not seven; a separate, communal stack of the ‘truth’ and ‘dare’ cards was shuffled by Babs and placed in the middle of the table.

The first person to play a card of corresponding colour then won the right to give a dare or ask a question to the original card player.

Jason began and played a green ‘truth’ card.

Dick slapped the matching green card in his hand down and asked excitedly, “When did you first meet Marinette? Was it love at first sight?”

Jason groaned. “One question, Dick. This is all gonna be about our relationship, isn’t it?” he added to Marinette, who nodded sympathetically at him.

“I first saw her when we passed each other in the street. A couple days later, I officially met her at school, ‘cause we were both transfers and in the same class.”

It was Marinette’s turn and she picked up a pink dare card. Steph immediately played her matching card with a victorious crow and turned to her future sister-in-law.

“I dare you to let Tim post something on one of your social media accounts.”

Marinette made eye contact with Jason and they immediately knew what each other was thinking.

She handed her phone over to Tim, open to Janette@pothamcrack on Twitter.

He typed for a few moments, then tossed her phone back.

She caught it and read the tweet. “'I’m secretly a celebrity but I bet none of you will guess who’,” she giggled. “Oh really? Jay, I’m famous, too!”

She turned from her boyfriend to his brother. “Which celebrity am I?”

“Wonder Woman, of course,” Jason interrupted. “Because you’re just that wonderful.”

Damian physically cringed at the cheesiness, though the rest of the players cheered at it, and Marinette blushed only a shade darker than Jason, who realised he just said that in front of his family.

“MOVING ON,” Marinette announced loudly, as Cass leaned forwards for her card.

The game went fairly smoothly after that, though as Jason predicted, they were mostly encouraged to spill things about their relationship.

“Okay, final round,” announced Babs, seeing Marinette pick up the final card, which was a truth.

Jason played his card and asked, “What’s one thing you haven’t told anyone before?”

“Uh…I hope next time we play this it’s as the Bats so we can do even more unhinged dares!”

With that shocking revelation, she grabbed Jason’s hand and they sprinted to his bike before they could be detained for even more questioning.

They sped out of the Manor property and headed to Marinette’s apartment, making sure to take detours to drop the trackers in random places and lose their tail.

Marinette unlocked her door and they entered her apartment, giggling at the hoax they’d successfully pulled off.

They kicked off their shoes and Marinette headed to the kitchen to wash her waffle-making dishes, which she’d left to soak while they had brunch, and froze.

“Hello, Jason,” said an unfamiliar voice from her living room, soft but deadly.

Drabble 1

#jasonette #fic #ali writes #cardigan au #dcxmlb #maribat

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randomruff · 1 year

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A Marichat Oneshot

Just simple Au that has no name that i created. Mari has the mouse miraculous instead of the ladybug one. That belongs to Chloe, Oh and Blanc is a cat. (If someone already created an au like this let me know and i'll tag it)

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

A certain superhero in black leather grinned at the adorable way bluebell eyes glared at him. Marinette's scowl deepened as she crossed her arms and huffed. "Put. it. down. Chat." The blonde only chuckled at her aggressive tone, his tail playfully swishing behind him as he circled around her. His emerald eyes gleamed mischievously at the girl, who groaned when she realized he would not be returning it anytime soon. If she was Multimouse right now, her tail would've been wagging nonstop in her annoyance.

not that wouldn't make her any less adorable

Marinette launched herself over to Chat to snatch the black and grey book from his paws. Unfortunately for her, he saw it coming and elegantly, —and silently — leaped away. His saccharine grin still plastered on his face.

The French-Chinese girl had been chasing him for about 5 minutes now. Ever since she spotted him cackling and waving the strange book around in a teasing manner, he didn't have time to peer inside the book. Which was a shame since he's been waiting an entire month to find this thing that his princess was withholding from him.

"Oh, come on Purrincess~ tell me why this book is so im-paw-tant that you had to hide it? It can't be your diary, I already read that. It's not your sketchbook either, also why are there green & pink paw prints on this thing?" Sakura pink blossomed on Marinette's cheeks as Chat kept talking. "NOTHING! IT'S NOTHING IMPORTANT WHATSOEVER!" she tried grabbing it again, but Chat lifted it higher in the air. He raised an eyebrow at the girl. What was in this book that was causing her to act so? "Kitty, I swear if you so much as glance in there I'll stop feeding you croissants and passion macaroons for a week!!!" she threatened and he almost considered it after all his love for Dupain-Cheng's sweets could rival Plagg's lust for cheese.

Maybe he should give in... but handing it back wouldn't be satisfying at all~ so how can he keep his sweet privileges AND find out what his princess is hiding?

