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starfinss · 2 years

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Coup de Grâce — Miraculous 1/2

𝘍𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘮: Miraculous Ladybug

𝘗𝘢𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨: Adrien Agreste/Chat Noir + Marinette Dupain-Cheng/Ladybug

𝘙𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨: SFW

𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘊𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵: 6,469

𝘚𝘶𝘮𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘺:

Coup de Grâce (Noun) A final blow or shot, given to kill a wounded person or animal.

When Adrien starts to put two and two together, he realizes Lila Rossi’s treatment of one Marinette Dupain-Cheng is far worse that he’d ever imagined, and the high road is no longer (and frankly, may have never been) an option. He decides to take matters into his own hands. Game, Set, Match.

𝘕𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘴: Partially inspired by “Best (fake) Smile by Reiaji, over on Ao3! Seriously, dude, your fanfic is amazing. I adore that story, I’ve read it like, four times. Go read that fic, I highly recommend it. I’m so sorry, I stole some plot points, but I wanted to do it with my own twist.

It all started at breakfast.

Adrien had a fairly uneventful morning before this. He woke up at six, did a short morning workout, then took a shower, listening to the newest Jagged Stone single as he got dressed and ready for school.

A knock on the door prompted Adrien to turn off the music, half leaning over to tell the person outside to come in.

“Breakfast is on the table, Adrien,” Nathalie told him, tilting her head out the door and into the hall, telling him to come to the table when he was ready.

Adrien smiled warmly at her. “Thanks, Nathalie. I’ll be there in a minute.”

He finished up with tying his shoes, then made his way to the dining room, taking his seat at his usual spot.

“Good morning, father,” Adrien said, and his father looked up from his laptop for a split second, grunting an acknowledgement, before going back to whatever he was working on.

Ignoring the sting, Adrien picked up his utensils, slicing into the pancakes on his plate.

“As you know, Adrien,” Gabriel Agreste said, “I’m hosting a charity gala tonight.”

Adrien nodded, placing the slice of food into his mouth. He knew where this was going. He was already dreading having to get dressed up, swarmed with stylists as he was fitted with a suit, airbrushed and tailored to perfection. He tried not to let his dread show on his face.

“Yes, father, I know.”

“Good,” Gabriel said, eyes still fixed on his computer screen, “I expect you to make an appearance.”

Adrien bit back his protest. “Yes, father, I know that, too.”

This was normal. He usually had to make appearances at these sorts of things, dressed to the nines in the brand’s best menswear. And sometimes, if he was really unlucky, he had to bring along a date. Usually, it was some daughter of whatever designer his father was working with at the time. That was a mixed bag. Sometimes, the girls didn’t want to be there just as much as Adrien, and the two of them made a mutual, pleasant agreement to avoid each other for the night. Sometimes, they got along, and became friends. And sometimes, if Adrien was really unlucky, they got handsy. What was lucky, however, was the Gorilla taking one look and prying whatever girl tried to shove her hand up the front of Adrien’s shirt off of him and tossing her out on her ass. Even if she was sneaky, all it took was a single frightened glance at the bodyguard and there would be absolutely no more of that.

Adrien didn’t mind parties. He enjoyed talking with designers, and other celebrities that made appearances at these things, and many of the guests had known him since he was a young child. But he did mind when his father picked a date for him. He’d much rather take Nino and hang out, eating fancy hors d’oeuvres and just being regular sixteen year olds.

“Can I bring any guests?” Adrien asked, hopeful, but not expecting a yes.

“You are to bring a date.”

Ah. There it is.

Adrien’s shoulders slumped. “Do I get to choose this time?”

If Adrien did have a choice, and if it was a perfect world, he’d bring Ladybug. Just the thought of her, dressed to the nines, was enough to make his heart do backflips in his chest. Hell, just the thought of her had that effect. But, this wasn’t a perfect world, and Ladybug had a more important job than being his date to a silly gala. But, he could always take Marinette. His fondness for her ran bone deep, and her nervous smile and pretty, melodic laughter warmed his heart. It gladdened him that they’d been growing closer, and he enjoyed her company. She, the creative and bright baker’s daughter, was one of his very first friends, and he treasured that more than anything he had, treasured her.

“I already have a date selected for you.”

Adrien ignored the frustration bubbling up inside of him, pushing it down with as much force as he could, instead opting to nod passively, the only hint of his annoyance in the tightness of his polite smile.

“What’s her name?” He asked, reaching for his glass of orange juice, taking a drink.

“You may already know her, she’s one of your classmates. Lila Rossi.”

Adrien almost spat out his juice.

He sputtered inelegantly, forcing himself to swallow, but the juice got caught in his windpipe, making him cough roundly. He could feel Nathalie patting him on the back, offering him the glass for another sip, which he took, gulping down another mouthful of liquid.

His voice sounded strained when he spoke. “Lila?!”

Gabriel looked surprised at his son’s outburst, the lack of his usually impassive expression reflecting this. “Why, yes. She’s a good influence, and since you already know her, you’ll get along quite well.”

Adrien was incredulous. “Father, she lies— about everything.”

“Adrien, honestly. It is very unkind to say such things about your friends. You will be taking Miss Rossi to the gala, and that is final. I have already informed her mother, and Signora Rossi agreed. I will hear nothing more about it.”

Adrien wanted to say that he and Lila weren’t as close as his father thought, and that he’d appreciate it if he didn’t just set up dates without his say, but he also had enough sense to know that argument wouldn’t make a dent in his father’s decision. Adrien didn’t like liars, and he didn’t like how Lila treated people, but if his father said it was happening, it was happening.

As much as all of this irritated him, and as much as he thought that Lila might be involved with this decision, Adrien wasn’t going to do anything. There wasn’t anything he could do. He’d just have to endure her, glued to his side all night, lying about everything under the sun as she giggled and smiled and charmed everyone like a siren, worming her way into Adrien’s life even further.

Oh God, he was going to die tonight.

Without much more chatter, and a frosty silence, Adrien finished his breakfast and retreated to his bedroom to gather his school supplies. Tonight was going to be exhausting.

“Adrien!”

There she was, the second Adrien was stepping out of the car, running towards him with a bright, wide smile. She had obviously dolled herself up, dressing in a pair of white skinny jeans, paired with a pretty orange blouse with long sleeves, tied at the throat with an elegant bow. On her feet were a pair of soft brown ankle boots with a slight heel.

Adrien sighed, plastering on his best friendly smile, waving at her.

“Good morning, Lila.”

He tried to walk past her, searching the throngs of students entering the school for someone, anyone he knew, even an acquaintance, but there was nobody. Nothing at all this morning was going Adrien’s way. He took a deep breath in, walking on, and not pausing even when he heard the clack of Lila’s heels on the pavement as she tried to follow him.

She eventually caught up, grabbing onto his arm, forcing Adrien to give her his attention. He tried his best to give her a smile, and she smiled back, bouncing on her heels.

“Aren’t you excited for tonight?” She gushed, “it’s so awesome of your dad to ask me to be your date, do you think I’ll be able to wear a Gabriel Original to the gala? Have I ever told you about the time I exposed a store selling fakes? The real designers were kind enough to send me some originals because they were just so grateful.”

Okay, so Adrien was half right. He had no idea why his father had decided this, but he hardly had any idea why he did anything, even if predicting his changes in moods was like sixth sense to Adrien. It was hardly any use arguing with a brick wall, though, and that was something Adrien discovered long ago.

“That was kind of them,” Adrien said simply, not believing a word she’d just said, “and sure, tonight will be fun. I must warn you, though, these parties are kind of stuffy. I wouldn’t blame you for backing out.”

Lila scoffed, waving him off with a smile. “Of course I won’t back out, silly, and miss the chance to spend time with some of the biggest names in fashion? And most importantly, you.”

Adrien didn’t like the way she was looking at him, like he was a prime cut on display, or how close she was to him. He swallowed thickly, extracting himself from her grip.

“W-well,” he said, looking at an invisible watch, “we’re gonna be late to class.”

That was nowhere near true, but unlike Lila’s lies, a little white one like that was hardly anything to talk about, especially to get himself out of an uncomfortable situation.

Adrien took a deep, cleansing breath as he entered the courtyard, but he nearly toppled over when he bumped straight into Marinette.

She yelped in surprise, toppling over in a heap, peering up at him through tangled limbs. Her eyes went wide, a luminescent blush spreading across her cheeks as she scrambled to sit on her knees, rapidly straightening her clothing.

“Adrien!” She cried, “I’m sorry so— I mean I’m so sorry, I—”

Adrien chuckled, leaning down to pick up her dropped backpack, passing it back to her and offering a hand to help her up.

“My fault,” he said, “I wasn’t watching where I was going. Are you okay?”

Marinette’s expression was a little dreamy as she took his hand. “Now that you’re here— I mean— I— I’m fine.”

Adrien chuckled awkwardly, endeared by her, helping her to her feet.

She was dressed warmly, for the changing fall weather, in a blue sweater dress that brought out the vibrant cerulean of her eyes, fitted snugly at her narrow waist with bishop style sleeves, cinched tight at her slender wrists. On closer inspection, he noticed that there were little white ribbons, hand stitched at the collar of the dress. It was unique enough in its design enough that Adrien knew she herself designed it. It was paired tastefully with white leggings and pretty blue and white flats that matched her dress.

As always, she looked perfectly adorable. Adrien felt his heart warm at the sight of her. She looked nice like this, he noted, not that she ever didn’t look nice. Her hair was in twin braids instead of pigtails, fastened with little white ribbons. She was the picture of softness and beauty, and Adrien felt himself smiling, his heart fluttering in his chest.

A guy can platonically admire his friend, right?

…Right?

“You look pretty today,” he said, before he could stop himself, and he watched her face get so red he was afraid she’d combust, her eyes as wide as dinner plates.

Good going, Adrien.

“Y-you look pretty— pretty today,” she replied, as if on autopilot, “I mean, handsome— u-unless you wanna be pretty, you can be… pretty.”

Adrien smiled. “Thanks.”

A few, awkward beats of silence passed, and Adrien was about to excuse himself to go find Nino when she spoke.

“So,” she said, voice tight, “Lila.”

Adrian sighed heavily, pinching the bridge of his nose. “You heard that.”

Marinette panicked, shifting from foot to foot nervously. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to listen— I was just here, you know?”

Adrien waved her off. “No, no. Not your fault. It wasn’t a private conversation. And like you said, you just happened to be nearby. Also, just between you and me, I’d rather not be going with her, but it was my father’s idea.”

Marinette seemed puzzled by this. “Since when has your father even liked Lila?”

Adrien shrugged helplessly. “I don’t know. They had some kind of chat, or something about something or other, but now she’s welcome in the house any time. I guess he started liking her after the whole Kagami incident. Or maybe it was after she charmed her way into the house to help me study. I haven’t really asked.”

Marinette nodded, her expression oddly sad, her arms wrapping tightly around her backpack.

“I’m sorry about that,” she said, her eyes staying glued to her feet, “you should be allowed to choose your own date.”

Adrien scoffed. “Yeah, well he doesn’t see it that way. I’d rather be taking anyone else.”

You, he wanted to say, but that wasn’t an option, because she was one of his dearest friends, and that would definitely send the wrong message, right?”

Marinette cracked a smile, laughing ruefully. “If I had to spend an entire evening with Lila, I think I’d combust.”

“Oh, come on,” Adrien said, “she isn’t that bad. Y’know, once you get past all the lying. I think she’s just… misguided.”

Adrien noticed, for the first time, that Marinette’s face was paler than usual. Hidden by her makeup, sure, but where her foundation cut off, her skin was a touch paler than it usually was, and her eyes were tired. Furthermore, at his frankly weak and half assed defense towards Lila, she reacted in a way he didn’t expect.

In that she didn’t.

Usually, Marinette would say something about how Lila was a liar, or get at least somewhat annoyed or angry. That was to be expected. Marinette was an emotional girl who wore her heart on her sleeve. It was almost unnerving to see her not react at all to something she normally would’ve.

Instead, her gaze remained on the ground, expression tight, her shoulders rising and falling shallowly in an apathetic shrug.

“Have you been sleeping well?” Adrien asked, suddenly concerned at her unusual behavior.

Marinette blinked, finally looking up at him. “Huh? Oh, yeah, fine.”

Another beat, and she shifted uncomfortably. “W-we should class get— I mean, get to class.”

And with that, she turned on her heel, disappearing into the crowd.

Something was off with her. Adrien contemplated following her, but he refrained, watching her retreating figure. Her shoulders were hunched, making her look smaller, and it made Adrien’s heart hurt. She seemed even more nervous than usual, almost jumpy. She was usually jumpy, if something involved him, but never to this degree. There was something else going on.

Adrien intended to find out what that was.

And it wasn’t long until he did.

Talking to Alya, which was Adrien’s first plan of attack, went with little success. Alya told Adrien that Marinette was fine, just tired and stressed with new designs and schoolwork, though she did admit that she noticed something was off. However, she also said that when she confronted Marinette about this, the girl had simply brushed her off, assuring her that she was fine. Alya was worried before, but even more so now that someone else had noticed Marinette’s strange behavior. She agreed she’d keep an eye on Marinette, and that was it.

But it wasn’t. Adrien knew it wasn’t. Alya was smart, and she had the makings of a cutthroat journalist, so Adrien knew that when she said she was going to keep an eye on someone, she would do just that.

Adrien tried to keep his worry from his thoughts while he was in class, which had the usual banter throughout it, and there, Marinette seemed a little better, but she was still withdrawn. She spoke when spoken to, and didn’t even respond with her usual snark towards Chloé, but she answered questions when called on and smiled at jokes made by her classmates.

And, unusually, when Nino brought up going to the movies, Marinette declined.

It was during break that Adrien found out what was really going on.

He was passing the locker room when he heard voices. One of them was clearly Marinette, he knew her voice well. And the other was none other than Lila Rossi. She sounded nothing like she usually did, all sugar sweet; well meaning and pleasant. She sounded different.

“—that gala.”

“I know, Lila,” Marinette said, “he told me.”

“Oh, did he?” Lila replied, “then you know he’s taking me, as his date. He asked me himself, you know.”

Adrien felt his fist clench. Liar.

“No, he didn’t, Lila, stop lying. He told me that his father asked you to go with him.”

Lila laughed. It wasn’t a kind laugh. It was cold, unfeeling. Mean. “I’m sure he’s just saying that so he doesn’t hurt your feelings. But like everyone else, he likes me much better than you.”

“Why are you doing this to me, Lila?”

Adrien’s heart broke at the sound of utter defeat in Marinette’s voice. But mixed with the heartbreak for his friend, he was angry.

“Because,” Lila said, smugly, “I told you what would happen, didn’t I? I’d make sure that your life was miserable, that you’d have nobody left, and that you’d end up alone. After tonight, Adrien will be mine. And if you do anything about it, you’ll have more to worry about than just being alone.”

Adrien decided he was an idiot. All the signs were there. Withdrawn, poor sleeping, avoidance of social situations. Marinette was being bullied. How long had this been going on? What else had Lila done to Marinette? Why hadn’t she said anything?

Then, it occurred to Adrien that she had. Multiple times. And nobody listened. Everyone believed Lila instead of Marinette, calling her jealous, even when Lila lied more and more outrageously. It felt like a puzzle was piecing itself together as Adrien stood, thunderstruck, listening to one of his dearest friends get bullied.

She’s busy.

She needs to help her parents at the bakery.

I dunno, her grandma is in town.

She’s busy, Adrien.

I dunno, she said she was busy.

Adrien should have realized this so long ago. He should have put two and two together when she made an excuse and vanished after Lila was invited (or, rather, invited herself) to Alya’s party, or how she made every excuse under the sun not to even be in the same room as Lila when she could help it, keeping her head down when she did have to be within the other girl’s vicinity.

Marinette Dupain-Cheng was being bullied by Lila Rossi.

Adrien felt like a horrible friend.

Fury was beginning to bubble up inside of him, threatening to spill over as he tried to even out his breaths, listening to Lila verbally abuse Marinette, his anger reaching an all out rolling boil when he heard Lila use an insult.

“You really think he’d want you? Stupid bitch.”

Lila’s venomous words rang out inside Adrien’s head, reverberating like a shout in a cavernous tunnel, only stoking his building fury.

“Um,” came Plagg’s voice from within Adrien’s jacket, “you’re really gonna let her talk to your friend like that?”

Adrien said nothing, ignoring the Kwami as a plot began to formulate in his head. Most of the people at this gala were probably people Lila had told lies about in her life. Adrien knew for a fact that Jagged Stone would be in attendance, much to his excitement, since Gabriel Agreste had designed many of his last tour outfits. And Lila loved to lie about Jagged stone.

But, unfortunately for Lila, Jagged Stone had a particular fondness for Marinette.

In one night alone, Adrien knew he could do a lot of damage.

At the sound of Lila’s approaching footsteps, Adrien hid behind a corner, out of sight as she exited the locker room. After she was gone, he slipped into the room himself.

Marinette was sitting on the floor, her head in her hands, narrow shoulders shaking with sobs. Adrien felt his heart crumble, dreadful worry and horrible, horrible sorrow overtaking his anger as he rushed to her side.

She started at the sound of his footsteps, scuttling back, but when she saw it was him, she was launching herself into his arms, desperate for human contact of any kind, and he wrapped his arms tightly around her, tucking her head into the crook of his neck as he rubbed soothing circles into her back.

When Adrien found his voice again, he spoke softly, gently. “I didn’t know it was this bad.”

“Y-you heard—”

“All of it. She won’t get away with this, Marinette.”

“No, no,” Marinette said, tearfully, “you don’t understand, she always does. She won’t leave me alone, and I can’t stop her. I’m gonna— I’m gonna lose everyone.”

“No,” Adrien said, a little more firmly than he meant to, but he was angry. “no, no, you are not. You aren’t losing me.”

Marinette buried her face in his chest, and Adrien made a promise, both to her and himself.

Lila Rossi was going down.

“So, what’s the plan of attack?”

Adrien glanced over his shoulder, his fingers sliding down the length of his necktie as he fastened it to his shirt with an ornate silver tie clip. “Huh?”

His fingers found the buttons of his vest, doing them up, then straightening the lapels of his jacket. His hair was perfectly styled, his face airbrushed and made up flawlessly. He looked like a walking magazine cover, and he smelled like designer cologne, as well as far too much money for one person to have. From the tips of his shiny black dress shoes to the top of his preened head, he looked perfect in only a way a team of stylists could make a person look.

“I said,” Plagg groaned, “what’s the plan of attack? C’mon, kid, I live for pettiness. You know that. Now spill.”

“Is it petty to get back at the girl who’s been bullying my friend?”

Plagg was silent for a second. “That’s the definition of pettiness. But justified pettiness. You get me?”

“Okay, then I guess I’m petty,” Adrien said, then paused, “wait, when have I been unjustly petty?”

The kwami scoffed. “Seriously? Anytime someone has the hots for Ladybug, you’re the king of petty.”

Adrien considered a response, but gave up. “Point taken.”

A knock at the door prompted Plagg to zip into Adrien’s suit jacket with a snicker, and Adrien had a feeling that Plagg was going to be enjoying this more than he was.

“Adrien,” came Nathalie’s voice, “Miss Rossi is waiting for you.”

Adrien took a final look at his flawless reflection, reaching up to tousle his hair, just a little.

“Yeah, I’m coming.”

He followed Nathalie from his dressing room and into the sprawling ballroom of the Paris Le Grand, smiling politely at guests as he passed them. Lila was waiting at the refreshments table, a flute of sparkling water perched between her manicured nails.

She was dressed in an evening gown the color of a fresh peach. It was made of flowing crepe fabric, cinched tight at the waist. The neckline was low, revealing a tasteful amount of skin, with spaghetti strap sleeves, undoubtedly crossing at her back in an x-pattern. There was a slit on either side of the skirt, revealing her legs when she stepped forward, just a flash of them; hiding enough to be modest, but still revealing enough to be a little bit sexy. She wore strappy white high heeled sandals on her feet. Her arms were left bare, and her hair was fastened into a long French braid, worn tossed over one shoulder.

Adrien had to admit she looked lovely, even if his distaste for her had grown into detest in the last twelve hours.

Absently, he wondered how Ladybug would look in a gown like that.

“Adrien, hi!” Lila said, dark burgundy stained lips stretching into a grin.

She hurried towards him, catching his folded arm and tucking her hands against it. There was nothing wrong with the gesture, especially if she was there as his date, but the way she was standing so close showed a form of possessiveness Adrien wasn’t comfortable with. It told anyone who looked that they were a couple, which they most definitely weren’t.

Adrien forced a bit of distance between them, just enough to be respectful and impersonal, repeating the action when she tried to steal closer, after which she got the message.

“You know,” Lila said, taking a drink of her sparkling water, “the last time I was at a gala was when I was in Achu. It was Prince Ali’s birthday, and I was invited as his honored guest. He called me when he knew I’d be awake just to invite me, even though it was like four in the morning in Achu, then flew me in for the party.”

Adrien knew that was a lie. It was too tall of a tale not to be one, and it enraged him that his classmates would lap that right up. But Adrien wasn’t his classmates. Regardless, he forced a smile.

“That’s great, Lila. What’s a price’s birthday party like?”

Lila’s face lit up, undoubtedly thinking she’d snared him with that lie, her grin resembling a cat that got the cream.

“Oh my god, it’s incredible, especially as an honored guest. I got to wear the traditional dress of Achu, eat the food, and even dance with the prince. His other guests gave him all sorts of gifts, but he said he liked mine the most. It was just a handmade scarf, but he still appreciated it since I made it while doing all the traveling I was. He even gave me a gorgeous emerald necklace because he said it went with my eyes, as a thank you.”

Another lie. What kind of person gave gifts to someone else on their own birthday? And why would the prince of a tropical kingdom need a scarf? Adrien’s mouth twitched, but he hid it with a smile.

“That was so generous of him! I’m surprised you don’t wear it more.”

Lila chuckled. “Well, it’s so expensive that it would probably get stolen right off my neck if I did that.”

Adrien didn’t think the necklace even existed, but he didn’t let his doubt show. “So, your dress. It’s not a Gabriel, is it?”

Lila shook her head. “No, it’s a Lili Toussaint. She designed it specifically for me, you know.”

Adrien hid his grin. Bingo.

“I didn’t know you knew Madame Toussaint.”

A giggle, and her head fell to rest on his shoulder. Adrien tensed up.

“Oh, yeah, I did a summer internship as a model for her. We became great friends.”

“I see. How did that go?”

Lila leaned more heavily on him, and Adrien shifted uncomfortably. “Amazing. She’s super nice, it was a joy to work alongside a fashionista like her. She was even kind enough to design me a wrist brace to go with my outfits when I sprained my wrist while chasing down a thief that stole a poor old woman’s purse.”

That almost made Adrien laugh. Madame Toussaint was a dear friend of his father’s, who had practically watched Adrien grow up. She was like an aunt to him, and treated him and his father like family. But, unfortunately for Lila, Madame Lili Toussaint liked very few people outside of a collection of individuals Adrien could count on one hand, one of which included her purebred Pomeranian.

“Oh, really? I’ve worked with her as a model, too,” Adrien said, giving nothing away.

“I figured you probably had,” she said, “you’ve probably worked with so many more designers than I have.”

“Well,” Adrien said, “your career is still young. I’ve been modeling since I was a kid.”

Lila seemed to like this answer. “Yeah, you’re right. One day, I’ll be at your level. Maybe you can introduce me to some of your favorite designers?”

Not a chance, Adrien wanted to say, but he simply nodded.

Suddenly, Adrien’s bingo turned into a jackpot. Because there, standing in a sweeping, pale silk evening gown, absolutely dripping with what were undoubtedly real diamonds, was Madame Lili Toussaint herself. Her broad, elegant shoulders were wrapped in a faux fur shawl (she hated cruelty to animals, and went great lengths to make her brand cruelty free), her hands encased in long, silk gloves. Her hair was done up in an elegant French twist, pinned in place with large lilies, made up of silk petals.

Adrien said nothing, simply leading Lila along by the arm as she blathered on about how she had many interested parties regarding her potential line of handmade jewelry, so wrapped up in her lie and continuing to have Adrien’s attention that she hardly even noticed they were moving.

The very second Madame Toussaint saw Adrien, she broke away from her conversation to approach him, her lips stretching into a friendly grin.

“Adrien, darling,” she cried, eyes glittering, “you’ve gotten so tall! My goodness, you so look like your mother.”

She leaned down to plant a kiss on each of Adrien’s cheeks, chuckling merrily as she examined his appearance, brushing invisible lint from the lapel of his jacket, straightening his tie.

“Good evening, Madame Toussaint,” Adrien said, and she huffed.

“Bah! None of that formal nonsense, Adrien, you know I’m Lili to you. How is your father?”

“He’s well,” Adrien said, smiling, and he was genuinely happy to see Madame Toussaint. He just wished it could have been in circumstances not involving Lila.

Madame Toussaint clapped her hands together, smiling widely. “Oh, wonderful. I’m gladdened to hear that.”

“Yes,” Adrien said, then turned, gesturing with one hand to Lila, “surely you remember Lila Rossi. She modeled with you last summer, as an intern?”

Her smile dropped as she turned to take in Lila, her eyes calculating, then she turned back to Adrien.

“Adrien, you know as well as anyone I don’t take intern models,” Madame Toussaint said, “furthermore, I have never seen this girl before in my life.”

Adrien looked at Lila under the guise of seeking reassurance, but had to hide his smile when he saw her expression. If she looked like the cat that got the cream before, now she looked like the cornered mouse. Her shoulders were tense, her eyes wide, her cheeks pale. Adrien almost wanted to snap a picture, but that would be too cruel.

“Well,” Lila said, “I-I’m sure you just don’t remember me. I’m sure you worked with—”

Madame Toussaint scoffed. “Are you deaf, girl? I don’t take summer intern models, or whatever nonsense you told Adrien. And believe me, I never forget a face.”

She turned back to Adrien, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder, all smiles again. “Adrien, my dear, you should seek better company. This young lady seems to have a penchant for lying.”

Lila looked like she was about to combust, but she quickly composed herself, slapping an obviously fake smile on her face.

“It was amazing to see you, Lili,” Adrien said, “will you be visiting us later on?”

“Why, of course,” Madame Toussaint said, laughing richly, “silly boy, thinking for a mere second that I wouldn’t.”

The conversation wrapped up shortly after that, with Madame Toussaint excusing herself to go find Gabriel Agreste, leaving Adrien alone with Lila once more.

“So,” Adrien said, “I take it she didn’t design you that wrist brace?”

“I-I’m sure there was a mixup,” Lila sputtered, but it didn’t look like even she was buying that, “I remember now, it was her representative, since I couldn’t work remotely. You know, with all the traveling. She traveled with us.”

