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arty-shadow-morningstar · 3 years

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A Failed Betrothal (6)

Here is a new chapter for you guys. I am terrible at writing feelings and this is my best shot.😅 Tell me what you think.

[Masterlist]

(PART 1)(PART 5)

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(Words in bold is French)

“Tch, Drake is going to be busy trying to find Hawkmoth. He can’t go around Paris, being Dupain-Cheng’s boyfriend. Besides, he can’t be a proper boyfriend even in his most lucid moments. I will be her boyfriend instead.”

Tim was glad he didn’t take a sip of his coffee when Damian volunteered to be Marinette’s boyfriend. But he still choked on air. Jason with his limited knowledge of french was confused. Damian didn’t do what he heard, right?

“No, you can’t. Chloe already told them about Tim. If I come in with a different boyfriend, they would get suspicious. We can work on Hawkmoth while we go on those dates. Besides, I thought you don’t like me. That’s not going to sell the image of a loving couple.” Marinette pointed out. (She also doesn’t want to do this fake-date thing. Not because she likes Damian and she had always been a goner for green eyes and totally would be date him if it weren’t for some stupid curse dictating her feelings for him and fake-dating him might get her catch feelings for him and she would get her heart broken when this is all over and she would stay single forever and be a lonely old lady with hamsters and cats for company.)

“Actually, Mari-bug, I only told the class how romantic your boyfriend is. I never told them what he looked like. Just in case, Timothy couldn’t make it. I have back-up favors to cash in.” Chloe explained.

Marinette didn’t even know why she was surprised at that, this was Chloe after all.

“You have more than one American boy around our age in your debt who you intend to be my boyfriend? Sounds like you, Queenie. So that also means that Damian doesn’t have to do it if he doesn’t want to.”

“My offer still stands. I will be your ‘boyfriend’ before I have to go back. I will be more understanding than those other American boys when you have to rush out for an attack. That is to assume that they can come here or agree. In our initial meeting, I didn’t like that weak girl act you put up. Recent events have made me realize that you are a much stronger person. (Careful Damian, that sounds like a compliment.) You are a decent partner to date.(Shit. Shit. Shit. That wasn’t a compliment, right?)”

Damian couldn’t see why Dupain-Cheng would refuse such a good deal. He supposed her feelings might be still hurt from his first impression of her. He would give her an apology when they are alone and away from his brothers who would make a big deal of it.

“Fine. At least, the curse will at least make this fake couple thing more believable.” grumbled Marinette. The light pink blush on her face is not because he said she was someone he would date.

Oh right, the curse. He swore internally, it had possessed him to be Dupain-Cheng’s boyfriend. He now would have to endure the hand-holding, kissing and staring into each other’s eyes, and try to resist the curse which will be much harder now. Somehow, he didn’t regret it a little bit. It sounds more bearable with him doing those things with her than her with Drake. This was just a mutual agreement to ward off her suitors and prove to her classmates that she was off the market.

Chloe clapped her hands,“If we have everything sorted out, you can start being a good boyfriend by walking Marinette to school today. We want to be on time now.”

The others started packing up their stuff or finished what they were eating. Marinette was dragged out of the bakery by an impatient Damian. Chloe and Alix picked up what Marinette left behind and followed out. The rest soon left right after, leaving the two boys in the bakery.

“Hey, Replacement, tell me if I am wrong but did Demon Spawn willingly ask a girl out?” Jason asked, stealing a croissant from Tim.

“Try making himself the perfect candidate to be her fake boyfriend out of many choices, including me, and get her to agree to it. Now he has to go on a few romantic dates with Marinette in order to ward off this really pushy guy in her class. Demon Spawn also has a crush on her and he’s in denial of it. We are not hallucinating either. I’ve checked.” Tim replied, sipping his coffee.

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“Damian. Let go. Hey, Wayne, are you listening to me? Let me go. This is not how you treat your significant other. And you are not even going in the right direction.” Marinette all but yelled at him.

He released his grip on her. “My apologies for manhandling you but I wanted to tell you this away from everybody else.”

“What?” She asked, crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes.

I- This is a little difficult to say for me,” Damian started. (Why were his palms sweaty? It’s just an apology. He had done it before although it was mostly because Grayson told him what he did wrong and made him do it.) “But I am sorry for calling you weak, pathetic and every other bad thing I have said about you when you have shown that you are anything but those. I was mad at myself for being caught and took it out on you.”

Her glare softened.

“Apologies accepted. The school is this way.” She said with a smile and went towards the school. Damian walked by her side, his hands in his pockets.

Marinette looked at where his hands were, “If we are going to do this fake dating thing, I suggest we hold hands.”

Damian grabbed her hand and continued walking in silence. Her hands were so small and fitted perfectly in his. Oh God, it’s the curse again. Turning him into a sap. Do not think about her hands. And the fact that she took down a man twice her size with them which was an amazing sight to watch.

“Why are you so stiff? Loosen up a little. You are with the love of your life. Smile a little.”

Damian plastered on a fake smile, “Happy?”

“It looks fake. Being a model he will be able to tell.” Marinette remarked, “Are you sure you want to do this? We can still go get Tim to be my boyfriend.”

“I can do this. Drake wouldn’t be a better choice. It doesn’t help that you are relentlessly nit-picking me. Or are you that bad of a girlfriend?” Damian couldn’t help but sniped back. “Maybe that’s why Chat Noir left you.”

He found himself back against the world and her elbow at his neck. (He would forever deny that he liked it.)

“Look here, Wayne. You know nothing about me and you shouldn’t assume that you do. Chat Noir was revoked of his status as a hero for his behaviour. If you don’t act the part properly, I am going to have my former partner, who has absolutely no sense of boundaries, harassing me in my civilian life and I have already dealt enough of his advances to last a lifetime. I have given you so many chances to get out of this which you refused and yet, you are half-assing it. So are you in this 100 percent or not? Because I am at the end of my patience right now.”

“The boy who is obsessed with you is the former Chat Noir?”

“Yes, I will explain about that later but what’s your answer?”

“I will give it my best shot but I have never pretended to be in love.”

“Were you not taught in the League?”

“There were seduction tactics shown to members when they were old enough and I left them when I was 10 but I am not sure if those skills can be applied here.”(Slamming your opponent against the wall wasn’t one of them but she was doing a great job of it so far. No. No. No. He is not his father. This is different from whatever he has with Kyle.)

She released her hold on him and grabbed his hand, leading him towards her school.

“Well then, here are the basics. Everytime you look at me, just think of your favourite things to make your smile a little more genuine. Maybe call me by a pet name if you want. Keep your touch on me like you can’t keep your hands off of me and act really reluctant when you have to let go. You will only keep them my shoulders, arms, hands and waist or I will break your hand. I will do the same. If you are going to have to kiss me, give me a warning.” He looked into her blue eyes and nodded.

“Alright.”

“Oh. I almost forgot. In case they try to question our relationship. My favourite colour is red. My favourite song is ‘Fearless’ by Jagged Stone.(I love Taylor. Sue me) And we met online a few months ago. You came all the way to Paris to see me a month ago and asked me out. We will talk more that later. Oh, I also love designing and have dreams of being a famous fashion designer.-”

Marinette rambled on which Damian found a little endearing. He looked forward to knowing more about her. He added a few comments here or there about himself (because it was only fair.) and ways to improve their cover story about their relationship.

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“We are nearly at school. Let’s start the act, Romeo.” Marinette whispered at him and looked at him with a bright smile that brought a tiny smile to his face. Okay, maybe he liked Marinette a little bit but that doesn’t mean he’s in love with her.

He moved her hand holding his to the crook of his elbow.

“Is this acceptable, my lady?”

She wrinkled her nose, (Adorable. No. Don’t go there) “This is fine. But can you not call me that? And princess too? I may have erased his memories as Chat Noir but it could be a trigger to bring them back.”

“Understandable. What about Malak?”

She blushed. Marinette had learned Arabic a while back and was very fluent in the language.

“It’s okay.” She said in a soft voice. She put her other hand on his bicep and leaned on his shoulder.

“You don’t look like a touchy-feely person so is this fine?”

“Yes.”

“Cool, let me tell you more about the atrocious lies that had passed her mouth.”

They walked into the school courtyard, arm-in-arm, for the entire school, especially Marinette’s class, to see. The perfect picture of a loving couple. Marinette’s blush from earlier was evident on her face, leaving no room for doubt about her new relationship status. (Many guys, gals and pals were upset over it.) As they both walked up the stairs, whispering and laughing about who knows what (gulliable and idiotic classmates they have to suffer learning with), two pairs of green eyes followed them.

In this case, the saying ‘green-eyed monsters’ was true. One was envious of the boy who held the girl he wanted in his arms and the other was envious of the attention the couple was receiving.

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Damian escorted Marinette to her class. He gave her a kiss on her cheek and said, loud enough for the class to hear, “Bye, Malak. I will pick you up after school for our date.”

“B-bye, Damian.”

He took her hand, gave a kiss to the back of it and departed, leaving a very red-faced Marinette behind. The rest of the class parted the way as Damian walked past.

She rushed into her seat where Chloe sat beside it, grinning like a Cheshire Cat.

“Sooooo, Mari-bug, how was your date? You two rushed out of there so quickly and left your stuff behind. So eager to spend time with your boyfriend, eh? You enjoyed it very much by the looks of it.”

“Sorry about that, Chloe. Did you bring my bag and the cheese danishes?” Marinette tried to change the topic. And she also wanted to make sure a god of destruction doesn’t go hungry and angsty during school. “Yep, here you go,” Chloe said, handing Marinette her bag and a box of cheese-flavoured snacks for Plagg, “Your mom packed some for you.”

“Marinette. Where have you been the last two days? And you came back with a boy. I am honestly worried about your behaviour.” Lila played the concerned classmate wonderfully.

“Yeah, Marinette. This is a new low, even for you.” Alya added.

Marinette readied herself to tell the cover story Damian and her worked out on the way here.

“Lila, I appreciate your ‘concern’. But the last four days have been a little hard on me so excuse me if I am a little snappy today. You see, Damian disappeared and didn’t return home after school on Friday. So when he didn’t pick up for our weekly video call, I panicked and called his family and they told me what happened. They sent me a plane to get out of Paris so I can’t get akumatized.”

“Was that why you were gone on Saturday?” Chloe asked, playing along although she already knew why Marinette wasn’t in Paris the last four days.

“Yeah. Sorry for not telling you guys. It was sorta last minute. Thankfully, he wasn’t kidnapped actually. His biological mother picked him up but never told his father that she was taking him. I just came back last night. Dami followed me to make sure I am okay.”

“What a bunch of bullcrap.” Alya said, “I don’t believe you.”

Oh. The irony... “Alya, I don’t care if you do. My life is my own business. So keep your nosy nose out of it. Your opinions don’t matter to me anymore, stranger.” Marinette internally was tired of this silly routine and wanted this to end already.

Alya wanted to pick a fight with her over the smallest things she did for the past months. She wondered why her former best friend hated her this much.

“Lila told me that you were skipping school and you paid an actor to be your pretend boyfriend.”

Pretending to not hear what Alya said, Marinette turned towards Chloe, “Hey, you never told me about how you met Tim. I can’t believe that you two are friends.”

“We met at one of those charity galas-”

“Hey, we were talking to you.” Alya cut her off. To which Chloe glared at the ombre-haired girl.

“I thought our conversation was done. What else am I supposed to say?”

Marinette was frustrated and hid that fact well, showing any reaction would give the game away. If she had reacted, it would further fuel the fire of Alya’s self-righteousness, making her believe that Marinette was somehow guilty of what Lila told her about. Lila managed to turn nearly the entire class against her by appealing to their ‘hero’ side and outbursts from Marinette and the others made them more sure of themselves of being in the right. It was so deep-rooted that nothing would sway them to logical reasoning. Maybe except Phase 2. Phase 1 was made a little easier when Talia kidnapped her and made her miss a few days of school.

Phase 2 was to not acknowledge the lies or just appear uninterested. It would illustrate the point that people don’t have to listen to them if they don’t want to. If possible, sow little seeds of doubt to the ones Lila had a looser grip on. The more people they can slowly get on their side, the better.

Alya was confused, usually Marinette would throw a ‘temper tantrum’ about how she didn’t do that and Lila lied.“I-, you should-, You should apologize to Lila.”

Marinette raised an eyebrow, “For what this time?”

“For saying that she was lying.”

“Pray tell, when did in any of our conversations so far did I do that? I mean I don’t like the fact that she just accused me with little evidence of paying my someone to be my boyfriend but I am not going to fight with anyone over it. Maybe I did do that, Maybe I didn’t. Maybe there is a good reason I did those things. The thing is Lila should keep to her own business and I will keep to mine. And as should you. I know you are a reporter at heart but you should at the very least respect my privacy.”

Alya stayed silent, fuming. Everyone was looking at them now. She realized that the designer was right and if she pushed further, she would be the bad guy.

“I thought so. Now, go away. I have nothing else to say to you. Let Chloe finish her story of how she met Tim which you so rudely interrupted.”

“Who’s Tim?” Lila asked, wanting to know more about Marinette’s boyfriend to work on an angle to get him away from the ravenette.

“Mari-Bug’s boyfriend’s older brother. Now, shoo peasants, we are talking. Anyways, Mommy took me to when I was younger so I could mingle with all the other rich kids and get connections. Timothy was there and back then, he was still with the Drakes...”

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Lila and Alya returned to their seats, both were visibly upset although Lila was seething inside. When Marinette was not at school for the last two days, the Italian thought that it was the last she had seen of her. Today, she showed up with a handsome boy on her arm and by the looks of his clothes, rich too. If she manages to get ‘Damian’ to break up with that pest and date her instead, then she would have a rich, handsome boyfriend devoted to her and that brat would be so heart-broken that an akuma so powerful would be made that even Ladybug won’t be able to defeat. A two for one deal. Lila started planning (scheming) to take her boyfriend away.

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(Part 7)

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Edit: I am so sorry. I forget to add the taglist.

