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nikxation · 2 years

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I just want to look at the ways I think this fandom is misinterpreting Bo-Katan and try to address the hate against her that's basically always filling up the tag!

Essay under the cut!

Bo-Katan is not a good person, but she's also not the evil conniving villain that this fandom seems intent on making her.

First off, she was young and really fucking stupid in Clone Wars. Does this erase the fact that she did a bunch of terrible things? Hell no. But the fact is, in her mind, she had a choice: 1) give up on Mandalore's warrior history that she believed in and join Satine, or 2) embrace that warrior history. And because the True Mandalorians were wiped from existence, that became a choice between the New Mandalorians and Death Watch. There's this implication that she was young when she joined, because she was very much embedded in Death Watch when we first meet her in Clone Wars, and she's only, like, 20. She made a shitty choice, and because of that choice (and I'm sure what amounted to quite a bit of grooming from Pre Vizsla, because hello, the Duchess's very own sister on his side, that's too good to pass up) she did some really fucking terrible things.

She spends the rest of her life (thus far up until what we've seen) trying to atone for that choice and those horrible things she did.

And before I get people saying "she's a terrorist, you can't forgive a terrorist", I'd like to point out that you also can't forgive a murderer, and your favorite characters who are "good guys" certainly have done quite a bit of killing. Maybe some of the people they killed were bad guys and maybe some of them deserved some kind of punishment, but if you're trying to equate this to real world morality, can you truthfully say every person your "good guy" killed deserved to die? How many dead stormtroopers were people like Finn who just needed a way out? And I hate to tell you, Din isn't exactly a great guy either. I love him to death, but bounty hunting is a dirty and fucked up profession. I would not doubt he's returned some escaped slaves and done other fucked up shit over the years. Hell, they basically admitted to it in the Prisoner episode. The "good guys" aren't pillars of morality.

Equating real world morality to fiction doesn't always translate 1-to-1. Your fave is a murderer, but that doesn't bug you. Hell, let's jump fandoms for a second. How do you feel about Marvel's Loki? Man literally tried (and halfway succeeded in) committing genocide of an entire race. But now he's reached anti-hero status? Where's everyone saying he's horrible and deserves to rot because of what he did to Jotunheim? The morality doesn't equate because it's fiction, and it's a lot more interesting to start out with a fucking terrible character and watch them grow into something better and more complex. Bo-Katan was part of a terrorist group and spent years trying to make up for that and to be better. The point is it's a character arc and she's seeking redemption, and that's interesting. And she is changing for the better, even if she's not perfect.

Please go rewatch Rebels, the Mandalore arc. She refuses the saber because she doesn't think she's worthy of it. She doesn't try to fight Sabine for it. She doesn't want it. She knows and acknowledges the horrible shit she's done and doesn't think herself worthy because of that.

It takes convincing on Sabine's part, and proof that the rest of the clans are behind her, for her to take it. And she takes it in Satine's name and honor (which is basically a confirmation she is no longer under Death Watch), under the hope of restoring Mandalore and freeing it from the Empire.

If y'all wanna talk technicalities, that "well she didn't have a right to the saber because she didn't win it in combat in Rebels"... Remember that, technically, it then would still belong to Maul. Because Sabine didn't win it off Maul, she stole it. And now Maul is dead by Obi-Wan's hand. Sabine only "wins it" off Gar Saxon later on, and even then, the "chain" back to Maul is still broken, and technically Ursa was the one to kill Saxon. So, the whole "winning it by combat" thing is basically screwed over at this point, Sabine has no intention to rule Mandalore and is just trying to find someone she thinks could.

At this point, the darksaber is a symbol, a symbol of unification and of strength, of a return to power for the Mandalorians. And even if Bo-Katan didn't win it in combat, the fact of the matter is that she had the backing of all the clans anyways, so ultimately it doesn't matter. The point of winning the saber in combat is to show strength and "earn" the respect and loyalty of the other clans. She does that without the fight here, and that's the point. It's honestly a lot more meaningful than if she won it, because she got the backing of the other clans without having to beat up a fucking teenager.

Which is gonna lead us into The Mandalorian S2.

It's been 10 years since the events of Rebels. A lot has changed. Namely, Mandalore is fucking... gone. Utterly destroyed. The Book of Boba Fett gave us that, showed us how fucking horrible it was. There's very little, if anything, left.

Take a look at Bo-Katan with that in mind. Here's a woman who was trying to free her people, to make her planet strong and united again... And it all blew up (quite literally) in her face.

Also, I'm going to make an assumption here: She didn't lose the saber to Moff Gideon, it got stolen from her or taken in an unfair way. I don't buy the idea that he beat her in a fight 1-on-1, I really don't. So yeah, I'll go out on a limb here and say that, yes, she was correct in saying the saber rightfully belongs to her.

So, what do we see in The Mandalorian when we meet her?

We see a woman, meeting a man from the fucked-up religion/cult that she broke off from (because yes, the Children of the Watch are a cult y'all, and I will happily go off about that too) and spent years of her life trying to distance herself and make up for her time in. He comes asking for her help, proceeds to claim that she isn't a Mandalorian (which, she's more Mandalorian than he is, she's actually been on the planet and knows her people's history, something that Din doesn't have because, again, raised by a cult that hid that knowledge from him, but I digress). So, here's a guy who's a pseudo-member of the people who are now basically her enemy, asking for help, and she decides to help him if he helps her first. But again, she doesn't trust him, he's Death Watch, so she doesn't tell him the whole plan, only what he needs to know that she knows will get the job done. It's shitty to do, but honestly, it's fair when she has absolutely no reason to trust him. Especially given that her main goal is getting the darksaber back, something that she would have reason to believe a pseudo-Death Watch member would know about and try to take if they knew she was after it. She keeps him in the dark because she doesn't trust him and is right not to. Din outright tells her he is Death Watch even if he doesn't know what that really means.

(And, to be fair to Din, I do believe that, if he knew the real history of Mandalore, he'd get the hell away from the Children of the Watch because that history doesn't align with his morality. He almost borders on being very True Mandalorian-esque, which is maybe why he gets on so well with Boba, a man raised by the last True Mandalorian, but again I digress).

Bo-Katan has no reason to trust Din, and she has no way to gauge how much he really knows without possibly screwing herself over and giving up info that, to her knowledge, he might choose to act against her on. She has no way to know his intentions, and so she has to do what she thinks is best to accomplish her goals. And you know what, she is completely in the right in the way she acts towards Din. We tend to forget how bad Din looks from an outside perspective, because he's our protagonist, he's the "good guy", so we forget the optics of what he would look like to someone like Bo-Katan. To her, he has the potential to be very bad news.

She is an antagonist against Din, and for good reason, but she is not the villain. I have a sneaking suspicion that, in S3, Din will get the full story and then they'll end up as true allies. That teaser trailer was playing into the "Bo-Katan bad guy" idea way too much, it feels like a red herring. And to be honest, if they go that direction, I really think it would be a disservice to her character and all the growth and shit she's gone through. But then I hear Katee Sackhoff talking about Bo-Katan and discussing redemption and growth, and I have hope they'll do good by her character.

She's gonna do whatever it takes to accomplish her goal, and her goal is to reclaim Mandalore, 1) as a "fuck you" to the memory of the Empire, because Lord knows she is angry and vengeful af about what happened on Mandalore, and she has every right to be, and 2) to reunite her people and help rebuild. She might do kinda shitty things to reach that goal, but at this point, it's basically all she has, and again, she's vengeful af, so you know that's driving her too. Every time people call her power-hungry, I swear they haven't seen Rebels because her entire arc completely obliterates that argument. She did not want it until she realized that the Mandalorians united under her, and she saw the future she could help build as their leader. She was never grabbing at power for the sake of grabbing at power. The only reason she's so gung-ho on the saber now is because Mandalore and the Mandalorians are in shambles and they are in serious danger of being wiped out altogether if they don't get their shit together. She wants to see her people strong and united again, and that is totally fair.

Which then leads to the question of why she doesn't take the saber from Din when he offers it up. To be honest, I think it was a little bit of a plot-circle on the part of the writers, but I'd also like to present this idea: she knew the optics of taking it from Din would be bad. It's one thing to take it from Sabine, a teenager, with all the other clans on her side and pledging loyalty. It's another thing to take it from Din, a full-fledged warrior who won the saber back from the Empire in a fight, with no outside-clan backing. That reads very bad and could lead to two very possibly bad outcomes:

1) The clans find out she didn't win it back, and she loses a certain amount of respect, not because she did it twice, but because the second time she did so without direct backing. Mandalore is already splintered and falling apart. It's a risk to hope that they'd be willing to unify under a ruler some might find "illegitimate". She can't afford that, she needs as many people on her side as she can get because... there aren't very many of them left. She needs to win it back from him fair and square to make sure she's in the right position politically to reunify Mandalore.

2) They hide it and pretend she won it instead of Din. Which might seem doable, except for the fact that now, everyone in that room would have leverage on her. And that is dangerous for someone looking to take back and rule a race like the Mandalorians. That's serious blackmail material. And she has no reason to trust the other people in that room (except for Koska). And even outside of her perspective, I could see quite a few people in that room choosing to use that against her. Maybe not for the most nefarious purposes, but using it all the same. And at that point, if the other clans found out through that means, that's grounds for serious trouble. Because not only would she be "illegitimate", but now she was blatantly lying to them. Whatever peace and unity they had going would immediately fall apart.

She's not in the wrong to decide against taking it, in believing the best option is to eventually challenge him for it. And honestly the fact that she doesn't challenge him right away, that she lets him leave with it and go about his business, means a lot more than people are considering. If she was this power-hungry person that people are claiming she is, she would have challenged him right then and there, or right after Luke left with Grogu, when he was weak and exposed and still injured from the fight with the dark troopers and distracted and, honestly, probably a pretty easy target. And you might say "Din had allies in that room, she'd be dumb to fight him". If she challenged him to a 1-on-1 and he agreed, Cara and Fennec and everyone would back off and let him (even if Cara maybe argued against it for a second). He would have to agree to the fight for it to be legitimate, and I highly doubt Bo-Katan would go for the kill either way, she seemed genuinely shocked when Maul killed Vizsla, which makes it seem like killing the loser isn't standard practice (ie. Sabine also not killing Gar Saxon) unless you're just... a shitty person or someone from an opposing view (ie. Jaster getting killed).

But she doesn't challenge him, she lets him leave. And that's telling in a way that she's not just... looking for power. And, yes, she's annoyed by the turn of events (it certainly throws a wrench in everything she's been working towards).

She will challenge Din, I know that for a fact. But I think, first, Din needs a lesson on what it means to be Mandalorian (what it really means, not that false shit the Armorer fed him). And then he needs to decide what kind of Mandalorian he needs to be, and I'd bet that it's going to align with a lot of Bo-Katan's goals and ideology (hence, she's going to realize he's not really Death Watch, not in the way that matters, and that maybe he's trustworthy). And I think there's a fair chance that Din will win the fight, and Bo-Katan will honor that.

(Whether Din becomes Mand'alor is up in the air at this point, count me as Interested and Excited to see.)

I am not saying Bo-Katan is a perfect character and the pillar for morality. She has done some fucked up shit. She still does some pretty shitty stuff. But overall, her character arc is one of redemption and fighting for her people. Her goals are good and right, even if her methods aren't always the most savory (I'm talking lying to Din and similar things). But Mandalorians have always been a bit brutal and slippery, it's not totally out of character.

I'm not saying you have to love her as a character. Hell, I'm not even saying you have to like her. All I'm asking is that you stop just... blatantly calling her evil and pretending she's this two-dimensional simplified version of herself. She's complex and has a pretty crazy and interesting arc, and all I'm asking is that she gets the same treatment that other characters like her (ie. Loki) get. It's... shitty to see a post about her and go into the notes and just see... mountains and mountains of hate on her. I resent the fact that the first thing I saw when I heard about the S3 trailer was... someone ragging on her and calling her a villain. It's missing such a core piece of her character and rendering her down to something that she isn't, and it's aggravating when you're someone like me who really likes her as a character and is just... tired of the undeserved hate she gets, when there are other characters out there who have done worse and gotten praised for the redemption they fought for.

It's okay if you don't like her. Just... stop filling her tag with hate. Try to look at her from the lens of someone just... trying to preserve what's left of her culture and people and doing whatever she needs to do to make that happen.

If anything, remember that she and Ahsoka are still associated in some positive way, enough so that she knew where Ahsoka was and told Din to say she sent him, which would entail Ahsoka trusts Bo still. If Ahsoka still trusts her, maybe trust Ahsoka's judgement?

Final things to address:

Her calling out Boba and being derogatory towards him and clones: Not a great thing of her to do. Again, definitely not a perfect character. But she was correct in saying he isn't a Mandalorian, and we don't know what kind of shit Boba has done and how much of it she knows about. For all we know, Boba was hunting Mandalorians for the Empire and she knew about it. We don't know that whole story. Again, a lot of this comes down to the fact that your faves aren't necessarily good people. Boba certainly wasn't. In fact, he was the definition of a secondary villain (because remember, in ESB, the bounty hunters are bad guys, and Jango wasn't really a good guy in AotC either), all until he took a tumble into the Sarlacc and got his ass humbled by the Tuskens. And heck, on the flip side, there's a chance she has no idea who Boba is, and to her, he is just a clone that somehow got his hands on Mando armor, which isn't really something Mandalorians are a fan of when their armor is so sacred. We don't know. I'd love if it's addressed some way in the future (maybe Bo discussing with Din that he's associated with Boba?).

Her not honoring Maul winning the darksaber and claiming a non-Mandalorian can't be Mand'alor: We knew from the get-go that Maul and Death Watch were both planning to screw-over the other for their own gain. I'd bet they each had an idea that the other had the same mentality. They didn't trust each other and were right not to. She knew he was bad news and wanted no part of it. She didn't have the best intentions initially, the Mandalorians are proud people to a fault (Din was willing to kill Cobb to get the armor back), they value their heritage and unity as a people. Maul was not a Mandalorian. Didn't take a Creed or wear their armor or follow any of their principles. He was someone Death Watch was using, they never expected him to go after (and win) the throne. For all intents and purposes, Maul was 100% an outsider, and Mandalorians are not fans of outsiders, let alone outsiders having power over them. Hence, Death Watch split in half. Half of them honored the old traditions and followed Maul, the other half didn't. And, lo and behold, he used his power over them to take advantage of them and then leave them when it was convenient for him. Wow, great leader there, great thing the rest of Death Watch trusted him and followed him. Bo-Katan was right to not trust him and to want him gone. He's literally a Sith Lord, expecting him to be good for their planet and people would be... stupid. It might have been a different story if he took a Creed and at least pretended to become a Mandalorian, but he didn't. Remember, Bo-Katan was (begrudgingly) willing to let the Republic invade to get Maul out. Part of it was because he was an outsider, but the other part was because he was Maul, the Sith Lord who would for sure use them and destroy them and not care about the repercussions. It was him she wanted out, and she was willing to let other outsiders in to accomplish that.

TL;DR: I mean, Bo-Katan is really just a more nuanced and complex character than fandom likes to make her out to be, please just read the essay, I swear I make some good points, the biggest one being that Rebels has the biggest instance of her character growth and everyone just tends to... ignore it in favor of ragging on her. There's a lot to it, I can't sum it all up in a short paragraph, hence the essay, sorry, I just have a lot of thoughts on it.

#thank you for coming to my TED talk #it's okay if you don't like her #at the very least keep it out of the tags ya know???#that's how we treat ships we don't like... why can't we do the same for characters???#star wars #bo katan kryze #the mandalorian #clone wars #the clone wars #tcw #death watch

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dessarious · 2 years

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Guilt and Consequences Pt18

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Isadora Dimakos was generally thought to be a calm person. Everyone who knew her would tell you it took a lot to get her upset and it was almost impossible to make her lose control of herself. Hugging her little sister for the first time in ten years she was about two seconds from committing murder over what had happened to Riley, or Lila. She really needed to ask what she wanted to be called.

“I’m so sorry. I never should have believed them when they told me you didn’t survive. I should have looked into it myself.” She still couldn’t believe the lengths her maternal grandparents had gone to to try and keep everything related to her father out of her life after he died. The only way she’d be talking to them again was through lawyers. “No matter what happens I won’t ever leave you alone with that woman again.”

“It wasn’t your fault. You were still a kid too.” Izzy hugged her sister tighter for a moment before pulling back to look her in the eye.

“I haven’t been for five years now and I never once questioned the story I was told. You deserve better from me.” Riley dropped eye contact to stare over her shoulder. A lot of people wouldn't notice the shift, but she knew how much effort it was for her to look someone in the eye. It was honestly a bit scary how little she’d changed. “Why don’t we go somewhere a little less public so we can talk?”

“I don’t want to talk.” Her eyes shifted to the floor and her shoulders hunched.

“You don’t want to talk or you don’t want to listen?” Riley’s eyes jumped to hers for a moment before going back to the floor as she processed the question. Izzy just waited. She knew that it was harder for her sister to verbalize what she actually wanted instead of what people heard.

“Just talk.”

“Okay. Then I’ll talk and if there’s anything you don’t want to hear you can tell me and I’ll stop. Sound good?” She nodded but she was still staring at the floor. So something was still wrong but not with what she said. “Do you want someone else there too?” There it was, full eye contact. Izzy looked up to Sabine.

“Lila, why don’t you go up and grab Mari. We’ll grab some food and be up in a minute.” It physically hurt to watch her just turn and walk out. She still reacted to everything like it was a command. Granted part if it was Sabine’s tone, but most of it was conditioning by her mother to not question anything. She had so much damage to undo. “You’re really good with her.”

“Someone had to pay attention and it wasn’t going to be them.” She took a deep breath when she realized how bitter she sounded. She couldn’t talk like that around Riley. Not if she wanted to let her make up her own mind about everything. “It might not be a great idea to have your daughter there for this conversation. I have to tell Riley some things that are more than a little upsetting.”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” While she was happy someone was protective over sister, she didn’t need a lecture.

“She deserves to know the truth. She deserves to know exactly how dangerous it is for her to stay with that woman. Especially now that my Grandparents know I found out she’s alive.” She shouldn’t have confronted them but she hadn’t known exactly how much trouble it would cause. One more mistake in a life full of them. “She’s smart and she can look at things more objectively than any of us if given the chance.”

“You can’t be sure of that. You haven’t seen her in ten years.” God she hated that tone. It was the same one her Grandparents used when they thought she was being an idiot. Which was pretty much all the time.

“And she hasn’t changed at all in those ten years. It’s honestly depressing how much her mother has completely stifled her growth.” She didn’t expect the woman to aid her in any way but it was obvious that she’d done so much worse. “Do you know what it was you said to me that made me actually hope you really had my sister here?”

“I don’t see what that has to do with-”

“It was when you said she remembered calling me Teddy.” She couldn’t stop the wistful smile that came over her face. “She figured out how to get out of her crib when she was eighteen months old and would always come to sleep with me. About six months before the fire her mother suddenly decided that was unacceptable and got on our father to get her to sleep in her own room. He tried everything he could think of including a stuffed bear that was bigger than he was. It was the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever seen. He told her that it would protect her at night and keep all the bad things away. Riley got all thoughtful and quiet and he thought he’d finally managed it. The next morning she was back in my room with me. When he asked her about it she said that anyone that was really dangerous would know the bear wasn’t real, but my snoring would frighten away anything that got close so I was a much better Teddy.”

