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Chapter 19 is now posted! Sorry for the long wait, folks.

Lace or Leather (Author’s Note + Recap)

Howdy! As y’all know, it’s been a while since I updated my final Miraculous fic, so this post includes a recap of the story thus far. But first, I’d like to mention two important things about the fic. Specifically, 1) “canon” in the fic, and 2) the “incompleteness” of the Burgundy and Blush series.

Unfortunately, my explanation of those two things ended up being rather long-winded, so I’m linking to the full explanation here. I’ll include a TL;DR in this post—but if you have the chance, I’d appreciate if you read the full-length explanation! The TL;DR gives you the most essential info, but it doesn’t really properly explain everything.

And for your convenience: if you read that explanation post first, there’s a link at the end that links back to this recap post.

TL;DR:

This fic was originally written early/mid-Season 3 and stays true to the canon at that time, which means that we’re operating under the “you must not reveal your identity or else you’ll lose your Miraculous” rule. Hopefully that contextualizes the characters’ perspectives in Chapter 19, along with some of their decisions moving forward! (Also, I have seen very little of Season 4 and nothing from Season 5, so those two seasons—along with a substantial portion of Season 3—have no relevance to this fic.)

There was originally supposed to be a third fic in this series. Lace or Leather is a standalone fic and does NOT end with a cliffhanger, so rest assured that this story will still feel complete! However, there is one “arc” that won’t be explored in the fic, and I’m sorry for anyone who would’ve liked to see that part. There really isn’t a feasible or satisfactory way for me to include that.

And now, the recap, up through Chapter 18!

(Note: I included specific summaries for Chapters 9-18, since a lot of this fic takes place over a short period of time. Feel free to skip to whichever point you find most helpful!)

The first several chapters of the story involve Marinette entering a design competition that’s being hosted by Gabriel. Adrien offers to be her model, and they meet up so that Marinette can watch him try on outfits for inspiration, since she’s struggling to come up with a design. Throughout these chapters, Marinette also spends more time with Chat Noir, who she’s gradually getting to know better. Marinette seems to have romantic feelings for him, but she fervently denies this and insists that she still wants to pursue Adrien.

In Chapter 9, Alya calls Marinette after she spent the day “playing dress-up” with Adrien, and reports that he seems to have a crush on Marinette. Marinette doesn’t believe Alya, but tells her that even if Adrien does like her, he should wait until after the competition to ask her out. Alya notes that Marinette seems surprisingly unenthusiastic.

After that phone call, Marinette realizes that she’s in love with Chat Noir and starts to panic. An akuma attack interrupts her breakdown, and when she runs into Chat as Ladybug, he talks her through an anxiety attack. Afterward, Ladybug wonders if Chat has fallen out of love with her. He notices that something is bothering her and urges her to talk to someone, even if it’s not him.

In Chapter 10, Marinette asks her parents for advice, explaining that she has feelings for two people. They reassure her that her feelings will make sense eventually; after all, she just realized her feelings for the second person earlier that morning. If she gives it time, she’ll eventually be in a better place to make a decision.

Later that night, Marinette is surprised to find Chat Noir on her balcony. He explains that it’s not the first time he’s visited without telling her—sometimes he needs to clear his head, but doesn’t want to bother her. They talk for a bit, and Marinette nearly kisses him, but the two of them end up knocking over a teacup before she can try. Since Marinette is worried about Chat, she offers to let him sleep over. They end up sharing the bed. Chat falls asleep first and seems have a nightmare, so Marinette wakes him up and assures him that he’s loved.

In Chapter 11, Marinette and Chat wake up together. Marinette is embarrassed about Chat seeing her first thing in the morning, but he thinks she’s cute. They talk some more, and Marinette reassures him that he he’s never imposing when he visits the Dupain-Chengs, and that he can consider himself part of the family.

While Marinette reheats some breakfast, she fishes for non-identifying personal details, such as what Chat’s room looks like. He admits that his room doesn’t really feel like it belongs to him. Somewhat concerningly, he notes that he’s probably due for a fight with his father, and mentions that the two of them hardly ever talk. Marinette offers him more reassurances and encouragement.