Tag list: @alysrose-starchild, @buginetye, @lookatthestars1, @blackroserelina, @macncheesemonster, @mochinek0, @myazael, @tonicxworld, @thewitchwhowaited, @t1dwarrior-of-earth, @kissa-chan, @iwantasecretidentity, @theymakeupfairies, @user00000003, @woe-is-me0, @kashlyn, @mochegato,@moonlightstar64 , @greatcatblaze, @moongoddesskiana, @tazanna-blythe. @tonicxworld, @toodaloo-kangaroo, @frieddonutsweets, @local-witch-of-mn, @lady-bee-fechin, @iglowinggemma28, @indecisive-mess-named-me, @k-tea-and-coffee, @jayjayspixiepop, @all-mights-asscheeks, @idk-j-go-with-it , @loysydark, @thenillabean, @lolieg, @zalladane, @silvergold-swirl, @henie04, @blueblossombliss, @khneltea, @mochegato, @itsmeevie01, @roguishredaxion, @alyssadeliv, @steph-hearthlight, @adrestar, @eliza-bich, @abrx2002, @hikari55ttva, @doglover82, @daminette5074, @moon5608,@justafanwarrior, @allis-sun, @animegirlweeb, @aespades, @corporeal-terrestrial, @mildlydeadly, @kanamexzeroyaoifangirl,

#damian x marinette #maribat #ml x dc #daminette #mlb x dc #a failed betrothal #betrothal au: take 2

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thatasianstereotype · 4 years

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Shit. I Got To Deal With This Bitch (Again).

The third installment of my Adrien x Damian AU.

First: Fuck. I’m Gay.

Second: Damn, You’re Looking Fine.

Well, would you look at that? I’m not dead after all. And this took a while to put together understatement of the fucking century. The reason is because life is a busy little shit the English language will not cooperate. I’m thinking of a scene I want to write and somehow words are lost in translating that into the computer and I end up with a white blank screen in the end.

But moving on to the fic. At first, I was going to have the whole Gabriel-being-put-in-jail and former-friends-thing put as an aftermath because I really wanted to write Marinette and Adrien meeting the Waynes. But I decided to make the aftermath a full-blown fic from @michaelshadow7779′s ideas and extend the trilogy into a four-part series.

This part will be focused on what happened to Liar-la, Ms. Bustier’s class trying to gain back their friendship with Marinette and Adrien, and Gabriel getting a special visit from both Robin and Ladybug.

Again, this is a crack writing where creative liberties were definitely taken.

Lila Rossi is a fucking bitch and everyone —Like everyone this time— knew it.

Her reputation was now in shambles (she’s now known as that pathological liar or that lying bitch) and Ms. Bustier’s class could only stare at her with hatred and anger —feelings that were once directed at Marinette.

No one entertained her lies anymore. No one really hung out with her anymore. She sat at the back of the class, staring daggers at both Adrien and Marinette all day (just wishing for an akuma that will never appear).

Unfortunately for her, Lila couldn’t transfer out of class and with only 2 more months of the school year left, she couldn’t transfer out of school so she was stuck dealing with the consequences of her actions: being a fucking social outcast.

Because the class was not at all happy with their supposed friend. Tensions ran high during school. Things took a turn for the worse when Ms. Bustier tried to “fix” things in her own way, mentioning how the only reason Lila lied was because of her “disease” and the girl simply wanted to make friends.

Needless to say, the class did not appreciate their teacher making them out to be fools all this time.

It was Alya who ripped her a new one. Césaire definitely has a set of lungs on her. And Adrien would be lying if he didn’t say how utterly satisfying it was to watch.

Karma was a bitch.

Payback was a bitch.

And Adrien was fucking living in the aftermath. He wondered if it was mean (probably but he didn’t care) that he wished he had popcorn right now.

All in all, life returned back to normal.

Well, kind of.

Unfortunately, with the 2 months left in the school year, Ms. Bustier couldn’t exactly be let go because apparently Mr. Damocles didn’t want to deal with the whole paperwork, trying to find a new teacher to replace her, and dealing with the so-called Akuma class.

That fucker.

So essentially, he left her at the mercy of her unhappy class, saying she will be let go at the end of the school year.

Ms. Bustier was unhappy with the arrangement. The class was unhappy with it too. Probably even more so. Since they still got to deal with Rossi’s bitch ass on a daily basis.

The remaining 2 months of school were spent in a passive-aggressive war. Teacher vs. Students. Where technically the teacher should be respected and they should learn from her but the class was unleashing their collective pettiness.

And Caline Bustier was fucking done with this job. She wanted to go back in time to when she thought being a teacher was a good idea and shake her past self silly. At this point, she was just counting the days until she can leave for good.

“Kim. That’s the third time you slept in class this week. If you don’t pay attention, you won’t pass the test next week.”

“Hold up. I got to ask the certified pathological liar where I put all the fucks I give.”

“Ok. Don’t forget to ask Marinette if you can actually trust her answer.”

It was glorious.

Adrien and Marinette were definitely enjoying the show.

Marinette put down her sketchbook and stared at Damian for a minute. “You’ve been here for a month and a half already. Are you still doing business for your dad?”

Damian Wayne became a common sight around Françoise Dupont High School and can usually be seen around Adrien and Marinette. After a week of constantly seeing him hang around lunch or in after school activities/clubs, seeing a Wayne soon lost its novelty and people accepted it as the new norm.

“I’m already done with what I need to do at WE’s Paris branch.” He casually plucked flowers from the ground to make a crown for his mon amour who was happily chatting with Luka and Kagami.

“So why are you still here? Don’t you have your own education to finish?”

“My schooling is of no concern. I already earned my diploma a few months ago. It was not at all difficult when I’m already light years ahead of my peers in regards to the dismal educational system my Father forced me to attend."

She raised an unamused eyebrow. “Uh huh. And your family isn’t worried at all about you, a minor, being in a foreign country all by yourself?”

“They know I’m here. I already informed Father that I will be extending my stay here.”

“And he just accepted it? Just like that?”

"I’m responsible enough to handle myself. I surely do not need Batman watching over me. And you don’t need to worry at all. I’ve been away from home for far longer.”

“You’re completely missing the point.”

“On the contrary, I thought I answered the question perfectly.”

When they weren’t playing a petty war with Bustier, the class was trying to get back into Marinette and Adrien’s good graces by inviting them to everything and trying to include the pair in their lives again. They wanted to be friends with their Everyday Ladybug and Sunshine Child again.

“Want to do homework together?”

“How about a study session?”

“We’re having a sleepover at Juleka’s place, Marinette. We can talk about each other’s love lives like the good old times.”

“Wanna see the new movie that came out, Adrien? I’ll even pay for your favorite snacks.”

“Come on you two. Let’s hang out in the park. We can get Andre’s ice cream too. It’ll be fun.”

Spoiler alert: It don’t work. At all.

“Hey Marinette, Adrien! Why don’t you sit with us today?” Alya eagerly waved at them from where she was sitting with Nino.

It was a part of a long list of efforts that the class is trying to include the pair in. And it would be nice if it was just to be nice and friendly, you know. Adrien wasn’t going to be outright mean to them even though they fucking deserve it after how they treated the beautiful and kind goddess that was Marinette because Mari asked him to “Play nice, kitty”.

But the class kept trying to slide the whole Liar-la thing under the rug as if it was nothing. As if they didn’t shit all over their good name for a two-faced bitch. As if they had no part in making them feel like outcasts just weeks before. As if they didn’t called them hateful names or gave them scornful glares.

And that’s just fucking wrong. Because it wasn’t nothing. And they weren’t good pals anymore. So stop fucking acting like it.

Adrien was so done with his former friends/classmates. Marinette even more so.

Because apparently, saying “Yeah, We want nothing to do with you anymore.” is not fucking clear enough that the pair wanted nothing to do with their former friends.

Like what the actual fuck.

Luckily, Mari can sense her kitty’s bad mood and quickly laid a hand on his arm and led them to their seats in the middle row since Liar-la took the back and they will be damned if they sit next to her.

Alya was utterly aghast. She and the others were trying their best to have things be back to where they were before. Doesn’t Marinette and Adrien want things to be like they were before? When everyone was friends and they were making happy memories together?

Why won’t they accept their olive branch? They’ll be friends again and everything will be okay just like it was before Lila came.

Let it be known that Alya Césaire was not a patient person. Like at all.

She was fuming (like you could see the smoke coming out of her ears) as she walked up to Marinette’s desk, just bursting at the seams with frustration. “I don’t get it. Why are you so cosy with Adrien instead of us? Did you forget he supported Lila too?

“That was—” Marinette spoke up in defense of her everything-that-actually-matters brother.

But Alya ignored her and bulldozed right over, slamming her hands down on her desk. “Yeah. He changed his mind later on but the point still stands that he was on Lila’s side just like us so why are you willing to be friends with him but not me and Nino? We were best buds.”

“Adrien was friends with Lila unwillingly, unlike you guys. His douchebag of a father wanted him to play nice with that harlot for some reason and he had to go along with it or risk being pulled out of school.”

Alya rolled her eyes (She literally rolled her eyes at that) before crossing her arms in front of her chest. “Please. That’s probably a pretty little excuse he gave you be on your good side again. We all know Gabriel will never actually do it.”

“Are you perhaps referring to the man who rejected the idea of a birthday part for his own son or makes Adrien attend constant photo shoots and a crazy schedule to follow that makes it hard for him to hang out with his friends regularly. That Gabriel?”

At that, Alya faltered a bit as she uncrossed her arms.

“Look, Alya. I’m fine with being friendly classmates but I’m not going to be your friend again.”

And Alya —who wanted things to just be okay again and wanted to go back to being Marinette’s best friend, who was tired of days trying to put so much effort into being Marinette’s best gal again only to be rejected every single time— just let whatever came into her mind to slip out of her mouth. She didn’t watch what she said next and in doing so burnt the last bridge she ever had to Marinette.

“Maybe Lila was actually right for once when she said the only reason you’re close to Adrien was to use him to get ahead in the fashion industry.”

Oh shit.

She really done did it now.

It was at this point that Marinette’s infinite patience and kindness snapped. Adrien scooted his chair back a bit to get out of the crossfire. He’s a dumbass kitty but he still has self-preservation.

The grip on her pencil tightened as her eyes narrowed and grew darker, her voice ice cold.

“You were the one who decided we were done being friends, Césaire.”

Alya was taken aback, frozen at the biting harshness Marinette directed at her. Whatever comeback she had died in her throat.

Mari let out a deep breath and her voice was back to neutral. “Look. Maybe someday in the future we can be friends again. But not right now. Please respect my decision.”

And that was the end of that.

Well kind of.

Because the ice queen treatment didn’t deter her at all. Alya still persistently tried to get Marinette to be friends with her again until Nino pulled her away and forced her to stop it with her ridiculous antics which aren’t working.

The rest of their former friends now classmates got the message and left the pair alone. They were friendly and cordial with each other as common courtesy dictate but they had no interaction beyond that. They were nowhere near as close as they once were before Liar-la happened.

Anyway, school went back to normal. Well as normal as it could be with all the recent changes.

Nothing was as it was before.

And Marinette and Adrien were fine with that.

Mari was hanging out with Aurore and Mireille for the afternoon so Damian and Adrien had Mari’s room all to themselves. They were currently playing video games.

And although the Wayne boy was the perfect gentleman who doesn’t let his hormones rule over common courtesy and a proper courtship, Plagg was there to supervise the lovebirds (with a boatload of cheese to keep him company of course).

He likes to think of himself as laid back and chill who cares deeply about his kittens. And Adrien is a pure innocent little bean.

Don’t get him wrong. He does like Wayne as a person. The kid’s attitude and personality is a fun riot to witness. But the major plus is how it is beyond obvious Wayne adores and cares greatly about Adrien. He is a good boyfriend to his chaotic gay sunshine baby.

But after all the shit and drama that went down with his scumbag of a dad, Plagg was just feeling a tad protective of his kitty.

Just a tad.

They have been dating for close to a month now. He wonders if they are going to do a one-month anniversary. Is that excessive? Or was that normal? But Adrien still can’t get over how he landed such a hot and amazing guy as a beau.

If only he could go back in time to visit his insecure and confused little self and reassure him that they had game all along.

“Fuck. I lost.”

Dami smirked. “That makes it 7 to 5 in my favor.”

“I don’t care if you’re drop dead gorgeous. I’ll beat your pretty face in the next round.”

Hot-And-Sexy had an amused grin on his face. “I love you too, babe.”

Marinete and Damian are finally making a plan to get Hawk Moth to answer for his crimes. Needless to say, they have their differences on how to handle Gabriel Agreste.

“I vote to have Hawk Moth taste my blade.”

“We’re not killing Adrien’s dad no matter how much he deserves it.”

“I can get away with it.”

“So can I. But murder is still illegal.”

Naturally, discussing how to confront Gabriel and coming with a good solid plan that satisfies both teenagers took some time.

Adrien entered Mari’s room, humming a bit as he carried a tray filled with homemade snacks. He perked up seeing his two favorite people in the world getting along so well.

“Hey guys! What are you up to?”

Damian and Marinette glanced at each other for a split second. They didn’t want their Chaton to worry about Hawk Moth so they didn’t share any specifics.

It was Dami who spoke up. “We are discussing the legalities of assassination.”

Mari facepalmed.

Luckily, Adrien was a pure oblivious child. “That’s nice, babe.”

With all the strange things he’s seen (namely, the Miraculous and getting powers from tiny little talking animals), Gabriel will like to say he shouldn’t be surprised.

But he was.

Luckily, he had enough self-control to not show his surprise in an obvious way, just a raised eyebrow towards the two superheroes standing in the middle of his office.

“To what do I owe the pleasure, Mademoiselle Ladybug and Monsieur Robin?” Pleasant and neutral.

Ladybug he can kind of understand her presence. He is a supervillain after all. Wait. Maybe ex-supervillain now. Because he hasn’t been doing villain things for a while now since he misplaced Nooroo’s brooch and couldn’t find it no matter how many boxes of unsold Miraculous replicas he went through. And he went through a lot (that is not an understatement). Amazing how much free time he has when he isn’t stalking on the watch for negative feelings.

But what was Robin doing here? He wasn’t aware the Gotham sidekick was in Paris in the first place.

“We are aware of your alter ego, Hawk Moth.”

He sighed internally. This wasn’t going to end well. But he hasn’t gotten this far by bowing down easily.