“It’s a cute story but I still don’t see your point.”

“Even at four years old she reasoned through the problem and came up with a logical decision. Treating her like a child will only deprive her of the right to choose her own path. She’s already had enough taken from her, I won’t do that.” Sabine was studying her again but Izzy stood her ground. She wasn’t about to fail her sister again.

“If she gets uncomfortable and doesn’t want to listen anymore?”

“Then I’ll stop. She’s already agreed to let you get her away from her mother and so long as she doesn’t change her mind the rest could technically wait. At the same time she’s blaming herself for things that she had no part in and she needs to understand that she’s not the one at fault.”

“Seems like she’s not the only one.” Izzy could only let out a huff.

“Yeah well, I’m the oldest. It’s kind of in the job description.”

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Ko-Fi

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@readeracctagmepls @aestheticnpoetic @akana-sama @schrodingers25 @runestarchild @paradoxal-occurance @heaven428 @animegirlweeb @deepestobservationwombat @iggy-of-fans @yin-390 @thehufflepuffranger-blog @trippingovermyfeet @misslenamooney @ladybug-182 @zalladane @pale-lady-dreamer @smolplantmum @peachedpocky @bezzy-d @naoryllis @sassakitty @18-fandoms-unite-08 @toodaloo-kangaroo

#miraculous ladybug #fanfic #lila rossi #lila redemption #original character #sabine cheng

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dalekofchaos · 3 years

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Bo-Katan has no right to Mandalore

Bo-Katan is a villain. She has not been redeemed at all at this point.

I think the real world ethics should apply in serialized storytelling, because there is more space for development then in the movies.

Even when Vader died to redeem himself, he didn't just take over the empire and tell everyone he was good now. But also I don't think she is even on the first step to redemption.

Everything is her fault.

She threw away her privilege and betrayed her family to join a racist, fascist, and violent terrorist group. She brought a civil war to Mandalore and overthrew a pacifistic government for an ethno fascist one.

She then betrayed that faction when a non human came to power to start her own faction. Against Vizsla's wishes. She did not leave because of Satine, she left because she did not think Maul had the right to rule, even though he had. She does not believe foundlings to be Mandalorians, which makes her faction the far right anti immigrant faction of a far right conservative faction of Mandalorian politics.

Then she brought a second civil war and the empire to Mandalore, by going against her sisters wish for neutrality and bringing an army to defeat Maul. When the Republic turned into the Empire she betrayed them again and started a rebellion, with the sole purpose to get power. She did not fight for freedom for the Mandalorian Civilians who loved Satine.(btw, she guilt tripped Obi-Wan about Satine, the sister she helped murdered, if Pre Viszla won killed Maul and then Satine, do you really think Bo-Katan would have a change of heart) The people who loved her sister don't give a damn about the Darksaber. She united extremists for a coup.

I am very confused as to why Sabine loves Bo-Katan. She’s some icon worthy of Sabine’s admiration, and yet Sabine seems more admirable for the most part.

Then the Empire committed a genocide as retaliation for her actions.

She brought three wars to Mandalore and still lost. And still feels entitled to the throne and is willing to do it again. She is still very conservative about her views on true Mandalorians, as she is a dick to Fett.(it’s also worth noting that the Death Watch are cowardly terrorists who terrorized defenseless civilians, while the True Mandalorians believed in honor and the Supercommando Codex, whom Boba is descended from. Boba and Bo-Katan have a history from coming from two splinter groups of Mandalorians, but Boba is in the right.

She is a straight up villain in my book and I hope the story treats her this way.

There is no happy end anymore for Mandalore. The good guys on this planet are dead. Those where the people who did not wear armour.

All we got now is a bunch of far right terrorists who want to reclaim the home they helped destroy from the empire.

I do believe that Din Djarin will relinquish the throne for Grogu and finding a peaceful life with his own clan. But Bo-Katan has no right to Mandalore when she has led the planet and Mandalorian people to nothing but ruin.

#Star Wars #The Mandalorian #Bo Katan Kryze #Din Djarin #Boba Fett #Mandalore #Mandalorians

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pl-panda · 3 years

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To Marry a Vigilante: Part 5

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By the time the class landed in Gotham, Marinette and Chloé had enough. Their recorders, which were supposed to serve as damning evidence of blatant bullying, got ‘damaged’ when Lila accidentally splashed the two girls with a drink. Whatever it was, it was sticky, didn’t wash with water, and also ruined their hidden dictaphones.

Of course, the liar made it look like it was Marinette who tripped her. The class almost hounded her, but they kept their distance not wanting to also get their clothes dirtied. Of course, Lila was occupying the bathroom for the next fifteen minutes, so when she finally left the drink already dried, making it even harder to get rid of.

When the girls made their way out of the plane to meet with Sabine and their teacher, Lila pushed past them and came crying about how rude Marinette ruined her outfit, which was supposedly incredibly expensive. None of the intelligent people bothered to try and point out that it was cheap mass-produced junk. Alix was visibly conflicted, but also did not speak up in the end.

“Marinette. I expected better of…” The teacher started, but then she saw both girls were hit worse than Lila, who cleaned most of it in the bathroom.

“Sweetie…” Sabine started to rethink if a simple murder wouldn’t solve their problem.

“Don’t worry Maman. I can probably salvage it once we ret… get to Damian’s” Mari corrected herself. Luckily, it seemed like nobody caught her slip of tongue.

“Ugh! Not that creep.” Alya complained. “He gives me shivers.”

Mari glared at her former friend. She wanted to say something, but her teacher urged them to move. They were put into a small lounge. Marinette, of course, had to run them through a safety course, for reasons. She still did her best, as Gotham earned its reputation as the World’s Capital of Crime.

When they were finally cleared and the class left the airport, there was a bus waiting, ready to take them to the hotel. Marinette and Chloé were about to board when a limousine pulled next to them.

“Angel, Bourgeoise…” He greeted the girls. “Since you’ll be staying with us, my father decided to send a proper escort.”

The class stared in disbelief. The guy with a sword was loaded? It definitely looked like it from the car.

“I bet his gramps just works as a driver and borrowed his work car,” Lila whispered to Alya and suddenly everyone was repeating the lie. “Or maybe even stole it…”

A blade was suddenly pressed into Lila’s neck, a hair width away from drawing blood

“Tt. I will tolerate many things, but if you try to insult Alfred one more time, your end will be painful.” The class backed away in fear. Marinette immediately went to try and drag the boy away from a very pale Lila, but he wouldn’t budge. “Am. I. Clear?”

Lila was too paralyzed to answer, so he pressed the blade further. Now it was in contact with her skin and a moment of inattention could have fatal consequences. “Am. I. Clear?” He seethed.

“Yes…” She managed to whisper.

“Tt. Good.” He sheathed his blade just as two security guards came outside to check the commotion.

“Arrest him! He tried to murder Lila!” Alya immediately screamed.

“No. If I did, she would be dead. I only explained certain values.” Damian deadpanned.

The two guards looked between the class and visibly angry Damian Wayne and scratched their heads. They could report it, but they only had the word of some foreigners against the word of the son of the First Citizen of Gotham who was also the fifth richest man in the world. The cameras here stopped working, hence they came out to check what happened.

“Children. We should be going or we’ll miss lunch at the hotel,” their teacher urged. That was enough for the guards. If the chaperone did not press charges, they wouldn’t bother.

“But… But…”

“Lila. Be a bigger person here and apologize to Damian.” Sabine grinned.

“But he…”

“I don’t want to hear it!” The woman cut her off. “You must show our host some respect.”

“I didn’t…” The glare Sabine sent her and the murderous expression on Damian’s face made the words freeze in her throat. “Fine. I’m sorry Damien.”

“Tt.” Was the boy’s only response.

Marinette and Chloé were about to leave when Rose protested. “Why are they not going with us to the hotel!?”

“Because as one of the host families, I’m allowed to welcome the students I choose to my house for the stay.” Damian did not care enough to elaborate more. Instead, he just jumped into the back seat of the Limousine. The girls followed, with Chloé going as far as sticking her tongue at the class.

Once the doors closed and Alfred started the engine, Damian lowered the windshield and leaned outside. “By the way, it’s Damian. Damian W…” He didn’t get to finish because Marinette covered his mouth with her hand and dragged him inside. The windshield closed.

When the car entered the main road, the girl finally let him go.

“What was that about, Habibti?” He glared at her.

“You were about to reveal that you’re the Damian Wayne.” She accused him.

“Tt. It’s time that liar learns who she’s dealing with.”

“It would only blow up in our faces. She would make it worse for all of us, including your family.” Seeing that both her best friend and her husband (still hard to get used to) were looking at her with no small amount of curiosity, she elaborated. “Damian Wayne is supposedly her ‘ultimate price’ from this exchange. She will want to sink her claws into you with all her skill.”

“Tt. She can try.” He huffed. His hand instinctively went to his sword.

“You do know you are quite murderous for a Robin?” Chloé quipped.

“And you’re bratty for a lady.”

“Bird-brain.”

“That’s Drake. Spoiled princess.”

“Daddy can afford it so why not? Trained monkey.”

“Grayson. Try harder. Talentless heiress.”

“I’m helping Marinette start her own company. Emo McBroodyPants.”

“Where did you even get that one?”

“I read.” She huffed. “And looks like I won.”

“Tt. As if.”

Marinette just sat back and watched her best friend and lover bicker there and back. It was nice that they were warming up to one another…

-----------

When Sabine finally arrived at the Manor, she was dead on her feet. Alfred was, of course, waiting for her at the entrance.

“Eventful day, Madame?”

“Don’t.” She cut him off.

“I assume it went worse than anticipated then?”

“Where is Tom?”

“Master Tom is in the kitchen. He decided to prepare some baked goods for the afternoon.”

Sabine stormed to the kitchen where she found her husband. He was clearly busy preparing the dough. After a quick greeting, she went to help him.

“That bad?”

“Worse.” She sighed. “I really don’t understand that woman. How… She cut me whenever I tried to rein those monsters in.”

“Oh… Hand me the pin.” He interrupted himself. Sabine gave him the item, which she already had in hand when he started speaking.

“I’m not sure if I can survive until school starts again. And even then there will be occasional afternoon trips. If it continues, I might just… I will get a jam. You did bring it?”

“I’ve put it on the counter,” Tom replied while still preparing the dough. “And don’t worry. I’m sure it’ll get better.”

“I hope so…”

---------

In the evening, Marinette, Chloé, and Sabine were introduced to the Batcave. It was indeed impressive, but Sabine was mostly interested in the training ring. She would lie if she didn’t want to test herself against the famous Batman. And she didn’t fancy committing crimes to do so. Well, for now. The class was making it more and more appealing.

“So you’re the girl that tamed Robin?” A redhead in a wheelchair rolled over to Marinette.

“Tt. Shut up, Gordon.” Damian managed to spend a beautiful afternoon without any teasing from his family. Sadly, nothing could last forever.

“Come on baby bird. After the show you gave us on Christmas Eve, you can’t expect us to just drop it.” Dick was there, smiling cockily.

“As much as I too want to tease that couple, I hoped for some sparring matches.” Sabine decided to save the teens. For now.

“Well, Madame, I’m happy to oblige.”

“Who’s with you?” She asked once Nightwing entered the ring.

“Um… I didn’t think you wanted a team match?” He replied, slightly confused.

“No, no. I just thought I would have some challenge.” She smiled brightly. She was dressed in a dark-pink judoka and wooden sandals.

“I… want.” Cass chimed in. She gracefully jumped into the ring before turning to Dick. “Alone.”

“Of course Sweetie. But I won’t go easy on you.”

“Did not… expected.”

The two women watched one another, neither moving from their spots. Both seemed relaxed but ready to react. Cass was first to start circling, with Sabine following. Neither could find any obvious flaws to exploit. Finally, Sabine lunged forward, only to jump to the side before getting in Cassandra’s range. The girl didn’t lose the bit and with a quick spin kicked her aunt, only to be deflected. Sabine tried to capitalize on the opening, but Cass followed her failed kick with another, launching herself in the air. Her target ducked low before trying to deliver an upper-cut punch toward the flying girl. It did connect, serving to push her back. She used the momentum to get some distance before landing on her hands and doing a double backward cartwheel and ending in a ready stance.

“Not bad, Cassandra. I’m impressed. That boy would probably already be crying on the floor.” Sabine smiled genuinely. There was no need for banter between them.

“Weakling.” The girl blew Dick a raspberry.

Two women watched each other for a moment. This time, it was Sabine who initiated the actual fight. She delivered three quick punches that Cass blocked, but it created a small opening. She tried to deliver a side-kick to the girl’s head, but her opponent had the same idea.

Their legs clashed by the shins. Sabine landed her leg firmly on the ground, but Cass once more lunged in the air, trying to use the momentum. She did two more kicks that her aunt blocked before she tried to put the older woman in a grip. Sabine, seeing the attempt, jumped back and tried to grab Cassandra’s hand, but instead, the girl spun around, delivering a powerful kick to Sabine’s side.

The woman felt the kick, but she used the opportunity to timely grab her opponent’s foot and twist it. Cass, to avoid an injury, also had to spin in the air. She managed to attempt a kick before falling on her stomach. Her kick did force Sabine to let go of the foot to avoid having her head hurt. The girl quickly jumped on her feet, just in time to block an open-palm strike, which was followed with a kick. She did not get to respond, because Sabine made a low-sweep. Cass jumped in the air, only to find herself pushed away by another open-palm strike that, this time, connected with her chest, pushing the air out of her lungs.

The woman followed Cass in the air, so she did not get a chance to stand up before getting pinned and rotated on her stomach. The grip that Sabine used effectively made it almost impossible to get out of before her aunt delivered a mock game-ending strike to her head.

When Sabine stood up and helped her niece, both were panting heavily. It did not affect the accuracy with which the older of them made a back-kick, right below Jason’s belt.

“Next time you try to sneak on either of us I will hit harder.” Sabine didn’t even bother to turn around and watch how the man curled on the floor, crying. “Good fight.” She focused her gaze on Cass, who blushed slightly.

“I lost.”

“Well, depends on the criteria. You got the first hit, which is often decisive. And an achievement.” The woman cheered her with a broad smile on her face. Cassandra couldn’t help but also smile. “We could both use some more practice. I definitely would’ve taken you when I caught your foot and if you capitalized on the initial advantage you could’ve ended the fight.”

“It is an honor… training… with you.”

“Thank you, my dear. I also enjoyed it.” Sabine then turned to the gobsmacked group. The fight must have looked more impressive than she thought.

“Did you just… defeat Cass in less than five minutes…?” Tim asked, unable to form a smooth sentence.

“Well, Sandra always said that I was the better one in unarmed combat. She does rock with swords though. And you should’ve seen her in that club in Tokyo. She’s definitely the dancer of the family, or rather was. I enjoy Cass’s ballet more.”

The great moment was interrupted by Batman speaking to everyone over the comms.

“Suit up. We’ve got a hostage situation at Gotham Plaza.”

“For the love of Kwami… Please tell me it’s not my class.” Marinette groaned.

“Tt. Of course it’s them.” Damian pulled his phone, showing her a live feed from the news helicopter. On the rooftop, there was a clearly visible group of teenagers, surrounded by goons with guns aimed at them. Near the edge stood a guy in a two-color suit. Half white and half black, with a red and black tie to complete the mad image. Half of his face was badly damaged and purple.

“If Batman doesn’t show here to save his precious sidekick soon, we shall see if the little birdie can actually fly.”

Everyone who met Lila groaned.

“I assume we can’t just let him deal with her?” Marinette asked hopefully.

“Sadly, Angel, it would be bad for our image.”

“I guess you’re right.”

“The two of you are sitting this out.” Batman walked into the cave, already in his suit. “We can’t risk any of them recognizing you two and it’s too early for Ladybug and Chat to appear. It would be too easy to associate their appearance with you two coming to Gotham.”

Seeing Damian’s irritated face, Marinette decided to intervene before she had a fight on her hands “Let’s do a movie night. I’m sure you have a theatre room somewhere in here.”

Immediately, the boy brightened. “No Bourgeoise?”

“I think Chloé has other plans for the evening.” She nodded toward where the blonde was talking excitedly with Cass, trying to convince her to train her.

“Good.” Damian offered his hand and the two left the cave.

“Damn! I didn’t get the chance to tease him about the proposal.” Jason looked really dejected.

--------

Masterlist // Next

#miraculous #miraculous ladybug #miraculous lb #maribat #maribat au #marinette dupain cheng #maridami #Damian Wayne #Damian al Ghul #damienette #arranged marriage AU #batman #BatFam #miraculous dc #mlb #mlb x dc

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the-delta-42 · 3 years

Text

My Brother

Following a premise that was sent to @nerdasaurus1200

This fic will be a slight AU of The War Cricle, but will feature the same characters.

Marinette tried to keep the fact she had a brother as quiet as possible, but that is becoming increasingly difficult because a. he’s the technician at the College and b. he’s having ‘relations’ with Ms. Bustier. And then today he had to go and ruin their cover. Now granted, it was technically her fault.

“Marinette, you forgot your lunch.” Said Michael as he popped into the classroom and handed Marinette her lunch bag.

“Thanks.” Said Marinette, gritting her teeth.

“Have a good day, little one. Caline, I’ll see you tonight.” Said Michael, as he walked out of the room.

A moment of silence passed, and then Marinette was bombarded with questions. One thing she knew for sure- she was going to kill him.

Caline looked up from her computer as Michael left the room. True to form, Marinette looked composed, except the look of murder that lived in her eyes. Caline decided that the ‘Lila Rossi take down’ file could wait for a few minutes, as the class bombarded Marinette with questions.

“Alright everyone, calm down. Yes, Michael is Marinette’s older brother. He and I are in a committed relationship. Unless Marinette wishes to say more on the matter, that is all you have to know. Now, back to your seats and continue reading in your textbook.” Instructed Ms. Bustier, going back to her computer. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Marinette giving her a silent ‘thank you’.

“HOW could you not tell us you had a brother?!” Asked Alya, openly gaping at Marinette.

“Hmm, let’s see, would you want people to know if your brother was going out with your teacher?” Was Marinette’s snarky response.

“Wait, if your brother’s 22 and Ms. Bustier is 30, why are they together?” Asked Kim, looking at the bluenette.

“I’m 23.” Corrected Ms. Bustier, looking slightly offended.

Kim winced and sunk down into his seat.

“And that’s how Kim failed literature.” Said Alix, getting a solid five minutes of laughter from her classmates.

It’d been a few weeks since Michael had made his presence, and his relationship with Ms. Bustier, known to the class.

The class stiffened when they heard a sob. Everyone looked around, before Marinette spotted Ms. Bustier, one hand on her forehead and the other holding a pen as she marked some higher years’ work. Everyone wondered what was on the work to make Ms. Bustier cry.

“Dear god, they are so stupid.” Whispered Ms Bustier, looking at the student’s answers.

Marinette pulled out her phone and sent a text to Michael, ‘Cal needs your help. Something bad just happened.’

Not a minute later, she got a reply ‘Be there in 5.’

True to form, Michael arrived in five minutes and walked over to the desk and spoke with Caline in low tones, before looking at the paper and pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Alright, everyone,” Said Michael, getting everyone to look at him, “Who can tell me who William Shakespeare was?”

“He was an English play write who lived between 1564 and 1616.” Said Max, automatically.

