#under which i think gabriel and emilie first met

[anna-scribbles]

one cool and chill thing about me is that before i can write a sentence about a character i have to figure out everything that’s ever happened to them and probably their parents and extended family also

[acherontiarchivist]

Hello there ! I've been following your blog recently. I'm allways glad to find some slasher anthousiasts with good contents ! :D

I don't know if you still taking requests but if so, I wondered if you could, maybe, write some Gabriel x gn reader. What if you actually met him and Madison at Simion when you were kids and actually befriended them -and loved Gabriel since always- ? What would happened if you get to meet this boi again after the movie’s events ? Maybe Reader could have a kind of "telepathic" ability Simion wanted to experiment on, which may explain their presence to the hospital.

Have a nice day/night. Take care ! :)

Hi!!! Thank you so much for the ask :) I ruminated on this one for a really long time, and I think I finally got it down. This ask was a really great exercise, I got to explore some emotions and feelings a little bit and... I think I will do a part 2 in the future! I hope you don't mind, it's a little sappy. But I think Gabriel deserves some sweetness, as a treat. Enjoy, and don't be afraid to leave some feedback 💜

Gabriel x gn!reader under the cut

Can be read as romantic or strong platonic, use of childhood nickname "rabbit" to refer to the reader

A familiar voice had been itching at the back of their minds for weeks. At first it was faint, almost unnoticeable. Madison had brushed it off the first time she heard it clearly: she figured she must have needed more rest and was hearing things due to a lack of sleep. Adjusting their sleep schedule, however, did not make it stop. 

"Emily?"

"Can you see me?"

"Please see me."

"Emily, is that you?"

"Do you remember me?"

She would still hear it at the grocery store, on her commute to and sometimes from work, even at the coffee shop she frequented. Some days were quiet, others would have multiple instances of the voice seeping through the cracks in her concentration.

On another such day, she had been making her way down the frozen section and marking items off of their shopping list when it came again. Annoyed and assuming Gabriel started playing mind games with her again, she finally confronted him. Madison held her phone to her ear to signal him that she wanted to talk– something they did mostly when they were in public, to avoid stares. She tapped on the back of her head to wake up Gabriel, almost as if knocking on his bedroom door.

"Gabriel, would you knock that off? It's great that you've learned to mimic voices, but could you please not use them to get under my skin any more than you already do?"

"I don't know what you're talking about. I haven't learned or even tried to mimic voices. I like my own. Besides, you just woke me up."

"Well, there's no way I can be hearing something that you don't. So if it's not you, what else could it possibly be?"

"Actually," he started, voice clearer as he fully woke, "I have been hearing something too."

"Oh? Whe–when does it happen? Is it familiar? What does it say when you hear it?" Madison bites nervously at their fingernails as she finds an unpopulated corner to park her shopping cart as they talk.

"Geez, let me think about it for a minute," he paused. After a pensive hum, he spoke up, "I hear it the most at the Library, and that coffee place we go to. And I think I've heard it at the record store, too, once."

"Well? And?"

"It's… the voice itself is unfamiliar, but something about it really gets me– it might be the cadence, or the rhythm."

She sighed, frustrated. She thought the same, but it still got them nowhere, besides only slightly convincing her that he wasn't just pulling her chain.

"How much do you remember from Simion?"

"Not much… though, some of it has been coming back to me in the year since you've… uh."

"I see."

"Why?"

"Maybe it's just wishful thinking, but I think the voice belongs to someone we knew from Simion."

"I thought you killed them all."

A nearby shopper nervously glanced at Madison and quickly pushed their cart away.

He huffed, "I only killed the doctors that stole my body."

"And more than a few orderlies. Look, let's talk about this at home."

"Fine."

Madison fixed her sight on the self checkout to make a speedy getaway. She certainly forgot a few items on her list in her haste to leave, but their conversation left her feeling as if she were being watched. Her hands shook as she placed the now bagged groceries back into her cart.

Wake up, grab coffee, commute to work, run errands. Your daily routine. No matter where you move, it's always the same. Recently you've found yourself moving back to Seattle. At one point in your life you had promised yourself you would never return. It was too painful, there had been nothing here for you but the reminder of your stolen childhood and the loss of your greatest friend. Most of your time had been spent running away from it all, trying to get as far away as possible, to find something new. One day when you were near hopeless, a very peculiar news story broke. Instantly, your zest for life was sparked anew.

You felt kind of silly. Everywhere you went, you kept a hopeful eye out for that familiar visage. Sometimes you would find it in passing and reach out, call out in your special way, praying against all odds that they would hear, that they would stop what they were doing and turn to find your face in the crowd. It never happened. Sometimes you would see her nervously glance around the room. Sometimes you would see him put his book down and study his surroundings. Every time you would lose your courage and slink away. It was like pining over your high school crush all over again; always setting up chance encounters, but never falling through. Just slinking back behind the bookshelf, letting the heavy weight in your chest sink once more. It was easier than possibly facing humiliation. "Not anymore," you decide, "not this time." Next time you see them, you are going to reach out in person. It could be today, it could be tomorrow, it could be two weeks from now. But right now, you really need to pick up some eggs.

But oh– what's this? A beacon of light pushed its way through thick branches and shone on a head of familiar thick brown hair. You stopped in your tracks and stood dumbfounded and, admittedly, unprepared.

"You are shaking like a fucking leaf. Calm down before someone suspects us of theft and draws attention to us."

Though he might have been right, she rolled her eyes at him anyway. It certainly didn't help their case that she constantly looked over her shoulder all the way across the parking lot and almost dropped her keys while opening the trunk.

"Okay, we're almost out of here. I'll be able to think more clearly at home, where it's safe."

"Safe? You are being a lot more anxious than usual. I guess I should have been clearer earlier: I think this voice is an old friend of ours."

Madison paused, flabbergasted. The only memories she had of Simion were vague– it was mostly the strong negative emotions she associated with her time there that she could access just yet. It was unthinkable to her that they could have had a friend in Simion at all.

A sense of urgency to not look like an even bigger creep jolted you to approach before she closed the trunk and saw you staring. God, you wish you could remember her new name.

"Uhm, excuse me," you waved timidly in her direction, only taking another step forward when she noticed you. "You might not remember me, but we uh…" You paused, looking for the right words, "lived in the same facility as kids."

"Oh my god," hearing the familiar voice from a source other than inside her own head was a shock to Madison, and quite the relief. "I see you. I heard you. I didn't remember, but he did."

Before you could utter another word, your cell phone rang. It was an unknown caller. "Oh, sorry," your finger hovered over the decline button.

Her hand reached out and stopped you, "he wants to talk to you." She smiled.

Immediately, you brought your phone to your ear, "Hello?" Your voice wavered despite your best efforts, and your heart fluttered almost painfully. Finally, his rough voice graced your weary ear and confirmed your biggest hope. "Hello, rabbit."

"Gabriel," tears streamed down your face. You laughed at the nickname, one he gave you, and that you hadn't heard since they took him away. "I thought you were gone. I thought I'd never see you again."

At first, you could barely speak through the tears.

Madison hugged you, or Gabriel hugged you, or maybe it was both of them, either way you were grateful. She offered to let you sit in her car to cry it out, and you talked with them for a few minutes, which turned to half an hour, which turned to Madison inviting you home so she could put their groceries away and you could continue catching up. As the three of you talked for hours, the memories began to catch up to her. She could feel the good memories, the good emotional associations. She could also feel Gabriel's stronger, more affectionate emotions bubbling to the surface. Eventually she decided to take a step back and let Gabriel pilot their body. He was very excited to show you the ways he had learned to move and go about his day to day.

"In some ways, it feels more free," he confessed.

You were excited– you knew he would no longer be the way you remembered him, you were prepared for that– but all the same you mourned him for years, and seeing him before you yet again overwhelmed you. The utter loss of that day filled you again, and you embraced him alone this time. "I can't believe you're still here. I can't tell you how much I wished I could see you again, all those years."

He hugged you tighter and didn't let go– there's no way he'd let you find out he was crying, too.

[edorazzi]

Once again, it’s the post everyone’s been waiting for! 

This is a followup to the post I made on the first Miraculous “Felix” episode (two and a half years ago! 😱), so if you haven’t already read that one then you might like to! 

This one’s going to follow a very similar format, and as it’s pretty long I’ll put it under a cut. So like before, click through for my complete scene-by-scene reaction to Miraculous Ladybug’s “Gabriel Agreste” episode (feat. Felix) and my thoughts afterwards! 💕

---

Before I get into everything, just a couple of disclaimers:

   1) This post is heavily adapted from much more unhinged and screamy notes - all my reactions are genuine and just a bit more coherently worded. I watched in French, but am taking screencaps from the English dub so I might have some additional commentary!    2) I went on content lockdown between the time this episode aired (Saturday) and when I could watch it (Wednesday). Unfortunately some spoilers were unavoidable but I did go in 99% blind.    3) I was WAY behind on the current season of Miraculous, so as of right now I’m only caught up to Queen Banana and now this one.

That’s the important stuff, let’s get into it!

-

So I really had no idea what I was getting into here. Season 3 was a self-destructive mess (which is why I’m so far behind, I didn’t really want to come back!) but Season 4 has so far been surprisingly good! 

However, it was still a case of weighing  “Season 4 has been pretty respectable and good with its characters” against “Felix Graham de Vanily is a character created as a giant FUCK YOU to longtime fans” so I truly didn’t have a clue what to expect. Felix’s introduction was the lowest point of the Season 3 trainwreck right next to the nonsensical finale, so were they re-introducing him in a bid to fix things or to double down on what they started? 

I wasn’t eager to find out, but in I went anyway. As a longtime Felix fan I have a duty to keep tabs on what my terrible boy is up to.

- Ol’ Gabe’s in the basement soliloquizing to his comatose wife again. I think I made a comment last time about it being no wonder Emilie remained unconscious for this, but I still think it’s for the best because she would MURDER Gabriel for bringing her sister and nephew here to target them on purpose.

- I do love that Gabriel apparently invited Felix here, fully intending to rob him right back. Like has he MET his terrible nephew? Gabe gets regularly dunked on by children and the Miraculous Holders are nice kids; Felix has a thirst for chaos and nothing to lose so good luck. I guarantee Uncle Gabe won’t be getting what he wants out of this.

- AAAAA, IT’S MY BOY. BABY. I’m sure it’ll only go downhill from here but it’s lovely to see Felix again all the same! 

- I like that he’s keeping up with the Ladyblog too, though I really wonder if it’s safe for Alya to be putting out so much public information about the Miraculous. I expect she’ll tone it down now she’s personally involved with Marinette’s secret, but since becoming Rena Rouge you’d think she’d understand the necessity of keeping it quiet. Too much public knowledge is how Miraculous get stolen, you know!!!

- French Felix is interesting. I only ever saw the previous episode in English so this is the first time I’m hearing him! Clearly he sounds exactly like Adrien but I was hoping he’d be softer-spoken, he sounds way too perky for our demure little menace. 

(But going back over this scene in the English dub - while I screencap things - Felix actually sounds really good! It might be a one-off but his voice is pitched significantly lower and calmer; it’s very distinctive from Adrien’s and it wasn’t like that in the previous episode. I really like this change!)

- God, I love how much Amelie loves him. She seems like a massively irresponsible mother - and I’m still concerned about whatever happened with Felix’s dad, which was only briefly touched on in the previous episode - but they really do adore each other. Their little hand touch and the way Felix presses her kiss to his cheek afterwards is the cutest darn thing I’ve ever seen! :’0

- Oh hi Nathalie, thought you were dead.

- Awww, Adrien, sweetheart! He brought her some lunch on a fancy little cart! And then immediately sits down on her bed and starts venting about Gabriel banning his friends from the house again. Nothing comes free in this household.

- Don’t talk to him about Kagami or Chloe, Nathalie. I know you’ve slept through most of this season but things have happened.

- GABRIEL JUST BURSTING THROUGH THE DOOR LIKE “GET OUT OF NATHALIE’S ROOM AND LEAVE US ALONE IN HERE”, MY GOD. In the previous Felix episode he was furious at Adrien for thinking they were dating but then he goes and does things like this, what’s the poor boy supposed to think?!

- Do both Agreste men just periodically come into Nathalie’s room unannounced and cry on the edge of her bed? Is this in her job description? :/

- She just shuts Gabriel up with food and a to-do list. This is basically marriage.

Okay, listen. Sidebar for a minute. 

I don’t dislike Zoe. She’s a perfectly fine character and I think she’s an okay addition to the Girl Group at large. However, I in no way believe she was planned before the Season 3 trainwreck and I don’t like that she’s been introduced as a superior version of Chloe - whose obvious redemption arc got trashed halfway through while SOMEONE (Astruc) was on Twitter claiming that bad people can never be redeemed, and that anyone who emotionally relates to Chloe is either naive or evil like her.

I was pretty invested in Queen Bee Chloe, and her sudden regression plus the introduction of Zoe feels like we’re being told “people don’t change!” and having our spicy redeemed bully replaced with a completely bland and inoffensive character who’s a good person right from the start (and gets a Miraculous within two episodes with minimal effort). I do not like it.

ANYWAY.

- It’s nice to see Marc again! They’re reusing a lot of the unique supporting characters this season and I like that a lot, it’s more fun to catch glimpses of Aurore and Wayhem than an endless sea of generic backgrounders. Though why wasn’t Marc involved in the filmmaking episode, isn’t he a talented writer? Is it because that was another of Astruc’s indulgent self-insert stories and the person Marc is based on blocked him on Twitter? Makes you wonder.

- Marinette, your feelings for Adrien are not a secret. We’ve established this. Luka’s akuma established this. Marc may have kept his distance enough to be blissfully unaware, but Nathaniel’s been in the same class for as long as Adrien’s been here. TRUST ME, HE KNOWS. 

- Juleka’s remarkably chill with this new “get Marinette and Adrien together” plan after what happened with Luka, though maybe she truly doesn’t care or even prefers that her bestie not be dating her brother. Hurry and hook her up with Adrien before family dinners get weird again. :/

- Nath and Marc are “romantic comedy specialists”? As in everyone saw them trying to kill each other in the park that one time (during Reverser) and now they’re dating? Because that IS funny, they’re right.

- They wrote a love story about Ladybug and Chat Noir? 1) That’s a surprisingly hetero choice for them, but 2) since Ladybug and Chat Noir are real people, is this like the people who wrote One Direction fanfic when I was in school? Who’s the person who trips in the hall and drops their XY/Prince Ali fanart everywhere, I have to know.

- Ahaha, this Sleeping Beauty parody with Gabriel and Adrien. This is cute as heck actually and really well-drawn, not to mention Adrien being in a flowing dress the whole time which was apparently Nathaniel’s artistic choice. Also it’s nice to see how much Nath’s art has improved since Season 1! I don’t know if that’s intentional or just inconsistent (the same way Marinette’s thought doodles keep changing art style), but he’s really upped his game from those early classroom scribbles and that’s some nice subtle character development when he hasn’t had lot of focus episodes.

- And I was going to say “I don’t think Zoe knows Adrien well enough to joke about his life yet”, but to be absolutely fair it’s likely he comes up in conversation among the girls often enough for her to have picked up on a lot of this stuff already. Zoe may suffer from chronic Mary Sue syndrome but this does make sense, she passes for now.

- Nath really drew Adrien in a princess gown like six times for this flipbook, I’m YELLING.

- CHLOE, WHAT THE HELL. HER BURSTING OUT OF THE CEILING IS LITERALLY THE LAST THING I WAS EXPECTING, THAT’S SO FUNNY. This is what I mean about Zoe being so bland and inoffensive, she hasn’t done a single thing you’d call “entertaining” and yet we get this from our irredeemable villainess. Which sister do YOU think deserves a Miraculous??

- CHLOE’S DOODLES ARE ALSO SO FUNNY. THE RAW EMOTION IN THESE SCRIBBLES. The evil in Marinette’s eyes! Adrien’s fear grimace! Gabriel’s fragile sensibilities!!! And Gabriel holding Adrien protectively like that in the following picture is all I want in the world, even if Adrien has absolutely no clue what’s happening. He’s just tapped out of this whole situation.

- Oh, he put Adrien in a cage forever. Never mind. What happened to that hug?? :(

- OKAY BYE CHLOE. That whole sequence was so funny, oh my god. All the protagonists are being so serious and Chloe just busts in, proclaims her comedically evil plan and busts right out again. I miss her redemption arc but I think I can get through this season if she’s like this; cartoonishly villainous but wildly incompetent. She’s not a hero but I don’t feel I’m being encouraged to HATE her either, you know?

- So tonight is a dinner where Gabriel “invited all his close friends with their children” as in ONLY the friends who have children, or he just invited his close friends and if they have children they’re welcome to bring them? This is an important distinction. Imagine commuting from London to Paris just for dinner like the de Vanilys are apparently doing, couldn’t be me but only because I’m poor and very jealous. :(

- Oh no PLEASE don’t bring Zoe into this. If she’s going to stick to Marinette like glue she could have been Bridgette, get your own plotlines! >:0

- Oh okay, she’s not going because Chloe pitched a fit about it?? Thank goodness, oh my god. I don’t mind Zoe hanging around with the girls but I draw the line at her being a main character when I’m trying to focus on Felix. No offence girl but I’m not here to learn how good and sweet you are compared to your horrible sister, I’m here to see an old man get robbed of his one remaining wedding ring.

- “The Knight” (Marinette) may not have an invitation to “the ball” (Gabriel’s party), but the Knight previously stacked like 15 wheelie bins with the intention of breaking into the Princess’ castle so I don’t think entry will be an issue. 

- They’re going to dress Mari up as a waiter to break into the mansion?? She’s a skinny teenage girl with Ladybug hair! There’s no possible way this can end well, unless Felix is going to catch her out and then lie for her or something but why would he? :/

- I’ve already shared my negative feelings about Zoe, but I do like the performance skills she puts on to act like she fits into her unpleasant family. It’s a nice detail that she has to visibly psyche herself up to be mean to anyone, I’d feel the same! 

- I would also say “just be nice to the staff and they’ll be willing to do more things for you!”, but to be fair (again) it could be this guy’s job on the line. It does make sense for Zoe to act like a brat so he won’t question her - trying to explain that a group of teenagers need him out of the way so they can infiltrate a high-class party and potentially wreck the whole thing isn’t going to get her anywhere.

- I do like Marc hanging out in Marinette’s room. It’s a real change from him physically hiding from her under the stairs at school because she was so intense. You gotta let him come to you, Mari!

- Okay, I get the mustache to hide Mari’s face, but doesn’t it look strange when she’s a 4′11″ schoolgirl?? If the girls won’t be there to see this plan in action then surely Rena Rouge could hide nearby and project a better illusion over her; I understand the responsible use of power and everything but Jem does it! :(

(On writing this up I did remember the five-minute Miraculous timer - and while it would be even funnier if the “waiter” had to make constant quick exits while Alya recharged her kwami and cast fresh illusions, that would mean less focus on Felix and Gabriel so I’m glad they just went with the stick-on mustache!)

- “Close the office. Done!” Oh, you think a shut door will stop Felix if there’s something in there he wants? Where is my boy anyway, I get that he’s just a side character this episode but it’s been ages since we saw him!

- THE FUCK KIND OF EYES WIDE SHUT BULLSHIT IS THIS?? Is Gabriel running a cult? Are they the rich Squid Game patrons? More importantly, are these masks going to be yet another excuse to not show Felix’s face for most of this episode, like in the previous one where he was just Adrien for half of it??

- Oh poor Gorilla, I’m the same with the three different TV remotes my dad programmed. I feel you buddy. But WHAT is happening here? The whole place is on lockdown, there are robot units skittering around instead of real staff, everyone gets fingerprinted and picks up a creepy animal mask? This whole setup feels uncomfortable as hell and how come Adrien isn’t dressed extra-formal like everyone else? 

- Love how this catering lady does not care enough to interrogate this random child in a fake mustache. You can’t scan Marino’s fingerprints though, he’s got a record. :/

- Okay, I love “Marino” grabbing the boxes and insisting he’s THE SUPERIOR MUSCULAR MAN. I’m sure that’s some kind of comment on toxic masculinity but it’s very funny when Mari’s half the size of this lady and trying so hard. :’)

- Why isn’t Chloe dressed up either, by the way? Are the adults having a cult meeting/blood sacrifice and the kids are just going to hang out and have a regular dinner? WHERE is Felix.

- Adrien. Darling. I can buy that you wouldn’t recognise Ladybug but is “Marino” truly enough to fool you?? Is this his Li Shang moment where he spends the rest of the day wondering why he was so attracted to this strange man?

- YESSS, FELIX. BABY BOY. But oooh, did he spot the peacock brooch before Gabriel hid it under his scarf? Does he know what it is or does it just look stealable? 