“Just because I am a genius recluse does not mean I have supervillain tendencies.”

Ladybug was unimpressed as she crossed her arms and stare at him with a deadpan look. “But you do have supervillain tendencies. I have yours and Nathalie’s miraculous who told us all about your plans.”

Huh, no wonder he couldn’t find them.

But anyway, the gig was up. Nooroo and Duusu were very emotional blabbermouths. The main reason why he couldn’t let them out of his sight —besides needing them to transform into bad guys of course.

“Then you know I had a good reason why I became Hawk Moth.”

“To bring your wife back. Yes, I am aware of your ‘master’ plan.”

Maybe he can appeal to their sympathy. After all, heroes got to have empathy, right? “It was for Adrien’s sake to have his family back together.”

Apparently, that was the wrong thing to say.

Because next thing he knew he had a razor sharp sword against his neck. He didn’t even see Robin move.

“Do not speak of his name, you traitor scum.” The Gotham hero growled. “How dare you preach about your son’s happiness when you are the one who have been neglecting him for the past years. Do not say you care for the boy when you never once showed an ounce of love towards him.”

Why is Robin so protective towards Adrien? Do they know each other well?

But Gabriel’s questions were immediately banished to the back of his mind. Because right now, he was righteously fearing for his life. Prison sounded better than death. He glanced towards Ladybug. He knew she, at least, wouldn’t let him die. She was the picture perfect hero after all.

Who was facepalming at the situation. “For the last time, we are not killing Agreste.”

Unfortunately, Robin did not remove the sword. “And as I keep saying, no one will have to know.”

“I will. I am literally standing right here as a witness.”

“You may look away if you are squeamish.”

“...That’s not the problem.” It was time for Ladybug to pull out the big guns. “And if you go through with this, you will make your boyfriend cry and he will no longer want to date you.”

It took a few seconds but Robin eventually lowered the sword and addressed Gabriel. “Do not presume that because you have no received death today that you do not deserve it. The only reason why your guts have not decorated this room is because I do not wish to make my mon amour shed tears for such a despicable man.”

Ladybug spoke up next. “We are going to report you to the authorities. Robin and I have enough evidence to put you away for life.”

To live for another day, Gabriel makes the smart choice of quickly surrendering right then and there.

“Mon amour, I come bearing both good and bad news.”

Adrien looked at Dami confused. “Okay? What’s the bad news?”

“Your sister have unfortunately stopped my attempt to slay your wicked father.”

Aww.

Adrien’s squishy little heart filled with endearing fondness at how much Hot-And-Sexy cared about him.

“Killing my father isn’t worth going to jail, Dami. I’m sure you can pull off orange but Mari will probably bar me from ever visiting you to teach you a lesson.”

He considered that for a moment. “That is true. Marinette is a frightening terror.”

“She’s the greatest thing to happen to me.”Adrien swooned at his goddess before remembering his boyfriend was with him. “You’re a very close second.”

But Dami was smiling fondly. “I know. I knew what I was getting into when I asked you out. I will never get in the way between your sibling bond.”

Aww.

He could feel his squishy little heart almost explode from all this sugary cuteness from his vain and egotistical Adonis.

“You’re adorable. So what’s the good news you have for me?”

“Marinette and I have finally dealt with your father. He will answer for his crimes in front of the Parisian authorities and you will not deal with the repercussions of being related to someone as vile as he.”

“Does this mean I don’t have to legally change my name to Dupain-Cheng after all?”

“You’re already one. Not sharing their name does not make you any less of one.”

Adrien beamed, smiling brighter than any sun. He loved being part of the Dupain-Cheng family and it was nice to be acknowledged as one of them.

“Of course. Being a Wayne is an honor too.” Damian said casually as if he was simply talking about the weather. Only the twitch of his fingers belied his nervousness.

Adrien interlocked their fingers together. “You have to buy me a pretty ring first, Mr. Hot-And-Sexy.”

The next week was kind of crazy to say the least.

Gabriel Agreste was outed as Hawk Moth and Natalie as Mayura to the public. They were promptly put in jail.

For all their contingency plans, Marinette and Damian had nothing to worry about after all. Adrien being a literal sunshine and Paris’ darling model was what saved him from being a pariah and outcast. The public knew that Adrien was the victim here and not part of Hawk Moth’s plans at all (Be serious. Can you imagine Sunshine child actually having an evil streak in him? No? That’s right. Because it is impossible). People were more sympathetic about Adrien having such a douchebag as a father than the possibility that he was evil like said douchebag.

After that whole drama mess, Ladybug and Chat Noir announced their retirement to Paris’ dismay. But eh. Without akumas running around, they can leave Paris’ future to the police (since it’s you know, their job to keep the peace and not teenagers who is still winging it as they kick ass).

Marinette and Adrien just wanted to focus on their future without any other crazy shenanigans.

He already said it before. But it still bears repeating.

Lila Rossi is a bitch.

The only thing Gabriel did right was throw her under the bus when he was caught. He told the police and superheroes how Lila helped him cause akumas with her lies and manipulation. Who knew her destroyed reputation could plummet even further? Understandably, her mother was not at all pleased with her daughter’s antics.

For being a terrorist and an indecent person, Lila was immediately arrested and deported to Italy (and that’s the last they ever heard of her thank everything Mari thinks is holy).

With the whole Hawkmoth thing out of the way and he didn’t have to worry about his shitty dad ever again, Adrien can now focus on his biggest challenge yet.

School will be over in a few days and summer will be here. Which means: It’s time to finally meet the Waynes.

Oh fuck. He was going to meet the Batfam.

And even though Dami assured him that his family will like him, he was still nervous.

Fuck that. He was absolutely 100% freaking out!

Thank goodness Mari was coming along for the ride.

Taglist:

@iglowinggemma28

#ml x dc #ml salt #ml salt fic #lila rossi salt #alya cesaire salt #bustier salt #gaydrien #adrien is a hot mess #adrien agreste x damian wayne #adridami #adrien deserves better #marinette deserves better #bamf marinette #a 3.7K fic people #crack writing

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purrincess-chat · 4 years

Text

Song of a Caged Bird (Kagami Zine)

Hi everyone! I participated in the @kagamizine this summer, and the whole zine is out now! Please go check out the whole thing and show all of the creators some love because everyone worked super hard and all of the pieces came out amazing!

For my piece I decided to go with some girl squad bonding cause I want more of it in canon. Let Kagami have a group of loving gal pals!

Read on AO3

“Wait, you’ve never had a sleepover?”

Marinette’s jaw hung slack as Kagami took a slow sip of her juice and averted her gaze. The warm spring sunlight filtered through the trees, tiny birds flitting through the branches. Kagami envied them a little getting to spread their wings and fly away from home. A chance to be free. She turned back to Marinette and pursed her lips.

“I’ve never really been allowed to have friends. Even in Japan, I was always home training and studying,” she said, swirling her drink around with a frown. “My mother views such things as unnecessary and distracting.”

“But she let you be friends with Adrien and now me,” Marinette offered. She had a way of making anything seem positive. It was admirable, but unfortunately in this case, it didn’t work.

“Adrien is an elite fencing partner and potential suitor in her eyes. Nothing more,” she said. “And you’re…an exception. To keep me from rebelling, but even with us, the only time we’re allowed to hang out is to get juice once a week. This is my mother’s idea of friendship.”

“Well, maybe that can change. After all, you went from not being allowed to have any friends to being allowed to have at least one. Maybe she’ll have a change of heart,” Marinette said as a red car rolled up to the curb.

“I doubt it, but thank you, Marinette,” Kagami said, standing up and bowing. “If this is all I can have, then I will happily accept it. I’m glad to call you my friend.”

“Me too, Kagami,” Marinette said, hopping up to hug her goodbye. Kagami wasn’t usually one for hugs, but for Marinette, she made an exception. It felt nice.

“I’ll see you next week,” Kagami said, climbing in the car.

“Yeah. See you.” Marinette smiled though the sentiment didn’t reach her eyes.

She knew it must have been eating away at her. Marinette liked to help her friends after all, but there was nothing she could do. This would always be Kagami’s life. There was no way around it.

***

“Okay, girls, we have to do something,” Marinette said later that evening, pacing back and forth across her bedroom floor. “Kagami is all alone, and she’s never had friends before. She likes to act tough, but I can tell how sad it makes her.”

“Okay, but her mom is literally a huge brick wall. No way she just lets Kagami have a sleepover with us,” Alix said pointedly.

“Yeah, M. She’s ten times as strict and overprotective as Gabriel,” Alya added. “I get that you want to help Kagami, we all do, but in this case, I don’t think there’s anything we can do.”

“We’ve got to try! I’m sure we can get through to her mom if we ask really, really nicely,” she said, but when her friends didn’t seem convinced, she pressed her palms together. “Come on, please?”

“Okay, fine. We will help you talk to Kagami’s mom, but seeing as this plan is bound to fail-”

“It’s definitely going to fail,” Alix said.

“-we need to be ready with a backup,” Alya finished.

“What kind of backup?” Mylene asked, tilting her head to the side.

“Well, if her mom says no, which she likely-”

“Definitely,” Alix added.

“-will, we need to think of another way to help Kagami get to the sleepover,” Alya said, and Marinette quirked a brow.

“Are you suggesting-”

“Yep.” Alya’s lips curled into a crooked grin. “We’re going to sneak Kagami out.”

***

“Stand up straighter.”

Kagami tensed under her mother’s demand, but adjusted her posture nonetheless. She was used to her cold tone, and during practice, Kagami saw her more as a drill-sergeant than a mother. It was better to do as she was told without question. Even without sight, Kagami’s mother knew every wrong move she made. On most days, she’d push harder to get everything right, but today her mind wandered, replaying her last conversation with Marinette.

All her life, she’d done as she was told and never questioned. She’d let herself become numb to the patronizing voices and walled herself off from feeling. Never before had she paid much thought to making friends or playing outside – those things were luxuries Kagami couldn’t afford. Her days were spent training to be the best, so sacrifices had to be made, but all of that changed when she moved here.

When she met Adrien and Marinette.

Her friends.

When she was allowed to have fun for the first time - to be disobedient, even for a little while. Kagami had never considered such things before, didn’t dare. But like a child tasting sugar for the first time, once she had a taste, she wanted more. What made her so different from everyone else?

“Your form is sloppy today,” her mother said. “Perhaps you’re sluggish from drinking so much orange juice.”

“No, mother, I’m just a little tired, that’s all,” she said, squeezing her eyes shut to push the thoughts from her brain. Her vision blurred with hot tears as she ran through the maneuver again, but midway through, she faltered at the sight of her friends approaching her mother on the park bench.

“Um, hello, Mme. Tsurugi,” Marinette said when Alya pushed her forward.

“What is the meaning of this? Kagami, did you invite your friends to interrupt your training?” Her mother’s head snapped in her direction, and despite her mother’s lack of sight, Kagami shrank a little under her stare.

“No, mother. I didn’t invite them,” Kagami said, hoping to portray what a horrible idea this was to Marinette with a look. Still, she was touched that her friends would even try.

“She’s telling the truth, ma’am,” Alya interjected, and her mother tapped her finger on her walking stick with a frown.

“Why have you disrupted my private training with my daughter?” She snapped, and Marinette bit back a wince.

“Well, you see, ma’am, my friends and I are planning to have a sleepover tonight, and we were wondering if Kagami could-”

“No.” Her reply was clipped, final, leaving no room for argument, at least Kagami thought so, but Marinette squared her shoulders and took a breath.

“I know you’re very protective of your daughter, but she’s just a kid. She should be allowed to have fun every now and then,” Marinette said, and instant regret flashed on her face as her mother stood up.

“How dare you tell me what is best for my daughter! I am her mother, and she will do as I say!” Tomoe said, brandishing her stick like a sword, and her friends shrank back.

“Mother!” Kagami stepped in, batting the stick away with her boken. “Please, they are just trying to do something nice for me. They mean no harm.”

Her mother lowered her stick, but the tension remained in her shoulders. “Tell them goodbye, Kagami. We have work to do.”

“Yes, mother,” Kagami said, lowering her head as she turned back to Marinette. “I’m sorry, but I’m in the middle of training right now. I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”

“I understand,” Marinette said, pulling her in for a hug.

Kagami clung tightly, soaking up all of Marinette’s warmth in hopes of defrosting the cold ache surrounding her heart. Marinette’s hand slipped into her pocket, and she blinked in confusion when Marinette pulled away and winked. As the girls made their retreat, Kagami traced her fingers over the outline of a note, her heart skipping. The small slip of paper weighed heavy in her pocket throughout the rest of her practice until she returned home to her room and read its contents.

Pack a bag. We’ll pick you up at 9:30

Kagami sat back against her pillows, heart pounding. Her friends were either the coolest people in the world or the craziest, but she was already counting the seconds.

***

“I think we need a new plan,” Alix said as the girls stared up at the tall wall surrounding the Tsurugi estate that could rival Adrien’s or the local prison.

“I don’t suppose any of you brought a ladder or a set of wings,” Mylene said, and Marinette pursed her lips, desperately searching for a way over and coming up empty.

“Not only is that wall insanely tall, but Kagami’s family manufactures crazy technology. I bet their whole house is booby-trapped to keep intruders out and more importantly, keep Kagami in,” Alix said, crossing her arms over her chest. “It was a good idea in theory, but I think we should abort mission.”

“But we promised Kagami we’d come get her,” Marinette said, whipping around to face them when the walls refused to give up their secrets.

“Actually, you promised Kagami,” Alix shot back, and the other girls winces spoke to their agreement.

“Your heart is in the right place. It’s just not possible, M,” Alya said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

“Yeah, you’d need superpowers to be able to get inside,” Mylene said, and Marinette’s spine stiffened.

She spun around again to examine the wall then flicked her gaze down to her purse. It was risky, but…

“I’ve got an idea,” Marinette said, taking off up the street.

“Where are you going?” Alya called, and Marinette plastered on a suspicious grin.

“Uh, I might know a way to get Kagami out, but I’ve gotta run and get it, you girls stay here, I’ll be right back!” She said, dashing up the street.

“I know what you’re thinking, and it’s out of the question,” Tikki said, popping out of her collar as they rounded the corner.

