#and i was cringing the entire time adrien was on screen

[kari-go]

You should make a rank of the characters (E to S), I like the way you see the series.

Eeh no. I haven't watched the show in ages and I definitely don't want to watch it again

#i watched the shanghai special recently #and i was cringing the entire time adrien was on screen #or just anything love square related #watching the show would be a torture for me #ask #miraculous ladybug #rating the suits would be pretty fun though #i dont need to watch the show for that

[nerdnag]

So here are my completely uninteresting thoughts about the Miraculous movie, which I watched yesterday. First few paragraphs are spoiler free.

Overall impression while watching was honestly positive. It was well-animated, the tension and atmosphere were good, the voice actors for the main characters did great, the music was pretty good, and the nostalgia gave me warm fuzzy feelings several times. However, the day after watching it, I realize I have a lot of issues with it that weren't obvious to me at first.

I didn't mind it being a musical. But like everyone else, I thought the difference between Marinette's speaking VA and singing VA was jarring. It was jarring enough that it didn't feel like it was actually Marinette singing; it felt more like she was lipsynching along to a soundtrack, and I found it hard to take in what she was trying to communicate in her songs because of that. Adrien didn't have this problem; his singing VA was similar enough that it worked. As for Gabriel, oh man, was it a TREAT to discover that Keith Silverstein did his own singing. I literally had goose bumps the whole song, not because it was a particularly interesting song, but because Keith just did it so well (and it was so great to have him seamlessly start singing)!!

They changed or removed a lot of things compared to the show; the main reason for this was probably that the movie was only 1:32 in runtime (which was way too short even to convey some of the basic points of the plot). Some of the changes were for the better, I think. But many of them were for the worse.

(Spoilers below, though if you've seen the show, it probably doesn't matter very much.)

Some good changes:

Gabriel's characterization and character arc were WAY improved, in that his motives are clearly established, he's shown as suffering emotionally during the entire movie (while very obviously caring a lot for Adrien), and he had a redemption at the end that made sense. Gabriel was probably my favorite character in this movie. I almost wish it had centered more around him, lol.

This is maybe not a change so much as a choice of focus, but a major part of why I stopped watching the show two seasons back or so was because the new kwamis, heroes and identity switches were getting incredibly annoying, confusing and boring. The movie had only three active kwamis and only two heroes, i.e. it went back to the good old days of the show, and I appreciated that a lot.

There are also way fewer characters who get any screen time (basically their entire school class is only shown in the periphery), which I personally think is a good thing, because I never really found most of them interesting in the first place.

After their first couple of times fighting bad guys, Ladybug and CN get into a habit of meeting with each other to train or just hang out even when there are no threats around. That kind of casual interaction was something I think many of us wished had been a part of the show (it definitely was a major part of many fanfics).

Adrien is clearly shown mourning his mother, and I think that his withdrawn manner and the fact that he always wears earbuds at the start of the movie makes a lot of sense.

Marinette and Adrien are chosen as guardians in a slightly different way, and I think I like Tikki's movie introduction more than the one in the show (however, see another point about this further below). Also, the idea behind the ladybug and cat miraculouses was well explained in my opinion.

I really liked the first meeting between Ladybug and CN. CN was characteristically cocky, and LB was very reasonably annoyed with him throughout it all (more so than in the show, as far as I recall). While there were a few moments during the fight itself that felt a bit cringe, their interactions were still pretty great. I also liked how CN went from seeing himself as the main superhero with LB being his sidekick, to acknowledging that it's probably the other way around and that they work best as a team. Also, his pet name for her is pretty cute (though I kind of miss the names he calls her in the show).

Some bad changes:

The fashion-related connection between Marinette, Adrien and Gabriel was completely removed. Adrien isn't a model it seems (at least it was never mentioned), and it was only briefly shown at the start of the movie that Gabriel is a fashion designer. Marinette still does fashion sketches, but the whole reason for why she is obsessed with Adrien at first as well as the fact that she looks up to his father a lot is completely non-existent. The connection just isn't mentioned at all.

Adrien and Marinette are barely shown interacting outside of their first meeting, their resolution, and a brief montage in-between. It doesn't really make sense why Marinette is even interested in Adrien (see also my previous point). It doesn't even make sense that she would like him just because she's lonely and not used to attention, because movie Adrien barely gives her any...

Marichat and Ladrien have ZERO interactions. It's a shame and a huge minus.

The way that Ladybug's and CN's powers work is a disappointment. We're told that they have the power of creation and destruction respectively, and this is shown in a few scenes (CN destroys some things, LB repairs some things), but gone are all the clever strategies from the show where LB had to figure out a creative way to solve their problems. The way her powers are portrayed in the movie, it seems like Tikki does everything for her. Her yo-yo seems to have a life of her own and pulls her along without her consent a lot of the time, and she never has to think for herself about how to solve a problem because her powers miraculously show her exactly what to do. We do get a few cool scenes where LB and CN execute moves in tandem though, but that's about the extent of it. Basically, LB isn't a strong, clever superhero; she's pretty much a doll puppeteered around by Tikki. (A bit of an exaggeration but that is how I felt.)

The reveal between Marinette and Adrien feels underwhelming, both because of how little we have seen of their friendship and interactions throughout the movie, and because the reveal itself is done in a rather anticlimactic way. Marinette has already known who he is for a while at that point (it's unclear exactly how long), and Adrien seems to realize who she is as soon as she calls his name. They barely speak during the reveal and it is difficult to know how they feel about it all outside of Marinette's shy expressions and Adrien's shocked eyes. The whole ~masquerade reveal~ felt like an attempt at fanservice that unfortunately fell flat.

Alya was a good character in this movie, but I think she should have received more screentime. I would much rather have seen more of her and Marinette than suffer through her bad scenes with Nino (more on that below).

Chloé was done dirty. It's like they added her in just because "she's supposed to be there" without taking the time to making her actually fit in with the other changes they had made. Not only did she seem to fluctuate between three or four different personalities throughout the movie, she also made very light of the concept of bullying in a COMPLETELY unnecessary and shockingly badly written line at the end of the movie. (This is literally a direct quote: "Marinette, I hope you have a lovely evening, because next year, bullying's back on.") Also, she bragged about being favored by Adrien, even though they had zero interactions in the movie? (I don't remember them having one, at least.)

Plagg was done REALLY dirty. Every single scene he was in was cringe and badly written. His entire personalty was boiled down to "he fart lol".

Lastly, Adrien was also done dirty. He's barely given a discernible personality outside of "I'm sad and miss my parents" and "I'm a cocky superhero who loves puns". The way he handles being told that Marinette has another love interest is immature and spiteful, his first meeting with Marinette ends with him leaving out of nowhere and thinking that she's weird, and we never get to see how kind, shy, clever, awkward and perceptive he can be. The contrast between him and his superhero persona is badly explained; someone who hasn't seen the show wouldn't know that he longs for adventure and the freedom to express himself, because his struggles as a homeschooled model with few sincere friends are completely absent from the movie. Basically, he's made into a rather one note character (well, I guess two note, really, with at best a wobbly connection between the two sides).

Other things that weren't changes per se, but that I have Opinions about:

I'm torn on how they remade Marinette's "awakening". Just like in the show, she refuses Tikki's powers at first, before eventually accepting them and having her growth arc. I think this is an important part of her larger character arc. However, considering how short the movie is, it's my opinion that they dedicate a disproportionate amount of time to this arc, where I feel that there were important plot and characterization details they could have used that time for instead. I understand that they probably did this because they wanted to focus a lot on Marinette's "hero's journey" in this movie, but it was almost like they dragged it all out.

Related to the previous point, there is quite a lot of "be yourself" and "trust your heart" and "overcome your fears" propaganda shoved down the viewer's throat throughout the movie. I watched the movie with my partner, and every time that Marinette started singing, I jokingly went, "do you think this song will be the next 'Let It Go'?" I mean, it's a good message to give kids I guess, but it was so much that I couldn't help but view it cynically.

Nino could have been removed as a character. No, actually, he should have been. He was extremely one note in a way that borders on being a racist depiction, his romance arc with Alya was flat and unnecessary, his "romantic advice" to Adrien was cliche and cringe, and he fulfils no purpose in the story whatsoever (possibly apart from being Adrien's only friend at first, but that's so brushed over that I don't think it would matter if it was removed).

I liked almost all of the interactions between Ladybug and CN. They were fun, cute and mostly felt natural. The few issues I have are mostly present in the show as well, so I have nothing to complain about regarding the movie itself.

As a contrast to the previous point however, there were, in my opinion, way too many one liners and far too few sincere interactions between characters. Some of the interactions were so weirdly cut short that they felt jarring or superficial. I saw a good example of this in another post from the early parts of the movie, where Marinette is sad because she feels lonely at school, her mother tells her to cheer up and be herself, at which Marinette suddenly does cheer up and goes "you're right!!" (I'm paraphrasing, but the meat of the issue is that the change in her mood is unnaturally sudden, and it feels like there's so much more that had to be said between the lines for that to happen).

The climax felt somewhat sudden and uncalled for, both in how it started and how it ended. Hawkmoth's powers (which hadn't been very well explained before this) suddenly became completely different and no longer focused around the power of his kwami. Suddenly he could create storms, and levitate, and use telekinesis??? And while I appreciated the reveal between him and Adrien, it was weird to have Marinette standing nearby without ever seeing her reaction to CN's identity reveal. Also, the ghost hug from Adrien's mother at the end felt a little too on the nose for me.

Final thoughts: If they had spent their budget on a longer movie rather than on licensing 15 seconds or so of Careless Whisper, and if they had cut all of the musical numbers in favor of including some more plot and characterization, I think the movie could have been really great. As it stands, I think the main issues with the movie all boil down to it being too short. Still, I'm glad I watched it, and I think fans of the series will still have a lot to appreciate about it. As for the people who have never seen the show, they might think it's an all right movie, but they're missing out on a lot of the things that make the show so great.

The teaser for a sequel at the end was... Weird, btw. I really don't see how they're going to keep people's interest up for another movie when CN and LB already have had their reveal and romantic arc, unless the supposed sequel focuses on other people (crossing my fingers for a Gabriel-centered movie, I guess).

#Mlb #Miraculous #Miraculous ladybug #Miraculous movie #Miraculous ladybug and cat noir the movie #Nagnerd

[purrincess-chat]

Marinette Dupain-Cheng’s Spite Playlist: Remix CH29

The plans are in motion! Just a reminder, after I post CH30 next week, I will be taking a break through the month of September to finish up the final edit. I’ll probably be scarce around this blog as well during that time cause I’ve got to work on my BB piece as well, but my queue is loaded through like January of next year, so it’ll be like I’m not even gone. 

Previous     First      Next       AO3

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Chapter 29: Take Cover

Marinette and Adrien stared at his phone, jaws hanging agape. The silence stretched on until Chloe sighed, and Marinette blinked out of her trance.

“I’m sorry. We’re going to what now?” she asked.

“Ugh, just get over here.” Chloe hung up.

Marinette and Adrien exchanged bewildered looks, and he shrugged as if to say, ‘I have no idea what just happened either.’ Chloe wasn’t one to keep waiting, so they gathered their things and piled into Adrien’s town car. On the drive over, Adrien laced their fingers together, tracing patterns on the back of Marinette’s palm with his thumb. She smiled up at him, that familiar, fluttery feeling spreading through her chest.

She’d dreamed of being Adrien’s girlfriend since they day they met. To her surprise, she was calmer about the whole situation than she’d expected. She wasn’t planning their wedding or naming their future pets, and she’d only daydreamed about his soft lips twenty times that day. They knew each other better now and had grown more comfortable with one another.

Adrien was a true friend and a stable rock in the middle of a storm, always there for her to fall back on if she needed. If it weren’t for him, she would be drowning in her own anguish. Lila may think she had the upper hand, but Marinette and Adrien were the perfect team. Nothing could stop them when they worked together.

Chloe was staring out at her balcony when they arrived, a pensive frown wrinkling her forehead. She turned to them, pursing her lips to mask her expression as they approached. They eyed each other in tense silence until Marinette spoke up.

“So,” she started, “what?”

Chloe rolled her eyes and rubbed her temple with a sigh.

“Look, don’t go getting any ideas. This isn’t about you; it’s about revenge,” Chloe said. “Lila seems to feel the most threatened by you, so I think it will have more of an impact if your name is associated with all of this charity work, and the only way to make anyone else care enough to report about it is to make you someone worth talking about.”

“What makes you think Lila is threatened by me?” Marinette asked with a disbelieving grunt. “All she ever does is toy with me.”

“And why do you think that is?” Chloe rolled her eyes when Marinette still seemed lost. “When someone like her feels threatened, they lash out and try to bring you down.”

“Is that why you were always so mean to me?” Marinette’s eyes narrowed, a smirk curling on her lips.

“Don’t lump me in with her! I’m mean to people for the sheer entertainment of watching them suffer. Totally different.” Chloe scoffed.

“Okay, so how exactly do you plan on making Marinette famous?” Adrien asked.

“Easily.” Chloe shrugged. “The dumb brat has already started making a name for herself, and more and more important people are starting to notice her talent, if you want to call it that.”

“I will ignore the insult in favor of the compliment.” Marinette crossed her arms over her chest and cocked a hip.

“Look, even my mom has complimented your work, so I think we should—as disgusting as this is—ask my mom to help you launch your fashion career.” Chloe cringed as she said it.

Marinette stared at her for a long moment, and Chloe shifted her weight with a moan.

“Stop looking at me like that!”

“You’re being serious right now?” Marinette asked.

“I know. Even I’m shocked.” Chloe wrinkled her nose.

“You want to help me start my fashion career? Now?”

“It’s the only way to take down that brat for good,” Chloe said, cheeks pink. “After this, I will go back to hating you and thinking you are a talentless nobody.”

“This is uncharacteristically nice of you, Chloe,” Adrien said with a smile. “I’m proud of you.”

“Don’t get any ideas, Dupain-Cheng. I’m not going to be caught dead wearing your trash, but my mom wanted to train you, so I think it’s our best shot.” Chloe shrugged.

“So, what? We’re just going to walk up to your mom and ask her to work with me?” Marinette scoffed as if it were the most absurd thing she’d ever heard. Because it was.

“Pretty much.” Chloe marched past her.

“Wait, we’re going right now?”

“We want to take Lila down this century, Dupain-Cheng,” Chloe said pointedly, crossing the hall to her mother’s suite.

“But…wait, Chloe-” Marinette rushed after her as she barged into the room across the hall.

Audrey was in the middle of a hot stone massage, and Marinette curled her shoulders.

“I don’t think we should disturb her-”

“Mommy,” Chloe said, and Audrey gave some groan of acknowledgement. “You remember my dreadful former classmate, the one who designed the feather hat for Adrien?”

“Vaguely,” Audrey said.

“Well, Clara Nightingale walked the red carpet in one of her designs, and I think you should back her brand,” Chloe said.

“I thought you hated this girl-”

“You and me both,” Marinette grumbled.

“-now it sounds like you’re being nice.” Audrey choked on the word.

“There’s a nasty girl at school that I want to get rid of, and I need to make Dupain-Cheng famous to do it.” Chloe explained.

Audrey moaned as the masseuse worked a knot in her shoulders.

“Get me a portfolio by this time next week, then we’ll talk,” she said.

Chloe clapped her hands together. “Thank you, Mommy.”

“Wait, I’m sorry, a week?” Marinette blanched.

“Fashion moves quickly, dear, so if you want to be relevant, you’ll get me your portfolio with a pitch by next week,” Audrey said more sternly.

“She’ll have it ready,” Chloe promised.

Marinette shot her a look. “I’m not so sure she can-”

“Enjoy your massage.” Chloe grabbed Marinette’s arm and dragged her from the room.

“Chloe, I don’t know if I can-”

"Oh, shut it." Chloe clamped her hand in a mouth-shutting motion. "You are annoyingly persistent when you want to be. I've seen you accomplish way more in less time, so don't you even say you can't do it because if anyone has got what it takes, it's you, and if you tell anyone I said that, I will destroy everything you love."

“A week? To come up with an entire line,” Marinette said. “Not to mention it has to impress your mom—the queen of fashion!”

“And?” Chloe shrugged. Did she hear herself? What was so hard to understand about the absurdity of the situation?

“Chloe’s right, Marinette, you can do this,” Adrien took her hands and gave them a reassuring squeeze.

“But what if I can’t?” Marinette asked. “What if Audrey hates my designs or if I can’t come up with a whole line in time?”

“Then your fashion career is dead, and I’ll just get rid of Lila my way.” Chloe sauntered back to her suite. “Toodles!”

Marinette leaned her face into Adrien’s shoulder with a moan, and he wrapped his arms around her tightly.

“I know this is a lot of pressure, but you are the most amazing girl I know. You’re an incredible designer, and I know you’re going to crush it.” He pressed his forehead to hers, those green eyes shining with a confidence she wished she felt.

She took a deep, centering breath and nodded.

“Okay.” She pressed her lips into a firm line. “Let’s do it.”

♪♫♪ Misery Business ♪♫♪

Lila glared down at her phone screen, her laptop playing Clara’s acceptance speech in the background which only made her blood boil hotter. As if that stupid bakery brat needed more attention. Marinette pulled a couple fast ones on her, but Lila always got the last laugh. She stared down at Adrien’s Instagram post again with a scowl.

“So proud of @marinette-dc! I’m so lucky to have such an amazing girlfriend like you.”

Most of their classmates had already liked it, but it didn’t matter. Lila would figure out a way to spin this back on Marinette. The cracks were already forming in her little good girl reputation. Lila just needed to apply pressure, then everything would come crumbling down.

♪♫♪ Look What You Made Me Do ♪♫♪

The next day at school, Marinette was quite the hot topic after her big debut. Everyone was buzzing about Clara’s dress, and she received compliments left and right, though she found it hard to enjoy her moment with Audrey’s deadline looming over her.

She’d spent all night brainstorming ideas, but so far she had nothing. Nada. Zilch. No ideas. No inspiration. Nothing, and she was a sweaty ball of nerves. Numerous times she’d tried to give herself pep talks. She saved the city on a daily basis, fought ten-ton monsters and tricky magicians. How hard could it be to design a few dresses and coats?

Infinitely hard, as it turned out. In fact, part of her wished it was as easy as fighting an akuma. That there was some clever shortcut to her end goal, but there were no such things in this case. Just her own imagination and the wall between it and her sketchpad.

“Why so glum?” Macy asked as Marinette shoved books into her locker. “Shouldn’t you be excited about your dress? Everyone loves it. Things didn’t go bad with Adrien after we left, did they?” She cupped her cheeks in horror.

“No.” Marinette assured her with a laugh. “Everything is fine, but I just… Another amazing opportunity has fallen in my lap, and I don’t think I can do it, and I’m stressing out over it.”

“Yeah, you are breaking out a little.” Lisette pointed out, and Marinette covered her chin with a groan.

“You’re amazing, Marinette, and you always find a solution,” Macy said, but when Marinette seemed less than convinced, she pursed her lips. “Tell you what, Lisette can help you cover your zit, and we’ll help you get your mojo back, okay?”

“Okay,” Marinette said, allowing Macy to tug her to the bathroom where Lisette managed to completely erase any signs of her stress. Honestly, she was a wizard with a tube of concealer.

“There they are with the lady of the hour,” Eliott said when they met up for lunch. “How did your alone time go with a certain model last night?”

“He gave me this necklace.” She pulled it from under her collar with a soft smile.

“How romantic!” Lisette said.

“How sparkly.” Macy added with a longing look until Eliott nudged her with his elbow.

“We should double date this weekend. The weather is going to be nice, so we could go golfing.” Eliott suggested, and Macy shot up.

“Oh! Can I come? My parents are part-owners at one of the courses so my dad can play whenever he wants.” She bounced excitedly.

“Fine, but you have to bring a date,” Eliott said.

“I’ll just bring Martin again.” Macy shrugged.

“That’s cheating.”

“How? You said to bring a date, so I’ll bring a date.”

“You didn’t even ask him!”

“Fine! Martin, will you be my date?” Macy turned to him with pleading eyes, and his cheeks flushed.

“Uh, sure,” he said.

“Ha!” Macy stuck her tongue out at Eliott.

“That’s all fun and everything, but I’ve never played golf,” Marinette said. “Besides, I have a lot to do.”

“Oh, come on, Marinette. We can teach you,” Macy said. “Please?”

“I-” Marinette hesitated when they all gave her pleading looks. “We’ll see.”

“What’s so urgent that you can’t come out, Marinette?” Eliott asked as they took their seats.

“Does it have to do with that girl?” Martin lowered his voice.

“Kind of…” Marinette took a deep breath before explaining the entire situation—the plan, her deadline, all of it.

“Whoa, you’re really gonna pitch to Audrey Bourgeois?” Lisette whispered, eyes wide.

“I’m gonna try,” Marinette pushed her peas around with a spoon. “I’m kinda running on empty right now.”

“If you need any help let us know, okay?” Macy reached out to place a hand over hers.

“Yeah, we know tons about fashion and starting charities, not to mention handling drama queens.” Eliott echoed. “We’ve got your back.”

Marinette smiled, though the sentiment didn’t reach her eyes. It wasn’t their fault that Marinette was never going to make it in the world of fashion. When she inevitably failed, Adrien would probably dump her, Lila would take over the world, and she’d be left selling stupid little trinkets off of a cart to tourists. Why did she let Chloe talk her into this?

♪♫♪ Yeah Right ♪♫♪

“Good morning, Lila! I have your geometry homework!” Sabrina greeted on the front staircase the next morning.

Lila feigned a smile. Sabrina was annoying, but she did all of Lila’s homework, so she usually didn’t complain. After that brat Marinette scored a point against her last night with the award’s show, Lila wasn’t in the mood to deal with clingy girls with dependency issues.

“Thank you so much, Sabrina. You’re such a sweetheart,” Lila said.

“How is your ankle feeling? Do you need anything? Aspirin? A hot compress? Foot massage?” Sabrina offered.

“Well, it feels much better than it did a week ago, but if I walk around a lot, it gets a little sore. Would you mind taking my bag to my locker for me?” Lila slipped her bag off her shoulder and held it out.

“Of course! You rest that ankle,” Sabrina said without hesitation.

Lila smirked as she trotted off to the locker room. At least Sabrina was easy to get rid of. Some of her other idiots would have insisted on walking her to class—a commitment Lila didn’t have time for today. She needed to figure out her next move against Marinette. Everyone was still conflicted over the stairs incident from the Louvre. That stupid goody-goody built up a reputation over the years that wasn’t so easily collapsible. Even still, every shred of doubt Lila could cast would pile up in the end.

“I see you’re still walking around like you own the place.”

Lila stopped a few steps into the school, jaw clenching. Adrien was leaning against the wall just inside the door, and he pushed away when she narrowed her eyes, taking slow, deliberate steps toward her.

“In case you hadn’t noticed, I do own the place,” she said. “Or I will soon enough.”

“I’ve warned you before, Lila, but you didn’t listen. What you did to Marinette was not okay,” he said darkly, green eyes narrowed into slits.

“Oh? And what are you going to do about it? Call another one of your celebrity buddies to call me a liar? Go ahead, it’ll help me win these losers over even faster.” Lila crossed her arms over her chest and cocked a hip. “You can’t beat me, Adrien. You’re too nice to get your hands dirty.”

“If you do anything else to Marinette, you’re going to learn how nice I am.” He glowered down at her, sending a shiver down Lila’s spine. “You hurt someone I love, so enjoy your reign while it lasts. Pretty soon everyone is going to see you for who you really are, and I won’t feel sorry for you.”

He brushed past her, and Lila rolled her eyes. He was bluffing, and even if he wasn’t, Lila could handle anything he threw at her. Whatever they were plotting, Lila wasn’t going down without a fight.

#mdcspr #marinette dupain-cheng's spite playlist remix #my writing

[miraculouslycool]

Of Yellows, Pinks and Blues

Summary: "You're afraid, aren't you?" Aeon had asked her, one quiet moment when Marinette had stood out of earshot from her friends. "What? No! Why should I be scared?" She had whispered back. "You brought Chat Noir back to me. We're fine now." "Every hero gets a little scared from time to time. When I met Chat Noir, he was scared of facing you again, but he came back for you. And you are afraid of him still resenting you, but I tell you, your fears are quite unfounded."

Yes, Marinette should have believed her. Aeon was an AI after all. There was nothing she didn't know. But nothing more than her kitty's word - that he wasn't upset with her for letting him go - would satisfy her.

(Contains spoilers for the NYC Special)

Read in Ao3: 

Ladybug swung her legs back and forth, staring out at the dark New York skyline, sprinkled occasionally with sparkles from the several skyscrapers.

She avoided googling about Paris entirely, unless it had to do with news about her partner.

Everyone had managed to get away, even if there were injuries. After a year of dealing with akumas, Paris had become very efficient in evading Hawkmoth and Mayura's clutches.

But it still didn't change what had happened.

Paris had been attacked and they weren't there.

Chat had taken responsibility for explaining his and Ladybug's absence while she was still stuck in New York.

Mayor Bourgeois had been surprisingly understanding - if a little grouchy, although that mostly had to do with Chloe being one of the people she and Chat Noir had saved.

Even then, in the livestream from Paris, her heart twisted every time she caught Chat's face twinge in guilt.

If only she wasn't stuck here on the Empire State Building.

She wouldn't have had to pretend to be understanding when Adrien called them after reaching Paris, assuring his friends that everything was fine.

She wouldn't have to look over her shoulder, looking out for a chance that Hawkmoth would strike again.

She wouldn't need to force a smile in every group picture.

She wouldn't have to anxiously check her akuma alerts, worrying for Chat's well being, she could have actually been there with him and gotten to fight with him.

She could have held Chat's hand and squeezed it tighter every time he tried to blame himself.

She had been too harsh, even if she was essentially right to be, as he would point out.

It wasn't his fault. He didn't send that sentimonster. Mayura did. She would tell him that.

She hadn't seen Adrien since that last video call yesterday. And the last she saw of Chat was the flap of his black wings towards Paris.

Jess and Aeon were wonderful, but they weren't Chat.

