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#Adrien at anyone else's wedding : I thought you two were just friends
shabootldoo · 2 months
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Okay, despite only hearing about it yesterday, I haved scraped together something for Loveybug week!
😘 @asukiess
2/11: Adrienette
Two Sides of the Same Heart
WC: ~800
_____
Marinette almost had a heart attack at the sight of Adrien waving outside the bakery door. Six-thirty in the morning was too early for her frazzled brain to wake up properly, let alone unscramble enough to think straight around Adrien. It took a moment for her to unfreeze before she rushed over to unlock the door.
“A-Adrien, hi!” Marinette said loudly. She leaned stiffly on the doorframe. “What brings you here!” She inwardly cringed. Why was she so awkward?
Adrien’s smile was more blinding than the morning light haloing the back of his head. “Hi, Marinette. I’m glad I caught you before the bakery opens. I know it’s early, but I wasn’t sure when I would have the opportunity to give this to you. My schedule’s pretty busy for the next few days and my father isn’t letting me go to school on Valentine’s Day this year.”
Marinette’s heart fluttered. Valentine’s Day? He’s going to give me something? Her mind whirled for a bit before she fully digested what he’d said. She frowned.
“There’s nothing wrong!” Adrien shook his hands in front of him. “My father doesn’t want me mobbed like I was last year. So I’ll be home.”
The small note of dejection in his voice only provoked irritation. “That’s not fair, Adrien! You shouldn’t be alone in your house on Valentine’s Day!” Who does his father think he is?! Gabriel Agreste was about to drop down her list of favorite designers at this rate. Besides, no one beat Vera Wang’s wedding dresses, anyway. Loveybug would 100% agree, too.
Adrien gave her an appreciative smile. “It’s alright, Marinette. Fans can be overwhelming. And it’ll be a nice break from running around promoting father’s Valentine’s Day charity ball.”
That’s what he has Adrien doing? Marinette was ready to spit fire.
“Anyway,” Adrien continued. “This is for you. I know we’re just friends–” Marinette’s insides twisted. “--but you’re really special. And I thought I’d give you something to remind you of that.” He pulled a small, pink heart-shaped box out of his pocket and held it out to her.
Marinette’s jaw dropped. “F-F-For me? Are you sure?”
Adrien chuckled. “There isn’t anyone else here, is there?” He winked. He gestured at the box.
Marinette picked it up with shaking hands. She stared down at it before glancing at Adrien and back down to the box several times. Her palms were starting to sweat. This was real, right? This wasn’t some cruel dream she’d wake up from?
Adrien slid his hands in his pockets nervously. “Is this weird? I wasn’t sure but I thought platonic love counted so–”
Marinette’s ears blocked everything out after the word ‘love’. She quickly opened the box.
“Oh! Uh, you’re opening it now?”
She nearly dropped the box. Nestled in plush velvet was a small, heart-shaped charm. And her heart almost stopped at the small images on it. Marinette picked it up delicately. It had weight to it, made of metal, and clearly custom-made. On one side of the bead was a picture of Ladybug, and on the other, Loveybug.
“I don’t know if you still have the lucky charm I gave you, but I thought you could have another bead for it?” Adrien said. “I see you with Chat Noir merch sometimes, and I wasn’t sure if you have anything Ladybug related, but I also thought, who better to represent love than Loveybug, you know? So, what better to have on your lucky charm than the symbols of luck?”
Marinette’s brain promptly expired. She choked on nothing. Her mouth felt like sandpaper once she finally got actual words out. Clutching her gift to her chest, Marinette said, “Thank you, Adrien. It’s beautiful.”
Adrien’s responding smile was dazzling. “I’m glad you like it.” He glanced back at the street, where the Gorilla was waiting in his car, and his smile faded a little. He turned back to Marinette with an apologetic look. “I have to go, but I’m glad we could talk for a minute. I’ll see you later, Marinette.”
Marinette stood in a daze as Adrien returned to the car and was driven away. She jolted when a hand rested on her shoulder.
“Marinette?” her mother said. “Is everything alright?”
“Uh huh.” Marinette nodded her head mechanically.
Sabine let out a small laugh. “Alright, dear. Don’t stand in the front for too long. Mme Copeland will try to sneak in early again.”
Marinette barely heard her over the rush of her own thoughts. “Yes, maman.” Marinette looked on in the direction where Adrien’s car had vanished. “I’m in love with Chat Noir,” Marinette whispered to herself. “Not Adrien anymore. I’m in love with Chat Noir.”
Standing in the sheen of the morning sun on her face, Marinette told herself the warmth she felt was from those rays.
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Soulmate For Hire Chapter 1
Chapter One: Houston, I Have So Many Problems
I’m gonna go eat bread
---
Timothy Drake Wayne did not have a soulmate.
It had been that way since the moment he was born. It didn't change when he turned 12, like all others did. It didn't change when he was adopted and took on a new name.
It never changed.
Because he didn't have a soulmate.
But he wanted one. He so, so wanted a soulmate.
Someone to love him unconditionally, to smile and laugh with him, to kiss him and hug him and care about him.
So why, out of all people, did he not have a soulmate?
Tim felt broken without one.
Soulmates were supposed to be your other half, so was he always to be broken and empty without one?
---
Marinette Dupain-Cheng did not have a soulmate.
It had been that way since the moment she was born. It didn't change when she turned 12, like all others did. It didn't change when she became Ladybug and took on a new identity.
It never changed.
Because she didn't have a soulmate.
And she didn't want one. She didn't need one.
She didn't need someone to think they owned her, to tell her what to do, to force her into things.
Which was why Marinette was so happy without one.
She felt alive and full, even without one.
Soulmates were supposed to be your other half, but Marinette didn't believe that. She was perfectly fine without one.
---
It started with a lie.
But isn't that always how it starts?
Most romantic comedies start with a little white lie that doesn't hurt anyone, but then eventually grows too big to avoid.
And then, somehow, two people fall in love.
Except Tim--who didn't have anyone to fall in love with.
And his lie, oh his lie was the most batshit crazy lie he had ever told.
But could you really blame him?
Some would agree that yes, he was to blame for this whole mess. But others would say that his heart was in the right place and all that.
Well it might have been, if that "right place" was his chest, where hearts are typically held.
And if you were being technical, then technically this whole thing was Dick's fault.
It was Dick who proposed to Kori.
It was Dick who wanted a huge ceremony.
And it was Dick who asked everyone to bring their soulmates.
But despite all Dick's flaws, Jason did bring up Tim's soulmate.
Or lack of.
You see, all of Tim's brothers had soulmates.
Bruce had Selena.
Dick had Kori.
Jason had Roy.
Damian had Jon.
Cass and Steph had each other.
But who did Tim have? No one.
So maybe he said it because he was jealous, or maybe because Jason was being a jerk.
Tim wasn't sure.
But what really mattered was what he said.
And what he said was so, so dumb.
"I guess I'll bring my soulmate too then?"
The second it came out of his mouth, the excited chattering stopped.
Jason was the first to respond.
"What?" He laughed don't.
Tim almost winced. Why, why, why did he say that?
His whole family knew he didn't have a soulmate, that's what Jasin had been teasing him about, and yet...yet he said that.
Time to back himself out of the corner he shoved himself into.
"Yeah, my soulmate. I'll bring her."
Or not.
Tim didn't even know if his soulmate was a girl. He was bisexual--which meant they could be female or male.
If he had one that is.
"Tim," Dick started gently. "I thought you didn't have a soulmate?"
Tim hated the pity is Dick's voice.
Sure, he didn't have a soulmate, but it's not like they needed to be such dicks about it--acting like he was going crazy from not having one.
"Well I found her. I just didn't want to tell you guys yet."
Why was he digging himself deeper into this grave?
Who knows.
"What's her name?"
Tim froze.
It wasn't like he could get out of the lie now. Too many lies adding up--even if he had only said a few sentences.
"I-- uh."
Jason smirked. "You're making this up, aren't you Timmy?"
"M! Her name is M!"
"Tt, M." Damian commented, crossing his arms.
"Yeah she's probably his pillow or--" 
"Yeah, her name's M. And you guys can learn the rest when you meet at Dick's wedding." He turned to Dick. "Assuming I can bring her, she is my soulmate after all, and I do have that plus one"
He tried to make his voice sound less shaky, less nervous. He succeeded only a little bit.
But Dick visibly brightened at his words.
"Yes! Please bring her! Sorry, I just figured you'd bring Conner" Dick captured Tim in a tight hug and ruffled his hair.
Over his older brother's shoulder, Tim could see both Damian and Jason looking thoroughly unimpressed.
Once he was released, Tim gave a quick nod--unable to speak in his growing panic--and swiftly left the room.
He needed to figure out how to explain his lies.
After a coffee break.
---
Marinette lived in Gotham City, New Jersey.
A.K.A, the most crime ridden place on Earth.
And she loved it there.
She owned her own fashion company, Miraculous, and had her own secret identity as MDC. She was successful and happy.
And pretty exhausted at the moment.
As it turns out, staying up until five am to finish a commission had been one of her worst ideas.
Marinette sat in her office hunched over her desk and groaning. Having spilled her precious coffee a moment prior, she was drenched and so very not awake.
And it definitely didn't help that her best friend, Adrien Agreste, sat in front of her laughing.
Marinette was going to commit mass murder.
She could deal with the Bat if it meant ending Adrien's horrible, awful, terrible laughter.
In fact, Marinette was pretty sure she could take out the Bat too.
All he did was put on his furry suit and punch people--she could definitely get rid of him with a few well placed piles of fruit.
"Adrien god damn Agreste. If you don't stop laughing I'm going to murder you and no one will find the body." Marinette grumbled, the sound muffled by her arms.
Like a fool, Adrien ignored her threat.
"Alright, Bugaboo, but you need to take a break. Change and get some coffee from that shop you like."
"Nooo," Marinette moaned.
Adrien sighed and stood up. Marinette thought he was going to leave, but instead he hauled her up out of her chair and shoved her towards the little room she made for extra clothes and a small bed.
"Fuck you Agreste."
"You did that already, Mar. I believe it was our last year of high school."
Marinette stuck her tongue out at the blonde before going to rummage through her clothes.
"I'll call someone to clean this up. You're lucky you didn't get any coffee on your sketchbook."
Marinette stripped--her and Adrien knew each other well enough that it didn't matter what the other saw--and pulled on a new, non coffee soaked shirt.
"Aw, I love that sweater!"
Marinette looked down at her apparently Red Robin themed sweater. It looked just like the vigilante's suit except made of fuzzy cotton.
"Hmm, when did I make this?" Seriously, she didn't remember.
"First week in the awful city."
"It's not awful, it just has...personality."
Adrien shrugged and tossed Marinette her sketchbook. She snatched it out of the air and shoved it in her bag.
"Sure, 'personality'." Adrien said, Smirking as he shoved her out the door.
Marinette could already feel the slight adrenaline rush from almost ruining her sketchbook wear off.
She trudged to Bean Baby--her favorite coffee shop and almost fell into the glass door.
Using doorknobs when tired to the point of passing out was not her specialty.
The barista--Amy--sighed tiredly, already knowing her order.
"One extra large to-go cup filled with espresso shots and a little bit of cream, coming up!" Amy grinned and gave her a thumbs up.
Marinette gave her a weak smile and sat down in a booth--ignoring the terrified glances other customers and workers were giving her.
"Did you just get my exact same order?" A voice came from the other side of Marinette's booth.
The ravenette shot her head up off the table, eyes wide.
"Oh my god! I'm so sorry, I'm so tired--I didn't realize this was your car!"
"Car?"
Marinette blinked. "What? Are we not in a car?"
The man in front of her snorted before it turned into a full blown fit of laughter.
He was handsome, with bright blue eyes and onyx black hair.
He had sharp cheekbones and adorable dimples that made a Marinette want to draw him.
Was she staring? He was pretty. She liked staring.
She was so tired.
"I'm Tim." The man said once his laughter died down.
Marinette smiled brightly and reached over the table to shake his hand.
His grip was firm and calloused, like he used them a lot. It was weird, his face seemed too soft to be a construction worker or something like it, but his hands made it seem like he made a living using them.
Marinette was too tired to think on it anymore.
"I'm--"
"M!" Amy called out, raising her drink high in the air.
Tim stared at Marinette, eyes wide and mouth gaping.
Marinette gave him a weird look before walking over to get her coffee.
Just smelling it made her feel like she was floating.
"M?" Tim asked once she sat back down.
Marinette giggled a little.
"It's Marinette, actually. I just use M because I'm kind of a...recognizable person." She said, laughing awkwardly.
Tim had a weird gleam in his eye--the same kind Adrien claimed Marinette had when she was thinking of a plan.
His blue eyes studied her in a way that made Marinette flush. She wasn't used to anyone looking at her in a way that wasn't creepy or hateful.
And it wasn't like she had a soulmate to look at her that way.
And it wasn't like she wanted one either.
The idea of soulmates was ridiculous.
One person meant for you? Someone that you had to be with? No one else?
Marinette learned long ago that she wanted to make her own choices. Do what she wanted.
Which was why she was so happy to find out she didn't have a soulmate.
"I need your help."
Marinette blinked, shocked slightly. Help? Why?
"Help?" She repeated.
Tim nodded, looking slightly nervous.
"I--my brother's wedding is next month." He sighed, looking down at his clasped hands.
"All my other siblings have soulmates to bring. But I--I don't have one."
He...he didn't have a soulmate?
Marinette had always thought that she was the only one without one. But Tim didn't have one either?
"I know it's weird--"
"It's not." Marinette said, covering Tim's hands with her own. "I don't...I don't have one either."
Tim glanced up, shocked.
"You--"
"Twinsies?" Marinette squeaked out, smiling awkwardly.
Tim choked out a laugh. "Yeah, I guess so."
"So what did you need my help with?" Marinette tried to act as normal as possible--she couldn't stop glancing down at their touching hands.
Why was she so nervous talking to this stranger?
"Oh...um," Tim started, biting his lip.
Cute.
"Alright I'm just gonna say it: I need you to pretend to be my soulmate."
---
Wowie
I like this one
---
Masterlist
---
Taglist:
@7thcirclebaker @aespades @yuriyuhitsu @sere-here @mep-kittyjustkillme @fangirlingfanatic @terramay07
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capesandshapes · 3 years
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All You Had to Do Was Stay (Post Reveal/ Pre Relationship) (1/4)
Thanks to LNC for the title!
Summary:
Three years ago, Marinette revealed her identity to him. Three years ago, he promised to wait in a hotel room for her. Three years ago, she opened the door to find it empty.
Now she's expected to play nice with him, since she's the maid of honor and he's unfortunately the best man. But old habits die hard, and old feelings die harder.
"This is a wedding, not a death march, Marinette."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Things that need to be done before Alya Cesaire could marry Nino Lahiffe:
1. Designs combining both Martinique culture and Réunion style needed to be made for the whole wedding party. Everyone should get to have a say in what they wear.
2. The video of Alya dancing overenthusiastically to the cupid shuffle needed to be removed from Lila Rossi’s Instagram, lest Nino’s nana see and wonder what type of woman he’s marrying.
3. The cake tasting needed to be had. Marinette needed to make sure that her parents didn’t go overboard and keep the couple for the whole night. Even if Alya was practically their daughter. Even if they begged. Even if papa cried.
4. A totally unique and unreplicable combination Bachelor and Bachelorette party needed to be planned.
And, lastly… The most difficult of all:
5. Marinette somehow needed to be able to stand in a room with Nino’s best man, Adrien, and hold a conversation for more than five minutes. Even if, three years ago, he found out her identity, left Paris, and broke her heart.
“Easy,” Marinette groaned, sinking further into her barstool as she closed her notes app, her head touching the counter of the bar. She’d already crossed off the top two of the list items, and yet…
“I’m not asking for a miracle,” Alya began, obviously knowing what she was thinking about. She was the one to ask Marinette out that night, wanting to find out her progress… and also to check in on her wellbeing. It was obvious that she felt bad, she knew how things went between the two and how Marinette originally thought they would go. But she couldn’t just ask Nino not to have Adrien be his best man. “Five minutes, that’s all I’m asking. Just five minutes in a room together. You quickly plan the bachelorette party, since we know that you’re far too organized not to, give him the run down, and then leave. Back to your life, back to doing whatever it is you do now.”
“Sit at home. Alone,” Marinette supplied.
Alya grimaced. “It’s for the best that Luka got married, Marinette. You couldn’t keep playing that game. All that kiss and tell was gonna kill you some day.”
Marinette groaned, somehow sinking further into the wood of the bar. Anymore and she’d become part of the grain.
“Plus, Juleka’s in a better mood with you now,” Alya said, obviously looking at the other young woman as she undoubtedly danced on the floor with Rose. Marinette’s habit of coming back to Paris and making out with her brother had obviously put a strain on their relationship, even if Luka insisted that things weren’t committal and he was totally fine with only seeing her twice a year. “Who knows, maybe Nino will have a handsome cousin and you’ll fall madly in love.”
Marinette raised the side of her head to cast Alya a glare from one eye.
Alya didn’t falter. “So, he’s back. After spending three years in New York, Milan, Hong Kong, and Tokyo. I get it, it’s life changing, it’s world ending, it’s all the things you don’t want and more—especially after how things ended,” Marinette groaned, Alya carried on, “but, you know who else is back? Max, Rose, unfortunately Lila, and Kim. Good old Kim. All your friends, everyone who you’ve known for years, everyone who has missed you as you flitted in and out of Paris! Sure, you found out that Adrien was Chat Noir, went to his hotel room, thought you were finally going to get together, and then opened the door to find it empty—but you know, life happens! And when you least expect it, it keeps going on and on and on and on!”
Marinette turned her face back to the wood.
“I really did try to get Nino to change his mind,” Alya said flatly. “I begged.” Marinette doubted it, but…
“Why couldn’t he just stay in New York?” Marinette mumbled.
“Because Nino is his best friend.”
“Why couldn’t Nino go to New York,” Marinette said, “or Adrien done a zoom call for the wedding.”
Alya snorted. “Okay, that’s it,” she said, grabbing Marinette’s arm. “Adrien’s landing today, nothing’s going to stop it, you just have to clear your head and power on.” She leaned into Marinette’s view as her friend finally turned her head, insistently stating, “you were Ladybug for god’s sake. Even if no one else knows it, you do. I do. You gotta suit up, lovebug, and face the day, lest another evil butterfly come flying by.” Never mind the fact that there hadn’t been an Akuma in years.
Not since Gabriel Agreste was arrested.
Marinette rolled her eyes, finally lifting herself off the bar.
“There’s my girl,” Alya said. “Now, finish your dirty shirley, order another drink, and come do karaoke with me. I’m a hundred percent certain that I saw Say You’ll Be There on the song list, and you know that I’ve been singing Spice Girls since I was in diapers.”
--------------------------
Marinette stumbled into her apartment at one am. Not drunk, she didn’t get drunk, not out in public at bars. In friends’ apartments, maybe. She was still a bit tipsy which was, in its own way, dangerous. But she could fight through it, maybe.
Kicking off her heels, she looked at it, the studio she called home and had once been so proud of a few years back, the same studio she’d lived in ever since she was a fashion design student. The same one in which she’d left Chat knocking on her balcony door when she struggled to stay asleep, and eventually relented to let him in time and time again before he knew who she was.
“Someday, I’m going to move,” she grumbled, beginning to pull the bobby pins from her hair. She wouldn’t, of course, not for a long time. Rent-controlled apartments were rare, and while she pretended that the history that practically stained her hardwood floors was something she would rather forget, she was a nostalgic young woman. She’d be there for at least another five years, or until she was finally well and truly over Chat.
Five years would probably come first.
She passed by the photos washi taped to her walls, the ones where fourteen-year-old kids gave toothy smiles and eighteen-year-old young women gave winks while leaning into blond young men. If she was so concerned about history, she’d have to get rid of those first.
She sighed, finally removing the last bobby pin from her hair and letting it fall down her back, placing the black pin in one of the many bowls around her apartment placed for that very reason. Adrien would be in Paris by then, she was sure. He was probably sound asleep in the Agreste mansion.
“Welcome home, kitty,” she said sarcastically, beginning to climb the steps to her lofted bedroom, a space that was not unlike her childhood room.
This wasn’t how she expected things to be.
Of course, this wasn’t how anyone expected things to be. If you asked anyone, they told you how the story ended. Ladybug and Chat Noir finally got together, they were hiding in Paris somewhere, they were in love. They probably had kids, a dog, a hamster—normal jobs and normal lives. That was what the people of Paris wanted. She thought that that was the ending they would get.
She thought that when she went to the hotel room that night, he would be there. She thought that he was happy to know who she was. She thought that he loved her.
She thought wrong.
Marinette always thought wrong.
She thought she could get over him. She thought making out with Luka was a solution, one that she could keep trying every time she went to Paris. She thought that she would miss Adrien more than Chat, the promise of love more than sitting in her bed and watching subtitled anime while he mouthed the English translations.
By now, she thought she’d be waking up to someone else. That maybe she’d have a steady life, someone to wrap their arms around her in the morning.
Adulthood hits hard.
“Adrien Agreste,” she said, flopping back in her bed and pulling open her phone. She wasn’t above social media stalking.
There he was. Gold hair, tanned skin, too many muscles to know what to do with. Landed in Paris four hours ago, his Instagram posted a picture of him with his arm around Nino. His eyes were still kind, his smile still flawless. Her heart still pounded.
“Jerk,” she muttered, letting her phone fall down beside her. “I didn’t need you anyway,” except for all those times she did. Like when she put the earrings back in the box and said goodbye to one of her closest friends. She could have used him then.
She could have used him a lot of times.
Her eyes stayed glued to the ceiling, her chest rising and falling with every breath. There was no sound, no doting kwami, no laughter from her parents, and no Alya playing with her hair. Just her.
“Now I’m going to see you and fall in love with you all over again,” she said, wishing she could steel herself against the inevitable.
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thr-333 · 3 years
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Drastic Measures- Part 1
@daminette-december2019-2020 ​
~Inspiration~
*Emerges from my hole*: oh ho ho~ we have another month of inspiration on our hands!
Next
-------------------
Marinette steps through the portal immediately collapsing; she doesn't drop the transformation until she hears Chat drop down next to her. She calls the transformation of both the Horse and Ladybug miraculous, knowing Chat will close his eyes without her asking, Marinette does the same for him as he calls off his own.
They stay like that, panting on the rooftop. It’ll be sunrise soon, Marinette knows what she has to do.
“He’s moved,” She breaks the silence. Stating the obvious, they’ve known this for months.
“At least he wont be bothering Paris anymore,” Chat laughs, without any humor.
“But Gotham is so much worse,” Marinette groans, “We can’t keep doing this, not like we are, Spots on,”
Marinette stands letting the transformation wash over her while keeping her eyes shut, this will be easier to say without looking at him anyway.
“Chat Noir, hand over your miraculous,” Marinette recoils at the wounded sound he makes, “I have to leave Paris,”
“What? No! Claws out!” Marinette opens her eyes to see Chat, furious and with tears in his eyes, “I’m coming with you!”
She thought he would say that. Probably would have hurt if he didn’t.
“I can’t just ask you to leave your life, your friends,” Marinette chokes up, “Your family,”
“And what about you?!” Chat says with such heartbreaking sincerity, “Who will you be leaving behind!?”
“... Everyone,”
But she had put it off for too long. Hawkmoth slowed his attacks in Paris months ago, they thought he was giving up… then he attacked Gotham. The attacks in Paris stopped. The ones in Gotham were so much worse. She thought… she thought she could keep it up, jumping through a portal every time Gotham needed her. It was the best of both worlds. Her family and friends were safe and she could still defeat Hawkmoth. But nothing was ever that easy. Gotham needed her, completely, with undivided attention. Paris didn’t. Gotham needed Ladybug more than Paris needed Marinette.
