#long lives ladybug

[yueasuka]

Hey... Hey... Mind if I tell you about... Félix and Marinette a.k.a Bridgette childhood friends and thief AU? 👀

Félix father, Mr Richard Sphinx is a businessman, but he's secretly an agent who tasked in solving the case of magical jewelry robbery that involve a mysterious thief who disappeared years ago and also their connection toward the new thief that has same M.O.

Félix mother, Mrs. Sphinx is the thief that Mr Sphinx been looking for. She died when secret organization that looking for magical artifact killed her but staged it as an accident.

Félix Sphinx is the current thief, known as Chat Noir. He couldn't believe his mother would died in an accident and once he find the magical ring and the real reason of his mother death, he decided that he would avenge his mother while make sure his father won't capture him.

Basically Félix know the occupation of his parents but Richard doesn't know his late wife and son been moonlighting as a thief.

Richard and Félix has same goal : To discover the truth about the magical artifact and their wife/mother's death. They just don't know because they won't tell each other because of their occupation (agent/thief).

Félix everyday : "Google, how to live with the person who want to capture you but also don't know about you moonlighting as a cat boy?"

Also Félix : "Actually, which one is the biggest crime, being a thief or thieving while wearing a magical catsuit that may or may not make you adapt some cat traits?"

Richard tried to be there for Félix after his mother's death, but job won't allow him to meet him often.

For Félix, Richard being distant and his accidental neglect is the source of his heartache but also a bless, because that means he can moonlighting without his father notice his disappearance.

At least he has Marinette and her family who will make sure that he won't feel lonely.

But sometimes they also make it hard to go to his heist.

Marinette "Bri" Cheng is his childhood friends, they live next to each other.

Marinette make it her goal to take care of Félix, end up the opposite as they grow older.

As they're in Lycheé, it's Félix's job to shove Marinette out from her bed every morning and it's Marinette's job to make sure Félix eat properly.

Unknown to Félix, Marinette is secretly Ladybug. A super heroine who tend to help the police to capture magical criminal and is competent at it but also super klutz that it make him wonder "What kind of hero being helped by a thief? (ب_ب)" "Shut up! I'm going to arrest you one day! (ノಠ益ಠ)ノ"

Chat Noir initially appear to be cold and aloof, but after he meet Ladybug and banter with her, he become more approachable. "I tame the cat! (・∀・)" "Shame that you can't even capture a tamed cat then.┐( ˘_˘)┌" "Shut up!!! (ノಠ益ಠ)ノ"

They tend to work together sometimes, especially when the organization member appear and surprisingly could be pretty in sync even when they're arguing in the middle of the battle. "You both argue like an old married couple. (・_・;)" ""Shut up you!!! (ʘ言ʘ╬) (╬☉д⊙)⊰⊹ฺ""

Marinette become Ladybug because she doesn't want anyone to lose their loved one, after she got the earrings from her grandmother.

She has a huge crush on Félix but isn't sure how to say it or if he has a same feelings as her. It doesn't help that almost every time she gathered a courage and want to ask Félix on a date, she's needed as Ladybug.

Félix too has a crush on Marinette but he doesn't really realised it.

"Hey Chat Noir" "Yeah?" "Is there a tsundere to french dictionary? (˘･_･˘)" "What in the world- ಠ_ಠ"

Marinette likes to sew, knitting and crocheting. She also like to make a trinket or accessories.

Their friendship bracelet is one of her first creation and they've been wearing it for more than a decade. Red and yellow for her and black and blue for Félix.

Marinette doesn't actually like Chat Noir because he's a thief but after several banter and coop she become fond of him and sometimes would ask something random to him. "Am I your google assistance now??? (눈‸눈)"

Marinette is more shy toward Félix and more careful with her word since she doesn't want to step on his trigger, but toward Chat Noir she's brutally honest and Chat Noir responded the same.

Marinette's a decent baker thanks to her parents occupation, sometimes Félix come for a free fresh baked pastry.

Félix can cook and it's really tasty, the appearance though... "Don't judge a book from it's cover just like don't judge a food from it's appearance. <(￣︶￣)>" "Uh... But for food appearance is also important... (;ŏ﹏ŏ)" "...touché. ಠ◡ಠ"

Will add more when more idea come!

[anna-scribbles]

loveybug and catwalker from @blur0se @pisoprano and @asukiess beautiful minds

[katydoodles]

Raise your hand higher!!!

Years of waiting

[necrotic-nephilim]

@profandomhopper i was going to reblog the original post this comment was left on but i felt it divorced itself from the original topic so much, you get your own post for giving me delightful permission to ramble about this. buckle in people this is long.

so, DC is a big fandom that expanses a lot of different types of content, and like anything, is subject to crossovers. the obvious ones like Marvel are for the reason of being a similar and equally popular superhero world, so it's easy to transpose the worlds onto each other and overlap the characters. both of these worlds deal with multiverses and endless, endless heroes. it makes sense and there's no real stretch to think Batman and Spider-Man could co-exist. i mean, there have been canon crossover comics. and even some more random crossovers like White Collar have pretty easy to trace origins, being an actor in WC was a popular Dick fancast back in the day so there was some bleeding over that led to a well-loved niche crossover space.

but Danny Phantom and Miraculous Ladybug are where it gets interesting. because at a surface, MLB sort of makes sense. it's a superhero world, you're following a teen girl superhero and sure the mechanics are pretty contained, but the crossover should make sense. but when you compare it to the crossover numbers of other superhero media like say My Hero Academia, Ladybug takes the *crown* with such a bizarre popularity. and of course, DP feels like it makes even less sense. sure, you *could* lump it into at the very least, superhero-adjacent media, but it's not a true hero world like MLB or DC is.

