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starlight-bread-blog · 9 months

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The Adrigami Breakup Was Hot Garbage.

This is the episode where Adrien and Kagami break up. The reason why they broke up is because Adrien is Cat Noir and will always have to hide things from Kagami, and she's not having it. It's an episode about how the job of a superhero demands sacrifices, about how Adrien lost his girlfriend to his duties.

But this entire thing falls apart due to both Adrien and Kagami acting from out of character to infuriating. Adrien isn't actually shown to face these struggles as Cat Noir. We don't see him "being a responsible superhero" he's just goofing around and getting Ladybug's attention.

Adrien: Finally! Free at last! Plagg, claws out!

And here when Ladybug doesn't show up to their daily patrol:

AdriCat: So, Mr. Banana! Life's peachy, huh? *gets ignored*Peachy? Banana? Get it?.. Forget it.

AdriCat: So! Mr. Ramier! It's been a while since you were akumatized, right? Kinda miss being Mr. Pigeon? You haven't been feeling depressed? Or desperate? Or angry? Annoyed maybe? Not even a little perturbe?

Mr. Ramier: Thank you for asking Cat Noir but I am in the best of spirits, really!

This is the face Adriem makes after he says he's feeling good and isn't gonna get akumatized:

AdriCat (disappointendly): Well I guess I'm out of here then.

Mr. Ramier: Say hello to the lovely Ladybug for me!

AdriCat: Sure thing! If I ever see her.

Literally, this entire first act is establishing that Cat Noir is sad and lonely without Ladybug to the point where he wants people to get akumatized. Like go back and watch the episode this is insane.

Only after that we get to Kagami. And the relationship is.. off. Kagami lies to both their parents to buy her and Adrien time alone in the art room. She asks him to pose for a sketch, he makes a couple model poses, and the bullshit begins.

Kagami: These are all modeling poses. Try something that's more neutral, more you.

Adrien: What about – meow! *Makes a Cat pose* I mean, now? *nervous chuckle*

Kagami: No. You're not at all neutral.

Adrien: Yes I am, I promise. This is me.

Kagami (intensively): No. That's you when you're being silly.

She's downright rejecting his true self and being a control freak. Where did this come from? They used to crack jokes and have genuine fun together (ie Desperada). This is extremely out of character. But it's not over..

Adrien: What if when I'm being silly, I'm really me?

Kagami: *Gets up closer to gently make him pose*

Adrien's expression is.. um-..

Kagami: There. This, is really you.

Adrien: Do you really think..

Kagami: Yes. You're... perfect. *Leans for a kiss*

What does this scene tell us about their relationship? It tells us that it's toxic, that Kagami is controlling, doesn't care for Adrien's boudries and refuses to see who he really is. Which as I mentioned, goes against her characterization in previous episodes.

After whatever that was Adrien keeps getting called to his duity as Cat Noir. This back and forth continues for a while. But as we established, it's not a meaingful sacrifice to leave Kagami because being a superhero is just professional (and not so proffesional) playtime for him. And the episode keeps on reminding you that all throughout. We cut from Kagami being alone at a party they were supposed to go to together, to this:

AdriCat: Ma'lady, it's been a while since I had this much fun.

Ladybug: *Laughs* If battling a super villian with 3 eyes and a giant monster budy is your idea of fun, I can't imagen what your other days are like.

And in the same conversation:

AdriCat: You can count on me, and my jokes, Bugaboo!

Ladybug: Well, you don't have to over-do it.

AdriCat: The truth is, I only ever have this much fun when I'm with you.

And then he comes back straight to Kagami like nothing's wrong. She confronts him about his lies to her and gets akumatized.

Even when he fights Akumatized Kagami to save her, they still make a point at showing you he's having fun.

AdriCat: I can't wait to see what you're gonna do with a drone.

And his reaction after Ladybug confronts him about sacrificing himself:

Ladybug: Seriously you've got to stop doing this to me!

AdriCat: Yeah, but I can't resist this angry little pout of yours when you bring me back.

Excuse me?

And then, I am not kidding, while still being with Kagami, this happens:

Adrien: *Stares into the sky* Oh, Ladybug...

Plagg: Aww how romantic! I get it, even if I do love every cheese on the plate, I always come back for my favorite.

After fencing class they have the conversation. The break up is caused by Kagami not being not being able to trust Adrien. And this is how thw show, including Adrien himself, frames it too.

AdriCat: You know the difference between us and the rest of the world, ma'lady? We can't be completely honest with each other. We keep secrets, and sometimes we have to lie.

Okay, let's sum everything up:

He emotionally cheats on Kagami and is willing to admit it out loud with no shame.

He loves that subject of infatuation so much to the point where he's openly sad about monsters not attacking Paris.

Shows no remorse to leaving his girlfriend every time they are together, and very explicitly enjoys his time with another girl he's in love with.

At the end of the episode him and the writers push all the bs under the rug and claim Adrien is just following his duties.

....Wow. I remembered Lies being a terrible episode for Adrien but it wasn't until I watched it again that I've realized how much Adrien sucks. I am trurly baffled. Top tier character assassination.

And let's not forget Kagami. What the hell was that? Why did she act like that? Why all the sudden she's toxic and controlling?

Well, all of this nonsense is done to serve a very obvious not-so-hidden hidden agenda: Ladynoir good, Adrigami bad. The writers pretended to tell a genuine story about the duties of being a superhero but couldn't help but sneak in this horseshit. They essentially wanted you to subconciously pick up on what this episode is really trying to say: Kagami doesn't know Adrien's true self, she forces him into the "perfect role" and is incompatible to him. While Ladybug knows his true self. Therefore, Adrien can only be happy with Ladybug.

