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the-witches-you-couldnt-burn · 3 years

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Like I did with you

So I’ve been procrastinating hard during my study break for my exams, but here have a song fic!

Ghost of you by 5SOS

Genius comments: The song tells the tale of a heartbroken lover who has lost his significant other – due to a breakup or even suicide/death – and is refusing to accept the fact that she is never coming back.

I didn’t feel like writing angst and whenever I hear this song I feel like ballroom dancing (and I have).

Also thank you to the lovely people on the Maribat discord server!

Ao3

The sequel ‘It started with a whisper’ is up!

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Gotham Academy implemented a new ‘Study Abroad’ program due to recent funding from a local humanitarian. This program gave the students of Gotham Academy a chance to study abroad in Europe and vice versa. Countries like Sweden, Greece, Germany, Ireland and more participated in the program; offering a multitude of high schools with many different courses.

And because of that very wealthy benefactor, his son got first pick on where he would like to study. This was 100% not a forced decision at all to subtly keep track of the happenings of Paris. With that the Ice Prince of Gotham took the City of Love by storm.

He had been at Collège Françoise Dupont for the past few months, and it’s been hell. The class he had been placed into was ripping apart at the seams. There were two students that the class gravitated towards; he observed some of the others meeting in secret, without the knowledge of their respective ‘leaders’.

The first student that held the majority of the class’ focus was Lila Rossi. She was a black hole with beady green eyes, who dragged who ever was in her reach to an agonising fate. Damian saw through her deceptions and rejected her flirtations. The students that followed her, ate up whatever lie she spat out. Rossi soon learned that lies about the Wayne family and Gotham wouldn’t fly with him.

“Really? You worked with Monsieur Wayne?” The pink clad girl, Rose, squeaked.

Damian had just walked into class on his second day at the hell hole and already regretted it. He shot a glare towards the large group, “Who ever told you that is severely misinformed. My father has never worked with a minor from Europe, due to potential rumours and allegations it could cause. It is not a threat but a promise if a lie of similar caliber is spread there will be a lawsuit.” And with that he walked towards his seat in the back, the Ice Prince had cast his decree, the class’ atmosphere had frozen over.

The second student was Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Those that surrounded her were Alix Kubdel, Chloé Bourgeois, Max Kanté, Lê Chiến Kim and the occasional secret appearance from Juleka Couffaine. They didn’t view Dupain-Cheng through rose coloured lenses, they were always grounded and opinions were respected. Damian, who was a loner without Jon at his side, was satisfied by himself; Marinette respected that and didn’t force him to socialise like Lila tried to.

So that leads us to this. He stood against a sidewall of the giant banquet hall, staring out at the crowd before him. Jon was walking to wards him with a can of sprite in hand. Jon had moved to Paris with him but had been placed into a different class. The boy who was the epitome of sunshine stuck around the Ice Prince, their friendship is an enigma to the Françoise Dupont students.

Jon’s face was flushed. He had just gotten a drink after dancing for the past hour. Tonight was the night of the Collège’s formal dance for their graduating class. Skirts of all colours and fabrics swirled, as their partners (majority of whom had matching suits) twirled them to the music.

Jon, gesturing to the crowd, asked him whether he was going to stand there all night or dance. Taking a sip of his drink a smirk appears on his face, “unless the great Damian Wayne is to much of a coward to dance.”

Here I am waking up

Still can't sleep on your side

Damian’s head snapped towards the taller boy, “Are you seriously using my ego to get me to dance?”

Jon raising an eyebrow, “Well?”

If I can dream long enough

The temperamental teen stormed off, grumbling about “Jon being as bad as Todd”. Scanning the room he search for a suitable partner, there was no way he would embarrass himself by dancing alone.

You'd tell me I'd be just fine

I'll be just fine

He spotted Dupain-Cheng stood off to the side, alone. She was draped in a layered white dress with black hemming. As he neared, he realised that the asymmetrical skirt was actually a light blush with her signature apple blossom flowers embroidered. She looked up at him and he straightened his stance, slowing his pace. Her sapphire eyes locked on to his, her bangs curled off to the side along with the rest of her hair in beach waves.

So I drown it out like I always do

She gifted him a small smile, a usual occurrence within her interactions with him. He offered his left hand, bowing his head slightly. “Dupain-Che—“ he cleared his throat, “Marinette. Would you do me the honour of joining me in this dance?”

Dancing through our house

With the ghost of you

Her eyes widened, not expecting the Arabian God of a teen before her to ask her such a question. She saw his temper during class during his spats with Lila and how he kept to himself without the presence of Jon. But here he was in a fitted Armani suit that made his green eyes glow, and hair messily slicked to the side. Marinette looked at his hand, glad that her makeup mostly hid her blush.

And I chase it down

“I am...” She paused to find the right word, “I am a bad dancer. It is better for everyone that I don’t participate.”

“I can think of nothing less appealing than an evening of watching other people dance.” A small gasp escaped from her mouth before she could stop it. She watched as his mouth twitch’s downwards before his facade returned with full strength. “If you do not wish, to I won’t force you. But if you’ll allow me I’ll guide you through the dance to make sure it isn’t an utter disaster.”

With a shot of truth

Marinette’s lips quirked, giggling as she took his hand, “Your funeral Damian.”

What had he gotten himself into?

The two entered the dance floor, taking up the dance support hold. Their dance had the basic steps of the waltz, with a promenade and many spins; some as a couple and some were just Mari. Damian soon found he enjoy watching the sparkles in her dress light up as she spun. It became even more enjoyable when he discovered that the dress was her own creation.

Dancing through our house

The two made quiet conversations during their dance. Damian pulled her closer by the waist as they repeated the basic steps, their bodies perfectly in tune with each other. “You are a fine dancer despite your protests”

With the ghost of you

Marinette tilted her head up at him, blinding him with a dazzling smile. Damian’s heart fluttered, the two always had a mutual respect but it seems to have grown into a fond appreciation.

From the tables scattered around the dance floor there was a blond, with his fist clenched. Lila had dragged him off of the floor as soon as Damian and Marinette made their debuts; together. The brunette was now off angrily gossiping to Alya and any other who’d listen. It was a hot topic between Lila and Alya that Marinette loved him, although now, as he watched her dance with Damian, he was unsure as to whether that was ever true. He sat there, glued to his seat, watching the spectacle before him.

Cleaning up today

Found that old Zepplin shirt

The two dancers didn’t notice that everyone had cleared off the floor to watch them. They danced in sync, no movement was made without the other following it. Adrien had realised awhile ago that even though he didn’t have romantic feelings for Marinette, he cherished her friendship. That relationship was now tarnished due to the path he took when he first revealed his knowledge of the deceptions. His father had forced him to keep Lila happy, even if it made him miserable.

You wore when you ran away

And no one could feel your hurt

He had lost her, and he was unsure as to whether he could gain any semblance of their relationship back.

We're too young, too dumb

To know things like love

Damian lifted his partner’s right hand and twirled her three times, they both were content within their own world. The two swayed before turning together and walking around the now open space.

But I know better now (Better now)

Marinette flushed as she realised what was happening around her, leaning towards her partner she whispered, “I think we’ve become an impromptu entertainment.”

Too young, too dumb

To know things like love

Too young, too dumb

Damian subtly gazed behind her seeing their peers in a circle surrounding them. He was on the inside looking out, and he wouldn’t trade it for the world. He whispered reassurances in her ear, he wished to finish the song before he released her from his embrace. The two drowned out their audience, focusing on each other and the beat of the song.

So I drown it out like I always do

Dancing through our house

With the ghost of you

And I chase it down

With a shot of truth

That my feet don't dance

Like they did with you

The melody slowly faded off as the last lines were sung. The two finished on a basic waltz step before swaying in each other’s arms. The music ends and there is silence, blood rushed to their ears and their breaths mingled.

The two stayed in the other’s embrace, face-to-face, staring. They broke out of their trance by clapping. Looking around Marinette saw many of her peers and most of the supervising teachers applauding their performance.

Their friends broke through the crowd, Jon patted Damian’s shoulder (retracting before he got bit) while Chloe and Alix pulled Marinette back to their table to discuss what Disney magic had befallen the couple. The bluenette glanced back at her partner, mouthing a silent goodbye.

The crowd dispersed but were still buzzing from their display. Marinette was bombarded with questions, not only from her friends, but from other students about her dancing with the demon. Her stuttered replies did little to quench the crowd’s thirst. Her face must be comparable to that of a tomato.

Damian, having noticed the building crowd and Marinette’s uncomfortable stance, broke away from Jon. The crowd parted like the red sea, unwilling to be the one to anger the Ice Prince.

He offered her his arm (to which she took) and escorted her out to the patio outside. She stayed entwined with him, as she looked out at the stray Parisian night; leaning her head onto his should. Here the two could breathe. Here the two of them could be their present selves, no ghostly facades needed. It seems they could drown out anything in the presence of each other.

Unbeknownst to them, Jon had recorded their dance, along with their previous and present interactions of that night. He thought for a second to use it as blackmail material but decided to just send it off anyways. Oh the chaos it caused.

#maribat #marinette x damian #mlb x dc #daminette #adrien salt #Jon Kent has blackmail #ghost of you by 5sos #song fic #good! Chloé Bourgeois #slight Lila salt

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starshine583 · 4 years

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New Girl on the Block (2)

(So there are Journal Entries that are supposed to go with these fics, but I’ll admit they’re not as details haha. It’s up to you if you wanna read them or not, but please enjoy this chapter either way!)

Ch.1 / Ch.3

Chapter 2: Looming Support

Marinette bustled down the last few steps to the bakery and made a mad dash for the door. She should arrive at Rosemary right on time- for once in her life -but Felix was supposed to be meeting her there since they shared their first class together, and his demeanor gave her the impression that he preferred to get to class early instead of right on time.

“Oh- don’t forget you’re croissants for lunch!” Sabine called after her, causing Marinette to screech to a halt.

“Right, right, thanks Maman.” She replied hastily, nearly yanking the paper bag from Sabine’s hands.

“Careful with those! They’re fresh!” Sabine warned.

Marinette only nodded, as it was the only thing she had time to do, and ripped open the bakery door. The school was now five blocks away instead of two, but if she started running-

“Marinette!”

All thoughts of Felix and Rosemary flooded from her mind when the chipper voice of Adrien Agreste reached her ears.

She glanced up to see her former classmate- and former crush, for that matter -stepping out of his silver car. Her first instinct was to run, but her feet refused to move, as if they were rooted to the spot from sheer panic. Why was he here? No, nevermind. She knew why he was here. The look on his face gave it all away. That easy smile paired with those stupid, pitying eyes was a look she’d seen a thousand times before. He always wore that expression when he was about to give her another lecture on why she needed to be the bigger person and let Lila figure out the error of her ways on her own.

“Marinette, I’m so glad I caught you! I tried to visit yesterday, but Mme Sabine said you weren’t home.”

Marinette held back a smile, knowing full well that she’d been home all evening yesterday. Her mother was such a saint.

The humor didn’t last long, though, because Adrien continued, “I wanted to talk to you about your transfer? When did you decide to change schools? You didn’t even say goodbye.”

Involuntarily, she started shifting from foot to foot. Aside from the fact that merely looking at Adrien made her immensely uncomfortable, school would be starting soon. The last thing she wanted to do was cause Felix to be late if he decided to wait for her. “A-Adrien, I really need to go.”

His smile wavered. “Maybe I can give you a ride? I really think we should talk.”

Finally regaining command over her own two feet, Marinette shuffled a step back. “No, t-that’s alright. I don’t want to trouble you.”

Adrien stepped forward. “It’s no trouble-”

“ThanksbutIreallyhavetogonowbye-” The quick farewell shot from her lips as she tore off down the sidewalk, giving him no room to argue. She knew Adrien all too well, and she knew that he would keep her there all day if it meant persuading her into his vehicle- or anywhere private -for them to “talk”.

Marinette turned left and right, winding through the streets and back alleyways of Paris. It wasn’t the ideal detour, but she wanted to be absolutely certain that he didn't follow her. If Adrien was willing to show up at her house, she doubted that he would hesitate to show up at her school too.

So she ran, ignoring the burning in her legs and desperately praying that Felix wouldn’t glare at her too much for the inconvenience.

~~~~~~

Time: eight thirty-two in the morning, exactly two minutes after classes were supposed to start.

Felix never considered being late a problem so long as it wasn’t a regular occurrence. The tardy marks that assaulted his otherwise perfect attendance, however, were a bit of a nuisance. If it had been anyone other than Marinette, he would have left as soon as the class bell resonated within these borderline cavernous halls.

A pair of footsteps developed in the distance, faint at first. He didn’t bother turning his head until the sound grew into a loud tapping on the pavement, but what he saw surprised him. Marinette, the very girl he was waiting for, was sprinting towards him. If that wasn’t enough, she ran right past him and into the school! Granted, she spouted something in his direction as she passed, but he certainly didn’t catch it.

Felix, despite being thoroughly confused, followed her inside, where she was now bent over and gasping for air.

“I’m- I’m so sorry for- for being late.” She panted, briefly glancing up as she did. He noted that her gaze was focused more on the windows than him, though.

“It happens.” He murmured, curiosity prompting him to look out the windows as well. A few cars passed, but nothing out of the ordinary. What was she looking for?

“You’re not mad?” She huffed, flicking her eyes to the window again and taking a step to the right. Was she trying to hide from something?

Felix frowned. “No, but we should get to class. Getting detention on your first day isn’t the best first impression.”

Marinette nodded, drawing in one last breath and straightening. “Okay.. History’s first, right?”

“Correct. They’ve already started, though, so we’ll need to be discrete.”

She pulled a sheepish smile. “Sorry.”

He shrugged. “It’s only the first class of the day. Once the next class starts, our schedules will right themselves, and our lateness will be forgotten.”

And it was. By the time Felix met up with the others for lunch a few hours later, Marinette was bright and cheery and not nearly as distressed as she had been that morning. He idly wondered what could have caused so much panic for her, but it wasn’t his business to ask. They’d only known each for a day, after all. If she wanted to tell him about her problems, she would.

“Ready to go, Mari?” Allegra asked, looping her arm with Marinette’s. “The restaurant is a bit far so I’m gonna have you ride with me, if you don’t mind.”

“We’re going to a restaurant?”

“Yeah, where else would we go?” Claude replied.

A soft “oh” passed Marinette’s lips, and she looked down at the small, pink package in her hands. “I, um.. I thought we were just going to eat at the park or something, so I brought my own lunch.”

“That’s alright!” Allegra smiled. “We’ll just go to a cafe instead. I know this outdoor one a few minutes from here that has the most splendid pastries.”

“Are you sure-”

“Of course we’re sure.” Allegra insisted, waving off Marinette’s concerns as they walked outside. “This lunch is for you, after all.”

Her bluebell eyes blew wide at the information. “For me?”

“It’s our way of celebrating a new member of the group.” Allan casually explained.

“Felix didn’t get a lunch since we already have to drag him by the ankles to everything else we do.” Claude added with a smirk.

Felix rolled his eyes, though he couldn’t disagree. They really did jump through a lot of hoops to hang out with him. Why the trio went through so much trouble, he’ll never know.

Marinette, however, giggled at the knowledge and stole a glance in his direction.

Feeling as if he should acknowledge her look, he leaned towards her and murmured, “You can still run. The ‘initiation lunch’ hasn’t started yet.”

She put a hand over her mouth to stifle her increased laughter. “I think I’ll take my chances.”

A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. “Suit yourself. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Fifteen minutes later, they were all climbing out of their respective cars- Marinette hopping out with Allegra -and deciding which table to steal for the half hour they had left. Claude jumped to a circular table near the edge of the street because it “had more sun”. Since no one else had a specific preference, they followed along behind him.

“We try to make it a point to have lunch together whenever we can.” Allegra said to Marinette as they sat down. “Usually, we get to have one at least once a week.”

“Felix always tries to escape, but struggle is futile when Allegra is involved.” Claude whispered to the ravenette. The fact that he had to lean all the way across the table to do so, however, caused everyone to hear it anyway.

Allegra pulled a cheeky smile, not even denying the comment. She knew how ruthless she could be when she wanted something, and it was a trait that she held in high esteem.

Marinette, once again, fell into a small fit of giggles. Felix found that he rather enjoyed hearing her laugh, which was surprising. People who laughed at every other word in a conversation usually irritated him. They were either looking for his approval or just had dreadful, snorty laughs in general. Not hers, though. Something about Marinette’s laugh reminded him of tinkling bells or pure sunshine. It almost made him want to laugh along with her.

“How long have you all been friends?” Marinette asked curiously, resting her elbows on the table and her chin on the back of her folded hands.

Allegra was the first to answer. “Claude, Allan, and I have been friends since childhood, but Felix was roped into joining us a little over two years ago.”

A waitress came by to take their orders for drinks and food, but after she left, Marinette continued the conversation.

“It’s cool that you all have stayed such good friends over the years. At my other school, I somehow got put in the same class of people for six years straight, but..” She trailed off, her smile fading slightly.

“But what?” Felix prompted, ignoring the surprised look the others gave him.

If someone had told him yesterday that he’d be asking a random girl about her troubles, he would have said they were ridiculous, or better yet, not responded at all. When it came down to it, Felix wasn’t a sensitive or compassionate person.

And yet, here he was, asking Marinette to continue addressing her woes- and they were woes. No one looked that depressed when thinking about cherished memories. -for a simple life story. Felix wanted to know what made her tick, how she became the person she was today. He couldn’t do that with the scarce information that he currently possessed. If she was close to telling them something important, why waste the opportunity?

Marinette’s eyes met his, also holding a bit of shock.

“But..” She repeated, casting her gaze downwards and lowering her hands. “I guess being childhood friends wasn’t enough to keep us from drifting apart.”

The table fell silent.

Even as the waitress came back with their drinks, even though Claude- who usually never shut up -was sitting right there, the table fell silent. It was one of those moments, Felix supposed, that had to be silent, to reflect on the grief that hung so heavily in Marinette’s words.

Finally, Allan put his hand on hers. “We’re here for you.”

The statement was soft, but strong and filled with sincerity. Allegra and Claude reached forward and grabbed her hand as well, showing their shared support.

Marinette put her free hand on top of theirs, her eyes glistening with tears, but her smile warm and grateful. “Thank you.”

Although Felix didn’t partake in the handholding, he offered her a meaningful look. “I told you: once the ‘initiation lunch’ is started, you’re stuck here.”

A choked laugh came from her, and she wiped away a single, stray tear. “There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”

~~~~~~

Marinette popped the last bite of her meal into her mouth and started balling up the wrappers and dirtied napkins to put them back in her lunchbox so she could throw them away later. She’d decided to wait until the others got their meals from the cafe before eating her prepared lunch, which resulted in a time crunch that required her to somewhat scarf down her food. Marinette didn’t mind it, though. Allegra moved their entire lunch date to another location in an effort to accommodate her. The least she could do was wait an extra ten or twenty minutes before eating.

“What is that heavenly smell?” Claude asked, going so far as to stand from his seat slightly.

Marinette, who had just taken out her mother’s croissants, smiled. “Maman packed me fresh croissants from our bakery this morning.”

“You have a bakery??” Claude asked next, rising further from his seat.

Allegra swatted at his arm. “Claude, behave yourself. We’re in public.”

The brunette sat down immediately, but his eyes remained on Marinette. Or rather, the paper bag she was holding.

Marinette giggled. “Yes, about five blocks from Rosemary.” She then opened the bag and fished out a croissant. “Would you like to try one?”

“Absolutely!” Claude said, almost urgently, as he shot out of his seat to grab the offered food.

“Claude!” Allegra hissed.

Instantly, he sat down again, reminding Marinette of a hyperactive, yet well-trained puppy. She couldn’t help grinning at the sight.

“They’re chocolate flavored.” Marinette informed as she handed it to him. “We also have a cheese-filled one, but I don’t have any of those today.”

Claude didn’t hesitate to take a bite of the croissant, and she watched with an amused smile as his entire being seemed to melt into the chair.

“Is it really that good?” Allegra inquired, reaching up to take a piece.

Claude jerked away, clutching the croissant to his chest as if it were a priceless heirloom. “No! She gave it to me!”

Allegra lips pressed into a thin, impatient line. “I just want one little piece.”

He shook his head. “Get your own croissant.”

“Claude-”

Before she could argue any further, Claude shoved the entire croissant into his mouth.

“Claude!” Allegra cried, both annoyed and concerned at the same time.

“I have more!” Marinette rushed to say, not wanting the conflict to worsen. Thankfully, the two turned back to her.

“Maman packed a few extras since she knew that I was eating with you guys.” She explained, taking out another croissant.

Allan put a hand to his heart jokingly. “Aw~, you talk about us?”

A light blush dusted her cheeks, and she handed Allegra the croissant. “Well, you four are definitely a memorable group.”

“We wouldn’t be fun if we weren’t.” Claude winked, taking another croissant himself. It was actually Marinette’s croissant, but she wasn’t about to tell him that. His giddiness as he bit into the breaded treat was too good to ruin. Besides, she could always snag another one when she got home.

Allan hummed with pleasure next to her. “How did you make them so fluffy?”

“Maybe you guys can come over sometime to find out.” Marinette suggested with a smile. They’d taken her to lunch, so it seemed only fitting to invite them to her house as thanks.

Claude immediately brightened. “Can we really?”

She giggled. “I don’t see why not. I’m sure Maman and Papa would even teach you how to make the croissants yourselves if you’re nice enough.”

“Girl, you just say the word. I will be the epitome of nice.”

A round of laughter spread amongst the group. As if Claude could be anything but chaotic for more than a few minutes.

“We would love to come over.” Allegra said, still holding a wry smile from Claude’s comment.

Marinette beamed. “Great! I’ll see when Maman has a free day.”

A beeping sound cut into the conversation, and Felix glanced down at his watch. “Time’s up. We need to get back to the school for our next class.”

“You have a timer?” Marinette asked, purely curious, as they all started getting up.

“Felix always has a timer.” Claude interjected.

Felix sent him a glare. “It’s a practical thing to do. If I didn’t set a timer, we would all be expelled by now for being late to class too often.”

“He has a point.” Allegra allowed, pulling her purse onto her shoulder.

Claude shot her a betrayed look. “Don’t side with him!”

Allegra merely shrugged in response. “We’ll see you guys back at school.”

“We?”

Allegra made a small gesture between herself and Marinette. “We’re riding together, remember?”

Claude straightened. “Hey, that’s not fair! You got to ride with her on the way here.”

Allegra rose a brow. “Your point?”

Claude flailed his arms, as if it were obvious. “So it’s my turn to drive her.”

“Your turn?” Allegra scoffed. “She’s a human being, not some object to be thrown around!”

“Says the person who gets to drive her.” Claude retorted.

Allegra narrowed her eyes. “Fine. Why don’t we let Marinette decide who she rides with?”

An involuntary squeak escaped Marinette’s lips as the two turned to her.

“Oh, um, well-”

Felix’s sigh cut her off. “Enough. I’ll drive her.”

Claude’s jaw dropped open.

Allegra blinked.