“Not me,” Chat breaks Marinette from her thoughts, gently holding her shoulders, “I’m coming with you,”
She should argue. She planned to argue, every detail ever rebuttal. But she was weak. Marinette so desperately wanted him to come. To have someone, anyone there for her. No not anyone she wanted Chat by her side. Her partner through thick and thin. The one who would help her take down Hawkmoth. It was so unbelievably selfish. 
She wanted him with her more than she wanted him to live his life here.
“Chat you realize we can’t tell anyone,” They could make the connection, they would try to stop them, or worse, follow them. If they went to Gotham alone at least they wouldn't have a life outside of this, they could focus wholly on taking down Hawkmoth, and maybe finally succeed, “... we have to run away,”
“Bug a boo that's the fun part,” Chat teases, Marinette couldn't see how leaving her friends and family would be at all fun, “... sorry… I know you’re leaving a lot behind,”
“If you do this-”
“When I do this,” Marinette raises a brow at him, he does it right back.
“We should reveal our identities,”
“Oh no, what a shame,” Chat dramatically ‘faints’, “Damn that makes this so much harder,”
“You know what?” Marinette ‘thoughtfully’ taps her chin, “I can probably find a new Chat Noir,”
“No, no! Sorry,” Chat immediately stands back up, “That’s obviously not why I’m doing this,”
“I know kitty,” Marinette smiles, getting him to relax, “But you need to think this over, I’m… I’m going to go pack,”
“Don’t need to think it over,” Chat smirks, “Claws off!”
“Chat! NO!” Marinette yelps, chiding, before actually processing who it was standing before her, “Adrien?!”
“Uhh, you know me?” Adrien stands there so awkwardly Marinette just burst into laughter, “Ummm,”
“S-sorry it’s it’s just,” Marinette held her sides as she kept cracking up, “Spots off!”
Her transformation fell and at that moment Marinette couldn’t even manage to feel any anxiety at him finding out, the ‘o’ face he made was too priceless. Before she could even think of being nervous Adrien also bursts out laughing, the two ending up as wheezing messes on the rooftop. It took a long while and lots of giggling to calm down.
“Well at least I’m not leaving all my friends behind,” Marinette says to the sky, “That is if you still want to come?”
“Meet you here tomorrow Marinette,” Adrien stands up, offering a hand to Marinette, “Same time,”
“See you kitty,” Marinette waves as they part ways, for now. She had a lot she needed to do today.
Marinette doesn't sleep when she gets home. She searches deep in her draws for that special fabric she put aside. Flips through her sketchbook to find that perfect design she did once. Then gets to work making a pattern. It is well past sunrise by the time she is done. She’s late for school. It doesn't matter anymore.
Not running to class for once she makes sure her parents are free later that night. She’d like to spend all day with them, but Marinette wants to see her friends one last time. She stuffs her bag with all the presents she had made her friends for future birthdays. Might as well give them now. Lila smirks at her as she walks into class, Marinette would usually worry. It doesn't matter anymore.
“Hey girl, I was wondering, Lila said some-” Marinette cuts her off, handing Alya a pile of wrapped gifts.
“Hi, sorry I’ve been busy, kind of went into a design frenzy,” Marinette laughs sheepishly, “I was going to give them at your birthday, but I just couldn't wait,”
“Awe, girl this is amazing!” Alya holds up the jacket Marinette made a few months ago, she hugs Marinette tight, “See I told you, Lila, Marinette's just been busy!”
“Too busy to make me anything, I’m sure,” Lila says, teary eyed.
“Actually no,” Marinette smiles, enjoying the utterly shocked look.
“I made this to welcome you to the class, but then you went to Achu,” Marinette places it down with open hostility, “And, well, there wasn't really an opportunity after that,”
After that Lila has a hard time trying to twist it against her. Even the complaints that the bandanna is so much smaller than everyone else's gifts is weak as it has beautiful embroidery of a fox and ladybug, everyone cooing over how sweet and personal the design is. Back when Marinette actually believed her lie that they could start over and be friends. It also was hard to turn anyone against Marinette as she handed out presents to anyone that walked through the door. Laughing and apologizing for her absence lately, claiming the whole time she was making things for them.
When Adrien came to class they both tried to stifle their laughter. Marinette only gave him one thing, so as not to be suspicious. It would help to have all new clothes when they ran away, she would give the rest to him then. It was a scarf, one she made a while ago with the new addition of a green cat paw in the corner.
Marinette, for all intents and purposes, felt wonderful for the rest of the day. She caught up with her friends, felt closer to them than she had in a while actually. They talked and laughed, Marinette for once not encouraging them to keep quiet, joking along with them, and taking a million pictures. Madame bustier didn't complain much, after all, she had an all-new makeup bag plus more.
It was fun. And the ‘see you tomorrow’ was hollow.
Marinette was dreading going back home. She asked for a special dinner that night, saying she had a special surprise to show them. And special it was, Marinette had made a new dress for her Maman, a more casual version of her wedding dress, with a special Marinette flare, plus a matching outfit for her Papa. They smiled saying it was beautiful, just as they had with her very first design and everything she made since then. They ate together and played video games together.
Marinette asked to look at old photo albums and they spent the rest of the night pouring over them. If she slipped a few out to take with her, neither noticed.
“I love you both,” Marinette hugs them tight, imagining she’ll never see them again.
Even if they do defeat Hawkmoth, Marinette's not sure she’ll make it through the fight. She could be gone for years, or maybe never return to Paris. Marinette didn’t know if she’d ever see them again, this could be it.
“We love you too,” Her Maman smiles, cupping her cheek, “Now go to bed we don't want you to be late for school tomorrow,”
Sorry I will be
Marinette just nods, hugging them one last time before heading upstairs. She packs her bag, full of newly brought or made clothes, clothes for Adrien, food, and whatever cash she had on hand. She leaves a note, saying there's something she has to do, that she loves them both and this is in no way their fault, not to look for her but Marinette doubts they’ll listen. She grabs her bag and the miracle box, saying goodbye to her home and disappearing into the night with Tikki.
By the time she meets up with Adrien Marinette is a sobbing mess. They hug each other. Adrien's not crying but she can sense the deep sadness in him. Tikki hugs her too, getting Marinette to calm down.
“So what’s the plan?”
“Go to Gotham,” Marinette shrugs, that was really the extent of it.
“We have nowhere to go,” Chat hums, trying to act nonchalant about everything, 
“I guess this means we’re homeless,” Marinette shrugs again, she had really only planned this for herself, and none of that seemed like a concern.
“We can find an abandoned warehouse, set up shop,”
“Either way we’re going to be pretty busy,” Constantly on the run, either running from someone or running after someone.
“Well, you know what they say,” Chat smirks, “We’ll sleep when this bastard is taken down,”
“You know it,” Marinette smiles, genuinely this time, “Pound it?”
“Pound it,”
 ---
 “After last week we can indeed confirm these attacks are occurring,”
“Oh sure it wasn't like I told you a month ago,” Jason scoffs, getting glared at by Bruce for interrupting.
“Well you have to admit ‘this guy came and destroyed ten blocks’ is pretty unbelievable when everything’s unscratched,” Tim continues to tap away at his computer, “And now we know the cause,”
The footage was shakily taken from the next building over, partly destroyed. With a bright light everything was fixed.
“Magic,” Dick says needlessly.
“Meta humans,” Batman growls, “Not approved and playing at being heroes,”
“Can we really complain if they fix everything after a fight?” Duke speaks up, “The police didn't even report any casualties, they don’t seem to be rookies,”
“Magic makes them reckless,” Batman shuts the argument down, “More so if they can fix everything, what happens when they can’t?”
“So basically you want them out,” Damian cuts in, there was no point arguing over it for however long, Bruce wouldn't allow them to keep roaming the city.
“Yes,” Bruce fixes them all with a hard stare, making it clear this is an order, “When you come in contact tell them they are to leave or be removed,”
They all agreed. Damian wishes he didn’t have to waste his time worrying about some second rate wannabes thinking they could challenge Batman for the protection of Gotham. They couldn't. What did they have that Batman didn’t?
 ---
 A lot was the answer. 
Or this particular new villain. It didn’t make any sense, usually, first time villains were easier to deal with, but no, here Robin was watching as Batman fought a losing battle against them. It didn’t help that they were brainwashing civilians, turning them against the rest. Robin was given very specific instructions not to harm them. Hard when they had no such orders.
Robin barely processes that Batman is thrown through a building before the main villain is turning to him. At least he could use more drastic measures with the actual villain, unsheathing his sword Robin lunges. He trades a few blows, unfortunately doing less damage than the villain can do with a singular super powered punch. With super strength, magic and Gotham citizens being steadily taken over this was looking more like a Justice league threat by the second. Everytime the villains should be down for the count they got back up, Damian couldn't find their weakness.
Robin knows he took a wrong step as the villain doesn't rush forward to take advantage but shoots out a beam, the same one Damian had just watch turn a civilian against the rest of his family. And he has no leverage to dodge. This would be so much worse than the civilians, setting his strength against the others? Without concern for killing them? Would Damian remember?
“Watch out!” A wire wraps around Robin, yanking him out of the way. He falls at someone's feet the wire slipping away, he can hear it whirling above him. 
Damian sits up, looking to who grabbed him, ready to fight if necessary, and- Loses his breath.
She's standing over him protectively, a makeshift wire shield repelling the beams that had been causing them so much trouble with ease. Like it was second nature. She looks down at him and smiles so gently, without a hint of fear or worry. Promising she has everything under control.
There's something to be said of Batman's intimidating, steady nature. It can put people at ease in its own way and be even more effective at cutting down enemies with a glare. But this? This is warmth, assurance, a steady appearance more in line with Wonder Woman yet still completely it’s own.
“You alright?” She holds out a hand for him.
Damian snaps out of it taking her hand startling at how she actually lifts him up without any effort on his part.
“Chat you ready?”
“Ready my Lady!”
My lady? Who’s Chat?
His answer comes a second later as a spotted container comes crashing down, fracturing the street. In an instant, the wire wraps around the container a hundred times over.
“Now!” My Lady commands.
“Cataclysm!” Chat yells out, the container crumbles under his touch, wire moving in to constrict around the villain.
The villain thrashes, still being able to send out beams wildly and with their minions closing in. Chat breaks off to fend them all off while Robin tries to catch his breath, Batman still in the rubble of a building. My Lady can’t hold the villain back and fight at the same time. Damian struggles to stand up and help her.
“Lucky charm replay!” 
Robin cringes at the bright light then watches as another spotted object falls into her hands. It’s a bent tube she looks around for a few seconds before holding it up. Damian rushes forward as a beam races towards her and she makes no effort to dodge. She catches it with the tube sending it back to the villain, it hits them square in the chest with no effect. Lady nods to herself before doing the same with the next beam. This time robin watches as it misses the villain, grazing their ear and sending their ear peice flying off.
“Chat!”
“On it!” Chat Noir catches the earring from midair, calling cataclysm again turning it to dust.
Damian watches not willing to let his jaw drop as the hideous villain transforms into a normal civilian. It’s such an intriguing sight that Robin startles when something flies towards Chat Noir snatching a purple butterfly from the air and pulling it back to My Lady. A few seconds later a white butterfly is flying out a… yo yo?
“Bye bye little butterfly,” She waves the glowing white butterfly away.
That was so cute
“Who are you?” Batman demands having just recovered, motioning for them to circle around them.
“Uh, your welcome,” Chat Noir scoffs, helping the previous villain up.
“I am Ladybug, this is my partner Chat Noir,” Partner? “We’re the previous heroes of Paris,”
“Paris has no heroes,” Batman glares at them, civilians around them still closing in Robin turns his defenses towards them.
“Then that makes the past what six? Seven? Years really awkward,” Chat Noir looks at Ladybug who shrugs, a civilian takes a swing at her she dodges smoothly before throwing the pipe in the air.
“Miraculous Ladybug!” Now Robin's jaw does drop as a thousand glowing ladybugs swarm around the nearby buildings, maybe all of Gotham not even leaving a scratch behind.
“Why are you in Gotham now then?” Batman recovers first, civilians nearby blinking back into reality.
“Hawkmoth has moved his operations to Gotham to feed off the negative emotions here,” well there’s plenty of that here “It makes his Akuma more powerful and we can no longer continue to operate from Paris,”
“Then he’s in Gotham now and is my problem,” our problem “I can handle this,”
“Well you did a great job of that,” Chat Noir rolls his eyes, leaning on his staff, “How's your back by the way?”
“Chat Noir,”  Ladybug scowls, then turns to Batman, “You can’t and it’s my responsibility as Ladybug and as guardian of the miraculous,”
“What's that-”
Nightwing is interrupted by a beeping from Chat Noir's ring.
“It would be that, we have to go now,” Chat Noir salutes moving to leave, they tighten their circle surrounding them.
“You will leave Gotham,” Batman demands, this time its Ladybugs turn to glare she tsks and rounds on him, not managing to seem that threatening in her brightly colored costume.
“You don’t know who Hawkmoth is, you don’t know what Akuma are, you don't know about the miraculous, you have no clue about the guardians, you hadn't heard of whats been happening in Paris for years and you don’t know who we are or what we’ve done,” Batman is shocked under the forces of the heroine's righteous fury, “There are things going on here that you don't understand, we are here to stay until hawkmoth is defeated,”
Robin watches as she leaves a shell shocked Batman behind dissapering into Gotham’s night with her partner.
Inspiring
 —-
 “And why can’t they be in Gotham?” Damian demands from him yet again.
“No metahumans,” Bruce sighs, Damian had been unreasonably stubborn on this front, “They only cause more damage,”
“Actually they repaired a lot,” Damian leans over the desk to glare over that him, “And saved you,”
“Go to bed,” Bruce demands, Alfred busy patching up his wounds. Damian scoffs before storming out of the cave, still half in his robin uniform, “Whats wrong with him?”
“I couldn’t say, master Bruce,” Usually for Alfred that meant he knew exactly what was going on. He tied the final bandage before holding the phone out, “There's a call for you,”
Bruce shrugs on his shirt before answering. It wasn't the phone reserved for business so at least it wouldn't be that big a pain in the neck.
“Bruce,”
Never mind
“Talia,” Bruce growls, going to glare at Alfred who had already made himself scarce, “What do you want?”
“Oh please I’m not up to anything sinister,” Bruce can just imagine her waving him off with a smirk, “This time,”
“But you still want something,” Bruce acknowledged, sinister or not she can cause a lot more trouble without being out too.
“A missing person case, a friend of mine got in touch, her daughter ran away yesterday, l thought it would be right up your alley,”
“Why would you tell me this,” There was obviously more to this, there always was with Talia, “And more importantly why do you care,”
“Oh because she’s Sabine's daughter,” Bruce freezes, a million case files and reports flashing through his mind, none of which outlined a daughter let alone a family, “Surely you’ve heard of Sabine?”
“... We’re on the case,”
“Great, good luck~”
Now he has to worry about potentially one of the most dangerous assassins in the world on the loose. A shift in the shadows catches his eye before disappearing. Great. And now the whole family knew, or would soon.
---------------------
Taglist? nope don’t have one, horrible at keeping track of them sorry~
704 notes · View notes
writer-panda · 3 years
Text
Hit on the groom and what became of it - chapter 1/I will keep missing you (if you don’t stop running)
Disclaimer: I don’t own DC or Miraculous. I’m just playing with some crazy concept. 
Chapter 1 (here)  -|-  Next
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Ladybug landed on top of the Eiffel tower with practiced grace. An agitated worry roiling in her chest about the message Chat Noir left her. The urgency was one thing, but he sounded… pained. Like the weight of the world dragged him down type pain. 
Marinette knew Chat’s home life wasn’t perfect. Skilled at hiding it, maybe, but details leaked through the cracks. An offhand comment here, a muttered accusation there, a sour face yet again here. He lived in pain and tried so hard to work through it. 
She tried to help him whenever she could, both as Ladybug and Marinette. She may not return his feelings, but she always listened. For months during their third year as heroes, she left food on the rooftop when Chat’s suit revealed too many ribs. She wasn’t sure the reason and didn’t dare to ask, lest she learned too much, but she did try to help. There were times she thought she imagined the pained looks, and thin frame, and thinly veiled comments; maybe overexaggerating the situation in her mind, as she often did. After all, he always acted so cheerfully.
Then, Lila happened. 
The first strike landed swift, almost deadly, but she survived. It was what followed that made her reconsider. A prolonged fight, where Marinette chose to retain a cheerful mask to hide the pain. Along the line, she considered confiding in her parents. But what could they do?  Maybe take her from school, but that would mean Lila already won; the Liar would rule unopposed.
Which left Adrien, her last bastion of friendship. 
She still harbored a bit of a crush on him, but it was justified! Like a knight in shining armor, he stood, always ready to defend her. He always ensured her inclusion in class activities and saved her from several catastrophes. 
She still stumbled over her words with him, but when it’s minor stuttering or not talking to anyone, she forced herself to adapt. It was nowhere near as bad as it used to be. 
With the ability to spend more time with Adrien without acting like a spaz, Kagami also appeared more often, and proved to be a good friend. Marinette found a home with the two awkward rich kids ridiculously clueless and unaware of how the real world functioned. In the end, she even grew to accept Adrien might not be destined to be hers but chose to support him nonetheless. 
“My lady?” She was broken out of her musing by a familiar voice.
“Hello, Kitty-cat. I got your message… what’s wrong?” She turned to see Cat Noir slumped over the railing, with his ears tweaking nervously. She didn’t even know he could do it. 
“I… I’m sorry my Lady, but I can’t… I can’t continue to be your partner,” he declared.
“What?!” she squeaked. “What happened? What’s the matter?” 
“I’m… I’m getting married,” he announced, his ears drooping and tail tucked between his legs.  
Oh, that’s… not what she expected to hear. “Married? Congrat…” she drifted off, noticing his sour face. “Chat? What are you not telling me?”
“It’s… I… My…” He struggled to figure out how to say it, but ultimately remained silent for a moment. “There is nothing to be happy about. It’s a… business marriage,” he spat, his eyes narrowing.  
“But… those are illegal!” Ladybug protested.
“Not when you make it look like a love match. Especially if you insinuate at a scandal.” He sneered, jumping off the railing and pacing along the empty rooftop. “My father holds all the cards and I… I’m in no position to oppose him.”
“I’m sure we can…”
He sighed, walking over to her. “Please… M’lady. Don’t try to give me hope. I accepted what I must do.” With that, he reached for the ring, but she stopped him.
“Chat. We can try… You’re my friend. You can’t… We will figure it out. Together.” In all they’d endured, suffered, and triumphed - Marinette had never seen him this despondent… this broken. 
He sighed, his eyes flat and dull. “There is nothing to figure out,” he said, forcing the ring off his finger. 
The transformation fell, leaving Adrien Agreste materialized in place of her long-time partner. Plagg’s sharp cry cut off, as he’s sucked into the ring the second he popped out of it. She stood there, too stunned to notice the blond boy pushed the ring into her palm and closed it. 
Marinette wasn’t sure what thoughts decided to rampantly rage through her head, but the train of thoughts probably broke the collective speed limit everywhere in the world at the same time. 
“M’lady?” Adrien’s soft voice brought her to earth when she was one step from panic.
“A-Adrien?” She choked on the word.
“You heard about me?” He looked dumbfounded. Ladybug, too shocked to say a word, gestured over to the building line. Even from so high and far away, his most recent billboard advertisement stood visible. “Ah… right.”
“Who… who’s the lucky girl?” Inside her mind, she wondered if Kagami right now faced a  similar problem. It was the most logical…
“Lila Rossi,” Adrien admitted, his shoulders hunching. 
Marinette.exe stopped working. 
A moment passed.
Another.
“Um… M’Lady?” The boy tried to prod his ex-partner to respond by waving his hand in front of her face.
“That… that lying…” Ladybug saw red. This could not be happening.
Adrien nodded, the despondent look on his face growing worse every second.“My father deemed her a suitable heiress to the Gabriel brand… I tried to warn him she was a liar, but he… I think he actually admires her skill…” Tears built in his eyes, and Adrien covertly tried to wipe them away. 
“Maybe… maybe you could… I don’t know!” she screamed in frustration. Marinette had several ideas about what Adrien could do, but none of them would help. 
Running away would be a problem. Leaking the story to the press would lead to his home life growing even worse. After dealing with Gabriel Agreste’s parenting, she held no illusion Adrien could win a court battle. The rich too often got away with whatever they desired. She could try to sicc Uncle Jagged on the case… or maybe Clara Nightingale… Nadia Chamack would probably love the news-breaking story, but it would all put Adrien in danger. Who knows what would happen before they could obtain results or protection against Gabriel’s extensive reach. 
Adrien sighed as if knowing exactly where her thoughts took her. Chat was no dummy, he probably scoured over his options more times than he could count. His resignation, the last resort in a long line of failed plans.  “I appreciate you trying, but I already told you I accepted it. Just… take me down, please. I… I didn’t really plan the location well…” He let out a weak chuckle. 
“Fine… I’m sorry kitty...” She grabbed hold of him and swung to the ground. Despondently she watched her best friend, her partner, walk away into the night; resigned to a life of suffering and isolation. 
There must be something she could do, she thought. She closed a gloved fist around the ring. She was Ladybug, and if she put her mind to it, there was nothing she couldn't do.  
-----------
A week later the press learned about the upcoming wedding. Adrien and Lila both left school for home-school. The press and the general public ate up the news story about star-crossed lovers that met in school and became inseparable. It didn’t help that the class kept commenting about how good they were for each other. 
Marinette resisted an urge to gag whenever she caught the sound of the vicious lies and propaganda.  She was asked for comment only once but chose to refuse. It didn’t earn her any popularity in class. Luckily, she convinced Nadia to stop a nasty side-story about her jealousy from being published. 
No closer to a plan, she despondently continued to push through her life without her friend. She, unsurprisingly, hadn’t received a single text or call. Marinette didn’t blame Adrien; his position couldn’t be easy. A month after Adrien departed from her class, Marinette convinced her parents to also home-school her. Without a single friend, the school became a burden. Of course, her reasoning to her parents leaned into her focus on her fashion business. Which wasn’t untrue. It was starting to pick up. 
The only upside to this whole debacle was near-lack of akuma attacks. It seemed Hawkmoth found a hobby. Maybe he wrote poems? 
Nah. Not his style...
Two months after the announcement  Marinette woke to surprise guests: Adrien, his father, and Lila knocked on the bakery’s doors. The bride-to-be in an especially sour mood, as much as she tried to hide it. Gabriel appeared to be devoid of any emotions, as usual.
She seated them on the couch and asked if they would like a drink. She didn’t bother to offer food, not wanting to waste good cake on the likes of Lila and Gabriel. Although, Adrien’s thin cheeks and haunted eyes made her regret the decision. 
All of them declined the drink.
“Madame Marinette, I assume you have heard of the Wedding?” The capitalization clearly discernible in his voice. 
“Yes… Yes sir!” she corrected herself. Trying desperately to mask her disgust behind a layer of nervousness. She couldn’t risk a glance at Adrien, even if this was the first time she’d seen him since that night on the roof. Making it through the meeting would be hard enough without watching him suffer.  
“While initially, I planned to prepare the dress and suit myself, my son convinced me to give a chance to someone else to shine.” Clearly, whatever it was Adrien said, it didn’t include a polite request. “I have seen the dress you made for Rock Star Jagged Stone’s wedding, as well as the suit worn by Nadia Chamack.”
“They are designs I’m particularly proud of, sir.” 
Play the part. Play the part. Don’t send him to the hospital. Papa and Maman would be disappointed. Well, Maman would probably join me… 
Her homicidal train of thought ended as she forced a smile to appear on her face. Contrary to Lila’s stretched thin lips;  Marinette’s smile shines bright and could’ve been mistaken for genuine.
“Indeed… I’ve come to commission you to design and make the gown and the suit for the sweet couple.” He announced like it was the highest honor, but there was an amount of bile in his words Marinette used to think was reserved only for Nino.
“I… I’m… I’m honored, sir!” She beamed. The excitement only half-forced. Her moral compass told her even entertaining the proposal was wrong, but at the same time, her brain furiously flitted crafting possibilities. 