She hadn't slept a wink in the past two days. Sometimes she would find herself staring at Adrien's text window. He would send messages in the group chat he shared with her, Alya and Nino. Sometimes even in their private messages, he'd thank her efforts in trying to get him to New York even if it ended up in shambles.

What she did even more during those sleepless nights was stare at the little cat toy, turning it over in her palms, waiting for it to ring not for Paris, but for the boy who owned it.

It never did ring.

Today, the sleepless night was just too much to handle, so she climbed out of the hotel's bathroom window. The hotel's air conditioning could never compare to the crisp air of nighttime.

She didn't know why she was acting like that cat toy was their only form of communication. They had a yo-yo and baton. They would text using those while they were on the same rooftop just for the fun of it.

"You're afraid, aren't you?" Aeon had asked her, one quiet moment when Marinette had stood out of earshot from her friends.

"What? No! Why should I be scared?" She had whispered back. "You brought Chat Noir back to me. We're fine now."

"Every hero gets a little scared from time to time. When I met Chat Noir, he was scared of facing you again, but he came back for you. And you are afraid of him still resenting you, but I tell you, your fears are quite unfounded."

Yes, Marinette should have believed her. Aeon was an AI after all. There was nothing she didn't know.

But nothing more than her kitty's word - that he wasn't upset with her for letting him go - would satisfy her.

A tear slid down on the screen of her yo yo.

The last message from him was three days ago, before she had left Paris. It was a silly pun about cats and yarn.

She missed him. She missed him terribly. Atleast she could quietly miss Adrien while getting to see him everyday in class. She saw Chat Noir everyday, and the single hour when he was lost to her forever still felt like a nightmare she couldn’t shake off.

'Get it together, Marinette. You basically drove him off,but he came to you anyway. Just...text him. It's just a text.'

‘Hey, Chat.’

She didn't dare nickname him. She didn't dare to be more familiar than she was supposed to.

‘I don't know if you're there but, it should be 8 PM in Paris. Are you doing okay?’

Before she could even cringe at her text, she pressed the send button.

There.

He was probably so busy, he probably wouldn't even notice.

Her yo-yo pinged, making her jump.

"I am hereww!&^" he had replied.

He had replied!

He had replied and he never made typos! Was he really that excited?

"M'lady, are you there?"

There he was. Back on the grammatically correct train. Her eyes were so blurry with relieved tears, she almost didn't notice the tiny wiggling in her belly.

That must have been her stomach tingling in excitement.

When she wiped her tears, she realised it was actually her cat toy, squeaking in her lap.

He was searching for her.

‘I'm here!’ She practically shouted as she typed.

‘How is Paris? Is everything okay? Is there trouble again?’

‘No, none. Everything is practically quiet. Wait, so why are you transformed?’

‘Why are you transformed?’ she shot back, trying to divert the conversation.

‘I was taking a shortcut to my house, everything is fine here too. I've been sneaking out to help the construction workers with restoring the buildings and collecting the debris.’

Her heart practically melted. He didn't know that she knows he doubts himself sometimes, but to her - Chat Noir was a hero in every sense of the word.

‘You noble soul.’ It was phrased like a joke, but she meant it.

Now he was going to brag about him being a gentlecat and then everything would be back to normal-

‘Not really, though.’ he replied, and she could hear the guilt in his words. ‘It's the least I can do after I messed up.’

"Oh, Chat..." she said to herself, feeling terribly sorry for him.

‘It's not your fault.’ she texted furiously.

He didn't reply for a few minutes, and then it came again.

‘Where are you in New York?’

So she wasn't the only one good at deflecting. She briefly considered making something up, identities had to be protected after all, but it was far too late and she was too tired to even think of an excuse.

‘On top of the Empire State Building.’ she sent, thinking about his reaction with bated breath.

‘I wish you were here with me…’ her fingers spelt out the words before she could register them.

By the time she did, she frantically tried to backspace.

Sometimes she hated how tiny her yo-yo screen was. And how close the send button was close to the backspace one.

"NO NO NO!" She almost dropped her yo yo. She hadn't meant to send that!!

He had read it.

‘Chat? Are you there?’ She tried to avoid the exclamation points.

She didn't want to hurt him by saying she didn't mean to send that, but also, she didn’t mean to send that!

‘Sorry, I have to go, I'll talk later.’ he finally replied.

That was enough to send Marinette into a panic.

Oh no.

She had massively screwed up, hadn't she?

She just kept on rambling about Paris and she never asked about him, no wonder he was upset! If she was him, she would hate herself!

‘Chat? What happened?’

Oh no. What if there was an akuma? Was that why he left?

But her cat toy wasn't ringing.

Maybe something came up and he had to detransform! Yeah, that was a reasonable explanation, and if he needed her, he would tell her!

What if she had messed up things so bad he realised he was better off without her?

"M'lady!"

She couldn't believe her ears.

Her head snapped up, and her jaw dropped.

"Chat Noir?" She whispered.

No, she was just dreaming. There was no way that was him, that was just a crow or a bat.

The figure landed on the roof a few steps away and muttered, "Claws in."

No crows or bats in New York. Just one Chat Noir.

His brightly glowing bell diminished into its usual golden glossy sheen. Chat Noir’s face held a cautious sort of happiness as he searched her face, trying to gauge some sort of a reaction.

Was she mad at him? Was she going to throw him off the building or force him to fly back to Paris?

He heard her let out a strangled sob as she threw her arms around him again.

"You're here, you're really here!" She squealed into his shoulder.

He had to bow down a little to hug her better, and it resulted in her being cocooned into his arms even more.

"I missed you." He said immediately.

"I missed you too." She pulled back, holding his face in hers. "I still can't believe..."

He laughed, trying to blink back the tears in his eyes.

"You asked for me, m'lady. How can this cat ever refuse?"

"How are you?" She asked, her heart thumping hard.

Her hands were still on his chest.

"How are you , m'lady?" he held her hands, squeezing them tightly.

"I'm only here for another day, but I'm dying to get back to Paris." She said, pulling him down to sit with her.

"Are you feeling homesick?" He asked, his eyes crinkling.

"Yeah. Looks like Hawkmoth will follow us no matter where we go." She sighed, fisting her palms. "He didn't bother showing up there, did he?"

"No. And I'm keeping a lookout everywhere." He said hastily.

He would never ever betray his lady ever again, and he wanted her to know that.

"I'm patrolling everyday and keeping up with every news source and-"

"Hush, kitty." she placed a finger over his lips. "I know. You don't have to tell me."

He managed to smile weakly.

"I got you something." He said, pulling out his baton.

"It has only been 5 minutes! How did you even-?"

He pressed a button on his baton, and its end opened, and out bloomed six roses, in three different colours.

“Yeah, I didn’t know it could do that either.” He sniggered at her incredulous expression.

"I've been waiting to give you this the minute you came back." He held out the tiny bouquet. “But you know, circumstances have changed.”

Marinette was well versed in flower language. It was a part of her wild fantasies back in the day when she would dream about Adrien giving her red roses for love or pink for admiration or violet for enchantment or-

Oh, Adrien....

Marinette's heart panged as she remembered his kind, gentle eyes, never wavering despite her crazy antics.

And if she squinted, it was almost as if she could see them now-

"M'lady?"

"Chat, I-" she stuttered, accepting the bouquet of yellow, blue and pink roses. "Thank you, I just wasn't expecting this!"

Did she just try to see Adrien in Chat's eyes?

It was official, she had gone bonkers.

"Yeah, and look, I researched them this time too!"

Ladybug knew exactly what the flowers meant, but she wanted to hear it from him.

"Yellow means friendship, as you already know," he babbled excitedly. "But blue means trust and pink means gratitude."

Even if she expected to hear those words, actually hearing it from him made her heart race.

"I...I just wanted you to know that, no matter what happens, I will always try to do my best to be the partner you need and...I can't even begin to thank you for being stuck with someone like me."

Something about the way he said it - it gave her a strong case of deja vu.

Quickly dispelling those thoughts, she gathered herself together.

She really couldn't imagine Chat Noir going around thanking people for being in his life.

Life surprises you everyday.

"Silly kitty. You already are the only partner I'll ever need. Nothing is going to change that."

To her surprise, he still looked uneasy.

"What's wrong?"

"I messed up a lot that day." He sighed. "In more ways than one."

"What do you mean?" She asked. "You know Uncanny and Majestia don't blame you! I don't blame you!"

"No, it's not that." He said, desperately. When she still looked sceptical, he took her hand in his and placed it over his heart. "I promise you, no matter what I feel about that, I'm never leaving you. I promise."

"Then why didn't you contact me?" She asked, and she couldn't take those words back.

Seriously? She sounded like a whiny girlfrie-NOPE, she was not going to complete that sentence, nuh uh.

"I didn't want to bother you." He said, his eyes downcast. "I figured, since you're coming to Paris tomorrow-"

Gathering up the last bit of courage she had, she kissed the top of his head.

"Chat Noir, getting to fight alongside you is one of the best things that has ever happened to me, and I won't stop repeating it until you believe it."

Flashing memories of thunder and a skidding bike and stinging skin invaded her mind.

She had screamed for Adrien to stay but he couldn't hear her.

And she had the gall to say 'I love you', as if he was there in front of her, listening.

She really was pathetic.

"I know, m'lady." He said and she flinched for a moment, terrified if he had heard the raging battle in her head.

Oh, he was responding to what she said.

She shook her head. It didn't matter.

Adrien was miles away, and when she got back to Paris, he would be further away from her.

And Chat Noir was here! He needed her, he came looking for her; always, always came back to her.

"Then what do you mean, you messed up in more ways than one?"

"I don't know if I can tell you without endangering our identities anyway, so, it's okay, m'lady." He smiled sadly. "It'll be okay, it's just me being stupid."

‘Screw their identities.’

She could not believe she had thought that.

Okay, maybe that wasn't the case all the time. But right now, he mattered more.

"Tell me as much as you can. I'll try to help."

"Are you sure - I mean -"

" Chaaaaaat ." She pouted and he relented.

"Okay, okay." He managed to chuckle before the mood became somber.

"I was in New York for a day and...I came with a group of friends." He said, measuring out his words carefully. "And well, all the things with the American Heroes happened and well...I had to leave."

"Wait, you were leaving? For real?" Ladybug's eyes widened.

"Yeah, but Uncanny caught me just in time."

She didn't want to think about what would have happened if she didn't, so she just squeezed his hands and motioned for him to continue.

"So um, I was leaving and....and I was originally not going but one of my friends, she tried so hard to make it possible for me to come and - I felt like I had screwed up everything."

Ladybug squinted slightly, but managed to give him a sympathetic smile.

"And, recently I got in touch with N- I mean, one of my friends and I got to know that she chased after me, trying to get me to stay and....I didn't even know. How can I face her after something like that?"

Ladybug's breath hitched.

No.

It couldn't be.

"If she never forgives me, I'd deserve it because, I am -" he blinked. "I always knew she cared but I didn't realise she cared about me this much. I don't deserve-"

"Stop it!" Ladybug snapped, putting the roses on her lap aside. "Stop...stop saying you don't deserve anything!"

"M'lady, I...I don't know how to say this." He said, pulling his hands out of hers.

"I've been trying my best to move on from you. I know you don't see me in that way and I understand, but it's just so hard! And being with the girl I'm talking about - she made it easier - she's so beautiful and talented and amazing and smart, just like you and now I'm-" he put his head in his hands and groaned. "I'm making no sense!"

This made no sense!

She couldn't have been chasing after Chat Noir himself!

He had a life of his own, had friends of his own, a girl whom he was probably in love-

Finishing sentences seemed to be the bane of her existence today.

Chat Noir had every right to be in love with anyone he wanted. Just like-

She had run after Adrien! Not Chat Noir! Adrien wasn't the one confessing his love for her on a daily basis, she hadn't fought to bring Chat Noir to Paris, Adrien wasn't here right now, in front of her, giving her flowers!

Somewhere in her troubled heart, she wondered if her whispered confession in a damp street in the rain was only for Adrien's ears...

"This girl. Do you...do you love her?" She asked quietly.

"There's no way she'd love me. She's way out of my league." he said meekly.

"Answer my question, Chat. Do you love her?"

He gulped before answering. "It took me a while, and I don't know if I should even go with this, but, yes, yes I do." He said it so reverently, like it was a precious secret he was tasked to guard with his life.

"You should know something about her.” the words were spilling over before she could jam a lid on it. “She did try to run after you. She tried to get you back but it was raining and-" she choked out a laugh. "-and she skidded and fell like the klutz she is, and she just can't handle how kind, and good and loyal you are, and she was calling out for you, trying to tell you she's sorry for saying the things she said, she's sorry for making you give up your ring and that she loves you. Both sides of you, Adrien."

Chat had a mildly confused look on his face before his skin turned a sickly pale colour.

He opened his mouth but nothing came out. He made do with gripping her shoulders tightly.

"Please," he pleaded. Ladybug was comfortable with Chat Noir holding her shoulders but Marinette was still tentative of Adrien's touch. "Please, please tell me I'm talking to Marinette, m'lady. Please tell me I'm not too late."

"You are." She whimpered in happiness as she released her transformation. "And no, you're not too late."

Seeing his face split into the widest grin there was made her heart burst.

"It's you! I thought...oh my god, I hoped but-CLAWS IN!" he practically shouted and Adrien Agreste stood there crouching in front of her, his eyes just as teary eyed as hers.

"Finally!!! I thought I would never get to see the end of this!" Plagg wailed but Tikki shushed him, watching fondly as Adrien pulled Marinette into a crushing hug, both of them crying and laughing at the same time.

"We are so stupid!" Adrien was yelling into the night.

"We couldn't get past automatic doors!!" Marinette let out a muffled laugh into his chest, before shivering.

Oops. She had forgotten she was still wearing her pajamas.

"Oh no, you're cold." He realised, and without missing a beat, bundled her up in his overcoat.

His coat was warm and comfy and felt like his warm hugs. "Did you come here straight from home??"

"Yeah..." he replied, mesmerized, taking in every inch of her face. "Don't worry, my dad is out of town and....you're wearing your hair down." He said, absentmindedly reaching to twirl a strand in his fingers.

Marinette blushed heavily, before realizing something.

"Oh no."

"What, what is it?" He said, barely noticing the kwamis disappearing into his coat to give them privacy.

"It's not your fault you weren't in Paris, it was mine!" She moaned. "Oh, kitty, I'm so sorry I said those things to you! And for putting you in that position!"

"Now before you both go, 'It's my fault' AGAIN," Plagg peered out from Adrien's coat pocket. "Need I remind you that your old man only told you were going at the last minute so you couldn't change your mind? And it was me who convinced you. If anyone is at fault it's me."

"No, Plagg, of course not. It's no one's fault. Uh, I mean, just the going to the New York part, and even then-"

"Marinette, you and Plagg were only looking out for Adrien." Tikki said comfortingly. "Adrien, there's nothing wrong with wanting to be with your friends. Even heroes deserve a break sometimes."

Adrien was the first to relent.

"They're right." He leaned in, kissing his lady's cheek. "Too many variables, and frankly at this point, I don't even care." He murmured. Their faces were barely an inch apart.

"Did you like New York?" Marinette stammered, not being able to compute.

"Oh yes, I definitely loved it." He said, in no way suggesting that he was referring to New York. "The dances, the food...the sights..." they were leaning in before Plagg interrupted.

"The automatic doors?" He asked dryly.

"Plagg, I swear to god." Adrien growled.

"I'll handle him." Tikki said, pulling him into Marinette's purse.

"Now, can I kiss you?" He asked, hesitantly, pulling back a little. "Because if you don't want to-mmf!"

He was interrupted by Marinette grabbing his shirt and pulling him into a fierce kiss.

He grabbed her waist, seating her into his lap as  he tilted his head to capture her lips better.

"Marinette..." he breathed, once they pulled apart. "You have to warn me before you do things like that."

She barely opened her mouth before his lips were on hers once again, but they left quickly to press haphazard pecks all over her face - her forehead, her eyelids, her cheeks, her nose before dropping to her lips again.

“I love you, I love you so much, m’lady.” He whispered in between every kiss.

“I love you too.” Marinette reveled in finally getting to say those pesky words.

They allowed themselves an hour of being in each other's arms before Marinette finally asked, nestled in Adrien's embrace as she cradled the roses he bought her. "Where do we go from here?"

"Wherever you want." He said simply.

"Does that mean that I get to shock everyone by running into my boyfriend's arms first thing at school?"

He sighed happily at the word boyfriend, and then laughed one of his rare laughs. "If I get to give you red roses everyday? Deal." He tilted her chin to kiss her again.

"Now, can the knight in shining armor carry his princess back to her hotel room?" He said, taking one of the pink roses and tucking it behind her ear.

"I have a yo-yo of my own, you know." Marinette said flatly.                                                                                     ------------------------

If any New Yorker saw Astro Chat carry a fully transformed Ladybug bridal style in the middle of the night and didn't think much of it, it was only because the city had too many superheroes already.

#miraculous ladybug #ml spoilers #ml nyc special #my fics #ladynoir #adrienette #adrien agreste #marinette dupain cheng

[mc-lukanette]

Grade for Each Other (Part 4)

[Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3]

Juleka looked up at Luka as he crossed the gangplank to step onto the ship. She'd made a confused comment about his big grin and the skip in his step, but he was casual about it and told her that he was simply having a good day.

It wasn't a lie. He'd just thought it best to avoid the subject of what exactly had transpired, given what Marinette had told him. He trusted his sister, but he knew where her weaknesses were; she had a lot of anxiety and easily folded under pressure. It thrilled him that Juleka had friends of her own, but some tended to be pushy (he was too polite to voice names but he definitely thought names), and he wasn't burdening Juleka with any sort of knowledge when Marinette was perfectly happy as things currently were. The last thing either needed was something stirred up.

Thus, he passed by Juleka with a calm shrug over her question on how he was meant to be out with his friends by this point. Walking across the deck, he passed by the cabin, where Anarka was leaning on the helm of the boat.

"What's got your sails out, son?"

He glanced up at her, knowing that she wouldn't as easily let it slide. Grinning, he replied, "New member in the crew."

Her brows raised, either in interest or suspicion. "...A co-captain?"

Luka held back an "I wish" and instead shook his head. Regardless of how much of a crescendo he was riding, he wasn't dating Marinette or anything.

He walked on, heading downstairs to go below the deck. There was a song in his heart, urging him to move faster, but he tried to contain it. He let the notes build and develop as he slipped into his room, his fingers finally touching the neck of his guitar.

And then his phone went off.

Luka's mouth turned to a thin line, Claudine's ringtone almost seeming to taunt him. Silently, he wished he'd just played the guitar that he'd grabbed at the music store when he was with Marinette.

Pulling out his phone, he accepted the call and held it to his ear, taking a seat on his bed to get comfortable. "Hi, Cee."

"Hey—" She paused. "...I almost didn't get that."

He could hear a shuffling noise, followed by the sound of a high C note on a flute.

"So, how was your walk home, Couffaine?"

He snorted. "I thought you'd forgotten about me."

"You know I didn't." He could imagine her innocent shrug. "Does that mean you had fun with your melody?"

"Not my melody," he reminded her.

"Sounds like she's definitely some melody though, considering that you haven't played her out yet."

He blinked, wondering how she could've known. "What?"

The smirk was evident in her voice. "You've been tapping a tune on the back of your phone."

Luka stiffened, realizing the position of his fingers on his phone. He pulled the phone away, then switched the hand it was in so he could tap at his leg instead. It was a much quieter sound at least.

"Anyway, you didn't answer my question," she pointed out. "How was the walk?"

He frowned, not because she was prodding for details, but because said walk involved Marinette becoming upset. It wasn't entirely bad, but there was little he could tell her.

"It was... a lot," he replied simply.

She hummed. "A lot? So the usual for you then, at least whenever you're around her?"

He didn't respond even though she was right. Debating with himself for a moment, he then spoke with a hint of caution to his voice. "Look, Claudine, about you guys leaving me and Marinette alone—"

"Spare me." she interrupted with a snort. "You've played that tune way too many times. You don't want to pressure her, she likes someone else, you're an angel sent from heaven above who's too nice to pursue her in anyway, blah blah blah."

He hunched forward, brows furrowed as he tried to sound more stern. "Claudine—"

"Luka." There was a sound in the background to imply that she'd sat down on a thick chair of some kind. "Look. You're a sweet guy and I think that's great, but the girl you love skipped two grades and ended up in your class by pure coincidence. You're just going to pass that up?"

He sighed. "A good song'll never come together if I force it."

"And a good song will never come together if you don't try," she argued, sounding exasperated.

Luka opened his mouth to disagree, but found himself at a loss for words, instead biting his lower lip.

A few seconds passed, probably as Claudine gave him a moment to respond if he had anything to say. When he didn't, she let out a calm breath and continued, "There's nothing wrong with walking someone home. It doesn't have to be romantic, right?"

"If it makes her uncomfortable—"

"Did it?"

He was immediately reminded of Marinette hugging him from behind, causing him to blush. "...No."

"Then what's the problem? And hey, if she's in love with some other guy, what if you're better for her?"

"I'm not the one who makes her happy."

"Oh yeah, I'm sure the fond eyes she gives you are just for show," Claudine joked. "I'm just saying, what if this guy's gonna end up making her miserable?"

He briefly cringed at the memory of going to the ice rink with Marinette, Adrien, and Kagami.

"I'm not telling you to get down on one knee and propose - even though I'm sure you're there emotionally anyway - but how about you just let yourself be happy for once without worrying about all the conditions you've gotta add onto that? You're not pursuing her, but you're just letting her know that... what's the phrase? That there's many fish at the sushi bar?"

"You've been hanging around Mito too much."

"My point is, you're not doing anything wrong by letting her know how you feel. You're not getting into her space and you're not forcing anything on her. You're just hanging out like friends do, and so what if you happen to be alone?"

He managed a smile. "Happen to be? You three left us alone. I'm starting to think that you're just doing it to see my reactions."

"It's a bonus," she shamelessly admitted. "Anyway, consider it. I'll let you get back to your Mari Melody now."

He let her have that one. "Thanks."

The phone clicked, Luka pulling it away to stare at the screen momentarily. He exhaled, then set it aside and went for his guitar again, plugging it into his amp before settling down on his bed.

He'd just gotten his guitar into his lap when his phone went off yet again. Luka was starting to believe that fate was thoroughly against him at this point, but then he noticed that it was at least Marinette this time, and only a text message. Happy, though slightly concerned that she was slipping back into her solemn mood during their walk, he picked his phone back up and navigated to their messages.

Oh my gosh! I just realized that I have NO idea what I'm going to do about studying! New school, new lessons, and I'm not prepared at all!

Do you study???

Not that I'm implying you don't or that you don't care about it, but some people don't need to or are comfortable where their grades are, you know?

He smiled, able to read how much her mind was moving faster than her fingers just by how quickly the messages had come in. He leaned back against the wall, his forearm resting on the body of his guitar as he watched more messages pour in.

I'm just asking because maybe we could study together? Like a study date?

NOT LIKE, A DATE DATE.

Especially if you bring your friends which would be totally okay! I don't know them well yet, but they're really nice so far!

Or maybe THEY don't study so it would just be you and me then?

BUT NOT A STUDY DATE.

IT'S JUST A DATE

ON THE CALENDAR

WHERE WE'D STUDY.

SO NOT A STUDY DATE DATE.

YEAH?

He chuckled. The sacrifice of not being able to play yet was well worth it to see that she was back to normal again.

He went to respond, but stopped as he saw that she was still typing. The typing bubble seemed to be going through a pattern of appearing, disappearing, and then reappearing. He waited until, finally, the last message popped up.

I mean, unless you want it to be...?

His mouth dropped open. The only thing saving his phone from falling onto the bed, given the sudden slack in his fingers, was the angle of his palm. He reread the message a few times, just to make sure he wasn't reading it wrong, then averted his gaze to the amp that he had plugged his guitar into earlier.

It suddenly looked incredibly small and pathetic.

After what may've been a full minute of just sitting there, Luka set the phone aside and got up. Securing his guitar to his back, he unplugged it from the amp and turned to walk out of his room. He went up the stairs and back to the cabin, where Anarka was still idling.

"Mom, can I borrow your amp?"

"Atta boy!"

[Part 5] [Part 6] [Part 7] [Part 8] [Part 9] [Part 10]

#multi chapter: Grade for Each Other #((A ''bonus'' chapter of sorts~))

[rainbow-arrow]

As a fellow miraculous fan who was annoyed by the couffaine “twins”, I was wondering if you’d seen what Thomas Astruc said about their ages. Originally I thought that meant Luka had been aged down to match Juleka and her friends, but apparently Juleka was aged up??? I don’t know how to feel about this I read it on Luka’s wiki page hngngng

(He said Juleka failed some of school and had to repeat a grade, but is older than the rest of her friends)

My brain can’t p r o c e s s

yes yes it's all good there's a lot of dumb contradictions going on. okay so i did a lot of thinking on this and the theories and excuses as to WHY they did it just make me so ANGRY, but i think i have it figured out maybe? (for the time being at least fjdslkafj)

i'm gonna use bubbler as a reference point as it's Early season one and also notably, adrien's 14th birthday.

when luka is introduced in season 2, it was confirmed he was 2 years older, so i believed it the whole: juleka 14 luka 16

so around crocoduel time, juleka would be celebrating her 15th birthday and since people really didn't care about luka until season 4, he had his birthday sometime off screen, so he's 17 at this point, fair?

since they Are twins (cringe) they were likely 15 this entire time, and now, as all of the class is coming up on their 15th birthdays (about a year since bubbler, right?) the couffaines just celebrated their 16th. so they kinda met in the middle.

as far as the whole 'getting held back' (see 'excuses') it's balogna and i hate it? marinette and juleka had apparently been in the same class for quite some time, so it would've needed to be pretty early on. there's some other excuses that kinda make me mad (i will elaborate if asked lol) as to why they did it, but i support the idea that no, they're just older bc anarka forgot to enroll them in school the right year, which works especially well now that luka does just go to another school (to make instruments? i am a lil confused)

but this all sparks my reprising question: WHY DIDN'T MARINETTE KNOW JULEKA HAD A TWIN

#let's go #miraculous ladybug #anon #mlb #mlb season 4 spoilers #mlb crocoduel #mlb bubbler #luka couffaine #juleka couffaine #the couffaine twINS #thanks for asking! #i love talking about the couffaines #djaklfjsalk #i have personal attachment to Most aspects of their life #i mean not now cuz they're tWINS #and their dad is FAMOUS MAN

[milknette]

chapter 06 - anime

水鏡照らす光跳ねて、 今が特別に感じた。

tumblr month: @adrinetteapril​​

links: ao3 | ff.net chapter: previous | next

ADRIEN makes it his mission to introduce Marinette to all the wonders of the human world.