Adrien knew for a fact that Madame Toussaint preferred to work personally with her models, and that the representative in question was, in fact, male, but Adrien said nothing. Lila wouldn’t be able to keep lying for much longer.

Because now, Adrien had Jagged Stone in his sights.

He was dressed in a sweeping leather trench, dripping with chains and dotted with glittering gold studs, worn over a deep royal purple pinstriped suit. On his feet were steel toed wingtip shoes, lined with studs along the edges of the metal plating. His hair was slicked back, his face made up even more extravagantly than it usually was. His entire ensemble was awesome, Adrien thought, but then again, he did have a particular fondness for black leather.

Jagged Stone was holding a smartphone in one fingerless gloved hand, speaking animatedly towards it, undoubtedly on a live stream. This couldn’t have been more perfect if Adrien had set it up himself.

“Lila, look,” Adrien cried, “it’s Jagged Stone! I’m a huge fan. We’ve gotta go over and talk to him. You know him, right? Will you introduce me?”

Lila’s complexion turned absolutely chalky as she took in what Adrien said, but she hid her unease with a woolly smile, which looked borderline alarming when her eyes were wide with panic.

“Of course, Adrien,” she croaked, “but— he might not—”

Adrien bounced on his heels, giving her a smile. “Really?! You’re truly the best, Lila.”

Before she could say anything else, Adrien was dragging Lila across the ballroom towards the rock star, even as the girl tried to protest.

“He looks like he’s busy, Adrien, maybe we should come back later.”

Adrien scoffed. “I’m sure he won’t mind.”

But, heedless of what Lila said, Jagged Stone seemed pleased to see Adrien, his heavily lined eyes lighting up as he merrily walked over the rest of the way, draping a leather clad arm over Adrien’s shoulders. Adrien had to remember to breathe, taking two manual breaths and reminding his heart to keep beating.

“Adrien Agreste! You’re a friend of Marinette’s right? That girl is so rock and roll. If she’s a fan of yours, well, I am too. Say hello, kid, you’re live!”

That made Adrien’s stomach do backflips, since Jagged Stone had just said he was his fan, but he was here on a mission. Regaining his composure, Adrien waved to the camera, watching the chat function of Instagram Live go insane at his appearance.

“Marinette is awesome,” Adrien said, “I loved her design for your last album cover, I even got her to sign it.”

Jagged laughed merrily. “Did you now? I may have to get her to do that for me, too, yeah? I’m thinking of asking for her to design the next one, too, you think she’d do it?”

“I don’t think she’d let anything stop her,” Adrien confessed, and Jagged grinned widely.

The rock star straightened up, still resting a hand on Adrien’s shoulder as he hand turned, taking notice of Lila. He looked at her blankly, without any form of recognition, but still, he smiled politely.

“And who’s your friend, Adrien?”

Jagged turned the camera towards Lila, who was now white as a ghost, looking supremely uncomfortable. She waved to the camera anyway, trying her best to smile.

“Oh, don’t you two already know each other?” Adrien asked, feigning innocence, “Lila Rossi, she saved your kitten from an airplane runway, even though the jet engine burst her eardrum and gave her tinnitus.”

Jagged looked deeply puzzled, staring at Lila for a good few seconds in a mix of astonishment and confusion.

“Well,” he said, with an awkward chuckle, “deeply sorry ‘bout your ear, love, but Penny’s deathly allergic to cats, even though I do love the little buggers. I’ve never owned a cat in my life, ‘least not since childhood. Fang’s all I need now, yeah? You must be mistaken, Miss Rossi.”

Lila swallowed thickly, her chest rising and falling rapidly as she tried to calm her breathing. “E-excuse me, Adrien, I need to… t-op off my drink.”

With that, Lila turned unsteadily, heading towards the refreshments table.

Adrien pretended to be shocked, watching her leave with a dumbfounded expression.

“Well,” Adrien said, coughing, “I must’ve misunderstood her. I’m sorry, Mr. Stone, I didn’t mean to—”

Jagged chuckled, patting Adrien on the back. “Oh, no sweat, kid. Some people like to lie because they think it’ll make people like them. Don’t hold it against your friend, there, she probably just wanted to seem impressive to you, yeah? Besides, no trouble to me, I’m glad to meet you, and your… misguided friend. On the bright side, she can say she met me now and have it be the truth, hey? I wish her no ill will.”

He turned, winking at his camera, pulling Adrien in against his side for another shot together.

Adrien thanked him, promising to return later for an autograph, and then turned to go after Lila. He found her, hiding by the chocolate fountain, freezing like a deer in the headlights when she saw him coming.

“You feeling okay?” Adrien asked, and Lila didn’t answer for a second, busying herself with downing the contents of her drink.

“F-fine.”

Her voice was tight, barely controlled panic laced throughout it. She knew what had just happened. She’d been exposed, by a celebrity the entire class— no, the entire world loved, as a complete and utter liar. On a livestream. Adrien would be surprised if she even showed her face at school tomorrow. And if she hadn’t realized what Adrien was doing now, she would, without a single doubt, later.

“I think,” Lila said, “I’d like to go home now.”

Adrien pretended to be disappointed. “Oh, really? I mean, if that’s what you want.”

Lila forced a smile. “I’m a little tired. Maybe partying just isn’t for me, y’know? Pretty stuffy, like you said this morning.”

Adrien nodded, sympathetically as he could, before going to find Nathalie, who called a car to bring Lila home. Adrien waited with Lila for the car, and she was uncharacteristically silent the entire time, simply fiddling with her skirt, buttoning and unbuttoning her coat, and shifting her weight from foot to foot. Adrien played the attentive, chivalrous date when the car arrived, opening the door for Lila and bidding her farewell with a soft, easy smile.

The second she was gone, Adrien pulled out his phone. His Instagram followers had grown substantially, even from that one livestream, but that wasn’t important. What was important was that the tabloids were eating what had just happened up.

Who is the girl who lied about Jagged Stone?

And, to Adrien’s pleasure:

French Teenager to design Jagged Stone’s next album cover. Learn more about Marinette Dupain-Cheng here.

Adrien knew what he was doing the second he saw Jagged Stone live streaming. Was it petty? Sure it was. Was it a bit much? Yeah, probably. But nobody would believe any of Lila’s lies after all of that.

The damage had been done, irreparably.

With that, as if nothing was even wrong, Adrien tucked his phone back into his pocket, ignoring the raucous laughter from Plagg from his jacket. Shushing the Kwami, Adrien stepped back inside, intent on enjoying the rest of his (rather stuffy) evening.

Checkmate, Lila Rossi. She was finished.

#miraculous fanfic #miraculous ladybug #Adrien agreste #marinette dupen chang #adrien salt #salt fic #miraculous ladybug salt #lila rossi #adrienette #My writing #not a reader insert #adrien x marinette #fanfiction #fanfic #mlb plagg #alya cesaire #cross posted on ao3 #lila rossi bashing #adrien has had enough

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mochegato · 3 years

Text

Even the Losers

Chapter 7

Chapter 1 Chapter 6

Marinette rubbed her head as though the action might actually have an effect on her throbbing headache. It hadn’t any time she’d tried it in the last hour, but it gave her brain the illusion that she was doing something to help other than just waiting for the painkillers to kick in. The action also gave her something to focus on other than the pounding hangover from not getting nearly drunk enough last night. Because somehow despite the massive amounts she, Jason, and Roy had drunk last night, all of her problems still existed. Utter bullshit, that. And now she still had to deal with all her problems and felt like crap on top of it. Double bullshit.

She adjusted her sunglasses again, fighting the urge to squint because squinting hurt. Although honestly, she wasn’t sure which hurt more, the florescent lights, the sunlight beaming through the hotel windows, or squinting. She was sure there was some way to settle the glasses on her face to block out all light, she just hadn’t been able to figure it out. She now realized why people significantly smarter than her wore those godawful, ugly glasses that wrap around their head and cut out all sun.

She took a deep breath and braced herself for the full blast of a suspiciously sunny Gotham morning. Gotham has like three sunny days a year and one of them is today? What the Hell did she do to Tikki to deserve the last few days? She wandered out of the hotel still contemplating revenge. How does one get revenge against a god anyway? How many ways can she destroy cookies?

She didn’t get more than a few steps before she sensed someone in front of her. She weaved slightly to the left but quickly realized there was someone there too. She weaved to the right and finally looked up when she realized there was someone there. There were people all around her, taking pictures of her, shoving phones in her face as they yelled questions at her.

She stumbled back a few steps and blinked at the group of reporters that had apparently been camping out in front of the hotel for her. She quickly plastered on one of Adrien’s patented PR smiles and nodded to them. She tried to push through them, expecting them to move out of her way, as they did in Paris for Adrien. But reporters in Gotham clearly did not show the same respect that Parisian reporters did because none of them moved out of her way.

Her smile strained slightly as she looked to the one in front of her. “Excuse me, please,” she requested in the most sickeningly sweet voice she could manage.

The reporter sent back an excited smile. “Ms. Dupain Cheng, would you care to comment on your relationship with your family? Perhaps explain why Gotham hadn’t had the pleasure of your presence before?”

Marinette looked the reporter up and down. She looked at the group surrounding her, noting how they had closed the circle to the point of touching her. She’d been to raves with more personal space. She moved to push through a small gap between reporters, but stopped when they quickly closed the gap. Marinette gritted her teeth and widened her smile. “There’s a reason we’ve chosen not to speak about this and that reason was NOT to discuss it in an exclusive with you at this exact moment. Now if you will excuse me, I would very, very much like to get some coffee. I’m sure you can understand the difficulty of starting a day without it.”

She gave them a conspiratorial smile, hoping if they felt like they were in on the joke they would let her through. Instead, her response emboldened the reporters, who started shouting out her name and more questions.

“Will you attend more Wayne functions now?”

Marinette didn’t even know which reporter shouted the question to address them if she wanted. She huffed and decided to give up on pleasantries. She was hung over. She was hungry. She wanted coffee. “Why would people change a relationship that doesn’t involve you because you know about it?” she grunted as she tried to push through the cracks between people.

The reporters closed ranks tighter around her, making it impossible for her to break through without injuring someone, which she was sure was the plan of at least a few of them. Whether it was to get a more salacious story or to sue Bruce Wayne, she wasn’t sure. Probably both. She looked back to the hotel lobby hoping the concierge would see her predicament and help her, but he was determinedly ignoring the scene in front of the hotel.

She set her jaw and prepared herself to create a scene channeling her best imitation of an irate Chloe Bourgeoisie. She’d deal with the fallout later. Right now, she needed to get out of this situation before someone actually did push a little too hard and tiny gods decided to curse the city. She opened her mouth to yell but instead heard someone else’s voice boom through the crowd.

“I think my sister told you to leave her the fuck alone.”

Marinette looked around to try to find the source of the voice but couldn’t see past the wall of reporters. She didn’t have to wait long for him to push his way through the crowd like a wrecking ball, not worrying about injuring anyone as he shoved his way through. Jason stopped in front of her with a smirk. “She just says it in a much more polite way than I do.” He held up a bag and a tray of coffee. “I come bearing gifts so you don’t have to deal with this shit out there somewhere.”

Marinette shot him a grateful smile and turned back toward the hotel. “That sounds brilliant. Thank you.”

Jason winked at her. “I got you.”

They didn’t stop or even look at each other until the elevator doors closed behind them. Marinette leaned against the wall and finally took a full breath. She looked over to Jason with another grateful smile. “Thank you. I wasn’t expecting that and I…” She looked down for a moment to collect her thoughts. “I wasn’t prepared. I’ll do better next time.”

Jason’s eyes softened. The press was a lot for all of them to get used to. None of them had taken naturally to it, especially Gotham’s press. They at least had the advantage of starting young and knowing what to expect, not to mention since they were kids, the press didn’t have a lot of chances to get to them. Marinette had just been thrown out there without a life preserver. Bruce didn’t even send any guards. “Don’t worry about it. I thought you could use the save.”

Marinette laughed and narrowed her eyes at him. “That was a socially acceptable version of a kidnapping. I had no way of getting out of that without exposing that there is no relationship.”

“Should have just exposed it then,” he shrugged, not remotely nonplussed by her comment. “I just thought you could use some sustenance after last night.” He held up the bag for her as they exited the elevator and made their way to her room. “I know you must be used to fancy French food so I got a variety of food from the best bakery in town. And I didn’t know how you take your coffee or if you prefer tea so I got both and lots of sugar and creamer.”

Marinette giggled as she opened her door. “You’re not wrong. My parents owned a patisserie. I grew up on the best baked goods in France.”

Jason blinked a few times at her before setting the drinks and food on the coffee table. “That’s it, next family reunion is at your place.”

“Not so sure that’s going to be a thing,” she said quietly. She reached for one of the croissants and ripped off a small piece, popping it in her mouth. “Not really sure I count as family. That’s kind of been made clear.”

“Yeah well, we didn’t know and we’d like to get to know you, if you’re okay with it,” he said biting off a chunk of cheese Danish. “Look, I’m not looking for family dinners and brunches and shit, I just… want to make sure you’re okay.” He looked up at her earnestly for a moment before his eyes turned mischievous. “Although if you grew up in a bakery, I might want all that at your parents’ place.”

“At least you’re asking. That’s something anyway,” she grumbled as she took another small bite.

“Speaking of family, where is model boy?”

Marinette puckered her lips in disapproval as she watched the crumbs fall from Jason’s mouth as he spoke. She looked away before she snapped at him. “He and Max went apartment hunting.”

“Without you?” Jason asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Neither of them were suffering from a raging hangover that took double the normal dosage of painkillers just to take the edge off of,” she said pointedly.

“Coffee,” Jason grunted, motioning toward the coffee. “Lots of coffee and food and water.” He pushed the bag toward her. “Not the bird bites you’ve been taking.”

She studied the croissant in front of her with a furrowed brow as though it had some kind of answers for her. She nearly dropped it when she heard a knock on the door. She looked through the peephole and gasped, flinching back from the door. Jason immediately jumped up and ran over to her. “What is it? Another reporter?”

“No,” Marinette rasped out, her eyes never leaving the door. “Worse.” Her heart started racing and her breathing became labored. She wasn’t ready for this. She wasn’t ready to speak with him. What was she supposed to say? How was she supposed to speak with him? She didn’t even know how she felt yet. She hadn’t sorted through this all yet. Tears threatened to fall from her eyes. She wasn’t ready. This was happening too fast.

She flinched visibly when he knocked again. He’d had time to prepare. He’d had time to think this through. He knew how he felt about this. He’d had time to plan and prepare. She had none of that and here he was on her doorstep. He knew about her and she knew nothing about him. He was ready and she wasn’t given that chance.

She was just expected to deal with it. She was just expected to handle it. She was just expected to accept it. He’d created this entire situation and she was left to pick up the pieces and move on. And now he was here. He was on her figurative doorstep in person and now she had to deal with it, on his timetable, according to his preference, because yet again it all had to be done on his terms. Her preferences didn’t matter. Her feelings didn’t matter. Her opinion didn’t matter.

“Want me to kick their ass out?” Jason offered already reaching for the handle.

Marinette shook her head and let out a calming breath. He thinks he can come in after twenty years gone and act like everything is fine and expect her to play nice, he has another thing coming. He wanted a detached relationship? She could do that. She’d seen it enough growing up with Adrien and Chloe’s parents. She knew how to play the game.

She shook her hands to get the tension out before finally reaching out to open the door. “Mr. Wayne. This is an unexpected pl… experience,” she stuttered. She mentally grimaced. She was showing weakness. She needed to be strong. She plastered on a clearly fake smile. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of being weak. She wouldn’t cry for him. She hadn’t cried because of him in the twenty years he’d been absent, she wouldn’t do it now.

Bruce took a breath. “Marinette…” He froze for a second. He hadn’t thought hard enough about this. He knew what he wanted to say, what he wanted to tell her, but he hadn’t thought about how to tell her, how to lead into it. “I was hoping to speak with you,” he rushed out, wincing internally at the sound of it.

“Well, that’s a first,” she scoffed before she could stop herself. She slapped her hand over her mouth and mentally berated herself. What was she doing? She was supposed to be calm not cruel. She was losing this game!

Jason grinned and propped his arms behind his head as he kicked out his legs, the very picture of relaxed. “I like her. I’m keeping her.”

Marinette shot him an appreciative smile but Bruce did a double take, frowning at the sight. His mind raced as to what it meant that Jason was there. Was it good? It was good, wasn’t it? She was getting close to one of her brothers already. But that brother was Jason, and despite the fact that he loved Jason, he was well aware their relationship was still contentious at best. Not exactly the best brother for her to get close to. And he was already encouraging her hostility against him. Not that he didn’t deserve it, he knew he did, it was just that any of the other brothers would help mitigate that hostility. Jason would fan it. “Jason, what are you doing here?”

“Brought baked goods and coffee,” he answered casually, a smirk making its way onto his face. “You?”

Bruce let out a heavy sigh through his nose and smoothed out his face. Getting annoyed now would do nothing for his goal. If Marinette was connecting to Jason, getting frustrated with him would just push her further away. “As I mentioned, I was hoping I could speak with Marinette about the… situation. I wanted…”

“‘The situation’,” Jason mocked shaking his head at Bruce. God was he always this bad with his kids? He thought it was just him. “Way to sound sincere, B.”

Bruce’s lips pursed until they were no longer visible. He didn’t need Jason sabotaging him right now. He was doing a good enough job of it on his own. “I’d like to speak with Marinette on our own, please. Why don’t you go home?”

Marinette’s eyes went wide and her chest clenched. She didn't want Jason to leave. She wasn't ready for Jason to leave. Once Jason left it was just her and him. Just thinking about it suddenly she couldn't breathe. Suddenly the air felt too thin and too heavy at the same time. No. She needed somebody else here.

Jason shot a look over to Marinette, letting his eyes pass over Marinette like he hadn’t been noting her body language. He let his eyes wander for a second before returning to Bruce with a tilt to his head. “No. I’m witnessing this, unless Pixie tells me to go home.”

Marinette could have kissed him… on the cheek. Because he was her br… it was complicated. But she was beyond grateful he had spoken up for her. She let out the breath she’d been holding and raised an eyebrow at him. “Pixie?”

“Small, violent,” Jason grinned at her.

Marinette laughed and playfully narrowed her eyes at him. “Fine, whatever, Goliath.”

Jason leaned back again. “Oh, no, that one’s already taken. By a dragon bat, no less.”

Marinette’s face scrunched in confusion. She tried to search through her Americanisms for what a dragon bat could be. It had to be a species of bat right? Maybe? But then again it was American English so for all she knew it could be a flower. “A what?”

“Jason!” Bruce admonished. He was really not looking forward to trying to explain what a dragon bat was or how Damian came to be in possession of one.

Jason rose up enough to grab one of the croissants and shove half of it into his mouth before he spoke. “I’ll introduce you sometime, or Damian will have to actually… which he won’t. I’ll show you a picture, you seem like the kind of person who likes terrifying animals as long as they’re fuzzy.”

“I… fair,” Marinette conceded easily.

“If I can bring us back to the topic at hand,” Bruce interjected loudly, cutting off any more discussion of dragon bats.

“Family bonding, right?” Jason cut him off with a pointed look. “Isn’t that what we were doing?”

Bruce glared at Jason for a few seconds, which did nothing to wipe the smug smirk off his face. Giving up on Jason, Bruce focused on Marinette. “At the gala you mentioned you didn’t plan on being in town much longer, leaving today actually. I was hoping I could convince you to stay a bit longer.”

Marinette examined him with a dour curiosity. She cocked her head to the side. “And why might that be? You don’t need me here to make an announcement that we prefer to keep our relationship private, hence they didn’t know about me.”

Bruce let out a deep sigh. That was fair. It was a fair response. Sabine had warned him she would be suspicious of him. “This isn’t for the public,” he assured her.

“Isn’t it?” She blinked a few times at him, her face blank. “Are you sure? It feels like it is.” She turned to Jason. “Doesn’t it feel like it is to you?”

“It does indeed,” Jason nodded in agreement, keeping eye contact with Bruce as he did.

“Jason…” he started threateningly.

“Oh, I’m sorry, were you relying on me to make fixing your fuck up easier for you? Wrong kid. You’re looking for Dick or Tim… actually I wouldn’t rely on Tim for help explaining why being an absentee father isn’t actually that bad.”

“Jason, I think it’s time for you to go home,” Bruce growled.

Marinette straightened up and moved between him and Jason. She wasn’t going to let him bully Jason for standing up for her. “I don’t think so. So far he’s the only member of my family I like.”

“Ooh, you should totally give Cass and Steph and Duke a chance too,” Jason offered with a faked enthusiasm as though the confrontation with Bruce didn’t just happen. He kept his eyes on Marinette but relished the increasingly frustrated scowl on Bruce’s face as they ignored him.

Marinette nodded. “I’ll consider it.”

“Oh and Alfred… and I guess Tim too. He’s a prick but he’s alright I guess,” Jason continued.

Marinette blinked at him. It was like a never ending list of people. An ongoing list of people he had taken in after walking away from her. A long list of people he’d cared about and for without having to be pressured into it by the press. A mile long list of people he wasn’t pretending to care about. “How many brothers and sisters do you have?”

“We have a lot,” Jason corrected her. They were in this together and he’d remind her of that as many times as she needed. “Alfred isn’t a sibling though. He’s like a grandfather.”

Marinette paused at that. She hadn’t considered that. Another grandfather figure. Another grandfather that didn’t want anything to do with her. Sure now Grand-père Roland loved her but for the first fifteen years, he’d known about her and didn’t care. Maybe it was her. It had to be her right? Two grandparents, that isn’t coincidence. That’s a pattern and the only commonality was her. She pursed her lips together to focus on something other than the tears welling up behind her eyes. “Sounds like the kind of person who definitely would have known about me.”

Jason’s eyes widened. “I… don’t know the answer to that,” he answered slowly.

Marinette nodded, slowly going numb. “So, what I’m getting from this so far is I have a another grandfather-type figure that knew about me and didn’t feel any kind of interest in me and a ton of people that my father decided were worthy of his love and affection when I wasn’t. So it isn’t that my father didn’t want to be a father, just that he didn’t want to be my father.”

“That isn’t…” Jason started. This was going down the wrong path. He was trying to show her he had her back, not remind her about the pain. But instead, now Marinette was getting hurt, remembering the pain. She’d lost her sass and impertinence and now was moving toward hurt. And she was blaming Alfred. Alfred was one of the only good things about being a Wayne!

“Jason! I think it’s time for you to go home. Now!” Bruce roared.

Marinette contemplated Bruce coldly, numbness consuming her fears and insecurities and morphing into cold, analytic contemplation. He was blaming Jason. Her frustration wasn’t because of Jason or anything he said. Her pain wasn’t because of Jason, it was because of him, because of his decisions. And instead of taking responsibility for it, he was blaming Jason.

Jason blinked a few times, no longer certain of his role in this interaction. He looked back and forth between Marinette and Bruce, noting Marinette’s hardening features. She was getting ready for a fight. He could see it developing, but he wasn’t at all sure Bruce did. He held up his hands in surrender and sat back down calmly. “I promised I wouldn’t leave unless Pixie asked me to. I intend to keep my promise to her,” he said calmly.

Bruce glared at him again and faced back to Marinette, a fake smile plastered on. “As I was saying. I’d like a chance to get to know you, if you would let me.”

“And how many members of the press did you want to be there when you do?” she inquired sharply.

Bruce sighed and rubbed his forehead. “That’s not fair.”

Marinette’s mouth dropped and she shook her head at him incredulously. “Wow. Way to pull the rich, white guy entitlement card. ‘I know everything about this situation has been unbelievably unfair to you, but now I’m being inconvenienced in the mildest way possible and I don’t like it,’” she mocked. She rocked back on her heels and narrowed her eyes at him. “Rest assured M. Wayne, I do not intend to speak out against you. Your reputation will not be harmed by me. Tell the press whatever you want. I won’t contradict you. You can relax.”

“Marinette…” he started, unsure of where to go. Everything she had said was so far from the truth, he didn’t know where to start. Her view of the situation was so skewed, he didn’t know how to put it back on kilter. His shoulders sagged in defeat. “This has nothing to do with the press. I had put plans in motion to get in contact with you before any of this started. Mr. Fox will confirm that for you if you don’t trust me. You seem like quite an impressive young lady and I would like to get to know you better, if you’ll give me the chance.”

His tone was contrite and quiet, but Marinette wasn’t done being upset yet. She wasn’t ready to move on and let go of the anger. “And if I wasn’t, you would continue to ignore me? If I was a problem child, if I had social issues, if I couldn’t find a job, you’d continue to treat me like I never existed? I’ve finally done enough to gain your attention. Oh thank you so much for letting me know.”

“That isn’t what I said,” Bruce rushed to assure her. “I meant to compliment you not say you had to earn my attention.”

Marinette pursed her lips and looked over to Jason. He was looking back at her with sympathetic, concerned eyes. She let out a long sigh and looked away from them both. “Look, I meant what I told the press earlier. I had no intention of you seeing me at the gala. I had no intention of anyone finding out about me. I didn’t even know there was anything to find out when I made the plan to come here. And I have no expectation of anything about our relationship changing.”

Bruce perked up slightly, but focused on keeping his body language the same, so she wouldn’t see the difference. That was an opening; expectation instead of intention. It wasn’t that she intended not to change it, it’s that she didn’t expect it. “I do,” he assured her, trying to keep the excitement out of his voice, keeping it calm and even. “I would like to change our relationship. I would like the chance to explain and try to start to make it up to you. If you would like to try.

“If you’re open to it, I can extend your reservation until you are ready to move on, or if you would prefer, you are more than welcome to stay at the manor. I would love to have you stay with us but I understand that may be overwhelming. Or, WE has have some flats available, with multiple bedrooms. You and your friends could stay there for a while. Your friend is going to need a place to stay while he looks for an apartment, right?

“I’ll leave the choice to you. Whether we pursue a relationship, if you stay, where you stay; they’re all your choice. Here,” he handed her a paper with several numbers hand written on it. “These are my numbers; office, home office, cell phone, manor. You can use any of them to contact me.”

Marinette took the paper impassively. She squeezed her other hand in an effort to keep the tremble from being too obvious. “Thank you, M. Wayne. I will consider your words.”

Bruce nodded, letting the very formal use of his name wash away. This was still progress. This was still movement in the right direction, even if it wasn’t as much as he would want. He knew it could take a long time. He knew he wouldn’t be able to fix this today. “Thank you, Marinette. That’s all I can ask for. And I’m sorry for ambushing you here. I tried to call and text you all yesterday to set up a time to talk in person so you could prepare but it seems like your phone was off.”

