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#miraculous ladybug fic
literaphobe · 3 months
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two virgin losers
kittykittymeowmeow: My superhero partner (23F) recently asked me (23M) to take her virginity. I’m guessing she thought I was some type of sex god whore, but I’m actually also a huge virgin. For some reason, my lack of sexual prowess made her double down on her decision? She got kind of excited for us to platonically lose our virginities to each other and that made me panic. I mayyyy have told her I don’t want to be deflowered by another virgin, just in case she sucks at sex and I wind up hating it. The truth is, I think she’d be great at sex (she also thinks this). I think she’s amazing at everything she tries. I’ve also fallen in love with her multiple times and I will almost definitely get obsessed with her again if I sleep with her. Unfortunately, even though she’s really mad at me right now, I want her so bad I think I might die. Um… AITA?
sorry. reddit’s not actually involved in this fic. please still read it <3 (post s5 fic, they’re 23)
cover art by @zodoods <3 + tvl art discord
chapter 1 | chapter 2 | chapter 3 | chapter 4 | chapter 5 | chapter 6 | chapter 7 | chapter 8 | chapter 9
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peachcitt · 2 months
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from: thirteen by @anna-scribbles
art by me :)
start from the beginning // read the november chapter // read the most recent chapter (january)
hey listen. look me in my eyes. have you read thirteen by anna scribbles. i think you need to read thirteen by anna scribbles. i think if you want your life to be forever changed you need to read thirteen by anna scribbles. i think if you are a person who is breathing and alive you need to read thirteen by anna scribbles. thank you
#thirteen#miraculous ladybug#ml art#emilie agreste#adrien agreste#miraculous ladybug fic#ml fic#ml fic rec#my art#THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN HAUNTING THE INSIDE OF MY BRAIN EVER SINCE I READ THE NOVEMBER CHAPTER BACK IN NOVEMBER#now. listen. in an ideal world i would've done this way back in november but uhhhhhhh i don't know what happened. suddenly it was december#and now it's february! not sure how that happened. anyway my goal is to be making a piece of art for each chapter to convey#just how fucking INSANE this fic makes me feel. like how crazy and insane and awesomely constructed it is. anna just GETSSSS ITTTTTTT#(and is using her 'get it' ability to hurt me bodily)#like with every chapter i read i am just assaulted with this intense desire to Make An Image which is not really an impulse im used to#since i don't draw a ton but anna's voice is just so evocative of images in a way that just. inspires every creative impulse inside of me#i took forever to read the december chapter but the moment i read it i already had an idea of something i wanted to draw for it.#my idea is. well. complex for me to say the least but as i told anna i am determined to make my skills match whatever i need to do because#the way she writes it is literally haunting me it is shooting me with a gun it is so something i have no idea how to handle#except i guess to repeat her themes and ideas and imagery in a collage of sorts#i don't know that's what my october chapter comic felt like- a collage. and this one does too in a way even though it's very different#i just like connecting the dots. and then smashing the dots together in an image#anyway. read thirteen. it is changing me all the way down to the dna
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mcheang · 6 months
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Reality
As Nino lays out his plan for targeting Gabriel, Alya points out one thing. “Sure I know Ladybug can fix the mess an akuma causes. But Gabriel will still be mad. He already doesn’t like you, Nino. Don’t push it. For all we know, Gabriel might threaten to transfer Adrien to a different school. Remember, he totally lost it when Adrien lost his book?”
Nino: oh…right. I didn’t think of that. Then, who do we target?
Marinette grins sneakily. “I know someone who can get upset very easily.”
Adrien: really, who?
Marinette: i don’t want to spoil the surprise.
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Later, as the parent-teacher meeting commenced, Marinette bursts in, “Oh, I’m so sorry to barge in like this. But I forgot I needed Mrs Rossi’s signature for Lila’s trip to Achu.”
Caline: Marinette, can’t this wait?
Mrs Rossi: what trip to Achu?
Caline and Marinette look at her. “You know, the trip she’s taking to join Prince Ali in teaching children for free. It’s such a shame that she won’t be able to attend the school’s weeklong camping trip but it’s for a good cause.
Mrs Rossi stands up. “My daughter is doing what?”
Caline: why are you so surprised, Mrs Rossi? Lila went to Achu for months less than a week after she joined Dupont.
Mrs Rossi: she told me the school was shut down from akuma attacks!
Marinette pretended to look faint. “Oh no, was it because of her special lying disease?”
Mr Cesaire looked skeptical. “A lying disease…? Do you mean compulsive lying?”