Marinette just stared at him, vaguely aware of Allan smirking approvingly next to her.

“If that’s alright with you.” Felix added, breaking their stunned silence.

“O-Oh! Uh, yes. That’s fine.” Marinette replied unthinkingly.

He nodded. “Good. Let’s get going then.”

Marinette shuffled along behind him, sparing a quick glance to Claude and Allegra. They were still staring, though Allegra now had enough sense about her to clench her jaw from displeasure.

She managed to give them both an apologetic look before Felix led her around the corner to where his car was parked.

He helped her in, then got in himself and ordered the driver to take them back to school.

~~~~~~

Felix stared out the car window as he tapped his index finger against his thigh. They were alone now. Just him and Marinette. This situation provided a million opportunities. He could ask her more questions about her old school, or her home life, or how she was enjoying the school so far. If she assumed that he was prodding, she might clam up, though. So he should probably choose one subject for the time being. Which question was most important? Which would give him the most information?

His finger started tapping faster in thought. Her old school seemed to be a touchy subject. That would be shut down quickly. She’s also extended an invitation to her house. Any questions he asked about that would be answered eventually anyway. That left her opinion of Rosemary Highschool, but that hardly reflected much of her personal life.

Felix checked his watch. They would be at the school in roughly five minutes, and there was no telling when they’d be alone again, what with Claude and Allegra running about. He had to ask something.

He stole a glance in her direction. Marinette was staring out the window as well, quietly twiddling her thumbs. He found that it was something she did often- fiddling, that is. It must be a coping mechanism for her anxiety. She practically couldn’t sit still during their first class after the mysterious scare she’d had that.. morning..

Felix cleared his throat. He knew what he wanted to ask her now.

“Can I ask you something?” He began, hoping she wouldn’t be as annoyed by this as he himself would be.

Marinette startled, whirling around to face him. “Sorry?”

“I wanted to ask you a question.”

“Oh.” She said, relaxing a bit. “Okay.”

Felix drew in a small breath. So far so good. “This morning, you ran into the school and avoided the windows for the first class period. I don’t mean to pry, but were you running from something?”

Panic flashed across her features, and her hands trailed up to mess with the tips of her jacket. “It’s.. it’s nothing, really... I guess you could say I didn’t leave my old school on good terms.”

Felix blinked. That’s an interesting reply. What did the relations of her old school have to do with her running from something? (Nevermind the fact that Marinette leaving anyone on ‘bad terms’ was shocking. She didn’t seem like the type to make enemies easily.)

“..Is someone stalking you?” He asked, somewhat thinking aloud. The way she ran into the school didn’t strike him as someone who was casually hiding from an awkward situation. If she left her school on bad terms, perhaps someone was trying to corner her for revenge?

She shook her head frantically. “No, no, no! Well.. technically yes, but ‘stalking’ is a strong word. He-”

He?

“-just wants to ‘talk’.” Her expression soured at the last word, and Felix wondered what sort of things one must talk about to have her on the brink of scowling.

“You know we don’t mind picking you up.” He offered. It’s not his policy to involve himself in personal disputes, but Allegra would have his head if he didn’t suggest some sort of support. Plus, more car rides would provide more opportunities for him to ask questions. “If you’re worried about being followed, Allegra and Claude will probably fight tooth and nail to drive you to school too.”

Marinette shook her head again. “I really appreciate it, but that’s not necessary.”

Felix watched her for a moment, not missing the way her hands started fiddling a bit more in her lap. “Well, if you ever change your mind..”

“You’ll be the first to know.” She promised with a smile. It looked a bit forced in his opinion, but he nodded nonetheless.

Felix supposed he should feel wary towards the new student. She hadn’t mentioned why she left her old school, though she admitted she had unnamed squabbles there. That can be considered innocent, but it can also be a skillful way to avoid consequences. As far as he knew, she could be running from her victims who decided to rally against her.

And yet, he couldn’t help being filled with this sense of morbid curiosity. Marinette Dupain-Cheng, a fashionista who appears to have a big heart and a troubled past. She lives in a bakery, yet managed to attend one of the most prestigious schools in the city- possibly the country. She’s riddled with nervousness, but every step she takes tells you that she knows exactly what she’s doing.

Who exactly is Marinette Dupain-Cheng?

Felix couldn’t wait to find out.

Tag List: @artbyknigit @athena452 @nickristus-dreamer @throneoffirebreathingbitchqueen @arsaem @abrx2002 @neakco @pawsitivelymiraculous @too0bsessedformyowngood @nathleigh @lusicing @officiallydarkgeek @all-mights-asscheeks

#Felinette #Felix Culpa #Marinette #Quantic Kids #Rosemary AU #New Girl on the Block

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spartanxhunterx · 2 years

Note

Hugs 35 "cuddle pile" NinoGamiNette

Prompt ask game

Kagami trod into Nino’s home in a sluggish pace, her bag being held in her hand instead of hung over her shoulder.

Nino’s moms weren’t currently home but she didn’t mind, what she wanted was someone else.

Said person peaked out of their room before striding out upon seeing her.

“Gami!” He stopped in front of her, hand extended in that way in how he non-Verbally asked for a hug.

Normally Kagami would protest the use of Gami, would skirt around the hug. Not today. Instead she just dropped her bag and leant into his frame, feeling his arms wrap around her and hold her tight.

Here she felt safe.

Before she knew it the two were on the couch, Nino laying down on top of him as he put pressure between her shoulder blades with his hand. She couldn’t help but try to bury herself further into him. Trying to seek each scrap of comfort she could.

“You wanna tell me what happened?” She could feel his voice vibrate through him and into her, another thing she found comfort in.

She hummed in a non-committed fashion, her way of avoiding the question but also acknowledging it.

“It’s not your mom is it?”

“No, she’s been… better.” Nino had never been a fan of how strict her mother was, she had been getting better but it was slow going.

Nino would have continued but the front door opened again and in tripped Marinette, she flailed for a moment to gain her balance before taking in the scene before her.

“Oh… why didn’t you two invite me? Move over, I’m joining.”

Placing her box of Pastries that she brought with her on the counter before she flopped over the back of the couch, landing on the other two who let out small groans from her landing.

The three of the shuffled slightly until they were all comfortable, Kagami had only moved slightly to Nino’s right, her head resting in the crook of Nino’s neck.

while Marinette half laid on Nino’s left, the other half of her was laying on Kagami’s back, her cheek resting against the fencers shoulder blade.

Between the soft feeling of Nino below her and the pressure from Marinette on top of her she couldn’t possibly feel safer, she wished she could stay like this forever, being cherished by those she loved and who loved her.

Even as all three of them where slowly slipping off the couch.

#NinoGamiNette #miraculous ladybug #Prompt Game

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chocoluckchipz · 3 years

Text

The Other You - 20

Read it on A03, FF.net, WattPad

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Hot streams of water running down his body. The cold despair in his heart. The hollow void, the numbing feeling spreading, conquering, overwhelming whatever was left of him. Her words echoed in his mind, louder with each passing minute.

“And even if I was single, I could never be with you. Our history—I can’t fully trust you, Adrien, and no relationship can work without trust. We can never be together!”

His head hung low, Adrien let the water wash over him. Months of preparations and hard work had paid off for Marinette. She was the star of the show. Her career was practically guaranteed after tonight. He, on the other hand, had miserably failed. All of his attempts to coax her to like his civilian self had been for nothing because years ago he’d broken her trust, effectively ruining all of his chances with her in the future.

One mistake.

A lifetime to pay.

Adrien closed his eyes, succumbing to the gripping pain in his chest. His fists clenched, his knuckles white. He'd tried so hard. He'd pulled all the tricks he could think of, and the only thing he'd achieved was to push her away even more. Two weeks ago, she'd tolerated him enough to agree to lunch. Now, she didn’t even want his friendship.

Where did he go wrong?

Or maybe that shouldn’t be the question. Perhaps, he should consider if all of his attempts were trivial in the first place? Was the hurt he’d caused Marinette too deep for her to ever fully forgive him?

He swallowed back the knot in his throat and shut off the water. Heartbreak aside, Adrien couldn’t spend an hour in the shower. He had a promise to keep.

“Trying to kiss her was a mistake, you know,” Plagg yawned, lounging on the vanity counter. “You’re two different people to her, or did you forget that? You were basically pushing her to cheat on her beloved cat."

"Don't rub it in," Adrien seethed through his teeth. "I didn't plan to do that. It just… just happened. I got caught up in the moment and… nothing happened. She pushed me away, so… Just drop it."

“Yeah, yeah. You’re attention-starved. Feeling too guilty to touch her as Chat, but can't do anything as Adrien, and it’s getting really hard to stay away. Right?”

“Do you really need to bring this up?”

“Just pointing out the obvious, in case you missed it. That was the perfect recipe for a disaster! And now, she hates your guts again. Congratulations.”

His lips pressed into a thin line, Adrien glared at his kwami. Sometimes, Plagg really got on his nerves. Was there even a shred of empathy in that little body of his? Hadn't he witnessed all of Adrien’s struggles these last few weeks with his own eyes? Because staying away from Marinette as Chat Noir was one of the hardest things Adrien had ever had to do. Yet, giving her what she wanted from him was out of the question. Adrien would never forgive himself for taking advantage of her, and being with her as Chat Noir without her knowing his identity would be just that—taking advantage.

“Are you sure you still want to go over there tonight?” Plagg had the decency to ask. “It’s been a long day. Don’t you want to relax at home with a nice movie and a snack?”

Adrien grabbed the towel from the bar and started to dry himself. “Chat Noir promised Marinette he’d come to celebrate her big day. We’re still going.”

“I bet she won’t even be home. She’s probably still partying. You know, having fun like a normal person? Not sneaking away before everyone else to lick his wounds in private. If you wanted to help her celebrate, you should’ve stayed there.”

Adrien shook his head. “She doesn’t want Adrien to celebrate with her. She wants Chat Noir.”

“And what do you want?”

Adrien stilled. Leaning on his arms onto the vanity, he met his own gaze in a mirror.

Him? His wishes? His desires? Did he even dare? And if he did find the bravery for that…

What did he want?

Love. He wanted to be loved. He wanted to be forgiven. He wanted to be accepted… All of him, not just his superhero side. He wanted to be with the woman he loved, to cherish and protect her, to hold her in his arms and kiss her breathless. He wanted to share his life with her. To wake up and fall asleep in her arms. He’d enjoy caring for her. To be by her side, to have her by his. He’d be the luckiest man alive if she’d just let him love her and love him back.

He wanted Marinette.

Despite everything, despite his better judgement and Plagg’s nagging, he still wanted Marinette.

But he supposed it was too selfish of a desire for him. Not after what he’d done to her.

Plagg hovered in front of him, his face unusually serious. “She either wants all of you or she gets none, kid. Don’t go there. It’s not going to end well.”

Adrien swallowed and shook his head, looking away. “We’re going. I promised I’d come, and I’m not failing her again, not even in something so small.”

“Even if it hurts you?”

Adrien didn’t answer, grabbing a bottle of hair balm and starting to work it into his hair.

“I’ve hurt her worse,” he mumbled a short while later. “It’s only fair for me to hurt some too.”

“Oh, bullshit!” Plagg scoffed. “Like she didn’t hurt you enough in return! Kid, I usually don’t care, but you’re going overboard. You have to let her go. She said she’s never giving you another chance, so stop this. Stop destroying yourself.”

Adrien ignored him, brushing his teeth and relocating to his bedroom to finish dressing. He didn’t bother with what he wore much. He didn’t plan on de-transforming in front of Marinette anytime soon. A black t-shirt and dark green lounge pants, something comfortable in which he could plop into his bed upon returning. He checked up on the sleeping Nooroo and Duusu, refilling their food supplies, and only then turned to Plagg. “Ready?”

The kwami frowned, crossing his tiny arms over his chest. “When did you become a masochist, kid?”

“I’m not a masochist. I just want to finish what I’ve started. That’s all.”

Plagg groaned, throwing his paws into the air. “Do what you want, but you’re just setting yourself up for more hurt. What are you going to do when she finds out who you are? Because she will find out sooner or later.”

Adrien looked away, a dull ache gripping at his chest.

Marinette couldn’t know.

Not after he’d learned that there would never be a chance for him. Not after he’d gone behind her back again in something that directly concerned her. He hadn’t learned his lesson at all, no matter how much he claimed he did. She’d probably hate him even more if she were to find out. She’d probably assume he didn’t think she could do things on her own, which wasn’t true because he did believe in her and he knew how strong and capable and independent she was. She wasn’t Ladybug for nothing.

He just didn’t want her to kill herself while she was at it.

He only wanted to help, which was something she’d asked for herself. Only, Marinette would’ve never accepted help from Adrien, so he had no choice but to improvise. Would she still hate him? Most likely. Given their history and current relationship, Adrien didn’t expect anything less.

“Adrien, please,” Plagg continued to nag. “You wanted to help her. You did it. Now, let her go. Don’t wait for her to kick your ass into oblivion for being stupid.”

He ran his hands through his hair. He hated the idea, but perhaps Plagg was right. If Adrien wanted to prevent his reveal and spare them both unnecessary hurt, he had to let her go. And now, while Marinette was distracted by her success, was perhaps the best time to do so. She was sure to be thrown into a whirlwind of events, work and new experiences quite soon. New people, new connections, new opportunities… She’d hardly miss him, if at all.

He didn’t want to simply vanish on her like he did the last time, though. The least Marinette deserved was some kind of an explanation. Perhaps, he could say he was moving away due to his work. Or he could claim he’d always wanted to travel the world and now was his only chance. Ideally, he’d slowly fade away and she’d forget all about him soon thereafter. He’d think of something…

He would have to break up with her.

His breath stumbled in his chest. Legs giving out on him, Adrien collapsed into a nearby chair. They’d just started dating… Though, it was hard to even call it dating. Not with the way things were between them. And yet he’d have to break up with her before he could vanish. He’d have to break Marinette’s heart no matter what he did—let her go, or stay and reveal himself. He closed his eyes, gripping his head with his hands.

He didn’t want to do that.

He didn’t want to hurt her more.

He’d already lived through losing everyone important to him. His mother. His father. His friends.

He couldn’t lose his Lady as well.

He loved her.

“Kid, are you alright?” Plagg carefully touched his arm. “Don’t worry. There are other fish in the—“

“Shut up, Plagg! Can you, please, just shut up for just a moment?”

The kwami grumbled and turned away, crossing his arms over his chest. “I’m just trying to be optimistic.”

Adrien closed his eyes and inhaled.

In.

Out.

Breathe.

Let it all out.

Repeat.

There had to be another way. He had to be able to do something to avoid hurting Marinette again.

His eyes caught a glimpse of the clock.

He’d have to think about it later because now he was morbidly late to their dinner, and Marinette was probably worrying over his tardiness. Without a second thought, he stood up and called for his transformation. Grabbing a package of wine and chocolates he’d prepared for her as a present, Chat jumped out the window and headed to her apartment.

All pain and worries aside, today was her big day and he had to put her first, which meant her boyfriend had to be on his best behaviour and make her happy… even if his own heart was breaking with every passing minute because he couldn’t love her the way she deserved to be loved.

Because she couldn't love him the way he wished she would.

***

Judging by the lack of lights in the windows, Marinette was most likely still out. She must have gotten held up at the after-party—nothing unusual for the industry and someone in her position, especially today. The balcony door he always used to get in was open, clearly signalling that she wasn't against him waiting for her inside.

He wasn’t hungry himself, but Marinette would probably appreciate a warm meal upon her return. There were two marinated steaks she’d prepared for them for tonight in the fridge. Perhaps, too heavy of a meal at this hour, and it wasn’t like he’d be able to cook them properly anyway. Cheese would do. Grapes and bread too. Some wine to finish the meal off.

Chat got all the ingredients he needed, cutting cheese and bread into slices and arranging them on a plate. He put the wine he’d brought in a chiller and washed grapes, taking them off the vine and putting them into one of his mother’s crystal bowls. She used to collect them back in the day. He chose the best one he could find.

Setting the table, Chat went through the trouble of finding candles and lighting a few in the centre of the dining table. Two plates at each end, two wine glasses and silverware. Food prepared and stored in the fridge, he was ready for his Lady’s return. To kill some time, he settled on a couch in the living room and turned on the TV just so he wouldn’t slip back into thinking about the inevitable break-up he’d have to mastermind.

Marinette came an hour later, stumbling on her high heels and sweetly grinning at him upon entering. “My Kitty. You came.”

Her face flushed, lips trembled, a sparkle in her half-lidded eyes, and messy hairdo… There was no denying it.

“You’re drunk.”

“I am not.” Marinette pulled off her shoes and threw them in a corner, immediately after pulling all the pins out of her hair and shaking her head. “Just a little tipsy. Nothing serious. But I had to. After that…" She bit her lower lip, looking away. “…celebrate. Yes, I had to celebrate. That’s it. My show was a blast so a few drinks were in order. Sorry, I'm late. Couldn't get out sooner. Ugh. I’m exhausted.”

“Congratulations on your success. You’ve definitely earned it.”

“Too bad Felix bailed on me,” she grumbled. “He would’ve loved the show, and he deserved to be there for all the ovations. I’ll give him an earful about it next time I see him.”

“I’m sure he’d love that.” Chat couldn't help a smile. One of the reasons he loved Marinette was just that—she cared for those she considered friends with her whole heart. Too bad Adrien wasn’t on her list anymore. He had to push through, though. He’d figure out what to do with his broken heart later. “Would you like something to eat or to bed we go?”

Marinette’s lips stretched in the most seductive grin she could manage at the moment as she wiggled her eyebrows and leaned closer. “We?”

Chat shook his head. “No, M’Lady. You need actual sleep. I’ll go home.”

She pursed her lips in a pout. “You’re no fun, Chaton. Food it is, then.”

“Alright. Just keep in mind I’m no chef, so it’ll be more like snacks.”

She stepped closer, her fingers dancing across his chest as she looked up at him from under those long eyelashes. “Say, Chat. Did anyone ever tell you you look like a snack?”

His heart was not strong enough for this. He almost responded when the scent of alcohol hit his nose. Chat swallowed, trying to get a grip on his own emotions, and pulled back. Maybe he was a masochist after all—letting this woman break him over and over again, yet still coming back for more. Did he secretly enjoy this torture?

What was wrong with him?

But… what a persistent woman she was! Stubborn and determined, confidently walking to her goals no matter what. Just the way he liked her.

“Not today, Marinette. You need to sober up first.”

“I’m perfectly fineee.” She batted her eyes at him, pulling him closer. “Just taste and you’ll see—”

Kwamis give me strength!

“I guess this means you’re off to bed and I’m going home?”

That seemed to do the trick. Marinette pursed her lips and withdrew, heading for the kitchen. “You promised me snacks. Don’t you dare to leave without feeding me first.”

“Would never dream of it.”

Once at the dining table, he motioned for Marinette to sit while he brought out the food he’d prepared. Marinette settled in a chair and put her hands on the table, resting her chin on them. Her eyes focused on the candles’ flame.

"Pretty. You're so thoughtful, Chaton. I love watching fire.”

“I thought you’d want something relaxing to look at after a hard day of work.” He sat across the table in his seat. “Enjoy the food. I’m sorry it’s not much.”

“It’s perfect," Marinette whispered, watching him with half-lidded eyes. She popped a grape into her mouth and chewed. “You’re perfect, Chaton. Way more perfect than I am.”

He wanted to smile, yet the dull ache that gripped his heart kept him grounded in the reality of the situation. If only she knew who she was saying these words to she’d take them back. A lump at the back of his throat, Chat focused his eyes on his plate. “You’re overestimating me. The real—”

He sucked in a gasp at an unexpected touch. Somehow, Marinette was a breath away from him, his face cradled in her hands as she raised it to look at him.

“Don’t you dare to object,” she said, looking him in the eyes. “You are perfect. I don’t deserve you. I never did, but I love you so much. Please, why won’t you accept me?”

“I love you too, Marinette,” he whispered, gripped with throbbing pain.

“Then prove it.”

She leaned up, her eyes fluttering close, her lips aiming for his.

Chat tensed and pulled back.

He couldn’t.

No matter how damn hard he wanted to kiss her, he couldn’t do that because she would hate him even more if he kissed her. She’d never want to kiss Adrien.

He couldn’t do that to her.

He couldn’t do that to himself.

“I think you’ve had one too many drinks,” he whispered instead. “You should go to bed and we’ll celebrate some other time.”

Her whole body stiffened. Eyes closed, lips pressed together, Marinette pulled back, turning away. When she spoke, her voice was sharp enough to cut steel.

“Just admit it. You don’t love me. You never did.”

“What? No!” He protested without a second thought. Even knowing that a break-up was coming, Chat still hated the idea of her doubting his feelings. “Of course, I love you, Marinette, but you need to rest now. You aren’t thinking clearly.”

“I just had a few drinks. I’m not drunk!”

“You’ve got a tiny body, and you barely drink, if ever. A few drinks for someone else might not be an issue, but for you—”

Groaning, she jerked around and stomped away. “Don’t patronize me! All I wanted was to kiss my boyfriend. How is that not thinking clearly?”

He looked away in desperation. Pathetic. He couldn’t even explain this to her. He’d only make it worse if he did.

Then… could it be any worse than it already was?

“Marinette, I’m sorry but—”

“You can’t kiss me until you solve your issues, right?”

He nodded.

“And when will that happen?”

“I don’t know.”

Marinette huffed, throwing her arms into the air. “Do you want to know what I know? I know you don’t love me, Chat—”

“Mari—”

“Don’t you dare!” She swung around and pointed her finger at him. “Don’t you even dare to say I’m wrong because you know I’m right. You don’t love me. You don’t love Ladybug anymore and you never loved Marinette to start with. Why do you even bother with me at all?”

Something stirred in the pit of his stomach, coursed through his veins and ignited a fire in his chest. He might be a jerk and he might have withheld information and deceived her—mind you with good intentions—but he had never lied about his feelings!

“You’re wrong! I do love you—"

“You refused to confess your feelings to Ladybug, and the minute you found out I was her, you distanced yourself from me! Tell me I’m wrong.”

“There’s a good reason—”

"A good reason of not loving me!”

“No! It’s not that.”

“Explain then! Because I’m sick and tired of you keeping it vague. What issues do you have to deal with? Why are they stopping you from kissing the person you claim to love? Tell me, Chat! Why?”

His fists clenched at his sides, Adrien pressed his lips into a thin line and looked away.

He couldn’t.

Not yet.

Maybe he could come up with another crazy idea to fix this?

He just had to ignore the fire rapidly spreading through his veins.

He would resist.

He would contain it.

“Thought so,” Marinette whispered bitterly and turned around. “Leave. I don’t want to see you right now.”

“Marinette, listen—"

“Leave, Chat!” She hugged herself, the skin on her arms under her fingertips turning white. “I don’t want to hear any more of your lies and excuses.”

“I’m not lying!"

“Then why wouldn’t you tell me at least the reason you refuse to kiss me?”

“I can’t. Not yet…”

“Then come back when you’re ready to talk.”

Chat clenched his jaw, fighting the tears gathering in his eyes. His breathing ragged, he closed his eyes, struggling to restrain the resentment and anger boiling inside his chest.

It hurt.

So much.

It tore him apart, ripped through his heart, destroying the last bits of caring he had.

What was even the point now?

She hated him.

Not just the Adrien part of him anymore.

She hated both sides of him now. Perhaps, it was his chance then? He didn't have to orchestrate anything. Marinette had already done all the work.

“So, this is it? Is this the end?”

“Only if you want it to be,” she said, her back to him. “I love you, Chat. I really do, but this hurts. I’m giving you my whole self every single day, and you keep pushing me away without an explanation. Why? Why do you hate me so much?”

“I don’t hate you… I just can’t tell you some things. Not yet, at least. If I did, it’ll hurt you more than this.”

“So you’re, what? Protecting me?”

He could see the anger in her eyes, could feel the spite in her words as she glared at him over her shoulder.

“I don’t need protection, Chat. I handled monsters on a daily basis for years. Sometimes, I even had to fight them and you! I can deal with whatever you’re keeping a secret from me. Don’t you see it hurts me more when I don’t know what’s going on?”

Chat clenched his fists so hard his knuckles turned white inside his gloves.

It hurt her more when he kept his identity a secret? He doubted she’d think the same if she knew.

“Why can’t you trust me? I’m not a weakling.”

He had never thought her to be one!

“Please, Chat. Just tell me what’s going on. I can handle ”

He had nothing to lose anymore. He had to let her go anyway, so maybe he should tell her everything. Fulfil one last wish of hers before closing this chapter of his life.

Right here.

Right now.

Cut it clean and be done with it.

“You want the truth?”

He didn’t care anymore. Too tired. Too weak to stop the words that avalanched out of his mouth.

“The truth, Marinette, is that you are the one who doesn’t love me! You’re the one who pushes me away. You. Not me. And why? Because of one mistake I made years ago? One! And only because I was trying to be a good friend and wanted what’s best for you!”

He shook his head, struggling to form a coherent thought. “I should’ve stayed away. It wasn’t my business. I should’ve let you make your own mistakes. But no! I had to help. I had to protect you. How stupid of me! You’re right. You’re strong enough to handle everything on your own. You don’t need me.

“You say this hurts? But do you know how much losing your friends, being cut off and cast away like you’re the biggest jerk in the universe hurts? Do you? And all because you tried to help a friend! You didn’t even let me explain!”

His hands gripped his head, he pressed his lips in a thin line for a few seconds, taking a quick breath before continuing. “But you know, I deserved this. I should've been smarter than to help you again as soon as I saw you struggling. And here’s the funny part—you’ll get a real kick out of it—I rushed to help you while you despised me so much you couldn’t even stand to be in the same room with me for more than five minutes! Really. I should win a Nobel Prize for being the dumbest person on this planet. Stupid, brainless, and pathetic because despite knowing everything, knowing you hated me and knowing you’d never forgive me… I still managed to fall in love with you. That, Marinette, is what really hurts.”

“What are you talking about?” Marinette whispered, her eyes wide, lips parted in shock.

He didn’t hear, though, all the pent-up, suppressed resentment spilling over, his voice cracking with every word. “I’ve tried Marinette. I’ve tried so hard to get you to like me. Like, not even love. I’d be happy if you just thought of me as a friend. I gave you my all, but it was useless. It was all for nothing. Because of one mistake. Because you’ll never trust me again and there is nothing I can do about it. Nothing! I tried! And I failed.”

Marinette grabbed his hand, her eyes frantic. “What are you talking about? Chat, I love you. Of course, I trust you. We’ve been partners for years. I trust you with my life. How can you even think I don’t trust you?”

Adrien laughed. Bitterly. Resentfully. Almost insanely. “Oh really? Can you look me in my eyes without this mask on and repeat that?”

“Of course I can! I love the man underneath the mask, the man I know you truly are.”

He didn’t think twice. He didn’t think at all. He just commanded.

“Plagg, claws in.”

The moment the mask disappeared from his face, Marinette took a step back, covering her mouth with her hands.

“Can you say you love me now, Marinette?” Adrien repeated, keeping his eyes on her.

Her eyes wide, she stared at him in silence.

Adrien closed his eyes and swallowed the lump in his throat away.

This was a mistake.

This whole thing was a mistake.

He should’ve stayed away from her just as Plagg had insisted.

"Claws out," he whispered and, turning around, walked towards the balcony. He didn't look back as he opened the door. No one called for him to come back or at least to wait, so he jumped out of the window and vanished into the darkness, leaving Marinette behind.

***

His legs heavy, Chat ran. Ran as fast as he could, as far away as he was able to, stopping only when there was nowhere else to go. His vision blurring, he collapsed on his knees and leaned into his arms, letting a devastating cry out into the night from the top of the Eiffel Tower.

She didn’t answer his question which meant it was probably a no.

She didn’t call for him when he was leaving.

She didn’t follow him here.

She really did hate him now.

Chat curled in on himself, hiding behind one of the beams. Numb and broken, streams of tears poured down his face. He hugged his knees. His head hung low, only one question violating his thoughts.

Why?

Why was he so stupid?

Why couldn’t he be smarter and avoid repeating his own mistakes?

Why did she hate him so much?

Why?

Was he so unlovable?

Was it that impossible to forgive him even after everything he had done to apologize?

Why couldn’t he change anything?

Why did all of his efforts bring nothing but more complications and hurt?

Why did he still care in the first place?

Why did he have to fall in love with the only woman who hated his guts?

Why?

Why couldn’t it all just end?

The pain.

The despair.

The throbbing, burning wound on his bleeding heart.