“Well, one of the students in the year above you put, a man shaking a spear and selling weed.” Said Michael, making everyone freeze, “You do not know how depressing it is to know that 4th grade students are smarter than 2nd grade students.”

There was a collective wince from the class as the news sunk in and Ms. Bustier dissolved into a fresh wave of tears.

The school found itself on the business end of a surprise inspection. The inspectors had gone around the school and continuously tutted at the students, teacher and other people in and around the school.

One inspector froze when he saw Chloe Bourgeois openly bully another member of the class, before turning to Ms. Bustier, “Are you really going to allow that to continue?”

Everyone watched as Ms. Bustier handed the inspector a piece of paper.

“So, the reason bullying isn’t punished is because the Principle has kept brushing it under the rug?” Clarified the inspector, frowning at the document.

“Pretty much, we once had a staff member who wasn’t even a week into the job before they were fired because they attempted to give a detention to one of those names.” Explained Ms. Bustier, leaning forwards on her desk.

The inspector frowned and said, “If you’ll excuse me for a minute, please.”

An hour later the art teacher poked his head in and said, “Damocles has just been relieved of his post.”

“What?!” Exclaimed Ms. Bustier, getting to her feet, “How?”

“They confronted him about the issues with his ‘exceptions’ list and found he’d misappropriated school funds.” Said the Art Teacher, as Ms. Mendeleiev walked past.

“What’d he do?” Asked Ms. Bustier, as Michael came up to the room.

“He’s put some of it in his own pocket, and he used the rest to turn his office into a superhero den, complete with hidden rooms and compartments.” Said the Art Teacher as Michael squeezed past.

“They also found evidence of, er, ‘inappropriate’ images of children, on school computers.” Said Michael, as he approached Caline, “After you showed them that list, they interviewed each staff member individually and found grounds to relieve his of his position as principal.”

“You do not know, how happy that makes me feel.” Said Caline, grinning.

The day after Damocles had been relieved of his post as Principal, all the teachers seemed to gain new life to them. Ms. Bustier was happy to finally give Lila a detention for ‘distracting the class’, it only got better when they finally got phone number for Lila’s mother. Caline thought she should’ve brought popcorn. Lucky for her, Michael was kind enough to provide some.

Michael narrowed his eyes and folded his arms as Marinette introduced Luka to him. He examined the boy, looking him up and down, before looking at Marinette.

“So, he’s the boyfriend?” Said Michael, getting a vehement refusal, making Michael leaned back smirking, “Ah, so this is the gay one.”

Marinette had taken a sip of a drink, which she proceeded to choke on. “MICHAEL!!”

“It’s okay, I get that a lot.” Said Luka, looking at Marinette’s brother, “You’re taller than I thought you’d be.”

“My friend, as you may have observed,” Said Michael, looking down at Luka, “Our father, is a literal, fucking, giant.”

Luka frowned, before nodding.

Marinette rocked back and forth as Michael typed away on the computer.

“If you keep doing that, I’ll start thinking somethings wrong.” Said Michael, making Marinette freeze and look at him.

“Michael,” Asked Marinette, “how long have you known Caline?”

“Since we were in school,” Responded Michael, “we were in the same class, I had a crush on her and was devastated when she started dating someone else, but I chose to support her in whatever made her happy. Why do you ask?”

“It’s just that Adrien’s dating Kagami, and I know I should be happy for them, but…” Marinette trailed off.

“But you can’t help but wish you were the one he was in love with.” Finished Michael, looking at her, “Little one, it’s alright to feel those things, it only becomes wrong the moment you start to interfere with their relationship. Give it some time, and perhaps you’ll have your shot again.”

Marinette gave her brother a watery smile, before he crossed the room and pulled her into a hug. Both being unaware of the couple standing outside the door.

“Come on, Nonna’s visiting today.” Said Michael, making Adrien and Kagami hide in a cupboard.

Michael was pacing in the waiting area outside the hospital room.

“Caline’s going to be fine.” Said Sabine, looking up at her son.

“But what if she isn’t?” Asked Michael, his pacing increasing, “She’s been in there for hours, what if somethings gone wrong? What if she’s lost? What if the baby’s lost? What if they’re both lost and all I’ll have of them is the ultrasound photo?”

“Michael, did I ever tell you what your father did when you and your sister were born?” Asked Sabine, making Michael look down at her, “He ran through the hospital, screaming and yelling for doctors because I was screaming, he called for emergency services and, eventually, had to be sedated, but when he woke up and met you and Skye, he practically melted.”

“So, you’re saying we all get our spiralling panic attacks from dad?” Asked Michael, getting a small smile from Sabine.

“You all get so much from your father, and from me.” Said Sabine, placing her hand on Michael’s cheek, “I know you feel like you failed because you weren’t there for Sam and Brianna, but you’re with them now and I know that they are just as worried for Caline as you are.”

Michael smiled slightly, before looking down. Sam and Brianna were with Skye and Nora, while Michelle was being watched by Marinette back at the bakery. Michael’s head jerked up at the sound of a newborn baby crying. Quickly jumping to his feet, Michael made his way over to the doors and looked in through the window. A nurse opened the door, making Michael jump back and nervously grin.

“Congratulations,” Said the Nurse, her face completely straight, “you’re a father.”

Michael looked past the nurse and spotted Caline holding a screaming bundle.

“Can, can I go in?” Asked Michael, nervously.

“As long as you don’t have anything contagious,” Said the Nurse, looking at Michael and then at his mother, “Everything should be fine.”

“We had our temperatures checked when we arrived on the floor.” Said Sabine, gently pushing Michael towards Caline and the baby.

“Cal?” Called Michael, making the red head look up.

Caline smiled and gestured Michael to come closer, carefully positioning the bundle so they could scream at Michael. Michael perched on the edge of the bed, the baby’s screams quietened and two, big, bright blue eyes stared up at Michael.

“Looks like this one is a daddy’s girl.” Said Caline, as the baby continued to stare up at Michael.

Then, out of nowhere, two small sneezes made the couple smile. The baby sneezed for a third time, before looking back at Michael and then at Caline. Soft coos were coming from the baby.

“Are we still going to go with the name we agreed on?” Asked Caline, as the baby continued to stare at them.

“Maman,” Called Michael, getting his mother’s attention, “Come meet Sabine.”

“Why are her eyes so big?” Asked Sam, tilting his head slightly.

“Because a person’s eyes are fully grown when they’re born, dummy.” Said Brianna, folding her arms.

“Then why are there people with really small eyes?” Continued Sam, as baby Sabine cooed up at them.

Michelle stared at her baby sister, before getting up and toddling over to Marinette, while baby Sabine started to try eating her foot.

“What is it with babies and eating themselves?” Asked Toby, before tossing the contents of his shot glass into his mouth.

“Why are you drinking cold coffee out of a shot glass?” Countered Skye, as Michelle returned with a Ourse plushie, sat down and started to doze off.

“What is it with Michael’s kids all being really quiet?” Asked Marinette, making her parents look at each other.

“Marinette,” Said her mother, “All of you were quiet babies, we had to by special baby monitors so we could actually know if any of you were having trouble.”

“I get the sinking feeling that there’s a horrible story coming.” Said Marinette, making her mother sigh.

“We’ll talk about it later.” Said Sabine, watching as baby Sabine’s eyes lit up when Michael trudged in, “Is everything alright?”

“Let’s just say that Caline’s lucky she’s on leave,” Said Michael, rubbing his eyes, “the schools had to get the police involved in what we thought was a minor internal issue.”

“What issue?” Asked Caline, as she returned from the toilet.

“Can’t say, because there are little ears about.” Said Michael, subtly gesturing to the small children and Marinette.

“Hey.” Protested Marinette, as Toby ushered her and the children from the room. Toby returned a minute later.

“They’re in Marinette’s room,” Said Toby, unaware of the Kwami floating under the sofa, “and there’s a movie on, so they’ll be entertained for a few hours.”

“We found a fuck ton of child pornography on a staff member’s computer.” Said Michael, groaning as he sat up, “Damocles wanted it to be dealt with quietly, however, at that point I’d already contacted the police.”

“Missed being in the uniform that much, huh?” Teased Toby, getting a glare from Michael.

“We’re still going through the folders, but we’ve already unearthed enough for the police to take it off our hands.” Said Michael, as his phone went off, “Ugh, what now?”

Michael answered the phone and all traces of tiredness vanished, “You what? Right, right, I’ll tell them.”

Michael hung up and looked around, “Okay, bad news first, they found evidence that Marinette was molested amongst the files, on a lighter note, Damocles has been arrested because they found he’d been backing up the pictures individually to his personal computer.”

There was a tense silence.

“When they say ‘molested’ do they actually mean ‘raped’?” Asked Skye, after a moment. Michael was silent, making Skye snarl, “Where is he?”

“They didn’t say.” Said Michael, as his twin started pacing.

“But we could find him, right, like we did with Li.” said Skye, rubbing her forehead.

“Skye, the reason none of us were prosecuted for Li was that they never found him.” Said Toby, making Caline frown.

“Who’s Li?” Asked Caline, making everyone freeze.

Michael opened his mouth, before freezing. He placed a finger to his lips and quietly made his way over to the door, upon reaching it, he pulled the door open, making Adrien and Kagami tumble into the room.

“What the hell are you two doing here?!” Snarled Michael, grabbing Adrien’s collar and pushing him against the wall, Skye doing the same with Kagami.

“W-we came to see Marinette.” Stuttered Adrien, as Michael glared at him.

“How much did you hear?” Growled Michael, before he heard a shuffling sound by the steps leading up to Marinette’s room.

“I heard enough.” Said Marinette, sitting curled up on one of the steps.

Michael and Skye froze, before the former sighed, “Marinette, go to Maman and Papa’s room please.”

Marinette went without a word, leaving Michael and Skye to deal with Adrien and Kagami. Michael set Adrien down, before glancing at his mother. Sabine understood his silent question and followed Marinette, as Michael started pacing around the room.

“Well, that was a fuck-up in a dixie.” Said Michael, running a hand down his face.

“No kidding.” Muttered Toby, as Tom started making some tea.

“Who’s Li?” Asked Adrien, making everyone look at him and Kagami.

“If we don’t tell you, you’re going to ask Marinette, aren’t you?” Questioned Skye, folding her arms across her chest.

“If we need to.” Said Kagami, her voice cold.

“You do that, and I’ll rip your spine out and strangle you with it.” Snapped Toby, his nails growing and sharpening.

“I doubt we’ll need to resort to violence.” Uttered Michael, looking at the two, “If we tell you, you must never speak of it.”

“Depends on what it is.” Said Kagami, glaring at Michael.

Michael glanced around the room, his eyes going to each person, before they settled on his father. Tom nodded but did not look happy about it.

“For three years, starting when Marinette was five,” Said Michael, his tone flat, “our uncle, Li Cheng, molested and raped her. When the family found out, we tore him apart. We don’t know how, but the authorities never found his remains.”

“Shortly after that, we came across an old man with a… unique music box,” Continued Skye, looking at her knees, “We don’t know how, but we found out that he had something that help suppress the memories. It’s why Marinette can’t speak, or understand, Chinese. It blocked off a major part of her memories, we never pushed the matter because we couldn’t risk the barricade breaking and having the girl that we all came to know, and love die at the hands of her own memories.”

Caline, Adrien and Kagami sat in shocked silence. The confession changed their view on everyone in the room. A cracking sound drew their attention to Tom, a broken cup in his hand with blood dripping onto the work surface. Skye sighed and got up to treat the wound, as Michael collapsed into a chair.

“W-what happens now?” Asked Adrien, looking around.

“Since Maman is explaining what happened to Marinette,” Said Toby, his voice hollow, “we have to clean up the remains of the barricade as best as we can.”

“We don’t actually know what’ll happen,” Corrected Michael, looking at his brother, “for all we know, Marinette will bounce back. But the reverse is also true, Marinette could be destroyed, and a different person takes her place.”

Michael’s ear twitched, he could hear sobbing. He doubted that it was his mother crying.

The next week, Marinette seemed to be a shell of herself. Adrien had asked if it was alright if Alya knew, Michael just said, “That’s up to Marinette.”

The following weeks slowly turned into months, and Michael found himself leaning against the wall as the school broke for summer. Michael carefully watched Marinette leave with her friends, he didn’t know if Marinette told Alya, but the two seemed to be closer. He often found Marinette cuddled up with her friends at any one time, so far, it had been five. He trusted Luka, Nino and Alya, he wasn’t sure about Adrien and Kagami.

Michael frowned when he spotted Lila approaching the group but smirked when the Italian tripped over a chair leg.

“I really shouldn’t laugh,” Said Caline, balancing baby Sabine in her arms, “but I wish that was caught on camera.”

“It’s against the law, remember?” Joked Michael, as everyone looked down at Lila.

“I was talking about the security camera.” Caline pointed to the small, black orb that sat in the top corner of the room.

“Oh, I forgot about that one.” Smirked Michael, as Marinette and her friends vanished through the door.

“I don’t see how, you installed it.” Remarked Caline, as Sabine started whining because her mother had stopped bouncing her.

Marinette rolled over and looked at the alarm clock, it was slowly ticking down to the time the alarm would go off. Normally, she’d get up and silence the alarm before it sounded, but she currently had a mod of blond hair pinning her arm down to her mattress. Marinette froze when she heard a snuffling sound. A red furred Labrador Retriever peaked over the edge of the bed. The dog gave its best impression of a grin, before barking at them. The cuddle pile jumped as the dog bounced onto the bed and started licking Marinette to death.

“Bridgette, no, why?” Whined Marinette, as the dog dropped herself down on top of Marinette.

Bridgette’s tail wagged harder, before a particularly loud bark, waking a small black cat hiding away on one of Marinette’s shelves. The cat jumped and hissed at the dog, while Marinette tried to wrangle the overgrown puppy off her bed. The cat jumped down and landed on Adrien’s lap. Felix glared at Bridgette and settled himself down on Adrien and started purring. The rest of the group slowly became aware of what was happening.

“Why couldn’t your brother get you some normal pets?” Asked Kagami, glaring at the two animals.

“A cat and dog are normal.” Said Alya, stretching her back.

Kagami glared harder and continued to grumble as Bridgette jumped off the bed and bounded out of the room. Adrien slowly got to his feet, carefully adjusting the cat in his arms as he followed after the dog, Nino and Alya following soon after.

“I’m not going to be able to get back to sleep, am I?” Asked Marinette, her arm covering her eyes.

“No.” Said Luka, before grabbing the covers and pulling them off, “Time to wake up, Mike and Celine are bringing their kids over today.”

Marinette whined and rolled over. That whine turned into a squeal as Kagami grabbed her and hauled her into her arms and started carrying her to the door.

“Nooo, I don’t wanna wake up.” Whined Marinette, dramatically struggling as Kagami princess carried her out of the room.

“If we’re lucky, none of the Kwami’s woke up.” Muttered Luka, nervously glancing at a doll house situated in the corner of the room. A loud snore came from Plagg’s room. Luka sighed in relief and followed Kagami and Mainette after the others.

“Fucking cat, trying to steal my camembert.” Drooled Plagg, kneading a cushion in his sleep.

#miraculous ladybug #marinette dupain cheng #adrien agreste #nino lahiffe #alya cesaire #luka couffaine #kagami tsurugi #caline bustier #Delta Writes #War Circle AU #literally every class member #tom du #sabine cheng #mature themes #tw; past non-con #tw; threats #tw; trauma #tw; mental health

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starshine583 · 5 years

Text

New Friends Ch. 16

Ch.1 / Ch.15 / Ch.17

(It’s a little choppy, but I hope you guys like reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!)

Marinette giddily jumped down the steps, into the kitchen. Felix was part of the team now! Well, Chat still seemed iffy, but he would get over it. Eventually. As for Felix himself, he couldn’t be more fit for the role! He was protective and smart and sweet and, well, everything!

“Someone’s in a hurry today.” Sabine teased, watching Marinette hurriedly stuff her books into her bag.

“What can I say? I wanna get an early start today.” She replied, barely finishing her sentence as she rushed out of the room and down to the bakery.

“Woah! Don’t forget your breakfast.” Tom called, dangling the paper bag in the air.

Marinette back-tracked to where her father stood, taking the bag in exchange for a kiss on the cheek.

“Thanks Papa. See you after school!”

“Bye sweetie, have a good day!”

“How many things did you forget in an effort to come meet me outside on time?” Felix asked as they walked. Normally, Luka would walk her to school, but Marinette figured this would give them a chance to talk more about their new dynamic.

“None.” Marinette replied indignantly.

“…at least none that I know of.” She then added, fishing through her backpack to double check.

Felix chuckled beside her. “Well, if you need anything, just ask.”

A blush bloomed across her cheeks. The words were meant to be friendly, but ever since his akumatization she just couldn’t look at him the same way. Anything he said, anything he did for her made her think of his confession. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach anytime he glanced her way, let alone talked to her directly. Was this a good thing? Did she actually have feelings for him, or was it only because of what he said under someone else’s control?

“R-right! Of course, I - yes, I’ll definitely do that.” She stammered, nervously fiddling with her jacket. Why can’t she just talk to him dang it!

“Anyway! How’s Wayzz doing?” She changed the subject, hoping to cover up her stutters.

“He’s doing good. He really likes the tea that old man gave me.”

“Master Felix has even found a way to take it with us!” Wayzz spoke up, holding a small, metal capsule used to store medicine.

“Oh, that’s clever!” Marinette complimented.

Felix shrugged. “It was the only thing I could come up with for now.”

Marinette smirked, shaking her head in her response. He doesn’t give himself enough credit.

She forced her hands to her sides to avoid messing with her jacket. There was no reason to be anxious around Felix, anyway.

Unfortunately for her, their hands bumped together when she did so, causing both of them to blush.

“S-sorry!”

“Don’t worry about it.” Felix mumbled, looking down at his shoes.

Marinette screamed internally, glancing at their hands. Her mind wandered to their talk on the balcony yesterday, how he put his hand on top of hers. It felt..nice, his touch. One might say, electrifying. She wondered what would happen if she held his hand now.

Despite herself, Marinette reached out to him.

Closer.

Their fingers brushed together.

“Mari! Felix! Have you guys seen the news?” Aurore called out to them from the school steps.

Marinette yanked her hand away.

“N-news?” She asked, attempting to hide how flustered she was.

Thankfully, Aurore was too excited to notice.

“Yeah! About the new hero! It was all over the internet last night!” She informed, showing her phone screen to the two.

Felix and Marinette’s eyes widened as they looked at the picture. Ladybug and Buclier were standing on a rooftop with Chat Noir. The picture was obviously taken at night, so whoever took it must have brightened the image.

“Where did you find this?” Marinette frowned. So much for keeping Buclier a secret.

“On the ladyblog.” Aurora said, her nose scrunching up in annoyance. None of them were fond of Alya anymore, but she was their only source of information for the heroes.

“How do you know it’s not photoshopped?” Felix questioned as he walked passed the two.

Aurora furrowed her eyebrows. “Would Alya do that though?”

“We all know she’s hungry for attention from how quickly she joined Rossi’s side. I wouldn’t put it beneath her. You don’t think the figures look a little stiff? Or off color?”

Marinette hid a smile. “Yeah, they do look a tad blurry. There wasn’t even an akuma last night. I thought the extra heroes only came out during fights."

Aurora blinked, looking down at the image again. "I gotta go tell Wayhem."

The blonde ran off, and Marinette fell back into step with Felix.