- What has Gabriel done for Felix that Amelie needs to thank him for? Did he lift the ban on him re-entering Paris or something, because no way there wasn’t any kind of fallout after Felix stole his goddamn wedding ring last visit. I’m amazed Felix had the guts to come back here.

- Oh, does she think Gabe GAVE him the ring?? That’s so funny. AND FELIX’S CUTE LITTLE WAVE LIKE HE’S DARING HIS UNCLE TO SAY SOMETHING ABOUT IT. I’d better get another hug between Felix and Adrien by the way, even the previous episode gave me some cute moments and that was almost entirely dedicated to proving how evil Felix was.

- That sneaky, smug look on “Marino’s” face when the catering lady tells her to stay in the kitchen. Is she about to wreck the place just so she gets kicked out-- YES SHE DID EXACTLY THAT, AHAHA.

- AM I GETTING INTERACTION BETWEEN FELIX AND CHLOE?? MY DREAM, OH MY GOD. I remember it was confirmed they knew each other (and Felix thought Chloe was annoying) but we never got anything more than that, GIMME.

- “It’s Fake Adrien!” Did she hear about that?! Who told her. Felix better have heard about Queen Banana to even the playing field of embarrassment.

- Is he instantly pretending to be Adrien just to mess with her? I’m WHEEZING, she doubled back on herself so fast. THEN HE JUST LAUGHS AT HER AND LEAVES. I should turn this off now; like when Adrien hugged Felix in the previous episode this is peak content and it’ll only go downhill from here.

(And rewatching in the English dub - it sounds like Felix’s deeper voice is consistent! In French there was no difference between his tone and Adrien’s so of course Chloe was fooled, but in this scene you can hear it’s Felix. I really appreciate it! :0)

- Hi Kagami!! But WHAT is this dinner. Once again, why is the place on lockdown with everyone being masked and fingerprinted. I hope this is some kind of weird top-secret rich person fashion reveal because it ABSOLUTELY seems like a murder cult right now.

- I like the subtle motion of “Marino” removing the earpiece when the audio feed gets interrupted with that shrill interference, it sounds like it HURTS but she holds it together really well! I have a lot more appreciation for Marinette than I did last season; I feel like everyone’s being written a lot better now and there are more subtle details to appreciate.

- Everyone gets to go upstairs but Felix, huh. He must be sweating bullets, did he actually not get away with stealing the ring and now Gabe’s going to sacrifice him to the cult?? 

- Oh, a private confrontation?? But this is a really sweet look at Felix actually - I’m sure it’ll turn out he’s faking this wide-eyed remorse and gave Gabriel the false ring, but in this moment the guilt over what he did and his pride in the way he’s “fixing” it is very cute. That bright look in his eyes when he hands the “real” ring back to Gabriel and puts on the new one, he’s such a cutie! :’0

- That evil look as Felix left the room though. He definitely gave Gabe a fake.

- But oooh, the way he pauses at the top of the staircase and looks back! Does he know something’s up? We saw Felix notice the peacock brooch earlier but he was also watching Alya’s Ladyblog content, so is he just looking to steal something else and mess with Uncle Gabe (though he had a reason for taking that specific ring, as it was an heirloom Amelie wanted returned to their side of the family) or does he have a hunch Gabriel’s up to something?

- Bro, don’t freak out in Nathalie’s room. Just grab Felix again and tell him you know the ring is a copy. It’s no wonder this man gets dunked on by children every day of the week when he can’t even handle this minor confrontation.

- It’s very interesting for Felix to hide and listen outside the door. Is he trying to overhear whether Gabe believes him about the ring? Also it’s so nice that Adrien’s happy to see Felix, I love that a lot. :’0

- I’m also realising that if Nathalie’s room is directly through that door, there’s no reasonable way Adrien would have been able to get that service cart up there. It’s all stairs!

- “Akumatize him.” That’s cold as hell, Nathalie. Jesus. No nonsense in this bedroom. I like how we’re back to nearly everyone in this house wanting Felix dead, the Agreste mansion is usually so uneventful.

- “He might be feeling negative emotions now, thanks to you, Gabriel.” Except he was NICE to Felix just now. There won’t be any negative emotions if he thinks he got away with it, can this man do nothing right?! WE know Felix overheard Uncle Gabe figuring it out, so he probably knows he’s in trouble - insert the “(chuckles) I’m in danger!” meme except it’s Felix on the stairs outside Nathalie’s room - but neither of the adults know that, right?

(The English dub phrases this as Gabriel being capable of creating negative emotions in Felix from this point onward, which makes more sense. The French subs may be a little wonky.)

- Gabe’s really going to transform right here in Nathalie’s bedroom?? Can he do nothing without his bedridden assistant on hand to approve each step. He didn’t even do the full elaborate Drag Queen Moth transformation, so either he’s REALLY mad at Felix or doesn’t want Nathalie to know how dramatic he is when alone in his lair. :/

- I love that he hasn’t even TRIED to approach Felix and demand the truth about the ring, he just jumps straight to this. Drama queen. Also, Gabriel looking at a perfect copy of himself and lustily whispering “tu est PARFAIT” is something to unpack later. Anyway, let’s see what the kids are doing--  

- I love whatever silent conversation Felix and Kagami are having. I always thought they’d get along great. I also like the little detail of Kagami having a straw in her fancy juice drink but not using it, that’s very her. :)

- Nice to see Adrien got his foosball table back from the void in Sole Crusher! We never did see that being returned. But I’m already curious where Felix is going, I know it’s not really to talk to his mom so is he up to something other than fooling Uncle Gabe with a fake ring? I figured he was just listening in to see if Gabriel bought the lie or not, but then why would he need to go back out there?

- God Adrien sweetie, I’m so sorry. This is awkward as hell. It would have been fine to get left alone with Kagami if you guys hadn’t broken up literally last week. Also I wish Prince Ali and XY were here (and maybe even Lila), we know they have connections with Gabriel and it would be a great excuse to get all the weird rich kids together for once. Even Luka could have come along if Gabriel would let Jagged Stone into his house, I’d love to see Jagged touting him around as his son now they’ve reconciled and he should come see Adrien’s cool room sometime!

- “Marino” getting away with literally anything to “entertain the youth” has me wheezing.

- WTF is going on in this room. This is like a horror movie. I’m so confused about what this party is supposed to be, is this just rich people nonsense?? 

- Also I should at least mention the subplot of Chloe trying to get hold of a phone so she can show Gabriel the video of her classmates planning to set Adrien up with Marinette via fairytale metaphors, but I just didn’t take many notes about it because I’m way more interested in what Felix is doing. Rest assured that Chloe’s here and I’m enjoying her presence.

- I’m absolutely enamoured with this screencap of Felix peeking over the balcony rail. It’s cute as hell and I want it as my wallpaper. But he’s still spying on Gabriel, what for?

- Oooh he got into the office. I SAID a closed door wouldn’t stop him. And it’s heartbreakingly sweet to see him appreciating that portrait of Emilie - maybe it’s just that she looks like his mom, but the previous episode established that Felix and Adrien played together as kids so Felix probably has a lot of nice memories from that time. If he didn’t then surely he wouldn’t have been THAT angry about Adrien “abandoning” him after his dad died, there’s a terrible bitterness there and I get the feeling Felix has been seriously damaged at some point in a way Adrien hasn’t.

- He’s getting kinda close to the secret buttons on that painting--

- OH JESUS FUCK. OH GOD.

- Felix’s recovery time is IMMACULATE. He just brushed that jumpscare right off and turned around all super sweet like “Oh Uncle I want to get to know you! :3″. I would have DIED.

- So Gabriel made a Sentimonster just to ask Felix where the ring was? What if he’d actually told him and/or given up the real one, what would Gabe have done then when his elaborate plan of revenge on a child was already laid out?? He’d be a fool dressed like a peacock in his secretary’s bedroom.

- WHAT? PARDON ME?? FELIX GUESSED HE’S SHADOW MOTH????? I’m sure the Sentimonster clone will “prove” he’s wrong, but YOU’RE TELLING ME FELIX FIGURED IT OUT BEFORE ANYONE ELSE ON THE WHOLE SHOW???

- Startling revelation aside (for now), it’s a VERY bold claim that Gabriel has “the power to destroy (Felix’s) life”. Gotta catch the slippery little bastard first and I don’t think your old man joints are up to it. :)

- LEAVE MY SON ALONE!!!!! What does he MEAN snapping his fingers is enough to get rid of Felix, is he threatening to have him killed?! I’m loving this dramatic framing though, holy shit, this is so intense!!!

(And I didn’t consider this at the time, but when chatting with my friends afterwards they brought up the theory that this could mean Felix - and by extension Adrien - is a Sentimonster, and that’s extremely interesting. I’m not sure I buy into it quite yet, especially when the English dub words this line slightly differently, but it’s a pretty strange and intense threat for Gabriel to make right here...)

- I already saw it coming that Sentimonster!Gabe was to remove suspicion from the real Gabriel, so that’s no surprise (though I hope Felix holds on to this theory, he’s come SO close to the truth and I’ll be devastated if it stops here!), but FELIX REJECTED THE AKUMA??? HOLY SHIT. BRUH. I was expecting anything from “Felix causes an akuma because he’s terrible” to “Felix becomes an akuma because he’s terrible”, but “Gabriel goes out of his way to akumatize Felix and Felix simply does not allow it” was NOT what I anticipated!!!

- Didn’t I draw something like this after Chat Blanc, with Adrien wrapped in a shock blanket and Felix insensitively going “if Papillon tried to akumatize me I simply wouldn’t let him, RIP to Adrien but I’m different”. Is that canon now??

(I did draw that, and already made a joke post about it! UNBELIEVABLE.)

- What was that?! Felix grabs a worryingly-sharp cufflink off his shirt, skids under “Gabriel’s” legs and slashes his trouser cuff with the pin?? Look at my boy GO! The way he books it out of there, instantly blocks the door and starts planning an exit strategy because he’s literally fleeing from Shadow Moth!!! This is so insane, I didn’t expect this episode to go anywhere NEAR this hard!!! >:0

- Nathalie really wants Felix dead, doesn’t she. No empathy, just “akumatize the Sentimonster”.

- OOOOH, THE COLLECTOR IS BACK!!! I MISSED THIS GUY. I’m not naïve enough to be optimistic (they still have a good 5 minutes left to ruin Felix’s character, ample time for him to set Adrien on fire or something) but this episode APPEARS to be getting better and better!

- I love how upset Adrien looks that his dad got akumatized, like this day is not going the way he wanted but he’s not particularly surprised. I also adore Kagami stuffing him in the closet and grabbing a rapier to fight with, she’s the real knight in this fairytale and I appreciate that she still cares about Adrien’s wellbeing even though their friendship has been rough lately! 

- This catering lady running in with a broom!!! It’s kinda fun that akuma are so integrated into Parisian life that regular people are prepared to just grab a weapon at any time. I really like the borderline-mundane reaction to the party host going nutso, like they’ve just gotta hold their own until Ladybug and Chat Noir get here.

- I don’t blame Felix for not getting involved (he’s the target after all, he’s not getting anywhere NEAR his insane possibly-supervillain uncle!), but smart boy for making Collector take out the front doors so he could escape! I’m deeply pleased by how clever and resourceful Felix is, it might be intended as a negative trait but he’s VERY capable in a way we’ve only really seen from the Miraculous heroes so far.

- Ladybug catching Felix in her arms is everything. And are the heroes making boomer jokes about Collector finally catching up with technology? That’s extra funny considering Gabriel engineered this whole thing because he couldn’t approach one (1) child. He’s been dunked on by every toddler he’s fought today!

- Now before catching up with this episode I did see a glimpse of this part with Felix on Chat’s back, but I thought the circumstances of getting here were going to be MUCH more unpleasant and offensive than this. I love the way Felix has been yanked around between the two heroes and neither of them have reacted negatively to him. He seems a little starstruck - he isn’t even smirking! - which is a huge contrast to the way he acted in the previous episode. Maybe I didn’t get a hug between the boys this time but this is just as cute!

- Oooh, alright, so he guessed Gabriel was Shadow Moth but he seems to have no clue about Adrien! I love him immediately going “Oh I don’t know WHY my uncle is after me, he’s so weird and scary :’0″ - I doubt Chat will buy that for a second but this kicked off in such a short amount of time, what the hell did Felix manage to do in 20 minutes to make Uncle Gabe hit the roof??

(And in the English dub it’s really pleasant to hear Felix and Chat talk back and forth here; they sound very similar but no longer identical. I know I’ve commented on this like a hundred times already but it’s a tiny change I appreciate so much!)

- A very bold assumption that Collector’s tablet has a finite storage space! I’m sure the kids are correct because otherwise this fight will never end, but you think Gabriel Agreste wouldn’t equip himself with unlimited Cloud storage?? Though if he locked down his mansion so thoroughly for a party (allegedly NOT a cult gathering) I imagine he’d reject the idea of storing any of his top secret fashion data online. They know this boomer is limited to offline storage only!

- I do like the use of the map with everything disappearing into Collector’s tablet; it draws attention to how many individual assets they have in this one location (especially compared with how barren it was in Season 1!) and it’s cool to see them stripped away piece by piece!

- TRAMPOLINE??

- The building getting zapped out from under the heroes while Ladybug is TRYING to make a plan is so funny. They landed safe - and we’ve seen Chat hit the ground after getting thrown off a skyscraper (during “Lies”) and he was fine! - but neither of them saw it coming! There’s no safe place to perch!!! Also nice “ZAG” numberplate on the catering van, I do appreciate these little details.

- There’s something hilarious about the Lucky Charm plan being to just throw a bunch of plates at Collector until Chat yeets his baton along with them, smacking Collector’s tablet out of his hand and smashing it. It’s so simple compared to some of the ultra-complex plans and really highlights how thoroughly Gabriel’s getting dunked on by children today. :)

- SO WHAT DID THIS ACHIEVE. Gabriel’s playing it nice and graciously returning the fake ring to Felix as if it’s the real thing, after threatening him in his office and trying to kill him? There must be some bigger plan here, he already “proved” he wasn’t Shadow Moth so why go to the effort of pretending he isn’t mad any more, and why treat Felix so carefully if he thinks he’s gotten away with this elaborate cover story? What else does he want from this??

- I also really like the contrast between Sentimonster!Gabriel and Shadow Moth right here; fake Gabe sounds very sincere and apologetic but the cut to Shadow Moth’s precise, deadpan delivery of the same words is terrifying. WHAT is he up to.

- Felix’s lil face when he gets the ring back. Both of them know it’s a fake but is this permission for him to keep the real thing without Uncle Gabe murdering him over it? I didn’t even need another screencap for this part of the scene, I just want everyone to look at our boy.

- The contrast between Sentimonster!Gabriel accepting the protective charm from Ladybug and Shadow Moth speaking through him is CHILLING. Goddamn.

- DUDE, SHADOW MOTH IS TALL. WHAT’S WITH THAT. But OOH, Gabe and Nathalie are going to work on reverse-engineering the protective charms! That’s an interesting possibility; I like the introduction of those to prevent the same akuma being created over and over again but I don’t know if the show’s budget would allow it. Gotta start poking holes in Ladybug’s new Guardian powers.

- I see Felix is still lurking around suspiciously. But oh my god, is THAT why he tore Gabriel’s pants, to see if he was using a body double?? So he doesn’t have definite proof he’s Shadow Moth but he had a hunch from the moment he was targeted with Gabriel still in the room! And even after the whole akuma debacle (which should have “proven” Uncle Gabe’s innocence) Felix still held on to that theory and went back to check the evidence. Oh my god.

- I should think Gabe would be quick to change pants given he’s an elite fashion designer hosting a party full of high-profile guests, he wouldn’t be seen walking around in damaged clothing so this seems like flimsy “evidence”. I won’t put that burden of common sense on Felix though, he’s my baby boy and he’s SMART. :)

- I see Marc keeping his distance while the girls are hugging Marinette for a job well done, he’s not getting too close in case she decides they’re besties again and he has to go back into hiding.

- That’s a nice Mini Menace reference with Marc and Nath’s new comic! But Nath sweetie, WHAT happened to your cool digital art style?? :’0

- What is this, a postscript?? Gabe putting the peacock brooch away in the vault again? I see that stick drawing of him and Adrien in there and it’s very cute, he really does love his son even if you wouldn’t know it sometimes. :’)

- “A little surprise will be waiting for you when you return, my dear nephew...” When he returns? WE’RE SEEING FELIX AGAIN?? I’M ACTUALLY EXCITED, GODDAMN. But I AM very nervous Uncle Gabe’s going to murder him, what does this MEAN--

-

-

WELL. Just like before I can say “THAT WAS AN EPISODE”, but with a completely different tone this time! Obviously I was trying to avoid spoilers to the point of not even knowing whether this episode was good or bad, but I was truly expecting another hearty “fuck you” to PV fans and I’m actually amazed at how they turned this around. I’m going to split my thoughts into two parts:

What do I think of Felix?

If you’re familiar with my posts you probably know how I’ve been straining to embrace Canon!Felix; his introductory episode was a huge middle finger to longtime Miraculous fans and obviously on purpose; the entire thing was a mess going out of its way to prove how unreasonably horrible Felix is and why he should never ever have been in the show - despite his characterisation going against all known concept art, including the original 2DPV where Felix is animated as a shy, reluctant Chat Noir who comes out of his shell around Ladybug.

He did cartoonishly villainous things. All the characters talked about how evil he was. It confused a lot of casual fans who’d never heard of Felix and had no idea why Adrien suddenly had a doppelganger cousin with an entire episode devoted to hating him. They even threw in a moment where he tries to assault Ladybug, because we really NEED to despise him. He also spent half the time just dressed as Adrien (using Adrien’s character model) so we barely got a look at him to begin with. It was an appalling vendetta and made me lose a LOT of respect for the show for a very long time - until literally right now, in fact.

I can quite honestly, unironically say I love this boy. He’s not the same character from before. He’s still a clever little bastard with a quick wit and a habit of sneaking around, but he’s been toned down a LOT. His conflict is solely with Gabriel and he doesn’t do anything to harm other people, also Gabriel fucking STARTED it this time. I love that Adrien enjoys seeing him. I love that the Miraculous heroes are indifferent to him instead of waxing about how evil he was last time they met, and he even has a tiny moment with Ladybug. I love that he gets to roast Chloe a little bit. I love that he and Adrien are now distinctive characters, so for the first time it feels like I’m really seeing and hearing Felix instead of a weird clone. I love his soft moments with his mom and looking at Emilie’s portrait. And most of all I love that he’s suddenly become a very significant character - not just an insulting throwaway. 

What do I think of the plot?

This episode was completely insane, girl help. I didn’t expect a single goddamn thing in here, I thought Felix was going to arrive back at the mansion to cause more problems-on-purpose for poor Adrien! But instead this boy just walks in, identifies Gabriel as Shadow Moth and simply says “No.❤️” to being AKUMATIZED. RIP TO ADRIEN BUT HE ACTUALLY IS DIFFERENT. 

Alya and Chloe have rejected akuma as well - and both were displays of huge inner strength - but one of my friends pointed out that Felix is the first to have done this without ever being akumatized before or wielding a Miraculous. He has no direct experience with magic (that we know of) or how Shadow Moth gets into people’s heads, he just has that much self-control! That’s incredible!!!

I’m also deeply invested in this rivalry between Felix and Gabriel; it’s so much better than watching him go after Adrien for no (coherent) reason. Gabriel is terrifying when Felix gets too close to his secret, and despite his elaborate plan to conceal his identity, Felix actually holds on to his suspicions and fucking figures it out!!! THE FIRST PERSON TO PUT TWO AND TWO TOGETHER IN THIS ENTIRE SERIES AND IT’S FELIX. The status quo isn’t restored at the end either, Felix actually knows!!! I can’t put into words how mindblowing that is to me - it almost feels like an apology for the way they introduced him.

Actually, yes, that’s what this whole story feels like - a goddamn well-deserved apology while this show is trying to recover from Season 3. Felix returns and there’s only minimal hell raised - the important thing is he stole Ol’ Gabe’s wedding ring and there’s no mention of the frankly fucking ridiculous lengths the previous episode went to. He’s an important character now. He’s clever. He figures something out that completely rocks the status quo and makes Gabriel scarier than he’s ever been. He’s strong in a very significant way which implies he would have been a good Chat Noir in some other life. He’s not a “good person” but he doesn’t have to be in order to bring something interesting - if they’re going to put Felix in the damn show at ALL it should be like this, I think.

-

So there we go, I think! Thank you for coming on this journey with me, I’m astounded to say I actually had a lot of fun and I’m fascinated with where this story is going to go. Roll on the next Felix episode, I think I might have faith in this.

