#Nadja is officially the voice of reason

[miraculous-sunflower]

don’t steal adrien’s phone - a fanfiction by miraculous_carnation

hi yall! this amazing piece of art isnt unfortunately done by me- it’s by the ultra charming miraculous_carnation on ao3, so be sure to check her out! i’ve gotten her permission to post this here, so dont worry! enjoy the show!

Lila Rossi posed for the camera, putting on a flirty face, Adrien sitting next to her. They were at the Palace of Versailles, the place for their photoshoot. Lila hugged Adrien in a way that made him uncomfortable, running her hands across his back. The photographer, noticing Adrien’s discomfort, asked them to take a 5 minutes break.

Lila walked to where Adrien was sitting. “So, Adrien! The photos are going to look awesome, right? I mean, we look so in love!”

Adrien’s eyes opened wide when he heard her voice. “Um, Lila? I know I’ve said this a lot, but can you please stop touching me? It makes me uncomfortable, and I already have a girlfriend,” Adrien tried to explain.

Lila narrowed her eyes at his last statement. Ugh, that Maritrash. What did Adrien see in her?

“Oh of course, Adrien! I’d never want to do something that would make you feel uncomfortable,” she whispered, leaning towards his mouth. Adrien grew stiff. Luckily, the photographer called for them just in time. Lila rolled her eyes, but then put on a fake smile.

“Oh well, anyways, we better go back, Adrien! We have to finish the shoot!”

Adrien hated photoshoots with Lila. They were the worst. Luckily, it was only for another 30 minutes, because after that, he had an interview with Nadja Chamack on Face to Face.

Lila hid behind a bush, watching Adrien get up and head toward the photoshoot. Perfect. She ran over to the table and picked up his phone.

“Well, Adrien, let’s see who you really love,” she smirked.

“Welcome back to, Face to Face! This is your host, Nadja Chamack, live in Paris!” Nadja Chamack enthusiastically said while the audience clapped. “Today, we have a very important guest. He’s a model, born here in Paris, ladies and gentlemen, give it up for the son of world famous designer Gabriel Agreste, Adrien Agreste!”

2 seconds later, Adrien walked onto the stage, wearing a suit, created specially by his father, strutting in the way his father taught him when he was little. ‘Flash a flirty smile to the audience, then greet Nadja Chamack professionally’, his father’s words repeated in his mind. His father cared about his appearance and reputation, after all…

“Hello there, Nadja! How are you doing today?” Adrien politely asked. He wished he could be somewhere else,particularly running around as CHat Noir, maybe playing a game of tag with Ladybug…

“Oh, well I’m doing wonderful!” Nadja responded, snapping Adrien out of his daze. “Anyways, I’ve got a bunch of questions for you! First one, are you dating Lila Rossi, a fellow model from your father’s company? Are the rumors true?”

Adrien sighed. There were so many rumors about that going around, many of them created by Lila. She already convinced the class that they were dating, when he actually was dating Marinette.

“Sorry, Nadja, but that is incorrect. I am not dating Lila Rossi, but I am dating Marinette Dupain-Cheng, of who you may know.”

Nadja smiled at the name of her friend’s daughter. “Yes, I know Marinette, I commissioned her to create a dress for Manon for my sister’s wedding, and it came out beautiful! Everyone in the audience, go check out Marinette’s website!”

Lila Rossi was watching the Face to Face interview, fuming. She didn’t know he had an interview! How dare Adrien say that! She’d ruin his relationship with Marinette! She tapped into his phone, already knowing his password, courtesy of his father. Gabriel Agreste gave her access to all of his son’s social media accounts for safety reasons. She logged onto his Instagram account and made a new post, adding the photo of Lila kissing him on the cheek.

“So grateful for my girlfriend @lilarossi! Love you!”

She smirked. No way he was getting out of this one.

Nadja Chamack was confused. Apparently, a new post from Adrien on Instagram was posted just now, but how was it possible? Adrien was talking to her the whole time!

She coughed. “Adrien, it seems that there has been a new post on your Instagram,” Adrien looked shocked, “can we have the post on the screen?”

Adrien’s eyes grew wide as he saw the post. “Nadja, I didn’t post that! I couldn’t-”

“I know you didn’t, Adrien. You’ve been talking to me the whole time right now!”, Adrien let out a sigh of relief, “Is it possible your social media team did it?”

Adrien shook his head. “No, they don’t put out posts like that. They only put out posts that promote the brand!”

“So if it wasn’t your social media team, who was it?” Nadja said in confusion. There were several murmurs in the audience as well.

Adrien narrowed his eyes. “Well, I have a hunch. What is the post about?”

Nadja caught on with his thinking. “Oh, so you believe Lila Rossi posted this? How would she have gotten your phone?”

Adrien thought about what happened before the interview. “Well, you see, before coming here, I had a photoshoot with Lila. She probably took my phone then.”

Gabriel Agreste was watching from the safety of his home. Lila Rossi had not thought about this beforehand! She was going to ruin his plan and his brand! How dare she!

Nathalie walked in. “Sir, would you like me to delete the post and disable Adrien’s social media accounts?”

“Yes, Nathalie. Have Adrien’s social media team clean up the mess.” Gabriel sighed. The only good thing that came out of this was that he figured out his son was dating Marinette Dupain-Cheng. It was a good choice, as Marinette was exceptional.

Lila’s eyes grew wide at the revelation. She posted about herself on Adrien’s account when he was in an interview! It made her the prime suspect! Hopefully Mr. Agreste’s social media team could take the blame.

She dialed Mr. Agreste’s number. “Hello, is Mr. Agreste there?”

She was greeted with the monotone voice of Nathalie. “Excuse me, Miss Rossi, but Mr. Agreste has decided to terminate your contract on behalf of Gabriel. You will never model in his brand again. Goodbye.”

Lila gasped. How dare that dumb assistant! She was Lila Rossi! How dare Gabriel Agreste do that to her! She would ruin him!

“On top of recent events, Lila Rossi has lied about many things. She even got Marinette expelled once!” Adrien explained to Nadja, excited that he found a way to expose Lila.

Marinette was watching all of this from the comfort from her room, her mouth wide open. Well, she wasn’t super surprised, Lila would do something like this, but Adrien called her his girlfriend! Sure, they were dating, but she didn’t think he would announce it publicly!

Girl, are you watching Face to Face? Can you believe Lila lied?

Hold up, you’re dating Adrien? Why didn’t you tell me?

Girl, I can’t believe you didn’t tell me. I thought we were BFFs!

Marinette snorted at the latter. BFFs? Yeah, right. Alya literally announced to the class two weeks ago that their friendship was over and that her new best friend would be Lila. Go figure!

“Wow. As you can see, ladies and gentlemen, startling revelations about the newest Gabriel model has come through! Hold on, we have a new post from the official Gabriel Twitter account! Can we please have this on the screen?” Nadja exclaimed.

Adrien read the post, not surprised. Of course his father would try to save face. It wasn’t new. He was just happy he wouldn’t have to model with Lila anymore.

The audience and Nadja gasped when they read the post. “Wow! It looks like the Gabriel brand has officially terminated Lila Rossi’s contract!” Nadja had to act surprised because this was predictable from the fashion designer. Typical Gabriel.

“Well, folks! There was a lot of drama today, but that concludes today’s interview! I hope you come again for another episode of, Face to Face!” Nadja concluded.

Bonus Scene:

“Well, Adrien, you made a good choice with Marinette. She could take over the designing area of the company while you take over the business side. When will you marry her?”

“FATHER!”

“Well, kid, he’s not wrong. Pigtails makes pretty good bread. And oh how good it tastes with camembert! Oh my sweet gooiness!”

“Shut up, Plagg.”

#fuck off lila #yessir plagg #go nadja hehe #miraculous_carnation #lila salt #lila exposed #alya salt #kind of #ao3 #ao3 shoutout #gabriel is trying yall #but hes still fucked #lila is a dummy #more of a dummy than me #and im a real dummy yall

[demonprincezeldris]

He remembers when he first learned that Gowther was still in Brittania. He was still in Danafor at that time, just starting to settle into his role as Grandmaster, not yet having met Liz, when he recieved word that the eldest princess of their ally kingdom Liones had taken a partner. His description was a pink haired, golden eyed, effeminate man named Gowther and Holy Shit, he couldn't just NOT check that out.

So the first chance he had, he took a trip to Liones. Officially, it was a diplomatic mission. He introduced himself to the royal family, and their own Grandmaster, Odol. Some simple negotiations to renew their alliance, and they dispersed for a break. He had a couple hours to do as he pleased. So he approached Nadja.

"Princess Nadja, if I may ask a question?"

"Yes, of course!"

"There are rumors you have taken a man named Gowther as your partner, is this true?"

Her cheeks brightened, and she cleared her throat. "I, um, yes..."

"Could you... would you introduce me to him please?"

"I suppose so. Is there a reason why?"

"I'd like to save my reasoning until after I have confirmed something."

"Hm. Very well, he's usually in the library, come on."

That's just like him, he thought with amusement. Nadja led him through the castle, and slipped into the library. "Gowther? There's a diplomat from Danafor who wants to meet you, he's their grandmaster."

"Really? Well, um... send him in?"

Shadows, that voice. This was turning out more and more likely. He stepped in, and the two made eye contact.

"Grandmaster, this is Gowther. Gowther, this is-"

"Meliodas..."

She blinked, noticing the tension between the two. Did they... know each othe- it was broken by Gowther letting out a joyous laugh and throwing himself at the blonde, hugging him tightly. "I missed you, Mel, we all missed you, I-" He whimpered quietly and nuzzled closer. "I thought I was the only one of our family left."

"Me too, Little Goat. I missed you too." He kept him squeezed close as Nadja watched, gaping.

So they DID know each other.

Months passed, the two exchanging letters. Gowther knew about the curse, and knew what it meant when a letter arrived saying he'd met a firey woman named Liz.

But then Meliodas stopped receiving letters and, concerned, reached out to Bartra. That's when he learned that Nadja had passed, and Gowthers breakdown had resulted in losing his memories and emotions.

Meliodas wept. For he had lost another one of his pack.

Still, in the coming years, he did his best to look out for the doll.

At least Little Goat is still alive. Of course Meliodas is upset that the original Gowther is dead. He remembers how much his girls loved to play with uncle Goat and tell him their adventures they went on.

#Willingly Sealed AU #Mama Mel AU #pack mentality

[miraculouscontent]

Askplosion #11:

(note that I know I mentioned a “Voiced Askplosion” last time in the tags for anyone who put a 🎤 in their ask, meaning they wanted to hear me respond verbally to it, but I only got one and it wasn’t anything serious - just a tease from someone I know - so I either won’t be doing it at all or will be holding off)

Asks responding to previous posts:

ALYA NO!!!

(the idea of Sabrina avoiding not only Ms. Mendeleiev, but also Alya, is very amusing to me)

The fact that the special focuses on the love square instead of Sabrina and Delmar is a crime.

(also note that “Need some help?” is rhetorical in this context; Alya doesn’t care)

Highly recommended, honestly, otherwise it just turns into a big shame because there are shows I really like but with some content that I don’t like, and why torture myself with it when I can cut it out instead?

Just to give a rough idea, here’s my cut of “Desperada”; mind you, this is just my quick cut of it (basically a “beta” version where I just removed everything I disliked without much care for transitioning/having everything make sense; some of Marinette’s friends talking, the guitar scene, Aspik, etcetera), as I’m not comfortable handing over my “perfect” cut of it since it’s like my personal copy.

Yeah, that’s a super awkward scene. As much as I’d like to imagine that Adrien just doesn’t understand the “guy time” thing (which I still hate), the fact that they use the word “guy” specifically is--ugh.

I wasn’t aware of what he said in the French dub, so thanks! It’s really painful to see her throw so much love his way, openly and publicly and obviously, then be so humiliated for it, only for Adrien to feel nothing for her.

Say whatever you want about Chat Noir’s advances and how sAAAAAAD he is when she rejects him, but her rejections are just that; in private. There aren’t other heroes who are around and Chat is never really humiliated. Even in “Prime Queen,” Chat wasn’t the target - Ladybug was, and then Ladybug shifted it to Nadja - so Marinette is the one taking all the heat in love while Chat gets to sit on the sidelines (plus, then “Oblivio” happened and now people probably all thing they’re a thing).

Yeah! That’s the group I was thinking of!

Thank you!

I’m so sorry that happened. ;—;

I’m not aro but I am ace and I’ve gotten the whole, “oh it’s just because--” stuff before, so I know what it feels like to have people put on the pressure/invalidate you.

YES.

IT’S GORGEOUS.

I’m not really familiar with how holidays are celebrated outside of the bare basics of Christmas/New Year (which I am trying my hardest to forget lol), so I couldn’t say.

Sorry!

New Asks:

10/10 thought, would fantasize again.

Though would also accept MC Audrey just doing some “spring cleaning” of the whole staff in general. I have no idea how she’d replace Jeremy since he’s the company’s poster boy but most of the writers have to go at the very least and Jeremy should be given less power.

I think MC Audrey would appreciate how Kagami carries herself, though potential bonus if - while Tom and Sabine just openly trust whatever Marinette wants - Audrey does a bunch of digging to make sure Kagami is “worthy” of being with Marinette (she takes this all very seriously).

Double potential bonus if Kagami takes it just as seriously, so here’s Audrey and Kagami acting as if Kagami dating Marinette is like some sort of job interview.

Kagami handing over a “resume” of her accomplishments to Audrey. Audrey has already looked all of it up herself but appreciates the effort put in.

If the question in Miraculous is, “Do we really need a--” and the thing being introduced is something the staff came up with then the answer is usually “no.”

The movie will look pretty and that’s all I’ll expect. It’s just Jeremy’s take on Miraculous. Luka and Kagami probably won’t even be around so I’m not even interested.

I’ll watch it, but I’m also not interested lol.

Honestly, I’d rather turn into bubble froth.

oddly specific but... I mean, damn

I have no idea, and I try not to throw around words like “spite ship” because I know people could genuinely like the ship, though I will say that I went on AO3 and - unless I read from - the first Maribat fanfiction on there was posted after the airdate of “Chameleon.” I think it might’ve started with inspiration from “Marinette moves schools” ideas at the very least.

Non-Miraculous Asks responding to previous posts:

Oh, I understood, no worries! It was just funny for the split second it took me to figure it out.

My bad, that’s not how I meant to come off (especially since “magical girl shows” is a little broad; I mean, obviously I don’t think something like Cardcaptor Sakura is aiming for fanservice when Sakura’s--like... ten). I answered all those asks in the last askplosion in the same day so my brain was a little fried by the time I got to that ask.

I’m not even talking about Sailor Moon either; it’s just that I knew there are shows with fanservice and there are certain magical girl outfits where I kind of give the side-eye.

Absolutely zero problem with girls fighting in pretty outfits though. I fully admit that I’m a bit of a prude so sometimes I see fanservice where there might not be any. Super short skirts without shorts, for example, inherently throw me off (shout-out to Saint Tail - which I discovered while looking up “pretty magical girl outfits” - because the main character does have a skirt in “magical girl” form but also tights/boots and a cute hat, which is one of the more unique ones I’ve seen).

Non-Miraculous Asks:

Do you mean Sailor Moon Crystal? Yeah, the only reason I hesitate on Sailor Moon in general is because I’m not crazy about the transformed designs. It’s not really a matter of animation but more a design choice that takes me out of the experience.

I have seen all of Cardcaptor Sakura anime though, and then all of the Clear Card arc. I like the former, despise the latter, and I tried to keep up with the manga but once one of the big plot details were revealed, I officially dropped it.

As for Revolutionary Girl Utena, I looked it up a while ago and don’t remember what exactly turned me away. It might’ve been the darker tone though if what you say is accurate that it’s a darker take on a magical girl show.

Also, I may or may not have looked up the ending of at least Princess Tutu and I’m sorry, I’m sure it’s a great anime, but if there isn’t a happy ending then I give whatever anime a hard pass.

(note: yes, I realize the hilarity of saying that when I continue watching Miraculous)

-

(More Madoka Magica talk/salt below!)

Ohhh, it started a trend? I had no idea since I don’t actively keep up with every anime out there; descriptions need to really pull me in (the only current anime I’m keeping up with is Hanyou no Yashahime, Otherside Picnic, and Cells at Work (Season 2)).

The focus on specific--uh--body parts in magical girl transformations also reminds me that I think that’s usually what kills it for me, not because of the sexualization but because I expect transformations (especially ones that get repeated over and over) to be really dynamic with changing angles and such, which is harder to do when the camera is trying to draw focus to specific places.

Obviously you have to do it for some moments (I’ve always imagined Miraculous transformations like a potential sheep or another one for rabbit, then rabbit!Jean from Leave for Mendeleiev and fox!Juleka from LadyBugOut) because things will be weird if you focus on nothing, but I think there are ways to draw the eye without trying to sexualize.

Not having Ladybug-esque bodysuits is a good start. It reminds me too much of the Catwoman with just a bodysuit so it leaves nothing to the imagination.

How did I forget about that Sayaka scene? omg (though I dunno if the Bechdel Test is hard to pass if there aren’t really any endgame male love interests? are there rules about that? not saying a pass isn’t a pass but it feels like cheating)

It is nice when fans can respect the opinions of others without having to outright attack. I have had a few people come to me with, “I see your point/respect it even if I disagree,” instead of accusing me/others of--well, you get it.

Fandoms can be really messy, particularly as they get larger. I think there’s a certain balance between small fandoms that all know each other and a big fandom that’s out of control. Then there are things like “loud minority” and it’s just uggggh.

Anyway, back to the asks themselves, yeah, I’m not crazy about taking things that are just meant to be positive/cute/whatever and being like, “OKAY BUT WHAT IF IT WAS EDGY AND SAD.”

n o ,  p l z

Oh, I’ve never heard of that one!

Sayaka dying didn’t really do anything for me either. It’s hard to explain when I saw it so long ago, but it was just Sayaka’s attitude about the whole thing and it made it feel underwhelming. It was a shame too because I liked her and she had potential.

She was Madoka’s friend so I was just like, “Yeah, she’ll die soon.” Probably didn’t help since I knew what I knew about the show being “dark.”

Madoka/Sayaka is probably what I’d support the most out of all the potential shoujo ai ships. To my knowledge, none of them are really canon, though I remember a special song after the death Sayaka and Kyoko which I guess makes them the most canon and that did basically nothing for me since their relationship didn’t interest me (nor did I care for Kyoko as a character). The PSP game might have more intimate potential between the girls, but I never played them so I can’t make those claims (I only remember something about everyone potentially living and then a bad ending for Sayaka where part of her body was decayed when they didn’t get her soul gem back in time).

The tomboy argument makes me think back to a conversation with a friend of mine where we were discussing tomboys in anime and... we couldn’t really think of any? At least any that really qualify as “tomboy” for me.

Like, Misty from Pokemon, for example. I knoooooow everyone really likes Misty, but regardless of my opinion on her, it’s hard to see her as a tomboy.

I feel like they try to lean that way by making her super aggressive and violent (because... m E N) and I think Ash makes a comment once about her not being “like a girl,” but... I feel like that’s just how general “aggressive” female characters are written?

I mean, that’s tsundere female characters I’ve seen in general. Really loud (and not in a “gIrlS aRe sO lOuD aND ScReEcHY” way but like... the way anime gives them big heads while they scream at whatever male character they’re mad at), angry a lot, short fuse, etcetera.

But Misty is still crazy about clothes and dolls, she still gushes about cute things and romance, and both of those things seem pretty indicative of what “standard girl character” would be defined by, since they’re all “stereotypically girl thing” (I say stereotypically for obvious reasons since boys can like blah and girls can like blah and gender exclusivity is blah--). I get that she dresses differently, but that’s about it, and it comes off like, “she dresses differently and she’s ANGRY and VIOLENT, so she’s a tomboy,” which... yeah. They even gave her three beauty queen sisters with CURVES and BUSTS as if to say, “See?? These are GIRLS, not TOMBOYS.” (busty females can exist who are also tomboys, thank you have a nice day).

This becomes more complicated in magical girl anime since girly clothes are usually part of that so “tomboy” means that frills and skirts probably wouldn’t be a factor.

I mean, if you gave those sorts of outfits to me, I’d be like, “SCREW IT, I’M NOT A MAGICAL GIRL ANYMORE. IF LOOKING PRETTY IS REDUCED TO SKIRTS AND FRILLS, SOMEONE ELSE CAN SAVE THE WORLD.”

I’d also like to see some mixes between personalites and “tomboy” things. Like, non-stereotypical tomboy personalities doing tomboy things. Mix and match, y’know?

This was really rambly, but to answer the question... no, I wouldn’t count Sayaka as a tomboy.

All of this.

I think it also exemplifies the whole “dark and edgy magical girl show” thing because... ugh, how do I put this...

The “girls are overly emotional” thing is already bad, but then you realize that there not being any magical boys is also because that doesn’t hit the “shock value” threshold as much.

Y’know, because boys equal dark and edgy shows, so if there was even one magical boy it wouldn’t be as shocking when Mami gets her head chomped. They could’ve done, “emotional teenagers are the target because they’re in that vulnerable stage; smarter and more physically capable than children, but not as mature/stable as adults,” but having some boys in there for balance (it makes me feel weird saying that when I’m all for girl power shows with an all female cast, but in this show’s logic, it’s a different ball game) would make the show seem less bright and “girly” and thus lessen the shock value.

Does that make sense?

#((Aspies who also deal with Winter Blues or Seasonal Affective Disorder)) #((how do you do iiiiiit)) #((my usual methods aren't working and I'm constantly sluggiiiish)) #category: trash #special: Miraculous New York #MC's Art #art: single picture #relationship: alya cesaire & sabrina raincomprix #category: salt #episode: Party Crasher #relationship: love square #relationship: adrien agreste & marinette dupain cheng #MC: Audrey Bourgeois #relationship: kagami tsurugi & marinette dupain cheng #character: marinette dupain cheng #other: non ml talk

[roseinaugust]

Like an Old Enemy

Chapter Two: Beginnings

Summary: Miraculous Enemies AU. Gabriel Agreste has the Black Cat Miraculous in his possession, so when his wife, Emilie, "disappears," he sends his son, Adrien, undercover to pose as Ladybug's partner. Two years later, the once famous duo are sworn enemies. Marinette might have loved Chat Noir once, but now she would stop at nothing to defeat him. Adrien will do whatever it takes to bring his mother back. Best friends in their civilian lives, Adrien and Marinette find obstacles and complications when they can no longer deny their love for each other. But will they be able to understand and forgive the mistakes of their past? Or will they be doomed to end as bitter rivals a second time?

Rated: T

Pairings: Ladybug/Chat Noir Enemies, Adrien Agreste/Marinette Dupain-Cheng Mutual Pining

Word Count: 5,462

Read on: ao3

A/N: I am only posting half of this chapter on tumblr so please read the rest on ao3! 

Marinette tried to reenter the classroom as quietly as she could—which was not very quiet at all. She winced as the door slammed shut behind her. Perhaps her encounter with Chat Noir riled her more than she wanted to believe. She gave an embarrassed smile to Mlle. Bustier before returning to her seat, trying not to think of her classmates’ eyes following her. 

Marinette sighed, relieved that she made it back before the period changed. When she sat down, she noticed that Adrien was missing. With Mlle. Bustier facing the chalkboard, Marinette seized her opportunity to tap Alya on the shoulder.

“Where’s Adrien?” She whispered to her friend sitting in front of her.

Alya leaned back in her seat to reply. “His dad pulled him out for a photo shoot.” 

“On the first day of school?”

Mlle. Bustier turned to face the class again, ceasing the girls’ conversation. Marinette slumped in her seat. First, her unfortunate meeting with Chat Noir, and now she didn’t even have her best friend around to distract her. 