He let out a small breath seeing her eyes widen at his admission. That had to be a good sign. Maybe he actually said the right thing for once. He nodded to her and left her to think, hoping Jason would urge her to call. He seemed to want a relationship with her as well. Hopefully, he would realize this was the best way to get that.

Jason sighed and looked up at her as soon as the door closed behind Bruce. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m not. It’s… it’s a lot. I think I want to be alone,” Marinette said absently staring at the numbers in her hand.

Jason nodded. “It is. I understand. If you want to talk, at all, about anything. About where to drink in town, best burger, anything, give me a call.” He gently took the paper Bruce had handed her out of hand, letting her decide if she gave it to him or not. When she let go, he put his number on it as well. “I only have one number, but now you have it.”

Marinette nodded at him. “Thank you, Jason.”

Jason hesitated briefly. “For what it’s worth, if you decide to stay you should take him up on the flat. The hotel is stupid expensive and WE offers the flat to visiting collaborators all the time, so it’s not like it’s all that special… if you want to avoid being treated special.”

Marinette nodded at his words, barely taking them in as her mind tried to fight the numbing process. Jason watched her tentatively. “You look like a hugger,” he said uncertainly. “Did you… do you want a, um, a hug?”

Marinette looked over at him and blinked a few times, not sure how to take his words, partly because he seemed unsure of them himself, but partly because things were having a harder time permeating her brain right now. Jason took her curious look as doubt. “Oh come on. It’s fine. I wouldn’t offer if I didn’t mean it. Trust me. I tell Dick to fuck off enough when he tries to hug me. I have no problem saying no to hugs I don’t want. I’m offering because I mean it.”

Marinette blinked a few more times but finally nodded vacantly. Jason pulled her into a warm, comforting hug. After a few moments he pulled away. “It will all be okay. No matter what you decide, it will all be okay. And no matter what you decide, I’m here. Nobody’s replacing you as my sister. So get ready for some completely inappropriate Christmas presents this year.”

Marinette smiled absently at his joke, her eyes never meeting his. “Thanks, Jason.” She leaned against the door after she closed it behind him and slid down it, staring blankly at nothing. The room felt colder than it was before, but she couldn’t manage to care enough to get up and get a blanket. She thought there might have been ambient noise going on around her but none of it registered. Nothing registered. Not the numbing sensation that was rapidly overtaking her body from her fingers and toes up to her head until she stopped feeling anything. Not even the point she was staring at. She didn’t know how long she stared at the nothingness before black overtook her vision and she passed out.

Chapter 8

Tags:

@maribat-bdbwm @jayjayspixiepop @redscarlet95 @alice-hazelwood @deathssilentapproach-blog @unoriginalmess @alyssadeliv @emotionalsupportginger @frieddonutsweets @when-no-wings-do-broomsticks @toodaloo-kangaroo @colorfulmongerpsychicranch @iloontjeboontje @wolf-for-life @maribatserver @aespades @prettylittlebutterflie @imarivers8 @ certainmuffinbagelcalzone @ritacrow-blog @unoriginalmess @demonicbusiness @kking13 @lady-bee-fechin @blur-of-colours @kittenmywaythrulife @kashlyn

#maribat #bio!dad bruce #bio dad bruce wayne #roynette #Even the Losers #mbdbwm2021 #prompt - gifts

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mikauzoran · 2 years

Text

Lukadrigaminette: Broken (One-Shot)

@dancinglifeboat asked for Lukadrigaminette.

Summary: Adrien’s father might not support him, but he knows he can always count on his real family.

Read it on AO3: Lukadrigaminette: Broken

“Let’s just…watch a movie,” Marinette suggested as she brought a plate of snickerdoodle cookies over to where Kagami and Luka were cuddling Adrien on the Dupain-Chengs’ couch.

“I personally volunteer to sing along with you to whatever Disney film you choose,” Kagami offered as a testament to how much she loved Adrien.

“Me too,” Luka agreed (a much smaller sacrifice on his part but appreciated nonetheless).

“Me three,” Marinette chimed in. “We’ll make it one big singalong.”

Adrien swallowed and blinked the tears out of his eyes as he struggled to find his voice.

He looked at the small cardboard box over in the corner by the TV, and a fresh wave of tears hit him.

That was everything he’d been able to smuggle out of the Mansion in his haste to escape after coming out to his father earlier that day had ended poorly.

“I don’t—” His voice cracked. “I don’t think I feel up to singing.”

Marinette set the cookies down on the coffee table and took a seat at Adrien’s feet so that she could join in loving on him with her other two partners. “Is there anything you do feel like doing? Even just a little bit?”

Luka gave Adrien’s hair a nuzzle. “Doing literally anything else would be better than sitting here and feeling miserable, Perfect Fifth.”

Adrien shrugged, sinking even further into his partners’ embraces. “I just…I’m kind of panicking right now. I don’t think I’m ready to be distracted yet. I’m still kind of in survival mode. I mean…I don’t even know where I’m sleeping tonight. I’m homeless, and I don’t know how I’m going to pay for education and food and—”

“—Adrien, calm down,” Kagami commanded in her no-nonsense tone.

“Obviously, you’ll come live with one of us, so there’s no need to spend energy worrying about that,” Luka remarked matter-of-factly.

“We have a small flat on the ground floor of the bakery that’s supposed to be used for a live-in apprentice,” Marinette offered. “It’s pretty much just storage right now, but we could get it cleaned up for you. If you want, I’ll talk to my parents in the morning.”

“Or you could come live on the Liberty,” Luka added. “We have plenty of cabins filled with junk that we could clean out and make into a room for you. Take your pick.”

“I’m sure Chloé would put you up as well,” Kagami chimed in. “Unfortunately, I think my mother will side with your father, so I’m unable to offer my own home. In fact, I may need to put myself at your mercy as well when I tell my mother about the four of us because I anticipate that she will have a similar reaction to your father, Adrien.”

Everyone’s hands went out to rest on Kagami.

She shook her head. “I don’t mean to make this about me. I am merely explaining my inability to offer Adrien a place to stay. Until I am forced to confront my mother and possibly break ties with her, I will do my best to siphon off resources in order to prepare.”

“Maybe we’ll get lucky and your mother will take it better than my father did,” Adrien muttered, resting his head against Kagami’s.

She gave his hand a reassuring pat. “So. It sounds like housing is decided. I’m sure wherever you end up staying they’ll feed you, so there’s no sense in worrying about that either. As far as paying for things…do you still have a job at Gabriel, or was your employment terminated?”

Adrien’s brow furrowed. “I’m…not sure. He didn’t exactly disown me or kick me out even. I just… The things he said… I couldn’t keep living under the same roof as someone who would say such ugly things about me and the people I love, so…”

“We need a lawyer,” Marinette realized. “You’re nineteen, so you should have access to any trust funds you’re the beneficiary of now, and surely you have money somewhere from your work as a Gabriel employee. It’s just a matter of finding it and gaining access to it.”

Luka gave Adrien’s arm a reassuring squeeze. “So, it sounds like you’re not destitute after all, and you can stay with me or Marinette, so that takes care of your food and housing. I’ll call Penny first thing in the morning about an attorney. She should be able to point us in the right direction.”

“Okay?” Kagami gave Adrien an appraising look. “Do you feel a little better now?”

Adrien swallowed and nodded. “Yeah. That’s… Okay. It doesn’t feel so much like the world is ending now.”

“Good,” Marinette sighed in relief, going up on her knees to give Adrien a quick smooch.

Kagami and Luka both followed suit, and then they all stood for a group hug.

They stayed in their huddle for a long time, waiting for Adrien to be the first to pull away.

“Can we maybe have a sleepover?” he tentatively inquired as he looked around the circle. “Like…can we do the Disney singalong and hair and nails and makeup and everything?”

Kagami’s eyes went wide and began to sparkle with excitement as she looked to Marinette and Luka. “Can we?”

“And can we make a pillow nest and sleep in a puppy pile?” Adrien added, holding his breath as he pushed his luck.

“I’m game,” Luka easily agreed, looking to Marinette as the final say.

She shrugged with a smile. “I’m sure my parents won’t mind, so long as we’re not too loud.”

Adrien had to fight to contain his squeal of joy.

Kagami also suppressed her own trill of excitement.

Adrien looked from one partner to the next with an expression overflowing with love and gratitude. “You guys are the absolute best. I am so lucky to have you.”

“I feel like we’re the lucky ones,” Marinette replied, necessitating another round of kisses and hugs before they broke apart to prepare for makeovers, snickerdoodle cookies, and singalongs.

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flightfoot · 3 years

Text

If anyone wants to read a fanfic focusing on Alya’s problems and feelings, centered around her as a person, I HIGHLY recommend “can you keep a secret?” by euphorickiri.

It starts off looking like it’s mostly just gonna be interested in shipping Alyadrien (which it DOES do very effectively), with early chapters having a good portion of the plot be driven by Alya suspecting that Adrien’s Chat Noir and wanting to spend more time with him, find out more about him in order to become sure of it.

But even then, even as early as chapter 1, you get to see that there’s more going in with Alya than you’d normally see in such a fic. That she can’t get herself to post to the Ladyblog after the Lady Wifi business, that people at school are treating her differently after being akumatized, along with going over her current issues with her friends and family, things that are shown and develop more and more as the series goes on.

In chapter 1:

Nino was her closest friend besides Marinette. They bonded quickly over their mutual love for comic books and have only grown closer since then. Often when Alya felt like she couldn’t talk to Marinette, Nino was always there to lend an ear. This was happening a lot more recently than she wanted to admit. She didn’t know exactly what was going on, but Alya wasn’t stupid. Marinette was hiding something from her. Something big. She showed up to school half-asleep most of the time and when asked to hang out she came up with every excuse in the book to avoid going. There were even certain times she would just disappear without telling anyone. It seemed like it was taking a huge toll on her and Alya didn’t want to add to that burden. So she plastered a smile on her face for her best friend and supported her in any way she could. Still, she couldn’t help but be suspicious about what was going on.

She hated how much Lady Wifi took over her life. She pretended not to see the dirty looks people sent her, ignoring how hurt she felt. Nino was right. They weren’t themselves when they were akumatized. But that didn’t mean everyone sympathized with akuma victims. And she was no exception. Even Chloe was wary around her now. Chloe . The most fearsome person at school. So Alya preferred not to talk about it at all. It was just something else she had to deal with.

She wasn’t weak. She wasn’t . She could handle herself.

And with chapter two, it starts laying the foundation of her family situation.

“What do you guys want?” Alya asked tiredly.

“Breakfast,” Ella replied. “Can you make chocolate chip pancakes again?”

Alya ran a hand over her face and looked over at her alarm clock, relieved she had a decent amount of time to get herself and her sisters ready for school. Her parents worked during the day so it became Alya’s responsibility to look after the twins. Make sure they get to school, pick them up from school, feed them, dress them - everything. It could be draining, and as much as she loved her sisters, they were still kids who acted out and refused to cooperate at the worst times. But if she didn’t look after them, no one else would. Her parents, especially her mom, were too engrossed in their work. The one time Nora did come home to visit, Ella and Etta didn't know who she was. That’s how long she’s been gone.

So, this was Alya’s burden to carry. Alone.

“You guys have to eat something other than pancakes every morning,” Alya scolded, reaching for her phone. “I’ll make oatmeal with some fruit instead.”

As the story goes on, Alya’s family situation with her parents fighting and using her as a go-between while pretending everything’s alright, with herself being her younger sisters’ rock, becomes a bigger part of the story and necessary background to the emotional struggle Alya goes through, informing a lot of her character and why her thought process is the way it is.

The rest of the day consisted of Alya trying to get Marinette to speak with occasional assistance from Nino and Adrien. Nothing worked. The only person able to get a reaction out of her was Juleka. The other teen waved passing their table during lunchtime and Marinette waved back. And as worried as she was, Alya couldn’t help but be a little annoyed. There have been days where all Alya wanted to do was yell at anyone who dared to approach her. But she never took it out on Marinette or anyone else. But here they were, the situations revered, and Marinette wouldn’t even look at her . What made Juleka the exception?

No one wants you.

Alya pushed her tray of food away, her appetite gone.

She almost pulled her hair out when Miss Bustier told everyone to sit with their partners during their last class of the day and Marinette bolted out of her seat. Alya tried to hide her irritation when she saw Marinette and Juleka talking out of the corner of her eye as if everything was normal.

“Remember your projects are due tomorrow! I’m giving you the entire class period today to finish up,” Miss Bustier announced. “I’m very excited to see your presentations!”

Adrien slid into Marinette’s empty seat. “We need to find a couple more pictures for the poster but other than that we’re good.”

“I agree.” Alya glared when Marinette laughed at something Juleka said, not paying attention to his words. “We should do that.”

Oh? So quick to replace me? She tensed up as her own words mocked her.

Marinette rested her head on Juleka’s shoulder. Don’t worry, you’ll always be my number 1 partner. You’re irreplaceable.

Wrong. You’re disposable .

Alya’s feelings and emotions are validated by the narrative, even though she has the wrong idea about Marinette replacing her.

Lady Wifi plays a big role in the story as well, since she’s not actually gone, and serves as a kind of embodiment of Alya’s negative emotions and worst impulses, as well as a looming threat. The tension between her and Alya helps accentuate the emotional heart of the story.

Alya also gets to disagree and talk things out with Ladybug and Master Fu, when she doesn’t agree on their handling of situations, though with them not being demonized in the process either.

Just... if you want to read a fic focused around Alya’s problems and emotions, but that treats everyone else well too, that gives her a lot of agency and also a lot of support, I HIGHLY recommend this fic.

#ml fanfic rec #alya cesaire #adrien agreste #alyadrien #can you keep a secret?

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thr-333 · 4 years

Text

Just Another Class Trip :) Part 3

You know getting dragged through a multi billion dollar corporations building to try and avoid your illegitimate father, a normal monday for most I’m sure.

First< Previous >Next

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

It’s official, I hate Adrien

Marinette groans, having been practically dragged out of bed for breakfast. Adrien was wisely backed up as far as he could in the elevator. She yawns, making it loud as possible and looking Adrien right in the eye.

“Maybe you shouldn’t have stayed out so late,” Tikki giggles, hidden in her scarf.

Yeah it turns out that ‘just need to help out one person’ turned into a it is now 3am and I am halfway across the city beating up a gang.

“At least the box was safe,” Marinette whispers back, she had crashed in Adrien's room, no matter how mad Lila would be, or because of it who knows.

And indeed Lila was mad. The second they step foot into the hotel restaurant the entire class turns to stare at them. Crowded around a smug looking Lila with tears rolling down her cheeks. Marinette just turns a sharp left to the coffee. It isn’t until she has downed half a cup and refilled it that she tries to look for her friends.

Chloe looks just as dead as her, so she sits next to her. Let the morning people talk, they were ready to pass out together.

“Kagami?”

“Yep, Adrien?”

“Yep,”

“Morning people,” They both sneer.

“Were you planning on sleeping all morning?” Kagami asks, eating breakfast like a normal person, what a jerk.

“Were you planning on watching me all morning?” Chloe half heartedly retorts.

“You are adorable when you’re sleeping,”

“Fuck you, I’m adorable all the time,”

“Chlo, language, please,” Marinette implores, nursing her giant cup.

“Shut up Dupain-Cheng,” Chloe snaps, face planting back into the table.

“She’s not that cute actually,” Kagami whispers to Adrien, “Wore a face mask she got green all over the bed,”

“I’ll get green all over you,” Chloe mumbles absentmindedly.

"Marinette,"

"Ah the storm is coming,took them long enough" She takes a gulp of burning coffee, "Yes Alya?"

"You cant just say that to a person," Alya tries to explain, as if talking down to a child, "Lila was up all night crying,"

"She probably just put on a recording and went soundly to sleep," Chloe scoffs, sleepily looking up from the table.

"I was with her all night!" Alya turns to Chloe, seething rage coming to the surface.

"Thats some impressive endurance," Marinette mutters, downing more coffee.

"You think she's been practicing?" Chloe smirks.

"This isn't-"

"Make sure she get's plenty of water," Marinette turns away, hoping the conversation would be over.

"Marinette!" Alya looks down at her the way Marinette often looks at her, the look at a dear friend who changed, "Can't you see you're hurting Lila?"

"Can't you see she's hurting me?" She covers that honestly by gulping down more coffee, she has not had enough for this conversation.

"You used to be so nice Marinette," Alya dodges the question, pointing to Chloe and Kagami instead, "Then you started spending time with these two, and, and you changed!"

"Believe what you want Alya," Marinette motions for her friends to stay calm, "But they stand by me when no one else will, especially you,"

"Thats because!- Marinette if you had just gotten to know Lila instead of being jealous this would have never happened," Alya looks down at her sadly, Marinette was sure Paris would have been up in flames somehow if she had ever trusted Lila, "If you just didn't spend time around these bullies everything could be the same, you wouldn't have become a bully too,"

"So what?" She spits bitterly, looking over at the table watching them, Lila looking disgruntled it wasn't an all out fight, "If I got up and joined that table right now, would everything go back to the way it was?"

"... No,"

Marinette’s pocket buzzes in a familiar sequence. Akuma alert.

"Ok then, not much point in arguing about it, I'm going to stay with my friends, the ones I can actually trust," Marinette quickly shuts down Alya's protest, "Now go get Lila some water,"

Alya walks off back to the table, everyone crowding around her. Marinette waits for the door to be clear, she has to leave before Alya finishes or the whole class will be breathing down her neck.

“Forgot something in my room,” Marinette slings on her back pack, “Be back soon,”

She was not back soon, she was not back soon at all. Luckily she should only be three minutes late for the bus-and nope they left, great. She’ll just have to catch up with the tour later.

Well, I had stuff to do anyways

She talks with the receptionist; her assistant should have sent her a prepared motorcycle to the hotel the day before. It’s a quick drive to the location she had selected specifically to be close to the hotel.

She puts on a simple domino mask before entering the building, she didn’t want anyone to leak her identity after all. Walking in she’s glad to see everything is not in disarray.

“MDC,” Her assistant, Liam walks up to her.

Liam was someone she met through Penny. He’s older than her and also acted as her guardian on most of her trips as MDC. He does know her civilian identity, which she trusted him completely to keep. She likes him because-

“Is that mine?” She snatches the cup of coffee as he passes it to her.

“Figured you needed it,” Liam smiles, wincing as she downs the burning liquid, it's fine she has a strong healing factor, “You said your bag was stolen? This should replace it, it’s most of what you had plus more,”

He rolls forward a pre packed suitcase.

“I would die without,” Marinette says in all seriousness, “So what's the damage?”

“No major problems so far, the security we hired is enough to scare away the smaller thugs,” Liam nods to some security personnel guarding each door, “They won't be enough if any super villains try to attack the actual show,”

“Mm, give them instructions on the night of the show they are only allowed to intercept small time, anything bigger they are not allowed to engage,” Marinette studies the room, there's great places to hide, friend or foe, “If they see anything they are simply to report it directly to me,”

“They can’t engage?” Liam looks around, trying to see what she is.

“They won't be able to stop them anyway, and there is no reason for them to die,”

“If you say so,” Liam leads her through the room where lights are being set up and walls are being painted, “So what's the plan if we do get attacked?”

“I’m sure Batman is going to have his eye on any big events,” Marinette approves of the color of the back wall, it looking even better in person, “Besides I’m planning on trying to intercept before any violence,”

“In other words you're going to make my job a lot more stressful,” Liam sighs, making a note or rather on his tablet.

“Not if I can help it,”

“You can’t,” Liam sighs again at her grin, “Didn’t you have a tour with your class today?”

“They left me,” Liam seems equally unsurprised, “But I should probably head for Wayne tower anyway,”

“Don’t get into trouble,”

“I never get into trouble,” Marinette smirks from the door, “Trouble drags me into it kicking and screaming,”

“More like keen and skipping,” Liam closes the door in her face.

Marinette strolls into the Wayne tower an hour late with Starbucks, she sees is her class, being a nuisance arguing with a tour guide.

“You cannot just leave a student alone in Gotham,” The tour guide all but yells at Madame Bustier.

“Marinette is very responsible, she can handle herself,” Madame Bustier more defends herself than Marinette.

“I don’t care how responsible your student is, that won't stop them from getting shot!” This time he does yell, “You need to go back and pray to god she’s alright and hasn't gotten lost for some murder to find!”

Alright time to break the tension

“Hey, what did I miss?” Marinette asks casually, Already sipping at her straw when all eyes turn to her.

“Marinette! How did you get here?” Madame bustier demands.

“I-”

“I think you mean ‘are you alright, I’m so sorry for leaving you behind,” The tour guide glowers, apparently threatening enough that Madame Bustier actually repeats him.

“I’m fine, I borrowed a bike from my friend in Gotham,”

“You don’t have a licence in Gotham,” Lila sneers triumphantly.

Oh look who actually did some research, how much digging did you do when I learnt how to ride a motorcycle

“I didn’t say it was a motorcycle,” That shut’s Lila up, “But yeah it is a motorcycle,

Worth it for that face

“Also I got my licence approved in America before I came,”

So worth that face

Lila opens her mouth, better than the flood gates, when the tour guide interrupts.

“Now that everyone is here,” He sends a smile to Marinette and a glare to Madame Bustier somehow at the same time, she gets the tinglily feeling of miraculous holder, or maybe its just the caffeine, “We can start, my name is Dick I will be your tour guide today.

They follow Dick through the tour Marinette's group right behind Dick. She scribbled designs and took notes as he talked, asking her own questions. This got her dubbed Dicks favourite, and easy title to gain as the rest of the class lagged behind. Most were listening to Lila, only Max and Alix were straining to hear Dick over the chatter. Marinette would occasionally pick up a mention of the Wayne's and knew it wasn't related to the tour. She'd have to guess Lila was lying about either dating someone or saving their life, or because it's Lila probably both. A gutsy move in the Wayne tower she had to admit. Marinette could tell Dick was listening and would probably have that rumour make it back to the Wayne's themselves. Would the wrath of some of the richest and most powerful people be enough to stop her? not likely.

They split up for lunch at the cafeteria in the building. She saw the coffee machine and was about to make a bee line to it when Kagami pulled her back to eat some 'real food' whatever that is. She makes a break for it after eating the so called 'real food', right before the tour was about to restart. She reaches it as a familiar figure is also waiting.

"Hi Tim," She greets, getting him to actually jump, "You work here?"

"Hi! um-yeah," He looks over to her, "How did you do that?"

"Do what?" She takes the biggest travel cup they have available.

"Sn-nothing," Tim still looks uneasy, then his eyes lock onto the cup, "tired?"

"Was up till three am last night, plus jet lag?" She yawns, "Yeah I'm tired,"

"Then you'll want to put that cup back,"

"Hm why?"

he gets her answer when Tim ducks down, opening a hidden cupboard full of travel cups at least twice the size of her current one,

"Tim I love you," She fills up the giant cup, "You're my favourite person in Gotham as of right now,"

"Not Dick?"

"Eh, his puns are lacklustre," She shrugs, Tim spits out his drink, "You know Dick?"

"Yep, give him a hard time for me!" Tim calls over his shoulder, walking away.

"You got it!" She hurries in the opposite direction, late for the tour once again.

“Did you get another coffee?” Dick asks as they enter the PR department.

“They were serving them at lunch,” Marinette could almost laugh at how quickly he had begun to fret over her during the tour.

“I know, that was my brothers idea, or rather demand,” Dick sighs, someone else approaching the group to direct the tour.

“Your brother works here?”

“Sure does,”

“But you don’t”

This makes Dick pause, looking down at her as she sips at the coffee.

“What?”

“I mean you don’t work this job at least,” She shrugs, it wasn't hard to figure out.

“Why's that?”

“You seem uncomfortable, your charismatic but still lack the smoothness of a rehearsed tour, plus you seem offended that they are in the back chatting,” Marinette nods towards Lila and her posse, “Regular tour guides would be used to that,”

“You found me out,” Dick chuckles, “I’m just taking over for today,”

“Well I think you picked a bad class to do that for,” She looks over at most her class ignoring the speaker trying to get their attention.

“I think I picked the right one,” Dick says cryptically, then walks off to help herd the class.

“Alright you have to give me the recipe,” Marinette overhears from a nearby desk.

Someone is sitting on it eating a cookie, while the other taps away at her computer.

“Sorry no can do,” She shrugs, “I don’t know it,”

“How can you not know it, you baked them right?” He asks, trying to steal another one and getting his hand slapped away.

“Nope, new vigilante came in, beat up someone robbing my house and baked me cookies,”

“This is Gotham so I believe the first two,” He looks between her and the container, “But cookies?”

“They also gave me free therapy,” She shrugs, before tapping on the container,“And do you really believe I could make these?”

“Touche,” He smirks leaning back on the desk, “So who’s the new guy? With the Batclan?”

“No they said they were just passing through,” She doesn't look up from her computer, focusing intently on the screen, “Names Starling,”

“Never heard of them,”

“Neither, and I tried looking them up,” She sighs, pushing back from the computer in defeat, “Found someone, but it’s not them, actually couldn't find anything on them,”

“Weird,” He gets up from the desk, “Can’t imagine Batman is going to take kindly to a new vigilante running around,”

“Unless he adopts them,”

“That… yeah he probably will,”

"Oh no-CLAIRE" The speaker trying to wrangle her class stops, "We have a problem!"

"Sorry to cut this short," Claire doesn't look sorry at all, "Seems we have important matters to tend to,"

She follows Dick out of the department, ushering her class as she goes. Claire looks over at her like she has two heads, a mixture of impressed and pity, and perhaps a bit of jealously.

They get to go further up the building, to the higher floors. They reach a space that is mostly meeting rooms. He class decide to take advantage of Dick declaring they are completely sound proof, or maybe they took it as a challenge. Marinette is walking past a hall when someone leaning against the wall catches her eye.

“Auntie Selina?!”

They look around, only spotting Marinette seconds before they collide into a hug, she feels the tingling buzz of a true holder.

“Mari!” Selina picks her up and spins her around, no different from when she was five, “Oh, my love it’s so good to see you, when did you arrive in Gotham?”

Marinette watches as her smile morphs into horror.

“Wait, what are you doing in Gotham!?”

“It’s a class trip and- hey where are we going?” Her Auntie grabs her arm pulling her down the hall.

“Marinette!” Dick calls, walking around the corner, Selina makes a sharp turn down another corridor, “Wait!”

Selina is two steps away from running as she pulls Marinette through the maze of hallways.

“Auntie where are we going?”

“Down here,” She opens the door leading to a staircase, too narrow to be a fire exit.

“That’s not really what I was asking,”

Selina inputs a key code, the door swinging open as she is pulled into the room.

“Wait!” She gets pulled through another door just as quick “Was that wall full of weapons?”