Now where is Bri? 🤔

[san-fics]

Breaking the rules

Felinette, Felix/Marinette, Felix/Ladybug

Part 20

“May I have Stompp back, please?” Ladybug asked.

“Stompp, quiet the rumble.” Felix called, removed the ring and gave it to Ladybug.

“Well done, master.” A tired voice of a floating qwami said, nodding to Felix. “I knew my holder would be worth waiting.”

“Thanks for your help, Stompp.” Felix nodded back, following the qwami with a gaze with almost... regret?”

Could it be he’d already got attached to the little god? Maybe Felix was much softer then Marinette knew...

“There is something else you need to see.” Felix’s face was serious again. “Follow me.” He commanded and led the way towards the garden.

“This is my aunt, Emilie Agreste.” He said with a sigh when they stood in front of the capsule. “I think what Gabriel did has something to do with her. She was... she is of the greatest value to him.” He looked away. “That’s how I found this place.”

Ladybug looked at Emilie stunned. Adrien’s mother was alive... and hidden here from the world.

“I... I have no words.” She whispered.

“Do you think you can help her?” There was a hidden hope in his tone, as if Felix didn’t want to rise his expectations in vain.

How much was this boy hurt before, to feel a necessity to guard his feelings so carefully?

“I don’t know.” Ladybug admitted, thinking. “Maybe if we bring her to the guardian’s temple, they could find a cure for her.” She reasoned. “But I need to think it through first. Maybe with Kaalki I could...” She stopped herself and looked at Felix. “I’ll need Gabriel’s permission and cooperation for this anyway. Let’s just keep it between us for now.”

Felix slowly nodded, carefully looking into her eyes.

“Ok then.” Ladybug sighed deeply. “I’ll go join Chat.” She said, turning towards the hall way.

“One last question, Ladybug.” She raised her eyebrows under the mask in response. “How did you guess so quickly that Shadow Moth was Gabriel?” Felix pierced into her eyes.

“Maybe I know you better than you think." She smirked, and went to find Chat.

The day couldn’t bring more surprises then it already did, Marinette thought.

*

She was mistaking.

“Why were you so cold with him, Chat?” Ladybug asked, when the long conversation with Gabriel was finally over, and they went to the Eiffel Tower just to breathe freely. “Don’t get me wrong, I understand it. We were fighting him for years. But it feels like too much for you, like it’s more personal, then it should be.”

Chat was looking into the distance in a long silence before answering.

“Because I am his son.” He finally said. A tear rolled down his face.

“Adrien.” Ladybug whispered, widening her eyes in shock.

She looked at him in disbelieve for a moment, then sighed deeply, and pulled him into a hug.

For a while they just sat like that, hugging each other. They were both shuddering sometimes in a soundless cry. Two Parisian heroes, victorious, but broken.

As if the whole weight of the tension, in which they had been living for years, had suddenly collapsed from their shoulders. And they could have rejoiced, if the final blow had not hit them so hard.

“I guess I always knew it was him.” Chat said, when they finally separated. “At least since we suspected him for the first time.”

“We couldn’t know, Adrien.” Ladybug placed her hand on Chat’s shoulder. “You couldn’t know.”

“It’s just...” He sighed. “His face will always remind me of what Hawk Moth did.” He smiled bitterly. “Even your face reminds me of it.” He looked away. “Sorry, LB. I mean, you will always have a special place in my heart. You’re my closest friend. But I guess I just need some time to come to terms with what happened tonight.”

“I know, Chat.” Ladybug smiled softly. “Don’t worry about it.”

“I think I need to distract myself somehow.” Chat Noir was thinking out loud. “Maybe go to China.”

“I think it's a good idea, Adrien.” Ladybug supported. “But what will you do alone in China?”

“I won't be alone.” Chat smiled for the first time today. “I have a friend there. We met when I was looking for a native speaker to practice Chinese, and then we kind of grew closer. We’ve been in touch for almost two years now.” Chat sighed with a dreamy smile on his face. “She is great.” Then he caught himself and turned to Ladybug. “We are just friends, of course.”

“Of course.” She smiled at him. Oh, this boy and his ‘just friends’...

“I think it would be good time to visit her.” Chat said, looking at the city again.

“Sounds like a plan.” Ladybug agreed. This boy deserved to be happy. Especially after everything what happened to him.

“Bridgette is so smart, and funny.” Dreamy expression returned to his face. “And she even loves my puns.” He smirked.

“Wait. Bridgette?” She looked at him suspiciously. “That isn’t a typical Chinese name. Isn’t her full name by any chance Bridgette Cheng?”

“Yeah.” Chat raised his eyebrows in surprise. “How did you know?”

Ladybug smirked.

“Because she is my cousin.”

Chat look at her with a long calculating look, then the recognition lightened up his face.

“Marinette!” He breathed out, staring at the smiling classmate in amazement. “That’s why you trusted Felix.” He guessed.

“I know him much better then you might think.” Marinette confirmed.

“I don’t know how it’s possible, but I can see it.” Adrien agreed. “There is some sort of tension between you two.” He added, probably recalling the fashion show. “And the way he looks at you... I was an idiot to think he wanted to hurt you.”

Ladybug frowned.

“He was trying to protect me.” She sighed. “Sometimes he is just... a little overprotective...”

“I could see the way he can protect today.” Chat nodded. “But why was he so pissed when Lila was claiming MDC... Wait!” He stopped, and Marinatte could almost see the thinking process, running through his eyes. “You were there, at MDC rooms. With Felix. “His eyes widened. “Oh my god, It’s your line, isn’t it? And he knows! That makes so much sense now!” Adrien was shaking his head in disbelieve. “So it was Felix who exposed Lila then!”

“I asked him not to.” Ladybug admitted. “You didn’t want to expose her lies, and I didn’t want a conflict between you and him. But you know him, if he decides something...”

“Are you kidding?!” Chat interrupted. “That was something I should’ve done a long time ago! It was becoming...” He sighed. “It looks like Felix accomplished a lot of things I couldn’t.” His face went sad again. “Including putting Lila on her place, getting Shadow Moth, and... winning your heart.”

“Adrien, I...” Marinette didn’t even know what she was gonna say. Her feelings for Felix weren’t even defined to herself yet.

“You don’t have to say anything, Mari.” Adrien placed hand on her shoulders. “I saw the way you looked at each other at school. I wasn’t sure before, but now I can understand.” He sighed again. “Plus I think you were right. I couldn’t see the girl behind the mask, when she was right in front of me.” Then his face lit up with warmth. “But instead of being clumsy like you told me, behind the mask you are even stronger, then with it.” He shook his head. “Wow. You really are worth each other.” Then he finally smiled again. “And we are really better functioning as a team.”

“You and me against the world.” Ladybug smiled and offered the fist to her partner.

“You and me against the world.” Chat Noir bumped her fist with his.

[about this au]

[part 1]

[part 19] ... [part 21]

[more MLB fanfic]

tag list (ask me to join)

@constancetruggle

[etherealxgenie]

Why Adrien is Better off Gay/Bi/Pan || Miraculous, Why?

(Before I begin, note that this is my opinion over the topic and am no way am bashing anyone’s love for the ship and/or character. I respect who and what you like, therefore expect the same courtesy. However, if this is something you cannot handle, please click the back button as this will be a heavily discussed topic. No flames allowed. Other than that, enjoy.)

I’m afraid I have to address the elephant in the room. Of how the hetero pairings for Adrien are about as real as Twilight. Sometimes it makes me wonder if Thomas Astruc looked at the ships in the end of Naruto and though… makes sense? That’s a long shot convo for another day.

I’m going to take the time in this chat to discuss why each female who has an interest in Adrien has no chance of having a healthy relationship with him and to why male characters have better chances! Let’s look at the girls one by once.

Lila: Let’s start with the obvious. Lila is clearly not interested in Adrien for his personality, but merely for the good looks and fame. She really hasn’t demonstrated any behavior that she cares for him genuinely and hangs off of him constantly as a possession. It’s clear Lila sets her eyes on Adrien because he’s famous, popular and wants him as a trophy husband. Lila is pretty toxic on her own to go so far as to sneak in and stalk Adrien. What’s worse is that she now has Gabriel’s permission to do so. If he were to be paired with Lila, it’ll break him and be nothing but hell.

Chloe: While it shows itself that Adrien has only platonic feelings for Chloe, she still hopes for something more. Adrien cares deeply for Chloe because he was her first friend, though it’s obvious Chloe wants more. Though Chloe has a mean streak and a possessive behavior where she tends to be cruel to people aside from Adrien and expects to get away with it every time. With the behavior she gets from being spoiled and trying to live up to her mother, would it be farfetched to say a future marriage between these two would be like Audrey/Andre? I don’t think so. Plus, she forgets his birthday. What kind of friend does that?

Kagami: Not going to lie, out of all the pairs, Kagami does have the most potential to be paired with Adrien. She meets him through fencing, they get time to know each other and they slowly start to grow as friend. However, that just about ends when it comes to such as Kagami is another girl who takes it a step too far. Like Chloe, Kagami follows too much in her mother’s footsteps and also is overly aggressive and competitive. She looks to quickly claim Adrien because they’re ‘perfect’, which is a word Adrien hates a lot under his façade. She’s gets possessive around other girls near Adrien and moves too quickly, also forcing Adrien to make his decisions as if he doesn’t have the time to decide.

And last…

Marinette: Marinette… in a way is a small combination of the girls combine. No doubt she’s sweet, shy and tries help at times when matters. BUT she’s also obsessive, possessive, and hypocritical. Things a potential yandere usually becomes. She invades Adrien’s privacy, stalks him, and steals from him more so than Lila. She doesn’t mind crossing boundaries as far as doing illegal acts such as breaking into his locker, copying his schedule? How even. She also tried to confess to Adrien on the day his mother disappeared/died which is a time for MOURNING and COMFORT! She also has no problems calling other people out on this behavior, yet she does the same things. Hypocrisy is never a good color to wear.

Not to mention she only is ‘in love’ with one side of him. As Ladybug, which is important, she tends to put him down as Chat Noir, doesn’t give him proper respect in public and doesn’t include him with important matters, especially with Master Fu. She treats him as his sidekick rather than his partner and leaves him in the dark. She thinks of herself as Batman and him Robin. If you read the comics or watch some of DC shows, you know how well THAT goes. Marinette cannot love Adrien without loving and respecting him as Adrien AND Chat.

Granted, she’s not the only girl who treats Chat badly, but she is supposed to be his ‘partner’ so… yeah.

For these girls it wouldn’t make sense. Not to mention at least once, the girls tend to make Adrien uncomfortable holding him on his arm and such. They don’t act like they care of Adrien’s well being at all (except for Kagami sometimes), but make him to be some prized to be won. Forced shipping is toxic shipping.

I can gladly blame the poor writing on the show, but pretty much it did it’s damage enough for me to say I cannot or will not romantically ship these girls with Adrien. If there were potential girls, girls like Rose, Juleka heck even Alix, but it’s safe to say that’s out of the question.

You know who DOES have the more potential, though? The boys.

Yes. As we take a chance to look at the friends he bonds with, its easy to say Adrien is more comfortable around the guys. The party before it was crashed, the video game tournament, these are just a few that aren’t shown often but do show more of Adrien’s comfort level. What guys you ask?

A perfect example for a ‘friends to lover’ romance would be Nino for example. He starts off subtly and gets to know Adrien from the start, not showing any animosity after the misunderstanding with Adrien and his childhood friend, Marinette. Nino also goes through lengths to help Adrien as far as to stand up to Gabriel to give Adrien a friggin’ birthday party! And got akumatized for it. Adrien also shows to go through the same lengths to help Nino hook up with Marinette so far as to set him up alone in the zoo. Nino is sweet, caring and he works well with Chat.

Another potential love interest (my personal OTP), Luka. From the get-go of how they met from a trip accident, Luka greets Adrien with kindness and welcomes him to the group in Captain Hardrock. In ‘Desperada’, that same friendliness still holds as Luka trust Adrien with his guitar, his most prize possession. Luka also does his best to keep Adrien safe and hidden away as Adrien returns the favor to save Luka from getting hit. Don’t push me about the locker scene because there are MULTITUDINOUS ways of how I can make so many ‘In the closet’ references. Also, that wink Chat gave, and the look Luka had? Need I say more? Good. And let’s not forget the icing on the cake and keep in mind to remember:

Adrien chose Luka to wield the Snake miraculous. ADRIEN, not ladybug, chose LUKA. Not to mention the fact, as Viperion, he was eager to work with Chat the moment they met and has nothing but good working with him as a teammate. That’s a bonus.

Many fans of the show try to depict them as rivals for Marinette, but only Luka shows that interest in which Marinette doesn’t really accept because of her obsession with Adrien. To make Adrien ‘jealous’ is really out of character, but another topic I’ll cover.

Truthfully, it would be an interesting twist of all the girls pushed up against Adrien, he would turn around and go for the cute guitarist or starts talking about how cute the guy is! Tell me that Degrassi twist wouldn’t add some good drama.

Overall, the show demonstrates so far that most of the girls for Adrien doesn’t really possess healthy qualities for Adrien to have a good future. The boys give him a more comfortable understanding a gentle nature for a kid like Adrien. You could pair him up with Ivan or Max and Adrien would STILL have more chemistry than them. Note that he’s sheltered, and we have no clue off what other mannerism he was raised on or how truly strict Gabriel and Nathalie are. Hell, we don’t even know how it was like when Emilie was even around.

But for any relationship to work, friendship before romance. Slow but steady at the pace both parties can go. People including Adrien, need that.

[multi-fandom-freak0221]

The Shell of a Girl that I Used to Know Well

Inspired by "Love of three" by @misashabunbun

Thank you @thestressmademedoit and @maleive07 for helping me find the fic.

So this turned out to be longer than I thought it would be (probably because I based it around like 5 songs) so I'll break it into parts and post each part separately. Oh and did I mention this is songfic? Because it's a songfic! No Felix yet, but you guys do see Peter but I surprise surprise I turned this into an OT4 pairing. Anyone wanna guess who the other lucky person is to date Mari, Peter and Felix? Also bonus points for anyone who can figure out Mari's stage name.

The song in this part in Stitches by Shawn Mendes and The Lonely by Christina Perri is where I got this parts title from. Also the song mentioned at the end is Partners in Crime by Set It Off ft Ashley Costello.

Marinette Dupain-Cheng was grateful for the quiet she found in what she was pretty sure was some kind of presentation room. There was a raised platform which she believes is supposed to be some kind of stage and a couple of tables with chairs surrounding them. She still has no idea how she got here, she was just trying to find some peace. She knew her pseudo Uncle and her friends meant well but they were suffocating her. It's been over a week since she left that bastard, not likely that he even noticed. Since Marinette has gotten to Stark Towers everyone has been treating her like she's about to break and she can't stand it. Yes she's hurt, but like give her a chance to fall apart before trying to shove her back together again! Marinette took a deep breath to calm herself as she sat on the little stage to work on the embroidery she was putting on the back of the blouse. She already had a full heart there but it was kind of plain. She wanted to add something but she didn't know what. 

She sighed softly. At times she really missed Tikki being around to be her second opinion. 

Ever since the defeat of Hawkmoth the kwamis asked to be renounced and to have their respective jewelry return the Miraculous box. They were working together to heal poor Nooroo and Dusuu. Even though Marinette had been able to fully fix the peacock Miraculous, as well as heal Emilie Agreste and Nathalie Sancour from the effects of using a broken Miraculous, the two kwamis had to deal with a significant amount of emotional trauma from the whole affair. 

Even though the final battle had been won quietly without casualties it had taken a lot out of everyone who had been a part of it. Adrien's relationship with his father has been very strained to say the least. Even though Gabriel is doing his best to right his wrongs, it goes to say that the only reason Adrien even speaks to his father at all is because of his mother who is desperately trying to make up for years lost between the two of them.

While Marinette was trying to think of an idea for her embroidery she started humming a song she had heard recently on the radio. In her eyes it fit her past relationship with Damian Wayne perfectly. Soon enough she was singing softly.

I thought that I've been hurt before

But no one has ever left me quite this sore.

Even on their worst days Lila's lies, Alya's beratings, hell even Mlle. Bustier's looks of disappointment never hurt half as much as Damian's total disinterest did. She had cooked him a nice romantic dinner yet he barely acknowledged her. More interested in whatever, or should she say whoever, was on his phone. After 5 mins of trying to carry the conversation alone Marinette sighed and just decided to eat the meal she worked so hard on. After 10 mins of stiff silence in their shared apartment, only filled with the sounds of Marinette eating and Damian texting, the latter got up. Grabbing his coat he made his way to the door, barely turning his head towards his fiancee to call out "I've got to go. Something came up at work."

Marinette wasn't even shocked anymore, just resigned. Still she tried to reason with the man she no longer recognized. Sometimes she wonders if she ever truly knew him at all. "You just got here. Isn't there someone else who can handle it? You haven't even touched your dinner."

True to her words, the young heir's meal sat completely untouched, quickly cooling in the AC.

"Mari, you know these things are important. Not just anyone can handle them." Damian's words were patronizing at best. It frustrated the young designer, but she didn't let it show.

"Will you be back tonight?" She knew the answer but she asked anyway.

Damian hummed noncommittally as he walked through the door still looking at his phone and not the beautiful young lady in front of him. "Most likely not. Don't wait up for me." He quickly walked out, closing the door behind him. Marinette quickly placed her ear to the door as he walked away from the humble abode. She could hear him on the phone.

"Yeah. I'm on my way, gorgeous. I just left." Silence. "No, she doesn't suspect a thing." Nothing but his footsteps as he continues to leave unknowing of her distress behind the apartment "Perfect. The less you're wearing, the better."

Marinette crumbled to the floor after she could no longer hear him. She had suspected as much but that didn't make hearing it less painful. 

Your words cut deeper than a knife

Now I need someone to breathe me back to life

She remembers the first time he truly yelled at her. The way he looked at her with disgust. The way she flinched away from his imposing figure and his cutting words. If tried hard enough she could delude herself that he was doing this out of her best interest. The illusion made even easier to believe by the way he apologized and hugged her after he stopped yelling. The way he told her he was worried about her going out and being made a target to Rogues because of her connection to him. The way he feared that he disguises wouldn't be enough even though he himself didn't recognize her at first when she walked back through the apartment door the day. She believed she was safer staying in the apartment because he said so and he only wants what's best for her. So eventually the walls of their apartment was all she saw 24/7. For her safety of course. 

Got feeling that I'm going under

But I know I will make it out alive

If quit calling you my lover

And move on

Marinette's head was spinning. Or was it the room? Was she even breathing? She couldn't focus on any of that. All she could focus on was the picture sitting on the screen on her phone. The phone Damian had bought her. The idea made her feel sick now because all those gifts he was giving her now seemed to have double meanings. Especially when the picture filling her screen was of a naked Lila whose body was hidden behind a sheet lying on Damian's bare chest while he slept. She didn't even think to process how the lying bitch managed to get her number. Instead all she could focus on was tears streaming down her face as she felt her heart shatter. She didn't even process the fact that she left the phone right there with the picture still on the screen and started packing her stuff. She grabbed everything that was hers that she bought herself, later on she'd be surprised at how little that was. She stuffed her things in a small suitcase, put the miracle box in a duffle bag wrapped in her leftover fabric from commissions, grabbed her purse with her wallet and left. After locking the apartment door she slid the key underneath the door so he could have it back. He could have everything back he ever gave her. She was done. She was so distressed she didn't even notice that she had put on the one disguise she had and taken a train to New York until she was standing in the lobby of Stark Tower with her Uncle Tony and her Aunt Pepper holding her while she sobbed.

You watch me bleed until I can't breathe

I'm shaking, falling onto my knees

And now that I'm without your kisses

I'll be needing stitches

Tripping over myself

Aching, begging you to come help

And now that I'm without your kisses 

I'll be needing stitches

Marinette was so engrossed in the lyrics, in her feelings, that she didn't notice the tears falling from her eyes, nor the way she was furiously embroidering the shirt in her hands. And she definitely didn't notice that she had gained an audience.

Just like a moth drawn to a flame

Yeah you lured me in and I couldn't sense the pain

The first time she met Damian it had been an accident. She knew when her classes started she wouldn't have the time to get the fabrics she needed for her last commissions that she agreed to before going on hiatus. She knew juggling her business and school would be hard so told her clients she'd be on break for the unforeseeable future. She was so focused on her phone trying to make sure her list was complete, that she didn't notice the man right in front of her.

"Oh!" She fell back with a little yelp and when she saw what, or who, she ran into she hurried to help them up as well. "I'm so sorry monsieur. Are you okay?"

The man yanked his hand away from her and growled, "You wouldn't be having to ask if you weren't caught up in whatever idiotic nonsense is on your phone."

Marinette fumed silently. "Well excuse me sir, I don't know who you think you are, but that is uncalled for. I apologized and helped you up. All you had to do was walk away. No need to be so rude."