He wrapped his arms around his body and tried to stop thinking. Thoughts were painful. They hurt. It would get better eventually. He might be all alone again, but it would change one day. He hoped it would. He just had to get through this.

Somehow.

He wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but by the time his tears ceased, the city was starting to wake up. The eastern corner of the sky coloured yellow, chasing away the dark clouds above him. Dawn of a new day. A promise of light after the darkness. Chat used to love sunrises. Now, he looked at the first rays peeking from behind the horizon and felt nothing.

Tears ceased. The pain dulled or maybe he just got used to it. He wasn’t sure. He blindly starred in front of himself, releasing his transformation.

“Kid, what are you doing?! Get away from the ledge!” Plagg yelled, forgetting all about his usual request for cheese.

Adrien sadly chuckled. “Don’t worry, Plagg. I’m not suicidal. I… I just don’t want to be alone right now.”

Plagg understood without further explanation. He silently crawled into Adrien’s hands, nestling in his lap. They sat in silence for a few moments before Adrien spoke again.

“Plagg?”

“Yeah?”

“Why was I chosen to be your wielder?”

“Why do you suddenly want to know that after all these years?”

“I don’t know.” He fell quiet for a moment, gathering his thoughts. “Maybe because if I know that there is something inside me that would always lead to destruction and failure, it’d be easier to stop wanting stuff, stop wishing for something wholesome in my life. You know, like if you know that you’re destined to be a villain, it’s easier to accept that and stop trying to be the good guy, someone you weren’t born to be. You can’t fight destiny, right?”

“What do you mean?” Plagg frowned, flying up to look at Adrien closer. “You weren’t destined for anything like that, kid. There isn't such a thing as destiny at all. And even if there was, you choose your destiny yourself.”

“Well, what about all those ‘they were destined to be this and that’ or ‘they are destined to be together’? There is something. People can feel it.”

"There are people who have specific talents and qualities to be something others can't because they lack said traits. And some people work better with each other than with others because they share similar values, goals and have compatible characters. It's not destiny. You're the owner of your life, kid, and you can choose to be whoever and with whomever you want. Easy. Don't complicate stuff that shouldn't be complicated."

“Then, tell me, what do we share for me to be chosen to be your wielder? Do we share values or goals? Or maybe I’m just so naturally good at destroying everything around me, Master Fu deemed me to be a fitting partner to the kwami of destruction.”

"Now you're talking nonsense. You need to rest."

Adrien shook his head. “No. There is obviously something and I want to know what it is. Do we share some kind of negative energy or bad luck tendencies? Tell me. Why was I chosen?”

Plagg sighed, looking straight into Adrien’s eyes. “Kid, the wielders of the Black Cat miraculous are chosen based on the purity of their hearts. Kindness, selflessness, compassion. Those are the qualities the Guardian is looking for because, believe me, it takes a whole lot of good in a person to counterbalance my destruction and control the chaos I embody. You weren’t chosen because of some negative energy voodoo or destiny’s cruel joke. You were chosen because, despite your circumstances, you were strong enough to preserve a pure, kind and selfless heart.

“So, there,” Plagg grumbled. “You were chosen because you have so much good in you that only you could counterbalance me. That’s all it is. But don’t you start assuming you’re taking on some of my bad luck in return. That’s not how it works. I do not affect you in any way apart from draining your wallet for my Camembert.”

Adrien stared at Plagg, dumbfounded. “Then why does this keep happening to me? Why do I keep screwing up? If I’m such a great person, why can’t I be happy for once?”

“Because you’re human,” Plagg shrugged. “Humans do tons of shit all the time and sometimes, it’s just harder to get out of one particular pile of shit than out of another. That’s all.”

Adrien sadly chuckled. “That’s all?”

“That’s all.”

“Sucks to be human then.”

“Sucks to think there is something more to this life than a good wheel of Camembert.”

Adrien laughed. “You’re right, Plagg. You were right all along, and you know what? From now on, I’m listening only to you. You did manage to keep ‘Felix’ in line, so I’m sure you can keep Adrien out of trouble as well.”

“About time you recognized my talents. And since I’m the boss now, I say we should go home. It’s late and you’re shivering.”

He was cold. And sleepy. His eyes were practically closing on their own. He didn’t even notice. But Plagg did. He cared. Someone did care. Then, maybe Adrien should return the favour and care only for those who did the same for him?

“Your wish is my command, Boss.” He smiled, standing up.

“I like the sound of that,” Plagg smirked. “The Boss also says we’ll buy more Camembert from now on.”

Adrien petted his kwami’s head. “Absolutely. Especially since I’m also switching to the Camembert-obsessed way of life starting today. We’ll definitely need more of it now that you have to share.”

Plagg's eyes blew round. "Share? Who said anything about sharing? You get your own stack. You can afford it."

“And here I thought you liked me enough to share your precious cheese with me.”

“You really need to sleep. Transform and let's go already.”

Adrien took one last look at the rising sun and inhaled the morning breeze. For better or for worse, there were no more secrets between Marinette and him, apart from the ‘Felix’ part, perhaps. As always, he didn’t let it all out in the best of ways, but he did tell her everything. Now, all he could do was to wait and see what she decided to do with this mess. If she cut him off again… Well, that wouldn’t be surprising. They didn’t even have much between them this time around, to begin with. Why would she want him around? However, if by some miracle she understood and forgave and accepted him…

Adrien bitterly chuckled, shaking his head. He really did need some sleep. Only a severely exhausted, delusional, sleep-deprived mess of a human would hope that Marinette could give him another chance after everything.

Pushing the thought away, he called for his transformation and headed home, falling into the blissful oblivion of sleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. Things wouldn't seem so grave in the morning. He wasn't completely alone. He had never been.

He had Plagg.

Next >

#miraculous ladybug #marichat #adrienette #ml #chat noir #marinette dupain-cheng #adrien agreste #ladybug #the other you

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alexiessan · 4 years

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Never alone - Chapter Four - Soulmate AU

AO3

Previous - Here - Next

Master List

For most of his life, Damian has been told by his mother and his grandfather that soulmates were nothing but a nuisance and a weakness. His mother told him he was lucky that he didn’t have any physical sign of having a soulmate bond, even if it was unlikely that he didn’t have one.

She told him that it would be better if he didn’t have one, but there was nothing they could do about it. At least, he didn’t have any way to communicate with them, which meant no distraction in his training.

Damian knew better than to express his opinion when he was in the league of assassins. He has been taught to repress his emotions, and he was good at that. Too good, even, but it didn’t mean that he didn’t have them.

The boy disagreed with his mother and his grandfather. He liked the idea of someone out there meant for him. Whether it was platonic or romantic, it didn’t matter. Growing up practically alone without anyone his age around, he felt a bit lonely. So knowing that someone was out there, who would be there for him and understanding, who would be his perfect match, it gave him hope.

A hope that he could never show as a child.

When he met his father and his brothers, and Alfred, their thoughts on the matter of soulmates were different. For them, the bond was something to cherish, to look forward too.

Damian preferred that point of view.

He still struggled with showing his feelings. Repressing them for years made some damage, and while he was doing better now, at fifteen, he wasn’t quite there yet. He knew that people around him thought he was a cold, emotionless teenage boy. He heard what his classmates said about him. They called him the “Ice King“, laughing silently as they whispered about how he didn’t have friends, how he would never find a girlfriend and spread rumors about him not having a soulmate at all.

He didn’t care. But his brothers and best friend did.

Jon would always try to defend him, saying that if you were brave enough to try to get to know him, Damian was a nice guy.

A blunt guy, without any filters, but still a nice guy.

Well, maybe not nice. But a good guy.

The son of Bruce Wayne would gut himself with his swords before admitting this out loud, but it made him happy that his friend thought so highly of him.

Like he said, even if he didn’t show it, he does have feelings.

So, when he met this dark-haired girl with bright, bright blue eyes and saw her eye change as their eyes met, he was happy, if a bit shocked.

He wasn’t prepared to meet his soulmate.

Especially not as Robin.

“You ok there, baby bird?”

Nightwing’s voice woke him up from his thought. His older brother was smiling at him, a hand on his shoulder.

Five years ago, he would have violently reacted to the touch. Today, he appreciated the gesture.

His brothers didn’t say anything about the change in him, but he knew from their smiles and the way they always tried to subtly touch him that they appreciated his progress.

One day, maybe, he would tell them that he was happy they were a family.

Just, not today. Not yet.

“Yeah, I’m ok. I just wasn’t expecting that.”

Nightwing laughed.

“I can imagine. A bit awkward that you met your soulmate as Robin, but I’m sure you’ll manage. So, what’s her name?”

Robin paused. Damn, he didn’t get her name. What kind of idiot forgets to ask for their soulmate’s name?

“Shit, I forgot to ask.”

As Nightwing laughed, Robin caught a movement from the hotel. He watched as a window opened and saw his soulmate looking down at him, waving and smiling at him.

She had a nice smile, he thought as he nodded to her.

“We agreed to meet at one though, so I’ll get her name then.”

“Alright. Do you want me to tell B?”

Robin thought about it. They rarely talked about soulmates as most of them didn’t find theirs. It would probably be awkward as Bruce was as bad with feelings as he was, but he should tell his father the news himself.

“No, I’ll tell him.”

Nightwing smiled at him. It was this ‘I’m proud of you’ smile that always made him feel weird, in a good way.

“It’s probably better that way. Nice eye, by the way. Blue eyes suit you.”

Unconsciously, Robin raised a hand to his left eye. He sighed.

“As nice as it may be, I have to hide it if I want the press off my back. I need to ask you something.”

Marinette looked at her reflection in the mirror. She was currently in the bathroom back in their hotel room as Alya was on her laptop.

It had been difficult to hide her eye during dinner with everyone. She was always repositioning her bangs, so much so that the reporter asked her what was wrong with her hair.

Now, it was 10 pm, three hours until Robin’s visit. She was lucky that her best friend was an early sleeper, if 11 pm could be called an early bedtime.

Then again, Marinette was a night owl, so she wouldn’t really know about healthy sleeping habits.

As the designer looked at herself in the mirror, she couldn’t help but stare at her left eye.

The eye that was now green, the color of her soulmate’s eyes.

It was a really beautiful jade green color.

The blue-eyed girl still couldn’t believe that she met her soulmate. And that he was a vigilante from Gotham, America.

That would complicate things. She always imagined, when she met her soulmate, that she would tell her parents right away. They would be so happy and hug her. She was sure her father would even cry tears of joy.

But she couldn’t tell anyone that Robin was her soulmate. If one day, he chose to tell her who he was — and she hoped he would one day, just not now, she knew all about secret identities — it would compromise his identity if people knew about her soulmate being Robin.

So, no. There was no telling anyone.

But she was so happy, she felt like dancing and smiling like crazy. She couldn’t repress her smile and the small laugh that escaped her.

“I’m so happy for you, Marinette!”

The tiny kwami was smiling at her, her big blue eyes shining at her holder.

“Thanks, Tikki. I’m happy too. I can’t wait to get to know him.”

The tiny god smiled.

“You’ll find that soulmates have a very special bond, Marinette. You will get attached faster than with anyone before, but it won’t force any feelings on you. It will be all you.”

She knew about that already. The soulbond made you attached really quickly, but it was pretty much all it did, besides telling you that this specific person was made for you.

The baker’s daughter looked at the mirror once more.

“I still need to hide that eye, though. Even if I don’t want to.” she sighed.

It was one o’clock sharp when Marinette heard a knock on the window. The girl looked at Alya, who didn’t react at all to the sound, still sound asleep.

The French girl opened the window and didn’t hesitate to the hand that Robin was extending. She wasn’t scared when he pulled her to him and only watched as he closed the window behind her, letting only a few inches open so she could open it later.

With his grappling hook, they were on the roof in seconds, the sensation not unlike the one she got as Ladybug.

They were silent for a few seconds before she decided to break it.

“Hi again.”

“Hi,” he breathed.

The fashion designer only smiled, struggling a little to come up with what to say next.

“Oh, I didn’t introduce myself earlier, did I?”, she asked, talking in English.

Robin shook his head.

“Then, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Marinette Dupain-Cheng. I’m fifteen years old, and I come from Paris. I’m here with my class on a trip for two weeks. And I guess we’re soulmates. It’s very nice to meet you.” she smiled.

Robin watched as his soulmate smiled at him. It reminded him of Dick’s smiles, the ones everyone called ‘Sunshine smiles’.

The vigilante looked at Marinette, really looked at her for the first time since he met her. She had bright blue eyes, one of them jade green now, that were shining with happiness. Her hair was black with blue high lights and he could see freckles on her nose and cheeks.

She was pretty. But there was something about her, he was sure that he’s seen her before, but where? He obviously didn’t look at her in the eyes back then, but she seemed familiar.

And he’s been silent for too long.

“It’s nice to meet you, Marinette.”

He tried, but he has always struggled with the French accent, so he was pretty sure he said her name the wrong way.

But she only smiled at him.

“I’m Robin. I’m afraid I can’t tell you much more than that… Ah, I’m fifteen too.”

“It’s ok, I understand.”

There was another silence then.

“Ah, I have something for you.” he finally said.

He searched his pockets and got a small white box out.

“I found contacts that should match your eye color, if you want to hide your left eye.”

She beamed as he handed it to her.

“That’s great, thank you! Not that I want to hide it or anything! I don’t want to! But it would be easier than to explain, and it could compromise your identity!”

“It’s ok, I know what you mean.”

His soulmate smiled and sat down on the roof. An idea struck him as he took his cape off and put it on her, pulling the hood on her head.

“Just in case some journalists decided to go on a night walk. We wouldn’t want you all over the front page tomorrow.”

She laughed.

“No, we wouldn’t want that. Thank you.”

He nodded at her.

“I know you can’t tell me who you are, but we can still get to know each other, right? As long as I don’t ask for personal informations that would expose your identity to me…”

He gave her a small smile.

“Alright, ask away, Marinette.”

Tag list:

@bigpicklebananatree @animegirlweeb @crazylittlemunchkin @northernbluetongue @cutechip @justafanwarrior @iloontjeboontje @resignedcatservant @maribat-is-lifeblood @i-like-fairytail-and-stuff @toodaloo-kangaroo @mikantsume

#ml x dc #miraculous x dc #maribat #daminette #maridami #damian x marinette

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chrwrites · 4 years

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Take Me As You Please - Chapter 1

When Marinette’s worse dream comes true, she does everything she can to let her feelings for Adrien go, and Luka only wants to be there for her – that’s what friends are for, right?

A lot of feelings can happen in one summer.

read on ao3

Luka loved summer. Paris was less chaotic since most people were away for the holidays, the usually crowded streets were empty and this allowed him to enjoy his city more than he already did. Everything was quieter but more colourful, the world seemed to flourish around him and he allowed himself to fully absorb that energy. Summer meant warm sunny days, and the way the breeze brushed his skin and ruffled his hair inspired new songs, now that school was over he finally had time to focus only on his music. Summer was a chance to recharge before going back to the ordinary, he could let go of his worries for a moment and take things slow, free his mind. Summer tasted like freedom and sweet juicy fruits, and Luka loved and cherished every moment of it.

He sat on a couch on the deck of the Liberty, gently strumming his acoustic guitar while he waited for the rest of his bandmates to arrive at band practice. The Liberty welcomed his and Juleka's friends, they spent most of the time hanging out on the houseboat, some playing music, some writing, some drawing. They even managed to bring a table tennis table on board to everyone's delight. At the end of the day they would watch orange and red lights gleam on the Seine, the sun setting on the horizon painting the buildings in a warmer colour, and each sunset was so unique Luka wanted to capture them through music, but he struggled to find the perfect melody for the incredible arrangement of yellow, pink, red and orange in the sky he was lucky to see almost everyday. Not being able to find the perfect tune for something was more frustrating than he’d admit, he usually got it right at the first try and then he would start composing from there, that was the difficult part. But this time it felt like something was missing. There was only one time when he found difficult to find the perfect tune for something, or rather, someone –

“Luka! The guys haven't arrived yet?" Marinette's voice interrupted his thoughts, he looked up at her direction and smiled. She just got off the gangplank and was walking up to him, she was wearing a white sundress with small cherries printed on it and her dark hair were styled into a side braid. Oh, she was beautiful. And while he admired her, she stumbled on a cable on the floor.

“Woah, careful there” he let out a small chuckle.

“I’m okay, I’m okay!”, she said a little too loudly as she straightened up, tightening the grip on the bag she was holding. That was his Marinette. Well, not his in that sense¸ he wished she was, but her heart belonged to someone else.

She was the Marinette he learned to know so well during the last two years. The clumsy, sweet and joyful Marinette, the girl he fell in love with, and even though he knew that his feelings weren’t reciprocated, he was happy with being by her side as a friend, and he respected her enough not to push his feelings on her. Why should he, anyway? She was free to love whoever she wanted, even if this meant suffering and crying about it for hours in his arms. He hated seeing her like this, and he wished he could do more for her, and of course he could do more for her. He could be what she needed, he could treat her like she deserved, but it wasn’t him she wanted for that. The only thing he could do for her was being there for her, and that’s exactly what he did. They got close and hung out together, they learned to know each other, she allowed herself to be vulnerable around him and he was happy about that. He gave her the chance to be herself and nothing else, and she was happy with that. That’s the only thing that mattered.

“I brought macarons for everyone” she said, sitting next to him and placing the bag she was holding on the wooden deck “Where are they?”

“Oh, Jules and Rose went to get ice cream, and Ivan and Mylène are arriving at 4:30” he shrugged. They sat in silence as he plucked the strings of his guitar, the same melody he was playing before she arrived filling the air. She was looking at her sundress, gently pulling at its creases to straighten them a little.

“That’s a new one” she commented, a tiny smile forming on her face “I like it”

“It’s not perfect yet” he noted, and set the guitar aside, looking at her. She didn’t look her usual joyful self, her face was serious and her ocean eyes were dull. It seemed like something was torturing her mind.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, looking directly into her eyes.

Marinette looked away and took a deep breath, she didn’t know where to start, she burdened him with so many of her problems and didn’t want to put more weight on his shoulders. Especially since this time she would’ve reminded him of when she asked him to go on a double date with Adrien and Kagami, the first time she chose Adrien over him, and he let her. Luka accepted it and he didn’t even start to behave differently around her. Marinette felt like she didn’t deserve to be treated so gently, but he did it anyway. He never made her feel wrong for her own feelings, even if he was hurt by them. Luka deserved much better than her crying on his shoulder for her unrequited crush while he felt the same way about her, but time has passed since he confessed his feelings to her, and after that he never made another move. Besides, didn’t he start seeing someone recently? What was his name again? Elliott, right? He had moved on. Marinette met him at band practice once, he was nice and pretty and definitely Luka’s type. Too bad they broke up right before school ended. Marinette was the first person to know, “We weren’t invested enough” was all he said, and she didn’t dare to ask him more about it, she just told him that she was sorry and he stayed at hers, they watched a movie and ordered pizza, just like friends do after a break up. Yes, he must be over her, she could tell him without being afraid to hurt him, it’s not like she has never talked to him about Adrien, anyway.

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t feel like it” he said, catching her attention.

“Well, it’s just that – she closed her eyes, wincing at the thought of saying it out loud – Adrien and Kagami are dating”. It was awfully real now.

Luka stayed silent for a while, trying to find the right words to say, but he only wanted to hold her and comfort her.

“He texted me today” she continued “he told me she had asked him out. They went on a picnic at the park and when he walked her home they kissed. And he’s happy he’s finally found someone that fully understands him. – Luka put his hand on her shoulder – I lied. I told him I was happy for them too. They’re my friends after all, I should be happy for them, but...”

She finally turned to Luka, who was looking at her with so much care and understanding she felt like collapsing.

“I feel so stupid, I’ve spent the last two years trying to create the perfect moment for me to confess my feelings for him and it was useless. I kept making up excuses for my hesitation. I was never brave enough to tell him how I really felt. I kept stuttering and I never took a chance to express myself and I even complained about him considering me just a friend? I didn’t do anything to make him truly understand how I felt! Hell, I’m the one who suggested him to get closer to her in the first place! If I weren’t so insecure, maybe things would have been different. Maybe I des–

“Enough with the negative self-talk” Luka snapped, surprising himself and Marinette for the harsh tone that came out of his mouth. He sighed, looking at her in the eyes and getting closer to her. If it weren’t for the helpless and sad look on Marinette’s face he would've found this whole situation pretty ironic. Actually, he could see the irony in the situation. He was comforting the girl he was in love with because her crush unknowingly shattered her heart. The universe must’ve been laughing at him.

“Sorry” he whispered “I hate it when you put yourself down, you should be kinder to yourself”.

Marinette looked down and stayed silent. If she opened his mouth Luka would’ve scolded her again for being too hard on herself.

“Do you want to know what I think?” Luka asked, his voice softer than ever. Marinette nodded helplessly and looked at him.

“I think that everyone could see that you were head over heels for him, and he was completely oblivious because he was fine with having you as a friend, and you shouldn’t blame yourself for this. I think that even if you have never been direct with your feelings, he could've understood how you felt. You behaved differently around him and he never noticed nor questioned it”. Marinette gazed at him, nodding hesitantly “Y-You’re right, maybe I should just try to let this go. I mean, when I talk to him as a friend I don’t get flustered that easily, it’s easier for me to be with him, I’m not afraid that something might go wrong. I care about him, but I have to face the fact that Kagami is the perfect match for him. They have a similar background and their parents work together. She’s smart and determined and everything I’m not, I understand why he’s fallen for her. I’m just –

“Marinette” Luka interrupted her with a glare before she could say anything more and made her face him. His eyes were fixed into hers and he cupped her face in his hands. Their faces were way too close and Luka could feel his heart beat faster for a moment. Concentrate, Luka. You're supposed to be there for her.

“You’re the most extraordinary girl, Marinette”. Clear as a musical note and as sincere as a melody. You’re the music that’s been playing inside my head since the day we first met. He wished he could say it again, just to remind her how much she meant to him. “Whoever doesn’t see it is an idiot and you don’t deserve to feel bad about yourself because of them. I understand that now you feel hopeless, and you have every right to feel everything you’re feeling, but I don’t want you to feel like you deserve nothing. You deserve to feel loved and wanted, and you too deserve someone who cares about you enough to understand how you’re feeling even when you don’t say it and to be there for you.” Someone like me.

“Thank you, Luka. I – Marinette’s breath hitched, she was trying to hold back the tears that threatened to fall from her eyes, he gently brushed his thumb over her cheek and he wished he could take away all of her pain, he wished he could help her heal but the only thing he could do was hug her and try to ease her pain. Marinette held on his t-shirt and let out a small sigh, which turned into a soft sob and in the end she was crying on his shoulder, shaking and sobbing harder.

She let herself fall this time, and he was there to catch her, again.

One of his hands was lightly rubbing her back to comfort her, she let out all the sadness and stress she kept holding back, and when she calmed down, she whispered a faint thank you as he kept holding her close. He didn’t know how long they stayed like in that position; time seemed to have stopped for Luka.

It wasn’t until they heard Juleka and Rose giggle as they walked on the boat hand in hand that he reluctantly let Marinette go. Juleka gave him a knowing look “Aw, isn’t Luka a great cuddler” she commented while Rose by her side squealed in happiness. Marinette straightened up on the couch and looked at him. Her eyes were slightly puffy from all that crying but they had a bit of her usual brightness back and her cheeks had turned into an adorable shade of pink. He gave her a reassuring smile, he didn’t want her to feel uncomfortable, and glared at his sister while he put his arms behind his head, relaxing and changing the subject.

“Have you heard from Ivan?” he asked “He and Mylène should be here by now and I really wanna start playing”. Juleka looked at her phone, “He’s looking for a place to park his scooter, they’ll be here soon” and just as she said it, the drummer and his girlfriend got on board.

“Ah, finally!” Luka waved at the couple as they were welcomed by the rest of the band, and before going to get his electric guitar he turned to Marinette “We don’t usually take requests, but do you wanna hear us play something in particular?” Just for you?

Juleka shook her head but he ignored her and looked at the rest of the band. “We said we would've practiced new songs to cover, why not let Marinette choose for us?” he continued, that was the perfect excuse.

Marinette thought about it for a moment and then a sly grin appeared on her face “I want Taylor Swift” she announced.

“That’s why we don’t take requests” Ivan looked at her amused, and Luka couldn’t help but feign shock. “Marinette, we are rockers, what makes you think we would ever play crappy pop? I feel insulted” he put a hand on his heart in a dramatic pose and she let out a laugh “I’m sorry, I just thought you could handle a bit of change”.

“Of course we can, don’t’ underestimate us”

“I would never”

“So Taylor Swift it is, then” he took is phone from his pocket to look for the tabs he needed. He wasn’t going to play Marinette songs about high heels and sneakers or teardrops on guitars, no sad songs about heartbreak and comparing yourself to others. He tried to ignore the fact that he could relate to You Belong With Me pretty well. Luka considered singing about heartbreaks being national anthems but opted against it, he wanted something cheerful and carefree, not something that could make Marinette think about what pained her in any way. When he found the perfect song, he made the rest of the band look at the tabs for their instruments and they discussed the changes they would make for them to own the song and it not being just a casual cover, who knows, if it went well they could’ve even considered to play it live.

They got to the stage, and Ivan started banging on his drumkit. Juleka and Luka followed soon after, the sound of the bass and the guitar matching perfectly the rhythm given by the drums, every note came together to form the happy and upbeat tone of the original song, but with a heavier, guitar-driven sound.

“I stay out too late, got nothin' in my brain that's what people say” Rose’s deep voice joined them and Marinette smiled as she mouthed the lyrics back at the band, she looked like she was having fun too. Luka smiled to himself and then followed Rose’s singing “It's like I got this music in my mind, sayin' it's gonna be alright” and they continued playing the happy beat they created for the song. It was a fun song to play and they had been able to adapt it to their genre pretty easily. Rose let Luka take over the bridge of the song when he met Marinette’s eyes while she was pointing at him, “and to the fella over there with the hella good hair won't you come on over, baby?” he sang as he felt an unfamiliar warmth creeping up his face “We can shake, shake, shake” he continued, trying to keep his voice steady as he sung. She was just having fun with them and their eyes met. He couldn’t read into it something more, he really couldn’t. On the other hand, he felt a new melody forming in his heart and he let it flow through is fingers, the new joyful tune filled the song and he continued playing until their performance was over. The melody ended with the two-people audience applauding and cheering on them.

“I like what you did there” Ivan looked at him amazed and Luka ran a hand through his hair, trying to shake off the electric feeling that was running through his veins. Rose was delighted and clapped her hands as well “That was fun!”, Juleka smiled fondly at her enthusiasm.

“It was amazing!” Marinette roared happily, Luka felt that her heart was lighter than before and he smiled to himself, glad to have accomplished his main goal.

“Thank you” was all he could say in the microphone, even if he felt the same heat from before forming on his face.

He turned to the rest of the band and they started to discuss what to play next. They had a gig in the upcoming week and it was the first time they could play a whole hour-long set, but they had yet to decide the setlist so there was still some work to do if they wanted it to be perfect.