Kagami isn't controlling and incompatible to him. But that didn't matter to the writers, they have a message to put out. They had retcon her characterization to create a contrast that didn't really exist.

And this applies to Adrien too. He needed to be happy to leave his girlfriend to push the... "message". He needed to emotionally cheat on her like he did to push the message. He sacrificed himself so it would show his so-called love for Ladybug. He wanted people to get akumatized so he could be his true self with his beloved Ladybug. But all of these things don't make him to be compatible with her and destined to be with her, they make him an a$$hole.

And I'm not gonna buy into this message they snuck in there with retcons and infuriating behaviors.

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miraculouswolf99 · 2 years

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Adrien Protection Squad

I am a big Cat Noir/Adrien fan and no one can change my mind. I have noticed a lack of Marinette/Ladybug Salt across almost all fanfiction platforms. And if I have to make things more even on my own, then I will do it. So, here is my take on a Marinette Salt and Adrien Sugar story. Don't like, don't read.

(Marinette Salt, Alya Salt, Girl Squad Salt, Juleka Sugar.) (Takes place after the episode "Felix.")

Juleka Couffaine was not known for her voice. She was the quietest one in the entire class. And that was saying something considering that Nathaniel was in her class. Nathaniel was the definition of the silent artist type who hardly ever spoke at all. So, if Juleka was somehow quieter than him, that really did say something about her own lack of using her voice.

But, Juleka was able to use her silence as a weapon. She noticed things that others did not. Being silent enabled her to easily hide and notice the things that others would not want to be noticed.

Juleka knew many things about many people. Things that they most definitely did not want anyone to know. Such as how Sabrina secretly hated Chloe and wanted nothing more than to be away from her, but knew that her father would get in trouble with the mayor if she did. Or how while Mylene supported Ivan and Kitty Section, she was not a fan at all of rock music.

Juleka thought that she was mostly alone when it came to people that noticed things. Until she became friends with the Flower Princess herself, Vallia Garden. Vallia and her twin brother, Lyon, were visiting Paris for a while because of a program they were doing at their original school which was like an exchange program, but without an actual exchange. The twins came from Greece, bringing along two heroes from their own home country.

The government had asked White Wolf and Beautifly to come to Paris to protect the twins. Their parents were known as the most charitable people in their country. Not to mention the richest. So, the government wanted the twins to be protected. Of course, they did not know that the heroes were also the twins.

Lyon is known as the Ice Prince. He gives many cold shoulders to many people. There are very few people that he actually is comfortable talking about in a more free way. He only really talks to Adrien, Kim, Nathaniel, Marc, Kagami, and Juleka. Vallia was the friendlier one out of the two of them. She got her nickname as the Flower Princess because of her bright personality on top of her always having flowers in her hair. She liked Juleka because she preferred her quiet nature over the energetic and talkative girls like Alya and Rose.

Juleka liked finally having someone around that noticed things. And both being a part of the Girl Squad, they definitely noticed something about them. Only after the events happened because of Adrien's cousin, Felix, Vallia decided to speak to Juleka directly about what they both had noticed.

Vallia caught up with Juleka after she got back to the Liberty after she got de-akumatized. They both sat in her room on the boat in order to talk.

"Juleka, I think we both know that things might have gone a little too far with the other girls," Vallia tells her.

Juleka nods. "I didn't think that it would get this far, but it has. I can't believe she would do that on a day like this."

"We should have seen something like this coming," Vallia said. "Marinette has always been so weird when it came to Adrien."

"Not just weird," Juleka says. "But obsessed. I don't... I don't actually tell this to many people, but Luka has had a few stalkers in the past."

"Oh my gods," Vallia swore, covering her mouth with her hands.

"It's why he attends online school rather than going to a private school or going to Dupont with me," Juleka explained. "Between his good looks and his musical talent, not to mention people noticing how much he looks like Jagged Stone, a lot of girls have stalked him in the past."

"I'm so sorry," Vallia felt so bad for them since Luka really was such a sweet guy.

"Luka has managed to deal with it and the stalkers all eventually were given restraining orders to keep them away from him," Juleka said. "But, having experience with stalkers really does give me perspective on the whole 'Adrinette' situation."

"It's just too creepy what Marinette is doing," Vallia says. "I have had this bad feeling ever since 'Operation Secret Garden' started."

"The schedule, right," Juleka already knew what Vallia was thinking when it came to what the Girl Squad had been shown that day.

"I highly doubt that Adrien told her his entire schedule," Vallia says. "Especially his schedule for three years into the future. She either followed him around, got it online, or used both. No matter how it is put, it is really creepy. I have no idea how Rose finds it romantic."

"I don't know, either," Juleka sighed.

"And do not get me started on all those presents that she has for him," Vallia got up and started pacing back and forth in Juleka's room. "She has gifts to give him up to when he is turning fifty. What in the name of Hades would make anyone think that is a sane thing to do?"

"It's also one thing to imagine a future to have with someone, but Marinette really does make it very creepy," Juleka added. "She not only has named all their kids, but also planned out how many they will have, what they will look like, and even what their interests would be. She also specifically says that they would have a hamster as well. As much as any girl fantasizes about what their life would be like with the person they feel that they are in love with, Marinette's fantasy is really just adding to her creepy obsession."