“No one will suspect anything,” Marinette promised, but Tikki simply frowned.

“That’s not the point, Marinette! Your powers aren’t meant to be used for-”

“Selfish reasons, I know, but is this really selfish? I mean, my job isn’t just to protect the city from akumas. Part of being a hero means giving people hope, and don’t you think Kagami needs a hero right about now?” Marinette said, ducking behind a car. “My powers are meant to help people, and what good are they if I don’t use them to do just that?”

Tikki weighed it for a moment before sighing. “Okay, but just be careful.”

“I will,” Marinette said, brushing her cheek with a finger. “Tikki, spots on!”

***

Kagami glanced at the clock for the hundredth time, nerves bubbling in her stomach with each tick.

9:46

Her friends were running late. Maybe they weren’t coming at all. No, she shook her head. Marinette promised, and she was always true to her word. They would come. Kagami just had to wait, but as the minutes past, those worries turned to doubts. What if her mother had scared them away? What if they didn’t like her anymore? What if…

Tap tap tap

Kagami jumped at the knock on her window, surprised by the person dangling on the other side.

“Ladybug?” She blinked as she pulled the window open.

“Someone requested a taxi service,” the heroine said with a smile, and at Kagami’s bewildered expression explained, “I was out patrolling when I ran into your friends outside the gate, and when they told me what they were up to, I offered to help. So, are you coming?”

Kagami flicked her gaze down to her outstretched hand. She smiled, shifting her bag over her shoulder, and placing her hand in Ladybug’s without a second thought, and the world around them flew by as Ladybug leapt over the other side of the wall to her friends. To freedom.

The girls were waiting on the sidewalk, and Kagami teared up when their faces brightened at the sight of her. They’d all come after all. All of them, except for one.

“Where’s Marinette?” Kagami asked, glancing around, and Ladybug stepped away.

“Uh, I’ll go find her for you guys and tell her to meet you at her house,” she said, waving them on. “Have fun with your sleepover!”

“Thanks for your help, Ladybug!” Alya said.

“Yeah, you rock,” Alix added, and Ladybug smiled before shooting off into the rooftops.

Kagami found herself surrounded by bodies as the girls pulled her in for a tight hug. She could barely breathe, but in a weird way, it felt nice.

“We are going to have so much fun! We’ve got movies and games and face masks, oh! And Mr. Dupain baked us special personalized macarons, and-” Rose rattled on while they walked, and Kagami took in the buildings with new eyes.

She’d snuck out. She’d snuck out. The streets were dark, but they’d never been more vibrant in her eyes. Her limbs were lighter, coursing with adrenaline as the tall walls grew distant, and with each step, her smile grew wider. She wasn’t sure she’d ever smiled this much, and it was starting to hurt her cheeks. But she didn’t care. This was…fun.

When they made it to Marinette’s front door, the absent girl came rushing from the other direction, stopping in front of them to catch her breath.

“Girl, where were you?” Alya asked, placing her hands on her hips.

“Sorry…I was…fireman…ladder…it was… You’re out!” She extended her arms to Kagami who was finding that she really liked hugs.

“You’ll never guess who helped us bail her out of jail,” Mylene said with a wicked grin.

“Uh, yeah, she explained everything to me. We got really lucky that Ladybug passed by. My plan to borrow a fire truck ladder was a long shot,” Marinette said, rubbing the back of her neck. “But the most important thing is that you’re free, Kagami, and tonight is your very first sleepover.”

“Girls, I just took a hot pizza out of the oven,” Marinette’s father announced, opening the door, and Marinette and Alya took Kagami’s hands, pulling her inside.

Marinette’s home was warm as if the heat of the ovens below had seeped into the bricks. The air felt different, lighter, sweeter, and Kagami realized that the warmth inside wasn’t from an oven, but from the people who lived there. Kagami had many houses. There was one here in Paris and two in Japan, but she’d never realized before now that none of them felt like this. That she’d never truly been home.

“So, Kagami, if you and Marinette ever had to fight for Adrien, who do you think would win?” Alix asked a while later after they’d stuffed themselves on pizza and watched some cheesy movie about a teen girl falling in love with her neighbor, and Alya whacked her in the arm. “What?”

“Alix! That’s not-”

“Well, considering my years of training and expertise in several styles of sword fighting and archery, I could best her easily in any combat scenario, though I do suppose she might have an advantage in strength seeing as she has lifted heavy sacks of flour in the bakery for many years, but strength can only take an inexperienced fighter so far before skill becomes a necessity,” Kagami answered, and the girls all stared at her in shock.

Just when she was starting to worry that she’d said something wrong, she was blinded by the soft fabric of a pillow. She blinked up at Marinette who wore a mischievous grin and saw the other girls arming themselves. It was an odd ritual for friends to beat each other with pillows, but that’s what made it so fun (and in the end, Kagami did prove herself victorious with very minor damage to anyone which was a stark contrast to how most of her fencing bouts ended, and Adrien had the bruises to prove it).

They talked. They ate so many sweets that Kagami wasn’t sure she remembered how to move. She laughed so hard, her sides hurt. If all sleepovers were like this, she understood why Marinette felt it so important for her to attend. Every girl should get to have fun like this, even just once.

“Are you having a good time?” Marinette asked as she painted Kagami’s nails a sparkly ruby red.

“Yes,” Kagami said with a nod, studying her every move. “I’ve never had my nails painted before. They’re beautiful.”

“I can paint them for you whenever you want. Your mom never has to know,” Marinette said with a wink, and Kagami smiled down at her fingers, watching the light catch the color.

“Thank you for all of this, Marinette. I am honored to have friends like you,” she said, and the warmth in Marinette’s eyes bore the same sentiment.

“Maybe one day we can convince your mom to let you out for real, but until then, we’re always here for you, okay?” Marinette said, and Kagami couldn’t help it. She hugged her.

She couldn’t really describe how she felt, but nestled between her friends on the floor of Marinette’s living room that night, she knew it was a feeling she’d never forget. When her alarm went off at 5:30, she hadn’t slept a wink, but her mind was alive with excitement, replaying the night over and over and over. It was time to return to her home before her mother woke and found her missing, and despite the stiffness of the floor or Rose’s elbow jabbing her side, Kagami wanted to lay there for just a minute longer, surrounded by her friends.

“Hey, we have to get you home,” Marinette yawned, shaking her shoulder.

They left the other girls asleep and made their way out into the quiet streets where businessmen and women were heading to their favorite bakeries. Neither one said much, and Kagami wasn’t quite sure if Marinette was truly awake, but when they arrived at her house, Marinette turned to her with a smile.

“Sorry you have to leave before breakfast. My dad always goes all out,” Marinette said. “But I’m glad you got to come.”

“Me too. Thank you for everything.” Kagami bowed, but she hesitated in the gate, biting her lip. “I’m glad we’re friends, Marinette.”

Marinette’s sunny expression said she felt the same way, and Kagami replayed the evening as she made her way inside. She was already dressed and ready when her mother woke up and met her in the tatami room for morning meditation.

“You seem happy this morning, Kagami,” her mother remarked as she took her place beside her.

Kagami smiled down at her ruby red nails and thought of her friends.

“Yeah, I am.”

#miraculous ladybug #kagami tsurugi #marinette dupain-cheng #kagami zine #kagaminette #my writing #hiatus cat #thank you so much to the mods for hosting this #it was a lot of fun!

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bumblebeug · 4 years

Text

A Presentation to the Matchmaker Pt: 5 Confession

Well, here it is - the final part of A Presentation to the Matchmaker. It’s been a whole bunch of fun to write and marks the first finished multi-chapter story I’ve ever written. So I’m pretty Happy. Congratulations to those that correctly guessed who Marinette was going to confess too. I hope that even though I went full sappy for the ending, that you guys enjoy it.

Pt. 5: Confession

Monday

“You could send her dozens of flowers – she loves flowers. Has her own rooftop garden,” Alya suggested as she munched her way through a bag of chips.

“If she has a garden,” Felix began as he rolled an apple thoughtfully between his hands, “Then wouldn’t it be a better idea to give her a couple of potted plants?”

Alya gave him a flat look, “Are you seriously suggesting giving Marinette, the most accident-prone girl we know pottery?”

“Hmm.” Felix chewed thoughtfully, “What about seeds?”

“Too grandmotherly,” Alya sighed.

Tuesday

Alya crossed her arms over her chest, “Music? Are you serious?”

Felix patted down a couple of wild flyaway strands of hair and nodded earnestly, “Music is a way into a heart. You should know – your boyfriend is a DJ, right?”

“Yeah, but he didn’t ask me out through song. We were locked in a cage together by Ladybug and just… sorta hashed it out,” Alya pointed out.

Felix raised an eyebrow at her, “Are you suggesting I ask Ladybug to lock Marinette and I in a cage together to ‘hash it out’?”

Alya smiled in spite of herself, “Nah, too hard to track down a hero…I could lock you two in a closet together accidentally, if you know what I mean.”

The expression of open horror Felix gave her made her double over in laughter. After a minute, Alya straightened and wiped her eyes, “Haa, I’m sorry. I was joking!” She clapped her hand on his shoulder to prevent him from walking away. “Sorry,” she apologized again, “I mean it.”

Felix shook off her hand but made no move to leave, “Do you really think the music idea wouldn’t work?”

“No, no, it could work,” Alya said, “But music is tricky – it has to be from the heart or else it won’t be able to travel to another person’s got it?”

Felix nodded along as she spoke.

“I have no idea what that means,” he deadpanned.

Nino could have explained the concept better, she thought a little wistfully.

“You know what? It’s not important,” Alya hand-waved, “If you’re confident in this plan, then go for it.”

Friday

“Hey,” Alya greeted Felix at lunch as she passed by to go sit with Marinette, “Can’t stay and chat for long but, are you still feeling good about the plan?”

Felix picked at his scant lunch for a moment, “As ready as I think I can be. Is it still going to be in the music classroom?”

Alya nodded, “Yup. She doesn’t have a clue. Once the bell rings, I’ll make up some excuse and Marinette and I will walk there. You’ll be sitting quietly at the piano. I say I’ll be lookout. And then it’s confession time.”

“Got it.” Felix gave Alya a queasy smile and half-heartedly picked up a carrot stick, “Go sit with your group.”

Felix drummed his fingers on his desk and glanced at the clock for the umpteenth time.

To him, it felt like the seconds were actively resisting the march of time and, judging by the restless fidgeting of his classmates – he wasn’t the only one.

He brought a hand down to check that the paper in his pocket – the paper that contained the contents of his heart – was still safely where it was supposed to be. He peeked back at the clock and held back a groan, hardly two minutes had passed. Felix resumed drumming on his desk and tried not to stare a hole through the back of Marinette’s head. But Marinette must have felt the weight of his stare because she turned around and smiled at him.

He smiled back, pretending like she hadn’t been the focus of his attention, and tried to exude a nonchalant-ness that he didn’t feel. Encouraged by his smile, Marinette rolled her eyes towards the clock and back to him with a look that said the final bell is taking forever. In response to her eye-rolling, Felix quirked a brow in agreement, puffed out his cheeks and blew out a long breath. Felix couldn’t help the real smile that overtook his strained one at the sight of her eyes crinkling in amusement.

He was beginning to feel confident about the plan when the final bell rang, prompting two dozen people to spring to their feet in a race to leave school for the day.

Leaving just four people lingering in the classroom.

Felix sat frozen at his desk as he watched Adrien help Marinette gather her spilled bookbag, ignoring Alya’s frantic shooing gestures. Was this the moment? Felix thought, stomach squelching in panic. Was he going to witness Marinette confess to Adrien right in front of him?

Marinette’s face flushed as she grabbed a folder from Adrien’s hands, opening her mouth.

“You ready to go?” Alya asked Marinette loudly, startling Marinette enough to make her forget what she was about to say.

“Oh!” She jumped, clutching the folder to her chest. “Umm, no?” Marinette answered once she took a breath.

“I, uhh, have to talk to Felix about something.” She gestured loosely with her folder. “Uh… band stuff.” She added on. “You two go ahead – I’ll catch up later.” Marinette gave Alya a significant look that Felix didn’t understand – surely talking about band stuff wouldn’t take long.

But if the widening of Alya’s eyes was anything to go by, she understood exactly what Marinette wanted.

“Oh, uh, ok, right,” Alya stammered, giving Felix a brief wide-eyed look before snapping back into character, “Adrien! Want to see some exclusive new features I’ve just added to the Ladyblog?”

Adrien’s delighted expression was pure sunshine. “Sure!” He said enthusiastically, waving a cheery goodbye to Marinette and Felix.

Suddenly, four became two.

Felix racked his brains on how to maneuver them to the music room and tried to not hyperventilate. None of this was part of the plan! The music sheet was burning a hole in his pocket. How was he supposed to confess without a piano? He thought as he walked down the aisle steps, coming to a stop in front of Marinette. The answer came a beat later. A poem! He thought. All he had to do was read his song as a poem. That would work right?

“Marinette –”

“Felix –”

They said simultaneously and tried again.

“Sorry –”

They stopped once again.

Marinette’s giggle did nothing to placate the butterflies that had hatched in his stomach. Marinette motioned at him, “You go first.”

“Right, ok.” Felix stuttered. Swallowing hard, Felix carefully unfolded the music had he had agonized over writing for days and cleared his throat.

“Marinette.” He began before breaking off, concentration scattered by the sight of her curious expression.

“Marinette, I –”

This isn’t working, he realized as he tried to ignore the melody he had written and find his place, a song won’t cut it. Felix crumpled the sheet into a tight ball.

“Marinette,” Felix solidified his resolve and began for the third time. “I wanted to write you the perfect song – one that would make you feel soft and warm and loved, but,” He let the crumpled paper fall to the floor, “I failed. I can’t even read it to you.”

He reached to hold one of Marinette’s hands but his hand fell back to his side when he realized neither were free. “I’m not even sure that there’s a song in existence that could perfectly encapsulate how I feel about you. And –,” He cleared his throat, more nervous habit than need, “And I’m sure that I’m messing this up too because I’m sure I’m not appropriately conveying, in words, what you mean to me. But I like you. A whole lot.”