The group went back to practicing and Marinette took out her sketchbook to start drawing on a blank page, she felt better than the emotional mess she was in Luka’s arms but she couldn’t help but feel that something was wrong. She knew a heartache couldn’t be cured so easily, but a happy song and warm hugs had really helped.

Marinette had just finished sketching the croquis of her design when her phone vibrated, she decided not to check any message, she really didn’t want to think again about something that could crush her, it was better for her to keep it in the back of her mind. She continued drawing while she let the music her friends played comfort her “Candy-coat your problems if they’re bitter and they’re awful I won’t let this be a sad song or make this hard to swallow” they sang. Mylène complemented the dress she was creating, and she felt a tiny bit of satisfaction spark in her. It wasn’t until she heard her phone vibrate as someone called that Marinette reluctantly put her sketchbook aside and took it out. Alya’s name lit up the screen but she didn’t really feel like answering. Besides, Kitty Section were practising, and she wouldn’t have heard her through the phone. She declined the call and then decided to check the notifications she got; they were all text messages from Alya.

Marinette, how are you?

I just spoke to Nino and I really need to talk to you

It’s important

Marinette?

Please answer me

Marinette sighed, her heart started to feel heavy again and even though she was glad to see that her friend cared about her, she wasn’t ready to have that conversation again.

I can’t talk right now, but I know what you want to talk about

Adrien told me

I’m fine, thanks for checking in

I’m so sorry Mari, can I come over later?

I’m here for you

Thank you Alya, it really means a lot to me

I’d rather to see you tomorrow

Is that okay for you?

The truth was that all she wanted to do as soon as she got home was cry her heart out until she fell asleep hugging the pillow.

Yeah sure, take your time

You know where to find me!

Marinette closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath, trying to recollect herself. She put away her phone and went back to working on her sketch. She added a few details to the design before the band decided it was time to take a break. Mylène got up and sat on Ivan’s lap, giving him a sweet kiss on the cheek. Marinette felt something sting in her heart and tried to ignore it. She wished she had a love so sweet too, but all her hopes and dreams about love were shattered that same day.

Juleka and Rose sat on two deckchairs next to each other while Luka went below deck to get something to drink for everyone. He came upstairs with a jug of fresh lemonade and glasses, set them on the small coffee table in front of where Marinette was, and went to sit next to her. She reached for the bag and placed the macaron box she brought at the centre of the table. They all took a sweet, and Marinette sipped her drink quietly as he listened to her friends talking about the upcoming gig.

“Did you make any new design?” Luka turned to her and she put her glass on the coffee table.

“Yeah, but I’m not fully satisfied with the idea honestly” she sighed

“I’m sure it’s not as bad as you think, can I see it?” Marinette nodded and flickered through the pages of her sketchbook, showing Luka the design she was working on. He got closer to her to have a better look at it.

“It’s really good, Mari!” Luka admired the unfinished sketch and then looked up at her “It’s gonna be even better when you finish it!”.

Marinette blushed at his comment, Luka had always been supportive of her and always motivated her to do better, he also helped her to find the motivation she needed when she was stuck in a project and couldn’t find any inspiration. “Thank you, Luka. If it wasn’t for you I would’ve probably thrown away half of the designs in this sketchbook”.

He closed the sketchbook handing it to her with a soft expression “You should give yourself a little more credit, Mari”. She took the book and put it on her lap, studying the decorations she drew on the cover. A small ladybug and an intricate flower design. Maybe he was right, he was looking at her with so much admiration she felt her cheeks heat up. Luka tried to contain a smile as he noticed her blush, and put a hand on her shoulder. He really hated the fact that she thought so little of herself, if she could see herself through his eyes, she would’ve completely changed her mind. This wasn’t because Luka’s vision of her was rose-coloured, she was actually really talented, and kind, and smart, and caring… He fell for her for so many reasons. He wrote songs about her for so many reasons.

“What do you think, Lukey?” Juleka’s voice made him get out of his thoughts. Everyone was staring at him.

“Uh- sorry, I got distracted. What were you saying?” his sister rolled her eyes, her expression screaming that he was embarrassing, and Rose, who was a hopeless romantic and never lost a chance to remind Luka how he and Marinette would be the perfect couple, let out a small laugh.

“I was saying that we should just perform our original songs at the concert” she said, exasperated.

He thought about if for a moment, moving the hand that was on Marinette’s shoulder under his chin.

“You’re forgetting that not everyone will know us or our songs, a cover could lift up the mood. We just have to find the right song” ha answered. “I like Pâquerette. We could do Shake It Off, too. It’s funnier to play, but we’d have to practice it a little more”.

Ivan agreed but suggested to cover Ain’t It Fun. “Oh, I love that one! It’s closer to our genre, too!” Rose added.

“Yeah, we can do that” Juleka said.

“So we’re playing Ain’t It Fun, perfect” Luka concluded.

When the rest of the band got up to go back to their instruments, Luka turned to Marinette “Oh, I almost forgot. I need to ask you something”.

“Yeah?” the girl said a little too loudly, a whole range of possible negative outcomes forming in her mind. Did she do anything wrong? Please, don’t make today worse than it already is.

“How do you feel about taking commissions from someone who’s not us?”

Marinette let out a sigh of relief, she wasn’t expecting a simple question like this. “I think I can handle that” she smiled at him.

“Great! Because I might’ve praised your skills to my friend” Luka could see her slightly blush again, he was growing really fond of it “and she asked me if you would be willing to help her band with designing. They need a complete rebrand actually since – well, she’ll explain that to you, we’re playing with her band next week, and if you come you can talk to her in person, otherwise I can give you her Instagram username so you can contact her when you feel like it”.

Marinette was surprised at his thoughtfulness, considering her needs and boundaries before she even stated them. He has always been like this, gentle and respectful, but people like him were so rare to find that she found it difficult to believe he was real.

“Yeah, I’ll do it!” she beamed, excited to start a new project and concentrate on something else, maybe that would’ve helped with the whole not-thinking-about-it thing. The only thought she couldn’t control in that moment creeped from the back of her mind. What if they don’t like my work? What if I don’t understand them?

Luka seemed to have read her mind when he put a hand on her shoulder reassuringly “Marinette, I already showed her your site and she loved your work. And when I told her you designed Jagged Stone's album cover she lost it, it’s her favourite album, you know?” he giggled at the memory of his best friend freaking out about the fact that his crush worked for THE JAGGED STONE, and he didn’t consider telling her?!?!

“You’re gonna do an amazing job as always, and if you have any trouble working with her you can talk to me”.

Marinette didn’t seem so sure about it, but nodded at him slowly, grateful for his support. He squeezed her shoulder delicately and gave her a wink before going back to the stage.

Marinette relaxed on the couch and closed her eyes, the breeze tickled her skin as the music her friends were playing soothed her mind. She wanted to hold on that feeling for as long as she could, she could deal with the bad stuff later. Besides, she dealt with worse, didn’t she? What was heartbreak compared to saving Paris from evil forces, keeping her superhero identity a secret or being the Guardian of the Miraculous? It was nothing really, nothing.

If she kept repeating it she would’ve believed it eventually.

The air got colder as the sun set, and Luka was playing the same melody he was playing when Marinette arrived. The golden light shined on him as he looked so lost in the sweet tune. He had his eyes closed, like the rest of the world around him didn’t exist. It was just him, his guitar, and whatever inspired him. He continued strumming as the rest of Kitty Section put away their instruments and Marinette gathered her art supplies and placed them in her bag. It was only when it was time for everyone to leave that Luka put away his guitar and went to say goodbye to Ivan and Mylène “See you tomorrow!” he waved.

Rose was staying for dinner, and Luka asked Marinette if she wanted to stay too, to which she kindly refused “My parents must be waiting for me already”.

“Want me to walk you home, then?” Luka suggested.

“No, thanks” she shook her head, her heart got heavier as the sun vanished in the horizon.

“Are you sure?” he could see a hint of dismal behind her eyes and he didn’t want to let her go like this. He got closer to her and whispered something only she could hear “You don’t have to do this alone, you know”, the pain in her eyes was starting to hurt him too, Luka needed to take it away from her. He hugged her tight, she stiffened at the sudden gesture, but she relaxed into his arms hugging him back. He distanced himself from her and looked at her in the eyes, he couldn’t bear not seeing the usual brightness that inspired so many songs, he needed to do something to help her heal.

And he kissed her. He kissed her with all the love and sweetness he had reserved just for her. It was soft, healing and regenerating, the kind of kiss that would’ve soothed even the worst wounds. When she pulled away and gave him a small smile he was tempted to give in to her lips again, just to make sure she was alright…

“I’ll be fine, don’t worry” and with that, he realized that he was imagining this again, what an idiot. Be glad you respect her too much not to do this. Wouldn’t take advantage of her being vulnerable, would you? Idiot. Suddenly, he was aware of his surroundings, looked at the girl who was still wrapped in his arms and let her go reluctantly.

Luka cleared his throat before speaking “Text me when you get home, okay?”. Marinette nodded, and with that she was gone, he watched her walk away.

“You’re embarrassing” was all Luka heard from Juleka.

“No, he’s just in love…” Rose chirped and let out a small laugh, tugging her girlfriend’s hand and leading her below deck.

Luka didn’t eat much; he was too busy thinking about Marinette and how he really needed to do something to comfort her, but what? He would’ve never crossed her boundaries, not without her permission. He was fine with having her close as a friend, after all. It was safer, this way he couldn’t risk losing her. But at the same time he knew he could do better for her as something else… He left his sister and her girlfriend at the dining table and headed to his room, took his notepad and started scribbling new rhymes that matched the melody forming inside his head.

“Why do you have to make everything sound so dark?” Rose commented when he asked her opinion on the new lyrics he’d written. She was pointing at a verse that recited I feel dead and a half but you’re making me laugh.

“I like it” was Juleka’s only defence for him “you aren’t planning on serenading Marinette, are you?”

“What?! No, it’s just… I had to let this off my chest, that’s all” did Luka really want to tell her sister that he was going to send the song to her as soon as it was done? No, he would’ve kept the lyrics to himself anyway so it wasn’t that big of a deal. He cared more about the melody, that was meant to comfort her.

Rose helped him fix some parts of the lyrics and sent him back to his room so he could work on the melody.

Chapter 2

#my work #my writing #fanfiction #lukanette fanfic #lukanette #marinette dupain cheng #luka couffaine #mlb fanfic #miraculous fanfic #miraculous ladybug #fic: take me as you please

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kapithinostories · 3 years

Text

A Proposal in a Wedding

It was a normal Saturday morning in Paris. The grass fields glowing diamonds as the sun shone brightly on the due from yesterday’s violent rain. The birds chirped, people sat down in cafés having their morning coffee, children running around the place and playing on the swings. The whole world seemed to be awake but, our favorite bluenette still slept soundly under her pink duvet.

“Marinette, wake up” said Tikki, trying to pull of the duvet from her face. She had somewhere special to go that morning. Did she wake up? No, she just snuggled deeper into her bed. This oversleep situation seemed like a disease. But, every disease has a cure, and our bluenette’s cure would be-

“Chat Noir” asked Tikki as Chat leaped off the railing on her balcony into her room through the trapdoor. He smiled fondly at the bluenette as her chest rose up and down in blissful content, a smile gracing her pink lush lips. He knew perfectly well of Marinette’s sleeping ‘problem’. He didn’t know how he would wake her up though especially since it was the weekend, but Tikki did.

“Chat Noir could you try waking Marinette up in your civilian form” Tikki said in her usual squeaky voice.

Chat looked at Tikki questionably not understanding why she would want him wake her up in his civilian form and why not in his alter-ego, but obliged. Adrien slowly crept up the stairs leading up to her loft, detransformed.

He bent down slightly at the snoring bluenette and kissed her forehead softly. Marinette slightly stirred but didn’t wake up, so Adrien started kissing her. He kissed her nose then he kissed her cheek, her forehead, her ear, even her eyelids and finally her lips.

Marinette sprung up, the pink duvet flying with her which solely landed on Adrien. Marinette screamed but before she could do that.. Marinette sat there shocked, she couldn’t process a thing. The only thing on her mind was the peach lips that were firmly pressed to her’s.

As the lips released her, Marinette screamed, hard. Tikki and Adrien were both sure the scream reached till the end of France. That’s when Adrien had the ingenious idea to press her head firmly to his chest. But the next minute there were frantic pads that came from downstairs, hushed whispers in worry and query.

The door burst open startling the two teenagers. Tom and Sabine stared at the 2 teenager intently. The 2 teenagers stared back in worry and panic. But then they did something unexpected. They laughed. Bad. Marinette and Adrien both felt accelerated heat rise to their cheeks but there was also confusion set in their features as they looked at the two laughing, clutching their stomachs.

After they’re laughing fit. “What are you doing here Adrien and how did you get inside the house” Sabine asked , smirking.

Panic was an understatement, presently Adrien was sweating bullets. Marinette quickly addressing the issue came to his rescue (pun intended). “Mama, Papa, Adrien and I couldn’t always meet up and I often got lonely so uhhh ….. We uhhh found a new technique for Ch-Adrien to come inside my room without disturbing you guys” Marinette said nervously.

Tom and Sabine looked at each other knowingly, making the 2 superheroes visibly gulp. But let it slip knowing that Chat Noir was the one who got inside the room.

Adrien and Marinette gave out a breath of relief, but the Tom and Sabine could see the faint blushes that tinted their faces. Oh little did Marinette know, there were many more surprises to come that day.

Time Skip- brought to you by Adrien’s Ladybug Posters.

“Plaqq where is my green tie” yelled Adrien, crawling on the floor and searching the drawers for his favorite green tie. “How am I supposed to know” replied Plaqq without a care in the world.

Adrien got up frustrated, he couldn’t find it anywhere. Just then Marinette burst into the room hearing the commotion. “What’s wrong Adrien” asked Marinette seeing Adrien’s ruffled figure.

“I just can’t find my tie” Adrien said, tears threatening to spill. Marinette immediately hugged him. “Today was supposed be Nino’s special day and I can’t even find my tie”.

”It’s okay Adrien, we’ll find that tie, it’s got to be somewhere” said Marinette, soothingly. Just then Nala came running to the room apologies flowing from her mouth.

“Whoa, whoa, Why are you apologizing Nala” asked Adrien, forgetting all about his missing tie.

Nala looked around nervously, then took a deep breath” IamsosorryAdrienIdidn’tmeantogetyourtiewrinkledIswearIdidn’t” (I am so sorry Adrien, I didn’t mean to get your tie wrinkled, I swear I didn’t) said Nala nervously, blabbering. Marinette didn’t understand a thing, but Adrien on the other hand did, being used to Marinette’s stuttering and blabbering.

“It’s okay Nala, I’ll wear a new tie” said Adrien, patting her shoulder. Nala shook her head, taking an emerald green tie from behind her and handing it to Adrien, sheepishly. Adrien’s mood brightened immediately as he hugged Nala spinning her around the room. “Thank you, Thank you, Thank you” said Adrien again and again. You may be wondering why Adrien was so happy to have this tie back. Well, this was the last present his mother had given him, before she …… disappeared.

Time Skip- brought to you by Nala’s clumsiness

Alya was pacing around the room back and forth “Marinette, I’m worried, What if I-“

“Nothing of the sort will happen, Alya. Everything will be fine. Trust me” said Marinette cutting her off. Alya was super nervous. She was going to be wed to Nino today. (Yep, you heard me right folks. Alno is finally getting married).

The ceremony music started and both Alya and Nino knew it was time. Alya carefully lifted the gown and walked in the aisle to the altar.

Nino on the other hand, was screaming his head off. Sweat visible on his face as he couldn’t find his tuxedo rose. Adrien chuckled, quickly handing him a rose from a …… (Let’s keep you waiting on that one).

Nino visibly relaxed but tensed up again seeing the time. He rushed out of the room to the Altar waiting to see his soon bride- to- be. As he saw Alya, he felt his whole world spinning; the only thing he could see was Alya, only Alya. Her beautiful white gown flapping slightly as she walked. The intricate designs on the skirt with orange hues, present. He didn’t realize he was staring until the priest had asked him the most important question of his life.

“ Do you Nino Lahiffe, take Alya Cesaire as your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and cherish until death do you part?"

“I do” Nino said without hesitation.

“Do you Alya Cesaire, take Nino Lahiffe as your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and cherish until death do you part?"

“I do” she said so lovingly, Nino thought he was going to burst into tears any second

.“Then you may kiss the bride” said the priest happily. The crowd cheered tremendously, Adrien and Marinette being the loudest. The wedding passed on very well. It was a cheery time until Adrien got a call saying that he had to rush to the company immediately. Marinette was slightly disappointed but tried not to show it, after all it was her Best Friend’s wedding. Then Alya reached out to throw the bouquet, and as the belief goes the one who catches it will be married next. Marinette wanted to catch it but then Alya turned around, leaving the crowd confused. She then walked towards a man with blonde hair and emerald green cat eyes and gave it to him. That man was Adrien, wait Adrien!! Had he gotten back from the company? Then Adrien ran towards Marinette as all the eyes of the crowd were directed to them. He gave the bouquet to Marinette and got on one knee, fishing out a red velvet box from his tuxedo pocket.

“Marinette, we’ve been partners for 5 years fighting Hawk moth and being there for each other through thick and thin. Even when things seemed hopeless you were there to comfort and support me. Every morning I wake up to see my bed empty but I so wish as to see your beautiful face right as I awake from my dreams of my lover. So Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Will you marry me?” said Adrien, nervousness etched on his features

Marinette stood there stunned; she wasn’t expecting this at all. Marinette was trying to process this request, no this life changing experience. Marinette was too quiet making everyone worried but most of all Adrien, he was going to take back his words when Marinette jumped onto him like a cheetah (watt pad followers will understand the pun).Marinette and Adrien tumbled on the floor. Marinette’s face was glowing as if her face was the sun. Marinette kissed him again and again and again saying yes repeatedly. Adrien tried to get up but Marinette’s weight pushed him down, at last he found a trunk of a small plant and pulled himself up with Marinette and twirled her around while Marinette giggled. He had never been so happy ever. He kissed her while putting her down on the ground. Their kiss was soft and gentle but burned with Love and Passion. They pulled apart as the crowd cheered happily. They looked into each other’s beautiful eyes. Marinette started getting lost in his emerald eyes glowing like the grass fields with diamonds.

Adrien started to drown into her ocean blue eyes (pun intended). He could see the sunset as the sun reflected it’s rays on the ocean as the birds flew across the horizon. They kissed once again with so much Passion and Love. Adeline stood there watching her brother hold the love of his life. She had completed it finally. She raised her hands as petals from all the roses flew around the two bringing them closer as the love they shared was more beautiful than any sort of Love they had known.

Hi guys, I know some parts are a bit confusing like Adeline and Nala and such but you will understand if you check out my Wattpad story

Well, you will understand who Adeline but not who Nala is ...... yet.

So this is an early epilogue but I’ll be posting this there as well when the time comes. And I think you understand where that rose came from. { Adrien chuckled, quickly handing him a rose from a …… (Let’s keep you waiting on that one)}

And yes the whole of Paris knows their identity.

The Book Link

https://www.wattpad.com/story/261343700-together-as-one

Hope you liked this!!

See you again

-- EJA--

#adrienette #adeline #nala #proposal #alno #wedding #wattpad

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gryffindorcls · 5 years

Text

What Are We Waiting For?

(ML Lovesquare Fluff Week 2k19 - Day 6:Napping)

WARNING: THIS CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR CHAT BLANC AND THE SEASON 3 FINALE

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Hello, lovely readers!

HAPPY DAY 6 OF LOVESQUARE FLUFF WEEK 2019!!!

The Day 6 prompt is “Napping”.

(NOW...was Day 6 yesterday? YES. Did I also miss Day 5 and will finish it later this week? ALSO YES. Is that okay? 100% YES.)

Thank you @lovesquarefluffweek for organizing this week of fluff!

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What Are We Waiting For?

Day 6: Napping

Adrien yawned and stretched his hands behind his back. He was exhausted. Unfortunately, he wasn’t just physically drained, but he was mentally spent, as well.

Last night had been difficult. His father once again kept him from an outing with his friends. While it was something that he was used to, he was getting tired of having to sit alone in his room practicing piano or learning Chinese for hours on end. All he wanted was to exist as a normal teenager. He was seventeen now, and he wondered when his life would finally change for the better.

The frustration piled even higher this time because he knew that Marinette would be there. Sure, he had the chance to see her when they were galavanting across the rooftops as Ladybug and Chat Noir, but it’d been days since he’d transformed. Ever since they had accidentally timed out in front of each other after a particularly difficult Akuma attack, he’d sought out every possible opportunity to spend time with her. Not being able to see her always put him in a sour mood.

When they discovered each other’s identities last year, Ladybug had cried. He’d been so worried that she didn’t want him as a partner anymore. Adrien closed his eyes and the image of her tear-stained face flashed across his mind.

“Ladybug...Marinette...I don’t understand. Please tell me what’s wrong,” he pleaded.

She looked at him and choked back a sob with a smile. “Everything and nothing…that’s what’s wrong.”

He hung his head. “You’re sad because we have to give up our Miraculouses. I should have looked away. I messed everything up.”

“God, no. I’m the Guardian. Who am I going to give my Miraculous to? No one. I’m Ladybug. And you...don’t you dare put yourself down. YOU’RE my Chat Noir, and I trust you...oh, I trust you! I can trust you! Thank God...that makes so much more sense. Of course, you wouldn’t have told anyone...you’re wonderful. I knew something wasn’t quite right.”

“I still don’t...does that mean you’re happy?”

“Chaton, I’m relieved. I thought I couldn’t trust you again...not after...I can’t...not today...and then I gave you up because I thought…”

“You’re not making any sense right now.”

“There’s so much that you don’t know, and honestly I don’t understand everything either. But what I do know...Chat...Adrien...I’m so happy that it’s you.”

“Then why are you crying? And what do you mean you gave me up?”

“Adrien, I’m glad you found someone who loves you. Things are starting to make a little bit more sense now. When Bunnyx took me to that place...well, I had no idea what she saw in that other timeline. She wouldn’t tell me.”

“Bunnyx? When was she here? What happened?” His head was reeling.

“You kept saying it was our love...oh, my God...you loved me. You really loved me. We must have figured it out...and...and…”

“I’ve always loved you. I don’t understand.”

“There must have been a time when we were happy. It can never be, but maybe I can rest better knowing that it could have been wonderful. It’s too risky for us...Hawkmoth must have figured it out. I just don’t know...there are still so many missing pieces. Adrien, you deserve happiness...someone who can freely love you right now. It broke my heart to leave that day, but you have her. That’s what matters. You have someone.” She buried her head in her hands and sunk to the ground.

He ran to her side and pulled her into his arms. “Ladybug...I’m still confused. Who are you talking about? What happened? When were we happy?”

“Last year, I did something, and then I saw...you were Akumatized, but I fixed it. You knew who I was...I was so confused. It’s such a long story, but it led me to believe that I couldn’t be myself around you...well, Adrien you...so when I saw you with Kagami...you looked so happy. I left. It broke me, but I had to let you go.”

“Are you talking about Kagami? Oh, Marinette, I never...we never...I couldn’t. I was never ready to be with her. She got tired of waiting. My heart has only ever belonged to you, my lady, but I thought you were with Luka.”

She pulled away and met his gaze. “My lady...I missed hearing you say that. Poor Luka. Sweet, kind Luka...he’s wonderful, but he’s not the one. He’s not you.”

“Wait, are you telling me that I’m ‘the one’? I was the boy you were in love with?”

“No, my feelings aren’t stuck in the past. I am in love with you, and I always will be.”

“Then let’s be together now. My heart has only ever beat for you. We could be happy. We could make that happen.”

“No, Adrien we can’t. We never can. Not until he’s gone. Otherwise, everyone will be in danger. You didn’t see what I saw. I can’t...we can’t...you don’t know how badly I wish it weren’t this way, but we have to protect everyone. I have to protect you. I’m sorry.”

At that moment, his heart wanted to shatter, but one burning question still lingered in the back of his mind. “If we defeat Hawkmoth, could we be together?”

Ladybug didn’t answer right away. The small sliver of hope inside of him was beginning to fade.

“My lady?” he asked with desperation lacing his voice.

“Yes,” she whispered through a breath.

“Then I will wait for you until the end of time.”

“Oh, Chaton.”

It had been a year since the accidental reveal, and Marinette had become his best friend. They slowly learned how to talk to each other and trust each other with everything. Seeing each other outside of the masks proved to be a challenge, but he cherished every second he spent with her. There had been countless nights where one of them would transform and sneak into the other person’s room. They continued to patrol regularly, but they took extra time to hang out when they were done.

When school let out for the summer, Adrien feared that his time with Marinette would decrease drastically. Usually, his father had him travel abroad for various events and photoshoots. He couldn’t bear the thought of going days or weeks without seeing her; however, when Marinette landed one of the coveted junior internship positions at Gabriel, he’d been thrilled. While they didn’t see each other every day, it was more than he’d anticipated.

Yesterday had been filled with work and tutoring; as a result, his only interaction with Marinette had been a goodnight call. It’d been two days since he’d seen her in person, and it was making him irritable. He couldn’t wait for today’s shoot to finish so he could rush over to her house and spend some much-needed quality time with her.

“Mr. Agreste?” a voice called, pulling him out of his reverie.

He shook his head. “Mr. Agreste is my father. Please...my name is Adrien.”

In front of him stood a young woman with a smug expression who hugged a clipboard against her chest. “Okay...uhhh...Adrien. I came here because there’s something I need to tell you.”

“Is it an emergency? I have to be back on set in five minutes, and I was hoping to get some coffee. The photographer told me that I was looking droopy.”

“Uh...yes. It’s important.”

He sighed and flashed her a polite smile. “Okay. What’s up?”

“So, I wanted to bring it to your attention that one of the other interns is asleep in your trailer.”

“I’m sorry, what?”

“That black-haired intern with the pig-tails is asleep on the couch inside of your trailer.”

“Marinette,” he thought, trying to suppress a chuckle, “I wonder what she’s doing here. She’s supposed to have a day off today.”

He cleared his throat. “Okay, so I’m guessing that you’re also an intern. May I ask what you were doing in my trailer? Interns usually aren’t allowed in there.”

She looked taken aback. “Well, I was told my the lead designer on set to get the red jacket that was hanging on the rack in there...unlike someone else who is obviously in there without permission.”

Adrien nodded. “Sounds great! Thank you. Where’s the jacket?”

“Oh, I...uh...left it there. The girl startled me, and I ran all the way here to tell you what I saw.”

“I see. Could you do me a favor then?”

She perked up and moved closer to him. “Sure, Adrien.”

He took a step back. “Yeah...could you grab my jacket from the trailer and bring it here?”

“Wait...what about the girl?”

“Oh, right...her. Could you make sure that you don’t wake her up when you go in there? Thanks!”

Adrien could hear unintelligible noises come from the intern as he walked away. He did his best not to laugh as he took his place on set and readied himself for another two hours of posing.

Unlike the first half of the photoshoot, he found himself feeling much perkier with the knowledge that Marinette was waiting for him. He was practically vibrating by the end of his session with the photographer.

The second he was released from his modeling duties, Adrien rushed to his trailer. He ran up to the door and paused before quietly stepping inside. He could feel a soft smile form on his lips as his eyes landed on Marinette.

Despite his presence, she continued to sleep soundly on his couch. Her head rested on a soft, blue throw pillow, and she clutched a small package against her chest.

His heart swelled when she released a small sigh and a contented hum. Sometimes, Adrien was shocked by just how much he loved her. While he knew that he would do anything for her, he was still often overcome by how strong his feelings were.

Each day, Adrien held his heart in an outstretched hand in the hopes that Marinette would finally accept it. Despite her hesitation, Adrien knew that she loved him just as much as he loved her. She was the day to his night, and he was the sun to her moon. Their souls had been created together at the beginning of time. She completed him, and he knew that they were made for each other.