His eyes slid to the harsh white and frosty blue-eyed kitten sitting on Marinettes's bed observing the two play tag around the room, he could ask him but doing that would remind him that, that thing stayed with his Souris everyday...

and he'd rather not be reminded of that

Chat narrowed his eyes, his pupils becoming slits as he watched the kitten jump off the bed and to his princess. His ears went flat on his head and his tail silently lashed out on the floor; he could hear Mullo snickering somewhere in the room but he didn't acknowledge it.

"Aw~ Mon petit minou veut aimer?" the cat rubbed its head against Marinette's chest, making her giggle. The book, and him, now forgotten as she petted the thing. Chat crossed his arms and glowered at the two, this is why he preferred—though reluctantly — his little mouse to hang out with that snake, or the fox, or even the dragon!

Those were the people he trusted (despite their rivalry for Mari's attention)

But this cat? He couldn't trust the bastard even if his nine lives depended on it.

maybe if he begged hard enough, Le Papillon might take this thing and take it far, far, far away from here

or he could just cataclysm it...

or throw it off the Eiffel tower...

so many options and hopefully only one life...

"Geez Chaton, you truly don't like Amour Blanc, do you?" Chat's eye twitched. Amour Blanc?... that's what she named it? Does she even realize how ironic that is? Probably not...

Chat closed his eyes and turned his head to the side, refusing to look and answer her. The last thing he needed was giving that thing satisfaction! his faux ear twitched at the sound of her walking towards him. Still though, he kept looking the other way.

He heard her stop before him and sigh. "I honestly don't understand what you have against Amour Blanc..." he felt her hand caress his cheek, and begrudgingly—it's not like he could ever deny her anything — opened his eyes and turned his head to her, his tail wrapping itself around her waist. He brought both of his clawed hands to cradle her cheeks, their foreheads touching.

Chat contemplated on whether or not he should tell her

....

Nah

He had something much better in mind

A grin made its way back to Chat's face as he quietly whispered. "So~ MariChat and MultiNoir, huh? didn't know you loved me so much that you shipped us Mari~" the adorable squeak that escaped her and the deep crimson blush that bloomed on her face made Chat purr with pleasure.

and she had nowhere to escape~

"YOU LOOKED INSIDE?!?!" the raven blue-haired girl yelled, mortified. "Oh? so that is what's in there?" if it was possible for Chat's grin to get any wider and for Marinette's skin to get any paler, then Plagg likes to eat cheap cheese.

"wait... you didn't look inside?"

"Non, I only guessed, didn't think it be true though~"

"HOW!?"

"Princess... Pink, Grey, Black, and Green? with Pawprints? Tsk, tsk, tsk gotta do better than that Mari,"

"Ugh! You stupid, sly cat! Get over here!"

"Why~? do you wish to kiss me that badly? could've just asked, and I'd happily oblige~"

"Eh? Re-really? bah! NO YOU MANGY CAT!"

#one shot #short story #story #fiction #fluff #miraculous #miraculous ladybug #marichat #marinette dupain cheng #chat blanc #chat noir #Blanc is a cat #thought it was funny #Mari has the mouse miraculous #Chat knows mari's identity #Chat is a little shit #But he adores mari #Au

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kaybkay8 · 2 years

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Why did they have to give everyone a miraculous? It ruins the miraculous mystique. There should only be like 5 at the most. Enough for a team that learns to work together and there is enough time to focus on said team. They can double down on miraculous' when needed. And they shouldn't all be in the same class. Or best friends. It works way better to keep Mari and adrien. Chloe can be the bee/Pegasus when needed. Kagami the fox/dragon. Luka the snake. Adrien can also get the turtle sense he takes hits for ladybug so often. Mari gets the mouse and extras sense she can withstand using a lot of miraculous. Nino and Alya should be watching their friends confused and it should be a constant struggle to hide this from them. Luka and Kagami aren't in the class, so they make more sense and it would be more interesting seeing Kagami struggle with her mom, and Luka hide from his sister than giving alya and Nino powers that they don't really have to hide because their best friends are superheroes. Ughhh it just frustrates me to see literally everyone get powers, it makes if it not special and eliminates interesting character arcs because there isn't time with so many heroes. Also multimouse is my fave and I want to see that strategic element again. Also Chloe deserves her redemption arc!!