but, the thing to always understand about DC, *especially* the Batfamily (which is where the crossover content propagates the most) is this: a *very* good chunk of fans don't interact with the comics. i would venture to say even most Batfamily fans don't read the comics and actively talk about it. we've all read a very fandom big Batfam fanfic where the author's note mentions the writer has never touched a comic in their life. typically, these fans are either cobbling together their understanding from fandom content, or by frankensteining unrelated DC adaptations to understand each character. you take Bruce from Batman: TAS, you take Dick from the animated Young Justice, you take Jason from Batman: Under The Red Hood animated movie, you take Damian from the DCAMU Batman vs Robin, and you read some fandom metas to fill in the rest and well, you've got some sort of an understanding of these characters. read enough incorrect quotes, some genfic, a couple of character metas, and boom, you understand the Batfamily fandom enough to start creating your own content. and of course now. now you have Wayne Family Adventures so it's even *easier*. a pretty easy to pick up webtoon that's filling in all the gaps for you. but i've been in this fandom long enough to remember before we had WFA and even then, this was still a common, if not the most popular way, to ween yourself into the DC fandom space. you cherry-picked the canon you liked and then plunged into the depths of fanon.

i'm not here to make in depth commentary on if i think this is a good or bad thing. trust me i have that commentary in my head, but that would need it's own post. i'm very split on it and my feelings are complicated. my feelings on WFA are even *more* complicated. because oftentimes, the attitude expressed by these fans who are frankensteining this version of the Batfamily/DC world they have in their head is they don't *want* to read the comics. the comics don't contain the content they're after. and to an extent, i understand that. if you're looking for light-hearted vibes of the Batfamily all getting along and having the occasional hurt/comfort moments but in the end, they hug and make up, you're right. largely, you won't find that in canon. of course there are so many comics to recommend for Batfamily interactions, but you have to get specific. you'll find them interacting in small groups, Tim and Dick bonding here, Duke and Cass bonding there, but largely, the comics don't care to balance the ridiculously large cast they've given themselves. but fandom does. it's easy to toss them all in a blender and ignore the parts you don't like. the default argument to ignoring the comics or writing something OOC is always "well the comics are OOC and inconsistent too" which, while a flawed argument that massively misunderstand how comics work as a medium, isn't an entirely incorrect one. you could serve on a silver platter to these fans, an easy and accessible way to get into comics and they wouldn't be interested. it's not what they're here for. fandom is always character-driven above all else. it's driven by character relationships and dynamics. if someone wants to consume content where Tim idolized and stalked Jason as 'his Robin' and now is trying to help him rehabilitate and they're super complicated but have this long epic forgiveness arc, why *would* they read the comics? because they're sure as shit not going to find that dynamic in the comics. it's laughably OOC and not canon at all, but that doesn't matter. what matters is the sandbox. most Batfamily fans care *far* more about the sandbox canon gives them than the actual canon itself. feel how you feel about that, this really isn't being negative toward that attitude, but it is a common attitude.

so, you have Batfamily fans playing in the sandbox and building their own narrative. common fandom headcanons are so common, you could practically write a guide on how the fanon Batfamily works with how consistent people are about it. or you could just read WFA, which is practically the new manifesto of it. even now, with this sudden spike in people talking about canon accuracy and "actually this happening in the comics", they don't actually care about the comics, just what they can cherry-pick for fodder. (even if they rob it of so much context they're just as OOC as they were before. see specifically: the recent phenomena with Tim Drake going from the woobified weakest member of the Batfam who everyone needs to save constantly and he's the smart boy but he's also the one with a sad tragic neglectful past who gets overlooked being the way Batfamily fandom played with Tim for years. but recently, people seem to be pushing this idea of a ridiculously badass Tim, Tim who *totally* has a kill count because of his actions in RR (2009) if you take them completely out of context, Tim who bested Ra's and is even more badass than Jason and he's the 17 yr old CEO of Wayne Industries being cool and flawless it becoming the new fandom zeitgeist. neither of these versions of Tim are canon, and the second fundamentally misunderstands his arc in RR (2009) but the shift has undeniably happened and it's been fascinating to watch. the same thing happened with people suddenly deciding Jason isn't the "angry violent Robin", he was a sunshine sweet boy who was perfect as Robin. neither of these are true, but the second feels more transgressive and new to fandom from cherry-picked panels.) the point is largely, Batfamily fans would rather build their own canon than play with the actual canon.

and then, you have Danny Phantom. i'm not into DP and have no interest to get into it, but what i know about it via fandom osmosis is this: DP fans sort of also don't give a fuck about canon. once again, the canon of DP is a sandbox, not a rulebook. the concepts and the characters are the draw, not the plot itself. i've seen DP posts explaining characters who are essentially OCs, but have become so dominant in the fandom via fandom osmosis. there are concepts and ideas about how Danny's powers work and potential concepts with his ghost nature that either aren't in canon or only happened once in canon and fans decided to expand on that and doesn't care about it's own in-universe logic. i've seen a lot of DP fans also express they haven't seen the show and they don't have plans to see the show. because the show is just some children's cartoon with some inconsistencies and a simple plot, as you'd expect from CN. the show isn't the point. no one cares about it's plot, they care about it's characters. they care about pushing the concept of half ghost boy to a logical extreme and seeing what you can get out of that. can you make it weird and fucked up. how much can you highlight on his trauma and body horror. what identity crisis can you give him and how can you build his interactions with other characters in his world around that and also make those characters fun and unique on their own. sure, the skeleton of canon is there, but the meat lies all in the fanon.