Gabriel almost regretted not being able to akumatize Mrs Rossi, if only to make up for losing Lila Rossi as a spy since clearly Alliance can no longer use her. Oh well, there’s always the fallout when her sheep find out.
Alya and Nino were recording this with open mouths. Adrien wasn’t so bothered by this after seeing more of Lila’s hateful personality.
Needless to say, the parent-teacher conference was delayed as Sabine then angrily wanted justice for her daughter if she was indeed framed by a liar. Gabriel had to admit the teaching faculty here was lousy to fall for Lila’s reception, but that’s what makes this place so prime for his akumas! Why did he send Adrien here again? Oh right, it’s the most prestigious school and he’ll never hear the end of it from Andre because Chloe would never accept his perfect son being in another school away from her.
Later, after Marinette received an apology from Mrs Rossi, she agreed to bring Lila up. Alya and Nino looked apologetic. “We’re so sorry we didn’t believe you.”
Marinette looked behind her. “It’s ok. Keep recording. If Mrs Rossi isn’t angry enough to attract an akuma, her daughter will be. Nothing akumatizes Lila like being caught.”
Lila was immediately suspicious when Marinette of all people came to get her, however it was subdued by Marinette’s poorly hidden dislike and the fact that it was Gabriel who asked her to come.
Certain that Mr Agreste wanted her help against a stupid boy’s resistance team, she agreed.
Boy was Lila surprised to see Sabine and her mother standing in front of the classroom instead of Mr Agreste, who looked disappointed in her.
Uh oh. Now Lila could see Marinette’s triumphant face and could see what had happened. Her one consolation was that the team’s plan to anger a parent into akumatization had failed. Though she was also irked she couldn’t get akumatized and make that loser suffer for exposing her like this. This is worse than Ladybug’s exposing her in front of Adrien!
As Lila was dragged by her mother to the principal’s office, Caline tried to resume the parent-teacher conference though it was clear all now felt disheartened by her incompetence.
The resistance was confused. Angry Rossis and disappointed parents were around. Where was the akuma?
Eventually they had to give up. What a waste of free period.
Not entirely a waste though since Lila was now exposed. Alya sent the recording to the whole class as the parents left.
Outraged gasps were heard everywhere.
Nino: why didn’t you wait till class was about to start? Then we could prepare to record the akumatization.
Adrien: if Monarch didn’t come out for Mrs Rossi and Lila, I doubt he’ll come for-
Reverser promptly swooped by, ready to turn Lila nice and honest.
Adrien: never mind.
Marc was deakumatized and the class apologized to Marinette for not believing her.
Lila returned to class, sulky in her forced apology, not really bothered by their angry reactions now that she was expelled. Only Marinette’s smug attitude infuriated her. Having been forced honest by Reverser, she had confessed to having duped two other women into being her mothers and had initially planned on running away to join one of them. Her mother now has their numbers. It was a nightmare.
Alya: who else can we akumatize for the greater good? Mayor Bourgeois?
Marinette: I don’t think our plan works if we our expected target isn’t even akumatized. We’ll have to think of something else.
Monarch is disappointed he won’t get to akumatize the akuma class again for a while. Ah well, it can be a favor to Adrien.
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lesbitorte · 6 months
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New fic!
we'll say hallelujah (you're home)
Chapters (1/1) words: 1799
Relationship: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Nathalie Sancoeur
Characters: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Nathalie Sancoeur, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Nino Lahiffe
Additional Tags: Mentioned Gabriel Agreste, Mentioned Emilie Agreste, Minor Adrien Agreste/Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Minor Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe, Mentioned Alya Césaire, Grief/Mourning, Angst and Feels, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, the comfort is there if you squint, Sick Nathalie Sancoeur, Dead Emilie Agreste, no beta we just unleash the sad, Miraculous Ladybug Season/Series 05, Canon Compliant
Summary:
“Do you think it could be the same illness, Plagg?”
“I wouldn't know even if I wanted to, kid”
Adrien is dealing with the loss of his mother and going through the same thing over again when Nathalie gets sick. He can help now though.
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aidanchaser · 4 months
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Only one more week left of the @mlsquaredance event! I had an absolute blast working on this project and getting to play in the space of some wonderful ML fic. If you haven't had a chance, please read the originals!