#miraculous lb #thoughts #you get a miraculous and you get a miraculous #these just...arent competant writers #i know im beating a dead horse #but 8m frustrated #marinette dupain cheng #chloe bourgeois #adrien agreste #miraculous kagami #kagami tsurugi #luka coffaine #also Luka and Kagami deserve to be expanded upon

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inkmousey · 2 years

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For a fic coming soon to Archives near YOU!

via @mlbigbang

Info

Ship: ViperMouse/Lukanette (Luka/Marinette)

Side ships: Felix/Kagami, Luka/Lila(but not really), Sabrina/Lila, Sabrina/Chloe, Adrien/Alix, Nino/Alya (most of these won’t be focused on, but are mentioned/in the background at some point)

Rating: Explicit

Fun tags: Slowburn, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, Identity Reveal, Marinette as Multimouse, Alternate Universe, Mating Cyles/In Heat, Mating Bites, Mating Bond, Felix Graham de Vanily as Marinette’s BFF

Major Content Warnings For Fic: Major Character Death (outside of main pairing), PTSD, Trauma, Jealousy, Yandere type character violence, medical malpractice, infertility scare, infertility issues

Thank you again to all my amazing

The blonde is put up with a beautifully leather bound book between his fingers, and despite his lack-luster tone, Felix looks surprised to see Viperion at his window, “To what do I owe the pleasure?” The thick English accent drawls in the space between them.

Viperion has to physically restrain himself from rolling his eyes, “There’s a girl, Marinette Dupain-Cheng.”

That gets his attention, silvery green eyes lock onto Viperion, “Is she okay?”

The question lingers between them, soft. Quiet. Because Felix is over analyzing everything. How sweaty Viperion is, the smell of omega slick coating this suit’s thigh, how his normally composed face is just slightly flushed—

Felix is sure that if Viperion didn’t have the suit on he’d be reeking of rut pheromones and alpha-laced-anxiety alike.

Felix takes a few strides forward and snaps his fingers to catch the other man’s attention, “Viperion.” For an omega, Felix certainly has an unyielding bite to his tone, “Is. She. Okay?”

Viperion glances back up with golden tinged eyes and lets out a shaky breath, “She needs your help.”

I hope to see you all on Monday, January 9th! :D

#miraculous fanfic #mlb #vipermouse #lukanette #squeaking out #mlbigbang #mlbigbang2022

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abyssal-ali · 2 years

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Stars Around My Scars

Part 2 Cardigan AU Masterlist Part 1

Pairing: Jasonette

Rating: T

Word Count: ~6.2k

For @mochegato. I hope this is fluffy enough for you!

Thank you so much to my very helpful, supportive beta reader @sarcasticbambi 💜

Many thanks also to the inspiring @boldlyanxious, who gave me feedback on the making up scene💜

I Knew You'd Come Back To Me

Two nights after defeating the Untitled, Jason showed up in front of Marinette's door.

“Hi.” She poked her head through the doorway.

“Hey, Marinette. Can we talk?”

She considered his words momentarily, then opened the door wider in silent invitation. He followed her to her living room, where she curled up in the fluffy recliner and picked up her tea mug.

Jason sat nervously on her loveseat, noting her clear boundaries in the choice of seating.

“Would you believe me if I gave you a good reason for my odd actions?”

“I'll decide 'good reasons,'” she interjected. “Let's hear them.”

“I'm Red Hood. I was on Bat and Hood business when I left all those times. I would have told you sooner, but I saw how hurt you were after you told me about Multimouse and I knew I couldn't drag you into that again, so I just… kept quiet. I figured out you're Onyx from the things you said and I saw how capable you are and… I had to… At least tell you why I did those things. I know I broke your trust and I am very sorry for that. I was trying not to hurt you, but in doing so I still hurt you in a way I promised myself I never would, and I am so sorry for that.”

Marinette sat in silence and Jason focused on his breathing so he wouldn't panic while she considered his words.

“You're the Red Hood...and you know I'm Onyx,” she finally said slowly.

Jason nodded.

“Why tell me now? We broke up. We could've avoided each other. Do you feel guilty that you figured my identity out, so you're giving me equal footing?”

“Well, I do feel guilty, but mostly because I didn't trust you enough to tell you sooner and let you make your own decisions about it. I did know you kept in contact with your hero friends, and I should've given you the choice of what to do with my information, at least. That is what I feel guilty about.”

Marinette put her mug down on the coaster and leaned forwards a teeny bit. “So was anything else a lie?”

“No, I never lied to you about anything except my night job, I promise, Pi- Marinette.”

“I need time to think about this, Jay. I'll text you when I'm ready, okay?”

Jason nodded and left.

He wasn't happy, but he was relieved that she had listened and was thinking it over. She'd also addressed him as Jay, not Jason, so that was a good sign. At least she didn't seem to hate him completely.

He just hoped she knew how sorry he was, even if he never saw her again.

•○•○•○•

Marinette was back at school, but they avoided each other like the plague and barely saw even a glimpse of each other's hoodie when they weren't in the same classes.