Miraculous Ladybug also exists in this similar vein. the characters, the concepts, those hold intrigue. and not even mentioning the fact the original concept for this show was supposed to be aimed to an older audience, so you can see the bones of something a bit more mature and nuanced under this typical, villain of the week magical girl transformation show. the show itself is a bit shallow and that's not a *bad* thing, it's just the medium it exists within being aimed towards children. but the concepts of a teen girl who's basically a sort of chosen one, a boy who doesn't know his father is the big bad of the show, and their weird identity porn love... square thing. those dynamics are *so* complicated and such a fun sandbox to play in with character-driven fandom.

so, at the core, you have three fandoms that care more about the culturally accepted fanon than the canon, with a good chunk of people often not even consuming the original canon content. and well, DC is an *easy* world to transpose just about anything onto. a boy who's half ghost and fighting supernatural threats? that makes sense, DC has ghost heroes like Deadman already. a girl who has this magical item that gives her animal themed superpowers? i mean that's practically the same thing as Vixen's Totem so that one makes sense too. they fit in pretty easy, no needing to change the world to accommodate them. and of course, if you're a fan of *one* fandom where you don't care for the canon content and only like the fandom sandbox, chances are, you'll get drawn in pretty easily to another fandom with similar mechanics. if you can teach yourself the DP fandom rules/concepts, you can teach yourself the Batfamily fandom rules/concepts. and well, since there's so much crossover in fandom members, why not write the fanfiction? crossover fics will always exist, but with such a shared member base, you have a really big boom.

it's why the characters you see DP interact with in DC are *always* characters who are far more driven by fanon than canon. Danny and John Constantine is a *massive* concept. for people who don't read Hellblazer comics. my poor partner, @divine-dominion has lamented to me pretty often about finding DP content in the Hellblazer tag that is essentially turning Constantine into an OC. because whatever version of Constantine is being written about isn't one bit comics accurate, and really, isn't trying to be. and the same thing happens with Shazam. you watch Young Justice and understand him well enough, you get drawn in by the character concept that you just run with it. people put their favorite blorbos in the same place because hey, wouldn't ghost boy be pretty cool in a city like *Gotham*. how would Batman even react to him. and then, the shipping. because ages for the Batfamily can be easily hand-waved and moved around based on where you plop Danny into the timeline, you have your pick of the litter with him, and same with Ladybug. of course there are the most popular ships but largely, the world is your oyster.

i don't think this is the worst thing in the world for either fandom. it's not hard to filter out the crossover tags and scroll past content i don't like. and sure, i see the appeal of making your blorbos from two different places meet. i've got my drafts *full* of DC/MHA crossover ideas because well, i like them both and think that would be cool. i think my only gripe with it is when DP or MLB crossover content seeps it's way into the wrong tags. using the above example, if you're writing about Danny and Constantine but there's zero content of the actual Hellblazer comics, i don't think you need the Hellblazer tag, just the Constantine character tag. tbh i wish this extended onto Ao3 and people utilized fandom tags better. if you're writing Batfamily fanfiction that is very clearly and obviously WFA driven in characterization and concepts, i would far prefer those fics be tagged with the WFA fandom tag rather than the Batman (comics) fandom tag. because well, you're not writing about the Batman comics. and there's nothing wrong with that, but it helps if you don't confuse yourself for content striving to interact with canon more. (this especially extends to Young Justice, by the way. if you're writing for the Young Justice tv show please, please stop using the Young Justice (comics) fandom tag. i'm at my wit's end- /lh)

the whole thing is fascinating. i've got zero interest in entering DP or MLB as fandoms because that's not my speed, but witnessing it as an outsider is my favorite pastime. i see a *lot* of posts going around the DC x DP space that are helping explain to people who's who, what's what, and understanding the canon/fanon of both of these properties so others can better enter the space. which is not something you'd need in a fandom driven only by it's canon content, but it is sweet watching others try to help newbies enter the space. it's a very inviting fandom space, i think, whether you lament it's existence or not. they're just sitting in their corner with their blorbos, and i gotta respect that. the posts explaining the Batfamily to DP fans are always fun for me to read, even if i disagree with some of the characterizations in them because it helps shine a light on what the fans of this crossover regard as "important" enough about each fandom to be worth including those sorts of primers. very fascinating stuff.

[ozzo-the-wozzo]

Trying to explain Adrien’s subplot in miraculous to anyone but it’s literally just this:

[randomwritingdrabbles]

Just started rewatching futari wa precure (I had a huuuuuge precure phase when I was a kid and I watched like all the seasons available then) and I was reminded of just how similar miraculous ladybug is to precure. Like legit it is just a magical girl anime but with normal superhero outfits pasted over the top and it got me thinking about how we were fucking robbed of magical girl Adrien.

Like they should have based the outfits on what the user deemed a superhero outfit cus Adrien would be rocking up in frills and thigh high heels while Marinette would rock up in gotham hero grunge.

Like you cannot tell me that lonely baby adrien wasn't an avid consumer of precure and sailor moon but in the same vain, Marinette would have definitely been a western superhero fan with emphasis on the batfam.

Like just imagine:

Adrien: "I run off the power of love and will protect the people of paris with the help of my fairy plagg!"

Marinette, who's favourite show is batman and the only magical girl show she's seen is magi madoka: "w h a t???"