Adrien knelt on the ground next to her sleeping form and brushed a stray hair away from her face. She breathed deeply when his finger lightly grazed her forehead. Marinette’s eyes fluttered open.

“Adrien?” she asked groggily.

He smiled. “Hey there, Princess. What are you doing here? You should be at home. I was planning to come and visit you today.”

“I didn’t want to wait. I was hoping to catch you on your break.” Marinette reached out and cupped his cheek.

He happily leaned into her touch. “Is there a reason why you didn’t want to wait?”

“You sounded sad on the phone yesterday, so I made you something. I was...uhhh...up a little late, and your couch was comfortable. My head felt fuzzy, so I closed my eyes for a few minutes. I’m sorry.”

“No, don’t be sorry. You needed the rest.”

“I was surprised to see that you had a trailer this time. Usually, the models just get a tent.”

“Yeah, it was a bigger shoot this time, so they got me a trailer. It doesn’t happen often, but it’s nice when it does. My lady, did you walk all the way here?”

“Umm...yeah.”

“Marinette, you didn’t have to.”

“But I wanted to. You sounded so upset last night, and I hate it when you’re upset. I couldn’t wait to give you this.” She sat up and held out the package she’d been clutching against her chest. “It’s not much, but I just wanted you to smile.”

Adrien carefully took the package from her hands and opened it to reveal a small hamster plush attached to a keychain. “It’s adorable, Marinette. I love it!”

“I remember you saying that you always wanted a hamster...just like I do...and I couldn’t get you a real one, so I was hoping that this one would be a good substitute.”

Adrien could feel hot tears brimming in the corners of his eyes. Unable to contain his emotions any longer, he choked back a loud sob. Within seconds, Marinette was on the floor next to him with her arms wrapped around his shaking body.

She rubbed one of her hands up and down his back. “Chaton, what’s wrong? Did something happen?”

He pulled away and shook his head. “Everything is wrong. What are we waiting for?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Marinette, I love you so much it hurts. Anything that keeps me away from you frustrates me. I want a future with you. I want to get a hamster with you and love you and be by your side every day. I don’t understand why we can’t.”

“Adrien...I...we really can’t. There’s Hawkmoth, and…”

“Screw, Hawkmoth! What does he have to do with us?”

“YOU DIDN’T SEE WHAT I SAW!” she screamed, scrambling away from him and reducing to a puddle of tears in the middle of the floor.

“Then tell me. What did you see? Help me understand.”

“It still gives me nightmares, Chaton. You don’t need them, too.”

“I need you.”

“Adrien..”

“Tell me,” he urged.

She held herself and sobbed. “When Bunnyx came and got me, everything and everyone was gone. You were alone, but you knew who I was. You called yourself Chat Blanc, and you said our love destroyed the world. When I learned your identity last year, I finally figured out that we also must have figured out each other’s identities in an alternate reality. Hawkmoth was there, too, and I don’t know what happened. However, I do know that there is...was...a timeline where we were together and in love...but the world almost ended.”

“But it’s not the same situation. It won’t happen like that again. That’s not how time works. The circumstances are different this time. It wouldn’t be the same.”

“How do you know that? Hawkmoth is still out there. If he found out anything...our identities or our relationship...he could use our love against us. How are we supposed to stay safe if we’re together?”

“We could keep it a secret. No one has to know.”

“What?”

“You’re afraid of us loving each other in the open. My lady, none of those other people matter. You’re the only one who matters. Let me love you behind closed doors...away from prying eyes. It’ll be just us and only us. We can belong to each other and no one else. Then when Hawkmoth is gone, we can be free to show our love to the world.”

“I don’t know.”

“You are my everything. You’re the center of my universe. Marinette, please. I don’t want to waste any more time. You once told me that you trusted me. I will never let anything happen to you...to us. Let me prove that to you. Now that we know, we can do our best to avoid what you saw. Please...unless you don’t love me anymore. If you don’t, I’ll go away, and I promise I’ll never ask you again.”

She wiped the tears off her face with the back of her hand and moved next to him. “I’ve loved you since the day you gave me your umbrella. I tried giving you up so you could find happiness, but I never stopped loving you. You’re my everything, Adrien. My heart feels incomplete without you, but it’s afraid of losing you. I’m scared.”

He reached out his arms and she willingly fell into his embrace. “It’ll be okay, my lady. I promise.”

“How do you know?”

“Because we’re Ladybug and Chat Noir. We can overcome any obstacle as long as we’re together. Just you and me against the world.”

A long silence permeated the room. Adrien’s heart pounded against his chest as uncertainty crept into his brain. Nonetheless, the small sliver of hope in his soul remained ignited.

“Okay,” she whispered into his neck.

His breath hitched. “Okay? Does that mean what I think it means?”

“Yes. As long as we’re careful. No one can know....just us.”

“Anything, my lady...anything. As long as I can love you the way you deserve to be loved, I’ll be content.”

Marinette’s hands made their way to the back of his head where she played with the hair around his neck. “You’re right. I think we’ve waited long enough.”

He leaned forward and kissed the top of her head. “Thank you.”

“It’s not going to be easy, Chaton.”

“It never has been, my lady.”

“How are we going to do this?”

“We’ll figure it out. We always do.”

Marinette pulled away and smiled. “Well, in that case, I love you, Adrien Agreste.”

Adrien leaned in and rested his forehead on hers. “And I love you, Marinette Dupain-Cheng…forever.”

AO3

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arisu-artnfics · 4 years

Text

A Date Before Christmas

Summary: On Christmas Eve most people spend the holiday with friends others with family or with lovers but for Marinette and Adrien they were all three. They were cherished friends, they were caring lovers and most importantly they were family and no matter what happened that day they would not let anyone separate them or disrupt there happiness. (Thank you @deadvampire32 for suggesting it ^^ ^^) Beta by: @spider-momo (& a bit @deadvampire32). Also on: DA/FF/AO3/FB Original published date: December 25, 2019 For: @galahadwilder as to say Merry Christmas, I’m your secret santa!! I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoy creating it for you ^^ ^^ This is a gift as part of the @mlsecretsanta interchange.

Spanish version of this story

Art done by me: *Tumblr/DeviantArt/Facebook (December 26, 2019).

It was the 24th of December, in the late morning. Marinette and Adrien were sitting in a coffee shop close to the Dupain-Cheng bakery. It has been roughly six months since they started dating and since they revealed their identities. The reveal had been accidentally actually, they weren’t supposed to know. It all changed since Ladybug aka Marinette Dupain-Cheng officially became the new guardian. The rules said that if they knew each other’s identities for their own sake, they should stop being the heroes that everyone loves. Even when both of them knew this rule, it changed just after they revealed.

Marinette knew that she couldn’t confide those miraculous to any of their friends because Hawk Moth knew already about them and couldn’t put them again in danger like that. Also, it was the fact that even when they knew the truth about the person behind the mask, not much had changed. They still had to keep making excuses and act like they didn’t know as well as keep trying to fight the akumas and of course, win. Hawk Moth and Mayura always keep them on edge and with too little time to rest. Considering all that and more, Adrien helped Marinette to decide that the correct course of action in that case was just to keep being Ladybug and Chat Noir.There wasn’t really any time to get new heroes to be Ladybug and Chat Noir, or well to become the new holders of the Ladybug and Black Cat miraculous.

When the reveal happened not that long after Master Fu lost his memories and Ladybug became the new guardian, in that precise moment was a lot of panicking from both of them. After a couple of seconds both teens had their own different reactions, between some laughter and ‘can’t believe I didn’t notice before’ to ‘can’t believe that Alya was always right’ and reactions like some sobbing and more. Then they had a big conversation between them, explaining some of the misunderstandings, more laughter and some tension in between them as well had freed itself. In conclusion, after they actually discovered and confessed some feelings from both sides, they decide to give them a chance. Adrien actually was the one that had to bring the question and suggestion. They had to also confess that they were in a way of ‘moving on’ but not entirely as they seem to be falling again for the same person without them knowing.

Now, six months later, - on the day of Christmas Eve - they are trying to have a not interrupted date. Marinette and Adrien were wearing their winter clothes, sitting inside of the coffee shop enjoying some hot chocolate. Their Kwamis were with them, hidden from everyone but them.

“So, Mari,” said Adrien “after here, are we supposed to go and get Alya and Nino’s gifts?”

Marinette made a face unsure, “Mmmm… I suppose so, but I thought that you already have the vinyl disk that Nino wants so much?”

“Yeah, I do,” he replied while reaching to a bag that he also had and pulling it out. “Just thought that maybe you wanted to find something else?” passing it to her.

“This is the same as the one you have at your house, the one that he used to DJ in the party, right?” Marinette asked while admiring the disk, she would never understand DJing but was happy their friend did and enjoy it so much.

“It’s the same,” Adrien replied with a smile.

“Good, because actually I don’t really want to go shopping today. I mean, c’mon Adrien it is Christmas Eve after all.” With that she returned the disk to Adrien so he could put it away.

He chuckles a bit ,“True,” Adrien smile.

“Phew, you got me worried for a bit, Kitty,” Marinette returned the smile.

“Ahhh, poor Bugaboo,” he said with joy in his tone.

Marinette roll her eyes but also was failing to hide her amused smile. “All right, then we don’t need to worry about it. I got Alya the super special microphone that she dreamt and talked about having so much,” said Marinette.

“She definitely will love it. You are indeed a great friend Marinette,” Adrien said with a huge smile that goes from ear to ear.

“Why are you so happy about it?” asked curious Marinette knowing that Adrien maybe had something ‘funny’ in mind, well something that was probably ‘funny’ for him like a pun or so.

“Heh, nothing special… just a friend” he said and then laughs a bit.

“Oh my...” Marinette said “it was you - as I learned thanks to Plagg, - ” she looked to Plagg very fast.

“Anytime, kid,” Plagg said from one of the bags next to them who was eating a piece of cheese.

“That was calling me,” Marinette continued, “‘just a friend’” she said while making quotation marks with her fingers.

“I know,” Adrien said once he stop laughing “but still makes me laugh,” he shrugged.

“Of what?” said Plagg again, “How stupid you could be?” “Plagg!” said Tikki from Marinette’s bags, who was eating a cookie. “Hey!” said Adrien at the same time as Tikki spoke.

Marinette just laughed a bit.

After a second or so Adrien also laughed at himself again. They needed that, they need all the fun and good moments that they could get. They really didn’t get much free time even at this time of the year. Anyone else would have thought that thanks to the winter break it should be less stress or trouble and so less akumas but it was quite the opposite, sadly, for the heroes.

Sadly, it didn’t take too much longer until what they had been avoiding to happen so far during the day was happening. An akuma was once again at the door of their school. That’s how the accidental reveal happened in the first place. Since Hawk Moth learned that almost all the previous heroes as part of the now not existent team, were indeed from there; that had been his target. Once he learned that information, even though that could mean putting Adrien in danger, Gabriel had insisted that the school was the perfer target for the akumas, it had to be there or close to it that the civilians of the heroes are. Gabriel had thought that the heroes must go to that school, it couldn’t be a coincidence for so many former heroes to be there. Even Chloe was from there, although the whole of Paris did learned that she found the Bee miraculous, didn’t mean that she didn’t find it in the school. The heroes this time, after hearing the screaming and destruction caused by the akuma, decided to ‘hide’ in the respective toilets. They did as always, even with the knowledge that they obtained all this months ago, the superheroes were acting as just partners and nothing else. Even though Adrien and Marinette were dating, it was like a silent agreement that happened so long ago between the two. Without really a verbal agreement, they synced their replies and kept telling anyone who managed to ask them about that, they are just good friends and partners like nothing had really changed. That’s how everything seemed to everyone outside their knowledge that is technically all of Paris. Ladybug and Chat Noir were more sync than ever, they had been defeating the akumas even faster than before. It was like the knowledge of their identities only helped them grow as heroes rather than something else.

Once the battle finished and all returned to normal, they got out from their ‘hiding’ spot. They decided that maybe was time to go to Marinette’s place. They planned to go to the coffee shop and then just have a relaxing day enjoying the company of each other. They also wanted to make sure they had their friends’ presents for the present exchange that was going to happen the next day in the late afternoon. Then they would part as Adrien was promised by Gabriel to have a Christmas dinner together and Marinette was going to have hers with her family as well.

The Dupain-Chengs had invited the Agrestes as a family (basically just Gabriel as Adrien were supposed to be there already) however Gabriel denied the invitation, but said thank you anyways, Gabriel had insisted that he be the one that gives his son the Christmas dinner and traditions that the Dupain-Chengs mentioned during the invitation.

That’s how Marinette and Adrien were back to the bakery a few hours before the big celebration started. They didn’t want to be apart, but they knew that sooner or later the ‘Gorilla’ was going to pick Adrien up from there. Marinette and Adrien decided that even when they weren’t about to spend Christmas together, they were going to enjoy as much as they could. Even when an akuma had interrupted yet again another date. They did spend their time together as they were just one happy family. Tom and Sabine were with the kids as well, as they play some video games and have some Christmas like activities that could be done before dinner time was due and Adrien had to leave.

“Oh, sorry,” said Adrien in the middle of another round of Mecha IV once his phone sounded with a notification of a text message, that he decided to ignore, he knew well enough that it should be the Gorilla waiting from him to take him home.

“Oh no, now?” asked Marinette with a small pout, even though she knew that it was about time that his bodyguard had to come.

“Sadly, yes, but hey bugaboo, don’t be sad...” he hugged her with just one arm, they were sitting one next to the other anyway, and just like them, Marinette’s parents were also sitting next to each other.

“Mmm...” said Marinette with a big pout and very exaggerated expression of sadness that Adrien knew well by now as the little trick to conform to her or in this case as ‘don’t want you to go, not yet’

“I’ll see you tomorrow in the afternoon, you know,” said Adrien trying to ease the feeling. He didn’t like it either.

That’s when the door bell sounded, and Sabine stood up to open the door. After a very short while, Sabine called everyone down saying that it would be a change of plans. That took Tom by surprise, who had also gotten down the stairs to leave the kids for a moment alone, but was in the back of the bakery rather than at the door. Once Adrien and Marinette got down the stairs hand-in-hand, they actually got very surprised seeing who was at the door. “Good evening,” greeted Gabriel Agreste who was standing there in from of all at the door of the bakery.

“Father?” asked Adrien very surprised to see his father outside. “Wh-?” said confused with the fact.

“Adrien” said Gabriel after a moment.

When Sabine opened the door she never thought that she would see him outside of his mansion, less at the door of their house. To be surprised was an understatement. That’s why before Gabriel could say anything at all, she turned to see inside and called everyone else to the door. Gabriel knew to expect some kind of reaction but never thought that Sabine would get his intentions so fast. When Tom appears a couple of seconds later as he was just in the next room, he only managed to agreed in silence with Sabine when the mentioned of change of plans were done. They did wait for the kids before they opened the door completely and allow Gabriel to get inside with the Gorilla that had been driving him and Nathalie. “That’s your father...” whispered Marinette to Adrien very surprise or more so than Adrien was in that moment. She also squeezed Adrien’s hand a bit and he did the same back to her.

“Adrien,” Gabriel repeated again.

“Hey, let’s get comfortable, c'mon Gabriel, let’s get inside,” said Tom after a while before it gets weird between the Agreste - well more weird than now.

“Right...” said Gabriel after a moment and got inside.

“Father,” said Adrien with a smile understanding the intentions of why he was here personally.

“I got this,” said Nathalie given a bunch of presents to Sabine so she could put those under the Christmas tree.

“Right,” said Gabriel and then he indicated the Gorilla to help Nathalie to move the gifts inside.

“You know, you didn’t should have, but thank you,” said Sabine as she also grabbed all the gifts and made sure that everything was under the tree in order.

“Thank you Father,” said Adrien with a huge smile without letting Marinette’s hand go.

“I...” Gabriel sighed “I keep thinking on what the Dupain-Chengs said when they invited us...” That made Adrien smile even more. That had been a conversation that he wasn’t supposed to hear but he did and couldn't negate that some nice traditions are better with whole families or some very close friends.

“Oh” was the only replied that he said happily.

And so, the Agrestes had a nice Christmas Eve, with the Dupain-Chengs. Marinette and Adrien couldn’t be more happy. Gabriel who had refused at the beginning to spend the celebrations with someone else, had changed his mind after meeting the family of the girl that had stolen his son’s heart, and who knows, maybe had softened even a tiny bit of his cold heart. The family had been cheerful even after he denied the invitation saying that their proposed activities were strictly to be just for family members and nobody else.

What Adrien had heard that he shouldn’t have was the fact that the Dupain-Chengs had explained that family does not always mean blood, but closeness. That fact, after all the months that Gabriel had known the family was what had gotten him off guard. He is Hawk Moth and he was doing it for his family, but right now, he wasn’t so sure. Because who knew, maybe one day in a very far future, this always happy family - even when there were akumas attacking them or such things happened close by - would be his as well.

The end :D :D ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Note: This was wrote before the episodes of Chat Blanc or Blanche and Felix air but after the finale of season 3. As it aired.

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mcheang · 5 years

Text

Pre-Chat Blanc dates - School

Ok. I know I already wrote a summary of what I think their dates could have included but I fear we may never get episodes of our fav couple actually dating once they get together. Like, seeing them on an actual date, not a picture of it. So I’ve decided to start a series Pre-Chat Blanc dates. Hope you enjoy!

It was only the second day of school. Not of the school year, but since Adrien and Marinette started going out.

Marinette still couldn’t believe this was her reality, that Adrien asked her to be his girlfriend, or that she actually got up early for the second time in a row!

Yesterday, Marinette had woken up early to meet with Adrien before class started.

Ok, Adrien woke Marinette up. He called beforehand to make sure she was actually awake.

Marinette is not an early bird, so maybe she could be excused for sounding grumpy on the phone. Still, Adrien cheered her up when he laughed and said, “I’ll wait for you before I enter class. I want to introduce my new girlfriend to everyone once I step inside.”

Cue ladybugs in her stomach.

To say they made an entrance was something. Marinette had rushed over as soon as she could and had just stood there in front of Adrien nervously, worried that somehow he had changed his mind. But Adrien’s face had lit up at the sight of her. He had stepped forward and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “Good morning, Sleeping Beauty.”

Marinette made a face. “The only good mornings are late mornings.” (She lost her babbling curse over the weekend exchanging phone calls)

Adrien laughed again, his voice musical and golden. He shrugged, “I’ve woken up before dawn for shoots, so I guess I can emphsazize.”

Taking her hand, Adrien asked softly, “Are you ready to face the wolves?”

Ugh. Chloe and Lila. Marinette knew she had to put up with them for Adrien’s sake but now they would be worse than ever.

She exhaled. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

Squeezing her hand, Adrien led the way to class, casually slinging his arm around her shoulders as they neared the door.

The moment they stepped through, Marinette’s female friends immediately started applauding and cheering. (They had spent a long time investing in this relationship. It was about time it paid off. Also...Alya may have taken a picture of Chloe’s expression. *evil laughter* priceless!)

Alix: Finally!

The guys had stopped doing whatever they had been doing to look at the new couple and let the information sink in. And when it did, they all grinned.

Nino: Congrats Bro! Good job Dudette!

Kim: Hey, you guys could even double date with me and Undine.

Nino: Best bros first, dude!

Mylene: Ivan and I would love to double date with you two. (Ivan just looks at Mylene lovingly.)

Lila had been frozen, her mouth open in horrified disbelief. But when the congratulations had come pouring out, she reassembled her expression and put in her piece. Smiling all saccharine, she cooed, “I knew you two would make such a perfect couple. Really newsworthy, you know?”

Adrien tightened his hold on Marinette rather defensively. He ignored Marinette’s confused glance as he glared at Lila. The girl who had hurt Kagami, who had tried to sabotage his Lady (now Girlfriend). Adrien wasn’t taking any chances with Lila.

“Actually Lila,” he made his voice sound neutral (it would not look good to sound antagonistic in front of class), “we plan on keeping our relationship low-key. But I’m sure you can keep a secret, can’t you? After all, you’re Ladybug’s best friend.”

Lila’s eyes widened at the threat. If word got out about their relationship, Adrien would blame Lila and would expose her for the fraud she is. She kept her now rather stiff smile on her face and simpered, “Of course, Adrien, I understand completely.”

Lila seethed internally. She may not be able to target Marinette using Adrien’s fan club but she had another advantage neither of them were aware about. Gabriel Agreste. (Yeah, she didn’t plan on Gabriel telling her to solve the problem since that was why he agreed to trust her word)

“It’s ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous!” Chloe finally burst out, her face as red as a strawberry. “Adrikins with...with Dupain-Cheng! I have never heard of anything more absurd. Adrien, you must know she only likes you for your connection to fashion, right?”

Marinette moved to defend herself but Adrien got there first. He wasn’t going to let Chloe badmouth Marinette. Even if she wasn’t his Girlfriend, he wouldn’t let Chloe hurt any of his friends.

“That’s enough, Chloe!” Chloe looked stunned. “Marinette is my girlfriend and if you were my Friend, you’d be happy for me.”

Chloe didn’t want to be happy for them. She wanted to be Adrien’s Girlfriend, but she also didn’t want to lose one of her only few friends. She looked at Sabrina (who had smiled at the sight of the new couple), pleading silently to let it go.

“Fine!” huffed Chloe. “I’ll keep quiet. You’ll see I’m right in the end, Adrikins.”

That was the day before, this was today.

Marinette rushed to school, knowing every second with Adrien was to be cherished. Even if they were dating now, his schedule was still fully booked. They had to use whatever spare time they could find. And if that meant waking up early, so be it.

Marinette spotted Adrien first. Her face brightened and she started running in earnest.

Adrien heard the sound of footfalls and turned, his face lighting up once he saw Marinette. Opening his arms, Adrien caught Marinette readily as she leaped into them.

Once in each other’s embrace, the thought entered their minds. This is home.

Distantly they could hear Chloe sulk and walk away but they were too absorbed in the moment to care.

“Up early again, Princess?” Adrien murmured.

“What can I say, Sleeping Beauty had a Prince to wake her up,” Marinette replied.

Adrien laughed softly and pulled back so he could look into Marinette’s bright morning blue eyes (yeah, maybe he should keep that analogy to himself) then he kissed her softly.

Marinette’s lips were soft and tasted of sugar and vanilla, or was it chocolate? Adrien was too far gone to care and only indulged himself further.

It was Marinette who finally ended the kiss. Cheeks flaming, she saw they had witnesses (some with raised eyebrows). “So much for keeping low-key.”

Adrien shrugged. “Gossip means my life is never completely private, but we should be safe until we make it official in a really public way.”

Marinette took Adrien’s hand and started pulling up the stairs. “It’s ok. I can handle it. But let’s get to class. (Where there are less witnesses.) if I actually end up late because of you, I’ll never hear the end of it from Alya.”

“Speaking of best friends,” Adrien commented, relishing the feeling of Marinette’s hand around his own. “We should probably try one of those double dates soon. Not as our first date, of course, but soon.”

Marinette blushed prettily, cheeks rosy red. “That sounds really nice. How about a movie for our first date? Our first trip to the movie was memorable but not one I really care to remember.”

Right. The screaming fans. Gorizilla. Her pajamas! Marinette refused to count that as her first date, just like how she shut down Alya that her first date was with Evillustrator.

Adrien gave her a warm look. “I agree. We could do better. There’s the new romance movie already out now. We could go see that.”

Marinette turned her head back to wink at him. “Then it’s a date. Text me your schedule?” Ok, so she already had his schedule but he didn’t need to know that.

Adrien’s hands were already on his phone. “Done!”

They crossed the threshold into class, and settled into their seats. Well, Marinette settled into hers, but Alya was sitting in Adrien’s chair. She winked at the model. “Just before class starts, ok?”

Adrien was ecstatic. Thanking Alya, he rushed to her abandoned seat and faced Marinette, who was scanning his schedule on her phone speculatively.

“Hmm...I think the best day would be this Wednesday, so tomorrow really. You only have Chinese class after school for that. If we’re lucky, you won’t have any surprise shoots. Once the movie’s over, we can head out for dinner. Where do you suggest we eat?”

Adrien knew he had a diet to follow but he didn’t care. He burnt a lot of calories as Chat Noir, so fried and greasy food shouldn’t be a problem. But he didn’t want to overshoot yet.

“I hear from Nino that you found this really good restaurant that sells the best Fish and Chips.”

Marinette looked surprised. “Will that be ok for you. I mean-”

“It’s fine. Trust me.”

“Always,” Marinette sighed, before realising what she had just said and flushing again. Adrien smirked, his girlfriend really was very cute when she was flustered.

“So, tell me,” Marinette babbled, eager to change the subject, “what did you think about...”

“Adrien, Alya, please switch back your seats. Class is starting now.” Phew, saved by Ms Bustier.

Adrien winked at his girlfriend and gave her a parting kiss before he left. Marinette’s female friends all cooed at the sight. And even when he returned to his seat, Adrien looked back at Marinette to give her a longing glance before Ms Bustier called him to attention again.

Alya smirked triumphantly at Marinette’s red but pleased face. At last, Adrienette was a go! Truthfully it was a pleasant surprise to see how taken Adrien was with Marinette. Sure, her girl could be counted to stare longingly after Adrien and prioritize him before anything else. But Adrien’s attention seemed suddenly intense. Sure he could be counted on to give Marinette soft looks and return her longing glances. But now, when he looks at Marinette, it is as if she were the sun and he were a blind man. Like Marinette had suddenly become his whole world. That, and that Adrien always seemed to want to engage in skin contact. I bet he didn’t notice that he kept his hand on Marinette’s for their whole discussion.

Alya’s grin grew wider. She honestly was excited about a double date, too, but she could wait until Adrienette had their first date.

The next day, Marinette arrived with a box full of pink macaroons for her friends to thank them for all their help, but especially to Rose for encouraging her, hence the Color. Marinette saved Passionfruit for Adrien, who looked at it as if it were the holy grail (wow...boy must have realized how much he liked Marinette, but dang that is some deep love. Still, Marinette was no better, so they really were made for each other.) the other flavours were rose, cotton candy, raspberry, strawberry and watermelon.

So while Marinette’s friends enjoyed their dessert, Adrien actually put his head on Marinette’s lap as they excitedly talked about their upcoming first date. Something about wearing their lucky charms?

#miraculous ladybug fanfic #miraculous ladybug fanfiction #miraculous ladybug fic #ml fanfic #ml fanfiction #ml fic #adrienette #chat blanc #chat blanc fic #chat blanc fanfic #chat blanc fanfiction #pre-chat blanc dates

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starshine583 · 5 years

Text

New Friends Ch. 19

(So this chapter is basically an aftermath to a lot of the stuff that’s happened so far. After this chapter, I am going to stop weekly updates so I can take the time to develop more of the plot line. Enjoy!)

Ch.1 / Ch.18 / Ch.20

Felix always hated the idea of love. It was too unpredictable, too messy. Not to mention, It was also completely unnecessary. He never understood why everyone seemed so taken with the concept. Even watching his parents made him sneer as he grew older. They acted as if their marriage couldn’t fall apart in seconds due to some minor arguments. No, he’d decided a long time ago that love wasn’t for him.

But standing here now, holding Marinette close with her lips on his. He realized it wasn’t all that bad. The electricity from her touch coursing through every corner of his body was an addicting feeling. Her hands coming up to dig through his hair drove him crazy in a way he didn’t know was possible.

“I love you too.” She mumbled against his lips, sending his heart soaring.

He opened his mouth to reply when the person sitting closest to them loudly cleared their throat.

Marinette and Felix flushed, stepping apart. He’d forgotten they were in a restaurant.

“Why don’t we start walking back? Lunch period is almost over anyway.” Marinette suggested, rendering him breathless with her soft, bluebell eyes.

Felix nodded lamely and laced his fingers with hers. “Is this alright?”

The shining grin on her face was all the answer he needed as she gave his hand a loving squeeze. “It’s perfect.”