Nine days later, Jason's phone buzzed with the specific tone he had set for Marinette's contact.

Pixie: Can we talk tonight?

Yes!

Me: Yours, mine, neutral ground?

Pixie: Mine is okay. Can you bring supper from your secret Chinese supplier?

Me: Absolutely. Usual order?

Pixie: Yes, please.

Pixie: Can you make it for 5:45?

Me: I'll be there.

The three dots of typing ceased and Jason flung his phone onto his couch and commenced panicking.

What was he going to face?

What should he wear? Dress up nicely to show her he was making an effort, or his usual tee and sweats or jeans to keep it casual?

What was he gonna say? He should definitely keep apologising, but he didn't want to sound like a broken record and seem like he was pressuring her into getting back together or forgiving him.

Oh, did his freezer have enough ice cream to last future-him's depression if she said she hated him and would never talk to him again?

Finally, he slapped himself out of the spiral of anxiety and made himself think logically.

She wanted to talk, and she wanted him to bring them both dinner, so clearly she wasn't going to yell and then kick him out. She didn't completely hate him, because she wanted food, and she still trusted him to bring their dinner. Plus, it was one of “their” things to go on dates or study dates and then come back and have Chinese at hers and watch a movie or hang out; so she still wanted their tradition.

So far, she was giving positive signs.

Okay. He could work with that.

•○•○•○•

At 5:45 on the dot he knocked on her door and was let in.

His brain short-circuited momentarily as Marinette appeared in his her Wonder Woman tee and jeans, and then nervous anxiety set in as she took the bag of food with a slight smile and headed to the kitchen to set it out. He'd finally decided on toeing the line between formal and casual, wearing jeans and a green button-down instead of his usual tee and/or hoodie, but it appeared Marinette went for straight casual.

What if she felt underdressed? He didn't want to make her feel even more uncomfortable (the tension in her body language was very obvious).

•○•○•○•

Marinette impatiently yanked the door open for Jason, unsurprised by his punctuality and waiting nervously.

While she'd stress-baked and stress-cleaned she'd tried to nail down the wording she wanted, but kept getting distracted and more stressed. Now, she hastily combed her memories for her explanation while she had a moment alone since Jason was staying in the foyer, for some reason.

Oh dear, had she made him feel unwelcome?

Was this a sign of his reluctance to associate with her anymore? What if he wanted to stay broken up? He deserved someone who wouldn't drag him down with their own traumas-

That was illegal, surely, or unethical at the very least, giving her health problems this early on in life.

Reminding herself to breathe, she got out two pairs of chopsticks (her own, not the small bamboo ones the restaurant provided) and tried to act unaffected by his blatant show of forearm.

“I thought we could talk in the living room and watch the sunset while we have supper,” she waved at the penthouse's wide scenic view of Gotham's Diamond District and the faint line of ocean blue on the horizon peeking through the skyscrapers.

•○•○•○•

“Sounds good.” He nervously flipped the knife in his pocket around his fingers.

Why was she still so tense? Maybe she was overthinking it too; that sounded like Marinette.

They settled by the window with their food, on opposite ends of the couch, and ate quietly for several minutes.

Finally, Marinette spoke up. “I have many conflicting feelings about everything, but I've simplified them and worked them out; the bottom line is, I forgive you. I know the struggle of wondering how much to say and worrying if those you care about will be in more danger if you tell them, so I know how hard that must have been.”

She sighed and chewed a piece of broccoli slowly. “It's not easy being a hero.”

A spring roll later, she continued, “I won't deny that I was hurt by your lack of trust, and I am still hurt, but I don't hold it against you. I considered telling you that I was the Guardian, myself, but decided against it. I do appreciate you attempting not to hurt me, even if it didn't work out.”

Marinette inhaled deeply and Jason almost fell off the couch in tense anticipation of her next utterance.

“If… You are still willing...I'd like to continue our relationship, but with mutual trust in each other this time.”

“You really want to? I know I really hurt you, Mari, I-”

“Yes, Jason. I've thought it over and weighed our relationship carefully, and I want to continue. No relationship is easy, and I must confess I was waiting for the other shoe to drop part of the time, even when I ignored the suspicion of your...activities. Now that we know where the other stands — we do know, right?” she looked at him suddenly, a little panicked.

"I think so, but we should go over them once you're done talking, just to make sure,” he replied. “We know where each other stands now, so...?”

“...we can have a more trusting relationship and we'll likely be a lot happier not hiding all the hero secrets?”

Jason smiled happily at her. “I'd like nothing better, Marinette.”

He was about to ask to clarify where each other stood when she burst out.