-

Adrien, going through cutesy choreography that is 100% unessesary for his attack: "with the power of light I dispell you!"

Adrien: ✨️disintegrates a man✨️

Marinette: "..."

Marinette: "I am both terrified and amazed..."

(Adrien is upset he doesn't get a beam attack but he will make do by just making his cataclysm as extra as humanly possible)

-

Marinette summons her lucky charm by rummaging through her utility belt, also she also has a gun because she was having a red hood phase when she got the miraculous. It shoots whatever bullets she's feeling like because creation magic bullshit.

They're mostly rubber but whenever hawkmoth shows up they become metal and also explode... Gabriel Agreste is terrified of the both of them and refuses to attend fights in person ever again, after the time that Ladybug almost blew off his leg because he was temporarily blinded by cat noir's petticoat.

[somewhereincairparavel]

adrien being absolutely pissed while pushing ladybug away, only to start bawling on kagami's shoulder is such a powerful moment in the finale. In that one moment, you could see that it's the first time he had lost trust or faith in ladybug. And she knew that aswell. it was so bad till the point where he trusted kagami with his vulnerability over ladybug. We got to see the harshness that was directed at ladybug by Adrien for the very first time.

And I can only hope that he reacts way more than that when she tells him she was lying to him about his father, because it's too heavy of a truth for Adrien to digest, especially after he would seemingly be spending a long time idolising his father. His world would absolutely shatter right then and there, and i REALLY hope it isn't a situation where ladybug/Mari kisses his cheek and he forgives her immediately saying "i understand why you did it". no. I want a long breakup from his side where he refuses to talk or even look at her for a long time, where his anger towards her is so bad that it almost becomes a chat blanc 2 situation, before they even think of being longterm. Because that's the reaction he's more than entitled to have.

[wackus-bonkus-maximus]

I'm curious though what's your favourite ship of the love square?

ohh you know i love all of them and it's so hard to choose how will i ever

[marinettenoirfan]

Buggachat's Bakery AU

Wow, it finally ended. The series that has meant so much to me and the thing that really got me into the fandom has finally drawn to a close. I can't thank the creator @buggachat enough for such a wonderful story full of thrilling ups and downs, powerful character dynamics, and a whole lot of fun. I'm going to be thinking about this funny little comic, gonna be thinking about it for a long time but if there's anything I can say it'd be to check it out yourself and to thank the creator for making over 200 comics for it free for everyone to enjoy. What a satisfying conclusion to such a special story.

I love this fandom, I love this series and I want to thank you BuggaChat from the bottom of my heart for creating such a masterpiece <3

https://www.tumblr.com/buggachat/712638357476343808/bakery-enemies-au-a-miraculous-ladybug

[bee-a-garbage-shipper]

Marinette: Maybe...maybe you'll fall in love with me all over again?

Tim: Hell, I love you enough now. What do you want to do? Ruin me?

Marinette: Yes.

Marinette: I want to ruin you.

Tim: Good. That's what I want too.

[artria-melody]

🙏Please donate a small amount that may save my father's life, only 73€ left to buy my father's treatment, his doctor's appointment is tomorrow, please do not ignore my message and do not hesitate to help me❤️‍🩹

Account No. 9 due to repeated deletion😭💔

✅My campaign is verified by: @gaza-evacuation-funds

Hello! I can't donate unfortunately so I'll share instead, I sincerely hope you reach your goal! May Allah protect you and your family! 💕💕

[rosellerivers19]

The tales of Shadybug and Claw Noir: Looks like Claw Noir’s got a crush

inspired by my previous post

Parts

full

Plagg can influence the user if the cat miraculous so he decides to help Emo Adrien with his crush on the guitar boy by making him indirectly flirt with Luka as Claw Noir.

Adrien wanted to confront Luka in his super villain form and get pay back but ends up being bamboozled by the teal haired boy again when he is accused of flirting with him.

If he punched him would he ask if he was trying to kiss him but accidentally missed? Soft people were weird and Adrien was so going to burn Plagg’s Camembert when he de transformed.

Luka was surprised to be bombarded by the infamous super villain known as Claw Noir. The cat miraculous holder was infamous and Luka panicked seeing the shadowy figure whose challenge insanely sounded like a pick up line.

He did not tell Marinette this though because he’d feel the ferocious bluenette would plan their wedding in order to make him grow a pair by dating a supervillain.

[gryficowa]

Boycott!

I know, I'm sharing a lot at one time, but because I'm going home tonight and I might be gone for a long time (Because I can sleep, you understand, 10 hours away...)

Now that I have your attention:

[apoorargentinx]

OMG I JUST WATCHED THE LADYBUG AND CHAT NOIR MOVIE??? THAT'S PEAK CINEMA IF YOU ASK ME.

I fell in love with the animation man

[darkmoonravewolf]

I know a lot of people see Weiss and Yang as "divorced partners" but in my head their friendship will always be "I've never really had actual friends before but something about this girl makes me want to fight her in an affection and healthy??? way" X "I have got to show this emotionally repressed girl what a teasing older sister is like and hug her"

[inkjackets]

To Save a Loved One Epilogue

It's been a moment since I've posted any sort of fiction let alone for this story, but I've finally found the time to get this epilogue done!

I hope you all enjoyed reading this story as much as I've enjoyed writing it. Let me know if you did :)

I hope to see you in future works.