“Just a picture sweetie,” She says sweetly, “Down these stairs,”

“Aunt Selina what are we running from?” They are running now, floor after floor.

“We’re not running from anything sweetie,” Selina speeds up, “I just wanted to show you a cool spot in Gotham,”

“Right,” Marinette raises an eyebrow, “I was actually with the class so maybe we could go later?”

“It closes in five minutes,”

“Like you wouldn’t just break in if we were going somewhere,”

“I promise I will take you somewhere nice,” She smiles back at Marinette, they reach the end of the stairs, coming to a garage of sorts, “If you promise to hurry up,”

“Sure-” She does a double take, of the room, “Hold up are those costumes?”

“Collectors stuff, you know,” They are surrounded by bat themed... everything, “Rich people,”

“Right and how do you know this?”

“I-” She hesitates, eyes drifting, “Hey look, the exit!”

They all out sprint towards the exit. Selina reaches out to open the door a second after it swings open.

“Selina,” The man smiles at Selina as she runs into him.

“Hey Bruce,” Selina jumps back, trying to hide Marinette behind her.

“Where are you going?” Bruce looks behind her at Marinette, who gives a little wave.

“Out! Got to hurry!” She grabs Marinette's arm again, trying to pull her around Bruce.

“Is something wrong?” Bruce grabs Selina's shoulders to keep her still and looking at him.

“Nope nothings wrong,” She wriggles out of his grasp, trying again to pull Marinette away.

“Ok then,” Bruce still looks worried but turns to Marinette instead, “Hello I’m Bruce Wayne, Selina finance,”

“YOU’RE HER WHAT!?”

“Snitch,” He Auntie spits out venomously.

“Why didn’t you tell me!?” Marinette asks her with the biggest grin.

“Surprise,” Selina gives half heated jazz hands.

“Wait! Whens the wedding? Do You have a dress? I’ll make one!” She deicides, brining out her sketchbook, drawing different designs, “What's the theme? Never mind tell me on the way to the fabric store, I’ll sketch up some designs,”

“Darling, please-” Selina is now getting pulled along.

“Oh! I’ll call Papa! I’m sure he’ll want to make your cake! We have to hurry, come on lets go!” They're already out the door, Marinette waves turning back to Bruce, “Nice meeting you!”

“What just happened?” Bruce asks Dick as he runs up next to him.

“She kidnapped one of the students on tour,”

“Who is now making her wedding dress,” Bruce nods, not understanding anything

“Did I miss something?”

I think we all did

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

Taglist:

@smolplantmum @flufflepuffle296 @dawnwave16 @caffeinetheory @g-arya @Maribat-2k20 @ladybug-182 @Actual-disaster-human @fusser90 @messrs-weasley @soap-lady @paintedhope7 @zeneralla @mochegato @random-nerd-3 @clumsy-owl-4178 @throneoffirebreathingbitchqueen @too0bsessedformyowngood @certifiedbidisaster @Purplegeekypanda @awkward0ghostfan @theymakeupfairies @tikki-marinette @insane-fangirl-of-everything @elmokingkong @inarachi02 @slytherinhquinn @moongoddesskiana @dast218 @buginetye @redscarlet95

757 notes · View notes

ravennm84 · 4 years

Text

Lyre Festival Fraud

This was another prompt that I found and just ran with it. The prompt itself was based on the Fyre Festival Disaster that happened in 2017 where 5,000 people were scammed out of thousands of dollars per ticket for what was supposed to be a luxury music festival. I didn’t take the story to quite that scale since most middle schoolers don’t have that kind of cash. There will be a sequel to this coming out soon. Warm-Fuzzies and please enjoy!!

Over the past few weeks since Marinette had come back to class, she couldn’t help but notice that Lila seemed to be up to something new. For one, the Italian girl hadn’t been bothering her as much as before. There was still the occasional quip and barb thrown in her direction, but nothing compared to what she had been doing before. She wanted to write it off to the deal Adrien had made with the girl, the blonde had confessed the truth to her after the photoshoot and promised her that he would never let things get that out of hand ever again. But something just didn’t seem right.

Lila was sticking to a single story about a party that she was planning on an island south of Venice over the long weekend next month. She was going on and on about it being a private island, with beautiful scenery and a rich history. Her mother was setting it up for a bunch of politicians, and all of the celebrities Lila knew were coming. A five-star chef would be there to make everyone the most amazing food. Many of the musicians she knew were planning to do jam-sessions, so there would be live music. The way she described it, it was going to be the biggest private event that Lila had ever been involved with.

Marinette and Adrien kept keen ears pointed in her direction, more than they normally would. Something about this particular story seemed different from her usual lies. It didn’t sit well with either of them

They could admit, the Italian was smoother with this lie than she was with any other she had spouted since joining their class. She had started mentioning the party a little here and there, then the different celebrities, then the hotel and bringing in the chef. How expensive it all was and how her mother was planning everything. Then, the following week, Lila dropped a bomb that had almost the entire class squealing and scrambling.

“You won’t believe it! Mama said that I could invite all my friends to come to the party so I’ll have more people my age to talk to!” Lila gushed as she bounced up and down on the balls of her feet.

“Seriously! That’s awesome, girl!” Alya cheered excitedly.

“But I have to be up front with all of you about something, and I want you to know that if I had my way I would never ask, but my mom insisted.” Lila’s expression quickly turned uncertain as she looked around at her ‘friends’ before taking a breath and continuing. “Whoever wants to come, has to take care of their own travel and pay €300 up front for the food and accommodations. I really wish I didn’t have to say that, but there was nothing I could do to change her mind.”

“That’s completely understandable, dudette.” Nino grinned as she slung his arm around Alya’s shoulders. “But still, for two nights in a swanky hotel and all our meals handled, that’s a total steal. When would you need the money?”

Lila’s face lit up again saying that she would need the money at least a week before the party so her mother could book enough rooms and make sure there would be enough food. Mylene asked if they needed their parents to escort them, and Lila promised to get them the needed forms to travel. She also asked Alya not to post anything about this on her blog, as this was supposed to be a private thing with a lot of big-name people and they couldn’t risk word getting out. The journalist readily agreed but made Lila promise that she would be allowed to post pictures after the weekend was over, which Lila readily agreed.

Marinette and Adrien looked on with worry as their classmates began making plans for the weekend in a few weeks. After class let out for the day, Adrien convinced his body guard that he needed to study with Marinette for an upcoming test. Since the man liked the girl, her parents, and had a soft spot for their bakery’s salted caramel scones; he allowed it. Up in her room, the two teens set their homework aside and jumped on Marinette’s computer to see what was going on with the Italian.

“What do you think she’s up to?” Adrien asked her.

“Not sure, but it’s strange that she kept saying how I shouldn’t ask for money when I do commissions, then turns around and asks for €300 per person.” She says, looking up private islands near Venice. “I mean, she has to know that she can’t just ask for money from everyone and then not follow through since she would have to give all of their money back.”

“Agreed, she could try and say that the money was non-refundable, but I don’t think they would accept that.”

She hummed in agreement before pulling up a map. “The only private island I can find close by is Isola Santa Christina, but that’s North-East of Venice, not South. And I checked the availability for that weekend, and it’s not reserved. The only island South of Venice that could be considered ‘private’ is Poveglia.”

The blonde’s brow shot up when he heard the name. “Isn’t that the haunted island that’s been closed off to tourists for a long time?”

“Since the 1960s, when the mental asylum closed.” She nodded, as she continued to read. “And before that, it was where they sent people dying of plague and other diseases to die and be buried. It says right here, there’s over 160,000 people buried there in ‘plague pits’ and it’s nearly impossible to walk five meters without walking over someone’s remains.”

Adrien’s lip curled in disgust as he read the information and history of the island over the French-Asian girl’s shoulder. “Well, she did say that the island was private, historic and had a view. And the island does have a lot of history and it’s private.”

“And there was a plan to turn the old asylum into a luxury hotel a few years back, but that fell through.”

They continued reading the different articles on different islands around Venice, but none of them seemed to fit. Adrien agreed that Lila wouldn’t be so sloppy with her lies to invite everyone to a weekend party and then have to give everyone their money back… but what if she never had to see anyone again?

“Do you mind if I look something up really quick?”

“Did you think of something?” She asked while standing from her desk chair so he could take a look.

“It’s just a hunch,” he muttered, his fingers quickly typing at the keys. “I think you’re right, Lila wouldn’t ask for money if she was just going to have to turn around and give it back, even if she used the ‘deposit’ excuse to keep part of it for herself. That can only mean that something else is going on.”

It took a few minutes, but he found what he was looking for on the Italian Embassy’s website and twitter page. Different people wishing Ambassador Rossi a fond goodbye before she transfers back to Italy before the holiday weekend. “She’s not coming back,” he said between gritted teeth while Marinette looked over his shoulder.

“I want to say that I can’t believe Lila would do something like this, but she purposely got me expelled, almost got me akumatized, and almost caused another Scarlet Moth incident. Stealing from people she won’t see again is well within the boundaries of what she can do.”

Adrien turned the chair to look Marinette in the eyes. “What should we do? We tried the high road, that was a mistake and I’m still kicking myself for saying that, but we can’t just sit back and let all of them get scammed for €300.”

“It will be more than that,” worry evident in her voice. “It will be the €300, whatever they have to spend on their tickets there and back, and whatever money they’ll spend on someplace to stay while they’re there, if they stay in Venice.”

“We have to try,” Adrien said, just as determined when he forced Lila to lie to get Marinette back into school. “Maybe if we talk to everyone, one person at a time and explain what we found, we might be able to convince them to look into things a little deeper and figure it out themselves.”

Marinette hesitated. “They didn’t believe me before, why would they believe me now?”

“Because I’ll be with you every step of the way to show them that it’s not just you, I promise.”

~oOo~

Adrien kept his promise, he stayed with Marinette as they pulled their classmates aside to show them what they found. Nathaniel, Juleka, Rose and Chloe seemed to really listen to them and agreed that it seemed a little too good to be true. The others were more hesitant to listen and turned their questions to Lila, who was quick to spin her lies about the comments on Twitter being taken out of context, that her mother’s coworkers were only saying goodbye for the weekend. Then she turned on the fake tears and accused them of spreading rumors and lies when she was just trying to do something nice for her friends. That resulted in the majority of the class shunning Marinette and Adrien for the weeks leading up to the holiday.

Nearly the entire class gave Lila €300 each before the deadline she had set. Adrien and Marinette had been ‘uninvited’ to the party; Chloe scoffed and said that she wasn’t about to waste her time with a bunch of people she didn’t even like; and Nathaniel, Juleka, and Rose all claimed that they couldn’t afford it. Lila was leaving school a couple days before the weekend to “help her mom prepare for the party” but gave everyone instructions on which dock to meet at for the boat to pick them up and ferry them to the island.

Friday morning, the two of them tried again, practically pleading with their friends not to go, that it had all been a scam. This was met with a lot of harsh words, insults, and Alya declaring that she could no longer be friends with someone as vindictive and jealous as Marinette. That left the girl in tears, but the four that stayed behind were quick to comfort her and took her back to her house after school for a movie night. After the others left, Marinette sent a quick email, hoping for a positive response.

The movie night was followed by a jam-session on Saturday at Juleka and Luka’s place. It was a blast to have Adrien on the keyboard with Kitty Section again, it was a little difficult without a drummer but it was still fun. When Marinette got home, she was relieved to see a response to her email waiting for her and read it before she went to bed.

They had a picnic in the park on Sunday, along with Marc, where Adrien was having a photoshoot so he could sit and eat with them during his breaks. The photographer liked the natural energy and look of the group so much that he took multiple pictures of the three couples, as Vincent put it. There was another email waiting for her when she got home, she read that one twice and rewrote her response three times before sending it.

On Monday, the six of them hung out at the bakery with Tom showing Marinette’s friends how to make the perfect croissant and the best way to pipe frosting onto cupcakes. They had a blast and ended up having a frosting fight at one point, which ended with a large round of giggles and Adrien striking a victory pose since he had gotten hit with the least amount of frosting. Everyone had a great time and went home with the goodies they’d made. The final response in Marinette’s email put a smile on her face, knowing that she had done the right thing.

~oOo~

Tuesday morning and the five of them weren’t sure what to expect. They had decided to go with a united front and met at the Dupain-Cheng bakery so they would go to school together. Sabine gladly handed all of them fresh pastries before they left and wished them luck. Marinette’s parents had been made aware of Lila’s deceit and how she had likely scammed their classmates out of a lot of money. Hearing this, the two bakers had been making multiple calls to the Board of Governors about their daughter’s expulsion and other incidents that Adrien had brought up that had to do with Lila. From what they had heard, it was likely that their school, M. Damocles, and Mme. Bustier would be under heavy scrutiny very soon.

Entering the classroom, none of them were prepared for the dead silence from the rest of the class. Everyone looked to be experiencing different levels of confusion, anger, and absolute exhaustion. Everyone except Chloe, who looked smug as she grinned at everyone in the room. When the five of them came in, her smile grew as she looked directly at Alya. “So, how was your weekend on that private island in Venice? Was it as fabulous as Lie~la said it would be?”

Mylene, Sabrina, and Kim all started crying; Nino ducked his head to hide behind his hat, Max's head dropped to the desk with a thunk, and Alya’s fists clenched so hard that her nails cut into her palms. But it was Alex that had the most colorful reaction as she slammed her hands on the table and practically screamed.

“Shut up, you blonde shrew! Grrr! I swear, if I ever see that liar again, I will hit her over her head with my skates until she apologizes.” Her eyes turned to Marinette and Adrien, still angry but with a bit of self-loathing. “You were right. We all waited on that dock all day until the police came and took us to the station. We had to spend the night in the police station and wait for our parents to come get us. Alya tried to argue that it was just a private party and even pointed out the island that bitch said it would be on. But no~, that island was closed to the public and has been for 50 years!”

“We tried to tell you,” Adrien said hesitantly when Alix stopped ranting to breathe.

“Dude, I don’t think I’ve ever seen my parents so mad,” Nino said, barely lifting his head to look at his friend. “They’re talking to a lawyer about what they can do, but the law dude said that the most they can do is file charges against Lila for the scam and that none of use are likely to get any of the money back.”

“My parents grounded me until the lawsuit is settled or I pay back all the money they spent on coming to get me,” Ivan told them, his large shoulders drooping almost half-way down his back.

“By my calculations, that is unlikely to happen,” Max said, not even bothering to lift his face from his desk. “When taking into account the amount of money that she took from each of us, that she had us go to Venice of our own accord, the fact that her mother is an ambassador and therefore bestowed Lila with diplomatic immunity for her actions; there is not much the law can do.”

Unable to help herself, Marinette turned to look at Adrien as a small smile graced her lips. Adrien gave her a bigger smile that confused everyone, even Nathaniel, Rose, and Juleka. “You should tell them.”

“Tell us what?” Alya asked, not sure if she could deal with any more surprises for the rest of the school year.

“Well, after Adrien and I figured out what Lila was up to, we recorded one of the times she bragged about the trip and how much money she was getting from you. I emailed the video, your names, the dock where she told you to go, and all the other information to Ambassador Rossi on Friday night to let her know what was going on.”

All of their jaws dropped as Marinette continued to speak. “I don’t think she believed me at first; but then she got a report about a bunch of unaccompanied minors from her daughter’s school being detained in Venice and that she had apparently allowed them into the country. She was shocked and confused that any of you got through customs without an adult, but then Ambassador Rossi noticed a stack of documents were missing and figured Lila must have taken them and forged her signature to make the scam more believable. I talked to her again last night; she’s forcing Lila to plead guilty to fraud and forgery, any charges that the Italian government was going to file against you are being dropped, and she's clearing out Lila’s savings to pay the money back to your parents.”

Now the entire class was crying tears of joy and relief. They knew that they’d messed up when it came to Marinette and Adrien, Alya especially towards her best friend. But they were more than willing to work their butts off to make it right, no matter how rough the road ahead of them might be.

#lila salt #class salt #alya salt #ml prompt #ml fic #lila gets exposed

768 notes · View notes

saltymiraculer · 4 years

Text

Ceremonial Kisses (Part 2 of 3)

Ahhhhh, thank you for all the support I’ve gotten on this fic! It is with great pleasure I present to you *trumpet noise* Part 2 of Ceremonial Kisses!

I apologize for the huge wait, and I’m really sorry about my update schedule in general.

Also, you might notice that around the middle of this chapter, the writing gets a little bit choppy, and I’m super sorry about that! My apartment just decided to evict anyone with a cat, and I’m under a lot of stress right now. Thankfully, it gets smoother towards the end!

Happy reading!

Part 1 | Part 3

-🌸-

After ten minutes of gorging themselves on the Chinese equivalents of Kit-Kats and Lays chips, they pulled up to a hotel.

“Whaf, wewen’t we goih to da cashale?“ Nino asked, his mouth stuffed with cookies. Marinette shot him a disgusted look. He swallowed and took a swig of soda. “Wait, weren’t we going to the castle?“

Marinette had been thinking the same thing. This couldn’t be an ancient Chinese palace–it looked like a hotel!

“My instructions have changed. I was informed you would be staying at the Overseas Suites instead.“ The driver (she still didn’t know his name) said, pulling up to the front of the hotel.

As soon as they stepped out, they remembered that time zones existed.

It was 5:00 PM there.

They were going to be up all night.

The driver handed Marinette a gold-embossed business card with a phone number written on it.

“Call me whenever you need a lift, miss Marinette.“ He stepped back into the car and drove off.

Marinette shrugged and stuffed the card in her pocket. “Well, that was weird. Let’s go inside now, it’s freezing.”

As soon as they walked inside, Bustier scurried up to them.

“Where were you? You had me worried sick!“

Before anyone could say anything, the chauffeur from earlier appeared.

“I am Marinette’s uncle, ma’am. I heard she was going to be staying in China for a week and I just had to see her. The school was informed that I would be picking her and her friends up.“

“Oh–well–you still should have told me where you were going!“

“But shouldn’t you have already known?“ Marinette asked sweetly. “I mean, you were informed of it, weren’t you?“

Ha. She had her there!

“W-well, yes, technically, I was…but it’s time to go to your rooms! Off you go, everybody!“

“Oh, wait, I’m sharing a room with Marinette, right?“ Alya asked.

“Yeah, I think so.“

“Shit. Guys, I’ve got to share a room with Adrien. Say your prayers, ‘cause I don’t know if I’ll make it out alive.“

Oh, right. I guess it’s time to explain.

Adrien had stayed with his “high road” approach, but not in the way that she had expected. He started treating Lila to lunch, buying her jewelry, asking her to school dances, the whole shebang.

But it was all so forced that nobody believed any of it, and one day, all the ‘affection’ had just stopped.

Lila milked it for all it was worth, blaming Marinette and Nino and Alya, and the president of some far-off African country, and Adrien...

Something changed.

His face was more gaunt and his cheeks were more hollow, and he barely ever talked to anyone, just shrugged them off and turned away.

He was, to put it frankly, terrifying.

Which was not good for Nino at all.

“Oh, I’m sorry, class, but Ivan will be sharing a room with Nino. Adrien and Nathaniel will be roommates.“

All three of them heaved a sigh.

“Okay, so I’m sleeping tonight, that’s a plus.“ Nino joked. “What are we doing for dinner?“

“Um, I think Bustier said there was food already in the rooms. There are kitchenettes and, like, boxes of pasta and stuff. The trip was sponsored by–“ Marinette suddenly froze. She was contemplating how to finish her sentence when Alya finished it for her.

“–By your family, right?“

“Yeah. It feels so weird to say that, like–me? A princess? I’d probably trip over my own dress.“

“I know what you mean, girl. Now, let’s go get some food.“

After scurrying back up to their respective rooms and scarfing down some fettuccine, they fell asleep almost immediately, despite it being only about 3:00 in Paris.

Which, in hindsight, was probably why they woke up at two in the morning and started eating Cheerios with chocolate milk.

“Marinette, it’s so early!“ Alya said, stretching her arms towards the ceiling. “What should we do until it’s time for the first tour?“

“Wanna play Uno?“

And play Uno they did, a six-round monstrosity that lasted five hours and many draw-four cards.

There was a knock on the door and they both whipped around. “Girls, are you awake yet?“ a muffled voice asked. “You have to be down in the lobby in ten minutes!”

Alya and Marinette looked at each other. “Shit!” they yelled, jumping up and grabbing clothes out of drawers. They took the elevator down to the lobby after getting dressed, only to face something that made them wish they hadn’t.

Lila.

“And since the princess was so touched by what I did for her, she told me that she’d grant me any favor!“

“So…what was the favor?“ Mylene asked, inching closer.

“I asked her to bring our class on this trip, of course! Because I love my friends–unlike some people.“ She tilted her head in Marinette and Alya’s direction.

“When did you get here? Were you eavesdropping on our conversation?“ Kim shouted.

A few of them turned pink and tried to turn away.

“No, but I’m sure we’ll hear plenty of other horrible things about ourselves from you guys on this trip.“ Marinette said.

“Oh, get over yourselves! Lila’s the one who got us here, and she can kick you out just as easily. Right, Lila?“

“Of course! Marinette, I really want to be friends, but after the way you’ve treated everyone, it’s only fair I had to do what I did!“

“Oh? And what exactly did you do?“ Alya challenged, putting her hands on her hips. Alix smirked and nudged Kim with her elbow.

“Let’s just say…some of the tours might not be for you.“ Sabrina interjected, swiping something on a familiar white tablet. Marinette’s eyes widened. “Did you steal Bustier’s tablet just so you could take us off the tours? You risked suspension for that?!”

“Well, Mari-nette, you should be surprised to know that some people are willing to take risks for their friends.“ Kim snapped over his shoulder, earning many a nod from Lila’s entourage.

“Kids!“ Bustier yelled, startling them all. “What are you doing with my tablet?“

“Um–uh_Marinette stole it and threw it to us!“ Lila replied nervously.

Everyone turned to Marinette. “Marinette, I expect better from you! You just earned yourself a week of detention when we get back to Paris.“ She whisked the tablet out of Sabrina’s arms before Marinette could protest, and turned around, taking a deep breath.

When she faced the class again, she had a smile back on her face.

“Okay! Today, we will be touring a replica of one of the ancient Chinese palaces. Please behave yourselves.“

She started walking out, and the class followed her, Alya and Marinette tagging behind. Nino joined them soon after.

“So, that was weird.“

“No kidding.“

Once they had stepped off the bus in front of the palace, everyone stopped. Of course, they had all done a bit of googling about the places they would visit, but seeing everything live and in person was taking it to a whole new level.

“Whoa,“ they whispered. Even Lila, who wanted nothing more than to break something, was dumbfounded by this wonder of architectural beauty.

Miss Bustier was the one to break the silence. Clearing her throat, she said “Well, shall we head inside?”

As they shuffled inside, Marinette secretly wished she had about eight more eyes so she could take in everything she was seeing. But she had to be on high alert, Lila and her crew were sure to pull something nasty.

“Ah, and this,“ Bustier gasped. “This is one of the things I was looking most forward to seeing.

“As you all know, the princess will be coronated soon, and this is exactly why I wanted to take you here. This is a replica of an ancient Chinese coronation hall, isn’t it breathtaking?“

Lila snapped out of her trance and elbowed Kim, whispering something in her ear that made both of them snicker.

“Hey, Marinette!“ he yelled, running up to her. “What are you doing?“ Marinette watched in horror as he pushed a porcelain vase off of a pedestal, backing away immediately so she was the only one in the area.

Everything seemed to go in slow-motion after that.

Everyone in the room turning to them.

Lila’s grin turning up towards her ears in an almost Grinch-like fashion.

Marinette diving to catch the delicate artifact and balancing it in one hand just before it smashed on the floor.

Security appearing to lecture them.

“Now, miss, what you did was punishable by law,“ one of them said. “And by nature I’ll have to ask you and your whole gang to leave, if you don’t want the royal family to press charges.“

“The-the royal family?“ Lila squeaked. Marinette sighed and stood up.

“I’m sorry, sir,“ she said, hanging her head.

“Wait just a second!“ Someone in the crowd yelled. “That guy in the red hoodie pushed it–I saw it with my own two eyes! The girl saved the vase!“

“Yeah, why don’t you go check the security cameras? I’m sure the girl was the one who stopped it from breaking!“

“No, no, I’m quite sure I saw Marinette push the vase.“ Bustier interrupted. “She’s quite the troublemaker, and it wouldn’t be inconceivable for that to happen.“

“I’m terribly sorry, miss, but only once we review the security footage can we make a decision.“

They left with a promise to return as soon as they were done, and everyone started at Marinette.

Nino was the first to speak.

“Alright, who’s gonna fess up? Marinette didn’t do it, I didn’t do it, Alya didn’t do it. So who did?“

Marinette saw the look on Lila’s face. There was no wriggling out of this one.

“Kim did it! I saw…he tried to warn Marinette about a huge bug, but she had this evil look on her face and moved out of the way…and Kim accidentally pushed the vase.“

“What?! That never happened.“ Nino said, crossing his arms.

“Yeah, I was there the whole time, and there weren’t any bugs.“ Alya said, leaning against a wall. “Give it up, Lila. The security guys’ll be back in a minute.“

“Actually, we’re already here.“ said a deep voice. “The boy’ll need to come with us.“

“Oh, please don’t!“ Bustier cried. “He’s only a kid, he didn’t know any better!“

-🌸-

“I’m sorry, miss, but the security footage suggests otherwise. Though, if you pay a fine, all charges will be dropped.“

“What’s the amount?“ She asked nervously, pulling out her checkbook and hoping euros would translate into whatever the Chinese currency was.

“794.71 yuan.”

“Do you take euros?“ Caline asked weakly. Nino glared at her, and several of her students looked dumbfounded.

“You didn’t bring Chinese money…on a trip to China?! Even Kim brought some!“

Kim suddenly looked scared. “I don’t have to give up my money, do I?”

She sighed. “No, you don’t. If anything, Marinette should be the one paying. How much is that in euros?“

“100, I believe. We do take euros, if you’ll follow me.“ She sighed and shrugged.

“Kids, please don’t push anything else over. I’ll be right back.“

-🌸-

As soon as Bustier hurried away after leading them outside, everyone glared at Marinette except Alya and Nino. Lila still didn’t understand why they had left her, Alya had just stormed up to her one day and yelled, but that was besides the point.

“Marinette, how could you blame this all on Kim? Now Miss Bustier has to pay eight hundred euros!“ Lila cried, earning Marinette a few glares.

She smirked inwardly. Now, if only she could have gotten Marinette arrested…

“Eight hundred yuan, Lila. It’s only a hundred euros, and besides, it would have cost much more if Marinette hadn’t caught the vase.“ Nino said, crossing his arms.