Originals & tags linked here:
Partners in Clown by MiaBrown (@miabrown007)
how fair you were in summertime by MissNoodles (@ladyofthenoodle)
Full Exposure by MissNoodles (@ladyofthenoodle)
Close Your Eyes by jennagrins (@jennagrinsoverml)
A Bad Dream by walkingonthestars (@hamsternamedmarinette)
A Fair Trade by sariahsue (@sariahsue)
but princess, wishes do come true by MiaBrown (@miabrown007)
Midnight Snack by Papillon10 (@valiantlyjollynightmare)
When You Let A Ladybug Cure Your Bellyache by wyomingparmesan (@wyomingparmesan)
Another shout out to @sunshinemarauder, @ladyofthenoodle, @wield-the-mighty-pen, @rosekasa, and @ccboomer for all of your help beta reading these 9 remixes! My writing is nothing without an editor, and it was great to get to work with friends from the HP AU in a new context and to make new friends through writing and editing! Thank you all for your hard work, and a double-triple thank you to ladyofthenoodle and the rest of the Miraculous Square Dance team for putting on this event. It has been so much fun! I haven't gotten to write this consistently since I had the HP AU. I was back into doing 3-5k a week again, and it felt so good. Thank you!!
Link to all of my remixes (except for Partners in Chaos, which will drop next Friday!) Link to all event remixes!
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nemaliwrites · 4 months
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My super secret Big Bang fic is finally not so secret! My @mlbigbang fic, In Pursuit of the Uneatable, will be posted on January 1st!
Relationships: Adrien/Marinette, Marinette & Tikki, Marinette & Chat Blanc Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Inspired by Bunny, Manipulative Lila Rossi, Self-Esteem Issues, Identity Issues, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir is not Chat Blanc, Introspection, Canon-Typical Violence, Lila Rossi's Downfall, Hurt Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Psychological Horror, Moral Ambiguity, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Unreliable Narrator Summary: Who do you trust when your own reflection becomes a stranger? In a Paris where Lila weaves tales that blind the city, Marinette stands accused, isolated. Her parents’ trust is shattered, her friends distant, and in battle, illusions blur the line between ally and enemy. As the shadows and uncertainty threaten to close in, Marinette finds herself turning to the last person who claims to be on her side: a boy in a white mask who calls himself a fox hunter.
and here's a lil snippet from chapter 12:
Ladybug’s been crafting her apology in her head for days now, but if there’s one thing she’s certain of, it’s that it’ll all fall apart the second she lays eyes on him. That is, if he even shows up — it only occurs to her now that he might not, that he might be angry enough at her to avoid her.
But he does show up. Of course he does. She never should have doubted that; the fact that she did only has the effect of making her feel more guilty. Because he would never put his own feelings ahead of their duty, and she never should have thought he would. 
He comes, a shadow in the night, to stand before her. For a fraction of a second, Ladybug finds herself doubting which cat this is — after all, noir and blanc are two sides of the same coin, are they not? When she sees his eyes, though, she knows truth: his eyes that are one color, the greenest green. 
“Chat Noir,” she says, voice nearly lost in the wind. The only indication he’s heard her is the way he turns. His profile, the only thing that’s illuminated, faces her. “I’m sorry.”
He says nothing. 
“I’m so sorry,” Ladybug continues. Her voice threatens to break, but still, she persists. “I should have told you everything, I know that. I…I never meant to leave you in the dark like that. I just didn’t want you to worry about me—“
“I do worry, Ladybug.”
Chat Noir says the words loudly, confidently, an open declaration. She gapes at him.
“I’m always worried about you,” he says; he turns his eyes skyward, as though desperate to look at anything that isn’t her. “I worry if you’re getting enough sleep. I worry if you’re stressed out. I worry that an akuma might come for you and that this time, there won’t be anyone to save you — that I won’t be there to save you.”
And now it’s his turn for his voice to break. Ladybug steps closer, takes his face in her hands. Turns it so that he’s looking at her.
“Have you considered,” he asks softly, “that maybe you don’t like to rely on people? That you don’t want to show weakness? That you’re too focused on thinking that you can do everything yourself?”
Mirroring her, he brings his hands up to her face. They’re interlinked, intertwined, impossible to tell where one stops and the other begins. If noir and blanc are two sides of the same coin, then so too are the ladybug and the black cat. 
“Maybe,” she admits, hating the way that doing so makes her feel vulnerable. But here, of all places — in her partner’s arms — maybe she can let herself be vulnerable. “Maybe you’re right.”
Chat Noir drops his hands, steps away from her. A stark contrast to his next words: “You know I’m always on your side, right? No matter what.”
“I know,” says Ladybug, because she does. She’d just forgotten it — but that doesn’t mean it isn’t true. Her hands fall to her sides. “And I think…I think I’ve found someone else on my side, too.”
Someone, something, somewhere, somehow. 