AO3

Ch1 Ch2 Ch3 Ch4 Ch5 Ch6 Ch7 Ch8 Epilogue

~~~

10 years later

‘How are you?’ Gabriel’s voice was low and soft, and reverberated through Emilie’s heart.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The scent of bleach and sanitiser penetrated her senses and the conditioned air dried her throat, blonde wisps of hair fluttering against her neck. 

She slowly exhaled and met the gaze of her husband sat on the other side of the table. Each time she came here he looked older but no less refined. He wore his elegance like a shield – like a mask – a form of protection behind of which existed an exhausted, worn-down man.

‘I’m well,’ she said quietly.

Gabriel’s expression softened into the barest of smiles. 

‘And Adrien?’ he asked. ‘How is he?’

Emilie didn’t reply; she let his question hang in the room as she thought back to a few days ago when she’d last seen their son. Adrien had been laughing and smiling, and oh, he was the most beautiful thing in the world; he’d been gorgeous as a child and only blossomed further as he’d grown – something she didn’t quite know how to forgive Gabriel for missing out on.

‘Do you regret it?’ The words slipped from her tongue before she could stop them, words she’d wanted to voice for years but never dared to.

Gabriel’s smile fell away. What little warmth was in the room vanished.

‘No,’ he said, in a voice so deadly gentle it sent shivers down her spine.

Emilie cast her eyes down. She ran her fingers across the metal surface of the table, catching her nails on the grooves made from years of wear and tear.

‘You know you didn’t just lose Nathalie that night…’ she said soft and quiet. ‘You lost Adrien too.’ 

Gabriel swallowed. ‘I know.’

‘And yet, you say you regret nothing.’

‘Everything I did, I did for you.’ 

He took her hand and she slowly raised her gaze to meet his. His grey eyes pierced her heart and warmth rose within her at the love and devotion he clearly held for her. 

‘I know,’ she whispered. Her heart clenched in her chest. She twisted her hand and gripped him back just as tight, gazing at him with conflicted affection, love flowing for him despite her better judgement. ‘I know.’

Emilie breathed in the sunshine as she strolled along the river, savouring every moment that her second life gave her. Grateful to be out of that prison and amongst life.

She paused at a billboard showcasing the latest Emilie collection. With his side-swept blond hair and smile that lit up the skyline, the model was the perfect Emilie ambassador. Yet he was nothing compared to her Adrien.

After Gabriel’s imprisonment she’d taken over the company and rebranded it. Though she hadn’t expected Adrien to disagree with her about it.

‘You’re continuing the business?’ Adrien had asked her after he’d found out. ‘You’re not selling it?’

‘Of course not,’ she replied. ‘It’s your father’s legacy. And it would be wonderful if you would continue being the face of the brand.’

Adrien had stared at her, offended and wounded, before turning his back on her and walking from the room.

Emilie exhaled and tore her gaze from the billboard. Despite the years that had passed, that rejection still hurt and confused her. But after her conversation with Gabriel this morning maybe, just maybe, she could start to understand. 

She turned away from the river and crossed the road to meander down the backstreets and alleyways of Paris, determined to get lost; to explore and discover, whether it be stumbling upon a fresh set of blooming flowers or a new cafe that had opened. Overcome with the overwhelming desire to not waste her life.

Eventually though, she found herself gazing up at the familiar building where her son lived – a humble little flat he shared with the Dupain-Cheng girl. Not for the first time she wondered why they didn’t move somewhere more suitable for his station, it’s not as if they didn’t have the money.

After a moment’s hesitation, she strode up the steps to their flat and paused outside the door, fist poised to knock. She probably shouldn’t show up unannounced.

Especially just after visiting Gabriel…

But she dismissed her concerns with a shake of her head, and rapped her knuckles on the wood.

‘Mum!’ Adrien opened the door with a wide smile on his face. And tension leaked from Emilie’s shoulders as he wrapped her in his embrace. ‘I wasn’t expecting you, come in, come in!’ 

Plagg popped out Adrien’s mop of blond hair as she followed him into their little sitting room, he stared at her with his unreadable green eyes. She smiled at the Kwami.

He narrowed his eyes in response. 

‘Can I get you something to drink?’ Adrien asked, turning and forcing her to break eye contact with Plagg. ‘Tea? Coffee…?’

‘Tea would be nice.’ She placed her bag on the couch and sat down, looking around, ignoring Plagg’s eyes on her as Adrien headed into the kitchen. This living room was so small it barely held the television and sofa. 

As Adrien made their drinks she leafed through the exam papers scattered over the coffee table that he’d been in the middle of grading. She sighed. Being a teacher was such a waste of his potential.

‘I saw the Gorilla the other day,’ Adrien spoke loudly from the kitchen as the noise of the kettle boiling died down.

‘Oh?’ Emilie put the papers back. ‘How is he?’ 

‘He’s doing well! He’s got a gig driving around some high-flying lawyers, so he treated Marinette and I for dinner last week. We had a really nice time.’

‘How lovely.’

He appeared with two steaming mugs. ‘Have you been up to anything?’

‘Oh a bit of this, a bit of that. Nothing out of the ordinary.’

Adrien handed her a mug, smiling, and Emilie’s heart swelled. She loved that smile, it never failed to warm her heart. What she didn’t like however, was the unnatural paleness of his skin and the deep shadows under his eyes. 

‘How are you sleeping?’ she asked, wrapping her hands around her mug. 

Adrien shrugged. ‘I tried coming off my medication, but they put me back on it. But it’s always hard this time of year, regardless.’