Gabriel nodded imperiously as if her acceptance merely added to a foregone conclusion. “Good. My assistant, Nathalie, will sort out the details. Lex Luthor agreed to pay for the pieces as his wedding gift, so do not be afraid to ask for full price.” He informed her t as if he believed she would give him a discount. 
For a moment, a singular reckless moment, Marinette entertained the temptation to voice her thoughts about Gabriel being cheap. 
She sighed, no, there would be another day for career suicide. The group rose to leave, and Marinette finally glanced at Adrien; his model-trained smile paper-thin. He caught her eyes, and if he radiated sadness two months ago, it didn’t hold a candle to the devastation swimming in his eyes. The exchange broke when Lila gripped a hand tight around his arm and dragged him to the door. 
Gabriel handed her a card, and the group departed. Marinette collapsed onto the couch, the makings of a headache building in her skull. 
This would be awful.  
------------
A week later Marinette held a separate meeting, consisting of Nathalie, Lila, Lila’s mother, and Adrien’s aunt. And her, obviously. 
She first asked what kind of dress Lila wanted.
Lila’s eyes lit up in an unholy glee; and she started talking. 
And talking. 
And talking. 
And talking. 
After the long and painstakingly thorough description, Marinette felt faint. Several reasons contributed to that, although the most prominent were the materials, the design, and the way she spoke. Obviously Lila had feelings, the kind likely to trigger an oncoming Auma attack if Hawkmoth hadn’t pranced off to who knows where, about Marinette designing her dress. 
Marinette was happy Adrien’s aunt pointed out the request’s complete madness, but Lila’s mother waved it off, quick to declare only minor adjustments to the request would be needed. 
In the end, Marinette presented several dozen designs, both hers and foreign to have a basis on which she could work. Lila, of course, chose the one that would be hardest to make.
“I’m sorry none of your designs were good, Marinette…” The liar cooed with faked sorrow. She hid a smirk the designer could clearly see. 
The notion was born because it was a picture and not a sketch. 
Marinette smirked, and rose from the couch, ignoring Lila’s irritated scowl at her non-reaction.  
She liked it even less when the girl brought in the ready-made dress. 
“I made it as the first design for Penny Rolling’s wedding, based on Uncle Jagged’s suggestions. I should’ve known Penny didn’t approve of his idea, but…” she waved it off.
Lila, now actively glaring at her, sat back on the couch. All of which was mistaken for amazement by the adults.
Marinette ignored the girl’s dramatics, it was the only way she’d survive this meeting intact. “Of course, there still needs to be several adjustments and personalizations. I will also need to order the amber you requested. And the platinum thread. And the white gold. And probably an industrial-grade 3-D printer… Is that covered by the expenses?” She looked at Nathalie, who nodded. “Great! I will need just a moment.” 
The women watched as Marinette practically leaped at her notebook and added in adjustments to the sketch. Fifteen minutes later, when she presented a new design, impressing them all (sans Lila, obviously) with the flowing lines and intricate details. They praised her talent (even Natalie), and Marinette played the bashful young designer role to a tee. The liar kept glaring though. She couldn’t back away easily, since she already made a scene about wanting that specific dress. Marinette informed them beforehand she would need to know about her specific wishes before she made any adjustments. 
The final design looked pretty much exactly what Lila wanted though, but she didn’t want to give her nemesis the satisfaction. Her entourage did enough of this. 
Under the cover of being too emotional, they ended the meeting. Nathalie remained to finish the deal and sign the contract. 
After all of them left, Marinette collapsed onto her chair. An hour later a notification from her bank came. She received the first half of the payment. When finished, the dress would officially be the most expensive wedding dress to date. Blessed be Lex Luthor and his deep pocket. She chuckled, remembering how much the billionaire got kidnapped because of his money.
Then, an idea shined in her head.
Oh. 
Oh...
She took off her earrings and dismissed Tikki, promising she needed a quick chat with Plagg about a new potential holder. When Marinette put on the ring, the Kwami of destruction popped back into existence. 
“So… figured out how to help my chosen?” he asked. 
What Tikki didn’t know was when Marinette said she intended to discuss potential holders for Plagg, they really worked on a way to save Adrien. It was their secret since Tikki would most likely disapprove. They didn’t want to risk her disappointment in them. Not until they crafted a fleshed out full-proof plan. 
She nodded. “I have an idea. Let’s hire someone to kidnap him!” 
Plagg rolled his eyes. “Did they hit you on the head, pigtails?”
“No. But look, the problem is whatever we come up with, Adrien ends up blamed or we land ourselves in jail, right?” The Kwami nodded. “So… if we make sure it’s a very public kidnapping and he disappears, we can stash him away until the heat dies down. After we dye his hair and apply fast-tan, he will look different enough no one will connect the two. I’m pretty sure I could get my hands on fake documents if I tried hard enough…” she trailed off thinking of all the minutiae to coordinate to pull this off. 
It would be hard. 
But it would be worth it. 
Plagg slowly nods. “Okay… Somehow, that both makes no sense and seems perfectly legitimate. It’s also your most chaotic plan to date, Pigtails. Let’s do it!” The Kwami cheered, happy to be soon reunited with his chosen kitten. “But what about the costs!”
Marinette already had an answer in mind for that question. “Even after I subtract the costs of materials and other supplies, the payment for the dress, together with my savings, will be more than enough. Now… let’s go wake Tikki up.”
That… ended with the Kwami of Creation vomiting a pile of handcuffs and other police gear at Marinette. 
“Um… Why?”
The little red Kwammi placed her paws on her hips. “Because you should familiarize yourself with those if you plan on going to prison for that plan. It’s no longer just a phone theft, Marinette! You’re talking about breaking more laws than I can count!” She dropped to the pillow below, bemoaning about where she went wrong. 
Marinette scooped up her wayward friend and tried to reassure her. “I just need to be careful. I’m pretty sure I can do it without detection. Maman taught me how to not be seen on the internet. Or in general. Come on. I need to order a secure laptop.”
“I will help!” Plagg offered. “I can cataclysm the internet after you do your thing.”
“What?! No! Think of the cute cat pictures!” Marinette protested. “And video games.” 
“Relax! It’ll just remove any trace of you doing anything online in the several hours or so…” He calmed her.
Tikki trailed after them, a bundle of nerves and worry. “Plagg! It’s irresponsible! You can’t possibly…”
“Pigtails and I have it all under control. What’s the worst that could happen?”
---------
Turns out, a lot. 
Before Marinette put out the hit (kidnapping, she made sure that it was plain as day), she needed to set a price. That one was harder. It wasn’t like you could Google how much you needed to charge to kidnap a celebrity. At least, not without attracting a lot of unwanted attention. 
She asked her mother, under the guise of pure curiosity. It was a normal question any teenage girl asked her mother. How much does it cost to have someone killed, how much cheaper/more expensive a kidnapping is, how to acquire fake documents, that kind of stuff. Not suspicious at all. 
So absorbed in her rant, she missed a merry glint in Sabine’s eyes. She also didn’t question how her Maman knew those prices. 
Finally, she needed to fill the form. 
Assignment: Acquisition and Delivery
Asset(s): Adrien Athanase Agreste
Value: 
Here, Marinette paused. 
Her mom gave her a lengthy lecture about pricing and all. According to her, a professional would take up to fifty thousand dollars for kidnapping and bringing the target to her. Marinette decided, since Adrien was a celebrity, she should double the price. More risks involved, more reward, right? 
But, she also wanted to ensure she hired the best of the best. Compare her work to Gabriel Agreste’s, she came to the conclusion ten times the price was reasonable to ensure only the best in the field would take the job. 
Then, there was the matter of safety and so on and so on. By the end, she settled on two million dollars, as her asking price for one Adrien Agreste. Plagg sagely nodded, agreeing with her assessment. Tikki didn’t comment, as she wasn’t speaking to the two, but also seemed more accepting after spying on Adrien and Lila’s home life. Not that she revealed that tidbit to either of them, lest they drop the plan and directly go at Gabe and the Liar. 
After a few more details and boxes in the form Marinette filled until she came to the end. Only one more detail remained: 
Sponsor:
Marinette stared at the word for a moment. After a quick race of thoughts, she typed slowly. 
Sponsor: The Seamstress
Perfect. Nothing about this could go wrong.
Of course, how could she predict just how big of a mess she would make? 
----------
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barkkletshunt · 3 years
Text
Those Worth Fighting For Part five
Eyy~ I actually stayed up later than usual to get this part out lol I hope you all like it! The comments I’ve gotten on this are really encouraging me to keep going with this and I really appreciate all of you who have taken the time to let me know what you think <3 
Now, enjoy part five! 
Part one
Part two 
Part three
Part four 
Part six
Part seven
Part eight 
Marinette was out enjoying her day like a normal girl for once. She had a full itinerary and she was making great progress on her list. In the morning she went out and bought fabric, sent Felix possible designs for the table arrangements, and then she was going to grab lunch with all the groomsmen in order to help Felix feel more comfortable around them. 
He had texted her the night prior telling her he was concerned that they held his past actions against him. While she couldn’t blame her friends if they did, she had spent enough time with Felix in the past few days to realize he wasn’t the same person as he was back then. She doubted the others would hold it against him, given their own pasts with akumas, but she wanted to make sure that Felix didn’t feel ganged up on regardless. Even if it was just a precaution Marinette promised to be there to mediate any possible disputes with the condition that he bought her lunch. 
His reply made her heart skip a beat. 
“It’s a date then,” he wrote. 
She had read and reread that text a number of times, hoping that he’d either send a ‘lol JK’ her way and put the butterflies that had made a home in her stomach to rest, or he’d tell her he was serious. She hated not knowing if it was a joke, because against all odds she was really starting to like that clever blonde boy that would tell her how genius her ideas were. 
Marinette knew it was stupid to catch feelings so soon, especially after declaring it to herself that she wouldn’t be part of a romcom, but she was caught helpless each time he’d stop off at her apartment to go over colour swatches for the table cloths or decorations and bring her a coffee without having being asked. Felix was sweet and she always had a sweet tooth. 
Despite the crush that was bubbling up inside her, Marinette hoped that Felix was late to their little meeting so she could talk it over with the boys. She hoped that they’d be able to decrypt that four worded message that had left her sleepless most of the night. Was he serious? Was it a joke? Who knew? She didn’t. 
That didn’t mean she wanted to make a fool of herself and wear track pants on something that could possibly be a date. Just in case. She didn’t want to come on too strong and say she was for sure interested and obviously dressing up to impress him, despite how he had told her two nights ago that she looked nice after she had woken up from a post exam nap with her hair knotted and drool stains on her mouth. There was no impressing anyone after they saw her like that, and no matter how much she prayed the ground didn’t open up from beneath her and swallow her whole. 
Marinette also didn’t want to go so low as to make it seem like she had no interest on the off chance that he did want to date her. Sure, he was still deciding on whether or not he was going to make Paris a permanent move or not, but perhaps having a Parisian girlfriend would make him want to stay, because if she was being honest with herself she did want him to stay. Even if he wasn’t dating her, he was a great guy who she’d love to spend time with. Dating him would simply be a bonus. 
Her thoughts had drifted to the blonde man more times than she could count as she ran her errands. She pictured his stoic face as he sat in Kagami and Adriens kitchen and budgeted everything they needed for the wedding with a hefty set of wiggle room just in case they went over. She could still hear his hushed whisper as he tried to be discreet about telling her a bad pun his cousin once told her that he had remembered, not wanting to let Adrien know he thought they were funny. She could even still smell that warm floral tea-like fragrance that clung to him like perfume, that she had been able to smell as he leaned on her to rest while they were going over Kagami’s dress design and how to make it match with Adrien’s.  
She had it bad already and it hadn’t been that long since they had met again. There was just something about Felix that lit her heart on fire and she wasn’t ready for it, especially not with everything else going on in her life. Still, if Felix felt the same as she did, there were worse 
So even if it wasn’t a date, Marinette dressed up as if it was. She spent time making sure her hair was done up right, and her outfit matched perfectly. She had even busted out the pair of fake leather heels she loved that laced up at the front in bows. Her outfit was cute, and in turn it made her feel cute. So after throwing on a simple brown jacket to go along with the shoes, she went out. Ready to meet her friends and possibly get some much needed advice if Felix was late. 
She really hoped he’d be late.
When she got to the restaurant she realized that luck really was on her side, as both Nino and Felix were yet to arrive. Nino would be there shortly, but she wasn’t as intent on getting romantic advice from him as she was the other two. So once Marinette was seated in the restaurant with Marc and Nathaniel, she began ranting. 
"And then he said, it's a date! A date! Can you believe it?"
Her two friends shared a look. 
"I mean, yeah. I can." Marc said, taking their boyfriends hand in their own and squeezing it. "Mari, you had our entire class in love with you at one point."
"We all had an agreement not to pursue you to make it fair for everyone else." Nath recalled. 
Marinette rolled her eyes at the exaggeration. "Not everyone was in love with me."
"Oh, my sweet summer child, how naive you are." Marc cooned, reaching their free hand across the table to take hers. "It would be no surprise that Felix joined the Marinette fanclub."
"But," Nathaniel started, "if you really want to know if he is interested in you there is a surefire way to find out."
Marinette straightened in her seat, intent on the redhead. Nathaniel never led her astray and she wanted the advice. She’d do almost anything to get rid of the nervousness she felt that could only be compared to when she was younger and Adrien had said something flirty on accident. "What is it?"
"Ask him." 
She groaned, hitting her head off the table and causing the silverware to clatter together. That was not the answer she wanted."Do you have any idea how much I cannot do that? He��s like super charming and he says I have good taste and just talking to him over text makes me get all anxious. If I try to ask him it’ll be like Adrien all over again! Remember how well that went for me?”
The two grimaced with her as they remembered how often she would forget how to talk around her long time crush, and how even more often she would end up tripping or falling over herself because of it. No one wanted a repeat on her crush on Adrien.
"Hey Dude, Dudette, and fam." Nino called. The DJ's gender neutral term for Marc made the ravenette smile, and they responded by waving at Nino as he made his way past the empty tables that were in between him and his friends. It only took Nino a moment before he realized Marinette didn't lift her head to say hello. "What's got Mari in a funk?"
"She wants to know if a guy is interested in her, so we suggested she ask him." Nath explained, and that was all that needed to be said for Nino to understand. He had known Mari for the longest and she had never been one to confront someone when it involved herself. Bullies? She'd get in their face in a heartbeat and yell at them until they straightened out. Romance? Not a chance. 
"Hey, Dudette, do you like this dude?" Nino pulled a chair out from beside Marinette and sat down. Nino placed his hand on his childhood friends back, rubbing soft circles on her shoulders. “Because if you don’t then it doesn’t matter, but if you do, well then you gotta ask.”
“How about you guys see how this guy acts near me and then send me all his subtle dude signals through text or something.” The girl lifted her head to give the best puppy dog look she could muster up, and from the collective sigh that came from the group she knew she had won. 
“I still think asking him would be easier,” Nino lightly elbowed Marinette in the side. “But hey, he’s late like you normally are. He could be your soulmate after all.”
“I’m not always late!”
“Just a majority of the time.” Marc joked. The four fell into an easy conversation about how often Marinette was late to important events, and soon how each one of them were going to be responsible that the maid of honour was on time for the wedding.
“We’ll have to remind Kagami to set the wedding time to three hours early on Mari’s invitation just so she’ll make it just on time.” It was Nathaniel’s turn to tease her, but Marinette wasn’t taking it.
“Well, let me remind you that I am the whole reason you and Marc ended up together. Just saying. Without me snooping around you two would have walked past each other a number of times.” Marinette pointed out, remembering the time she helped the two set up dates soon after they met.
“If I’m not mistaken I was turned into an akuma-”
“And in the end you got the man of your dreams, so we should stop picking on the amazing matchmaker here and perhaps we could,” Marinette’s voice trailed off as she felt rumbling beneath her seat. The smiles on her friends' faces vanished as they all stood, checking each door for a possible sentimonster attack. The doors stayed put, and they almost believed it was an earthquake until the ground below them began to split open with the sounds of creaking metal signalling the monster had arrived. The creature was a giant snake made out of the metal pipes beneath Paris, and if the smell that wafted from it was anything to go by Marinette figured the main pipe of his body came directly from the sewer. 
Everyone scattered, running to the exits as fast as their legs could carry them. Nino made it out the fire exit, while Nathaniel and Marc escaped to the kitchen. Marinette drove behind the bar, hoping against all odds that she’d find the perfect moment to transform in order to save everyone.
That was when a familiar voice broke through her panic.
“I understand you’re a sewage pipe, but this fight is going to be a real drain.” 
Marinette covered her mouth, resisting the urge to scream out at the black cat holder. Was it the miraculous itself that made its owner make such terrible puns? Was there no escape from the puns that haunted her superhero youth?
The cat hero circled around the destroyed restaurant as the pipe snake kept the knobs it had for eyes trained on him. When he was close to the bar the snake dove for him, and Marinette jumped out of her hiding spot to push him out of the way. “Duck!”
Marinette squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the pain to hit her. There was no pain, but there was the sound of a racing heart beneath her ears. 
ScapeGoat, Mattamorphis, and Carapace were already there behind them, keeping the snake occupied as Marinette got her barings. She began lifting herself up when she caught the gaze of the hero beneath her. 
“Am I at a vending machine?” The cat hero muttered, his voice rough from getting the wind knocked out of him seconds before.
Marinette blinked. Was he concussed? She didn’t think that was possible while in costume. She looked over his head, looking for any blood or sign he was seriously injured. “What?”
“Because a snack just fell on me.” He said, grinning like a fool at his own terrible pick up line. She wanted to punch his smug face, but she’d have to wait till after she got into her suit. “Not that I’m complaining.”
She pushed herself up, determined to run off to change before she punched the man in his idiotic face, but the new cat stopped her by grabbing her wrist. She looked down at him, watching the belt he had flick around behind him like a real cat's tail. “Wait.”
The hero stood and grabbed Marinette’s shoulders. He put his other arm under her knees, and lifted her up like she weighed less than a couple of grapes. She gawked at him, unsure of what to do. This was not the time to be chivalrous, and she could have sworn he had said that flirting on the job was unprofessional. 
The hero took her out of the restaurant and made sure she was a few blocks away before setting her down. “There, this should be far enough away.”
“You didn’t need to do that,” she started, but he held a hand up and got down on one knee. Panic filled her. What was he doing? Was he being serious? Now was not the time for some cheesy joke. “What are you doing?”
Instead of the fake proposal she was half sure would come, the black cat began tying one of her shoes up. Marinette assumed it came undone at the restaurant, but she wouldn’t have to worry about it since she’d be changing soon anyways. 
“Shouldn’t you be, uh, fighting that monster Mr. Cat?” Marinette asked, unsure what it was he was after.
The man stood up once her shoe was tied and smiled, a smile that if she wasn’t so furious she would have swooned at.How could he be so nonchalant about the whole situation? He had left three people behind to fight that living pile of pipes just so he could go and flirt with a girl? He wasn’t meant for that miraculous and now she was sure of it. “I will be, but I have faith in the other heroes. For now, I just wanted to make sure your laces were done up.”
“So I can run away safely?”
“So you don’t go falling for anyone aside from me.” He winked. 
Stupid flirtatious cat. 
“Besides, that is only one of the multiple heads of the snake. I’m going after the main one, I was just nearby here to start with.” Wait, what? The man looked off in the distance, towards the center of Paris. “I can’t stay long. If you see the other heroes pass by please let them know that the snakes are coming from the sewage museum. Oh God, they have one of those here?”
“Hold on a second, how could you possibly know that?” She asked, astounded by the amount of information he had. 
As the cat hero displayed the black device in his ear she remembered what he had said the other night. He had a bluetooth earbud hooked onto a police scanner. “I have ears all around Paris, sweet flower. Now, as much as I’d love to stay here and tell you all my hidden tricks, I must be off. The sentimonster’s true head is getting close to where I left a trap and I can’t leave it there by itself. Besides, I think Ladybug is waiting for me somewhere or another.”
I don’t think that’ll be a problem, she thought to herself. 
“Wait,” Marinette grabbed his arm as he started to back away from her, for what she had no doubt was going to be a dramatic exit. “I don’t feel right calling you Chat Noir, do you have a hero name yet?”
The hero’s face displayed his shock just for a moment before a smile brighter than the sun formed on his soft pink lips. “I don’t have one yet, why don’t you think of one for me?”
“You want me to pick?”
“Of course, it’ll remind me of the beautiful woman with bluebell eyes that gave the name to me.” The cat winked.
Marinette couldn’t help but laugh. He had told her he didn’t need a superhero name just the other day, but now he wanted one from her? He was flirtatious and full of tricks, there really was only one name for him. “How about from now on, we call you Alley Cat?”
“Alley Cat?” He said the name, tasting it on his tongue. “I like it. And who is the wonderful lady who named this poor Alley Cat?”
“Oh no, first names are for the second time you save me from a monster.” Marinette shook her head, trying not to burst into a fit of giggles seeing his fake heartbroken look.
“Then I guess I better get at it.” Alley Cat gently took her hand in his leather clad palm, and placed a soft kiss on her knuckles. “I hope to save you again soon, sweet flower.” And with that the cat was off, bounding across Paris at a speed that only reminded her of the urgency behind the movement. 
She had gotten swept up in their little conversation that she forgot what she was supposed to be doing. What was wrong with her these days? First Felix being an absolute sweetheart and getting her to reevaluate her opinion on him, now making her get butterflies wherever she thought of that soft chuckle he had when he found something she said was funny. Now there was a charming alley cat who was clever enough to form schemes of his own to stop the monsters terrorizing her hometown, but smooth enough that she was having a hard time making sure her face didn’t match her supersuit. Either the boys in her life needed to be less charming, or she needed to get a boyfriend.
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p-artsypants · 3 years
Text
The Ghost of Smokey Joe (1)
Minnie the Moocher
Adrien Agreste was acting bizarre. Stilted body language, plastic smile, and he seemed to have forgotten how close they were. Before she can get the truth out of him, Marinette finds herself as the sole heir to the Gabriel brand and the mansion, following the murder-suicide of both Adrien and Gabriel Agreste. The mystery continues as Tikki explains that Adrien was Chat Noir...but if Adrien is six feet under, why is Chat Noir still running around?
Ao3 | FF.net
This was started before season three ended, though I was busy at the time and couldn’t finish it. Basically, season 4 never happened, and the Peacock Miraculous is still broken. 
At the age of 22, life had a good projection for Marinette Dupain-Cheng. She finally got her big break, somewhat thanks to Adrien. She was working at Gabriel, as one of Gabriel Agreste’s lead designers, though she was still technically an intern. Though Adrien didn’t directly have a hand in getting her the job, his continued praise of her work in front of his father probably had something to do with it. 
Though it was never confirmed, Marinette would never have to worry if she got the job on her own merit or not. She did. 
In fact, Gabriel was continually impressed with her work, even after she had landed the position. His harsh criticisms ended with her. Where he never hesitated to rip another designer to shreds for a mistake, Marinette never had to face that rage. 
He just honestly respected her too much to do so. And it helped that she was so gracious with his critiques. Never taking anything personally, and doing everything for the brand. 
Co-workers probably could have been resentful to her, but if they were, it was never outwardly shown. It helped that she readily got along with and tried to be friends with everyone. She took advice to heart, and accepted criticisms professionally. So it was hard to dislike her. Even when she was the one that was accepted into the Agreste Manor to work with Gabriel in person. A rare treat for any employee. And she got to go at least twice a week.
There was just one little tiny problem. 
8 years later, Marinette no longer had a crush on Adrien. Oh no, she was head over heels in love with him. The deepest, most pure, sweet, and sincere love there was. And he had no clue.
It was her curse. As they got older and matured, so did her feelings. He only got more handsome, more friendly and outgoing, and more perfect to her. He learned he was allowed to be affectionate with his friends, her, Alya, and Nino, and didn’t hold back. Marinette was showered in hugs, cheek kisses, and hand holds. All punctuated with the dreaded phrase, ‘you’re such a great friend, Marinette’. 