"Plus, if she ever actually did end up with Adrien and had kids, I fear what she would do and how she would act if they were not what she imagined," Vallia says. "She actually plans for them all to be blond while having her blue eyes. The odds of all their kids being blond with blue eyes are extremely low. If any of her kids ended up the opposite, as in having her dark hair with Adrien's green eyes, she might outright reject them for not meeting the fantasy that she created in her head."

"Chloe might cling to him a lot and proclaim her love for him constantly, but not even she ever went as far as Marinette does," Juleka said. "I never thought that I would say anything good about Chloe."

"Well, you have to admit that even with her still trying to get back the bee miraculous, she has been doing better, lately," Vallia admitted.

"I'm just remembering all the times that both Chloe and Adrien have said how they are each other's childhood friends," Juleka said. "Out of everyone, Chloe would be the one that would probably sympathize with Adrien the most since she would have also known his mother."

Vallia nodded. "Not even Chloe would do something as selfish and cruel as Marinette did. Today is the anniversary of when Adrien's mother disappeared. We all wanted to send Adrien sweet messages to let him know that we care about him and that we were here for him on a day like this."

"And yet Marinette used it to send him a love confession," Juleka clenched her hands into fists really tightly.

"YES," Vallia started pacing again, really pissed off. "Adrien must have been feeling more depressed and sad than he ever has other than the day this mom actually went missing. What he needed were support and friends. And what does Marinette do? Take advantage of his vulnerability to try and confess her so-called love to him. What type of person does that to someone when they are vulnerable like that?"

"What do you think we should do," Juleka asked the Flower Princess, who was definitely not looking very much like her nickname at that moment.

"I think... I think we need to tell Adrien everything we know," Vallia stated.

"WHAT," Juleka yelled, probably rocking the entire houseboat when she did. "Are you serious? This could destroy Adrien. He sees Marinette as one of his best friends. If he finds out what she's done, this could destroy him and his ability to trust others."

"You are correct about that, Juleka," Vallia sighed. "But, it's better than leaving him in the dark. If he doesn't know, then he will continue to hang out with Marinette. He will continue to sit in front of her in class. And most importantly, he will be unable to avoid Alya's attempts to get him and Marinette together since he would have no clue that they would even be attempts to do that."

"It would fuel more into Marinette's obsession with him," Juleka knew that Vallia did have a point. "But, would Adrien be able to properly recover from something he would probably see as the ultimate betrayal?"

"If he has real friends with him, he could," Vallia says. "Friends that he would know in his heart would never treat him like that. It will be hard for him, but it will be better once he has an actual support system."

"Should we tell any of the others," Juleka asked her. "None of the other girls would ever get on board with this, but what about the guys? Or those outside our class?"

"I tell Lyon everything and he is a good friend to Adrien," Vallia knew she could trust her twin. "So, he would definitely be my first choice to help us protect Adrien."

"I have noticed that he does not like Marinette or Alya very much," Juleka showed how observant she was again. "And since you two are also rich, Adrien would know that neither of you would even dream of trying to use him for your own gain."

Vallia nodded again. "What about the other boys, though? I know that Nino pretty much follows Alya's lead when it comes to Adrien and Marinette ending up together."

"I think the guys would actually be on Adrien's side," Juleka says. "They did throw that amazing party that ended up attacked by that Party Crasher akuma."

"Hawkmoth really did not even try to come up with an original name that time," Vallia rolled her eyes.

"Tell me about it," Juleka agreed with Vallia.

"Well, we can definitely count on Kim to side with us and Adrien," Vallia said. "He is a lot smarter than people give him credit for."

"It also helps that as your boyfriend, you have probably ranted to him a lot about how much the girls were annoying you and creeping you out," Juleka smirked as she said it.

Vallia blushed. "You're lucky that you're correct and you're too cute for me to slap."

"You love me and you know it," Juleka giggled.

Vallia rolled her eyes again and got back on track.

"Lyon, Kim, and the other guys would certainly be on our side," she said. "While the guys are not as close with each other as the girls are, they are all still friends. And given that Party Crasher party, they obviously also care about Adrien."

"Nathaniel, Marc, Ivan, and Max may not know Adrien as well as Nino, Kim, and Lyon do, but they are still his friends," Juleka said. "Plus, Adrien is also an honorary member of Kitty Section even when he can not play with us because of his contract with Gabriel Fashion, so that does make Ivan loyal to him since he sees Adrien as a bandmate."

"Adrien has also actually been helping Nathaniel and Marc with their comic," Vallia tells her. "It turns out that Adrien loves anime, so when Nathaniel and Marc were having difficulties thinking of how to draw updated costumes for Ladybug and Cat Noir, Adrien helped them get some ideas by using his anime knowledge."

"I am... not actually surprised that Adrien loves anime," Juleka giggled.

"It does actually make sense," Vallia says. "Given that Gabriel is about as neglectful as a father can get, Adrien would probably have been raised more by Disney, cartoons, and anime than he would have been by his own father."

"Does Lyon still have that folder of evidence that he plans to use to get Adrien out of that house when it gets too much for Adrien," Juleka asked her.

"That folder has become a binder because of how much evidence that Lyon has gathered," Vallia stated. "He is waiting for the day when Gabriel pushes Adrien too hard. And given Gabriel hiring Lila when that girl is the least likely person to be a model ever, it won't be long. I mean, have you seen her hair? She looks like she has sausages dangling from her head. And that is not even touching on the fact that burnt orange is one of the WORST colors ever."