‘Well, I’m glad the medication helps, even if it’s just a bit.’ She brought her mug close to her chest and cradled it in her hands, grateful for the warmth seeping into her skin.

Adrien hummed an agreement and perched on the arm of the sofa. ‘It does help,’ he said. Comfortable silence wrapped around them and Emilie blew gently on her tea.

‘You seeing him doesn’t.’

Emilie tensed. She met Adrien’s gaze, which had lost its former brightness and grown an icy edge.

‘You don’t deny it then,’ he said at her silence.

Emilie squeezed her mug so hard it burned her hands. ‘He’s my husband,’ she said quietly.

Adrien’s expression grew unreadable. ‘He’s my father,’ he said, devoid of emotion. ‘Yet I’ve never had the urge to visit him.’ He raised his mug to his lips. ‘Then again, I didn’t choose to be related to him.’

‘He’s still a good man, believe it or not—’

‘I don’t.’

She closed her mouth at the hardness in his eyes. Eyes which had long lost their childhood innocence. She glanced over his defined jawline, clenched fair too tight, with its ever so faint shadow of stubble, the ever so faint creases at the corners of his eyes, and his long locks of blond hair so haphazardly styled. 

She’d never admit it, but she often missed the child he used to be. The one who never defied her – who said, ‘Yes, Mummy!’ to everything she said and listened to her like she was queen of the world. 

She went to gently brush his fringe to the side but he pulled back.

‘You remember it, don’t you?’ she began softly, lowering her hand. ‘The way he would smile and play with you when you were little?’

Adrien looked away. ‘That was a long time ago.’

‘He can be like that still,’ she urged, ‘if you just—’

‘Drop it, Mum,’ he said, his voice quiet but sharp. ‘There’s no coming back from what he did.’

Emilie lowered her gaze. ‘He saved my life.’

Adrien glanced at her, more tired than ever. 

‘I know.’

All the other acts Gabriel had done filled the room with their silence, swirling around and around like the tea in Emilie’s mug as her hands clenched tighter and tighter. He wanted us to be a family again, she wanted to scream but she bit her tongue. She knew too well where that sentence led.

She took a deep breath and sipped her tea, the lemon bitter on her tongue. Her eyes drifted around the room and landed on the mantelpiece, specifically on the framed picture of Adrien looking gorgeous all dressed smartly in black, with the Dupain-Cheng girl dressed in white next to him.

‘How’s Marinette?’ she asked, breaking the silence.

‘She’s well,’ he replied, sipping his tea, not looking at her. ‘Not that you care.’

That stung her. ‘I care—’

BANG.

They both jumped as the door slammed open. 

‘Adrien, I’m home! And I’ve got everything for dinner! Also Alya just messaged saying her and Nino will be over at seven — Oh!’ Marinette froze as she stepped into the living room and laid eyes on Emilie. ‘Madame Agreste,’ she acknowledged, her demeanour suddenly changing. Without taking her eyes off Emilie, she placed her bags down and walked over to Adrien, placing her hand on his shoulder. The gold band on her ring finger glittered dangerously. ‘It’s nice to see you.’

Emilie pursed her lips and, like she did every time, scanned Marinette for any sign of hidden jewellery. She never had figured out what the girl had done with her peacock miraculous, though that wasn’t for lack of trying.

‘You’re not overworking yourself, I hope?’ she put on a smile.

Marinette placed her hand protectively over her stomach. ‘Luckily I’m sat at a desk drawing all day, it’s not demanding work, but I thank you for your concern.’

Emilie nodded. Of course she cared about Marinette; if the girl wasn’t careful or healthy the effects could be disastrous.

‘I’m sorry, did I miss a memo?’ Marinette asked. ‘I wasn’t aware you were coming over today.’ The air of nonchalance in her voice hid the ice underneath.

Adrien slowly shook his head. He placed his mug on the coffee table.

‘Can’t I visit my son?’ Emilie asked.

Adrien’s eyes grew cold. ‘Not when your trying to convince me to forgive him.’

‘I’m not trying to convince you to forgive him,’ she said. Adrien raised an eyebrow. She deflated a little, glancing away and rubbing her arm. ‘Just to visit him,’ she admitted.

Adrien rubbed his face. ‘I’m not having this conversation, not again.’

‘He’s your father!’ Emilie said.

‘He’s a terrorist.’

‘He loves you!’

‘No. NO! I’m not doing this, Mum!’ He jumped to his feet and found Marinette’s hand and gripped it tight. 

‘You’re married with a baby on the way!’ Emilie cried. ‘He deserves to know and you should be the one to tell him!’

‘He deserves nothing,’ Marinette hissed as Adrien ran his hands through his hair in distress.

‘I don’t want anything to do with him!’ Adrien cried, ‘Why don’t you understand that?’ Tears rose in his eyes. ‘I can’t do this, not again, Mum. Please,’ he begged.

Emilie stepped back, a stab of guilt flashed through her.

‘I just want what’s best for you,’ she whispered, truthfully

Adrien swallowed. ‘I know,’ he said. He sounded so tired. ‘But this isn’t the way to do it.’

Emilie looked away, not knowing what to feel.

‘I think you should go,’ Marinette said quietly.

Emilie looked sharply at Adrien, and her heart sank as he glanced at her and nodded.

She swallowed, picked up her bag, and followed Marinette to the front door.

She turned back, holding her son’s beautiful green gaze.

‘I love you,’ she told him, filling her words with truth and sincerity, brimming with emotion.

Adrien sighed. ‘I love you too, Mum. I’ve never denied that.’ The barest of smiles rose on Emilie’s face. ‘But I loved Dad too.’

His words curled in her stomach, goosebumps ran up her arm.

‘Adrien—’ she began, desperate. Adrien turned away. Marinette grabbed her arm and pushed her out the door

And Emilie was left standing in the hallway, trying not to cry, with the sound of the slamming door in her ears, and her son’s broken eyes in her mind.