“Yeah, but she’s gonna call my mom. Do you know how long she’s gonna ground me for? Thirty years!“

“Marinette, what is wrong with you?“ Alix accused. “You seriously need an attitude adjustment. And I think I know just what we need to adjust.“ She whispered something into Lila’s ear and smirked.

“But hey, all disagreements aside, do you want a drink?“ Lila asked, shoving Marinette backwards. She stumbled a bit, and Nino and Alya tried to stop her, but she fell back into a large fountain and emerged a second later, sopping wet.

Her hair had come out of the bun, her makeup was running, and her clothes were soaked through.

Everything was going according to plan. “Oh, Marinette, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to…I was only trying to squish a mosquito!”

“Mosquito?“ Marinette seethed through gritted teeth. Her expression was terrifying.

Lila backed away, as did most of the class. “This was one-of-a-kind, Lila. You ruined it. Chloé should know!“

Everyone turned to Chloé for an answer to the nonexistent question. “I didn’t get her that shirt on purpose! My mom did!” She yelled, ducking into a bathroom. Lila shrugged.

“Marinette!“ Bustier screamed, appearing at just the right time. “What are you doing?!”

Lila interrupted Marinette before she could even speak. “Marinette was trying to push me into the fountain, but I dodged.“ She glanced to the side, where Nino was helping Marinette dry off with handfuls of paper towels. She frowned, then looked over at Alya.

Bad idea.

“Miss Bustier, I have a question. Why would Marinette, one of the most non-violent people we know, try to push Lila into a fountain? Especially after she was just proven innocent? Do you really think that she would compromise her innocence like that?“

Miss Bustier looked alarmed. Lila gritted her teeth–she would have to lay low for a while if she wanted anyone to believe that Marinette would do anything wrong.

They're such idiots, she thought to herself. I’ve got practically the whole class under my thumb.

“Lila? Are you coming? We’re going back to the hotel so nothing else gets damaged.“ She shot a pointed look at Marinette, who was dripping all over the floor.

“O-of course, Miss!“

They caught a bus back to their resort, and Lila was delighted to see that Nino’s efforts had come to no avail trying to distance Marinette from the older men who approached her from behind.

-🌸-

“Marinette, I can’t believe that little liar.“ Alya said, seething. “She must be getting cocky. Like a game of ‘catch me if you can.’ She’ll have to lay off you for a few days if she wants anything to be believable, though.“

Marinette was toweling off her hair, deep in thought.

“This isn’t like her. Normally, she would stop after the vase and lay off for the rest of the day, maybe badmouth me a little at dinner, but know when to quit.“

“Well, I think you should just bop her in the head with your yo-yo.“ Alya added.

“Agreed!“ Trixx squeaked.

“I don’t normally condone using the Miraculous for selfish purposes, but I’ll let this one slide. You know what to do, Marinette! Get those spots on!“

“Guys,“ Marinette sighed, tossing the towel onto her bed. “That’s not the point. I just want a peaceful few days before I have to deal with her again. Is that too much to ask?“

“Not at all, Marinette!“ Tikki said, nuzzling her cheek. “Just know that I’m always here if you need me!“

“Thanks,“ she whispered.

Two Glorious, Lila-free days later...

“So, Marinette, it’s your free day!” Tikki chirped, patting Marinette’s face. “What do you want to do?”

“Sleep,“ she grumbled.

“No, silly! I mean after you visit your family!“

Marinette bolted upright. “What?!”

“You didn’t remember? You’re supposed to meet your biological parents today for brunch at 10.“

“And what time is it now?“ She asked, jumping out of bed to see if Alya was awake.

“5:30.“

“So I only have four hours to get ready?! That’s not nearly enough!“

“Marinette...? Why are you up so early...?“ Alya mumbled sleepily.

“I’m meeting my family!“ she squawked.

Alya sat up and put on her glasses. “Oh. Want me to help you get ready?“ she asked, walking over to the kitchenette for a glass of water.

“That would be great. Now, can you hurry up!?“

Alya took a long sip. “Calm down, Marinette. Do you want them to think you’re nervous all the time? You don’t want that in a princess. Take a deep breath.“ Marinette glared. Taking a deep breath, she focused on how tranquil she would be.

Her mom would probably be there. Wait–mom–not really her mom, but who she...used to think her mom was? Agh, now she was nervous again!

“So, Marinette, what do you want to wear? Something more traditional, or something that’s a little more...you?“ Alya asked, setting her empty cup down on the counter.

“I don’t want to offend them by just wearing, like, a nice blouse and jeans...but I don’t want to overdress. What do I do?“

Alya munched on a bagel thoughtfully. “Do you still have that qipao dress from a few months ago? The pretty pink one with cherry blossoms on it?“

Marinette nodded and pulled a blur of pink fabric out of her suitcase. She shut the bathroom door, and when she came out a second later, she thought that maybe she actually had a chance to make a good first impression.

On her mom.

Hoo boy.

-🌸-

When Marinette stepped out of the bathroom, Alya immediately started squealing. “Marinette, you look perfect!”

The outfit was simple, no more than a short-sleeved, a-line dress if not for the neckline, which resembled a traditional qipao, adorned with tiny embroidered flowers.

Marinette twirled around. “You like it? I was thinking of wearing those light pink heels. What do you think?”

“Do it.“

🌸 at brunch because op sucks 🌸

“Good morning, miss. Where are you headed today?“

Marinette glanced down at the little card in her hands. “The east dining room, please.”

The man at the desk raised his eyebrows so high they were in danger of disappearing into his curly grey hair. “Right this way, your Royal Highness.” he said, pointing her towards an entryway with a significantly fancier arch than the rest.

She walked down a seemingly endless hallway, wondering when she would get to eat, when the narrow room exploded into a dining room larger than her house.

“Ah, hello…Marinette.“ a peaceful voice greeted her. “I’ve been waiting for you!“

“Hi.“ was all she managed to squeak out. The lady in front of her was stunningly beautiful, with black hair that fell in a curtain down to her waist, wearing nearly the same dress as her, but in what looked like red silk.

“Sit, please!“ she said eagerly. “I’d love to get to know you.“

Marinette awkwardly positioned herself in ont of the high-backed chairs.“Okay.“

The lady sat on the chair opposite from her. “My name is Fei. I’m so sorry to have just...left you with my cousin for years, but I really do hope you can forgive me. This is all a bit hectic–trust me, I know–but I believe that if we can get along, this will go smoothly. What do you say?”

Fei had a warm smile, but there was a nervous undertone to her words. She had felt that way before, and a new feeling coursed through her body. Marinette moved forwards forwards and hugged her. “I’d like that.”

She seemed surprised at first, but hugged her back immediately but then let go almost as fast. “Look, I’m just ecsatic, about this, but if it’s uncomfortable calling me ‘mom’, or anything else, I need you to know that it’s okay. You can call me Fei, you can call me mom, you can call me māmā, anything you want. Okay?”

“Thank you.“ Marinette said, looking down. “It’s nice to know I have you. I think it’ll take a while for me to…adjust, but I’m so happy to know that you’re okay with that. Now, can we stop being so serious and eat?“

She beamed. “That sounds great, Marinette!”

After a few minutes of slightly awkward eating, Marinette cleared her throat. “So, other than the whole coronation thing, are there any other princess-y things I’ll have to do while I’m here?”

Fei choked on her water. “Actually…” she coughed. “I’m glad you asked. See, this is only day three of your 10-day trip. We need to get outfits, jewelry, speeches, everything prepared, and I don’t know if we’ll be able to do it all in time.”

Marinette was soeechless. This was unexpected.

“But that’s not all. I have to intruduce you to my mother, my husband, the whole royal family. “ She was sounding increasingly stressed with each sentence. “Everything has to be taken into account.“

“Hey, it’ll be okay!“ Marinette assured. “Things happen. They’ll sort themselves out. I promise.“

“I know. I have to be calm and levelheaded, or else my mom will take over. If that happens, you’ll end up naked at your coronation, or worse, if my husband takes responsibility, he’ll give it to my mom three days later. Do you know what I mean?“

Marinette nodded. “I know, but sometimes things will just happen. But other times, you have to work for them, you know? As long as you don’t give up on it, it will work out. I promise.”

“Hah–usually I’m the one giving the pep talks. Thank you, Marinette, I-I really needed that. How about you go and…meet up with some of your friends? No use in talking to a boring old lady any longer. Go on!“ she said, motioning towards the door.

Marinette turned back and smiled. “Um...bye, I guess!” she murmured, waving.

-🌸-

“So, Alya, when’s Mari getting back from breakfast with her peeps?” Nino asked as they walked down the street.

“I don’t know. I’ll text. If she replies, she’s free. If she doesn’t, she’s still the–“

“Hey guys, what’d I miss?“ Marinette asked, appearing in front of them. he screamed. “Where did you come from?“

“Brunch.“

“Marinette? You’re already done? We were about to go check out some of the tourist shops.“ Alya remarked, scrolling through something on her phone. Nino rolled his eyes.

“We were going to text you, but since you’re already here, what do you want to do?“ he questioned. Marinette fidgeted with her dress.

“Actually, that sounds fun. Which ones were you thinking?“

“Um, there’s actually one right there.“ Nino said, pointing around her to a shop with neon signs covering the whole window. “It looks fun.“

“So let’s go!“

They walked into the shop, the door jingling cheerfully behind them, and immediately things started catching their eyes. “Oh. My. God. Nino, are you seeing these?” Alya blurted. “They have Carapace merch. We’re world famous!”

Marinette was examining a bracelet with plastic rhinestones on it. “This looks like the bracelet from yesterday’s museum. Isn’t it pretty?” She dug through the bin. “Oh, they have other replicas, too? Awesome.”

Nino walked around, perusing the shelves, not really finding anything that sparked his interest. He picked up a trinket here and there, maybe checked a price tag, but wasn’t very interested. But then he saw it.

“An authentic OctoInk ‘I ain’t callin’ you a truther’ t-shirt? The printing block had an extra line, and only 47 of these were made!“

“Dude.“ Alya and Marinette whispered simultaneously.

“Um, how much is this shirt?“ Nino asked innocently, showing it to the girl at the register. She looked up uninterestedly, blowing a bubble with her gum.

“8 yuan.“ She scoffed. “Like that thing would sell for any more.“

“Hey, this is a nearly one-of-a-kind piece that–mmph!“

“Don’t tell her it’s supposed to be expensive!“ Alya hissed in his ear. “That’s the opposite of what you do!“

Wayzz poked him from his pocket. “She is not wrong, Nino. Purchase the shirt for eight yuan, if it makes you so happy.”

“I’ll take it.“ he said. Marinette put her bracelet on the register with an ‘eh, what the heck?‘ sort of expression. Alya placed a tiny glass turtle on the counter, and Nino felt a flush spreading over his face.

Alya smiled.

-🌸-

“So, Marinette, why did you get that bracelet?“ Alya asked once they had left the shop. “It looks pretty real, but you have way nicer jewelry at home. Like the necklace you wore this morning?“

“Yeah, but this one looks like the one from the museum. I know it seems silly, but it feels special.“ she said, twisting it around her wrist.

“Nah, I get it. And speaking of special, here comes a special little liar.“

Marinette’s head straightened immediately. “Aw, shit. And here I was thinking this would be a nice day.“

“Oh, hello, Marinette!“ Lila purred, snaking into the space between Nino and her. “I love your bracelet. It looks expensive…“ and with that, she sauntered away, all other interactive possibilities completely wasted.

“Well, that went better than I’d hoped.“ Nino chuckled.

“Ooh, Nino, there’s an art gallery! Want to check it out?“

“Sure thing, babe!“ He turned to Marinette. “Wanna come?“

“You can go without me, I’m going to get a bite to eat.“

“But–didn’t you just get back from–never mind.“ They walked into the gallery, chatting about who-knows-what.

Marinette spun around, and immediately someone on a blue bike yelled a split second before they knocked her over.

“Aaaack, my bike!” A male voice yelled. Marinette tried to open her eyes and stood up. A pale boy with bangs that hung over his eyes stared at her. “Sorry, I guess…”

Marinette stared back. “Okay?” she whispered. Maybe it wasn’t going to be a free day after all.

Just as she was about to ask for his name, her stomach growled like an angry Godzilla.

He chuckled.

“You wanna grab a bite? I know a place.“

“Sure. What’s your name?“

“Jianyu.“

“Marinette.“

He opened the door to a little sandwich restaurant and walked in, but let it swing shut behind him in Marinette’s face. Rude. Once they were seated and Marinette was starting to get a little annoyed at him–it was like he didn’t even notice her–he decided it was time to order.

Jianyu snapped at one of the waitresses to get her attention and whistled to get her to come over. She walked over with a pained expression on her face, then plastered on a smile.

“How may I help you today?“

“I’ll have pork dumplings and a Pepsi, the lady’ll have the chicken salad.“

“Actually, I was going to get–“ Marinette started.

“Sorry, sweetheart.“ he said, shoving the waitress away and turning back to her. “But why don’t you tell me a little bit about yourself while she’s gone?“

I know that when I’m crowned princess, I’ll kick your scrawny ass, she thought. But she didn’t say that–in fact, she didn’t say anything, just got up from her chair and knocked Jianyu’s water glass down his front.

She swept out of the store before she could hear his cursing.

Yeah, that date was over.

And–being Marinette–as soon as she stormed out of the restaurant, she slammed into a cute girl with her wavy black hair in a ponytail, wearing leggings and a red hoodie.

“Oh, no, are you alright?“ she gasped, checking Marinette over for injuries.

“I’m fine.“ Marinette grumbled. She wasn’t in the mood to meet anyone else she bumped into, not if they were going to be like him.

“You don’t sound fine. I’m Chuntao.“

“Oh–um, I’m Marinette. Little tip, don’t go in there unless you like being catcalled.“

Chuntao frowned. “Hm. I think my brother told me he was going there for lunch–I wouldn’t put it past him to do that.“ She walked in and came out a second later, dragging Jianyu out by the ear.

“What do you have to say for yourself?“

“Marinette!“ he shouted. “I didn’t do anything! Back me up!“

“You called me ‘sweetheart’.“

“Mom’s gonna kick your ass,“ Chuntao growled, letting go of Jianyu’s ear. He scampered away, and she turned back to Marinette, rubbing her temples.

“I’m so sorry for him, but you seem like a really cool person. Can I get your number?“

“Y-yeah, totally!“ Marinette swapped phones with Chuntao, slightly dazed. She handed her phone back and waved.

“Thanks, Marinette! Text me later!“ She yelled, jogging away.

“See you…”

“So, who was that?“ Alya asked, appearing at her shoulder.

“Waugh! Alya! You know…maybe we should sit down first.“

-🌸-

“So…what if I’m gay?“

Alya and Nino simultaneously choked on their drinks.

Alya dabbed at her face with a napkin. “Marinette, darling, may I know the circumstances that have led you to entertain this line of inquiry? Because what the fuck?”

“Tell me all about her.” Nino said, resting his chin in his hands.

“Well, she saved me from a really sucky dude,“

“Hm. So she’s already a nice person.“ Alya remarked.

“And she’s super pretty,“

“So are you, honestly. But that’s off-topic.“

“And I haven’t had a real crush on a boy, like, ever,“

“And you went out with Kagami a few months ago, too. That settles it, Marinette! You are most definitely likely probably gay!“ Nino announced, raising his virgin Piña Colada in a toast.

Alya clinked her Shirley Temple against Marinette’s glass. “So, Marinette, it’s your free day. Only 48 hours until the coronation. How are you feeling?”

“Honestly, I d–“

“Hands in the air!“ an amplified voice screamed. “You’re under arrest!“

Tags: @professionalfangirl1738 @kuroko26 @k-poplunardreams @smolplantmum @heaven428 @briareris @dnsakina @purplesundaze @bloodydragon000 @mimika-28 @strawberrycheesecakebar @k-laconia-bug1@kristycocopop @abrx2002 @wannajointhecrabcult @mochegato @lozzybowe @ozwaltwashere @flufflepuffle296 @fandom-trapped-03 @nanakeid @hetalia-lover-is-here @futursworld @pale-lady-dreamer @susiej1118 @lostinthewrongfandom @fantasyfandommaiden @aestheticnpoetic @feliciakainzofspades @schrodingers25 @echpr

#ml salt #ml salt fic #marinette dupain cheng #marinette deserves better #alya sugar #nino sugar #lila salt #lila bashing #ish #adrien salt #adrien bashing #again ish #marinette the princess of china #chuntao song #miraculous salt #miraculous ladybug #class salt #the kwamis just kinda dont exist in this chapter #~gone~

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olivia-anderson-fanfic · 3 years

Text

Soulmarks, Part 21

First part

~~~

Mme. Bustier gave a sigh when the three dropped their documents on the desk in unison, but this was nothing compared to the shock that came with Marinette’s words:

“We’re transferring.”

“But… but you’ve only been students here for two days!” She said, flipping through the papers with wide eyes. “And you didn’t even come for the second!”

Marinette gave a tiny shrug and glanced at Tim, who waved a stack of papers.

“You can try and keep us, if you’d like, but we have record of over a year’s worth of bullying complaints where no action was taken. Of course, you can still contest us if you’d like to deal with Mr. Wayne and Mr. Agreste’s lawyers…”

The woman’s kind face drained of color.

“I’ll… I’ll sign this right away. I hope you enjoy your time at…” She looked at the papers. “Gotham Academy.”

Marinette sent her friends grins.

“I think we will. Thank you.”

The superheroes had never felt more anxious in their lives. Their food remained untouched in front of them... outside of Kagami, who was slowly eating her beignet fries.

Or, at least, she had been. Now she was looking at them all with wide eyes.

“Let me get this straight…” Said Kagami. “You --.” She pointed her fry at Adrien. “-- are Chat Noir. And you never told me to keep me safe, despite having no problem with giving me a miraculous on occasion.”

Adrien pursed his lips and looked at Marinette imploringly. She didn’t seem to be enjoying being the only one to speak. Her hand gripped Tim’s arm so tightly that he swore she was going to draw blood.

Damn, Tim could have so easily been left out of this. He didn’t know Kagami outside of what Adrien had said about his soulmate, he’d had every excuse to not come. But then Marinette had given him puppy-dog eyes and he was weak, okay?

Marinette coughed uncomfortably. “To be fair, Adrien was the one who didn’t want to tell you.”

Adrien choked. He glared daggers at his partner, only to stop and give his girlfriend the world’s most innocent smile. He carefully brought his hands up and made a heart with his fingers.

Kagami didn’t seem amused, taking a bite of the fry and turning back to Marinette slowly.

The girl did not seem to like this development, if the tightening of her grip on his arm was any indication.

“Anyway, because his dad is Hawkmoth, we’re relocating him. We have to tell the public who Hawkmoth was, because Gabriel was too important to just have him disappear, and we don’t want him to be attacked.”

Kagami took a sip of Adrien’s drink. The model huffed a little but let her have it.

“And you’re telling me in case I want to go with him?”

“Yep. We don’t even have to tell your mom where you’re going. I can go in as Ladybug and tell her I’m relocating you for safety reasons and we can take you.”

She nodded thoughtfully, then gave a shrug. “Sure. Sounds good. Where to?”

The heroes breathed for the first time that night.

The press. God, she hated the press. And she hated it even more now that they were screaming ‘Marinette’ instead of ‘Ladybug’.

But she had to do this.

Marinette fought the urge to mess with her yoyo as she stepped to the podium with Adrien at her side.

He still couldn’t speak but she’d still wanted him to come onstage with her.

She smiled faintly. “Hello, Paris, we have come to make some announcements.”

“First of all, Hawkmoth has been defeated.” She paused for the cheering and applause. “The authorities have given me clearance to share this with you: his civilian identity was Gabriel Agreste.”

The gasps were soon replaced by murmuring and she had to drum her finger on the microphone a few times to get their attention back.

“That being said, please do not attack Adrien Agreste. I did extensive research and observation, and I found that he did not know and was not involved in any way. However, just to be safe, I have decided to take him out of France. During my time in America, I found a suitable person to look after him.”

“Secondly…” She took a deep breath and looked at Adrien, who gave her an encouraging smile. “... we are resigning as protectors of Paris.”

The silence that followed that was deafening. She hugged herself.

“Hawkmoth has been defeated, we are no longer needed here… and it is no longer safe for my family, as the world knows my identity. We will also be relocating to America, but I implore you to respect our privacy.”

“As for Chat, he wishes to remain anonymous so he can continue hero work where he is needed. I hope you can respect that, too.”

“You won’t be left unprotected, of course. The Peacock miraculous is still lost and, though we doubt it is here, Rena Rouge, Carapace, and Queen Bee have all elected to remain in Paris in case it shows up.”

She swallowed thickly and looked out over the sea of people.

“Thank you.”

He flipped through a book on ASL, spinning in his swivel chair absently as he read.

Gotham was quiet at the moment, anyways. The most interesting thing he’d seen on the cameras all night had been Dick accepting a plate of cookies from a stranger.

His phone beeped to indicate his shift was almost over.

On cue, Marinette came in with two cups of coffee.

He smiled faintly as she took her seat, then she pushed her swivel chair over until it knocked against his a tiny bit. She read over his shoulder, sipping at her drink and occasionally bringing his to his lips so he could continue to hold the book for them.

He tugged at the collar of his turtleneck with an annoyed sigh. Honestly, he wished they’d come up with a different cover story for why Tim could no longer speak, because wearing sweaters all the time was quickly getting annoying. ‘Rich kid had taken a blow to his windpipe and could no longer speak’ wasn’t all that unlikely in Gotham, it was hard to beat, so now he had to wear turtlenecks all the time or spend time in the morning putting a fake scar over his neck.

(And, well, Tim had never been one to put much effort into his appearance when he could be doing something more productive.)

Thankfully, no one else had needed a cover. They were a bunch of French kids, no one would be surprised to hear that they had opted not to learn two languages at once. It would have been hard to come up with similar yet different accidents for all of them, and definitely a little suspicious.

Marinette pulled his hand away from his collar and pressed a kiss to it before lacing her fingers with his. “I think you look cute.”

He smiled.

His phone beeped and he quickly fumbled to silence it, because he’d barely done anything that night and he didn’t want to have to stop already, but from the way she set her jaw he knew that she wasn’t going to let him do that.

He set the book on his lap and signed: “Can I at least stay with you?”

Marinette blushed and nodded. He smiled at the tiny victory.

She pressed a hand to her comm. “Right, I’m here, now. Ryuuko, Chaton, report.”

“We found some really good hotdogs on eighth,” said Kagami.

“That’s…” She laughed. “Good for you. Bring me one in the morning.”

“I’m glad you’re getting some sort of nutrition, but get back to work,” said Bruce.

Kagami and Adrien groaned and she could hear them pick up speed.

“Batman, report.”

“No new information on the Two-Face situation.”

She rolled her eyes. “Of course. Nightwing, Batgirl, report.”

“A civilian gave us cookies,” said Dick brightly.

“Are they poisoned?”

“We’ll find out soon,” said Barbara with a tiny sigh. “Nightwing already ate one.”

“Nightwing!”

Dick murmured something that the comms couldn’t catch, likely some version of ‘traitor!’, and then attempted to defend himself: “The lady gave them to me directly! It would have been rude not to eat one!”

She rolled her eyes. “Great. Take the cookies to Alfred to inspect and then take Nightwing to medbay just in case.”

“Gotcha.”

Tim smiled, watching her flip through their views to make sure they were all safe.

He had never really intended the man-in-the-chair thing to become his permanent form of vigilantism, had always thought he would go back to being Robin at some point, but he was glad that he hadn’t.

After all, it was less stressful and unlikely to get them hurt.

And he knew that Marinette liked the new job, too, if the tiny computer over his heart was any indication.

He felt her rest her head on his shoulder again, apparently appeased by what she had seen, and he wrapped his arm around her.

They listened to a police scanner and relaxed, together.

~~~

I need to stop writing finales at 3am --

Taglist

@pawsitivelymiraculous @golden-promises @salty-fang @kitsunebell @sassakitty @octobitch @glastwime859 @miyla-lokidottir @onlyabatfan @ira-sairain @2confused-2doanything @ultimatetornshipper @ladybug-182 @laurcad123 @we-want-mini-mini @roguishredaxion @just-reblogs-by-h @futursworld @magic-miraculous @nathleigh @smolplantmum @vroomtaka @emimar7 @toodaloo-kangaroo @charme-de-malchan @spicybelladonna @fusser90 @indecisive-mess-named-me @rosesgonerogue @celestialsiren @bluesimani @loysydark @trippingovermyfeet @goblinwhoships @kaithehero

#soulmarks #timinette #timari #marinette dupain cheng #ladybug #red robin #tim drake #maribat #adribat

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verymuchimmortalcat · 3 years

Text

Maribat March Day 1: Found Family

Yes, I'm aware it's not March. It's already up on ao3 but I wanted to cross post it onto this.

ao3

@maribatmarch-2k21

Hawkmoth was gone. There wasn’t even a battle, Adrien had come to her as soon as he found out about his father. Having the element of surprise and Chloe as Queen Bee, they managed to get the miraculi with minimum damage. Everything afterwards was a blur. Hawkmoth was gone. She thought for the hundredth time emptily.

She’d been staying with Chloe when Adrien had come to her, they’d known their identities for the past three years after Hawkmoth’s threat became worse. Adrien and Chloe had been the only two people she had spoken to in the last month after a horrible argument with her parents about her continuous disappearances. And the Bats, but they didn’t know she was no longer staying with her parents. All her conversations with them were mostly check-ins over text. She hadn’t visited or called, they would have known something was up so she texted Tim that she’d be busy for the next few months with commissions and Ladybug and that she wouldn’t be able to talk or visit as often. She had convinced Tikki that using the Horse miraculous to go to Gotham wasn’t using the Miraculous for personal uses, she trained when she was there and it was a good break from the tension in Paris and it reduced her chance of akumatisation. Tikki had agreed to those points but had only caved when Marinette started trying to bribe her with extra cookies.

She missed those visits. She was with Adrien when she voiced that thought. They were at the Eiffel tower, sitting in complete silence as the two of them stared out at the city. The news of Hawkmoth’s defeat would spread throughout the city in the next hour or so and it was sure to erupt into celebration. Adrien’s aunt had already been told and she was coming the next day to take him to London.

He had smiled sadly at her and said, “Go to Gotham, Bug. Go to your Family.”

When she started to speak, he cut her off, “You and me both know they’re exactly that. They’re more your Family than Tom and Sabine will ever be.”

“And you? I don’t want to leave you alone, especially after everything.”

“I’ll be fine. I have Chloé, and Aunt Amelie will be here tomorrow. I want you to go. You deserve someone to be there for you too, and they’ll be there. Even though the whole lot of you have issues with processing emotions and talking things out.”

She laughed at that, a sad sounding crying laugh, but a laugh all the same

“Talk to you later?”