Damian raised an eyebrow at her curiously. "You don't know who I am?"

Marinette crossed her arms still annoyed. "Am I supposed to? You could be the president for all I cared and I still would say you were being rude and disrespectful."

Damian's expression changed slightly to a bit of amused intrigue. "I apologize. I thought you were another fangirl with some kind of ruse to get my attention. If you don't mind me asking, what is a girl like you doing in a city like Gotham? I can tell from your accent you are not from here."

Marinette relaxed a little bit. "I'm here going to college when the semester starts, but right now I was out doing some shopping."

"Perhaps I could join you as a way to apologize for my rude behavior. I could give you a mini tour along the way." Damian smiled softly at her.

"I don't know," apprehension was clear on Marinette's face. "I don't even know you let alone your name."

Damian chuckled lightly. "I assure you, even if you don't know me, the rest of the city does. I won't be able to get away with doing anything to you without being plastered across every newspaper and magazine in town, Angel. But my name is Damian by the way. Damian Wayne." He grabbed her hand and kissed it softly after his introduction.

"A-angel?" Marinette stuttered as she blushed.

"Well, I still don't know your name."

Marinette smiled before introducing herself. "My name is Marinette. Your company would be much appreciated, Damian"

Your bitter heart cold to the touch

Now I'm going to reap what I sow

I'm left seeing red on my own

Sometimes on nights like these Marinette wondered what she did wrong. Because it had to be her of course. Why else would Damian go from her caring, charming, wonderful, Dove to Gotham's very own cold, unfeeling, ruthless, Ice Prince. 

"Hi, Damian. You're home early." Marinette tried not to let the hope seep into her voice. She had a feeling she wasn't successful.

Damian barely grunted at her as he continued to their room. "My idiots brothers dragged me into spending some time with them so I'm forced to change into something less formal."

"Oh okay." She knew she did an even worse job of hiding her disappointment. "You know I finished Uncle Jagged's outfit the other day. He loved it."

Damian hummed noncommittally. She knew he wasn't paying attention, he never was but she kept trying.

"You know how he's doing that "World's Greatest" Tour. Celebrating the hero's of the world in their respective cities. Luka's been opening for him. His career has really taken off. Hell I'm sure half the tickets Uncle Jagged sells are people just trying to see Luka. He'll have to tour solo soon."

"I bet." Damian's voice was muffled from being the closet, but she could still hear the disinterest in his voice.

She sighed as she leaned against the doorframe of "their" room. It was only theirs in name the fact that his clothes were there. She spent almost every night there alone. She took a deep breath trying to gather her courage for what she was going to ask. "Well they wanted to thank me for the outfits. Claimed the tour would have been half as successful without them. They invited me to take me out to dinner tonight to catch up, then for me to hang out backstage during their show. They said they missed me." Marinette hoped he still wasn't paying attention, but as soon as he settled his famous glare on her, she knew she wasn't that lucky. She flinched into herself under his gaze.

"Marinette. You know what would happen if you left this apartment. The famous Wayne Heir's sweet vulnerable fiance. The one never seen in the media anymore. You would get off this block before your picture would be on every media outlet in the city. Then you would be the Rogues target for the night. They would go anywhere you would be. Including the concert. Would you really be so selfish to endanger hundreds, possibly thousands of innocent concert goers just to 'hang out' with people you can see any time you please?" The disappointment on his face and the coldness of his delivery had her feeling ashamed. She hung her head low trying to hold back the tears. 

"I'm sorry." She knew her voice was barely above whisper, but if she tried to speak any louder she knew she'd open the flood gatesp.

Damian brushed past her. "You should be. I'll be heading to the concert with my brothers. I'll inform Jagged of your apologies for not coming."

"Just telling him I'm sick." She offered weakly still not looking up from the floor.

She could feel his judgeful look on her. "Of course not. He'll insist on coming to check on you then he'll see your lying. I'll tell him you're busy with commissions." He left her standing there as headed to leave again. She heard his phone ring and he answered it harshly. "I'm coming down, Todd!" "Of course not, you imbecile! She's a serious designer who can't be bothered out of her schedule to spend time with my idiotic brothers, especially when she's up to her nose in commissions!" She heard the door shut after that statement. I guess her soon to be brothers in law didn't know the real reason behind her lock down either. She stood there for a few more moments before she broke down into loud heavy sobs. She collapsed to her knees and just cried. Not for the first nor last time in that prison she called an apartment.

Got feeling that I'm going under

But I know I will make it out alive

If quit calling you my lover

And move on

You watch me bleed until I can't breathe

I'm shaking, falling onto my knees

And now that I'm without your kisses

I'll be needing stitches

Tripping over myself

Aching, begging you to come help

And now that I'm without your kisses 

I'll be needing stitches

Needle and the thread 

Gotta get you out my head

Her hands were moving furiously as she was trying to rid her mind of her cruel ex.

Needle and the thread

Gonna wind up dead

She wanted to forget everything about him.

Needle and the thread 

Gotta get you out my head

His smile, his laugh, the loving look in his eyes.

Needle and the thread

Gonna wind up dead

His kisses, his hugs, the way he held her like he was afraid of losing her

Needle and the thread 

Gotta get you out my head

His scowl, his glare, his need to hide her from the world

Needle and the thread

Gonna wind up dead

His distance, his apathy, the way he was happy in any other girl's arms but her's

Needle and the thread 

Gotta get you out my head

Get you out of my head.

She wanted to forget loving him and hating him. She wanted her happiness back

You watch me bleed until I can't breathe

Shaking, falling onto my knees

And now that I'm without your kisses

I'll be needing stitches

Tripping over myself

Aching, begging you to come help

And now that I'm without your kisses 

I'll be needing stitches

And now that I'm without you kisses

I'll be needing stitches

I'll be needing stitches.

As she finished singing she awoke from her haze. She felt the tears on her face and wiped them away before looking to see what she had made. The simple heart from before now had a jagged line down the middle that stopped a quarter of the way to the bottom to represent a break. From the bottom it looked like the heart was dripping. The most noticeable change was the crude yet tasteful stitches that laid over the break in the heart. They weren't neat as if she were suggesting they were professionally done. The way she laid them subconsciously represented as if they were self done by someone trying their best.

While she was studying her impromptu embroidery a voice surprised her. "It looks nice."

She looked up in shock to see a brown haired boy around her age, 21 maybe 22, sitting at the table closest to the stage she was on. He looked as if he had been there for a while.

"Sorry I didn't mean to scare you. I heard you singing so I came to see who it was because you have a beautiful voice, but then I saw you crying and I wanted to make sure you were okay, but you seem really focused and I didn't want to interrupt, but I didn't want to just leave you either, but- I'm sorry I'm rambling. My name is Peter. Are you okay?" The boy, Peter, asked her softly, looking concerned. For Marinette it was enough.

She had sat in the chair next to him and finally let out everything she was holding in. The tears were flowing freely now "I don't know. I'm so mad, so hurt, so confused. Where did it go wrong? One minute I'm getting my business degree at Gotham University, the next I'm in a relationship with Damian Wayne. It was amazing he was so kind and sweet and loving and he made me so happy. Then next thing I know after dating for about a year and half he proposes. I'm on cloud 9 and I say yes and I'm so excited for what's to come, but suddenly everything changes. Next thing I know he's saying I can't leave the apartment because he wants me to be safe from the Rogues and I accepted it. Then he's yelling at me for trying to sneak out and I'm thinking I deserve it. I should have just stayed home and he's already apologizing for yelling. Then suddenly he's gone more and more. He's never home and I'm alone and it hurts. Then suddenly I'm selfish for asking to go out to see my friends because how can I put everyone at risk just to go see some friends who I can see anytime I want. Yet nobody is ever allowed over. But I still believe he's right. How can I be So now I'm alone and miserable and it hurts because he keeps getting further and further from me and I'm starting to suspect what's going on but I'm too scared to ask him because if he confirms it, then everything I believed in is a lie and I couldn't live with that. But I didn't even have to ask because soon someone is sending me a picture and it's the girl who made my school life hell by taking everyone I thought was my friend away from me with a few far fetched lies, and here she is laying naked on my fiance's naked chest as he sleeps. And I know he knows who she is and what she did to me because I told him. Yet he doesn't care because here he is fucking her while I'm at home all the time because he told me to be. So I grabbed my stuff and left everything he ever got me and just left. So here I am miserable staying with my Uncle Tony trying not to think about the asshole while my friends try to help me feel better yet I feel terrible because I loved the jerk and I still kinda do and I still have the engagement ring which I should pawn, but it was Bruce's mom's ring and that would be wrong and Bruce would be devastated. Why do I care so much about him and his family when he couldn't be bothered with me?" She felt better after finally letting it all out. She hadn't cried since she came to Uncle Tony. Not when Adrien arrived with Kagami, Marc, and Nathaniel, not when Luka arrived with Uncle Jagged and not even when Chole and Alix arrived. All her friends and pseudo family were there yet she hadn't cried once, nor had she actually told them the full story. But here this stranger asked if she was okay and she let it flow like Niagara Falls.

If Peter was shocked by her rant he didn't let it show. Instead he placed a hand on her before speaking softly "Because you are an amazing person who is a million times better than him. He is insane to choose anyone over you especially someone so foul as a desperate liar. I just met you, but I can already tell that you are a kind hearted, talented girl and anyone would be lucky to have you in their lives and I can tell by the crowd over there by the door that you have many people standing with you who already figured that out." Marinette looked up at his words to see her friends and pseudo uncles and their respective wives standing in the door. 

"Hi guys." As soon as Marinette finished speaking they all rushed towards her. Adrien reached her first pulling her into a tight hug.

"Oh bugaboo, I'm so sorry you had to go through this. Are you okay? Why didn't you tell us, princess?" He buried his face in her neck purring slightly in a way that calmed her.

"I guess I was still processing everything kitty. He really had me thinking he loved me and to find out he didn't was a hard blow." She confessed quietly.

"He'll meet my blade for hurting you, Mari," Kagami seemed to have Chole, Alix and surprisingly, Marc ready to back her. 

"No, Gami, I just want to get over him. He's not worth it." Mari remarked sadly before smiling at her friends. "But thank you, all of you, for having my back."

There were various "Of course" and "Always" that were heard among the group before Tony Stark cleared his throat. "Marinette let me properly introduce Peter Parker, my intern. Peter, this is my niece Marinette Dupain-Cheng also known as MDC owner and head designer of Miracle Designs."

Peter looked star struck. "I love your work. You make the coolest clothes on the planet."

Marinette blushed lightly. "Thank you, Peter. Uncle Tony told me much about you and I was always impressed. You're nothing short of a genius." Marinette missed Peter's blush as she started introducing her friends to him, but Tony didn't.

"This is Adrien Agreste, former model and Physics major. This is Kagami Tsurugi, world champion fencer. This is Luka Couffanie, singer songwriter signed under Jagged Stone. They're dating. This is Nathaniel Kurtzberg and Marc Anciel creators of Miraculous Tales comic. They're engaged. This is Chole Bourgeois, the best lawyer in all of France and probably Europe. And this is Alix Kubdel, X Games Winner, and famous archeologists. These two are also engaged. I'm sure you know Jagged Stone and his manager and also his wife, Penny." 

"You guys are amazing! None of you look much older than me yet you're already so successful! What is in the water in Paris? Some kind of talent steroids?" Peter was amazed.

"Speaking of talent," Luka turned towards Marinette. "Melody why didn't you tell me you could sing like that?" Soon everyone was agreeing that she was an excellent singer.

Marinette was bright red. "It's no big deal guys. I was just singing to myself, I wasn't expecting an audience."

Jagged took his chance to pull his pseudo niece into a hug. "Nettie, my girl you have got to let me sign you. It would be so rocking to have talent like yours produced under my label!"

"No way Uncle Jagged! I'm not even that good!" Marinette began protesting before Luka put a hand on her shoulder.

"How about this? I need some vocals for a song I wrote and no matter how much I love them, my dear boyfriend and girlfriend can not sing." Adrien and Kagami looked at each other before shrugging. No point denying it. "How about you feature in my new single under an alias and if it's hit you'll give an album a try?"

Marinette looked around at some of the most important people in the world to her before sighing and agreeing.

"Alright. But no promises that this will be hit. I'm really not that good. You guys are just biased."

Alix ruffled Marinette's hair. "Whatever you say, DC. Now let's go play some UMS3!"

As everyone was heading out to find a room large enough for all of them Peter prepared to go back to work on a project until Marinette turned back to him with a huge smile and bright eyes. "Come on Peter! Come play with us." 

How could he say no to that? So he came along.

A couple weeks later Luka's single "Partners in Crime" featuring Neon Titanium hit number one on the charts. And the most searched inquiry on Google for 3 days following was "who is Neon Titanium?" Needless to say Marinette was busy for the next couple months. Especially after Luka dropped a music video which she starred in as well wear a full face mask to stay hidden.

[p-artsypants]

I’ll Handle This (12)

In Which Lila Learns about Skyrim

Ao3 | FF.net

Sorry for taking a bit with this chapter. It isn’t even very long. But I was in the hospital recovering from surgery. We’re coming up close to the end of the story, but there’s maybe two more chapters after this. 

(Psst this chapter has hints to the next story I’ll publish after this one...as long as my ideas don’t change lol)

--

Lila was fired. It was immediate when they found out. Everyone sat in class, the lecture normal and lulling everyone into a soft state of sedation. 

Then Lila screamed. The scream was the worst thing Marinette had ever heard. Immediately, everyone turned to look at her in horror. 

She started bawling. Huge gasping sobs of someone who’d been shot. 

“Lila?!” Miss Bustier gasped in shock and concern. “Are you okay?!” 

“I’m so sorry, Miss Bustier!” She wailed. “I just wanted to peek at my email and—and—Mr. Agreste fired me!” 

Plagg had to bite his tongue. He knew she was going to twist this somehow, but her sobbing was so beautiful to see. 

“Oh Lila, I’m so sorry. It hurts a lot to lose a job. Especially when they don’t tell you to your face. That’s no fair.” 

“He-he-he said that Marinette told him that I was making Adrien uncomfortable! She got me fired!” 

Gasps, all around. 

“What?!” Barked Marinette. “I had nothing to do with this!” Not exactly the truth...

“But that’s what Mr. Agreste said!” 

Plagg stood, placing his foot on the seat, the spurs on his cowboy boots ringing with the motion. He put his cowboy hat back on (since Mrs. Bustier had asked him to remove it for violating dress code...again.) “well now. Sounds like we got ourselves in a gosh darn pickle.” 

Nino snorted. 

“Adrien! You never said I made you uncomfortable! Marinette must have lied to your father!” 

He flicked the rim of his hat. “Now slow your roll there, Buckeroo. I know my old man, and even if Marinette was mentioned in his email, it’s likely that he just wanted to place the blame on someone else.” 

Yes, throw the old man under the bus. He still deserves it, even with whole hearted apologies. 

“But you know, I do feel awfully bad for you, Lila. Losing yer job and all. How’s about I make it up to ya? I’ll come sit by you for a while. Keep ya company and cheer you up. Cain’t have gettin’ all akumatized up in here, you reckon?” 

Not that Lila getting akumatized was even a concern anymore. But the world wouldn’t know about Hawkmoth’s surrender until Emilie’s fate was resolved. Adrien’s family deserved that much at least. 

“Oh Adrien!” Lila cried. “You really are such a wonderful friend. But I couldn’t bear to make you move on my behalf. You need to focus on your work.” 

“A cowboy needs to be exceptional at multitasking. That is, as long as Mrs. Brassiere is okay with it.” 

Miss Bustier pinched the bridge of her nose. Usually, she was a very calm and level-headed teacher, compassionate and understanding. But Adrien’s antics were stressing her out massively. “Yes, Adrien, I suppose it’s fine if you move to—what did you call me?”

“Much obliged, Madam. If’en you’ll excuse me...” 

Marinette watched with fascination as Plagg gathered up his materials and moved to the back of the class to sit next to Lila. Then she glanced in her purse, where Tikki and Adrien were hanging out. They both shrugged. 

Due to the retirement of Hawkmoth, Adrien was now allowed to spend time away from the Miraculous without consequence. Plagg assured him that once the final condition was met, no matter where he was, his soul would return to his body. 

So he spent the school day with Tikki, and the evenings with Marinette. It was a sweet deal, and it really gave Adrien the time to bond with her without school or akumas in the way. 

He had even spent the night with her the night before, curled up next to her on her pillow, and purring every time Marinette’s hand glanced his fur. 

Nino leaned back in his seat. “Do you know what he’s up to this time?” 

“No idea...but I am eager to see where this goes.” 

Nino shook his head with a shrug. Two nights ago, when Plagg was arrested, Nino gathered all the money in his savings and went down to the jail to bail him out. 

Only to find out he was already let go. 

So he went back home, and called Adrien’s phone relentlessly, hoping for an answer. 

Finally, in the wee hours of the morning, Chat Noir returned and explained that he was going home now, thanks for having him, he had to watch the mansion because his sort of repentant father was going to Tibet to resurrect his dead wife. 

Nino gave up on logic and understanding, and just made sure Plagg had everything he had brought. 

Now he would wait until the whole situation blew over, and hopefully Adrien himself, in his own body, would explain it all to him. Plagg seemed to oversimplify everything to the point it became vague. 

Marinette, on the other hand, was very curious to see where this was all going. After all, Adrien’s previous tactic of being nice to Lila hadn’t worked. So what was Plagg hoping to gain from the same approach?

Wrassle her with his randomly appointed cowboy charm? 

In science, two classes later, Plagg had elected to sit next to Lila still, despite her protests. 

Marinette was close enough now to hear what Plagg’s master plan was. 

“So there’s like several types of Mer, right? But not like mermaids. This has nothing to do with mermaids. These are mostly elves, but not all. So there’s Dunmer, right? Those are dark elves. And Bosmer, wood elves, and Altmer, high elves. The Falmer are snow elves, but they’re all twisted and savage, because of the Dwemer, which are dwarves!” 

Marinette snorted a bit too loudly, drawing attention from the teacher. 

“Miss Dupain-Cheng, is something funny?” 

“No ma’am, I had a tickle in my sinuses.” 

“Ah, I see. Anyways, as I was saying...” 

Lila always sat in the back of the class, despite her many alleged disabilities. This was probably to get away with the fact that she rarely paid attention during class. 

It was the ideal place for Plagg to harass her and not get caught. 

Poetry in motion. 

“So you get to pick what race you want to be, but you’re always the Dragonborn. Despite the description, you don’t look any different. So a Dragonborn is someone that can devour the souls of dragons so they don’t get resurrected by Alduin. Let me back up, Alduin is an evil dragon that used to rule the world, and he’s resurrecting dragons so he can take over. There’s another dragon though, named Paarthanax, and he’s a good guy. He helps out the Tongues on the Throat of the World. Or the greybeards. Some call them Tongues, but in the game they’re called Graybeards. And the tongues are the monks that teach you to shout. And different shouts teach you different things, right? The dragonborn and the tongues are the only ones that are supposed to know how to shout, but there’s this other dude named Ulfric Stormcloak, and he knows Unrelenting Force, that’s the Fus Ro Da shout I was talking about earlier? He used it to kill high king Torygg to start a war. Oh yeah, so there’s nine holds with Jarls, right—“ 

The day ended, and Lila stood quickly. “Well Adrien, thank you so much for keeping me company today. I’m feeling a lot better. You can move back up to your old spot tomorrow.” 

“Well, you shore are welcome, Pardner. But sittin here in the back has been mighty nice. I think I’ll stay! You don’t mind, do ya? It’s awfully fun to have you as company!” 

Lila’s eye twitched, but she was aware that most of the class was watching them. “Yeah. That’d be...great.” 

“Darn tootin’! Well, you look like you’re in a rush, don’t want to hold you up!” 

“See you tomorrow!” She chirped, before hurrying from the room. As she passed Marinette, a dark look came over her face. The look of someone seething with rage and hatred, but trying to hide it. 

Marinette would have been scared, if Lila hadn’t been dealing with Plagg instead. 

Marinette went home, Tikki and Adrien talking to her from her collar. 

“I don’t know. Plagg was successful with the first two tasks, but I don’t know how he’s going to turn Lila over to the good side.” Marinette mused. 

“I don’t know if he has to. The condition is to just get her to leave me alone. He said he was doing some Pavlovian Jedi mind trick on her.” 

“Well, I sure hope it works. Speaking of, where is Plagg?” 

Adrien’s ears flicked. “He left pretty suddenly after class. I didn’t see him go. Hopefully, he went back to the mansion.” 

“Do you want me to call him?” 

“No, I trust him. He’s got things under control.” 

“Glad to hear it! Ready for snack time?” 

“Oh heck yes!” 