“And I hope, I hope what I’m saying is enough. That I’m enough.” he inhaled through his nose sharply and stared at the ceiling, unable to look her in the eyes at the moment. In a fit of bravery, Felix brought his eyes down to meet Marinette’s, “So, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, will you please go on a date with me?”

A long silence stretched out between the two of them. He braced himself for rejection – ready to take whatever she said head-on. But instead of rejecting him, Marinette pressed her folder into his hands. Unsure what to expect, Felix gingerly opened it. Felix’s lips trembled before breaking into a wide smile because, inside, sitting on top of a couple of sheets of facts and figures was a simple, unlabeled Venn Diagram that read:

------------

Well, that’s it guys.

Hope the ending wasn’t too, too predictable. <3

Part 4

Taglist!

@call-me-nerdy, @vivilakitty, @a-6-yearold-inside, @the-real-gingakid, @redscarlet95, @ashes-wind, @worlds-tiniest-spook-pastry, @kali-girlonfire, @aegyobutpsycho2, @gal-egg-xy, @kris-pines04, @bleeding-heart-romantic, @juhavs, @symwinter, @eva-emaria, @umiko9692, @7-sage-7, @northernbluetongue, @nightstarblue, @marinettepotterandplagg, @hauntedfreakdeputyhero, @greenishivy, @gal-egg-xy, @goblinwhoships, @risingmoonyue, @ladybug-182, @slyreader07, @bee-wrecker

#felinette #a presentation to the matchmaker #a presentation pt 5 #a presentation final #ml alya #ml marinette #ml felix #fanon felix #ml adrien #miraculous fanfiction #miraculous fanfic #miraculous fandom #miraculous au #marinette dupain cheng #alya cesaire #adrien agreste #felix culpa

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captainmeowvelwrites · 4 years

Text

You Times Two (Ch.8)

Pairing: Marinette/Ladybug | Adrien/Chat Noir Words: 3043 Summary: Ladybug knew this was necessary. She was the Guardian. He had the Cat Miraculous. But when his suit evaporated in a glow of pale green, she sure hadn’t expected him to have something far more precious: her heart. Cross-posted: AO3 and FFN

Chapters: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | ...

Recap: Previously, on You Times Two… Clumsy Girl fell hard for the sidewalk, sent macarons flying, and was starkly reminded of her feelings for Sonata the Hedgehog. Meanwhile, Jealadrien made his saucy debut, but blamed his funky stomach feels on his breakfast, and as he, Salami and Marimoo arrived at Alya’s front door, he unwittingly saddened our fav gal by mentioning his imminent date. Will envy run amuck during their gaming afternoon? And will Buginette get her feelings back on track? Read forth, my furiends, and find out!

---

Chapter Eight

Marinette stared down the scuffed floor of the stair landing, if only to hide the sting in her eyes and what it truly meant. She blinked – once, twice, thrice – and clung to the carton of macarons, so hard the cardboard let out a faint crack beneath her fingertips. She was waiting outside Alya’s apartment: the third wheel to a bicycle, soon to be the fifth to a quad bike. Not that she was mad. Well, not at Adrien.

She’d suggested a candlelit dinner. She’d told him to ask Kagami out properly. She’d planted the seeds in his mind. And God, if the night of Glaciator was anything to go by, she’d bet her earrings he’d planned the most swoon-worthy of dinners. Had he decided Kagami made him happier than Ladybug? Did he plan to make their relationship official? To make her his girlfriend?

Adrien’s polished shoes shifted from the corner of her eye. “Marinette?” The concern that coated his voice had her lifting her head. “Are—”

The apartment door squeaked open, and the familiar herbal scent of Marlena’s houseplants flooded the stairwell.

“Why hello, boy and girls!” Alya’s eyes zipped across the three of them. “Weiiird. It feels like we talked just seconds ago!”

Adrien’s eyes snapped ahead, model smile at the ready. “Hey, Al,” he said, readjusting the pizza boxes. “You took the words right out of my mouth!”

Kagami offered a little half-bow. “Thank you for welcoming me into your home.”

“S’all good, Kagami!” Alya's attention turned to Marinette, and her grin wavered.

"Uh - Hi, Al!" Marinette pasted on a smile. "I'm here on time for once!" Had her hands been free, she’d have whipped out some jazz hands for extra oomph.

Alya shook her head. “Dang, girl! You sick or something?” She stepped aside with a lively, “Come on in, squad. Shoes can stay on.” She eyeballed Adrien. “Being exposed to your shoeless feet once was enough for me.”

His ears reddened. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

The image of Plagg’s gooey Camembert squelching around in his shoes hit Marinette and suddenly, her smile came more freely. They had another joint patrol tonight. She’d have to ask him where he stowed it all.

They’d just crowded in the entry hallway when Nino bounded on up, his sneakers pounding on the parquet floor. “Hey, ma dude!” He threw an arm around Adrien, nearly bowling him over. “Thanks for keeping the pizzas away from Marinette.”

“Marinette was bluffing,” Kagami interjected, her lips splitting into an awkward grin. The corner of Marinette’s own mouth rose in recognition. “She led us up the stairs right after making her threat. She never intended to eat the pizzas without you.”

Two seconds ticked by as Nino and Alya bore witness to Kagami’s pearly whites. “Err,” Nino drawled, first to shatter the silence. “Riiight.” He pulled his trademark finger guns.

“Yo, Kagami!” Alya planted a hand on her hip. “Ready for the grand tour? Adrien, you might as well tag along.”

Marinette didn’t miss the scheming glint in Alya’s eyes as they swept from Kagami to Adrien, then her to Nino. “In the meantime, babe, can you give M a hand with fixing things up?”

Nino readjusted his cap. “You got it, Al.” He reached for the pizza boxes in Adrien’s arms. “I’ll take those off your hands, bro.”

The instant he did, Kagami took Adrien’s hand in hers.

“Alrighty, ladies and gents!” Alya nodded toward a lone door on her left. “Right there is the bathroom, where yours truly fabulizes herself every morning.” After a sassy flick of her fiery hair, she gestured to the pale wall on their right, which stretched to the far end of the apartment, its surface busied by tribal masks and animal paintings. “All those doors lead to the bedrooms, which brings me to the most important part of our tour.” The volume of her voice faded as she led the hand-in-hand couple past the kitchen, the dining room, the lounge – all open-plan – and through the furthest door. “Here is your royal highness’ room!” She shut the door behind them.

“So,” Nino drawled.

Only then did Marinette realise she’d watched Adrien every step of the way.

Or rather, his hand.

In Kagami’s.

She ripped her eyes from Alya’s bedroom door and threw Nino her most inconspicuous smile, hoping it was enough.

“Do you – uh – like triple cheese?” He jerked the pizza boxes a little higher in his arms. “Could I interest you in a slice? Or two. Maybe three. As many as you need.”

“Triple cheese sounds great.”

With a nod, Nino led her down the short corridor, around the corner and into the kitchen. Red overran her vision, a result of the dated cabinets that lined the wall to their left. He laid the three pizza boxes across the island bench, her carton of macarons soon joining them.

Flipping back the lids, the aroma of melted mozzarella and spicy pepperoni warmed the air. In a matter of moments, napkins layered the polished bench before them, and pizza sagged between their fingers. One bite of pizza and her troubles seemed just a little smaller. Two and they were melting like mozzarella in one of those nifty clay ovens.

A self-assured voice travelled through Alya’s door.

“—our first date – couple—”

Was Kagami talking about tonight?

“—no doubt – perfect—”

Marinette squinted, like that’d help her hear bett—

Splat.

A glob of mozzarella slid off her steaming slice and onto the bench.

“Hey…” Nino’s voice was oddly gentle, much like his eyes when she met them. “I’m sorry about my dude. He’s pretty clueless sometimes.”

“What? No, I just—” Her sight sunk to the bench, zeroing in on the glob of mozzarella. She plucked it up, dumped it on her napkin, and sighed. “Sorry. I’m trying to get over him.”

Nino offered her a smile of solidarity. “It’ll be okay, M.” He propped his arms upon the bench, eyes sinking to his pizza. “I figured he’d tell me if they were official, you know?”

“Um – They’re not official?”

“They’re not?”

Wait.

Did Nino not even know?

“Well, uhh…” She toyed with the edge of her napkin. “Adrien told me he didn’t think they were official yet, despite what people have been saying. But they are going out on a date tonight, so...” Any words thereafter only clung to her tongue, refusing to be given voice.

“Really?” His brows squished together. “When’d he say that? How’d this even come up?”

“Well, I left my backpack at school yesterday, so he dropped it off. I took the chance to congratulate him and – uh – that’s when he asked for my advice.”

“Man,” he murmured, cupping his chin, “maybe I should talk to him. See where his head’s at.”

Marinette tensed. “Ju-Just – If you do, please don’t tell him I said anything. I – I thought you knew. And besides”—the volume of her voice dropped in time with her eyes—“Kagami’s right. I hesitated. I had my chance – heck, I’ve had hundreds of chances – but at the end of the day, I just can’t seem to bring myself to tell him how I feel.”

Nino shifted closer on his barstool and set a hand on her shoulder. “Well, Marinette, sometimes the slowest turtles are the ones that win the race.”

Images of a green-clad superhero played in her mind’s eye. She couldn’t help but giggle. He’d made a great Carapace. Goodness, even now, without the Turtle Miraculous, he was still looking out for Ladybug.

And now that she thought about it, maybe there was a truth to Nino’s words that even he was unaware of. The bond between Ladybug and Chat Noir was second to none, built from a year of blind trust and friendship. If Chat Blanc was anything to go by, a sudden confession from her could end the world. Perhaps things were better this way.

Bunnyx sure seemed to think so. She knew Marinette was Ladybug. It wasn’t a stretch to assume she knew Chat Noir’s identity too. Even Hawk Moth’s. When Timetagger terrorised Paris, Bunnyx had hopped in and suggested through flailing hand motions that love between her and Chat Noir would be messy. Was that because of timing? Or were they just not meant to be?

“Well,” Nino tore her from her thoughts, “the slowest turtle usually wins the race… but not in Mario Kart!” He grinned, prodding a thumb over his shoulder, toward the living room. “Ready to eat my dust?”

There was a glint in her eye. “May the fastest turtle win.”

---

Their pizzas downed, Marinette and Nino made their way onto the immense L-shaped sofa. Thumbs soon flicked joysticks. Fingers scurried across tiny buttons. An upbeat soundtrack bounced through the TV speakers. On a particularly tight corner, Marinette’s character drifted by Nino’s in a flash of yellow and pink.

He growled, gripping the controller tighter. “How are you so good at gaming?!”

She threw her nose in the air, a twinkle in her eye. “Practice.”

Seconds later, a turtle shell crashed into her character, lurching Princess Peach into the air. She didn’t lose first place, but that didn’t stop her from pouting. “How do you keep hitting me?! You can’t even aim the green ones!”

Grinning, he pinched the brim of his cap. “Practice.”

To the left of the TV, Alya’s bedroom door eased open, and the queen herself peeked through the crack. Seeming satisfied by the sight of them gaming up a storm, she swung her door the rest of the way and sashayed into the living room, Adrien and Kagami in tow. The latter stopped to study the screen. “Who’s winning?”

Adrien didn’t miss a beat. “Marinette, of course.” He ducked past the TV, careful of obstructing their view.

Her breath accelerated in time with the music tempo as she commenced her final lap. It had absolutely nothing to do with Adrien claiming the empty spot to her right, the sofa sagging a smidge beneath his weight. Kagami was close behind, and despite the minimal leg room, she squeezed into the actual corner of the L-shaped sofa, right beside him.

“Dude,” Nino was screeching, “you have so little faith in me!”

“Sorry, Nino.” Adrien let out a little laugh. “I’m sure you’ll beat her one of these days.”

“You are so not helping.”

Alya plopped down beside Nino and planted a peck on his cheek. “At least you’re not far behind, babe.”

“No, but I will be if you keep doing that.”

Not even a minute later, Marinette sprung to her feet with her fists in the air. “YES! I win! Marinette style! Booyah!” With a second fist pump, she almost lost the controller to the ceiling—but she didn’t, ‘cause she was a winner. And of course, that warranted a fervid victory dance, so she did just that; her hands swept from left to right and back again as she chanted, “Uh huhhh! Oh yeahhh! I’m the best! Uh huh!”

Her theatrics were only urged on by the laughter that layered the air (around eighty five percent of which might’ve just come from a certain kitty cat).

Nino thumped a hand on the round coffee table ahead. “I demand a rematch,” he squawked, “on two hundred CC!”

Marinette spared her nails a cheeky glance. “Ha! You’re on, chump.” In the wake of her victory, she was well on her way to feeling normal again. “Let Master Dupain-Cheng show you how it’s done!”

True to her word, she pulverized him.

---

For the next half hour, chit-chat and banter filled the airy apartment, as the quintet savoured their fill of pizza. Four slices remained, tucked away in a cardboard box on the coffee table for Luka.

A four-player game of Mario Kart had ensued.

Marinette was winning.

Adrien was hot on her trail.

Alya and Nino were half a lap behind, after two run-ins with a certain yellow fruit.

And Kagami was keeping a curious eye on the TV, no doubt making mental notes for her first attempt next round.

“Ready, guys?” Adrien jumped to his feet. “Here it comes.” His character, a burly ape on a hefty quad-bike, was fast approaching a ramp. “Donkey Kong dab in three, two, one!” He dabbed in time with his character, complete with a dramatic grunt.

Marinette’s eyes remained on the screen, but that didn’t stop a smile from puffing her cheeks.

Nino, adamant that “whole body steering” was a legit strategy, unknowingly tilted into her personal space. “Bro,” he exclaimed, “was the grunt really necessary?”

“Absolutely,” Adrien quipped. “It elevates the dab to a whole new level—”

“Babe,” Nino cut in, now leaning right into Alya’s space. “What’re you doing? Get outta my way. Get outta my way. Get outta my—”

“Nu uh, Nini! Get your stupid dinosaur outta my—”

“Dude!” He thumped his feet on the floor like Gigantitan 2.0, and Marinette’s eyes flicked to his section of the screen just in time to catch the tail-end of his kart spinning. “Another freaking banana?!”

“Ha!” Adrien voiced, triumphant. “Yes. Peel the pain of my slippery secret weapon!”