“Talk to you later. Come visit, we can explore London together once things calm down. Feel free to drag the others along.”

“You’re begging for chaos.”

“And you’re stalling. Go or I’ll call them myself.”

“Ok, ok, I’m going. See you soon.”

She swung off leaving Adrien on the tower still staring out at the city the two of them had protected since they were thirteen. She headed to the hotel first to tell Chloé. Chloé was in her room, talking to Pollen as if it was the last time she would see her. “Here to take the miraculous?”

“Actually no.”

“Great. You’re finally going to talk to the Bats then.”

“It hasn’t been that long, and anyways Adrien’s on the tower. Bring him back and spoil him for me, will you?”

“Of course, now shoo. The news was just released, they’re probably already waiting for you,” and then Chloe transformed and jumped out of her Balcony.

Chloé had been right. The news had already spread throughout the world and the second Marinette detransformed her phone started going crazy. There were messages and missed calls from all of the Waynes, official and unofficial. Ignoring most of them. She opened her messaging history with Tim and sent him a message.

Batcave. I’ll be there in 2 minutes.

She didn’t need to bring anything with her, she visited them often enough to have her own room filled with her things and everything. Transforming with Kaalki she created a portal and stepped into the Batcave. Tim was already there. Knowing him he’d probably been there for the past few hours regardless of how early it was. She fell into his arms as soon as she got there. Crying, with relief, happiness and so many other emotions. And he just hugged her back and stroked her hair. “Let’s go up, Dick wants to have a movie night. Cass and Steph will be back from Hong Kong tomorrow morning and Babs already went home.”

“Tim, it’s past 4 in the morning. And I’m going to assume you mean today morning”

“well, technically, yes. Today morning and it’s not like we were asleep anyways. The news came just after we had finished with Patrol,” he said defensively.

She sighed, “you Bats and your sleeping habits.”

“Hey, yours isn’t much better.”

“Guess that makes me one of you, then”

He scoffed, “please, Damian thinks you’re skilled and that’s more than what he thinks of the rest of us. You’ve been one of us for ages now. All that’s left are official documents.”

“Please don’t fake those.”

“Do you seriously think I would do that?” He said mock offended.

“Obviously,” she deadpanned.

They continued making their way through the rest of the Manor in comfortable silence. Leaving Marinette with her thoughts for the first time since she had entered the Manor. She remembered, when she had first met Tim when he had come to Paris to train with Master Fu’s friend who had at the time been teaching her too. When they weren’t practicing, Marinette took him around the city. He had become like a brother to her. An annoying one, but she’d been continuously reassured that all siblings were just like that. And then she met the rest of the Bats and she found the way they behaved around each other fascinating. Teasing and rude until someone outside their family did the same then they were nothing but defensive and dangerous. And somehow Marinette had seamlessly joined their chaotic Family some point in the five years it had been since she had first met Tim. They had become family even before they trusted the other with their Identities which was as weird as it sounds. With Marinette dropping by Gotham to help with Patrol and the Bats occasionally coming to Paris to help her and Adrien train.

They had reached the media room and she entered the room only to be swept into a hug by Dick. Damian was sitting on one of the blankets surrounded by his pets. Jason was sitting on the couch with a book, he reaches out and ruffles her hair when she’s near him and quietly says, “you did good.” She whispers back a thank you. Duke waves to her from his spot on of the bean bags. Bruce was Bruce. So, Marinette as soon as she was free from Dick’s hug, hugged him and said, “Good to see you too B.” And then Bruce smiles and Marinette takes that as an opening and cuddles into his side. Tim sits on her other side and Marinette leans onto him too.

Jason leaves his book and joins Damian and Dick on the blanket pile on the floor, despite the large amount of space left on the sofa. Duke stretches out in the now empty space. They finally settle on watching the Avengers movies.

Damian falls asleep halfway through the first movie and Dick brings Damian closer to him. Marinette feels Tim’s breathing slowly even out towards the start of the second movie and she smiles softly, Tim needs more sleep. She falls asleep around the time the Avengers start trying to pick up Thor’s hammer.

She wakes up the next morning to Stephanie jumping on her and hugging her and as soon as she’s calmed down from the instant panic any hero gets when they think they’re getting attacked in their sleep, she hugs Steph back and laughs. Cass is standing behind Steph and engulfs her in a hug the second Steph lets go, and Marinette is filled with a sense of safety in her sisters’ arms. Steph starts talking excitedly, shooting rapid fire questions, before Cass gets her to stop by bringing her attention to Marinette’s expression. The rest of the boys start to wake. And Steph and Cass go around with the round of hugs and greetings after being gone for a while. Steph’s phone chimes with a notification. Checking her phone, Steph grins. “Babs said she’s coming by for breakfast. Oh, and Alfred said he’s making crepes and we should probably go before they cool down.”

Jason groans, “Couldn’t you have started with that.”

Stephanie crosses her arms, “Of course not. What do you take me for?”

Jason just grumbles and walks out of the room, probably to get ready before breakfast. Marinette, giggling, follows the rest of them as they all rush to get ready so they don’t miss Alfred’s crepes.

Five minutes later, the whole Wayne Family and their friends are there at the table eating breakfast. And it’s a beautiful chaos that Marinette thrives in. Babs and Dick are talking. Steph and Damian arguing spectacularly loudly about something or the other. Jason and Duke are fighting about books again. Next to her, Cass tries to make sure Tim doesn’t fall asleep on his food. And throughout the chaos Bruce just has an exasperated and tired but somehow fond look on his face. While Alfred comes and goes, offering sarcastic remarks occasionally.

Marinette knows they’ll have to talk later about Hawkmoth and Tom and Sabine. But right now, she’s eating breakfast with her family and having fun and all the worries can be for future Marinette. Present Marinette is going to wreak chaos with her batshit crazy family. The one that she chose.

#act like the ending isn't weird #maribatmarch2021 #maribat #my writing

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mikauzoran · 3 years

Text

Lukadrien: Zebras Can’t Change Their Stripes: Chapter Eight

Read it on AO3: Zebras Can’t Change Their Stripes: Chapter Eight

Once the sun rose, Adrien gave up on getting any more fitful sleep and rolled out of bed to get dressed for the day.

Plagg grumbled groggily at being disturbed, but, instead of resettling and drifting off again like he would have done back in the day, Plagg relocated to Adrien’s hair, doing a little circle before curling up to resume his slumber atop Adrien’s head.

Adrien smiled fondly at his kwami as he took care not to jostle Plagg too much.

Plagg had definitely been more clingy since their reunion. It used to be that Plagg would go off exploring on his own or stay behind in Adrien’s room or bag while Adrien showered or ate dinner or attended class or practiced fencing.

Over the past few days, Plagg hadn’t let Adrien out of his sight. He’d even gone so far as to follow Adrien from one room to the next in the small flat, even when Adrien just went to the kitchen for a glass of water.

It was reassuring in a way. It warmed Adrien’s heart and really drove home how much Plagg cared.

“Marc’s probably still here, so you’ll have to hide when we go out into the main room,” Adrien cautioned as he went to his closet and picked out clothes for the day.

Plagg hummed disinterestedly but obediently phased into Adrien’s left shoulder to hide when they exited Adrien’s bedroom.

There was no sign of life in the apartment, so Adrien quietly brushed his teeth and combed his hair before heading to the kitchen. He took inventory of their supplies, made a shopping list in the notes app of his phone, and then left a note on the counter informing Luka and Marc that he had gone to the store.

When he got back, the flat was still silent and devoid of movement, so he took up residence in the kitchen. He snacked on the mediocre croissant that he’d picked up at the store and missed Marinette more and more by the second as he prepared big batches of three different kinds of soup.

Adrien figured that they could have some of the soup now and freeze the rest in individual portions for later, if and when they were feeling too drained to cook. He reasoned that it would be good to have something healthy and nutritious on hand if Adrien were ever out and Luka needed something quick and easy to eat.

Marc emerged from Luka’s room a little after eleven o’clock and sheepishly greeted Adrien.

“Looks like you’re being industrious already. It smells like an Indian restaurant in here, and it’s got my mouth watering,” Marc chuckled.

Adrien blushed, using his wrist to sweep a few stray hairs back out of his face. “I’m glad you approve. I know my cooking can be a little fragrant, but I’ve always loved ethnic food. Cumin and coriander are two of my favourite things, and Luka’s liked the dishes I’ve made so far, so…”

He shifted nervously, feeling a little awkward and out of place.

“I just want to be helpful,” Adrien hastened to explain. “I feel really anxious when I’m sitting around being useless.”

Marc crossed the living room into the kitchen and rested a reassuring hand on Adrien’s shoulder. “You are far from useless. Don’t ever think that about yourself, Adrien.”

Adrien gave him a tentative smile, not sure whether he believed Marc was right. “Thank you. …How’s Luka doing?”

Marc winced, pulling away to rock back on his heels. “He’s…been better. He’ll live, though. I’m going to get him out of bed and up and dressed.”

Adrien nodded, turning again to the pot on the stove and pointedly avoiding Marc’s gaze. “I’m so sorry. I should have done a better job looking out for him last night. I said I was going to watch him until you got there, but…I guess I didn’t realize I’d let him have too much.”

Marc’s hand was back on Adrien’s shoulder in an instant, giving it a bolstering squeeze. “Adrien, no. Seriously. That wasn’t your fault, so please don’t blame yourself.”

Timidly, Adrien met Marc’s gaze. “You’re not mad at me?”

Marc shook his head, giving Adrien a tired smile. “Listen, Kid. Luka…”

He took a deep breath and slowly sighed it out, shaking his head. “Luka has problems. Maybe you’ve noticed, but he puts all of his energy into taking care of other people and never bothers to take care of himself. He’s been imploding for a couple months now, but this is just the culmination of years of unhealthy behavior and putting himself last.”

Adrien cringed, recognizing what Marc was describing because Luka had been that way for as long as Adrien had known him, but having Marc spell it out like that put it in a new light.

“You can’t make him care about himself, and you can’t make his problems your own responsibility,” Marc explained gently. “Try to save someone from drowning, and they might pull you down with them. All you can do is throw them a life raft and try to tow them in. You get what I’m saying?”

Adrien’s teeth sank into his bottom lip as he tried to absorb Marc’s words.

Hesitantly, he nodded. “I think I understand what you’re getting at.”

Marc smiled and gave Adrien’s shoulder a pat. “You’re a good person with a big heart, and I know it can be hard to say no when someone asks you for something, but you have to know your own limits. If it ever gets to be too much for you to handle, please call me or Jacob or Josie. You don’t have to go it alone to be useful or pay Luka back for giving you a place to stay or anything like that. Okay?”

A grateful smile slowly stretched across Adrien’s lips, and he nodded again, more certain this time. “Thank you, Marc. I’ll try to remember that.”

“Good,” Marc affirmed, giving Adrien’s arm a pat before stepping back and making to return to Luka’s room. “Well, I’m going to go get Luka up. Happy cooking.”

“I can start on breakfast, if you’d like,” Adrien volunteered, sensing an opportunity to be helpful. “Do you have any food sensitivities? I was reading up on good hangover foods. Do you want me to make some coffee?”

Marc blinked, surprised, before bursting out into a hardy laugh. “You’re wonderful. Thank you so much Adrien. That would actually help out a lot. Coffee would be fantastic, and I eat anything so long as it’s not green pepper or olives.”

Marc gave a shudder at the mere mention of the foods.

“Got it,” Adrien confirmed with a chuckle. “I’ll give you fifteen minutes and then start so that it’s not cold by the time you’re ready for it.”

“I am so sorry for anything and everything I said or did last night,” Luka blurted out, hanging his head as he took a seat at the island.

Adrien waved away Luka’s apology. “You’re fine. I promise you didn’t do anything embarrassing, so don’t worry about it.”

Luka was about to protest and apologize again, but Adrien cut him off. “How are you feeling?”

Luka grimaced. “Like a freight train ran over my skull. I guess it serves me right for drinking so much. I swear I’m not normally like this.”

Marc focused his attention on his coffee and kindly refrained from calling Luka out for stretching the truth.

Adrien, mercifully, didn’t press the issue either. “Here.”

He set an egg, spinach, tomato, bacon, and avocado sandwich down in front of Luka.

“I looked into hangover cures a little this morning, and the internet said that this should help you feel better.”

He next fetched a cup of coffee, a glass of water, and some pain killers.

“The articles I read said you should make sure to hydrate too, so hopefully something here helps.” Adrien finished with a tentative smile, still feeling uneasy and desperate to be useful even after Marc’s pep talks.

Luka’s bloodshot eyes filled with warmth and gratitude as he gazed at Adrien.

“Thank you, Angel. You’re amazing,” he breathed, humbled by Adrien’s thoughtfulness and the amount of care Adrien had put into the meal.

Adrien perked up at the praise, and a bit of the edge came off his anxiety at this affirmation of his worth.

“You’re welcome. I’m happy to help,” he insisted.

“Luka’s lucky to have you,” Marc added approvingly, nodding towards his own breakfast sandwich. “And it’s a huge relief to know that I don’t have to worry about Luc eating anymore. You make some delicious, nutritious food, Adrien.”

A pleased blush spread across Adrien’s cheeks as he took a seat and started in on his own meal. “Thanks, Marc. Like I said, I’m really happy to be helpful.”

As breakfast wound down, Marc turned to Luka. “I need to head home. Are you going to be okay?”

Luka started to nod but stopped when it made him feel dizzy. “Yes. Thanks, Marc. I really appreciate you, and I’m sorry that that happened.” He lowered his voice to shamefully add, “again”.

Marc rolled his eyes and gently tussled Luka’s hair. “You’re good. You’re always there for me, aren’t you?”

Luka frowned. “Yes, but—”

“—No buts,” Marc tsked, getting to his feet and ghosting a quick kiss against Luka’s temple. “I’ll text to check on you later. Take care, all right?”

Marc turned to Adrien and raised a hand in parting. “I’ll see you Tuesday for practice. Thanks for everything, Adrien. Just text if you need anything, okay?”

Adrien nodded, waving back as Marc made his way to the door. “Thank you, Marc.”

Suddenly, the flat was awkwardly quiet.

“…He’s not the Marc you dated before, is he?” it suddenly occurred to Adrien to ask.

He wasn’t sure why he abruptly felt threatened by Marc, but he did. He was jealous of the way Luka trusted Marc implicitly while Adrien was kept at a bit of a distance. Adrien wanted to be able to take care of Luka the way Marc did.

Adrien understood what Marc had said about Luka wanting Adrien to respect him and think he was cool and not see him as a mess, but…Adrien couldn’t help but long for Luka to rely on Adrien. Adrien wanted to be trusted like that.

Luka winced. “No. The Marc I dated was a different Marc. Our Marc is straight, and he’s only had eyes for his wife Wakana for a little over a decade now.”

“Oh. Okay. Just wondering,” Adrien explained, trying to shrug it off like an inconsequential whim as he set about cleaning up from that morning’s cooking binge.

“The only person in the band I’ve dated is Jacob—a youthful folly of mine,” Luka attempted to excuse himself. “A lapse of judgment.”

Adrien rolled his eyes. “I remember you talking about him when we were teenagers. You slept with him.”

Luka crumpled, his ears starting to glow red.

“You only sleep with people you’re in love with,” Adrien pressed, finding a strange pleasure in making Luka squirm.

“What is love but an extended lapse of judgment?” Luka muttered.

“You don’t actually believe that.” Adrien sniffed indignantly. “You told me once that being in love lifted you to a higher plane of existence.”

“I say a lot of dumb things when I’m in love,” Luka grumbled into his coffee.

“I thought it was beautiful,” Adrien hummed softly. “Sixteen-year-old Adrien swooned when you said things like that.”

Luka choked, spraying coffee onto the counter. “Seriously?”

Adrien peeked back over his shoulder with an impish grin. “Mmhm. You were my biromantic awakening. I thought everything you said was so cool and wise and suave.”

“And now you know better,” Luka chuckled darkly, sopping up the coffee splatter with his napkin as he internally mourned the missed opportunity to sweep Adrien off of his feet.

“Not necessarily.” Adrien smiled as he grabbed a damp cloth and helped with the cleanup.

Luka quirked an eyebrow. “How could you possibly still think I was suave or cool or wise after seeing me last night?”

Adrien shrugged. “After all this time, you’re still the you I remember from back then. You haven’t changed much…and you saved me last week by taking me in. That buys you a lot of grace with me, so I’m willing to overlook last night’s indiscretion and give you a pass.”

Luka winced, squeezing his coffee mug reflexively as he bowed his head. “Thank you, Adrien. Again, I’m really sorry that you had to see that.”

Adrien leaned across the island to tip Luka’s chin up.

“No apologies needed.”

Luka’s eyes widened as his gaze flicked back and forth between Adrien’s eyes and mouth.

Adrien pulled back with a soft smile. “I know you’ve been suffering since The Breakup, so I’m proud of you for keeping it together all week while I’ve been here. You’re doing a good job, Luka.”

Luka dropped his gaze once more. “I’m glad one of us thinks so.”

“You’re biased, so my opinion is the only one that counts,” Adrien announced, going back to rinsing dishes and loading the dishwasher.

Luka chuckled and drained his coffee mug. “I’m not the only biased party here. At some point in time, you actually thought I was suave.”

Luka got up, disposed of his trash, and came over to the sink to rinse his plate and cup.

With some trepidation, Adrien turned to look at Luka. “I still think you’re suave. Like when you told me the other day that I deserved to have nice things and that I deserved things I didn’t necessarily need just because I wanted them and when you bought me my Chat Noir the Third plushie so that I’d have a reminder that I was loved.” He swallowed and reiterated, “I still think you’re amazing, Luka.”

Fighting down a rampant blush, Luka stepped in and pulled Adrien into a hug.

He couldn’t be sure if Adrien was just projecting onto Luka because Luka had given him a home and food and luxuries Adrien had been denied the past four years, so Luka didn’t want to read into what Adrien had said. He didn’t want to get himself hurt by allowing himself to misinterpret Adrien’s feelings.

“God, you’re so sweet,” Luka sighed into Adrien’s hair. “What did I do to deserve you?”

“You’re my friend,” Adrien replied simply, like it was obvious.

Adrien pulled back and looked up, finally asking the question that had been bothering him since the previous night: “You’re not mad at me, are you?”

Luka’s mouth dropped open. “What? No. P5, why would you think I was mad at you?”

Adrien went back to the dishes, shaking his head. “I just…last night you said that I was going to hurt you. It was kind of confusing. You didn’t seem mad. You seemed more sad than anything, and you kept telling me you loved me, but…I’m sorry. It just bothered me.”

He looked searchingly at Luka. “Do you have any idea why you would have said that I was going to hurt you?”

Luka scrubbed at his face with his hands, mentally kicking himself while simultaneously thanking his lucky stars that Papillon and akumatization were a thing of the past because he was so mortified in that moment that he’d surely register as a target.

“I am so sorry, Adrien,” Luka replied through the spaces between his fingers. “I was drunk. I have no idea what I was thinking, but I promise you I didn’t mean it, and I’m not mad at you. I probably thought I was talking to someone else. I’m really sorry.”

He held his breath and hoped that Adrien bought it because Luka couldn’t bring himself to admit what he had told his other bandmates about his doomed feelings for Adrien and Adrien’s impending relationship with Marinette once they were reunited.

Adrien’s eyes narrowed. “…So…you’re not mad?”

Luka dropped his hands from his face and shook his head. “Adrien, you’ve been an absolute blessing. Why would I be mad at you?”

Adrien pursed his lips. “I don’t know.”

“I don’t either,” Luka assured. “…So…are we okay?”

“…Yeah,” Adrien decided. “Yeah, I think we are.”

“Good,” Luka sighed in relief, feeling like he’d avoided an apocalyptic catastrophe.

“…So…what happened with you and Jacob?” Adrien easily slid back into their former topic of conversation. “You were in love with him, and then…? What? You two seem cool now. Like, not awkward or anything.”

Luka shrugged, grabbing a plate and rinsing it off before handing it to Adrien to put in the dishwasher.

He didn’t exactly relish discussing his love life with Adrien, but it was better than having to explain his drunken indiscretions of the night before.

“Nothing really happened with me and Jacob. We were young teenagers in love…and then we weren’t anymore. We grew up a little, started wanting different things, grew apart… It was a mutual breakup. We decided we still cared about each other and wanted to stay friends, but it wasn’t working romantically anymore,” Luka explained with a shrug. “It happens.”

Adrien nodded, happy to finally understand the dynamic between Jacob and Luka. It had been one thing when Jacob was just a name casually mentioned in Luka’s stories, but now that Jacob had a face to go along with the name, it felt different, and Adrien was glad to be able to fit Luka and Jacob’s relationship into a clearly defined box.

“Have you kissed him since you guys broke up?” Adrien inquired, continuing to air his morbid curiosity while they were on the subject of Luka’s love life.

Luka groaned. “A handful of times? Not recently.”

“How about Josie? Have you kissed her?” Adrien pushed his luck.

Luka exploded in laughter but quickly got it under wraps when it made his head feel like it was exploding. “Josie is aggressively lesbian. She would be insulted you even asked.”

“She’d forgive me, though,” Adrien snickered. “She likes me.”

“She does,” Luka confirmed with an affectionate smile. “…Do I get to ask you questions about your love life now?”

“I don’t have a love life,” Adrien snorted. “I have no updates to report since the last time I whined at you about how my love life was nonexistent four years ago.”

“Have you ever kissed Nino?” Luka asked with a smirk.

Adrien’s entire epidermis lit up like a Roman candle, and he pointedly avoided Luka’s eyes.

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e-milieeee · 4 years

Text

four ways to say i love you

Summary: It’s the little things—such as waking up at five in the morning to cook for him or lending her a coat when she’s cold—that mean the world.

Because Marinette loves her partner very, very much, and she’s so lucky that he feels the same.

Notes: I was initially going to do one side of the lovesquare, but all sides are equal and therefore have all four sides in this oneshot :) Post reveal, established relationship. A commissioned piece for @mlbforblm—there’s plenty of talented artists and writers who still have slots, so make sure to commission!

Or read on AO3

Adrien is brushing his teeth when Ladybug comes crashing through his window.

He’s a little later than usual today, still decked in his Ladybug pajamas that he’s so unashamedly proud of. He has tied his bangs back with an elastic band, and it sits like a little tree on top of his head, water still dripping from his face.

“And here I was, thinking you’d be ready to eat breakfast,” she tsks playfully.

He grins back. “Sorry, M’lady. Plagg turned my alarm off.”

His smile is, as usual, contagious and in a way that can’t help but to smile back. Ladybug returns to his room and takes out the box from her bag, where she’d painstakingly prepared breakfast for him at the expense of a shattered bowl and spilled jug of milk. It’s still warm to the touch, thankfully, and her slightly rough landing in his room hadn’t messed it up too much.

Adrien joins her a couple minutes later. He has taken the hair tie out, but his bangs fall softly over his eyes like it does when he’s Chat Noir, and Ladybug wants to run her hands over it so to feel just how soft it is. She refrains herself, though, as they both settle cross-legged on the ground where she has laid their breakfast out.

His mouth drops open. “Wow,” Adrien marvels. “When you said you were going to make a feast, I thought you’d fry an egg or two and slap it between some bread and that would’ve been it. This is… can you describe food as gorgeous? Because this is gorgeous.”

“Just because that’s the only thing you can cook doesn’t mean it’s all I’m capable of,” she sniffs, but underneath, Ladybug preens at the compliment.

It’d taken a lot of effort, and Ladybug had collected the ingredients the day before and planned every single detail before going to bed. Then, at five in the morning, she dragged herself out of bed looking and feeling like a zombie just to prepare it.

There are four egg rolls drizzled with homemade sauce, then sprinkled with dried seaweed and sesame. Next to that are neat cuts of green onion cake, made from absolute scratch (she burned herself in the process of deep-frying them). Inside the longest container are fried fish, the ones her mother had prepared the night before. Finally, the leftover mooncakes from the Lunar Festival are in the little box, tied with a red bow. Marinette had spent careful care on that one.

“Miso soup,” Ladybug tells him as she hands him the thermos. “Uh… I think I added too much paste and it’s too salty, so you might not want to drink that one. And…” She opens the last box, where a variety of fresh-cut fruit awaits. “For health reasons, there are fruits. Oh! Also a cheese platter for Plagg, but he’s still asleep, so he can have it later.”

Adrien is positively beaming when she unpacks everything. “You’re the absolute best,” he gushes.

“Couldn’t have you starving on your diet, right?” The nonchalant act can only go so far when she’s grinning so wide. “I’m just hoping it tastes as good as it looks.”

“It’ll taste good just because you made it.” He throws her an exaggerated wink, then immediately reaches for his chopsticks to dig in.

Ladybug watches him take a bite out of green onion cake. He chews, swallows, eyes lighting up. “This is amazing, and I promise I’m not just saying that because my diet’s forced me to eat boiled chicken breasts with no seasoning of the past week.”

She giggles. “Just let me know when you want me to bring you breakfast.”

He places a hand on his chest. “I can’t believe Ladybug’s my personal delivery girl. Do you offer lunch services as well?”

“Only for you, kitty.”

His grin is worth getting up for at 5am.

***

Marinette is freezing at lunch break, but they’ve agreed to eat outside, so she sucks it up. At least the lunch she’d packed for her and Adrien is warm.

It’s late autumn now, and the last couple of leaves cling to otherwise bare trees. She regrets the outfit she picked—cute, but not practical. Especially not in this weather. Looking at Alya bundled up in a hoodie and combat boots, Marinette really regrets the dress.

The noodles in the thermoses are slightly soggy, but the flavour is still there. They chat for a while—about upcoming tests, about projects and the end-of-the-year field trip that is still months away, and everything is lovely. Lovely, but cold.

Halfway through, her noodles emptied, Adrien notices her shivering. “Are you cold?” he asks, eyes growing wide in concern.

Alya halts her conversation with Nino as well. “Wait, Adrien’s right, you’re wearing a dress. I’m chilly and I have a sweater on.”

Marinette, who has refrained from speaking for the past couple of minutes in fear of her teeth chattering too loudly, manages to shake her head.

She gets a scrutinizing look-over by Adrien before he makes his verdict. “This isn’t going to do,” he declares firmly. Then, with one fluid movement, he shrugs his own sweater off and drapes it over her shoulders.

“Oh, he’s smooth,” Alya remarks with a wicked grin.

Smooth, indeed. The jacket is wonderfully warm, and, with a content sigh, Marinette slides her arms through the sleeves. There’s also the faint smell of his cologne and it’s so very him that she can’t help the smile that crosses her face.

He opens an arm in a beckoning gesture and Marinette happily settles into his embrace.