—

Lila had to actively stop herself from stomping all the way home. Frustration rolled off of her in waves, and she mildly wondered why she hadn’t been akumatized yet. 

Adrien Agreste was the most annoying person she had ever met. And oblivious too! He never picked up on any of her subtle hints to get him to shut up! She really didn’t want to be rude, because his friendship looked great on her, but wow. No wonder he didn’t have any friends. No wonder Gabriel was so protective of him. If he wasn’t cute...his personality was like a wet sock. 

And he was weird. Weird mannerisms, weird speech pattern, just weird. Hopefully she could either get used to it, or Adrien would get a clue to stop being so obnoxious. 

Finally, she reached her apartment. 

“Home mom!” She called. 

There was laughter in the kitchen. Her mother had a guest. While not uncommon, there was just a hint of dread that hung in the air. 

Lila walked to the kitchen, only to see Adrien sitting at the table, talking to her mother! How?! How did he beat her here?! How did he know where she lived?! What the hell was he doing?!

“Adrien?” Lila gawked. 

He rubbed his head awkwardly. “Sorry for popping in uninvited. I just...I was worried about you! You’ve been akumatized twice, and I didn’t want it to happen again since you were fired.” 

Lila’s face paled as her mother gave her a stern look. 

“I think you’ve got some explaining to do, Missy. I didn’t know you were modeling. And you never told me about being akumatized!” 

Adrien gasped. “Oh no! She didn’t tell you? I’m so sorry! I didn’t know that was a secret! I won’t say anymore!” 

“Any more?” Mrs. Rossi asked. “There’s more?” 

“Adrien.” Lila bit, in warning. 

“Well...I mean, you knew she was meeting with my father right? Something about being his muse?” 

Mrs. Rossi looked horrified. “What! You were talking to a grown adult man?! Were these visits supervised?!” 

Lila opened her mouth to answer, but Plagg beat her to it. “I don’t think so. Father is a very private person.” 

“Lila Giselle Rossi! You are sooo grounded! No offense to your father, Adrien, but meeting up with an adult man, unsupervised? And to what, be his muse? What does that even mean? It sounds gross!” 

“I swear nothing happened! He just wanted my opinion-”

“On what? What reason would he have to ask a 14 year old’s opinion?”

Plagg winced and looked at Lila. “I’m so sorry, Lila. I came here to help, but...” 

Lila shook with rage. Her mother was a complete pushover and believed everything she said. Now Adrien had sewn the seeds of distrust in her and she wouldn’t get away with any white lies ever again. 

“You’re dead,” She mouthed at Plagg. 

“Adrien, thank you for coming here and telling me all of this. I’m very grateful. But I think it’s best if you head home now. Lila has some chores to do.” 

“I understand, Madam Rossi. Again, I’m really sorry...I just wanted to help.” 

“Oh don’t worry, you did. This is for Lila’s own good.” 

He sheepishly looked to her. “See you tomorrow?” 

Her eye twitched. “Yeah.” 

And Plagg swiftly walked from the apartment, concealing his evil laughter until he got to the door. 

—

The next day at school, Marinette, along with Tikki and Adrien in her bag, arrived at school just a few minutes before the bell rang. 

Plagg was sitting at the front of the room, wearing a Pikachu onesie, and looking absolutely devastated. Nino sat next to him and had a hand over his face, doing his best to conceal whatever emotion he had. 

Everyone else in the room was avoiding them like they had the plague. 

Alya spotted her and came quickly, looping an arm through hers and escorting them out into the hall. “Girl, big news. I know you love Adrien, so this is going to be a blow. But here’s the thing...Lila told us this morning that Adrien came to her house yesterday and told her mom about her modeling job. Apparently, her mom didn’t want her working, and got upset that Lila lied. Adrien’s been insisting that it wasn’t on purpose, but everyone is kind of pissed at him anyway.” 

Marinette said nothing, but bit her lip. She knew that this absolutely was on purpose. 

“I’ll leave your actions up to you, but people are pretty mad at Adrien. Just letting you know.” 

“Who’s side are you taking?” 

Alya scoffed. “None. I’m staying out of this. Both people are in the right. Obviously Sunshine just wanted to prevent her from being akumatized. He was with her all day yesterday. It’s admirable, really.” 

“It is.” Marinette said with a smile. Though she was smiling for a completely different reason. There were no akumatizations anymore. Everyone was safe now. 

“We better get back in there, class will start soon.” 

So they returned. Miss Bustier was in, and ready to begin the lesson. 

Then Plagg raised his hand. 

“Yes Adrien?” 

“Before we start class, I want to say something.” 

“Go ahead, Adrien. The floor is yours.” 

He stood, and looked to Lila in the back of the room. “Lila, I know I apologized yesterday, but I’m really really sorry about outing you to your mom. I had no idea she didn’t know about your rendezvous with my father. I was just really scared that you were going to become akumatized, and I didn’t want that to happen. My friends are all important to me, and losing you would be like ripping out a piece of my heart. Could you ever forgive me?” 

Marinette glanced Nino’s face, which twitched to hide a smile. Then she looked at Lila, who looked calm, but her hands were balled into fists. 

After many breathless minutes, Lila smiled slightly. “I understand, Adrien. Of course you’re still my friend. I treasure you too! I’m sorry I got so mad.” 

“Hugs?” Plagg raised his arms. 

Lila could pretend to be happy and calm, but the paling of her skin could not be hidden. “Hugs!” 

Plagg brought her in for a squeeze, and the class ‘aww’ed at their make up. 

Except Nino, who let out the tiniest snort. 

Marinette flicked open her purse to look at Adrien. He mimed a gagging gesture back. 

And then Plagg took those last couple steps and joined Lila on her bench. No one tried to stop him. No one spoke up and said, “hey, maybe you should give her some space anyway.” 

They just all let poor, socially awkward Adrien push boundaries and take his seat. Because he had apologized so earnestly for trying to help. And she had forgiven him. So everything was fine now. 

Right?

As the lesson started, Marinette paid attention to the teacher. But occasionally, she’d hear the faintest whispers of Adrien’s voice (Plagg’s voice now). 

“...so it’s commonly believed that the Nord’s came from Atmora with Ysgramor, but they believe that they settled Skyrim, so they’re kind of racist to everyone else. But also, the Empire came in out of nowhere and tried to upheave their way of life, and even told them which Gods they were allowed to worship. High King Torygg was playing cordial with the Aldmeri Dominion, and some of the other Jarl’s didn’t like that. So Ulfric Stormcloak, the Jarl of Whiterun shouted him to death. Just like the Dragonborn can. Though it’s never explained why he knows how to do this. So this started a whole civil war…” 

Marinette chanced a glance behind her, and noticed that Lila had her head in her hands, and she looked absolutely miserable.

[melloian]

Character Bio 13

Andre Bourgeois aka Mayor

Age: 50

Gender: M

Race: French Species:  Human Alignment: Neutral  Status: Alive, (later on: injured) Relatives: unnamed mother, unnamed father, Chloe (daughter) Occupation: Director (formerly), Mayor, owner of Le grand paris hotel Love interest:  Audrey (married)

Friends: Gabriel (formerly), Emilie, Adrien (currently) the man trying to find new friends 

Enemies: Villains

Personality: Manipulative, Cowardly, stubborn, Sensitive, Skeptical, can be nice in some terms.

Post-Gabriel incident personality: Emotional wreck (worse then redeemed chloe),  still coward, sensitive, skeptical, nice, Empathetic

Post-unknown Villain attack (in unknown season): confident, less emotional, protective, venturesome, nice, alert Bio: Andre is the mayor of France. He keeps charge of the country, though he does a bad job of doing that... He’s usually abuse his power just for his family. He sometimes manipulate his citizens for his own gain. He also very stubborn on others opinions however, is scared of own family so he just listens to their opinion. He sometimes check on his family in a meantime.

Post-Gabriel incident bio: He cries much more lately. He can be easily get upset and angered. He pretty much stressed out Even though he’s the mayor, he wants to stay away from his country so he can deal with his problems. But he cant do that. 

Post-unknown Villain attack bio: Before the attack, he finally calm down and apologize to everyone (he been wanted to do that after post Gabriel incident but he wasn’t in the correct mood.  he gotten this feeling after seeing Gabriel), especially his daughter. He promised her he is going be better person.

After the attack: He’s is no longer scared, he’s much more confident.  He willing to protect his own family and country, even if it risks his own life. He takes his job much seriously now, awhile still checking on his family. Because of this, he family sometimes just think he took his courageous little too far.  Backstory:

When he was kid, he used to dance to music in class. From there, he hated dancing because he embarrassed from doing it. Believe it or not, Andre used to be middle class. He didn’t have much but he enjoyed awhile he could. He knew how to cook, clean and etc. In the meantime, he go skateboarding. When he was a preteen, He was skateboarding one day and found a little boy (by hitting him by accident.)  The boy name was revealed to be Gabriel. He realized Gabriel never been out much before because of his parents. So he wanted to show him around and they became friends after that. Andre will usually get ladder and climb up to Gabriel so that they can go out together.

When they both became a teenager, they usually go to parties (Andre don't dance in them don't worry.) But one day, they went to a party. The party was a house party,. Andre and Gabriel went outside and chat there. Hours later, someone ended up shooting up the party. Everyone started to scream and started running. the shooter then goes to the backyard and noticed two boys. The shooter decided to point the gun at Gabriel. Gabriel was terrified.  As soon as the shooter pull the trigger, Andre jumped in front of Gabriel and got shot on the side. Andre started screaming and crying in pain which caused the shooter run. Andre yell at Gabriel to go nearby telephone pole and call the hospital. But Gabriel was so scared that he ran off instead. Andre thought Gabriel wasn’t really his friend because he did that.  He ended up passing out afterwards. He wake up in the hospital, found his mother angry. He attempted to tell her what happened but the mother yelled at him and took it as something else. He couldn’t reason with her. He developed becoming a coward because he feared to go to parties after that and talking back to his mother. After getting healed, he attempts to please his mother so she doesn’t get angry. This also how he ends up gaining the pleasing and manipulative tactic. 

In his young adult years, He met Gabriel again but he wasn't so happy to met him. Gabriel saw him and wanted to apologize about the past. Andre accepts his apology but was little skeptical about it.

At some point in his young adult years, he became a director as he always wanted. He made 2 films, only one being successful (the one with Emilie.) Even though he liked filming, he lost motivation overtime.  In his adult years, He decided he wanted to be mayor, his wife (Audrey) questioned if he’s sure about what’s he doing. He claims he does and moves on to be mayor. He claims he wants to protect the country.

As Malediktator

Altered personality: its the opposite of his personality. and all the bad traits are increased.

cause of akumanzation: He got upset because chloe and his wife wanted to leave him to go to new york.

Akumantized object: sash

Goal: he wants to control his own family awhile doing the same with the country.

Abilities: He can shoot circle like projectile at people and they’ll be under his control.

As Heart hunter 

I have already made a post for this so I really don't have to type but I still can show these:

cause of akumanzation: Him and his wife ended up in argument leading to them to think they need a divorce. Akumantized object: brooches

As Wraith

Altered personality: overprotective, strict, aggressive, ignorant Force chloe to be with him...

cause of Haunzation: Chloe didn’t want to be bother by him or see him ever again, causing him to become upset.

Hauntzation object: Sash

Goal: He wants the entire Paris to be gone just for him and chloe to only exist. 

He usually would target who chloe loves or friends with first. 

Abilities:  

He can extend his chain arm He can make extra chain arms He can create a portal

He can create a chained jail

When he floats, everything behind him turns black and pink.

Night vision

Not ability but awhile he hauntzatied, the entire France turns into nighttime.

Relationships (main ones)

Andre & Gabriel

Andre and Gabriel was childhood friends. They used to play together and hangout as kids. But because of that one incident, they wasn’t as close anymore. 

They met again as young adults, and decided to hangout but not as much as before. They introduced each other wives and etc. 

Andre pretty much considers Gabriel is only friend. He sometimes encourages his job though Gabriel never does the same. He’s usually happy to see him.

Spoilers

Post-Gabriel incident: After Hawkmoth/Gabriel was defeated, mayor found out he was hawkmoth. When he did, this completely broke him. He couldn’t look at Gabriel the same anymore. Not only he was upset, he is also mad at the fact he terrorize his country. But he was extremely mad at him for targeting him and his family. 

After that, mayor believes that everyone he ever talk to, he corrupts which is why he wanted to start distancing himself from people. But he knew he can’t, so he ends up putting up a fake smile. Andre & Chloe

Andre loves his daughter dearly, too the point he spoils her.  Every time his daughter is upset, he goes to fix it to make her happy again. However, he wish his daughter loved him back the same way. 

Depise all this, he dislikes his daughter's way and fears her. 

spoilers

Before and After post-villain attack:

Before the attack: After getting over his sadness, he decided to go apologize to Chloe about everything he’s done. He claims he going be better, which chloe liked. 

After the attack: Andre loves his daughter so much to the point he would protect her. He doesn’t want anyone hurting her. 

Andre & Audrey 

Andre loves Audrey but he kinda of annoyed by her. He dislikes her attitude and rudeness. Even though he dislikes that side of her, he’s more scared of her then his daughter. He definitely doesn’t want to see her angry. 

He dislikes how she treats their daughter.

Spoilers

After post-villain attack: Since he gained courage, he doesn’t tolerate her acting the way she does anymore. He yells at her when he sees her doing something he doesn’t like. He also told her to treat their daughter better.

Even though he could’ve divorce her, he still loves her somehow...

Full body:

Injured version:

Younger andre

Teen-Young adult andre

Other information:

In the days when Andre wasn’t a mayor, He used to dress fancy clothing because of his wife.

Andre hair used to grow very long. It stopped and started to fall out when he got older.

He will heal later on anyways here’s a chart ig

yes, I sat here and gave a literal mayor a backstory. am just that utterly ridiculous. 

and you might be thinking, why didn’t I just make him divorce his wife? because I don't want to gave them man more suffering then he already have.

[chat-noir-always-here]

“Hey Arnold!” and “Miraculous!” parallels

Ever have an idea for a post that you take forever to get around to because 2020 is 

actively 

trying

to kill you?!

 Welp, that’s me. I mean, uh, this is that post.

Long post is long and I don’t like cuts cuz I’ve lost a few posts in the past using them. Please filter the tag “long post” I use it for walls of text like these.

So there’s this show from my childhood called Hey Arnold! 

Having been on air before I had cable (I and my unsupervised brothers and sisters spent our childhood watching Jerry Springer and Maury because there was literally nothing else on our cheap little TV. How hilarious is that?) I didn’t really have much of an experience with Hey Arnold! aside from brief little glances at it when i visited a friends home or the rare occasion where they showed cartoons at school. By the time I got satellite, the show was no longer on the air save for some late night reruns and the Christmas special which aired in December along with other Nickelodeon Christmas episodes (THE best Christmas episode EVER btw).

Really I couldn’t remember much about it until hearing about the Jungle Movie finally getting a release date (a total flop but at least its no cliff hanger) and decided to re-watch the entire series in preparation for said movie.

By which point I had discovered another show—Miraculous. 

At first glance the two shows have absolutely nothing in common. Miraculous being a French-born mahou shoujo-esque CGI superhero TV series about a couple of middle schoolers who regularly battle a walking peppermint-frappucino-looking psychopath. Hey Arnold! being a more realistic children’s sitcom about a young football-headed boy who deals out humanitarian aid in the form of advice and simple good deeds to his neighbors, classmates and friends. 

In terms of setting, logic, and animation the two series are as different as night and day.

So imagine my pleasant surprise to discover a whole post’s worth of parallels shared between the two shows???

And here they are in no particular order:

1)Arnold’s Parents/Adrien’s mom

Prior to the start of Miraculous, Emilie Agreste disappeared under mysterious circumstances leaving her family behind. Later on it was revealed that she was in fact sleeping (dead?) in a glass coffin beneath the Agreste mansion--unbeknownst to Adrien, or anyone else in Paris save for Gabriel and Nathalie.

In a similar fashion, Arnold’s parents, Miles and Stella, also disappeared prior to the start of Hey Arnold! and like Emilie were always referred to as “missing” rather than “dead.” 

The Jungle Movie later revealed Miles and Stella weren’t dead, but like Emilie appears to be doing in her coffin, they were sleeping. Having caught a bout of sleeping sickness (apparently they do not need to be hooked up to IVs or other medical devices while in a comatose state cuz fuck logic) they simply needed their orphaned son to come and cure them with the help of the magical golden heart Helga provided him with.

Perhaps Mari holds the key to waking Emilie? That would be nice to see. 

Not the miraculous of course--but some other key.

Although personally I’m hoping for a hardcore, devastating ending like Emilie dying, Gabriel going to prison where he belongs, and Adrien leaving the country for a bit until the second Hawk Moth shows up because I just like devastating cliffhangers and angst and being in utter turmoil over fictional people. But that’s just me.

2) Their best friends are dating

Smol parallel here: Arnold’s best friend Gerald and Helga’s Best friend Phoebe wind up together in The Jungle Movie after being imprisoned together by Lasombra. Similar to how Nino and Alya ended up together after being imprisoned by Ladybug (for their protection, of course).

3) The Bag of Money Episode/ The Ladybug episode

OOh boy both of these episodes make me rage. 

Some context about the Bag of Money episode: Arnold and his friends Gerald and Sid find a random bag of money containing almost $4000. Sid is ecstatic and wants to split the money evenly between the three boys, but Arnold worries it could just be lost and convinces them to let him, Arnold, take the money to the police station. On the way he accidentally switches the bag with another one that is identical and contains a bunch of useless junk, and when he tries to explain what happened to his friends they don’t believe him because their bag of money was accidentally taken by an “old lady with pink hair and a peg leg.”

 Arnold’s a good boy and he’s telling the truth--but the truth sounds crazy, even to my ears. Sid accuses Arnold of stealing the money and spreads lies to their classmates, whom Arnold has spent the ENTIRE SERIES helping in some form or fashion. Despite everything he’s done for them though, the vast majority of the class come to believe Arnold is a thief. Even Gerald, Arnold’s closest friend, nearly believes Sid over Arnold but eventually comes to Arnold’s defense. The other kids (save for Helga who doesn’t really make an appearance this episode) gang up on Arnold, but thankfully the old lady with pink hair and a peg leg shows up with an officer and together they explain the bag of money is now at the lost and found where it will remain and if gone unclaimed will be returned to Arnold, Gerald and Sid. 

Pretty much everything is resolved and things return to normal between the kids. 

But I hate this episode. I hate this episode so, so much. Arnold has spent the entire series helping these people out in some form or fashion. Literally thats the entire show. And after everything he’s done for them they’re so. Quick. To. Turn. On. Him. 

Sound familiar???

4) Hidden Personality                   vs.          Surface Personality

 I do not refer to the cruddy “true selves” thing half the Miraculous fandom believes in. Depending on one’s individual circumstances, environment and how comfortable they are, said person’s behavior can fluctuate or even do a complete 180. This can be kinda frustrating when dealing on one’s own--”Who am I anyway? Is that me or is this me???”

It’s all you, fam.

Arnold and Helga are themselves too, no matter what metaphorical/actual mask they put on. There’s the side that everyone sees and then there’s the side almost no one sees. The hidden personality isn’t hidden due to a lack of trust, necessarily, but rather it is the result of retreating to their respective “shells”--ones which both Arnold and Helga were kinda punched, kicked, and shoved into. 

Helga’s surface personality: Class bully, puts up a tough front, constantly torments Arnold because she can’t stand him and his niceness

Helga’s hidden personality: Poetic, abused and isolated, is in love with Arnold to the point of being obsessed with him and bullies him via surface personality in order to hide that fact

Of course Adrien is no bully--his reasons for not being the “cunning, funny, ultra-charming Chat Noir” 24/7 DOES have a lot to do with his toxic household, his dad, and the overwhelming expectations which are constantly smothering him as Adrien. 

Adrien is a bug under a magnifying glass (or so he feels)

Chat Noir is a chance for a freedom.

 Adrien’s surface personality was molded by his dad.

 Helga’s is the result of her entire family. Her father is brash and loud, her mother is a confirmed alcoholic, her sister is a gifted prodigy, well-rounded and spends most of the series at university or elsewhere. Although her sister, Olga, has been shown to genuinely care for Helga, Olga is kinda the reason their parents neglect Helga. With their first daughter being the genius and prodigy she is, Helga’s parents poured all of their pride and affection and parental devotion onto her. Meanwhile Helga had to walk to pre-school alone. At four years old. In the rain. Not for the last time. 

Which leads me to the next parallel.

5) Umbrella in the Rain

squeals in delight over this parallel<3<3<3

If you’ve never seen Hey Arnold! do yourselves a favor and watch this short little clip over how Helga and Arnold first met. If you have seen it, watch it anyway because it is the most adorable clip in the entire show.