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natty-nat · 11 months
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A miraculous Mermay
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chaoticace2005 · 3 months
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@nagisachan1 I was your secret Santa :) @mlsecretsanta
Sorry this a bit late but I did not expect writing 40k of mental breakdowns and comfort to take so long. This is my first fic in the fandom and the idea of diving more into Adrien has been floating around my brain for a while, and considering your preferences I decided to finally take a stab at it.
I would like to thank @miraculousstories and @doodlingstuff for putting up with my ramblings and beta all of this. I seriously appreciate it.
This was largely inspired by the song “Surface Pressure” from Encanto which I feel fits so many of the Miraculous characters perfectly. There’s this one AMV that I’m obsessed with that I recommend people watch:
Merry (late) Christmas, Happy New Year and I hope you enjoy! Chapters 1 and 2 are up now, 3 and 4 should be up before the new year.
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coward-draws · 5 months
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So, my autocorrect keeps changing Chloé with Zoé so I’m inspired and there’s a new au now
Zoe is a cuckoo chick. Chloe knows it at her heart. She may have never paid attention in class, she may have made Sabrina do all her homework, but this thing is what she remembers. Cuckoo chicks steal everything from nests’ rightful owners. Now she regrets being a bad student. Oh, how she regrets. Zoe is taking her place, and she doesn’t know any ways to stop her.
It’s all magic things.
Her class is now Zoe’s. Adrikins is sharing secrets with her now. Sabrina sitting with her and Kim gifting her sweets.
Her miraculous is now Zoe’s. Queen Bee were way more stylish than Vesperia! But now it’s not important, as Ladybug gives her fistbumps and citizen praise her.
Her father is now Zoe’s. Where were those hugs and little smiles, when he was hers!? Chloe only got money and cameras but Zoe is getting this all and more.
Worst of all — she doesn’t get to keep anything at all.
No one recognises her on streets.
Web searches show Zoe as “Mayor’s daughter”.
Mommy does not remember not only her name, but also that she was a hero. And Mommy never, never forgets what was said on camera!
“Pack your things,” said Mommy to her. “We are returning to New York.” It was all that she wanted just two months ago, but now? She wants Mommy recognises her.
Ladybug gave her a polite smile, like those she gives to strangers. Were disappointed looks terrible? Yes, but this is so much worse. She really, really wants Ladybug recognises her!
Oh, thinks Chloe. There is a person who always knew her. Someone gross and terrible, but always present. Someone Zoe wouldn’t steal from her, like she wouldn’t steal mud from under her shoes or bugs from her favourite plants.
Marinette answers the call, and Chloe shivers. She really-
“Excuse me,” says Marinette. “Do I know you?”
Chloe cries.
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mlwritersguild · 1 year
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MWG 2022 WRAPPED LIST - PART TWO
Our January event, as usual, was to recommend and review our favorite fics that we read in 2022! To make things a little bit more interesting and fun, we treated it a bit like an awards ceremony or spotify wrapped. If you know the tumblr accounts of any authors on AO3 that were mentioned but not tagged, please tag them! Continuing with our rec lists, here's part two!
Without further ado, here are the MWG nominations for best (completed) multi-chapter fics!
a bouquet of second chances by @mikauzoran
lukadrinette // season 4 // identity reveal // hurt/comfort // time travel
after this is over. by @writtenvisionary
lovesquare // angst // mental health issues
blood will tell by @sunfoxfic
féligami // alternate universe // aged-up // hurt/comfort // unplanned pregnancy
blue crayons by @talkstoself
lovesquare // mental health issues // aged-up // canon divergence // single parent marinette
home base by @gabriel-agreste-has-no-rights
lovesquare // djwifi // humor // hurt/comfort // identity reveal
tell me something i don't know by @carpisuns
lovesquare // chat fic // alternate universe // soulmates // angst with a happy ending
les illuminations en douche et d'autres miracles pubères by noirshitsuji
lovesquare // chloe/alya/nino // humor // fluff
many ways to rise by Zetared
lovesquare // disabled adrien // identity reveal // hurt/comfort
metamorphosis by @peachcitt
lovesquare // aged-up // alternate universe // slow burn // hurt/comfort // angst with a happy ending
passengers by @valiantlyjollynightmare
lovesquare // aged-up // pr/pr // hurt/comfort // fluff
second chances by @thenovelartist
lovesquare // djwifi // gabenath // single parent adrien // friends to lovers // fluff
sewing sentiments by @frostedpuffs
lovesquare // alternate universe // friends to lovers // aged-up // fluff // hurt/comfort
strangely familiar by @sunfoxfic
djwifi // alternate universe // aged-up // friends to lovers // slow burn // identity reveal
team is a four letter word by @ladyofthenoodle
core four friendship // lovesquare // humor // identity reveal
the love of a cat by @thenovelartist
lovesquare // alternate universe // royalty/medieval // fluff // angst // slow burn
the sidekick conspiracy by @bring-the-storm
lovesquare // djwifi // humor // fluff // sleepovers
when bunnyx brings a baby by @funnydoesntlookdruish
lovesquare // fluff // humor // aged-up // babysitting
Thanks if you made it this far! See you soon for Part 3: Ongoing Multi-Chapter fics!