***

Because of his father’s strict rules, it’s much easier for Adrien to come by as Chat Noir after school, which he does almost everyday. Sometimes it’s between his schedules, sometimes it’s after, late into the night when both his father and Nathalie believe he’s asleep. Marinette always listens for the thump on the skylight, an indication that he’s there. The trap door is always left unlocked for him, so she only needs to wait as he climbs down the ladder.

It’s nearing nine when he comes this time. She sits at her desk finishing up the rest of the notes when the door creaks open and Chat Noir climbs down.

“Evening,” he greets. “What—ooh, you brought croissants for me.”

He zeroes in immediately on the food that Marinette had, admittedly, prepared for him. Between Adrien’s schedule and that godawful diet his father insisted putting him on and his time sprinting across rooftops and fighting akumas, it’s a miracle that he hasn’t fainted from lack of nutrition. Marinette has made it her personal goal to make sure he’s properly fed, and she ensures there’s a snack waiting for him every time he drops by.

Half a minute later, he’s munching enthusiastically on the food and Marinette can no longer focus on the rest of her notes. She sorts them out—there’s at least four pages that she’d copied in her neatest handwriting—and then hands them to Chat.

“Here,” she tells him. “You missed both physics and mathematics today because of the photoshoot, so I copied the notes from class and re-organized them. I also added a review section from last class so it’s easier to figure out just where we are since the two lessons are connected. And…” She shuffles through her desk once more, producing the textbook. “It’s on page one hundred and twenty seven to one hundred and twenty nine, if my notes don’t make sense. You can study here, if you’d like. My parents won’t be coming back up anyway, so we should be left alone for now.”

The last time her mother had walked in on her and Chat doing homework together, she’d been understanding. Understanding, but skeptical. It had been awfully hard to explain why Paris’ superhero was lounging in her room like he lived there—and much harder more awkward to explain that Adrien was one hundred supportive of her friendship with Chat after her father had become defensive that he had ulterior motives.

Chat takes the papers from her. “You’re absolutely unbelievable,” he tells her, eyes shining in a way only his can. “Seriously, Marinette, have I ever told you?”

She pretends to count on her fingers. “Let’s see… only about six times today. Why? He shakes his head, a grin pulling at the corner of his lips. In one fluid movement, he leans down to pluck the textbook from her hands and plants a quick kiss against her cheek in the process. “What would I do without you?”

“Go hungry, probably? Start lagging behind in all of your classes?” Marinette tsks at him. “God, you’re right. What would you do without me?”

Chat’s laugh is wonderful and full and happy. “Then aren’t I lucky to have you.”

***

The akuma strikes at midnight.

Marinette, about to change into her pajamas after just sending off Chat Noir, curses to herself. She’s tired and not in the mood to transform, but when Chat comes crashing back down from the skylight urgently, she knows she has no choice.

“Akuma!” he informs her, as if the tremors outside could be caused by anything else. “It’s close to here. We should be able to take this one quickly.”

“Why is Hawkmoth even awake?” Marinette grumbles, but transforms nonetheless. Chat waits patiently on the side, though he’s drawn taut, prepared to scramble into action the moment she’s ready. Then they’re climbing out of the skylight, into the light, where the akuma has begun its rampage. The once-quiet night is ripped apart with panic and terror.

The akuma is relatively easy to deal with: a little girl, apparently inspired by Frozen, is decked in full Elsa, wielding similar powers. She covers the streets in ice, a snowstorm whirling around her, as spirals of icy sculptures rise and fall.

Both she and Chat have icicles hanging off them by the time Ladybug purifies the akuma. Even after she releases the Miraculous Ladybug, the cold from the girl’s powers haven’t seeped out of her bones. Judging from Chat’s chattering teeth, he feels the same.

Despite her watch reading 12:32 and the next day hailing as a school day , they stop by at a 24-hour-cafe for hot chocolate. A couple minutes later, seated on the rooftops warming their chilled hands, they’re huddled against each other and staring out at the gleaming cityscape.

“Another successful take-down, m’lady?”

Ladybug laughs as he raises his cup for a toast, and she obliges and bumps her own against him. Hot chocolate sloshes over the lid, splashing onto her suit. She flicks it off. “What a team we make, huh? Now, if only Hawkmoth would get the memo and stop creating his akumas so late. Why is he even up now? Say, do you think he has a life outside of being Hawkmoth?”

“He probably wants to catch us off guard in the middle of the night. Remember that one time we got woken up at three because there was an akuma attack? Plagg wanted to tape my mouth shut so I couldn’t transform.”

Ladybug groans. “I did really bad on a test the next day because I got three and a half hours of sleep—I fell asleep halfway through the test! It’s— ugh. He’s so annoying.”

“There’s one good thing about midnight akumas, though,” Chat points out.

She takes a sip from the hot chocolate, which, during their conversation, has cooled down to just below scalding. “A good thing?” Ladybug echoes. “Name one good thing, chaton.”

He nudges her shoulder. “You, m’lady. It’s nice just being alone like this without anyone else, right?”

Then, like he’s said nothing out of the ordinary, Chat goes back to drinking his hot chocolate with infuriating nonchalance.

Ladybug finds herself smiling. “You know,” she tells Chat Noir. “You’re ridiculously good at this. Where do you even get the inspiration to say these things?”

“You.”

“You are completely overdoing it.”

“You love me, admit that.”

“No.”

“So you would get up at five in the morning to make breakfast for just anyone, Bugaboo?”

Ladybug relents. “Okay, maybe a little.”

Chat Noir’s laugh rings crystal clear throughout the night, loud against the crisp air. Ladybug wants to trap that laugh and hold it close to herself. She can’t help but treasure it, after all: it’s a sound that chases away worries, soothes fears, and she thinks she's so, so lucky to hear it everyday.

“I love you,” he tells her when his laughter dies down. “Don’t forget that, m’lady.”

Ladybug leans her head on her shoulder. “I love you too,” she replies quietly. “You better not forget it, either.”

Notes: Here’s my fics masterlist!

#miraculous ladybug #ladybug #chat noir #adrien agreste #marinette #marichat #ladrien #ladynoir #adrinette #fluff #post reveal #established relationship #mlbforblm #my writing #mlb fic

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sassyduckqueen · 3 years

Text

Miraculous: Rise of Anatis 55

And at last that is Frozer. I finally did it! XD I thought I'd combine it will Luka's birthday since we haven't seen that yet. Anyway, the next chapter is an original akuma called Mob Boss so that should be interesting to write. Also quick trigger warning. There is a scene of kidnap in this It's not over the top or too detailed but it is there so just be aware of that. Anyway, hope you guys like this chapter :D

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Chapter Fifty-Five: Frozer

"Once again, Anatis and Lady Noir are here to save the day!" Alya gasped as Anatis and Lady Noir swung by, chasing a man trying to fly on a deltaplane. He was trying to create a new type of delivery service but it hadn't gone well and he had lost control of his deltaplane. He was heading towards the Seine and had dropped the flower bouquet he was holding. Lady Noir caught it as Anatis swung towards him, grabbing him around his waist. He pulled him to safety as the deltaplane fell onto a building instead of the Seine. Anatis dropped him onto the building as Lady Noir landed on there.

"You should take the elevator next time," She grinned as she held out her hand to Anatis. He bumped his against hers before help the pilot to his feet. Lady Noir held out his flower bouquet. "Don't forget your bouquet,"

"Thank you but I guess my deltaplane delivery service wasn't the best idea," He sighed as he took the flowers from her. She gave him a soft smile as he walked over to the deltaplane and sighed before he grabbed it and headed to the fire escape. Lady Noir waved to him as he did before she turned to Anatis. She frowned as she noticed he was zoning out a little. She walked over to him and gently poked his cheek, making him blink and look at her.

"You ok?" She asked, making him nod.

"Yeah... just thinking," He replied, giving her a small smile before she have him a cheeky smile.

"Thinking of getting some flowers for a certain baker's daughter?" She grinned, making him lightly shove her on the arm.

"You know I can't do that, Lady Noir," He replied, rolling his eyes. "Besides, that's not what I was thinking about,"

"Penny for your thought then?" She asked, making him shake his head. She pouted a little, causing him to pat her head a little.

"It's nothing to worry about it," He smiled before taking out his yoyo. "I'll see you later kay?"

"Ok," She nodded, taking out her baton before giving him a smile. "But you know you can talk to me if you need it right?"

"I know, Kitten," He smiled before swinging away. Lady Noir sighed softly before jumping down and heading to an alleyway before detransforming. She caught Plagg and gave him some cheese. He took it and flew into her purse before she ran out of the alleyway and headed to Rose's house. She was having a girly night with her, Juleka, Alya, Mylene and Alix. Or at least that's what their cover story was. The truth was the girls' were planning a birthday surprise for Luka since it was his birthday in the next few days. The only reason why Marinette knew was because Juleka had told her. Apparently, Luka had a similar attitude to birthdays as he did to christmas but not as badly. However, Juleka wanted this year to be different so she called the girls in and they were going to plan some nice surprises for Luka. They were also getting the boys involved. They were gonna give Luka the best birthday he had ever had. Marinette rushed over to the front door and knocked on it, causing a woman who resembled Rose but older to open it.

"Hi, Mrs Lavillant," She signed, causing the woman to give her a smile as she signed back, telling her Rose was upstairs before moving and letting her in. She signed thank you to her before heading upstairs and into Rose's room. Juleka was sat on her bed with Rose laid with her head on her lap. Mylene was sat in a bean bag as was Alya. Alix was sat on the computer chair. On Rose's computer was the boys and the girls that couldn't make it to the sleepover. Kagami waved as Marinette took a seat on the bed, making Marinette wave back. Adrien was sat next to her. Marc was sat in his room, Felix was sat in an office looking room and Aurora was sat in her room. Nino was on calling but didn't have his camera on and Chloe was sat with Sabrina in her room. "Am I late?"

"Nope!" Rose grinned, jumping up. "We're just waiting for Ivan but while we are waiting, anyone have any ideas?"

"Well, we set up a surprise party," Nino suggested, grinning as everyone nods. "We can set up cake and presents!"

"Ok. What we need to do is work out jobs for everyone," Alya stated, making everyone nod. "We're gonna need food, decorations, music and of course, we need to make sure Luka isn't home when while we do all of this,"

"Well, my parents can help with the food and the cake," Marinette stated, making everyone nod.

"We can do the decorations," Juleka mumbled as Rose and Mylene nodded. "But the hardest thing is going to be getting him out of the liberty,"

"He could hang out with me and Adrien for a bit," Kagami suggested, causing Adrien to nod.

"Maybe we could invite him out to orange juice or the ice rink?" Adrien suggested, grinning. "If I recall correctly, he's pretty good at skating,"

"Hmm but Luka might say no," Marc muttered, making everyone frown. "I mean... maybe..."

"Anciel is correct," Felix replied, looking at his nails in a bored manner. Adrien and Kagami frowned a little. "He might feel like a third wheel on your 'date' and wonder back to the liberty before the correct time. You'll need a fourth person. Someone who can keep his attention and ensure that he will stay at the ice rink with you,"

His eyes drifted up to Marinette, making her blink and gasp as she went red.

"M-me?!" She asked, pointing to herself as the girls grinned. "B-But why would I be the best choice?!"

"Are you kidding?!" Alix grinned. "Luka would do anything you asked! You would be the perfect distraction!!"

"Plus this is your chance to redo the ice rink date," Alya grinned, making Marinette go a brighter shade of red. "Since last time was a mess. No offense, Adrien or Kagami,"

"None taken, Alya," Adrien grinned, making Marinette look at him. He looked excited. "I think it is a wonderful idea. Me and Kagami can come along to make sure that Luka doesn't decide to leave early but Marinette can be the main distraction,"

"Noo! Adrien, you traitor!!" Marinette gasped, blushing brighter as she hid her face in her hands. "I ca-can't!! What if he gets bored of me too quickly?! Or I fall over in front of him?!"

"Luka will more then likely catch you," Kagami pointed out, making her look at her. "Besides, it's too late. While you were freaking out, I have just texted him to ask him if he wants to hang out with me and Adrien. He wants to know when,"

"Saturday is his birthday," Juleka informed, making them nod as Marinette covered her face. Kagami nodded and texted back, causing her to smile.

"He said he's cool with that," She replied, making Marinette look through her fingers as she texted back. "I told him he should invite Marinette,"

"What?!" Marinette gasped, hiding her face again. She gasped and went to grab her phone as it vibrated, almost dropping it as she did. She quickly answered it and held it to her ear. "H-Hey, Luka!"

Alya and the other girls tried not to snigger at her reaction, covering their mouths as she shot daggers at them before turning her attention back to the phonecall as Luka asked her if she was free on Saturday.

"Y-Yeah, I am," She squeaked. "W-Why do you ask?"

"Well, Kagami invited me to join her and Adrien at the ice rink on Saturday and then suggested that I should invite you so I don't feel like a third wheel," He stated, making Marinette nod. "And it has been a while since I've got to go to the ice rink and I was hoping to ask you to join us, even if Kagami hadn't suggested it... if you want to that is..."

"Y-Yeah, that would be great!" Marinette gasped. "It's a date... I mean it's not a date.. I mean it is but not a date date. Like we're going as friends!"

"Yeah," Luka agreed, though he sounded a little sad. "It will be fun... plus I won't have to steal Adrien off Kagami this way,"

He chuckled a little, making Marinette giggle.

"Ok, so Saturday at 11?" Luka stated.

"S-Sure," She replied, smiling a little. "I better get going. See you soon, Luka,"

"Bye, Melody," He replied before they hung up. Marinette sat down and glared at Kagami, making her smile.

"Alright so we will be meeting Luka at the ice rink at 11 and we can keep him there for a while," Kagami stated, making them nod. "When everything is set up, you can drop us a text and we'll get Luka back to the liberty where we will surprise him with a birthday party,"

"Perfect!" Rose grinned, pumping her fist into the air. "Luka will be so happy!!"

~Saturday Morning~

"Good morning, Luka!" Tikki grinned, making him raise an eyebrow at her as Kaalki yawned. Tikki was more hyper then usual, making Luka look at her with concern. "It's your birthday today!!"

"Oh," He replied, making Tikki frown. "It's just another day, Tikki,"

"Oh but it's not!!" She gasped, making him look at her. "Birthdays are special! And besides, I got you a gift!"

"You did?" Luka asked, looking at her. Tikki flew up in the air and started humming before spinning around very fast. She suddenly spat towards his hand, making him blink as he looked at it.

"Miraculous birthday, Luka!" She declared as he stared at it. Gradually, the glowing spit disappeared and a small red jewel that was shaped like one half of a yin yang symbol was revealed. Luka carefully picked it up and held it up before a smile came onto his face. "It's a kwagatama. We kwamis create them for people we consider our friends,"

"Tikki, this is awesome," He smiled, getting up and fixing it onto a necklace before he walked over to her and held her in his hands. He gently placed a light kiss on her head, making her smile. "Thank you,"

"I'm glad you like it, Luka!" Tikki grinned, hugging his cheek. "Are you excited to see Marinette today?"

"Well, Kagami and Adrien will be there," He admitted, making her and Kaalki frown a little. "But I think that's because of the "Surprise" party they're throwing for me. I think Marinette, Adrien and Kagami are suppose to keep me busy,"

"How do you know they're planning a party?" Kaalki asked, making Luka chuckle.

"Because everyone's been acting weird," He replied, making the two kwamis look at him. "Well, weirder then usual. Marinette asked me what my favorite cakes were and if I had any allergic reactions she needed to know about, Juleka and Rose were discussing banners or balloons, Felix was acting nicer then usual and of course, Nino asked me what my favorite songs were. Not to mention Kagami asked me if I wanted anything in particular, Adrien wanted to know if I wanted a new guitar and Marc can barely look at me with how freaking out. And then there's Ma and Jagged,"

"So you're certain?" Tikki asked as Luka nodded. "What if you're wrong?"

"Then I'm wrong," He replied, shrugging. "It's not a big deal. They know I'm not fond of my birthday but I think Juleka just wants to make it special. Either way, I'm just happy to spend some time with my friends. That's the best gift anyone can get me. Besides, we should get ready to meet Marinette, Adrien and Kagami,"

Tikki nodded as Luka took out some clothes and got dressed. He decided to switch out his normal hoodie for the jacket Marinette made him before packing his ice skates. He opened his jacket, allowing Tikki and Kaalki to fly into his jacket. He left his room and walked into the living area, causing Juleka and Rose to stop whispering with the Captain and Jagged. Penny was also stood near them, sipping a water. He rose an eyebrow as he walked over to them.

"I'm going out..." He stated, making everyone nod before he glanced around at them. "Don't burn down the ship while I'm gone,"

"We won't!" Rose gasped as the others nodded. Luka gave them an amused look before kissing the captain on the cheek and ruffling Juleka's hair, making her gasp before he headed upstairs and out onto the plank. As soon as he did, Tikki and Kaalki poked their heads out as he noticed the badly hidden banners that read 'happy birthday, Luka'. He chuckled and shook his head.

"See? They're planning a surprise party for me," He stated as he walked across the gangplank. He hummed to himself as he took out his phone and texted Marinette to let her know he was on his way. She texted back quickly, saying she'll meet him outside the park instead of at her home. He suspected it was because her parents were providing the food but he agreed and headed there, sitting on the bench as he watched Mr Ramiers feeding his pigeons. A few minutes later, Marinette came into the park and walked over to him. She was wearing a cute jumper with a cat on it, blue jeans and boots. She had a rucksack on her back that had her skates attached to it and had a light jacket on. Her hair was in her usual style and she was also playing with her hands. "Hey,"

"Hey," She smiled back as he stood up. "Sorry for not been able to meet you at the bakery. Ma and Pa have a really big order so it's super busy there at the moment and-"

"It's ok, Marinette," He smiled, offering her his arm. She smiled and took it before they walked out of the park and to the metro. "Are you looking forward to skating?"

"Yeah," She smiled, moving a stand of her hair. "Are you?"

"Yeah," He smiled back. "I like ice skating... plus I get to spend sometime with you, Adrien and Kagami... which is great since those two don't get out often,"

"Yeah, I'm surprised they were able to pull this off," She admitted, glancing to the side. "Hopefully this time I won't fall over either,"

"I'll catch you before you do," He smiled, making her smile back. "Just stick with me and I'll make sure you're ok,"

"My hero," She giggled, making him smile a little as the train came to a stop. If only she knew. The two of them got off the train and headed up the stairs to the street. They crossed the road and walked over to the ice rink. Kagami and Adrien were already stood outside and waved as soon as they saw Luka and Marinette. Luka waved back and smiled as they walked over. "Hey,"

"Hey, you two," Adrien grinned as Kagami smiled. "Ready to skate?"

"Yeah," Luka smiled as they headed inside. They paid the receptionist and got the rest of the equipment they needed before heading to the chairs. Luka frowned a little as he noticed Chloe's father talking to a man he recognized as the owner of the rink. The four of them took seats and began to put on the equipment. Luka put his stuff on quickly so he moved over to the edge as Marinette began to put her shoes on. He was close enough to hear the conversation but not close enough to draw attention to himself.

"I can't believe it, Mr Mayor!" The skater gasped, moving dramatically. "You want to shut my ice rink down?!"

"The ice rink doesn't belong to just you, Philippe. It belongs to Parisians," Andre scolded, frowning. "Besides, I'm not shutting it down. I'm converting it into an indoor gym for my wife- I mean my city. Nobody comes to your ice rink for lessons anyway,"

"That's a bit harsh, don't you think?" Kagami asked as she leaned next to Luka, who frowned and nodded.

"You haven't had a single student sign up for lessons this year!" The mayor declared before eying up the group. "But if you can get one signature, I'll put the work on hold,"

"Really?" Philippe gasped, causing the mayor to nod so he took the papers and smiled. "Consider it done,"

With Luka distracted, Adrien moved over to Marinette.

"Rose texted me," He whispered, making her look at him. "They had to move the party to the grand paris hotel,"

"What?!" She gasped, causing Luka and Kagami to look at her. "I mean what a wonderful idea!! We should definitely got to Andre's after this... ha... ha..."

Luka gave her an amused smile before looking back at the ice rink so she moved closer to Adrien.

"What do you mean they've moved it?!" She gasped in a quiet voice as Adrien shrugged. His phone vibrated, causing Marinette to look over at the message. Her eyes widen as she read the message. Somehow, Jagged had found out about Luka's birthday party and had teamed up with the captain to make it the best day yet, which was why it got moved to the Grand Paris hotel. Apparently, he decided the Liberty was too small for his son. This would be one birthday Luka would definitely not forget. "Well, at least, Jagged is trying..."

"Yeah," Adrien nodded as he put his phone away. "Rose will text me when they're ready for us,"

"Ok," Marinette nodded, getting up and went to step forward but she misplaced her feet and fell but before she could hit the floor, Luka caught her and helped her up, placing his hands on her hips as she did before he helped her sit down. He glanced down and noticed her shoelaces were tied together so he knelt down and untied before retying them separately as Marinette blushed. "S-Sorry,"

"It's fine," He smiled, straightening up and offering her his hand. She blinked before taking it, causing him to pull her to her feet before the two of them headed onto the ice. Luka smiled reassuringly at Marinette before spinning around her. She giggled as he lifted his leg up and held his arms out, pulling a face at her as he did. He grinned back before putting his leg down and taking her hands in his, spinning her around as she tried to skate. Kagami and Adrien staked by, giving her a thumbs up. She smiled but stumbled, almost falling again. Luka caught her hands and helped her straight up. "You ok?"

"Y-Yeah," She smiled, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "I'm just rusty. I haven't been ice-skating since... you know..."

"Don't feel guilty about that, Marinette," He stated, making her look at him before she smiled softly. "I had fun then and I'm having fun now so just relax and follow my lead. Remember I'll catch you before you can fall,"

"Thanks, Luka," She smiled as he pulled her across the ice, relaxing a little but before they could do anything, Philippe skated over.

"Hey, young man!" He gasped, flashing the papers in front of him. "Have you thought about signing up for ice-skating lessons? The judges would not be able to to resist that sparkling smile of yours,"

"That's nice of you, sir but my life is already filled with commitments and music," Luka replied, thinking about the akuma attacks and been Anatis before he glanced at Marinette. "And I might have a brand new song to write so..."

"Music is an important part of skating you know," He replied as Kagami and Adrien skated by. "Think about it!"

He skated off as Adrien and Kagami moved with each other. Kagami spun around, causing Luka and Marinette to look as she moved and danced gracefully. Once she was done, Adrien smiled and clapped but once again, Philippe interrupted. He ordered to teach Kagami but she shot him down, explaining that her mother wouldn't approve. She apologized but it didn't stop Philippe from looking sad or Andre to glare at him.

"Kagami is really good at ice skating," Marinette whispered before giggling as Luka spun her around. He placed his hands on her hips and sped up a little before the two of them glided across the ice, causing Marinette to smile. He took her hand and spun her again before he lifted his spare hand and leg. Marinette smiled and minicked his movements as they glided across the ice before he spun her around again, placing his hands on her shoulders to stop her before he moved them to her hips. He gave her a sly but kind smile before suddenly lifting her up in the air and holding her above his head. One of his hands rested on her hip while the other rested on her thigh. Marinette gasped in surprise as he did before she relaxed, knowing Luka would not drop her. She held out her arms as they spun a little before he lowered her down, leaning over her before he took her hand and pulled her to her feet. She connected her other hand with his as they moved before letting go and moved it above her head as he did the same. They grabbed onto each other's upper arm and slid their hands down their arms, connecting them again and linking fingers. Marinette smiled and moved in front of him, causing Luka to place his hand on her hip before dipping her down. She held out her spare arm as they glided before he pulled her up. She jumped up a little and rested against his hip as he held her there before lowering her down and skating around with her. Kagami and Adrien actually stopped moving to watch the two of them as Marinette skated backwards and Luka held her hips as she leaned back and held her arms out, making sure she didn't fall. Neither had seen her so relaxed in any situation. Luka brought her back, causing her to jump up again but this time, she rested her knees against his thigh as he held her back, making Phillip look over and gasp before she landed back on the ice as Luka spun her, causing the two of them end up extremely close to each other's face. Marinette blushed as Luka looked at her but anything else could happen, Philippe skated over, spitting them up.

"I'll give you a week's worth of lessons for free!" He gasped, looking at Marinette. "Just a few hours a day and you'll be a star!"

"Thanks but I'm already very busy as it is," She replied, taking Luka's hand and skating off before looking at him. "Are you having fun?"

"Definitely," He smiled but it turned to a frown as Philippe attempted to get Adrien to sign up for lessons. Like Kagami, Adrien rejected the lessons, explaining that he was too busy. Luka frowned and unintentionally let go of Marinette's hand as he saw Phillip frown and his song turn to a sad melody. He wished he could help him out but there was only so much he could do. However, he was knocked out of his thoughts as he literally crashed into the wall of the ice rink and fell to the floor. Marinette gasped and rushed over, helping him to his feet.

"Luka, are you ok?" She gasped, worry moving across his face.

"I'm fine," He replied, rubbing his back. "I just lost concentration. Sorry..."

"It's ok," She smiled, moving his fringe. "We can take a break if you want,"

"Yeah, if you don't mind," He replied, causing her to nod and the two of them to walk over to the edge of the rink. "I'm just going to use the rest room. I won't be long,"

"Ok," Marinette nodded. "I'll get us some drinks from the vending machine,"

Luka nodded and headed to the restroom, walking inside and over to the sink. He ran the water and splashed his face as Tikki and Kaalki flew out of his pocket.

"Are you ok?" Tikki asked, making him sigh as he nodded but before he could answer, he heard someone knock on the door.

"Luka, I got the drinks," Marinette gasped from outside, making him smile a little but before he could answer, he heard Marinette gasp. "Luka! Hide!"

"Marinette?!" He gasped, rushing over to the door but he stepped back as soon as it turned to ice. "Is that... ice?!"

"It sure looks like it," Kaalki replied, making him frown as he stepped towards the sink and climbed on top of it. "Must of been that disgruntled ice skater,"

"Poor man," Luka muttered as his breathe showed. He shivered a little before reaching into his hoodie and taking out a small box. He opened it and picked out a blue macaron. "We better try out Master Fu's magicaroon. Tikki, power up!"

He threw it in the air, causing her to fly over to it and eating it. She spun around, glowing as she did. She gained a crystal tail and the spot on her head turned into a hexagon but over then that, she didn't look much different.

"Stalactikki!" She declared as Luka swiped his earrings.