Alya snorted. “The pain of your puns isn’t bad enough?”

“Just call me Banadrien.”

“Bro? You can’t think up something better than that?”

Marinette’s smile turned wry. “Don’t you mean something more apeeling?”

Adrien gave a hearty laugh. “See? M gets it.”

She narrowly escaped an explosive, green turtle shell. Since when did Adrien use that nickna—

Gasping, she clutched the controller closer.

A certain pesky primate had crept into the corner of her screen.

“No no no no no!”

“Yes yes yes yes yes!”

She shoved her thumb against the accelerator button, so hard a tiny circle was surely forming on her skin. “Adrien, get your creepy ape away from me!”

“That was the perfect opportunity for a Planet of the Apes reference. I am so disappointed in you!”

Adrien’s conniving cackles enlivened the room, but now was not the time to admire the unbridled joy in his voice, nor the throatiness of his chuckles. Her face scrunched as she wrestled with her thoughts. For goodness’ sake, Kagami was sitting right next to him!

Holding her breath, Marinette dared a peek at the silent girl. Kagami’s hand cupped her chin, her eyes set on the screen. She eased her head onto Adrien’s shoulder—

Princess Peach zoomed straight over a poorly concealed banana peel, the wheels of her kart skimming the track with a dizzying spin.

His pesky monkey shot straight past and—

“NO!”

“YES!”

Kagami placed a hand on Adrien’s knee, which had bobbed wildly for most of the race. “Well done, Adrien,” she praised, patting his knee twice.

“It’s not over yet,” Marinette declared.

The music amped up, Adrien now in the lead and commencing his third and final lap. Marinette was close behind.

Alya unleashed a throaty groan. “Adrien, you and your bananas are driving me cray!”

“Dude! How many do you have?!”

Adrien sniggered. “I’m gonna hazard a guess and say a bunch.”

“But how?!” Nino screeched.

“I guess you could say they were ripe for the picking.”

Marinette rolled her eyes. “Gosh, Banadrien! Stop distracting me with your lame puns!” From her peripheral vision, she caught his grin inch wider. He leaned well within her bubble and her Chadrien Alarm™ blared like an air horn.

“Now you’re just hurting my peelings.”

Her heart thundered in her ears. She didn’t trust herself to speak. No, instead she elbowed his gut, which only encouraged another laugh. Suddenly, she was laughing too.

That is, until she glimpsed Kagami’s thumb shift a smidge atop the black denim of his jeans. Her hand hadn’t left his knee.

“M, you’re falling behind!” Alya cried, snapping her to attention. “Quick! Cut corners!”

“Find shortcuts!” Nino added.

“Run him off the track!” said Alya. “You don’t want him banana punning for the rest of the day, do you?”

Marinette giggled. “Shouldn’t you be taking your own advice?”

“Girl, we’re a lap behind.”

“Yeah, we’re just cruisin’ at this point. You’ve still got a chance!”

Marinette honed in on the TV. His quad bike was up ahead. Only half a lap remained. Things weren’t looking good, but that’s never stopped her before.

Her tongue peeked through her lips.

“Oh! Oh!” Alya made an exaggerated gasp. “She’s got her game face on, boys and girls!”

“She’s catching up!” Nino cheered.

They were right. So maybe if she really dug in and focussed—

“Say yellow to my triple bananas!”

Three slippery suckers clustered behind Adrien’s motoring monkey. He released the first.

She dodged it.

He let loose his second.

Another dodge.

The third.

Yet another dodge-a-roonie.

“You really aren’t living up to your nickname, Banadrien.” With a satisfying jingle, her character rocketed through a mystery box—but suddenly, she was whirling at the hands of a despicably well-placed banana. “WHAT!?” Her eyes bulged.

“You were saying?” He sent her his signature wink.

She sputtered—for words or air, she couldn’t be sure. That sly cat! Had he planted that sucker on their previous lap?

Donkey Kong whooshed over the finish line.

Nino and Alya’s jaws dropped in unison, their gasps rocking the room.

“Yea-hea-heah!” Adrien launched to his feet, Kagami’s hand falling from his knee, though the smile on her lips was as apparent as his excitement. He whipped out a fervent victory dab—once more in sync with his character. “Beat you by a banana split second. Adrien style!” With dramatic flair, he threw Marinette some dual finger guns. “Booyah!”

She burst into a fit of laughter. Gosh, if this was the price to pay for losing to her partner, she honestly couldn’t complain. “Next—“ She wheezed. “Next round I will reign victorious!”

His shoulders shook with his every snicker. “Seems our Gamer Princess is salty she got dethroned!” He flashed a smirk and suddenly, all she saw was her cheeky kitty. All she felt was a fierce thumping in her chest. And all she could do was beam up at that face and those eyes and the pure joy that sang within them.

Why yes, she’d been dethroned.

And if he acted like this every time, she’d lose again in a banana split second.

#ml fic #miraculous ladybug #you times two #adrinette #marichat #ladynoir #ladrien

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blueishfood · 5 years

Text

Her handsome boy, (Chapter 3)

Pairing: Adrienette, Ninya (in the background)

Words: 1 k

Warning(s): Swearing

Summary: Alya, Marinette, Nino and Adrien are seniors (18 y/o) and as Marinette, biker girl supreme, discovers Alya’s crush on the music-nerd Nino Lahiffe she starts to question if she also has a crush on a certain goody-two-shoes-boy.

A/N: This is a short one. Sorry for the late update, enjoy!

Prolouge

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Marinette smiled to Max as he stepped off her bike and gave her back the spare helmet.

“Thank you for the ride, Mari.” He smiled bashfully, straightening his shirt. They were standing outside the giant house of his childhood and not for the first time Marinette wondered just how rich his parents were.

“It’s no biggie.” Marinette grinned and rested a hand on his shoulder. “A piece of advice though?” Max nodded for her to continue, hoisting his bag further up his shoulder.

“Don’t let Chloe get to you, she does it because she envies you.” Max laughed and shook his head. He apologized for the outburst but regarded Marinette with disbelief.

“Why would she ever envy me?” He asked, gesturing to his appearance. Marinette brought her helmet back on.

“You give yourself way too little credit, Max. You’re smart, a genius if I do say so myself. Who wouldn’t envy that?” With a flick of her wrist, Marinette started her bike and then tipped it so that the leaners were out of the way. Max smiled but didn’t say anything.

“Also,” Marinette added as she kicked off, “You’ve got Kim wrapped around your finger!” Marinette giggled as she saw the embarrassed expression on Max’s face. She turned up the speed and didn’t stay to watch as he hurried back into his house, a red blush creeping up his neck. After teasing him about Kim for ages, she knew his reaction by memory.

Stopping back at the school, Marinette sighed as she pulled of her helmet. She wasn’t planning on staying the rest of the day. Beyond the reputation of being a bad girl, Marinette did keep up with her studies, but for once, she really wanted to avoid everything about school, Chloe included. Sprinting back to her locker only to grab her bag, books and a few other essentials, she didn’t intend on encountering the one and only Adrien Agreste.

Now that was a sight for sore eyes.

The young blonde stopped at the sight of her, his eyes growing big. He quickly hid his surprise by smiling politely.

“I thought you left with Max, Marinette.” His eyes were alighted with friendly curiosity. She knew he had a crush on her, but he was obviously trying to tone it down to make her more comfortable.

How sweet.

Marinette leaned back on her locker, closing the door in the process and grinned up at the boy before her.

“I did.” She answered, absentmindedly picking at her fingernail. It wasn’t polished, thank god.

“So, uh, you came back for class?” Adrien asked, his head cocked to the side. Marinette shook her head.

“No, I came back for these. And school is almost over anyways.” Adrien nodded at her answer, his eyes looking for something on the blue locker behind her he didn’t seem to find.

When the blonde blushed even before he opened his mouth, Marinette knew what his next question was going to be. She stopped him by putting her finger to his lips.

“Yes, I would like to go out with you. Not later, I’d rather go right now. I have a bike, you down?”

Adrien stared slack-jawed at her. His gaze fitted between the door to the classroom and her eyes. His eyes turned sadder as seconds went by. He looked just about to turn her down when Marinette poked her finger to his chest.

“Come on, what are you afraid of, Agreste? Don’t you know how to have a little fun?”

“I don’t-” Marinette rolled her eyes and poked him again. He shrunk away from her jab, but a smile was creeping up on his face.

“You only get this chance, model. I’m a busy gal.” She tilted her chin upwards and grinned. “I promise to only bite a little.”

Marinette waited until he nodded before she grabbed his hand and dragged him out the doors. The parking lot was empty of life, all students occupied in their studies. But oh, would she love to rub this in Chloe’s face.

Biting her lip to keep back a smirk, Marinette handed her spare helmet to Adrien and took her seat on the cycle. She watched as Adrien placed himself behind her, hands on her hips and eyes trained on the back of her helmet.

The cycle came to life under her with a roar, Marinette grabbed Adrien’s arms and put them thoroughly around her waist. His chest pressed against her back.

“Wouldn’t want the handsome boy to fall off, now would we?” She shouted over the hum of the motor and rolled out of the parking lot without waiting for a reply. She made sure to slow down just a bit outside the classroom she presumed Chloe was in at the moment and laughed as she sped up again.

“Did you just-?“ Adrien asked, obviously noticing her evil plan. Marinette laughed loudly.

“That was the little bite!”

As they soared away from the school, Adrien visibly relaxed. Marinette could feel his arms that were previously tight around her loosening just a little bit. He leaned when she did, and Marinette liked the thought of being trusted by someone she had only just met.

The wind ruffled the hair that she did not have room for in her helmet, and Marinette wished she could take it off entirely. She loved the feeling of the wind recklessly caressing her face. It was a call of danger, an easy escape from the life she lived in.

They sped past the city and Adrien was sure they were moving way past the speed limit.

His father was going to kill him for this. Going off with a girl he just met, what was he thinking? Adrien couldn’t help it. The girls he modelled with were great, possibly perfect in the media image, but Marinette… Every part of Marinette put him on fire.

The logical part of his brain told Adrien to tighten his arms around Marinettes waist. But somewhere deep inside was a call to let go. To stay in the moment and live in the danger.

This, Adrien was sure, was what freedom felt like.

------------------------

A/N: Next up: The date!

Chapter 4

Taglist: @rhi2018 @thevixentimelord @mkiahb @dont-panic-to-much @nii-facedaingeal @our-cool-jenny @miraculousbuebird @coccinellegirl @littlebluewhalen @http-mitch @sarsoora55 @legitsadness

#mlb fanfic #mlb au #mlb fandom #miraculous ladybug #chat noir #marinette dupain cheng #adrien agreste #alya cesaire #Nino lahiffe #fanfiction

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thenovelartist · 5 years

Text

A Coat that Binds

@disorganizedkitten, I’m your Confidential Cupid! :D So, I have some LadyNoir as well as some protective gal pal moments here for you ;) Hope you enjoy.

With the taverns he frequented masked as Chat Noir, bar fights were a common sight to Adrien. It wasn’t as though the most notorious pirate of the seven kingdoms would be visiting high class establishments. They usually were the kind filled with low class ruffians and poorly clad women throwing themselves at him in hopes he’d share a little of his spoils.

So when a woman dressed in a red coat, looking presentable as ever, walked into one of the aforementioned disreputable taverns, of course he would pay attention.

He may be a pirate, but he was raised as the child of a high-ranking naval commander. Morals and values and preserving women’s virtues were high on his list.

The woman looked around the room, clearly searching for someone. But as expected, she was quickly approached. He was a burly man whose leer made it very clear what he wanted from her.

Adrien sat at the edge of his seat, watching the scene from the corner of his eye in an attempt to not look overly interested. It was all he could do to not take her by the arm, pull her outside, and tell her that this tavern was no place for a lovely lady.

Thankfully, she wasn’t naïve enough to accept his advances despite being naïve enough to walk in here in the first place. Chat caught the tail end of him asking her to go upstairs with her. Thankfully, she was having none of it.

He backed her up to the bar, and Adrien was one step away from taking the guy by the neck and throttling him. But the woman shocked him along with everyone else in the bar when she flipped around, yanking the half-empty bottle of liquor straight from the bartender’s hand and smashing it into the guy’s head.

Adrien fell in love with her right then.

If that wasn’t enough, she held the neck of the bottle with the jagged edge against the man’s neck. “Leave. Me. Alone,” she growled.

Fierce little thing. Adrien grinned. He just fell a little more.

The burly man’s face was cut to pieces, blood trails dripping down his neck onto his shirt, but he didn’t seem to notice. Instead, he reached for the girl’s neck, ignorant to the fact she was holding broke glass at his own.

Before the man could grab her, Adrien took a chair and knocked him out cold.

The girl in the pretty, red coat turned to him, allowing him to see that her eyes were a lovely shade of blue.

“Forgive me, princess,” he purred, tossing on his signature cattish grin. “But it seemed you could use a little rescuing.”

Her brow furrowed in confusion. The pout on her lips was adorable, but it proved that she was far too naïve to be walking around without someone, particularly a male, with her. Meaning Adrien had a good excuse to escort her out of here and to wherever she should be. “What brings you here, anyway?”

She scowled at him, and for a moment, he thought she would refuse to answer. “I was looking for a friend, but it’s clear he’s not here.”

“Maybe I could help you find your friend. This cat is actually an expert at finding people.”

She looked him up and down before meeting his gaze again. “You’re not a cat.”

It drew a round of laughs, but something didn’t sit right in Adrien’s stomach. “I’m the great pirate Chat Noir, my lady.”

Something sparked in her eyes, and he wasn’t sure he liked it.

“Stay away from me, pirate.” And with that, she marched out of the tavern.

He followed her, of course, but she’d disappeared. However, one thing was for certain: he had to meet this girl again, and he had to woo her. No other girl would ever do.

…

“Just so you know, Marinette,” Alya began as they walked around the market. Where in the seven kingdoms they were, they weren’t sure, but when Rose wanted to see the spoils of a market, they went to see the spoils of the market. “The next time you decide to go off looking for Luka alone, I’m going to trap you in a net until you know better.”

“Yeah,” Mylene agreed. She shifted her head covering to further protect her face from the mid-day sun. “We were really worried about you.”