Juleka could not stop herself from laughing when Vallia said that. She may be known as the Flower Princess, but she could definitely be savage when she wanted to be. It was probably one of the few things that actually made people realize that Lyon and Vallia were siblings. Both of them could seriously smack talk like nobody's business. Neither of them started fights, but they sure as hell ended them with how great they are at verbally slapping people. Not even Chloe ever tried messing with them.

"So, we will most likely have all the boys on our side other than Nino," Juleka summarized.

Vallia nodded. "Do you think that we should try and get adults on our side as well? I mean, adults would probably be able to do more than a group of normal teens."

Juleka thought for a moment. "I... I'm not sure who we should get on our side in terms of adults. Since there will probably be legal stuff involved with his, my Ma is out. I love her, but everyone knows how much my Ma and Sabrina's dad do not get along."

"That's an understatement," Vallia knew very well how much the pirate mom and the policeman hate each other. "My dad is also out as well since he still speaks very little French. There has to be someone we can go to."

"This is definitely making me realize how much the authority figures in our lives have let us down," Juleka says. "Bustier is a nice teacher, but it is a toxic form of nice since he is always letting the bullies get away with their behavior while telling their victims to forgive the bullies even when the bullies are not sorry at all. And we all know that when it comes to Damocles, he is about as spineless as a person can get. Especially to those with money."

"Though, in a case like this, that can work in our favor," Vallia admitted. "Adrien, Lyon, and I are all rich, so Damocles would bend over backward to help us."

"Well, it would be less of helping us and more just doing what we want," Juleka said.

"Same difference," Vallia stated.

"I honestly think the best we can do is protect Adrien as best we can on our own," Juleka admitted. "Since Gabriel would probably just end up pulling Adrien from school, which is the last thing Adrien would want, we are definitely not getting him involved. Plus, I highly doubt that Bustier would do anything since she is always preaching about 'love' and 'friendship' and everything else that makes her sound like a kindergarten teacher."

"That woman has on the biggest rose-tinted glasses that I have ever seen in my life," Vallia shook her head. "It doesn't really help with the fact that it is a boy that is the victim. Gender equality may have come a long way, but that doesn't stop how guys are often ignored whenever they are the victims of a girl. During any type of rape prevention lesson, people are always talking about girls needing to protect themselves, but they hardly mention boys as anything other than the bad guy in any scenario. Guys can be victims just like girls can. Just like how you just told me how Luka has previously had stalkers."

Juleka nodded sadly. "I have seen firsthand how hard it is for guys to get any type of justice against a female assailant. Luka had to give so much evidence against the girls that no one could deny that he was actually the victim."

"It really is going to be up to us to protect Adrien," Vallia said.

But that was when Juleka's bedroom door opened suddenly, making both of the girls nearly jump out of their skin. Thankfully, it was just Luka. But, from the look on his face, they both guessed that he might have heard what they were talking about. And from how his eyes looked, he seemed to have been crying as well. Juleka knew that Luka had been crushing on Marinette. So, hearing them talk about the type of person she really is must have been like a punch to the heart.

"Luka..." Juleka tried to talk.

"How can I help," was the first thing that came out of his mouth.

Vallia smiled as they gained their first ally to protect Adrien.

*****

To say that the boys were confused would be an understatement. Luka had texted Ivan, saying that he had wanted him to come to the Liberty to look at a new song he wrote. Kim was texted by Vallia, asking him to come to the Liberty with Max so that Luka and Juleka could also play Max's akuma villain game. Nathaniel and Marc were texted by Juleka, asking them to come over since she had an idea for their comic. Lyon had just come with his sister simply because Vallia told him what was going on. She did have to lock up his bow and arrows to keep him from going after Marinette, Alya, and the rest of the Girl Squad.

The boys were all sitting in the living room of the Liberty, which actually was a lot cozier than others would think given how much Anarka really did act like a pirate. Often saying how making a mess was a way of life to her. But even then, the houseboat really was a cozy and fun place to visit. Or live, in the case of the Couffaine family.

"You guys would not happen to know why we're all here at the same time, would you," Ivan asked the rest of them.

"Unless all of you also wanted to try out my video game, I have a zero percent chance of knowing that is happening," Max said.

"Juleka texted Marc and me, saying that she had an idea for our comic that she thought we would like," Nathaniel says.

"Luka texted me and asked me to check on a song he wrote," Ivan only got more confused.

"Vallia pretty much just dragged me here," Lyon shrugged. "Not until after she locked up my bow and arrows. She gave me a lowdown of what was happening, but I do not have every detail."

"Well, if she didn't let you bring your bow, then it probably has something to do with either Chloe or Lila," Kim chuckled. "They are the only ones other than Hawkmoth that you threaten to shoot with that thing."

"I may not be White Wolf, but I am still perfectly willing to shoot anyone that pushes me too far," Lyon smirked.

He may actually be the wolf miraculous holder, but it helped to say little lies here and there to keep his secret. Vallia also had to do the same thing to keep her identity as Beautifly a secret as well. They did not like lying. But, in some cases, it is just unavoidable where lying is the only thing they can do to keep their loved ones safe.

Vallia, Juleka, and Luka all then walked into the room. Luka took a seat with the rest of the boys as Vallia and his sister stood in front of them all.

"Our apologies for bringing you all here under false pretenses," Vallia started. "But, we needed you all here because we need your help."

"Are you two okay," Kim jumped to his feet, worried for his friend and girlfriend.

"Kim, sweetie, we're fine," Vallia had to gently get him back in his seat. "Juleka and I have talked about it at great length and we... and we need to stop Marinette, Alya, and the other girls."