"I’m impressed. That was some quick thinking, but it won’t stop everyone else from looking at the picture.”

“Maybe, but once one person starts to doubt, others will as well.” Felix responded, smiling to himself.

Marinette nodded. “True, true- Oh! I almost forgot, are you free for lunch?”

Felix hesitated, but nodded. “I should be. What do you have in mind?"

"I wanted to go on another run.”

“In the middle of the day?”

Marinette snorted. “Please. Aside from Alya, no one looks to the rooftops unless there’s an akuma.”

Felix considered her statement, and she ignored her racing heart when he smiled and said, “In that case, a run sounds nice.”

~~~~~~~~

Nino massaged his temples as he sat down for class. This whole Lila situation seemed to be getting out of control. She was pretty cool when she first got there, but now It was like she was turning everyone against each other.

He wasn’t asking much! He just wanted to make sure they weren’t going through all of this conflict for nothing, but Alya acted like Nino committed some sort of murder anytime he suggested investigating. She was so convinced Lila was a perfect angel.

Thing is, chaos doesn’t usually follow a “perfect angel” wherever they go.

“Wow, Alya, that’s such a good shot!” Lila praised behind him, inspecting his girlfriend’s phone. “Guess I don’t have to tell you about them now.”

“Tell me about them?” Alya repeated, curiosity lacing her tone.

He didn’t see Lila’s smirk as she flipped her hair over her shoulder. “Of course! As Ladybug’s friend, it’s only natural that I’d know about new heroes. In fact, I’m the one that referred them to her.”

Nino sighed, pulling his cap further onto his head. This is exactly what he was talking about! Picking out heroes, being Ladybug’s best friend, didn’t that all sound- I don’t know -too good to be true? He wasn’t even taking into account the fact that- should her stories be true -she helped Ladybug replace him. Granted, Nino didn’t own the miraculous, but he still would have liked a reason, or at least a warning, ya know?

“Nino?” Adrien lightly nudged him, eyebrows furrowed with concern.

Nino straightened. “Sorry, what’d ya say?”

“Nothing. You just looked upset. What’s up?”

He felt the tension melt off his shoulders and a smile spread across his lips. Lila might be stringing them along, but at least he knew Adrien had his back.

“Meh, I was just thinking about-” He paused, cautiously glancing back at the two girls before leaning forward and whispering, “Lila.”

“Lila?” Adrien blinked.

“Yes?” Lila perked up, causing Alya to look their way too.

Nino inwardly cringed. “Uh- nothing! We were just talking about how~ how crazy it was that you knew the new hero! Yeah..”

Alya gave him a look, but brushed it off, going back to her phone. Lila, however, just stared at him. If he didn’t know her to be so sweet, Nino might even think she was glaring at him.

He nervously chuckled, giving her a small wave and quickly facing the front. Why did he have the sudden feeling of being black-listed?

~~~~~~

“What do you mean you guys aren’t coming to lunch?” Aurore said with a pout. They always ate together! It was like.. Their thing now!

Marinette smiled sheepishly. “Sorry, Aurore. Papa wants me to try his new desert.”

“And Mother’s been throwing a fit over her wasted lunches.” Felix added behind her.

Aurore groaned, rubbing her hand over her face. That totally fails.

Wayhem, standing next to her, gave her a pat on the shoulder with a comforting smile.

“Guess it’s just you and me today, Rory.”

Marinette tilted her head to the side.“Just you two? What about Luka and Kagami?”

“Kagami had to go eat with her mother too. Something about a business meeting with the Agreste’s?” Aurore answered, though she questioned herself at the end. She briefly glanced towards Wayhem for confirmation. He winced, but nodded. Yeah, it didn’t sound enjoyable to her either.

“And Luka promised to eat with Juleka today, since they haven’t hung out in a while.” Wayhem then explained.

“Oh, gotcha.”

A small pause, mostly awkward. Aurore almost wanted to ask if she could go with Marinette to her house, but was that too much? She seemed like she wanted to be alone for some reason.

“Well, I’d better get going. I told mother I’d walk home which takes a while” Felix spoke up, effectively shutting down any chance she had of asking.

“Yeah! I should be leaving too. See you guys later!” Marinette waved, her and Felix subtly starting down the stairs.

Aurore gave a dejected- and slightly dramatic -sigh. “Alright, see you later.”

“Have fun with your family!” Wayhem grinned.

Marinette and Felix nodded, exchanging looks before going separate ways.

“..were they a bit off to you?” She said after a moment.

Wayhem shrugged. “Yeah, but I wouldn’t worry about it. Anyway, I’m starving. Ready for food?”

Aurore giggled. “When am I ever not ready for food.”

The two laughed, not noticing the flash of green and red on the rooftops.

~~~~~~

Ladybug grinned from ear to ear as they ran across the rooftops, reveling in the way the wind tugged through her hair. Something about the suit’s super strength propelling you forward made you feel as light as air. Almost like you were flying. A euphoric sense of freedom.

Bouclier let out a shout of joy when he made a particularly large jump.

Ladybug laughed. “Glad to see you’re enjoying yourself.”

“How can I not?” Bouclier yelled over the rush of the wind. “It’s exhilarating!”

They continued running through Paris for another twenty minutes, challenging each other to do different types of tricks. Ladybug also gave Buclier a few pointers here and there. Eventually, the duo became tired and stopped on flat rooftop to eat lunch.

“No wonder I see you around Paris so much.” Felix commented, smiling at the view their rooftop provided. “The view’s amazing from up here.”

Ladybug chuckled, swinging her legs over the edge. “I know right? I wish I could see it more.”

A comfortable silence fell between them.

She savored these moments. Just her and Felix. It gave her a sense of peace she normally couldn’t find on her own. Maybe because she was always up in the air, and he was always down to earth. He grounded her. She lifted him up.

“Felix..” She began softly, as if talking too loud might break their delicate balance.

Bouclier hummed, his half-lidded eyes trailing to hers.

“Do you.. Remember anything? From being akumatized, I mean.”

A frown tugged at the corner of his lips. “No. nothing.”

Ladybug dipped her chin slightly in a thoughtful nod. She figured he didn’t. No one ever remembers being akumatized, nor what they do during that time.

Don’t get her wrong, she was glad he didn’t remember. That sort of thing can be traumatizing, but..

Bouclier knitted his eyebrows. “..Is there something you want me to remember?”

And I love you for it.

A blush exploded on Ladbug’s face, almost as red as her suit.

“No! Nope, absolutely not- I mean-” She flailed her hands around, eventually coming down to cover her face. “No.”

His lack of commentary afterward prompted her to peek through her fingers.

Confusion etched onto Bouclier’s features. He probably didn’t know how to respond. She wouldn’t either.

Ugh! Why couldn’t she just curl into a ball and die? Death would be much less embarrassing.

“We should probably get back to school.” He finally said, glancing down at his wrist and scrunching up his nose when he remembered he didn’t have a watch while in costume.

Ladybug snorted at the sight, though she didn’t have any room to talk. “Yeah. That’s a good idea.”

~~~~~~

Adrien twisted his straw back and forth between his thumb and forefinger, desperately trying to ignore the hole Kagami was burning through his forehead. She hasn’t spoken a word to him since their conversation in the cafeteria over a month ago. Any attempt to speak to her resulted in a steely glare and cold shoulder. What did Marinette say to her for him to deserve such treatment? He only wanted to do what was right!

Speaking of Marinette, what was her deal yesterday anyway? Felix blinded Alya and made Nino deaf- albeit under akumatization, but still -and what did she do? Ran right over to Felix! She didn’t even check to see if they were okay! She seemed more concerned about him rather than them. Why? They’d been friends way longer!

He knew she was frustrated with Lila, and she had reason to be. The brunette was, admittedly, a bit over the top, but she wasn’t terrible like Marinette said.

On top of that, Nino was coming around! Without them saying anything! Her lies were starting to fall through exactly as he predicted. His plan was the right course of action after all! And once he told Marinette about Nino, she’d apologize. Kagami would stop glaring at him, Lila would thank them for making her a better person, and Marinette would talk to them again. Everything would go back to normal!

Adrien smiled, mentally patting himself on the back as he looked out the window. He preferred the driving cars to Kagami’s scowling face.

A sour expression morphed onto his features a few seconds later, however, when he spotted them.

There, a few rooftops away, sat his Lady, laughing and talking with the new hero, whatever-his-name-was. Wasn’t she supposed to be training him? Why were they sitting and talking and laughing? He’d never seen her smile like that with him. And hanging out in pure daylight? What happened to “keeping things professional”?

“Adrien.”

The blonde stiffened when his father called his name. “Y-yes?”

“Is there something wrong?” Gabriel asked with a raised eyebrow.

It was then he realized Kagami wasn’t the only one who’d been staring at him, though she was the only one that glared.

He straightened, scratching the back of his head with a sheepish smile. “Wrong? No, of course not. I’m just gonna..” His eyes grazed over the building where Ladybug was, and he saw her blush- it was evident from a mile away -and adorably flail her arms in the air. The same way she always does when she’s flustered. In different circumstances, he’d find it cute.

“I’ll be right back. Bathroom.” He ground out, standing up and marching off to find a place to transform. No doubt his father would reprimand him for the tone later, but there were more important things right now.

He transformed in an alleyway near the restaurant, already laying out his points and arguments in his head. Oh, she was going to get a piece of his mind.

“Alright, ‘bugaboo’, explain yourself.” He demanded, landing on their rooftop and throwing a harsh glare at..

Nothing.

What?

“Where did they go?” He thought aloud, turning this way and that to find them. No greens, no reds, no pigtails or shield shells, nothing. He’d seen them right? Did they just leave before he could get to them?

He huffed, extending his baton to go back to the restaurant. Father and Mrs. Tsurugi are still waiting for him.

Guess he’ll just have to work on that confrontation until he sees her again.

~~~~~~

Lila did her best to hide her frustrations during lunch with Alya. Nino’s doubts hadn’t faded, and she had a hunch that promising him more things wouldn’t be enough this time. So what did he want? Everybody wants something.

“Ugh, this picture is so blurry.” Alya complained, zooming in on her photo of the new hero. “Do you think you could ask Ladybug to take a photo of him for me?”

Lila forced a sweet smile. “You see, I would, but you know LB. She’s always busy and strictly professional. If I asked for special pictures, she might not let me hang with the heroes anymore.”

Alya groaned. “I know. You’re so lucky. I wish I could be best friends with Ladybug.”

Lila resisted the urge to roll her eyes. How could anyone want to be friends with that insect?

She glanced around the cafeteria, hoping to find something- anything -to take her mind off of that red spotted pest.

Her eyes landed on Aurore and Wayhem, oddly sitting by themselves.

“Al, I’ll see you in class.” Lila said, abruptly cutting off the reporter and standing up. Aurore and Wayhem together? With no Marinette to interfere? Well, she surely couldn’t waste such a unique opportunity. People were only starting to doubt her because of Marinette’s new squad. If she wanted Nino back, maybe stripping that pig-tailed headache of her new friends would squash any extra questions he had of her credibility.

“I’m sorry, but do you mind if I sit here?” She asked politely, holding up her tray for emphasis.

Wayhem and Aurore looked up in surprise, their expressions immediately darkening when they realized who interrupted them. She had to admit, it was.. Unsettling. The pair was usually the epitome of cheeriness.

Wayhem spoke first. “Lila, we’re not saying we don’t like you, but.. We don’t like you.”

“Hate your guts, actually.” Aurore added impassively.

Lila shoved down her rising anger towards the comments and gasped, subtly taking a seat with tear-brimmed eyes. “W-what? Why? What did I do?”

Wayhem scoffed. “That’s not gonna work on us.”

Lila sniffed, going so far as to pull out a handkerchief. “P-please, I just want to be friends. Is this about Marinette? Is she spreading rumors about me to you guys, too?”

“Oh, it’s definitely about Marinette.”

“But she isn’t the one spreading rumors.” Aurore crossed her arms.

“And you think I am? I just wanted to be friends with her and she tried to turn everyone against me for no reason!”

“Right. Because Marinette’s so unreasonable.”

Lila bit back a snarky response, opting instead for another approach.

She sighed dejectedly, drying her fake tears and casting her gaze to the floor. “Okay.. You’re right.”

She heard the two straighten, and hid a smirk behind her bangs.

“The truth- the real truth -is that I was jealous of Marinette. She was so smart and creative and had so many friends.. I just wanted to be like her, but I got carried away..”

Their shoulders sagged slightly. They were losing their guard. Wonderful.

Lila lifted her head, making sure her lip quivered as she spoke. “I didn’t mean to make her miserable. I was embarrassed. And scared. Please, help me apologize. Help me show her that I’m a good person.”

Aurore and Wayhem exchanged looks. Yes! They were getting roped in! Once she had Wayhem and Aurore, she’d get to Luka. Then Kagami. Then Felix! And then Marinette would be powerless again.

“Well.. as long as you’re serious about apologizing..” Wayhem frowned.

Adrenaline rushed through her veins. Almost there! One more to go!

“Aurore?” She turned to the blonde, carefully hiding her excitement.

Aurore pursed her lips, looking down at her lap. “I.. guess we can help you.”

Lila almost squealed. “Really?”

“No.” The two dead-panned, abruptly standing up and taking their trays with them.

She blinked.

..What..what just happened?

“Wait-” She tried to call out to them again, but Aurore sent her a glare.

“Hurts, doesn’t it? Being lied to, getting your hopes up for false promises?” She said haughtily.

Wayhem briefly turned back to Lila, a very clear warning in his tone as he said, “Leave our Mari alone.”

The two walked away after that, leaving a confused and furious Lila behind.

~~~~~~

Felix settled in the seat next to Marinette. He pulled out his tablet to get ready for class, even though he wouldn’t be able to pay attention anyway. There were too many things clouding his mind.

Thing number one, becoming Bouclier. He’d volunteered to help Marinette save Paris, but he had no idea that meant he would get a miraculous. Honestly, Felix couldn’t say he was complaining, though. Wayzz was a delightful companion, and the rush of adrenaline from practically flying over Paris was intoxicating. He couldn’t wait to go out again.

Thinking of his new alter ego brought him to thing number two, Marinette and her question. When she asked if he remembered anything during that time, she almost seemed.. Hopeful. He tried asking her about it, but she got all flustered and anxious. Why? Why did he have this feeling he missed something important that happened?

Felix nearly groaned from all the unanswered questions. At this point, he only hoped his akumatization wasn’t that much of a burden to her. Goodness knows she has enough burdens already. Rossi, Cessaire, Agreste..

He narrowed his eyes as the list grew in his mind. Marinette had burdens. Too many burdens. His golden angel was forced to deal with too many things that simply weren’t her problem. In fact, She shouldn’t have to deal with anything. Marinette was too sweet and too caring and too incredibly amazing and.. and..

Wait..

Wasn’t that going a bit far?

“Felix?” Marinette’s hand lightly touched his shoulder, sending him back to the night before. They’d practically held hands, hadn’t they?

He looked down at her, noticing the slight concern reflecting in her bluer than blue eyes. Why was it so hard to breath all of a sudden?

“Are you okay? You looked pretty lost in thought.”

Ah. Always so considerate, always able to read him so well.

He blinked.

Of course she could read him well. They were friends, after all. That’s why he decided to help her with her Ladybug responsibilities. Not because she was a sun shining through his raging storms. Not because she was also the sparkling moon in his darkest nights. And most certainly not because he’d grown closer to her than any other person he’d ever met.

Felix shook his head.

“I’m fine, thank you.”

What was wrong with him?

No. no, no, no, absolutely not. Marinette was amazing, and he cared for her deeply, which is exactly why he wasn’t going to ponder on those previous thoughts. They had a good friendship going, and he’d be darned if he let a few “flukes” get in the way of that. He would ignore these random thoughts and feelings, and they would leave as quickly as they came. End of story.

“Just checking.” Marinette smiled, her tone light and cheery and adorable as always.

..Okay, maybe this was going to be harder than he thought.

Tag list: @unabashedbookworm @bluerosette23@minightrose@kuroko26@im-here-for-the-content @angstyrastuff@clumsy-owl-4178 @fanboy7794@choaticneturcl @bigcheeseyboi@burntnugget-tae @ayuchan07@honorisfortheweak @knightrose15@mjisntme@rhub4rb@simplythebestbug@wilhelmares@zebrabaker@dargeon-lissa @kristycocopop @alumneia @kaydenth3gayden @thornangelic727@flirtshobi @whatamessofwords @offically-over-it @flashflashitsash @thewingting @aegyobutpsycho2 @zoeytheweeb @zeyheartstaylor @friedchickening @roseinbloom02 @totalgaydrama @god-is-dead-and-so-am-i

#Felinette #Felix Culpa #New Friends AU

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acourtofdreamyreads · 3 years

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House Of Earth And Blood Review

I'm speechless. I'm torn. I'm ecstatic. I'm crying and on the verge of dying. This book broke me into pieces. WHAT I LIKED (LOVED) I loved every aspect in this book. Every page, Every paragraph, Every sentence, Every word, I loved. This book was truly and utterly amazing. I loved the characters in this book, BRYCE, HUNT, DANIKA, RUHN, CONNER, LEHABAH, SYRINX, HYPAXIA, FURY, AND ETC. I loved the character development in this book as well as the emotive language that pulls you into this book and tears you into pieces. The beginning was hard to take as there was a lot of information to take in but after about 100 pages everything was just as I had imagined. I flew through this book so quick that I did not even realise the hours passing by. I loved the plot in this book as it left you curious and hungry to find out how all of this would end. The cliffhangers and the shocking info that has been given to you at the end of every chapter made me love this book even more because it just created a spark of something inside of me that forced me to read on no matter the shock or pain that the chapters have left you in. I also loved the friendships, romances, the family bonds and everything in this book. WHAT I DID NOT LIKE (HATED) I hated/disliked a little things in this book and it has got nothing to do with Sarah's writing but some of the characters that just made me so angry that I was fuming. THE AUTUMN KING: He treated Bryce as if she was shit (but the part were he saw that Bryce was more powerful than him made me laugh). SABINE: I don't hate her, I just don't like her. This is because she blamed Bryce for Danika's death just because she was a "whore" and a party girl. Like WTF. Sabine hated her daughter, I just don't understand. Like get your shit together. MICAH: I hated this guy. Pure hatred ran through me even just hearing his name. First of all he nearly killed Bryce, Number 2 he fricking killed Danika, Number 3 he just simply was an asshole to me, like I was so glad when Bryce killed him. I felt no sorrow as the devil himself deserved the pain and that gruesome death Bryce released on him. SANDRIEL: How dare she try to capture/kill Bryce. I hated her just as much as Micah because she put so much pain into Hunt's life and she was just horrible. BRYCE I loved Bryce. She has got to be one of my favourite characters that Sarah. J. Maas has created. I loved her bad-ass character as well as the sweet, innocent girl you come to know later into the book. I read/watched her grew up from a person who does not give a damn about life in general to a matured (a little) grown women who does not fear life and anything that comes in her way. She grows stronger and more independent throughout the book. She is willing to save the one's she loves and she is willing to give them a happy ending. She always thinks for others instead of her which made me love Bryce so much. When we found out that she has the Starborn gift I was so shocked as well as happy as she used the gift to save basically the whole word from sinister devils that leaped from the pit of Hel. I loved how she never gave on Hunt or anyone who was close to her. HUNT Hunt was a bae in this book. I loved him so much. I loved how he had not a single bit of love in his heart but later on as he spends his time with Bryce he realises the love he has and how beautiful is feels. I loved his snarky comments that were humorous as it just lightened up my mood. I loved how he sacrificed his life for Bryce. Like when he covered Bryce from the missile so that she could live it broke my heart that he was literally shredded into pieces. But thank god he lived. And also when he lied about all those thing to Bryce it broke me and I was just like why, don't you dare do this to me Hunt. SYRINX AND LEHABAH I loved them two so much, loved Syrinx's smart brain and attitude as well as it's cute appearance in this book. When he lived after he drowned I was literal crying because... you know why if you read the book. Lehabah was on a whole new level for me. I loved how shy she got when she saw hot males around or when she was praised and when people gave her kind comments. But when she sacrificed her life for Bryce, Danika and everyone she cared about, when she died I literally died. My heart broke. I will never forget her as she played a big role in this book and placed a special place in my heart. DANIKA Loved Danika as a whole. Loved how she protected Bryce through all dangers and loved how she appeared at the end for Bryce's anchor. Loved everything about her and was so upset and heartbroken when she dies as she was so special to me. Loved how she motivated Bryce to live for those who care and love for her. RUHN Loved how he cared and treasured Bryce since the day he met her. Loved how he was possessive and protective over Bryce. Loved their sibling relationship as they were so connected and protected each other no matter how dangerous the cause was. BRYCE AND HUNT Loved their relationship since the beginning. How they were enemies (kind of), friends, best friends then lovers. Loved how their relationship bloomed into something phenomenal and beautiful. I loved how they were there for each other no matter what was in their way. I also love the slow-burn romance they had as it was just hot and sexy. It made the book all the more fun. I also loved the part when Bryce washed and clothed Hunt when he was in a bad state, she didn't care about the people he had murdered she just cared about his mental state. BRYCE AND DANIKA I loved the relationship they had. Loved the sisterly bond they had as it was so passionate. I loved how both of them were always there for each other even if Danika was dead. I was so sad when Danika died and Bryce was about to commit suicide but luckily Juniper came as quick as possible. Loved how they both motivated each other and how they looked out for each other. Overall this book was absolutely amazing. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys romance, mystery, horror (a little) and more. Sarah. J. Maas is so talented and I am so grateful that she has written this book as it has stopped the reading slump I was in. This book has a special place in my heart that I am very grateful for. I love how this book ended and cannot wait for the next book in the CRESCENT CITY series.