It’s like he wanted her to suffer. 
As they graduated Collegé, Adrien confessed that he was afraid they’d all grow apart as they went off to University. Marinette took that as a challenge and made sure to invite them to weekly get-togethers. And so friends did they remain. 
And only friends. 
Marinettte came home to her shared apartment with Alya. Her long time best friend was sprawled out in the middle of the living room, surrounded by swatches. 
Marinette laughed at the sight. “Wedding blues?”
“Yes!” Alya shrieked, sitting up. “We’ve been together for 8 years, engaged for six months, and I still haven’t picked our colors yet!”
“I thought you were doing burnt sienna and forest green? You know, a call back to your stint as Rena Rouge and Carapace?” A supposed secret between them up until a few years ago. 
“I can’t. I don’t like the combination anymore. And no matter how temporary, our superhero run should remain a secret. I shouldn’t have even told you.” She started cleaning up the swatches, resigned to know that she wasn’t getting anywhere tonight. “How goes the apartment search?”
Marinette winced. “Not as great as I was hoping. A lot of places that I could afford, but I could afford better with a roommate. I want to have savings, you know?” 
“Did you ask Adrien?” 
Marinette blushed. “You know that’s not a good idea.” 
“Why not? He’s still living at the mansion. And you’re such good friends.” Alya smirked at her. “Or, you could just ask him out. Then live with your parents for a few months until he realizes how perfect you are and proposes.” 
“That’s not going to happen.” 
“Says you! Look, you’re my maid of honor, he’s Nino’s best man. At least ask him out as a pretense to have an official date to the wedding.” 
“A wedding that’s six months away?” Marinette asked, as she hung up her purse and coat. “And what if something catastrophic happens between then?”
“Then you kiss and make up at my wedding.”
Marinette rolled her eyes before heading over to the kitchen. “Alya, he hasn’t dated anyone since Kagami. I think he’s holding out for someone.” 
“Yeah! You!” 
Marinette fondly shook her head. “He’s not.” 
“He is!”
“Did he tell Nino, and he told you?” 
“Well, no. Nino’s been trying for years to get his crush out of him.” 
“Then, there you go. If it was me, Nino would have found out by now. No, it’s someone else. Maybe a married woman, or a man.” 
Alya laughed at that. “Girl, you always go to the worst case scenario. Just…flirt with him a little, prod him with your womanly wiles.” Then she batted her eyes. “Please? For me?” 
“Alright. I’ll see what I can do. You know it’s going to go so well this time, right?”
“That’s the spirit!”
“I was being sarcastic!”
Folks here's a story 'bout Minnie the Moocher,
She was a red hot hoochie coocher,
She was the roughest, toughest frail,
But Minnie had a heart as big as a whale.
The next day at work, Marinette forgot all about flirting. It was a race to finish her project. She had gotten the design approved, and now it was on to start assembling the piece. 
There was a knock at her office door. 
“‘Ome ‘n,” she said with a mouth full of pins. 
Who would arrive except for handsome, angelic, and...pale? Adrien. “Are you busy?” He asked with a small voice. 
Quickly, Marinette shoved the pins into the fabric to hold it in place, and dumped the rest back into the tin. 
“I can take a break.” Anything for you. She thought, offering him a chair. 
“Thanks,” he nearly collapsed into it. Then he looked around the office, for what, she didn’t know. 
“Soooo...what’s up?” 
Adrien didn’t answer right away, still scanning the room, eyes narrowed. He rubbed his palms on his pants. 
“Are you okay?” She pushed a little more. 
“Huh? Oh, uh…” He clenched his fists and swallowed harshly. “Do you…want to have dinner with me tonight?” 
A blush stained her cheeks. “Really?”
“Yeah, um…somewhere private. I want to talk to you about something, but um…it’s a secret.” 
“Well, Alya is going on a late night date with Nino, if you want to come to our apartment. I could just order some Chinese?”
He exhaled slowly and smiled at her. “That sounds awesome, thanks Marinette.” 
“What time? I get out around 6.” 
“I’ll meet you at 7 then?” 
“Yeah, yeah that sounds perfect.” Spurred on by the fact he was finally asking her out on a date, Marinette leaned in and pressed a kiss to his cheek. 
Adrien blushed furiously before standing. “Um, I’ll see you tonight then. Thanks for um…yeah, I’ll let you get back to work.” 
Marinette continued to grin at him shyly until he left. Then she collapsed in the chair he had occupied. She didn’t have to flirt or do anything! It was finally happening! A date! With Adrien! 
She ran to her purse and snatched up her phone. “Alya!” She called. “Alya, it finally happened! Clear the next 15 minutes and get the popcorn, I need to panic!” 
He gave her his townhouse and his racing horses
Each meal she ate was a dozen courses
She had a million dollars worth of nickels and dimes
She sat around and counted them all a million times
That night, Marinette sat ready and waiting. The apartment was spotless. She had ordered his favorite dish, and wore a cute little green dress (his favorite color.)
“Alright, I’m leaving,” declared Alya. “You two behave.” 
“It’s a first date, Alya. Like we’re going to do anything at all.” 
“Puh-lease, the sexual tension between you two is unbearable. He’s going to be on you like white on rice!” 
“Don’t be so vulgar!” Marinette laughed. “Adrien is a gentleman.” 
“Sure. Anyways, I hope you have fun!” 
“I’m sure we will.”
“Bye girl, bye.” 
“Bye girl, bye!” 
And the door closed. 
Any minute now, Adrien would be knocking. And then what? Would he kiss her cheek like she had? A hug maybe? Or both? What was appropriate for her? Offer to take his coat? Yes yes, that sounded right. Was her hair okay? She brushed her teeth, right? 
“Wine!” She announced. “What wine pairs with Chinese food?” 
“Might I suggest Riesling?” Said Tikki, from her hiding place. 
“Riesling! Riesling…I don’t have Riesling! I don’t know what that is!” 
Tikki laughed at her. “Marinette, just relax. Just do a Rosé. It’s fine.” 
Marinette hurried to the cabinet and fetched a bottle and two glasses. Then she poured one for herself and downed it in one go. “I don’t know if I can do this! I’m so nervous!” 
“You and Adrien are great friends, it’ll go great! Just relax and enjoy it. He’s not even here yet, there’s no reason to panic.” 
“You’re right! I’ll just…I’ll just wait!” 
So she sat and fidgeted. Nothing to do but wait.
And wait she did.
8 o’clock came before she knew it. And she checked her phone. Nothing. 
Did you forget about dinner? She texted.
There was no reply.
“It’s alright Marinette, he’ll come. Maybe he got held up in traffic, or his father needed him for something?” Tikki said encouragingly. 
“Yeah, maybe…he’d at least call, wouldn’t he?” Not waiting for an answer, she called him first. 
“Hey there, it’s Adrien, I’m not available to answer right now…” 
She hung up.
She poured herself another glass. “He wouldn’t just…ghost me?” 
“He cares a lot about you, of course he wouldn’t.” 
“Hey there, it’s Adrien, I’m not available to answer right now…” Another voicemail. 
9 o’clock. 
Poor Min, poor Min, poor Min
“Hey there, it’s Adrien, I’m not available to answer right now…”
The Chinese went cold, and the bottle of Rosé was emptied. 
He never showed up.
--
I can’t guarantee prompt updates for a little bit. I have some logistics to figure out, but I have a few chapters ready, so I figured I’d start posting! All the chapter titles are songs from my spooky halloween playlist that inspired this fic (and their lyrics will be in the chapters)! You can find that playlist here. The playlist will be updated as the fic goes on.
I hope to post the last chapter on Halloween!
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livrever · 4 years
Text
A Chat in Love
Ladybug and Chat Noir sat together, leaning against the railings of the Eiffel tower. “I-I need to talk to you, Chat.” Ladybug’s voice was soft as she looked down at the hands she had clasped together in her lap. 
“What is it Milady?” Chat asked the question, his eyes alight, his smile softening as he saw how agitated she was. The last time she was this nervous, she’d sat him down and told him that she was going to be out of town. She’d had that all planned and taken care of then, and he expected her to have whatever was wrong this time similarly in hand. 
She smiled at him, and her eyes brightened. Turning, she looked out over the city. “I have a boyfriend.” 
Chat flinched automatically, but the crushing weight those words would have once dropped on him never fell. His lips tugged up at the edges. “You know…” The smile was evident in his voice. “So do I!”
Turning to face her partner, Ladybug’s eyes went wide. “You have a boyfriend?”
Chat Noir squeaked, and pink tinged his cheeks. “No, a girlfriend. I’m dating someone.” A soft smile played at his lips, and his eyes went misty as he thought of her. “She’s amazing. Strong, but kind, her dark hair is so soft.” He signed and Ladybug cut him off, her cheeks a pale pink. 
“I’m happy for you, Chat Noir, I really am, but please don’t give away too many details about her. I would hate to put her in danger or learn your identity that way.”
Nodding, Chat’s smile slipped only slightly. “I’m sorry. She’s just so amazing, I can’t help it. There are times she reminds me of you.” His lovesick sigh had Ladybug giggling. 
Six months later, Ladybug was consoling a sobbing Chat Noir. “...and my father made me break up with my girlfriend. I don’t understand it. He likes her. He approves of her… and Father hardly approves of anyone.” He sniffed hard, wiping his nose on his sleeve. “He said we’re too young to be serious about each other.”
Ladybug held him, rubbing little circles on his back. “I’m sorry, Chat Noir. I’m just so sorry, Kitty.”
A few weeks later, Chat Noir was all smiles again. “We’ve decided not to tell my father. We go to school together, and our friends are dating, so when we hang out with them, they give us plenty of alone time.” The years rolled by, and Chat Noir’s turbulent love life was often a topic of conversation. He was obviously smitten with his girlfriend, singing her praises every chance he had, lamenting the times his father pushed him towards a different girl. Ladybug was very tight-lipped about her own love life, although as she listened, not just to Chat Noir’s words, but in the quiet spaces between them, she realized that she might know just who her kitty was. 
They added more full-time heroes as well, Carapace and Rena Rouge, Viperion and Ryuko, Bunnix and Pegasus. As they grew older, they weren’t always all in town, but whenever they were, they were there for Ladybug and Chat Noir. Chat talked to everyone about his girlfriend at every opportunity, no matter the subject. One day Viperion and Bunnix were jokingly debating the qualities of apple juice vs. grape juice, and Chat sighed that his girlfriend loved orange juice, and when she drank it, she tasted like sunshine. 
Seven years after she was first handed the earrings, Ladybug, Chat Noir and the heroes of Paris defeated Hawkmoth, and Ladybug’s suspicions about her partner’s identity were confirmed. He spent the night sobbing in her arms, curled up on an unobtrusive rooftop above what used to be a place that specialized in traditional Chinese healing methods. 
Sleeping fitfully, after Chat had cried himself to sleep, Ladybug remained awake, her mind whirling, carding her fingers through her partner’s hair, offering what comfort she could. When he woke she softly suggested that he seek out Ryuko and tell her everything. When Chat jerked back from her, his mouth working, but no sound coming out, Ladybug rested her hand on his shoulder in reassurance. “You know, the girlfriend you’re always talking about.” Her voice was teasing, but her eyes were serious and wary.
As Chat continued to stare at her, Ladybug smiled. “The more you described your situation, the more it sounded like what you and Kagami were dealing with. And Kagami is all the things you’ve said she was and more. Last night confirmed my suspicions. I care deeply about you, Adrien, but Kagami loves you. Go talk with her. Share your identity. We will have our reveal soon, now that, well…” She waved her hand, indicating everything that had happened over the past 24 hours.
“Kagami’s going to be worried sick that you disappeared after everything.” Ladybug’s eyes shone. “Go to her. She loves you.”
Chat squeezed Ladybug tight. “Thank you, Ladybug.” He stepped to the edge of the roof, but then ran back and engulfed Ladybug on one more bone-crushing hug, before racing over the edge of the roof, his baton propelling him across the city. 
It was less than a month later that Adrien Agreste and Kagami Tsurugi announced their engagement, but they snuck away a week after that for a quiet ceremony, cementing themselves as husband and wife, acknowledging to their friends that this wasthey had done this for themselves, they would have the big show wedding that the public wanted the following summer. 
With Hawkmoth’s defeat, there was really no need for the continued presence of the heroes, other than the fact that they enjoyed it, and it made Parisians smile as the saw the heroes finally getting the chance to enjoy life. Pegasus, Rena Rouge and Carapace all returned their miraculous to Ladybug, citing jobs and lives that kept them beyond the borders of Paris. Chat now spoke about his wife at every opportunity, and Ladybug noticed that Ryuko blushed subtly each time, although she looked at her husband with a fond smile. Soon it was a well known fact amongst the team that Chat Noir and Ryuko were married. He still brought her up in every conversation, and his friends ribbed him good naturedly about it. 
He was standing, arm casually draped across Ryuko’s shoulders as Ladybug leaned back against the wall. Viperion was sitting cross legged on the roof, lyre in his lap, and Bunnix perched on a low wall beside him. Chat looked around at his friends, thinking about how he wanted all his friends to share in the same happiness he had with his wife. He knew Viperion had a girlfriend, and Bunnix wasn’t interested in a relationship, so he turned his attention to Ladybug. 
“So, Bug…” Chat cleared his throat, suddenly nervous. The last time he’d talked to her about her love life, they’d both been fifteen. She hadn’t volunteered any information since, and he hadn’t pried, especially since he knew that talking about Kagami had lead to her discovering his identity. But he wanted her to be happy. “Bug. You know, you haven’t said anything about dating someone for years. Hawkmoth…” He choked on the name a little, but blinked twice before continuing. “Hawkmoth is gone. You can relax. Have a life. Be as happy as we are.” He nuzzled his nose into Ryuko’s temple, smiling softly. 
Hands on hips, Ladybug turned to face him fully. Viperion muttered something, and Bunnix snorted, but Chat’s eyes remained focus on Ladybug. Her forehead was creased into a frown, but it melted into a smile as she glanced around the roof. “I haven’t said anything because nothing’s changed. I’m still with the same person I was all those years ago. He’s a steady, grounding presence in my life, and I would be absolutely lost without him.”
Chat’s eyes widened as she smiled softly. “Just because I don’t talk about him constantly, doesn’t mean I don’t love him.”
“But are you going to get married?”
Ladybug’s smile widened. “I don’t know. I’d marry him today, or in ten years, or never if he has enough of his mother in him to want to stick it to the patriarchy. The piece of paper doesn’t matter, as long as I’m with him.”
The roof had grown quiet as Ladybug talked, Viperion’s fingers having stilled on his lyre as he listened to her declaration. He cleared his throat. “Do you mean that?” His eyes searched her face, and as he stood, the two of them forgot that there was anyone else on the roof. When Ladybug nodded, Viperion reached into a pocket that she had no idea his suit even had, and pulled out the small velvet box he had been carrying for months, waiting for the right moment. 
He dropped to one knee as he held it out to her. “Will you marry me?” 
Ladybug nodded and threw herself at him, arms wrapped around his neck. “Yes! Of course I’ll marry you. I love you so much!” Overbalancing, Viperion toppled to the roof, still cradling Ladybug as their lips met in a sweet kiss. “I love you too, Marinette.” Not realizing that he’d let her real name slip past his lips, he grinned up at her from where he lay sprawled on the roof. “We can stick it to the patriarchy later.”
She laughed and smacked his arm as she leaned down to kiss him once again.
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icerosecrystal · 3 years
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Blood-Stained Rose - Chapter 1: The Morning After
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It was his first day in court. He had to establish his rule over England as a right of lineage rather than conquest. He had a pleasant evening. Although his wife was tolerable and undoubtedly beautiful, she wasn’t trustworthy yet. He could say from experiences of being betrayed, that no one should ever trust anyone right away, no matter how beautiful they may seem. Especially with Talia being his mother, he knew that people could disguise themselves as sweet, charismatic women. In reality, they are sick, twisting, cruel women. While he was sure that Marinette wasn’t like that, he couldn’t get comfortable.
He had just jotted down the start of his reign as of the 21st of August, 1485. Although the battle was the 22nd, he was implying that all who had fought against him had committed treason. Their actions could have them potentially executed. All of his brothers were there. His father was beside him, guiding him to the throne that was rightfully his. After years of exile and planning, he was where he belonged as the King of England.
Oddly Marinette wasn’t there yet. She was probably about to enter. He had woken up before her. Right at that moment, Marinette walked in. She was wearing a beautiful gown with her head held high. Once she caught sight of him, she lowered her head, and curtsied, “Your Highness.”
“Princess, I’m so very glad that you were able to join us this morning”, his voice boomed through the now quiet room.
“The pleasure is all mine, sire”, she spoke respectfully. Damian came up to her, took her hand, and lead her towards the thrones. He sat down in the throne meant for the king, while she gracefully took a seat in the throne next to him. He looked towards his family as well as Marinette’s family along with the few guards and maids that were currently present. His brothers, now broken out of their shock, were whispering urgently to each other, most likely gossiping about his relationship with Marinette. That reminded him of the girl sitting beside him. He looked over at her and realized that she was in her own world. She was for some reason looking at one particular maid. It made him curious, why was she looking at that maid?
(45 minutes before Marinette arrived)
Marinette woke with a start and looked around the room, trying to figure out where she was. That’s when the memory of the last few days came to her: the wedding, the games of chess, the glances, them going to bed together. She looked over to her side, and to her relief, Damian was not present. She didn’t have anything against him. He was nice sure blunt at times, but he seemed to be a nice person so far. At least, that’s what she had figured out. For all, she knew he was putting on a mask. Which was why she was relieved that he wasn’t present so that she could take a second to get used to everything.
Once she had calmed down, she got out of bed and got ready. Today, she was wearing a pastel pink gown lined with white lace, along with the same color shoes and crown. She had put her hair up into a messy bun with a rose the same pastel pink color in it.
She left the chambers and saw her maid Alya. She was talking with a noble Lila if she remembered correctly. She said her good morning, but Alya’s reaction startled her. They were practically best friends, her being her maid and all, but she completely ignored Marinette. It made her feel uneasy. As she walked down the hallway to the throne room, she felt two pairs of eyes on her. She glanced back and had to do a double-take once she saw the evil glint in both of the girls’ eyes. Feeling even more uneasy than before, she rushes down the hall as fast as a princess or rather a queen is supposed to go. Once she reaches the doors of the throne room, she took a moment to get herself together. She held her head high and walked in.
(Present)
As they were now both seated, they waited for the arrival of the lords and ladies. The court needed to get associated with the new rulers of England. Marinette was not very excited about their arrival. Among them would stand Lord Adrien, who seemed to have an obsession with her, as well as the Lady Lila that she had just spoken too.
Adrien was once a childhood playmate. She enjoyed his visits but they lessened just before she and the remainder of her family were staying in the church. Her uncle couldn’t do anything to them if they were residing there. But once she had left, Adrien had been obsessed with getting her back. He was convinced that they belonged together. Once he had heard of the marriage between her and Damian he was outraged. He demanded that one of the other Princesses be married to him. But Damian would only accept her as his wife and no one else. This angered Adrien even more, causing him to try and attack Damian. The keyword being try. He had just taken a step forward with clear aggression on his face and two guards had him restrained within a blink of an eye. Since then he had not been allowed to be near the royal couple.
Lila, on the other hand, was a different case. While Marinette wasn’t as familiar with her due to her being a minor Lady, she had seen what she did to the kingdom. Lila preyed off of chaos. She also thought highly of herself and was an excellent manipulator. Lila wasn’t afraid to do anything and everything for her to get attention. She also tended to make many promises, but hardly ever fulfilled them. Rumors had been going around that there was someone who was convincing castle staffs to go against their Lord, Lady, Prince, or Princess. While no one had a clue who it could be, Marinette had many times suspected Lila. That was the main reason why she was so put out when she saw Lila and Alya conversing. It was following the same pattern of all the other castle staff who had turned against the crown. They were seen talking to Lila over some time something would happen to the royals, and Lila would be their offering comfort. Lila and the castle staff would get something out of it every single time. The biggest problem was the Marinette had the role that so many people in England wanted, being the queen for King Damian.
Marinette was taken out of her thoughts by the fanfare announcing the arrival of the royal court. Marinette looked over at Damian and realized that he had been watching her the whole time. He gave a look of concern that surprised her, “Are you alright, Marinette.” 
“I am your highness, do not worry about me.” 
“Why were you looking at that maid?”
She was startled by the question and looked over at him, “You were looking at her the whole time you were zoned out.”
Oh, she had been. But could she be faulted? The thought that Lila and Alya might be planning something along with seeing Adrien was very overwhelming. She looked over at Damian and replied, “She’s my maid. She had been acting strange recently, and I saw her talking with Lady Lila today.” 
“The harlot?”
She raised an eyebrow at his response, “You know of her?” 
“Tt, unfortunately. She isn’t very tolerable.” 
“How so?” 
“She’s very clingy and is a manipulator at first glance.”
She glanced up at him, “Have you heard the rumors?” 
“About the person who is turning the royal staff against the royals?” 
“Yes.”
He thought about it before answering, “Yes, I have. I have also long suspected that Lila was that person. She came up to me once, and what she did to get attention was horrifying. She was a skilled manipulator like my mother. So I always stay clear of her. Why are you asking?”
She sighed deeply before answering, "I as well suspected Lila to be the rumored person. I also realized that there is a clear pattern that she follows and a connection with the people she manipulates. So when I saw her talking to my maid, who was my best friend but recently ignoring me, I felt nervous. What made it worse was that as I turned my back, they both had an evil glint in their eyes. What if Alya is planning on betraying me?”
He nodded in understanding before taking her hands into his own and looking deeply into her eyes. They stared until they heard a cough from the side. They looked up and saw that the court had arrived. They let go of each other’s hands and looked at the court. The court all bowed and curtsied. As they rose and walked to their designated seats, Marinette saw two pairs of eyes staring straight at her. The lustful eyes of Lord Adrien Agreste and the deceitful stare of Lady Lila Rossi. Oh no! Marinette thought this is going to be a very long meeting.
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unmaskedagain · 4 years
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Best Birthday Wishes
Quick one shot. I rushed through at work. Nothing special. But I thought this was a decent idea.
           It took less than a year for Lila to make due on her promise to turn the class against her. Most of her former friends would go out of their way to avoid her. Some took the cowards way out and just did nothing; Adrien and Rose. A few went out of their way to bully Marinette in a misguided idea of revenge; mostly Alix, Kim and Alya. The ice-out got even worse when Marinette resigned from being class president and no one (Lila) could managed to manage to do the job as successfully as she did. School field trips were with really bad or just cancelled altogether. School dances sucked. Fundraisers always fell short. No one would speak to Marinette because, as Alya said, if she just stopped being such a brat none of this would’ve happened.
           Marinette shrugged it all off. She had decided if they could buy into Lila’s lies and turn against her so easily, they weren’t worth her time or effort. She made friends in other classes Aurore, Ondine, Claude and Marc quickly became her best friends. Once she did this, and the rest of the school saw she was out of the clutches of her class, the drama club quickly approached her and commissioned her for work for the school play. They were right to do so, as Marinette gave them a great deal, mostly because someone offered to pay her instead of just expecting her to do it. The art club practically got on their knees begging for help with funding their field trip. Comic Book club did the same but Marinette did one better and got them a tour of Marvel studios.
           The funniest request was from the home economics class and cooking/baking club who just wanted a tour of her parents’ bakery. And maybe an internship or two, pretty please. Her mom and dad had been stunned when she asked. However, they were more than happy to lend a hand, and an internship, to the next generation of baker’s.
           The best part was that no one expected her or left her to do the all work herself. The other students, her new friends, made sure that it was clear they were on a team. And if they asked her to make them something, they expected to have to pay for it. This allowed Marinette to have a lot more free time then she thought she’d get.