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miraclekittyandbug · 2 years
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BAKERY "ENEMIES" AU FANDOM, HOW WE FEELING TONIGHT?????
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literaphobe · 7 months
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snippet from my upcoming fic about ladynoir losing their virginities to each other. i hope u find them silly and funny ^_^
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peachcitt · 5 months
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text from thirteen by @anna-scribbles
art by me :)
read thirteen read thirteen it’s everything read thirteen read thirteen read thirteen read thirteen<3 happy thirteen day. have you read thirteen yet. read it again if you have. prepare for your life to be changed if you haven’t.
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mcheang · 1 year
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I have a prompt idea! So a rich kid transfers into DuPont who is the son of the prime minister or something. He can be bratty like Chloe and deceitful like Lila. The first thing he does is put Chloe in her place since her dad can’t do anything to him and exposes Lila as the liar she is with the help from his connections.But here’s the kicker, he has a massive crush on Marinette. But she has a massive crush on Adrien, someone he looks down on. Cue jealousy and retribution. Basically Adrien gaining an antagonist of his own because if he can have FOUR girls getting into a cat fight of her (two of whom are nasty bullies) then Marinette can have her own evil love interest. Bonus points if he is beginning to endear to Marinette after standing up to her bullies.
Remy Gusteau
Can you guess where I got his name? But I imagine him to look like Draco Malfoy if he has to keep saying “My father….” Lol
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Your prompt is the first in a long while that has given my that old flair of imagination :D Thank you. Also, for anyone else who wants to send me a prompt, note I have not watched the latest season yet as I am waiting for all episodes to air first. So no spoilers please.
The only reason Remy even agreed to go to Paris after the rise of Hawkmoth was because it was the capital of gastronomy.
Even so, he refused to stay as a guest at the Le Grand Paris. There is no way he is staying in the same hotel as that bully Chloe. Honestly why Ladybug even let her remain a hero after she purposefully endangered a train full of Parisians is beyond him. And ever since he saw her purposefully sabotage a cooking show, he has been asking his father why her father was even still mayor if he could not even raise his daughter properly.
Even so, the mayor personally welcomed Remy at the airport.
Mayor: my daughter attends Dupont too, she can be your tour guide.
Remy: I certainly hope she learned to improve her personality. It doesn’t look good on France if the mayor of our capital has a bully for a daughter.
The mayor paled at the threat. “Of course she has improved. Why else would Ladybug give her a miraculous again?”
Remy: I guess we’ll see.
Later that night, Andre begged his daughter to be on her best behavior because otherwise, it might cost him his job.
Naturally Chloe was appalled. She started to protest when even her mother agreed with Andre. “It would never do for my darling to lose his job. All Chloe has to do is act nice in front of the prime minister’s boy, right? That’s easy to do. Chloe, if you can’t handle even this much, ask your sister for advice.”
The next day Chloe went out of her way to greet Remy and did not even give Sabrina orders…only to be ignored by Remy.
Ugh. Who did he think he is?
Sabrina: Um, the prime minister’s son?
The only seat left available was next to Ivan, right in front of Lila.
As Caline told Remy that Marinette would be his tour guide, Lila volunteered instead.
Lila: Oh, I can do it. As the ambassador’s daughter, I’m sure Marinette would has a lot to do anyway.
Marinette scowled at Lila. And she wasn’t the only one.
Remy himself was not happy. He recognised Marinette because of her parents and uncle. He had actually been looking forward to discuss recipes with her. Why did that nobody have to butt in?
Well that nobody was Lila, and clearly she never heard of personal space. For someone supposed to be giving a tour of the classrooms and teachers, she sure talked a lot about herself instead.
Don’t tell him that everybody actually indulged her like this?
Later that day, after class ended, he asked Caline why she does not try reining in Lila’s tall tales.
Caline: Lila has a special disease. She didn’t want her classmates to see her differently because of it.