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fandom-queenliness · 5 years

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The Best Friend

Shoutout to @gajer-1226 for some awesome ideas and @phoenixia97 for double checking my shitting spelling.

Also, apologies for the late update, been busy as heck my good dudes.

For those that are new, this is part.... uh??? Like seven (????) of my Burning Series/Adrien Affair AU, again shoutout to the anon that came up with that. You can read the rest here.

This is Alya, and ooooooh baby, is it a doozy.

Anyway, onto the pain!

The Best Friend

Alya watched her husband and friends get in Chloe’s limo, trying not to scream. She kept seeing Marinette’s face, devastated, tearful, broken. It brought a fire to her heart, and she itched to go to Adrien and make him hurt right then, but she had a plan.

She closed the door to Marinette’s house—Marinette’s, not Adrien’s, to Alya he owned nothing Marinette had ever touched or love—and walked up the stairs, finding her best friend sitting on her bed, staring at the wall.

“Marinette?” She called softly, staying in the doorway. She didn’t know what to do, how to help Mari. What could she do in the face of Adrien’s betrayal?

“Alya,” her friend murmured, red-rimmed eyes finding her own. “Are they—?” Her voice cut off, but Alya knew what she meant.

“Your parents picked up Emma and Hugo,” she confirmed. “They were worried for you, they wanted to see you, but they took the kids to the bakery. Nino, Chloe and Kagami just left.”

Some of the tension left Marinette, but new tears rolled down her face. She heaved, pressing two hands to her stomach, as if she was going to be sick. Alya ran forward, hugging her friend tightly, begging the universe for something—anything, to ease her pain.

“How could he do this?” Marinette cried, sounding for all the world as if she was dying. “Am I not enough? Was our family not enough? Is he ever satisfied?”

Alya didn’t answer, just pulled Marinette closer, trying to keep her own tears back. She would not lie, Adrien’s betrayal hurt, it hurt to know one of her best friends was not who she thought him to be, but it hurt more to see her near sister so broken hearted. It burned, making a hole in her heart were Adrien used to be held.

Eventually Marinette stopped crying and slumped against Alya, asleep. Gently, she laid the bluenette down on the bed, though she hated doing so. This was the bed Adrien had brought his mistress to, on the many occasions he had met her. That Ketch girl. Alya would hunt her down and make her pay, but not as much as Adrien.

Slipping out of the room, Alya leaned against the hallway wall, pressing a hand to her mouth to stop her sobs from waking Marinette. Dear gods, it was like physical pain, what Adrien had done. Like a deep cut in her gut. It hurt even more to know Marinette felt a thousand times worse than this. She never should have had to suffer, and yet she was, on a scale unimaginable to Alya.

She took a bitter moment to wish she had objected to the marriage, that she had seen how truly selfish and blind Adrien was. That Marinette had married Felix instead. This never would have happened if Felix had been her husband, but they had all been blinded by Adrien’s sweetness, by his golden light.

And now they were left burning, and they had no one to blame but themselves.

She left Marinette where she was, instead using her time to clean up the house. She didn’t know what else to do. She hated housework, only did it when absolutely necessary, but she felt so absolutely helpless that doing dishes was better than just standing around waiting for Marinette to wake up.

She washed the dishes, moped the flaws, tidied the living room and cleaned the entire first floor, but she was really just removing toys and books. The house was already spotless, it made her feel useless.

Then she went into Emma and Hugo’s room and packed two bags with their clothes and toys, knowing that Marinette was in no state to be looking after them. They would stay with Sabine and Tom until this mess was sorted out, or Alya and Nino would take care of them. She was sure any of the others were more than willing to help too.

When she had packed and repacked the bags twice, Alya started to cook. The perks of having a world-famous chef for a mother was that even Alya could whip up something. She raided the kitchen and made red beans and rice, then the family chicken and vegetable dish from back home. Then she cleaned the kitchen again. She looked at the clock and realised she had only passed an hour.

She spent the next twenty minutes miserably eating beans and rice, crying her eyes out or planning how exactly she was going to kill Adrien, resisting the urge to go see her best friend. It would only make her cry more to see her friend laid out like a broken china doll.

Then she heard a scream from upstairs, and her heart stopped.

Alya ran into the bedroom and saw Marinette on the floor, curled into a fetal position, her hair spread out around her like a fan. She was screaming, beating one fist into the ground while the other—her left hand, the one with her wedding ring—stayed curled against her chest.

“Marinette!” She rushed forward, fear and panic battering at her ribs, pulling her friend up and holding her face, checking to see if she was hurt. Marinette just cried, the only thing holding her up was Alya’s arms.

“What happened?” She asked, trying to breathe through her panic. Was she having a breakdown? Was this normal? Please for the love of god let this be normal, don’t let her friend fall apart—

“Felix,” Marinette gasped, like she was drowning, like she was dying. “Please, please Alya I need Felix, I can’t brea—I can’t breathe.” She dissolved into more sobbing, falling against Alya.

She shut her eyes tight, holding onto Marinette for dear life. She just needed a moment, just a moment to calm herself.

“Okay Marinette,” she said softly. “I’ll call him, I promise. But will you please get on the bed? I just need to make sure you’re okay.”

The other woman didn’t say anything, but she stopped shaking a little and her breathing evened out. Alya managed to stand up, holding onto Marinette’s hands, and lead her to her bed.

She sat Mari down, promised to be back, and then went to call Felix downstairs.

Now that she was sure Marinette was safe, that she wasn’t going to go insane—at least for the moment—she felt her rage build back up. Fucking Adrien his fault, his fault, his fault.

She pressed call, knowing Felix would share the feeling of utter resentment.

He answered. “Yes?”

“Felix,” she said, and told him what to do.

Felix arrived in a rage, burning the way he always had ice cold, like a star but now it was different, like he was falling apart. He was a black hole, ready to destroy anything close to him. He looked ready to commit a murder.

Yet that anger softened in an instant when he saw Marinette, love plain as day on his face. It broke Alya’s heart all over again. She had to turn away for a moment. If only he had not been so selfless and told Marinette he loved her. Maybe this would have all been avoided.

She left them together, then texted Nino to let him know Felix was here. Then she spent the next twenty minutes thinking over the next stage of her plan. She could not fix everything in a snap, but she could make Adrien pay in more than one way.

Felix came downstairs, looking drained and upset, but burning with fury. He walked to towards the door and she followed.

“I’ll be back.”

She crossed her arms. “What are you going to do?”

“I’m going to see Adrien.”

Alya shook her head. “No.”

He snapped his eyes to her in surprise. “What?”

She lifted her chin, clutching her anger close. “I’m seeing him first. Nino, Chloe, Kagami, they are having their turns right now. It’s mine next. You get the last one before Marinette.” She grinned, but not out of joy. “It will hurt more, and I intend to make him hurt. His brother and his wife will be the final ones to show him just how he fucked up.”

She saw Felix hesitate, his need to go punch Adrien clearly urging him to leave, but she knew he was a planner, and he loved poetic justice.

He nodded. “I’ll watch over her.”

Alya could not help but think of all the times he watched Adrien and Marinette from a distance, loving her in secret. But that was not what mattered, not now. The only thing that mattered was making sure Adrien hurt.

She turned and opened the door. “I’ll text you when it’s over.” She walked out, trusting him to protect the woman they both loved.

She found Nino, Chloe, and Kagami just as they were leaving the building. All of them looked rightfully angry, but Chloe and Nino also looked beaten down.

She felt pity for them. They loved Adrien so very much, it must have been horrible to confront him, to see all his faults and finally call him out on them.

“Hey,” she murmured. And that was all it took before Nino slumped into her; his eyes wet.

“It hurts,” he whimpered into her hair, voice thin and brittle. Her hands curled into fists, but she still held him up. He needed her right now, Adrien could wait.

Her husband shuddered. “I looked at him and all I saw was the hurt he caused Marinette but…” he voice broke. “When I think of him, I still wish he was my friend.”

“I know love,” she said, meeting Chloe and Kagami’s eyes over his shoulder, speaking to all three of them. “But no matter what, remember that he lied to all of us. That no matter how many good years we had together, they do not excuse the hurt he has caused all of us, and Mari.” She took a sharp breath in. “We cannot undo the past—to stop Adrien or save Marinette, but we can secure a future where he can never hurt us again.”

Her voice turned bitter. “We all could have done better. We no longer have excuses. We are grown and should have seen the damage he had done. I knew Marinette felt insignificant, she told me about all the times Adrien ditched her at galas. I saw how distant he was during that time he was with that woman.” She snarled, and Nino stood straight, putting a hand on her shoulder.

“You couldn’t have known,” he said. “None of us did.”

“But I should have!” she cried, tears welling up and blurring her vision. “I saw all the signs, but I was so fucking blind and so fucking stupid—”

“Stop blaming yourself,” Chloe snapped. Her blue eyes were frosty. “We are all at fault for not seeing all his faults sooner, but Adrien is the only one who should be blamed for this mess. He was the one who hurt Marinette.”

Kagami squared her jaw and nodded, on hesitation in her eyes. “He will pay for his dishonour.”

The blonde’s face was pale but certain. “Kagami is right. I love Adrien, and yet all the things over the years… it turns out he wasn’t who we thought he was, and he needs to suffer for his mistakes.”

Wiping away his tears, Nino voiced his agreement. “Sometimes, I would have my doubts, but I always brushed them away… we shouldn’t have done it, we should have stopped him.”

Alya brushed a hand against his cheek, her insides aching at the conflict he was facing. “We cannot undo what has been done, but we can make Adrien hurt.” She pointed to Chloe. “Call your car, get back to Marinette… or, actually…” She paused, thinking. “Wait a bit. Go to your hotel or the bakery. Give her and Felix a moment together, they both need it.”

Her husbands and friends nodded. Chloe murmured, “Poor Felix…”

“He’s with her,” Nino told her. “It’s the best place he could be.”

Kagami nodded, then looked to Alya with steady dark eyes. “Make him hurt.” The three then left, with hugs and kisses and reassurances.

Alya watched them go, a heavy feeling settling around her heart. An iron wall, so she could face what she was about to do.

She looked up the Gabriel building, imagining a blond idiot she was about to confront.

For Emma. For Hugo. For Us. For Marinette.

She saw the fear in Adrien’s face when she walked into his office. He clearly had at least some intelligence. Immediately, he stood, hand reaching for the phone.

She lunged forward and threw it at the wall, smiling at him with all her teeth. “None of that Adrien, I want to have a nice private chat.”

“Alya,” he said, but his voice shook. “Please, you know I had my reasons, you know I would never hurt Marinette—”

She blinked at him, an inescapable fury building up inside her blood. “You are an idiot.”

Adrien flinched at the poison in her voice. “Alya please—”

“What reasons could you have to cheat?!” She growled. “And now you have the audacity to tell me you would never hurt Marinette?”

He glared at her, but his eyes betrayed his fear. “I never meant to; I love her. She is my wife.”

Alya slammed her fist into the desk. “You don’t deserve to call her that!”

“She is my WIFE; I have never willing hurt her!”

“Oh really?” Alya asked venomously. “I have been her best friend since College, I have been witness to all the times you made her feel like shit.”

He leaned forward, a growl building up inside his throat. “I never—”

“Let’s see.” She crossed her arms and stared him down, trying to keep the pure animal rage locked up inside herself. She held up a hand and started ticking fingers off. “You never gave her a second thought in school. You thought the scarf she made for you was from your father, that made her cry. That date you asked her to join between you and Kagami—that made her cry. That time you abandoned her to just let Lila lie and lie and lie to all of us—that nearly akumatized her multiple times.”

Adrien flushed. “But—”

She cut him off. “Let’s not forget what you did as Chat Noir. All those confessions, all those roses, all those tantrums and times you disrespected her decisions to reject you.” Oh god, Alya thought, how had I ever thought he was good enough for her? She shook off that guilt for a later date.

“You chased Ladybug as Chat Noir, not even sparing a glance at Marinette—oh that messed her head up so much after she found out your identity. It made her feel like Marinette wasn’t good enough.” Alya fought the urge to grab a pen and stab him at the memory and forced herself to keep speaking. “It didn’t help that you only started liking her once you found out she was Ladybug.”

“I can’t—”

She grabbed his shirt and pulled until he was nearly across the desk. “I’m. not. Finished,” she hissed.

His mouth went slack, and she dropped him, relishing the thud he made against the floor.

“Now where was I… oh yes. Everything after.” She bared her teeth and he scrambled back, eyeing her like she was a wild animal, and oh, how she felt like one.

“I can remember every time you made Marinette feel inferior,” she spat at him. “All those times you disregarded her feelings—how you kept in contact with Lila, after everything that bitch did to Mari. It hurt her so much when she came back into our lives in university and then you let her. And even after university, all those times you convinced Mari to go to coffee meet ups with you, to see Lila.”

“It was once a year!” Adrien snapped.

“It hurt her,” Alya bit back. “It hurt her so much and I was so busy avoiding Lila myself that I never thought to listen to what Felix and Kagami and Chloe and Nino was saying, about how it was shameful for you to do what you were doing.

“And it just got worse and worse, like when we started to overhear models gossip about how you were so kind, how they thought you had flirted with them. I always had to comfort Mari; I was the one who convinced her you were just being polite. Then it was how you had so little time for her, how you were so busy trying to please your father she felt she would always come second, or third, or fourth. I was the one to convince her it was just for a little while.”

She laughed humourlessly, guilt burning her throat. “I hate myself for it, for excusing what a terrible person you were, but I cannot be blamed for what a terrible husband you have been.”

He opened his mouth, but she beat him too it, rage in every word.

“You were never there for her.” She snarled. “Always gone on modelling trips, or business trips. Anything to keep your father happy, but at some point, he stopped telling you where to go, and you just went on your own. It was one of the hardest parts of Marinette’s life, trying to convince herself you would be back, that you had to leave her, and I played along.” It was one of her biggest regrets, not seeing what was oh so clear now.

“I was there!” Adrien protested. “I was there, you know I was—”

“Oh you were there when Emma was born,” Alya agreed. “To be a father, to fix all your daddy issues. Marinette didn’t mind, she was just so glad you were home. But then you started to drift away, and she was left alone more and more to raise your daughter. She had to take a week off of work when Emma got sick, but you were in another city and didn’t bother to come home and help your fucking wife and child.”

“It was an important trip…” Adrien whispered, but even he seemed to doubt his words.

“And it didn’t get better after Hugo, you were so distant that he had trouble remembering you.”

Resentment grew across his face. “He is an infant; he can’t be expected—”

“Then the murmurs got louder,” she said over him, words imbued disgust. Oh, this part was one of the worse. “How those intimate photoshoots were getting a little too intimate. And then you started to abandon Mari at those parties more and more, or just straight up ignored her.

“Then you have an AFFAIR, and then tell the whole fucking world, expecting everything to end up just fine.” Alya smiled at him viciously. “That’s pretty fucking stupid.”

Adrien shook his head. “I regret my actions, I regret them so, so much, I wish I could take it all back. I promise I will—"

“Oh no, no, no, you are not going to have that chance,” Alya interrupted, fists clenched as she took a step and shoved her face in front of his. “You broke her heart; you broke all our hearts. You cheated on her, you treated her like shit. You hurt her in ways you can’t begin to understand!”

He took a step back. “I didn’t want to-”

“Didn’t want to?” Alya snarled. “You had an affair for SIXTEEN FUCKING MONTHS, how was that an accident?” She stabbed his chest with her finger, making him stumble back. “Congratulations!” She shouted. “You fucked up big time, Adrien!”

“I never meant for this to happen,” He said desperately. “I was stupid—”

“We suffered through years of seeing Marinette being hurt again and again by you,” Alya said. “We had to go through seeing her cry and break down and then lie to herself, and then we lied to ourselves too because it was better than accepting what a horrible person you were. Marinette is in pieces, I am in pieces, Nino is in pieces, Chloe and Kagami and Felix and all of our friends are broken into shatters because of you!” Alya shouted, voice thick with anger. Tears welled up in her eyes. “And it was all because of you, you were our friend and you broke us!”

“I am hurting too,” He said, voice growing in anger. His green eyes were no longer filled with apology, but with fury and defensiveness. “What about me?”

“I am not here for you,” Alya spat. “I am here for my friends, who are hurting, who you broke. What you did to Marinette is unforgivable.” She took a shuddering breath and Adrien took the opportunity to move back several steps.

“I know Marinette like I know my own heart,” she said. “There is no one as sweet or as kind, who trusts so completely, so loves so totally, and you broke her! You destroyed her into a shadow of nothing! You broke her heart!” She glared at him and balled her hands into fists. “YOU BROKE HER!”

“I LOVE HER!” Adrien screamed back, more animal than human.

Tears fell from Alya’s hazel eyes, but her glare was so intense Adrien took a step back.

“Did you know,” Alya said softly, wiping away her tears, “what seems a million years ago, she said to me that she loved you, and I worried, for just a day. I was scared you would break her heart, but I stood by and let myself be blinded but your false sweetness. I let her fall in love so deeply in love with you and forgot my worry.” She moved forward so fast Adrien could barely see her, grabbing his tie and pulling him forward. “Do you know why?” She asked in a dangerous whisper.