The school year had barely started, and her attention was already drifting away from her classes. Marinette meandered through her classes, marking a fairly uneventful first day. Her scuffle this morning no longer seemed out of place—rather mundane, really. It’s been two long years since akuma battles became a commonplace activity for Marinette. Coincidentally, it was also the first day of school when her life changed forever. 

Marinette had woken up that morning expecting things to remain constant: Alya would still be her best friend, Chloé would still torment her for no reason, and science with Mlle. Mendeleiev would still bore her out of her skull. She did not expect that Paris would be attacked by a supervillain, and she definitely did not expect to become a superhero. 

The day began like any other. She was late for school—something that would never change regardless of her identity—she helped an elderly man cross the street, and only tripped a few hundred times. Things did not stay normal for very long, though. Mlle. Bustier was checking the roster when a sudden crash knocked through the classroom. A stone creature had burst through the wall and released a roar that could rival a lion. 

Marinette watched, frozen in confused horror, as the creature grabbed Myléne and Chloé. All she could hear were screams from the girls clutched in the monster’s hands and the panic from her remaining classmates. The creature smashed through the far wall and jumped out of the building, leaving a rubble in its wake.

“Everyone, go home now!” Mlle. Bustier ordered. Students scrambled out of the school, scared and unsure of what was happening. Marinette ran across the street to the safety of her family’s bakery. 

“Marinette?” Her mother looked at her with concern. “What are you doing home so soon?” 

“There was an attack at school! Some stone monster took Mylene and Chloe!” She raced up the stairs two at a time, stopping only when she reached her bedroom. She flung herself into her pink desk chair, frantically pulling up the news on her computer. 

“Don’t be bemused, it’s just the news.” Nadja Chamack started in her standard news anchor voice. “Paris is under attack by a supervillain. Stoneheart has taken two students from Collège Françoise-Dupont hostage and is now believed to be en route to the Eiffel Tower. Citizens should seek cover immediately.” 

Marinette watched in horror. How could there be a supervillain? Who was doing this, and why did she feel so powerless? She tore her eyes away from the screen. She couldn’t stand to watch this happen and do nothing to stop it. 

With her attention averted, Marinette noticed a small octagonal box sitting before her. Had it been there this morning? She opened it, momentarily distracted from the calamity occurring outside the walls of her small bedroom. A bright pink flash of light emitted from the box, blinding Marinette briefly. When the black spots cleared from her vision, she saw a pair of ladybug patterned earrings inside. Who put these in here? Perhaps it was a gift from her parents for starting school? She removed them and carefully put them on. 

Hello, Marinette, said a voice. 

She whipped her head so fast that she fell out of her seat. There was no one in the room with her. Maybe she just imagined it…

You didn’t imagine it, Marinette, the voice spoke again. Great. There were supervillains in Paris, and she was hearing voices; she was officially losing it. You’re not going crazy. I am your Kwami Consciousness—kwami for short—but you can call me Tikki. You are the only one who can stop Stoneheart. 

“What is happening?” Marinette asked out loud. She sat still on her floor, unable to process the arrival of a second consciousness in her head. 

Paris needs you. The earrings you are wearing are called the Ladybug Miraculous. They are magical jewels that will turn you into a superhero. 

“Me? A superhero? That’s gotta be a mistake. I-I'm only fourteen. And I’m clumsy, like really clumsy.” Marinette sputtered at the absurd notion. Surely there was someone else in Paris that was better qualified for the job than her. 

The fact that you can hear me is proof that it was not a mistake. Not anyone can use the jewels. The holder must fit the traits of the Miraculous. The Ladybug Miraculous requires creativity, bravery, and pure intentions, all of which I can sense in you. Marinette reddened at the endorsement from the disembodied voice. 

If you were not meant to have the Miraculous, you would not be able to hear me. Kwamis like me are connected to the jewels and their holders. It allows me to communicate with you and provide guidance. 

“There are others? Other Miraculous and other superheroes?” Marinette tried not to think about how crazy she would seem if either of her parents walked in on her talking to herself. If Tikki could read her thoughts, she didn’t want to accidentally offend it. 

Yes, there are other Miraculous. Some have been missing for centuries. One of which, the Butterfly, has found a new holder; one that is abusing the Miraculous’s powers. The Butterfly Miraculous allows its holder to give superpowers to someone, but they are corrupted by negative emotions, turning them into villains. It’s up to you to find the holder of the Butterfly Miraculous and stop them.

Marinette stood up slowly and paced around her room. How was she going to be able to defeat a supervillain? Was she really cut out for this? The news coverage was still playing on her computer. She paused, watching the stone creature barrel down the Trocadéro. Wasn’t this what she had been waiting for? A chance to help? Marinette knew that she would never be able to sit on the sidelines when other needed help. Even if she failed, even if she was the worst superhero possible, she still had to try. 

“Tikki, what do I have to do?” 

Marinette couldn’t waste any more time. After the voice in her head explained her powers, she was off, traversing over rooftops to reach the Eiffel Tower. The wind stung her face, the only part left exposed by her magically impenetrable suit, as she ran faster than she ever thought possible. Fight the monster, break the object, capture the akuma, fix the damage. Marinette repeated her objectives to herself, hoping that the repetition will keep her focused during the fight. 

“Hey! Watch out!” Marinette barreled into someone. She had to pay more attention to her surroundings. What kind of superhero ran directly into someone? Wait—who else was on a rooftop during a supervillain attack? She pushed away from him and grabbed her…yo-yo? How was she supposed to defend herself with a yo-yo? She twirled it, finding that it made a steady shield, and looked up at the person she crashed into. Her yo-yo shield quivered, momentarily stunned by the boy in front of her. He wore a black leather supersuit, similar to her own. A mask covered his bright green eyes and faux cat ears adorned his fair hair. He was beautiful, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t dangerous. 

“Who are you?” Marinette demanded, refocusing. If he had a suit like hers, he must have a Miraculous. He didn’t look like a butterfly though…

“I’m, uh,” The boy paused, a finger lifted to his chin in contemplation. “Chat Noir. Yeah, Chat Noir.” He said with an easy confidence Marinette hoped to possess one day. “I’m guessing you’re the partner my Kwami told me about.” 

“My Kwami didn’t say anything about a partner.” Marinette held her yo-yo shield steady. 

“It probably didn’t know. The Black Cat Miraculous is an heirloom. It passed down through my family for generations, but I was the only one who connected with it. My Kwami told me that the Miraculous had been missing for centuries before it found its way to my family.”

“If you knew it was missing, why didn’t you return it?” She asked, warily. He opened his mouth to speak but the ground shook from below. Marinette stopped swirling her yo-yo to keep her balance. 

“No time to explain!” Chat Noir yelled as he grabbed a silver baton and extended it. “We have to stop Stoneheart. Come on, er, bug girl!” He vaulted over the rooftops, leaving Marinette alone. She didn’t know if she could trust him, but she couldn’t leave it up to him. 

She dropped down next to Chat Noir on the dais of the Trocadéro. Stoneheart was climbing the Eiffel Tower with Myléne and Chloé still clutched in his hands. She caught Chat Noir’s eye and could tell that they were on the same page; whatever confusion they had over their new powers and their supposed partnership, it would have to wait until after Stoneheart was apprehended. With a slight nod, they leapt into action, crossing the distance in a matter of seconds. 

Stoneheart had reached the first platform of the tower. In the background, Marinette could hear Mayor Bourgeois demand the return of his daughter, Chloé. In the deep bellow of a voice she recognized, Stoneheart cried out, “Fine! You can have her,” before throwing Chloe off the building. 

“Ivan,” Marinette whispered, horrified that the quiet and gentle boy she’s known for years could do something so terrible. Marinette sprinted towards Chloé’s falling body and caught her seconds before the impact. Saving Chloé’s life—the worst person she knew—was definitely not how Marinette expected her day to go. She released Chloé, who sprinted into the safety of her father’s arms. Whispers of “superheroes,” and “save us,” passed through the crowd that watched her and Chat Noir intently. Returning to Chat Noir at the base of the tower, Marinette tried to think of a plan. Fight the monster, break the object, capture the akuma, fix the damage. 

“Do you know him?” Chat Noir asked, catching Marinette off guard. 

“What?” 

“Stoneheart. You called him Ivan. Do you know him?” 

Marinette realized her mistake too late. Tikki had stressed the importance of keeping her identity a secret. “No, of course not.” She lied. “I heard his name on the news.” If Chat Noir suspected she was untruthful, he didn’t let it show. Instead, the two chased after Stoneheart as he climbed higher. Chat Noir used his stick and Marinette utilized her yo-yo as a grappling hook, hoisting her into the air. 

They landed on the viewing deck as Stoneheart let out another monstrous growl. Swarms of purple butterflies escaped from his mouth forming a head. It began to speak, though Marinette could tell it was no longer Ivan’s voice. This voice was cold, apathetic, and it frightened Marinette. “Citizens of Paris! I am Hawkmoth. These are not your saviors; they are children! And they will give me their Miraculous. Relinquish the Ladybug earrings and Cat ring to me!” 

Marinette’s grip on her yo-yo tightened. She may have only been a superhero for half an hour—she didn’t even think she wanted to be a superhero—but she would not give it up to a bully.  She was afraid, but not so afraid that she couldn’t be brave for Paris. “Nice try, Hawkmoth. We aren’t going to be dissuaded that easily. We will find you and we will take your Miraculous!” She threw her yo-yo at the gathered butterflies, capturing them in one fell swoop. She turned to Chat Noir, who she caught watching her with his mouth agape. He gave her a dazzling grin. A smile like that could make her forget her own name. A scream brought Marinette’s attention back to Stoneheart and Myléne. 

Priorities, Marinette. Fight the monster, break the object, capture the akuma, fix the damage.  “Chat Noir, let’s go!” Together, they raced up the tower. The duo communicated silently, as if they were already attuned to each other’s thoughts and movements, attacking Stoneheart. 

“Lucky Charm!” Marinette called out her superpowers and caught a strangely colored parachute. She stood for a moment, contemplating her next move, when she saw the solution. Chat Noir followed her lead as they freed Myléne and the crumpled paper holding the akuma from Stoneheart’s grasp. Chat Noir batted the object to Marinette. She crushed it, releasing the akuma. Fight the monster, break the object—

Marinette’s mental checklist was interrupted by the bloodcurdling screams of her two classmates falling off the top of the Eiffel Tower. Without hesitation, she jumped off the tower. “Chat Noir! Get Ivan!” She pulled her limbs tight against herself to accelerate her velocity. 

“Don’t forget the akuma!” Chat Noir called over the nearly deafening sound of wind as she sped towards Mylene. The akuma! She had forgotten to purify the akuma. Marinette latched onto Myléne and threw her yo-yo with all her force. She only had a few more moments before they would hit the ground. 

“Gotcha!” Marinette yelled, when the akuma disappeared into her weapon. She pulled the tab  of the parachute and careened into the sky as wind picked up the fabric. It took all her strength—even her enhanced super strength—to hold onto Myléne as their combined weight fell to the ground. They landed, not so gracefully, underneath the landmark, relieved to have survived. Chat Noir and Ivan were landing close by. 

Marinette released the purified butterfly, it’s white wings dreamlike in the September sun. Only one task left. She threw the parachute into the sky and watched in amazement as the swarm of magical ladybugs flew around the city repairing the damage caused by Stoneheart. 

It was a miracle. It was something she helped achieve. She turned to Chat Noir, thankful she had someone to share this experience with. “We make a good team,” She relented. 

“I knew you’d come around to me,” He winked at her and held up his a closed fist. 

“Pound it!” They said in unison, laughing quietly as they fist bumped. 

Myléne and Ivan huddled together and walked over to the pair of superheroes. “Thank you for saving us, miss—uh,” Ivan’s sentence dropped off, unsure of how to address the superheroes. 

“Ladybug. Call me Ladybug.” Her hands rested on her waist, hoping she portrayed the same confidence as Chat Noir earlier. “And this is Chat Noir. My partner.” She smiled at the boy next to her. There was something about him that made her want to trust him. He had faith in her immediately, following her lead in the battle, and even kept her from making a huge blunder. 

Chat Noir pulled her hand from her waist and knelt. He kissed her hand and looked up at her through thick lashes. “Ladybug,” he whispered her name, softly. His intense stare made Ladybug feel like the world had melted away, leaving only them alone in the city of love. She may have superpowers, but she was not immune to the affects of a handsome boy paying special attention to her. 

Her earrings blinked, losing one of the ladybug spots. Her hand left his and reached for the earrings. “I have to go, uh, goodbye Chat Noir.” She blushed as she backed away, their eyes still locked on each other’s; she couldn’t break away from his gaze. 

“Until next time, My Lady,” he said with a bow and one last wink, before he extended his stick and left. Ladybug watched him vault over the Parisian skyline, absentmindedly reaching for her yo-yo, before making her own exit. 

That night, from the safety of her bedroom, Tikki warned Marinette to be cautious of Chat Noir. The Ladybug and Black Cat had been partners, a duo more powerful than the other Miraculous, but that was before the Cat had been lost. If the guardian did not give him the Miraculous, they could not be certain about his intentions. 

If only Marinette had listened. If she heeded Tikki’s advice, perhaps the events of the past two years could have been avoided. Perhaps Marinette’s heart would have never been broken. They had made a good team—as the Black Cat and Ladybug always have—but their compatibility meant nothing when everything had been a lie. 

The bell rang, snapping Marinette out of her reverie. She gathered her books together and said goodbye to her friends. The first day of school was over. She was certain her life was going to change, as it had the past two years. 

This was going to be the year she defeated Hawkmoth and Chat Noir. She knew it. 

A/N: Read the rest on ao3

#Miraculous ladybug #miraculous ladybug fic #ml fic #ml fanfic #ladynoir enemies #adrienette #ml enemies au #ladynoir #marinette dupain cheng #adrien agreste #my fic

[chaoticgeminate]

Exposed

So I had a plot bunny that ran rampant, after reading the post about it being illegal in France to record/take pictures without consent. It was supposed to be short but apparently I can’t do that? IDK, what started as a 1k word blurb sort of evolved into nearly 7k words in like two hours.

So! Just a heads up for everyone before you click the Read More tag. Contained within this insanity is:

Class salt (moderate) Lila salt (major) Alya salt (moderate bordering major) Ladyblog salt (moderate bordering major) Crush reveal on the wrong side of the mask (MariChat) Supportive Gabriel (shocking, I know, but I had too much salt) Supportive Sabine (again, had a lot of salt, wanted some sweet)

[AO3]

Expelled, again.

Marinette stared at the online course schedule that was now hers to complete, after Lila spread a photo shopped picture that led to bullying and her second expulsion, the only change to this time and the last was that her parents were firmly on her side and didn’t want her going back. Once again there hadn’t been any investigations done, Lila’s mother hadn’t made an appearance in the office, and Principal Damocles hadn’t listened to any arguments of the crime that Marinette was being accused of.

Taking a candle, supposedly, to Lila’s homework packets; but Marinette wasn’t an idiot, she knew exactly what that picture was from and a part of her was pissed at the girl squad. The original photo was from a funeral for her great-grandmother, who had passed away recently, Marinette had been burning joss paper and her mother had taken the photo; the original picture had Marinette in tears with her hair done in a loose bun that her great-grandmother had loved to see her wear.

Lila had photo shopped a picture of Marinette wearing a vicious scowl, no doubt from an argument with Chloe, as well as the school hallway as the background; if you really looked there was obvious distortion around Marinette’s neck and a faint lining around her legs. But the Principal didn’t want to hear that, he declared her a problem and got rid of her, which was now leading to an outraged Tom and Sabine with an emotionally distressed teenager.

Then came the slander against the bakery, the Ladyblog outright posting articles about the supposed incident, with tabloids trying to hop on the trail. Thanks to Nadja Chamack and TVi, after the Ministry of National Education had been contacted with proper proof and documentation, the station had Aurore deliver a stunning counter article about the power abuse and out-of-control nature of the staff at François Dupont with her own private experiences adding to it all.

Chat Noir had been the first hero to make an appearance on the news, on TVi specifically with Aurore sitting across from him, his very public denouncement of the Ladyblog had stunned her to tears when she watched it.

“I’m not allowed to go into detail but I’ve met Marinette Dupain-Cheng, she is a hardworking young woman who fights for her friends and stands up for what she believes in, I can honestly say with one-hundred percent faith that she has never been a bully and that whatever she’s being accused of is just another lie because Lila Rossi feels threatened by her.”

“Another lie, Chat Noir?”

“Yes. I’ve spoken to officer Raincomrpix about this already but during the akuma that was faced named Oni-chan, which was created when Lila lied to get into Adrien Agreste’s manor and then kissed him without his consent before sending the picture to every female on his contact list, Lila Rossi also lied to me directly about being injured to separate me from Ladybug.”

“Wait, so on top of sexual harassment and possible stalking charges she could be possibly accused of aiding a terrorist?”

“Correct, but Ladybug and I agreed not to say anything at first because neither one of us could say for certain if she was trying to separate us or be seen carried by a hero so that she could get fifteen minutes of fame, we didn’t want to make that accusation and be incorrect since it’s a rather big one.”

“Why bring it up now?”

“Seeing as her track record is to lie and make things up, Aurore, I’m certain that photo is false and that she created evidence to frame the girl she sees as a threat in order to get rid of her; I’m angry that the school has mishandled this situation, as this is the second time Marinette has been accused of a supposed crime without investigation where Lila Rossi is concerned.”

“I know of the first, Marinette had told me about it, I cannot believe Principal Damocles and Madam Bustier made the call they did without pulling the CCTV footage from the security desk.”

“Indeed. But I’m here to say that Ladybug and I both publicly denounce the Ladyblog, from here on out, because we don’t endorse tabloids of any kind. Nor do we support or endorse bullying, which Alya Cesaire has been doing to Marinette ever since the accusations against her were made, so any more news on Ladybug and I that is correct will be delivered through TVi or through The Catbug News.”

“Oh, my blog? But I just post memes.”

“Well, Aurore, now you’re going to be our go-to; if you promise to help with submitting akuma locations, tips to avoid being akumatized, and a lot more cat memes.”

While his little stunt with the memes was entirely what she expected, though it was fair for him to ask those to continue because they were hilarious (something she would deny if asked), she had been so touched that she’d suited up and hugged him for a straight ten minutes without a single word before she remembered herself. “For Marinette, she wanted me to talk to you, I was talking with her about everything and she’s a little embarrassed because your faith in her made her cry off her make-up.” He’d gotten a funny shine to his eyes before nodding and purr-omising to stop by too on a night he didn’t have a ton of homework to do, then they patrolled as usual, Ladybug had made an appearance at Aurore’s window and given her own interview.

Talking about the emotional trauma, the fact that Marinette had lured no less than three akuma butterflies, and that she was ashamed that the reporter she once trusted had gone so far as to try and attack a business without proof or evidence. The heroine had gone on to agree with Chat, that The Catbug News would be the go-to source along with TVi for any official news that came from the heroes directly, before she looked right at the camera. “I also want it known that Rena Rouge and Carapace, along with Queen Bee for obvious reasons, have been permanently retired and will no longer be seen.” While she couldn’t have used them again after Hawkmoth learned their identities with Miracle Queen, something she’d planned to talk to them about, she’d purposefully made that public as a definite revenge move.

Hawkmoth had tried but with Ladybug and Chat on city watch, patrolling houses of all former heroes, there hadn’t been any akuma that spouted up because she was purifying them before they could reach a target.

That had all been two days ago, now Marinette was enrolled in classes online as the Ministry did their investigation into both incidents, the teenager stared until the screen blurred after a busy day of talking with agents and her new therapist; everyone was on self-harm watch, afraid she’d resort to cutting or starving herself out of misery. Gentle tapping at her skylight made her look up at the glowing green eyes, it was dark enough that they were the only visible thing in the square panel, Marinette moved up onto her bed and pushed the window open before gesturing the hero to enter.

He hesitated a moment, for good reason since this was Marinette and not Ladybug, they’d only had maybe three or four meetings outside of the suit; but he did take up her offer when the thunder rumbled, his lean form landing on his knees so he kept his boots off her blankets. “Uh, hi Princess, I wanted to check on you; Ladybug pointed out-“ He didn’t get to finish his statement at all as she threw herself at him with a wail, finally able to express her gratitude properly as she clung to him, his stiff posture faded as he wrapped his arms around her gently and rubbed her back.

“Ch-chat why is this happening? What did I- what did I do wrong?” It was a question she wondered for a while now, just what happened that led to the universe throwing all this at her, why was it that she always had to fight and struggle for every little thing? His grip tightened and a low croon vibrated through him, not quite a growl and not quite a comforting hum, something between that was a strange mix of human and cat.

His voice was rough and she felt his tears as he sniffled. “Nothing, Marinette, you have done nothing wrong; I am so sorry that this happened, that I let it get this bad without trying to do something about it sooner.” Like always he was trying to take the punishment and blame, in and out of the suit he was trying to keep all the fault and punishment off her, it was both heartwarming and heartbreaking enough that Marinette’s tears grew and her body broke into heaving sobs against his shoulder.

Calming down took a long time, especially since it led to calming him down too now that he was worked up from her own tears and misery, Marinette stroked his hair gently and made sure to help him dry his own eyes. “It’s not your fault, Chat, you had hero things to do and you have a life outside the suit that I don’t know about; but I can promise you that I don’t blame you, or anyone really, except Lila and now Alya and the other. Except Adrien, he did call me to apologize and promise he’d try and come up with something to help, but he was also the only one who knew that she was a liar aside from me. He was right though, in the beginning at least, because she should have lied herself into a corner by now if the teachers and students had paid attention at all. It wasn’t until the first expulsion incident that it got really bad, she accused me of cheating on a test and then stealing her grandmother’s pendant as well as pushing her down the stairs, Adrien tried to speak up for me but Principal Damocles wouldn’t listen.” Marinette couldn’t stop the soft blush or the warmth in her face, even if he didn’t like her back she was touched that he’d tried to do something.

Chat coughed into his hand and glanced around the room. “You a fan of his, Princess?” He nudged her and Marinette decided that she had to trust her partner with something.

“Well, I’m his friend… I hope. But, uh, I wanted to be more; at least, before he met Kagami and asked me to help him on his date with her. I mean, I like him and would love to hold his hand in a totally non-platonic way, but his happiness is more important and if he likes Kagami then I’m not going to interfere with that either.” Kagami was her friend and they had a long talk with a promise at the end, regardless of who Adrien chose (even if it wasn’t one of them) they would be friends and they would not treat whoever he dated with any negative attitude, Marinette was tired of everything she did being about a boy and all her negatives supposedly being about a boy.

There was a high-pitched sound, not unlike a tea kettle boiling, that made her look at Chat; his face was flushed and his pupils were shot wide, tail jerking and ears twitching. “You- him? For how long? If I might ask, I mean, I’m just- I thought you liked guitar boy.” Marinette tilted her head at the silly cat as she thought of Luka, then of the strange up and down relationship with Adrien that she had, before she smiled fondly.

It was sort of embarrassing but it was nice to talk about. “I, uh, didn’t like him at first; I didn’t even know who he was, I followed his father for fashion but most of my stuff is women’s wear so I wasn’t much for watching the men’s portion of runways. I thought he put gum on my seat and when Chloe and Sabrina giggled about it, well, I really just laid into him and didn’t even let him say anything before I accused him of being a bully. But, well, it was after you and Ladybug saved Ivan and Mylene the second time… I forgot my umbrella and it was raining. Adrien was- I wasn’t going to listen to him, but he went out of his way to admit the truth to me, he could have just gone on his way and not confessed anything at all.” Marinette would never forget that gentle, almost pleading expression, that he’d worn.

The lonely Prince trying to make friends. “He didn’t have to try and clear the air between us, he could have made friends with everyone else and ignored me, but he did try to make things right; then he, well, he offered me his umbrella. Since that afternoon I was lost, I fell for him really hard to the point that I still struggle to even talk around him, I mean… I know I’m not perfect but I want to be for him and I’m terrified that if I confess he’d tell me no and then decide that it was too awkward to even be my friend anymore.” A fear that she knew was sort of silly with how valuable Adrien held his friends, something she probably didn’t need to worry about at all, but it was one she couldn’t ignore.