He invites her out to try human activities, goes with her to try different human meals, encourages her to listen and watch various human media:

His most recent point-of-concern— anime.

“I just think it’s an absolute crime that you’ve never seen the in wonder and beauty that is Japanese anemonetion,” Adrien explains, putting on a dramatic face.

“... Japanese what?”

“Animation,” he amends, then noticing her judging expression, continues. “Look, I’m running out of puns! We’re hanging out way too much— I can’t catch up.”

Marinette finds herself laughing. “I mean, we could hang out less if you wanted to.”

“No!” He argues; says it a bit too loudly, really, as she evidently looks taken aback by his reaction. “I mean,” he coughs. “I just found someone to watch anime with me. You’re not getting off the hook that easily.”

(Adrien looks proud of himself. “Cool, I haven’t used that one yet!”)

She rolls her eyes, then stretches back upon the bed. Adrien casually sits on the chair, propping his head back upon the back rest. “So, what human torture show are you putting me through this time?”

“You say that like you didn’t cry over Moana.”

“If you did not cry while watching Moana finally accept herself and proclaim her love for both the sea and her people then I do not trust you—.”

He laughs, then nods in understanding. “It is a pretty good Disney movie,” Adrien points out. “A lot better than the earlier films.

“You mean, unlike the Little Mermaid?” Marinette responds dryly, visibly cringing in distaste. “The only thing that film got right about us mermaids was that we really don’t like mingling with humans. Ariel would be a one-in-a-million. And insane, probably.”

“So you’re Ariel, then?” She pointedly glares at him at even the mere suggestion of it, and he raises his arms in fake surrender. “I meant your interest in the human world! You are with us now, after all. And I like to think that you enjoy my company.”

“Eh,” Marinette only says offhandedly, lips tilting up the slightest bit at his unimpressed expression. “But I sure wouldn’t be the type to sell my soul to a— well, they don’t even exist, evil sea witch, just to flirt with someone. Especially one that’s human.”

“Yeah, you don’t need to do something as dramatic as sell your soul to get a human to fall in love with you,” Adrien says easily.

And what exactly does he mean by that?

“I— uh,” she flounders, takes a deep breath in, then shakes her head. “Anyway! What are we watching?”

(Yes, a smooth change of topic.)

“I figured that we could watch one of my personal favorites.” He grabs the remote and presses play on the stream— a pun that goes over his head and not hers, which makes Marinette truly wonder if she is spending too much time with him; if she’s already thinking of puns without even thinking about it.

Instead, the mermaid nods absentmindedly and decides to try and sit through the first episode— at the very least, to have him leave her alone. (Though the real reason may be that she just wants to spend time with him; though she’d never admit it.)

In any case, the decision doesn’t matter: because they end up binge-watching the entire series.

And Marinette cannot stop crying as the final scene cuts into view.

Adrien had somehow made his way to the bed halfway through watching, as she leans against his arm while staring helplessly at the screen.

“That’s it? It’s over?!”

He smiles in slight amusement, then nods. “Come on, it’s a sweet ending. And it ties up everything nicely.”

“No, it was perfect but I— I’m just,” she trips over her words, evidently conflicted and frustrated over the finale. “It’s done, right? There aren’t anymore new episodes or anything?”

“Nope,” he replies easily. “That’s all of it, since you inseasted on watching everything this morning.”

“What do you mean ‘this morning’, it’s only like 8PM—,” she pauses as he shows her his phone screen, the time 3:47 PM displayed front-and-center. “It’s almost 4AM?!”

She pauses, looking outside to see the moon slowly fading from view. “No but I— last time I checked it was— how did that happen?”

He’s full-on laughing now, and grins. “Power of anime; it gets you hooked, so you won’t be able to sleep until you finish all the episodes. Then you basically black out and only realize how many hours have passed when it’s already over.”

“You’ve introduced me to a cursed medium,” Marinette only mutters, running an exhausted hand down her face. “I’m supposed to be studying today.”

“Come on,” he says back, tilting her head in his direction. “I’ll help you out. This is for Mme. Mendeleiev’s class, right?”

At that point, she belatedly notices their altogether compromising position: lying together on her bed, his arm guarding her neck, and their faces only a few inches apart (she can see the green in his eyes: notice how they perfectly capture the shade of nature on land— beautiful), and almost falls over as she takes a quick step back.

The fact that she had been in such close proximity with a human, for an unknowable amount of time, makes her panic. The fact that it’s Adrien effectively makes her panic even more— though of a notably more intense variety and degree.

(She refuses to expound on the feeling.)

“Yeah!” Marinette finally manages to splutter out, before getting herself off the bed as quickly as possible and making her way to her backpack. She pats it awkwardly. “Have a lot of research to do if I want to ace that test.”

Adrien only stares at her for a moment, smiles, and she feels her mermaid-heart threaten to burst out of its chest. She doesn’t know how to explain the feeling, but Marinette finds herself thrown into overdrive when they’re together; unable to even conduct the most basic functions when he gets too close.

It’s absolutely inconvenient and irritating.

But she finds that it strangely feels good as well.

“You’re going to study now?” Adrien only asks, once again waving his phone in her direction. “It’s 4:00 AM, you can study later,” he says. “You just watched almost twelve hours of anime in the span of a day— that’s too much screen time for your brain.”

“But I’m not tired!” Marinette tries to argue, which would’ve held more basis if she hadn’t evidently swallowed down a yawn that tried to escape her throat. “As her TA, you can’t have Mme. Mendeleiev’s worst student failing her test, right?”

Adrien sighs, standing up and walking over to her. Once again, he’s at an extremely close distance, and Marinette’s almost confident that he can hear her not-heart beating.

He looks at her, and they hold eye contact. “I may be her TA, but I’m your friend first. So go and rest, Marinette. I’ll help you as soon as you wake up.”

“Fine,” she says resignedly, before walking over the bed. “What about you?”

“Well, I was just planning to hop over with you on your bed and—,” noticing the panicked expression on her face, Adrien laughs. “Kidding. Nino lives nearby, so I’ll probably crash at his to make it easier on both of us when I come back.”

“You don’t have to come back, you know,” Marinette responds, suddenly feeling the slightest bit guilty about keeping him in the area. “I mean it— I can do it myself.”

“But it’d be easier if we did it together, ” Adrien only points out. “Besides, you’d be getting help from her star student. I don't think that's something you can pass up on.”

“Ah right, the star who caused an accident to some poor faculty member for leaving water trails all over the outside of her classroom.”

He grins. “I seem to recall that being someone else’s fault,” Adrien hums back. “I was just trying to help out a friend.”

“Oh, so we’re friends now?”

“I’d be open to taking it to the next level,” He responds just as easily, echoing Alya’s statement from weeks ago.

The weight of her words don’t even dawn on her after a minute— with the panic consequently weighing in.

“Anyway,” Adrien continues, “I’ll be going ahead, so you have no excuse but to rest.” He slings his backpack over his shoulder, then nods to her lightly. Sea you later, Marinette.”

“You’ve used that already you know that right?”

“I think it’s a classeac,” he says easily, then opens the door. “I’ll come back in a few hours, okay?”

“... okay.”

He smiles, one last time, before the door effectively shuts, and she’s left to her own devices.

Marinette calmly walks over to her bed, then flips over to lie down on it.

She remembers basically cuddling with him over these sheets.

And then she screams into a pillow.

#sandbar nine #adrinetteapril2021 #adrinette april #adrinetteapril #adrinette #adrienette #adrien agreste #marinette dupain cheng #ml

[quicksilversquared]

The Substitute Ladybug: Chapter 10

After Lila takes things too far and Marinette ends up with a broken leg, Paris is going to have to deal with a different superhero arrangement for a bit. Having to share her superhero identity with her parents before Hawkmoth can be defeated isn’t something that Marinette had planned on doing, but- well, it might end up being a bit of a blessing in disguise.

links in the reblog

It seemed like the final week was stretching on forever. She was so close to getting her cast off, and yet each day inched by, time slowing down as if to prolong her time before the cast could come off.

The two mid-week akuma attacks helped break up the trudge down the final stretch, as did her friends' efforts. They had taken note of her flagging mood and tried to help, sending her funny pictures and popping in for visits and now, they had arranged a trip to the movie theater to try to distract her.

"Don't worry, we chose a fun movie," Alya told Marinette as they headed towards the theater. She and Nino were walking slowly so that Marinette could keep up without struggling, but they were going almost too slowly. Marinette tried not to sigh.

They meant well, that was all that mattered.

"Yeah, no horror movies," Nino agreed. He glanced over at Alya. "Though there is one with pretty good reviews running right now. Maybe for our date this weekend...?"

Alya nodded, grinning. "Yeah! That would be cool. I might not be able to stay on for, like, lunch or dinner afterwards because of the twins, since Nora took over my babysitting today, but we could at least get out for a movie."

Marinette shuddered at the thought. Horror movies on a date? No thank you. She dealt with enough monsters and scary situations in real life, thank-you-very-much. There was no need for her to go watch scary movies and kick-start her overimagination into worrying about less magical threats like serial killers, too.

Or supernatural threats that (probably) wouldn't exist outside of an akuma setting, like evil ghosts and zombies and skeletons and- anyway.

It wasn't her idea of a good time, and she hoped that when she went on dates- in the future, after Hawkmoth was no longer an issue and she wouldn't be interrupted all of the time- that any visits to the movie theater would be for fun movies, not creepy ones. Alya always said that the jump-scares and creepy scenes were a fantastic excuse to cuddle close to a boyfriend, but was that really worth the nightmares? Couldn't the air-conditioned chill of the movie theater be enough of an excuse for a cuddle?

"Anyway, it's a very family-friendly movie, sure to be 100% Marinette-approved," Alya added after another minute of date-planning with Nino, clearly realizing that- well, it wasn't exactly pleasant to turn Marinette into the third wheel. She nodded down the block, to where the movie theater had just come into view. "And, well, I think the company is going to be Marinette-approved, too."

Marinette blinked, confused, and then she followed Alya's gaze. There, in front of the theater, stood Adrien's bodyguard. And in front of the bodyguard stood Adrien, looking very relaxed and at ease. He lit up when he saw them coming, waving cheerfully as they approached. He looked a bit tired, but Marinette couldn't blame him. Adrien had missed the entire afternoon of classes for an extended photoshoot, and from what she had heard, those kinds of shoots were absolutely exhausting.

Not as exhausting as they had been when Lila was there and constantly gumming up the works, maybe, but still exhausting.

"Dude, I'm glad you made it!" Nino told him, reaching over for a fist bump. After a second, he fist-bumped Adrien's bodyguard, too. "I thought you were going to text if you got permission to come!"

"I was just about to, honestly," Adrien told him with a laugh. "Just in case I missed you and you had already gone in. And then I saw you coming and- well, it wouldn't have made sense to text then, right?" He grinned, then nodded towards the theater. "Should we go in now? Then we can try to get good seats."

They went, and the Gorilla followed them in. Marinette almost asked about that, but it didn't take a genius to figure out why he had come along instead of just dropping Adrien off. The last time they were in a movie theater, Adrien had practically gotten mobbed by fans. Maybe that had been because he had just been featured in a perfume ad- one that had been heavily featured across Paris, not that it made much of a difference once people actually started trying the fragrance and found it rather lacking (and once people found out that no, Adrien: the Fragrance wasn't actually what Adrien the model (and occasional voice actor) actually wore)- but it was better safe than sorry. Hopefully the presence of the Gorilla would keep the pictures and mobbing to a minimum.

Inside, a line had already formed in front of the ticket counter. Not a long line- it was the middle of the week, after all- but they were hardly the only students who had just gotten out of school. Alya grumbled for a moment, but a nudge and a quiet murmur from Nino got her to settle down while they waited. It wasn't a bad wait, really, and then they were headed through the lobby.

"Snack time!" Nino cheered, veering off towards concessions. "Anyone else getting stuff?"

Marinette and Adrien both shook their heads, though Adrien's had been after a pause, after he looked to his bodyguard first. Marinette wouldn't be surprised if he just simply wasn't allowed to have junk food, which- well, most of the time she would say that was a pity, but movie theater junk food was just terrible in general. He really wasn't missing out on anything.

Alya groaned. "Nino, the snacks here are terrible. Their popcorn- I don't know what they do to it, but it just tastes awful."

"I was thinking of getting something chocolate, but- yeah, I guess if no one else is gonna get anything, I'll pass." With one more glance towards the concessions stand, Nino hurried back to join them. "Okay, so which room are we in? The fourth screen, right?"

"Yeah, that's what the ticket says," Alya confirmed. She started making a beeline towards the right door, only to come to a screeching halt a couple meters away when she realized that Marinette wouldn't be able to keep up. "Oh, sorry! I went too fast-"

"You could go ahead and scope out seats for us," Marinette suggested. She nodded towards her foot. "Just remember that it'll be easier for me to get to a seat on the end of a row instead of in the middle."

"Ah, good idea!" Alya grinned at her, then snagged Nino's hand and pulled him after her towards the usher waiting at the screen's door, only pausing to glance back and wink at her. Marinette rolled her eyes back, knowing full well what Alya was trying to do.

But did Alya seriously think that Marinette was going to ask Adrien out when his bodyguard was right there?

"I'm glad I was able to come," Adrien commented as he stepped up next to Marinette, letting her set the pace as they headed after Alya and Nino. "I've gotten so used to photoshoots running overtime and then I can't make it to outings, but this one ended on time- early, even! It was a nice change."

Marinette frowned. "I would have thought that your father would run a tight enough ship that going over wouldn't be an option unless something went really wrong."

"Yeah, it- well, that's the way it usually is, admittedly," Adrien told her. "It was really just when Lila was there that things always took longer than they should have. Unless there was something that she really wanted to be at, that is."

Marinette wasn't even a small bit surprised.

"And then the last few shoots, I guess part of the problem was that we had to re-do shots from earlier shoots, where Lila was modeling," Adrien told her. "I think originally Father was just hoping to get away with using those pictures and then just not use Lila as a model going forward- not that he could, since she's not even in Paris anymore- since not that many people would know what she had done. But then Alya posted that article on the Ladyblog about how much of a fraud and a bully Lila is, and people were starting to put two and two together. So all of her photos got scrapped."

Marinette cringed. "Even now that she's gone, she's still causing problems."

"I think you're feeling the effects for the longest." Adrien fell quiet for a few seconds, then nodded towards her leg. "But at least the cast is coming off pretty soon, right?"

"Two more days," Marinette told him, unable to keep from smiling at the thought. She was sure that those two days would drag out endlessly because of the anticipation, but there wasn't much she could do about that. It was getting increasingly hard to not just jump the gun and ditch the crutches- she could probably walk on her leg by now, considering Tikki's (and Sass's) healing boosts and how close she was to getting the cast off, but she didn't want to risk anything before the doctor could look at it again. "I can't wait."

"Yeah, I remember the feeling from when I broke my leg. I swear time slows down when cast-off date gets close." Adrien handed his ticket over to the usher, then passed Marinette's over as well. "You're doing better than I did, honestly. I tried to ditch the crutches as soon as it had been a couple of weeks and my leg wasn't really hurting, and it took the doctor threatening to leave the cast on for even longer to get me to stop." He laughed. "For some reason, I had been convinced that if it didn't really hurt anymore, it must be fine. And maybe I had weeks left in the cast, but I just must be a super-healer!"

Marinette giggled. "You practically read my mind. I was just thinking about how it's been getting harder and harder to remember to grab my crutches when I want to hop up and grab something or just walk a short distance. Part of me wants to think that there's no possible way that I could re-damage something at this point, but I'd rather be safe than sorry."

"That's smart," Adrien agreed. He dropped back behind Marinette as they approached the wide steps leading up to where Alya and Nino waited, ready to steady her if she had trouble going up. "And, uh, did they tell you that you might still need crutches even after the cast comes off? Because they dropped that particular bomb on me when they were in the middle of taking the cast off."

Marinette groaned. "No."

"Maybe you'll be lucky and not need it, since you've been following directions and taking care of your leg better than I did." Adrien's hand rested against her back, pressing a little more firmly as soon as she wobbled and retreating after she steadied herself. "And you didn't have a terrible break in the first place, right? That should help, too."

That, and she had the power of tiny gods on her side helping her heal, but Marinette wasn't about to tell anyone else that. "I hope it does. I'm so tired of crutches."

"I'll keep my fingers crossed for you, then."

Marinette smiled as she stood back to let Adrien slip into the row next to Nino before she took the aisle seat. "Thanks."

The movie itself positively flew by, and before she knew it, it was over and they were waiting for the majority of the audience to leave so that there wouldn't be as much risk of Marinette getting knocked into.

"This was fun," Adrien commented once the crowds had thinned out and they had gotten out of their seats, making their way down towards the door. "We should do it again sometime."

"We do it all the time, dude, you just gotta get your father to agree to it more," Nino told him. Adrien just shrugged helplessly.

"He can't always spare the Gorilla to come out with me. And honestly, it's not necessary most of the time, but he's paranoid." A shadow crossed Adrien's face for a moment, and then he shook it off and perked up. "So, have you heard that Marinette's cast is coming off in two days? I think we should go out for ice cream or something to celebrate afterwards!"

"It'll be late when I get back from the doctor," Marinette warned him, carefully navigating the last low step before making her way towards the door. "Since we wanted to wait until after school and my parents didn't want to close the bakery too early if they could avoid it. And that might not be a problem for me or Alya or Nino to come out, but..."

Adrien grimaced. "Yeah, Father might have a problem with that. Uh, the next day, maybe?"

"Sounds good!" Nino agreed. "Or whatever works with our schedules. We gotta keep it flexible. But a celebration would be great! Andre's?"

Adrien shook his head. "His moving around could make things difficult. And Marinette probably shouldn't be running all over the city after an ice cream cart right after her cast comes off."

Marinette hid a giggle. Running all over the city had actually been in her plan after getting the cast off, as long as the doctor cleared her for walking on her leg again. But running around with a Miraculous and running around without on were two very different things. Especially since Marinette could always ask Tikki to add a bit of extra support for that leg, just in case.

"Besides, sometimes Andre has some really odd flavor combos," Adrien added, his eyebrows furrowing. "And I get that it's because of the love thing, but then sometimes he starts mixing it up and talking in riddles and- anyway, sometimes I just want a plain old cookies and cream cone, you know?"

"And Andre's double- and triple-scoops are sometimes a bit much for a snack," Marinette added. She appreciated the thought behind Andre's ice-cream cones, but sometimes she was a bit over ice cream by the time she got partway through the last scoop. "And my favorite is raspberry chocolate chip, but I never get that there. He doesn't take requests."

Alya groaned. "The point of Andre's isn't the ice cream flavor, it's the experience! But I suppose we could mix it up and go somewhere else. There's a place near Marinette's house that has a pretty good selection. My little sisters love it."

"We'll plan on that, then," Nino decided. "And figure out a day and time later, once you talk to Nathalie. And if they don't let you come out then, maybe we can try to sneak a trip in over lunch on Monday. We'll make it work."

Adrien nodded, a grin lighting up his face. "Yeah! Yeah, that sounds good."

Marinette smiled, watching Adrien's face. His smile was real, unrestrained and completely happy. She wouldn't be surprised if he had been bracing himself for his father refusing to let him come out and not being able to come to the outing that he had come up with in the first place. It would be nice, of course, if they could go over the weekend- they could take more time to talk and linger instead of rushing- but if waiting until Monday meant that Adrien could come along with them instead of video-calling them while nibbling his way through a scoop of ice cream from his chef at home, then it was completely worth it.

  As much as she hated to admit it, as Cast-Off Day approached and then finally arrived, Marinette had found her excitement competing with more than a little apprehension about her return to superheroing. She wasn't worried about being rusty on strategy- after all, that was what she had been getting a ton of practice with- but she knew that she was going to be out of shape. It was inevitable. She had even lost muscle tone in her good leg, she could tell, and that one had been used on a regular basis to hop along with her crutches. Sure, the supersuit provided bonus power- a lot of bonus power, considering the jumps that she and Chat Noir made on a regular basis- but being in shape as a civilian certainly didn't hurt.

Marinette could only hope that six weeks hadn't dulled her fighting instincts too much. She had worked hard for those instincts, thank-you-very-much, and getting set back would just plain suck.

There were other concerns, too. Akuma attacks would most likely be returning to their regular lengths once she returned as the Ladybug holder, and she didn't know how that would be received. And- her most recent concern- was about how the month and a half of a different routine would affect her partner.

Chat Noir had been following her directions during fights for every single akuma battle since- well, since the first week after her leg got broken. Maybe there had been some fights where he hadn't really needed much direction- some where he ended up holding off Hawkmoth or Mayura while Coccinelle dealt with the akuma, so as long as he didn't get overpowered or hurt, Vipera had just let him be- but for the most part he had been, as he said, her puppet. How that- and how having the safety net that was Vipera there to erase his mistakes and gambles that didn't quite pan out- affected his ability to function in normal battles remained to be seen.

It had only been five weeks, really. Hopefully- hopefully- Ladybug's break and their different approach wouldn't throw their teamwork and ability to fight into unexpected shambles. Maybe if they took that into account when Ladybug came back instead of assuming that everything would slide into place easily, then they could account for some of the places where they might be weaker.

She could talk to Chat Noir about it, and maybe her mom could step into the Snake position for the first couple of fights just in case. She wouldn't direct the fight like Vipera had, but if she could tap into that sixth sense that Vipera had used for the first few fights to know when to activate Second Chance, then that could help cover the worst of their slips. If there were slips.

Hopefully there wouldn't be. Hopefully it would be easier than Marinette thought to re-adjust.

"I can hear you worrying from here," Mrs. Cheng told Marinette as she steered the van through traffic. She spared a quick glance to the side. "You know that Tikki said that you were healing well. The doctor is hardly going to look at the x-ray and immediately turn around and slap the cast back on your leg."

"It's not getting the cast off that I'm worried about, really." She was really looking forward to that bit, to getting to wash off her leg for the first time since the cast came off and hopefully, hopefully, getting the all-clear to actually walk on her leg again. "It's re-adjusting to things again. It'll be easy to return to normal on the civilian side, but I've been worrying about how re-adjusting to battles will go."

"Well, if a fight isn't going well, you can always pull back and trade with me," Mrs. Cheng told her. "We might need to figure out who will need to hold on to what Miraculous so that we can do that quickly and safely, but considering that Hawkmoth just attacked earlier and- well, and what happened during the attack- I think we'll have a few days to iron out plans before he sends out another akuma. And if he sends one out sooner, before we have a plan in place..." She glanced over at Marinette before returning her eyes to the road. "I know you're eager to get back out there, but I can always handle another fight or two if needed."

Marinette knew that, and maybe it would be a good idea to wait for a fight or two to further throw off her recovery timeline in the public eye, but- ugh, it was easier said than done. She was just eager to get back in shape and to get a better read on what they needed to do to re-adjust (if anything), sooner rather than later so that she wouldn't be catastrophizing unnecessarily. And then there was also the whole matter of- well, Paris was getting increasingly impatient and unsettled as they got closer to a week with no Ladybug after the press conference.

Clearly the public weren't thinking along the same lines of what might have happened as her classmates had. They weren't reading between the lines like Alix about when the injury might have happened, and therefore not considering injuries like Marinette's as a possible clue to Ladybug's identity. That was a good thing, but it was really only a matter of time before more people started thinking the same way as her classmates.

Alya had shown the good sense to not put up the class's theories about the timeline of Ladybug's vacation versus the injury on the Ladyblog- well, after both Marinette and Alix had pointed out that there was no reason to undo any of the work that the superheroes had done with obscuring potentially identifying details. But Marinette had still heard some speculation starting up, and while her teammates were really good at countering the questions that were flung at them, it would probably be better if Ladybug just showed up herself.

Her mom's favorite tactic in response to the pestering was asking why people wanted Ladybug to put herself at risk by rushing back. It's not a good idea for pro athletes, Coccinelle always pointed out, so why would it be any different for superheroes? And if people really cared about their superheroes as people, then why did they not seem to care about their health- or their safety, considering that the general public seemed to want the superheroes to give up potentially identifying information?

People shut up pretty quickly after they got asked that, particularly if they had been trying to interview the superheroes live.

Thankfully, though, Marinette suspected that her mom was right and that she would have a couple days to get her bearings before another akuma popped up. The akuma that had attacked only that morning- well, it hadn't been alone. So Marinette's dad had gone out with the Turtle again (and Chat Noir with the bee) and then spent most of the battle cheerfully giving Hawkmoth a very through beatdown. In fact, there had only really been a little bit of actual fighting at the start, and then Hawkmoth spent the rest of the time cowering under heavy, repeated blows from the turtle shell until Mayura rescued him and they dashed off.

At the very least, Hawkmoth probably wouldn't be coming out for a few battles. He was nothing if not a coward, and coming probably his closest to defeat should make him rethink not hiding entirely behind his akumas.

"Don't let the public pressure you if you decide that you need more recovery," Mrs. Cheng added after a long pause. "Your safety is more important, always. And remember that it's not just your safety, but Chat Noir's as well."

Marinette had to laugh. "You really do know exactly how to get through to me, don't you? Okay, I'll do my best to be realistic about what I can handle."

Mrs. Cheng looked pleased.

It didn't take long for them to get to the doctor's office and get sent through to do her check-up. Marinette got an x-ray taken first, and when the doctor comes back in with it, he looked impressed.

"Well, good news, you are a very quick healer," he told her, settling down in his chair. "Possibly one of the fastest I've ever seen. Your leg has moved past the stage we would normally expect at this point and with the type of injury you got. I'll tell your physical therapist that we can go a bit more intensive on your therapy. You'll be able to handle it no problem. And while you'll want to ease your way into more intense activities, you can start working your way back."