In Chapter 12, Adrien visits Marinette so that she can take his measurements. He has deviated from his usual style, and is wearing the leather jacket Marinette bought for him. The two of them are predictably flustered while Marinette measures Adrien, but they also banter and tease each other. Adrien opens up a bit about the issues he’s been having with his father.

He then tells Marinette about a photography project that he and Alya have been working on—as long as Adrien spends time constructively with his friends, his father allows them to hang out. (Apparently, though, Gabriel doesn’t like having Nino around; Nino is only allowed to wait in the foyer to walk Alya home.) Adrien shows Marinette some of his photos, and also tells her that he carries her lucky charm everywhere with him.

In Chapter 13, Marinette still can’t figure out a design, and she’s running out of time to submit one. As she’s talking to Tikki, she frets that she might end up rejecting Adrien if he confesses to her—but then she quickly backtracks, saying that she wouldn’t have a reason to reject him. Marinette decides the real problem is that Adrien isn’t opening up to other people quickly enough, which means that he’s not ready to be in a relationship with her. Before Tikki can dissuade her, Marinette transforms and travels to the Agreste mansion to speak with him as Ladybug.

Adrien doesn’t seem interested in discussing any of his insecurities, so the two agree to play video games instead. Ladybug unintentionally oversteps a boundary regarding the topic of Adrien’s father, and Adrien tells her that she’s out of line. Ladybug apologizes, and Adrien explains that while he’s aware his relationship with his father isn’t healthy—and that he tends to bottle things up until he explodes—he’s also allowed to keep things to himself.

Still, he says that he’d be happy if Ladybug checked in every now and then. She assures him that if he ever wants to talk, she’ll listen. It turns out that Adrien does want to talk about something: his crush on Marinette. Ladybug is stunned, but she manages to reassure him—although she ultimately suggests that Adrien should wait until the competition is over before pursuing Marinette.

In Chapter 14, Marinette and Adrien casually text each other, but now that Marinette knows he has romantic feelings for her, she keeps worrying about the tone of her texts. When Marinette mentions her conundrum to Tikki, Tikki says that she doesn’t see an issue with Marinette pursuing Chat; however, she refuses to recommend one boy over the other.

Later, Marinette meets with Alya for coffee. The two chat, and Alya says that Adrien made some interesting points about shipping Ladynoir—mainly, that it’s invasive, and that it forces the two superheroes to constantly dispel speculation about their relationship. Alya also notes that it seems like Ladybug and Chat Noir aren’t flirting as much lately, which Marinette takes as a sign that Chat really has stopped loving Ladybug. Marinette then mentions that she’s having trouble coming up with a design, and Alya offers some encouragement.

After an akuma attack, Ladybug tries to ask Chat Noir to grab coffee, but he tells her he’s busy. Ladybug points out that he’s stopped flirting with her, and asks if he’s ever going to flirt with her again. Chat notes, “It sounds like you’re asking a bigger question,” and Ladybug says that she might be. Chat asks for a raincheck on the conversation, since he needs to get back to an event before anyone notices that he’s gone.

In Chapter 15, Marinette has just finished sketching a very nice sleeve…and nothing else. Chat Noir shows up and detransforms so that he’s wearing pajamas and a masquerade mask. He vents that he had a frustrating day because his father forced him to go to an obnoxious party. He and Marinette end up joking about one of her celebrity crushes, but when Marinette jokes about Chat Noir’s “type” being “Ladybug”, he awkwardly admits that Ladybug isn’t the only girl he likes. Marinette wonders if he might have a crush on her civilian identity.

Once again, Marinette almost kisses him, but just barely resists the urge. She asks him if he wants to stay over again, and he says yes. Chat expresses regret that Marinette isn’t allowed to know his identity, since he’s tired of shutting people out. Then, changing the subject, he tells Marinette that he’s still waiting for her to make the lace shirt she “promised” him during a previous conversation.