~~~~~~

To say the class was shocked when Felix and Marinette came to school hand in hand was an understatement. Even Lila gasped at the new couple as they took their seats in the back.

“What the heck is this?” Alya blanched, gesturing towards their entwined hands.

“What does it look like?” Felix asked, as if it was obvious- which it was. To make it completely clear, though, he placed a sweet kiss on Marinette’s forehead.

The ravenette blushed, but leaned into his touch with a fond smile.

A whole new wave of surprise washed over the class at the sight. They’d never seen Felix show so much affection before.

Some thought it made sense, whether it be because the two already spent so much time together or simply because “Sweet and Sour” work well together was for you to decide.

Others- such as Alya -either couldn’t wrap their heads around it or flat out rejected the idea entirely.

Adrien fell into the latter category.

Marinette and Felix.. They were dating?

Sweet-as-sugar Marinette was dating Salt-incarnate Felix? He just couldn’t see that happening. But a glance at the back proved that was exactly what was going on.

Felix and Marinette sat together, hands held and shoulders touching. Marinette smiled her bright smile he hadn’t seen directed towards him recently as she talked. Felix smiled warmly down at her- a rare smile Adrien had only caught a glimpse of twice in the last month.

They were very much in love, and for some reason that made Adrien’s stomach twist. Why did it bother him so much?

~~~~~~

“Unbelievable.” Alya grumbled, watching Felix and Marinette from afar as they talked to the “Marinette squad”. Everything looked normal, standing on the front steps of the school, except Felix had his arm around Marinette, hugging her close every now and then.

“I kind of saw it coming.” Nino admitted with a shrug.

Alya glared, though not necessarily at him. “What do you mean you saw it coming!”

Her boyfriend frowned, tipping his hat. “Well, they always hang out together.. And Felix doesn’t talk to the rest of us. So it makes sense that they ended up together.”

“What about Adrien?!” Alya nearly flailed her arms in exasperation.

Nino scoffed, something he’d been doing a lot when the blonde was mentioned. “What about him? He never showed any interest in her anyway.”

The words were bitter, a hidden layer underneath that Alya was dying to know about. He still wouldn’t tell her what happened between them.

“Well, wasn’t Marinette bullying Lila because of Adrien?”

Something akin to anger flashed in the DJ’s eyes, but he didn’t say anything.

Alya frowned, turning back to the couple just in time to see Felix kiss Marinette’s cheek. Their group cheered in response, quickly swallowing Marinette and Felix in a group hug. They all looked so happy that it made Alya sick. If Marinette wasn’t interested in Adrien anymore, why was she still hurting Lila? Nothing was making sense.

“Hey guys! Are you ready to go?” Lila suddenly asked, pulling Alya from her thoughts.

“Yes! We are gonna have a blast at the ice rink today!” Alya said excitedly, linking her arm with Lila’s.

Nino shifted uncomfortably. “About that.. I can’t go.”

Her face immediately fell.

“Why not? We’ve been planning this since last week.”

Nino’s gaze flicked to Lila, then to the school stairs. “Sorry, I’ve got a lot of homework to catch up on.”

A sniffle brought their attention back to Lila.

“You’re not coming? I was so looking forward to all of us hanging out together.” The brunette lamented, resembling a kicked puppy.

Alya almost sat down from shock when she saw Nino briefly roll his eyes. What was his problem today?

“Look, I’m sorry, but I’m not coming. Have fun.” He replied shortly, already walking down the school steps.

She thought she was full on hallucinating when she caught a glimpse of Nino and Marinette subtly waving bye to each other.

“You don’t think he’s mad at me, do you?” Lila said tentatively, hugging her chest as she watched him leave.

Alya immediately shook her head. “No, no! I’m sure it’s not your fault. He’s just going through some things.”

Lila nodded, though she still seemed unsure. “Okay. I trust you to help him out.”

The red-head smiled. That’s right. She was his girlfriend, and it was her job to help him out when he needed it. She would get to the bottom of this. If Nino was actually starting to talk to Marinette again, that would explain why he was being rude to Lila.

Alya’s eyes filled with determination. She couldn’t stop Marinette from going down the wrong path, but she would be able to stop Nino. She had to, no matter what.