Chat’s blush hadn’t quite died down but he had lost the shocked look, which was sort of a relief, Marinette looked at him and wondered if maybe he’d seen her with Luka sometime and jumped the gun on who she liked. “I don’t think he’d do that to you from what I’ve seen of him, but I won’t push you to confess or anything because that’s not fair to you.” Hearing him say that just brought another wave of emotions down on her that made a swell of relief flood her, she wasn’t at school and that meant no more set-ups by Alya, she could finally do things at her own pace.

“Thank you, Chat. My best friend-“ The words choked quiet and she drooped. “F-former. My former best friend, Alya, was really pushy when it came to trying to get me to confess to him. It’s a relief to hear you say that because you’re the first one.” His hand settled on her back and Marinette sank into his hold, he laid back and kept his feet off the bed as he pulled her into a cuddle with one hand carding through her now loose hair.

Marinette sighed as the exhaustion from stress finally took over, lids drooping as Chat purred her to sleep.

Working on her Physics, puzzling through the equation she had to do, Marinette completely missed her Maman calling out to her and missed the opening of her door. “Hey Marinette!” Adrien’s voice registered after all of two minutes and she abruptly shrieked as she turned, feet tangling in her blankets as she also tried to stand up, a painful kiss with the floor was inevitable until she was practically snatched out of the fall and pulled into a leaning position against Adrien. “It’s just me, sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.” Mouth opening and closing rapidly, her face flushing with color since she was most definitely wearing her Chat Noir onesie that she’d made and never planned for anyone to see, the teen struggled against her blanket snare before shaking her head and clearing her throat.

“You’re fine! I mean, it’s fine- not that you aren’t fine- I mean, uh-“ His hands squeezed her shoulders and Adrien’s fond smile made her brain blank as he chuckled, his finger pressed to her lips and his bangs falling just so as he tilted his head. It was not a look she’d associate with Adrien, since she had only fantasized about his romantic gestures, but it was familiar in a way that she couldn’t quite place.

His cheeks were pink and she felt her own flame in response to his blush. “You’re so cute, Marinette.” Somewhere she thought a record scratched loudly, her heartbeat thundering in her ears at his words as they registered, she wasn’t even sure what color her face was anymore because she was sure that it was purple with how hard it was to breathe all of a sudden. “Uh, wait, I-“ A frantic sort of panic ruined the soft look on his face. “I mean- you are cute but I didn’t want to- I have an idea on how to really end the thing with Lila!” How did that equate to her being cute, she didn’t quite know, but all of a sudden she couldn’t tear her focus from the possible end to it all.

Marinette blinked rapidly and he took that as a sign to continue. “You heard Alix, Alya, and the others; she admitted she took that photo of you to them, they quoted her and Alya had video proof Lila verbally admitted it.” This made her nod warily since she knew that much, it was why the girls had gone on a crusade against her and reported it to the Principal. “It’s illegal in France to take pictures without anyone’s consent, why do you think fans don’t flood my photoshoots and paparazzi are practically non-existent unless they crowd me asking for my allowance?” Everything in her swelled and she couldn’t help but throw herself at him with a squeal of joy because, holy shit, she had everything she needed.

“Adrien Agreste, you genius, I could kiss the hell out of you right now!”

His arms had wrapped around her to hold her steady, as she’d thrown hers around his neck in her jump, so there was no escaping her words as she floundered in a panic and her brain scrambled for something to say. “I wouldn’t stop you, in fact I’d kiss you back if you did.” His voice made her pause, his words registered once her heartbeat muted a little for her poor brain, and then she found herself pulling back to stare up at him as he looked back at her. He slid one hand up to take one of her hands from behind his neck, kissing her knuckles as he wove their hands together and brought it to his mouth, her ears were ringing and she was struggling to even breathe.

A part of her worried that this was all a dream, that she’d wake up and be heartbroken, but when he smiled and leaned down a little she couldn’t find it in her to care. “With your permission?” His request was a whisper and his breath tickled her lips as his forehead pressed to hers, Marinette swallowed as she dipped her head a little.

“Please?”

He sighed into the kiss and she whined softly against his mouth, his lips were warm and soft and perfect, the whine faded to a satisfied hum of delight because she was finally kissing Adrien Agreste. One kiss became two, two became a few more, and soon she found that she quite liked when his hand pressed to her lower back and that he practically purred when she sank her hands into his hair. It was clumsy and wet, their teeth often scraped together as he angled his head to explore her, and she wasn’t quite sure what to do with her tongue but she didn’t care. It was perfectly imperfect for a first kiss.

Loud ringing from his cell made him wince and look at the alarm. “I told the Gorilla I’d be out before we couldn’t use traffic as an excuse, I really have to go, but look into suing her for use of your picture without consent. I’ll call you when I finish eating and we can talk about, well, us.” Marinette nodded and practically swooned as he turned to descend from her room, her face was warm and she was really happy, it was amazing. “Oh, uh-“ He peeked at her over the top of the floor. “I love your onesie, it’s really cute with a soft material.” Then he was gone and she was left staring down at herself, realizing she’d just kissed Adrien Agreste while wearing a Chat Noir onesie with cat ears on the hood and a fluffy belt tail that was very detail specific.

Tikki was shaking her head as she emerged from her hiding place, the string of silk lanterns were a great way to offer Tikki more than one place to hide if someone came in, they were all different colors and some had tealights while others didn’t; the Kwami giggled fondly when Marinette abruptly turned and returned to her schoolwork. Adrien still had to eat lunch and Marinette didn’t even know where to begin with pressing charges against Lila for the picture, whether it was the police she had to talk to or just a lawyer, but she had time to find out. “I’m happy for you, Marinette, even if the circumstances leading to this aren’t ideal. Maybe things will be better now.” A dreamy sigh escaped her and the teen knew that schoolwork was a bust until she and Adrien finally talked, choosing to take a break for lunch.

“Thank you, Tikki, I’m going to head downstairs. I’ll bring up some cookies for you.”

Hearing her Maman in the kitchen, grinning at the plate of bao on the table, the teen walked up and began helping with stuffing the remaining pouches of dough after washing her hands and tugging up her sleeves. “Maman, uh, Adrien kissed me.” It wouldn’t do to try and hide anything from her parents, not now that she had their trust in her again, if she wanted to hide being Ladybug and the Guardian than she’d have to admit about the relationship possibly changing. Her mother’s smile was warm and Marinette giggled as her Maman bumped her hip against her since their hands were now covered in filling.

Marinette heard the soft hum, affectionate and loving, before her Maman finally replied to her confession. “He told us when he dashed out that he liked you and wanted to take you on a date sometime when he was free, if his Father agreed to it, Tom nearly stopped him from leaving in order to ask him what the wedding colors would be.” That made her choke and very nearly fling pork filling into the air, laughter from the elder made her look and glare at the mischief in her expression. “Sorry Marinette, I couldn’t resist at all, but he did tell us about the date request. I’m happy for you, baobei, and if you need to talk to us about anything please don’t think we won’t listen to you first.” Marinette knew exactly what her Maman was talking about, since she told them about Evillustrator and they had been there for the Chat Noir fiasco, the elder woman had pulled her aside and talked about consent and STI’s as well as birth control.

While the topic had been embarrassing to endure, she was only fourteen and just the thought of kissing Adrien was enough to get her light-headed, she knew it came from a place of love and wanting her to be educated. Especially since Marinette knew that Alya and Nino had already done the horizontal tango, because Alya had gone right to the girl squad and told them in vague terms what happened, while her Maman knew because Marinette had asked if fourteen and fifteen were too young for that sort of thing. “I know that and I’m sorry I made you and Papa feel like you did something that made it so I didn’t trust you, I just wanted to try and handle it on my own since that’s what I thought I had to do, thank you for understanding. Oh!” Marinette had almost forgotten about the picture thing. “Adrien suggested I should look into pressing charges against Lila for taking a photo without my consent because it’s illegal in France, we know the photo is fake but the school doesn’t think so, if we press charges then she’ll have to admit it was false.” A considering look grew on her Maman’s face before she leaned down to kiss Marinette’s forehead and smiled.

“That boy is a genius, baobei, I never thought of that. I’ll discuss it with Officer Raincomprix after you return to your studies. Now I know you’re waiting on a phone call, instead of helping me why don’t you wash up and take some of the cooked bao to your room.” Marinette grinned and washed her hands after setting aside the last bun she was working on, taking three cooked bao for herself to munch on, she also snagged a few cookies as well as a small bowl of noodles before dashing upstairs. Tikki took her prizes to the shelf that sat just above the trash can, a small toothbrush had been modified to act as a duster so the Kwami could just brush her crumbs into the trash, Marinette pushed her keyboard aside and started eating as she turned on the demo album Jagged had sent her so she could work on the cover art.

Chiming made her answer the video call, Adrien was flushed and she realized he had the phone angled so she could be seen by the others in the room with him, Gabriel Agreste was seated behind his desk and Marinette nearly choked swallowing a mouthful of food. Adrien flushed in a slightly panic. “Sorry Marinette! I didn’t think to text you first, are you okay?” His concern was sweet and she gave him a thumbs up as she downed some water to regain her ability to talk and breathe.

He didn’t look convinced. “I’m okay Adrien, you just startled me, I wasn’t exactly expecting to be seen by too many people.” The unspoken indication to her pajamas were there and didn’t need to be verbalized.

“You are supposed to be comfortable in your own home, Miss Dupain-Cheng, I shouldn’t have asked Adrien to call you while I am an audience without proper warning. I merely wanted to ask you of your intentions with my son.”

Marinette blinked and then again, realizing Gabriel had sort of asked her a serious question. “Well, sir, I just was hoping to at least try and go on a few dates to see if we’re a compatible couple. I really like Adrien, not just because of his looks but because he was kind and he went out of his way to apologize to me for a rather dumb jump of conclusions on my part when he could have just ignored me for the rest of the year. He’s been nothing but kind, patient, and understanding while I really just fumbled around like a spazz worried about being perfect to make him look my way.” It was something she’d been fighting to admit to herself since her therapy visit a few days back, that she was so scared of disappointing people that it made her lose all will to say no or made her do stupid things to try and impress others, it was something her therapist wanted to work with her on specifically.

“Would you be adverse to attending dinner at our home, with your parents, on Thursday? I would very much like to meet you again, in person, with your parents to work out the boundaries and rules. I’d also like to offer some advice in dealing with the public reaction that will no doubt come when it reaches social media that you two are in a relationship.”

Dinner with Adrien and his Father? It almost made her want to hurl that he was, apparently, approving of their relationship being a thing. “Let me, uh, Maman is downstairs; let me find out if she and Papa have anything planned for Thursday.” Marinette took the phone with her as she hurried down the steps. “Maman? Do we have dinner plans for Thursday at all?” The elder turned around and Marinette turned the phone to show just who was on the call.

“Ah, hello again Adrien. Hello Monsieur Agreste. We do not, baobei, would you be asking for a date evening or is this for us to get acquainted with Adrien’s father?” The ridiculous levels of motherly intuition were still a shock and Marinette was wondering if maybe she wasn’t so slick in hiding her hero life, if she was hiding that from Maman’s apparent psychic abilities then it was where any and all good luck had to be going.

“I’d very much like to meet you and your husband in person, Madam Cheng, as well as discuss any boundaries or rules we’d like in place.”

“I think that’s a lovely idea, Thursday evening is perfectly fine, Tom and I can bring desert. Are there any food allergies we need to worry about?”

“None at all, Madam Cheng, do my chefs need to know anything to avoid?”

“Only that Marinette is extraordinarily picky with her vegetables will not touch brussel sprouts no matter how they’re prepared for her.”

“Maman! You’re embarrassing me.” Marinette’s whine earned a chuckle from the older woman along with a forehead kiss and a one-arm hug since she had one hand with bao filling on it still.

A blush had to be on Marinette’s face because she felt warmer. “Oh baobei, I’m your Maman and it’s my job to be embarrassing, I love you.” That made the teen tug at her hood in a guilty sort of way, she hadn’t meant to imply anything.

“I love you too, Maman.” The mumbled reply earned another chuckle from the elder woman.

“I shall ensure that the menu is acceptable to everyone, Miss Dupain-Cheng. Adrien and I still have a few things to discuss, he will be calling you after his fencing lessons today I’m afraid.”

Marinette nodded and ended the call after exchanging goodbyes. “I’m going to go finish lunch now.” Her Maman’s laughter followed her up the stairs and the teen quickly began to shovel food into her mouth.

School had become a warzone.

Adrien stalked by Kim, Max, and Alix as they murmured in low voices at their lockers; it had been a week since the incident and he was no less angry about how everything had turned out. Juleka and Rose were whispering with wide eyes and visual concern for the state of the tension in the room, Nathaniel was walking with his head ducked and hiding behind Ivan as the taller boy comforted the very flustered Mylene. Alya’s rampage hadn’t quite ended yet after he, in a protective decision that was admittedly very petty the more he thought back about doing it, publicly shamed her blog while in his other alias; the Ladyblog had gone from the number one source of Ladybug information to bottom of the bucket after TVi and the heroes had gotten done with it. The reporter was still stomping around spitting fire at anyone who so much as blinked at her wrong, Nino had backed away from trying to talk her down and instead could be found with his headphones on at his seat, Lila was happily sitting in Marinette’s former seat talking about how she and Ladybug were fighting after what they’d done to poor Alya when the reporter was only doing the right thing and making sure a bully was exposed.

People were wary of Lila, now Alya too, after the TVi return fire; naturally so after the station tore apart the interview that rocketed Alya to fame just the night before and Adrien knew that none of his class had seen it yet with just how they were not shouting or even attracting akuma yet. When they did, though, it would be even uglier. The station had contacted Jagged Stone, Clara Nightingale, Prince Ali’s PR team, and even the Italian Embassy just to prove what happened when a reporter never researched or checked their facts.

“Adrien, you’re still going to help me study today, I cleared my schedule for this afternoon.” Lila had waited for everyone except the teacher to enter the room, to hear the implication that he’d offered to help her before this, usually he would either make an excuse or he’d play along to avoid a scene. But after what she had done and the trouble she caused, hearing the anguished tears and seeing Marinette break down because people she thought were her friends hadn’t even believed her, Adrien was done playing nice.

There was no reasoning with someone who was proving to be a problem in the worst ways. “I never offered to help you study after you lied your way into my home and got my father’s assistant and my bodyguard in trouble because of it, Lila, I deal with enough stalker fans and I’m not going to tolerate my classmates doing the same.” Throwing the word stalker in there was all he needed to do to throw another wave of tension in the room, Chloé and Sabrina both jolted in their seats after they had dealt with a stalker at the hotel during the blank period after the blonde transformed on television, the rest of the class stared as Adrien leveled Lila with a look.

A touch of anger and disgust was blanked before a false confusion and whimper made her look very much like a victim, the fake tears were a decent touch. “I have CCTV footage from the mansion of everything that you said in the hall, when you first told Nathalie that you were there to help me catch up on my work and then when you told me father that Nathalie asked you to tutor me. Along with kissing me without my consent, as well as taking a photo of me without my consent, then sending it to every female on my contact list specifically? Every action of yours has proven that you’ll do and say anything to look good and get what you want, which obviously is me, but I’m no possession and I’m not going to tolerate some fangirl use me as a means to get famous.” He wasn’t shouting at all and his anger was quiet, calmer despite the intensity behind his words, it was very similar to his Father and Adrien could see that Lila was shaking.

But it wasn’t his place to fully expose her, it wasn’t his place to make the class see just yet how badly they’d messed up, he looked right at Ivan in the back row. “Ivan, can we switch seats? I don’t feel safe with Lila hovering behind me.” The taller boy goggled for a moment and then nodded while gathering his things as Adrien did the same, trading places and waiting for the teacher to enter without another word, Alya was staring at Lila who was frantically trying to regain control of the situation until Madam Bustier walked in with a few people.

Showtime was here and it was a lot sooner than he’d thought, which he should have expected after his Father heard the extent of just what Lila had done and caused, the AGRESTE legal team had been launched into action with lawsuit after lawsuit on behalf of the company as well as Adrien personally and the Dupain-Cheng family. 

Adrien didn’t hesitate to turn the recorder on his tablet, for Marinette to see later, since it wouldn’t go public. “Lila Justine Rossi you are hereby under arrest for two counts of unlawful photography, one count of verbal harassment, one felony count of truancy, multiple counts of false signatures on legal documentation, and one count of malicious intent to slander an innocent party.” Adrien blinked at just how much they were slamming on her now as her Mother, he could only assume by the quiet stare and droop of her shoulders, watched with a blend of horror and sadness.

Lila didn’t disappoint at all. “I’m the daughter of a diplomat, you can’t arrest me!” The real fear in her voice made it sort of a shriek.

“I suggest you remain quiet, as anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law, your diplomatic immunity was revoked the moment your truancy was revealed and once the French Court is done with you there will be a ban on your VISA as well as your Mothers and you will face justice under the Italian court system per the ruling of the Italian Embassy in accordance with France’s president.” Having her out of Paris was another plus, Adrien would admit, no akuma would pop up in her whole anger and hatred thing and he did cast a suspicious look around the school. But there were no signs of black butterflies, even Hawkmoth seemed to be avoiding this situation.

As she was handcuffed and her things were gathered, tears pooling in her eyes, the girl seemed to finally decide the truth was necessary. “I never took that picture of Marinette, it was photoshopped after Alya sent me a picture of her doing some stupid Chinese ritual thing, she bullied me first and-“ The officer didn’t even allow her to continue speaking.

“We have recorded evidence, from a video posted to the Ladyblog, where you specifically and verbally admitted to taking said picture which led to a vicious slander attempt of a local business. Please keep moving or I will be forced to carry you to the cruiser.” Adrien watched as the officers led them out and Lila finally quieted, he saved the recording to send to Marinette and made sure it went before he deleted it, the room was quiet enough that the buzzing from the fluorescent lights was deafening. Even Madam Bustier was staring outright at the door, sinking into her chair with a very heartbroken expression on her face, but she’d helped lead to this and Adrien wasn’t exactly happy with her either.

Adrien jolted in an instant. “Wait, that psycho photo shopped a picture of my girlfriend at a funeral for her tài lǎo lao?” He noticed the looks and glared at all of them. “Traditional Chinese funerals include burning joss paper.” It really explained the whole reason that Sabine, Marinette, and Tom were so infuriated by everything; Adrien really wanted to go cataclysm her, consequences be damned.

It was Alix who jolted out of her stupor first. “Guys there’s no way Marinette will ever forgive us.” The room burst into frantic murmurs of ‘oh God what have we done’ and ‘how could we have been so stupid’ around him, Alya was shaking in her seat and Nino wasn’t moving, but the worst of all was their teacher who was whiter than paper with tears sliding down her face as she clenched her eyes tightly. There was a light tap at the door before a severe man in a proper suit, along with another severe man in a less formal dress style, gestured to the redhead.

The less formal man entered the room and closed the door behind him. “Good morning students, I am Baxter Kennedy and I’ll be taking over the role as your teacher for the rest of the year, we are aware of what just occurred only minutes ago and as such I have had the Ministry of National Youth and Education send in a psychologist who specializes in youth groups to spend the rest of the day with you. We are quite understanding that nothing will really stick if we try teaching today.” Adrien watched as the severe man returned without Madam Bustier and leaned into his seat.

“I am Doctor Oscar Bennet, I would like you to introduce yourselves before we begin.”

He hadn’t expected a therapy session today but Adrien figured his input wouldn’t be as important. Oh, how wrong he had been though.

Doctor Bennet made it apparent quick quickly that while Adrien’s reasoning for being quiet was sound when dealing with the paparazzi and tabloid spreads, as denying it only made it seem truer, a school bully was an entirely different beast and his request for silence had helped bring things to this point. The model was left exhausted, picked apart mentally, and wondering if he could schedule sessions with Doctor Bennet privately because he’d actually learned a lot about himself and his reactions in his short talk with the man.

Like his relationship with his Father, which was almost nonexistent by this point, was actually a problem that needed to be addressed because Gabriel was prioritizing his grief and his company over his relationship with his own offspring. That his lack of control in things like his attire, his diet, his hobbies, was leading him to being a potential control freak when he did finally gain independence or not being able to exist on his own at all.

Alya had spent ten minutes into lunch screaming at him, blaming Adrien for not speaking up as to why her blog was ruined and she’d lost her best friend, until Doctor Bennet pulled her aside and disappeared into the room set up for him. Alya’s parents arrived not long after and Adrien shook his head, Nino looked a little disappointed but even agreed that he should have trusted Marinette and not blamed everything on her jealousy over Adrien. Nobody else tried talking to him, which was good, or even asked him to talk to Marinette for them.

Things were going to get better, he knew, now that the right steps were in place. Principal Damocles and Madam Bustier, as well as the rest of the staff, were required to take remedial training seminars on bullying; the Principal had been forced to forfeit his position to the man assigned by the National Youth and Education Ministry, Oswald McKinney. Madam Bustier’s teaching license was being revoked until she completed multiple courses on bullying, how to handle claims of plagiarism or theft and even destruction of private property. Chances of her being given to a higher-level class were slim after this, if she even was allowed to teach again, but that wasn’t his concern.

Adrien grinned at the big smile on Marinette’s face as he dipped into the bakery for lunch period and slipped a rose into her hand with a wink, her face flushed and he couldn’t help but press a kiss to her nose, he did squeak when she hauled him down by the collar to leave a searing kiss on his lips before she scampered up into the apartment with a giggle and a reminder that Kagami was waiting for him to join them.

Things weren’t perfect but they were getting there.

#miraculous fanfic #miraculous ladybug #lila rossi #alya cesaire #marinette dupain cheng #adrien agreste #caline bustier salt #lila rossi salt #alya cesair salt #caline bustier class #ml fanfic #chaoticwrites

[lnc2]

Shutterbug (1/?)

Chapter 1: something happens when everybody finds out

Summary: The word is out and the gossip is in: Ladybug’s got a man on her arm and it isn’t Chat Noir.  The hottest new couple to hit the Parisian spotlight? Ladybug and Adrien Agreste.

A/N: A commission from the wonderful @alienducky that grew out of control. Shout out to @overworkedunderwhelmed for helping me with the title.   It’s just what I was looking for.

AO3

This is a dream.  This has to be a dream.

Adrien watched in fascinated horror as his father and Nathalie outlined their plan of attack to the shell-shocked love of his life.  Ladybug’s arms were crossed around her stomach and her mouth hung open, just the slightest, frozen as Gabriel oh-so-casually requested– no, demanded – the superheroine’s cooperation.

“Are you okay with this?” He asked, voice low so as not to catch his clearly insane guardian’s attention.

Ladybug turned away from Gabriel and his runaway PR campaign.  She gave him a somewhat wobbly smile.

“Sure,” She squeaked. “Yup.  Tip-top. Totally fine!”

The too-perky words hung between them for a moment, suspended in horribly awkward time.  Adrien knew his partner too well to know she was anything but panicking.

“It’s okay,” He said, reaching out to gently touch her arm. “I’ll get you out of this.”

“No!” She said, too loud.  Red peeked out beneath her mask, dusting her nose and cheeks. She shook her head, tried again. “I mean– no.  Th-that’s okay. I’m kind of the reason you’re in this mess in the first place, right?”

That wasn’t entirely true, but Adrien wasn’t going to point out the embarrassingly obvious.  If she wanted to pretend he hadn’t made a total ass of himself to the press, well, who was he to stop her?

“Besides,” She said, shy smile peeking through her nerves. “There are worse ways to spend my time.”

“Heh,” Now it was his turn to blush. “Really? I mean, yeah. Ah.  Yeah.”

Gods strike him dead. 

He was barely in this and already making a fool of himself.

“Adrien,” His father snapped, drawing their attention back to the front of the room.  “Do pay attention. This is your scandal we’re dealing with.”