~~~

Marinette leant back on the door, fringe hanging in her eyes, and exhaled. Nothing was easy with Emilie. 

She brushed her loose hair behind her ears and turned her gaze to Adrien; he stood silent, jaw tense, hands clenched, with a crease in his brow, gazing unseeing to the side. After a moment he bit his lip before grabbing the mugs from the coffee table and headed into the kitchen. 

Marinette followed him.

She watched him as he placed the mugs in the sink and turned the tap on to get the hot water running. His hair shrouded his face as he washed the mugs, and when he turned the tap off, they were both met with sudden silence, broken only by the gentle dripping of water echoing in the drainpipe.

‘After all these years,’ he began softly, ‘all these years and she still doesn’t understand that he never loved me like he loved her. He never will.’

Marinette walked over to him, her soft footsteps loud in the silence, and placed her hand on his shoulder. He yielded to her touch, turning into her, burying his head into her neck, wrapping his arms around her. And she held him back, one hand clenching the back of his shirt, the other tangled in his hair, and she held him.

Tikki, Plagg, Nooroo and Duusu crawled out of their hiding spots and pressed themselves into the spaces between her and Adrien. 

‘You did good, kid,’ Plagg whispered as he curled up against Adrien’s neck,

And the six of them stayed like that for a while in the broken yet warm silence, protecting each other just like they’ve always done.

Eventually Adrien pulled back. Marinette held his cheeks and gazed into his eyes. She planted a gentle kiss on his forehead, nose, and then on his lips. Adrien chuckled and warmth lit within her.

A sly look appeared in his eye.

Marinette yelped as Adrien spun her and dipped her, scattering the Kwamis and making heat rush to her cheeks as he winked and kissed her. Even after all these years he still made her blush so easily. One of the Kwamis found the speaker and Adrien threw her back to her feet in time with the music, before grabbing her hand and making her spin back into him. She grabbed his hand in return and spun him and spun him — Dusuu swooping and yelping, Tikki giggling, Plagg egging them on, and

Nooroo begging them to be careful but with a smile on his face — until Adrien was crying with laughter and begged her to stop. She pulled him close.

And they danced in the sunlight falling dappled through the window, dust motes swirling around them, hearts fast, breaths quick, life thrumming between them.

They ended up arms wrapped around each other rocking gently in the middle of the room.

She went to brush his hair back and he leant into her hand before taking it and kissing her fingers in quick succession – one two three four five.

She rested her head against his shoulder, but after a moment he tilted her chin back up to face him and forced her to gaze into his eyes, so soft and gentle, skin flushed pink.

‘I love you,’ he whispered.

She raised to her tip toes and kissed him on the lips, holding the moment between them.

‘I love you too,’ she murmured in his ear. ‘Now go get the shopping, let’s get this feast going!’

‘Anything for you, milady,’ Adrien smiled and kissed her on the nose.

They spent the rest of the afternoon cooking, intermittent with dancing and laughing, the latter of which only increased as Alya, Nino, and Chloe walked through the door, each bearing delicious gifts of their own.

They had a wonderful dinner, the five of them, like they did every year. Filled with memories and stories and laughter and fun. All cheering as Marinette brought out another bottle of wine along with a fantastic dessert.

Before long, plates were empty, everyone was sat back, glasses were topped up for the umpteenth time. The Kwamis were curled up on the sofa, sleeping together as the clock ticked past midnight. Soft music in the background, everyone smiling as they listened to the story Nino was telling… 

‘—so she walks onto the set wrapped in this golden shawl,’ Nino said, ‘with these heels which must have been like ten inches high, and this MASSIVE headdress thats all spiked and celestial looking, and this gold paint on her cheekbones—’

‘She looked like a goddess,’ Alya chimed in.

‘She looked. Like. A. GODDESS,’ Nino agreed, slamming the table, ‘but with a Kazoo in her mouth. Like what? I know! Ruined her image. But then Kyle, the lighting guy, walks up to her and, well he— 

Marinette snuck her hand towards Adrien as she listened to Nino. She found his fingers and weaved their hands together. He instantly gripped her. She smiled. ‘—And then she says, she says’—Nino struggled to hold back his giggles,—‘“Well I would, but it’s impossible with you standing there!”’ They all burst into laughter.

‘Well he was being an idiot!’ Chloe said shrilly, with a smile on her face.

‘Of course you’d think that, Chloe,’ Alya said, sticking her tongue.

‘Hey! I won’t stand for this slander!’ she scoffed in mock offence. ‘That’s ridiculous! Utterly, ridiculous!’

They all dissolved into laughter once more, Nino swung back in his chair dangerously.

Marinette shared a grinning glance with Adrien and he squeezed her hand under the table.

Despite the warmth in the room, it couldn’t help but bring memories of the five of them sitting around that coffee table all those years ago. 

And Marinette watched them. She eyed her friends. She could see it in all of them. The hurt from all those years ago and their concern for Adrien.

It was in the way Alya swirled the wine in her glass but never quite managed to drink it. The way Nino would speak just a little too loud and tell just one too many jokes. The way Chloe would fuss over Adrien’s appearance and mutter about how he needed a hair cut.