Marinette grinned, nodding. This was definitely the news she wanted to get.

"And you won't need to keep using your crutches," he added. "But you'll want to keep them around, just in case your leg starts feeling sore. If you're going to be doing a lot of walking, I would definitely recommend that, at least until you've built up your endurance again."

"That's fantastic," Mrs. Cheng said, beaming at Marinette. "Do you have any exercises we can maybe start doing at home?"

"Yes, I'll print off some along with the care instructions later." He smiled, then pulled out what could only be the cast saw. "Now, let's take that cast off!"

As soon as her leg was in position, the saw whirred to life and started cutting into her cast. Marinette had to look away as her doctor worked, doing her best not to accidentally twitch or anything.

She was sure that he had loads of experience and was very good at his job and there were safety measures with the saw and all, but sharp blades near her leg was just a big load of no thank you in her book. When he finally put away the saw and picked up a pair of scissors to finish the job off, Marinette couldn't stop her sigh of relief.

"And all done!" her doctor announced, finally pulling the cast away from her leg. "That went nice and smoothly. You can hop down now, if you'd like."

Marinette nodded, glancing down at her leg and immediately having to do a double-take.

She had known that her leg was going to look odd after being in a cast for a month and a half, every single site that she had looked at had said so. But reading it and seeing it were two very different things.

Her skin looked weird. The hair on her leg looked weird. The muscle- it had shrunk even more than the muscle on her other leg, which was maybe to be expected but still made Marinette wonder how long it would take for her to get it back to something resembling normal. And now that the cast was off...

Well, she would be washing her leg tonight, that was for sure. Marinette didn't want her sheets to smell like that. Besides, the skin just looked- and felt- gross.

Taking a deep breath, Marinette slid down off of the table, taking the entire impact of the landing with her good leg. Then she took her first normal step in a month and a half.

It didn't hurt at all. Thank you, Tikki.

"I'd like to go out into the hallways now and have you walk up and down it. I want to see how even your steps are," her doctor requested. "Then I can send that to the therapist and she'll be able to tailor your plan to what you can do."

Marinette nodded at once, following him towards the door and trying not to over-analyze how her steps felt. Overthinking might just end up in her walking weird when she didn't have to, and- well, that wouldn't help anything at all.

"Okay, you're looking good," the doctor called to Marinette as she headed up the hallway. She felt a little off-kilter, but the doctor seemed pleased. "There's a bit of weakness in the one leg, but that's to be expected. With exercises and use, that should even up soon enough."

Marinette bit down the urge to ask how soon. She didn't want to seem impatient, especially since she was doing so well with her recovery already. Besides, her physical therapist would probably be able to tell her more after she actually started doing her exercises.

"I'll print off a care packet and some exercises for you to add to your routine, and then you'll be good to go," he told Marinette as she returned. He grinned. "Good job on the healing. Now, please- do at least try to not overexert yourself."

  Dinner that evening was takeout, a rare occurrence in the Dupain-Cheng household, but they wanted something special to celebrate Marinette's cast coming off and something fast so that they wouldn't spend a large chunk of the evening cooking and cleaning up.

"Your dad and I can move things back up to your room tonight," Mrs. Cheng told Marinette as she finished up the last of her meal. She smiled at Marinette. "I'm assuming that you're eager to move back up there, since you're walking well. And while we do that, well..." She reached up, pulling the Ladybug earrings off and handing them to Marinette. "Chat Noir is expecting to have someone join him for patrol tonight, as usual. I didn't tell him that you would be the one coming, just in case you weren't feeling up to it, but I suspect that you might want to go out."

"Yes!" Marinette pulled out her placeholder earrings- she hadn't want anyone to notice that her ever-present earrings had vanished while she was on crutches, so she had found a lookalike to wear instead- and popped in the Ladybug Miraculous. It wasn't an unfamiliar feeling since she had been wearing them most nights, but knowing that they were going in to stay there now was great. Then she paused. "...but then people will see us and that might give away my recovery timeline, since Coccinelle was seen earlier today."

"You can always temporarily modify your costume to look like Coccinelle's outfit!" Tikki suggested. "Then from a distance, people probably won't notice that you've switched off. And since it's dark, that should help, too."

Marinette nodded, her grin inching back onto her face. "Okay. I'd definitely love to do that, then! As long as you and Dad don't want help moving things, that is."

"We'll take care of the moving," Mr. Dupain assured her, reappearing at the table with a large cake. He deposited it in front of Marinette and pulled out a knife to start cutting pieces. "Partially so that you can go out and have fun with your friend, yes, but also because we'd really rather not have you trip over a blanket while carrying it upstairs and have you sent back to square one."

Marinette opened her mouth to protest that, considered it, and then closed her mouth again. As much as she hated to admit it, her dad... had a point. "Okay. Thank you so much!"

"Anytime, darling." Mr. Dupain paused, considered that, then tried again. "I mean, I'd rather it not be necessary again, but if you need any help, we're here for you. And if you want to have us come out on patrol ever, or come out on fights with you..."

She had to laugh. "You've gotten over your fear of running over rooftops, then?"

"It's growing on me. Slowly." Mr. Dupain served up three generous slices of cake, passing them around before sitting back down. "And I can't say that beating Hawkmoth up wasn't entirely satisfying. I'm definitely more than willing to do that again."

Marinette nodded, making a mental note of that. Her dad couldn't really come out often, probably, since the bakery needed to keep running, but if he could join them at random sometimes...

It was something to keep in mind.

"I wish I could have watched," Mrs. Cheng commented, scooping up a forkful of her cake. "And no one got any footage of it, either! Such a pity."

Marinette had to laugh. "It was quite satisfying. Honestly-" she made a few fast mental calculations, a list of pros and cons, and then came to a quick decision. "You could probably keep the Turtle on you, and just come out if we're struggling or something and you have some time to spare. It would be easier than me having to come back and get the Miraculous out for you."

Her dad looked vaguely offended. "If you're struggling and if I have the time? Marinette, if you and Chat Noir are struggling, I will make the time. And if I have the time, if there's an attack when the bakery isn't open or I'm not needed, I'll be there. I'd love to beat up Hawkmoth again."

"If you start vanishing too much during akuma attacks, your employees are going to notice," Marinette pointed out. "And it's going to be for more than a few minutes most of the time. Not like what it's been for the fights you've gone out for before."

Her dad looked a little stumped. "Hmm."

"If I have access to the Horse, I could drop him off and collect him," Mrs. Cheng pointed out. "That cuts out travel time there and back. And it could be an element of surprise, too- if Tom is transformed and knows exactly where I'm going to Portal him to, he could ambush the akuma or the sentimonster or the supervillains with almost no warning."

Marinette opened her mouth, about to say something about how it probably wasn't a good idea to have too many Miraculous out and active in one household, then shut it again. That- actually, why wouldn't it be a good idea? If, heaven forbid, Hawkmoth and Mayura found out who any of them were, then they could all jump in and defend themselves right away. Maybe Master Fu wouldn't have approved, but Master Fu wasn't the Guardian anymore, was he? She had to do what worked best for her. "Actually, I like that idea. And if I need any of the other Miraculous for backup, I could text you and you could just Portal it right to me, no need for me to come back here."

That was a really good idea. The fewer trips she made to the bakery as Ladybug, the better. And it would be faster, too.

Why hadn't Master Fu thought of that? It would have made so much more sense than her having to disengage herself from the fight for at least fifteen minutes to go to Master Fu's house, with the potential of having supervillains spotting her and figuring out where she was going. There would still be a pause while she found the holder she wanted for that particular Miraculous, but that really couldn't be avoided.

"You know what I would love to see?" Mrs. Cheng told Mr. Dupain after a minute of quiet eating. "Your mom with a Miraculous. I'm not sure how effective of a fighter she would be, but can you picture her scolding Hawkmoth?"

Mr. Dupain laughed. "I think you underestimate her. She's taken more than a few self-defense classes over the years. Partially because she tends to travel alone or in groups of people she's not super familiar with, and partially because it's part of experiencing different cultures. Or that's been the excuse that she's given me, at least."

"D'you think, if she transformed while on her motorcycle, that would get magic powers, too?" Marinette asked, the picture of a Superhero Nonna Gina zipping around and running over Hawkmoth with a superpowered flying motorcycle already floating through her mind. "Because that would be super cool."

Tikki giggled. "Probably not. Unless...?" She tilted her head, considering. "I don't know, actually. You'd have to try it. I don't know if anything like that has been attempted before!"

...she was a responsible Guardian, and she will not find an excuse to give Nonna Gina a Miraculous the next time she's in Paris and try to get her to attempt to transform with the motorcycle. She will not, she will not, she will not.

"Oh, that's a picture," Mrs. Cheng chuckled. She scooped up another bite of cake. "We might be able to test that with one of us and a regular bike, maybe on one of our days off. Just for curiosity's sake, you know."

"Research," Mr. Dupain agreed cheerfully. "Very important, you know."

Marinette had to laugh at that.

They finished up, and then her parents shooed her off as they started the work of carrying things back up to her room. Marinette still snuck in a couple trips with some smaller things, and then she hauled herself up to her balcony. She exchanged an excited look with Tikki, taking a deep breath to steady herself.

This was actually happening. After weeks of longing to be back out on the rooftops, running and swinging around, she was finally returning.

"Tikki, transform me!"

In a flash of pink light, Ladybug replaced Marinette on the balcony. She took a moment to make sure that her outfit looked more like Coccinelle's than her own regular outfit, and then she was off. The yo-yo went out, Ladybug jumped, and she was flying through the air again.

It. Felt. Amazing.

Ladybug grinned, resisting the urge to whoop with joy. She had to keep her return low-key for now, which meant that she wasn't quite free to do whatever she wanted yet, but that was fine.

She was back, and that was what was important. The whoops and cheers and fancy swings down low over the street could wait until she had made her official return.

It didn't take long at all to reach the place where Mrs. Cheng had told her that she and Chat Noir would be meeting up for patrol. Ladybug landed- carefully, her good leg first and the healed leg second, though it didn't hurt at all- behind her partner and bounded forward, unable to keep the grin off of her face. Chat Noir had perked up as soon as he heard her land and he almost tripped over his own feet in his hurry to turn around. He stumbled, catching himself almost right away, and his eyes landed on Ladybug. His expression turned puzzled for a moment when he caught sight of her outfit, but the confusion was wiped away and replaced by straight-up excitement as soon as he caught sight of her face.

"Bugaboo!" Chat Noir exclaimed, pouncing on her at once and nearly bowling her straight over in his excitement. "You're back! Is it- is it for good? The cast is off, you're clear to come back?"

Ladybug grinned, nodding. "Yeah! I just got it off today. And I couldn't wait to come out, but I didn't want to give all of Paris a timeline for me being back if they spotted me, so-"

"Thus Coccinelle's outfit," Chat Noir finished for her. He straightened, pulling Ladybug to her feet. He grinned at her. "That threw me off, I'll admit, but it's not a bad look on you at all."

Ladybug grinned, doing a little spin just because she could. "Thanks! I- oh!" She tripped over her own feet and stumbled. Chat Noir caught her at once, putting her back on her feet.

"Careful! You only just got back out!"

"Oh, gosh, not a good start," Ladybug said with a small giggle. Thankfully her stumble hadn't been because of her leg acting up, just one of her normal stumble. "If that happens during battles, maybe you'll end up wanting Coccinelle back! I don't think me stumbling around will help make the battles any shorter."

"Don't say that." Abruptly, Chat Noir was serious, grasping her hands in his own. Ladybug blinked, taken aback. She had just been joking around, but her partner clearly wasn't, and the intensity in his eyes had taken her off-guard. "Don't worry about the time fights take, Ladybug. Seriously. Having you back and fighting at my side? That's more than worth it."

Ladybug smiled. "Thanks, Kitty."

"Of course." Chat Noir beamed at her, bright and happy and excited. A few moments passed, and then he nodded across the rooftops, grinning. "So. Are you ready for patrol?"

"Are you kidding? Let's go!"

#Miraculous Ladybug #My writing #The Substitute Ladybug #marinette dupain cheng

[spooky-z]

College Françoise Dupont’s talent show [5/5]

• 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 4.1 • 5 • 5.1 •

Warning: suicide mention at the final

@ozmav @maribat-archive

Damian was not one bit happy with the wistful eyes of Adrien for Marinette.

Since the confrontation with the class, Wayne noticed that the blonde did not take the eyes of his bride. Perhaps he was not even blinking. He could barely see the boy breathing!

“Damian, control your temper.” Tim nudged him. “Looks like you’re going to jump the golden boy’s neck anytime.”

They were sitting in the auditorium, lights on, people searching their seats. The whole family sitting in the third row of the main set of chairs, occupying the entire row.

The order being from the far left starting with Alfred, Bruce, Dick, Kori, Jason, Tim, Damian, Sabine, Tom, Chloe, Kagami, Allan, Allegra and Claude.

Jagged and Penny had been taken into the cabin, accompanied by Chloe’s parents and Kagami’s mother.

Adrien and the rest of the class, sitting in the second row. The blonde standing right in front of him, not disguising the fact that he was facing Marinette, who was on stage talking quietly with Felix and the director.

“If he doesn’t stop eating her with his eyes, I’ll…” and clenched his fist, imagining Agreste’s head in the middle of it.

Sabine, who had heard the exchange, laughed softly. Her son-in-law was so cute.

“Honey, it’s like we say: they may look, but they can’t have it,” she says, her hand on Damian’s fist. “My daughter looks beautiful. If no one looked at her twice, I would have been offended on her behalf.”

He bites his lip in conflict, but seems to decide that his mother-in-law was right and looked away from the blonde, preferring the sight of his angel.

“Good evening everyone.” The director says in the microphone, Marinette and Felix at his right side, microphones in their hands. “Today we mark the end of the talent week and also the end of the semester.” He pauses with the sound of the applause “this week was indeed amazing. Many talents discovered; many laughs obtained. It was wonderful.“

The audience shouts in agreement. Damian frowns with the particularly high-pitched scream in his ear and glances quickly at Tim.

“Today, as you can see, I have two guests with me” the director says again “Marinette Dupain-Cheng-”

“Hello!” Marinette sings into the microphone, a sweet smile on her face.

“-And Felix Aguillard.” Felix bows to the audience “Our first graders of the year.” More applause.

At the sound of the applause, Damian was able to hear a loud "What ?!” coming from the row in front of him, but could not recognize the voice because of the noise.

“It’s been a year since they’ve been studying at both Dupont and a prestigious university.” General choke “Marinette at ESMOD and Felix at INSEAD-”

“WHAT?!” Lila shouts in surprise, cutting off the director. She sits up quickly when she realizes that she has lost control in front of everyone. “Sorry, I was just surprised.”

Chloe scoffs before shouting to the stage “THAT’S MY GIRL!”

Marinette laughs “And Fe? He’s your boy too, isn’t he?” Teases into the microphone.

Felix looks at her, the pained expression on his face.

Chloe scowls at them and screams once again, “I’m sorry, but I’m SUPER GAY.” And the audience laughs out loud at the antics. The director looks unsure of what to do.

“Ahem,” he catches everyone’s attention, the laughter calming down. “Continuing what I was saying- Today marks their last high school day, so nothing fairer than them being our special guests of the night. The two will open for today’s participants, but they will not be part of the competition.” And ends, waving to the two talk something before they begin.

Felix shakes his head, saying he doesn’t want to say anything and follows him off the stage, but Marinette takes the lead, microphone tight in her hands.

“Good evening everyone.” She says, “Like Principal Damocles said, my name is Marinette. Marinette Dupain-Cheng and I want a little of your time.” Her eyes gauge each of the audience, not stopping at anyone for long.

“Today has been a particularly special day for me.” It starts “But I’ll start with last month. Last month I was able to go a step further in my career. I received an undeniable proposal and now my things must be arriving at Gotham, my old and new residence.” She notices some violent reactions in the ranks of her former class. Alya. “Today… today I was proposed by the man I love. Today I have friends supporting me, I have my family by my side, I’m having you all now.” Her slightly wet eyes, Damian notes, wanting more than anything to be by her side right now.

“But it wasn’t always like that.” His tone a little bitter. “There was a time, like, about three years ago, that I had people in my life that I thought were there to support me. To be my friends. To support me when I’m not well…” she sighs “But I was wrong. So wrong.”

“I came to such a low point, so dark, that time has stopped. Like this. I had lost my will, my motivation. I was alive but not living.” Sabine, who had been holding back tears, could no longer and cried silently “But hey! This is not a sad story. It’s not because I found good people. Great friends. A great boyfriend. It was not easy at first. There have been relapses. Days I wanted to do nothing more than sleep and sleep. But I did it.” She winked at Lila, who seemed to have eaten something bad.

“I’m reaching my goals. Saying goodbye to most of you, see you soon to others and a ‘I hope I never have to see you again’ for the ones left.” She says sweet, so sweet that her teeth hurt.

“It was thinking about this past, this dark spot of my life, that I wrote a song … Yeah! I know! You were expecting a fashion show, but here I am, ready to sing.” Jokes with the general surprise.

She looks at the side edge of the stage. Luka was waiting for the signal to be able to enter. She blinks at him and he smiles, the guitar positioned in his hands.

“To sing this song I would need support, so a friend volunteered for this role.” She turns to the audience. “Please, a round of applause for Luka Couffaine, my best friend.”

///

Alya was… She didn’t know how she was feeling at that moment.

She had stopped trying to understand what had been going on since Chloe had appeared with Kagami two nights ago to pick up Marinette at the theater.

That was so frustrating! How, when … The three had become friends. How Marintte could forgive Chloe. When Marinette had overcome her rivalries with Kagami.

Alya didn’t understand. Alya didn’t know.

Alya didn’t remember when it was the last time she’d talked to Marinette. Her best friend.

But she remembered the last time she’d screamed at the brunette about being mean. About how after so many years, she still hasn’t gotten over her jealousy of Lila. How Adrien would never love her if she continued this behavior.

She remembered the teary blueberries, the flushed cheeks (of shame or anger she didn’t know) and the weak voice asking to leave her alone.

But it wasn’t her fault! She just wanted the brunette to grow up, take her head off the Adrien world, and live. Give Lila a chance.

What did not happen. Marinette just walked away.

She would come to school, attend classes, and then disappear. No one knew where she was going at breaks. During classes, she hardly interacted with others.

Just Chloe.

And Alya still couldn’t understand. Didn’t understand what Marinette was saying on that stage. Didn’t know what she was talking about. She was trying. Really. But it was all in vain to see Luka Couffaine come on stage.

His slightly longer, unruly hair combed anyway, torn black jeans, shiny boots, and a black T-shirt under a mossy green leather jacket. A guitar in his arms.

His eyes wrapped in a thick layer of khol.

He bent slightly toward Marinette’s microphone, a polite smile on his lips.

“Good night, Dupont. I’m Luka and I’m here today to help Minette in one or two songs.” He says “God knows how bad she is with the guitar.” He laughs when Marinette jokes him playfully.

She takes his microphone and says again "I think we should start, what do you think ?!”

A projector screen descends behind them and they begin.

No, I think I’ll stay in tonight

Skip the conversations and the “Oh, I’m fines”

No, I’m no stranger to surprise

This paper town has let me down too many times

And, man. She was good.

Alya was surprised, scared even.

Why do I even try? Give me a reason why

I thought that I could trust you, never mind

Why all the switching sides? Where do I draw the line?

I guess I’m too naive to read the signs

Adrien shifted uncomfortably beside Nino. His gravelly face.

He was sure the music was for them, the class.

For him.

I’m just lookin’ for some real friends

The screen behind them began to pass photos.

Photos of Marinette that no one in the class had ever seen before.

All they ever do is let me down

Every time I let somebody in

The first photo to appear contained Luka and Marinette hugging each other. Her arms around his neck, their cheeks glued together and his arms around her waist.

The unknown background landscapes. The sun shining bright.

Luka was wearing only a black T-shirt, his hair a mess and the tongue sticking out. Marinette in a black cropped with blue accents, her hair in a bun, eyes closed and a huge smile.

She looked so happy.

Adrien cringed.

Then I find out what they’re all about

I’m just lookin’ for some real friends

In the next picture, Chloe and the brunette were sleeping together on a futon, probably in Mari’s room.

Chloe wearing Ladybug pajamas being the small spoon and Marinette Abeille being the big spoon.

Alya tasted the blood.

Wonder where they’re all hidin’ out

I’m just lookin’ for some real friends

Gotta get up out of this town

In the third photo, Marinette was sitting on Kagami’s lap while they were taking selfies. The two making funny faces.

Kagami’s hands steady around Marinette.

And that was a shock to Nino.

The ice queen being funny and protective of someone.

Oh, oh

Oh, ah

A picture of the four of them together at a sleepover in what looked like Chloe’s room. Luka had a face mask, Chloe’s hair stuck in bobs, Kagami painting her nails, and Marinette reading a fashion magazine.

All of them on the bedroom floor, sweets and snacks spread and a television on in a black and white film.

The photo was taken by a fifth unknown person.

I stay up, talkin’ to the moon

Been feelin’ so alone in every crowded room

Can’t help but feel like something’s wrong, yeah

'Cause the place I’m livin’ in just doesn’t feel like home

This time it was a video of Marinette in what looked like a kitchen. A huge kitchen. Wearing a black shirt too big to be hers, probably making breakfast.

She had a spatula in her hand, distracted, using it as a microphone while singing something.

The man who had arrived with Bruce Wayne, the one with the black and white hair, joins her singing. They start dancing like crazy around the kitchen.

The video ends with him slipping and falling, Marinette laughing out loud before falling too.

It didn’t even last 20 seconds.

I’m just lookin’ for some real friends

All they ever do is let me down

Every time I let somebody in

Then I find out what they’re all about

Another video came, this time Marinette is sitting on the grass, surrounded by puppies. Two Great Dane resting their heads on her lap while she pats them.

Damian Wayne joins her and she rests against him.

He looks at the person filming and the filming quickly ends.

I’m just lookin’ for some real friends

Wonder where they’re all hidin’ out

I’m just lookin’ for some real friends

Gotta get up out of this town

The next picture had Marinette in a gym, leggings, black top, hair in a ponytail.

Another of the men who came in with Bruce Wayne, on her shoulders like a sack of potatoes.

She was all skinny muscle.

Nino heard Adrien choke and cough.

I just wanna talk about nothin’

With somebody that means somethin’

Spell the names of all our dreams and demons

For the times that I don’t understand

Marinette this time was in the same kitchen (video), an old man beside her watching her beat the dough in the bowl.

The crowded bench with Damian, Bruce and the other three men, Chloe, Kagami, Luka and… Félix?!

Tell me what’s the point of a moon like this

When I’m alone again

Can I run away to somewhere beautiful

Where nobody knows my name?

There was a joint gagging of class with the pool photo.

Damian felt jealous boil again.

I’m just lookin’ for some real friends

All they ever do is let me down

I let somebody in

But I find out what they’re all about

The next photo had Jagged Stone, Penny Rolling, Clara Nightingale, Prince Ali, and XY at a picnic. All dressed informally, looking comfortable, smiling at Marinette who was playing with Fang in the background.

And that’s how Ms. Bustier’s class seemed to remember that Jagged didn’t have a cat but a crocodile.

I’m just lookin’ for some real friends

All they ever do is let me down

I’m just lookin’ for some real friends

Gotta get up out of this town, yeah

The last picture was of everyone together.

Dupain-Cheng, Waynes, Chloe, Kagami, Luka, Felix, Claude, Allegra, Allan, Jagged, Penny, Clara, Ali, XY. Even Fang and the Great Danes.

Everyone was looking at the camera, smiling excitedly. Marinette in Damian’s arms and a banner with “Joyeux anniversaire, Marinette” in the background.

Oh, oh

Oh, ah

Marinette and Luka ended the song’s last chord when a video, this time with sound, played on the big screen.

“… Let me hear you say, this shit is bananas, B-A-N-A-N-A-S!”

Marinette turns horrified to the big screen.

“This shit is bananas, B-A-N-A-N-A-S!” Marinette on the big screen screams along with the music.

The girl throws her arms up, jumping on the bed. The Batman themed pajamas.

“Oh my god, Minette…” the recording person laughs softly so the girl doesn’t hear.

Marinette continues to scream the lyrics, unaware that she is being recorded, until the recording person starts laughing out loud and she gets scared.

“… Jason?” She has a confused expression on her face until she notices the camera and her face becomes homicidal. “Were you recording…?”

The man seems to be scared because the laughter soon dies.

“… No?” he tries.

“Really? So, you don’t mind me taking a look at your phone, do you?” She gets off the bed and goes toward him.

“… Listen, I think Alfred is calling me. Bye!” He runs from her, but doesn’t finish recording.

With him running, the phone only films the confused shapes of the house, but everyone is still able to hear Marinette running after him.

“BACK HERE TODD!”

"NOT! I DON’T WANT TO DIE AGAIN!”

Shooting continues for another two seconds and then ends abruptly.

Luka was laughing openly on stage, Marinette still with her back to the audience, blushing embarrassed and the audience laughing.

And that was how the last night of the Talent Show began.

///

Lila was waiting for her at the backstage.

Marinette knew that an hour would have to face the girl, but did not think she would attack in such an open and public place.

But objectively, this was the only chance she had, since Marinette was leaving Paris that night.

“Should I congratulate you on the engagement, Dupain-Cheng? Or should we talk about your poor attempt to come out on top?” Lila scoffs, the smugness on her face. “Because it didn’t work. They are still eating in the palm of my hand.”

Marinette sighs already tired.

"What do you want, Lila?”

“I just came to brag. I like to throw salt on the wound.”

“That’s good! Because I like it too.” Marinette says, her tone becoming sharp. “Do you really think I would go away and do nothing to unmask you, Lila Rossi?” Lila stiffens the smile. “Or rather, Volpina, the accomplice of Hawkmoth.”

The girl steps back as Marinette approaches.

"What are you talking about?” She countered. “Are you going crazy?”

“Crazy? I? No.” Marinette laughs “I just think it’s funny that you think there would be no consequences helping a terrorist. And no use denying, I know you have been helping Hawkmoth and Mayura all these years. Your best friend, Ladybug, told me.”