“Yes, father.” He murmured.

Scandal.

The word hung in the air like an accusation.  Unfair, really, and an exaggeration. There wasn’t anything particularly scandalous about what was happening.  It was more… sensational.

And it started, as these things usually do, with a rumor.

Some one anonymous person on the Internet or another asking the question: who should be dating Adrien Agreste?

Since the he’d ‘gone public’ on social media and started sharing more details about his personal life, speculation was rife over which if any of the girls featured on his instagram were worthy of his attention.

A ridiculous question really when, as he told his commenters, they were all just friends.  On the record, he wasn’t interested in anyone.

Off the record? Well, he was working on that.

Nevertheless, the rumors spiraled, as they usually do, from there.

Clara Nightingale was written off as too old, Chloe Bourgeois as too mean, and his school friends as too low-key.  It wasn’t until one inspiration-struck individual suggested Ladybug that the message boards lost their collective minds.

Video mashups of Ladybug’s press conferences, fan footage, and Agreste ads started making the rounds.  Doctored images of Ladybug and Adrien embracing, staring longingly into each other’s eyes, or even just standing near each other were rampant on sites like tumblr.  All and any of the little real interactions the two shared were shared and dissected and shared again.  One manic evening, after Audrey Bourgeois was akumatized and Ladybug was seen carrying the supermodel across the city, #ladrien started trending on Parisian twitter finally meriting the attention of major news outlets.

How all of this rumbling underbelly of Ladybug lore managed to miss him was a mystery.  But whether through school or modeling or whatever it was his father scheduled to max out his free time, Adrien didn’t hear about #buggreste or #ladrien or whatever the kids were calling it these days.

That is, he hadn’t, until his disastrous post-photoshoot run-in with Nadja Chamack.

“Adrien, a moment.” She said, accosting him just as he was about to enter his limo.  “Is it true that you and Ladybug are dating?”

The question, one right out of his deepest, most desperate dreams, stopped him cold.

The camera focused in on him, a journalist’s dream: eyes wide and bright, cheeks so, so red.

“I–” He nearly tripped over his feet as he turned to face the reporter and her camera. “Where did you hear that?”

“So it’s true?” She asked, forcing the microphone closer.

“She– I… Me?” He stammered, more flustered and starry-eyed by the minute.  Unfortunately for the viewers at home, Gabriel’s assistant Nathalie stepped in front of the camera blocking him from view.

“That will be all.”

But the damage was done.

What once was a dizzy-eyed fangirl’s daydream turned into the hottest gossip to hit Paris since the superheroes first stepped onto the scene.

By the time it officially hit the Ladyblog it was regarded by everyone not in the know as fact. Alya did her best, really, she did, to stem the tides. For the sake of #ladynoir (and her best friend) she had to try.  But when Monday rolled around and the contrite blogger finally managed to catch up with Marinette there really wasn’t much left to say.

“I’m so sorry, girl,” She said, throwing her arms around her friend. “No one will listen to reason.”

Marinette shrugged. “It’s okay, Alya.  It’s kind of funny when you think about it.”

“It’s ridiculous is what it is,” She said. “Ladybug and Chat Noir are already together.”

“I don’t know about that,” Marinette said, rolling her eyes. “But it is rather reckless.  If it is true, I mean.  Imagine the akumas.”

“I’m sure Adrien will be fine, M.  It’s just gossip. Everything will blow over in a few days.”

Things did not blow over. 

They blew up.

And Marinette could only blame herself.

It was unfair, really, for the reporters to corner her like they did.  Ladybug and Chat were mid bien joue when they descended, rabid dogs wild for the latest scoop.

“Ladybug, can you comment on the Adrien situation?”

“Um,” She said, leaning further into Chat’s side as they encircled her. “No?”

Another microphone was shoved in her face. “So you’re saying you’re not interested in him?”

“No. I– wait yes.  I mean no.  I mean–” She laughed, nervous.  “What was the question?”

It was a rambling mistake on her part, a Marinette-ism sneaking through the mask.  But it was so hard for her to think with the flashing bulbs and shouted questions and rolling cameras.  Her miraculous was beeping and Chat’s arm gripped her waist as he pulled her close.

“I believe that’s all the time Lady has for today.” Chat said, extending his baton and vaulting them up, up, upward until they reached the nearby rooftops.  “Catch you later!”

Her partner was good for things like that.  Unfortunately he couldn’t save her from her runaway mouth and the resulting headline carnage.

Bug Outted! Secret Romance with Adrien Agreste CONFIRMED!

Buggreste or Ladrien?  YOU Decide.

The Claws are OUT: Chat Noir and His Plan to Win Ladybug Back

The last one featured a picture of Chat Noir sneering at the camera as he pulled a flustered Ladybug out of the paparazzi’s line of fire.  For days afterwards the Internet was abuzz with the news that she was cheating on Adrien with her partner which resulted in at least one akumatization.

The whole thing was more than a little ridiculous.

For obvious reasons, Ladybug thought it best to avoid being seen anywhere near the Agreste estate, but after a swarm of reporters chased Adrien down at the school things seemed a little… desperate.

Gabriel Agreste was the one who called for the meeting.

A stern direction for Adrien to make the request on his friend’s “little blog” was enough to send the forums into a tizzy.  But it was the news footage of Ladybug swinging over the vaulted gates of the Agreste manor that really set them going.

All of which culminated in this moment:

Adrien and Ladybug, red-faced and more than a little mortified, staring down the ultimate PR campaign.

“So we’re agreed then,” Gabriel said, looking down his nose at the blushing teens. “The two of you will carry on this… relationship for a time before breaking it off.  The public fervor will die down and we can move on from this disaster.  Are we clear?”

Adrien cast a searching look towards Ladybug, everything he’d ever wanted since he was fifteen.  She met his gaze and gave him a tentative but nonetheless heartstopping smile. A small thrill shot down his spine as the reality of what they were agreeing to sunk in.

The opportunity to date Ladybug with his father’s blessing?

Hell fucking yes.

Adrien met Gabriel’s steely gaze with his own.

“Absolutely.”

#miraculous ladybug #lnc2 writes #ladrien #commission #alienducky #commission gone rogue #fake dating au #buckle up kids #the pining is about to get really fucking real

[imthepunchlord]

LfM Ch 12

Ao3

.

Ladybug sighed, rubbing her face as she landed in the Louvre. That was not an easy akuma today… from an army of mummies, to Alya being in the middle of it all, to Tikki being vague about the exhibit she was all excited about it. She was just ready to drop in bed.

Spotting her bag, Ladybug headed for it, ready to head home. She jumped when there was a shout behind her.

“LADYBUG!”

She whipped around, wide eyed to see Alya’s crazy eyes locked on her. Loudly, Ladybug declared, “Oh no! I’m going to detransform!” She threw her yo-yo out and zipped away, unaware of the book that fell right out of her bag.  

Alya wasn’t. She ran to it, eagerly snatching it up, gasping in delight when she recognized the book. The same book she had. This, this meant Ladybug went to her school!

So giddy, she turned to her phone, holding it up to eagerly blog, “Hey viewers! Look what the Ladybug just dropped! And from a pink bag. Be on the lookout! We’ll find out who Ladybug is soon enough!”

As anticipated, the views on her blog skyrocketed, and the giddiness surged in Alya as she headed outside the Louvre. Pocketing her phone, she started to flip through the pages, trying to find anything that could give away who this book belonged to—

“Alya, no.”

She paused at the stern tone above her, looking up to see Ladybug hanging upside down, giving her a firm look. She held out her hand, prompting, “Give me the book.”

“Is this your book?” Alya asked excitedly.

Ladybug dropped down in front of her, crossing her arms as she stated, “Actually, no. This belongs to another student, one I recognize and wanted to get her things back to her.”

“This student knows you?!”

“Not that personally. The book, please?” Ladybug held out her hand, eye twitching a little.

Alya pouted, but did as she prompted, placing the book in Ladybug’s hands and watching the spotted hero dash away. She crossed her arms, narrowing her eyes as she stared after the hero. Alya wasn’t going to let this go so easily…

At school, she prowled around, on the search for Ladybug, keeping a look out for a light pink bag. There was no way it could be so simple as Ladybug knowing another student and delivering a bag back. That student had to be Ladybug. And Ladybug went to their school!

No way was Alya going to let her slip around under her nose, not when she was so close…

Alya paused, eyes going down when she spotted light pink in the crowd below. There was Chloe’s favorite target, talking to another blonde with pigtails, one Alya had recognized to be Stormy Weather. A short boy ran passed them, cracking a joke then tore off, the blonde in hot pursuit, and the dark haired girl was left alone. Alya narrowed her eyes, really considering her.

Everything seemed to suggest she could be Ladybug. Same hair, same height, same build, same pink bag…

It was all so promising. Seeing her chance, Alya did what she could to follow Marinette around, eager to prove that this had to be Ladybug. Her phone out, she recorded Marinette everywhere she went, trying to get a look into her locker from a distance, and one time, was even close enough to get to her bag to peek inside when Marinette suddenly tore off—

“What are you doing?”

Alya jumped, looking up to see a redhead standing behind her, frowning slightly as she stared down at Alya. “Nothing,” Alya hurried out, standing up as she faced the girl. “Just uh, found that girl’s bag lying around and thought I’d get it to her.”

“Oh, that’s very nice of you!” the redhead praised, offering Alya a sweet smile, one that could rival Rose. “But, don’t worry, I’ll make sure Marinette’s bag gets back to her.” Before Alya could protest, the broad girl grabbed Marinette’s things and carried them away, shouting an excited greeting to the blonde Marinette hung out with, who turned sharp eyes onto Alya. Tensing under that sharp stare, Alya hurried away.

She was going to have to be a little subtle in her snooping.

At the end of the day, with Marinette started walking home, Alya was ready to follow, only, she never got too far. A cold voice asked behind Alya, “What do you think you’re doing?”

Alya jumped, turning to see the blonde Marinette hung out with looming over her, eyes sharp and furious. Defensive, Alya said, “Nothing.”

“Nothing my umbrella. You’ve been following my friend all day long, even tried to go through her things; I want to know why.”

Alya faltered under that glare. She looked back to see that Marinette was gone, it was just her and the blonde. Alya admitted, “I think she’s Ladybug.”

Aurore blinked, then laughed. “You think she’s Ladybug?”

“Yes!”

“Oh, I see. Well, in that case,” Aurore drew near, coming to tower over Alya, making the redhead tense under her frosty eyes, “let me share with you a hard truth. Whether she’s Ladybug or not, its none of your business. And if I catch you snooping around her anymore—”

“Got it,” Alya huffed, drawing away from Aurore, meeting her glare with her own. “I’ll lay off.”

“I would hope so.”

.

There was nothing more terrifying than coming home to find Chloe standing in the bakery, talking with her mother. Marinette went still at the door, tensing as Chloe turned and fired off a smirk Marinette’s way. But she gave Marinette no comment as she prowled past, and Marinette side stepped her, watching her go warily.

She approached her Maman, warily staring after Chloe. “Everything ok?” Marinette asked.

“Oh, yes,” Sabine reassured. “Chloe just wanted to hire us for her half birthday.” Marinette made a face. “It’ll be a big paycheck,” Sabine encouraged.

“I know… I’m just, nervous,” Marinette said.

“You’re welcome to help us,” Sabine added, slipping into the back before Marinette could respond. Marinette huffed, and slipped upstairs, setting her things down. Tikki darted out, an excited blur around her.

Marinette watched her go for a few seconds, then chuckled. “You’re ready for tonight, aren’t you?”

“So ready,” Tikki whispered, bright eyed.

Marinette chuckled, settling down to start on her homework. Tonight was the night that Ladybug and Chat Noir was going to have a formal interview with Nadja, their first official one, giving the public a chance to get to know them a little better. It was going to be airing soon and she wanted to take this chance to get some work done.

Tikki hovered close the whole time, eyes on the clock, just to make sure they’ll make it on time. When it was close to airing time, Tikki darted around her, starting to usher Marinette away from homework so they’ll make it on time.

Ladybug was off soaring through the skies in just a few minutes, arriving a few seconds after Chat, smiling warmly as Nadja turned her eyes to the door.

“Ladybug!” Nadja greeted, her voice full or relief. “So glad you can make it!”

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” she said, plopping down next to Chat, greeting him with a brofist.

“This is really exciting,” Nadja started off, “first official interview with Ladybug in person. You haven’t even given one to reporters on the streets.”

“Usually there’s not enough time to give for any real interview,” Ladybug said.

“Plus, Bugaboo here is big on secrets,” Chat added, shooting Ladybug a playful look.

“Yes, secrets with the public, but what about you two?” Nadja asked, looking between them. “Do you two know who each other are?”

“No.”

“One day, yes,” Chat answered confidently.

“So, the plan then is to reveal after Hawk Moth’s defeat?”

“Ideally,” Ladybug started to say, only for Chat to cut.

“Though could be sooner.”

Ladybug shot him a look while the cat just grinned cheekily. “We are pretty tight,” he continued, “could be possible we may know who we are before Hawk Moth. Could even make us a stronger team.”

“It could,” Ladybug agreed, “but there are also some really big risks to that. It’ll be safer for us both to just wait to Hawk Moth has been caught and found.”

“So no on identities, which makes me wonder, what are you views on the most popular of blogs, the Ladyblog?”

Ladybug tensed. Was it that popular?

“It has the most popular theories of who you two can be and desires to find out who you are,” Nadja continued.

“I’m sorry,” Ladybug said, “but that’s a blog I don’t support. Our identities are supposed to be kept secret, for not only our safety but the safety of our family and friends.”

“Well, its all for good fun,” Chat tried to reason.

“It has some very big risks in the name of fun,” Ladybug quietly shot back at him, earning a pout.

Taking this in, Nadja tried a new direction. “Ok, next question. What about the relationship between you two? Does the mystery add to the spice of your relationship?”

“What?” Ladybug asked.

“Oh, definitely,” Chat said, earning a look from Ladybug.

“We’re not in a relationship,” Ladybug said.

“But perhaps one day…”

Ladybug huffed, shifting in her seat.

Nadja raised a brow at her, wondering, “You two are really not together?”

“Our relationship is purely professional,” Ladybug declared strictly. “And it will stay that way.”

“At least for now,” Chat persisted, earning another sharp look.

“But from what I’ve seen and heard, there’s a lot that says otherwise,” Nadja noted aloud, watching Ladybug carefully. When she was greeted with confusion, Nadja pushed a button on her remote, and the dreaded Dark Cupid kiss appeared on screen. Ladybug tensed and sunk back into her seat while Chat gaped.

Oh no.

“You two were really going at it, there was really no feelings there?” Nadja asked, as Chat whipped around, gaping at Ladybug, hope and thrill shining in his eyes.

“He was under a spell,” Ladybug explained quickly. “An act of love would break, for love beats hate.”

“I see,” Nadja said slowly, “but there is another source that counters this. Bring him in.”

Ladybug and Chat turned, Chat tensing as Theo Barbot walked onto the stage, looking sheepish and unsure. “H-hey, everyone,” he greeted, offering a weak wave.

“Theo here is one of my best sources to your secret relationship,” Nadja practically gloated, this time watching as it was Chat who sunk into his seat. “He confirmed that you two are in a relationship.”

“What?” Ladybug asked.

“I heard it from Chat himself,” Theo said. “Said you two were like this.” He intertwined his two fingers. “That actually upset me enough to become Copycat…” Theo turned away, rubbing the back of his neck, adding lowly, “I am sorry about all that. I hope you two are still happy together.”

Ladybug stared while Chat looked like he wanted to be anywhere else.

Nadja grinned smugly, asking excitedly, “So, do you two want to change your answer? Are you secret dating? Does the mystery add a nice spice to it?”

“We are not in a relationship. This is not what this interview should’ve been about.”

“But there’s that kiss, and word from Mr Barbot—”

Ladybug stood, loudly declaring, “This interview is over.”

Nadja blinked in horror, calling for Ladybug to wait as the spotted hero grabbed her partner and dragged him out of the studio. She didn’t stop, not when he tried to talk, not when people moved to stop her; she just kept going till they reached the roof.

She let Chat go then, turning to peer at him darkly.

His faux ears were flat on his head, staring at her with big eyes, holding his wrist like her grasp on them had burnt him.

“What, was that?” she asked slowly, hands on her hips.

“Uh,” Chat started off weakly.

“You lied to me about how Copycat happened, making a big fit about how it was my fault because I wasn’t at the ceremony.”

“W-well, it played a part—”

“You lied to me. You lied about me.” She took a deep breathe, her body trembling with contained anger and hurt. “How could you?”

He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “Look, Bugaboo—”

“Don’t call me Bugaboo.”

“—we are going to be a thing one day, you know.” When he received a raised brow about that, he quickly continued, “Everyone’s expecting it, we have the two miraculous counterparts to each other and are clearly made for each with this,” he pointed to his ring, “and even you clearly want me.”

“What?”

“That kiss, back during Dark Cupid. I’m sorry I forgot all about that, I would’ve loved—”

“I don’t love you.”

Chat went quiet, Ladybug’s stern stare locked on him. “I didn’t kiss you out of romantic love, Chat. I do love you, but, as my best friend, who I thought had my back. But then, this,” Ladybug cut herself off with a growl, burying her face in her hands, pacing around, frustrated. “This was a mistake.”

“It's just a formality, and a given,” Chat offered. “We’re popular. Celebrities, everyone wants to know if we’re dating. They get a big kick out of it. And… even if we aren’t, it's good publicity—”

“We’re not celebrities,” Ladybug cut in. “We’re heroes, Chat. We’re not out here saving the day for a big show to please the public, this isn’t some big act! This is real! There’s a terrorist out there, taking advantage of people, doing some real harm! And all they want to know if we’re dating?!”

She growled, stomping away from him. “And you too, you’re caught up in that too…”

“My Lady—”

“Night, Chat. I’ll see you later.” She threw her yo-yo out, just ready to call it a night. Only, just as she landed on another roof, a screen lit up, showing an akumatized Nadja laughing maniacally. Ladybug stared up at it tiredly, barely listening to her monologue.

With a sigh, she turned around to face the akuma with Chat, just, ready for this night to be done.

#miraculous ladybug #leave for mendeleiev #different class au #ml salt #salt fic #Saltinette

[marvelousmatt]

Matt Berry on Why Making What We Do in the ShadowsWas ‘Terrifying’

By Elisabeth Donnelly

Since the debut of the definitive mockumentary on the secret life of centuries-old vampires, the 2014 horror-comedy What We Do in the Shadows, New Zealand comedy treasures Taika Waititiand Jemaine Clement have shown admirable commitment to expanding their bone-dry world of silly vampire jokes into a mini empire. Coming on the heels of the first spinoff, last year’s New Zealand television show Wellington Paranormal, and the persistent rumors of a sequel called We’re Wolves, their TV adaptation of What We Do in the Shadowspremieres on FX March 27.

With the same creative team behind the movie (many of the episodes are directed or written by Waititi and Clement, and some are directed by former Shadows familiar Jackie Van Beek), the show sets up a similar world with a different cast of vampires, preening and arguing for the presumably exhausted documentary team filming their hijinks. This time the vamps are living in an elegantly crumbling Staten Island manse, and their coven includes foppish dandy Lazlo and the tempting Nadja, who are in a long-term open relationship; Nandor the Relentless and his officious human familiar Guillermo; and the inspired creation of an “energy” vampire, khaki-clad day-walker Colin Robinson. While the main cast is a murderer’s row of comic actors who mostly cut their teeth on English television — plus the ascendant Beanie Feldstein, of Lady Bird and Booksmart — the most recognizable face for a particular strain of U.K.-besotted comedy nerd is that of Matt Berry, who plays Lazlo.

For the past decade and a half, Berry has been stealing scenes in shows like Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace and The IT Crowd, appearing in his own sketch show called Snuff Box, and writing and acting in his creation about a middle-aged actor, Toast of London, which netted him a BAFTA for best male comedy actor in 2015. If anything can be considered a comic trademark, it’s Berry’s voice — plummy and unforgettable, a knighted foghorn that’s fallen on hard times and is trying to get you in the sack; much of his hilarity stems from the mismatch between his vocal elegance and his actual persona. Naturally, he’s found success as a voice-over artist, most recently appearing in Netflix’s Disenchantment, and he’s also a talented musician, making legitimately good psychedelic rock (not to mention all of the music for Snuff Box and Toast of London).

Vulture recently spoke to Berry — who’s deep in the process of working on Channel 4/IFC’s Victorian detective-comedy series Year of the Rabbit — to find out how What We Do in the Shadows tapped into his deepest fears, and how Netflix has changed the trajectory of the once-cult comedian.

How did you get involved in Shadows?

I did a film with Jemaine [Clement] two or three years ago [An Evening With Beverly Luff Linn], and when we were working on that he said, “I’m thinking of doing a vampire series based on the vampire film I did. Do you want to be in it?” That’s literally it. It was as quick and simple as that, and we made the pilot in Los Angeles and filmed the rest in Toronto [as a stand-in for Staten Island].

What kind of freedom did you have to create your character?

I started from the beginning and tried not to pay any attention to the film. I treated this as a completely new job with a new set of characters in a new scenario. It was exciting for all of us that it was different.

How did you and the other actors keep a straight face? Did you end up doing a lot of takes?

There’s a lot of takes. We shot all the time, it was quite an intense shoot, so that helped for the lack of breaking. You just didn’t know your ass from your elbow. You already have jet lag and it’s four in the morning.

So you were shooting vampire hours, in this case?

We started scenes at four in the morning, or even later than that — or earlier than that — which was something to get used to, but you get on with it. The hours are a lot different in the U.K. There, you shoot from seven in the morning until seven at night and then everyone goes home.

What’s it like to do the wirework that makes you fly as a vampire?

Wirework is terrifying. It’s terrifying because I’m afraid of heights, and you have to look like you’re not, when you’re a vampire. There’s no reason why a vampire would be afraid of heights, much like a bird wouldn’t be afraid of heights. So that’s the veil of acting, because one minute you’re standing on the floor and then, within two or three seconds, you’re 50 feet in the air.  In one case, we were next to a building, so you can really feel how high up you are, and then you have to do your lines and look as if everything is completely normal. That was hard for me.

How did Lazlo’s costumes help with the role?

Well, they were kind of heavy. But very useful when it’s outside and it’s cold. Big capes and cloaks. They really come into their own when it’s snowing and minus-four degrees.

What was it like developing a comedic rhythm with the other vampire cast members?

I hadn’t worked with Kayvan [Novak] before, that’s the weird thing. We’d been in comedy in the U.K. but our paths had never crossed. At last they did, and it was a real joy, because it took going to the other side of the world to work with him. It’s an odd thing, what causes you to work with people. It’s the same thing with Natasia [Demetriou] — she’s fantastic in what she does. But they’re two people I never worked with in the U.K.

What’s it like having such a distinctive voice?

I don’t hear it the same way as you do. It’s something that I’ve always had, and I would exaggerate it with friends when I was at college. It kind of went from there, and it’s basically taking the piss out of actors that I would’ve worked with or seen when I was much younger, especially stage actors who did TV work and over-projected. That’s where it came from, and now it’s turned out to be hilarious.

When did you know that you could make people laugh?

I don’t know. You do what makes you laugh. I draw from the most pompous people, who are the people that make me laugh the most. My father’s not pompous, but he says ridiculous things, and I base things on him and somebody who has no sense of humor whatsoever. They’re the people that have made me laugh. If somebody has no sense of humor, I think that’s a great place to start for British comedy, in terms of your character.

Tell me more about winning the BAFTA. The photos of you with the award are really joyful.

People always say this, but it’s true for me when I say that I absolutely did not expect to win. [Toast of London] had been described by most critics as “cult,” and as we all know, no one votes for the cult option, let alone the performer from the cult option. When my name was read out, I was in complete shock. I had prepared nothing and therefore walked onto a stage in front of a full theater — not to mention a live BBC broadcast — with nothing to say. I immediately went into some kind of automatic mode and gathered the necessary reserve power to thank most of the people I needed to. My only interest was to thank my family, which I did, so job done. It was an honor and I’m still incredibly thankful and feel incredibly lucky.