Remy stared cooly at this dumb woman. “Hmm. Do you know something, I’ve heard the other students tell me I was in the akuma class. I thought perhaps it might be due to Chloe but perhaps you have something to do with it too. I wonder if I should ask my father to bring an inspector here.”
Caline: If you think it’s needed. I have only ever encouraged my students to forgive each other.
Remy: right, which is why you never told your class they were being lied to by Lila and denied them the chance to forgive her.
True to his word, Remy did bring an inspector around, and was he thorough! Marinette’s previous expulsion case was brought up and both Damocles and Caline were fired for mishandling the case. Remy even forced them to apologize to Marinette. Some, including Adrien, might protest this was harsh, but Remy drily pointed out that Caline’s method of forgiving bullies without punishing them was called enabling. Did she expect them to forgive Hawkmoth too? And Damocles is not supposed to turn school property into some cheap owl cave, nor punish the school for Chloe’s misdeeds. They were like children in the bodies of adults.
Oh, and Lila was exposed too. She had to confess her special ability to the whole school, outing her as someone who likes to tell tall tales.
Understandably, akumas appeared. Curiously though, they never got much chance to cause chaos. Mainly because the no-nonsense inspector and Remy struck them in the head once the transformation had finished, giving them no time to react, and proceeded to keep hitting them till they passed out.
Everyone stared at them.
Remy: What? The miraculous cure will fix everything.
And Remy finally got to discuss baking with Marinette! He just didn’t understand why she was so fixated on Adrien Agreste. The model reminded Remy of Caline, always about forgiving bullies. Spoken like someone who has never been bullied himself!
He just has to help Marinette see that Adrien isn’t worth her time. Some planned situations to show how useless the boy is. Good thing he has the mayor’s daughter at his beck and call. And he just knows she is dying to be mean again.
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ML Secret Santa!
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Coming down to the wire, but this story expanded into a much longer oneshot than I originally planned…
Anyway, @rice—nomnom (I apologize because it seems that the tag does not want to work for me…), I was your Secret Santa for this year’s @mlsecretsanta! I hope you enjoy this long LadyNoir enemies-to-lovers…featuring only one bed!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
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aidanchaser · 5 months
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A Bad Dream [Remix]
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part of the @mlsquaredance 2023 Buffet Remixes
Remixed from A Bad Dream by walkingonthestars (@hamsternamedmarinette)
beta'd by @wield-the-mighty-pen
Read on Ao3 or below!
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Adrien woke suddenly, shirt and sheets clinging to a layer of sweat, and breath coming in short, desperate gasps. His mouth tasted like blood and he couldn't move, not at first.
Slowly, his body caught up with his mind, and he was able to sit up and gather his breath. But the taste in his mouth lingered, and the panic that began in his gut crawled through his chest and up his throat, even as he tried to swallow it down.
He glanced down at his hands where he gripped the bedsheet as tightly as he had gripped Ladybug’s lifeless body in his dream. His silver ring glinted in the moonlight, its destructive power belied by its plain, unassuming band.
Normally, the power of Chat Noir was a comfort, a taste of freedom, but tonight the sight of the ring on his finger turned his stomach into a new set of knots. He yanked the ring off and hurled it into the darkness of his bedroom. He heard it clink against the floor, bounce against the wooden slats, and roll onto the rug somewhere beneath his couch.
Even without the weight of the ring, his panic wouldn’t fade. His heart still pounded like a hummingbird caught in a bramble. He could even feel thorns tearing into his chest.
He reached for his phone, certain that if he called Marinette now, he would feel better. He didn’t have to tell her what he dreamed about; he only had to hear her voice and lose himself in her passion and drive. He would only have to ask her what she was working on, and in thirty minutes, he would feel set right.
But he couldn’t bring himself to call her. His thumb hovered over her image for a moment before he finally at least managed to text her. Nothing demanding, nothing vulnerable. Just a simple, Are you awake?
She probably was. She was probably finishing homework or a design or a costume piece. But the night stretched on, and Marinette did not reply. And Adrien’s panic still pulsed through his veins.
Adrien climbed out of bed and pushed open one of the grand window panes. The cool evening air provided some relief. He leaned against the smooth glass and tried not to think about how many nights he had slipped away in Chat Noir’s guise. He would go out as Chat again sooner or later, but right now it didn't feel safe.
As he leaned against the window and drank in the night with heavy, long breaths, a familiar sound drifted into his room. A rhythmic thwip and spin that he knew too well.
Ladybug was nearby.