Marinette confesses that she’s stumped on her contest design. Chat says that maybe she’s not feeling inspired, because “maybe you don’t want to design something for Adrien anymore.” He compares it to a song he once tried to write for a girl he loved, except his feelings changed halfway through it, and he wasn’t able to finish the song. Marinette realizes he must be talking about Ladybug. She protests and accuses Chat of “giving up” on Ladybug, which he objects to. He insists that he still has a valuable relationship with her, even if he’s not romantically interested.

Ultimately, Chat tells Marinette that she needs to design something she’s passionate about, and to stop worrying about whether the design “fits” Adrien as a person. When he jokingly complains that Adrien is getting a lace shirt instead of him, Marinette promises that she’ll make one for Chat, too. The two then go to bed. Marinette worries to herself that if she or Chat end up dating someone besides each other, they won’t remain close like they currently are.

In Chapter 16, Chat and Marinette wake up before school starts. Marinette fantasizes about a domestic life with him, and blurts out a question about how common Chat’s real first name is. He says that it’s pretty common (“definitely top fifty”), and Marinette asks if he can tell her, since it wouldn’t be identifying information. However, Chat says that it’s too risky. (“I guess you could look at a list and pick one to call me, but that’s no different than calling me Chat.”) Plagg shows up to tease the two lovebirds, and then Chat leaves so that Marinette can get ready for school.

At school, Alya and Nino ask about “Charles” (Chat Noir’s disguise at the masquerade dance in Burgundy and Blush). Alya then asks Adrien for his thoughts on Ladynoir, and Adrien says that he doesn’t support shipping real people. Nino is surprised, saying that Adrien used to be a huge fan of Ladynoir. Adrien then echoes Chat’s words about how the two superheroes can be close even if they’re not in a romantic relationship.

In Chapter 17, Marinette still can’t figure out a design. She meets up with Chat Noir as Ladybug and says she wants to continue their conversation from the day before. Ladybug expresses disappointment that he doesn’t love her anymore, which Chat disagrees with; he does love her, even if it’s not romantic. He asks why it matters, when she should be relieved—and Ladybug answers, “Because I’m in love with you.” She admits that she’s been anxious because she’s wondering why he stopped loving her.

Chat gets irritated and says that he hasn’t stopped loving her, and that he doesn’t love her less. He’s tired of everyone acting like platonic love is somehow inferior. He shares that he’s afraid to love people because his father always rejects him and forces him to buy his love, and because other people are constantly sticking their nose in his personal life. Ladybug says that he’s right, and that she was wrong to be dismissive; Chat says he’s sorry that she’s feeling hurt.

When Chat mentions an issue in his personal life, Ladybug offers to listen, but he says that he doesn’t want to ask her for advice about his romantic feelings for someone else. The two agree on a raincheck for the coffee date, and Ladybug ponders her feelings for Adrien and Chat Noir. She wonders if her bond with Adrien could ever be as strong as her bond with Chat, and whether she even has the patience to wait for that.

In Chapter 18, Marinette is still trying to finish her design for the competition; the deadline for her materials request form is in three days. She refuses to abandon her design for Adrien the way that Chat Noir abandoned his song for Ladybug.

Noticing Marinette’s art block, Tom tells her that he or Sabine will take her shopping for some fabric, so that Marinette can get work on a project that isn’t related to the contest. When Sabine takes her shopping, Marinette finds some gorgeous midnight blue lace that instantly reminds her of Chat Noir. After buying it, she immediately rushes home and creates an entire design for Chat’s shirt in one sitting. This success motivates Marinette to finish her design for Adrien as well.

Tikki notes that Marinette seems more excited about Chat’s design, but Marinette says that’s just because of burnout. Since she finished so close to the deadline, she goes to the Agreste mansion to submit the materials form in-person. She and Adrien chat for a bit, and Adrien admits that he begged his father to let him model for Marinette. Marinette thinks about how Adrien would say yes if she asked him out—and yet, it somehow feels like the wrong decision to ask him. She decides that it must be bad timing, since she’s stressed out from the contest. She then invites Adrien to visit over the weekend and play video games.

You can read Chapter 19 here!

#my fics #lace or leather #writing update

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