What’s your favorite vampire?

That would easily be Christopher Lee, with Nosferatu running a close second. I’ve always been a huge Hammer Horror fan, so Lee’s portrayal would’ve been the first and most potent I saw. I missed out completely on the recent teen-vampire genre, as I was probably either looking for my keys, working, or in the pub.

Now that shows like The IT Crowd and Toast are on Netflix, do you feel like less of a secret?

The only difference is that someone from somewhere that you never expected has seen you and wants to know if you’d like to be involved with something else. When Toast got on Netflix, I noticed a difference. It was something I thought that only myself and a few people would find funny, and suddenly it’s on a very large platform. Now it kind of belongs to everyone. The shows I do, you can see them everywhere now.

What are you working on next?

A show called Year of the Rabbit, which is a Victorian detectives thing that I’ve co-written for Channel 4. I did that a week after finishing Shadows. Now I’m in the edits for it. I’ve gone from being 700 years old to 200 years old.

I have to get this Rabbit thing done. It’s like when you work on something that isn’t quite finished, you can’t think of anything else. All I can think about is Victorian London until it’s finished, and then when it’s done, I’ll go on holiday and not think about it.

#matt berry #what we do in the shadows

[chelseaapproved]

I’ll Sing a Song Beside You-12

Read on Ao3!

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |  7  | 8  | 9  | 10  | 11 | 12 | 13

Chapter Twelve

Marinette wakes to 12 unread texts from Alya. She’s kind of useless in the morning but the threat of something happening to her friend has Marinette on alert. She quickly sits up, ignoring the wave of dizziness it causes and unlocks her phone.

Alya: MArinette!!!

!!!!!

Did you see?????

Ans wer meee

Theyre dating o.0

Go on

Ladyblog

So many ppl sent me pics of them making out

Like they were srsly going at it on the eiffel tower

Newscasters want to interview me cuz i was the one to break the scoop!!!!

THEYRE DATING ASDLHSDFAD

OMG just wake up and answer me already

Marinette stares at her phone in horror. With shaky hands, she goes on the Ladyblog on her phone and sees it, right on the homepage. The picture is a little blurry, but it is unmistakably a zoomed in picture of Ladybug and Chat Noir in a very...compromising position.

Apparently making out at the top of the Eiffel Tower is not a good idea if you’re a famous superhero and want to keep your relationship a secret.

“Tikki,” Marinette yelps, “what do I do?”

Tikki flies over to her and peers at the picture on the screen. Instead of providing any ancient and wise godly advice, Tikki giggles. “Aww, you two are so cute!”

“So not the point!”

“There’s nothing you can do about it now, Marinette. Maybe learn to have a bit more self-control next time.”

Marinette groans, her face growing hot, and locks her phone. Since she’s already awake, she starts getting ready for school, determined not to think about her public humiliation.

“You’re up early,” her mom says when Marinette stumbles into the kitchen 15 minutes later.

“Alya woke me up,” Marinette responds. She still hasn’t answered and has 3 more texts from the girl. She’ll deal with it at school.

Her mom heads to the cabinet to get a bowl while Marinette gets the milk from the fridge. “Is everything okay?”

“She’s fine,” Marinette says as she pours her cereal. “Chat Noir and Ladybug are officially a couple so Ayla’s freaking out.”

“I always figured they were dating,” her mom says, which is just so not what she wants to hear right now.

“Why does everyone keep saying that?”

“What? They make a cute pair.”

Marinette feels her face heat up. “Well, yeah but I’m sure they want their privacy. I wouldn’t want my love life broadcasted for all of Paris to see.”

“That’s true.”

“And how did anyone even see them in the first place? They were so high up!”

“Oh, you know how it is with celebrities, dear. They can never catch a break.”

“But they’re not celebrities, they’re superheroes!”

“I’m sure they’d appreciate that thought but most people don’t share that sentiment, unfortunately,” her mom says, patting Marinette’s shoulder. “Now, I need to get down to the bakery. Have a good day, sweetie.”

“You too, Maman.”

Her mom kisses her forehead before heading down. Marinette finishes her breakfast deep in thought. On the one hand, she’s still not happy that the whole world knows she’s dating Chat Noir. On the other hand, hearing her mom speak approvingly of her relationship was nice. Just thinking about it brings a much-needed warmth to her chest.

There’s no point in wasting any more time so Marinette braces herself before heading out to school, ready to face Alya.

Naturally, Alya pounces on Marinette as soon as she enters the room. “Girl, you need to answer your phone.”

“I was sleeping and then getting ready.”

“Did you at least read my texts? Did you see?”

“That Chat Noir and Ladybug are dating? Yeah, I saw.”

“I am so rubbing this in Chloé’s face,” Alya gloats. Marinette rolls her eyes but can’t help the small smile that forms on her lips.

“Morning ladies,” Nino says as he and Adrien take their seats. Marinette smiles at them and looks away. She wonders if she’ll ever feel comfortable around Adrien Agreste.

“Morning!” Alya says. “Did you guys hear the news?”

“No, what happened?”

“Chat Noir and Ladybug are the hottest couple in Paris.”

“Wait, what,” Adrien asks, whipping around in his seat. “What do you mean?”

“Chat Noir and Ladybug were caught kissing on the Eiffel Tower. It’s all over the Ladyblog and I’m going for an interview on Nadja Chamack’s channel this Thursday to discuss it!”

Adrien catches Marinette’s eye, blushes, and looks away, leaving Marinette flustered and confused. “Oh. I didn’t realize… I didn’t look at the blog this morning.”

“Check it out when you have the chance! It’s so perfect.” Alya turns to Marinette and her face falls. “Hey, I know I’ve been freaking out about this but are you okay?”

“Yes?” Marinette tilts her head in confusion, unsure why she would even ask. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“I know you and Chat Noir were… something.”

“Oh my gosh,” Marinette exclaims, hiding her heated face behind her hands. She can feel Adrien’s eyes on her and her face burns hotter. He must think she has such a fickle heart. “How many times do I have to tell you there is no scandalous relationship between us?”

“Marinette, that boy is, like, obsessed with you. Or something.”

“Definitely or something,” Marinette says. “There’s nothing there. He loves Ladybug and I like…someone else.”

It feels wrong using her crush on Adrien to defend her lack of relationship with Chat Noir, but she doesn’t know what else to do. She hates lying, especially to her best friend but she can’t exactly admit that she’s dating Chat. She just hopes Alya never finds out she rejected Adrien.

“You’re sure you’re not upset? You don’t seem very happy about the news.”

“I’m just tired. Someone kept texting me this morning and it woke me up.”

“As long as you’re sure. I could kick Chat Noir’s butt if he hurt you.”

“Trust me,” Marinette says, glad she can at least be honest about this. “I couldn’t be happier for them.”

--

“Hey, Pretty Lady,” Chat says, popping his head through the sunroof.

Marinette can feel her whole body perk up at the sight of him. Even knowing what she wants to say to him, she feels better just seeing him. “Hey yourself.”

He plops himself onto the bed then heads down the ladder to sit near her. He grabs the extra rolling chair and slides next to her. “How was your day?”

“I don’t want to talk about that right now,” Marinette says, wrapping her arms around his neck.

He frowns. “What do you want to talk about?”

“Don’t really feel like talking,” she replies before pressing her lips against his. She never realized how addictive kissing could be until she got a partner who was willing to partake in it. And Chat Noir is a very willing partner. He pulls her closer and she falls onto his lap. They giggle for a second before taking advantage of their new position.

She manages to get lost in the kiss for a while, but they need to breathe at some point and they both know the reason he’s there; there’s no getting out of it.

“So,” Chat says after they’ve had a chance to catch their breaths.

“So,” she repeats.

“Everyone knows about us.”

“It would appear so.”

“Is that…ok?”

Marinette sighs and starts playing with the ends of his hair. “I don’t really think that matters at this point.”

“I’m sorry. I should have realized people would catch us.”

“It’s not any more your fault than it is mine. We got busted, plain and simple.”

“It’s just. You don’t seem very happy.”

“I didn’t realize how dedicated people were to stalking us. Alya, I knew, used to follow us around a lot but she chilled out eventually and I kind of thought everyone else did too? But, like, apparently a lot of people sent in pictures. It started to make me think about how dedicated they might be to following us around.”

“My Lady, no one will catch us detransforming. You don’t have to worry about that.”

“That… wasn’t even what I was worried about but oh my gosh we need to seriously be careful when we transform!” Marinette removes her hands from Chat to start pulling on her own hair. “You already caught me once because I was too quick and reckless. If anyone catches us then we—”

Chat covers her mouth with his own, effectively cutting off her downward spiral of nerves. “You worry too much sometimes,” he says.

“Never cut off a lady when she’s speaking,” Marinette reprimands.

“Why? So I could hear about how we’re going to end up dying in a ditch somewhere or Hawkmoth is going to rise to power and take over the world?”

“…I was going to say we’d become brainless minions for him,” she admits reluctantly.

“Mari, I love you but sometimes your thought process scares me,” Chat laughs. “I’ve never met anyone with an imagination quite like yours.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment, thank you very much.”

“As you should,” he says, giving her an eskimo kiss. “So, what were you going to say before I put words in your mouth?”

“What if someone catches you coming in here,” she asks, her voice small.

“That’s not going to happen.”

“How do you know?”

“I’ve been coming here for ages and no one’s noticed. The first time we kiss in public and the whole world sees; I’d definitely be caught by now if it were going to happen.”

“You can’t know that, Chat. It’s dangerous. We’re playing with fire right now.”

“Marinette, what do you want me to do, stop visiting you?”

Marinette looks down and bites on her lip.

“Mari, you can’t be serious.”

“We could be risking my identity, my family, my friends.”

Chat gently grabs her face. “I would never let anything bad happen to you or your loved ones. I’ll be more careful if you want, but I’m not going to stop seeing my girlfriend.”

“We could just go on more patrols and—”

“Our whole romantic life would be under a microscope.”

“I’d rather that than have Hawkmoth go after my parents,” Marinette snaps.

“If you’d just let me show myself we wouldn’t even have to have this talk.”

“You make it sound like it’s my decision. I want to know who you are as badly as you want to tell me but, again, safety needs to be considered here.”

“We could make it work.”

“Chat, no,” Marinette says, with as much of her Ladybug authority as she can channel. It’s enough to shut him up so she must do a pretty good job.

They sit in silence, avoiding each other’s eyes for a while. Her heart is pounding frantically in her chest while she tries to think of something to say that’ll cut the tension. Her mind is running circles, though, so Chat’s the one who breaks the silence. “Okay, so no more late night visits. I’ll do it.”

“Yeah?”

“I don’t want to fight or break up over this. I just got you, I don’t want to lose you already.”

“You’re not going to lose me, Chaton. I’m yours forever. I think this is the safest option for now until we figure something out. Deal?”

“Anything for you, mon amour.”

Marinette blushes at the nickname and hides herself in his neck. She’s gotten so used to seeing Chat on a nearly nightly basis, it’s going to be weird—and difficult—not having him stop by anymore. But she knows she’s making the right decision. Two people have already accused Chat and Marinette of having some sort of affair and she can’t afford to let that list grow.

“Since I’m already here,” Chat says, lifting her head off him with a delicate hand, “we might as well make the most of it.”

“I like the way you think,” she says before crushing her lips to his. They don’t get much talking done for the rest of the night.

-- Two weeks pass and Marinette is going crazy. She still stands by her decision but she doesn’t get as much time with Chat as she used to—they tried bringing their work to a random roof one day but it left them chasing after papers and losing homework so they agreed to get all their work done before meeting up—and she misses his company.

So, yeah, when an akuma shows up and interrupts her outing with Rose and Juleka, Marinette gets excited. She will take any time she can get with Chat. It might come at the personal expense of someone’s autonomy and half of Paris but… nope. She can’t even properly rationalize her happiness. She’s a horrible person and is completely taking advantage of her powers but she can’t bring herself to care at the moment.

“Fancy meeting you here, M’Lady,” Chat says when he drops in next to her, pressing his body infuriatingly close.

Ladybug takes a second to peck Chat on the cheek before resuming her surveillance of the akuma. Except she has no idea where they went. Ladybug curses under her breath and shoots off in the direction she thinks they might have gone.

They’re not usually this distracted when fighting akumas but their distance is definitely taking its toll on them both. She needs to get it together before someone gets hurt.

“If we split up we might be able to find her faster,” Chat suggests, keeping Ladybug’s pace.

“I don’t want to split up,” Ladybug says petulantly but they both know he’s right so it’s with some trepidation that she turns left and he goes right.

She swings through the city, looking for any sign of disruption. She doesn’t understand how a little old lady could move as quickly as she does. After nearly ten minutes of fruitless searching, she gets a call.

“Bee,” she says, just as she catches sight of someone hopping around tied in yarn. She makes a sharp turn to head in the direction that person just came from.

“Where are you? Rena’s already detransformed and Chat’s going to any minute now as well.”

“Why didn’t you call me earlier then,” Ladybug asks, exasperated. She pulls up Queen Bee’s location and rushes over, noting that the akuma is dangerously close to her house.

“She keeps throwing sewing needles at us,” Bee says the moment Ladybug joins them on the street.

“Okay, avoid those,” Ladybug says, immediately using her yoyo as a shield.

“Obviously.”

“No need to get wound up, Bee. But a lucky charm would be off the hook,” Chat says as he spins his baton as quickly as he can, taking a moment to show his dwindling pawprints. Ladybug can tell he’s losing energy but she’s glad he has enough to make bad puns.

“Right,” Ladybug says. She stops spinning her yoyo, preparing to call on her power, when Chat yelps. “What’s wrong,” she asks, turning to face him, and startles when she sees him sprinting toward her.

“Ladybug, look—” Chat Noir takes a needle right to his head and gets thrown back into a wall.

“Chat,” Ladybug screams but he doesn’t respond. She is never going to get used to seeing him get hurt because of her. As if she needs to feel even more guilty, Chat’s ring beeps, reminding her that he only has about a minute left before he transforms.

Without giving it much thought, Ladybug scoops up her boyfriend and yells a quick “I’ll be right back!” She throws him over her shoulder and swings off to her balcony.

Ladybug crashes through her sunroof and unceremoniously tosses the unconscious Chat Noir onto her bed. She takes a deep breath, trying not to panic. All she has to do is defeat the akuma and he’ll wake up and be fine. It’ll all work out.

She hears frantic beeping and sees the beginning of a flash of green light before she clamps her eyes shut and spins around.

“Oh, my poor aching body,” a voice speaks. “I need cheese to make it better.”

“...Plagg,” Marinette asks. She’s pretty sure that’s the name of Chat’s kwami.

“Ladybug,” he responds. “You got any cheese?”

“I, uh, no I don’t think so,” she says apologetically. There’s probably cheese downstairs but she’s Ladybug right now, not Marinette, and she doesn’t have time to snoop through the kitchen.

“Chat Noir might have some in his jacket pocket for me.”

“Okay, so get it.”

“I’m too weak to move,” he says dramatically.

Ladybug purses her lips at him in annoyance. “I can’t get it without looking at him.”

“So? I need the cheese more than he needs to protect his identity.”

That makes Ladybug pause. Chat’s complained about Plagg plenty of time—he’s lazy, all he wants to do is sleep and eat cheese, he doesn’t take anything but cheese seriously—but she always assumed those were exaggerations. When it comes down it, she was sure, Plagg would put the duty of the miraculous above all else. But now he’s telling her it’s okay to look at his charge just so he can be fed.

And she is painfully tempted to do it.

“You don’t care if I know who he is?”

“Cheeeeeese,” he says.

“I thought I wasn’t supposed to know.”

“You’re not.”

“But you don’t care?”

“Look, talking like this is using up what little energy I have. Do or do not, I don’t care. But get me my cheese, however you can.”

He’s basically handing her Chat’s identity on a silver platter. Tikki isn’t there to scold her and Plagg is the devil on her shoulder, telling her to look. It would be so easy. And she knows Chat himself wouldn’t object; he’s been begging to tell her for ages now.

She turns her head in the direction she knows Chat is in and gropes around until her hand touches his shoulder. One second. That’s all she needs to know who he is. She has a strong feeling that Chat knows her as a civilian so she’s assuming she’ll recognize him.

And then they can be together for real. Nothing would hold them back. They could go on dates and cuddle in her bedroom and she could visit him for once.

She lets her hand glide across his chest, feeling his muscles through his cotton shirt, taking note of the lump where she assumes the cheese is. She finds the end of the overshirt and grips it. He’s never been more real, more tangible, than in this moment. This isn’t just Chat Noir on her bed, it’s the boy behind the mask. The boy she is madly in love with.

She lifts the light material and feels around until she locates the inner pocket.

“I have your cheese,” she says, holding the stinky wedge up.

That is enough, apparently, to get Plagg to fly over to her.

“Mmm cheese.” He grabs the cheese from her. Marinette’s empty hand goes limp and she lets it fall on Chat’s chest.

“I need to get back to the fight,” she says, standing up.

“I got it hand it to you,” Plagg says through his mouthful of cheese, “I didn’t think you’d actually resist.”

“Neither did I,” she admits.

“Marinette!” Ladybug freezes at the sound of her mother’s voice calling up to her.

“Y-yes,” she calls back, turning to face the trapdoor and opening her eyes. She has no idea what she’ll do if her mom enters and sees a passed-out boy on her bed and Ladybug standing over him.

“I didn’t realize you were home!”

“Uh, yeah,” Ladybug says, wincing. “I just got back. You must have missed me!”

“I heard voices. Do you have someone over?”

Ladybug glances at Plagg in a panic, hoping he’ll provide some help but he’s just snickering in front of her. Chat is right; least helpful kwami ever.

“I was watching a video! Sorry, I’ll turn it down.”

“Why don’t you come down here? There’s an akuma on the loose and you know your father and I would prefer if we could see you.”

“I—ah—I’m really busy right now, Maman!”

“Whatever you’re doing could surely wait a little bit.”

“Not really! It’s super important!”

“Marinette, I need help with dinner anyway. Please, come down and appease your poor parents.”

Her mom’s footsteps send Ladybug in a frenzy. She jumps down to the sitting area of her room and plops herself on the trapdoor.

“Marinette?” Her mom knocks on the door.

“Don’t come in,” Marinette calls. She should have transformed back earlier. Now it’s too late and her mom will see the light and get suspicious. This is a disaster. “I’m changing!”

“I expect you back downstairs in ten minutes,” her mother says. Ladybug sits still, straining her ears until she can no longer hear her mother’s steps.

“Oh my gosh, that was close,” Ladybug says, letting out a long breath. Her mother’s words catch up to her. “I have ten minutes to defeat the akuma and make it back!”

She shoots up and heads back to her bed to exit through her sunroof before coming to a screeching halt.

In her panic, she forgets about Chat Noir laying detransformed on her bed. In her panic, she forgets to avert her eyes.

Her brain completely shuts down as her eyes rove all over his body. She takes in his orange sneakers, his denim-clad legs, his typical black shirt with white overshirt. His hair is neater this way, well-kept and perfectly styled. His eyes are closed but she knows what they look like behind those lids; she’s spent hours upon hours memorizing his face.

Ladybug allows herself two seconds of freaking out, letting out a high-pitched whine, before she gathers herself and leaps out. She has an akuma to defeat. She can worry about the knocked-out Adrien Agreste in her bed later.

Much later.

#miraculous ladybug #miraculous ladybug fanfiction #adrienette #marichat #ladynoir #Story is FINISHED on Ao3!!!!! #AHHHHH #just playing catch up now

[ao3bronte]

Be Naughty (save Santa the trip)! 11: Christmas Tree

Also on Ao3

Day 10 << Day 11 >> Day 12

Hey Masquerade fans! (Masqueraders?) If you were also personally victimized by how I left the final chapter (it was a doozy of a cliffhanger), then this might just give you a little closure. If you never read my 80,000+ word porn with plot Smutember fic or have no intention of falling down that rabbit hole, scroll down to the asterix half way through the story (that’s where the smut begins).

11. Christmas Tree

“Welcome, citizens of Paris, to the annual Christmas Tree Lighting Celebration!”

Ladybug smiles and waves from the stage as Mayor Bourgeois raises his arms with a jovial greeting from behind the podium, addressing the crowd with a booming laugh, “It is my pleasure to announce our special guests for the evening! These members of our incredible, resilient city have been working tirelessly to ensure that we are safe, happy and taken care of this holiday season!”

There’s another thunderous standing ovation as Mayor Bourgeois sweeps his arms around him, gesturing to the line of civil servants, philanthropists and local celebrities that line the platform, “First of all, we welcome our Chief of Police Philippe Loi and Emmanuelle Levac of the Parisian Council for Refugees…”

Mayor Bourgeois continues to ramble off a veritable list of notable names, each gathering an enthusiastic smattering of applause from the enormous crowd there to witness the annual ceremony. Ladybug tries to stay focused on the proceedings but the spotlights are blinding and the man that stands a few metres away even more so.

“...Jean Tremblay of Love in A Box charitable organisation for underprivileged children, Adrien Agreste of the Hospital for Sick Children…”

She tries to keep her grin from splitting her face in half, she really does but god, it is hard when she turns his way and he actually has an honest to goodness smile on his face.

“...and finally, our most honoured guest and the saviour of the greatest city in the entire world, Ladybug!”

Ladybug steps forwards and waves, the light of the flashbulbs shining in her eyes. She’s long used to it after all this time in the spotlight, having been to hundreds of these festivals and galas over the years, and while most of the cameras seem to be fixated on her, many of them quickly turn back to the familiar face of a teenager who had graced many a newscast and tabloid in the past six months, his gentle smile brightening his perfect features.

The celebration continues with a few more speeches from the honoured guests and finally, finally it’s time for what she was asked here to do. Unholstering her yoyo, Ladybug takes the huge star in one hand and launches herself up into the air with the other, circling the tree in spectacular fashion so as to give everyone the opportunity to take a photo. Sweeping upwards, she lands on the uppermost branches and paces the star on the very top of the tree, plugging in the ornament and closing the circuit, illuminating the entire 30 metre Christmas tree from top to bottom.

The crowd erupts into cheers and the festivities officially begin as the band begins to play and the choirs begin to carol. The shops lining the streets have stayed open late and street vendors from around the city offer warm cocoa and other holiday treats, beckoning Christmas revellers towards their stalls and stores. Ladybug watches from above for a few minutes and takes in the beautiful scene, the smiling faces and laughing children milling about, frolicking with one another. It’s about as picturesque as it can get after what had been the most turbulent six months of her life, and she’s glad that she’s finally able to see the lights at the end of the tunnel.

She spots him trying to make a clean exit from the platform towards the closed off section below but the media have already got their sights on him and begin their predictably consistent pursuit. She forces herself to let him fend for himself for a few moments, knowing full well that he’s more than capable of dealing with their questions on his own but she slips through the branches to get a closer look regardless in case he needs a distraction.

“M. Agreste! Do you have a moment?”

“M. Agreste was my father,” Adrien replies flatly, “As I’ve mentioned a million times before Mme. Chamack, you can call me Adrien.”

Fresh from the arrest and subsequent investigation into his father, Adrien had more or less thrown himself into his philanthropic endeavours for a number of reasons, many of which revolved around the fact that his father was a full-blown domestic terrorist and Adrien had to distance himself from Gabriel as far as possible. Hence the pomp and circumstance, the ceremony and fuss, and ultimately the need for his presence at the heavily televised tree lighting ceremony to kick off the holiday season.

Not that he was complaining too much; any opportunity to his Lady nowadays was an opportunity he couldn’t afford to miss, even if it meant having to face the media.

“This is the first holiday season you’ve had to face without your family. How are you faring?”