"Stop them," Marc was confused. "From what?"

"We want to end this entire 'Adrienette' thing," Juleka stated.

"You mean by finally getting them together in order to stop those crazy plans Mylene is always telling me about," Ivan guessed.

"Hades, no," Vallia practically looked insulted at the idea of actually bringing Adrien and Marinette together.

"What we mean is that we feel... No... we KNOW that Marinette is probably the worst person on the planet for Adrien," Juleka had never sounded so blunt in her life.

"Huh," they made all the boys, except Lyon and Luka, get even more confused.

"You all know that when it comes to Adrien, Marinette can be crazy," Vallia said, the boys all nodding at that. "But, Marinette might be literally crazy. Juleka and I have been with the 'Girl Squad' for a while now and both of us have realized that when it comes to Adrien... Marinette is basically a stalker."

The boys all gasped at that. Though, most of them did not look like they believed the girls.

"We know that this may be hard to believe," Vallia started. "Especially since we know that Kim, Max, and Nathaniel have all been with Marinette for years in class. But, this is serious and we are not joking at all. Marinette has gone way too far with her crush. It's not even a real crush anymore. It's an obsession. A really unhealthy obsession."

"What exactly has Marinette done," Lyon asked them. "You did not exactly give me details when you dragged me here, Vallia."

"Marinette has just gone way off the deep end," Vallia says. "She has Adrien's entire schedule written down for the next THREE YEARS! Adrien certainly did not tell her that, because there is no way he would tell anyone his entire schedule for that far into the future. So, Marinette either gathered all the info online or followed him in order to learn it. Either way, it is extremely disturbing."

"Marinette also has gifts for Adrien," Juleka said. "And while that is sweet to think about at first, it is not sweet at all at the lengths she went. These gifts are all labeled, signed, and meant to be given to him for birthdays and Christmas for years to come. Even when he is turning fifty, she has a present for him. It's one thing to want to get someone a present early if they forgot a previous special occasion, but definitely not in the way Marinette does it."

"And while we feel that the girls should have been at least told about the all-boys party you guys wanted to throw for Adrien while his father was away," Vallia started again. "It was still wrong of Marinette to put on a disguise and basically break into Adrien's house that way just to be a part of the party."

"She did what," the boys gasped, having not known Marinette did that.

"Later," Juleka waved her hand to signal that they could talk about that later.

"It's just been made really clear to us that Marinette has gone off the deep end and needs to be kept away from Adrien," Vallia stated. "It's creepy, invasive, obsessive, and there could be a time where she might even end up arrested because of the lengths that she is willing to go to be close to him."

"She... She did only try out for the Mega Strikes tournament because of Adrien," Max remembered. "I will admit that being akumatized into Gamer because I was beaten by a girl was sexist of me, but Marinette had only wanted to be in the tournament because of Adrien."

"She also did try and give Adrien Luka's guitar when Jagged Stone came looking for a new guitarist," Ivan said. "That guitar means everything to Luka and she tried to just give it to Adrien even when she was well aware that Adrien plays piano, not guitar."

"There is also when Kagami's mother was akumatized," Nathaniel says. "Alix told me about how Alya and Marinette had planned for Marinette to sabotage her and Kagami's chances at the Friendship Game just because she was jealous of how close Kagami and Adrien were getting. So, she wanted to stop Kagami from winning the game even when Kagami really was just trying to make friends."

They all could not help but look at Nathaniel in weird ways. They had no idea how he had known Kagami's real reason for joining the game. Especially since they doubted that Alix knew that reason. So, Marc actually spoke up and answered their unasked questions.

"I hang around the fencing team a lot," he explained. "It helps me to write better fight scenes when I actually witness things like that. It's also why I always watch the Ladyblog whenever Alya uploads another akuma fight. So, I actually do know a number of the members of the fencing team, including Kagami. So, I told Nathaniel about it after he learned from Alix what Marinette tried to do."

They all nodded, understanding Marc's reasoning.

"Speaking of Kagami, Vallia and I were also at that movie premiere that Adrien took Kagami to," Lyon said. "We both saw that because of how jealous she got, Marinette actually teamed up with Chloe in order to sabotage Kagami. Kagami might be slightly cold and is also called the 'Ice Queen' by most people, but nobody deserves that kind of treatment."

"Marinette actually teamed up with Chloe," Ivan showed how shocked they all were.

"That is how jealous she gets," Lyon stated. "Only even getting worse when you remember that Kagami has never actually done anything to Marinette in the few times that interacted. It could have gotten a lot worse if Vallia and I had not been secretly interfering with their plans."

"Kagami is nice when you actually get to know her, as Marc has just proven," Vallia says. "So, she definitely did not deserve to be treated like that out of something as stupid as jealousy."

"I also have not gotten over how Marinette and Alya treated Juleka when Marinette tried to start her own website," Luka crossed his arms. "I know that Marinette apologized, but that still does not excuse everything that happened. I have been trying to get Juleka to come out of her shell for a long time. And yet the one time she does, it once again all becomes part of a plan to get Marinette and Adrien together."

Juleka looked at the others in the room. She had not told her brother the full story of what had happened. Both because she knew about his growing crush on Marinette as well as because he was always very protective of her. She knew that Luka would definitely have been pissed if he had learned about everything that had happened. He was a very gentle soul, but he also could raise hell if he was made angry enough. And upsetting his loved ones was really the only way to make him that angry.

"Alright, which one of you told him about that," she asked the group.

Without any hesitation, Lyon was the one that raised his hand.

"I regret nothing," he stated.