           So much so that Marinette decided to create a website for custom designs by MDC. Once she spread the words about that, Jagged and Clara requested commission, naming her as the designer. This sparked a slew of celebrities reaching out for their own MDC design; from futball players, a few tv stars, singers, directors, a b-list movie star, were among them. Marinette got to meet them to do the designs.
           Word quickly spread about the lovely young designer who didn’t bat an eye when she met them, and provided better quality then they could ever dream of. That brought in other celebrities. Celebrities who, when they publicists called Marinette, she fainted. She swore her heart stopped.
           When one celebrity asked for a environmental fabric, Marinette was quick to show ones she had already created. It was a synthetic fabric that she created with the help from a local engineer and scientist who’s wedding dress she designed.  It was cheap and easily replicated. The material was a hit; gaining the attention of Prince Ali who was always looking for new go-green projects to fund.
           Marinette learned quickly just how tight-knit her class seemed to be. So close, other students don’t even try befriending them, after seeing many others fail. It was like there was a wall around Bustier’s class and no one could get in. And those inside never even bothered to really look outside it. It was suffocating to think about.
           Marinette ended up joining the fashion club, gamers’ club, and got on the student council. Her popularity at school rose dramatically. Though, her classmates never realized.
           When Marinette’s birthday rolled around, her classmates snickered when they realized that no one would be planning her birthday party. Alya guessed she spend the day with her parents but otherwise alone like she deserved. Alix vocally hoped even her parents forgot what day it was. Kim nodded along because Marinette was mean to Lila, and Lila was… Everything. A few were sad that Marinette would have such a bad birthday.
           Bustier’s class were surprised when they received a text invitation to Marinette’s birthday party. Lila gets an idea and of course gets someone else to instigate it; Alya.
           When Marinette arrives to class, Alya is quick to tell her that they can’t come to her birthday because they already have plans. She makes sure to add that Marinette wasn’t invited.
           Marinette just shrugged, and said, “Okay, just trying to be nice.”
“Little late for that,” Alix snapped.
           The class expects Marinette to announce that she cancelled her party but the news never comes. On the day of her birthday, they all threw a picnic to celebrate their new “Everyday Ladybug” Lila.
           It wasn’t until Monday, did they learned just how bad of a decision that was. The moment they walked into school, it was clear that something was amiss.
“Jagged Stone was there!” A student said excitedly as she showed off the pictures of her phone. Alya tried to sneak a peek but couldn’t get close enough.
“I saw Chrissy Teigan.”
“Clara Nightingale,” Another said as Nino walked by. “I nearly died.”
           A group of girls were giggling with each other. “Stranger things,” One hissed with a red face. “I got pictures with Finn from Stranger things.”
“Screw Stranger Things,” A girl taunted. “I got pics with the Stark sisters.”
“They have real names,” A girl tried to correct.
“Who cares?”
           Nathanial overheard Marc saying something about a party, “Jagged Stone dedicated a song to her. And Clara brought her up on stage.” He wanted to ask his old comic book partner what he was talking about but after Lila convinced him to go solo, Nathanial couldn’t bring himself to.
           Rose heard, “Prince Ali was there. They danced together. It was so sweet,” While walking through a crowded hall. And nearly had a fit trying to figure out who said it.
“Jonas brothers!”
“Gigi Hadid!”
“Selena Gomez!”
“Tony Stark!”
           And the name drops went on and on until the entire class thought they were going crazy. Particularly Lila who was used to being the only ones dropping names.
           When the warning bell rung, Sabrina, surprising was the first to ask the question on everyone’s mind, “Does anyone know what’s going on?”
           Heads shook no. Alya stood up frustrated, on her phone, “No. But I’m going to find out.” Within seconds the determined expression on her face, shifted to surprise, then disbelief, then shocked. And when she looked up, the stunned look was still on her face. “Marinette’s party,” She said slowly as if she couldn’t believe what she was saying. “Everyone’s talking about her party.”
“No way,” Alix sneered as she pulled out her own phone. Others followed suit. Lila had her phone out before anyone could blinked.
           Jaws dropped. Marinette’s birthday was a tag trended of Twitter, Instagram and nearly every social media site. Celebrities who couldn’t make it gave their best wishes to the young designer.
           The pictures were everywhere. Marinette with one celebrity after another. Even Ladybug (Master Fu letting Trixx, Tikki, and the other Kwami giving their regards) wished her a happy birthday.)
           They quickly recognized the faces of other students they knew at the party, some pictured with a celebrity or two, themselves.
“Luka was there,” Juleka whispered.
           Mylene frowned, “He performed without us. Without kitty section.”
“Prince Ali,” Rose whispered. “Marinette danced with Prince Ali.”
           Lila quietly seethed. How could this happen, she wondered. How come she never knew Marinette knew all those celebrities. The worst picture of them all didn’t even include a celebrity just the mountain of presents she got.
Adrien was supposed to be my way in, Lila thought with a frown.
           Alya gasped, “You were there!” She hissed at Chloe. “You don’t even like her.”
“But I was invited,” Chloe smirked, “Of course I was. Dupain-Cheng throws the best parties.” She stated. “Like I’d be stupid enough to miss it. Even Mama went. But that was mostly because Miranda Priesley announced she was going. As did Wilhelmina Slater. It seems anyone and everyone in fashion wanted eyes of Marinette Dupain-Cheng, MDC, the up and coming designer for the stars. Including Gabriel Agreste,” She added with smug look.
           This caused Adrien to frown. He didn’t know his father had been invited. Or that he’d actually gone. Why didn’t Marinette tell him?
           The bell rang just as the bluenette in question walked into class. Only to once again see all eyes on her. She ignored them and went to her seat in the back. Marinette had a great weekend, and so was going to let anyone ruin her good vibe.
“So… Marinette,” Lila purred, in a way that reminded Marinette of the way she said Adrien’s name. “How was your birthday?”
           Marinette eyed her suspiciously, “Good. More people than I thought came.” That was an under-exaggeration if that was possible. She didn’t know exactly how word spread but she blamed Jagger… And Clara… And Audrey Bourguis… Nadja.
“Girl, everyone was there,” Alya said excitedly. “Ladybug was there. I forgot you two knew each other.”
“Yeah,” Marinette raised an eyebrow. “I figured.”
           Alya continued on like she never said anything, “I’d have killed to be there. Jagged Stone sang you a song.”
“Well I’ve known him for a few years now,” Marinette said, because, duh. “He’s like my uncle.” Her crazy, wild, decide to do an entire firework show, and nearly get everyone arrested uncle. “I went to his wedding. I design Penny, his wife’s dress. And his tux. And the bridemaids gowns. The tux for Fang,” Freaking Fang.
“Fang?” Ivan asked.
“His pet crocodile,” Marinette answered. “The same pet he’s had for twenty years. Anyone can find article about Fang, if they. Checked. Their. Resources.”
           If Alya noticed the callout, it didn’t phase her as the girl didn’t even blink.
           Nino looked confused, “I thought he had a cat?”
           Lila’s eyes widened.
I thought you had a brain, Marinette nearly snapped. “Turns out a lot people were wrong.”
“Why didn’t you tell us who’d be there?” Adrien asked. “That my dad was invited. I would have gone. He hates parties.” (“He hates fun,” Chloe snorted.)
“Yeah,” Alix huffed. “Do you have any idea how awesome it would’ve been to meet a pro-skater.
“Or a Futball player,” Kim added.
“A director!” Nino went. “Or those actors.”
           Marinette leaned back in her seat. “I didn’t know who all was coming,” She said. “You were invited. I just to invite Everyone I worked with as well. It was a party for a fourteen-year-old girl, I didn’t think they’d come.” At all, what’s so ever. Marinette had just did it to be polite.
“Worked with?” Rose’s mouth opened in awe.
“I designed for them,”  Marinette offered. “But I didn’t think they show.”
“Nearly everyone in school was there,” Nino complained.
“No,” The bluenette was quick to correct. “I invited my friends; the ones I know from gamers club, design club, drama club, backing club, the students council. And I invited you, because I thought it was the polite thing to do.”
           The clear distinction between the two was obvious.
“My friends came,” Marinette said. “Celebrity or otherwise; they all came. They wanted to wish me a happy birthday. Because they care.”
“Some of could’ve had our big breaks.” Alya snapped, anger in her eyes.  “You invited us because you knew we wouldn’t show up!”
           Marinette just stared at her before shaking her head, “I had guessed you wouldn’t,“ She admitted, and then smiled. But you were invited.”
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2manyfandoms2count · 3 years
Text
You can count on me (I will be there for you)
Alya joins the identity dance, and the chapters flirt with the 2k mark again (it’s fine).
Hope you enjoy!
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | AO3
---
Chapter 4
Chat Noir detransforms as he lands into Marinette’s room, and goes straight for her sewing box. He knows the code for it; Ladybug had made sure he did after she’d started to find the blackmail letters, in case anything happened to her.
Not that they use it much, these days, mind you.
The Miraculous box unfolds before him, and he swiftly picks up the Fox and the Horse Miraculouses. He’s about to close it when his eyes land on the Turtle bracelet, and he pauses. Even though it would probably be better to have as few people involved as possible, he has to say it might be a good idea to have some backup, just in case.
He mentally scans the guest list. Alix already has her Miraculous with her, and he knows she’ll use it if needed. Luka’s Second Chance could come in useful, but he’s performing with Kitty Section. It would be a little tricky to camouflage his costume on stage, especially with Alya’s Mirage otherwise occupied. Chloé would surely be ecstatic at the idea of seeing Pollen again, but Adrien isn’t sure that she would be very discreet about it. Same for Kim and Xuppu.
This leaves Nino and Kagami, his best people. Calm, collected, trustworthy. He shoves their Miraculouses in his pocket, closes the box and dashes out of the door. He doesn’t know exactly what their role could be, but he knows that having the Miraculouses on him can only buy some time later.
He slows down as he walks into the reception room, nodding to a few acquaintances his father had insisted should be there, and grabs a canapé from a waiter’s tray as his eyes search the room for his wife’s best friend. He spots her in the middle of a conversation with Marinette, next to the head table, and makes a beeline for them.
“Hello, beautiful ladies.” He clears his throat as he approaches.
“And hello to you, Hot Stuff.” Alya winks and elbows Marinette in the ribs. The bride blushes a deep shade of crimson at the reminder of the time she’d stolen Adrien’s phone, and starts to regret asking Alya to be her Maid of Honour. I’m going to die of embarrassment before the end of the toasts, aren’t I? Her head shake says.
“Marinette, would you mind if I borrowed Alya for a minute?”
“Please, do.” She all but pushes her friend towards her husband, who smiles and starts leading her towards the edge of the room.
“Actually, Adrien?” Marinette calls out before they’re too far away. He turns around and sees her jog up to him.
“Erm… Have you seen Chat Noir yet?” She whispers, looking around them carefully to make sure nobody’s listening. Alya’s eyebrows shoot up and Marinette gestures that she’ll explain later.
“Yes!” Adrien nods. “You can count on me, after the toasts.”
“Okay, good.” Marinette lets out a relieved sigh. “Just wanted to check. I’ll leave you two to it.”
“See you later, love.” He leans in and kisses her on the cheek, ‘for appearances’.
“Y-yeah, sounds good.” She blushes again, her hand flying to her cheek as she watches him and Alya leave. Kwami, his acting is smooth.
“Aw, look at my girl, she’s just as flustered as when we were in collège!” Alya coos, glancing back at Marinette once they’re out of earshot. She waves at her, and Marinette waves back nervously before starting to talk with a guest. “What’s this about Chat Noir though?” She turns towards Adrien and looks him in the eye.
“Actually, he’s what I want to talk to you about.” He shuffles awkwardly on his feet, trying to find the right words. “But first, I need you to promise this conversation will stay between us. No telling Marinette, or anyone.”
“Not even Nino?” Alya clutches her heart. She can keep Miraculous secrets from the public, but she feels bad keeping things from her fiancé.
“Nino will know part of it soon enough, I promise. The rest is something I’ll only tell him once I’ve told Marinette.”
She pouts pensively, weighing satisfying her curiosity against lies of omission.
“I guess that’s alright.” She finally shrugs, and her eyes widen hungrily at the smell of a scoop. “So, what’s wrong with Chat Noir? And what does it have to do with Marinette?”
“Well, I wouldn’t call it a problem, per se, in normal circumstances, but today…”
“Spill it, Agreste.”
“Okay.” Adrien takes a deep breath. “You know how Ladybug is dating Chat Noir?”
“Duh, I was the one who uncovered that story.” She says with a smug smile. Adrien rolls his eyes, an amused smile playing on his lips. It had occurred to him later that Ladybug had made sure it was Alya who found out first, as if to soften the blow of keeping her identity from her later.
“Well, it turns out that…” Adrien looks around them quickly, just to make sure there are no ears lying around, and his voice drops to a whisper. “Marinette is Ladybug.”
“What? ” Alya’s shriek is muffled by Adrien’s hand.
“Shh, this is confidential info, we don’t want people to come poking around.”
Alya blinks, then closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. She takes her time to formulate a coherent sentence, although Adrien can tell from her slight nervous twitching that her thoughts must be all over the place.
When it looks like she's gotten over the news enough that she can control the volume of her voice, he moves his hand away from her mouth.
“So, Marinette is… you-know-who. Okay. This is fine. I can handle it. I just… I was obsessed with her! How did I not notice she was literally right there, next to me, the whole time!!” She facepalms.
“Tell me about it.” Adrien smiles. He'd had the same mini meltdown after he and Ladybug had parted ways on the day she'd called off her transformation in front of him. He’d sat in front of Marinette for years , and never suspected a thing. At least, he thought so. There was something about calling her their everyday Ladybug that had come back to mind when he’d dug deeper in his memories… But he would be lying if he said it had been intentional.
“But… If she’s who you say she is… She’s been seen kissing Chat Noir very recently, while you guys were dating. So, no offense, but… why would she be marrying you? Shouldn’t she be marrying Chat Noir? Unless…” She gasps and points at him. “ You’re Chat Noir!”
Adrien smiles at his friend's excellent deduction skills. “Well, see, this is where it gets complicated. You are correct in saying that I am Chat, but , Marinette doesn’t know that.”
“What? But why?” Alya frowns in confusion.
“The good old ‘no reveal’ rule.” He shrugs. “Long story short, Ladybug is being blackmailed. She revealed her identity to me because she figured it would be better this way. I -Chat Noir- offered to act as her bodyguard until we got to the bottom of it all, but she refused because she doesn’t want to know who I am, in case everything goes wrong. She wasn't sure where to get protection from, though, so I offered the Adrien Agreste option, since I have a bodyguard. Match made in heaven, really.”
“Dayum.” Alya looks at him blankly, taking the time to process his explanation. “So, to sum up: you guys are involved in a fake, fake-wedding situation, where Marinette thinks she married her ex-crush for benefits, instead of the love of her life, when you were the same person all along?” She smirks. “Boy, I wish I’d known that before writing my toast, I would have made so many allusions to it… I would have kept it discreet enough that she wouldn’t have understood, of course, but the satisfaction of her connecting the dots later would’ve been amazing.”
“Don’t worry, I took care of that in my own speech.” He winks. He plans on keeping a phone nearby to record it, so he can play it back to her when she knows everything and have her see how genius it was.
“Okay, now. I’m guessing you didn’t just tell me this to get it off your chest.” Alya clears her throat.
“Indeed. Something happened earlier, and Marinette thinks that the people who are blackmailing her are my father and Nathalie.”
“No offense, but that would check out.”
“None taken, I feel the same way.” He pats her shoulder, lips spreading into a tight smile. “Anyway, we’re going to go back to the Mansion to look for evidence after the toasts, and we’ll probably need Rena Rouge to come out of retirement to make sure there are ‘sightings’ of us here while we’re gone. I'm sure Marinette will tell you all about that part of the plan herself, but before that, I need your help because Marinette wants to speak to Chat Noir and Adrien.”
“Oof. She really isn’t making it easy for you to keep your identity a secret, huh.” Alya chuckles.
“Nope.” He smiles as he digs his hands into his pockets. “But it was bound to happen at some point, I’m actually surprised I managed to dodge the situation for so long. You wouldn’t believe the number of times she wanted to have dinner with Chat Noir and Adrien so we could all discuss the plan.”
“Typical Marinette, to overlook the potential awkwardness of having her boyfriend and her fake fiancé together if she’s working on something.” Alya shakes her head.
“Tell me about it." He chuckles, looking at the ground. His wife really is something else, and he loves her for it. "So, are you up for it?”
“Of course!” Alya replies, eyes twinkling as Adrien hands her the necklace. She slips it in her purse with a satisfied smile. “You can count on me.”
“I never doubted that.” Adrien smiles back, and turns back towards the room.
“I just have one question, though.” Alya holds him back before he can start walking away.
“Yes?”
“Why me? I mean… It’s been a while, and… Why not get your cousin to do it? You guys are pretty much carbon copies of each other, physically speaking, wouldn’t it be easier?”
Adrien pauses. “Maybe in theory, but unlike him, I trust you.”
“Ooh, family drama.” She rubs her hands together. “Why did I assume there wouldn’t be any today?”
“Wishful thinking?” He jokes. “Anyway, I'll give you the signal to Mirage a nice little Adrien later. And then if you could bring the necklace back discreetly so that Marinette doesn’t suspect anything, that would be great.”
“Aye, aye, captain.”
Both head back towards the centre of the room, Adrien finding his way to Marinette’s side, and Alya to Nino’s.
Alya grabs a champagne flute and a knife. She nods at Adrien knowingly before she clinks them together, a sly smile spreading to her lips.
The toasts sure are going to be fun.
33 notes · View notes
capesandshapes · 3 years
Text
All You Had to Do Was Stay (Post Reveal/ Pre Relationship) (3/4)
Summary:
Three years ago, Marinette revealed her identity to him. Three years ago, he promised to wait in a hotel room for her. Three years ago, she opened the door to find it empty.
Now she's expected to play nice with him, since she's the maid of honor and he's unfortunately the best man. But old habits die hard, and old feelings die harder.
"This is a wedding, not a death march, Marinette."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It was going well.
Or, at least as well as a combination Bachelor and Bachelorette party planned entirely via awkward emails could go.
Which could be attributed solely to her and her thousands of schedules and planners, along with the fact that she checked the weather almost religiously and the tide predictions. Adrien just bankrolled most of the thing, which worked well enough seeing as he was the head of a multi-billion-dollar fashion house and she was an up-and-coming designer with an Etsy shop focusing on affordable fashion for normal people. Sure, he insisted on a few things, such as not using the Couffaine’s houseboat (He’d actually tried to argue against a boat entirely) or serving shots with Kim and Alix finally reuniting at this party—But most of it could be attributed to her.
She was pretty sure that was him trying to please her, to play nice after that disastrous night outside the bakery. He was avoiding her as much as possible, and any time he was faced with her he resolved the tension by agreeing to her as much as possible.
He was capable of learning, she supposed.
Marinette stood to the side of the bar as the boat they road on bobbed upwards and downwards, a hand braced on the counter and a glass of water that had she poured into a wineglass in the other. She hadn’t admitted to anyone, but she had a habit of getting seasick. The dim lighting of the fairy lights twinkling overhead combined with the loud pounding of music did a good job of hiding that.
She gave a small, weak smile as she looked out to her friends on the dance floor, some of them being people who she hadn’t seen for far longer than Adrien. Kim and Alix were locked in an exaggerated slow dance that had the two cackling, Juleka and Rose had stolen away to a corner, and Sabrina was excitedly explaining her business as a personal assistant to anyone who would listen. It’d been a long time since she’d seen them all, and it made her sentimental. She rarely saw anyone outside of Alya and Nino now.
“Makes you nostalgic, huh?” A deep, familiar voice asked her, obviously having slid in beside her at the bar at some point.
The side of her mouth tugged harder, and that nauseous feeling in her stomach momentarily left her. She let her blue eyes drift over, practically beaming as she took him in. “Luka Couffaine,” she said. A part of her wondered if he would come.
His long, shaggy blue hair and sharp eyes were now the highlight of the evening. Or almost the highlight. “Marinette,” he said, “fancy meeting you here.”
“Oh yes,” Marinette agreed, “it’s shocking for the maid of honor to be at the Bachelorette party.”
“Well, when she’s got a problem with the best man,” Luka began.
Marinette shot him a look. “Be quiet, someone could hear you.”
“I think everyone would have to be blind not to know,” Luka said, leaning against the bar beside her. She knew where he was looking, who he was watching. Yet, despite that, he said, “a part of me always hoped it would be us out there. Doing all of this.”
Her smile fell. “But you’re happy now?”
“Immensely,” he confirmed, and one look at his face reaffirmed that. He was still watching, still taking it all in. If her eyes traveled to the same place, she could do it too. She could look at Adrien Agreste and wonder how everything got so utterly awful. “I knew it wouldn’t be us, Marinette. We weren’t those type of people.”
“The type of people to get married?”
“The type of people to fit together without any gaps,” he explained. “No room for concern, no regrets.”
She sighed. There was more to it, of course. There was so much more to everything, like the fact that she could never do it, never give herself completely to Luka. She was always waiting, lingering in hallways at the slightest flash of the right shade of blond, and hearing familiar laughter in the silence.
She loved Luka, but she was always wanting. She needed Chat, she needed Adrien, she needed whatever form of him he would give her—
“You still love him, don’t you?” Luka asked. It was a stupid question. She’d seen Adrien six times since he came back, and half of those moments were in passing. Any rational person would say no, only crazy romantics would say yes.
So, she stayed silent.
“I want you to be happy,” Luka said finally, and it was a bucket of cold water poured on her. A reminder of reality, of where she was now, and a rush of that seasickness back to her gut. But when he said it, there was that hint of leftover desire, that underlying subtext that there was a hole in his heart, and it would always be there for her.
And the cold understanding that she never made a groove in her heart for him.
She turned to look at him, only to find him gone.
And with that came sickness.
Awful, churning sickness. A vile wave of nausea that assaulted her stomach. The boat lurched, and with it, so did she.
My god, she was going to die.
Marinette Dupain Cheng, beloved daughter and friend. Died of seasickness because of her own poor choices while planning a party to celebrate her friends’ upcoming wedding.
She threw her head back with another large wave, her eyes watering as she fought the overwhelming urge to die. Lila Rossi was at the party, slithering onto the guest list with a perfectly timed apology to Alya about an awful Instagram post. If Marinette turned any greener she was sure she’d be on Rossi’s snapchat story, paired with a caption questioning why exactly the poor girl was so sick. Another pregnancy rumor.
She grimaced at the thought and nearly fell to her knees as another wave jostled her. Luckily, a hand caught her before she could fall, the warmth of a thick blazer spread across her shoulders and distracted her momentarily.
“And this,” said a voice as she was hauled back onto her feet, “is why I argued against the boat.”
She turned both quickly and unsteadily, catching a mixture of blond and green before, unfortunately, practically falling against it.
She could have done worse.
She could have done much worse.
Such as vomiting on his Burberry jacket or ruining his Chanel shoes.
Adrien’s arms caught her easily, hooking underneath her armpits and hauling her upwards once more. “I’d make a joke about you falling for me, but all things considered… I’d say you’re sick of me.”
Badum tss.
Marinette groaned, resting her forehead against his chest only because it was the main thing keeping the rest of the world from overwhelming her. “Were your jokes always this stupid?”
“Things seem a lot funnier when you’re madly in love,” he said, and she made sure to fire back a glare in response. “That’s good,” he said with an air of authority when she looked at him, “eyes on me, focus on the conversation instead of the waves.”
“Can I have a different conversation partner?” she fired back.
He rolled his eyes, shaking his head at her as he kept a hand braced on her back, the other braced on her shoulder to keep her upright. “Do you want someone else to know you’re sick?” He asked, “because I guarantee Alya and Nino will hear.”
Ugh.
“We’re going to get you inside,” Adrien decided, evidently having spotted a door back into the cabin.
“And then?” She asked, she didn’t see how that would help.