Ladybug expects his shoulders to tense and finds herself pleasantly surprised when Adrien doesn’t seem to react at all, “I’ve found myself an entirely new family of people who support me. Now, I don’t suppose you have any questions regarding the Holiday Toy Drive that Chat Noir and I have organised for next Thursday?”

There’s a distinct lack of response to his question and Ladybug can’t help but snort at the snark in his voice, ultimately revealing her position in the tree above his head. Caught, she sheepishly drops down onto the platform beside him and shrugs her shoulders, ignoring the cross sidelong glare he’s throwing her way.

“Sorry about that,” she mutters under her breath before turning towards the throng of newscasters and photographers, “I heard my partner’s name and I just had to drop by!”

This isn’t the first time Ladybug has mysteriously appeared to interrupt Adrien’s various interviews since the news broke that his father was accused of being Le Papillon . In fact, Nadja Chamack is fairly sure this is at least the one hundredth time the spotted superhero has impeded her efforts on getting the perfect scoop.

“That’s because I was telling all of these lovely reporters that Chat Noir and I are hosting a Holiday Toy Drive at the hospital next Thursday,” Adrien responds, his irritation at her constant mothering only barely audible in his tone of voice. Ladybug knows she’ll have to make it up to him later, having already been lectured repeatedly about how he can handle himself, but she just can’t help it. It's no secret how protective she's become over her partner, how protective she's always been; putting a tamper on her feelings had only led to...well, that's a story best left to the past.

(Or a sequel.)

“Sorry Chat couldn’t be here by the way,” Ladybug remarks without missing a beat, gently wrapping her arm around Adrien’s shoulder, “He wouldn’t have missed this for the world, but you know how he is. Last I heard, he was attending the fundraiser for the cardiac care unit at l’ Hôpital Necker tonight.”

“That’s right! So, unless you have any questions about the Toy Drive, I’ll be heading off to the fundraiser myself,” Adrien tips his head to the side knowingly, basking in their momentary silence, “Well, that settles it. Ladybug, could I ask you a favour? Uber prices are probably surging, and I was wondering if you would be able to give me a lift?”

Ladybug grins, “Of course. Chat is probably looking for you as we speak! Hold on!”

With a swoop and a wave, Ladybug wraps her arm around his waist and tosses her yoyo into the sky, launching them both into the air at breakneck speeds. Adrien grabs onto her shoulders for dear life, heedless to the way his stomach seems to have dropped out of his body and whoops as he soars up into the street tops of Paris, away from the prying eyes of the media and cityfolk alike.

“You know,” he grumbles, his tone contradicting the windswept look of elation in his eyes as she sets him down, “You don’t need to babysit me every time I have an interview.”

“I wasn’t,” Ladybug replies and she’s only partially lying, “I just so happened to be up there when you tried to make a break for it.”

Adrien crosses his arms and peers idly from the rooftop they’d landed on across the square, “Eavesdropping, you mean?”

“Me? Eavesdrop?” Ladybug puts on an act, pressing a hand to her chest as if highly affronted, “I would never .”

“Yes you would,” Adrien responds, leaning against the wrought iron railings of the patio, “So how about you make it up to me?”

Ladybug raises a brow, “Make it up to you? How do you suppose I do that?”

“Oh, I have a few ideas in mind,” Adrien smirks, traipsing towards her, “And all of them have to do with the fact that I haven’t seen you in a week.”

“It’s the end of the semester,” Ladybug replies sheepishly, scratching at the hairs at the back of her neck, “I’ve been designing a spring line and it’s been taking me forever to get the tailoring right and I mmpff !”

*He pulls her into his chest and kisses her desperately, messy and rough and Marinette hesitates only for a moment before kissing him back with fervour, relishing in his pent up frustrations. Life had gotten in the way of many things, but she’d always find time for him, always find time for this, whether it be in a bed or on a rooftop, just like old times.

Emboldened, Ladybug breaks away and crouches down in front of him, quickly divesting him of his favourite leather belt so as to unbutton the clip of his trousers with ease. She pulls down the zipper and shoves the waistband past his hips and knees, pushing his cashmere sweater upwards so she can lick patterns onto the sensitive skin of his abdomen, pressing kisses to the hollows of his hip bones. She chances a glance upwards and revels in the way his eyes shine in the ambient light of the Christmas tree across the way, his pupils blown wide with sudden arousal and Ladybug settles in, happy to sit for the long haul.

“Marinette,” he growls, and Ladybug savours the low purr of Adrien’s voice in its deeper register, rough with need and desperation and something else she can’t quite put her finger on. He buries his fingers into her pigtails as she continues laving her tongue along the dip above his thigh with affection, nipping and licking the pale, delicate skin she finds there. He lets out a sharp hiss as her teeth scrape further downwards, just barely grazing past the meticulously groomed curls there.

She nuzzles up against him, running the tips of her fingers up and down his sides and Adrien swallows thickly, shuddering with anticipation. She presses her lips against the pulse point at the jut of his hip and hooks her gloved fingers around the waistband of his briefs, pushing them down, his cock jutting earnestly against his abdomen. Ladybug runs her hands up and down his thighs until he feels goose pimples, her fingertips caressing faint patterns against his skin and the way he says her name, wrecked and frantic spurns her onwards, his length gently brushing her cheek.

“Please…” he begs, and Ladybug doesn’t need much more motivation than that. She looks up at him, slack-jawed and gorgeously flushed, and licks him root to tip.

Adrien writhes.

Ladybug reaches upwards and grasps the root of his cock, taking the head in her mouth and dragging her fingers up and down his shaft. She pulls away and licks her lips as she presses a chaste kiss to the head, content to watch him shudder and bury his fingers in his hair, pulling the strands to keep himself from losing it right then and there. She does love a challenge and Ladybug starts twisting her wrist in time with her mouth, increasing the pressure just a little bit with every sloppy pass. She uses her free hand to stroke his thigh, her fingers trailing back up towards his hip bones and back down again over and over, a gentle counterpoint to the way she hums against his shaft, ruthless in her rhythm and Adrien throws his head back, crying her name like a prayer.

There are bright pops of colour behind his eyelids that are most certainly not those of the Christmas lights and Adrien holds onto the railing behind him, utterly disarmed, shuddering with pleasure. Ladybug groans around his cock, her clit throbbing relentlessly against her suit and she’s burning with need, the desire to mark him with her fingertips, the need to press bruises into his thighs overwhelming. She wants him to remember this tomorrow morning when he wakes up, she wants him to shatter into her touch and she wants to swallow every moan and cry, bobbing her head and sucking harder and —

“Marinette,” Adrien chokes out, half sobbing into his palm, “ Please— ”

He gasps out loud, broken and wanton and Ladybug grasps his hips, holding him steady as he comes in hot spurts against her tongue. She sucks him through it, indulging in the way he cries out incoherently, ragged and breathless and falling to pieces on a rooftop in Paris, completely and utterly hers. She lets him go and sits back on her heels, stretching her jaw as he keeps his eyes screwed shut, flushed and spent and quivering against the sensation of the night.

Masquerade’s Sequel — Cumming 2018

#miraculust #miracusin #mlnsfw #ml fanfic #25daysofml2k17 #25daysofchristmas #miraculous ladybug #brontewrites

[freedom-shamrock]

Something Familiar - Chp 14

Also on AO3 Chp 1   Chp 2   Chp 3   Chp 4   Chp 5   Chp 6   Chp 7   Chp 8   Chp 9 Chp 10   Chp 11   Chp 12   Chp 13   Chp 14 Now with art by Zelphaba

Thanks for waiting so patiently.  Here’s the end of this story, though I expect I may come back to the world again.

The day after meeting with Gabriel, Marinette texted Nino and Alya asking them to bring her homework, and plan to stay for dinner.  There was something important they needed to know, and she wanted them to hear it from her.

"Nette!" Nino called as he came up the stairs.  "We're coming up.  You'd better be decent."

"Don't yell," Alya admonished.  "She's been sick. She could be sleeping."

Marinette was stretched out on her chaise with Chat Noir when they came in.  She'd talked to him about how he wanted to handle this.  She knew her friends would like him, and he needed friends.  But he wanted to work up to it a little.

"I'd pounce on you, but you mama said you're really sore," Alya said.  "What happened?"

"Oh, it's so good to see you two," Marinette said, keeping one hand running over Chat's back.  "Have a seat."

"You okay?" Nino asked, dragging over one of the desk chairs.  

Marinette nodded.  "Did you guys hear about that seventh circle demon that went on a rampage last week?"

"You were one of the victims?"  Alya looked horrified, her face paler than her friends had ever seen.  "Oh, Mari…"

"I'm okay.  Honest."  She reached under the blanket and pulled out some folded red fabric.  "But, um… you've seen the video, right?"

When they both nodded, she flicked out the fabric, unfolding and twisting it so they could see the black spotted pattern.  Her mother had washed the capelette, returning it a few days ago.

"Holy shit," Nino whispered.  "You…  you're…"

"You're Ladybug!" Alya squealed.  "Mari, you're freaking amazing."

"You almost died."  Nino sounded like he felt queasy.

"I promise, I'm fine."  Marinette reached out to pat his knee.  "But… um.   Yeah.  I guess my magic is pretty strong now."

"Mari, most witches never get strong enough to take on seventh circle demons without help," Nino pointed out, his eyes bulging, and almost alarmed.

She shrugged.  "I'm still me."

"And you're still our girl," Alya reassured her.

"But I did almost drown, and CPR is… it's hard on the ribs."

"So that's why we can't squeeze you," Alya said in realization.  "Your mama warned us, but she was pretty vague."

Marinette nodded.

"Did you hear about who they think rescued you?" Alya asked.  "It's all speculation right now, but there's some pretty good photo evidence that you were rescued by Adrien Agreste."

"Yeah…"  Marinette bit her lip and looked at Chat.   Ready?

Ready, he confirmed, moving to a clear spot on the chaise..

"I was, only he doesn't like being called that anymore."  She moved to sit up a bit more, wincing a little.  "We're going to show you something, and tell you something that you can't tell anyone yet.  It'll be public knowledge before I come back to school, but I want you to know now."

Her friends nodded, quietly promising the safety of her secret.

"Chat's not just an ordinary cat," Marinette said.

"That's not a surprise," Nino said.  "Even for a familiar he's…"  He faltered.  "Is he?"

"Okay, Kitty," Marinette said, encouraging.

The green light of his transformation flashed, and suddenly a blond, green-eyed boy sat next to her.

"Chat is a shapeshifter," Marinette said.  "He ran away from home because his father is… neither a shapeshifter nor at all understanding of shapeshifters."  She took a slow, careful breath.  "I'd kind of like to send him where I sent that demon, actually," she mumbled.

Chat giggled.

"He planned to stay a cat for the rest of his life, but after seeing me looking for a familiar, he decided he should try that instead."

"I'm the best familiar ever," he said quietly.

"Obviously."  Marinette rolled her eyes.  Getting to know him outside his cat form made her fully realize how much he craved affection.  Given where he'd come from, it was no wonder he felt compelled to strive so hard for any small praise or kindness.

Alya was staring at Chat, her mouth slightly open.  "Mari, your familiar is a supermodel."

"I'd like it if you two could be friends with him, too," Marinette said.  "I don't know how either of you feel about a boy who is also a literal cat, but… he could use some good friends, and you two are the best there are."

Nino gave her a sweet smile.  "Like you had to ask, Nette."  He held out a fist to Chat.  "Pleased to properly make your acquaintance, cat-dude."

Chat stared at the fist a moment, until Marinette prompted him.   It's allowed, if you want to do it.

Chat beamed at Nino and bumped his fist.

"What do you want to be called?" Alya asked.

"You two can call me Chat."  He glanced at Nino, smiling happily.  "Cat-dude is good, too."

"We're going with Plagg Noir as his new official name, it's what he'll use at school, and… he's going to continue to model under the new name, though we aren't legally changing it right now.  His...father will be releasing a statement tomorrow.  But my family and a few special people, like you, can call him Chat."

"It's just down the street here," Marinette said, catching Chat's hand and tugging him down the sidewalk.

"It looks smaller."  He grinned at her.  "But that happens."

She'd been so pleased with how much more relaxed and happy he was, now that he was no longer hiding in cat form.  He still took cat shape a lot, especially at night and on the subway, but that was fine.  He was a cat after all.  "Is this it?" she asked, pointing to Master Fu's sign, in both French and Chinese.

He nodded and held a little tighter to her as they walked up the few steps.  He hesitated at the door, and Marinette reached out to pull it open.

"Master Fu?" she called.  "Are you in?"

"Ah ha," the older man's voice carried from a side room, where he did acupuncture.  "Good morning Marinette."  He came out of the room and bowed, greeting them.  "Or should I say Ladybug and Plagg?"  He chuckled, patting his hands together.. "I've never been visited by superheroes before."

She didn't ask how he knew she was Ladybug.  That wasn't scheduled to be released for another two days, when she would be interviewed by Nadja Chamack.  But right now, that wasn't the important thing.  "So you recognize Plagg, then?" she asked, feeling Chat's shyness.

Master Fu nodded, smiling broadly.  "When you stopped coming by, I'd hoped you'd found yourself a nice home."

"I did," Chat agreed.

"I wanted to thank you for taking care of him before I found him," Marinette said.

Master Fu waved her off.  "Nonsense.  It was only once in a while, and it was nice to have someone to talk to."  He looked at Chat.  "You were such a good listener.  I could tell you were always paying attention, even when I wandered off on a tangent.  Or when I switched over to  Mandarin."

"How did you know I was a shapeshifter?" Chat asked.  "I mean, you seemed to know, and you're not surprised."

The elderly Chinese man laughed.  "You are a very convincing cat, young Plagg.  But I'm extremely familiar with shapeshifters, being one myself."

"You can turn into a cat, too?" Chat asked in surprise.

"Turtle, actually," he said, shrugging.  "Not quite as useful in Paris as a cat, but there's a reason I spend the winters somewhere at the beach."  He winked.  "I also knew your mother, so that helped.  You're obviously her kitten."

"Oh," Marinette whispered, feeling Chat's mind shut down in shock.  "I thought this would be a short visit, because I just wanted to thank you, but… do you have time to talk?"

"Let me put some tea on."  He gestured to one of the smaller rooms.  "Have a seat.  See if you can help Plagg out of his mental labyrinth, and I'll be right in."

"You really don't have to do this," Marinette insisted.

Her father hugged her from the side.  "Of course I do."

"We're perfectly capable of walking a few short blocks without something going wrong," she said.  "I mean, we've been taking regular walks and haven't gotten attacked by anything in weeks."

"That's not why I'm here," he said, ushering her and Chat across the street the moment the light changed.  

"You already registered him," she pointed out.

"I did," he confirmed, smiling happily.

"And the media know we're underage and off-limits," she said.  She glanced at Chat as he wrapped her hand in his.  She wasn't sure if he'd noticed, but some of the kids standing around outside the building were starting to stare.

"Yes.  And detective Raincomprix has asked that we immediately report violations on that front," her father said firmly.  "Up by the sign if you please."  

"Oh."  It suddenly made sense.  It was Chat's first day of school.  Her parents were huge on photos of milestones.

What are we doing? Chat wanted to know.

"Papa wants a photo for your album."  She put her hands on his shoulders to move him into position.  "There."  She stepped back.

"Perfect," he said, snapping a photo with a digital camera that was lost in his huge hand.  "Now you go next to him, Cupcake.  It's a big day for you, too."  When he was finished he waved and promised to see them at lunch.

"Hey, Nette, Chat Noir!"  Nino jogged up the sidewalk, Trixx bounding beside him.  "Glad you could make it, and in dude form, too."  He held out a fist to Chat.

Chat smiled and fist-bumped his new friend.

"Not that I mind you being a cat, when you want to be, but this," he gestured to the tall blond boy.  "This means you guys have made progress with the things that needed to be done.  And Nette's finally well enough to come to school, which is also awesome."  He leaned down so Trixx could climb up to her perch on his arm.

"Thank you for all your help, Nino," Marinette gave him a quick hug.

"I'm always happy to help my best friends."  He let go of Marinette and looked at Chat.  "That includes you, cat-dude.  You need anything and Nette's not able to help, I'm your guy."

Chat's cheeks turned pink, and he smiled, something more beautiful that what tended to end up in his pro model pictures.  "Thanks Nino."

"Anyway, as you may have noticed, there's an empty seat right next to me in class," Nino pointed out.  "It's got your name on it."

"I'd like that," Chat said.  He looked at Marinette.  "Is it okay…"

She nodded before he could finish his sentence.  "You don't have to ask me."

He shrugged.  "I don't want to overstep… I hate being yelled at."

Nino scowled.  "Not cool."

Marinette reached up and ran her fingers into his hair just above his ear.  "If I let you know something's not okay, I'll try not to yell."

"Nette only tends to yell when it's a safety issue," Nino pointed out.  He pulled out his cell phone.  "Oh, hey.  Alya's inside.  Let's not keep her waiting."

More kids turned to gawk as they walked through the halls, and Chat took her hand again.   You okay?

Just nervous , she sent back.   I want this to go well.  I want people to see how wonderful you are and accept you for who you are.

But you think they won't? he asked.

She shrugged.  "Some will, some won't."

Nino glanced at her.  "Talking behind my back?" he teased.  He'd thought it was hilarious that Marinette had trouble keeping her conversations with Chat either in her head or out where everyone could hear them.

She felt her cheeks go pink.  "Sorry.  Just freaking out a little, is all."

"No need to worry," Nino assured her.  "Al and I have your back, and seriously, now that we all know you're Ladybug, I don't think anyone's going to want to risk pissing you off by being rude to Chat."

The morning went smoothly and swiftly, with Mrs. Bustier welcoming their new student, Plagg, to the class, with a side comment to the rest of the students to look past any biases they may have and be welcoming.

"Are you guys coming over for lunch?" Marinette asked as she gathered up her things.

"Wouldn't miss it," Alya promised.

"Excuse me, Marinette?" Sabrina had quietly come to stand by Chat's desk.

"Um… yes?"

"I wanted to thank you for what you did for Chloe," she said meekly.  "She has never been very nice to you, and you could have responded so much harsher."  She fiddled with a pale yellow envelope.  "Thanks to you, she's finally getting the help she needs to be the person I know she can be, before it's too late."  

Marinette nodded, not really sure how to respond.

Sabrina looked at Chat.  "She's sorry about what she did to you, Plagg.  She… she said it was a wake-up call, especially now that she knows who you are.  And now that she knows what Marinette could have done to her, she's… grateful for your restraint."  She held out the envelope to Marinette.  "She asked me to get this to you."

Marinette stared down at the envelope, slowly reaching for it.  "You've been visiting her?"

Sabrina nodded.  "Every other day.  She's already come so far, but she'll be… um… out for the rest of the school year, and probably the start of next year."

The paper bore no hint of magic, so Marinette took it.  "You're a good friend, Sabrina."

Sabrina finally smiled, looking relieved.  "I'll see you all after lunch."  She waved and turned to head out.

Marinette waited until after she'd eaten to open the envelope.  It was a flowery letter of apology.  It was strange to be able to tell this was from her long-time bully, because the language was so very Chloe, but it was gracious and grateful without a single snide or backhanded remark.  Near the end, she noted that she'd known Plagg when they were little, and that she hoped to one day be worthy of his friendship again.

Marinette carefully pinned the white pin-striped pants to allow a full break.  Niklas, a tailor for Gabriel , stood behind her, ready to offer recommendations, as he had with the last fitting, but for now, he was silent.  Once the Gabriel staff were informed that Chat was bound as a familiar, those with magic excused themselves from touching him.  It was a rule they were unwilling to bend on.  The non-magic staff quickly followed suit given the cultural sensitivity of the issue.  So as it turned out, Marinette helped with the pinning and touching part of any tailoring of Gabriel brand items Chat wore.

"That's deftly done, Miss Marinette," Niklas said when she stood up and gestured for Chat to turn around.

"Thank you."  Until she was sure the hem was right, she didn't look away.  "It's a relief to know I've been doing it right."

"That you have."  He nodded to Chat.  "Go ahead and doff those, my lad.  I'll get them finished while you get on with whatever else you need to do."

As she'd gotten quite used to him doing at photoshoots and other modeling activities, Chat stripped then and there, handing the clothes to Marinette to pass to the tailor.

"Miss Dupain-Cheng?"  Though Mr. Agreste's voice wasn't raised, she could hear it as if it were.  Whether she liked it or not, he did have a commanding presence.  She looked up to see him crossing the room.  "I wish to see how your final design has turned out before I clear it for the catwalk."

It was a formality, one they'd been through once already.  "Do you want to go get it, Kitty?" she asked, touching his bare shoulder.  She'd gotten used to this, and made sure to comfort and shield him as much as possible when his father was around.  When she turned back to Mr. Agreste, he was closely watching Chat, his eyes narrowed slightly.  "Is there something wrong?"

Mr. Agreste redirected his attention down at her.  "He's had a growth spurt."

Marinette nodded.  "He's nearly seventeen.  That happens.  I sent Niklas his new measurements last week."

Chat brought over the garment bag, clearly avoiding his father's eyes.

Laying the bag on her workspace, Marinette swiftly opened it, trying to get this over with as quickly as she could.

"What do you weigh in at these days, Adrien?" Mr. Agreste asked.

"Don't be rude, Mr. Agreste," Marinette said quietly, careful to keep her voice below the general noise of the room.  She detested the man, but she didn't feel there was any benefit to antagonizing him on purpose.  "You know he's not using that name."

"I apologize," he said smoothly, not sounding remotely sorry.  "Plagg, then.  What's your current weight."

Chat shrugged.  "I've no idea."

"He's been growing up, sir, not out," Marinette pointed out.  "As you can see, he's all lean muscle."  She waved at his body.   Go ahead and put it on.  The sooner he sees it, the sooner we can go.

Chat had the black leather pants on and was about to pull on a lime green v-neck shirt, when Mr. Agreste reached forward, but didn't touch his son.  "Stop a moment," he said, his voice clinical and emotionless.  "Mind your posture, please."  Chat straightened up.  Mr. Agreste tapped one finger against his lips.  "You are thriving, aren't you."  It wasn't a question.  "At this rate, you'll be able to start picking up adult swimwear and topless jobs in three months, easily."  

"We'll talk about it and get back to you on it," Marinette said, feeling that Chat had gone into a flurry of confusion over what was probably the closest he'd gotten to praise from his father ever.

Mr. Agreste nodded to Marinette.  "I'll e-mail you the contract so you have the full information.  It will involve a decent bump in pay."

Marinette nodded.  "We'd appreciate that information."  As long as Chat wanted to model, she'd let him, but it would be on his terms, though in his father's case, she was happy to make it appear as though they were her terms.   Finish up, Kitty.

Chat pulled on the soft green shirt that clung and draped perfectly.  She loved this fabric for that very reason.  Finally, he pulled on the jacket, trim fitting black leather that she had pieced together so the seams added to the design.

"Short walk, please," Mr. Agreste said.

Chat walked across the room, his feline grace making him fluid and smooth.  He performed his perfect turns, holding the jacket open, then sweeping it off to toss over his shoulder for the walk back.

"Very good, Miss Dupain-Cheng," Mr. Agreste said.  "We will see both of you here tomorrow evening at six."

Marinette nodded, livid that he could so easily compliment her without ever mentioning Chat's contribution.  She'd half-expected Mr. Agreste to reject the completed leather outfit, just to test Chat's limits, but perhaps he realized that would lose him a talented model for the show.  Once she had the outfit tucked into the garment bag, and back on the rack with the others, she took Chat's hand and led him out of the building.

"How long do you want to model for Gabriel?" she asked, not letting go as they headed for the train station.

He shrugged.  "I guess, until you get enough exposure that you don't need him anymore."  He smiled.  "Then I'd like to mostly work for Ladybug."

"You know you don't have to model for me, right?" she asked.  They'd talked about it before, but she wanted to reiterate her point.  "You're really good at it, and I appreciate it so much.  But I want you doing something you enjoy."