The two do not notice Adrien, Nino and Alya coming. Adrien, noticing the situation, prevents Alya from trying to help Lila and forces them both to hear the conversation hidden behind some wood panels.

“… So, what if I helped Hawkmoth?” They hear Lila say. Adrien feels his blood run cold. “I was a minor. A child. You have nothing against me.”

There is a break and Marinette respond.

“That’s where you’re wrong Lila. Gabriel Agreste may have been arrested and refused to speak, but the evidence, Lila, speaks for itself.” Her firm voice “One year, Lila. A year gathering evidence against you and look, I was surprised to learn that I wasn’t the only person you emotionally abused.”

“… What?” Lila whispers looking scared.

“Emilia Shawn’s suicide.” Marinette’s voice comes out like lightning. “Don’t you remember her, Lila? The girl you bullied so much she couldn’t stand and threw herself off the roof of your school in Italy?” Alya was crying on Nino’s shoulder.

“No problem you don’t remember Emilia!” Marinette says very cheerfully “As long as you remember Cassandra. Or Phillip. Marie… Rico.”

“How do you… how do you know those names?” Lila shouts.

“Because unlike you and our lovely classmates, Lila, families didn’t believe their children were abusive monsters and committed suicide because they were sorry.”

There are footsteps, Adrien gets up enough to see what was going on and recognizes Agent Raincomprix with the National Police, surrounding Marinette and Lila.

Damian Wayne appears along with Bruce Wayne alongside Marinette.

“You cannot do that! I was just a child! Children make mistakes!” Lila begins to freak out when she realizes the situation.

“No, Lila. This is murder and terrorism. And you will pay for what you did.” Marinette says.

Damian hugs the brunette in support and she squeezes his arms in thanks.

"Lila Aloisi Rossi, you are arrested for accomplice of murder and terrorism.” The Raincomprix agent says as he holds Lila in handcuffs “You have the right to remain silent. Whatever you say can and will be used against you.”

"What? NO! LET ME GO!” Lila shouts, going crazy as she struggles.

The police soon have to help the agent contain her and before they leave, he turns to Marinette and the Waynes.

“Bruce Wayne, Marinette. Thanks for your help.” He nods. “It’s up to us now.” And leaves.

“Thank you mr. Raincomprix.” Marinette says.

"I’ll go with you guys,” Bruce says and joins the agents.

Meanwhile, Lila was still screaming and kicking through the theater corridors, people leaving to find out what was going on.

Ms. Bustier’s whole class watching.

“YOU HAVE TO UNLEASH ME! I HAVE DIPLOMATIC IMMUNITY!” She shouted.

Bruce Wayne, who was right behind the National Police surrounding Lila, looked smug when he spoke.

“Your country has withdrawn your immunity after we have presented the evidence of your crimes, Lila Rossi.” Lila widened her eyes, the panic evident. “You will face justice in full rights.”

Damian believes that all of Paris was able to hear the scream that the Italian gave.

He turned the woman in his arms, needing to look her in the eye.

“It’s over, angel.” He whispers to her, noticing the tear in her eyes.

Marinette sighs, relaxing against him.

“It’s over, Dami. Ended.“

[tag list]

@mystery-5-5 @spicybelladonna @iglowinggemma28 @crazylittlemunchkin@lunaraquaenby @maude-zarella @mooshoon @kuroko26@littleredrobinhoodlum @fanboy7794 @shadowberrybinch @k-rena-k@captainmac6 @clumsy-owl-4178  @tazanna-blythe @vixen-uchiha @zebrabaker @chloe-bourgeois-is-big-gay @artxyra @ellerahs @minightrose@redscarlet95 @soaringowlsstuff @xxkelsey39

#marinete dupain cheng #maribat #damian x marinette #talent show au #lila rossi #ml salt #daminette #damian

[lnc2]

probable and necessary (1/5)

Summary: the kids put on a play.

A/N: This is a commission for the beautiful, wonderfully patient, oh so understanding finarel who requested a Theatre AU and let me sit on this for months while I figured out what story I wanted to tell.  You’re a doll and I hope this will be worth the wait.  This is a story in five parts.

AO3

Prelude:

It was, as these things usually are, an accident.

A wrong place, wrong time sort of moment that tilted the world cockeyed and over until left was down was up was right and all Adrien could do was tremble as everything he thought he knew  became something else entirely.

“Marinette?”

He didn’t mean to speak at all or maybe he did.  He didn’t, couldn’t, trust himself in that moment.  The moment where red and black became pink and white and a heroine’s tired satisfaction transformed into stammering terror.

“A-Adrien?”

The world faded around him and all that existed was his name on her lips and a pair of endless blue eyes staring back at him in wonderfied terror.

“I can explain!”

The pounding of footsteps, familiar and hard on the pavement, brought him back to himself.  He rushed forward, pulling a frozen Marinette with him to hide behind the nearby dumpster. Peeking his head just around the corner he could see the Gorilla running past and a queer sort of horror settled in his gut as his plans for the afternoon took form.

The Gorilla, the photoshoot, ice cream and… Kagami.  

Marinette.

“Adrien,” She whispered, tugging her hand from his tight grip.  He watched her as if removed from himself– he hadn’t even realized he was still holding onto her.  “I can… it’s not what it looks like.”

She glanced down to her purse where a familiar red sprite was peeking out at him.  Tikki’s large eyes were grave, so different from the last time he’d seen her.

Adrien clenched his hands to stop from trembling.

“You don’t have to,” He croaked.  “E-explain I mean.”

“I do though.  I really, really do.” She tugged at her pigtails, agitated.  “Oh god Tikki, I fucked up this time.”

Adrien grabbed her wrists, pulled them down, held them close.

“I won’t tell anyone,” He promised.  “You can trust me.”

He hesitated before bringing up his hand and flashing his ring.

Her eyes strayed to his hand and stared.

She laughed, a high, hysterical sound and shook her head.

“Right.  You would know.” Adrien’s heart stuttered as her fingers slid over his, down his palm, and rubbed at the pulse point on his wrist.  “Thank you. Again. F-for your help.”

Disappointment and realization came crashing down as he understood where she hadn’t.

Aspik.

He slipped his hand from hers to rub the back of his neck. “Luka did better.”

“Not better, Adrien.” Marinette said and if it wasn’t Marinette he would swear she was scolding him.  “We had Chat Noir then. Everything is easier with Chat.”

“Oh.”

Adrien wasn’t blushing.  He wasn’t.

His eyes strayed back to Tikki whose fathomless stare asked the questions his own kwami’s pocket squirming couldn’t.

He had to tell her.

“Well that’s… that’s good to hear my l–”

The alleyway echoed with generic calypso music as Adrien’s phone went off.  He cringed, pulling it out of his pocket only to reveal Kagami’s smile lighting up the screen. He hesitated, his finger hovering over the answer button.

Marinette fidgeted. “You should take that.”

Adrien stared at his screen, Kagami’s image blurring into light like he didn’t know what it meant.

But Marinette did.  Of course she did.

“Go on, Adrien.  It’s okay.”

But was it?  

Was it okay?

Something deep twisted in his gut, but she was already stepping away.

“My lady wait!” He said, pressing the silence button and pocketing his phone.  Marinette froze in profile before her eyes flashed back to his. Her cheeks went from pink to white to red so rapidly he could have missed it but when she whirled back to face him all she could do was gape.

“Chat?”

Adrien nodded, taking a step forward only to stop when she flinched.

Then, into the breach, Plagg came tumbling.  His cackling doing nothing to dispel the tension rising up between him and his partner. Adrien watched in terrified wonder as Marinette’s eyes went from his kwami to his ring to his face and back before a steady, body shaking tremor overtook her.

“Oh.” She whispered. “Oh.”

Adrien’s phone went off again.

She winced.  “Oh.”

“Marinette,” He said, only to find he couldn’t find any other words.

And apparently, neither could she.

“I- I need to think.” She said, shaking her head.  “I can’t– you– busy.”

She took off then before he could stop her and it was only as he stared after Marinette’s disappearing back that he remembered his not-so-long-ago conversation with Plagg.  

“She– she wouldn’t take away my miraculous for this would she?”

Plagg stopped laughing.

Dread, cold and black, ran fingers down his spine.

Oh god.

Adrien hadn’t given much thought to what would happen if they revealed themselves since Master Fu disappeared.  He figured, when (always when never if) it happened it would be mutual, on their own terms, and (preferably) followed up by one or a dozen kisses.

Falling over each other in an alleyway next to an overripe dumpster never figured into his plans.

His plans with Kagami were cut short when the Gorilla stumbled upon a distracted Adrien wandering down the arrondissement. It was, he thought with no small amount of guilt, probably for the best.  The trip home was quiet, Plagg just as unsure as himself.

The next few days were interminable.

School felt like a futile game of cat and mouse where the cat wasn’t really sure he wanted to catch the mouse at all.  Marinette doggedly avoided him however saving him from making any decisions or doing anything too rash.

On the fifth day going on little to no sleep Plagg disappeared.  An hour of frantic searching left him spiraling into the worst possibilities ranging from Hawkmoth capturing him to Ladybug taking away his miraculous.  Both would have been devastating and he wasn’t (entirely) sure which was worse.

He was about to give in and text Marinette when Plagg reappeared through his windows.  After a frantic hug and an even more frantic scolding Adrien relaxed enough to realize Marinette beat him to the punch.

01:34 don’t freak out. plagg is with me.

and then later

02:27 sending him back now.  don’t listen to him if he says he’s hungry– i gave him some of papa’s cheese danishes

02:33 he was worried.  i didn’t mean to scare you, adrien

02:34 i’m not ready to talk yet but of course i’m not taking away your miraculous

02:46 you’re my partner

Adrien’s shoulders fell in relief.

And if he reread her last text until he finally fell asleep, well, 

no one had to know.

#miraculous ladybug #lnc2 writes #commission #finarel #identity reveal #adrinette #ladynoir #post reveal pre relationship #leggo

[chocoluckchipz]

The Other You - 3

Read it on A03, FF.net, WattPad

< Previous

Marinette groaned loudly as a ray of light caught her eye, disturbing her sleep. She stirred lazily, slowly regaining awareness of her surroundings. Her neck was stiff from the odd position she had fallen asleep in, and she couldn’t feel her left arm after having laid her head on it all night. Eyes bleary, she groggily looked around her and barely muffled a defeated sigh upon realizing her current whereabouts.

She had fallen asleep in her office.

Again.

The night before, when she had left Chat Noir on the Eiffel Tower, she had fully intended to follow his sound advice. Heading home was definitely the sensible thing to do, considering Alya was more than likely already pissed at her for having ignored her calls all day. No use adding fuel to the fire.

But as she was swinging her yoyo from building to building, images of her cluttered office flashed before her eyes. Her desk, buried under bolts of fabric and spools of thread, the unfinished dress hanging from the mannequin, and the pile of designs waiting to be sorted and put into production.

She had worked herself to the bone for months for that first women’s line, had suffered through so many sleepless nights, had stood up to her boss so many times… This project truly was her baby, her greatest achievement yet, and she wanted everything to be as she and Gabriel had envisioned it.

So, convinced she could squeeze in a few more hours of stitching before Alya would notice her absence, she had changed directions mid-jump and headed straight back to her office. Detransforming in an alley across the street, she had let herself into the building, bid goodnight to the security guard, and snuck back into her office like she had done countless times before. She turned on all the lights in her office, took out the designs Gabriel had approved just before passing away, and got to work.

She had cut, pinned, and sewn for the better part of the night, losing herself in the passion that had become all work and no play. Exhaustion quickly caught up with her, and after pricking her fingers a few times with the needle, her head steadily began to drop, and she lost track of time.

Soon enough, the weight of reality crashed back on her, and the next thing Marinette knew, she was waking up amongst her mess, groggy and disoriented.

Her cellphone chimed on her desk, and she reached for it to check the time. Maybe, just maybe, if Tikki’s luck was still on her side, she would be able to sneak back into the apartment without waking Nino or Alya up.

As soon as the little digital screen lit up, however, Marinette instantly knew that she was utterly and perfectly screwed. Any hopes of a stealthy return home were crushed by the heavy amount of missed calls and text messages overflowing her phone.

Just her luck.

Scrolling through the messages thread, she cringed, her heart jumping into her throat. Of course there were the usual inquiries about her current whereabouts, the expected question about whether or not to save dinner for her. But where the usual follow-through was “Are you coming home at all tonight?” she instead received, “Guess I’ll have to buy my wedding dress off-the-rack.”

Her heart broke reading those words.

Panic rose in Marinette’s chest, and she blindly reached for her planner, refusing to believe the implications of said message. She almost tore the book open, finding the right page with shaky fingers. It just couldn’t have happened. Alya had to be mistaken, there had to be a huge and horrible misunderstanding.

That was the only explanation she could see. There was no way she could have forgotten that.

And yet, hastily scribbled in her own handwriting on the previous day’s page, was definite proof that she had committed an unforgivable crime against her relationship with her best friend.

9 p.m.: Design wedding dress with Alya !!! <3

Her defeated whine resonated loudly in her empty office. “Tikki! Why didn’t you remind me?”

The little kwami lifted an unimpressed gaze toward her charge. “I did, Marinette. Several times. You ignored or dismissed me every time, like you usually do when you’re working. In the end, I gave up.”

Marinette groaned, not bothering to answer the bitter jab. It was already bad enough that she had to pencil her best friend in her planner for something as important as her wedding, but she had managed to forget about it altogether. The uncanny absence of any other message after the mention of the dress was telling volumes.

Alya was not pissed.

She was utterly and completely furious with her.

Breath short, heart pounding in her ears, Marinette put away the mess of fabric on her desk as quickly as she could, not bothering to fold them correctly. She would probably curse her lack of foresight later, when she’d resume working and find herself dealing with a bunch of wrinkled and mixed up fabric, but for the time being she couldn’t bring herself to care about anything other than the friendship she had probably just destroyed.

Going home by traditional means was going to take too much time considering her jittery nerves. So, ignoring Tikki’s disapproving glare, Marinette quickly transformed and let herself out through her office window. She’d have a hard time explaining why her security badge’s log would show an “in” but no “out” if anyone was to look at her file, but that was a problem she’d have to deal with later.

For now, she just wanted to salvage what little was left of her bond with Alya.

Part of her wanted to just crawl in through her bedroom window and pretend to have been asleep the entire time, but the rational part of her brain knew Alya would never be fooled by such a weak excuse. After all, it wasn’t exactly past the blogger to have spent the night in her bed only to make sure she wouldn’t risk missing her arrival.

Reluctantly, Marinette instead settled on hiding in an empty alley to detransform and walked to the building entrance like a convict heading to their death sentence. Feet heavy with dread, she headed for the elevator, the silence only disrupted by the pounding of her heart in her chest.

When the doors opened on their floor, her breath hitched in her throat. This was it. No going back now. She messed up, and she had to face the music.

Her keys jingled loudly when she pulled them out of her purse, and the rattle of the metal when she slid the right one in the keyhole made her gasp inwardly. Marinette pushed the door open slowly, bracing herself for her impending doom.

Sure enough, Alya was sitting at the kitchen table, her arms crossed in front of her chest. Her expression as her eyes landed on her friend standing awkwardly in the doorway was unreadable. Marinette twitched uncomfortably, feeling bare and vulnerable under the piercing gaze.

Gulping painfully, she hung her purse on a hook and took a few careful steps into the apartment, trying to assess the situation. She made it about three feet in before Alya’s voice, dripping with venom, stopped her dead in her tracks. “How kind of you to finally let me know you’re still alive.”

Marinette blanched, startled by the anger behind her friend’s words. “I’m sorry, Alya, I—”

“Don’t,” Alya interrupted her, holding a hand up. “I’m sick and tired of your lies and your excuses, Marinette. I can’t sit around and pretend I’m fine with you wasting your life away like that anymore.”

Deep inside, Marinette knew that it was the anger talking, and that Alya didn’t really mean to be this harsh. But she’d had a long day. She’d spent the night in an office chair and she was still feeling shaken from her encounter with Adrien. Her patience had already been wearing thin, and despite her best intentions and how much she cared about Alya and wanted to mend their weakened friendship, she couldn’t help but snap.

“Oh, because you patronizing me basically every single time I set foot in the apartment is your way of pretending you care about me? Could’ve fooled me.”

Alya’s eyes widened, and her expression shifted to something darker, sadder. She stood up, her arms still crossed in front of her in a defensive manner. “You know, I’m starting to think that maybe Adrien had it right after all.”

“Don’t you dare bring him into this. Adrien Agreste is nothing but a selfish, manipulative jerk,” Marinette snarled through clenched teeth.

“Who tried to warn us that working for his father would change you.”

Marinette backed up a few steps, looking every bit like Alya had just slapped her across the face. How dare she suggest that what Adrien had done back then was anything less than pure treason?

Swallowing the painful lump in her throat, she spat as angrily as she could, “Okay, so you’re going to pick the awful human being who didn’t even bother showing up at his own father’ s funeral over your best friend now?”

“No. I love my best friend to pieces, Marinette, but she isn’t you,” Alya answered, her fists clenched by her side. “Not anymore. She’s the kind, sweet girl that I met in middle school. The woman standing in front of me right now is nothing more than a stranger to me.”

Hurt and confusion choked Marinette, who bit back an angry sob. Her life was unravelling under her fingers, and she felt powerless. “Then why don’t you ask Adrien to be your bridesmaid while you’re at it?”

A shadow crossed Alya’s face. “You know what? Maybe I will! That way maybe my bridesmaid will actually show up!”

“Is that so?  Well, in that case, count me out!”

“GLADLY,” Alya yelled, fists clenched tight.

At first, Marinette couldn’t even answer. Words were stuck in her throat, the air was heavy, unbreathable. She knew that feeling all too well, it was the same feeling that had overcome her upon realizing Adrien was so disgusted by her confession and wanted so little to do with her that he had hidden her internship application from his father.

She was clearly unwanted.

Anger bubbled up in her chest, the rejection stinging badly. “You-you want me out of your wedding ?”

“Mari, I’m sorry. I—”

Marinette shook her head, crossing the apartment in long, harsh strides. She rushed past Alya and headed straight for the front door. “It’s pretty clear that I’m no longer wanted here,” she spat angrily, trying to ignore the tears pooling in her eyes. “I’ll be out of your hair in no time, don’t worry.”

“Mari, wait—”

"I'll send someone for my stuff later. You know, someone who won't nag me constantly and who doesn't believe Adrien isn't the biggest asshole on the planet." Grabbing her purse from the hook, she slammed the door shut behind her, ignoring her friend’s pleas.

Marinette made it back to Gabriel ’s headquarters in a dazed state with about an hour to spare before office hours, still shaken by the entire encounter. She let herself into her office through the same window she had used to exit, briefly noting that her security log wouldn’t be a problem after all. Throwing her purse in a corner of the room, she let her transformation fall and absentmindedly offered a cookie to a worried Tikki.

“Are you okay, Marinette?” came the soft voice of her littlest friend.

“I don’t know, Tikki. I…” Marinette swallowed painfully, refusing to meet her gaze. “How dare she say Adrien had been right? He selfishly tried to sabotage my career, and—”

“She’s right, though.”

The words hurt more than Marinette wanted to admit. Eyes widening, she whispered, “W-What?”

“You did change, Marinette,” Tikki said softly. “It’s up to you to figure out if it was worth it or not.”

As she slumped in her chair, landing an unimpressed gaze on the ambient clutter, Marinette suddenly felt overwhelmed by recent events. Her boss was dead. His son, whom she despised above anything else, was back in her life despite her wishes. She and her best friend were barely even on speaking terms anymore.

Emotions bubbled up in her chest and tears spilled on her cheeks, unbidden. This was not how she had envisioned her career going, much less her personal life. But she was too far gone; she had accomplished too much to back out now. If only she could salvage the line she had been working on with Gabriel, she would make a name for herself. Then maybe, just maybe, land herself a position that would actually allow her to have a life and an apartment of her own.

Gabriel had had projects for her. The upcoming women’s line had been meant as a test, an introduction of some sort into the management of an entire line. If she did well, he had promised to let her take care of the feminine branch of Gabriel on her own.

Now though, with Adrien behind the wheel of the company, her future within its walls was less than assured. It was no secret the young man loathed everything related to fashion and the Agreste name. Not a really good combo when you’re aspiring to a stellar career as a fashion designer in Gabriel Agreste’s empire.

She threw her frustration into her work, furiously sewing, cutting, and drawing the day away, barely stopping for fifteen minutes to eat a sandwich from a vending machine in the early evening. She worked until her bleary eyes couldn’t focus on her fingers anymore, until her brain refused to make the stitches remotely even.

With a loud sigh, she pushed the skirt she had been working on away and waited warily for the flow of worries and memories to come back to nag her. Shoulders hunched in defeat, she rested her head on her folded arms. This wouldn’t be the first night she’d spend in the office, and probably far from the last. As long as she didn’t figure things out, she would be stuck sleeping there, so she might as well get used to it.

Her sleep that night was restless, not bringing any soothing to her troubled mind.

Still exhausted, her patience long gone, she had half a mind to bite off the head of the rude human being who saw fit to wake her up at five a.m., unceremoniously barging into her office. The icing to the cake, though, was half-jumping out of her skin only to meet the worried gaze of none other than Adrien Agreste.

“Marinette!?”

Next >

#miraculous ladybug #marichat #adrienette #ML #miraclous #MLB #the other you #myart #my art

[missmalice202]

Designing Your Melody - Chapter 02: Time

Chapter 01 - Chapter 03

Marinette was once again in a state of panic. She clutched her phone to her ear as she paced around her room, tearing at her midnight blue hair with her free hand as she rambled endlessly, not giving Alya on the other end of the line a chance to get a single word in.

“I can’t believe it, Alya! Today has been so insane. First, I sleep in so I’m almost late for my meeting with Jagged Stone. Then, I nearly trample some poor guy as I’m racing to make it there on time, falling on my butt and scattering the potential designs I had drawn up all over the streets of Paris. After I finally get them all gathered up, I almost die when I ran across the street because some idiot driver didn’t see the crosswalk light was green because he was too busy talking on the phone with his head up his butt. I mean, seriously, there are laws about that kind of thing for a reason.” With a sigh, she falls back on her chaise and hugs its black decorative pillow to her chest in an attempt to comfort herself. “And then, when I finally get to the studio and meet with Jagged, I discover that I LOST ONE OF MY DESIGNS!

“I worked so hard on my portfolio and I’m such an idiot to just lose one of them. Granted, I was pretty sure that it wouldn’t be something that Jagged Stone would be interested in because the teal I had picked out for the-“

“Girl,“ Alya tries to interrupt, but Marinette’s tirade is on a roll and nothing could stop her now.

“-Accents on the jacket would have clashed with his signature purple and yellow, but still. What if someone picks it up, looks at it, and thinks that it’s just so awful that they just throw it in the trash?”

“Marinette?”

“Or what if it’s found and someone claims it as their own and they show it to Gabriel Agreste, and he hires them on the spot and they become an internationally known designer because they stole my design? And then-“

“MARINETTE!” Finally at her wit’s end with her best friends ridiculous tailspin, Alya yells to get Marinette’s attention.

Shocked into silence and her ear ringing slightly from the outburst, Marinette stops and takes a breath for to the first time in the past five minutes. “I’m sorry, Alya. Today was just such a crazy day and I don’t like the idea of my designs being out there for the world to see.”

“I get how you feel, girl, but there’s nothing you can do about it now. So instead of focusing on how your day went wrong, why don’t you focus on how it went right. How did it go with Jagged? I know he loved your designs, but did you guys settle on a concept? What can you tell me? Can I post an exclusive story on my blog?”

Marinette giggled softly. Some things never change. “I’m sorry, but I can’t give you anything yet. You know how it is. Non-Disclosure Agreement and all that. But I can tell you that Jagged’s new single is amazing!”

“You got to hear it already?” she gasped in shock. “Oh girl, I am so jelly! I can’t wait until you’re a super famous designer with all sorts of famous connections and when that day comes, you’re not allowed to forget your best friend in the entire world who loved you before you were a household name. And if you don’t give me an exclusive interview with the mind behind Jagged’s new look, I’ll post every embarrassing picture I have of you on my blog, including the pic I have of you kissing a picture of Adrien’s cologne ad back in high school when you were still obsessed over that poor, sweet, oblivious boy.”

Marinette cringed at her threat. Just remembering how completely crazy she had been in high school made her shudder in disgust. She couldn’t believe the way she had behaved at times. It had definitely been unhealthy and she was glad that she had grown up and gotten over her infatuation with her blond model friend.

After a years of unrequited pining and downright stalkerish behavior, she had finally accepted her defeat and come to terms with the fact that she and Adrien would be nothing but really good friends. And it was for the best as it would turn out.

Once she tucked her feelings for him into the darkest recesses of her heart, she had realized that he truly was an amazing friend and she was being unfair to him by trying to force him into a relationship that he truly wanted no part in. All he had wanted at the time was to have fun for the first time in his extremely sheltered life and to learn how to make friends. He wasn’t ready for a relationship with anybody, let alone the first true female friend he had made. In Marinette’s opinion, Chloe Bourjeois didn’t really count as Adrien’s friend. She was far too selfish and egotistical to truly put another person’s feelings before her own, a trait that Marinette felt was very important in a friendship.

So now, she counted Adrien a member of her inner circle and she wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize their friendship. She had taken her obsession towards Adrien and turned that laser focus on her fashion designs.

Now, a 20 year old Marinette could consider herself a relatively successful freelance designer. She still hasn’t been hired by any of the major fashion houses, but she was often contacted regarding commissions and requests that helped to support her passion. However, she was still holding out for a chance to work with her idol, Gabriel Agreste. Through her friendship with his son, she often got a heads up whenever he was holding a competition or accepting applications for designers, but so far, she hadn’t been able to do more than win a few monetary prizes for her designs and speak to the fashion icon through the screen of his assistant’s tablet.

But she wouldn’t let her phase her. One of these days, she’d create clothing that would send the fashion world into a frenzy and then the Gabriel Agreste would come crawling on his knees, begging her to work with him. But until that day came, Marinette would just have to do her best and live her life, one design at a time.

“Oh Alya,” she giggled, “you know that when the time comes, I’ll give you an exclusive interview and tell you everything I legally can.”