“And Luka can take care of himself,” Juleka, Luka’s younger sister, added. “He didn’t need you to go looking for him.”

“That may be so,” Marinette said. “But after he almost got caught after losing his coat, I don’t want to take any more chances.”

No one could disagree with her there.

There was a clamor of commotion coming from behind the four girls. While Mylene immediately suggested they escape for the day—she never liked being surrounded by people—there was one little catch.

Mainly, two of their group were missing.

“Alix,” Alya growled. “I swear if you started something again, I’ll—”

Unfortunately, Alya did not need to finish that sentence. Said girl stood between Rose and some big, fat merchant.

Marinette growled. Why did she have to face off big guys lately? She may not be anything extraordinary but she did feel the need to protect her friends, something much easier to accomplish when the men weren’t twice her size.

She looked around, desperately searching for a weapon. She smirked at the broken pot behind another merchant’s stand.

She always used the weapon as a last resort, and a man reaching for her friend’s coat counted as a dire emergency. Marinette had no choice but to break her weapon over the man’s head.

The pottery cracked, knocking the man down long enough for Alix, Rose, and Marinette to run. They had overstayed their welcome, it seemed, and now it was time to go.

“Get back here!” someone shouted, which only caused the girls to run faster through the crowd. Marinette lagged behind, constantly searching for whatever object might become useful should the man catch up to them. Their main priority was to get back to the water front while not being followed.

They were so close to being free, but Marinette always found that this form made her little clumsier than her other one. She tripped over something, crashing headlong onto the ground and sliding to a stop.

“Gotcha.”

Fear pulsed though her as she looked up to see the man reaching for her. Only for a sword to block his path.

Startled, Marinette looked up to see who held that sword, and her gut instantly sank. Because she recognized that blonde mess of hair and black outfit.

“Chat Noir,” the fat merchant said, jaw on the ground as he quickly backed up.

“What seems to be the trouble here?” Chat Noir asked, a taunting smirk on his face.

“This,” the merchant gestured to Marinette, “wretch bashed me over the head after her friends were caught stealing.”

“They weren’t stealing!” Marinette quickly countered. Could she say she knew it for a fact? No. But she knew her friends, and while Rose and Alix were sometimes too nosey and curious for their own good, none of them could be accused of stealing.

“There, you see?” Chat Noir said, flashing the merchant a smile before leaning down to offer a hand to Marinette.

Marinette hesitated before taking his hand. He was a pirate. Pirates could not be trusted. That was a lecture she knew she would heed. However, in this one instance, she felt safe enough in at least letting him assist her to stand again.

The merchant sputtered. “What do you mean?”

“I mean that my Ladybug would never lie.”

Her eyes widened slightly, but he just smiled at her. “Go on, my lady. I’ll be waiting for you.” He sent her a wink.

She didn’t necessarily know what that meant, but she did see the opportunity to escape while Chat Noir chatted effortlessly with the merchant.

So that was exactly what she did.

Her friends were waiting for her, still in human form, as she ran to the water.

“Where were you?” Alya asked, clearly worried.

“I tripped, that’s all,” Marinette dismissed. “Now, come on. I’d like to forget this day ever happened.”

“Yeah,” Alya agreed. “Next time we go to a market, could we not anger the fat man?”

“Yeah, that’s the second time in a row,” Mylene added.

With a snort, Alix tossed her hands in the air. “It’s not my fault he didn’t like us looking at his trinkets.”

“I’m sorry,” Rose said.

Alix instantly softened. “It’s not your fault, Rose,” she assured. “He was being rude. I think you had every right to pick up the trinket.”

“Well, nevertheless,” Marinette interjected, “Could we just get back home?”

None of the girls could disagree. One by one, her friends dove into the water, each of them transforming. As she hit the water, Marinette couldn’t help but let her thoughts linger on a certain pirate with a strange name. That was twice he’d helped her. Which to her, that was extremely odd.

Weren’t pirates supposed to be the scum of the sea?

…

Normally, Adrien didn’t care what kind of animals followed his ship around. It didn’t matter. However, this particular seal had decided to linger for nearly a month now. He couldn’t help but think that the little red and black seal deserved a name.

“Morning, Tikki,” he hollered down at it.

The seal even looked up at him as though it could answer. He had to laugh. “The sea looking good today?”

That’s when the seal dove down to hide.

But it came back.

For two months straight.

…

“Marinette! Wait.”

She sighed. So much for sneaking out without being noticed.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“Yeah. You’ve disappeared a lot lately.”

“Why are you so secretive?”

The questions came rapidly from her friends. So quick Marinette didn’t even have the time to answer a single one.

Not that she particularly wanted to. Where she was going and what she was doing would probably convince Alya to actually complete her favorite threat.

“Tell us, girl!” Alya finished.

By now, Marinette was staring at her five closest friends, their expressions varying from concerned to irritated. As much as Marinette didn’t want to tell them where she was going, the last thing she wanted was to lie. She just couldn’t bring herself to do it.

“I,” Marinette said, hoping her cringe wasn’t evident. “I might be going… to meet… someone.”

That was all it took for those five girls to start bombarding her with a whole new set of questions.

“Who is he?”

“Do we know him?”

“Is he handsome?

It wasn’t until Marinette managed to dodge all of their questions that Marinette was released to go meet her mystery man.

She knew her friends were irritated with her for not telling the whole truth, but she didn’t lie. Not even about going to meet a guy. Because today, after three months of following the Cataclysm around on the sea, her curiosity had finally gotten the better of her.

Today, she was going to meet Chat Noir out on land.

Her heart was racing with excitement. And nervousness. She knew she was taking a huge risk. She knew it. She also knew her friends would strangle her if they knew she was going up on land alone. However, she just had to meet him. He wasn’t like any of the other pirates of the sea. He was kind and had the nicest laugh.

He’d named her and called her his good luck charm. Surely, he wasn’t the average pirate.

She arrived at the town she knew he’d be in. He always came to this market and only this one, but to confirm it, she searched for his ship. When she spotted it docked at a harbor, she relaxed. Now, to get on land.

She found a secret spot to transform. With a flash, she stepped out of the ocean, her skin shedding to reveal a thinner one underneath while her first skin wrapped around her in a coat. She still wore the clothes that she’d had on last time she stepped out of land, meaning she wouldn’t garner odd looks or unwanted attention.

It also meant she could immediately begin her search for Chat Noir. Considering it might very well take all day and she still might not be successful, getting started as soon as she could was an absolute must.

…

Adrien wandered the markets, looking for supplies. Being out in broad daylight didn’t quite bother him. At least, not at this market. He had to be careful where he showed himself, but since he thwarted the assassination of some high-ranking noble, he’d been given free-reign here.

It wasn’t exactly intentional. More of a pure coincidence that there had been a large bounty on the assassin’s head and Chat Noir had taken him out right before he could finish his kill. Really, it was a right-place-right-time situation.

“Miss, are you going to buy anything or not?”

Adrien glanced over to see what the shopkeeper was yelling about, only to do a doubletake. Standing in front of him was the most gorgeous woman he’d ever seen in his life, the one he swore would only ever do.

And right now, she was cowering under the gaze of the shopkeeper, a pretty trinket held against her chest as though she’d been frightened. Slowly, she unfurled herself from her cowered position, only to glance sadly at the trinket before putting it back.

But Adrien wouldn’t have it.

“Here,” he said, tossing a large coin in the shopkeeper’s direction.

The man barely caught it, but Adrien didn’t pay much attention. Instead, he was looking at the woman who was looking at him. With a grin, he pushed the trinket back up to her. “For you, milady.” He sent her a wink, hoping to get a blush out of her.

Instead, she tilted her head at the action. However, she did blush as she held the trinket close. “Thank you.”

“Of course,” he said, his smile growing. “Tis a pleasure to see you again. Do you visit the market often?”

“On occasion,” she said. “But usually not alone.”

She was alone today? He had to work hard to shove down the satisfactory grin that threatened to bubble up at any moment. “Well, then, I see it my duty to escort you around. I simply cannot let such a lovely young woman walk around alone.”

Finally, there was a blush on her cheeks that caused his heart to pound with pride. “Then I suppose I can’t refuse.”

…

“I can’t believe you’re still seeing him!” Alya said, shaking her head in bewilderment.

Marinette hadn’t been able to keep her secret for long. After a full month, Alya finally dragged the truth out of Marinette. Which meant that fire rained down on her.

An impressive feat considering that they lived in the sea.

“I understand your doubts,” Marinette admitted. “But he’s wonderful and kind and charming and thoughtful and—”

“Whoa, slow down there, princess,” Alix interrupted with a smug grin.

Marinette could only glare at Alix. However, Rose was close enough to smack Alix’s shoulder. “Let her be!” she scolded. “I, for one, think it’s utterly adorable!”

“Of course, you would,” Alix mumbled.

“You have to admit,” Mylene spoke up. “That this Chat Noir has treated her really well for being a pirate.”

Seeing that her point was made, Marinette gestured wildly at Mylene. “Thank you!”

“Girl, we just want you taken care of and safe,” Alya spoke up again. “Don’t blame us for being a little concerned.”

At that, Marinette sobered. As she thought of it, she realized she would do the same to any of her friends if they found themselves in her situation. They were all very close and protective of each other. Was it wrong of them to be worried about her?

“I’m sorry,” Marinette said, the fight being drained out of her. “I guess I just… got excited about everything.”

Alya’s expression morphed to something soft before she grabbed her friend in a tight hug. “We just love you, that’s all. And we want the best for you.”

Within moments, Marinette was the center of a group hug, all her friends’ murmuring their agreements.

Marinette returned the hug as best she could. “Thank you, girls,” she said. “You’re the best friends a selkie could ask for.”

…

Marinette was up past her head in trouble.

Her coat was gone, leaving her feeling bare despite wearing a blouse that was a little too large for her and a skirt that she’d ripped when the captain of the ship she was trapped on dragged her down into his bedroom.

It was all her fault. She’d been so careless. It had become her favorite past-time to swim beside the Cataclysm, the ship owned by the man she swore was the love of her life. Chat Noir was the only pirate she could ever call trustworthy and kind. He showed her respect on land, but what she noticed was he even treated the sea creatures with respect. There was one time he’d caught a seal in his nets when fishing, and instead of calling it a meal, he’d cut it loose and smiled at it as it swam off.

It was the action that left all her friends admitting that maybe Chat Noir wasn’t such a terrible pirate after all. It at least got them to calm a bit about Marinette’s insistence on seeing him every chance she could.

He was always a perfect gentleman with her. It had been a year now that she had been scouting out his ship, waiting for whenever it would dock and allow her the chance to spend time by his side. He always made her feel treasured. He was never greedy with his money, instead throwing it at merchants whenever she found something pretty. She now harbored a collection hidden away in a secret grotto.

She suspected that Alya may be jealous of some of the trinkets considering the way she eyed them.

However, all of that seemed distant as her fear overtook her. Pirates were the ones that she was warned to stay away from while she was taught that the Royal Navy sailors weren’t too dangerous. But Marinette begged to differ. She’d been caught in one of their nets while trying to get to the Cataclysm, which hadn’t been that far off. Instead of letting her go free, the captain deemed her his prize. Marinette knew enough about human males from her time on land with Chat Noir to know that a man deeming her his “prize” meant “having his way with her”.

And that gleam in his eyes had terrified her.

There was a commotion on the other side of the doorway, shouting and screaming and the sound of metal against metal. And then the door handle jiggled.

A new wave of terror filled her as she searched to find anything that would allow her to defend herself.

She reached for a metal lamp just as the door burst open, but it wasn’t the captain who entered.

Her heart fluttered in shock as she took in his black attire, and the lamp fell from her hands. “Chat Noir.”

He looked as surprised as she did. “Ladybug?”

At the sound of her nickname, she ran into his arms. He instantly embraced her, tucking her against his chest protectively. “What are you doing here?” he asked, stroking her hair affectionately. “Are you okay?”

No. She was most definitely not okay. She was trapped and the captain wanted to use her for his personal pleasure and-and-and—

“He took my coat.”

��I’ll get you a new one,” he quickly said.

“No,” she said, biting her lip. “No, you don’t understand. I have to have my coat.”

He pulled away just enough to look her in the eye. “It’s not worth it,” he said. “Leave it be, I’ll get you a—”

“No,” she interrupted. “No. You don’t… I can’t… I have to have that coat. You don’t understand what I am.”

His brow furrowed, which caused her gut to sink. Never once did she tell him that she wasn’t human. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she realized it would come out one of these days, but she never thought she would be so worried about his reaction. “What do you mean? What you a—” He stopped short, his eyes widening.

“I’m a selkie,” she confirmed. “I’ve always met you on land, so you wouldn’t have any reason to believe it. But that’s why I need my coat so badly. I…”

He looked at her a while longer before shaking his head. “Okay. It’s okay. I’ll find your coat. Just stay here. I will come back for you.”

“Promise?” Her voice came out soft and weak and uncertain.

He looked at her, his green eyes turning hard. Despite his expression being fierce, it was with a certain gentleness that he pulled her close and pressed a kiss to her temple. “I will be back,” he repeated on a whisper. “I promise. Stay here, out of the fighting, please.”

Her heart was pounding in her chest so hard that it was difficult to say, “okay.”

He pulled himself away, and with one last meaningful glance, he rushed out the door.

Before she could fall over, Marinette found a place to sit. While her heart was pounding with the fear that someone other than Chat was going to burst though that door at any minute, her mind was reeling from the kiss. She reached up to touch her temple, and a smile crossed her lips at the thought of his kiss.

She needed to pull herself back down to earth.

His entrance the second time still scared her as much as the first. Relief flooded her when she realized it was Chat, her coat in hand.

She gasped happily, reaching out for it, but she quickly pulled her hand back. He gave her a smile that momentarily caused her to forget why she’d pulled her hand back in the first place. Only when she realized he was about to wrap her up in it did her mind start working again. Backing up, she cried for him to stop.

He froze in place, though he looked worried. “What is it?”

“You have to know,” she warned, looking at the man she loved, “the lore of selkies.”

His brow furrowed. “The lore of selkies?”