He reached out and booped her nose with one finger.  "I like modeling when I have a choice about it, but it's a limited term field, and I may as well take advantage while I'm in favor.  I've been thinking of studying business for later.  I like the math and the demographic studies parts."

He'd been brilliant with math, though to be fair, she had yet to see a subject he floundered in.  "Business, huh?"

He nodded.  "Yeah.  That way you can just focus on the design side of Ladybug, and I can take care of the business side."

Her steps faltered and she looked up at him, her eyes stinging.  "You don't have to do that.  You know that, right?"

He nodded, radiating contentment.  "But I want to.  And I pawmise I'll let you know if I change my mind."

She giggled.  "You've been hanging out with papa too much."

He shook his head.  "The just right amount," he corrected, smiling.

Thank you all for sticking with me while I threw this out at you for Marichat May. I'm sorry this chapter took about a week longer than intended to get posted. I needed to catch up on reading everyone else's Marichat May pieces (fun!). I also had one last hurrah herding around young Chinese dancers at yet another festival (it was fun, and they were awesome), one last Girl Scout party, and the prep for my son to wrap up his elementary school career.

I have more ML fics planned, so I hope those of you who enjoyed this are willing to take a look at those when they come out.

#miraculous ladybug #my writing #fanfic #Something Familiar #Marichat

[cadenzawrites]

Spots Off, Chapter 8

In which they finally go to the TV station (well most of them). Also, stuff gets real, guys. Stuff gets real.

Fic summary: Through a series of unfortunate events, the world learns that Marinette is Ladybug. Now Marinette must deal with the consequences while her friends and classmates come to terms with a reality that has been carefully kept out of sight.

Chapter word count: 3,063

Chapter list: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8-you are here] [9] [10] [11] [Epilogue]

Read it on AO3! 

Adrien half-expected a note from his father to be waiting for him when he woke up, but to his dismay, there was nothing. Just the Gorilla, still standing, watching. Had the Gorilla slept at all? Or had he just stood there all night?

The sky outside his windows was a stony grey. It looked like it might rain later. Not that that would make any difference for him, trapped inside as he was. But it might make the walk to the TV station a bit less pleasant for his friends. What did Nadja have planned, anyway? Adrien wished he could be around to find out, but it was pointless now. He was trapped.

He considered not leaving his bed, but decided that would be a bit too melodramatic, even for him. So instead he pushed himself up and started getting himself ready for the day.

“He’s not picking up his phone.”

“Well, he said his dad might not let him out.”

“But couldn’t he just slip away?” “He said his dad would notice. Remember Christmas?”

“Hmmm…”

“Maybe we should just leave without him?”

Marinette drummed her fingers against her arm as she listened to Alya and Nino go back and forth. She wanted to wait for Adrien, but it was already getting dangerously close to two o’clock. They were probably already going to be late—if they didn’t leave soon, they definitely would be.

She felt large hands on her shoulders and looked up. Her dad was standing behind her, his expression kind.

“I know you wanted your friend to be here, Marinette, but we’re all here to support you. It’s going to be fine.”

Marinette felt a calming wave sweep through her stomach and nodded. With her parents on her side, she felt, if not happy about the whole thing, at least a bit more confident. That didn’t mean she liked the idea of leaving Adrien behind, but her dad was right. She had plenty of support already.

And she didn’t want to be too late.

She sighed.

“Alright,” she said. “Let’s go.”

The five of them walked in relative silence as they made their way to the TV station. The sky was slate gray. Marinette pulled her coat tighter around her and tried not to think of it as a bad omen.

As they neared the TV station, Marinette thought she could make out a small crowd standing outside of it. She squinted. Why would there be this many people? Then a figure in the middle of the crowd noticed them and started waving them closer.

“Marinette!” she called, and Marinette recognized the voice as Nadja’s. “Glad you could make it!”

Marinette jogged over, followed closely by her friends and her parents. As she did, she noticed more and more faces in the crowd she recognized. The first she noticed was Jagged Stone—Jagged Stone!—smiling at her and giving her a flashy thumbs-up. His photographer fan was standing by his shoulder, not too close, and not taking any pictures, but he, too, smiled when he saw Marinette. Then there was XY, keeping a bit of distance between himself and Jagged, muttering something to someone on the phone. He seemed to be arguing. She just barely caught a few phrases: “it’s a celebrity endorsement!” and “trust me—it’ll be good for the brand.” There were less famous faces there as well, though—Theo the sculptor and Miray the weather girl stood on the edge of the circle, talking in hushed tones. There were a few Parisians that Marinette recognized by sight though not by name. And there were those whose names she knew, well—Rose, Juleka, Ivan, Nathaniel… in fact, almost all of her classmates were there, excepting Chloe. And, of course, Adrien.

Alya seemed to notice this as well, taking the crowd in with one sweep of her eyes.

“What’s this all for?” she said, voicing the words that Marinette had suddenly lost.

Nadja smiled. “We’re giving the mayor a bit of a… presentation,” she said. “I figured he needed to hear, and see, people who feel differently than his precious donors. So I gathered everyone here.”

“Not Chloe though?” said Alya, voice spiked with spite. “Or did she say she couldn’t come?”

“Ah, well,” Nadja said, reddening slightly, “I wasn’t sure contacting Chloe would be the best idea. She is the mayor’s daughter, after all, which complicates her position, and given her rather… tempestuous attitude, and her general behavior towards Marinette—apologies, Marinette, I couldn’t help but notice—I thought it best to simply avoid the issue.”

Marinette nodded. She was not sorry to see that Chloe was not there. In truth, she wasn’t sure how the girl would react—she had been Ladybug’s biggest fan, but she hated Marinette. Marinette wasn’t entirely sure what she would do if she saw Chloe’s hero worship of her shatter with the revelation of her identity. Not that she liked the hero worship, not that she even liked Chloe, but for some reason the thought of that reversal, the thought of the renewed disdain, betrayal even, in her eyes, made Marinette’s stomach queasy.

But Chloe wasn’t here. Her friends were. Her parents were. All these people were, all these people whose very presence proclaimed that they trusted her, that they supported her. She felt her heart, so anxious just moments before, swell dangerously full, a balloon, full up, full to bursting. She wasn’t sure it would hold. It felt fragile.

They trust you, they trust you, you helped them, you did a good job, said a voice in her head.

And she was afraid, because she was on the verge of believing herself. Of believing in herself.

“Marinette?” She felt a hand on her shoulder. It was Alya. “You okay?”

Marinette smiled, her heart beating fast. “Yeah,” she said, slightly breathless. “Yeah, definitely.”

She turned to look at Nadja, beaming.

“Thank you,” she said, and she meant it. “I… I can’t believe you’re doing all this for me.”

Nadja shook her head. “Anything I can do to help fix what my… inconsiderate coworker did to you, I’m happy to do. We all are.”

“But…” Marinette frowned. “But that wasn’t your fault. That was his. Wasn’t it?”

Nadia let out a puff of air, her mouth twitching into a smile. “Don’t play that game, sweetheart.”

“What?”

“You know, the Blame Game,” she said, waving a hand. “His fault, my fault, your fault… it never ends. Just take the situation you have and work with it as best you can.”

Marinette stared at Nadja for a second, her mouth slightly open. She felt a bit of a nudging in her purse—no doubt Tikki making her agreement known. Marinette’s thoughts of guilt swirled like dirt kicked up from the bottom of a pond only recently settled. She glanced over at Alya, who was frowning slightly, clearly thinking the same things.

His fault. Alya’s fault. My fault…

Marinette closed her mouth and swallowed.

It didn’t matter?

My fault…

She couldn’t just let that go, could she? How would she ever learn how to do things right if she just let herself forget her guilt?

But Nadja was right. Thinking about it wouldn’t change anything. Doing something would.

She exhaled and looked over at Alya. They exchanged a look, then together, they nodded.

Marinette grinned.

“Right. Let’s do this.”

Adrien looked at the clock that sat next to his bed. 1:57. It was almost time. He flopped down on his bed and squeezed his eyes shut. His guts felt heavy. He wanted to be there with her.

One way or another, he would find a way to support her eventually. Even if it meant going against his father.

The group arrived outside city hall hey arrived outside City Hall at precisely 2:00. Nadja turned to face the crowd.

“Thank you everyone for coming today,” she said. “Your presence alone is valuable, as I’m sure you know. If you feel like you have something specific you’d like to say in Marinette’s favor, you should have a chance. Try to keep it short—I’m not sure how much time we’ll have.”

The crowd filled with nods. Nadja returned a curt bob of her head, then turned and pushed the doors open.

Mayor Bourgeois was waiting for them in the lobby. Well, waiting for Nadja. He didn’t look like he had been expecting them.

“M.. Mrs. Chamack!” he stammered. “What is this? You arranged for an interview…”

“And we are all here to be interviewed,” Nadja said, feet spread, arms crossed. “Please, Mayor Bourgeois, ask us what we think about Miss Marinette Dupain-Cheng.”

The Mayor looked at Nadja, then at the crowd, then back to Nadja. He looked torn between anger, fear, and resignation.

Resignation won.

He sighed.

“Well, I can see you aren’t going to be leaving any time soon,” he said. “Up to my office then, if you will, and I will hear what you have to say. Though I doubt I haven’t heard it before…”

He added the last bit in a mutter before turning and leading the way up the stairs and through a set of impressive dark wood doors into his equally impressive office. He sat down behind his desk as the group filed through and filled the room. And they did fill the room—almost completely. Marinette noticed Nathaniel and Theo the sculptor perched on one of the tables, and Rose and Juleka trying their best not to be skewered by the scale model of the city that stood on a small table to the mayor’s right. Nino, Alya, and her parents all stuck close to her, as if to defend her from the Mayor’s gaze. Marinette knew it probably wasn’t necessary, but it made her feel safer anyway. She felt another wave of gratitude for them, for everyone in the room.

Then, when they were all settled in the room, door closed behind them, Nadja spoke.

“It has come to our attention that, upon learning Ladybug’s true identity, several of your supporters made various attempts to convince you to withdraw your official support,” she began. “We are here to convince you that that would be a grave mistake.” The mayor raised an eyebrow. She continued. “Every single person here has been saved by Ladybug—by Miss Dupain-Cheng—at least once, most more than once. We feel that, despite her youth, she has proven herself sufficiently and should be allowed to continue operations with her partner, Chat Noir, as she has done for the past year.”

“Hmm,” the Mayor sighed, unperturbed, glancing over the crowd. “Is Chat Noir here, by the way? You know, there are people clamoring for his identity as well now, fearing that he may be just as… youthful as Miss Ladybug…”

“That is absolutely beside the point,” Nadia said, each word dangerously enunciated. “Together, Ladybug and he have proven themselves more than capable. As I said, they have saved all of the people in this room multiple times. Which, I might add, amounts to saving all of Paris multiple times as well. Their youth should have nothing to do with this.”

The mayor sighed again, rubbing his temples, but didn’t say anything.

Nadja stared down at him, incredulous. She stood stock still for a moment, hands in fists by her side, then turned to the crowd and gestured pointedly at the mayor.

“Anyone care to speak?” she said, face and voice a mystery of emotion.

Jagged Stone stepped forward. Mayor Bourgeoisie looked up in surprise. Apparently he hadn’t noticed him before.

“Allow me,” he said.

Adrien was lying on his bed, half-asleep. He hadn’t meant to doze off, but the combination of stress and boredom was wearing him out. Plus, his bed was pretty dang soft. Perks of being rich, he guessed. He had been trying to think of ways to help Marinette when he had started slipping in and out of consciousness, mind circling around one idea after another but never really sticking on any. The final echoes of those thoughts were still buzzing around in his mind, mixing with fragments of half-formed dreams—run away. Carry her off. Be carried off. Escape. Be free.

Then, with an enormous clang, steel panels slammed shut over the windows.

Adrien jerked upright in the sudden darkness. The security system. Someone had triggered the security system.

“What’s going on?” he demanded of the Gorilla, but the Gorilla looked just as shocked as he was, body tensed for action.

Then there was a buzz from the pager in the Gorilla’s belt. He flipped it open, took half a second to register what it said, then stowed it and, with a nod to Adrien, left the room.

And just like that, Adrien was finally alone.

Plagg zoomed out of hiding, flying towards the steel, phasing in and out.

“Woah ho ho!” he said. “Something’s going on, that’s for sure!”

“Plagg, get back here!” Adrien said, jumping out of bed. “We have to be ready in case something happens!”

Plagg spiraled back lazily. “Oh, come on, what could happen?”

“What could happen?!” Adrien repeated incredulously. “Father only triggers the security system when the house is in serious danger.”

“Yeah, or maybe he just misplaced his designs and he’s convinced someone stole them,” Plagg scoffed. “Hate to break it to you, Adrien, but your old man’s a bit paranoid. I mean, why does he even have all this security in the first place? It’s ridiculous.”

Adrien scowled. “Okay, maybe sometimes he gets a bit… overly concerned. But he wouldn’t trigger this without a reason, I’m sure of it.”

“Reason schmeason,” Plagg said, flying up to Adrien’s face. “The way I see it, this is your chance to esca—”

The door burst open, cutting Plagg short. He flew into Adrien’s shirt as Adrien whirled around to face the entrance.

There was a flurry of butterflies.

From their center stepped a man.

They had been in the office for at least an hour now. Marinette’s heart was full of all of the trust and praise her peers, friends, and fellow Parisians were lavishing on her, and yet it was also still constricted with anxiety. The mayor’s expression was unreadable. Maybe he had really heard all this before, and his mind was already made up. Then again, there was also the possibility that he had still been teetering on the edge, and their words had tipped the scale enough to convince him to rule in her favor. The delicacy of it made Marinette want to hold her breath, just to keep from agitating anything further.

Then Rose finished speaking and stepped back into the crowd, and no one else stepped forward. They had all had their turn.

“Well, if that’s everything…” the mayor started to say, but was cut short by the noise of the door flying open. Marinette whipped her head around just in time to see Chloe burst into the room.

Oh, no.

Marinette braced herself for impact, but Chloe brushed past her, eyes set on her father.

“Daddy, are you really still thinking about this?” she said, slamming her hands down on his desk. “I’ve told you...”

“Now Chloe…”

“No—”

“Yeah, Chloe, beat it!” Alya interjected. “Just because you hate Marinette…”

But Chloe ignored her. Her attention was entirely focused on her father.

“Daddy, I’ve been telling you since yesterday, you’re making a mistake,” she said. “Ladybug is the greatest hero in Paris. She’s saved the city again and again and you want to make her into a criminal? Do you want people to think that being brave and kind is a crime?”

Greatest hero in Paris? Marinette blinked. Had she heard that right?

Mayor Bourgeois waved his hands, trying to quiet her. “Sweetheart, we’ve gone over this,” he said. “Daddy knows some very smart people who think that this wouldn’t be a good—”

“Very rich people, you mean,” Chloe scoffed. “I’m not stupid, Daddy.”

“Well, yes, they are also rich. But Chloe, don’t you see? I’m doing this for you. If I lose this position…��

“Then what? You get kicked out of your office?” She gestured around the room. “Big whoop. You still have the hotel. You’ll still have everything!”

“But dearest…”

“Don’t ‘dearest’ me! You just don’t want to lose power! Coward!”

The mayor stiffened.

“What did you say?”

“I said you’re a coward!” Chloe spat. “And if you go through with this, all of Paris will know!”

The mayor pushed himself up from his desk. “That’s quite enough from you, Chloe. Back to your room.”

“What?”

“I said, back to your room!” he pointed towards the door.

Chloe glared at him for a moment, then spun on her heel and blew out of the room, still not looking at anyone.

The mayor sunk back to his desk, head in hands. Everyone stared at him.

“She’s right, you know,” he said at last. “You’re all right. It’s just…”

He lapsed into silence.

They all just kept staring. Everyone seemed to be waiting for someone else to move.

Finally, he raised his head, face set.

“Well, to hell with it,” he said. “I’m the mayor, I’ll do what I can to protect Paris. Ladybug, you have my support.”

A cheer went up from the crowd. Marinette felt herself melting and rising at once, swept up in the excitement. So much so that she almost didn’t feel her phone buzzing in her pocket.

She took it out.

The screen declared it was an unknown caller.

She considered not answering it, but something told her that it was important. She called for silence and flipped it open.

“Hello, Ladybug.”

Marinette froze. The voice was deep, silky, and sinister. She knew that voice, though she had only heard it once before.

“Hawkmoth,” she breathed.

“Yes, so nice to finally speak with you,” he said. “I don’t mean to intrude your personal time with business calls, but I have a deal for you.”

Marinette’s frozen face morphed instantly into a scowl. “And what makes you think I’d want to deal with you?”

Then she heard another voice, slightly muffled, as if coming from a distance.

“Don’t do it, Marinette!” it said. “Stay away! I’m fine, I can—”

Then the voice went silent, but she didn’t need to hear more to know who it was.

Adrien.

“So,” Hawkmoth said, voice oozing smugness. “Care to talk?”  

Next Chapter—>

#miraculous ladybug #miraculous fanfic #spots off #cadenzawrites #fanfic #i don't know if anyone reads this here anymore #its easier to read on ao3 #but i gotta be consistentttt #:P

[coin-river-blog]

In March 2019, cryptocurrency enthusiasts and experts across India will make their voices heard at a nationwide roadshow. They intend to draw up a joint report which will be handed to the Indian government in lieu of the upcoming release of a crypto regulation framework.

Also read: Indian Supreme Court Gives Government 4 Weeks to Produce Crypto Regulation

4 Cities, 1 Month, 1000s of Cryptocurrency Enthusiasts

The campaign, organised by one of India’s foremost blockchain communities, will see open town halls in four cities across the country throughout the month of March for India’s cryptocurrency community to come together and have their say. National open town halls will be held in the four major blockchain cities where Blockchained India has chapters: Delhi on March 2, Mumbai on March 9, Hyderabad on March 16, and Bangalore on March 30.

Having been on the road for the last four months preparing for the upcoming India Dapp Fest in May 2019, the team has had a chance to interact closely with the country’s widespread crypto and blockchain community. Akshay Aggarwal, co-founder and country head of Blockchained India, spoke to news.Bitcoin.com about what they hope to gain from this campaign, saying:

We have found Delhi and Bangalore to be the most mature ecosystems. The enthusiasm, especially in Delhi, is another level altogether. Though when you look specifically at enterprise blockchains, Hyderabad comes quite close to Bangalore. This is due to the initiative of the Telangana government to form a blockchain district.

According to Aggarwal, they’ve received extensive interest in the events, and 30-40 companies have signed up as speakers. He anticipates a total of 1,800-2,000 people participating in the four events, flying in from all across the country.

He highlights that while some entrepreneurs are traveling to their closest participating city especially for this purpose, ecosystem members who are unable to join physically are emailing Blockchained India their insights to be included in the report that will be submitted to governmental decision-makers.

The Blockchained India team at one of their community events at which Ethereum co-founder Joseph Lubin was the keynote speaker.

The roadshows aim to offer unbiased information around the developments that have happened in the cryptocurrency space to date, as well as expert opinions on the reason behind those developments, covering both positive and negative aspects of the Indian industry landscape.

This, says Aggarwal, will be followed by a round of stakeholder views on a probable state of policy that will foster innovation and entrepreneurship and help the Indian economy by capturing value generated by the unique paradigm shift that this industry demands. A Q&A session with experts on hand will allow participants to address their most pertinent questions and queries.

The events, thus, will offer full-bodied coverage of topics pertinent to the upcoming governmental policymaking.

The Aim of the Roadshow

Aggarwal notes that since July 6, 2018, when India’s ban on cryptocurrency exchanges came into effect, he has seen many entrepreneurs within the Indian community move base to countries where regulations towards cryptocurrencies are favorable.

At first, he thought that Blockchained India would assist startup founders to set up shop by helping to smooth the process, but soon realised that very few of them could afford the cost associated with such a step — that too at an early stage where founders are already struggling to build startups.

Their vision at Blockchained India, he explains, has always been to encourage India’s blockchain and crypto developers and entrepreneurs to help bear the burden of innovation that has been dominated by the West for the last few hundred years.

Blockchained India regularly hosts events in chapter cities around India.

Armed with the mission to make India a blockchain hub, Aggarwal realised that skills development and knowledge sharing isn’t enough. To achieve such lofty ideals, the sub-continent also requires encouraging policies and infrastructural support. While Blockchained India was already catering to the former two, they were falling shy of their goal because of the lack of positive national regulations.

Hence the roadshow, which seemed to be the right next step, and pressure from the Supreme Court to force the government into action made the community respond in post haste.

Community Activism Such as This Will Make or Break the Indian Crypto Landscape

Aggarwal feels that exposure to a triad comprising skills development, knowledge sharing, and government-friendly policies and infrastructural support is “super necessary.” He singles out knowledge sharing sessions conducted in the form of community events, since these “help one to understand things by channeling the wisdom of the crowd.”

It is only by sharing expertise, he muses, that the community can go about progressing as rapidly as the industry requires for it to succeed. Over and above the regulatory mishap – currently the biggest piece of contention in India’s crypto scene – he adds that there are also scalability, security, and user experience problems to deal with. All of these need to be solved collectively before cryptocurrency and blockchain can be ready for mainstream adoption. Aggarwal opines:

I feel this is just a start. We are taking individual steps for the ecosystem to move in the right direction, but at the same time, these positive initiatives encourage other members of the ecosystem to take action for themselves. Cumulatively, we’ll end up pushing the whole ecosystem by miles.

Communal Efforts to Affect Policy-Making Will Pay Off

Efforts like these, together with the #indiawantscrypto campaign, enable India’s cryptocurrency community to gather supporters and influence the regulatory environment. Aggarwal believes that though it’ll take time, these efforts will ultimately have a sizeable impact on official decision-making.

This is crucial to prevent the industry brain drain caused by the government’s totalitarian position on cryptocurrencies. Though the financial impact of founders leaving the country for more positive regulatory waters hasn’t been significant thus far, Aggarwal reminds that this is primarily due to the fact that because of the government’s animosity, cryptocurrency innovation has been stilted.

The ecosystem cash flow that has been generated has mostly left the country, preventing the local industry from involving India’s top minds or fostering a culture of innovation. He reiterates that the entire movement has taken a massive hit in terms of numbers, enthusiasm, and the collective impact of the number of innovators multiplied by the velocity of the pace at which they could be innovating.

In India, crypto and blockchain events can draw big crowds, as this Blockchained India event shows.

He’s hopeful that their efforts will pay off, stating that if the government continues to be pressurized to lift its clampdown, positive changes are bound to follow.

Should the Supreme Court’s decision in the next few weeks not be in the crypto community’s favor, Aggarwal encourages them to stand together and request at least a pilot jurisdiction to test what effect cryptocurrencies will have on the country’s economy. He applauds the government for being “quite progressive” in that some states have already initiated game-changing initiatives, but stresses that the community will play a crucial role in “helping the government see what they’re unable to.”

He opines that, if nothing else, a pilot will be far more efficient at evaluating the impact of cryptocurrencies at a macroeconomic level than to continue making vague, unsubstantiated guesses.

We might end up achieving something evolutionary for all of humanity and not just for ourselves as a country.

Do you think this campaign will have a positive impact on the Indian government’s stance on crypto? Let us know in the comments section below!

Images courtesy of Shutterstock and Blockchained India.

Need to calculate your bitcoin holdings? Check our tools section.

Tags in this story

Akshay Aggarwal, bangalore, Bitcoin India, Blockchained India, Delhi, Hyderabad, India Bitcoin Regulation, indian government, indiawantscrypto, Mumbai, N-Featured, Supreme Court of India

Nadja Bester

Nadja has been involved in the cryptocurrency industry in numerous capacities, ranging from journalist, writer, marketing and communications specialist, and speaker. She has reported on cryptocurrency since 2017.