Dr. Bliss: “So nobody’s ever noticed you?”

Helga: “...There was someone.”

The soft way Helga confesses that--you can actually hear how grateful she is to have such a tender memory from such a painful time. 

 In a similar manner, Adrien offered his umbrella to Marinette. Of course Adrien did it because Mari had to walk home in the rain and Arnold did it as a simple gesture of kindness (seeing as they were already at the school)--one of the many kind acts he displays throughout the series. 

 But just like Adrien needed unconditional love coming from somewhere, so did Helga. They were both denied this one common necessity which everyone else around them had. It’s not a lot to ask for, and they should’ve already had it coming from their families--but they didn’t.

 And then, one rainy day, there it was--the unconditional love they needed.

6) Clinginess

What happens when you take someone, specifically a love-starved abused child from an unstable home environment--deprived of the one thing most crucial to their mental well-being--and miraculously provide them with that very necessity? 

Clinginess. 

I can’t really think of the correct word to describe this. “Clinginess” is pretty close to what I’m trying to describe, if not on point, so let’s go with that. 

 What I mean is Helga and Adrien both need Arnold and Ladybug respectively. That’s not a bad thing--it’s okay to need somebody else. What’s bad is hinging your entire being on this one connection. For if either kiddo were to be left behind they wouldn’t handle it very well.

 It can’t really be helped with either Helga or Adrien. They didn’t really have the option to learn certain things and went deprived of unconditional love for such a long time. They’re kids--nine and fourteen/fifteen respectively. They’re not perfect and they’re traumatized for life. Being denied love from your family--the very people designed to love you--would do that to a person. Naturally they would cling to the first people to show up and provide them with the love they needed. 

 The Hey Arnold! wiki says this about Helga and Arnold’s relationship

Due to her unstable family upbringing where both her mother and father constantly neglect [Helga] and shower all of their attention onto Olga, leaving her deprived of the love and attention she needed growing up. On her way to preschool, Arnold helped her by keeping the rain off her with an umbrella and even complimented her on her hairbow. He even later gave her crackers during their snack time. Arnold's kindness and being the first person to notice her quickly caused Helga to transfer all of her love and attention to Arnold.

Of course Adrien’s tunnel vision isn’t quite as bad as Helga’s.

 He treats his friends better.

 He does love his father--

Even though his father is THE. 

WORST.

 PARENT.

 EVER!!!

--because he’s Adrien and he’s just too precious a cinnamon roll and that’s still his dad even if the man does belong behind bars.

7) Unhealthy Obsession

I--

I...

Ugh. I am not going to delve too far into this. You’re just going to have to take my word for it. Helga’s creepy stalker behavior is a thousand times worse than Marinette’s. That pic up there of Helga hiding out in Arnold’s room watching him is pretty decent evidence to back up my argument, but it’s hardly the only example or even the worst incident.

 Honestly I’m amazed at what Nicktoons were able to get away with in the late nineties/early 2000s. 

But yes, Helga’s obsession with Arnold is rather unhealthy in the most extreme moments leading her to display behavior which is more often than not disturbing and concerning. 

The Hey Arnold! wiki has this to say about Helga’s obsession with Arnold

Helga is possessive of her love for Arnold and thinks non-stop about him to the point of obsession. This is evidenced throughout the series by the many shrines and poems she makes of Arnold and of her frequent dramatic soliloquies about her love for Arnold.

Again--Mari isn’t as bad as all that. She’s a sweet girl with many healthy relationships in her life. She has ambition, creativity, and drive. But yeah she can be rather possessive of Adrien too, and that needs to stop. Like right now. Adrien doesn’t need another girl being possessive of him and thinking he’s perfect--he needs someone who acknowledges him as a flawed person and loves him despite that. 

As for Helga and Arnold--show creator Craig Bartlett confirmed they are “made for each other” and wind up married with three kids, so I’m guessing Helga grew out of some of these bad habits? Or at least I hope so...

8) Helper/Humanitarian tendencies

As mentioned before, the plot of Hey Arnold! is more or less about Arnold helping people. As stated by Gerald in The Jungle Movie, “He’s a humanitarian! Like his parents!” Of course not every episode is about Arnold helping people. There are episodes devoted to supporting characters and they’re just as enjoyable and satisfying. 

 But as he is the titular character he spends a lot of time in the spotlight. 

Remember that “best christmas special EVER” episode I mentioned before?

 The reason it’s the best special, in my less than humble opinion, is due to a few things.

 The special is not about Santa Claws. In fact, I don’t think he’s even mentioned, let alone shown and treated like an actual living character.

The focus on the entire episode is again on Arnold helping someone, but he doesn’t succeed. Not really.

The one who succeeded in helping someone was Helga, who accomplished the goal Arnold had set out to do. 

The episode deals with some rather dark subject matter and is actually quite heartwarming as the “perfect present” Arnold was trying to provide someone with wasn’t something you can buy in the store

It’s also one of the episodes where Helga’s love for Arnold leaves her to do good and as her love for him is a secret, she expects nothing in return. She’s just happy to help him.

 Kinda similar to Mari who is, as Adrien puts it in Mayura, “Our every day Ladybug.” Her kindness and devotion to helping others is what drives her as Ladybug and Marinette. It’s what brought Ivan and Mylene together. Is the reason Nathaniel and Mark now have a comic book together. And at the end of the day, that’s the reason for her strange behavior around Adrien--she wants to help him. Even if it’s just as a “good friend.” 

9) There are two main characters

Although Hey Arnold! is technically a show about Arnold, one could argue it is just as much Helga’s story. 

Similarly, Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir is named thusly in order to convey the fact that Adrien is just as much a main character as Marinette is. 

Although I must say Hey Arnold! did a much better job of giving it’s co-character their dues. GIVE. ME. MORE. CHAT NOIR. FOCUSED. EPISODES. DAMMIT.

But, yes, in terms of screen time, Helga gets about as much as Arnold does. Her story and struggles were given just as much importance as Arnold’s and many people have even come to believe that the show is really about Helga. I’d say its about both of them.

10) Constantly bumping into each other

Granted this happens between Arnold and Helga more often than it does to the love square dorks. 

 But yes the two people meant to be together keep knocking into each other in their respective universes. 

 I forget who, but I remember reading that someone a while back theorized that this was the universe’s way of trying to push Arnold and Helga together. Kinda like the “Now kiss!” meme

Perhaps it’s the same for Adrien and Marinette? 

;)

[grimark]

Fic First Line Games

Rules: DON’T REBLOG THIS ONE, MAKE A NEW POST! List the first lines of the last ten (10) stories you published. Look to see any patterns you notice yourself, and see if anyone else notices any. Then tag some friends.

Tagged by @sl-walker and I think I'll put most of it under a cut because wow that's a big wall of text.

1. That caulker’s mate is a striking man, but he has a way of almost fading into the background. (this, and other such inconsequential questions)

2. Billy is on his way to work when the demon shows up again. (before a mirror late at night)

3. They were born premature, of course. Emily came first, and Gabriel was dragged kicking and screaming along behind her. Even their own mother didn’t want to keep them for any longer than she absolutely had to. (Comorbid)

4. Cornelius wasn’t stupid, he knew Freddie Des Voeux only invited him and his friends over when he felt like slumming it. But Freddie had subscriptions to at least three different streaming services, and Sol said his weed was decent, and he generally ordered a better class of takeaway than the rest of them would be able to afford on their own. So Cornelius was happy to let him have his little Common People moment in return. (down, down in an earlier round)

5. As a steward on the research vessel Terror, Billy was not technically qualified to leave the ship. Which was bullshit, because he’d been rated AB at the end of his last interplanetary expedition, or pretty close to it anyway. (fruiting bodies)

6. Sol had been looking forward to seeing Cornelius soon. But he and Billy had gone away for the weekend, and for all of Saturday it seemed Cornelius had been too busy to reply to any of Sol’s texts. (nothing compares to a quiet evening alone)

7. It had been a big achievement for Cornelius, scoring a job on the stem cell research team at Terrebus Laboratories. Certainly a step up from his previous job as a technician at a pathology lab. Longer hours, greater responsibility, more demanding work, and not all that much more pay. But the project made all the difference. (sustenance, blessed sustenance)

8. Being a werewolf was this: a warm summer evening, driving to anywhere, laughing at Sol sticking his head out the passenger side window, whooping and cheering into the wind. (know how a man becomes a beast)

9. The first time they met, Billie and C kind of got off on the wrong foot. (In my head I paint a picture)

10. Once he had recovered from the attack, John’s friends and family were all surprised when he kept taking his daily run at Hampstead Heath. (a man who’s pure of heart and says his prayers by night)

I don't know if there's any really obvious patterns? I tend to prioritise giving context over generating drama or interest, and I pretty much always focus on describing something a person is thinking or doing, rather than broader environments or events. So maybe that means I need to work on my descriptive writing a bit more, but I already knew that.

Anyway, tagging some people who I know write fic if you wanna do this, for however many fics you feel like doing @edwardashley @fireferns @bloodyholly @ahamkarabone @o-rchidae @stepmommycrowley

[e-milieeee]

what if we already are (what we’ve been dying to become)—Marichat

Summary: Hawkmoth’s defeat should mark a joyous occasion for Paris’ superheroes, but instead, Chat Noir finds his entire world breaking apart.

(Marinette’s determined to help him build it back together, piece by piece.)

Notes: i... forgot to post this? reveal fic with uH angst and some healing and tears ahHAHAha whoops 

Or read on AO3

The whole world was made of fire—suffocating, terrifying fire—yet Adrien was drowning.

He couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe. Even as the rest of them apprehended Hawkmoth (no, not Hawkmoth: Gabriel Agreste, his father), Adrien didn’t help. Pieces of glass from the battle littered the ground, chaos spread all around, unfurling inside him, and the yawning pit of horror and fear and disbelief opened wider.

Hawkmoth was his father.  

He watched as the butterfly pin was taken, watched as Hawkmoth was led away, watched as his father’s lips moved, addressing him in words that didn’t reach Adrien’s ears. Plagg, who had hovered a little ways away after he had released his transformation, flew up to Adrien and nestled in his hair. If he offered any words of comfort, Adrien didn't hear them.

He wasn’t sure how long he stood there, drowning and drowning and drowning like there was no end to how deep the water could drag him down. The only breath of air was when the familiar sight of red and black dropped into his line of vision and Ladybug’s hand rested on his shoulder.

“Adrien,” she said.

Adrien. His name seemed to ring in his ears, growing louder until his head felt like it was going to burst. Adrien Agreste. She knew. Ladybug knew who he was.

Adrien Agreste, son of Gabriel Agreste—son of Hawkmoth.

The water once again dragged him under, and Adrien felt himself whisper the words of transformation before he was fleeing as fast as he could. Glass cracked under his feet like bones. Ladybug’s shouts for him to stay only made him run faster, and then Chat Noir was scrambling blindly through Paris, wind tearing at his face and guilt tearing even more viciously at his heart. He didn’t know where he was going, but all he knew was that he needed to get away.

For a very long time, the city blurred for Chat. Something seemed to carry him along, kept him going until he reached his destination.

There. The school. Perched on the roof, Chat looked down. Ladybug’s magic had fixed everything, it seemed, because not a brick was out of place. The crack that ran through the courtyard was gone. Everything was the same, even if nothing was anymore.

Inside him, a hurricane of emotions continued to swirl, each demanding their own share of his misery. They mixed and danced until Chat couldn’t tell them apart, but it didn’t matter. After all, they were only there to serve as a reminder of who his father was. And, as an extension, who he was.

Chat blinked, expecting to feel a prickling in his eyes—anything—but no tears came. Gabriel Agreste had always been a quiet, driven man, even when Emilie was still alive. But there had always been memories of better days, when his father had put aside his work to lift him up on his shoulders, running around the house and laughing while his mother chased them with a broom. There was the time his father had attended his piano recital, watching fondly with his mother tucked in the crook of his arm, standing up to clap when Adrien finished. There was the time they had decided to bake together as a family and eight-year-old Adrien splashed a bowl of melted butter over Gabriel by accident and received a bowl of flour over his head as revenge.

Such warm memories, once treasured pieces Adrien clung onto. Now they were tainted with new ones: seeing his mother in the glass coffin; Hawkmoth’s detransformation falling to reveal his father; the way he had attacked Ladybug, his friends and him.

A soft zing sounded behind him, and Chat whirled around in fright and surprise. Ladybug stood, blue eyes like the sky, even though the sky today was covered in a dark, angry grey.

A wave of terror swept over Chat. What did she think of him now that she knew the boy underneath the suit? It had always been Chat Noir which he favoured over Adrien Agreste. Who would she see when she looked at him? Her partner Chat Noir, or Adrien the son of Hawkmoth? Or maybe Chat Noir, son of Hawkmoth?

“Stay away,” he managed to croak, scrambling to his feet. Above their heads, thunder clapped and lightning streaked. A storm was on its way. “I’m—I’m—” The words caught in his throat, refusing to come out.

Ladybug raised her hands in a placating gesture. “Adrien,” she ventured, and he flinched back violently. She tried again. “Chat. It’s okay.”

“You know who I am.” The words were shameful, and he wished desperately they weren’t true.

Ladybug’s blue eyes remained locked with his, anchoring his feet to the ground, not letting him flee again. Then, without looking away, she whispered, “Tikki, spots off.”

As the bright pink light of her transformation faded, the first drops of rain began to fall as well. Before him stood Ladybug—no, not Ladybug. Before him was Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

Chat’s breath caught in his throat. His father momentarily forgotten, he took in the sight of her: black hair tied by red ribbons, brilliant blue eyes. The shape of her face. The sweep of her bangs, which were beginning to get soaked by the rain. Everything about her was so, so familiar.

How had he been so blind? Marinette, bringing the class pastries from her family’s bakery. Ladybug’s kind smile as she spoke gently, softly to akuma victims. Marinette, laughing as she kicked his ass once more in Ultimate Mecha Strike. Ladybug, whooping as they raced across Paris. Marinette, full of warmth and love and determination and a kindness that extended to everyone. Ladybug, always selfless and brave and beautiful.  

Of course. Who else could Ladybug be but Marinette?

And how vast the chasm between them. Marinette Dupain-Cheng didn’t deserve Adrien Agreste as her partner.

The thought swept through him and seized hold of his heart. With all the willpower he had left, he ripped his gaze from hers and turned to run again.

He only managed a single step forward before a hand latched onto his wrist. Before Chat could go anywhere, Marinette was tugging him back, rain streaking down her cheeks like tears. She said, “Stay.”

A choked gasp left him, and with it, all the struggle dissipated. Chat let Marinette tug him towards her, collapsing into her arms as she wrapped them around his body, tight and unrelenting. The storm threatened to tear him away, but she clung to him so strongly that he was anchored.

“Chat,” she repeated. “Adrien. It’s okay.”

“It’s not,” he told her. “It’s not. You—you know who I am. I’m—my father—Hawkmoth’s my father.”  

Marinette didn’t let go of him. The smell of apples and vanilla all around her—it was Ladybug’s scent; Marinette’s scent.

“And you,” he continued. “You’re Marinette. How was I so stupid?”  

“You’re not stupid,” she replied. Slowly, she removed his hands around her, only to put him at arm's length so she could meet his eyes. “You are every bit the person I would want you to be, chaton.”  

“You don’t need to say that to make me feel better.”

A laugh left Marinette as well, but it was quieter, maybe a little sad. She gave his shoulder a little push down, and Chat sat at her command. His body felt too numb, too out of control to resist. “Let me tell you a story. About you.”

About me. What good story could there to be tell about him? What a tale they could spin; Paris’ protector finding out the person Paris needed protection from was his own flesh and blood.

“When I first met you,” she began, “as Adrien Agreste, I hated you.”

The rain continued to splash down, and Chat felt his heart grow cold. Of course she did. Because how could Marinette, light incarnate, love somebody like him? All those days of pining after Ladybug, and he had never realized just how far apart they truly were.

“Then,” Marinette continued, “you gave me your umbrella when it was raining, and I fell in love with you.”

His breath caught in his throat. When he looked at Marinette’s eyes, they were wide and serious.

She fell in love with me.

“Why?” he whispered.

Marinette placed a hand on his cheek, letting the rain gather on her palms as it streaked down both their faces. “Because you were kind,” she replied. “Because you were generous enough to give a stranger your umbrella when it was raining. I began to notice you more after that, and I realized that you were so… you shined so bright. Even though you were famous, you were still humble. Even though you had the best grades in the class, you never bragged about it. There’s never a person you’ve been unkind to, even though they were unkind to you. The more I knew you, the more I loved you.”

The words repeated in Chat’s head like a broken record. “You loved me,” he echoed. “You loved me. As Adrien.”

“Yes,” Marinette agreed. “I loved you as Adrien. And I loved you as Chat Noir, as my partner and my other half. Except I didn’t want to admit it because I thought that I could only be in love with Adrien Agreste. Now that I see you, I don’t know how I could ever have imagined it to be anybody else.”

Chat continued to stare at her. Marinette met his gaze squarely, determination written all over her face. Every word she had said was the truth, no matter how ludicrous and outlandish and surreal it sounded. Just like the truth that his father was Hawkmoth, but this—this truth spoke of a kinder, more hopeful reality.

“Do you love me still?” he finally asked. “After you know who my father is?”

“I don’t care who your father is,” Marinette replied immediately, firmly, before he could even start fearing her answer. “You are not your father, and you’ve more than proven that to me. You’ve more than proven that to everyone. Especially yourself, Adrien.”

He breathed. For the first time since he had found out Hawkmoth’s identity, he truly, deeply, breathed. Then, “Plagg, claws in.”

A flash of light later, it was Adrien standing in front of Marinette. He searched her face for any signs of regret, any disgust, but all he could see was understanding and kindness.

“Adrien.” Marinette’s voice was barely above a whisper. She raised a hand to his face again, wiping at the water that kept on dripping down, drenching his clothing. “You have no idea how happy I am that it’s you.”

She pulled him into another hug and this time, Adrien let himself fall right into it. Her arms remained tight around him, and even as the storm around them raged, the one inside seemed to quiet down ever so slightly.

“None of us care that Hawkmoth’s your father,” she breathed. “It doesn’t matter. It won’t change the fact that you’re loved, Adrien. Just know that.”

Loved. The word pierced through him, finally breaking the dam he had been labouring so hard to hold up. He wept into Marinette’s shoulder out of pain and fright and relief and happiness all at once. Loved. It shattered something inside him, something already broken, and broke it so completely, so wonderfully. And Adrien realized that he believed Marinette—believed wholly with all of his bruised, fractured heart that what she said was true. That she loved him, as Adrien Agreste, as Chat Noir, as Gabriel Agreste’s son.

“It’s okay,” Marinette repeated yet again. “And it’s okay if you’re not okay.”

He sobbed until the tears ran out altogether and even after that, Adrien clung to Marinette like a lifeline. She didn’t let go either, hands soothing against his back, whispering quiet words that Adrien could finally believe.

Adrien was the one who pulled back that time. Marinette smiled at him, her face radiant, and he tried to mirror it. “Look,” he said. “I got your clothing all drenched with my tears.”

She wiped wet hair out of her face and laughed. “Looks like I did the same to you. Seems to me that we’re even on this one, kitty.”

Surprised delight unfurled in him hearing her call him that nickname. Then Adrien was smiling wider, more genuinely. His father was still a weight on his heart, but Marinette was there, holding his hand and not letting him carry it alone.

“I’m glad it was you,” Adrien admitted at last. Thunder rumbled, directly above their heads. “But at the same time, of course it was you.”

“Yes,” Marinette agreed. “Although look at how dumb we were. We couldn’t look past our own crushes to see the person we loved loved us right back.”

The person we loved. Adrien’s heart still stammered at that, leaped and soared and sang to hear such words from her. He wasn’t sure he would ever, ever hear it enough.

Marinette’s laugh suddenly cut through the air. It chimed like bells. “I would get so nervous around you,” she recalled. “I would stammer, freeze up, and could never look you in the eye. To think you were Chat Noir the whole time, and I was turning down the same boy I couldn’t even form a coherent sentence around because how hopelessly in love I was. Isn’t it ridiculous?”

“I can do you one better. I spent so much time convincing myself that you were just a friend and I couldn’t be in love with you because I loved Ladybug, but you were Ladybug all along.” Then he paused. “Wait. That means those pictures in your room…”

Adrien watched as Marinette’s face turned a dark shade of pink. “... they weren’t for your so called designer purposes, were they?” He feigned surprise. “Why, did you have a crush on me, m’lady?”

She smacked his arm. “Shut up.”

He sighed. “I guess all the times I professed my love to you might’ve not actually been for vain. It’s truly touching.”