“Now that that's settled, will you please stop calling me Marinette?”

“...uh… What else am I supposed to call you?”

“You always call me Pixie or Pix, except when you're super serious, and I missed it,” She pouted.

“I thought you didn't like that I called you tiny?” He grinned.

“...I liked your nickname, though,” she mumbled.

“Okay, Pixie. Now, where do we stand with each other?”

“We have no more secrets to hide, right?”

“I don't think I've forgotten any...” he mused.

“Good. We know the other is a hero-slash-vigilante, we want to be together without any secrets, and if we need to go hero-ing, we'll let the other know first. Did I miss anything?”

“I don't think so. If we think of something, we can always bring it up at a later time.”

“That sounds fair,” she agreed. “Now that all the details are hashed out, can I have a hug? I missed you.”

Be still my heart.

“Of course, Pix, you don't need to ask.” He held his arms out in invitation.

She moved their dishes to the coffee table and scooched over to snuggle beside him, his arm wrapped around her.

“Cozy, Pixie?”

She nodded. “Quite. I'm so glad we worked that out, I missed you so much. Even when I didn't know you were a hero, I felt that you understood me better than most.”

“I'm sorry I never told you anything.”

She wiggled around to face him. “I forgive you, you can stop apologising now. We both kept secrets and that hurt us. We've learned from this, hopefully, and we're planning on doing better in the future. We don't need to keep rehashing an already finished subject...unless you think it's necessary?”

“No, I just...you're the best thing I have, right now, Pix, and I'm infinitely sorry that I hurt you. I guess I just need to forgive myself.”

“...If you're sure that's all, then. Try not to beat yourself up too much over it or I'll be sad, okay?”

“Whatever my Pixie commands,” he pressed a kiss to the side of her head.

•○•○•○•

"Hey, Jay.”

Jason opened his eyes and looked at Marinette, curled up and leaning on his chest.

“Yeah?”

“I know it's a sensitive subject, but how's it going with your family?”

He sighed. “Not great. When we broke up I was really mad at B because I was always leaving you to help him and kinda blamed him for our breakup. I didn't tell him about you, because then he would've gotten all nosy and you don't deserve that, but I yelled at him for a lot of stuff. I probably set our progress back a few months.”

“I thought you were doing Bat or Hood business when you ran off?”

“...Wait, did I not tell you?”

“Tell me what?”

“Uh, Batman is my dad...and the rest are my siblings.”

Marinette was quiet for a worryingly long time. “I should have put that together,” she said at last.

“Yeah, it's a...thing. It's not really broadcast, because Hood is still on iffy terms with the Bats and it would be suspicious if Red Hood suddenly reconciled with them at the same time Jason Todd's death was repealed. There are enough scarily accurate theories about the Waynes being the Bats, we don't need to give them more information to prove their hunch.”

“The Waynes — the Waynes are the Bats?!” Marinette yelped, sitting upright and muttering in French under her breath.

“I didn't tell you that either? I'm sorry, I thought you knew and were just being polite and ignoring the elephant in the room.”

“I ignore the news, especially about celebrities. It's usually gossip or dramatically inflated rumours, so I never take it as a reliable source on any of them if I do see 'reports'.”

“I wish everyone had your maturity,” he half-joked. “Yeah, the Waynes are the vigilante protectors of Gotham — the Batfamily, as they are called by some — confirmed. More with Red Hood at 9. I'm Vicki Vale, Gotham Gazette,” he mocked. “You got the first-hand report.”

“That makes a lot of sense actually...” Marinette mused. “So that's why you were so popular in the beginning of the school year?”

“Yep. It always pays to be in the Waynes’ favour, or at least not their disfavour. It's actually part of what made me notice you, how you ignored me and challenged me instead of trying to grovel or be friends. That and how quiet you were with everyone else. You were new, too, but you seemed happy that you weren't getting as much attention as me.”

“I just wanted a drama-free final year,” she mourned. “No boyfriend, no hero-ing, just school...look at me — a boyfriend, a breakup, defeating the Untitled after my Miraculous, being the translator for the Parisian class — what happened to my quiet year?”

“I'm sorry, Pix.”

“It's fine. I got one fewer enemy after me and I got a wonderful boyfriend out of it! It's not a bad trade-off, in my opinion.”

○○○○○○○

A Friend to All is a Friend to None A couple months later

“The Parisian class arrives today.” Marinette nervously picked at the hem of her skirt.

“It'll be fine, Pix, I promise. I'll be right here beside you all day. This is your turf and you're fighting for it, remember? And you have a Wayne backing you, so the school will definitely not hold back if anyone tries anything.”