[chaoticgeminate]

Freedom

This is the third part of the Outfoxed Series, my Lila Salt series that I started on a whim and got a ton of notes and likes. This is the last bit following the main plot of the series, which is the exposure of Lila and the fallout of that exposure, but I may consider exploring other POV’s like I did with Mrs. Rossi in the side story ‘Shattered’ posted to AO3.

The link below is to the AO3 page of this story, if you don’t want to deal with the Read more button.

[AO3]

Lila's arrest sent shock waves through Collège François Dupont, from the sexual harassment charges to the truancy and even the unlawful photography, anyone associated with her on a friendly level was scrutinized and that meant the class of the former teacher Caline Bustier.

Thanks to the school board there had been numerous counselors and therapists on site, to combat potential akuma victims from the accusations and anger that were sure to be part of the fallout, with a new security system installed with no blank spots in any hallways or rooms. Excluding bathrooms, of course, but there were cameras above bathroom doors pointing straight down to track who entered and when.

Nino wasn't at all surprised when Adrien was transferred out of their class, his Father definitely blamed them for playing a part in the mess and the teen DJ couldn't fault him for once, it was easy to see from the glimpses in the halls that his best bud was happier than ever now. He had managed to apologize to both Adrien and Marinette, telling them he wasn't asking forgiveness but that he wanted them to know he now realized he screwed up and had to work on some things, the pair had thanked him and that had been it.

As much as he wanted to go back to how things were, when they were all together and Alya was scheming her plans to hook them up, Nino was more than aware that if he wanted them to trust him again it had to be on their terms and he was okay with that. He'd believed in Lila because Alya did, no matter how strange the stories sounded, his girlfriend always researched everything so if she wasn't questioning then he didn't have a reason to.

Or so he thought, but Alya wasn't perfect and he'd made a mistake by not questioning it himself, Nino had promised he would do and be better for himself and his girl as well as his friends.

Alya walked into the room late, sliding a note onto their teacher's desk, after her blow-up in the cafeteria at Adrien the school put her on mandatory counseling sessions. For as tenacious and driven as she was, something he admired, Alya was stubborn and quick-tempered; in this case, though, she refused to allow any blame on herself. Lila was the liar in this and Alya had been loyal, Marinette hadn't told her the whole truth, Adrien hadn't told her the whole truth; but it was still Alya that hadn't done her research or trusted her friend.

He slid a note onto her desk, a simple love poem he'd found, he wasn't ready to give up on her as a girlfriend and he knew that once she accepted she'd made a mistake that she'd do the right thing and at least apologize.

He was a sweetheart, someone truly amazing that was far too mature for his age, Nino's poem made her heart race even if she'd seen it on Juleka's facebook page two weeks earlier. For the first time in a long time she felt lighter, her pocket no longer weighed down with her cellphone, the device submitted for evidence for her own lawsuit against Lila.

Aya wasn't an idiot, she hadn't believed a damn thing Lila Rossi was putting out, but she was too quick tempered and had moved far too quickly against the Italian. Giving the new girl a chance to fess up had led to a rabbit hole of trouble, Lila hadn't even tried playing clean and as soon as she had her ammo it was over, Alya hadn't thought the girl would follow her around for months in secret while she'd supposedly been traveling.

Lila had gotten video proof of Alya sneaking around with Nino, steamy make-outs in fairly public (though not in the open) places while they were supposed to be babysitting, and worst of all she'd gotten a series of photos with Alya and Nino in a VERY compromising position in the school.

'All I want is your support, you don't have to believe me but you do have to make the others believe me, I won't tell anyone or show these otherwise.'

It sucked but Alya had danced to Lila's song and done what she asked without question, it would ruin her and Nino's records and their parents would have a meltdown, she expected Lila to eventually make a mistake after all and even if Alya supported her that didn't mean one of the others was trapped by her web. Alya had tried hard to support Marinette, Lila's chosen target she soon learned, but after the first attempt at getting the designer expelled had failed Lila wasn't giving any leeway.

The second attempt worked far too well, after Lila took the picture of the funeral right from Alya's phone, and the reporter found herself doing the unspeakable at Lila's behest. Every article had her in tears and the public backlash made her sick to her stomach, if she wasn't terrified of the result from Lila it might've been easier to delete the Ladyblog entirely, and finally it all drew to a close with Lila's arrest.

Finding out Adrien had known all along, that he'd just said nothing, had ignited a fire in Alya that she couldn't extinguish and she tore into him for his inaction; the entire time he could have done something, he could have saved her from her own ruin. But now, finally, Alya had come clean on every last detail to her parents and the school; her parents, as disappointed and hurt as they were, contacted the AGRESTE lawyers with their own evidence of blackmail to add to Lila's charges once they spoke with Officer Raincomprix.

Nino was still in the dark, though not for long since his parents were contacted too in regards to the nature of the pictures and video, and several people had said her intentions to protect her boyfriend were noble even if she had done wrong. But Alya had a long way to go in order to forgive herself before she'd ask forgiveness of anyone else, she started with hand-written letters to be mailed out to a lot of people, her phone and computer taken and she was under house arrest for quite a while per her parents.

Focusing on the board, as their teacher talked about their assignment for geography, Alya scribbled her notes as the rest tapped and typed away on their tablets.

"BREAKING REPORT

BLACKMAIL CHARGES CONFIRMED AGAINST LILA ROSSI

As of Wednesday, we have word that more charges are being added to the already extensive list for Lila Rossi. The Italian student, living in France on a VISA due to her mother's work, has already been accused of a long list of charges by both the Agreste family and the Dupain-Cheng family as well as the school board. Sexual harassment, truancy charges, unlawful photography, bullying a French citizen, and now there is evidence surfacing of blackmailing a French citizen.

The Césaire family have come forward with very serious evidence that indicates Alya Césaire, the founder of the Ladyblog, was being blackmailed by Lila Rossi the entire span of her time at Francios Dupont and during the period she was skipping classes. E-mails, text messages, and threatening messages through Facebook and Snapchat depict Rossi as having compromising photographs and videos of Césaire and her boyfriend that could result in their own criminal charges.

When we asked Otis Césaire his thoughts on the matter he had this to say:

"My daughter was wrong in her actions, I will not try and say she was only a victim because she could have come to us before this started and we would have helped her, but I am appalled that the school officials were so easily fooled and allowed a girl to come in and manipulate them so thoroughly. They were supposed to protect their students, regardless of how much money the families of those kids have, but I see that their concern was elsewhere."

Alya Césaire herself is being reviewed for her own criminal charges based on the content of the photographs that were found on Lila Rossi's devices and has asked that any charges that might be applied to her boyfriend be dropped as she was the primary instigator for each incident. The AGRESTE legal team is asking that any other students, parents, or parties victim to any schemes of Lila please step forward so that they can compile a full list of charges and get this case closed."

The voice of Nadja Chamak played softly in the background of the office as Mayor Armand D'Argencourt adjusted his tie and looked around the bleak space, it was only a matter of time before the school board pursued the Mayor for his own corruption and Andre had paid out a hefty sum to avoid prison before being removed from office, the new election had come and Armand had taken post over Madam Lauren Richards.

As one of the few teachers not involved with Rossi, aside from Physical Education, he hadn't been questioned much and even then he never once allowed her any special treatment; if she cited an injury he made her go to the nurse, any conditions she claimed he would ask Miss Kensington for proof and there never was any. But his claims and reports to Phineas had gone unanswered and blown aside, as any with Miss Bourgeios often had, his reports to the school board had been added to the Dupain-Cheng case as had Priscille's own reports.

A knock on the door made him clear his throat. "Come in." He left the office door open, unlike the Mayor had, the knocking was just a courtesy. His secretary, Monsieur Hemsley, held a stack of papers and folders.

"I'm afraid to say there is a lot more of this, sir, but this is the start of what Mayor Bourgeios cited as unnecessary for Paris." The man looked apologetic and Armand shook his head, accepting the stack of things with no ill-feelings.

It was a new challenge. "I want to start with everything from the past year, Thomas, I've no doubt there were plenty of things he ignored or blew out to keep his hotel running and himself in office." Finding the corruption was the first step, all the business owners with an in that were paying into the Bourgeios to keep themselves on top, Armand wasn't going to fail his family's post or his city.

He glanced at his calendar. "Remember to keep tomorrow afternoon clear, I've got fencing to teach at the Agreste manor after school hours tomorrow." Thomas nodded and went to bring the next batch of papers to him.

"It's been quiet."

Sitting on top of Notre Dame, legs swinging freely as the lights illuminated the dark city below, Chat couldn't help but hum in agreement to the soft statement his partner whispered. With Lila's arrest and the continual charges being brought forward against her, as well as the fallout from the students, he'd expected much more in the way of akuma. "It's worrying, as much as I don't want it to be." He wanted it to be a good sign that there hadn't been problems with Hawkmoth, he wanted it to be an indicator that they were due for some peace and quiet, but they couldn't relax.

Ladybug's eyes were focused on the light at the Town Hall where his fencing instructor, now Mayor, was working diligently through years of corruption from Chloe's father in office. "I've been talking with Tikki and the other Kwami, they all agree that something feels... off. We have a lot of theories but nothing concrete, if I wasn't so afraid to bring the Miracle Box out in public I'd have brought it tonight with me." He almost choked with how deep a breath he drew in, that was not at all what he'd expected.

"You want- but you're the Guardian. Why would my-"

"Your thoughts and opinions are always important to me, Chat, we're partners. You just have horrible timing to be a flirty tomcat as well as an issue with the word no."

He opened his mouth to argue but didn't, she was right, he had no valid excuse for his behavior in the past. "I, uh, you don't have to worry about that LB. I have a girlfriend, outside the mask I mean, I won't tell you her name but she's incredible and I'm really happy with her." Chat could feel her looking at him and her expression was soft, fond and friendly, love without the romantic aspect of it.

Such a familiar look and he didn't even know why. "I'm really happy for you, Chat, you deserve someone who brings you happiness." He felt his cheeks warm, Marinette made him more than happy, he felt loved and like he was home when he was by her side.

But his expression schooled into something playful as his partner looked away, her own face pink. "Oh, is that a blush? Thinking of your own special boy?" Her scowl was lacking any real anger or annoyance and it twisted into a bright grin.

"The boy I like, the one I told you about, he asked me out and we're together now." At one point that would have hurt him, made his chest ache, but it just indicated how incredible Marinette was that he didn't feel anything but happiness.

His mouth spit out the phrase before he could even stop it. "Oh? So, the Bug has her Boo? I guess when you're on a date you're Bugandboo?" Her squawk of outrage had him laughing as he got up to run, delighting in just being able to play, a few people who were still awake cheered him on while others admonished him playfully for irritating the heroine.

By the time patrol ended he was sporting a sore arm, a hoarse voice from laughing, and the annoyance of being filmed falling off a roof into a dumpster when one of Monsieur Ramirer's pigeons flew in his face. But it was a good night and he promised to keep his eyes open for trouble in the form of butterflies.

Marinette knocked and waited for an answer, meeting surprised expressions, her own lips a flat line. "Can I...?" The nod was gentle as Marlena hugged her, whispering an apology of her own, but Marinette didn't blame her at all. Nora's hug was more like a wrestling move, cracking a few joints too, the twins were subdued for once. Walking to the open door, since Alya wasn't allowed to have her room closed off at all, Marinette knocked on the frame.

"Just cleaning my- oh." Alya emerged from her mess of clothes, the closet's contents emptied on the floor and sorted into piles, her expression guarded but somehow open.

Before she could lose her nerve, the designer cleared her throat. "I'm angry at you, for not telling me the truth about what was going on and then attacking my parents when you could have come clean before it got that far, but I'm sorry that you were a victim to her schemes too. I can't forgive you, at least not right now, but I respect you for trying to protect Nino even if I was the sacrifice because I don't know if I would have done anything different in your situation." Alya's eyes were watering and Marinette knew she was close to crying too, she'd decided that she wasn't going to hold onto grudges or anger any longer and had spent the day visiting her former classmates.

Part of moving on was deciding what emotions to hold onto, Wayzz and Longg had helped her come to terms with her lingering doubts and hurt emotions, she refused to be chained by the betrayal and hurt more than she needed to be. "Thank you, I always could trust you to be honest with me, for what it's worth I am sorry that I hid the truth from you." Marinette nodded at Alya and her grip on the doorframe tightened a little.

There wasn't a lot to say between them. "I want to trust you again, Alya, you inspired me to be better and to stand up for what was right and in a weird way you tried to protect me and Nino. Please do better so I can have my best friend back." Marinette's eyes watered and Alya's tears slid down her cheeks as she nodded, the designer opened her arms and the hug was everything she expected when Alya nearly tackled her, but it was what they both needed.

After their impromptu cry session, monitored by Nora to watch for butterflies, the two students said their farewells. Sliding under her Papa's arm as she exited the building, he'd insisted on coming with her to visit her former classmates, Marinette wiped her eyes with the offered handkerchief. "Feel a little better, dumpling?" He had been skeptical of this whole thing but supported her choice to do it.

"Yea, Papa, I do. I really do."

"Good, I'm glad. Now, I know you like to make all your clothes and for good reason, I've got a secret assignment of my own. You see, your Maman and I agreed I would know just what sort of dress you need to take Adrien's breath away for your date tonight. So, dumpling, we're going shopping." Marinette wanted to be upset but it had been a long time since her parents ever got to buy her clothes, a really long time actually, so she didn't argue as he caught a bus to the shopping district for them.

But she had to admit she didn't expect some of the choices he handed her to try on. Marinette might have accused him of asking Gabriel for help if not for the fact that all of the choices were all colors her father knew she liked and not things that were considered complimentary to her skin tone. After trying on what felt like hundreds of dresses, even if it was only twenty according to Tikki, Marinette and her Papa found one they both liked.

Pale rose in color with a fit and flare shape, the bodice was solid color with very short sleeves made of the same georgette lace that covered the knee-length skirt, she felt really cute in it and it wasn't too short or revealing. Marinette had white, round-toe, heels that she could wear with it and wanted to wear her hair down with loose curls. Her Maman, on their return home, admitted that out of the two of her parents it was her Papa that had an artist's eye and had often picked all of the dresses that Sabine herself wore on their dates.

Marinette hadn't known, though she decided it wasn't that surprising given her Papa's decorative skill, but she was glad that her Papa was happy for her relationship. "You have two hours to get ready before Adrien gets here, dumpling." That made her rush up the stairs and hurry to get ready since this was their first unsupervised date.

'That boy needs his Dad. Not his Father, Gabriel, or his boss. Adrien needs you in his life and if you don't shape up then I will report every last shred of truth on how you break labor laws and pull him from school illegally for photoshoots.'

Leonard's threat had hung heavy between the two men since the initial stirrings against Lila, the black eye Gabriel had sported for two weeks had been hidden with make-up but the bodyguard hadn't feared repercussions or assault charges, as a parent Gabriel respected Leonard and as a friend he respected him even more for doing what he'd done. Watching his son smooth down the jacket of his suit, planning to take his girlfriend to a restaurant known for their private settings so they could avoid the spotlight for some time, Gabriel was proud of Adrien and knew now that he had missed quite a bit.

Leonard met his gaze as the teenager rambled about his nerves, Nathalie busy reassuring him that Marinette would be thrilled to bits, the very slightest of nods from the man expelled most of the tension. Gabriel handed Adrien something he'd kept for his son, for quite some time, a delicate silver chain with loops for charms waiting. "You are under no pressure to accept this, or do what I had done, but I know you're nervous and hope that maybe this will help you with your own ideas for Marinette." Adrien's eyes were just as curious and warm as Emilie's were, it was both heartbreaking and so very amazing.

"Emilie had a book that she bought, I gave her a single flower on every date, she would press the flowers to preserve them; this is the start of a charm bracelet, I think perhaps Marinette would like something she can wear as a reminder of your affections." It was a guess but the girl proved to be very affectionate, though not incredibly handsy in public and it was a trait he appreciated, with her own anxious tendencies it would be best to have something tangible she could carry. Adrien grinned and nodded, looking at the time on his watch.

A smile on his face and a tight hug, Gabriel was nearly bowled over with the strength in his son's sudden motion, Adrien thanked him with a teary smile. "I already have plenty of ideas, thank you so much Dad!" Gabriel managed to hold off until Adrien left but the moment he was gone the tears started, it had been so long since he heard that title, Nathalie's hum was soft and Gabriel appreciated her quiet comfort. After a moment or two, managing to calm himself down, the man looked at Nooroo as the Kwami peeked out from behind the hall.

"Nooroo, if I were to give you back your Miraculous would you be able to find the Guardian?" The Butterfly hesitated but nodded, looking miserable to even admit that much. Gabriel removed the brooch and Nathalie only nodded as she took Duusu's brooch too, the two Kwami accepted them back with curious looks. "Nooroo and Duusu, I release you to be free and return to the Guardian. I am truly sorry that I allowed my grief to blind me to what I was losing and led me to abusing you as I had." The Butterfly Kwami offered a wavering smile, gratitude visible on his face as Duusu fluttered about energetically.

The Kwami nuzzled him. "I knew you were a good man, Gabriel, you just lost your way for a little bit. Thank you for setting me free." The two Kwami disappeared through the door and Nathalie followed him to what once was his lair, the butterflies and cocoons had disappeared, leaving just an empty garden and the glass chamber. Emilie had been embalmed in private, following her death, which was the reason she was in the state she was in now. Nathalie left him then to give him time to say goodbye, for the last time, Gabriel had no more tears to give and only apologized for losing his way.

"I will always cherish what we had, Emilie, I will never forget you; but I won't disappoint you any longer, I cannot allow myself to cling to us and continue to put Adrien in danger or push him away." As he placed his hand on the top of the glass, chest heaving with a deep breath, he contacted the burial company that had done the embalming. They hadn't thought much of his basement being a mausoleum of sorts, it was not new to plenty of the upper-class, once he activated the tinting on the coffin it looked just like any other.

Within the hour his wife was buried in her family plot, with the rest of the Graham de Vanily, and Gabriel gave himself the night to grieve. Free of the burden of the brooch, the burden of being chained to the past, and free to pursue a future beside his son once more.

Sabine laughed as Tom and Gabriel battled, with Adrien and Marinette on their date the two had contacted him and agreed to have him over, Leonard and Nathalie were on either side of her nursing hot drinks and their own chuckles. Having the man request to learn how to play Ultimate Mecha Strike had been a shock but he admitted that he wanted to be able to play with Adrien, he didn't know what his son was really fond of doing and needed a gateway of sorts, Sabine hadn't been able to help hugging the poor man and promising to help.

Watching him now, as he grunted with his hair free of styling products for once, she could tell there was something a little different about him this time; he ran another hand through his hair as he got locked into an animation sequence as Tom's mech unleashed a combo. "Take that you old pincushion." In the past she might have been worried but Gabriel never ceased to surprise her.

"Keep talking, you stale cream puff, once I figure this game out I'm going to make you eat those words." Gabriel was competitive, not that she was surprised by that, fashion was a cutthroat industry; but he wasn't to the point that he was a sore loser. In fact he appeared to be having fun and it warmed her to see a man trying to do better, especially after subjecting his son to harassment by that horrid little liar, Sabine glanced at her phone as it chimed.

Marinette and Adrien had both sent a picture, an adorable selfie of the two of them at the theater, they had done dinner and Adrien had gotten tickets for them to see Wicked together since it was currently playing. "The kids just reached the theater." Earning two non-committal sounds from the men, once again not surprised, the woman responded with a 'have fun' before leading Nathalie to the kitchen as Leonard continued to read his comic books.

"I've never seen him this relaxed, your family is quite amazing."

Sabine met the woman's gaze and smiled. "I like to think so too, shall we prepare some light snacks?" Nathalie nodded and Sabine was pretty happy to relay the ongoing news that Nadja learned from the interviews and messages flooding TVi.

“You mean-“

“I think he’s found it more important to prioritize what he has over what he’s lost.”

Chat Noir was quiet as Nooroo sat in his hands, Duusu perched on Ladybug’s shoulder quietly, the two Kwami had appeared in Ladybug’s room and she’d called him the following evening in order to give them time to rest. “I don’t understand why he’d do what he chose to, though I can’t say I wouldn’t do the same since I don’t know how I’d react, but I guess I’m glad he’s decided enough is enough.” Ladybug heard the sigh as she leaned on her partner’s arm, her own face wet with tears, she had taken one look at the tome that the two had brought with her and knew exactly where they came from.

Something she’d have to tell Chat Noir, she trusted him and didn’t want to keep him in the dark, but she knew how hard he’d taken it when she theorized her idol and boyfriend’s father as Hawkmoth the first time around. “I know who he was, these two coming to me only confirmed it, I am going to respect his request for a second chance. For me to have this make sense, Chat, you’ll have to know that I was one of Caline Bustier’s students at Collège François Dupont.” His eyes widened and he held out a hand for a moment, silencing her, then he cupped her chin and made her look at him.

Ladybug didn’t know what he was looking for. “Princess?” The hope in his voice sent a touch of warmth through her, making her throat tighten as she licked her lips.

“Mhm.”

Words escaped her then as she waited for his reaction, his pupils blowing wide and round, her heart thundering as her hands started to shake. She felt vulnerable and exposed, weightless as his silence kept her teetering on the edge of delight or misery, a part of her theorized who he was ever since Chat Blanc and she needed to be right. His mouth curved into a wide smile and his eyes glistened as green formed around him, leaving Adrien in his place, she’d never been happier to be right. “It’s you! It’s always been you! No wonder you’ve been wearing gray and pink a lot, you sneaky little bug mouse.” His weight crashed into her as she dismissed her own transformation and Tikki giggled above her as Plagg rolled his eyes, her mouth meeting Adrien’s in a frantic kiss.

Once they both laughed over how badly they had danced around each other, with promises to tell each other everything, Marinette knew it was time to finish what she’d been saying. “They brought me a book too, Adrien, the book Lila stole from you that got you pulled from school.” Adrien’s arms tightened on her waist and she squeezed his body a little, to remind him she was here with him, but there wasn’t any sort of anger on his face.

A weak acceptance, exhaustion, maybe some hope. “You want to give him a second chance?” Marinette nodded and cupped his cheek.

“I think we can do that, now that we know the truth, Chaton; he deserves that much, he’s been trying hard to be there for you.” He was learning how to play video games, the two were taking cooking lessons, Marinette had seen him at every photoshoot and he promised dinners with her family every other week as well as an appearance at the Parent’s Dinner the school was having for this year’s graduation award presentation.

Adrien’s eyes watered. “Thank you, Bugaboo.” He kissed her again and she giggled.

“I told you to stop calling me Bugaboo, Chaton, I like Princess more.” His eyes twinkled and he nodded as he cradled her close. “I’m glad though because I thought I liked two boys, I’m really happy it’s just one.” His chuckle into her collar made her giggle.

But he had a warm mischief in his gaze when he let her go. “Isn’t Chaton a little telling, I’m sure Aurore will connect the spots quickly.” Marinette poked his nose with a wink.

“I’ll just have to call you mon Chevalier.” He flushed and she transformed with a grin. “But, for now, I have to go to bed; I have school and I recall being promised fancy coffee and a wake-up kiss.” He tried to shout after her but she swung away with a whoop. The real surprise came nearly half-an-hour later, after a shower and changing, when her Maman said she had company.

Adrien had an overnight bag and a grin as he joined her in her room, the door left open per her parent’s request, they snuggled under her comforter and she cuddled Plagg as the cat Kwami snuggled against her neck. “A cat could get used to this, I’m moving in too Sugarcube.” Tikki’s giggle made Adrien hum as he agreed softly, cradling her close to him as Marinette felt her eyelids droop.

“So what now? No Hawkmoth or Mayura, you have all the Miraculous, just patrol and stop petty crime?”

Marinette grinned. “We learn how to be Guardians, not all threats are corrupt holders, I think there might be something bigger on the horizon now that the circle is closed again.” Adrien hummed as he nodded against her head, promising to study hard, sleep drawing them in and peace making it easy to feel at ease.

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