“Shut up,” Marinette growled, now crimson. “You insufferable cat—”

She broke off, seemed to remember something, then scrunched her face into an expression of determination. Before Adrien could figure out what was happening, Marinette snatched a handful of his shirt and tugged him down to her height, lips brushing over his.

It was all over in a second. Adrien gaped at her like a fish out of water and Marinette tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, a shy smile spreading across her face. “For what it’s worth,” she murmured. “Maybe it’s—maybe it’s too early to say this, and it’s okay if you don’t return the sentiment, but I want to spend my life with you. With Adrien and Chat Noir. As Marinette and Ladybug.”

This time, it was joy that bloomed through his chest, full and bright. “Yes,” he breathed. “Yes. Me too.”

Marinette’s smile was the sun, her eyes the sky, and Adrien’s world was bright and clear despite the rain. She held out a hand to him, and he took it.

It’s okay if you’re not okay. The road to healing was a long one, and Adrien knew that it wasn’t overnight that he could finally come to peace with the fact that his father had been Hawkmoth. It wasn’t overnight that he could understand the reasons, to forgive and let go. But that was okay.

Broken, he might be. But broken could be fixed, and if anyone could help him do so, it was Marinette.

End notes: This is part of a set of three loosely connected drabbles (that all work as standalones). Here’s part one.

Fics masterlist here!

[inkslingersworld]

Zusammen: Part VIII

Link to all parts here.

Neither Adrien nor Kagami had ever visited La Sante Prison, or, for that matter, any of the city’s prisons. They never had any reason to, which is why Inspector Beaumont’s proposition of meeting them there made Adrien and Kagami quite befuddled. 

And this was before they got there.

Once they reached the complex, it was pandemonium - a throng of police cars and ambulances swarmed outside of the building, with law enforcement officers, prison guards, and medical workers running from place to place. Adrien thought he saw Lieutenant Raincomprix amongst the hubbub, but decided that even if it was Sabrina’s dad, now was no time for a conversation.

“Adrien Agreste?”

Adrien turned; it was the same police officer who’d been so excited to see him at the station yesterday afternoon.

“What the hell happened?” Adrien asked bewilderedly. 

The officer sighed. “Huge riot. The inmates went plain cuckoo when they got wind of the murder.”

Adrien and Kagami’s jaws dropped. “Murder?”

“Inspector Beaumont will explain everything inside,” said the officer, sounding a little harassed. “Follow me, it’s not safe to use the main entrance right now, they’re still trying to stop anyone from escaping.”

They followed the officer through the crowd of bodies and in through a side door. Adrien could hardly focus on where he was going; someone had been killed?

Before long, the three of them had reached the uppermost floor of the prison. Adrien recognized Inspector Beaumont at once, though the detective looked a little more worse for wear since the last time they’d met. He extended his hand to shake Adrien’s and Kagami’s.

“Mister Agreste,” he said tiredly. “Miss Tsurugi. Wonderful. Laurent, you may go.”

The officer nodded curtly and trotted off back the way they’d come.

“Inspector, Officer Laurent just told us someone had been murdered,” Kagami said urgently. “Why’d you bring us here?”

Beaumont took a deep breath. “Down this way.”

They headed down the hall to the corner of the building’s floor. Upon reaching it, Adrien gasped at the sight before him - a man only a little older than his father lay dead on the ground, the front of his body riddled with bullet holes.

“Who was he?” asked Kagami, sounding sick.

“Amos Moreau,” responded Beaumont gravely. “He was imprisoned here five years ago for trying to assassinate your father, Adrien.”

“W-What?” said Adrien weakly. “You mean... this is the guy?”

Beaumont nodded. “It’s the damnedest thing I’ve seen in my whole career, and that’s saying something. There are literally zero clues as to who might’ve done the deed.”

“What about the security footage?” questioned Kagami, staring revoltedly at the corpse on the floor.

“Useless,” said Beaumont, sounding unable to believe it himself. “It simply shows Moreau alive and well one second, and then dead the next! And if that weren’t enough, I just got the coroner’s report; Moreau was shot forty-seven times.”

“Okay, slow down,” groaned Adrien, leaning against the wall. “You call us over to La Sante Prison, there’s an inmate rebellion because someone’s dead, that someone is my father’s would-be murderer and is indirectly responsible for my mother’s disappearance, and now you’re telling us that he was shot forty-seven times?”

“Yep,” Beaumont answered plainly. “I’m telling you, it’s the damnedest thing.”

“Why would somebody shoot anyone that many times?” Adrien asked, his voice cracking slightly as it rose.

“Well, either it was a rapid-fire weapon, or whoever killed Moreau wanted to be absolutely sure that there was no chance of him surviving,” stated Beaumont. 

“But why would someone want Moreau dead in the first place?” asked Kagami.

“That part’s a bit easier,” said Beaumont. “Moreau was scheduled to give a full confession today about his attempt to kill Gabriel Agreste. Although he had refused to give any information when he was first arrested, for some reason he had a drastic change of heart the day before yesterday. Moreau told the warden that he’d withheld important details about the assassination attempt and that Emilie’s disappearance played a larger role than first thought. If the information had proven useful, he would’ve been eligible for immediate release under probation. ‘Course, that’s not happening anymore.”

“This might’ve been about Mother?” asked Adrien, not sure if he’d heard right.

“Maybe,” Beaumont confirmed. “Our number-one candidate for a motive is that someone else could’ve been in on the assassination attempt. This mystery accomplice could’ve heard about the upcoming confession and killed Moreau so as to keep him from spilling their secrets. Of course, this still doesn’t explain how Moreau was killed, but I’ll take care of that part.”

Beaumont let out a long sigh. “The real reason I brought you here is because I don’t think you should continue with the investigation.”

“Excuse me?” Kagami said loudly.

“This would be for your own safety!” argued Beaumont. “If you keep digging, it could put you in mortal peril! You think I want you two to go the same way as Moreau?”

“But now it’s more important than ever to find Adrien’s mother!” retorted Kagami. “If find her, we might find whoever did this and put a stop to them!”

“Or they could put a stop to you!” Beaumont shot back. “We have no idea what this person is capable of! For all we know, they could be a new Hawk Moth!”

“Inspector,” said Adrien quietly, “I understand there are risks involved, but Kagami’s right. We can’t just walk away now. A man has been killed, and we have the chance to find out why. We have the chance to uncover all of this. Are you saying you don’t want that to happen?”

“Of course not!” said Beaumont, sounding frustrated. “I don’t want you two kids to get hurt!”

“Have you seen Kagami’s combat skills?” Adrien challenged. “We’ve got nothing to worry about.”

For a few seconds, Beaumont only opened and closed his mouth repeatedly, looking very much like a dying fish. Finally, he sighed softly.

“Fine,” he said stonily. “Here are my rules: you will not undertake this alone. Get an adult, or several adults, to protect you. Don’t go around investigating at night. Deal?”

Adrien and Kagami looked at each other. “Deal.”

“Okay then,” Beaumont said in a defeated voice. “You two go on out of here. I need to stick around and try to organize this jumble.”

===========

It wasn’t until they were a few blocks from the prison that Kagami said, “I think we should split up.”

Adrien stared at her. “What?”

“It’s not that I don’t like being with you!” said Kagami hurriedly. “It’s just that now the situation’s more dangerous, we should try and get this finished faster, and we can cover more ground separately!”

“No,” said Adrien flatly. “Absolutely not. Kagami, the situation becoming more dangerous is exactly why we should stick together! Safety in numbers, right?”

“But that’ll take way more time! If we split up -”

“No, Kagami,” Adrien objected. “We’ll pick and choose which events we think have more meaning off my mother’s personal planner. We can save time that way.”

“Adrien, come on! We could end this so much quicker!” protested Kagami.

“I’m telling you again, no. Beaumont’s right about us not knowing what this person is capable of! What if whoever murdered Moreau is a new Hawk Moth?”

“That’s exactly why we should split up and cover more ground!”

“You’re not listening, Kagami!” said Adrien, trying to keep his voice level. “If I let you go, and this person killed you too, I’d never forgive myself!”

There was silence. After a while, Kagami spoke.

“Oh my god, you’re right.”

Adrien let out a sigh of relief. “Thank you.”

“If I left you by yourself, you’d be completely hopeless,” Kagami continued.

“That’s exactly what I was... huh?”

“What was I thinking?” said Kagami, reprimanding herself by facepalming. “I already know you’re no good at combat, you’d be defenseless out there!”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” interjected Adrien, feeling offended. “What are you talking about? I’m good at combat!”

“Adrien, you’re thinking of fencing,” Kagami said impatiently. “You’re good at that. What you’re not good at is combat.”

“Um, have you forgotten who I am?” cried Adrien.

“Of course not,” responded Kagami innocently. “You’re my slightly socially awkward, completely adorable boyfriend, who couldn’t morally hurt anyone because he’s a marshmallow, and couldn’t physically hurt anyone because he’s not as good at using his fists as he is at using his lips.”

Adrien knew that Kagami was mainly flattering him so that he wouldn’t keep countering her partially unintentional jabs at his ego, but he could tell that she truly believed what she was saying to him, and he smiled broadly while rolling his eyes.

“Thanks, Kagami. Now let’s go; my mother’s steps aren’t gonna retrace themselves.”

[roseinaugust]

Like an Old Enemy

Chapter Eight: You Can Bring The Trowel

Summary: Miraculous Enemies AU. Gabriel Agreste has the Black Cat Miraculous in his possession, so when his wife, Emilie, "disappears," he sends his son, Adrien, undercover to pose as Ladybug's partner. Two years later, the once famous duo are sworn enemies. Marinette might have loved Chat Noir once, but now she would stop at nothing to defeat him. Adrien will do whatever it takes to bring his mother back. Best friends in their civilian lives, Adrien and Marinette find obstacles and complications when they can no longer deny their love for each other. But will they be able to understand and forgive the mistakes of their past? Or will they be doomed to end as bitter rivals a second time?

Rated: T

Pairings: Ladybug/Chat Noir Enemies, Adrien Agreste/Marinette Dupain-Cheng Mutual Pining

Word Count: 7,619

Read on: ao3

A/N: I am only posting part of this chapter on tumblr so please read the rest on ao3!

Marinette never ate the ice cream Andre had given her. So, why was Chat Noir on her balcony? 

There was really only one possible answer: he knew her identity. Her plan with the Black Potion seemed foolproof but he must have seen something or figured it out, biding his time until he had the perfect opportunity to attack when she was vulnerable. He probably followed her all night, lurking in the shadows as she made a fool of herself in front of her friends. She wouldn’t put it past him and Hawkmoth if they turned out to be the reason why Adrien couldn’t come in the first place; they always orchestrated plans like that. 

What was she going to do? Should she transform and fight him here on her cramped balcony? If he already knew her identity, then this was it. There would be no escape into the night to regroup; it would be over, and she would need every bit of Ladybug’s strength to finish it. 

But what if he didn’t know? It seemed improbable, but if there was even the smallest chance her identity hadn’t been compromised, shouldn’t she take the risk to protect it? She could lose precious time as a civilian, but until she knew without a shadow of a doubt that Chat Noir knew she was Ladybug, she couldn’t transform. 

Now that left her with the task of deciding what to do with him. She glanced, ever so slightly, over her shoulder to gauge how far away he was. He was only a single—albeit large—step away, standing directly in the middle of her balcony. It was time to stop thinking, time to act instead. 

“Marinette?” Chat Noir said again, raising his right arm as if to tap her on the shoulder. 

She stepped backwards until her back was nearly flush to his chest. Her left hand circled around his outstretched wrist as her right locked underneath his bicep. Before he could even process what was happening, Marinette dropped her weight, pulling Chat Noir over her shoulder. He let out an oof of pain as he landed on the solid ground of her terrace. His metallic black ring glittered, catching the moonlight on his outstretched hand. 

Before she could move to take the ring, Chat Noir hooked his legs around her ankles, sending her plummeting to the hard surface, her head barely missing the corner of the flower box. Pain jolted through her back, but she gritted her teeth and looked for a way out of her predicament. As a civilian, she couldn’t overpower Chat Noir, and she no longer had the element of surprise. 

What she needed was a weapon. 

Chat Noir was already on his feet, his cat-like reflexes giving him an advantage. In a blink of an eye, he was hovering over her. This was it. He was going to kill her. She was going to die and she had spent her last day on earth acting like a brat because of some stupid ice cream. He grinned as he grew closer, that easy-going charm that masked the cruelty beneath. If she was going to die, she would give one hell of a fight going down. 

She swiftly reached for the discarded trowel next to her, brandishing it in front of her with straight arms. Chat Noir veered back as the point of the gardening tool found its way to the sliver of exposed skin at his throat. He blinked at her in astonishment. Marinette was still laying on her back; Chat Noir was still too close. The only way out of her position would be to transform. “Are you still mad that I threw a rock at you?” She baited, throwing one last-ditched attempt to see if he knew her identity. 

He blinked once more, then burst into laughter. His eyes squeezed shut and his shoulders bounced, the sound of his laugh harsh against the quiet night. She longed just moments ago to hear that sound. Now, though it was just as melodic as before, it left a bitter taste in her mouth. How quickly her desires changed when confronted with reality. Chat Noir plucked the trowel out of her hands, super-strength overpowering her grip, and dropped it onto a nearby table carelessly. Weaponless and defenseless, Marinette sucked in a breath, accepting the limited options she had left. There was only one: transform and fight. 

Before she could say the transformation words, she was lifted off the ground effortlessly. Arms held aloft for balance, Marinette found herself on her feet once more. She eyed Chat Noir as he moved to the opposite side of the terrace, distancing himself from her. What is he playing at? He took one look at Marinette’s defensive stance and laughed, “Don’t worry. I’m not going to hurt you.” 

He had her completely defenseless and chose to help her up. Maybe he really didn’t know she was Ladybug… She straightened but kept her eyes fixed on him, poised for any sudden movement. “You already have.” He hurt her in more ways than he knew. 

“Sorry,” he apologized. He looked genuinely sorry for causing her pain, but she would never know what was genuine when Chat Noir was concerned. “But you had me in quite a compromising position.” He said, returning to his typical laissez-faire attitude. He held up his right hand, waggling his fingers to show off the Ring of the Black Cat. “Where’d you learn to do that?” 

“Akuma self defense class.” She answered curtly, thankful for the few afternoons she managed to convince Alya and Alix to join her. She was plenty strong and quite adept at fighting, but she wanted to be prepared as Marinette in case she was unable to transform. 

“Came in handy.” 

“Yeah, well it’s not like I expected a supervillain to show up on my balcony.” She crossed her arms, playing into the annoyed civilian act she used during Evillustrator and Syren. “What are you doing here, Chat Noir?” 

“Oh you know, the life of a villain gets boring sometimes. Lonely even.” That lazy grin that once made Marinette feel safe and secure, unsettled her now. 

“I’m not afraid of you,” she lied. She was very much afraid, but she would never show it to him. 

Chat Noir watched her intently before saying, “I know.”

Marinette’s skin prickled, annoyance and anger setting in at the surety of his statement. “Don’t pretend like you know me,” she bristled. 

He abandoned his spot on the terrace, making his way to her at a crawl. She held her ground. If she backed away, he would see her fear. He was only a step away when he spoke again, just above a whisper: “And what if I’m not pretending?” 

A pause. 

Then a flurry of action. 

Marinette ducked around Chat Noir, maneuvering her body away until it was next to the table. She grabbed for the trowel again, but he was too fast. He was on her in a blink of an eye, spinning her to face him. His chest flat against  hers, so close she saw his eyes dilate in the dim glow of her string lights. Her wrist held in his hand, a firm grip that pressed into her, demanding she release the weapon. “Tsk tsk, Marinette,” he ducked his head to whisper in her ear. His breath sent a shiver down her spine. “I told you that I wouldn’t hurt you. Don’t you trust me?” 

“No.” She stated flatly. All her attention was focused on keeping her hold on the tool, but it was no use. As Marinette, she couldn’t compete with Chat Noir, and released it. It clattered to the floor between them and Chat Noir let go of her wrist in favor of retrieving it. With it in his grasp, he moved away from her and perched on the railing. 

“Smart girl,” He used the tip of the trowel to clean underneath his claws. She rolled her eyes, exasperated with the stupid cat’s jokes. His costume covered the underneath of his claws. “But you can. Trust me, that is.” 

“And why’s that?” She scoffed. If there was one thing she couldn’t do, it was trust Chat Noir. 

“Well, I’ve already saved your life twice. Seems kinda stupid to start hurting you now.” He stated as if this was the most logical answer. 

“So why did you? Doesn’t it go against your image to save civilians?” She sneered, emphasizing the ‘civilian’ aspect to distance herself from a certain spotted superhero. 

“Yes, which is why it’s our little secret.” He winked at her, lounging on top the railing as if he owned the place. 

“Why did you save me?” Marinette stepped forward. “You never answered me last week during Syren’s akuma.”

He sat up, pointing an accusatory finger at her. “That’s not true. I gave you an answer.” 

“You said you didn’t want me to die.” She took another step forward. Chat Noir held his neutral expression, refusing to comment. “Why? You don’t care about civilians dying. So why save me?” 

That finally got a reaction out of him. He slipped off the railing to face her head on. “You don’t know what I care about.” 

She moved closer again, brows furrowed as she tried to make sense of him. “What are you saying? That you care about me?” He clenched his jaw, silent under the night sky, neither confirming nor denying her question. She searched his eyes for an answer but they were unreadable—a mysterious storm of green that masked his emotions. “Why? What makes me different?” 

He broke first, turning around to look out over the city. “Everything,” he breathed, so quiet she could barely hear him. 

Marinette’s mind reeled. How could he possibly feel like this? Although she has known him for years, Chat Noir only just met Marinette less than a month ago. Evillustrator felt like a different lifetime, but in reality it’s only been a few weeks. His words from earlier rung in her head, and what if I’m not pretending? Was it possible that she knew Chat Noir in his civilian identity? Or is this just part of another scheme to take the Miraculous? 

Her temper flared at the inability to solve this puzzle. She’s had enough of these games, enough of this back and forth dance, circling around the situation. “Why did you really come here?” At his silence, she marched over to the iron railing. There was still a considerable distance between them, but her presence demanded answers. 

He shrugged, turning his head slightly to see her. “You looked upset.” 

She hadn’t meant to laugh, but the sheer ridiculousness of that statement made it impossible to contain. “What? You thought you would cheer me up?” 

His lip twitched before plastering on his trademarked grin. “You don’t like me,” he stated casually. 

Marinette didn’t know if that was strictly true. Like and dislike. Love and hate. The concepts were all so interwoven and complex it was impossible to tell them apart anymore. The way she felt about him now as he stood before her—though she couldn’t quite tell if she even felt anything other than the necessity of survival—was not the same as she felt walking home that evening. Was there even a word that could encapsulate all her thoughts about him? One word to describe the masochistic ache of missing someone who hurt you in immeasurable ways? Was there a phrase to relate to the quick-fire shifts in her emotions; from loathe to longing to bitterness all in the blink of an eye? Marinette didn’t think it was possible to summarize all her history with Chat Noir into a simple ‘like.’ Instead she asked, “Am I supposed to?” 

Taking her response as a confirmation of her dislike, Chat Noir resumed nonchalance. “That’s your opinion, even if it’s the wrong one to have.” 

“I didn’t realize my opinion mattered.” 

He didn’t respond. Instead, he shifted, turning his back to the night sky and leaned against the iron railing. “So,” He started, changing the conversation, “what has you crying alone on your balcony?” 

She reddened, embarrassed of being perceived in such a vulnerable state with out her knowledge. She had cried in front of him before, but that was as Ladybug, when she had anonymity and the security of her mask. But this, him seeing her as Marinette during what she thought was a private moment, suddenly felt like a violation. It was wrong. It was all wrong. He was never supposed to see her as Marinette. Never supposed to have access to this part of her life. That was supposed to be secret—sacred, even—yet here he was, intruding. “How did you even know I was crying? Were you spying on me?” She asked defensively. 

“What? No, no!” He was flustered. “I swear. Hawkmoth sent me to this area. I was positioned over there,” he pointed to the school rooftop across the street, “and saw you come out to the balcony crying.” She narrowed her eyes at him. It could all be a lie obviously, but the rational part of her brain poked holes in her own theories. How would Hawkmoth and Chat Noir have known she would come out to her balcony tonight? She was unsettled, but she needed to see what information she could get out of him. Why had Hawkmoth sent him to this area? She couldn’t ask him that yet, he would deflect or outright refuse to answer. Marinette needed to gain his trust but it had to seem like he was earning hers too. 

“What makes you think I would even tell you what was wrong?” 

He shrugged, tilting his head up to look into the night sky. A breeze blew through the air, lifting Marinette’s hair but she didn’t move to push it back. “Sometimes,” he started after a pause, “it’s easier to talk about your problems with a stranger.” 