Adrien swallowed nervously, staring down at her. “Why?”

She let him go and moved back a step, hands coming up and wrapping around herself as if to keep her rage in. “I love Marinette more than anything in this world, I will choose her over everyone else, I will choose her happiness and safety over everything. And being in love with you made her happy, so I let her, even though I knew you would break her heart from that very first day.”

Adrien shook his head in disbelief. “I-”

“Marinette is the best thing in our lives! She is the kindest, most considerate, most loving person you will ever meet! So never forget you have had the best wife and then you BROKE HER HEART.” Alya let go his tie, pushing him until his back was pushed against the glass windows, her arm beneath his throat, not enough to choke, but to at least hurt.

“Congratulations!” Alya yelled, shoving her face into his, eyes burning dangerously. “You had the chance to be with the best person on this earth, and you broke her!” She moved back, and he fell forward, clutching his throat. “You lost your chance with her, so never lose sight of the fact that any sacrifices you make, anything you try, will never make up for what did before. You could do anything and everything, but it will never be enough.”

Adrien tried to speak; eyes wide. “But I-”

“I want you to know this is not the end,” Alya told him softly, but it was a mask because she was still burning up inside with the need to make him hurt. “I will personally make sure that everything you ever loved is taken away from you. No one will trust you again. You will lose everything. For every tear Marinette will sheds because of this, I punish you.”

He flinched back, and she knew he was taking her seriously. He had no reason to doubt her. It was Marinette. No one survived hurting her, not when Alya was involved.

She turned away from him and walked to the door, then spinning around to glare at him. “I hope that you know what you’ve done,” She snarled. “We will never forgive you. Don’t ever think we will ever let you back into our lives and trust you again. You broke that, I hope you’re happy now. I hope you’re finally happy now that you’ve hurt everyone who loved you forever. I hope you’re proud.” She turned around, but this was not enough, it would never be enough to show him how badly he had messed up.

“You are alone,” She snarled, and then she left, leaving Adrien in his office.

Yeah... that happened.

Anyway, the next thing I’m writing is Felix and a look into his past and how he came to fall in love with Marinette.

127 notes · View notes

p-artsypants · 5 years

Text

Longest Night (11)

The day started out sucky to begin with. Her crush ousted to the class and Adrien. Lila taking pride in exacting her revenge. But by the time patrol was over, a young man was dead, and Ladybug's identity was at risk. Lila was the least of her concerns.

Good thing Adrien was taking it all like a champ. Whump!Fic

Ao3 | FF.net

Warning: This chapter is a recap of the last one, in the perspective of those watching. It is sad.

—

It’s 5:30am. A half an hour until the next broadcast begins. The large screen in the Agreste living room was hooked up to the computer, and the site was open and waiting. According to the counter on the bottom of the screen, another 100,000 people were waiting as well.

Sleep didn’t come easy for those in the house. Sabine hadn’t slept at all, spending most of the night awake in the kitchen with a pot of coffee. Tom had tried to stay up with her, but the day before had been a long one in the bakery, and his eyes fell shut against his will. There was little rest to be had with his head on the counter.

Gabriel hadn’t slept at all either, as he had stayed up all night as Hawkmoth in his lair.

One would think it would be easy for someone like Hawkmoth to feel the emotions from Adrien and Marinette. But in a city of millions, there were all sorts of emotions running high. Even in the middle of the night.

He even tried feeling for intense happiness, of someone like Salo. But there were plenty of people who hadn’t heard about Ladybug and Chat Noir’s capture, or they just weren’t concerned.

What if they weren’t even in Paris anymore? Salo had an Italian accent, what if they were in Italy?

The second problem Hawkmoth had was his fear of akumatizing someone without Ladybug being around. With so many people in such volatile states, akumatizing the wrong person could mean the difference between finding them, or tearing the city apart.

It was a risky move. One that he knew he’d employ soon enough, but he still hesitated.

He’d wait a little longer, just until people came to terms with this new reality. Once people were a little more stable.

Then perhaps he’d employ Mr. Lahiffe or Miss. Cesaire. Someone who was close to Adrien or Marinette. Maybe he’d even akumatize himself.

Or maybe he wouldn’t even need to use his powers. Maybe the police would figure it out. They had to be working on it, right?

But it was morning now, and blearily, he emerged from his office and came into the living room. Nathalie was in, deep bags under her eyes. She had gone to bed not long after midnight, but it was obvious she spent most of the night tossing and turning. The Gorilla had slept, but looked just as he always had, not giving any idea to his exhaustion.

Nino and Alya were awake as well, still in their pajamas.

Sabine came out of the kitchen with a tray. Coffee, cups, and fresh baked croissants. “I’m sorry, Tom and I bake under pressure. And I just…if no one is hungry, I won’t be offended.”

Gabriel was the first to take a croissant and a cup of coffee. “Thank you Sabine, this is quite welcomed after such a long night. You may use the kitchen as you like. Please let me know if you need anything else.”

“Thank you Gabriel.” She smiled calmly.

The kids and Nathalie took coffee and a croissant as well, as Tom finally joined the group. He had an indent on his forehead from laying on the counter.

Then they sat around, looking at each other and the screen. No one knew what to say.

The doorbell rang, and Gabriel scowled. “The media? At this hour of the morning?”

“I’ll go see who it is,” said Nathalie, standing. But Gabriel was quick to follow her, preparing to reprimand whoever was bothering them so soon. The Gorilla followed them as well, ready to knock some heads in.

Indeed, the media was out there, but the man that rang the doorbell didn’t look like a reporter. He looked like a police officer, but his windbreaker had ‘EUROPOL’ printed on it. The man himself was carrying a briefcase and had an eyepatch.

Nathalie spoke into the mic. “Yes?”

“Detective Joseph Bertony, European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation.” He held up a badge and ID card. “I’d like a word with Mr. Agreste.”

“Let him in.” Gabriel agreed.

The gate swung up swiftly, and Detective Bertony entered quickly, before the media could try to slide in.

Nathalie opened the door, and gestured him inside.

“Mr. Agreste, thank you for agreeing to speak with me.”

“I assume this is about Adrien?”

“And Marinette Dupain-Cheng, of course. I’ve been to the bakery, and it’s on lock down. Have you been in contact with the family?”

“Yes, they are here with me.”

“Excellent. If you wouldn’t mind, could I speak to them as well? I understand that this is a difficult time, but we need to act quickly.”

Gabriel swallowed, still apprehensive, but he nodded and gestured Detective Bertony to follow.

In the living room, Tom and Sabine stood at the presence of this newcomer.

He held out his hand to shake their hands. “Detective Bertony, Europol.”

“Tom Dupain.”

“Sabine Cheng.” She smiled.

Then he glanced at the kids. Gabriel answered for them. “This is Alya Cesaire and Nino Lahiffe, close friends of Adrien and Marinette.”

“Hi,” said Alya.

“Hello,” said Nino.

He shook their hands too, with a nod. “You’re the creator of the Ladyblog, right?” He asked Alya.

“That’s me…” She said with a little shrug. She was so close to pulling the plug on the blog, since got her best friend captured.

“We’ve been reviewing it as evidence for this case. You’re not in any trouble, conversely, we’d like to work with you. If Salo is using your blog, we might be able to use it as well.”

Alya perked up considerably. Anything to right her wrongs. “Sure! Just say the word!”

He winked at her, and then addressed the group.

“I’m sure you’re all wondering why I’m here, if not a little on edge. I would be too, if I was in your place.” He gestured to an open chair by the coffee table. “May I?”

“Yes, of course,” replied Gabriel.

The detective took his seat, and scooted his chair closer to the table. Then he opened his briefcase and set a file on the table. Inside were several pictures of women. Mugshots, to be precise.

Upon closer inspection, they were all the same woman, with different hair styles and makeup.

“Bianca Furtoli. Age 46, born in Sicily. Committed her first crime at 15, carjacking. Widowed four times, with her first husband barely surviving after she stabbed him in the eye with a knife.” He looked up, noticing they were looking at his eyepatch meaningfully. He continued, “she worked as a prostitute in her twenties, and became a prolific dominatrix. In 1997, she was arrested for her first murder, but the sentencing was reversed for lack of evidence. Since then, she’s been known as an alleged serial killer, not a dominatrix, all throughout Italy and Germany, and now France. This is the woman who has captured your children.”

Sabine sobbed.

“So, you know her identity. That’s good, right? Then you can find her?” Asked Nino.

Detective Bertony sighed, screwing up his lips. “I’ve been tracking Furtoli for the last fifteen years, after she fell in with Savauge and became an international threat. Both of them are very talented at disguise and covering their tracks. They operate under the motto, ‘everyone has a dark secret,’ and they use it to get out of sticky situations. The right person is blackmailed, evidence goes missing, testimonies get changed. They are slippery, and nearly impossible to catch. Of course, we have no hard proof of this, but it’s our best guess, since the same patterns happen over and over with them. This will be the first time we have real, hard evidence to convict her. She’s been seen on camera assaulting them, and she admitted to kidnapping. If we can find her, we will have a real case.”

Alya cracked her knuckles. “Alright, so what do we do?”

He cracked a smile. “During her first broadcast yesterday, Salo gave us two clues, though I doubt she meant to. A hint on how to track her, and a time limit.”

“Time limit? For what?” Asked Gabriel, with a tremor in his voice.

“A time limit for them. ‘Salo’ refers to the Socialist Republic of Italy, under the control of Mussolini in World War II, but it’s also the title of a horrendous movie from the ’70s, about a group of fascists that kidnap and torture nine adolescents. It’s surname is ‘120 days of Sodom’ and it’s well known as one of the most horrendous films ever made. It’s banned in most countries.”

“I think I remember when that came out,” said Gabriel. “There was a big controversy because the director called it ‘art’ but it was so foul that no one could watch it.”

“I can only assume that given enough time, Salo will try to reenact the events of the movie.”

“...how does the movie end?” Asked Nino, cautiously.

“The victims are killed brutally. And the kidnappers laugh about it.”

Gabriel didn’t want to acknowledge it, and so he asked, “you said she gave a hint on how to find her?”

“Yes,” said Bertony, with a little more hope in his voice. “That clue was you, Mr. Agreste. She mentioned the idea of ransoming Adrien back to you. Knowing her, it’s highly likely she will do just that. So here,” he handed over a little device.

“What is it, exactly?”

“It’s a tracking device, used to trace incoming calls. Plug it into your phone and all calls will be monitored to get an approximate location. I understand that you’re a business man, and tracking your calls wouldn’t be ideal…”

“This number is unlisted. She wouldn’t be able to get it.”

“That won’t stop her. Any calls made will be classified information.”

“I’m not concerned with clients’ calls.” Gabriel said, clicking the device into his phone. “I’m just…suspicious of her pulling it off.”

“For now, it’s the best lead we have, but we are monitoring the site to see if she makes any more mistakes.”

Then the stream turned on, and Adrien and Marinette were shown in the room.

Detective Bertony took out his laptop, glancing between the tv and his screen.

“Over a million viewers on the site.” Stated a man from the stream.

“And it’s not even six yet. Can you believe it?” Salo walked up to Adrien and started to untie his gown in the back. “Let’s see, how is this arm doing today?” The assembled winced at the bruised and battered arm. “Oh, what a lovely shade of purple. Don’t worry, we’ll make sure you match all over soon enough.” She patted his face. “But we’re going to start with your lady first, is that okay?”

“Hurt me first. Whatever you what to do to her, do to me instead.”

Sabine gasped a little, resting her hand on her heart.

Salo laughed, loudly and manically. “Oh you are so cute! But it doesn’t work like that kitty cat! You see, she was the one who jailed my Eddy. So she has to be punished.”

“Please,” Adrien begged. “Don’t hurt her.”

“Hmph.” Salo smirked. “You haven’t seen anything yet.”

The clock struck six am.

“Congratulations. Now begins day one of your sentence. Before we begin, I’d like to tell you the rules.” She folded her hands in front of her, like a teacher talking to a particularly thick student. “Rule number one: There is no escape. So you can just forget that right now. Rule number two: We take turns here during our games. So when your partner is having fun, you are expected to be quiet and wait your turn. Rule three: If I ask you a question, you answer it. And rule four: you do exactly what I tell you to do, when I tell you to.”

Detective Bertony typed some notes as she spoke.

“And what happens if we break one of these rules?”

“Why don’t you try me and find out?”

Tom bit his lip, worried that Marinette would take the bait. But she didn’t, so nothing happened.

“So…Marinette Dupain-Cheng. How old are you, again? State it for those at home, so they can know.”

“17.”

“So now everyone has her name.” Stated the detective, “if they didn’t before.”

“17! 17 goddamn years old! And you’re playing superhero! The fate of the city of Paris rested solely on your shoulders, and you haven’t even finished Highschool! That’s…that’s embarrassing! Who let you do this?”

Marinette didn’t answer.

“I said, who gave you the earrings, Marinette?”

Marinette glared, making it clear she wasn’t going to answer.

Sabine turned her face away when Salo pulled her fist back. She heard a crack and someone fall.

Salo snorted. “Wow, you have no balance. Who knew Ladybug was such a klutz?…You really look ridiculous with those stupid pigtails. Like a baby. A toddler. Not a superhero in the slightest.”

Marinette continued to glare, as she rubbed under her nose, smearing the blood away.

Salo grabbed her pigtails and yanked, forcing Marinette to stand, while tears came to her eyes. “Is that what you are? A baby?…Are you a baby?!” She yelled, shaking her. “That was a question!”

“Obviously not!” Marinette shot back.

Salo gave her hair another yank, rendering her silent.

“No…pigtails are for pigs! You’re a little piggy, aren’t you? Yeah…let’s make you a little piggy.” She walked off screen.

Salo returned with a strap with two sharp, metal hooks on the end.

Marinette crouched and pressed her face into the ground.

“Now now, that’s no way to behave. Hold still!”

Sabine got up and left the room, unable to watch. Alya hid her face in Nino’s shoulder.

Soon the strap was in place, forcing Marinette’s nose up like a pig.

“You look absolutely ridiculous.”

“Mari…” Adrien began, taking a step forward.

“You, shut up!” Salo commanded with a slap. “You are not allowed to speak. You are here to watch in silence!”

Adrien flinched at the tone.

Then she turned back to Marinette. “On your hands and knees…Look at me.”

The camera moved in, right to Marinette’s face and showed her abuse in clear detail.

“What does the little piggy say?”

“…oink.”

“What was that?”

“Oink!”

Salo snickered. “No no, that’s not what a real piggy sounds like. What noise does a real piggy make?”

Marinette snorted.

“That’s a good piggy! Nice and loud! So everyone can hear!”

She snorted again, louder, making a really gross sound.

“Again!”

The group watched with coiling stomachs as Marinette was degraded to an animal, oinking like a pig and crawling around on her hands and knees. It was disgusting.

“Oh, goodness me. You haven’t eaten yet, have you? You must be starving! Here, food for the piggy.”

A rotten apple plopped in front of her.

“It’s that, or nothing.”

But Marinette did not make any move to take it. She just sat back, and let the rebellion in her eyes answer for her.

“You sure? I won’t give you anything else today.” Salo kicked the apple away, not too far out of reach. “You’ll want that eventually.”

Alya sighed in relief. She didn’t know if her stomach could handle watching that.

“I can see you’re tired of this game. Do you want to stop being a piggy?”

“Please…” Marinette groaned.

Salo grinned. “Alright then, stay still.” She removed the hooks, then kicked her in the side as she tried to move. “Did I say you could stand?!”

“No…”

“No, what?”

“No ma’am.”

“Good girl,” Salo snorted. “Stay.”

Salo again went off screen, as Marinette stayed put.

“What’s happening now?” Asked Sabine from the hall.

“I’m not sure…” Answered Nino. “Salo’s coming back and she…she has scissors.”

“I can’t watch!” Alya shrieked as she also stood and left the room.

Those remaining watched as Salo snipped off her pigtails, and only that. It was a little relieving, to be honest.

“She cut her hair.” Tom provided, his voice in his throat.

“It…It’ll grow back.” Sabine sobbed from the hall. “Her hair always grows fast.”

Salo tussled what was left her hair, making it wild.

“What do you think, kitty cat? Doesn’t she look more mature?…I asked you a question, maggot.”

“Yes, she…she looks…nice.”

“It can be fixed,” said Gabriel. “I know some very talented hairdressers. It’s alright.”

Salo stood and studied her. “Hmm, you know, I don’t really see it. I think…once a pig, always a pig.”

Marinette snarled at her, spitting at her feet.

“A wild pig. Don’t you think so, Pasolini?” She glanced off camera.

A shadow casted on Marinette as her eyes grew wide and she began to backpedal. But there was no where to run.

A man pinned her to the ground, a hand on her face and a knee on her lower back. She breathed harshly.

“Get off of her!” Adrien barked. “You’re hurting—ugh!” There wasn’t a camera on Adrien at the moment, but it sounded like he got hit.

“It’s only day one, so I’ll give you a break, but remember the rules! No talking.”

Salo replaced the hooks in her nose, and then held up an electric razor in the light.

“Now, hold still.” She demanded, and lowered the razor.

“She’s being shaved.” Nino provided, his voice hallow.

Alya hugged Sabine.

“No…no please…” Marinette begged.

“Oh it’s just a little.” Said Salo. “It’s in style right now…Hold her still, Pasolini, we can’t have her move an inch for this.”

They shifted a little, and Marinette was barely visible on camera, since she was buried under the two people pinning her to the ground. The view switched to a different camera, zoomed in on her head, where Salo had a tattoo gun and was getting to work.

“Oh god…my baby girl…” Tom moaned.

“What? What’s happening now?” Sabine begged, though she didn’t want to hear it.

“She’s…they’re tattooing her.”

“Tattooing what?”

“It-it looks like a word—oh…’Cochon’.”

“Where? Where did they put it?”

“On her head, above her ear…her hair will grow out…but…”

Marinette was pulled to her feet and a mirror was thrust in front of her. Immediately, she started crying, and so did Tom.

“You now how much people pay for tattoos these days? And I gave you one for free! No gratitude?”

Marinette only cried.

“I said, no gratitude?”

Marinette cried out, and then answered, “T-thank—Thank you ma’am!”

“You’re welcome, little piggy.” Salo laughed, and then shoved her so she fell on her rear.

Salo waltzed around the room, looking absolutely delighted.

The camera angle changed again to include Adrien. He was also crying.

Sabine and Alya dared to come back into the room. Though new tears cropped up when they saw Marinette’s new look.

“That woman is dead.” Hissed Alya.

“Now let’s see. Before I damage the goods…” She waved over to a man off screen. “I’m ready to connect that call, now.”

“Connecting.”

It was that moment that what Detective Bertony has predicted happened.

Gabriel’s phone rang.

“Answer it.” Said the detective. “Keep her on until I give the signal that it’s been traced.”

Gabriel nodded, and with a trembling hand, he answered the video call.

Salo’s face shone back at him, though it was hard to discern what she looked like behind the glasses. He assumed that was on purpose.

“Monsieur Agreste! Wonderful for you to join us.”

Immediately, he went into his boss mode. The voice of a man who hated to be inconvenienced and wronged. He made sure people knew of his distaste and had them groveling for forgiveness.

She would join the rest of them, soon enough. Once this call was over and they found her location. “I don’t need your false pleasantries. Where are you? How did you get this number?”