He listened to her drop and recall her yo-yo with a rhythm as consistent as his own long, heavy breaths. In and out together, like every inhale of his breath ended in the clutch of her hands. What was she doing? And where was she?
He looked across the grounds of his family’s manor but saw nothing out of place. It certainly sounded like she was above him.
Adrien climbed onto the roof of his house and found Ladybug pacing as she flicked her yo-yo back and forth, catching it perfectly on every recall—until she saw him just as she jerked her wrist back. The yo-yo sailed past her unprepared palm and smacked her in the face.
Ladybug hadn't changed much since the day that Adrien had first put on his miraculous. She’d grown more confident in her abilities and more trusting of others, of course, but he had always seen those strengths in her, even when she hadn't seen them in herself.
He was the one who had changed. He still felt the familiar twinge of longing in his chest when he looked at her, but his heart didn’t sing the way it once had. His world didn’t light up just because she smiled at him. Those feelings were with someone else now.
Someone who didn’t seem interested in answering her phone.
Adrien pulled himself up onto the roof. It wasn’t as easy of a climb without the help of Chat Noir’s power as he might have liked, but he managed it. He couldn’t quite bring himself to stand up, though, opting instead to sit on the narrow stretch of flat roof. He knew that if he did fall, he would not be able to call on Chat’s power to help him. “What are you doing up here, Ladybug?”
“Nothing! I mean—patrolling!” Her voice was a little too high and a little too fast as she manually wound her yo-yo back together. “Just patrolling, you know, normal superhero things! Because that's what I do. As a superhero. Patrol.”
“And did you find anything dangerous on my roof?”
“All safe and sound! So I'll be moving on…” But as she turned, she tipped her head to one side and looked at him properly. It was a look Adrien had always adored, had even fallen in love with once. There was a puzzle turning through her head, and she was determined to make sense of it.
“What are you doing up here?” Ladybug asked, as if it had just occurred to her that maybe climbing up onto the roof in the middle of the night was not normal for most people.
“Nothing,” he said, and leaned back on his hands as he stared up at her. It was so easy to remember why he had fallen in love with her when he saw her in the moonlight like this. The worry that creased her brow was so familiar. She’d done nothing but look worried these last few months, and that worry had not eased, not even since Hawk Moth’s defeat. It couldn’t, not with the butterfly miraculous still missing.
His own heart shuddered at the thought, but he tried to keep a small smile on his face. “You really don't have to worry about me, Ladybug. But I appreciate you coming out to check on me.”
She stammered on an excuse, but she couldn’t seem to find the words to deny that was why she had really come.
The last time they had talked, she had told him how his father had died fighting Hawk Moth, and she’d given him his parents’ wedding bands. She hadn’t offered him any details, other than to tell him that his father wanted Adrien to remember the best of him. That small wish belied a mountain of complexity that Adrien wasn't quite ready to dig through.
He’d tried to press her for details as Chat Noir, but she’d been tight-lipped, even with her partner.
When Ladybug gave up floundering for an excuse, she sighed and dropped to her knees beside him. “You really are alright, though?” The way her brow furrowed beneath her mask reminded him of the girl who had stood on top of the stadium and panicked her way through their very first fight. It reminded him of Marinette working through a difficult project.
Adrien ran his hand through his hair and looked away. “Yeah, I’m fine,” he said, though fine was probably not the best word to describe the complexity of his feelings. When she didn't say anything else, he felt compelled to fill the silence. “I just had a bad dream. Needed some fresh air. But I already feel safer, knowing you're right here,” he added hastily, though it was a half-truth at best.
Seeing her alive and breathing was a relief, but the knowledge that he could still hurt her pricked against his skin like a bed of needles.
She reached for his hand, something soft and sad blooming in her eyes. Adrien resisted the urge to pull away.
“Nightormenter was hard on all of us,” she said. “I’m sorry that I couldn’t do more to stop him sooner—”
“I keep having it.” His heart stuttered as her fingers brushed the space where his ring should have been. “I keep dreaming that I’ve been akumatized. That… I hurt you.”
Her fingers inspected the pale strip of skin left behind by Chat Noir’s band, but her eyes remained focused on him. “I won’t let that happen.”
“In my dream, the world is destroyed. And the moon is split in two from whatever power Hawk Moth gave to me—”
Her breath hitched in her throat and she squeezed his hand. “I—” she bit down on her lower lip and looked at their hands laced together. When she spoke again, her voice was soft and guarded. “Sometimes, I dream that there’s an akuma to end the world, too.”
“And what do you do in those dreams?”
“I fight—well, I run. And I try to save him.”
“Him?”
“My… partner.”