“Good. Now that we’ve got that out of the way, isn’t it time for us to get going? It’s almost time, right?”

Sitting up on the chaise, she glanced at the clock above her sewing desk. “Yeah, you’re right.” Standing up, she walked over to her computer chair and sat down. “I’ll see you in-game.”

Hanging up her phone and putting it on silent, she plugged it in to the charger and set it on the desk next to her keyboard. With a few keystrokes, she changed the input on her monitor from her PC to her PlayBox, the latest generation game console that she had decorated with little ladybug stickers and affectionately called Tiki. She picked up her red controller, crossed her legs on her computer/gaming chair, and uttered the words she always jokingly said whenever she turned on her console:

“Tiki, spots on.”

-xXx-xXx-xXx-xXx-xXx-xXx-xXx-

Marinette had always been an avid gamer. Everyone who knew her knew that. So it came to no surprise that when her absolute favorite game, Ultimate Mecha Strike 3, came out with another sequel a two years ago, she had picked up a copy for herself the day it came out.

One of the features she had been most excited about with the new version was the idea that it would be a MMO fighting game. But it wasn’t just fighting. It had exploration, collectables, seasonal events, and player versus player tournaments. It was a dream come true for Marinette. Looking back at the side-scrolling fighting game she had loved so much in high school, she couldn’t help but make comparisons between herself and the game. The original version was great, but the new and improved game was so different, but so much better.

The first weekend after Ultimate Mecha Strike 4 had been released, Adrien had invited her to play together online. Knowing how much of a gamer that he himself was, she readily agreed, wanting someone else with similar passion to play with her. And she had had a BLAST. They had spent hours that weekend exploring the game mechanics, gathering collectible, taking out enemies, and just learning the game. After a few weeks of their friends blowing off plans to play video games, Nino and Alya picked up their own copies of the game and started playing with them.

Over time, their inseparable team had created a long standing tradition that every Friday night, they would get together online and play. Because they played so much and had such a great rapport amongst themselves, they eventually rose to the top of the leaderboards for tournaments.

Then, a year ago, for the one year anniversary of the release of Ultimate Mecha Strike 4, the creators released a new feature that changed the game for Marinette: clans. With the introduction of clans, she and her friends were an officially recognized team and they qualified for their own hideout where they could trade and share equipment, treasures, and in game credits. But unfortunately, it was also a double edged sword because now, her clan, “Miraculous Kwami”, was bombarded with membership requests. She and her friends had agreed that they wouldn’t allow just anyone to join them. They had to be able to keep up with them and contribute to their clan.

So after careful selection and intense tryouts, she and her three friends were joined by four other clan members. One of the requirements that was set in stone for their clan was that they got together every Friday night at 7pm. Allowances were made for certain circumstances, but it was agreed that they would play as much as possible together. To Marinette, it wasn’t a big deal to spend a minimum of one night a week with her best friends.

 It was with a smile on her face that she placed her headset on her head while she loaded her game. Selecting her avatar, she couldn’t help but be excited to start killing noobs. Poor players who didn’t know that she was the legendary “Ladybug” would soon discover that even though her avatar was small in build, she was built for speed and accuracy.

When the player selection screen finally loaded onto her screen, she looked at her avatar in admiration. The countless hours she had spent on this one character had led to the birth of this elite player. Her mecha was a bright, fire engine red, embellished with black pads on its shoulders, elbows, and knees. On its back, was a pair of swords, their scabbards the same red as its suit and their hilts wrapped with black leather. Its cockpit was a red helmet with two black circles around the eyes and a set of short antennae sprouting from the forehead area. Black elbow length gloves and knee length combat boots completed the ensemble.

With one final smile at her online persona, she pressed a button on her controller and loaded her character. She watched as her clan’s headquarters loaded on the screen: an old, abandoned shrine. Seeing the dilapidated tori gates, she felt a thrill run up her spine in anticipation.

 And, it would appear that she wasn’t the first to arrive tonight.

She walked her avatar toward her other clanmate, clad in a dark teal and aqua mecha, a black and teal bow strapped to its back, and a vaguely reptilian looking cockpit. He must have seen the notification pop up on his screen announcing her arrival, because he turned around and bowed.

“Good evening, Lady luck,” he greeted her, his soft voice filtering through her headphones.

“Hi there, Viperion.” She waved. “Long time, no see”

Once again, she smiled. Tonight was going to be a fun night.

-xXx-xXx-xXx-xXx-xXx-xXx-xXx-

Chapter 03

*Hey everyone, first and foremost, I’d like to say thank you so much for the fantastic response to chapter one. I’m blown away at how supportive you all have been. It’s keeping me going and made me want to get this chapter out to you all as soon as I could.

In regards to Ultimate Mecha Strike 4, think of it as a kind of mix between Destiny 2, Fortnite, and the original Mecha Strike 3 featured in the cartoon. The avatars aren’t completely humanoid, but they’re kind of like armor that the characters wear and control from within. I’m sure I’m not explaining it properly, but it makes sense in my head haha.

Next chapter will focus primarily on Luka, because he’s just so adorable and I can’t wait to torture him with a slow burn, mistaken identity, near miss romance with our resident goofball.

Until next time!*

#miraculous ladybug #miraculous fanfic #luka couffaine #lukanette #lukanette february #lukanette fic #marinette dupain cheng #mlvalentines2k20 #slow burn

[ladynodrinette]

Adrien gets his wisdom teeth removed AU

AO3

Part 1, 2, 3

Nino planning to film Adrien's wisdom tooth removal was supposed to be funny, besides revealing his identity nothing could possibly go wrong, so he made sure not to have his ring or Plagg anywhere near him at the time. Watching it in class didn't seem like it could possibly go wrong either. Trusting his friend, he didn't even watch the video before they played it in class, when he realised, he might have kept his expectations a bit too high.

What Nino didn't tell him beforehand was that Alya had some ideas on what to ask Adrien in the doctor's office while the medicine had an effect on him, had he known that, maybe he would have gone through the list, erased some of the questions, possibly most of them.

It all began to when the video cut into Nino entering the doctor's office with Adrien lying on the doctor's chair with his eyes half-open. "Adrien, how you feelin'?"

"Look is ma favourite bro, Nino," Adrien grinned, his eyes still closed, and placed his hands in front of him to invite Nino into a hug, "I love you, bro." The class giggled at Adrien's antics, he seemed to be the sweetest boy even when he had no control in what he was saying.

"I love you too man," Nino tried to say as quietly as possible, but Alya did hear it and make fun of it right away, curse her paparazzi instincts.

"Where is my father?" Adrien asked, his language slurred so much that Nino added captions to the video.

"He didn't come," Nino said sadly, hoping Adrien would switch the topic soon. Adrien opened his eyes: "Then I guess I'll call you daddy."

Nino coughed awkwardly and Adrien heard somebody choking up behind him, but he was to busy burying his face in his arms in embarrassment.

And it would have been fine if the moment ended there but drugged-Adrien apparently has a mind of his own: "Wait I can't, Alya probably already calls you that", he said with the cheekiest of grins and the whole class laughed as some not-so-subtle whispers of anger from Alya to Nino could be heard.

As Nino's previous coughing in the video got replaced by coughing much louder in sound, Marinette choked on her breath again, not believing the words coming out of her sweet Adrien's mouth. Golden child said what now?

Adrien was now crouching on the doctor's chair mumbling some nonsense when Nino was trying to think of what to ask him. Somehow he wanted to redirect the attention from his own girlfriend to a specific blue-haired girl but didn't know how to do so without making it obvious to the entire class (not that everyone knew a question about Marinette was gonna pop up sooner or later).

Adrien kept mumbling words which couldn't be understood while Nino and the nurse were trying to get him to lie down. When Adrien finally listened and got himself seated, he mumbled: "Who let you film this? Did you ask my lawyer for permission?"

"You let me film this, idiot," video-Nino said and Adrien grinned and mumbled something that sounded like: "Oh right" while the class laughed along.

Suddenly Adrien jumped off the chair, lifting his fist up in the air and yelled: "I need to go and save the akuma!", however, his feet were quick to betray him when he almost fell down only to be caught by Nino.

Nino giggled along with Adrien's antics when he asked: "And how do you plan on doing that?" At this point the whole 'daddy' situation was forgotten in Adrien's mind, as a cold sweat tickled along his back, worried into what video-Adrien could possibly say.

"Duh, by charming Ladybug," he said and the class completely lost it at that point and Adrien didn't care about the teasing that was gonna follow up after the video, relieved he didn't say anything stupid in a revealing-his-secret-identity kind of way.

Even though he didn't feel embarrassed, a certain girl was falling into her seat slowly, because of what Alya thought was jealousy and of what Marinette knew was far from being jealous.

There was however no time to freak out or to think deeply about it when the video conversation continued: "You like her?"

"Nino is an idiot!" Adrien screamed putting his hand up in the air. "I'm the idiot here," Nino asked. Adrien was quick to follow up: "Well, duh, who doesn't like Ladybug," and for the first (and definitely not last time) Marinette was grateful that they dimmed the lights because of the blush that appeared on her face.

"What about other superheroes?" Nino asked twice trying to get the attention of a nonsense-mumbling-Adrien.

"Who?"

"I dunno, Chat, Carapace."

The words "Chat is boring" quickly left Adrien's mouth and Marinette frowned, "Carapace is cool and Volpina 2.0 is cool as well."

"Much better than the original Volpina," video-Adrien giggled cutely and Marinette forgot about his rude comment on her Chaton for a second.

"You know she has a name right?" Nino said and for reasons unexplainable to the class, Alya cooed as quietly as possible.

"Yeah I know, Arena Rouge," he said and the class laughed again.

"What about Queen Bee," Nino asked.

"Chloe's okay," Adrien mumbled and a proud 'A-ha' could be heard from her but Adrien got up quickly opening his eyes, "actually no."

The class was practically losing it at this point but the moment wasn't over when Nino asked why and Adrien said: "Dude, she calls me freaking Adrikins,"

he placed one hand up in a finger-snapping position and began snapping as he said: "and that is utterly ridiculous."

Chloe was muttering the same words as Adrien said seconds ago and Sabrina comforted her as Marinette couldn't help but love Adrien a little bit more.

"What about other girls from the class," Nino said as video-Adrien fell back into his seat again.

"What about them," the subtitles on the video said, and thank God Nino put those in 'cause even Adrien couldn't understand what he was saying.

"I dunno, who's the cutest girl in class?"

"How do you know I'm not gay," video-Adrien said and a couple of quiet gasps could be heard in the class.

"Sorry then, who's the cutest dude?" Nino said.

Suddenly, video Adrien fell into a laughing fit and pointed to Nino: "Ha! I'm not gay! Boi pranked" and freaking dabbed. Adrien cringed with his entire body and hoped the video would end soon.

"Can you move the camera?" Adrien asked when he stopped laughing.

"Why?"

"Because I need to scratch my nose and I can't do it on camera because I'm a model," drugged-Adrien said putting emphasis on the word 'model'.

Then, the camera turned to the wall and the clip was cut and Adrien was on the screen again.

"Who did you say again?"

"Why are you asking me a thousand times," video-Adrien whined and real-time-Adrien hoped he wouldn't embarrass himself again.

"Just answer it already"

"Marinette," he mumbled so quietly that Marinette wanted to hear it again just to be sure.

"Who?"

"Ohmygod its Marinette Nino stop being annoying," Adrien wanted to kick Nino's ass and glared at him angrily while his best friend kept laughing.

Marinette was left speechless, her mouth slightly opened and eyes widened as Alya tapped her cheek lightly to get her out of that state. Needless to say, it didn't work.

"You think Mari's a cutie pie huh" video-Nino teased and Adrien turned away from the camera nodding.

Nino kept walking around Adrien while he kept turning away from the camera again and again. "Why do you think she's cute?"

"Who doesn't think she's cute?" video-Adrien finally stopped turning his head away from the camera and stopped to stare at his seat while real Adrien tried to hide himself under his desk.

Video-Adrien sighed dreamily and looked up and said: "Pigtails and freckles. Adorable."

Marinette didn't know how she wasn't screaming and Adrien wondered where did his feeling from Marinette suddenly come from, he wondered if he'd been ignoring them because of another pigtailed girl for a while.

"Oh and her eyes are the same colour as the sky, can I say gooooorg," the class was filled with 'ooooh' and whistling as the only two quiet people were Marinette and Adrien.

Video-Adrien wanted to say something when his driver entered and said it was time to go home and Adrien wanted the video not to end right now, not knowing how to face the class or well, Marinette.

The camera turned to Nino with Adrien in the background and Nino said: "Okay we have to stop rolling the camera, but what do you want to say to the class?"

Adrien spread his arms widely and said: "I love you thiiiiiiis much."

The class was filled with 'awws' and the screen turned black and Adrien didn't know what he was supposed to do at this point.

He didn't know that he would get his revenge a couple months later when Marinette had her own wisdom teeth removed.

#miraculous ladybug #miraculousladybug #alternate universe #adrien x marinette #adrinette #adrien #adrien and marinette #adrienette #marinette #ml fanfic #ml fandom #fanfic

[purrincess-chat]

Marinette Dupain-Cheng’s Spite Playlist: Original CH16

It’s here early!! A couple things: I asked a while ago rabbit or dog, and most of you voted rabbit, so this is the chapter where you reap what you have sewn. I will say, however, that I changed the rabbit quite a bit because I wasn’t a big fan of what canon did, and this fic is explicitly about giving canon the finger, so it’s only fitting. Anyway, hope you all enjoy!

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Chapter 16

Marinette and Adrien stared at his phone, jaws hanging agape as silence stretched on until Chloe sighed, and Marinette blinked out of her trance.

“I’m sorry. We’re going to what now?” She said, cocking her head to the side.

“Ugh, just get over here,” Chloe groaned before hanging up.

Marinette and Adrien exchanged bewildered looks, and at her cocked brow, he shrugged as if to say, ‘I have no idea what just happened either.’ Marinette nodded before they gathered their things and piled back into Adrien’s town car to head to the hotel. On the drive over, Adrien laced his fingers through hers once more, and she smiled up at him as this thumb traced the back of her palm, a fluttery feeling spreading through her chest.

She’d waited for this moment for so long, and now they were finally together. Adrien had fallen in love with her after all, and to her surprise, she was relatively calm about it. She wasn’t planning their wedding or naming their future pets, but she felt an overwhelming warmth in her chest that spread to her cheeks. Perhaps it was because she and Adrien knew each other better now, and she’d grown to be more comfortable around him. He was a true friend, and someone she could lean on through all of this mess, a stable rock in the middle of a storm, providing her with support whenever she needed it, and that was worth the world to her.

When they arrived at the hotel, Adrien, sensing her nerves, never let go the whole way up to Chloe’s suite. Chloe was staring out at her balcony when they arrived, a pensive frown wrinkling her forehead, and she turned to them, pursing her lips to mask her expression as they approached. They eyed each other in tense silence until Marinette spoke up.

“So,” she started, cocking a brow, “what?”

Chloe rolled her eyes and rubbed her temple with a sigh.

“Look, don’t go getting any ideas that I’m doing this for you. This isn’t about you; it’s about revenge,” Chloe said awkwardly. “Lila seems to feel the most threatened by you, so I think it will have more of an impact if your name is associated with all of this charity work you want to do, and the only way to make anyone else care enough to report about it is to make you someone worth talking about.”

“What makes you think Lila is threatened by me?” Marinette said, rubbing her arm. “All she ever does is toy with me.”

“And why do you think that is?” Chloe rolled her eyes when Marinette still seemed lost. “When someone like her feels threatened, they lash out and try to bring you down.”

“Is that why you were always so mean to me?” Marinette’s eyes narrowed, a smirk curling on her lips, and Chloe scoffed.

“Don’t lump me in with her! I’m mean to people for the sheer entertainment of watching them suffer. Totally different,” Chloe waved it away.

“Okay, so how exactly do you plan on making Marinette famous?” Adrien asked, eyebrows furrowing.

“Easily,” Chloe said with a shrug. “The dumb brat has already started making a name for herself, and more and more important people are starting to notice her talent, if you want to call it that.”

“I will ignore the insult in favor of the compliment,” Marinette crossed her arms over her chest and cocked a hip.

“Look, even my mom has complimented your work, so I think we should – as disgusting as this is – ask my mom to help you launch your fashion career.” Chloe cringed as she said it.

Marinette stared at her for a long moment before shifting her weight.

“You’re being serious right now?” Marinette’s eyebrows raised.

“I know. Even I’m shocked.” Chloe wrinkled her nose.

“You want to help me start my fashion career? Now?”

“It’s the only way to take down that brat for good,” Chloe said, placing her hands on her hips.

“This is uncharacteristically nice of you, Chloe,” Adrien said with a smile that brought a flush to her cheeks. “I’m proud of you.”

“I still hate you, and don’t ever expect me to be caught dead wearing your trash, but my mom wanted to train you, so I think it’s our best shot.” Chloe turned away stubbornly.

“So, what? We’re just going to walk up to your mom and ask her to work with me?” Marinette scoffed.

“Pretty much,” Chloe said, marching past her.

“Wait, we’re going right now?” Marinette flinched, turning over her shoulder.

“We want to take her down this century, Dupain-Cheng,” Chloe said pointedly, crossing the hall to her mother’s suite.

“But…wait, Chloe-” she rushed after her as she barged into the room across the hall.

Audrey was in the midst of a hot stone massage, and Marinette curled her shoulders.

“Should we disturb her-”

“Mommy,” Chloe said, and Audrey gave some groan of acknowledgement. “You remember my dreadful former classmate, the one who designed the feather hat for Adrien?”

“Vaguely,” Audrey said.

“Well, Clara Nightingale walked the red carpet in one of her designs, and I think you should back her brand,” Chloe suggested.

“I thought you hated this girl-”

“You and me both,” Marinette grumbled.

“-now it sounds like you’re being nice,” Audrey choked on the word.

“There’s a nasty girl at school that I want to get rid of, and I need to make Dupain-Cheng famous to do it,” Chloe explained, and Audrey moaned as the masseuse worked a knot in her shoulders.

“Get me a portfolio by the end of the month, then we’ll talk,” she said, and Chloe clapped her hands together.

“Thank you, Mommy,” she cooed.

“Wait, I’m sorry, by the end of the month?” Marinette tilted her head to the side.

“Fashion moves quickly, dear, so if you want to be relevant, you’ll get me your portfolio with a pitch before the end of the month,” Audrey said more sternly, and Marinette blanched.

“She’ll have it ready,” Adrien promised, and Marinette shot him a look.

“I’m not so sure she can-”

“Enjoy your massage,” Chloe grabbed Marinette’s arm and dragged her from the room.

“Chloe, I don’t know if I can-”

"Oh, shut it," Chloe clamped her hand in a mouth-shutting motion. "You are annoyingly persistent when you want to be. I've seen you accomplish way more in less time, so don't you even say you can't do it because if anyone has got what it takes, it's you, and if you tell anyone I said that, I will destroy everything you love."

“The end of the month? That only gives me a week to come up with an entire line,” Marinette said pointedly. “Not to mention it has to impress your mom – the queen of fashion!”

“And?” Chloe quirked a brow, and Marinette gave her a bewildered look.

“Chloe’s right, Marinette, you can do this,” Adrien took her hands and gave them a reassuring squeeze.

“But what if I can’t?” Marinette lowered her gaze.

“Then your fashion career is dead, and I’ll just get rid of Lila my way,” Chloe shrugged before sauntering back into her suite. “Toodles!”

Marinette leaned her face into Adrien’s shoulder with a moan, and he wrapped his arms around her tightly.

“I know this is a lot of pressure, but you are the most amazing girl I know. You’re an incredible designer, and I know you’re going to knock it out,” he said, pulling back to press his forehead to hers, those green eyes baring into hers with a confidence she wished she felt. She took a deep, centering breath and nodded.

“Okay,” she said, pressing her lips into a firm line. “Let’s do it.”

***

Lila glared down at her phone screen, her laptop playing Clara’s acceptance speech in the background which only made her blood boil hotter. Marinette pulled a couple fast ones on her, but it was the last time she’d get the best of her. She stared down at Adrien’s post again with a scowl.

“So proud of @marinette-dc! I’m so lucky to have fallen for someone as amazing as you.”

Adrien would regret crossing her like this. They both would.

***

The next day at school, Marinette was quite the hot topic after her big debut. Everyone was buzzing about Clara’s dress, and she received compliments left and right, though she found it hard to enjoy her moment with Audrey’s deadline looming over her.

She’d spent all night brainstorming ideas, but so far she had nothing. Nada. Zilch. No ideas. No inspiration. Nothing, and she was a sweaty ball of nerves. Numerous times she’d tried to give herself pep talks. She saved the city on a daily basis, fought ten-ton monsters and tricky magicians. How hard could it be to design a few dresses and coats?

Infinitely hard, as it turned out. In fact, part of her wished it was as easy as fighting an akuma. That there was some clever shortcut to her end goal, but there were no such things in this case. Just her own imagination and the wall between it and her sketchpad.

“Why so glum?” Macy asked as Marinette shoved books into her locker. “Shouldn’t you be excited about your dress? Everyone loves it.”

“I am, but I just…Another amazing opportunity has fallen in my lap, and I don’t think I can do it, and I’m stressing out over it,” she explained with a sigh.

“Yeah, you are breaking out a little,” Lisette pointed out, and Marinette covered her chin with a groan.

“You’re amazing, Marinette, and you always find a solution,” Macy said, but when Marinette seemed less than convinced, she pursed her lips. “Tell you what, Lisette can help you cover your zit, and we’ll help you get your mojo back, okay?”

“Okay,” Marinette said as Macy took her hand and led her to the bathroom where Lisette somehow managed to completely erase any signs of her stress. Honestly, she was a wizard with a tube of concealer.

“There they are with the lady of the hour,” Eliott said when they met up for lunch.

Macy linked her arm through Martin’s and planted a kiss on his cheek. When Marinette eyed them, Martin’s cheeks flushed, and Macy perked up.

“Oh yeah, we never got a chance to tell you with everything that happened yesterday,” she gasped. “After the akuma, we were all looking for you, and Martin and I bumped into each other.”

- - -

“Macy!” Martin’s eyebrows raised before a flush came over his cheeks. “Are you okay? The akuma didn’t hurt you, did it?”

Macy eyed him for a long moment before grabbing his collar and yanking him down to meet her lips.

- - -

“And now we’re together,” Macy said with a cheery grin.

“Aww, good for you two,” Marinette giggled, and Eliott shot her a knowing smirk.

“I seem to recall another telling post about you and a certain model.” He waggled his eyebrows, and Marinette bit her lip.

“He gave me this necklace.” She pulled it from under her collar with a soft smile.

“How romantic!” Lisette said.

“How sparkly,” Macy added with a longing look until Eliott nudged her with his elbow.

“We should all double date this weekend,” Eliott suggested, and Macy shot up.

“We can go golfing! My parents are part-owners at one of the courses so that my dad can play whenever he wants,” she said, bouncing excitedly.

“I’ve never played golf.” Marinette curled her shoulders. “Besides, I have a lot to do.”

“Oh, come on, Marinette. We can teach you,” Martin said, and they all gave her pleading looks.

“I-” Marinette hesitated. “We’ll see.”

“What’s so urgent that you can’t come out, Marinette?” Lisette asked as they took their seats.

“Does it have to do with that girl?” Eliott lowered his voice.

“Kind of…” Marinette took a deep breath before explaining the entire situation – the plan, her deadline, all of it.

“Whoa, you’re really gonna pitch to Audrey Bourgeois?” Macy whispered, eyes wide.

“I’m gonna try,” Marinette pushed her peas around with a spoon. “I’m kinda running on empty right now.”

“If you need any help let us know, okay?” Macy reached out to place a hand over hers.

“Yeah, we know tons about fashion and starting charities,” Eliott echoed. “We’ve got your back.”

“Thanks, guys.”

***

“How could he do this to me!” Lila sobbed loudly in the locker room. “I thought we were going to be together then he left me for her!”

Several of the girls surrounded her, offering tissues and patting her sympathetically. It was almost too easy to get them all eating out of the palm of her hand. She’d like to see Adrien squirm his way out of this one.

“It’s really unlike Adrien to do something like this,” Rose said, pursing her lips.

“Yeah, there must be some explanation,” Mylene echoed.

“It’s not his fault,” Lila sniffled. “Marinette has never liked me. She even had her friends make up all those stories to make me look bad, and now she’s stolen Adrien right out from under me! I just don’t understand what I did to make her hate me.”

“Well, she was always kinda possessive of Adrien,” Alix said, rubbing the back of her neck as the locker room doors opened.

“Well, well, well, the two-timer himself. What do you have to say for yourself?” Alya folded her arms over her chest, and the girls rallied around Lila who shot Adrien a devious smirk.

“It’s fine, girls,” she said with a whimper. “I just don’t understand, Adrien. Yesterday we kissed at the museum, and then you said online that you’re with Marinette…I just want the truth.”

“You want the truth?” Adrien cocked a brow. “Fine. We didn’t kiss at the museum - you latched onto me without my permission. I never told you that I liked you, in fact, we barely ever see each other. I don’t know what you thought we were, but I’m in love with Marinette, not you. Sorry.”

Lila’s face hardened, but Adrien held her gaze steady.

“Was that enough truth for you?” He asked as the bell rang, and the girls all glanced at Lila.

“Well, I certainly hope you two are happy,” she said, but Adrien wasn’t fazed.

“We are. Thank you. I hope one day you find happiness too. Real happiness.”

At that they all dispersed, and Adrien held Lila’s glare as everyone made their way out the door. She stopped beside him, turning to whisper in his ear.

“You’ve just made a big mistake,” she murmured.

“No.” Adrien shook his head. “You did when you chose to lie to everyone, and I’m not sorry for what you’ve got coming.”

Lila grunted before stalking off to class, and Adrien let out a breath. His heart was pounding, but he felt exhilarated. Was this what it felt like to stand his ground? It was terrifying, yet immensely satisfying, and he knew now that their plan would work. Lila’s glory days were numbered, and they were going to set everyone free.

Most of their other classmates were supportive and even congratulated him, although Alya refused to look at him, and he was actually on top of his game for the next several days. Even Kagami couldn’t keep up during fencing, and part of him wondered why he hadn’t done this ages ago.