She ran her thumb over the back of Adrien’s hand. All of their wounds, despite leaving scars, had managed to heal over. Except for Adrien’s. His wounds were constantly being ripped open, again and again. By his mother, his father, by Parisian celebrations.

Marinette closed her eyes. If she listened hard enough she could just make out – behind the jokes and the laughter and the music desperately trying to drain it all out – the noise on the streets from those celebrating Hawkmoth’s downfall.

Adrien was still smiling after everyone had left but Marinette eyed him worriedly. He danced as they cleaned and hummed while brushing his teeth but when they collapsed into bed, he lay on his back with his eyes wide open.

Marinette curled into him. ‘Talk to me,’ she whispered, bringing his forehead to hers. They both stayed there a minute, breathing in each other in silence.

‘Even now…’ he swallowed, ‘I still hold hope he might become a good father.’

A lump rose in her throat. ‘I know,’ she said.

The gentle sound of their breathing was the only sound for a moment.

‘I think I need to see him.’

Her breath caught. She pulled back and looked him deep in his eyes. ‘Not if you don’t want to, you don’t have to.’

He closed his eyes in a faint grimace, holding back his emotion. ‘I know. But I think I want to,’ he whispered.

‘Then I’m here to support you.’ And her heart broke for Adrien who would once again have his wounds ripped open.

~~~

‘What changed your mind?’

Adrien cast his eyes down and let the question roll around the room.

‘Why did you decide to see me after all these years?’ 

He let the silence swell.

‘I’m glad to see you. How has life been with your mother?

Adrien raised his eyes to meet those of the man who sat opposite. He looked tired and  old. He had lost all of his former elegance and yet the look in his eyes held the same coldness that had haunted Adrien’s waking life all those years ago. Only at the mention of Adrien’s mother did warmth flash through them.

‘Do you understand me now? Are you finally here to forgive me?’

Adrien let the questions sink in.

‘Ten years ago I exchanged one parent for the other.’ He began quietly. ‘Over the years that followed I learnt why it was that you two were both so well suited.’ He ran his fingers over the grooves in the table. ‘You both knew how to tie your hooks into me so well, pulling and pushing and making me do what you wanted me to. Mother has learned to back off. It’s either that or she loses me, and she fears losing me more than she fears losing control of me. But I don’t know if that applies to you.’

Gabriel held Adrien’s gaze.

‘I don’t understand you,’ Adrien whispered. ‘I’m not here to forgive you. I will never forgive you.’ And his heart broke inside because this man, despite everything, used to be his father.

‘Why are you here?’ Gabriel asked.

Adrien twisted the ring on his finger. 

‘Was it worth it?’ he asked, ‘The price you paid to…’ he trailed off.

‘Out of everything I did,’ Gabriel began slowly, ‘bringing your mother back is the one thing I do not regret.’

‘But what about Nathalie? What about Marinette? What about—?’ He cut himself off, biting down on his tongue, fighting the burning in his throat.

Gabriel sighed. ‘What happened to Nathalie was unfortunate, but she knew the risks. As for Marinette, she was a talented girl — still is from what your mother tells me. I would not have wished it to be her that got caught up in what happened, but I was not the one who selected her as wielder of the Ladybug Miraculous, it was not my fault it was her that got caught up in that fight.’

Adrien gazed in pain at his father. Waiting for an apology. Waiting for any form of repentance. Waiting for him to answer his third, unfinished question but the man remained silent.

Adrien swallowed his emotions, his face impassive. ‘I shouldn’t be here,’ he muttered and stood up. ‘I don’t know what I expected.’

‘Adrien, wait,’ Gabriel moved as if reaching for him.

Adrien looked at Gabriel’s hand. He slowly raised his tired eyes, waiting. 

‘I’m so sorry,’ Gabriel whispered, voice cracking.

‘No you’re not.’

Gabriel opened his mouth, but no words spilled out. He stammered, silent.

Adrien stared at the man and all he felt was sadness. Sadness for a life lost, for what could have been, but nothing at all for the man himself.

‘I’ve married Marinette and she’s pregnant with your grandchild.’ He said emotionless. ‘Mother wanted me to be the one to tell you.’

Shock rose in Gabriel’s eyes. ‘Adrien. Adrien! Wait—’ but Adrien had already turned on his heel and walked from the room. He didn’t look back.

~~~

Marinette gave birth in the middle of a storm.

The rain battered at the windows and wind howled through the cracks, then a baby’s wail rang out, drowning it all out.

The nurse placed the baby boy in Adrien’s arms as lightning flashed outside. He sat down on the bed with a thump, stunned and amazed and gazed at his son, at his tuft of dark hair and large bright eyes.

Marinette lay her head on his shoulder. ‘He looks like a Hugo, don’t you think?’ she said softly.

Adrien burst into tears.

Marinette and the nurses looked at him in alarm as he held Hugo tight to his chest and thunder crashed outside as rain pummelled the rooftops.

That storm, oh so many years ago, had changed his life for the worse, filled it with regret and guilt and ways he should have changed it. 

But no more. 

Adrien couldn’t stop staring at the baby in his hands. Marinette cooed and played with Hugo, and when Hugo giggled, Adrien was filled with so much emotion fresh tears poured down his face.

Marinette wiped them away and kissed him on the cheek. ‘I love you,’ she whispered. And Adrien gazed at the amazing woman who had saved him in more ways he could count.

‘I love you,’ he said fervently and kissed her full on the mouth.

And finally he could see so clearly his path moving forward. He was done with the past. Done with it dragging and ripping into him time and time again.

He had a family worth loving and a life that was worth living. He could finally begin to heal.