~~~~~~

Marinette grinned from ear to ear as she swung her and Felix’s joined hands back and forth. He told her he was in love with her! This was the best day of her life!

“Ugh, we’re so close! Why can’t Andre just pick a spot and stay there?” Aurore whined, studying the GPS on her phone.

“It’s not as special if you don’t have to put in effort for the ice cream.” Luka pointed out with a smile.

The group had been overjoyed when she and Felix announced their love for each other, and immediately suggested a trip to Andre’s to celebrate the new couple. Marinette eagerly agreed. This would be her first trip to Andre’s with someone special!

“I think walking to a shop would be enough effort.” Wayhem commented, gaining a snort from Aurore.

“Stop complaining. Andre’s right there.” Kagami scolded, pointing ahead to the ice cream cart in the distance.

Aurore and Wayhem perked up and, upon spotting the cart themselves, broke into a sprint to get to the ice cream truck.

Luka laughed and picked up the pace with Kagami, leaving Marinette and Felix behind.

“Are you sure you want to share an ice cream? I thought you didn’t like sweets.” Marinette asked, looking up at her boyfriend. Her boyfriend!

The blonde met her gaze with a soft smile that melted her heart. “I don’t, but this sounds special to you. So I’ll try it anyway.”

Marinette didn’t know her grin could get any wider.

She stepped up on her tiptoes and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “You’re the best.”

Felix’s cheeks tinged pink, but he chuckled. “For trying ice cream?”

She giggled, grabbing his arm with her free hand and leaning on his shoulder. “For everything.”

Felix squeezed her hand, lightly caressing the back of it with his thumb. “I love you.”

Marinette hummed. She wanted to listen to him say those words to her over and over again.

“Guys, hurry up!” Aurore urged, now holding a chocolate ice cream.

“If you take any longer, we’re gonna have to walk to Andre’s new location!” Wayhem joined in, holding a cotton candy and lemon ice cream.

Marinette laughed, while Felix rolled his eyes, but they picked up the pace nonetheless.

“Ah! A new couple! It’s as clear as day from the look you share.” The ice cream vendor cooed. He spun his ice cream scooper in his hand and scooped a few different flavors from the ice cream buckets, packing them all onto one cone.

“May this ice cream help you seal your love, so you can overcome any trials you face.” Andre said happily, handing them the cone.

The two thanked him, before sitting with the rest of the group on the benches.

“So, which one of you guys confessed first? It was Mari, right?” Aurore asked once they sat down.

Marinette and Felix blushed. They hadn’t filled them in on all the details yet.

“Actually, Felix said it first.” Marinette said shyly, glancing towards Felix. She could tell he was flustered about the whole thing. I mean, who wouldn’t be a little embarrassed about blurting out a declaration of love in front of a restaurant full of people.

To their surprise, Aurore scrunched up her nose in annoyance while Luka and Wayhem laughed.

“Seriously? I thought for sure you’d be the one to tell him!” She huffed, taking something out of her pocket and roughly putting it in Kagami’s hands.

“Was that- did you bet on us?” Felix asked, a hint of agitation in his tone.

Everyone turned sheepish except for Kagami, who gave a smug smirk.

“It was easy money. How could I refuse?”

“But you’re rich!” Aurore flailed her arms, obviously still bitter about losing the bet.

Kagami only shrugged, taking another bite of her ice cream.

Marinette couldn’t help laughing towards their antiques.

“You know, I hope things never change.” She sighed blissfully, looking over her group of friends with a fond smile.

They returned her smile, nodding in agreement. This circle of friendship they had formed was something to be cherished.

And the relationships. She thought to herself, watching as Felix took a bite of their ice cream. He kept his expression neutral, but she saw his eye twitch, signifying his dislike for the dessert.

Her heart swelled with love and happiness. Yes, she had something good, and she would make sure to cherish every bit of it.

~~~~~~

Adrien was still thinking about Felix and Marinette’s declaration of love well past school hours. Even as he jumped across rooftops to go meet his Lady for evening patrol he couldn’t stop thinking about it. Felix had never shown any signs of emotions besides spite and anger before. How Felix could look at Marinette so fondly and be so gentle was beyond him. He heard they even went to get ice cream together at Andre’s. Everyone knew how big of a deal that was.

As Chat Noir neared their traditional rendezvous point to start patrols, his previous thoughts were set to the side when he started to hear laughing and talking. One voice was easily recognizable as his Lady. No one else had a laugh like hers.

Bouclier and Ladybug were sitting on the rooftop together- way too close, in his opinion. Were their hands touching?! -and they seemed to be laughing it up about who knows what. Her laugh was so heartfelt and whole that he would usually be elated to hear it had it not been for the fact that he knew Bouclier was the cause. Whatever happened to it being just them? Chat Noir and Ladybug. Yin and Yang. Why was she so intent on hanging out with other guys and ignoring him?

“I hope I’m not interrupting.” He spoke up, barely containing a growl.

The two jumped and looked back at him with a mix of surprise and embarrassment.

Too absorbed in each other. What if I had been a villain?

“Oh, Chat Noir. You’re here.” Ladybug said light-heartedly, standing up. No, ‘hey Chat. How was your day?’ No ‘I’ve missed you, Kitty’. Just ‘oh, you’re here’. Did he even matter to her anymore? Or had he been some cheap amusement for her until she was able to have a new playmate?

His Lady didn’t acknowledge his silence, instead starting a ramble about the patrols. “So, since we have Bouclier now, I was thinking we could take West and East like usual, except Bouclier would take North. Then we could all meet up at the South and-”

“Yeah, yeah. that’s great, Bugaboo. Can I talk to you for a sec?” He interrupted, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and guiding her to the other side of the roof. This had gone on long enough. They needed to take action before Bouclier caused a serious rift between them.

Ladybug glanced back at the turtle-themed hero, who now on his feet, and motioned for him to stay put. Perfect. She could tell this was a serious conversation.

“Do you really think having Bouclier on the team is necessary?” Chat Noir asked once they were “alone”.

Ladybug’s eyes widened in surprise, then she gave him a small glare and crossed her arms. “Yes, of course he’s necessary. We need all the help we can get, Chat.”

Chat held up his hand defensively. “Absolutely! I totally agree with you, My Lady. It’s just.. Does he have to be a permanent hero? The temporary ones have worked fine so far.”

Ladybug sighed in frustration, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Bouclier lightens the load for us. It’s easier to manage the job if we have more people to spread the responsibilities to.”

“But we’ve always been fine before!” Chat pointed out. “Sorry, LB, but three’s a crowd, and I, for one, don’t enjoy being singled out.”

Ladybug’s gaze shot back up. “Wha- you- no one is being singled out.”

The black-clad hero crossed his arms and pulled a small pout. “Yeah, you say that, but then you’re off joking around with that guy during fights. I’m telling you, he’s going to cause trouble and I want him off the team before he comes between us.”

He really hoped she would agree. That Ladybug would think it over and realize where he was coming from. The dynamic between the Cat and the Ladybug was a delicate thing that needed to be protected if they were to capture the akumas. They shouldn’t risk tipping the scales on some random guy who’s filled with nothing but spiteful remarks.

Unfortunately, though, Ladybug wasn’t exactly understanding as much as she was rageful.

She sharply inhaled, getting right in front of him so he could see exactly how much fury swam behind her bluebell eyes. “Let me tell you something. Bouclier is a brilliant addition to the team who has helped us so much in the week that he’s been here.” She jabbed her finger into his chest. “And I will not take him off the team just because you are jealous.”

Chat Noir scoffed in disbelief. She thought this was only about jealousy? I mean, yes, that was the core of it, but there was still more than that. Their dynamic was suffering because of Bouclier, and since neither of them could leave- their miraculous were too important -then it only makes sense that Bouclier should be the one to go. It was like she didn’t even listen to him because of his feelings for her!

But fine. He can see how far their partnership goes, if they ever even had one in the first place.

“If he’s such a brilliant partner, then I guess he won’t have trouble covering my section of patrol.” He huffed, stomping over to the edge of the roof and taking out his baton. Obviously, he wasn’t needed there. Ladybug and her brilliant addition should be able to do just fine without Chat Noir.

He ignored her protests as he propelled himself towards the mansion. Let them patrol the city on their own. Then see what she thought about having permanent heroes on the team. Ladybug would come running back to him before patrol tomorrow night.

~~~~~~

The next day at school, Nino scribbled down as much information as he could about Lila and all of her lies. If he wanted to convince the class that she was lying, he’d have to have proof and would need to be able to counter any excuses she had. Now, this might be going a bit overboard since he wanted to talk with his classmates privately, but you could never be too careful.

Who should he start with though? Juleka and Nathaniel don’t really pay attention to the drama, right? He should be able to sway them over easily, maybe ask them to talk with Marc and Rose about it..

“What are you doing?” Mylene asked next to him.

Nino jumped, scrambling to flip his notebook closed. “O-oh -uh- nothin- nothing much!”

After his argument with Adrien two days ago, he knew he couldn’t sit with him anymore. So he changed seats to be next to Mylene. She was so quiet, though, that he would sometimes forget she was there.

Mylene frowned slightly, eyeing his notebook with suspicion. “Sorry, you looked really focused for a second. I was just curious.”

He smiled nervously and looked down at the notebook as well. Lying was never really his forte.

On second thought, why would he need to lie? He wants to convince the class right? Why not start with Mylene?

“Actually, do you mind if I talk to you about something? We’ve gotta be quiet though.” He began, re-opening the notebook and giving Lila a cautious glare.

Mylene nodded, curiosity reflecting in her eyes as she inched closer.

Nino got back to his page of notes, lowering his voice to a whisper. “You know how Mari said Lila was lying? I think she’s right.”

Mylene reeled back, shock written all over her face. “Why would you think that?”

Nino pushed the notebook over for her to read. “I thought something was off so I tried to look up some of her stories, but I couldn’t find any. She hangs out with a bunch of famous people, right? Wouldn’t something like that be in the news or on a post somewhere?”

Mylene didn’t respond as she read over the notes, her frown deepening the further she got. Finally, she set the notebook down and looked at Lila, who was happily chatting with Alya.

“I don’t know, Nino.. Lila’s super sweet. I have a hard time believing she’s actually been lying to us.”

“What about Mari?” Nino argued. He was getting close! She was almost on board! “Wasn’t she super sweet? Think about how she was before Lila came. Or even after. Has Mari ever done anything unfair or mean to us?”

Mylene quietly thought it over. Nino didn’t interrupt. He knew changing your views on somebody could be pretty hard, especially when they had no concrete evidence to go off of.

She then sighed, fiddling with the metal spirals on the notebook. “No.. you’re right.. Marinette wouldn’t lie like that, would she?”

The guilt she felt was clear, but Nino couldn’t help getting excited. She believed him! They were going somewhere with this!

“It’s hard to take in. Go ahead and investigate for yourself, too. I need all the help I can get.” He admitted, stealing his notebook back to continue writing.

“Help? For what?” Mylene asked, furrowing her eyebrows.

Nino glanced at the brunette in front of them again. “For exposing Lila for the person she really is.”

Mylene followed his gaze, bitterness slowly spreading across her features.

“I’ll talk to Ivan.” She said dutifully. “You can keep working on the list, and we’ll talk to who we can.”

Nino nodded with an appreciative smile, before turning back to his notes.

One down, too many more to go.

Tag List: @unabashedbookworm@bluerosette23@minightrose@kuroko26@im-here-for-the-content@angstyrastuff@clumsy-owl-4178@fanboy7794@choaticneturcl@bigcheeseyboi@burntnugget-tae@ayuchan07@honorisfortheweak@knightrose15@mjisntme@rhub4rb@simplythebestbug@wilhelmares@zebrabaker@dargeon-lissa @kristycocopop @alumneia @kaydenth3gayden@thornangelic727@flirtshobi @whatamessofwords @offically-over-it @flashflashitsash@thewingting @aegyobutpsycho2 @zoeytheweeb@zeyheartstaylor@friedchickening @roseinbloom02 @totalgaydrama @god-is-dead-and-so-am-i @bitterheart12224 @krunchy-tuna @trapezoidoxide @izzynuggets @imfreakingmagical@vixen-uchiha @dani-ari @azureocean33 @tinkerbela @drama-queen-supreme @nerdyleafeon @tinybrie @jarofbuttons @crazylizardlove @hauntedfreakdeputyhero@legendaryneckjudgestudent @coniferyl @chocolatecustarddanish@evil-cricket @derpingrainbow @crazylittlemunchkin @worlds-tiniest-spook-pastry @never-neverland @hetalia-lover-is-here @resignedcatservant @maritrash28 @cadencehood @kiara-rose-blackthorn

#New Friends AU #Felinette #Felix Culpa

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ripples-in-the-river · 4 years

Text

A short Kagami/Marinette drabble

Tears rolled down heavily on the girl's cheeks, but from where Marinette was standing she couldn't see a thing. And Kagami didn't want her too. Crying was her own treasure, her own pearl of weakness. Mother had never allowed her to cry and so every tear was precious. Everyday she had to calculate how many she would allow to fall and today, there were too many to count. Kagami let them flow next to her red skirt, dripping on her ankles, rolling down her sleeves, as a wet gurgle broke from her mind and she found herself sobbing heavily. She hadn't expected to be out of breath but here she was, over a girl, over someone she'd never expected -- over Marinette, the girl with the earrings and the pink shirt, the girl who made designs for the gods and who spoke with a high-pitched voice full of kindness. Like wind she'd swept her away, and as all winds do it fell down again, and Kagami was riding the train-ride home once more, and she'd never expected to fall this hard out of love but she was. And it broke her heart into pieces.

Marinette hadn't expected it. Marinette hadn't known. If she had, perhaps things would have gone differently. Maybe she'd have said yes, but most likely she'd have run off anyways. And that's what broke her heart more: the thought of imagining her off having fun with her new boyfriend Adrien, without a sight, without a look back at what she'd forgotten. Kagami thought Marinette was the sentimental one, but Kagami was the most of them. And for every time she imagined her with her back turned, another tear fell down to be counted. She could almost remember all the curves of Marinette's back now. It was all the well too imprinted in her mind.

Maybe Marinette was immortal. In Kagami's mind, she was. Never changing, never moving. No point in turning her around if she wanted something else. There was always something off with Marinette, something that made you look twice. But that had never been enough for Kagami to look down, far from that. She thought she could make it work. Between fence fights and winning arguments she thought she could do it. Between eveyrthing that happened she thought she could do it. And she could stay by her side forever.

But she wasn't. Kagami had been wrong. She's shot in the dark and her whole world had fallen. Marinette wasn't here anymore. And Kagami only had herself to blame. Winter would be cold this year, cold and empty without Marinette's warmth to help her.

Maybe she'd have someone else to light the candle for her. Show her the way to the light again. But they wouldn't be Marinette. And without Marinette, what would it matter? Who could be anything more than who Marinette was? There wasn't a point in dreaming, or thinking, or worrying about it. Kagami was better alone.

She wouldn't have a girlfriend or even a friend again and that was okay. Maybe she didn't need one. Maybe she just needed time, and patience. Everything would be ice-cold again. And she wouldn't care anymore. But at what price? Marinette was her everything, and now she was away.

When Adrien had rejected her, Marinette had run off into warm, dark hands to comfort her. Kagami had been at her side, but it was Chat who had changed her. And Marinette only ever looked at him. Now they couldn't be changed. Like sun and moon, everlasting night, nothing they did ever would be changing. They were immortal, unchanging, immovable. They wouldn't stop loving each other and Kagami had failed. Kagami wanted Marinette more than she wanted blood to pump in her veins. She'd wanted her whole and pure she'd wanted her touch by the fireside and her hand for a dance and her laugh and her tears. She'd wanted to cherish every second of her just like she counted every tear that fell. But that was wrong. Mother said feelings for a girl were wrong, and this was punishment. Marinette would never look at her again.

Deep down she'd just wanted a friend. But Marinette was gone, and with her, all hopes of any spring were gone. Marinette was her best friend, her favorite person in the world, and there would never be anyone like her again. But just like spring never comes back, or how mother never looked at her after a slap in the face, nothing that was broken ever changed again. Marinette was broken off from her. Everything was wrong.

Kagami looked down at her hands, and they were full of tears. She cried again until her limbs were red from scratching and hurting until something came out. And then she felt a hand on her shoulder. Not a hand, but a voice. A presence. A beacon. A light. Her light?

"Marinette?"

"It's okay. I'm here. You don't need to go through this alone."

She'd expected Marinette but the words sounded older. A young woman was before her. Young and beautiful and curvy and muscular -- dressed in red and black. A lady of power and adventure. More soft-looking than ever before, standing on her knees, looking like she was about to cry herself -- Ladybug, superhero of Paris, bending down before her like an equal.

"I'm sorry you're going through this. You don't need to. It'll be fair soon. It'll get better for you."

"But what's even the point? Marinette left me. What's the point of any of this anymore?"

"Marinette..." said Ladybug, stricken. Then she continued, and rose petals were in her breath, soft and present, soothing like the tea Father did when he lived with them: "Marinette is closer than you think."

"What's the point anymore? What do I do?" wailed Kagami, feeling her eyes clench up painfully as she screamed like a pained child.

Ladybug put a hand on her shoulder. Her hand was warm, and so very red.

"You'd come with me, and we'll get you soothed again. Soon, Kagami, you'll live again. I promise."

Kagami sniffed and accepted her hand. She felt weak, but Ladybug felt strong and her grip made her feel more alive somehow.

"Why would you do this for me? Who are you to me to care about this?"

"I'm a friend. And friends don't leave others to cry on their own," Ladybug said with a smile.

Then Kagami smiled. This woman... she liked her. And maybe there were others like her. Someday.

#miraculous ladybug #kagami tsuguri #tsurugi kagami #marinette x kagami #marinette dupain-cheng #pearl of sadness #pos part one

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crazyrandomfucker · 4 years

Text

Marichat May Day 29: Pajamas

Summary:

After giving some thought, Kitty decides that she wants to repay Marin's kindness by making him new pajamas after seeing that his old one were getting pretty old.

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

It was quite a normal ocurrance that Kitty Noire visited the Dupain-Cheng twins, even more so than her brother Chat Noir. However, it was also somewhat usual that she helped Marin with any designing and that he'd repay her by making accessories and some clothes for her. Kitty cherished everything he gave her and was really grateful for all his presents, but she felt that simpy helping him with his designs or modeling wouldn't be enough to repay his kindness. And then, one day while she was modelling for him, she noticed that his pajamas were getting a bit to small for his big and toned built that was being wrapped tightly by the pajamas, leaving no room for Kitty's imagination, not that she stared at him whenever he didn't notice, of course not.

That was why she decided to get him new pajamas as a thank you. The thing was that, even if she lacked the skills for it, she simply didn't want to give him a present bought with money as a thank you for all the hand-made presents he gave to her, she wanted to make by herself a pajama for him. But there were so many things she lacked... To begin with, she didn't even know what kind of pajama to make him, much less how to tailor it. The next big problem was that she had no way of getting his measures to make the pajama, nor did she have someone to help her or ask for advice. The only good thing? She could get the fabrics easily, not that it would help herin any sort of way thought.

But then, everything was clear for her. There was someone that could help her, teach her how to sew and even get Marin's measures for her without even raising suspicion! Marinette! Marinette was the answer to all of Kitty's problems and Kitty was sure that once she heard the idea, Marinette'd help her without a doubt. Excited, she couldn't bat an eye as she thought of what could she possibly do. The next day, as soon as she could, she transformed into Kitty Noire and went straight to Marinette's bedrom. After the usual knocking code and being let inside, Kitty Noire explained in detail to Marinette her idea and then asked her for help, fully expecting her to accept.

"I would love to help you with everything Kitty, but there is a little problem" says Marinette and Kitty's world shatters.

"What is it? Is it anything I could help with?" asks Kitty worried. "Are you too busy? Is that it? Am I being a other now then?"

"No no no. I'ts nothing like that silly" says Marinette giggling. "It's just that this month I'm a bit tight in budget and I don't have anything to spare to do this. Even if you bought the fabrics, I'd still need some other things to work on it and teach you".

"Oh, it's just that" says Kitty relieved. "That's no problem! I'll be the one buying the materials since I'm the one asking you for help!"

"Are you sure? It can't get a bit pricey to sew, specially if you want to try for the first time" warns her Marinette.

"Don't worry Princess, this alley cat actually has quite some savings that I don't use, what better to use them than learning a new skill?" says Kitty positively.

"If that's what you want" says Marinette smiling as she rolls her eyes in defeat. "This won't be easy, I'm warning you".

"I'll give my three thousand per cent!" says Kitty determined.

"Silly Kitty" says Marinette giggling. "Okey then, how about we decide first what are we going to do exactly for today? That way we can go buy together to buy the materials next time if you use your civilian disguise".

"Sounds perfect! You're always so good planning Princess! Ladybug must have learnt from you, doesn't she?" says Kitty Noire.

"I'm not sure who learnt from who" says Marinette.

Just like that, they began to design how would the pajamas be. Since winter was about to come in less than two months and the night were getting chilly, they settled for winter pajamas. What's more, they both agreed that it would be for the best to be a cozy one-piece pajama. The next part, were the colours and the designs. Since Marin skin was quite pale and his hair was jet-black, they decided that dark colors would fit him the best, so they chose black and garnet as the colors of the pajamas. As for the design, it was a onesie with a hood and pockets that was all garnet and had a black T shape on the center of the suit that extended over the arms and between the legs. As an extra, Kitty decided that she wanted to sew a message on the back that read 'Beware of the Prince Charming', to which Marinette totally agreed laughing like a madwoman.

After that Marinette went to measure Marin under the pretext that he would soon to change his wardrobe and Marinette wanted to practice some male clothing. Meanwhile, Kitty Noire crafted quite a funny sign for Marinette's door that said: "Do Not Enter. Girls TOP Secret Project going on". Once they both finished, it was late enough for Kitty to leave, so the agreed for a day to meet to buy the fabrics, which had been chosen to be fleece fabrics given their cozy properties. After Kitty Noire left Marinette's room, she was practically vibrating out of excitemen for the project she had in hands. She hoped that Marin would like the present and that it would be something that brought them even closer.

During the following days, both girls gathered up the materials needed and Marinette began to teach Kitty Noire how to use a sewing machine and how to sew in general. Even if Kitty wasn't exactly very dextrous with her hands, she did her best effort to learn how to sew dilligently day after day, listening to Marinette's advice and tips and making sure to follow each of her instructions to the letter to properly tailor the pajamas. And before they even noticed, the pajamas were almost done in just three weeks. The only thing left was the embroideried phrase on the back of the pajamas and to practice the emroidery, Marinette lent an old dress to Kitty for her to try whatever she wanted by following Marinette instructions.