“And then I’ll stay by you in case it all goes south, and you can play YouTube videos on my phone to distract you for another hour or two until Alya goes looking for you. Then you’ll take some selfies, come back, and we’ll wash, rinse, and repeat.”
Marinette wrinkled her nose. “I don’t trust you to stay anywhere, Agreste.”
He flinched. “Okay, fair, but… I’m your only option here so,” he tilted his head at her, looking down as he withdrew his hand from her waist only to offer it to her again. “Either you take my hand and we go, or I leave you here at the mercy of the Seine, which seems to be in quite the mood today.”
He had a point.
“Fine,” she said, slapping her hand into his. “I’ll sit next to you, but I will not talk to you. Don’t expect a miraculous turn around.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“I hope you know that nearly every YouTube recommendation of yours being highlight reels of Ladybug and Chat Noir is not endearing,” Marinette informed Adrien, “it makes you look self-obsessed.”
“It’s not every YouTube recommendation,” Adrien scoffed, moving beside her to point at his screen. “See? Anime.”
“Top ten anime waifus?” Marinette read out, shooting him a look.
“You know that’s not what it says,” he responded, yet she couldn’t help but note the way that he took a second look as if making sure.
They were on the ground in the cabin of the boat, nearest the hallway where the kitchens and bathroom were. Adrien was the one to declare that the safest, a place where she could get water if needed, and if worse came…
“When will this finally pass,” Marinette asked yet again as she let herself fall onto her back, she’d repeated the question with every single video finished, but her impatience continued to grow.
And he repeated the same answer, “in four hours when the boat finally docks and we end up on dry land.”
Four hours.
“You were never good in the water,” he said, “and this is coming from the guy dressed like a cat.”
She glared, slapping his thigh. “When this boat lands, the truce ends.”
His smile faltered at that, and he let himself sink down onto the ground beside her, his eyes trained towards the ceiling.
This had a time limit; all of this had a time limit. Even she had almost forgotten that. Because eventually the wedding would end, eventually there would be no more forced interactions, eventually he would go home. Eventually she would go back to her life and wonder the same damn question.
“Why weren’t you there that night?” There was no gracefulness to how it was presented, it merely clattered from her like a knife falling from a kitchen table. It was heavy and loaded, the kind of question that you swallowed down every time you saw someone, not the type that you lobbed out when you were laying side by side and wishing it had been like this so many other times.
She could feel his eyes on her.
“I…” he began, but whatever he meant to say was a false start. He swallowed the letter and tried again. “I don’t…” Know? Care? Want to talk about this?
Why did she care anymore?
What would it change?
Nothing.
“I was scared,” he said finally.
“Okay,” she said.
And that was that. That should have been that. That should have been her hint, her great sign.
“Why?”
And with that single word he rose to his forearms, looking over at her. He was in her field of vision, where she couldn’t ignore him. A hint of pink graced the edge of his green eyes, but his lips were set in an almost determined look, and she wondered if he would stumble over his words again.
“My father was just arrested for being Hawk Moth, my mother was found in my basement, I lost the only home I ever knew to police investigations, and suddenly guardians were at my door asking for Plagg—all in one day. Choose a reason, Marinette.” It wasn’t vile, it wasn’t angry, it wasn’t even cold. She didn’t know how to describe it.
“You disappeared.”
“I couldn’t stand to be in Paris any longer.”
“You didn’t tell me.”
“What would I say?!” He replied, his voice loud, far louder than he obviously intended. He flinched as it echoed through the air, and suddenly she was all knives and anger.
“Hello Marinette,” she responded, “or should I say Ladybug, the girl I’ve claimed to be in love with for six years! It’s been great, a fun time and all, but man am I tired—see you in three years without a single message! Good luck wondering if it’s because of you, if you being the girl behind the mask is what changed it all, even though the only difference was one scrap of red fabric!” She glared, sitting up, “Miss. You.”
“You think that’s how it was?” He began, his eyebrows narrowed as he raised from his arms, his eyes staring holes into hers. “I told you…”
“You’d love whoever was behind the mask,” she finished, pushing off of the ground. “But let’s be honest here—Not Lila, not Chloe, and not me. Never me.” She stumbled to her feet, gripping the wall as she finally stood. “I told you who I was, and you were terrified! I saw it, I knew! I should have known why—"
“Because you’re you, because you’re Marinette, because you’re--” he was scrambling to his feet, scrambling to keep her there, scrambling to make some sort of sense.
“Because I’m Marinette?” She repeated, and it didn’t take a rocket scientist to hear the mistake. To know that she was right, that this was all some stupid curse put upon her by a universe that would thankfully, in a month’s time, solve the situation.
“That’s not—Jesus Christ, I—”
He didn’t need to say more.
She began to walk away, to risk the treacherous river waves. Anything was better than this, anyone was better than him—
“Because you’re perfect,” he called before she could even begin to walk out that stupid door, and every cell in her body stopped moving. “Because you’re pretty and you’re kind. Because you have a perfect family and everyone loves you, Nino loves you, Alya loves you, I—” He thought better of saying whatever came next there. “Because you were going to be a fashion designer, and the best one anyone’s ever seen. Because you try to be good to everyone you meet. Because at the end of the day you’ll always be good, too good for me, and I’m…”
“You’re,” she was surprised that she asked it, that she could process anything.
And there was a pause, a long, heavy one. One where anything, any combination of words could go wrong.
“Because people would see you walking beside me, and you would still be good, and you would still be kind and you would still be gentle; but they’d see none of that. Because they’d look over and see me. They’d see what my father made and what my father ruined.” Quietly, he confessed, “you would be perfect and none of that would matter, because they’d look over and see Hawkmoth’s son.”
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thr-333 · 4 years
Text
Just Another Class Trip :) Part 6
Marinette goes on a nice peaceful trip to the pool. Me? sarcasm? how dare you sir!
First< Previous >Next
---------------------------
“Did you find what you were looking for Marinette?” Kagami asks oh so foolishly.
“Kagami look into my eyes and ask me that again,” Marinette dares, her eyes red rimmed with bags underneath bigger than Chloe's luggage.
“... You found your glasses?”
“Never mind,” She sighs, finishing the rest of her coffee, “At least that one isn't missing,”
“I thought you only wore them as M-you-know-who,” Chloe whispers, a purposeful look towards Lila’s posse leading the way to the bus.
“Just wanted to try them out without a mask,” She brushes off easily, she needed to be able to transport back to Paris at any time after all.
“Oh it was just terrible!” Lila cries, capturing the attention of everyone surrounding her.
“Did she finally hear a recording of herself?” Chloe scoffs, making Adrien shush her and Marinette crack a smile.
“This Starling kidnapped and tortured me for information,”
If only I had
“Luckily Batman was there to save me, but I knew he would be,” Lila croons, the class fretting over her all the while, “He was probably searching furiously the second I didn’t return his call,”
“When did she get Batman’s phone number?” Chloe whispers to her.
“No idea, think she’d give it to me?” Marinette smirks.
“Oh sure I bet it's 3825968,” Chloe laughs at her own joke.
Marinette doesn't get it but Kagami starts laughing, so she moves to stand next to Adrien while they share a moment.
“Any idea?”
“Not really,”
They reach the door going through it to find Gotham in the nice peaceful state it's always been.
Just kidding, lights start flashing in their faces and everyone around them is yelling. Lila of course tries to take this opportunity to get attention. To Marinette's great delight they push right past her, and to her horror opt to shove a million microphones in her face.
“Miss Wayne were you adopted?!”
“Yes but-” the cameras start flashing and the yelling increases tenfold.
“When?! How long ago!?!”
“A baby I guess?” She hadn't known her birth parents after all.
“How have you stay'n out of the public's eye for so long?”
By not being like Lila for one
“Mari I don’t think you’re talking about the same thing,”
“Yeah thanks, I’m getting that Adrien,”
“Adrien Agreste? Are you two dating?!”
“Great,” She ignores them, instead whispering to Adrien, “From now on Buttercup will be your codename,”
“Cool,” He leans in to whisper in her ear, “But I don’t think that’s helping things,”
It’s at this point the cameras are going crazy taking a million pictures of the two whispering in each others ear, while Kagami and Chloe try to push them all back. The class follow behind just as confused. Madame Bustier is trying to reason with the crowd, trying to . They reach the curb, fighting not to be pushed onto the road by the crowd. A limousine  pulls up and for a wonderful second Marinette thinks Liam has come to save her, the wonderful manager he is. Instead Alfred steps out, surprising to say the least. He ushers her inside and tells the rest of the class the bus will be through momentarily. Marinette slides into the car right next to Bruce Wayne… well.
“Hello again, I um…” Marinette thinks back to their last meeting, “I don’t think I actually told you my name,”
“No you didn’t,” Bruce chuckles, “And Selina has been avoiding me ever since,”
“Sorry, well I’m Marinette Dupain-Cheng Auntie Selina’s niece,” Marinette shakes his hand, “She didn’t tell me she was engaged,”
“Bruce Wayne, Selina didn’t tell me she had a niece,”
“Yeah, that's a bad habit isn't it?”
“Indeed,” Bruce pauses, both trying to reach for a conversation topic, “So you like fashion?”
She had said she would design her aunts wedding dress. She should probably double check that with the groom, whoops,
“I do I already sketched out some designs,” She takes out her sketchbook which has a good thirty pages dedicated to wedding dresses, “Oh you were probably going to hire a professional designer weren’t you?”
“We were considering MDC,”
“.... I think that’ll work out just fine either way,”
“Hm,” Bruce looks curiously at her as she hides away her sketch book, she would be using those designs either way.
“Anyway!” She changes the topic oh so subtly, “About those reporters…”
“Theres a certain rumour running rampant that you are a Wayne, after someone took a photo of you with my son at the airport,” Bruce explains, switching over to business mode in a heat beat, she could appreciate that, “We’ve been doing our best to contain it, but…”
“At the airport…” She mutters to herself, “Oh! Tim’s your son, that explains Alfred, that must mean Dick is too!... work at Wayne tower, yeah very funny,”
She tries not to roll her eyes at their understatement of the century, wasn't Tim Drake a CEO there?
“Impressive, have you met Damian too?” Bruce asks, a slight smile that would have called Kagami expressive.
“Not yet, but should I invest in a bingo card?”
“Maybe so,”
They fall into silence Marinette would usually hold polite conversation but her thoughts were in turmoil. Lila didn’t seem to know anything about the miraculous then again her interrogation was cut short by a certain someone . However Tikki had advised her against placing all the blame on Lila, she needed to consider other options as well. But who else could it be? she was in Gotham Hawkmoth couldn't reach her… unless he somehow...
“Marinette are you alright?”
Marinette startles look over at Bruce who is blurred by tears. She hadn't even realised she’d been crying.
“I-I’m sorry,” She hiccups trying fruitlessly to wipe away the tears, “I-it just…”
“It’s ok,” Bruce rubs her back comfortingly, but boy did he choose the wrong words.
“IT’S NOT OK!” Marinette yells not looking at anyone in the car, they didn’t matter, nothing else mattered, she had failed and people were going to suffer for it, “I left it behind! It’s all my fault! Now it’s GONE! It’s been stolen and I don’t know where it is!”
“What was stolen?” Bruce presses, getting over the shock of the polite and put together girl melting down into a puddle of sobs.
Now I’ve gone and messed up, time for a classic cover story and some half truths
“A good friend of mine gave me a very important jewellery box,” Marinette sighs, wiping the tears away and rebuilding herself, “It was stolen shortly after arriving in Gotham and I’ve been trying to find it,”
“Do you know who stole it?”
“I thought it was one of my classmates,” Marinette frowns, they should have certainly been there by now, “Still do honestly,”
“Which one?”
“Lila probably,” Marinette tries to keep her tone neutral, tries, “Brown hair that looks like sausages,”
Marinette could almost see the words ‘oh fuck’ written across his face.
“Miss Dupain-Cheng, we have arrived,” Alfred speaks up for the first time, not leaving her time to puzzle over the reaction, “Your class arrived some time ago,”
“How did that happen?” Marinette frowns, they should have arrived ages ago.
“Alfred must have taken the scenic route,” Bruce shrugs, acting like an innocent party in all this.
“Well then I guess I’ll see you for the wedding,” Marinette tries not to rush out of the car, certain her class or rather Lila would have caused some grief by now.
“I’ll make sure to send the invites to your family personally,” Bruce promises, shaking her hand before she can run off.
“And I’ll make sure Auntie Selina doesn’t destroy them,” Marinette smiles back brightly, she can see the concern for her all over Bruce's face but doesn't have time to reassure him.
Marinette walks into the indoor pool, knowing her luck the class was already inside. They were and the owner was not happy about it.
“First your class was late then you waltz in here late as well?” The manager berates her.
“I’m sorry sir,” Marinette tries to seem more sincere but her tardiness falls short on the things she has to worry about now.
“That class mate of yours came an yelled at me that one of our pools were dirty so we had to drain the whole thing,”
“Let me guess, sausage hair?” Marinette raises a bow, it really being all the energy she can put into the action.
“Yes,”
“Sorry sir I’ll talk with her,” Marinette promises, she slips into the changing rooms as they grumble about lazy employees.
There is absolutely no way Marinette was going to talk to Lila. She enters the changing room, a shower running somewhere. She tucks Tikki and Kaalki into her bag, Tikki had insisted she relax today, recharge and get ready to find the miraculous. She couldn’t find enough will to argue not after having to wake up in the middle of the night to fight an Akuma back in Paris.
She slowly changes into a red and orange ruffled one piece swimwear. She honestly just wanted to take a nap in here, hide away from the class and the well meaning questions from her friends. Instead she drags herself towards the shower, they are all open and there's someone towards the back standing underneath the spray in their bathers.
Something fires back at her to be careful, it puts her on edge but with miraculously potentially loose in Gotham city it’s no wonder her instincts are screaming at her. Instead she steps under the spray hoping to loosen up.
She doesn't, after standing there for ten minutes she still can’t relax. Maybe it’s the cold water, maybe its the other person. The were still standing there, they had been in the shower even before she entered the changing room. Marinette peaks over, they are still standing still, with their arm out… the same way they had been ten minutes ago.
“Are you ok?” Marinette calls, no answer, not even a twitch.
Marinette creeps over. They are standing stock still, she can’t see evidence of them so much as breathing.
“Hello,” Her voice echoes off the tiles, not a noise in the empty room besides from the shower running.
She is right behind them, they haven't even moved, arm still raised. She walks around to see their face. Frozen in a look of concentration, not so much as blinking with water running into their eyes. She follows their eyeline to see them peeling off dead skin from their arm, stretching towards their fingertips. There's a faint glow of yellow all around them, concentrated at their back.
Marinette steps away, walking out the showers, she closes the nearest door to find herself in the pool area. Her friends are on the other side. Kagami is dunking Adrien as Chloe waves her over. Marinette sprints over to them.
“No running!” The life guard yells.
But that doesn't matter, all that matters is that there is someone using the bee miraculous for evil, she has to stop them before they get another Hawkmoth. They probably have the whole miracle box! She'll need the back up.
“Mari-”
“Come with me,” She doesn't let them have another question helping Adrien out of the pool.
She pulls them along despite Chloe's protests, pushing them through the door.
“Mari what's-”
“Hush now Buttercup,”
“You were serious?” Adrien gasps, Chloe just giggles.
“Yes,” She walks over to the frozen body, “Look at this,”
“Whats-” Chloe pokes them, immediately recoiling, “The fuck?”
“They’re frozen,” Kagami does the same.
“We have to help them,” Adrien waves in front of their face, looking on in horror.
“We have to hide them,” Chloe pokes them again, getting slapped away by Kagami.
“We have to find the culprit,” Marinette races at the idea that this could be the Bee miraculous.
“We’ll do all three,” Kagami decides, getting their attention, “Now first let's put them in a stall so we don’t alarm anyone or the villain, then we need to look for clues,"
They all nod, Marinette turns the water off. Adrien tries to move their arm to no avail.
“Looks like we have to carry them,” Adrien suggests, he and Marinette each taking an arm.
“Ew, no I’m not touching it Buttercup!” Chloe cringes away, backing up as Kagami lifts a leg off the ground.
“Has that really stuck?” Adrien asks Marinette, as Kagami sends Chloe a powerful enough death glare to get her to help.
“You bet Buttercup,” Marinette grins, as they shuffle through the changing rooms to the toilet stalls.
“Fine then, I’m calling you Cupcake,” Adrien teases, sticking out his tongue.
“As you wish Buttercup,”
“Someone get the door,” Kagami commands.
“I will!” Chloe lets go of the leg, the body becoming no heavier.
They manage to fit them inside the stall without too much hassle.
“Who could have done this?” Adrien looks on sadly at the person, tilted at a slight angle to fit into the stall.
“I’ve been thinking,” Marinette speaks up, “If this is a villain it doesn't make much sense to attack a random person, and if they were trying to be stealthy they would have hidden the body,”
“They aren’t dead!” Adrien says aghast.
“Exactly, why wouldn’t a villain just kill them?”
“That's very dark of you Cupcake,” Kagami says, missing Adrien’s pout, “What’s your theory?”
“This is likely a new villain, one not ready to kill,” Marinette decides, not even blinking at the nickname, “They have something against the pool, they probably want to ruin its reputation,”
“You did say that this was a very safe pool for Gotham,” Chloe closes the stall door, “Minimal murders, so why would someone want to ruin it?”
“Insurance? Sick of their job?” Marinette’s eyes go wide in realisation, “The pool!”
She darts out the changing room the others close on her heels.
“No Running!”
“Where are we going!?”
“The manager said they were refilling the pool,”
“Why- oh my god,” Chloe gasps, overtaking the lot of them, “Run faster!”
They burst into another pool room, the pool noticeable empty with diving boards on the other end. They run to the edge of the pool. A frozen body wearing employee uniform frozen at the bottom the water slowly rising.
“Get them out! Get them out!”
Marinette jumps down into the pool, causing a splash, the water is up to her ankles, barely a centimeter from covering the person at the bottom. She runs over and tries to pull them up. Kagami makes a splash behind her running over to help. They drag the person, frozen in horror the yellow focused on their chest instead. The pool is far too deep to climb out of so they pass the body up to Adrien and Chloe.
“Who would do this?!” Adrien can just reach them when Marinette and Kagami lift the person over their heads.
“I heard the manager mutter about lazy employees,” Marinette gives one last push, Chloe and Adrien pull them up over the edge.
“So we have a suspect,” Kagami says, water rising up her leg, “We should check their office next,”
“Well, they went from no murder to yes murder in record time,” Chloe huffs, the employee safely to the side.
“It’s concerning, but they may have more of a grudge against them than the other person,” Marinette points Kagami towards the ladder to get out.
“More evidence towards the manager,” Kagami nods, letting her up the ladder first, “We should choose codenames if the manager is potentially familiar with us,”
“They did have the class roster,” Marinette nods along, then grins, “You should be Teacup!”
“Fine by me,” Kagami nods, not showing how happy she truly is with the nickname.
“Oh I want to be-” Chloe cuts herself off head snapping towards the door.
They hear scratching at the door, everyone tenses. Marinette crouches in a position to defend her friends. The door slowly creeps open and… a little snout pokes through followed by the rest of the dog.
“Is this what you wanted to see Cuppy?” A person wearing a lifeguard uniform follows in a second later.
“Excuse me is your dog named Cuppy?” Marinette plasters on a fake smile quickly pulling a nearby towel over the body.
“Yes it’s a weird name I know,”
“No! It’s perfect! On another note could we please borrow your dog?”
“Um... sure?”
“Thank you, we have to go! Careful the pool is empty!” She calls as they race out the room, the person tucked away out of sight, “Come on Cuppy!”
"NO RUNNING!"
The dog wags its tail following them out the pool area and through the changing rooms. They come to stand outside the staffroom door, dripping water on the carpet.
“Everyone ready?” Marinette asks, hand on the door, they nod and Cuppy lets out an 'off', the door slowly creaks open.
Marinette looks through to see, nothing, the hallway is desolate and dark.
“It’s safe,”
“You call that safe?” Adrien pokes his head through the door, followed by Chloe and Kagami.
“Be brave Buttercup be brave,” With that Chloe pushes him into the corridor.
They creep along the empty hallway, footsteps echoing around them. The manager's office door could be seen at the end of the hall. Gold color plate glinting in the few stray beams of light filtering through. Marinette could feel every hair stand on end, danger seeming to lurk from every shadow in the dark hall. The pressure of something ready to pounce and immobilise them at any moment hung heavy in the air, dragging them down into a pressure that-
“HIC!”
Everyone jumps out of their skins, Adrien actually hits the ceiling, rubbing his head on the way down. Kagami draws her sword, Marinette falls into a defensive position.
“Hic!”
“Chloe!
“I’m sorry! Hic! It’s not like I can help it! Hic,”
“Thats it! You’re Hiccup!” Kagami snaps, Marinette tries not to snort.
‘What?!” Chloe screeches stamping her foot, “No way!”
“Deal with it and lower your voices!” Marinette shouts, Cuppy barks along, “Not you too Cuppy?”
Another yip
“Traitor,”
“Cupcake stop picking fights with the dog and lets move on,” Adrien implores, still rubbing his head.
Marinette rolls her eyes speed walking to the manager's office before the tension rises again. The reach outside the door, Marinette counts down to three on her fingers and they burst through the door.
Inside is silent, the bright light blinds them for a second, she shuffles in front of her friends acting as a shield, waiting for them to adjust. When she does she sees the desk chair is turned away, Cuppy pads forward Marinette doesn't grab his collar in time.
He starts licking someone's hand, Marinette creeps around the desk, waiting for the hand to snap out and grab her. The others follow, surrounding the chair preparing to come face to face with the villain. She peeks around the edge they are sitting there, she freezes the others following her lead. A beat, another one, nothing. They’re frozen.
“It’s not the manager,” She relaxes, patting Cuppy’s head.
She lets out a sigh, releasing all her tension.
BAM
Turning around the door is slammed shut, a striped villain standing before it. They all drop into a fighting stance watching for the stinger on their right hand. Cuppy starts wagging his tail, trying to approach the villain.
“Cuppy no,” Marinette grabs his harness, bringing the Pitbull back.
“He’s my therapy dog,” The villain growls, Cuppy wagging his tail happily.
“Not a very good one is he?” Chloe sneers, looking the villain wearing her stripes up and down with disgust.
“Wait, you’re the lifeguard at the pool?” Marinette gasps, maybe she really shouldn't have run, “Why did you-”
“I work here, you can’t imagine the horrors I face every day, people are disgusting,” The villain shudders, this was the guy who stole the miracle box?
“Yes, but murder?” Kagami gets a nod from Chloe and hissed at by Adrien.
“My co workers are completely useless and the boss always yells at me,” A sinister smirk crosses their face, “Or at least they did,”
“So you thought murder before you thought quitting ,” Adrien points out, probably not the best time to imply a villain is stupid.
“I didn’t kill anyone,”
“Ah yeah thanks to us!”
“Shut up!” They lash out at Chloe, stinging her in a single strike.
“Run!” Marinette shouts, they all scatter.
Marinette dodges the first swipe, ducking down. They get distracted by Kagami lashing out. Marinette darts around them to get closer to the door, Kagami gets hit. Marinette reaches the door the villain comes after her, they are inches away. Adrien leaps in front of her, getting stung. With the distraction Marinette bursts out the door Cuppy on her heels.
“Traitor,” She sprints down the hall, “Did you know?”
Cuppy happily pants beside her. She can hear the villain banging around the corridor behind her and runs faster. She dodges into a room around the corner, hiding among the pool noodles. She sees the shadow pass under the door. Pause. She holds her breath intently watching the shadow, she has no one, not even Tikki. He heart beat rises, she can feel her breaths shorten, this is it, this is it, this is it, this is-
Something nuzzles her hand, she looks down to see Cuppy. He starts to lick her hand, letting her relax into it, focusing on him as the shadow continues on. With a sigh Marinette starts to take off her skirt, flipping it inside out to the cape side.