“Thanks, mon chére, you're right; though I hope we won't need to use your father's name.”

“Don't worry about me, Pix. And you know what I think? You've told me so much about how selectively dumb they are, that they probably won't recognize you with your new style and last name.”

“You have a point. Honestly, they probably wouldn't notice me even if I only grew my hair out,” she rolled her eyes and pulled him into the school. “Let's get it over with.”

No one batted an eye at her blatant manhandling (emphasis on the man), since the past few weeks they'd acted much closer than before, likely from meeting to practise their French and go over the details of their volunteering. (Mrs. Perez's Marison-shipping-heart was well-fed lately, and she took credit for forcing them to work together in the first place months ago.)

Thankfully, the speech was fairly short and their introductions brief.

Principal Luther introduced Jason and Marinette as the class's hosts and translators, ‘Mr. Todd' and 'Ms. Stone’.

Then everyone was dismissed and Marinette and Jason decided how to divide the class.

Once everyone was seated and introduced to their temporary classmates, Marinette quickly ran through the introductory notes she'd prepared.

“Good morning, I am one of your temporary translators, Marinette Stone. My partner, Jason, and I have already completed the content you will be learning, so we can help explain as needed. If you need help, just raise your hand and we'll translate as you need. Please respect the fact that there are only two of us, so it may take a minute to reach you. Your teacher, Ms. Lee, also speaks some French, so she may be able to help as well. I hope you enjoy your time here.”

From the back of the room, Jason gave her a sneaky thumbs-up, telling her that his recording of her was complete. If her ex-classmates recognized her and tried something, he'd have video proof of everything.

She smirked back and headed to her seat beside him, which had a lovely vantage point of the whole classroom.

"So, you have Juleka, Chloe, Rose, Ivan, Mylene, Marc, and Alix?”

“Yep. I'm good with that, as long as you have Lila, Alya, Adrien, Kim, and Sabrina,” Marinette responded. “They'll be the ones asking for the most help.”

“Chloe and Juleka know who you are, right?” Jason whispered.

"Yeah. No one knows C and I made up because I left fairly soon after, and Jules and I made up when Uncle Jagged talked to her. They'll be fine."

•○•○•○•

For the next two weeks, the exchange program went fairly smoothly - Ms. Lee wouldn't buy Lila & Co™'s excuses/lies, Lila couldn't flirt with Jason too much because he loudly announced that he had a girlfriend and she was making him uncomfortable, and the class didn't visibly recognize Marinette with her new style and name change.

On the final day of the exchange, Jason and Marinette rode in on his motorcycle (that no one was allowed to touch).

The curious GA students were buzzing over the latest gossip — was this year's most popular ship actually coming true?!

Money was to be made on this, after all, many students had secret betting pools on what stage the enemies-to-friends-to-lovers arc was exactly at.

One of Marinette's kind-of friends bravely walked up was pushed forward by everyone else in the betting pool she was part of to ask about their relationship status.

Jason and Marinette laughed in their faces and said they'd been dating for months.

The news spread quickly among the gossip mills but was quickly silenced when over the intercom, their names were called and their presence requested at the front office.

The couple shrugged at each other and walked leisurely hand-in-hand to the office.

•○•○•○•

Caline Bustier, Lila Rossi, and Principal Luther were waiting.

Marinette sighed. “What?” she asked sharply.

“Mlle. Rossi here says you are a missing person from Paris and a con artist. You dated her boyfriend, M. Agreste, until his father's company went broke, and then came here to trick the Waynes, she claims. She also says you were unprofessional and ignored her all the time when she requested help in class.” Thankfully, Principal Luther looked sceptical of Lila's charges.

Principal Luther looked like she was repressing a smile. "I see. But how is this pertinent to the allegations against you?”

“It's proof that she claims ridiculous things. You can call Uncle Jagged if — actually, his daughter, Juleka, is in Lila's class. You can confirm with her about Lila's stories, and prove that she is lying about them. I did date Adrien Agreste, but I broke up with him because he was cheating on me with Lila. It was just after we split that Gabriel went under, but that was because of his acts of terrorism. And I actually didn't know Jason was a Wayne until a few weeks ago when he told me. He goes by Jason Todd, and I don't pay attention to celebrity news, so I had no way of knowing he was a Wayne.

“Also, I came here because it's Uncle Jagged's hometown and he helped me escape Paris, which wasn't helping with my PTSD - which is also partly caused by Mlle. Rossi bullying me. I did not ignore her in class, Jason and I already agreed on how to divide our translating responsibilities. I did not purposely not help her. If you want proof, Jason and I have texts detailing our dividing.”