“Oh come now Gabe, if you want to win, you have to play the game.”

“I don’t see a game. I see a sick creature torturing children.”

She scoffed. “You’re no fun.” Then she tapped her chin, deep in thought. “Alright then, we’ll start the bid at 50 million. Just a smidgen less than your net profit for this year. That’s doable right? Surely your son is worth that much.”

He’d pay every cent he had to get his son back. He’d go bankrupt. He’d even give up his own Miraculous. Anything, as long as Adrien came back. He clenched his jaw. “How much for both of them?”

“I’m afraid Chat Noir is the only one up for sale. I still have so much planned for Ladybug.”

Gabriel opened his mouth to respond, but Adrien beat him to the punch. “Don’t you dare give her a single cent, Father!”

Salo whipped around, glaring at him. “Shut up!”

But Adrien was undeterred. “They’ll just spend the money to do this to others! Don’t let that happen!” His speech was cut short as Salo clocked him in the jaw.

He hit the ground hard, and she gave him no time to recover as she kicked him over and over with her steel toed boots. She didn’t finish until he was gasping for breath.

Gabriel was going to puke. But he let nothing give way to his emotions but a deeper scowl.

She turned back to the camera. “60 million. And the price will continue to rise day by day. And you’ll end up having a very expensive funeral with a closed casket.”

Her message was clear.

He often argued that Adrien didn’t know what was good for him. Every action that Gabriel, or Hawkmoth, made were for his benefit. He was still a kid, not quite 18 yet. What did he know about life?

A lot, apparently. Being a superhero meant that he was forced to grow up.

Gabriel saw the news. A man was dead because of that drug dealer they took down. That could have been Adrien. He was out there, every day, putting his life on the line and protecting Paris.

And even now, when they were on the brink of tragedy, when there was a glimmer of light to rescue them, he was begging for Paris.

How was Gabriel, a father, supposed to respond to that?

Finally, he swallowed and looked off to the side. Detective Bertony met his eyes with a soft smile.

“We got it.” He said softly.

The words offered hope, and Gabriel gave the tiniest of smiles back.

“No deal, Salo. I don’t negotiate with terrorists. I will find my own way to save my son. One that doesn’t benefit you. I love Paris, almost as much as they do. And I refuse to be responsible for its downfall. Not when my son has worked so hard to protect it.”

Salo frowned hard. “You’ve spurned me, Gabriel Agreste. I’ll take you next. Once I’ve finished with your son. This was your only chance to save him. But I’ll let you say goodbye.”

The camera moved past Salo to Adrien who was lying on the ground. He was pale and looked exhausted. Gabriel didn’t know if he’d ever seen his son look so tired. “D-Dad…” His voice was full of pain.

“Hang in there, Chat Noir. Just a little while longer.”

“I…I love you, dad.”

How long had it been since they shared those words? “I love you too, son.”

The call ended.

Gabriel dropped the phone back to the coffee table and buried his face in his hands.

“Sickening.” Salo said from the screen. “You’d think a man that rich wouldn’t care about the money. But I guess I was wrong. He doesn’t really love you. He was just trying to make it easier on you. How does it feel to be rejected by your own father, huh?”

“Shut up, bitch.” Gabriel muttered under his breath.

“That was a question!” Salo shouted.

“He didn’t reject me,” he breathed. “I wanted him to stay out of it.”

“You’re an idiot. But everyone knew that. Chat Noir has always been the dumb one. Isn’t that right, Ladybug?”

Marinette answered from where she lied on the floor, “Chat Noir is a genius. He’s goofy, but he’s smart.”

“He’s an idiot!” Salo yelled back. “He’s a retarded piece of shit!”

Gabriel trembled in anger. No one talked about his son like that! Once he found her, he’d—he’d—

Words did not exist that expressed the hatred Gabriel felt for this woman.

“You’re not trying to drown me out, are you?” Salo asked, getting in his face. “Because I can do this all day, dumbass.”

“We hate liars.” He stated, firmly. “And you’re nothing but a liar.”

Salo laughed. “You’re a child. You don’t think I can hurt you? Didn’t you see what I did to your little Love Bug earlier? You looked so angry. Want to see if we can make her look that angry, too?” Then she looked over his head, passed the camera.

And so they watched as Adrien’s ears were pierced. Gabriel closed his eyes and could only listen to the snap of the gun over and over, and Adrien’s winces of pain.

The man sat Adrien up, as the camera zoomed in on the fresh piercings, his ears red.

“We made Ladybug into a piggy, but I think we’ll keep the cat theme for you. A mangy, feral alleycat.”

Gabriel stood, “I’m sorry, but this is…unbearable.” He walked out, briskly, the sound of Adrien wincing and moaning echoing behind him.

Once in the hall and out of sight from the others, Gabriel collapsed.

He already regretted not agreeing to the ransom. What if the call wasn’t traced correctly? What if it was for somewhere else? What if, what if….what if that really was his only chance to save his son?

“Mr. Agreste?” Nathalie asked.

“What is she doing to him now?” He asked, hollowly.

“He’s…he’s eating cat food.”

Gabriel scoffed. “…could be worse. I guess.”

“Can I get you some water?”

“Yes, thank you.” He replied, swallowing thickly. When was the last time Adrien and Marinette had any water?

The sounds from the tv echoed in the silence.

“You bitch…” Adrien hissed.

“Oh, you don’t get to call me names.”

“That wasn’t one of your rules.”

“I could crush you under my thumbs. I could break you, kill you with no problem. It’s a mercy that I haven’t already. Do you understand?”

Adrien’s gagging and choking was her only answer.

Gabriel covered his mouth, lest he sob and miss a detail.

Adrien was dying. He was alone and afraid and this woman was killing him.

“I thought you were smart enough not to pick a fight with me. Guess that’s what I get for thinking so highly of a big dumb idiot.”

He heard buzzing from the room, knowing it was exactly the same with Marinette.

Nino came out into the hall and sat next to Gabriel, not making a sound. But he looked stricken and his eyes were wide with fear. He kept shaking his head.

“There. Fitting, for you.”

“It says chatte.” Nino said softly. “Just like Marinette.”

“Are you going to think twice before sassing me next time?”

“Yes ma’am.”

“Good.” She snorted. “Now, I’ve got other things to do. But we’ll have more fun tonight…Suspend them for now.”

That seemed like the cue that the session was over, and both Gabriel and Nino returned to the room. But the stream was still on, while Marinette and Adrien hung alone.

At the sight of Adrien, Gabriel nearly flew into a rage.

“Do you think they’re watching?” Marinette asked softly.

“They have to be.” Adrien gestured towards a camera with his head. “They’re broadcasting us to all of France.”

“Yeah…”

“How’s your nose?” Adrien asked.

“It hurts. How’re your ears?”

“Hurts.”

Then they grew silent. No message ever appeared, and no one came back in the room.

Detective Bertony put his computer away. “Thank you all for your time. Is there someone I can contact when we have more information?”

“Here’s my business card.” Gabriel stated, handing it to the man.

“Thank you. I’ll let you know the minute we have anything. I sent the coordinates to my department, and they’re sending some men here. Once I have back up, we’ll raid the place.”

Tom wrapped an arm around his wife and hugged her a little closer. This was good news. Their nightmare was almost over.

“Where exactly did these coordinates come from?”

“Oh, around Montparnasse. I don’t have an address, just coordinates.”

“Thank you.”

“One more thing,” the detective warned. “I mentioned earlier that Salo and Savauge have dirt everyone. I would strongly caution against telling anyone that Europol is involved, especially my name. With stuff like this, you never know who you can trust.”

Gabriel couldn’t help but wonder if this would be a very different conversation if they all knew that Hawkmoth was listening.

The detective nodded his head, and then left.

The assembled were left with a weird feeling. Sickened and disheartened by what they had seen, and yet, hopeful that their children and friends could be home by bedtime.

Could it be so easy?

Gabriel looked at the kids. “Adrien…he always tried to go to school, no matter what. Is that something you two want to do?”

Alya and Nino looked at each other, both in various stages of grief.

“It…might help get our minds off of it for a while.” Nino supposed.

“And we should see how the others are doing.”

“Alright, Adrien’s bodyguard will accompany you. Remember what the detective said.”

“Mum’s the word.” Alya said with a little smirk.

Sabine yawned.

“Why don’t you take a nap, darling?” Tom asked. “You’ve been up all night.”

“But—“

“I’ll send Nathalie if I hear anything.” Gabriel assured.

Sabine smiled at him. “Thank you Gabriel, you’ve been so kind and helpful to us. How can we ever repay you?”

He offered a smile back, “I’m just glad we get along. No repayment required.”

“What is your favorite flavor of macaroon?” Tom asked.

Gabriel chuckled. “Well, if you insist. It’s raspberry.”

“Mind if I use your kitchen?”

“Be my guest.”

Once the Dupain-Chengs departed, Gabriel let his pleasant host act disappear. “Nathalie.”

“Sir.”

“I will leave my phone with you. Let me know if the detective calls.”

“Of course sir.”

—

After all he had learned, Hawkmoth returned to his lair, ready to start fresh. He had a general location now! Montparnasse! Still a highly populated area, but it was significantly smaller.

Montparnasse wasn’t a problem area. It wasn’t even residential or industrial. No large warehouses, no abandoned buildings that he could think of. An art hub, with lots of theaters and museums, quaint cafes and bars.

An ideal hiding place, really.

He reached out, zoning in on the area. Feeling the emotions, listening.

Pain. Anguish. Sadness.

Could it be them? Could it possibly be?!

He summoned a butterfly, and evilized it, then let it go.

A scout, this time. But if this feeling was right…

He went with the akuma, feeling the emotions get stronger and stronger as the akuma neared. Then they multiplied. Pain. So much pain. So many people in pain!

Something was wrong.

This wasn’t the pain of people being tortured.

This was…

“A hospital.” He groaned. Stupid.

He called the akuma back, frustrated. He knew there were hospitals over there. And the emotions they cause were like a signal jammer. He couldn’t feel anything outside of them without knowing what he was looking for.

Frustrated, angry, and ashamed, he detransformed, and hoped that the detective would have some good news soon.

—

Reminder: This pic will have NO sexual torture, not even off screen. There will be the threat of it, but it won’t actually happen. I just don’t like that.

I can’t stress enough how disgusting of a movie ‘Salo 120 Days of Sodom’ is. I wouldn’t even look it up. It’s up there with ‘Human Centipede’ as far as gross horror goes. Critics say it’s worse than that too. I’ve never seen it, and I don’t want to be responsible for anyone being traumatized by it.

#miraculous ladybug #ml #adrien agreste #marinette dupain cheng #ladybug #adrinette #chat noir #gabriel agreste #longest night #whump #angst #fanfiction #torture

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thenovelartist · 5 years

Text

Debts on the Battlefield

This is the last prize for my TV Show contest going to @serenepy who wanted Adrienette and Mistaken Identity. After a few tries, I came up with this. I hope you enjoy it!

It all started when her parents were assassinated.

The neighboring country’s king swore they didn’t commit the crime. However, the evidence disproved his claim, and Marinette watched her father’s second-in-command declare war on the other country.

To say she wasn’t terrified of the thought of murder and bloodshed and war coming up to her kingdom would be an outright lie. This was her kingdom. If she were the heir, she would have gone on to negotiate with the neighboring king and try to uncover the truth. Unfortunately, even as the only child born to Queen Sabine, Marinette was not the true heir because she was a female, and the line passed down solely to sons.

So, she did the only thing she saw fit to do: join the military. She had been mocked at first, but when one of the commanders who had advanced high up the ranks spotted her, he enabled her to join.

“I remember you, your royal highness,” he commented with a smile. “You’re a crafty sort of girl. You were always able to slip around the house without anyone knowing. They called you Little Lucky Ladybug for good reason.”

And that was how she got her nickname. It wasn’t for two months that everyone fighting for her kingdom knew the spy that went by ‘Ladybug’. She was a valuable asset to the war.

Then came the dreaded day that she found herself caught up in a battle. It was in one of her kingdom’s towns, one that lay on the outskirts. Most of the town had evacuated, but for some, they had no where else to go but wait out the fight.

Marinette was forced to do the same.

She found refuge in a house close enough for her to see the fighting. Despite the queasiness in her stomach, she watched the battle. She watched as things exploded and guns went off and smoke billowed upward from the streets of the town. People were screaming; people were dying.

It was with a heavy heart Marinette watched the opposing forces win.

As the smoke cleared, it allowed her to see her army fall back, grabbing all the supplies they could and running in the cover the smoke provided. Those men would live to fight another day, and for that she was thankful. But when the smoke cleared completely, it allowed her to see the carnage in the streets, proving to her that there were many men who wouldn’t make it back home. Furthermore, this town that had once been hers was no longer.

She made it a habit to hold back her tears, but for today, she allowed herself to cry.

It was only once she was able to forcefully swallow the tears did she realize the front door of the house burst open. Her heart was pounding inside her chest as she froze instinctually.

Get up! She mentally chided. Move!

But it was too late. By the time she found the strength to stand, soldiers burst into the second story room, guns pointed at her.

Her only option was to hold up her hands in surrender.

…

He shouldn’t be here. If his father knew he was here, he’d have an absolute fit and likely punish Adrien as though he was a teenager instead of a man nearly twenty-one. But if his father was going to willingly go to war like this against Adrien’s adamant council, then defying his father it was.

Adrien roamed the streets of the town his kingdom had just taken over. He didn’t wear the uniform of a soldier, instead wearing plain clothes to blend into the surroundings. He wasn’t completely insane, after all. He was a hidden soldier, one that made shots from the rooftops and scoped out the best way to win against the enemy.

The moment a woman’s scream reached his ears, he instinctively looked up. Soldiers from his own kingdom were man-handling a woman, throwing her to the ground outside a house. They were yelling something, but at that point, Adrien didn’t care. The men had orders to not harm women and children. Even in this time of war, Adrien would ensure to uphold their honor.

Before one of the soldiers could strike the female, Adrien grabbed him, forcing him off his feet and disarming him. “What do you think you’re doing?” Adrien challenged.

Adrien felt the two other men point their guns at him while the man on the ground looked blankly up at him. With a scowl, Adrien threw the gun back at the man.

Adrien scowled. “Where is your honor, soldier? You don’t touch civilians, no matter which side they belong to.”

With that, he turned to offer a hand to the woman on the ground. Her wide-eyed gaze was mixed fear and intrigue. Adrien shot her a smile he hoped was charming before reaching his hand out to offer assistance. “I apologize on their behalf.”

She remained silent as she hesitantly took his hand and allowed him to assist her in standing.

She had beautiful blue eyes and hair like a raven’s feathers. Young, youthful face. A stunning beauty. He grinned, earnestly this time. “Was this your home?”

“No,” she admitted. “I was passing through and hid before I got caught in the crossfires.”

Poor girl. Yet, her voice held a stubborn courage underneath her fear. “May I then suggest running away from the fighting so as not to get caught again.”

“Understood,” she said, pulling her hand from his. “And thank you.”

With that, the girl spun around and scampered off.

Adrien watched her for a moment before turning back to glare at his men. “Listen carefully,” he warned, tugging out his pocket watch engraved with the kingdom crest. The men instantly stiffened and straightened. “Do not harass the enemy’s civilians. They already think lowly of us. Don’t give them any more reason to hate us.”

“Sir, yes, sir.”

…

It had been a month since Marinette had been saved from her certain entrapment by an extremely handsome young man. At the time, she had been carrying enough notes on her to have her captured as a hostage. She swore that if she ever got the opportunity to repay her debt to him, she’d do it in a heartbeat. Never once did she worry about forgetting his face. She would never forget those kind, green eyes or that mess of blonde hair on his head or that genuine smile.

It was after a battle that she saw him again.

He was in a town among the bodies of many people, both soldiers and civilians.

She would have to make up time later, but for now, she helped him off the ground, propped him upright against a building, then scavenged the area for anything she could find to wrap his head wound.

There was bullet-riddled laundry hanging about that would have to do.

“Well, we meet again,” he said, his smile lopsided and eyes halfway opened as he watched her rip apart the fabric into bandages.

Her heart skipped a beat. He remembered her? “It seems so,” she said with a grin.

He hummed, then remained silent as she wrapped his wound.

“Thank you,” he said once she finished tying off the strips. “I find myself deeply in your debt.”

She blushed lightly. “No. You saved me from those soldiers. This is me repaying my debt to you.”

His smile turned roguish, which only made him more handsome. “I don’t agree. You’ve exceeded paying off what little debt you were in.”

Even though she’d have to scold herself later for being caught up here, letting her heart run wild for a moment, she shot him another grin while shaking her head. “Not by my thoughts.”

“Well, then,” he said, and she knew by that gleam in his eye that she was in trouble. “I’ll just hope that I get once last chance to free myself of this debt you have placed on me, whether you agree or not.”

She should get out of here before she gave into the will to continue flirting with a man she didn’t know the name of. That was already scandalous of her, but it was particularly offensive in the middle of a war. She forced herself to stand. “Then I hope that our next meeting will be under more pleasurable circumstances.”

The smile he gave her as she ran off would come back to haunt her for weeks.

…

He counted himself lucky beyond belief. He was supposed to be marching around the town, trying to scope out the battlefield. In his down-dressed state, he was able to walk straight past soldiers without any issue. He had to hold back his smug grin.

And that’s when he saw her.

Gleefully grinning, Adrien slipped around the crowds of people so he could be in front of her path. “Why, would you look at that?”

He startled her, and it hurt his heart to see the sudden fear of her realizing her path was blocked. The way she looked up at him, with wide-eyes full of fear and stance prepped to run, it was clear she was skittish. If it was from war, then he could do nothing but feel guilty. But if it was from his men attacking her, then he’d swear vengeance.

However, she relaxed, her hand over her chest probably to calm her racing heart. “Oh, it’s you.”

“Forgive me,” he said earnestly. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”

“No. I’m just not used to being approached.”

He grinned. “Are you unused to men calling for your attention? I don’t believe that. A lovely girl such as yourself? You must have had many a man dropping at your feet before the war.”

Where those words came from, he didn’t know, but the blush on her cheeks as well as the skeptical smile was invaluable. “Careful, you sliver-tongued devil.”

He chuckled. “Forgive me. I can’t help myself. Nor can I stop myself from asking this question that has been on my mind since the day we meet.”

Her smile fell and brow knit in worry. He forced his smile to stay on his face even though he hated causing her guard to come rising up again like this. “Oh?”

“May I be so bold as to ask your name?”

Slowly, her shoulders relaxed and her smile returned. “Marinette.”

He tested the word on his tongue and very much liked the way it felt. “Well then, Marinette.” He reached for her hand to bestow a kiss on her knuckles. “What a pleasure meeting you officially.”

With a giggle, she tugged her hand away. “We have not met officially,” she teasingly scolded. “For I don’t know your name.”

Heat rose to his cheeks surprisingly quickly. “Ah, yes. What an idiot I am. My name is Adrien.”

Before she could respond, the clock chimed the hour, and he realized he needed to get back.

“Forgive me,” he said, bowing before her. “But I actually have somewhere I have to be.”

“As do I,” she said, taking a step back. “But it was such a pleasure to meet you.”

“And you, Marinette. I do hope to see you again.”

She gave him a smile before scurrying off into town. As he was leaving, he sent up a prayer that she would be getting out of town as quickly as she could. He didn’t want his Marinette caught in the cross-fires.