“You aren't going to tell anyone about this are you?” Marinette asks Cuppy, right before pulling up her mask, he lets out a happy bark, “Good boy,”
She sneaks out the room, looking up and down the clear hallway. She walks the opposite way of the office. She doesn't need to see her friends paralysed, she just needs to help them, she just needs to fix her mistake.
She reaches the pool area, hiding behind a lounge chair, watching through the slats as the villain gathers everyone together. Starling sneaks closer, Cuppy on her heels. There are several civilians, locals if their calm demeanour is anything to go by, although they do seem uneasy at an unknown villain. Her class is significantly less calm.
She had told them time and again that there was no coming back in Gotham, no miraculous cure. It seems for once they had decided to listen to her. Unfortunately they did not do well under pressure. Lila of course was aggravating the situation, making empty threats. The villain reared up to silence her and man, Marinette could relate.
“I don’t suppose I can wait a minute can I?” She whispers to Cuppy, he settle a paw on her knee, letting out a quiet whine, “I guess that’s a no,”
She runs up behind the villain, signalling the civilians to be quiet. Lila looks down at her, anger flashing over her face. Starling bears her teeth right back, she can just try it. Lila ultimately decides her life is more precious than petty revenge, a hard choice for her to be sure.
Starling stands up to her full height behind the villain tapping them on the shoulder. They turn around in surprise, to find her dazzling smile. But the real thing that makes them see stars is her right hook. As the fall Starling rips the bee miraculously right out of their hair, their transformation falling. Marinette stands above them as they detransform, Pollen hiding behind her. It makes her stomach churn watching them detransform, looking up at her with fear. The twisting of her insides lessens when Cuppy nuzzles up next to her. She busies herself with hiding the miraculous away.
“It’s them!” Lila screeches, ah now she can get to that petty revenge, “The one that kidnapped me!”
“Look what you did,” Staling bites instead, looking down at the villain.
“I had nothing to do with this!” Starling is highly entertained when Cuppy growls at Lila, actually getting her to back off.
“Sure you didn’t,” Starling openly rolls their eyes, grabbing the villain and hauling them up by their shirt, "Where is the rest!"
"I-I don't know what you're talking about!" She scowls, making them whimper, guess they really didn't know,
Shit
"Where did you get this?" She holds up the miraculous.
"I found it! it was just lying out on the street!"
Shit
"Did you see any others?!"
"No!" the blubber swearing by it and begging for mercy.
Shit
The police sirens can now be heard, Starling drops them and runs from the room.
“NO RUNNING!” She turns on her heel and glares down at the villain, “... sorry, it’s a reflex,”
She nods running from the room to change, grabbing her bag with Tikki and Kaalki on the way. After a small celebration at finding another miraculous and reunion with Pollen, they have to make a plan to find the other miraculous. They are cut short when sirens are heard outside. She wears the Bee miraculous under her ponytail, to keep it hidden from view.
When she is ready she goes to find her friends. They are outside talking to the police. Marinette only gets the chance to signal she’s ok before being intercepted by officers to get her statement. When she’s retold her account of trying to find the pool freezer she is finally allowed to check on her friends.
“Hey Cupcake, glad to see you missed all the fun,” Chloe teases.
“Sorry Hiccup,” Marinette looks her in the eye deadly serious grasping each shoulder, “You were an adequate shield,”
“Shut it,” Chloe pushes her away playfully.
“Teacup, Buttercup are you alright?”
“It was nothing,” Kagami assures.
“Didn’t you guys think their powers were a lot like Queen Bees?”
“You would know Hiccup,” She nudges Chloe playfully, “If it was I think we should keep that to ourselves, wouldn't want that information somehow getting back to Hawkmoth,”
She looks purposefully towards Lila, the others nod along.
“Still some random person now might have the miraculous,” Chloe glares down at the ground, “Can we really trust this Starling person,”
I mean no I'm operating on negative six hours of sleep, but also yes
“I don’t think we have much other choice,”
“Marinette,” She freezes at that familiar, low gravelly voice.
“Batman, sir,” She adds, trying to look like someone who wasn't chased down by him yesterday, “How can I help you?”
“I heard you knew the most about this villain,” How did she get in trouble for interrogating Lila when this is how he talks to civilians.
“Not really I just found someone paralysed and tried to find the culprit,” Marinette shrugs, hoping her friends wouldn't point out that she is lying to The Batman.
“You didn’t call the police,”
Well thats a good point, not that I would have
“... To be honest it absolutely did not occur to me,”
“These abilities were spontaneous and now they seem to be gone,” Batman points out, damn he already knows too much, “Do you know what caused this?”
“I do not,”
“Very well,” Batman nods turning away, “Go to your class,”
“Yes sir,” Marinette walks away far too quickly.
How was she going to search the city with that hunting her down?!
--------------
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writer-panda · 3 years
Text
Hit on the groom and what became of it - chapter 2/Take me out maybe (with a sniper rifle)
Disclaimer: I don’t own Miraculous or Batman (and other DC characters). This is just a fanfiction. 
Chapter 1  -|-  Next
--------
As much as Marinette disliked the meeting with the female entourage, when the time came to start working on Adrien’s suit she wanted to scream. She could clearly see that he was uncomfortable with even the gentlest touches. She did her best to make it as non-invasive to him as possible.
They had absolutely no privacy whatsoever. The Bodyguard (Gerard; His name was Gerard) and Nathalie observed their every move. Marinette was half-convinced it wasn’t her who was under watch. 
The professional atmosphere was far cry from her usual working environment. When Uncle Jagged, Clara Nightingale, or even Diana Prince came to her for clothes, it was always very informal. They would joke, gossip, or exchange stories while she worked. Now? Now she was wary of even speaking with Adrien. 
Likewise, the boy refused to meet her eyes or open his mouth. 
At some point, when she was trying to find the right shade of white for the undershirt, she noticed a make-up stain that was not there before. 
“I’m sorry, but I will need to request you remove the makeup. It is staining my materials.” She informed Nathalie and Gerard coldly. It was all she could do to resist calling the police there and there. Sadly, the commissioner was good friends with Gabriel, so it would most likely just end her career and make it worse for Adrien. 
“I was assured it would not leave stains on materials. Please accept our apologies. We will cover the costs of destroyed materials,” Nathalie informed her in an equally cold voice.
“I see…” Marinette’s lips thinned. Inside, she was screaming. But there was nothing she could do. The hit was in place. Soon Adrien would be safe. It would go without a hitch. It had to. 
As the group was leaving, she could’ve sworn the Bodyguard gave her a mournful look. As if he shared her sentiment, but was powerless to stop it. She’d know that look. She saw it in the mirror all too often.
---------
The Wedding (even the narrator started to capitalize it) came faster than Marinette wanted to accept. And there were still no words about the kidnapping. She made sure to specify that they were to take him before he was married or no payment. Did she not make the money enticing enough? Were there already attempts that were stopped without media coverage? Maybe she forgot to check some boxes?
A million scenarios ran through her head as she wandered through the alleyways.
The whole event was happening in Gotham Botanic Garden. Whatever the weak excuse was given to the press, Marinette knew the real reason: it was one of the few places in the world where Gabriel could marry his son to Lila legally without messing with courts. And bribes were said to be cheapest there. 
As the designer for both the bride and the groom, she was invited to the main ceremony. 
Lila was kind enough to even give her a seated place… right next to Chloé Bourgeois.
Marinette had a hard time deciding if it was bigger punishment to her or the mayor’s daughter. Ultimately, the two girls did their best to not look at each other during preparations. At first, that is, because the first chance she got, Chloé to drag the designer to a remote garden gazebo in a secluded corner when she was least expecting it.
“Wha-!” Marinette was about to protest, but the blonde covered her mouth. She seated her on the bench and took the seat on the opposite side. 
“I’ve been friends with Adrien since we were kids.” She announced in the usual ‘I’m-better-than-you’ tone. “I also know that you’re not always an idiot.”
“Gee! Thanks, Chloé… I’m honored with your praise.” Marinette deadpanned, interrupting the heiress. “Now get to the point”. She really hoped her dress wasn’t damaged or she might just turn to murder. 
“Fine. You worked with Adrien on his suit.” She paused, and for a moment, just a brief moment, her mask fell. That was not what Marinette expected. She has never seen Chloé so… so… The designer’s brain lacked the word to describe how her childhood bully looked like. “How is he?” The blonde asked, her voice almost trembling. 
Marinette opened her mouth, but no sound came. 
A moment passed.
“Not good.” She finally admitted. “During the measurements, he winced even at delicate touches. Plus I was called in last week to make some adjustments to his garments. He lost weight between then and now. And he wore makeup on his right arm. On both occasions.”
“Makeup?” Chloé’s eyes widened. 
“Yes. I would’ve probably missed it if I didn’t soak my fabric into makeup removed beforehand.” She thought back fondly to her brilliant idea. 
“They hurt him!?” Chloé burst out after few seconds. “I will show those… those…”
“Believe me, I share the sentiment.” Marinette nodded sagely. She needed plan B and needed it fast. There had to be something… “I slipped him a burner phone on his way out. I doubt they found it. If it gets really bad, he can try calling the police.”
“You are devious sometimes, Dupain-Cheng.” 
“Thanks. I try.” 
“So… they are coercing him into it?”
“I think so. He is resigned to his fate it seems, but he tries to show some rebelliousness. It wasn’t his father’s idea to hire me and Lila would rather walk to the altar naked than wear anything by me.” Marinette cringed. Any interaction she had with the Liar made her feel almost dirty. And forcing politeness was physically painful sometimes. 
“I got that much from the fact he hasn’t reported it yet. That burner phone was a good move, but Adrikins was always too obedient.”
“And I’m sure you had nothing to do with it,” Marinette muttered, but Chloé didn’t hear her. The heiress somehow managed to derail her rant into telling the story of her entire childhood.
Marinette listened only with one ear, filtering the information for something useful. The rest of her consciousness focused on something else. She started to seriously entertain the idea of using Miraculous to get Adrien out. She would need a combination of several powers though. Trixx was the obvious choice. Illusions would be a great asset. Maybe the Tiger, for the Power Up? If Roaar didn’t exaggerate her power, she would be able to put a distance between them and the city before anyone even realized what happened. She would need to time her illusion right though. And there were the American Heroes to watch out for…
If she didn’t use miraculous immediately, she might get a drop on the bodyguard(s) and then make an exit using Kaalki’s power when they were alone. Disable cameras, take out the guards, get in, portal out. It was feasible but still involved too many risks. If anyone connected miraculi to the operation, Ladybug would be in great trouble. She couldn’t endanger Paris like that… not even for her partner and best friend. 
Then, there was the most dangerous plan. Don’t use Miraculi at all. She was confident enough in her skills to enter undetected. Maybe even sneak out. The question was, would Adrien make it. She could sneak him Plagg’s ring. Chat Noir would have no problem leaving any prison. But… there would be the same risk as when any other Miraculi was connected and the whole point was not to use them in the first place. 
“Ugh!” She let out an angry sound that startled Chloé. 
“What’s with you, Dupain-Cheng! Don’t you see I’m opening my heart to you!?”
“Shut up, I’m trying to do something productive.” She snapped at the blonde. 
“Why, I…”
“Silence. Your tale was entirely unhelpful. Let me focus.” 
Gotham. What was in Gotham that could help her? The most corrupt city, famous for its high crime rate, mad villains, and eternal gloominess. Even now she could feel some of it resonate in the air. As if the whole city was one big Akuma. Probably no help from the establishment… The police were more likely to put a bag on her head and deliver her to one of the crime families… 
“What in Gotham can help…” She voiced her musing loudly, causing Chloé to peak up.
“Waynes!” She proclaimed. “That serial adopter would jump at the chance to get another orphan…”
“Adrien isn’t an orphan… Yet.” Marinette grumbled. “But he will be married by then, so I would need to plan a double homicide… Meh. No great loss.” She said without a shadow of care. It was like the thoughts about the murder were completely normal for her. 
Chloé shivered. “Remind me not to get into your way when you’re in that mood.”
In the distance, the orchestra was starting to play, signaling the guests that the ceremony would start soon.
“Ugh! Hawkmoth it!” Marinette raged as she ran to the clearing. She no longer had the time and if she was the only one missing, Lila would make her prime suspect for anything that happened. Blast it. She would get one more chance. Screw the career. She could survive living somewhere in Argentina if it all went to hell. 
-------
Adrien already accepted his fate. His father and Lila made sure that all avenues of further rebellion were closed. He exhausted everything there was. 
To this day, he was grateful for that burner phone from Marinette. He made sure to hide it but always have it somewhere nearby. It became a form of a lifeline for him. A one-off save-your-life ticket. It would only work in short term, but at the rate everything was going, it could potentially save his life…
He missed his life before the mess with The Wedding started. 
Hell! He even missed Plagg’s stinking cheese. He would maim for some camembert.
“Adrien,” Gerard spoke solemnly. There was no need for more words. They both knew what was about to happen and Adrien took just a bit of solace in the fact that he was not entirely alone, even if no one could help him. 
“I’m ready.” He spoke, barely above a whisper.
Before he realized it, the ceremony was undergoing. Lila, in her stunning dress, held the attention on herself like a pro. No one even thought about looking anywhere but at them. The dress was similarly just so… Lila. It made all of her features all the more proponent. Yet, there was just a small, barely noticeable, stitch that said Marinette. A smile ghosted his face. There was some good out of this. He managed to make his friend famous. After today, no one would deny her style. 
“Should anyone present know of any reason that this couple should not be joined in holy matrimony, speak now or forever hold your peace.” The marriage officiant spoke. Adrien didn’t even care what convention the wedding was in. 
The silence swept across the garden. 
No one dared to even breathe loudly.
Adrien lowered his head. Here, the last…
There was a rustle somewhere close to the front. He looked up, a small glimmer of hope appeared in his eyes. 
Marinette was standing there, her backs straightened and one finger held up. “I…”
She felt the gaze of hundreds of guests on her. They were the most influential people in the world of modern business. Waynes. Luthor. Queen. Burgeiose. Agreste… And they all kept staring at her. 
She tried to swipe the hall with a glance, but something attracted her attention. A glint of light somewhere in the distance.
“Watch out!” She shouted, tossing a chair she was sitting on just a moment ago. 
The metal item sailed through the air until it crashed in the middle of the alley.
With an arrow sticking out of it.
For a second (which felt much longer) everyone stared at it.
Then the mass panic started. People got out of their chairs and started trying to get out of there. They trampled one another as each considered themselves to be the most important, hence first to evacuate. It was chaos.
Among the mass of people, Marinette tried her best to make it to the altar. She saw that Gerard and several other hired bodyguards were of similar minds. 
She managed to squeeze through the crowd the fastest, only to find Lila knocked out and Adrien and the Officiant missing. Adrien’s cousin (best man) and Alya (bridesmaid) were both nowhere to be found. They probably ran away. There was still no trace of the Groom. That is until she saw a giant mass of brown mud dragging the boy away. 
The sad thing? Adrien wasn’t really protesting much. 
Gerard was the next to make it through. He noticed Adrien a tad quicker and tried to chase whoever it was that tried to kidnap Adrien, but a fist made of mud slammed into him, sending him flying away. 
“Holy Hawkmoth!” Marinette cursed once more. Okay, so far, it was only a curse for her, but he deserved it. 
In the distance, police sirens could’ve been heard, but with how fast the mud was escaping, Adrien would be long gone before the police arrived. Marinette had to do something.
Wait… Why am I trying to stop the kidnapping I ordered? She suddenly questioned herself, freezing in place. 
Two guards rushed past her and started firing at the mass, but the bullets seemed to be about as effective as Parisian police when dealing with Akuma. 
The last Marinette saw of Adrien he was being taken into the sewers.
-----------
After the police arrived, Marinette was of course first to be interrogated. (“Gee… Thanks, Lila”). They wanted to know how she noticed the arrow, did she see the attacker, how did the kidnapper looked like, and dozens of other questions. By the end, she was exhausted. Somewhere after the sixth question, her phone pinged. Luckily, the police didn’t bother with checking it and believed that it was just a worried friend. 
Not the kidnapper trying to contact their employer.
Finally, after the police released her and informed her that no further information was needed, she could contact her Maman.
“Sweety? Are you okay? I’ve seen the news!” Was the first thing that came through
“Yeah. Don’t worry. I’m perfectly fine. The police held me back for questioning a bit. I’m going back to the hotel and be back in Paris first flight tomorrow, okay?”
“Stay in Gotham! I’m coming to pick you up!” Her mother informed her.
“Wha-!? But there is no need! Seriously Maman! There’s no need to trouble yourself.”
There was a silence on the line for a moment and Marinette could feel that her mother was trying to glare at her through the phone. It worked. 
“Fine… I’m at Wayne Plaza, room 30-14.” She relented, not wanting any more arguments. She would still have several hours to sort the mess with Adrien. What could possibly go wrong?
Trying her best to be careful, Marinette left the site of crime and traveled to the industrial district. The taxi driver couldn’t be bothered less about why she wanted to go there. He just wanted to get paid and leave. 
The only-slightly-creepy aura of the completely silent area full of factories and warehouses served as a perfect background to contacting the kidnapper. Marinette, after making sure she was truly alone, activated the voice-scrambling app on her burner and dialed the number that sent her the text about successful work. Her Maman showed her that, thinking she wanted it for a prank. Or that’s how Marinette presented it anyway.
“Who is this?!” A voice on the other side of the call asked.
Marinette took a deep breath before answering. “I was led to believe you have what I wanted.” She tried her best to channel Chloé into her voice. 
“Ah… Yes… There’s been a… complication.”
“What do you mean ‘complication’?” She hissed into the phone call. 
“Um… I had the package… But then someone stole the stolen package…” Whoever that was informed her. 
“Who?” She demanded. 
“Last I checked, Lawton was the one who had ‘im… But it might’ve changed. But don’t worry, Boss… lady?” They asked. Marinette didn’t give either confirmation or scolding, so they continued. “I’m still in the game.” With that, they hang up. 
“What did I just get myself into…” She moaned. Then, the realization hit her. “What did I just get Adrien into…”
Elsewhere, Adrien was starring into a pair of curious sea-green eyes. 
----------------
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duskowithapen · 3 years
Text
Of Flowers And Tattoo Needles Chapter Three
Read on Fanfiction
Read on AO3
A Resolution
“Don’t you dare tell her, bug!”
Luka wasn’t sure what the hell was going on. Adrien had walked into the tattoo parlour proper, standing toe to toe with his fiancée, having a full argument in front of them. If Adrien is in a relationship with this Kagami, then what was up with the pet names and the forehead kiss?
“Why are you so intent on keeping this a secret?!” Kagami demanded, waving her rapier under the blonde’s nose threateningly.
“I wanted it to be a surprise!”
“You know that I hate surprises!”
“But this is a good surprise, I promise!”
“Adrien, I swear if you got a dragon tattooed onto your chest I will do something drastic!”
“C’mon Kagami, like Marinette would let me get something so obvious-OH-GODS-DON’T-IMPALE-ME—”
Much to Juleka’s displeasure – she was watching the argument with one of her signature ‘ah yes, chaos’ smirks – Marinette intervened before blood could be shed. “Maybe we could all calm down and talk this out like rational, non-violent human beings. I don’t think bloodstains will do anything for my shop’s reputation.” She pressed a hand to her hip and started Adrien down. “Unless you want to keep playing the scaredy cat, chaton?”
Adrien’s mouth dropped open. A hand was held dramatically to his chest. “So cruel m’lady!”
Kagami huffed and lowered her weapon, turning to give Marinette a bow. “My apologies, Mari-hime. I shall eviscerate him outside.”
“Let’s just not eviscerate anyone, hmm?” Marinette sighed.
The pout that appeared on Kagami’s face made Rose giggle, and it seemed to remind the swordswoman that yes, there were other people in the store. In the back corner, while the redhead was intent on his work, the client was watching them. Kagami bowed again. “I did not realise you had other clients, Mari-hime. Was this a bad time?”
Marinette waved a hand towards the couches. “It’s okay, Gami-chan. I was about to get Luka’s tattoo started, but I should probably help my idiot of a best frien before he gets himself killed.” Adrien visibly wilted at the look Marinette gave him. She turned an apologetic smile onto Luka, and he blinked at the full force of those beautiful bluebell eyes focusing completely on him. “Are you okay if I postpone your tattoo for a little bit? I promise this won’t take too long.”
Luka shrugged and shoved his hands into his pockets. He was really missing his guitar now. “I’m fine with that. You’re not the only one wanting to know about someone’s tattoo,” he directed at Kagami, who hummed questioningly. “My sister and her partner have been pestering me about my tattoo all morning.”
“See!” Adrien burst out, “Keeping your tattoo secret until it’s finished is normal Kagami!”
A loud clap stopped the argument from restarting. “Alright! If everyone could just sit down, we can get this cleared up,” Marinette said in a tone that demanded total obedience. There was a glint in her eyes that suggested great violence on those who did not comply.
Luka was very lucky that he was standing in front of one of the couches in the first place. That tone of voice, that look on her face… he dared any man not to get a bit weak in the knees.
“Sounds like a plan,” Juleka murmured as she brushed past, shooting him an uncomfortably knowing look as she sat by Rose’s side. “Considering that Luka thought you and Adrien were together. Care to explain how he could have come to that conclusion?”
There was a moment of silence. Luka and Marinette’s faces flared up in identical blushes. Adrien’s face reddened slowly as he bit his lip. Kagami’s eyebrows rose past her fringe. In the back corner, the client was still watching like the whole situation was a soap drama.
Then laughter.
Luka’s head snapped up as Kagami of all people started giggling, stern face crinkling into a smile as she tried to smother her amusement behind one fist. Adrien finally took a breath, losing his battle with the laughter he’d been restraining. His tugged his fiancée down onto the other couch with him. “Oh god, really?!”
Marinette dropped into the seat beside Luka, face hidden behind her hands. He leaned in a little. “I feel like I’m missing something?” He said lowly.
A blush still stained her face when Marinette looked up. Despite their closeness, she didn’t shift away. “Just a little, yeah,” she replied hoarsely. “I just feel so stupid. There I was, practically throwing myself at you, and you seemed interested, and then Adrien walks in, and oh god, you must have thought I was some floozy, that I was flirting with you despite having a boyfriend – which we’re not by the way, I swear I’d never cheat on you – I mean, if we were together I wouldn’t cheat – not that I’d cheat on Adrien if we were together, which again, we aren’t – but I wouldn’t have said those things or done anything if I was with someone else, but you didn’t know that, and ugh it’s all just a great big fucking mess –” Marinette stopped with a sudden inhale as Luka pressed a finger to her lips.
“It’s okay, Marinette,” he whispered, ignoring their avid audience. “I admit, I was confused, but I figured I could try and clear it up today anyway. It wouldn’t be the first time I’d made a wrong assumption,” he said with a self-depreciating chuckle, “I’ve never been all that good with people. I find it easier to communicate through my music than anything else.”
Marinette opened her mouth to reply, and Luka had to restrain a shiver at the feeling of soft lips against his guitar calluses. “I really am sorry, Luka. I keep forgetting how mine and Adrien’s… dynamic can be seen by other people.” She paused for a moment, looking away, before continuing, “And I think you communicate pretty well like this. Better than my anxiety-fuelled rambling anyway.”
Luka leaned in a little closer, drawing his finger down her chin and barely brushing her neck before pulling it away. “I thought it was kinda adorable,” he whispered.
Adrien coughed, pulling the two out of their haze. “Uh, I just wanted to apologise, Luka. I’m a very touchy-feely kinda person, and I keep forgetting that not everyone, y’know, hugs and kisses and just generally touch their friends as much as I do. I was… isolated as a kid, and I never really got the concept of personal space.” Now, didn’t that sound concerning?
He waved a hand at the nervous looking blonde. “That’s okay Adrien. I can get a bit touchy too – I shouldn’t have made assumptions. People have thought the same thing about Juleka and I before.” That had made for a very awkward conversation as they explained to the landlady no, they weren’t teenage lovers, but siblings who had decided to move in together.