Principal Luther scrutinised Marinette and Lila, then turned to Jason. “Mr. Todd, any comments?”

“Marinette isn't a gold-digger. She didn't know I was a Wayne ‘til I told her, and my family ran a background check on her — she's clean. And Marinette isn't a missing person or a runaway — her godfather Jagged had her parent's blessing to help her move to Gotham, and her parents are working on closing their bakery and moving here to be with her. Her friends, Chloé Bourgeois, and Juleka and Luka Couffaine, knew she was here. Also, no missing person report was filed for her. I've been with Marinette for several months now, and I'm sure that she isn't faking the repercussions of her PTSD and Li- Mlle. Rossi's bullying."

“Juleka Couffaine to head office, please.”

Juleka arrived a minute later and confirmed Marinette's story. She also called Jagged and he immediately jumped to Marinette and Juleka's defence.

“Thank you, Mlle. Couffaine. Please return to class. Miss Stone and Mr. Todd, I think it's alright if I give you a pass. You can have the day off. Before you go, could I have a word with Miss Stone in my office?”

Marinette followed Principal Luther into her tiny, cramped office behind the larger antechamber where she'd been pleading her case.

“I'm sorry for the way they treated you, Miss Stone. If you knew it was your class, though, why didn't you turn down the volunteer role? I assure you we wouldn't have held it against you.”

“Um… I guess I was just used to my old school in Paris, and how they supported Lila, so it didn't really occur to me. And I thought I'd like to see my friends, at least. Jason dealt with the ones who were the meanest to me or needed the most help, so I didn't have to interact with them that much.....Plus, I was kind of planning my revenge. I wanted to get records of them to turn in to the proper authorities so they could be punished.”

Principal Luther sighed. “Marinette… alright. Is your mental health okay? Will you need another couple of days off?”

“No, I should be okay. Thank you, though. Jason has really helped me with my mental health, and I'm seeing a therapist.”

“Okay… Don't worry about translating at the goodbye party tonight. I'll find someone else to do it. Thank you for your help these past two weeks.”

“You're welcome! Have a good day. I don't envy you dealing with the class,” she sympathised.

She left the small office, completely ignoring Lila and Mme. Bustier's mean faces, striding quickly to the door, where Jason awaited.

“Hey, Pix. Are you good?”

“Yeah, she wanted to thank us for our work and apologise for making me translate. We don't have to translate tonight either.”

“Sweet! What do you want to do, then?”

“Go home and watch a movie?”

“Sure. Let's go.”

Jason took her hand and they escaped to his bike.

○○○○○○○

Giving me Your Weekends

“Jay, I'll be fine. I'll take their suspicion as a sign that they care for you, because they want to make sure I'm not going to hurt you.”

He smiled at her. “You're so optimistic. But you're right, that's a good way to look at it. Thanks, Pix.”

He kissed her head and led her into the chaos.

The chandelier spun as Dick wiggled on it and he caught sight of the newcomers. The shouting and chaos ceased immediately.

“Jay! You're here for breakfast!” Dick flipped off the chandelier. “And you brought a guest, welcome,” he smiled charmingly at Marinette, but she could see the cloud of questions in his eyes.

Alfred materialised and gave Damian the 'put-your-katana-away' stare.

“Master Jason, you came for brunch today? I'm so glad to see you, my boy. And who is this?” he smiled warmly at Marinette, who thrust a plate of homemade waffles at him.

“It's nice to meet you, Alfred! I'm Marinette. I made some waffles for breakfast, and couldn't just show up empty-handed. Hope that's okay!” her voice was higher-pitched in her anxiousness to have Alfred like her, but he just took the plate and handed it to Tim with a stern glance.

“It's wonderful to meet you, Marinette. Brunch is almost ready, and these look lovely. I'm afraid mine will never turn out as good, although I tried a new recipe today...” he saw Steph's frozen face of revolt and sighed.

“Ah. This didn't work either. I'm sure Stephanie would love to be your critic. Please sit down, everyone will be here momentarily.”

“Thank you.” She smiled at everyone, suddenly nervous, and Jason put his arm supportingly around her waist and leaned down to whisper in her ear.

“Ignore them, Pix, they'll warm up to you soon enough.”

The present Batfamily members sat down at the table somewhat robotically, sizing Marinette (and Jason) up.

"So, you're Marinette? I'm Dick Grayson, Jason's older brother. I assume you're his girlfriend?”

She smiled, “You are correct.”

“So… how'd you meet Jay?”

“Um, at school. A teacher paired us up on a project, and we got to know each other and liked what we saw.”

Bruce and Babs came in, discussing a new update to their filing system, and paused when they saw the visitors.