“Good morning, Mr. and Mrs. Dupain-Cheng,” he greeted that Saturday when he finally convinced Nathalie to clear his schedule so he could help Marinette with her designs. “How is Marinette?”

“She hasn’t come out of her room all day,” Sabine winced, and Adrien sighed.

“I’ll go up and see her,” he offered.

“Here, she hasn’t had breakfast,” Tom said, tossing some croissants onto a plate.

“Thanks, Mr. Dupain,” Adrien nodded, accepting the plate and pacing out the back door and up the stairs.

When he made it to Marinette’s room, he found her face down in her sketchbook with a defeated slump to her shoulders. Crumpled paper littered the desk and floor, several patterns and magazines covering nearly every surface, though he did take pride in seeing the photo of the two of them as her desktop background.

“How goes designing?” He dared to ask, and she slowly turned her head, revealing puffy, blood-shot eyes and mascara-streaked cheeks.

“Great, except I have no talent and my life is over,” she said before burying her face again.

Adrien let out a breathy laugh, setting the plate and cup of coffee he’d picked up from the café next door amidst the mess and taking a seat beside her.

“C’mon, you and I both know that’s not true,” he said, rubbing her back. “You’re just in a rut right now, but you’ll get out of it.”

Marinette sat up with a sniffle and wiped at her cheek, noticing the things he’d brought up.

“Is that coffee?” She quirked a brow, reaching for it and immediately taking a sip with a satisfied moan.

“Of course because I’m the best boyfriend in the world,” he beamed, and a small smile broke over her lips. “Sorry I couldn’t visit sooner.”

“It’s okay. I know you’re busy. Besides, I’ve been so focused on designing the past few days I don’t think I would have had the brain capacity to do anything else,” she said, taking a croissant as Adrien nudged them toward her. “I feel like such a failure.”

“Your deadline is still a few days away. Don’t give up yet,” Adrien encouraged.

“It’s three days away, and I have nothing,” she leaned against her fist with a moan. “This is my big chance, and I’m gonna blow it!”

Adrien pursed his lips in contemplation before standing up and patting her shoulder.

“I think what you need is a little fresh air, so let’s go out for a while. Everyone is going to play golf, so maybe some exercise will get some blood pumping to your head,” he said, taking her hands and pulling her to her feet. “Get cleaned up.”

“Adrien, I dunno-”

“No excuses, come on.” He gave her a look, and when she threw her head back in exasperation, he switched gears. “You and I haven’t been out on a date yet because of everything, and I really want to spend time with you. Please?”

Marinette held his pleading gaze for a moment before letting out a relenting sigh, and a grin stretched across Adrien’s lips.

“You’re going to get me into all kinds of trouble with that face of yours,” she teased as he pulled her in.

“After golf we’ll go to your secret garden, just you and me and see if we can’t find you a muse,” he said softly, touching his nose to hers. “But you’ve been at this for days. You need a break.”

“I guess,” she mumbled, and Adrien pinched her side teasingly before leaning in closer.

Her eyelids hooded as he tilted his head, lips brushing tauntingly just before the door slammed downstairs, and Macy’s voice called out. Adrien sighed, holding her face in his hands longingly before planting a soft kiss on her nose and pulling away as footsteps pounded up the stairs.

“Marinette- oh!” Macy surveyed her disheveled appearance with a wince. “It’s worse than I thought, but have no fear. We’ve come to help.”

Lisette poked her head through the door before climbing up with a big makeup bag as Macy shooed Adrien out of the room.

“You can wait down in the living room with the other boyfriends while we work,” she said, sweetly, and Adrien shot Marinette a longing look before disappearing down the stairs.

Macy and Lisette cleaned her up in no time, and she started to feel a little better now that her hair was brushed. Lisette covered her dark circles and blemishes, and Macy presented her with a custom golf outfit. After everything she’d been through lately, it was nice to have friends looking out for her.

“As your best friends, we order you to take a break from designing and come have fun with us,” Macy declared, and Marinette shot a glance at her pile of ideas. “They’ll be there when you get back.”

“Okay,” Marinette caved, and Macy clapped excitedly.

The boys were playing Ultimate Mecha Strike when they came down, and Adrien locked eyes with Marinette instantly, a smile curling on his lips. Marinette felt her cheeks warm, and she averted her gaze as they stood up to join them.

“She lives,” Eliott remarked with a teasing grin, holding out his arms, and Marinette bit back a smirk.

“If by lives you mean she’s riddled with anxiety then yes,” she said, and Eliott ruffled her hair, though Macy quickly slapped his hand away, scolding him for ruining her work.

“You look cute in that outfit,” Adrien complimented as they headed downstairs, and Marinette tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear with a giggle.

“Would you kids like some treats for the road?” Tom offered a box of macarons with a grin, and Eliott and Martin perked up.

“No thank you. I’m on a diet,” Macy declined when they were passed to her. “Are we ready to go?”

“Yeah,” Eliott said, eyeing her as Lisette picked two more cookies from the box before they crowded outside to the limo.

“Have fun!” Sabine called.

Marinette winced a little against the sunlight, having been cooped up in her room since she got home from school yesterday, and she was soon directed into the back of a silver limo. Adrien sat beside her, slipping his fingers into hers the moment they settled and lifting her hand to kiss the back of her palm. Biting back a smile, she leaned her head against his shoulder as he trailed his thumb over her knuckles, lost in her own bliss for the duration of the ride.

Although her mind occasionally wandered back to her deadline, she forced herself to take deep breaths when her nerves crept back in, and each time she squeezed Adrien’s hand a little tighter, he pressed gentle kisses to her hair, her temple, her hand, always patient, always supportive. Part of her still couldn’t believe they were together, and her heart skipped each time she imagined what it would be like to finally kiss him for real. She supposed she’d know soon enough.

The golf course was huge, and all of the staff knew Macy by name when they pulled up. Marinette felt a little awkward as they offered her water and fruit left and right as they headed up the sidewalk to the waiting golf carts, but her friends barely seemed to bat an eye, including Adrien who graciously accepted a bottle of water.

She tried to comfort herself a little seeing as if Chloe’s plan worked, this would likely be her life soon enough, but part of her felt really bad for the people following after socialites with dark umbrellas to shield them from the sun. In a way, it felt like she was on a different planet.

“How many holes would you like today, mademoiselle?” A man in a suit coat asked as several other men loaded club bags onto their carts.

“We’ve got a greenie with us today,” she said, casting Marinette a smile. “So let’s make it a half-course day.”

“Very well.” He nodded. “Best of luck.”

“Thank you, Javier,” Macy giggled, skipping over to her cart.

Marinette glanced around in awe much to Adrien's amusement. He chuckled as her head whipped around on the ride to the first hole, taking in all of the workers diligently tending to the lawn.

"Don't laugh," she scolded, which only made him laugh harder. "Hey! I'm not used to being waited on hand and foot. This is all new to me."

"I'm not making fun of you. It's really cute watching you. Sometimes I get overwhelmed by it all too, so I know what you're feeling," he said. "I'm not anyone special, and I hate taking advantage of others, but this is their job."

"I guess," she said, tucking her hair behind her ear. "I'm just used to doing everything myself."

"It's overwhelming at times especially when they do things like tie your shoes or open your drink," he admitted with a wince, rubbing the back of his neck. "It's okay to tell them no if you want, but sometimes I find doing that makes me feel worse, so I've learned to accept it."

"It's hard to believe people live like this," she remarked, eyeing a group of well-dressed players as they drove passed.

"It's different when it's all you've ever known," Adrien said, lowering his gaze to his lap before smiling back up at her. "Your humility is cute which is why I know you're going to change the world when our plan succeeds."

"You mean if our plan succeeds," she corrected, but he gave her a look as they reached the first course.

"Marinette, you go last so you can watch all of us. We'll teach you everything you need to know," Macy said with a cheery grin, and Marinette listened intently to all of their advice, though when it was her turn, she still had no idea what she was doing.

She stared at the ball as Macy and Eliott called out pointers, but it felt like they were speaking another language. Gentle arms wrapped around her waist, and she felt another body pressing into her.

"I'll help you," Adrien said in her ear, placing his hands over hers. "Spread your feet apart and make sure the club head is straight, like this."

He turned the club slightly and adjusted her hands, being far more intimate than necessary, not that she was complaining. They were on a date after all, albeit a group one.

"Now, lean forward so your arms hang down and center your weight," he ran a hand up her back and gently pushed her forward. "To set up your back swing, be sure to rotate your shoulders and hips and follow through with the club then shift your weight slightly to the left and swing along the same curve."

Adrien placed his hands on her hips and shoulders, guiding her through the motion before moving around to the front, trailing his finger purposefully along her jaw with a smirk. Taking a few steps back, he motioned to the ball, and Marinette blinked a few times to clear the haze. She swallowed hard, her back and sides still tingling from his touch and followed his advice. She startled a little at the sound of soft claps over her shoulder as she watched the ball soar across the green.

"Very nice advice, Adrien," Macy complimented, "but get a room next time, you two."

Adrien and Marinette's cheeks flushed as they turned back to the carts to move to their balls. He extended a hand to her with a smile which she took as they followed behind.

As it turned out, she was pretty lousy at golf, but she didn’t care. They talked and laughed, poking fun at each other and enjoying the day. It was time spent with people she cared about and who in return cared about her, and just for a little while, she let go of her stress, her anxiety, her fear. These were her real friends, and she knew that even if she missed her deadline, they’d always have her back.

“Well, Marinette, I think you can rule out professional golfing as a career option,” Eliott said with a laugh, turning the score card around. “You never scored lower than a double bogey.”

“That’s bad, right?” She tilted her head to the side.

“It’s horrible,” Adrien affirmed, pinching her sides. “You looked so cute though.”

“Looks like we’ll just have to come play more often to catch you up,” Macy said with a smirk. “Now come on. They’re setting up a picnic over at the pavilion for us.”

“Great, I’m starving,” Lisette moaned, and Marinette noticed Eliott eyeing Macy with a frown.

When they made it to the pavilion, Macy broke away from Martin’s arm and gestured to the clubhouse.

“I’m gonna go run and see my dad really quick. The grass on hole 5 is looking a little high, so I’m going to tell him to have the lawn crew take care of it,” she said, taking a few steps back. “Don’t wait for me. Dig in!”

Eliott watched her go with a sigh as they all settled in at the table.

“What’s wrong?” Marinette asked, and he flicked his gaze to her, pursing his lips.

“She’s doing it again.” Eliott shook his head.

“Doing what again?” Adrien’s eyebrows furrowed, and Lisette winced.

“Dieting,” she said, holding up air quotes.

“Macy has always struggled with her appearance,” Eliott started, pinching the bridge of his nose. “She gets an idea in her head that something about her is unattractive, so she tries to fix it. In the past it’s been her hair or her teeth or her complexion, but ever since a guy she liked rejected her for being ‘too fat’ last year she’s become obsessed with her weight.”

“That’s awful!” Marinette said, cupping a hand over her mouth.

“She goes on these ‘diets’ every few months, but in reality she’s just skipping meals,” Eliott continued. “She hides at mealtime or spends most of it talking so you don’t notice how little she’s eating.”

“She just pushed her food around when she had dinner with me this week,” Martin confirmed. “I thought she just didn’t like it, but she just insisted she wasn’t that hungry.”

“I’ve tried to talk to her about it, but she insists she’s fine and that her chef blends shakes for her every morning with all of her necessary vitamins and minerals, but that’s not the point,” Eliott sighed. “I want to help her learn to love herself the way she is.”

“I’m gonna go find her,” Marinette said, standing up.

“Try the bathroom,” Eliott suggested as Marinette rushed off, and Adrien watched her go with a longing smile.

“Looks like both of our dates have run off,” he remarked to Martin.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to throw a wrench in your date,” Eliott said, rubbing the back of his head.

“It’s okay.” Adrien shrugged. “She’ll always jump at the opportunity to help. It’s why I love her so much.”

“Macy?” Marinette called, peeking her head into the bathroom and spotting her friend sitting in the chair across the room. She sniffled and rubbed at her eye as Marinette entered, throwing on a smile.

“Oh, Marinette, I was just-”

“Eliott told us.” Her face fell at that, and she shifted her gaze to her lap.

“I’m just trying to lose 2 kilos,” she insisted, and Marinette sat beside her.

“Macy, you don’t need to lose weight,” she said, placing a hand on Macy’s shoulder, but Macy rolled her eyes.

“Easy for you to say. You’re so small and cute,” she grunted.

“And you’re tall and curvy and beautiful and in really good shape,” Marinette shot back, and Macy pursed her lips.

“I do a lot of cardio.” She shrugged, biting her lip. “I just wish I looked like you. Boys like small and cute.”

“Depends on the boy,” Marinette said, nudging her. “Martin really likes you the way you are.”

“I know, but…”

“But what?”

“I’m afraid that he’s going to find someone thinner and prettier and forget all about me,” she said, covering her face. “Boys don’t like fat girls.”

“That’s not true,” Marinette prompted, but Macy averted her gaze. “Macy-”

A loud boom shook the building, and the girls clung to each other with shrieks. The lights flicked above their head, and Marinette’s jaw clenched.

“That wasn’t a normal blast,” she said. “Someone must have been akumatized.”

“Oh, I should go find Martin,” Macy gasped, jumping up.

“You go on ahead; I’ll go make sure everyone gets to safety,” Marinette said, gesturing in the opposite direction, though as soon as Macy rounded the corner, she stepped back into the bathroom to transform.

Chat Noir was already on the scene when she arrived, and this akuma was a doozy. Apparently, Macy’s father had gotten upset with his opponent for cheating during their game, and now sought revenge with his golf ball grenades.

“Someone has quite the explosive temper,” Chat said as they dodged back.

“We’re gonna need a little luck to beat this one. Lucky Charm!” She eyed the folding fan in her hands contemplatively. “A little luck and an ally. I’ve gotta go to Master Fu!”

“Make it quick or cat sashimi is gonna show up on the next menu.” Her partner cupped his hand to his throat and stuck out his tongue as she shot off.

“Master Fu, I need a Miraculous!” Marinette burst through the door to his apartment.

“Do you have someone in mind?” Master Fu smiled, retrieving the box from the phonograph.

“Um,” she hummed, pursing her lips and surveying her options.

She could pick Martin or Eliott again, but she wasn’t sure she needed the turtle or the fox. There was Chloe, but she was too far away, and her power needed to get close which wasn’t an option. She needed something with range…

“Can I use this one?” She lifted the rabbit’s crescent shaped pin from its compartment.

“If it is the one you need,” he said with a nod.

“Thank you, Master. I’ll bring it back!” She dropped it into her purse and darted off.

When Ladybug made it back, she swung in just in time to catch her kitty as he was launched into the air. He shot her a grateful look as they landed then glanced around.

“Weren’t you supposed to bring back help?” He cocked a brow, and she held out the hair pin with a wince.

“I have a Miraculous now I just need to find a user,” she explained, and Chat brandished his staff.

“You work on that. I’ll deal with him,” he said, spinning his staff to deflect another ball.

“Daddy!”

Ladybug and Chat Noir paused as Macy climbed atop a picnic table and placed her hands on her hips. Martin and Eliott looked on from the entrance to the clubhouse worriedly.

“That’s enough! This is insane,” she called, and her father glanced her way with a scowl.

“No one cheats on my course! This doesn’t concern you, now go inside before you get hurt,” Golfer ordered, but Macy stood her ground.

Chat tackled Golfer while he was distracted, sending several balls flying, and Macy watched as one bounced off a chair, ricocheting toward her. She closed her eyes, but strong arms wrapped around her, pulling her off just in time. When she opened them again, she saw the ground flying past her and glanced up to see Ladybug’s dark hair.

“That was very brave of you, but also incredibly reckless,” Ladybug chided gently when they landed on the roof.

“That’s my dad,” Macy said with pleading eyes. “Please help him.”

Ladybug eyed her for a long moment before a smile curled on her lips. If there was any way to boost Macy’s confidence…

“Tell you what, why don’t you help for real?” She said, retrieving the box and holding it out to her. “Macy Chanteur, this is the Miraculous of the rabbit which grants the power of teleportation. You will use it for the greater good and return it to me at the end of the mission.”

“Wait, is this for real?” Macy gasped, cupping her cheeks. “You want to make me a hero?”

“Why not? You’ve shown that you’re brave,” Ladybug said.

“I don’t know. I don’t think I’m good enough,” Macy lowered her gaze, and Ladybug placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Let me tell you a secret. Anyone can be a hero by choosing to stand up for what’s right, and you’ve done just that,” Ladybug said, placing the box in her hands. “I’m not making you a hero. You already are one. I’m just giving you superpowers.”

Macy turned the box over in her hands before pressing her lips together with a nod. Lifting the lid, she winced against the light, eyebrows raising as her kwami materialized.

“Hello there, new friend,” Fluff giggled, floating around her.

“Whoa, does every Miraculous come with a cute pet?” Macy poked at her giddily.

“I’m not a pet; I’m a kwami. I grant you magical powers. All you have to do is say ‘Fluff, transform me!’”

“Okay. Fluff, transform me!”

Macy glanced down at her costume with wide eyes, a smile stretching across her lips, and Ladybug took her wrist.

“Come on. Let’s go save your dad.”

Chat Noir flew through the air after a blast from a golf ball, landing at their feet as they touched down again. He blinked up at them with a groan.

“Hey, you found someone. Great,” he coughed as Ladybug offered him a hand.

“Ladybug!” Martin and Eliott called.

“It’s not safe here. You two need to leave,” she ordered.

“Not without Macy,” Martin said, and Bunny smiled.

“Macy is safe and sound, and more than anything she wants you two safe as well, kay?” She blew them a kiss before following Chat and Ladybug into the action.

Bunny swung her mallet just in time to deflect a golf bomb before it exploded, and Golfer’s eyes narrowed.

“A bit lowbrow fighting a golfer with croquet, Ladybug. Can’t you afford more than a cheap knock-off sport?” He grunted, and Bunny cocked a hip.

“If I’m more skilled than you are with a mallet then what does that say about your golf game?” She quirked a brow, and Golfer let out a growl before hurdling several more balls in their direction.

“We can’t get close to him,” Chat said as they dodged, and Ladybug pursed her lips.

Landing on a table, she summoned her Lucky Charm, eyebrows furrowing as a tennis racket landed in her hands. She turned it over as Golfer’s mocking laughter echoed across the field.

“You really should learn your sports, Ladybug,” he chortled as she glanced around, singling in on his golf balls, Bunny, Chat Noir, and the racket.

“Maybe it’s you who needs to get a little more creative,” she shot back. “Bunny, Chat Noir, follow my lead!”

Ladybug charged forward again, her partners following suit, and Golfer rolled his eyes before swinging another hoard of balls. Chat and Bunny deflected several, and Ladybug lobbed one back at Golfer with her racket. He watched it bounce toward him with wide eyes before it detonated, sending him flying. Ladybug eyed his club as it twirled into the air.

“You’re up, Bunny!”

“Burrow!” Bunny called, spinning her mallet, and a blue portal opened beneath the club as it fell, transporting it into Chat Noir’s waiting Cataclysm.

“No!” Golfer shouted as it dissolved into dust, revealing a small black butterfly.

“No more evildoing for you, little akuma.”

Bunny paced over to help her father up as he blinked in confusion.

“What happened?” He groaned, rubbing his head.

“You were akumatized because your opponent cheated to win,” she explained. “If you ask me, I would just ban him from the course since you’re a part-owner.”

“That is true,” he said, cupping his chin. “I shouldn’t have gotten so work up when I decide who golfs here.”

“It happens to the best of us,” Ladybug assured him as she and Chat approached.

“Thank you, Ladybug, Chat Noir, and Bunny,” he said before Eliott and Martin ran up with his wife.

“Mr. Chanteur!”

“Eliott! Where is Macy?”

Bunny and Ladybug exchanged grins before the trio bumped fists.

“Pound it!”

***

“Macy!” Eliott and Martin raced up to her as she exited the clubhouse, Lisette, Marinette, and Adrien in tow.

“Are you alright?” Eliott asked.

“Yeah, Ladybug helped me get to safety,” she said, waving it away.

“I’m glad.” Martin pulled her in for a long hug, and she leaned her head against his with a smile.

“Well, the staff is setting up our lunch again,” Eliott said, gesturing over his shoulder.

“Good because I’m really about to starve now,” Lisette moaned, but Macy took a step back.

“I’m gonna go check on my dad. I’ll meet up with you guys,” she said before quickly pacing off, and Eliott sighed.

“She’ll get there,” Lisette said, wrapping her arms around his waist and pulling him back, though he cast a frown over his shoulder in the direction Macy went.

Eliott wasn’t the only one bothered by Macy’s mealtime avoidance, and several hours later, Marinette sat on the steps of the Trocadero, eyes trained ahead as she picked at the corner of her sketchbook. Even after becoming a hero, Macy still lacked confidence in herself, and Marinette’s mind churned with worry.

Adrien noticed her frown as she approached with ice cream and sat beside her.

“Still blocked?” He asked, offering her a spoonful, and she accepted it with a sigh, flicking her gaze to the pile of crumbled sheets beside her.

“I’m just not getting anything,” she said, leaning against her fist. “I can’t stop thinking about Macy.”

“Did you talk to her?” Adrien asked, popping a small spoon into his mouth.

“Yeah, but it didn’t help,” she sighed, glancing down at her blank page.

Adrien eyed her as she stuffed ice cream into her mouth with a defeated pout before wrapping an arm around her.

“You’ll think of something. I promise,” he said softly, and she took a deep breath before picking up her pencil again.

“I want to design something for Macy. Even if I don’t make the deadline, I could still give it to her as a gift,” she said, tilting her head in thought.

“I think she’d like that, and who knows, maybe it will get your creative juices flowing,” Adrien urged, and she pursed her lips, pencil hovering over the page briefly before she set to work.

Adrien watched as she scribbled away, finishing off the ice cream and watching people pass. After a while, Marinette held up her sketchbook with a smile, and Adrien leaned over to rest his chin on her shoulder.

“That looks great,” he complimented. “Macy will love it.”

Marinette lowered the book to her lap contently, glancing up at the woman walking past with her dog and feeling her heart jolt. In an instant, she pictured a flowing gown to accentuate her hips, and a colorful suit for the man carrying a bag of bread. The world around her blossomed, every shadow, every person, every print, every color filled her mind with ideas.

Up until now, she hadn’t known what she wanted her brand to represent. She had no direction, no inspiration, but in one moment, she realized that she didn’t want her designs to be worn by models but by ordinary people like Macy. Everyone deserved to feel beautiful, and maybe then people would learn to love themselves.

“Marinette?” She blinked, turning to Adrien who cocked a brow.

“I have to go home,” she said, closing her sketchbook and stuffing it into her bag.

“Is everything okay?”

“Yeah,” she said, slinging her backpack over her shoulder and leaning to kiss his cheek. “I have a lot of designs to make.”

“You find your muse?” He asked as she stood up.

“I found my muse!” She called over her shoulder as she trotted down the stairs. “See you later! Oh, and thanks for the ice cream!”

Adrien watched her go, leaning back on his hands with a smile. So much for their date, but he had faith that she would come up with something amazing. If he believed in anyone, he believed in her.

***

“Ugh, let me tell you about the horrible shoes my masseuse was wearing the other day. I could barely relax staring down at them,” Audrey rambled at dinner two nights later.

Adrien tuned her out, skewering a piece of broccoli with his fork as she prattled on. Chloe seemed distracted beside him as well, not engrossed in her mother’s tale like she normally would which surprised him. His father had even joined them, so Chloe’s lack of showboating was odd.

“I’m curious to know, Audrey, what were your impressions of the awards show,” Gabriel asked, and Audrey lowered her wine glass with a groan.

“Dreadful! Utterly dreadful. Those designers should be ashamed of themselves,” she said. “Although, that funny little girl who won your contest made a piece for Miss Nightingale that was promising.”

“Yes, I took notice of it too,” Gabriel nodded. “Her style is very unique, but I felt it fit Clara’s personality nicely.”

“I can’t believe you’re letting her date your son,” Audrey said, flicking her gaze over to Adrien who straightened a little. “She’s a bit, how shall we say, financially challenged.”

“She surrounds herself with notable company, and talent like hers won’t stay underground for long. Clara’s gown is proof of that,” Gabriel replied simply, and Audrey pursed her lips.

“Speaking of, she owes me a portfolio,” Audrey tapped her chin. “I do not like to be kept waiting.”

Chloe and Adrien’s shoulders curled, and they exchanged nervous glances.

Jean approached the table, clasping his hands behind his back, and Audrey cocked an impatient brow.

“It would appear that Mme. Bourgeois has a visitor,” he reported, and Audrey’s eyes narrowed.

“Who dares interrupt my dinner?” She scoffed, setting her glass down a little too forcefully.

“A Mlle. Dupain-Cheng.” Adrien and Chloe perked up.

“Ugh, it’s about time. Send her in,” Audrey gave a permitting wave, and Jean retreated to fetch her.

“Is now a bad time?” Marinette winced as she approached.

“Time is money, darling, and you are wasting mine,” Audrey said. “Hurry up.”

“Right.” Marinette set down her easel and fumbled with her sketchpad, prompting an eyeroll from Audrey. “Um, so I’ve been thinking a lot about the message I want to send with my brand, and I’ve decided that I don’t want to be another designer pushing one standard of beauty.”

Audrey yawned, and Marinette shot Adrien a panicked look. He nodded her on, and she took a deep breath.

“I want to redefine what it means to be beautiful to include more types of people. I believe that everyone deserves to feel beautiful no matter what they look like,” she said, and Audrey blinked in boredom. “I want to design things that everyone can wear. Things that will make everyone feel beautiful so they don’t have to try to fit into a single mold.”

“A body-positive line?” Audrey quirked a brow.

“Yes.” Marinette nodded with a gulp.

“Too risky.” Audrey waved it away, picking up her glass. “The industry will eat you alive.”

“It is rather bold,” Gabriel agreed, rubbing his chin, and Marinette’s shoulders stiffened.