Her breath hitched. Here was her opening. It might be shot down but there wouldn’t be a better opportunity to ask. The possibility that she knew Chat in his civilian identity quickened her heartbeat. What if he was someone she was friends with? Would it be akin to a second betrayal? Another friendship ruined by the strange circumstances she found herself in? 

While the prospect terrified her, it would also give her a starting point to uncover his identity. For the past year, she’s had nothing but dead ends, overwhelmed by the vast amount of possible suspects in the city. If she knew him, if he was someone in her life, it narrowed her search. Possibly enough for her to find out once and for all who wore the Black Cat Ring. She inhaled deeply, building her courage to ask, “Are we really strangers though?”

For a while he didn’t say anything. His silence was making her anxious and she was suddenly aware of how cold the night air was. With his sly grin cemented on his face, he straightened and turned to her, holding out his empty hand. “Come with me,” he said with a step forward. 

A/N: Reminder that this is only part of the chapter so read the rest here

[alexannah]

MLB Incorrect Quotes: Gabriel Has a Plan

Nathalie: Let me see if I’ve got this correct. You plan to akumatize your own parents.

Gabriel: Yes.

Nathalie: In your own house.

Gabriel: Correct.

Nathalie: Don’t you think that’s a little risky?

Gabriel: I’ll be subtle!

Nathalie: Subtle? You? I can’t wait to hear this.

Gabriel: I won’t provoke the negative emotions directly. I have it all planned out.

Nathalie: I’m listening.

Gabriel: They’re arriving by train, so I booked them tickets for the weekend in which there’s maintenance works on three-quarters of the journey.

Nathalie: Won’t they wonder why you picked that weekend?

Gabriel: They know we have a strict schedule. I offered to book them a flight instead but they turned the offer down, as I knew they would.

Nathalie: Alright, what else?

Gabriel: I created a fake social media account for the sole purpose of setting up a huge climate change protest on their route from the station to here, encouraging the throwing of rotten produce onto environmentally unfriendly vehicles.

Nathalie: I was wondering why you’d told my brother the limo was in the garage and asked to borrow his car.

Gabriel: They’ll have to pass the Dupain-Cheng bakery on the way, and they’ll stop to admire the cakes.

Nathalie: Won’t that put them in a good mood? And how do you know they’ll stop?

Gabriel: I created another internet persona for the purpose of arranging a novelty cakes competition, and ensured the Dupain-Chengs’ entry will be in the window. I’ve spent the last six months using words associated with gardens in all conversations with Adrien in which he talks about Miss Marinette—

Nathalie: Which is a lot.

Gabriel: It is. And as expected, the moment she mentioned the competition to him, he immediately suggested a garden-themed cake. As you know, my father is absolutely obsessed with gardening. He won’t be able to resist stopping to take a look.

Nathalie: And that will cause negative emotions how?

Gabriel: Because no-one with a functional sense of smell can get near enough to that place to see the window display properly and not go in to buy something. My mother loves macaroons, and I bought up a large supply of flavourings to sell to the bakery, under a different name of course. She’s allergic to rosehip, and I spiked her favourite flavours with rosehip juice—not enough for the taste to be detected, but enough to cause a non-lethal reaction. Not putting that in the ingredients list, obviously.

Nathalie: …

Gabriel: What?

Nathalie: Knowing your parents, they’ll sue. Marinette is Adrien’s friend; I’m not sure he’ll like that.

Gabriel: I’ve already prepared a letter of apology from the “supplier” accepting all responsibility, so it doesn’t fall on them. And because Marinette is associated with Gabriel it gives me a justification for offering legal aid.

Nathalie: …

Gabriel: What now?

Nathalie: I’m actually impressed you thought through the consequences of your actions for a change.

Gabriel: I saw how worked up Adrien got last month when one of my victims sent the school furniture flying and caused a tiny graze on Marinette’s forehead. I know he’ll understand once he knows the truth, but seeing him that angry at Hawk Moth was quite … unsettling. I decided to minimise the mission’s effect on that girl where possible.

Nathalie: I’m proud of you.

Gabriel: *blushing*

Gabriel: …

Nathalie: Anyway, after the spiked macaroons?

Gabriel: Oh—yes. Well, by then they’ll both be frustrated and angry, and my mother will be feeling unwell on top of that, so when they arrive here, I’ve put in place two proverbial last straws.

Gabriel: Though last anvils might be a better indication of impact.

Nathalie: What’s the first?

Gabriel: Chloé will greet them.

Nathalie: So that’s why you offered her work experience. What will you have her do?

Gabriel: Be herself.

Nathalie: *winces* Poor bastards.

Gabriel: And then they’ll find Audrey in here, finishing up a meeting with me which will have run on because I will have ‘mislaid’ one of my designs.

Nathalie: *winces again* Knowing your mother’s lack of fashion taste, that will be excruciating.

Gabriel: *sounding gleeful* It really will.

Nathalie: Forgive me if I’m missing something, but … aren’t you going to a lot of trouble? Why exactly are your parents worth it? Do they have some amazing skills I don’t know about which will help you get Ladybug and Cat Noir’s Miraculouses?

Gabriel: Er … no.

Nathalie: So … why?

Gabriel: …

Gabriel: Revenge.

Nathalie: …

Nathalie: Revenge? On whom?

Gabriel: My parents, of course.

Nathalie: For what? Causing you to grow up emotionally stunted?

Gabriel: No.

Nathalie: Not supporting your ambitions?

Gabriel: No.

Nathalie: Not buying you the childhood toy you desperately wanted?

Gabriel: No.

Nathalie: I give up. Revenge for what?

~*~

***TEN YEARS AGO***

Gabriel: … I don’t believe you’ve met Nathalie Sancoeur, my executive assistant.

Nathalie: It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr and Mrs Agreste. If you’ll excuse me; I promised to tuck Adrien into bed and read his favourite bedtime story with him.

Nathalie: *exits*

Gabriel’s Mother: *gives a disapproving tut*

Gabriel: What was that, Mother?

Gabriel’s Father: Why is your secretary putting your son to bed?

Gabriel: Executive assistant, Father.

Gabriel’s Mother: That’s a glorified secretary. And you didn’t answer the question.

Gabriel: Because Emilie is filming and I’m waiting for an important conference call. And because Adrien likes her. Your tone makes it sound like you think that’s a problem.

Gabriel’s Father: It is a problem.

Gabriel’s Mother: I can’t believe you would hire someone, especially live-in staff, without doing a thorough background check.

Gabriel: I beg your pardon? What makes you think I didn’t?

Gabriel’s Parents Simultaneously: Because you hired her!

Gabriel: …

Gabriel: I see you’ve been doing your own research into my employees.

Gabriel’s Mother: I’d say that was a good thing, considering your lack of sense in this area.

Gabriel: I’ve known Nathalie several years, and I have never met someone more loyal and hard-working than she. I don’t care about her history.

~*~

***PRESENT DAY***

Gabriel: …

Gabriel: …

Gabriel: …

Gabriel: Did I say revenge? I meant … er … relationship. Yes, relationship.

Nathalie: *disbelievingly* Relationship.

Gabriel: Yes. I thought they could do with a break from their monotonous routine. To, you know, grow closer as a couple.

Nathalie: …

Nathalie: You do realise you’re not fooling me in the slightest, don’t you?

Gabriel: I don’t know what you’re talking about.

Adrien: *enters room* Are they here yet?

Adrien: *senses awkward atmosphere* Is everything okay?

Nathalie: Everything’s fine, Adrien. We were just discussing your grandparents’ arrival.

Adrien: Great! I can’t believe it’s been so long since they visited. Father, why haven’t we seen them in ten years?

Nathalie: Yes, Mr Agreste, why haven’t we?

Gabriel: *glares at her*

Nathalie: *holds his gaze*

Nathalie: *stares him down*

Adrien: *looks from one to the other, trying to work out what’s going in*

Gabriel: *gives in*

Gabriel: Fine! If you must know, they took issue with … *now mumbling* where you spent your gap year.

Nathalie: *eyes widen*

Adrien: *curiously* Why, where did Nathalie spend her gap year?

Nathalie: …

Nathalie: Prison.

[starrosefics-archive]

The Fan Cafe- 1

Summary: For their university business class, Marinette partners with Felix and Marc to create the Fan Cafe, a cafe serving fanfic-inspired brews and teas. As well as the stress of managing a business and her heart being pulled in three directions, Marinette also has to deal with Ladybug issues when a new Butterfly rolls into Paris and Adrien Agreste reappears.

(This idea was started by this video. There is Ice Art in this (lovely ship created by @lenoreofraven) and the Felix in this is inspired by @nobodyfamousposts‘s Felix Culpa.)

“So, your project is what?”

“A fanfic cafe,” Marinette answered, handing Alya a roll of fabric. “Marc got the idea while we were brainstorming. They spend a lot of time during quarantine reading fanfic and they knew a bunch of other people did too.”

“Right.” Her best friend nodded, watching as Marinette tacked a sketch onto the wall. “So, how will this work?”

“Each person will order a drink that’s named after some common AU- Earl Grey’s serving as the canon tea- and the extra flavors will serve as tropes.” Marinette’s business class was what this project was for and she had been lucky enough to end up with Marc and Felix. “They can also order desserts to go along with.”

Alya grinned, eyes bright. “So, someone could order a superhero au with a dash of friends to lovers with a sinammon bun?” Marinette rolled her eyes, making the other girl laugh. “C’mon, that’s great!”

“I was just wondering what superhero you were thinking about.” she scolded lightly.

“I wasn’t thinking about Ladybug!”

“I didn’t say who.”

The redhead bit her lip. “I know. I’m sorry.” That Instagram post had gotten a lot of hate, especially when Chat Noir had been replaced. Alya had taken it down soon after. “It’s just…” Marinette paused, waiting for her friend to speak. “Never mind. So, these are for the uniforms?”

“Yep. Marc wanted something that reflected fluff and angst and Felix wanted to be professional.” Alya opened her mouth, but Marinette beat her to the punch. “Don’t,” she said, allowing a bit of spine to seep through. “I’m not going to make Felix like Adrien.” The two winced as soon as she said it.

Adrien was a heavy topic altogether. Marinette had often found herself trapped in a spiral of wondering after it all, trying to find if there had been some way to get through to Chat, avoid having to pull the plug on Emilie Agreste and send Gabriel Agreste to jail, get the Butterfly back, avoid Adrien dropping off the face of the Earth entirely… She shook her head, determined to focus.

“Anyway! C’mon, what do you think…”

-_-

Bright and early the next day, Marinette and Alya met Marc and Luka outside the building.

Luka, recently returned from his tour abroad with Jagged Stone, had immediately volunteered to help out at the cafe. The trio had agreed, especially when he got Kagami to agree to help. Marinette couldn’t help but smile at the building.

Felix had paid, out of pocket despite his project partners’ pleas, to have the small building completely cleaned and decorated. Now, a sign proclaiming the Fan Cafe was done in pink and navy, matching the inside and the uniforms Marinette had made. Marc had done their part by dragging out their dad’s old but still working jukebox to play music and creating Draw Your Squad posters to hang on the walls.

“This place looks great!” Alya said, looking around. She had her phone out, scanning around to videotape the entire setup. “So, how long is the cafe going to be around?”

“Starting Friday, it will go until April.” Felix said as he walked in. Kagami walked in behind him. “Our grade depends on how high our ratings are and how much money we make in the end. So, thank you Cesaire for the advertisement. Apologies for the wait.”

“The limo got stuck in traffic.” Kagami explained.

“You’re welcome!” When Felix had first joined their class in lycee, Alya had been fully prepared to go to war. However, she had learned that he was mostly bark unless you made him mad. And he was willing to go easy on her because of his dislike of upsetting Marinette. “The Ladyblog’s gonna love this.”

He stared before turning to Marinette. “So, how are the uniforms coming? If you need more-”

“I’ve got it. They’re almost done.” She smiled at him- one of the sweet ones that always made him flush and look away. “Thank you though. Anyway!” Marinette clapped her hands together. “Last minute before the last minute preps!”

They set to work under her guidance, Alya recording every minute. 

Behind the counter, Luka and Kagami studied what flavors served which tropes and which drink was which AU. Felix, rolling his sleeves up, set to work in making sure the jukebox would work and that the cash register was plugged in. Marc cleaned and watered the flowers that Marinette had planted in the window. Marinette herself made sure they had all the machines and ingredients needed for their wares, making sure to write everything down.

After an hour, the group rejoined.

“That was great!” Alya said, turning off the camera. “I’ll upload this, and you guys will have a full house!”

“That’s our hope!” Marc said with a cheerful grin. “Now, what next-”

A loud BOOM rocked the cafe, sending everyone to the ground. A moment later, loud cackling filled the air.

“Now...” Alya pulled her phone back out. Her grin was wide, eyes sparkling in clear adrenaline-filled delight. “Now I go record. Because that...”

Marinette’s heart sank as she finished her friend’s sentence.

“That was an akuma.”

[2manyfandoms2count]

You can count on me (I will be there for you)

Hi, I’m Elle, and I have absolutely no idea how you can hack into a computer beyond the usual *typing sounds* “I’m in” you see in movies. I have therefore decided to leave Max and Markov do their thing backstage while I focus on a little mother-son moment (which there’ll be more of later, of course). Enjoy! xx

Also, small warning: there’s swearing on the last line. I think it’s justified.

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | AO3

---

Chapter 7

Ladybug shivers as they step out of the Voyage portal. Chat Noir pinpointed a blind spot area in a corner of the Mansion’s lobby from which they could hack into the house’s elaborate security system, and Max managed to get all three of them in exactly the right place. Apparently Gabriel Agreste didn't think much could happen beside the grand staircase; remembering the time she'd had to transform there, the spotted lady thinks it's just as well.

While her travel companions huddle around Max’s computer to deactivate the cameras, she takes a look around the space, making sure to stay within the boundaries Chat Noir indicated. How Adrien managed to grow up into the warm and vibrant person he is, while living in this austere place will always be beyond her. Whoever thought that displaying a giant mourning painting in an already colourless room was a good idea clearly doesn’t live here. She supposes it could be alright, were the place a museum, but as a house? It doesn’t help the large volumes feel homey in the least.

“Alright, cameras are looped, we can move around now.” Pegasus closes his computer and stands a little taller. “So, what exactly are we looking for, and how should we go about it?”

“Physically, purple butterfly-themed stationary, and anything that could compromise Ladybug or suggest a tie with Hawkmoth,” Chat Noir lists. “Even though I think we have a better chance of finding the latter two on a protected file. It’s not like my- Mr Agreste to leave things lying around in the open.”

Ladybug nods along. “Where do you think we’re most likely to find those?”

“My best guess would be Gabriel’s atelier, and Nathalie’s room. She’s been keeping quite a lot of paperwork there, since her illness a couple of years ago.” Her partner shrugs. “And I think anything numerical would definitely be on Gabriel’s computer.”

“If that's okay, I think I'll try to access the data from Adrien’s computer, if he still has it in his room? I seem to recall seeing some links last time we connected to it, and there’ll probably be less security to bypass.” Max suggests.

“And less risk of leaving fingerprints, or anything that could make Gabriel suspect anything was touched during his absence.” Chat Noir muses. “Good call, Max. How about you go to Adrien’s room with Markov, LB, you go to Nathalie’s room, and I check the study?”

“Sounds good to me.” Ladybug smiles.

“Perfect.” Pegasus nods. “Should I detransform?”

“Maybe that would be wise. Let’s give Kaalki some time to recharge so we’re good to go later on.” She nods, and hands him a box of macarons she managed to ‘steal’ before they left. It’s not the Kwami’s favourite food, but it will have to do.

Chat Noir watches the both of them run up the stairs and separate at the top, smiling as Ladybug’s newest costume addition flutters with her movements. Tikki must have really liked the veil for it to stick through the transformation. It looks good, and it’s a good reminder that they don’t have all the time in the world.

He takes a deep breath and opens the double doors that lead to his father’s study.

The room hasn’t changed over the years. Some designers, Marinette included, like to sprawl their ideas out in giant mood boards, pictures, sketches and fabric swatches gradually invading the walls as their collection takes shape. Gabriel Agreste isn’t one of these people. The decoration is as stark as ever, despite an upcoming fashion show, pictures of Adrien pulled up from different ads, and marble statues seemingly being the only personal touches. The only real spark of colour is his mother’s golden portrait, at the far end of the room. He often wondered why it hung there, and not on the mantelpiece, or anywhere else in the room where his father could see it while working. He can’t see her not being a source of inspiration.

He walks up to the painting and swivels it to reveal the family safe. It seems like a good place to start.

“Plagg, claws in.” He whispers.

The dark figure swirls out of his ring and spins around a little, taking in his surroundings.

“Gotta say, kiddo, I’m glad that we’re moving out soon. This place always gave me the creeps.” Plagg floats up to the pictures lining the walls. Adrien can’t tell if there’s a hint of nostalgia in his eyes as he takes in the shots of him that were taken around the time they met.

“I thought the Spirit of Destruction knew no fear?” His lips curl into an amused smile.

“I didn’t say I was afraid, just that I didn’t like this place.” Plagg refrains himself very hard from knocking over, or straight up Cataclysming, Adrien can't tell, a frame showing a very proud Gabriel, probably at the end of one of his first fashion shows. “Anyway, what are you doing, detransforming in the middle of you top secret mission? What if your lover walks in?” He asks mischievously.

“She’s my wife now, actually.” Adrien grins, still giddy at the thought.

“I know, just wanted to give you the satisfaction of saying it out loud.” He grins back. “Consider it your wedding present from me; you get to be sappy for the day. Not too much, though, or I’ll end up retching on your father’s stuff.”

“Don’t worry, I’m sure it won’t come to that. I just need you to open the safe, like you did that one time? Then I’ll retransform, on the off-chance Marinette does decide to come and check on things.”

“No problem.” Plagg zoomed through the heavy metal door, and was back out again a couple of minutes later. “Whew- I don't know if it’s because I’m getting old, but it felt a lot easier the first time around. Got a little Camembert for my troubles?” He pouted.

“That’s weird.” Adrien frowns as he pulls out the cheese box from his suit pocket and tosses him a piece.

“Eh, I wouldn’t sweat it. It was, what? Ten years ago? More? I lose count.” The Kwami catches the cheese and gobbles it down. “Anyway, technologies have evolved since then, and you know your progenitor likes to keep up.”

“True.” Adrien replies pensively as they take a look at the contents of the safe.

The contents looks pretty much identical to the last time they’d broken into it. The same books are stored on the lower shelves, with a couple wads of cash. At eye level, the book about Tibet still sits next to his mother’s picture. The Miraculous Grimoire that had gotten him into so much trouble is gone, he notices, but he doesn't worry too much about it. It could just mean that his father is using it for his next collection.

There’s something else missing, though. He seems to recall that there was a flash of colour around his mother, but maybe he’s remembering it wrong.

He shakes his head to clear the feeling that it's something important as he closes the safe, and calls his transformation phrase.

Swivelling the panel back to its original place, he sighs as he takes in Emilie’s portrait once more.

“Oh, Maman, I wish you were still here.” He says softly. It breaks his heart, but the more time passes, the less he can remember her face. Sure, the paintings and pictures remind him of what she looked like, but picturing her spontaneously in his memories is becoming a struggle.

It’s actually this painting he generally sees when he thinks about her. It’s vibrant, warm, solar, just like she was. He wishes she could have met Marinette. She would have adored her, he knows. She would’ve treated her like the daughter she never had.

“If only you could’ve seen us today. I’m sure you would’ve been a much easier guest than Father’s turning out to be.” He lets out a nervous chuckle, and gently touches the painting’s surface. It’s something his father always forbade him from doing, but he isn’t there, it’s his wedding day, and one of the most important people in his life isn't there to celebrate with him.

As he slides his fingers over the elaborate dress, wondering if she ever wore one like this, and if so, if his father kept it, he notices that there are some spots which are smooth, almost cool, in the midst of the paint asperities. He frowns, and touches them again; they’re definitely metal, glinting a little in the afternoon light.

Tentatively, he pushes down on one of them. The button sinks below the surface, but nothing happens.

He tries pressing on two groups, located approximately at eye level. This time, there’s a slight whirring sound, and he feels the ground move under his feet.

He’s too stunned to jump out when he starts to descend below ground level, his hands automatically slamming to the sides of the tube, eyes widening in panic.

“Chat Noir!” Ladybug and Max burst through the doors just before he is completely engulfed by darkness. She’s pale as she watches him disappear, clutching purple envelopes and something else in her hands. Max doesn’t look too good either.

“Shit” is the last thing he hears as he travels to whatever dark corner of the Mansion the tube is taking him to. He's not sure who said it, but something tells him they all did.