…

Her kingdom was losing the battle. They were up against an equally skilled army. The issue was they were much larger than their own.

That, and they had Chat Noir.

Marinette had been transporting a warning to all the squadrons all over her kingdom informing them about the man once caught in black leather taking shots from a high ground. It was as though he knew the terrain, knew the field, knew how their armed forces would be organized.

And that meant they were in deep trouble.

Marinette found herself caught in the cross-fires once again. She had been delivering messages about this Chat Noir figure to the troops stationed here, only for the opposing army to spring an attack on them.

Not wanting to be caught anywhere near the general’s house, Marinette scampered for another cover spot. Maybe, if she was lucky, she’d be able to get out of the town completely. There were many people unprepared for the attack here, all running around frantically while trying to escape the city. In the commotion, she slipped down an alley way, only to run into a figure in a black leather vest.

She looked up, only to come face to face with Adrien.

His eyes widened upon seeing her. “What are you still doing here? Get out of the town.”

“I could ask the same for you,” she countered, holding tightly to the hand he grabbed as he pulled her along out of the city.

“Wrong place, wrong time,” was all the answer he gave.

“You and me both.”

They escaped the alley, only to skid to a halt upon seeing several of the opposing army’s men standing there, guns in hand.

One spotted them and raised to fire.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Adrien shoved her back into the alley just as the shot rang out. Marinette squeaked at the sound, sadly accustomed to it but not of it being so close.

“Run!”

So she did. As fast as she could, her hand in his, she ran, weaving through the town buildings with ease. But just as she turned the corner, she slid to a stop upon seeing even more soldiers. She ducked into the closest open building, dragging Adrien in behind her. He quickly shut the door, just as the soldiers started shouting and gunfire went off.

“Upsta—” She never finished that word and instead gasped at the sight of blood staining his shirt.

He looked at her, then down at his shoulder. His brow furrowed as he tugged at the cloth. “They got me.”

“We have to get the bullet out,” Marinette said.

He frowned at her. “And you know how to do that?”

She would love to say that she could confidently, that she personally did it before when she spent the first month of the war helping at a hospital while other nurses were being assembled. “I’ve assisted in the procedure and seen it done many times.”

His brow furrowed, questions clear on his face. But he didn’t voice them. “What do you need?”

…

Adrien was not looking forward to this. Once before, did he have to get a bullet taken out of his leg, but that was the extent of his major injuries. He could have waited for the battle to be over and his own army’s medical staff patch him up, however he knew they would be busy as is. And as Marinette listed off the things she needed, marching around the surprisingly full house with a determined expression, his confidence in her grew.

Once they collected everything they needed, Marinette instructed Adrien to lay down on the bed upstairs. He stripped out of his vest and shirt before he did. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a slight dusting of pink on her cheeks. He didn’t know what to think of it, but he wanted to be flattered by it.

For the next several minutes, he was biting down on a rag while she dug the lead bullet from his shoulder and sewed up the wound. It was about as painful as he remembered it being.

However, the biggest pain of all was being shot by one of his own men. He supposed that was the price for trying to protect a civilian.

“Thank you,” he said once she was bandaging him up yet again.

“You have to stop getting injured when I’m around,” she said. He got the pleasure of learning her eyes sparkled when she teased.

“I’d love to,” he said. “Unfortunately, I don’t think that’s going to happen for the foreseeable future.”

She shook her head, but the smile she wore was one of amusement.

“I can’t help but notice,” he began, unable to help himself, “that I seem to cross paths with you in the middle of these battles.”

Her expression fell as her eyes locked on his.

“I…” she began, struggling with her words. “I have family and friends everywhere,” she eventually said. “But I’m as shocked as you are that you’re in these battles constantly.”

He forced a grin when he really wanted to cringe. “I… I’m documenting the battles,” he answered, thinking that it was a halfway decent excuse.

“Oh,” was all Marinette said as she tied off his bandages.

He had to think of something quick to change the subject. “Sorry for asking,” he said. “It just seemed odd that such a lovely young woman like yourself happened to be in the middle of battles. Not that I don’t love running into you; I would just prefer them being under much better circumstances.”

A lovely rosy hue spread across her cheeks, and he couldn’t help but feel warm knowing he caused that lovely look on her. Slowly, she ducked her head, a smile on her face. “Flatterer.”

He grinned. “Hardly.” The scary thing was that he meant it. Here he was, Prince of the Papillion kingdom, flirting with a commoner girl of the opposing kingdom. She was beautiful; that he wasn’t lying about. And kind. And had a lovely smile.

She snorted, turning away.

Despite knowing he should be out there, it seemed he was trapped here until the battle was over. His own fault for wanting to clear out the civilians. He told the general not to pull such a barbaric move, attacking a full town, but even though he was the prince, the generals swore they knew better. Today, they would have to serve without their eyes in the sky. It seemed fair to Adrien. At least, that was what he told himself so he would feel less guilty in the pleasure he took being trapped here with Marinette.

…

She was terrified. And that was an understatement. She’d been caught by the opposing army. She listened to the creak of the enclosed cart, the lock and chains on the outside making plenty of noise with every step the horses took. There were a couple army officials in the cart with her, all ones she’d been meeting with before the camp was raided.

What they were going to do, she didn’t know. So to keep the thoughts at bay, she thought of her kingdom. And when that got too hard, she thought of Adrien and his smile as he told her to stay safe as they last parted ways.

“I’ll find you again once the war is over,” he’d said with a wink. “Mark my words on that.”

With a sigh, Marinette forced everything out of her head. Apparently, even dashingly handsome, green-eyed blondes made her heart hurt too much.

…

“Father, we took the kingdom.”

Even though Adrien grinned for his father, he did not feel happy about it. He could only think of the civilians caught in the crossfires, of the towns he’d assisted evacuating when the fighting happened. His thoughts wondered to a certain Marinette and her bright smile, appearing in the battlefields. She wasn’t the only young woman running for her life from the war—there had to be people younger and far older than her running for their lives—but she was the only one that came to the forefront of his mind.

“Good,” was all his father said. “I hope this serves as a lesson to anyone else who dares to accuse us falsely.”

Adrien’s stomach dropped. He didn’t like his father’s methods. He felt them flawed. They should have gone to the kingdom with white flags raised and assisted them in discovering who the true assassins were. That would have been far more beneficial for both of them.

“We will absorb their kingdom into ours,” his father said. “They are small, as are we. We will be a stronger power together.”

Adrien simply nodded. “What will you do with the war prisoners?”

Gabriel paused. “I suppose we will release them,” he said. “No need to make any more of an enemy with the new part of our kingdom. But document them all first so that they have records against them already. If there is an uprising they are a part of, then they will be tried.”

Adrien nodded. “Yes, father.”

“And I will have you oversee it,” his father continued. “I’ll be far too busy with other matters to oversee something so trivial.”

“Yes, father. I understand.”

…

Marinette may have hated liars, but right now, it was best to tell herself she wasn’t completely terrified that she might just die.

She, along with all the other prisoners of war, were to be documented as potential threats, meaning that if they ever made a wrong move, they’d likely be hung.

The men brought the prisoners out in several small groups. They were warned against acting out, even under the threat of the Prince of Papillion being there and able to give the order of them being hung on the spot. Marinette hoped for the sake of them all making it out alive that everyone would cooperate and the officials would be merciful.

The soldiers made their way through the rows of cells, meaning Marinette was one of the last to be taken out. And as the only woman, she was taken out alone.

She had to squint at the sudden bright daylight, and she cursed the sunshine. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust, but once they did, her gut sank.

Because Adrien stood there in his royal garb, proving he was the prince overseeing everything.

She watched his expression shift to one of horror. She shoved down her emotions and begged her eyes to stay dry. She had to pretend it didn’t feel like betrayal that the man she remembered fondly on the battlefield happened to be the prince of the kingdom responsible for murdering her parents.

She had been the Princess of Coccinelle; she would stand with her head high, chin raised, back straight. She would not cower.

“State your name,” the recorder asked.

“Princess Marinette Dupain of the Coccinelle Kingdom.”

Everyone froze, particularly Adrien.

The recorder was the first to move, ready to write the name down in the book.

But Adrien’s arm shot out, covering the page before the man could touch the pen to the paper.

“Your royal highness,” Adrien addressed, bowing before her. “I would like to give my deepest apologies for the treatment you have received. Should you agree, I wish to offer you a stay here at Castle Papillion, for there are many matters I would like to discuss with you.”

Curious, she rose a brow. “What matters do we have to discuss? You are the ruler of my kingdom now, are you not? That is what this war was about.”

He looked hurt at her words. As he should be. “The first matter I wish to discuss being a long list of apologies for our transgressions against you,” Adrien began, his words still strong and steady as a prince’s should be. “The second being an offer to discover who truly is behind the deaths of your parents, for I assure you that I know of no such plan that has ever been in place in this kingdom.”

Her brow furrowed. “You say you know of no plan, yet did you not just wage war against us?”

“My father agreed to such terms, but I swear I opposed it from the start.”

“If the king himself did not listen to your council then what makes you believe he will agree with your offer to me now?”

At that, Adrien was silent.

Marinette bit back the urge to smile bitterly up at him. “Then I will decline your—”

“Your royal highness, please,” Adrien said. “Please, allow me to make amends.”

“Amends!” Marinette cried in outrage. “You take over my kingdom and now want to make amends?”

Her heart was screaming in pain as she watched Adrien struggle for words.

“Yes,” he answered. “I do. Whether my father does is not a decision I can make for him. But I want to do what I can to express my deepest regrets.”

Marinette glared at him. Even though the logical answer was no, something in her… something in her didn’t agree.

“One day,” she growled. “I will give you one day.”

Again, he bowed before her. “Thank you, your royal highness. That is grace from you I know I do not deserve.”

…

There was nothing more humiliating than having to salvage any possible relationship with a princess that had been mistaken as a war criminal.

Adrien rubbed his eyes. His father had been less than happy at the news of what Adrien had done. His father had glowered at him and said, “I will have no part in whatever you decide to do.”

Which really meant that Father was disappointed in Adrien’s choices and would make Adrien clean up his own mess with his own resources.

Adrien felt that was fair. He’d bit his tongue against voicing off against his father, knowing it would only rain more hell back down on him.

He sat in his own study awaiting Princess Marinette to arrive. He’d ordered her to be tended to, which meant a bath, a place for the night, and a change of his late mother’s clothes. Then, he’d asked for her to meet him in his study for the morning.

When she did arrive, she looked none too happy.

“Prince Adrien,” she said, her voice sharp with irritation as she curtsied before him.

“Princess Marinette,” he returned, bowing for her. He then offered her to take a seat, which she did. She sat all and proud, chin raised, eyes fiery.

If they were on better terms, he’d gladly pour compliments over her and lay a kiss on her knuckles. However, he knew that would not be accepted at the moment.

He hoped that one day they would.

“Your highness, I need to apologize—”

“Why.”

Adrien paused. “Why?”

“Why do you feel the need to flatter me with apologies after what you did to my kingdom?”

Adrien took a breath. “Because no matter what my father did, I disagreed with him from the start.”

“Yet you were on the battlefield.”

“If he was going to start a war I could not stop, and the generals were more than happy to put in in motion, then there was nothing I could do except hope to keep the casualties to a minimum.”

Her eyes narrowed as she studied him for a moment. “Is that why we constantly crossed paths in town?” she asked. “Because you were trying to keep civilian casualties low?”

“And I scouted ahead,” he admitted. “To see the best way we could surprise people and subsequently flush them out instead of firing deadly shots.”

Again, those sharp blue eyes locked on him. He stared back, hoping that she would realize that he was telling the truth.

“I want to believe you.”

Her tone was sharp, but somehow, he believed those words. “If you don’t, I would understand completely,” he said. “You have every right to be mad at me. You have every right to not believe me. Honestly, you have every right to hate me and my kingdom and my father. I won’t fault you.”

For a moment, her eyes fell to her lap. After a moment of silence, they returned to him. “Before the war began,” she started, “your father said your kingdom did not kill my parents.”

“I have every reason to believe that is the truth,” Adrien said. “We had no reason to start war with your kingdom. As I said before, I advised my father against going to war with your kingdom. If the assassins were from our kingdom, then we would brand them as traitors and bring them to justice. As smaller kingdoms, we would have been better off forging an alliance between us. Why start a war when we could be strong together and on good terms?”

Marinette looked skeptical, but at least she wasn’t angry at him anymore. Adrien would gladly take any peace offering she would give.

“Can I have your word,” she said, “that you know nothing about the assassins. Swear to me with the same honor you showed on the battlefield to my people—to me—that you did not have any involvement with them or the plan to take over my kingdom.”

He held up a hand in oath and looked her directly in the eyes. “I swear on my life and on my honor that I had no knowledge of any sort pertaining to your parents’ assassination.”

For the longest time, she just looked at him, studying him. He didn’t dare move.

“I believe you.”

He felt relieved, but knew that that her belief was shaky. “I swear to you,” he said, “that even if I have to spend the rest of my life proving that trust to you, I will. And I will begin today.”

It was barely noticeable, but her shoulders relaxed the tiniest bit and her chin lowered slightly.

He grinned. He supposed it was a start.

…

Marinette was in her castle, back in her own room that wouldn’t be hers for much longer. How long, she wasn’t certain, but Adrien agreed to let her stay in the home she grew up in until further notice.

“Your royal highness,” a servant that approached her said. “Prince Adrien Agreste of the Papillion Kingdom has arrived and requested an audience with you.”

Her stomach dropped. “Lead me to him.”

With false courage, she went downstairs to meet him. “Prince Adrien,” she greeted. “What brings you?”

The look on his face was worrisome. His frown was strong, and his eyes held a sadness. With his head bowed, he presented her a stack of letters. “Princess Marinette,” he said. “I must beg your forgiveness. I swear I have upheld my oath that I had no hand in this, but I recently discovered that my father has.”

Her heart stopped. With shaky hands, she reached out to take the offered papers and slowly opened them to read.

“I’m sorry,” Adrien kept repeating. “I’m so sorry.”

She couldn’t read them fully. She could only skim them. Words popped off the page at her, haunting her. Somehow, she finished reading the damning papers. Her world felt like it was spinning, leaving her dizzy and disoriented. Absently, she closed the papers, looking up at him even though she felt completely lost.

“Princess Marinette, I have a proposition to make you,” he began. His voice was filled with emotion he was clearly trying to shove down. “I met you on the battlefield many a time, and if the rumors are true, then you are a skilled spy. Though, you only became one to serve your kingdom.”

Her brow furrowed.

“I know I do not know you well enough to say this, but I will state it anyway: I believe you would make a great queen for your kingdom. As its heir, you should be the rightful ruler, not my father.”

She smiled bitterly. “That is kind of you to say—”

“I’m not finished,” he said. He glanced around at the soldiers in the room before leaning closer and lowering his voice. “I am only slightly more confident in saying that my father clearly does not have the proper respect or honor it takes to lead a kingdom.”

Her eyes widened in surprise at his words.

A fire sparked in his eyes, and she knew he was about to say something dangerous. “So will you assist me,” he said, voice barely above a whisper. “In overthrowing my father.”

His words stunned. She was there with her eyes wide and mouth agape in a way she would certainly be scolded for.

“And once we do,” he said. “Because I am most certain we will succeed, I will take over for my father and grant you back your kingdom, allowing you to become the ruler that your kingdom deserves.” He paused, taking a step back to give her space. “I wish to prove to you that the man you met on the battlefield was one of honor. I’m asking for a lot, I am aware, but will you partner with me on this endeavor?”

Marinette looked him over, searching his eyes and his body language and his expressions. She knew it was madness to trust him, but then again, did he have reason to trust her? Marinette could tell he was earnest in his apology and righteous in his intentions.

“I remember on the battlefield,” Adrien continued. “How, each time we ran into each other, we would find ourselves in the other’s debt. Well, I seem to find myself vastly in yours, and I hope… I hope you will trust me enough to allow me to pay it off.”

While stunned at his words, she stuck her hand out in the space between them. “Surprisingly, I do trust you. Prove to me now that you are that man I met on the battlefield.”

He smiled, then reached for her hand, bowing over it to kiss her knuckles respectfully. “Princess Marinette, I will not let you down. And maybe one day, I will prove to you the kind of man I am.”

She smiled, remembering that first time they met on the battlefield. How he’d come to save her. The irony of each of them assisting the enemy was not lost on her. But now, she knew in her heart that they were fighting for the same side. “I believe you… Partner.”

…

It was the second hardest year of Adrien’s life. Plotting to overthrow his own father… he warred with himself about how terrible of a son he was. But in the end, when he discovered more incriminating evidence about his father wanting to wage war with another kingdom, that was all Adrien needed to be certain that this plan was for the best.

Marinette was a good partner. She would make an incredible queen, her words powerful and actions meaningful. But she was also sly and crafty and clever. It was because of her that a rally of trustworthy troops were at the ready to assist in bringing Adrien’s father to justice.

“I’m doing this for you, Adrien,” his father had said when presented with the evidence.

“No, you’re not,” Adrien scowled. “This is for your own selfish gain.”

After that, Adrien offered his father two options: step down quietly and give Adrien the throne, or be assassinated on the spot.

With Marinette pointing a knife at his nick, Adrien’s father decided to go quietly. Adrien called in several court servants to serve as witnesses as the paperwork was completed.

“I don’t want to lock you in the dungeons, father,” Adrien said. “I suggest going quietly to mother’s old estate.”

Marinette was the one who sent soldiers to monitor him for months. And when they came back a few months later saying he was killed, Marinette and Adrien decided to look the other way instead of seek justice.

The next several months after King Gabriel’s resignation were spent rebuilding the kingdoms and establishing Marinette as Queen of the Coccinelle Kingdom before releasing it entirely.

“But Marinette,” Adrien began, “one thing before you return.”

She turned her blue eyes on him. He could not deny the way his heart skipped whenever she looked at him. Or how it got hard to breathe. Or words failed him.

He swallowed. “I… For the benefit of both our kingdoms, I would like to bind our kingdoms together in peace,” he said.

She smiled, and he might have had to brace himself on his desk to keep from falling over. When he was a kid, he never understood the fluttery feelings lovers got in fairytales. Now, it seemed he understood them too well. “Well,” she began. “There is a simple solution.”

It took him much too long to come to any conclusion, and when he did, it seemed like the wrong one. “A marriage union?”

Her smile confirmed it, and nearly knocked him off his feet in the process. “I do find myself in your debt, after all.”

His brow furrowed. “How so?”

Her smile shifted slightly, changing it from congratulatory to sweet. “You returned my kingdom to me.”

“I could not have accomplished that without your assistance,” he countered. “Furthermore, that is the fulfillment of my debt to you.”

She shook her head. “I disagree.”

His heart skipped and he swallowed, giving him a moment longer to find words to say. “I don’t think that you owe me nearly enough to pledge your life to me out of gratitude.”

That locked the two in an impasse.

“Then,” Marinette began. “May I suggest that you come courting, and maybe, after a while, I’ll find myself in such a debt that I won’t be able to say no to your proposal.”

He couldn’t hold back his smile even if he wanted to. “Then my I warn you that this young king has set his sights on a lovely young queen to be his bride.”

He relished the sight of her smile as well as the light dusting of pink on her cheeks. “Your warning has been noted. Best of luck to you in your endeavors.”

#miraculous ladybug #fanfiction #one-shot #marinette dupain cheng #adrien agreste #adrienette #royalty #au #I don't know what else to tag this as

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