“This industry is about taking risks and being bold,” she said, flipping the cover of her sketchbook. “I know that it’s asking a lot, but this is the statement I want to make.”

Audrey glanced out of the corner of her eye before turning to face her, removing her sunglasses slowly. She and Gabriel stood up in unison, moving around the table to get a better look. Beside them, Marinette clasped her hands together tightly, heart beating a thousand times a minute.

Adrien placed a reassuring hand on her back, and Chloe quirked a brow on her other side as Audrey turned the page with a gasp.

“Ohh,” she cooed, examining each design. “Magnificent. Utterly magnificent!”

“Oh, that’s creative,” Gabriel remarked about the next one, and Audrey flicked her gaze back up to Marinette.

“Okay,” she sighed. “Normally, I’d turn down a concept like this, but with designs like these, I can see this going somewhere, so…I will back you.”

“Thank you, Mme. Bourgeois! Thank you! Thank you!” Marinette bowed as Audrey flipped another page.

“What is this black smudge?” She asked, and Marinette curled her shoulders.

“Mascara. It was a rough week,” she explained sheepishly.

“Ah, the creative process.” Gabriel nodded in understanding as Audrey took pictures of each page.

“Jean, send these to our tailors,” Audrey demanded, passing him her phone, “and pick up some water-proof mascara for Miss Dupain-Cheng.”

“Yes, madame,” he said with a bow, and Audrey hugged the sketchpad to her chest.

“I could look at these all night,” she sighed. “I think I’d like to have dessert on the terrace. Sinclair!”

“I look forward to seeing your first line, Marinette,” Gabriel said, casting her a smirk. “Excellent work.”

Marinette’s cheeks flushed as everyone followed after Audrey, but Adrien remained by her side.

“I’m going to walk Marinette out, father,” he said, and Gabriel gave a permissive nod.

As they entered the elevator, Marinette breathed a sigh of relief, relaxing her shoulders, and Adrien hit the button for the lobby. A smile broke over her lips as the doors closed, but before she could open her mouth to speak, Adrien grabbed onto her waist and pulled her lips to his.

His other hand cupped her jaw, lips parting into hers as he pulled her in closer. She wrapped her arms around his neck, stretching on her tip toes as he kissed her dizzy, and when they pulled away, their ragged breaths burned hot on each other’s lips.

“I knew you could do it,” he said breathlessly, a wide smile stretching up to his eyes. “You’re amazing.”

He touched his lips to hers again, holding her tight, and she melted into his embrace with a moan, resting her head on his shoulder when he pulled away.

“I did it,” she said, blinking in disbelief. “I actually did it.”

“With a day to spare no less,” Adrien chuckled. “You really are incredible, Marinette.”

“You were the one who never gave up on me,” she said, biting her lip, and Adrien pressed his forehead to hers.

“You ready to stop Lila?” He asked, and Marinette smirked.

“I’m ready to change the world.”

#miraculous ladybug #mdcsp original #marinette dupain-cheng #adrien agreste #adrinette #mdcsp #my writing

[thenovelartist]

Falling for the Dork, set 3

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8.      A Favor Only You Can Do

When Marinette called and asked him for a favor, the only correct answer was yes. He didn’t even know what he was doing other than going over to Marinette’s house, but that didn’t matter because she was his best friend and if she needed something, he’d happily assist.

“Honey, I’m home!” he called out teasingly as he headed up to her room.

When he caught sight of her, she was beet red and her smile was forced. “Uhh… welcome home?”

Her forced smile was much more of a cringe now. Adrien felt like that was his fault because all Marinette seemed to do lately was blush in front of him. If he knew how to approach the subject of what was happening to his best friend, he would. However, he had enough social skills to know that asking a woman why she blushed all the time was not the way to handle anything.

So, he ignored it and did his best to try to make her relaxed around him by being the biggest dork possible. “You called; I came. What do you need help with?”

Marinette gave him a half smile. “Well… do you know that design competition I entered?”

“Yeah.”

“Well…” She tapped the tips of her index fingers together, unable to look him in the eye. “Turns out… you can either send pictures of your clothes on the mannequin… or with a model. But models are highly encouraged.”

Adrien nodded. “And…”

Her blue eyes looked up at him through her long lashes. “Would you be my model?”

Instantly, his mind went blank. She wanted him to be her model? Like, try to look like one of those ridiculous pretty-but-self-centered jerks his father hired for the sole purpose of looking beautiful? “Uh…” Adrien paused, his mind working.

“It’s okay if you don’t!” Marinette quickly said. “I don’t want to pressure you or anything.”

“You think I’m good enough to?”

Marinette’s jaw proceeded to drop to the floor. “Y…you’re kidding me, right?”

Adrien shook his head. He knew he was somewhat good looking, but model-worthy? If he was worthy enough, his father would have definitely asked him to model for the company by now.

“If I didn’t think you were good enough, I wouldn’t have asked you.”

His heart skipped at that. “Really?”

She blushed. “Yeah.”

Absently, Adrien rubbed the back of his neck. When she put it that way, there was absolutely no way he could turn her down. “Okay. What do you need me to do?”

A few minutes later, Adrien was changing into the ensemble that Marinette had put together for him. When he glanced at himself in her bathroom mirror, he had to admit he looked good. Marinette was a fantastic designer and no one could say otherwise.

He stepped out of the bathroom and back to her room. He gave her a spin for approval. “Well?”

She looked intently at him, fingers tapping her lips in thought. No longer was she blushy; she was in full designer mode. “Come here.”

He did as directed, only to become vaguely uncomfortable under her scrutinizing gaze. She reached for his glasses, carefully taking them off his face and sparking a fire in his cheeks. She then ran her fingers through his hair, and he felt his face positively flame. Not so much because of the action itself.

More because he didn’t want her to stop.

Even though his vision was blurry and his heart was pounding, he could imagine in perfect clarity the proud smile Marinette was giving him. “Yes, you’ll do purr-fectly.”

His heart skipped an odd beat. As it always did on the rare occasion she broke out the puns.

What was going on with him today? Why couldn’t he just pull himself together?

“Now,” she directed, pulling him out of his thoughts. “Stand still and let me tailor all the outfits I have to fit you perfectly. Then, it should be all ready in a couple days for you to come over again and let me take pictures.”

Five days later, after a busy Saturday of him helping her take his own pictures, Adrien finally got to see all the photos she took. It was kinda hard to miss when they decorated the entire wall above her desk.

He denied that he felt a pang of loss when Marinette took all them down the next week for some reason. However, he learned on accident that she kept a few pinned on the corkboard next to her bed and the rest hidden safely under her mattress. That little fact was enough to satisfy the oddly angry beast that had been so unsettled inside him.

  9.      Birthday Gifts

Adrien had been preparing for this for months. It was Marinette’s birthday this week, meaning the class was thinking up presents. The girls talked about girly things or sewing notions or whatnot. But Adrien had a plan. A plan that he’d been hatching for months and was preparing to execute.

On his way to the fabric store, Nino had shot him a text begging for help on what to get Marinette. Adrien smirked.

I have an idea. Adrien texted. I’ll pick them up for you and then you can take the credit.

I can get them. Nino texted back. What is it?

Needles for her sewing machine. Her last one is dull. I’m heading to a fabric store now. Want me to pick up the ones she needs?

There was a long pause. How do you know this? Sewing needles go dull?

Adrien smirked. Yes they do depending on the fabric and how much you use the needle. Marinette has been complaining about fabric getting sucked into her machine and she’s done everything else to fix it meaning the needle is dull. And if she had more, she would have replaced it and wouldn’t be complaining.

Dude. Nino texted back. How do you know this?

Adrien chuckled. I KNOW things ;)

Freaky. I’ll meet you there so I can at least put effort into getting them.

K. Then I’ll help you find the ones specifically for her machine.

There’s different kinds?

Adrien just laughed. Oh, Nino had no idea.

He sent off an answer of yes there are a lot of different kinds. Just meet me here and I’ll help you.

After telling Nino exactly which store he was heading into, Nino sent him back a text with a thumbs up emoji and a be there asap. But watching little bro now. Waiting for mom to come back.

That’s fine, Adrien texted back after stepping foot in the store and suddenly feeling overwhelmed, which was a rare thing for him. I’ll be here a while.

It was Adrien’s first time in a fabric store, meaning he really had no clue what he was doing or where anything was. However, he had a list of fabrics and yardages that Marinette estimated she would need for each design she constantly talked about. It had been risky sneaking look-sees in her sketchbook to get them without her being the wiser.

This trip would not go to waste.

A solid two hours later scouring the store and comparing fabric, he finally had collected the bolts he needed. Meaning now he had to take a number and wait in line to get said fabric cut.

And from the looks of it, he was going to be here another two hours.

“Dude,” Nino called, tapping Adrien’s shoulder. “Sorry. Mom had me watching my little bro so I had to wait for her to get back.”

“No prob,” Adrien dismissed with a wave. “Took me that long just to find everything and now I have a line to wait for to get the lengths cut.”

“What number are you?”

“Fifty-nine.”

Nino frowned. “Twenty-some people ahead of you?”

“Yup. And don’t look suspicious as you take a look at that group of quilters over there.”

“How do you know they’re quilters?”

“I just do.”

Nino was subtle, pretending he was glancing past the five gray-haired ladies chatting in a circle, each of their carts filled to the brim with fabric bolts.

“Ouch, dude,” Nino whispered, turning back to Adrien.

“Yup. Let’s go shop for needles. And then you’re staying with me until I can get this cut, ‘cause it’s gonna be a while.”

“You saved my butt with this. I owe you at least that much.”

…

Marinette was very thankful to Nino about the sewing needles. “I don’t know who told you, but you are a lifesaver and I love you.”

“You’re welcome,” Nino said, beaming in pride.

When Marinette wasn’t looking, Nino nodded at Adrien in a way that said thanks, bro.

Adrien shot back a wink.

“Last one,” Alya said, shoving the gift box into Marinette’s lap. “And it’s huge.”

“You didn’t go overboard, did you, Adrien?” she asked with a smile, though Adrien could see the seriousness behind it.

“No,” he dismissed. In truth, it was likely she would see his actions as ‘going overboard’, but she was his first real friend and his ultimate best friend, so he really didn’t see an issue going what she would consider ‘overboard’ if he didn’t consider it overboard.

She undid the bow on top of the box, unwrapping the thick ribbon so she could open the box.

Her face lit up immediately at the cut of ladybug print fabric that lay on top. She pulled it out and began inspecting it. “You remembered?” she squealed excitedly.

Adrien nodded. “Of course. You love that design.”

“You’re amazing!”

“Marinette,” Alya broke in. “Looks like there’s more.”

Marinette seemed shocked by that statement, but dove back in, her smile slowly fading with each cut she pulled out. “You went overboard!” she cried once all five swaths of fabric were on out of the box.

“No,” he said. “That’s only enough to make the ladybug sundress, the blouse, the skirt—”

“Adrien,” she interrupted. “No. You didn’t need—”

“I don’t care,” Adrien said, talking over her again. “I wanted to get that for you—”

“But Adrien—”

“No! Just take it.”

“It’s too much.”

“Well, I can’t take it back.”

Marinette glowered at him.

Adrien grinned. “You’re my best friend,” he said. “Let me get this for you.”

After a short stare-off, Marinette looked back at the pile of fabric. And sighed. She stood, walked over to Adrien, and wrapped her arms around his torso. “Thank you,” she said.

His heart skipped a beat, and Adrien happily wrapped his arms around her, squeezing her against him. “You’re welcome, Marinette. Happy Birthday.”

  10.      Puns

It was the first day out of school for summer vacation, and Marinette spent the day at Adrien’s house because playing video games was a lot more fun on his huge screen.

Eventually, Marinette pulled out the snacks that she’d brought to munch on, which allowed her the time to finally ask the question she had had on her mind a while. “Is that a new cat pun shirt?”

Adrien looked down at the blue shirt with three cartoon cats piled on top of on another with the caption ‘purramid’. “No. I’ve had this one a while.”

“I’ve never seen it.”

“You haven’t seen half my collection, probably.”

Marinette quirked a brow. “Really?” she asked dubiously. “Because I think I’ve seen enough that you could probably go a solid month wearing cat pun tees and not wear the same one twice.”

Adrien smirked. “You doubt the extensiveness of my carefully procured cat pun t-shirt collection?”

“I’m going to regret this.”

“Come on.”

Adrien took her hand in his, and Marinette felt a blush rise to her cheeks at the contact. Something in the back of her mind was screaming He’s holding my hand! He likes me! while the more rational part of her mind reminded her Keep it together, loon. He’s just leading you to his closet.

A closet that was twice the size of her and her parents closet combined.

“Here we go,” Adrien said, pointing to a line of tee shirts. “For your purr-rusal.” He shot her a wink, and she rolled her eyes even though her heart was going wild.

Within two minutes, she learned that Adrien had been right: his collection was extensive. More extensive than she realized. There were the ones she’d seen such as ‘you’ve cat to be kitten me right meow’ or cats in boxes with ‘I fits, I sits’ or cats with sunglasses that said ‘Cattitude’.

And then there were the ones she hadn’t seen before.

“Really?” She pulled out one that said ‘Catffee’ with a bunch of coffee drinks labeled thigs like ‘Catpurrchino’ and ‘Ameowicano’ and ‘Meowca’ on the front. “Really?” Marinette repeated, turning the shirt toward him.

Adrien’s grin widened in pride.

She rolled her eyes and kept looking. There was a cat in a castle with a crown on its head with the caption ‘Chateau’. There was a cat playing with a music note titled ‘Quatre.’

“Get it?” Adrien cried in excitement when she showed that one to him. “It’s a music pun and a cat pun!”

“Where’s the cat pun?”

“In English, they say ‘cat’.”

Marinette’s expression fell.

“It’s funny.”

“No, it’s not.” She put the shirt back and kept looking.

And then there was one that caught her eye that she had to stare at for a good while.

“Are. You. Serious?”

Adrien looked at the shirt and immediately broke out into a wild grin. “Oh yeah! This one’s new. I haven’t had a chance to wear it yet. What do you think?!”

Marinette stared at the shirt, one that had nine cats, each dressed up as characters Marinette didn’t recognize, but she recognized some of the labels. ‘Dragonpaw Z’ and ‘Sailor Mewn’ and ‘Mewrito’ and ‘Fur Mewtal Alcatmist’. “You got a shirt. With cat renditions. Of your favorite animes?”

“Yes!” Adrien practically squealed. “Isn’t it fantastic?”

Marinette stared at the shirt, then back up at him. His glasses were slightly crooked, his cheeks were pink with excitement, and his smile was completely and one hundred percent giddy. He looked like a five-year-old boy instead of a young man of sixteen.

And she was in love with him.

Marinette sighed, a smile breaking across her face. “It’s very you,” she admitted.

“I know! It might just become my favorite shirt ever.”

As he babbled on, Marinette couldn’t help but watch his excited expressions. Her mind tried to capture his joy and tuck it into her memories under ‘things that warm her heart’. Yes, he was such a dork, but honestly, she wouldn’t have him any other way.

#miraculous ladybug #fanfiction #adrinette april 2019 #adrienette #marinette dupain cheng #adrien agreste #fluff #dorkiness

[cheeseeatingtrashmonster]

Talk To Me

Lukadrien day 22: Movie Date. Thanks @lukadrienjune

(Read more is just because it’s a bit long, totally sfw)

Read the whole month on AO3

"-and that is the extent to which you are permitted a physical relationship," Gabriel said, as bright red as his son. "Now, as for how frequently you two may see each other-"

"I read the entire thing, Father," Adrien said, holding up the printed list of rules for his relationship with Luka. "I'll follow them, I promise. Now may I please go? I'm going to be late."

"Yes, fine," Gabriel said. "Be home by-"

"By ten thirty, I know," Adrien said with a smile. "Thank you, Father."

He all but skipped out of his father's office and up to his room. Thankfully he had planned his outfit the night before, or he would definitely be late to pick up Luka. He changed, grabbed some cheese for Plagg in an air-tight container, and ran out the door holding his shoes, putting them on after he jumped down the stairs.

"You didn't tell me to expect flowers," Luka said, grinning at the bouquet in his hands. "We're just going to the movies. I don't even know if we have a vase."

"Oh, yer ole mum'll take care o' that," Anarka said. "Now, stand together an' smile pretty," she said, holding up her phone.

"Mom!" Luka was embarrassed enough that his mom was there for his first moments with Adrien on their first date, but the pictures were really pushing him into mortification.

"It's fine," Adrien said, looping an arm around his waist and smiling for the camera. "This is exactly what my mom would have done, too. We would have had both of them here, cooing over us and embarrassing us and saying 'my baby's all grown up' over and over. It's kinda nice that I get to experience that on my first-ever date, even though she's not here for it."

Luka tightened his hold on Adrien, his smile for the camera a little sad. He didn't have to say anything, because Adrien knew he could sense that the feeling of connection to his mother was stronger than the feeling of sadness that she wasn't there.

"Alright," Anarka said. "I'll send these shots on to you an' yer pop then, Adrien?"

"Actually, send them to me and Nathalie?" he asked. He wasn't sure what his father would do with them, but Nathalie would make sure they were saved somewhere for him.

The boys said their goodbyes and climbed into the car where the Gorilla waited. He took them to the theater and Adrien reminded him of what time to pick them up. He hadn't let go of Luka's hand from the second they got in the car.

"So, what are we seeing?" Luka asked.

Adrien stood blinking up at the list of movies.

"How... did I not know..." Adrien whispered, shaking his head.

"Know what?" Luka asked.

"That I have no idea what movies are out right now."

Luka laughed. "I thought you had a whole plan! You told the Gorilla when to get us!"

"Yeah, and if you were listening, it's four hours from now so we have time to wander around after," Adrien said with a laugh. "I didn't think to pick a movie! I don't even have suggestions. I have no idea what most of these are." He gestured broadly to the listings.

"Neither do I," Luka said. "I know one of them is about an army of tiny robots. Other than that, nothing."

Somehow they decided to just see the one that was starting next. Adrien insisted on buying the tickets and popcorn. Luka blushed and thanked him, which Adrien shushed.

"I like you," Adrien said. "And I'm definitely liking taking you out and watching you blush."

Luka blushed harder.

The movie sucked. It was a horror movie, much to Adrien's, well, horror. Luka cringed and jumped as he watched and was just thinking of suggesting something more lighthearted for the next date when he noticed that Adrien's eyes were screwed shut.

"How you doing?" Luka asked, leaning over to whisper despite the fact that the theater was mostly empty.

"Fine," Adrien said, his eyes popping open. As soon as his vision focused on the screen though, he cringed and shut them again. "I'm fine, how are you?"

"You're scared?” Luka asked, leaning a little closer.

"No," he said. "I just don't like movies like this. There's a difference."

The sound of the movie alone, the ominous soundtrack and beating heart sound effect made Adrien wince and let out a strangled whimper.

"Talk to me," Luka said, hoping that his voice didn't betray the smile on his face he couldn't squash. "What can I do?"

"It's fine," Adrien said. "The movie will calm down or I'll get desensitized or something and it'll be fine."

Luka glanced at the screen. There was no sign of the movie calming down any time soon. Not without being a setup for a jump scare.

"Do you want to leave?" Luka asked.

"But I took you to the movies," Adrien said.

"You did," Luka said, still trying not to laugh. He felt bad that Adrien was scared, but he was too cute. "Mission accomplished. But maybe let's move on to the part where we wander around? I liked how that sounded."

"You don't have to pretend for me," Adrien said. "I really will be fine."

"Adrien," Luka said, growing as serious as he could manage. "This movie sucks, you're terrified, and I don't particularly like it. Can we go?"

Adrien opened one eye to look at Luka. He nodded enthusiastically.

They gathered up their popcorn bowl and made their way out of the theater. The hallway was empty, so Luka pulled Adrien over to kiss him.

"Someday I will get it into your head that your feelings are important to me," he said. "But until then, please at least be honest with me if I ask if you're scared or upset or angry. I already know the answer, I'm asking so we can have a conversation about it."

Adrien sagged against him for a second, nodding. "Sorry. I'll work on it."

Luka kissed the top of his head and grabbed his hand, heading down the hallway towards the lobby.

And then the roof caved in.

"I am Sunbeam! I was forced to 'go enjoy the sunlight' instead of working on my thesis, so all of you will enjoy the sun, too!"

Adrien managed to pull Luka back towards the wall as the ceiling fell, but a piece clipped Luka's calf as they fell. They were blocked in, a wall at their backs, rubble before them, and a sliver of roof above.

Adrien had the worst luck.

"Are you okay?" he asked Luka, seeing blood staining the area around them.

"My leg," Luka said, holding it awkwardly away from the rest of his body, which was curled up as tightly as he could in the small alcove.

Adrien knelt to look at the damage. Most of the back of his calf was scraped up, and he couldn't tell how deep it was. He pulled off his jacket to press against the area, making Luka cry out in pain.

"I'm sorry," Adrien said, putting pressure on the wound. "There's no way you can walk on this, even if we get out of here, is there?"

Luka shook his head, his eyes shut and his breathing shallow.

There was no choice to make. Luka was hurt, they were trapped, an akuma was nearby. There was no way Adrien could shift enough rubble to get them out, and it was unlikely they'd find the help they needed for Luka before Adrien could sneak off to transform. Even then, he couldn't just leave Luka for seemingly no reason while he was hurt.

"It'll be fine," Luka said between gritted teeth. "Ladybug and Chat Noir will defeat the akuma, everything will be fixed, and I'll be fine."

Adrien didn't know his heart had any lower it could sink, but hearing the faith Luka had in his superhero self made it find new depths.

"I'm sorry," Adrien said again.

"Not your fault," Luka said, grabbing one of Adrien's wrists.

Every second that passed felt like hours as Adrien sat there, trying to think of a way out. He kept analyzing the area around them, wondering if there might be a way to escape. There was barely room to move, the boys' limbs overlapping, so it was unlikely even if Adrien could find a weak spot in the rubble that he could get enough leverage to take advantage of it. There was also the concern of the pile falling on them instead of away, and Adrien had no idea how to keep that from happening.

There really was no choice to make, but Adrien delayed making it anyway. He had hope for a moment that maybe Ladybug would rescue them, but he thought of all the times the two of them had blown past destruction and injured citizens to focus on finding the akuma and making everything right. She would never look twice at a pile of fallen ceiling.

Plagg shifted around in Adrien's shirt. He ignored him. Plagg shifted more. Adrien didn't have a hand free to swat at him.

"What is it?" Luka asked. "Something's up. What is it?"

"I can't," Adrien whispered.

"Just tell me," Luka said. "You can tell me anything."

Adrien stared at him, wondering if anyone really meant those words when they said them.

"No. It's fine. We'll wait here. Like you said, the Cure will fix everything."

Barely a second of silence passed before Plagg had had enough.

"Adrien, we have to go," Plagg said, flying out of his collar to hover between the boys.

Luka's eyes widened. "Can blood loss make you see things?"

Adrien took a hand away from the jacket on Luka's leg to swipe at Plagg but Plagg dodged out of the way.

"We have to go," Plagg said. "We'll get Luka to safety and then help Ladybug set everything right."

Adrien shook his head, both hands on Luka's leg again. "I can't believe you would reveal yourself like this. My identity is important!"

"Adrien," Plagg said, looking between Adrien and Luka. "You would have had to tell him soon anyway. It's too big a risk to date a hero and not know."

Adrien let out a sound somewhere between a sigh and a growl.

"I know," he said. "But I wanted more time."

"I know," Plagg said.

"What's going on, Adrien?" Luka asked, sitting up as best he could.

"I'm Chat Noir."

Luka looked... scared. Adrien felt shame wash over him.

"I'm sorry, I have to help Ladybug," he said. He pulled Luka's hands over to hold the jacket to his own leg.

Adrien stood and called up his transformation. Chat Noir stood in the small space with Luka.

"I'm going to try to kick out the wall behind you," Adrien said. "Can you shift away from it a little?

Luka nodded and slid aside. Adrien sat and positioned his heels before pulling back and kicking out as hard as he could. The wall gave easily, and it didn't take long to widen it enough to let them crawl through, saving Chat Noir from having to use Cataclysm before he even reached the battle. Luka had tears streaming down his face by the time he got through and he was white as a sheet.

"Are you okay with me carrying you to safety?" he asked Luka. Luka nodded and Chat slid his arms under him as gently as he could. Once he had a firm hold on him, he ran as fast as he could out of the theater and to the nearest group of Akuma Protection Volunteers. Luka was taken to join a few other injured and be cared for until the Miraculous Cure fixed them. Chat Noir knelt next to Luka for a second.

"Can we talk later?" he whispered.

"Maybe," Luka said. He laid his head down and closed his eyes. Chat felt it like the closing of a door in his face.

The battle was short and annoying. Neither Ladybug nor Chat talked much throughout the battle, each lost in their own fears and sadness.

When it was over, Adrien returned to where he had left Luka. A few volunteers were still there, so he asked and was informed that Luka had headed home the moment his leg was fixed. Adrien yelled "thanks" over his shoulder and raced towards the river.

"Luka!" Adrien ran onto the boat and looked around, trying to find any of the Couffaines. No one seemed to be home, so he knocked on the door to below deck before heading down without waiting for a response.

"Luka?"

It was eerie, the ship being so empty and quiet. Usually there was music, there were people everywhere. Now it felt like his own house.

"Luka?"

Luka opened the door to his room and stared at Adrien.

"No one else is home," Luka said.

"Are you okay?" Adrien restrained himself, only taking a few steps forward as he watched Luka's expression grow in fear and discomfort.

"My leg's fine."

"No, I mean, with what... what you know about me now."

Luka sighed. "I can't do this right now."

Adrien froze. "Can't talk about my secret?" He hoped it was that. He hoped Luka didn't mean them, their barely-started relationship.

"I need to be alone right now," Luka said.

"Talk to me," Adrien said, unable to keep from taking another step forward even as Luka jerked three steps back in response. "What can I do?"

Luka shook his head, tears shining in his eyes. "Please go."

"Luka." Adrien said his name like a plea. Don't make me go, don't shut me out, don't leave things like this.

"Go."

He went.

#lukadrien june #miraculous ladybug #luka couffaine #adrien agreste #lukadrien #my beta reader hasn't forgiven me for this chapter