A month after they began the project, the pajamas for Marin were finally done. After seeing it completed, Kitty Noire got emotional from the satisfaction of having done it by herself and Marinette couldn't help but to empathize with her. After all, they could prove that it was a Kitty Noire's original by the little silver paw embroideries they had secretly added in the inside of the pockets as per Marinette's idea. After having folded the pajamas and wrapped it into a package, Kitty Noire and Marinette excitedly went off to Marin's bedroom, who was surprised to see both of them standing on the corridor and even more surprised when Marinette left with what he could swore that was a sly smile.

"Marin" says Kitty Noire a bit timidly, hiding the package on her back. "There's something I have to tell you".

"Yes Kitty?" asks Marin suddenly getting nervous and gulping down inadvertently. "What is it?"

"I have to tell you that I'm very thankful for all the time you spare to make me little gifts whenever I help you with something. Since I felt that it wasn't something really fair on my side, I wanted to give you something back as a thankyou" says Kitty as she offers him the package, getting inxpiclably shy and turning away her blushing face slightly.

"I- I don't know what to say Kitty" says MArin holding the gift as if it was something very delicate that would break by the slightest gust of wind. "You didn't have to, I ejoy the time you spend with me and the help you give me. However, I'm really moved by your worries, thank you Kitty".

"You're welcome Marin" says Kitty blushing as she impatiently awaits for him to open it. When he does, the stunned impression makes Kitty's heart swell.

"Is this... These are pajamas? You gave me pajamas? I certainly needed new ones since I went throught another growth spurt recently" says Marin marveled as he unfolds the pajamas and inspectionates it. "It's a onesie! With pockets and the hood! I love the colors and the fabric, it's perfect!"

"I'm happy you like it Marin" says Kitty smiling from ear to ear. "That's not all, turn it around".

"There's something in the back?" says Marin as he turns it around and reads the embroidery. "Okey, that was a good one, I didn't expect it to have that warning on the back".

"It's cool right?" says Kitty feeling proud.

"Cool? This is awesome Kitty! I love it so much!" says Marin hugging Kitty suddenly. "Where did you find something like this?"

"I didn't find it anywhere" says Kitty blushing a bit.

"No way, you did it? For me?" asks Marin surprised and hugs Kitty tighter, lifting her and spinning around the room happily. "It's amazing Kitty! Was this your first time?"

"I- I had a good teacher" says Kitty as her blush deepens to a completely new shade of red. "Ma-Marinette taught me how to d-d-do it".

"So that's why you haven't been coming lately" realizes Marin. "Kitty, I can't express with words how happy am I right now. Thank you so much!"

"I-It was nothing" says Kitty Noire burying her face on his shoulder. Then she backs a bit. "Why don't you put it on to see if it fits well?"

"I'm on it!" says Marin letting Kitty on the floor and rushing to the changer. Minutes later, he comes out with the onesie on. "How do I look? I think the measures are perfect".

Kitty can't help but to let a giggle out, Marin was too cute for her own good, being all dorky about a simple gift. "You look good on it Prince Charming".

"Then beware, or I'll charm you into making me more of these" says Marin chuckling.

"I was already charmed dum-dum" whispers Kitty in a low voice.

"What did you say?" asks Marin because he didn't heard her at all.

"That I can't believe you just punned!" says Kitty blushing again.

"I've told you so many times that I don't hate puns if they are well-placed and not in an unending stream" complains Marin.

"Okay, that one was well placed" says Kitty Noire.

"I see you added your own signature" says Marin opening the pockets.

"I did! But really, I think this should count as a mak of possesion" says Kitty as she gets behind Marin and puts her hands on his pockets. "This pockets are mine!"

"So it's not a gift entirely for me then, is it?" says Marin laughing.

"Of cousre it is, it's just that we cats are very possesive" says Kitty basking in his touch.

"Are you implying that I'm now yours?" teases Marin with a faint dust on his cheeks.

Pouting, Kitty gets her hands out of Marin's pockets and faces him. "What if I am?"

"Then I'll accept gladly" aswers Marin smoothly as he mentally screams in embarrassement, banging his head against his mind's walls.

"I will remember that then" says Kitty turning away after flickering his nose. She climbs up to the trapdoor and leaves quickly, blushing a lot and sweating without Marin knowing about it.

Meanwhile, Marin is standing in the middle of the room as he intensely stares at the floor while revaluating his whole life.

#marichatmay2020 #miraculous au #miraculous ladybug #miraculous fanfic #Twins!Au

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coffeecomicsgalore · 4 years

Text

25 Days of Adrien (+6 of Marinette)

A Christmas Miracle

Part of the MLHolidays2k19 prompt.

Ao3

Chapter 25 – Christmas Day

Adrien’s alarm rang a few minutes to six, giving him enough time to say goodbye to Marinette, transform, and land safely back to his room before Nathalie would wake him up for the day.

He rubbed the sleepy sand from his eyelids and planted kisses on Marinette’s jawline.

She scrunched up her face and gently swatted away the man who was teasing her awake. “Bad kitty.” She mumbled.

“Come on bugaboo. I have to go. If I don’t go now, Nathalie will figure out I’m missing and I won’t be able to come by for brunch. Plus, I’ll only be gone for about an hour.” He kissed her lips. “I’ll be back soon. I promise.”

Marinette pried one eye open while pouting at his words. “I guess if it means I see you soon, then okay. I’ll see you soon.”

He pressed one last kiss to her lips before calling upon his transformation and vaulting out the skylight in quick action.

Soon enough, Marinette woke up to Tikki nuzzling her face, reminding her to get ready before Adrien came back over. Marinette slowly woke up, already missing the warmth that had left her side. She ran her hand against the bare spot, smiling at the fact that Adrien had been over sleeping peacefully beside her. It wasn’t the first time he slept over, but it only reminded her that the number of times that they could do this would soon end.

She chose a pretty shimmery, crimson, long sleeved dress that stopped mid-thigh, and paired it with white leggings and black combat boots. She wore her hair down with strands tied back into a half pony with a crimson bow. Natural looking make-up completed the look.

“Joyeux Noël! Merry Christmas!” She kissed her maman and papa before moseying into the kitchen to help set the table for morning brunch. She sniffed the air. “Mm. Papa, everything smells so good! What are we having?”

“The Christmas special! Crepes, fresh fruit, croissants and jam, danishes, and peppermint coffee.”

“Oh, I can’t wait! Adrien should be here soon.” She remembered her conversation with Adrien the night before and looked over to her maman. “Adrien called me last night after he got home. His father invited me over for dinner today. I was hoping it was okay for me to go with him, only after we finish everything here, I mean.”

Her maman smiled at her shy request. Even at 18, Marinette was always unsure when it came to family matters. She did not want to hurt her family in any way, also considering that today was a holiday, but she also didn’t want to upset Adrien’s dad and not show up to dinner, even more so that he requested she be there himself (or at least through Adrien).

“Of course, sweetie. As soon as brunch, presents, and games are done, you are welcome to head over to Adrien’s home. Make sure you bring the box of treats we set aside for him.” Sabine gestured to the pastry box on the table. Her papa must have created a few extra treats for Adrien to bring over today.

“Thanks, maman.”

As soon as the table was set, the doorbell rang and Marinette bolted to the door to greet her handsome blonde beau.

“Joyeux Noël!” Adrien chimed before kissing Marinette. He turned to Tom and Sabine. “Joyeux Noël!”

“Joyeux Noël!” Tom and Sabine replied back, Tom reaching over and giving Adrien a hug. “You’re just in time! I just finished breakfast and Marinette just finished setting the table.”

Adrien shifted the gifts that were piled in his hands and Marinette grabbed a few before bringing them to the tree. The family sat and enjoyed the delicious breakfast, laughing over some funny baby Marinette moments from Christmas pasts. It only prompted an embarrassed and flustered Marinette, but Adrien enjoyed that the color of her cheeks matched her dress perfectly.

Soon enough, the table was cleared and the family all gathered around the tree to open gifts. Sabine handed Adrien two gifts while Tom handed Marinette three. Adrien and Marinette each handed the parents their gifts to open. Adrien received a scrapbook kit and a camera, something that Adrien had said he wanted in passing. Marinette opened hers to reveal brand new artist markers, a sketchbook, and soft emerald fabric that she had been eyeing. Tom received a personalized apron that said Master Punny Baker with a chef hat and two whisks crossed behind it to look like skull and bones from Adrien and a handmade sweater from Marinette. Adrien gifted Sabine a family tree pendant with birthstones that represented her, Tom, and Marinette and received a handmade ornate dress from Marinette.

Sabine and Tom each handed a gift to each other while Marinette and Adrien exchanged gifts of their own. Marinette had made Adrien a few cat pun shirts with some physics garble on it while Adrien gifted Marinette a necklace and bracelet set with two very distinct charms on each – a paw print and ladybug on the necklace and a black and pink charm (for Plagg and Tikki) on the bracelet. Adrien noted that once they added members to their own little family, she could add on as many charms as she wanted.

Games were played and the morning passed quickly before Adrien noticed the time. He turned to Marinette and nodded noting it was time to go. “While I wish I could stay here all day and hang out with all of you, it is time for us to head to Christmas dinner with my Father.” He gathered his things and placed them on the table as Marinette grabbed the pastry box and gifts for Gabriel, Nathalie, and Gorilla and placed it near Adrien’s belongings.

Tom and Sabine hugged Adrien goodbye, thanking him again for the wonderful gifts and spending time with them. They bid their daughter farewell and shooed them out the door.

-----xoxox-----

Marinette and Adrien arrived to the mansion quickly, thanks to his bodyguard. As they entered the atrium of the mansion, Adrien assisted Marinette’s coat off her shoulders and placed it in the arms of his bodyguard. Marinette and Adrien shifted uncomfortably as Nathalie came through the doorway wishing them both Joyeux Noël in a cheerful tone. Marinette smiled and wished her one back, Adrien repeating the phrase with a friendly tone himself.

“Your father is waiting for you in the dining hall, Adrien.” He nodded and placed a hand to the small of Marinette’s back, both to guide her to the room and for stability. Gabriel stood from his place at the table wishing them both a Joyeux Noël before gesturing to sit at the table in front of them.

Adrien and Marinette both wished him back as he guided her to his usual spot at the large table. When he noticed the table settings were not set, Adrien looked back to his father and noticed the settings were all placed near Gabriel. With that, he also noticed that there were extra settings at the table, one presumably for Nathalie and the other for Gorilla. He looked to both the secretary and the bodyguard and noticed a smile to their faces, waiting for Marinette and Adrien to take a seat at the table before they took theirs.

Gabriel looked to Marinette. “Mademoiselle. When you came for lunch a few weeks back and assisted Adrien in trimming the tree, you brought back a light that was missing in this house. I noticed you sitting beside him, allowing Adrien to speak and remember her. You helped me remember those moments that we cherished so much.” His reminder brought up a teary smile. “It helped me so much that every moment I am away from my office, I stand in front of the tree and look to the ornaments that I had given her. The angel – the last one she had given us – is the one I look at the most. It reminds me of her in so many ways.” He looked to his place setting, nudging the wine glass to the side.

“I know I haven’t been the best lately, especially during this time of year.” Gabriel glanced at Adrien placing a tender hand over his. “I miss your mother terribly, but that is no excuse for me to ignore you. And I deeply regret doing that to you. I’m sorry.”

Adrien audibly swallowed. Marinette guided her hand over to his, encouraging Adrien to speak in order to break the silence.

“All I wanted was for us to be a family, Father. I wished you could have been there all the times I needed you. I wished so much for that. I accept your apology, and I love you, but I would love for us to work on our family before I can forgive you completely.”

Gabriel nodded in understanding. “That’s all I ask.”

The dinner moved forward with conversations between all parties. Adrien still could not believe what had happened; his father was actually speaking to him and his girlfriend. Nathalie was having a meaningful conversation with them all. Laughter and jokes were at the table. Even Gorilla smiled!

At one point, Adrien leaned into Marinette’s ear and whispered, “Am I in shock and this is all a dream or is this really happening?”

Marinette turned to Adrien and smiled as she put a hand on his. “I’m calling this a Christmas miracle. But I’m proud of you and standing your ground. I just hope he continues to treat you like this.”

“Years of damage won’t be fixed overnight, but I’m willing to try if he is.” Marinette nodded in agreement. “But it is a Christmas miracle, indeed.”

#mlholidays2k19 #adrien x marinette #merry christmas #christmas fluff #miraculous ladybug fanfiction #ml fanfic #ml fanfiction #good guy gabriel

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fandom-queenliness · 5 years

Text

The Breaking Part 3: Kagami

This is Part 5 of my Burning series, you can read the rest of it here.

Shoutout to @im-here-for-the-content for helping me with this!

This is shorter than my other pieces simply because Kagami does not beat around the bush and blunt as hell. Anyway, onto the pain!

The Breaking Part 3: Kagami

Kagami was not surprised when Chloe exited the elevator looking drained. She walked over to the chairs where they were seated and dropped down. Nino moved forward and asked how it went, and the blonde mumbled something about nearly snapping his wrist. Kagami felt pride at that. Agreste deserved to hurt for what he had done.

Marinette’s voice rang through her head and she flinched. The pain she spoke with—it killed Kagami. It made her want to break something.

A man exited the elevator and scanned the waiting room, when he spotted her he walked over, carrying a long object wrapped in white cotton. He bowed and offered it to her.

“Kagami-sama,” he greeted. “The package you requested.”

She nodded and grabbed it, holding it delicately in her hands. “Arigatō gozaimasu.” The man – an assistant of some sort – left.

Nino looked over to her. “What is it?”

“A symbol,” she answered, “a sword.”

Worry made its way onto his face. “Are you planning to kill him?”

She shook her head, running a finger along the black hilt. “I am not expecting it to ever be used. It is symbolic.”

Chloe’s head tilted but she did not comment. “Your turn. His secretary told me she wouldn’t announce you, just in case he calls security. She’s planning to quit after today anyway.”

Kagami nodded to the secretary, who was manning the desk a floor below Agreste’s office instead of her usual one right outside it. She held hate in her eyes for her boss.

She gripped the hilt of the sword and nodded to her friends, then headed for the elevator, jabbing the button. Her last look of her friends was Chloe wiping away tears as Nino comforted her.

Agreste looked up when Kagami walked in. He was holding his wrist close to his chest and she thanked Chloe for that. The betrayed look in his eyes was worth it.

“Agreste,” she greeted coldly, placing her package in the chair beside her. She remained standing.

He looked up from where he was leaning against the desk and grimaced. “Hey. Sorry, Chloe just dropped by. You think she’s mad?” He held up his bruising wrist jokingly and it set a fire within Kagami. He was joking, laughing, as his wife fell apart. The nerve, the selfishness—

She took a breath, steadying herself. She had words to say before her anger could be loosed.

“But can you believe it?” He asked, rubbing his wrist. “I thought Chloe would understand, growing up with politics and all. She at least should have understood why I would need to clear my name.” Agreste sighed. “She even thinks everyone would be against me. But you’re here, proving her wrong. I never would have expected she would…” he sighed and shrugged. “She’s just being dramatic. Hey, do you think I could use your phone to call Marinette? She hasn’t been answering my call—”

That was the final straw, assuming he had the right to talk to the woman he had hurt more than anyone else. Kagami held up a hand and he paused, puzzled.

With no emotion, she told him, “I am here to formally cut any connections with you.”

His smile dropped, he stared at her. “What?”

“I find myself unable to remain your business partner when you have committed acts that go against my morals and expectations of you,” she told him ruthlessly. A weight was lifted off of her with each word, like tiny anchors. “Any and all business between us is over. You will be getting calls from my lawyers later today.”

“Bu—but you’re my friend!” Agreste protested, sounding like a petulant child.

She held up a hand, and it took all of her mother’s training to keep it from trembling. “Are you addressing me as a business partner or a friend?”

“A friend. What else?” He said, still staring like a gaping fish.

“Excellent.” She pulled her arm back and punched him in the mouth. He fell against the desk with a dull thud.

“Wha—Kagami what the hell?!” Agreste shouted, holding a hand to his bloody mouth. She stared down at him, remorseless.

“You wanted your friend, well here I am,” she told him, spreading her arms. “I am the friend you lied to, the friend who loves your wife—evidently more than you do.”

Agreste scrambled away from her, behind the desk, trying to get out of her reach—useless.

“You are a stain upon your family, upon this world,” she told him, anger filling every word. “You betrayed your wife and friends. No longer can I look upon you without seeing a liar and a bastard.”

He tried to speak, made to put a hand forward but she pushed onwards. “You are without integrity, honesty and loyalty are absent from you.” She planted her hands on the desk and leaned forward. “You are a coward, you are weak.”

“I thought you would understand!” Agreste burst out, his own anger making itself known. “You grew up like me, you must understand what it’s like Kagami!”

“Keep my name out of your mouth,” she snarled over the desk. “I will not have cowards speak of me. Cowards who hide behind their family name and use their upbringing to justify their mistakes.” She slammed her fist down on the desk, making it rattle. “You are a grown man, you can no longer hide behind your father’s mistakes. Everything you have done is your own fault and you are weaker than I thought if you are attempting to blame it on a bad childhood.”

He stepped forward, glaring at her. “My reputation is all I have! Without out it— without it I am noth—"

“You think your reputation is all you have? What of your wife?” Kagami seethed. “Your friends? Your children? Or are those just things you may abandon, expecting them to remain where you left them? You are still that child who is blind to the harm he causes others, lost in your perfect world where nothing can go wrong. You are still that fool who is selfish enough to think Marinette will just fall into your arms, forgive you after a moment of anger. You won’t even let her feel anger! It’s been less than two hours and already you think you may speak to her.”

Marinette was worthless to him, she meant less than the words of others in his eyes. She was glad she had left her sabre at home, she would have killed him then and there.

She shook her head and stood up straight. “You expect her to love you no matter what you do, that she will accept your mistakes when she is the one hurt more than anyone else. It’s just like all those years ago when we went on that double date to that ice rink.” Oh, the silent tears Marinette had shed when she recounted it. Kagami wished she had realised then the pain Agreste was causing her. She would have told her to leave him before he hurt her even more.

“You were pining after Ladybug—Marinette herself—and thought it was acceptable to string me along, to ask me on a date when you were still not over her. I was fool enough to agree, to think I was helping you when all I was doing was enabling you. And you dragged Marinette along too, selfish even when you couldn’t see how hurt she was.”

Outrage flashed across Agreste’s face. “I didn’t know she was Ladybug! She never told me how she felt, how she—she was Marinette! And she agreed to that date, all on her own. It was her decision, you can’t blame that on me!”

“I can blame you for being blind!” Kagami shot back. “I can blame you for being selfish in every part of your life. I can blame you for being a characterless coward. I can blame you for so many things because you are idiot enough to not learn from your mistakes. I can blame you for playing Marinette’s heart then and breaking it now. I can blame you for denying her the chance to be with someone who cherishes her more than you ever could. Someone who has stood beside her and seen all the wrongs you have done and let her go regardless.”

Agreste gaped again. “Who—Luka? Marinette chose me over Luka all on her own! It was her choice!”

He still didn’t know about Felix, Kagami realised. He was still so blind that he couldn’t see the longing and love in his brother’s eyes whenever he looked at Marinette.

“You are a small-minded fool,” Kagami said instead. It wasn’t her place. “Marinette had options other than you then, and she has them now. She doesn’t need you, and only an idiot will think she wants you after what you have done. She has people who love her, and she doesn’t need an honourless husband.”

Agreste stomped forward, pointing a finger at her. “I—”

“You haven’t changed in all the years I have known you,” Kagami said over him. “You are still a passive aho. You are a child. You couldn’t even tell her of your disgusting deeds yourself, to her face you instead made it all public, so desperate to be seen in the best light you didn’t even pause to think of your family. The definition of selfish cowardice. Ruining any chance of leniency in an effort to avoid false drug charges.” She growled. “You’re an even bigger idiot than I could ever think. You have dishonoured your name and your family. You have tainted every memory anyone has of you with the betrayal you have committed. You have ruined anything and everything.”

“I—”

“Your children will look at you and they will see a monster. They will see you only as a shame. They will spend the rest of their life with the knowledge their father is a heartless beast that cared more for his own pleasures than them. You shall be their greatest regret, the man who tore their family apart over sex, not even love. You will no longer be their father, instead, all they will see is the man who broke their mother’s heart. They will hate you.”

He took a step back, eyes wide with shock before narrowing into rage. “Kagam—"

She didn’t give him a chance to speak, grabbing his shirt and pulling him down until he was sprawled across the desk. He let out a cry and looked up to her in fear. She grabbed his tie, pulling him up until he was nearly choking. “You are a stain upon this world,” she hissed. “An enemy to Marinette and her children. Your words are worth less than dirt. Nothing you say can be trusted after months of lies. You were weak enough to betray her, and you are no longer worthy to even call yourself hers. You have dishonoured her and everyone who loves you.” With that she let go of him, grabbed the package she had brought with her, unwrapping it and holding it up for him to see. The silver blade of the sword glinted in the light.

He gasped and scrambled away, pressing himself again the glass wall behind him in horror. “That—that’s a—”

“A wakizashi,” she finished ruthlessly. “The sword of ritual suicide. Samurai would fell themselves with their wakizashi to restore their honour.” She laid it down on his desk and met his eyes. “I leave you this not to tell you to kill yourself—even now I hold some regard for your health.” Her voice was bitter. “I leave this to you instead as a constant reminder of the crimes you have committed. The dishonour your actions have brought upon you and all who know you: Marinette, Emma, Hugo, Felix, Nino, Chloe, Alya, your father. Your mother.” He winced at that and she pressed on it. “You have dishonoured the woman who raised you by committing such acts against your family. You have dishonoured the dead and the living.”

She stared at him, at his shock and fear, and felt no guilt. “Goodbye Agreste. My lawyers will be calling.” She turned for the door.

He ran out from behind the desk, eyeing the wakizashi fearfully. As she touched the door handle he grabbed her arm. She froze, turning to look at him with only one eye.

“Please Kagami,” he begged. “We both know this doesn’t mean much. Marinette will forgive me, take back the wakizashi. See sense—”

She elbowed him in the gut and then kicked him in the ankle, putting all of her rage and loathing into the moves. He fell to the floor and she stood over him. She placed a foot on his chest and put weight on it, making him groan.

“Do not speak to me,” she hissed. “You are without integrity, without honour. Be thankful you are even breathing now.” She removed her foot, stalking to the door. She paused just outside, ignoring the looks some of the designers were giving her. Kagami stared down the coward she had once called friend with no regrets. “You are nothing.”

Adrien stared after her as she disappeared into the elevator, left lying on the ground with only the injuries she had given, the words she had said, and the wakizashi.

It felt really good to write this. Sometimes I wish I could punch Adrien too.

Anyway, next up is Nino’s part!

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