"I should have known," Juleka facepalmed.

"Well, I happen to agree that it was very wrong with how they treated you," Lyon stated. "No offense, but you are still a very naturally shy person. So, actually volunteering to model is a big step for you. That only makes it worse that you were basically forgotten by them the moment that Adrien was brought into the picture."

"That definitely seems to be a thing with Marinette," Vallia stated. "Whenever Adrien is involved, I don't think that she can see or notice anything else."

"And being honest, I doubt Marinette would ever actually have any chance with Adrien," Juleka, of all people, said.

That certainly got their attention. Of all people in the room, they did not think that it would be Juleka out of all of them that would say something like that. As someone that had been in the same class as Juleka for quite a few years, Kim had to pinch himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming.

"As much as I agree with you, Juleka, what makes you say it," Lyon asked her.

Juleka looked shy at all the attention on her, but she answered anyway.

"Well, it has been almost a full year since we have all met Adrien," Juleka explained. "Even those that were excited, shocked, or nervous about sharing a class with a known teen model, we have all calmed down and seen him as a person. But, Marinette has not changed at all about him. She is still a complete stuttering mess that can not form a single real sentence when talking to him. I don't think that she sees Adrien as anything other than the perfect model that his father makes him be all the time."

"I actually agree with Juleka about that," Nathaniel says. "It turns out that Kagami is really great at drawing. So, Adrien has been taking her to the art club, lately. He is always doing his best to get her to laugh because of how serious Kagami always is. He likes to joke around, make puns, and is generally probably one of the biggest anime fans that I have ever met. He is the complete opposite of the 'perfect model' that Marinette fell in 'love' with."

"If what she does is love, then I am glad most girls are scared away by my Ice Prince persona," Lyon stated.

"It also helps that you are gay," Vallia added.

"That too," Lyon agreed with his twin.

It was definitely shocking just how much this situation was causing. But nothing was more shocking than how it was causing Juleka and Nathaniel, the two most quiet people in their entire class, to be the ones that were being the most vocal about Marinette and her obsession. Though, they guessed that being so quiet meant that they definitely could see things that others did not because no one ever notices quiet ones like them.

"So, what exactly are we going to do," Ivan asked Juleka and Vallia since they were obviously the ones in charge of all of this.

"And why is Nino not here," Kim asked. "Shouldn't he also be here since this clearly involves his best friend?"

"We would have invited him, but he knows about everything that Marinette and Alya have done and yet never did anything about it," Vallia says. "For all that he says that he cares about Adrien and is his best friend, he certainly does not seem to care about how obviously obsessive that Marinette is."

The boys did not look as convinced as they had been when talking about Marinette's faults. But, at the same time, they did not really have any evidence to argue against them.

"As for what we are going to do," Vallia started. "We have talked about it and we feel that Adrien needs to be told everything that has been going on."

That was definitely a shock to the guys. They were all aware of how nice Adrien was, even to the point where he was a little naive, so they did not think he would react very well to hearing about this. They worried about how Adrien would react when he would be told.

"Are you two sure that he should be told," Luka asked them. "I know that I probably know Adrien the least out of everyone here since I am not in your class, but even I know this will definitely hit him really hard."

"It is a risk, but Adrien deserves to know," Vallia stated. "If Adrien doesn't know, he will still hang out with Nino, Alya, and Marinette. And that would usually end up with him landing right in the middle of probably even more 'Adrinette' plans that the Girl Squad will set up."

"As much as this will probably hurt Adrien, it is better he learns this now rather than later," Lyon agreed with his sister. "And as long as we let Adrien know that we are his real friends, that will definitely help him heal from the damage that learning about all of this will cause him."

The group all nodded, knowing that it was the truth. They just hoped that Adrien would not be akumatized over it. Because they were sure that if he was, then he would probably become the strongest akuma that Hawkmoth would have ever created.

*****

It turned out worse than an akuma. Adrien was a complete and utter wreck who seemed to have shut down everything other than his tears.

He was currently sandwiched between Luka and Lyon as the two boys were doing their best to comfort him. While it was Juleka and Vallia that had told him, their brothers had come along to be able to be there for the blond since they knew he would react like this. And Adrien definitely needed it.

Almost as soon as Vallia and Juleka were done, Adrien looked on the verge of either passing out or breaking down. Through a very shaky tone, he asked if they had proof of what they were saying. Neither of the girls was offended since they understood that Adrien really would want proof of someone he considered a great friend acting like that before he made any real decisions.

It was a good thing that Vallia had taken photos of everything in order to have proof. She showed Adrien everything she had. Marinette's wall of pictures of him, of the entire schedule she had for him, all of the presents, and there was also a video that she took when Marinette had been on one of her rants about their "future" together. Adrien had lasted about two seconds after seeing all of it before completely breaking down.

Lyon and Luka both comforted Adrien as best they could, understanding that someone like Adrien probably just had his heart completely broken. This was probably the first time that he ever really felt a sting of betrayal like this. Not even just from Marinette, but also from Alya, Nino, and the other girls in their class as well.

"I don't... I can't... Why did... How could..." Adrien could not form a single sentence as he sobbed.

"We knew that we had to tell you the moment that we knew Marinette had gone too far," Vallia tells him. "We couldn't let this continue."

"We are so sorry about this, Adrien," Juleka says. "You do not deserve to be treated like this by those you call friends. You are a person, not some type of prize to be won."