She nodded. “If… if you give that back to me, I’ll become completely and totally besotted with you.” She’d heard that it was as though a magic spell would be cast over her and she would have eyes for no man other than him.

Slowly, a wide grin stretched across his face as he continued to approach her. “Are you okay with that?”

Her heart thumped oddly in her chest. “Wh… what?”

“Are you okay with being besotted with me?” he asked. “Because frankly, miladybug, I’m pretty besotted with you already.”

Again, her heart did an odd dance while her stomach twisted into shy knots. “And are you okay that I kinda lied?”

His brow furrowed again as he took a half step back. “Lied?”

She opened her mouth to speak, but the words were difficult to come by. It was only because of the banging and screaming above that reminded her that they trapped on a ship that words suddenly appeared on her tongue. “Returning a coat is also a selkie marriage custom.”

His eyes seemed to widen at that. She couldn’t blame him. Of course, it would scare him. He was a pirate. And pirates flirted with women, not married them.

Her eyes sank to the ground as she took another step back. “I’m sorry. Just drop the coat on the floor and I’ll pick it up and—”

She froze. He’d come very close to her; she could feel it. She opened her eyes, only to confirm that his boots were right before her, and when she looked up, she noticed his arms were around her, ready to drape the coat over her shoulders with her say so.

Her eyes locked on his, and she felt herself warm as a lopsided grin graced his face. “Say the word and I’m yours,” he whispered.

The world faded away as her heart pounded in her chest. He wanted her? He wanted to marry her? A pirate? Take a selkie wife? “You… want to marry me?”

He smiled.

“A selkie?”

He shrugged.

“There is no going back.”

“It’s a marriage. Of course, there isn’t.” He said it with such certainty that her fear dissipated.

She licked her suddenly dry lips, then swallowed. “Give me my coat.”

In one smooth motion, he wrapped the coat over her shoulders, and Marinette felt everything change in that moment. All she wanted to do was get lost in those eyes that were gleaming as they gazed back into hers. She was acutely aware of how tightly he was holding her coat to her body, as though he could wrap her up and protect her from the world.

“Now, let’s get you out of here.”

“What?”

He smirked in a way that was strictly Chat Noir, then picked her up, garnering a squeak from her. “Out the window, my ladybug. And I will find you again later tonight.”

“What?” she repeated, trying to make sure she’d heard him right.

He chuckled as he managed to open the window with one hand, then set her down on the sill. “You are getting out of here, am I clear?”

Her heart jumped nervously, and she grabbed his shirt. “I don’t want to leave you.”

With a cattish grin, he took one of her hands off his shoulder and pressed a kiss to the back. “We’ll meet again,” he said, leaning closer to her, “my wife.”

Her heart pounded at those words.

He gave her a smile. “Now,” he said, his hands now resting on her waist. He looked like he was going to kiss her. She wanted him to kiss her.

Her eyes closed on their own accord.

“You are getting out of here.”

Suddenly, she felt herself falling. Her eyes burst open just as she hit the water. She was stunned for a second, but managed to grab her coat and wrap it around herself. It quickly became a second skin as she morphed back to her seal form.

She popped her head above water, only to see his smiling face. He shot her a salute before he disappeared.

Her heart taken and worried, she lingered around the ships, watching as treasure chests and goods were taken across a gang plank from the Papillion to the Cataclysm. Normally, she wouldn’t agree with the lawlessness, but in this case, she wouldn’t make a fuss. That captain had stolen her coat. How dare the man steal her from the sea and think he could use her for his pleasure. She held no pity for him as Chat Noir marched across the gang plank, taunting the man one last time before sailing off, leaving the crew of the Papillion tied up and without goods.

Marinette could only grin as she slipped away. She would find the Cataclysm again soon enough, but for now, she had some news to share with her friends.

…

“I’m married!”

In an instant, five selkies were staring at Marinette.

“What?”

“Yeah!” Marinette cried as she rushed over, ready to explain everything that had transpired to her friends.

“You were captured?”

“On a royal ship?”

“That captain is going to pay!”

“Yes, yes, and my husband already made him.”

This got the girls to pause. “Your husband?” Alya asked.

“Oh, come on,” Alix scoffed. “Don’t look so surprised. With as much time as she’s spent around Chat Noir, it’s shocking she only just got married to him.”

None of the other girls could disagree with it.

“You have to admit,” Mylene said, breaking the silence. “He did seem nice the one time we saw him in the market.”

“And he paid for his things,” Rose pointed out.

“And he does make Marinette happy,” Juleka added.

Alya sighed. “Fine, so he’s a decent guy. Sorry for being picky over who gave my best friend’s coat to her.”

Marinette sided up to Alya and wrapped her arms around her. “He’s a good man, I promise.”

“Which is something I never thought I’d hear be said about a pirate,” Alya admitted. “So I want to meet him before you go away with him.”

Marinette frowned. “I usually have to find his ship—”

“Well, then, it seems like we are going to storm the Cataclysm.”

Marinette looked at her friend, whose expression showed she was completely serious. Glancing at her other friends, she noted that they all looked the same: hands on their hips and eyes fiery with determination.

She couldn’t help but smile. “I love you all.”

Their smiles faded pretty quickly as they attacked Marinette in a group hug. “We love you, too.”

…

Adrien sat on the rocky beach of the coast they docked at, waiting for his Ladybug. The moment he’d seen her seal form, he realized she was his Tikki, his little good luck charm. How appropriate that he called her Ladybug.

He was so eager for her to come back to him that he made it easy to find her, docking at this city, in this market where they always met. She would arrive; he knew it.

Off in the distance, he saw some creatures jump out of the sea, swimming towards shore while barking to each other. He smiled when he realized they were seals. The question remaining was if one of those seals was his selkie or not.

He didn’t have long to wait for that answer to become clear.

She appeared at the base of the rocks, looking up at him with her seal eyes. In a glow, he watched her transform, revealing glossy black hair tumbling over her blue, blue eyes as she stared up at him in reverence.

His heart pounded in his chest. Hard. “Why, fancy meeting you here, miladybug.”

Her grin glowed in the dusk sky. She pulled herself up out of the water onto the rocks, and that’s when five other seals appeared. In bright glows all their own, the five seals morphed to humans. And all of them glared up at him threateningly.

“Listen up,” the one in the center directed. Her hair was almost red in the light and her skin was darker than the rest. “That is our best friend whom you married. If we find out that you hurt her in any way, you will have five selkies ready to charge your ship and wreck all the havoc in the world, and I clear about that?”

“Alya,” Ladybug warned through gritted teeth.

She glared up at her friend. “Shush! I’m threatening your husband.”

Adrien felt a little lost and simply decided that staying quiet was the best option for now. He let this Alya yell at him a while before she finally ran out of words and settled for glaring at him.

“Forgive her,” Ladybug said, sliding up next to him and wrapping her arms around one of his. “She’s my best friend.”

‘But we’re all her friends,” the selkie with pink hair warned, glaring at Adrien. “And we all have her back. If you don’t treat her well, we’ll sink your ship and drag all your crew under and feast on their bodies.”

Considering the strange looks the other selkies gave her, Adrien was going to assume that wasn’t what selkies did.

Or, he hoped, anyway.

“Don’t worry,” he said, finally finding the words to say. “I plan to take good care of her.”

“But you’re a pirate,” a third selkie, one with long blonde hair spoke up. “Usually, we’re taught not to trust you.”

“I… true,” he admitted. “But I have morals,” he quickly defended. “I was raised as the son of a military commander. My father had failed for years trying to eradicate the pirate issue haunting the towns. So, in my rebellion, I became a pirate to take down other pirates. My crew consists entirely of kids who grew up in the military, like me.”

Adrien watched the girls’ expressions shift, partly out of surprise and partly confusion.

“If you don’t believe me, I understand,” he assured. “But I swear, my morals are of high standard, and I promise that your friend will be in safe hands.”

In a flash, he was being squeezed by the squealing girl at his side. “I knew I liked you!”

His cheeks warmed as he looked down at the girl who had thrown her arms around him and shoved her face against his shoulder. The way she was curled into his side made him want to just pull her into his lap already, so he could hold her the way she was holding him.

Slowly, Alya’s surprise faded into something smug. “Well then, military brat, we’ll hold you to those expectations.”

He had the district feeling that failing to meet her high expectations would bring more harm on him than he could imagine. “I won’t fail her.”

His Ladybug giggled happily.

“Before we go,” the selkie with pink hair spoke up, “we need to know one last thing.”

“And that is?”

“Marinette never told us your name, pirate.”

Suddenly, the girl at his side stiffened.

“Marinette?” he repeated quietly. It took him a few seconds to realize that that was the name of his Ladybug. “Your name’s Marinette.”

“No. Way.”

Adrien glanced back at the other selkies just in time to watch their shock give way to wild grins. “Girl! You never told him your name?”

“I…” Marinette began. She paused to swallow. “No?”

That sent the other girls into peals of laughter, slapping the water and splashing around.

“Marinette,” Alya said between fits of giggles. “What are we going to do with you!”

Marinette pouted and pressed her face into his shoulder again.

“Your name is beautiful,” he whispered to her, hoping to ease her clear embarrassment.

“Not helping,” she mumbled against his shirt.

He chuckled before wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close to him.

“Just so you know,” he said against her hair. “My name is Adrien.”

“Adrien?”

“Adrien Agreste,” he confirmed.

“Adrien,” she said, letting the name roll off her tongue in a way that was far too alluring. His name never sounded so good. “Adrien.”

“Adrien?” one of the selkies repeated. “That’s your name?”

He nodded. “Adrien Agreste. But don’t let the name get out. I’m known only as Chat Noir and I’d like to keep it that way.”

“Who are we going to tell?” Alya smugly challenged.

Adrien had to admit she had a point.

“Well, Adrien,” Alya said. “You better take good care of her.”

“Yeah,” the pink-haired selkie agreed. “Or you’ll live to regret it.”

Alya may be scary, but that little pink-haired one was downright terrifying. “I understand,” he assured. “And I swear she will be well taken care of.”

“We trust you,” the petite blonde selkie piped up.

“We’re just protective of her,” the dark-haired selkie by her side quietly added.

“As good friends should be,” Adrien assured. “I understand.”

Somehow, it was those words that settled all five of the selkies.

“We’ll let you go, then,” the other blonde selkie said. “We just wanted to send Marinette off.”

“And, you know, meet her husband,” the pink-haired selkie added.

“Yeah,” the blonde agreed, “that too.”

With one last round of good-byes that turned into a somewhat tearful group hug, the five selkies shifted back to seals and slipped off into the sea.

Leaving Marinette looking longingly after them.

Adrien moved to be by her side.

At the sound of him shifting, she looked over to him and gave him a smile. “I’m sorry, it’s…” She turned back to the sea. “It’s harder than I thought it would be.”

He gave her a reassuring smile before wrapping his arms around her. “I won’t keep you from them, you know,” he said, giving her a comforting squeeze. “Our home will be on the sea, you’ll be able to visit whenever you wish.”

Marinette turned in his arms so as to meet his gaze, and he looked down at her lovingly. “My wife deserves to be happy, after all.”

Her smile turned real as she snuggled against him, her arms coming around his torso to return his embrace. “I knew you would be a good husband.”

“I have the rest of my life to continue proving that to you.”

With a giggle, she snuggled closer against him.

He was certain she could hear his heart pounding like a drum in his chest. “Now,” he began quietly, giving into the temptation to nuzzle her hair. “Would you like to stay here? Or may I take my wife home.”

“Take me home,” she answered. “Please.”

“Of course, my ladybug. Of course.”

…

Bonus:

Adrien loved being married. Waking up beside his lovely wife in the mornings and having her with him when going about his business made his day brighter. He also loved that his wife happened to be a selkie that somehow just knew how to find ships.

However, he wasn’t a fan of the harassment that came with it.

Nino, his first mate and best friend, was the biggest offender. Kim was the second. The only reason they were still on the ship was because they were exceedingly kind to Marinette. All the people on his ship were and finding new recruits was always a challenge.

“Where’s the wife at today, buddy?” Nino began. By the tone of his voice, Adrien knew he was itching to start something.

“She’s with her friends today,” Adrien said, hoping it would be the end of the conversation.

But it wasn’t. “Ah, so she’s off the ship?”

Adrien just glared at his friend. “Knock it off.”

Nino started laughing. “Sorry, buddy. I just can’t wrap my head around that you willingly got married to a selkie.”

“I hope that you fall in love one day just so I can spite you.”

Nino burst into a fit of laughter.

Before they could continue the conversation, Adrien watched a seal leap from the water right beside the ship, followed by a couple others.

He grinned fondly. There they were.

Soon enough, Marinette was at his side. He’d had latter rungs installed on the side of the ship so she would be able to get up and down between the water and deck easily. While it posed a slight hazard, he knew he would just have to be extra careful monitoring his ship.

“Adrien,” she asked, her voice soft and wonderful. She slipped a hand into his, wrapping her other hand around his bicep and resting her chin on his shoulder. “Could I bring my friends aboard? I want to show them my home.”

Adrien grinned. “Of course, my love. This is your home, too.”

“I don’t want to get in the way of the men.”

He shrugged. “They’ll be fine.”

With a squeak of happiness, she reached up to press a kiss to his cheek. “Thank you!” In a second, she was gone again.

He heard Nino snort from beside him. “Letting your wife run all over you.” He shook his head. “Not fitting for the Pirate Chat Noir.”

“Keep this up, and you’ll be swabbing the deck.”

“Sure. I believe y—”

At Nino’s sudden silence, Adrien looked over at his buddy, only to see him frozen, staring off somewhere behind them. Curious, Adrien turned, trying to surmise what his friend was staring at.

Alya was there, hands on her hip as she appraised the ship. She looked over in Adrien’s direction and shot him a smirk. “Nice ship, captain. But looks like you got a broken sailor.”

Adrien looked over at Nino, who had quickly turned around to look out to the sea.

Feeling rather smug, Adrien leaned over toward his friend. “Karma’s arrived.”

“Shut up.”

#miraculous ladybug #fanfiction #chat noir #ladybug #LadyNoir #fluff #pirate #selkie #because I've been wanting to play with the lore of selkies forever now #alya cesaire #mylene haprele #alix kubdel #rose lavillant #juleka couffaine #gal pals

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