“It’s all the nicknames,” Juleka said with a smirk, “Wasn’t it your dad you asked if he needed to design two wedding dresses, Adrien?”
Marinette groaned deeply and twisted to bury her face in Luka’s shoulder, hand grasping his jacket just in front of her face. “Don’t remind me,” she said, words half-muffled, “I can’t look Mr Agreste in the eye anymore!”
“Out of curiosity, where did the nicknames come from?” Luka asked, trying to keep a straight face as he wrapped an arm around Marinette’s waist, holding her to his side. Based on Juleka’s fake retch, he wasn’t very successful.
It was Adrien’s turn to blush, as he grabbed Kagami’s hand. “Well, like I said, I was an isolated kid. The only kind of unsupervised social interaction I got was when I played Ultimate Mecha Strike online. When I was thirteen, I met a player called Buginette03 – who tuned out to be Marinette – and we got pretty close, despite not sharing our real names. I’d ask Bug for advice when it came to my father, or later on, social stuff, and then she’d ask me for help when her anxiety spiked, or she started catastrophising.”
“And he’d use me as a sounding board for his awful pickup lines,” Marinette cut in, finally pulling her head away from Luka’s arm. It suddenly felt very cold. “You are such a cat-ch is a horrible excuse of both a line and a pun.”
“Hey! It worked with Kagami, didn’t it?”
Both Marinette and Kagami rolled their eyes. “Obviously, she took pity on you, kitty,” the tattooist said, deadpan.
“I found your determination in finding a successful line pitiful enough to be amusing.” Was Kagami’s response.
“Meowch!” Adrien said, insulted. “So cruel, ganging up on a poor cat!”
Marinette rolled her eyes and turned to face Luka properly. “Anyway, after almost a years worth of playing with each other and chatting, we decided to… reveal ourselves, I guess? I was so surprised when I realised that the snarky, goofy LostKittenOnTheCatwalk was actually in my class.”
Adrien slapped Kagami gently when she scoffed at his username. “Hey, I thought it was funny! I was thirteen!” He shook his head for a second. “But yeah, I was both surprised but not when I found out that Marinette was Buginette. Like, once I knew, I wondered how I could have thought it was anyone else.”
“We tried to date for a little bit,” Marinette said, taking up the narrative. “We thought that it was a ‘meant to be’ kind of thing, but it didn’t really work out.”
“We’re partners, but not? We work better as close friends, or siblings, rather than lovers,” Adrien looked at Marinette with a small smile. “I’m just glad that Marinette chose to remain friends with me. Probably not her smartest move,” he said with a shrug, “But oh well.”
Kagami flicked Adrien in the shoulder as Marinette pulled a pencil out nowhere and threw it. “Don’t get started on that again, chaton,” The tattooist said sternly. “We were both young, and stupid, and made you, stupid mistakes that we both learned from. And I will get Kagami to bash that into your thick head if I have to!”
Adrien waggled his eyebrows halfheartedly. “Not wanting to bruise me up yourself, m’lady?”
Marinette’s response was a raised eyebrow and crossed arms. “I think I’ll leave that dubious honour to Kagami. Besides, I already got to stab you.”
“Indeed,” Kagami said with a frown, “I am still waiting for an explanation of your tattoo, Adrien.”
“Well-look-at-the-time-gotta-GO!” Adrien was on his feet in an instant, sprinting out of the store. “See-ya-later-guys-bye!”
Kagami followed suit with a low bow, a murmur on how nice it was to meet them all, and then she was gone, smirk crossing her lips and sword held firmly in one hand. Luka wasn’t sure if he should be worried about Adrien’s safety or not.
His attention was pulled away when Marinette patted his arm. “They’ll be alright,” she soothed, “Kagami’s been stressing out over a fencing competition for a while, so Adrien’s been drawing out the whole ‘no you can’t see what my tattoo is’ thing so that she’ll actually take a break. Pretty sure this is the first time she’s left the dojo for something other than food or sleep for a week.”
“What is Adrien’s tattoo?” Rose asked, leaning forward.
“I’ve still got the concept page, if you’ll just give me a moment…” Marinette jumped up and rifled through her desk, returning with a thick, tattered at the edges sketchbook. She flicked it open to a drawing of a curled up dragon the size of Luka’s palm. It was Chinese style – all long body, short legs, fur crest running down it’s length, flowing whiskers – in various shades of black and red. The crest was a pale shade of yellow, contrasting with the dark gold underbelly. Lighter gold made up the claws and teeth. The eyes were, surprisingly, a rather normal brown. The dragon was curled into a circle, with it’s jaw open. Interestingly, it wasn’t breathing fire, but rather a stream of what appeared to be wind, portrayed in curling lines of grey that created clouds around the dragon. Scattered throughout were tiny gold stars.
“It’s beautiful, Marinette,” Luka breathed, glancing up at the blushing artist. “You’re incredibly skilled.”
Her stammers were covered up by Rose’s squeals. “It’s so detailed Marinette! I take it that the dragon is meant to be Kagami?”
“Ye-yeah. It’s inspired by a story about the dragon of the stars, which was one of Kagami’s favourite when she was little, and Adrien wanted to have it curled up over his heart to show how she both owns his heart and protects it – thus the clouds and kina scary expression.” Marinette traced over the drawing slowly. “Definitely one of my best works.”
“Just one of your best?” Luka asked lowly.
When Marinette looked up, a blush still tinted her cheeks, but there was a determined spark in her eye. “Yeah. There’s this messy haired florist who’s getting my best tattoo at some point, if he still has time to have it done?”
“I’m all yours Marinette.” And oh, how Luka hoped he could make that literal.
“Well, that’s our cue to leave,” Juleka said with a smirk, grasping a protesting Rose by the shoulders and pushing her towards the door. “I expect progress photo, big brother!”
He just waved a hand in her direction, not taking his eyes off Marinette’s. “Yeah, yeah, I will, you impatient brat.”
When the door shut behind them, Marinette extended one ink-stained hand. “So. Ready to get stabbed?”
Luka took it. “By you? Always.”
A few days later, after tattoos were drawn, inked, admired, wrapped and cared for, Luka appeared outside Charmed Ink. In his hands was a large bouquet of flowers – Pink orchids, larkspur, daffodils, cherry blossoms, blue morning glories and hyacinths. In the very centre was a single lilac.
For love beginning.  
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mikauzoran · 3 years
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Lukadrien: Among the Wild Things: Chapter Twelve
Read it on AO3: Among the Wild Things: Chapter Twelve: Belonging
The setting sun shimmered in through the stained-glass windows of the cathedral, making the space glow scarlet, tangerine, ocher, and sacred blue: a sea of coloured light that took Luka’s breath away.
The organ music started up, echoing powerfully like thunder throughout the church, cuing Luka to start his procession down the aisle to meet Adrien at the altar.
He tried to focus entirely on his mate and ignore the gathered crowd of hundreds gawking at him in judgment. He could hear the whispers going around, attendees informing those seated near them that not only was the young king marrying a man, but that that man was a fairy on top of it.
It only served as a stark reminder of how different the mortal realm was from the world of the fae. Sure, people hadn’t been happy about Luka bringing a human home and treating him like an official mate, but most people had shrugged it off and gotten over it. Some people still avoided Adrien, but most had come to accept him as a member of the community.
Luka wasn’t optimistic of his chances of receiving similar treatment from Adrien’s subjects.
He accepted that there was nothing he could do to change their minds but keep his chin up and forge ahead, treating them all with grace, kindness, and respect when he did interact with them. Maybe with time he would gain their trust and affection, but…it seemed like such an uphill battle.
So Luka fixed his gaze on Adrien and how handsome he looked in the clothes Marinette had designed and created with such care. He kept his focus on doing credit to his mate, carrying himself with poise and a quiet dignity. He straightened his spine and squared his shoulders and held his head high, pretending that he was a fit companion for a young ruler.
Doubt had been creeping in over the last twenty-four hours as he realized how little he’d understood of Adrien’s world and what his life had been like before he’d thrown his lot in with Luka and left the mortal realm behind.
Adrien had fit so easily into Luka’s world, quickly becoming an entrenched part of the Couffaines’ lives. Luka didn’t think he could do the same in the human realm. He could fit in with Adrien’s friends and get along with Nathalie, but Luka couldn’t see himself sitting on a throne beside Adrien and helping him to rule. Luka had never had a head for politics, and he wasn’t a people person. He did best when left alone to make music. He couldn’t see himself being of much use to Adrien here.
But then Luka reached the end of the aisle, and Adrien took Luka’s hands in his own, giving Luka a radiant smile, eyes sparkling with barely-contained adoration…and Luka remembered that Adrien didn’t necessarily belong here either.
Adrien had learned to act the part over the years so that he could slip, chameleon-like through society, an imposter wearing an elaborate disguise. Adrien didn’t really fit in either, and he was counting on Luka’s love and support to get him through this long-con intact.
That was something Luka excelled at. Comfort and love were two things he was uniquely equipped to give Adrien. Luka may not feel like he brought anything else to this partnership, but of that he could be certain. He could be Adrien’s pillar of support, and that would have to be enough.
The ceremony progressed exactly as Nathalie had described to Luka over half a dozen times.
He paid attention, took his cues from Adrien, and generally tried not to embarrass his mate in front of the hundreds of subjects watching with eagle eyes for any slipup or perceived deficiency.
The time for the vows came, and Adrien and Luka both recited the standard rhetoric about loving and honoring one another for all the days of their lives, in sickness and in health.
The words were quaint, and Luka wondered if they meant anything to Adrien. He hadn’t included them in their abbreviated wedding ceremony, so it was possible that Adrien wasn’t terribly attached to them.
Luka liked the line about cherishing one another; though, he wasn’t such a fan of the “till death do us part”. It was too painful to think about the end of everything when it felt like they’d only just begun their happiness together.
He didn’t want to think of the endless years that lay ahead of him without Adrien. He knew he had the option of renouncing his powers and becoming human, but he wanted to save that as a last resort. Adrien had proven that he didn’t need Luka to protect him, but Luka still wanted to be able to fight and win battles for Adrien if the need ever arose. If he gave up his powers, he’d be defenseless, incapable of protecting himself, let alone Adrien.
Once they’d recited the standard human vows, they repeated the oath they had sworn together half a year ago on their second wedding night:
“I pledge myself to you, to be your partner in all things, to be your support and your shelter, to forever be on your side, never to trick or deceive you, and to respect and love you always, in this life and the next.”
Those words instilled in Luka more hope than the “till death do us part” rubbish in the first set of vows.
Humans could be so uncreative and dull, their minds too small to conceive of continued fidelity in the hereafter.
Luka didn’t want to be released from his bond with Adrien when Adrien’s life ended. Luka wanted something concrete he could hold onto across lifetimes. The thought of his link to Adrien being severed horrified him, so he was glad of the familiar oaths being there to reassure him.
They exchanged rings, said I do, and kissed reservedly so as not to offend anyone’s sensibilities.
Then, it was time for the coronation.
Really, it was just a bunch of pomp and blustering.
Luka and Adrien dutifully submitted to it, and soon crowns were placed upon their heads, and they were announced King and Prince Consort.
Luka felt ridiculous standing there in a church whose windows shone like jewels, wearing a crown and the fine clothes Marinette had made for him by toiling well through the night, as people started at him, cheering politely because they were afraid of what Luka could do to them, afraid that Adrien might prove himself to be King Gabriel’s son after all.
Adrien, though, looked ravishing. The crown suited him, and he knew how to stand and hold himself so that the expensive clothes looked natural.
Luka focused on that instead of how out of place he felt.
 “I think Alya’s having more fun than I am,” Adrien whispered several hours into the feast at which he could eat nothing.
Luka looked to where the fox spirit was dragging poor Nino around the dance floor so that she could get an eyeful of all the lavish outfits worn by the most influential people of the realm and overhear their conversations.
“Yes, she is definitely having the time of her life,” Luka snickered, smiling as Alya tugged on Nino’s arm and pointed at a couple dancing nearby.
Nino quickly batted down her hand and patiently explained that pointing was rude.
Alya instead indicated the dancing couple with an exaggerated jerk of her head and repeated her demand.
With a fond smile, Nino carefully positioned Alya’s hands, one on his shoulder and one clasped in his own, and slowly showed her the basic steps of a slow dance.
Luka’s grin widened as he remembered that night many months ago when he and Adrien had ducked into a clearing at another wedding feast held in their honor to do the same thing.
“Come on,” Adrien prodded gently, getting to his feet and holding out his hand for Luka. “Let’s go dance.”
Luka quirked an eyebrow. “Are you sure you won’t be missed?”
Adrien rolled his eyes. “No one really cares this late into the evening. I’ve greeted and thanked and schmoozed with everyone I was supposed to. No one’s going to die if I take a break from looking regal to dance with my incredibly attractive husband.”
“I’ll hold you to that,” Luka snickered, taking Adrien’s hand and following him out onto the dancefloor.
They floated gracefully around the floor, switching back and forth from song to song who was leading.
Adrien taught Luka to waltz, and they had many a laugh as they nearly tripped over one another several times before they were able to sync up and move in tandem.
Many guests stared at them—some in disgust, some only in curiosity. A small number of people who had been ambivalent about their ruler taking a fae man for a spouse saw how normal and, in fact, adorable Luka and Adrien were together and decided in favor of the couple.
Some watched them together and saw only vile debauchery.
The thrice newlyweds didn’t much notice. They were too busy taking delight in one another.
As the night wore on and the party died down, Adrien and Luka slipped off to the Queen’s chambers, no longer worrying about scandalizing the servants.
 Luka quickly learned that Adrien was bad at estimates.
He’d told Luka that he anticipated staying in the mortal realm no more than a few weeks until he could peacefully turn power over to someone who actually wanted the job. One month into their stay at the castle, it didn’t feel like they were any closer to going home than when they’d started.
It turned out that King Gabriel had been letting things slip in the months after Adrien’s disappearance. The entire kingdom was a mess, teetering on the brink of financial ruin, and the peasants were this close to staging an uprising.
It turned out, being king was a fulltime job…and Adrien didn’t entirely hate it. In fact, he was actually pretty good at it.
It was just the place that was no good for him. He didn’t fit in any better now that he was king than he had as a prince. People loved him, but they didn’t really get him, and they couldn’t see him as their equal.
Being king was lonely, and he desperately missed his life among the fae.
 “I want to go home,” Adrien whimpered as he slid into bed, curling up with Luka after yet another hard day.
“Hang in there,” Luka encouraged, squeezing Adrien tight and making the whickering sounds that often calmed his mate. “You’re doing such a good job, and the kingdom is almost back up on its feet. Things will be stable soon, and then we can throw our crowns at Nathalie or someone and run.”
Luka wasn’t entirely convinced that he was telling Adrien the truth about the state of the kingdom, but he knew at least that that was what Adrien needed to hear.
Adrien hummed distractedly. “…I’ve been thinking.”
“Yeah?” Luka propped himself up on an elbow to look down at his husband.
“I don’t think handing the kingdom over to another monarch is the solution my people need,” Adrien began to explain.
Luka drew in a sharp breath. “Are you…thinking about staying on? …Permanently?”
“No. Hell no,” Adrien snorted, his nose scrunching up in disgust like it did when he accidentally consumed human food. “I may eventually try for some kind of clan leader position within the fae community, but there’s no way I’m going to keep being king here. I can’t do it. I want to go home.”
“Okay,” Luka agreed softly, trying to follow Adrien’s plan. “So…if staying on as king isn’t the right answer and handing the reigns over to another monarch isn’t the right answer…what are you proposing we do?”
Adrien took a deep breath to steady himself before tentatively announcing his crazy scheme. “I want to dissolve the monarchy and set up some kind of democracy for my people so they can elect representatives to help them govern themselves.”
Luka’s eyes went wide. “That’s…very radical of you.”
Adrien nodded shamefacedly. “It’s completely insane, but I think it’s the right move for everyone.” He studied Luka’s eyes with a pleading intensity. “Will you help me start a revolution?”
“Look at me like that, and I’ll help you with anything,” Luka assured, leaning in for a bolstering kiss. “I support you in everything,” he assured. “We’re a team.”
“Thank you,” Adrien whispered, green eyes glowing like lanterns in the dark, guiding the way home.
 As expected, it took a lot of time and effort to tear down a monarchy and replace it with a functioning governmental body.
They brought in Anarka to consult, and Nathalie was elbows deep in the project from the very beginning, eager to throw herself into the work.
Adrien would definitely be voting for Nathalie for Prime Minister.
He pulled in trusted advisors from the most unexpected places to aid him in his scheme, upsetting the local nobility and making Bourgeois, Raincomprix, and Damocles hem and haw.
Adrien sought the guidance of Sabine Cheng who had always had a good head for business on her shoulders.
Xavier Ramier was intimately concerned with the environment and humans’ impact on local wildlife, so Adrien brough him on as well.
Adrien’s childhood friend Chloé was unexpectedly good at marketing and getting the information out to the public, so she was recruited and, in turn, inspired her father to be more helpful going forward as well.
Marianne Lenoir, Caline Bustier, Amina Lahiffe, Sabrina Raincomprix, and both Kagami and Tomoe Tsurugi were also invaluable allies.
It took a little over half a year, but the team worked tirelessly, and there were elections where many civic-minded citizens as well as many members of Adrien’s team won seats in the new Parliament.
The legislature met, passed laws, and successfully began to govern, finally making Adrien feel like he could return home with no regrets or sense of guilt.
His job was done.
 He exchanged temporary goodbyes with his friends, promising to come back to visit once a month.
“But, if you ever need anything, feel free to send Alya for me whenever,” he offered.
The fox spirit had been spending increasingly more time at the palace over the months, mostly only returning to the enchanted forest to sleep and go get the fairy food to deliver to Adrien.
Adrien had a feeling she’d be marrying Nino and settling in at the castle permanently any week now.
“You especially, Madame Prime Minister,” he chuckled, wrapping Nathalie in a warm embrace.
She did what, for her, passed as a smile and returned the hug.
After bidding everyone farewell, Adrien and Luka made their way back to the forest, back home.
The water felt deliciously cool and refreshing on their skin as they submerged themselves after months of feeling dehydrated.
“I feel like I can finally breath again,” Adrien chuckled, swimming into a backflip.
Luka grinned, dissolving into water before reforming as a handsome stallion to rival even Plagg.
“It’s nice to be back in my element,” Luka admitted wearily. “Come along, Little Prince. Hop on.”
Adrien mounted, wrapping his arms securely around Luka’s neck as the kelpie carried them home to the sunken ship at the bottom of Anarka’s lake.
Rose and Anarka pounced upon them as soon as they were through the door, fussing especially over Adrien.
“Why do I feel like he’s the favourite?” Luka pretended to pout, going to embrace Juleka while the other two were busy with his mate.
“It’s because you’ve been home periodically, so they didn’t have as much of a chance to miss you too much,” Juleka explained with a fond snicker as she watched Rose sob over Adrien. “They haven’t seen him at all.”
“Luuuuuuuuc!!!” Rose wailed, throwing herself at her brother-in-law.
Anarka took a step back and smiled, enjoying the spectacle.
Juleka abandoned her brother to Rose’s mercy, steeled herself, and then finally allowed herself to meet Adrien’s gaze.
He smiled hesitantly, awkwardly raising a hand in greeting. “Hi, Juleka. It’s been a long time. I hope you’ve been well?”
With an indignant glare, she socked Adrien in the arm and then pulled him into a crushing hug, muttering, “You’re such an infuriating little cupcake. How dare you make me miss you.”
Adrien pulled Juleka in closer, burying his face in her shoulder as he tried not to cry at finally winning her acceptance.
“Sorry,” he whispered. “I didn’t mean to.”
“Jerk,” she accused, giving him a teasing squeeze. “This was all a part of your heinous scheme to make me like you.”
“You caught me,” Adrien laughed through tears.
“…No one makes that potato soup as well as you do,” she grumbled. “I know Rose was the one who taught you in the first place, but…hers isn’t as good.”
Adrien pulled back with a grin, eager to please. “Do you want me to make it for dinner tonight?”
Juleka averted her gaze with an indifferent shrug, still playing coy. “I mean, you can if you want. I don’t care.”
“Please,” Rose snickered, having no qualms about ratting out her wife. “Juju’s been whining about that soup for months. I’ve stopped making it for her because she always gets really sulky when I do because it reminds her of you.”
“Aww. That’s really sweet,” Adrien cooed, pulling Juleka back into his arms for another hug.
“I’ve clearly made a mistake,” Juleka muttered sullenly. “I’m not sweet.”
“You’re adorable,” Luka teased, gently pulling Adrien away. “He can make you soup later. For now, I think Dri and I need some rest. It’s been a long eternity,” he informed, tugging Adrien towards their bedroom.
 Adrien did a bellyflop onto the bed and rolled around happily, overjoyed to be back on his own mattress. “How I’ve missed this,” he giggled.
“Move over,” Luka snickered, dropping a kiss to the back of Adrien’s neck.
“No,” Adrien pouted, burying his face in his estranged pillow. “This is my spot. You get the other side of the bed. Has it really been so long that you’ve forgotten?”
Luka lovingly rolled his eyes and crawled over Adrien, settling into his own customary spot.
Adrien rolled over and curled up beside Luka, resting his head on Luka’s chest with a sigh of contentment.
“You doing okay?” Luka inquired, giving Adrien’s hair a soft nuzzle. “How are you feeling?”
“Tired…tired but good,” Adrien assured, eyes starting to grow heavy as the exhaustion of the past six months caught up with him all at once. “Finally at peace now that there’s nothing left from my past to come find me.”
Luka hummed in understanding.
“I tried not to let myself worry too much before, but it did hang over my head sometimes, how I’d abandoned my family, my friends, my kingdom,” Adrien confessed. “I feel a lot lighter now.”
“Good,” Luka whispered, pressing a trail of tiny kisses from the top of Adrien’s head down the side of his face. “I’m glad. That means we can just focus on being happy from now on.”
“Yeah,” Adrien breathed thoughtfully, lifting his head to meet Luka’s gaze. “Thank you. I know I’ve said it again and again, and I know you’ve said that you’re more than happy to stay by my side and support me through anything, but…I just want you to know how much you mean to me, how much easier my life is just by having you in it. I really do appreciate you.”
“Hush,” Luka chuckled affectionately, reaching up to stroke Adrien’s face. “I’m glad you never take me for granted, but…we are one. Your problems are my problems. I will always be at your side so that we can face whatever comes our way together.”
“Until death do us part?” Adrien whispered, lacing his fingers through Luka’s.
Luka shook his head. “In this life and the next.”
“I’ve always liked that part,” Adrien laughed, leaning in to press his lips to his husband’s. “I can’t think of a better way to spend eternity than with you.”
The
      End
 Epilogue:
Adrien keeps aging naturally until he’s in about his mid-thirties. He doesn’t really notice that he’s stopped aging until his fifties when he notices Marinette and Nino starting to slow down a little while Adrien still has plenty of energy and not a grey hair on his head.
Also, over the years, he starts developing more empathic abilities. His environment subtly reacts to his emotions, and he can read others’ emotions fairly easily and even manipulate them if he chooses.
Luka and Adrien live happily together for about two hundred years before Adrien finally passes away. Luka is completely bereft for a couple decades, but his family keeps him going.
The Couffaines adapt to modern life and pass themselves off as mortals as humanity encroaches ever more on the wild spaces and forgets about the fair folk. Eventually, they get a pirate ship and dock it on the Seine near the Pont de Grenelle by the Eiffel Tower.
One day, the Couffaines hold a concert for the local music festival and receive a shock when strangers with oddly familiar faces attend.
One blonde boy with a birthmark on his shoulder that looks like a bitemark trips while boarding the ship, and Luka helps him up. Luka Couffaine meets Adrien Agreste, and it’s love at first sight all over again.
Challenge to the Reader: Someone go write Luka and reincarnated Adrien’s meeting on the Liberty. I’m just imagining Adrien being all like “Do I…know you?” and Luka freaking out, trying not to scare Adrien away. XD
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