"I just... I have always talked about how much I hate fangirls and fanatics in general," Adrien managed to actually talk. "There have been times where girls have often tried sneaking onto photoshoots or breaking into my dressing room. Some have even tried stalking me to the point of attempting to break into the mansion. They terrify me. How could they do this to me?"

"We can try and sugar coat it for you, but that would not be helpful at all," Lyon said. "The only answer that we can give in general would be that Marinette has always had this obsession with you. And with you ending up in the same class as her, it only ended up with the obsession growing."

"You have made it clear that you want a normal life," Luka says. "I have heard from both you and your real friends how much you hate modeling. Your song is also very telling about how much you crave and hope for a normal life."

"I've just grown so tired of it all," Adrien looked and sounded so exhausted of his life. "I'm tired of running from crowds of fans, tired of having to be perfect all the time just to please my father, tired of having to look over my shoulder to see if anyone is following me, tired of never being able to hang out with my friends like a normal teen. I would give anything to be normal."

"We know that, and you have told them that, but the real problem was that they just refused to listen," Vallia said.

"You deserve better than that," Lyon tells him. "Vallia and I know more than others how hard it is to always be in the spotlight. People want to get close to us just so they might get either one of the gems in our family vault, an exotic animal from the sanctuary as a pet, or a rare plant. It's the hardest thing to really find those that want to be around us for no reason at all."

"We wanted you to know that we would be here for you," Luka says.

"I don't... know what to do," Adrien admitted. "While I have had stalkers in the past, this is the first time that it is someone I actually know."

"You do not have to do anything," Juleka places a hand on his shoulder. "We are going to be here to keep them away from you."

"I guess you can call us the Adrien Protection Squad," Vallia giggled.

"Did Lyon already threaten to shoot them with arrows," Adrien managed a small chuckle.

"I wanted to, but Vallia wouldn't let me bring my bow and arrows when she and Juleka told us about everything that was going on," Lyon admitted. "They are lucky that I am not White Wolf. Otherwise, we would be looking at some new ice statues in town."

Vallia had to convince her brother not to use his hero identity to seek revenge. Lyon had been very tempted to. If there is one thing that a wolf does, it's protect its pack. Over time, most miraculous users do tend to get more like the animal that their miraculous is themed after. It is one of the reasons why Vallia is always so good with plants given her butterfly qualities. So, Lyon was getting more like a wolf every day. Those like Ladybug, Cat Noir, Hawkmoth, and Mayura have not used their miraculous long enough for the same side effects to happen to them.

"You can be scary sometimes," Luka says. "I hope that you know that."

"Says the guy that can hear the heart songs of everyone he comes across," Lyon countered. "I've met empaths before and they are no joke."

"I think that it is really clear that we are the normal ones in our families," Vallia tells Juleka, who giggled in response.

"My mom thinks that she is a pirate on top of my brother being an empath," Juleka says. "I've always known that I am the normal one."

Adrien was able to smile at how they were all interacting with each other. Them being so normal was helping him adjust to what he had just learned about his other supposed friends. They were not treating him as if he was made of glass nor were they treating him with pity. Yes, they were worried about him and wanted him safe, but they did not do it in a way that made him feel as if he could not take care of himself.

"School is tomorrow," Adrien suddenly says. "I don't... I don't think that I can normal around any of them."

"You don't need to be," Vallia said. "You just try and go about your day as normally as possible while the rest of us run interference. But at the same time, you do not have to hide how you feel about them. You are your own person and they do not have the right to try and force you to be with Marinette just because she is obsessed with you and yet they only see it as a simple crush."

"You have no need to worry as long as the rest of us are around," Lyon tells him.

"Thanks, guys," Adrien smiled at them.

*****

The next day at school, it was definitely obvious to a lot of people outside of Bustier's class that something had changed for the nicknamed "Akuma Class." They saw that except for Nino, every other guy in the class almost seemed to form a barrier around Adrien as soon as the teen model arrived.

After having been given permission from Adrien to tell others, Marc told his friends Aurore, Ondine, Jean, and Mirelle from his class about what was going on. They all agreed to help keep Adrien away from Marinette and the other members of the "Girl Squad" during things like lunch, recess, and other general things where all classes were together instead of separated.

Even in the actual classroom, things had definitely changed. While being supported by Vallia and Lyon, Adrien went to Bustier and requested to change where he was seated. When he told their teacher that he was no longer comfortable where he was sitting, or with who he was sitting close to, she allowed him to change where he was sitting. Adrien chose to sit in the back, next to Lyon.

Adrien moving also had the rest of his "protection squad" moving as well. Vallia, who had been previously next to her brother, moved to be next to Juleka in front of where Lyon and Adrien now were. Max and Kim sat in front of them while they allowed Chloe and Sabrina to stay in their usual seats in the front. Nathanial and Ivan were not sitting next to each other at the desk on the other side of the aisle from where Lyon and Adrien were. They wanted to keep all the girls that remained in the Girl Squad away from Adrien.

It was definitely a shock to the rest of the class when they came in. Chloe looked like she wanted to say something since she was farther away from Adrien than before. But one look from Adrien made her be quiet. Marinette was the one that looked the most upset. If it was not for the fact that she had made it to class with barely a minute to spare, she could not come up to Adrien to ask why he and the other guys had moved.

Rose also looked upset because Juleka had nothing to say about Vallia taking her place next to the goth. Lyon's icy glare also did not go missed by them at all. And since he got back his bow and arrows from where his sister had hidden them, he was a lot more dangerous.