Jason stood up. “Cass, I know you're here somewhere, so since we're all here I'm only going to say this once: This is Marinette, my girlfriend. I expect nothing, but I hope you'll be polite since she's the reason we're even here in the first place.”

The family eyed Marinette after Jason's declaration until Steph broke the silence.

“These waffles are so good, Marinette! You said you made them yourself?”

“I did, Jason told me you all liked waffles. He helped, of course.”

“They're amazing. Do you bake a lot?”

“I stress bake, and I grew up in a bakery, so I know how to make a lot of baked goods.”

“Welcome, Marinette. I'm Jason's father, Bruce. It's nice to meet you,” Bruce smiled at her but she could see him calculating. “Do I detect a French accent?”

“It's a pleasure to meet you as well, monsieur. And yes, you do. I'm from Paris. I moved here last summer for my final school year.”

Switching the focus from her, she casually asked as she took a sausage from the plate Cass handed her, “Jay hasn't told me much about his family, beyond you being loud and crazy, so I'm looking forward to getting to know you all. What sort of hobbies do you have?”

Dick cleared his throat. “I'm an acrobat, and I teach gymnastics and aerial skills at a gym in Bludhaven some days. I also like solving puzzles, like most of the rest of us. Timmy is pretty good at computer games and stuff like that,” he nudged his brother jovially.

“Oh, do you know UMSIII?” Marinette leaned forwards eagerly to face Tim.

“Jay refuses to play with me anymore.”

“You don't even leave me a chance, Pix,” he grumbled under his breath and she smiled sweetly at him.

“I've heard of it,” Tim acknowledged. “I take it you play? We mostly have MarioKart marathons in this house.”

“Oh, nice!” Marinette turned to Alfred. “Your French Toast is delicious, Monsieur Alfred.”

“Thank you, Miss Marinette. Perhaps we could exchange some recipes later?”

“I'd love to!” she grinned at him and looked at Damian, who was clearly eyeing her for nefarious intentions. “And I don't believe we've been introduced yet, I'm Marinette.”

“Damian,” he grunted, sounding like a mini-Bruce. “Do you like animals?”

“I do! Unfortunately, I never got a pet because I lived above a bakery, so for health and hygiene reasons it wasn't feasible, but I love playing with them when I can."

“I will introduce you to Titus, Alfred the Cat, and Batcow after brunch if you desire,” he said stiffly.

“I'd love to meet your pets, thank you for offering!”

“So you attend GA with Jason?” Babs asked, finally speaking up now that most of the Bats had their mouths full of food.

“Yes. We were both the only new transfer students this year, so we had some camaraderie. We have most of the same classes together, which is nice.”

The inquisition calmed after that and normal conversation flowed, but all in all, it was the most subdued family meal the Wayne table had seen in a while.

After breakfast, Alfred requested Jason's help with the dishes, presumably to interrogate him, and Damian kidnapped Marinette to meet his pets.

Titus absolutely loved her and became her new best friend. Damian was surprised at his Great Dane's reaction since Titus was normally wary of strangers until he okayed them.

Even Alfred the Cat warmed up to her quickly, possibly smelling the Camembert on her from when she'd fed Plagg before coming for brunch.

“What are your intentions with my brother?” Damian inquired as he led Marinette to Batcow's stable out back.

She smiled slightly at his protectiveness and replied, “I have no intentions with him beyond making him happy. I hope that means we stay together for a very long time, maybe eventually marry, but if we agree that he's better off without me...then I'll go. I don't think that will happen, though."

“I approve of your commitment. Father also wants to talk with you, I believe. Once Batcow has sufficient pets, I shall escort you to Father’s office.”

“Thank you, Damian. Oh, hello, Batcow! Aren’t you gorgeous, petit vache,” she cooed.

•○•○•○•

Damian showed Marinette the way to Bruce’s office, and she stepped inside when he bid her enter.

“I must admit I was quite surprised when Jason showed up for family brunch this morning, and even brought a guest,” Bruce started as soon as she sat in the comfy leather chair before his desk.

“Jason hasn’t been…very active with our family, lately. I believe I have you to thank for encouraging his visit?”

“He told me he was quite angry with you for constantly calling him away on our dates, and he worried he’d set your progress back months. I do hope that’s not the case.”

Bruce noticed a cold edge to Marinette’s previously polite, warm tone.

“Of course not, I was merely confused at his sudden anger. I didn't know he was dating anyone. I can give you my word that it certainly wasn’t a targeted attack against him or your relationship.”

“Good. I think we should all get on well, then. Is there anything else you wanted to ask me?”

“...No. Thank you for your time, and for coming for brunch with Jason. I’m quite pleased to have met you.”