“You dream about Chat Noir getting akumatized? What happens?”
“Well, the world ends—but you don’t have to worry. Hawk Moth is gone now.” Her hand drifted up to his face and his heart stuttered in his chest in an entirely new way. She brushed his cheek and said, “I won’t let anything happen to you, okay?”
But he was more concerned about her. “Ladybug, when the world ends in my dream, you’re dead in my arms.”
She leaned in closer. An earlier version of Adrien might have leaned in, too.
“No one’s going to akumatize you,” she whispered.
“I think part of why it’s so terrifying is that I… I’ve never been akumatized before.”
But instead of reassuring him again, something in her eyes flickered, like panic, and she pulled away. She squeezed his hand once before letting go.
“I promise that I’ll protect you, Adrien.”
As Ladybug got to her feet, Adrien’s heart pounded in his chest. “Wait—”
He stood and reached for her. His hand closed around her wrist even as his feet slipped against the slick roof tiles. He used her firm weight to keep his balance. “Ladybug, what aren’t you telling me? What was your dream about?”
But she refused to turn and look at him. He had only the tight coil in her shoulders to tell him that she was keeping something from him.
“I dreamed that my partner knew my name.” Her voice was so soft, Adrien had to strain to hear it. “And somehow that knowledge led him to become akumatized, and he destroyed the world. And he destroyed me. But it was just a bad dream.” Despite her attempt to soften the terror of her words, she sounded on the brink of tears. “There’s no more Hawk Moth,” she continued, “and I’m going to recover the butterfly and make sure that there are no more akumas. And everything’s going to be okay, Adrien. I promise that everything’s going to be okay.”
She tried to pull away, but Adrien was afraid to let her go. He wanted to ensure that everything was going to be okay, too, and he could do that as long as she was here at his side, and as long as he wasn’t wearing his ring.
He struggled to find breath for his words, but in the barest whisper, he managed, “And how do you trust your partner after a dream like that?” He wanted to know how he was supposed to trust himself.
She hesitated, and Adrien saw suddenly just how strongly mistrust still lived in that tight space between her shoulders. She didn’t trust Chat Noir, and it was no wonder she had grown distant even before she had taken on the responsibility of being the Guardian.
“We keep our identities secret from each other,” she said, “and for good reason. We trust each other because we have to. I don’t blame him for Hawk Moth taking advantage of him—” She hesitated, then amended: “I don’t blame him for a dream I had where Hawk Moth took advantage of him. You shouldn’t blame yourself for a bad dream, either.”
Adrien swallowed hard. He wanted to trust her words, to trust her promises. But it was so hard when there were still secrets between them. He couldn’t blame her for keeping parts of herself from him, though, especially not when he now had a glimpse of why she was so adamant about keeping her secrets.
“Good night, Adrien,” she said, and pulled her hand away.
His feet slipped out from under him and he fell. Before he even had a moment to panic, before he even quite registered that he was falling from his own roof, Ladybug’s yo-yo was around his waist. But she didn’t pull him back up. She lowered him down to his own window, and once he was safely inside, he heard the thwip of her line being tossed then a zip that faded out into the night.
She’d protected him. She’d promised that she would always protect him. He had to trust that somehow, she’d protect him from being akumatized, too.
He used his phone’s light to find his ring under his couch and slid it back onto his finger as he collapsed into bed. Sleep, though, was a distant thought. His mind turned his conversation with Ladybug over in his head, like a music box wound to its tightest coil. Did it matter that they had both had the same dream? Why had she been so upset when he’d mentioned that he had never been akumatized before?
His phone buzzed in his hand and Adrien answered it without thinking, only to be pleasantly surprised when Marinette’s face filled his screen.
“Hi,” he smiled.
“I’m so sorry I didn’t see your text,” she said. “I’m definitely awake! I mean, obviously I’m awake. And you’re awake! I mean, of course you are, because you texted me! Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” he said, and at least in that moment, at least as he looked at Marinette, it was true. “Yeah, I’m okay. I just had a bad dream.”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“I think I just want to forget about it. Tell me why you’re up so late.”
Eagerly, Marinette launched into a story about her design for a new fashion contest that Tsurugi was putting together to help rebrand Gabriel. She went over her drafts, the lines, the colors, the textures. Adrien could have fallen asleep listening to her talk, like her monologue was his own personalized lullaby. And maybe, if it had just been a phone call, he would have. But the way her eyes lit up when she talked made his world too bright for sleep. He was content to watch and listen. At least for now, Marinette was protection enough. He was never going to be akumatized as long as he had her.
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