When their class had ended, Marinette had almost made a complete beeline for Adrien. But the guys had rushed Adrien out so quickly that he had basically been a blur. Lyon, Vallia, and Juleka all stayed behind so that they could confront the other girls over what was now going to be happening from now on.

They kept the girls in the classroom, only allowing Chloe and Sabrina to leave since they were not involved in the girl squad drama.

"We have something to say to you all," Vallia said.

The girls were definitely shocked. Especially since for the first time since they had known her, Juleka was standing tall and proud. There was barely a hint of her usual shyness.

"What are you talking about," Alya was the one to ask them.

"We are talking about how you all have gotten way too far when it comes to Marinette's obsession with Adrien," Vallia answered.

"I am not obsessed," Marinette looked like she wanted to yell at them, but did not. "I'm in love with him. There is nothing wrong with love."

"If what you have been doing is love, then I want no part in that," Juleka stated.

"Juleka, why would you say such a thing," Rose looked hurt and shocked. "Marinette and Adrien will be so beautiful together."

"That fantasy is going to stay a fantasy," Lyon crossed his arms. "I have met my fair share of stalkers in the past, but you all take the cake. Especially you, Marinette."

"Stalker! How dare you call my bestie a stalker," Alya looked ready to punch Lyon.

"He's calling it as he sees it," Vallia said. "Besides, there is no better way to describe Marinette. The wall of pictures, the screensaver on her computer and her phone, the box of presents, the schedule. She is a stalker and you are all doing nothing but enabling that toxic behavior."

"I am not a stalker," Marinette protested. "I did all of that because I love him. He is just so perfect in every..."

"He doesn't want to be perfect," Juleka interrupted her. "Adrien has said time and time again that he hates everything his father makes him do, especially making him act perfect all the time just because it is 'good for the brand.' He would do anything to just be normal."

"It's awful that you have the gall to claim that you love him when you do not even seem to care about what he wants," Vallia says. "Everything that you have done that you say is because you love him is all the same stuff that a stalker would say. They all claim to be in love with their targets with most of them even delusional about being in a relationship with them. Just like your made-up fantasy future with him."

"You're crazy," Lyon was blunt, to say the least. "If I had been Adrien, I would have moved the other side of the planet to get away from people like you."

Marinette had the gall to look like she was gonna cry at the things they were saying. Alya comforted her while glaring at the three of them.

"I can not believe that you three are acting like this," she was definitely pissed. "After everything we did to get Marinette and Adrien together."

"Have you ever once tried to ask about what Adrien might want," Juleka also crossed her arms. "Did it ever cross your minds that Adrien has a say in this as well? He might not even be interested in her that way. And considering how often he calls her 'just a friend,' then I say that he has already made his feelings really clear."

"Just because he is a guy does not mean he has to automatically be into Marinette simply because she is a girl that likes him," Lyon stated. "He is allowed to like her that way or not. And I highly doubt that he is going to want to have anything to do with her from now on."

"What did you do," Marinette shouted at them.

"We told Adrien everything," Vallia said.

"WHAT," the rest of the Girl Squad yelled.

"Why would you do such a thing," Mylene looked so shocked and scared.

"For someone that thinks that Marinette and Adrien are made for each other, you sure look scared about him learning about your actions," Lyon said.

"What you had done was not okay in any way, shape, or form," Vallia continued. "Everything that you have done is nothing other than showing that we are right about you being a stalker that is obsessed with Adrien. So, yes, we told him everything."

"And just as we knew what would happen, he was horrified, betrayed, and probably the most upset that we have ever seen him," Juleka says. "His heart was broken when he found out what you all had done. Especially Marinette. He thought she was a really good friend, but he now has seen her true colors."

"What you did was not cool," Alix glared at them.

"What was not cool was everything you guys and Marinette have done," Lyon said. "Not even just all the matchmaking plans, the schedule, and the presents, but everything else as well. Marinette, you teamed up with CHLOE because you were jealous of Kagami. Kagami never did anything to you and yet you tried to sabotage her because Adrien likes her."

"She is not the right girl for him," Marinette tried to protest.

"That is not for you to decide," Lyon yelled at her. "Adrien is his own person with his own desires. If he wants to like Kagami, then he has every right to. Especially if she likes him back. Real love is a two-way street."

"And what you did during the anniversary of his mother's disappearance was awful," Vallia said. "That was the day he needed our love and support the most. But you then made it all about you by taking advantage of his vulnerability in order to send a confession message to him. As much as we hate his other actions, Felix deleting those videos was the best thing he probably ever did in his life. Adrien did not deserve to have your selfish actions make that day even worse for him."

"I can't believe you three turned your back on us like this," Alya looked like she really wanted to punch them.

"I love him," Marinette was still showing her delusional state of mind. "I haven't done anything wrong."

"The sad part about that is how you actually believe all of that," Juleka said.

"Adrien knows everything," Lyon reminds them. "You are just lucky he doesn't want to bring up charges, which he is legally allowed to do because of your actions. Hopefully Adrien will actually be able to heal from this with the rest of us helping him."

"Time to wake up and smell the roses of reality," Vallia tells the girls. "Your ship had not only sank but it was sucked into a whirlpool never to see the light of day again."

The three of them then left the classroom, leaving the girls to try to plan more things to get Adrien and Marinette together. All plans that will be doomed to fail.

Not, the three only had one thing left to worry about.

And that would be trying to figure out how to stop Kagami from killing the entire Girl Squad when she learns what they did.

#ml salt #miraculous fandom #original character #miraculous #miraculous ladybug #alya salt #original miraculous #marinette salt #adrien x kagami #girl squad salt

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