"Stalactikki! Spots on!" He declared, causing her to get sucked into them. He swiped his hands over his eyes, creating his mask before the energy of the miraculous travelled down his body, creating his outfit. Ice crystals and a circle that had resembled a ladybug appear around his hips as a sort of belt as he spun around before his yoyo appeared, completing his transformation. He jumped down from the sink counter and glanced over his outfit. His boots had blades on the bottom, making them ice skates and had a white fur trim. He had black gloves on that had ice blue diamonds on them with a trim in the same shadow. His boots also had ice blue diamonds on them. He had large white diamonds on his sides where his black panels were and his suit was more of a frosted red then a bright red. The spots had changed to hexagons and he had a triangular pattern across the part of his outfit that was ice blue in color. His mask matched his suit and his hair was black with ice blue highlights. Even his eyes were an icy blue. He also had a white fur trim around his collar. The outfit itself was comfortable warm. Kaalki flew over to him, causing him to look at her. "Do you want to stay out or would prefer to go back in your miraculous for a bit?"

"I'll go in my miraculous for a bit," She replied, making him nod as he reached into his yoyo and took out the glasses. She turned into a ball of light and flew into them, charging them up. Anatis placed them back in his yoyo before skating over to the door. He tried to open it but it was stuck, causing him to take out his yoyo and break it down. He skated out of the room and around the building, feeling a bit of relief that Marinette was in there. She must have gotten away. However, he learnt that Adrien and Kagami weren't as lucky when he skated into the rink area. The two of them were trapped in a block of ice, as was the mayor. He frowned before skating out of the rink and using his yoyo to pulling himself up onto the roofs. The best thing he could do for them was find the akuma and defeat him. He took out his phone and called Lady Noir but she didn't answer. He frowned and skated off, hoping she hadn't been captured by the akuma.

~Meanwhile~

Marinette let out a sigh of relief as she had managed to get away from the ice but she needed to transform and find Anatis. Plagg flew out of her purse and shivered as he looked around. She reached into her purse and took out a small little box, making him groan.

"Do I have to transform?" He asked, causing her to give him a look. He sighed and rolled his eyes as she held up the cheese. "Alright, let's get this over and done with,"

"Plagg, power up!" She declared, throwing the cheese in the air. He jumped over and swallowed it whole before spinning around and glowing, transforming himself. The only difference between his normal form and this form was the crystal crown on his head.

"Plagglacier!" He declared as Marinette held out her hand.

"Plagglacier, Claws Out!" She shouted, causing him to be sucked into the ring before she spun around and held up her hand. She swiped her hand across her face, creating her mask before pushing it across her hair, creating her ears and a crystal tiara on her head. She threw out her arm as the energy moved across her body, creating her suit. She spun around as ice blue crystals appeared around her hips, along with a circle that had a ice green paw print in it. With her transformation complete, she glanced towards the ice, noticing her new look in it's reflection. Her base suit was the same but it had ice blue crystals on her legs that resembled snowflakes. She had white diamonds on her forearms, gloves and her boots that were identical to each other. The normal green detail on her gloves, suit and ears were ice blue and her eyes were frosted green with ice blue scleras. Luckily, her outfit was nice and warm, protecting her from the icy air. Her baton vibrated, making her take it and open it. She pouted a little as she saw Anatis had phoned her but hadn't left a message. She pulled up his number and called him back. He answered on the third ring. "Hey,"

"Hey, Kitten," He replied, making her smile a little. "We've got a bit of cold situation,"

"I noticed," She replied, skating out of the ice rink. "Where are you?"

"Currently just looking for the akuma. I was planning to set a trap for him," He replied but he sounded annoyed. "However, all I've come across is ice and frozen victims,"

"Well, why don't I see if I can track down the akuma and bring him to your trap?" She suggested as he hummed in agreement.

"Good thinking, Kitten," He praised, making her smile. "I'll set up a trap on the bridge near the Eiffel tower. You track the akuma and lure him to me,"

"Consider it down, Bug-a-boo," She purred, making him chuckle.

"Alright, I'll leave you to your tracking then, Kitten," He replied as she nodded. "Be careful,"

"You too, Annie," She replied before hanging up. She jumped up onto the roof and skated across the roofs before jumping down when she saw a clump of ice. When she got closer, she saw it was a bunch of people. She frowned and looked around before noticing something on the ground. She skated over and knelt down, examining the tracks. She glanced up and followed them, leaning towards the Seine. She saw the tracks when across a bridge, causing her to follow them. She turned towards the Eiffel tower, frowning as she followed them. They lead her right up to the tower. She moved behind a truck and looked up, seeing the akuma standing onto of the tower. She frowned as she noticed he was distracted by something. She had an awful feeling that it was Anatis he was distracted by so she looked over and saw she was right. Anatis was setting up his trap on the bridge but he had failed to notice the akuma up in the tower. She frowned deeply and took out her baton. It wasn't like her partner to not be aware of his surrounding. Seeing the akuma jump from the tower and aim towards Anatis, she jumped into action and pushed him out of the way before the akuma could turn him to ice. They roll to the side with her ending up on top of him before they both jumped up and jumped down onto the Seine, skating off as they held hands. They jumped over a truck and kept going. Anatis turned to Lady Noir and gave her a small smile.

"Thanks, Kitten," He stated as they moved in sync with each other across the ice. She gave him a wink but the akuma caught up with them, throwing icicles with his feet towards them. Anatis let go of her hand as they dodged the icicles. The akuma chased after them, going more for Anatis then Lady Noir. However, Anatis manage to dodge the icicles while keeping a good and steady pace on the ice. He spun around and used his yoyo to block the attacks as Lady Noir skated near by. "Who pissed off you, Jack Frost?!"

"My name is Frozer!" The akuma growled as they passed the Liberty. He slided across it before speeding up and jumping over a bridge as Lady Noir declared he was too fast. He spun his body around in the air, causing the two heroes to stare before he showered them with icicles again. Lady Noir and Anatis did their best to dodge them as they skated across the ice.

"I think the akuma is in his skates!" Anatis declared as he grabbed Lady Noir's hand and jumped out of the way of Frozer again, causing him to stumble slightly on the ice but it was just the chance they need. Anatis quickly grabbed Lady Noir around the waist and threw his yoyo, pulling them off the ice. They landed on a building and ducked down behind a wall, peeking behind it to make sure Frozer didn't follow them. Frozer skated down the Seine and came to a stop as he looked around, confused as to where they had gone. He jumped off in the opposite direction of where they were hiding and skated off. Anatis and Lady Noir jumped down and skated off in the other direction, stopping behind a camper van at the arc de triomphe. "You ok?"

"Yeah," She replied, glancing from behind the van but she couldn't see Frozer nearby. She turned to Anatis as he took out his yoyo and checked the usual channels. "Looks like he's frozen everything,"

"Yeah," He replied, frowning as he closed it. "Right, we need a plan,"

"Well, my power could destroy his skates but he'd have to be up in the air," She mumbled, making Anatis nod. "Your idea for a trap would work nicely for that,"

"Yeah but I should have observed first," He muttered, frowning before smiling. "But thanks to you, we observed and now we know enough,"

"Then all we need now is a little bit of luck," Lady Noir grinned, making Anatis shoot back a smile before he threw up his yoyo.

"Lucky charm!" He declared, causing a sack to manifest out of nothing. It dropped down and he caught it, blinking as he realized it was salt. "A bag of salt?"

"Salt makes ice melt," Lady Noir stated as she pointed to the ice that was melting.

"Of course," Anatis grinned before looking around. "But we need the right area. Follow me,"

The two of them skated off as Anatis looked around in his luck vision. He came to a stop at a wall and pointed downwards. On the lower path was a frozen over fireman's truck.

"There," He pointed to it, causing Lady Noir to look at it. "Alright, I have a plan. While I distract Frozer, you melt that ice on that truck and move it into position,"

"Alright!" She declared, taking the bag of salt off him. "Be careful though,"

"You too," He replied before skating off until he came to a bridge. He climbed on top of the edge and whistled loudly when he saw Frozer skating across the Seine. Frozer stopped and looked up as Anatis pointed at him. "Frozer, I challenge you to a race! If I win, you give up your akuma!"

"And if I win, Anatis?"

"I will give my miraculous!" Anatis declared, making Frozer smirk. "What do you say? Deal? Or are you getting cold feet?"

"Don't play with fire, Bug boy!" Frozer declared, jumping up. Anatis jumped down and skated off, gaining speed as he did. Frozer, however, followed closely behind.

"Let's see if you can do this!" Anatis declared before sliding under a bench.

"Don't make me laugh!" Frozer replied, mimicking his movement. Anatis gained speed and skated up a piece of ice, flipping and spinning in midair before landing. He skated off as Frozer did the same thing. Anatis jumped through an open car as Frozer caught up. "I'm closing in, Anatis!"

Anatis continued going, leading him to where Lady Noir was waiting as he jumped through the car. He grabbed onto a lamp post to help him change directions towards the fireman's truck.

"The next one is tricky!" He declared, jumping up and spinning midair before flipping and landing on the ladder, sliding down it as Frozer jumped up in the air. Anatis turned around and threw out his yoyo, wrapping it around one of the steps as he slid down it. Frozer spun in the air and landed on the ladder, sliding down it too. Anatis jumped off it and wrapped his yoyo around a block of ice, pulling on it. The ladder lifted, sending Frozer flying into the air, along with Lady Noir.

"Cataclysm!" She shouted, reaching out and scratching his skates, causing them to break as he fell onto the floor. Anatis jumped down and caught Lady Noir in his arms, causing her to throw out her arms in the air as she grinned before he put her down. The akuma escaped from the skates, causing Anatis to open his yoyo and capture the akuma as Lady Noir grabbed the lucky charm. He released the purified butterfly as she moved back over to him before taking the sack of her as she held it out to him.

"Thank you," He smiled before throwing it into the air. "Miraculous Ladybugs!!"

The sack burst into the magic swarm and swept around the affected areas, cleaning up the ice and restoring those who had been frozen to life again. Frozer turned back to Philippe as the skates on their boots disappeared, causing Anatis to look at them.

"Oh so they're only skates when we actually need them," He grinned, making Lady Noir laugh. "What?"

"You're a dork," She grinned before lightly kissing his cheek as their miraculous beeped. "See you soon, ice bug,"

"Ice bug?" He asked as she saulted him before jumping off. He shook his head and turned to Phillip. "Are you ok, sir?"

"Oh, I'm fine," Phillip sighed. "Sorry if I caused trouble,"

"It's ok," Anatis smiled, helping him up as his earrings beeped. "Sorry, I have to go. Will you be ok getting back?"

"Oh, yes," He nodded, causing Anatis to nod and run off, jumping up to the roof and dropping his winter outfit, leaving him in his normal outfit. He swung towards the ice rink, dropping down in an alleyway and detransforming. He caught Tikki and took out a cookie for her before taking out the glasses and tapping them. Kaalki appeared in a ball of light as he put them back in his pocket before opening his jacket for them. They hid back inside before he headed back inside. He walked over to Marinette, who hugged him as Adrien and Kagami took off their skates. Luka sat down and took his off as Marinette did the same. Once they put their skates away, they headed out of the rink, running into Philippe as he walked over to the door, still looking sad. Luka frowned a little before walking over to Philippe. "Are you ok, sir?"

"Not really," Philippe admitted, causing Adrien and Kagami to join him as Marinette stood next to him. "I'm sorry that I bothered you four on your trip here. I was just so desperate to get new students. If I don't get any then the mayor will shut down the rink and convert it into an indoor gym,"

"That's not right," Adrien declared as the mayor walked over before he took out his phone and wrapped his arm around Phillip's shoulder, taking a picture with him. He pulled away and typed on his phone before showing them. Philippe blinked as he saw that Adrien had uploaded the photo to his social media with the captation 'This is Phillip at the Paris ice rink. He's makes skating so much fun'. "Hopefully that will give you some students,"

"Oh thank you, Adrien!" He gasped, smiling. "I hope you four come back and if you ever change your mind about ice skating lessons, just let me know!!"

"We will," Marinette smiled as Adrien's phone buzzed. He looked at it before giving a secret smile towards Marinette and Kagami. Luka rose an eyebrow before the three of them pushed him towards the metro. He guessed that the surprise party was ready. The four of them got on a train but headed away from the Seine, making him blink in surprise. Wasn't it supposed to be on the Liberty? He didn't have much time to think about though. As soon as they were off the train, they dragged over to the Grand Paris Hotel, surprising him even more. Adrien and Kagami went ahead as Marinette took out a silk cloth. "I have to blindfold you,"

"Um... ok?" He answered, confused but he trusted her. She tied it around his eyes and took his hand, leading him over to the lift.

"No peeking!" She declared as they got in. She led him out of the lift when it stopped, causing him to blink as he felt wind on his face before she made him stop and gently removed the blindfold, revealing the entire pool area had been transformed into a party area.

"Happy birthday, Luka!" Everyone declared as they jumped out, making him smile as he looked around. Everyone he considered family or friends were there. The Captain, Jagged, Penny, Fang, Juleka and Rose were stood in one part. Alya, Nino, Adrien, Kagami, Marc, Nathaniel, Ivan and Mylene were stood near by. Aurora, Mirelle and Jean were stood with the rest of his friends from school by the pool. Tom and Sabine were stood by the food table with Chloe, Sabrina. Even Felix had come out for it. Marinette smiled as he looked around.

"Y-you guys did this for me?" He asked, surprised. He knew there would be a surprise party but he thought it would just be his family and Marinette. Everyone nodded, making him smile a bit more. "Thank you,"

"You haven't even had your presents yet," Adrien grinned as everyone stepped aside, revealing a table filled with gifts. Luka couldn't help but stare in shock at the amount on the table. The captain walked over and wrapped her arm around his shoulder.

"Happy birthday, Lad,"

~Later that Evening~

"You know you didn't have to walk me home, Luka," Marinette stated as they walked through the streets towards the bakery. Luka gave her a small smile as they walked.

"I don't mind," He replied, making her look at him. "It was getting too loud there anyway,"

"Was it too much?" She asked, worried but he shook his head.

"No, it was great," He smiled as they saw the bakery ahead of them. The light were on as Tom and Sabine had to leave the party early. They had wished Luka a happy birthday and given him a batch of fresh cookies as a birthday treat before leaving. However, Marinette had stayed and the party had been great. Of course, the Captain and Jagged were still partying but Chloe had provided rooms for anyone who couldn't get home. Adrien and Kagami had to leave early too but he understood. Besides, he got to spend time with them at the ice rink. "I really enjoyed myself,"

"I'm glad," Marinette stated as they came to a stop outside the side door of her home. She stood on her tiptoes and gently kissed his cheek, making him smile softly. "Happy birthday, Luka,"

"Thank you, Melody," He smiled as she yawned. He chuckled and ruffled her hair. "Go get some rest,"

"Text me when you get back to the hotel or the liberty," She demanded, making him nod before he gently kissed her cheek, making her blush and rush inside. He chuckled to himself before he turned on his heel and began to walk back towards the metro. He headed down into the station and got on the tram to the Seine. The Captain knew that he was going back to the Liberty as he had told her already. The tram took about fifteen minutes to get to that station. He got off and walked up the stairs, humming to himself as he headed to the stairs that led down to the lower path. He stopped as he felt someone watching him and glanced around but he didn't see anything. He walked down the stairs and headed towards where the Liberty was. However, the sound of footsteps alerted him, causing him to stop and look behind him again. He saw nothing but turned back round, speeding up as he headed towards the Liberty. Relief filled his mind as he saw it ahead of him but before he could even reach the gangplank, someone grabbed him from behind and covered his mouth with a cloth. Luka struggled and thought as they held it over his mouth, causing him to inhale the chemical on it. He tried to break free but his vision began to blur and he slumped unconscious in the stranger's grip. The man removed his hand and pocketed the cloth before lifting Luka over his shoulder and walking back up the stairs as a black car pulled over. The back door opened and the kidnapper placed Luka inside before closing the door and getting in. Once he was in, the car drove off, disappearing into the night.

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Next Chapter: Here

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hateswifi · 4 years

Text

No More Second Chances: Chapter 7

So yep, i think this is the third chapter this month. imma tired, I haven’t slept properly since Sunday. its almost three k words so yeah

The Master: Master List

No More Second Chances: Master List

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Apparently, school had to go on April break for her to get any sleep. Clark and Lois decided that the first half of the week would be spent in Smallville and she couldn’t remember the second place, it’s not even her fault though, people like to talk to her before she can drink coffee.

“Another grandchild! Is this one a clone like Connor?” Aunt Martha asks, pulling everyone into hugs.

“No, Ma, this is the exchange student that we’ve been taking in for the last month and a half, I told you about her,” Clark says, hugging his mom.

“Oh thank god, I don't know how I would react if someone cloned you again, because it was either she is a clone or another one of Bruce’s, but no matter, you’ll be staying Kara’s room,” Martha says, leading the bluenette inside the homey-farm house.

It was fifteen minutes later after she was done getting comfortable that Aunt Martha appears in the doorway. She smiles while saying, “I hope everything is good, I don't know if you want to, but there’s plenty of ingredients if you want to bake. Clark told me that you grew up in a bakery.”

“I would love to, I haven’t baked since before I left home,” Marinette smiles, putting down her sketchbook.

“What are you working on?” Martha asks, taking a seat on Marinette’s bed beside her.

“Oh, these are designs I had to put off because of the move and family issues. Uncle Jagged was understanding but because it’s spring break, I would love to be able to get them to him as soon as possible,” Marinette explains.

“That’s cool, do you want to be a designer when you’re older?”

“Yeah, I guess that’s what I get for growing up in the fashion center of the world,” Marinette shrugs.”

“Well, honey, if there’s anything that you need let me know, I’m going to get out of your hair,” Martha says.

“You’ll never be a bother,” Marinette giggles.

“Dinner will be at five,” Martha says, closing the door behind her. Marinette sighs and goes back to sketching. Uncle Jagged needed his outfits soon so if she designed everything the first half of the week, she can go to the closest fabric store wherever they’re staying the rest of the week. A couple of hours later, though it felt like minutes, she was being called down for dinner where she met Jon’s, Uncle Jonathan.

“Welcome to the family, Marinette,” he greets with a pleasant smile. “You’re not a clone, right?”

“See what I mean! You could definitely be a clone!” Martha points out.

“I guess I could be, but thankfully I’m not,” Marinette giggles.

“But she’s a hero,” Jon smiles, pulling her into a side hug.

“Seriously Jon, why are you calling me out?” Marinette asks, rubbing her temples.

“I’m not!” Jon says, feigning innocence. “She’s a Parisian hero!”

“Or as Dick put it, a magic girl,” Marinette sighs.

“Oh we know, we know everything,” Martha chuckles.

“But you didn’t know that I am not a clone?”

“It gets blurry when it comes to specific things,” Jonathan shrugs. “Jon, you ready to help me tomorrow?”

“Of course! I’ve missed working,” Jon responds with a smile.

“Can I help?”

“You can do whatever you want,” Jonathan says. The rest of the dinner was spent talking about plans and getting to know each other. After dinner, Marinette called Adrien and talked to him for a bit while sketching. They had to hang up not too long after the starting call because it was late for him.

The time flew by, she helped out in the field Uncle Jon, explored the town with Jon, designed for Uncle Jagged, and baked with Aunt Martha. She had a lot of fun and completely forgot about her Parisian problems. Aunt Martha and Marinette shared baking recipes and Aunt Martha sent a recipe to her baking buddy.

On Wednesday, Clark and Lois cam to pick Jon and Marinette up so they could bring them to the other place where they would be staying for the rest of the week. Marinette, again, didn’t hear nor did she care where they were going next. She put in her headphones and sketched the last outfit that Jagged had requested. Marinette asked Lois and Clark to stop on the way to their destination, which they did. She loved the fabric she picked out and couldn’t wait to start sewing. She barely registered when the car stopped, she grabbed her stuff and Jon led her wherever they were staying. People talked around her but she couldn’t hear them, she was focused on her music and studying her designs. She saw people moving out of the corner of her eye but she couldn’t care, she just wanted to sit down and started sewing.

The next thing she knows somebody, who she thinks is Jon, is leading her to a different, which she hopes is her room so she can start working.

“Here’s your room,” the person said, opening the door. She mutters a thank you before sitting down at the desk that was across the room from her. She starts laying out fabrics and separating them for each outfit. That was all she could get done by the time Clark and Lois walked in to say goodbye it was almost dinner time already. She was going to go downstairs when she was interrupted by a call by Adrien. She decided to forgo dinner and just continue working. She heard a quiet knock on the door and an older man walks in.

“Welcome to Wayne Manor, Miss Marinette, it would seem that you missed dinner, so I took the liberty to bring you some food,” he greets.

“Great thank you,” Marinette mutters, putting down her sewing actually taking a minute to look up. “Alfred? Where the heck am I?”

“You’re in the Wayne Manor, Miss” Alfred repeats, putting the plate down.

“Oh my apologies, I’ve been distracted with my work, I didn’t even realize where I was,” Marinette sighs, before realizing she was still on the phone. “Sorry Adrien, I’ll call you tomorrow, go to bed, it’s late.” She finishes, hanging up.

“I heard from Martha that you like to bake,” Alfred says.

“Yeah, that’s true, I grew up in a bakery,” Marinette shrugs, taking a piece of bread.

“The kitchen is open if you would like to use it,” Alfred says before leaving the room. Marinette nods to herself while eating her food while it’s still warm. After she finishes, she decides that she needs a stretch so she takes her plate to the kitchen and to grab a coffee.

When she gets to the kitchen she’s shocked to see a pot already brewing. There’s a guy half-passed out, or half-awake depending at how you look at things, practically sprawled out on the counter. “Are you ok?” Marinette asks, looking for a mug.

“Oh my gosh! Are you real?” he asks, startling awake.

“I would assume I’m real, you’re Tim, right? Where are the mugs?” Marinette asks, opening random cabinets. “Nevermind, I found them.”

“You’re the magic girl, you don’t need coffee,” he says, pouring himself a huge mug of coffee.

“Against popular belief, we do need sleep and basic human necessities,” She explains taking the pot from him.

“Why do you need coffee?”

“When I was in Smallville, I wasn’t able to go to the supply store. I asked Lois and Clark to take me they said yes, so we stopped on our way over,” Marinette says, sipping her coffee.

“What supplies?”

“Fabric, I’m behind on my Uncle’s orders, but he understands,” Marinette shrugs.

“Great what we need another coffee addict,” Another voice grumbles, entering the kitchen.

“Good to see you, Demon, what are you doing up?” Tim asks, unimpressed.

“I heard you shriek,” Damian deadpans.

“I didn’t shriek,” Tim says, offended.

“Well, I’m just going to go back to my room, you guys can work out whatever brotherly love is going on here,” Marinette says, brushing past Damian.

“Wait,” he says, grabbing her wrist.

“What?” she asks, turning towards him.

“I- umm..,” he starts catching himself. “Welcome to the manor, I hope you’ll find your stay enjoyable.” he finishes, letting go of her arm.

“Umm.. of course, thank you, Dami,” Marinette yawns, rubbing the back of her neck before rushing off to do her work.

Once she disappeared from view Tim snickers behind his mug. “I can tell you one thing you didn’t inherit from Bruce.” He chuckles.

“I like it better when you were unconscious,” Damian says, stomping off towards his room.

“Words can’t hurt me,” Tim yells at his back.

“But swords can,” Damian shouts over his shoulder.

“Must have gotten on his nerves, it’s been a while since he’s threatened us,” Dick says, entering the kitchen. “Aso what have we agreed on for coffee?”

“But Marinette had some,” Tim whines, rushing away from Dick before he can take his sustenance.

“She’s a magic girl, she gets a pass,” Dick yells at his back.

Marinette was back in her zone sewing what Jagged needed the soonest, he has a concert in Boston soon before going to New York and then coming over to Gotham. She was working on is concert wear first. She works through the night until a knock interrupts her thoughts once again, expecting it to be Alfred or Jon, she mindlessly says come in.

“Good morning, Marinette,” Damian says, entering the room.

“It’s morning?” She asks, looking up from her work.

“Yes, have you been working all night?” he asks, raising an eyebrow.

“I guess I have,” she responds in a daze.

“What are you working on, if I may ask,” Damian asks, sitting down on the edge of her bed.

“Just a commission for my uncle.”

“Your uncle is going to wear a purple-glittery suit?”

“Uncle Jagged is over the top like that, but it suits him,” Marinette shrugs, inspecting her handy work.

“Jagged as in Jagged Stone, you’re his personal designer?”

“You didn’t realize that?”

“If I didn’t realize that, there’s no way my incompetent sibling realized it either,” Damian smirks.

“Why does it matter?” She asks, looking up from her work.

“They love Jagged Stone and they love your designs,” Damian explains.

“Well, Jagged will need to pick up his stuff, by the way, I should mention he’s also trying to adopt me,” Marinette says, continuing to work on the finishing touches to the piece. “Oh by the way, what made you stop by?”

“Oh.. um- I wanted to see if you wanted to come down for breakfast,” Damian responds.

“Sure, let me put this down,” she finished before standing up to follow Damian to the dining room. They enter the dining room together and all of the eyes are on them.

“Hey, Marinette, I thought you were dead,” Jon jokes, taking a bite of toast.

“Not dead, just exhausted. Also, thanks for having us, Bruce,” Marinette says, taking a seat in between Jon and Damian.

“It is my pleasure to,” Bruce says, looking over the newspaper.

“This won’t give you the advantage in the adoption war,” Jon snickers.

“I have a different way to get her in the family,” Bruce retorts.

“I should mention, can my uncle come over later this week to pick up his orders?” Marinette asks, pouring herself more coffee.

“What day?”

“Friday afternoon I would think,” Marinette says, stabbing the food in front of her.

“I was informed that he is also in the running adoption,” Damian says, sipping his water.

“I’m not thinking about adoption,” Bruce says, which brought some confused looks and some coughs.

“All I’m going to say is, my dad is freaking Superman so I think we’ll win this adoption war,” Jon shrugs.

“Jon!” Multiple people say, which caused everyone to look around.

“Wait you guys know?” Marinette asks, confused.

“Of course we know, how do you know?” Jason asks.

“Oh, after she was revealed as a magic girl, Mom was quite annoyed to be left out of the superhero club,” Jon says.

“That makes sense,” Damian shrugs and continues eating. They continue eating breakfast, with some light chatter, and some teases mostly aimed at Damian and Marinette, and there total not crushes on each other.

After breakfast, Marinette holes herself back up in her room to continue working on her commissions. That’s how she spends the rest of the day, she gets a phone call from Adrien and they talked for a while. After lunch, Damian came in and sat with her for a bit and they made light talk. He sat and read his book as she sews more, breaking every once in a while to talk. She was honestly very happy how she spent one of her last days of vacation.

She is even happier the next day Jagged and Penny arrived. The boys’ shocked faces are priceless.

“You’re trying to tell me your Uncle is, Jagged Stone, as in THE Jagged Stone,” Jason exclaims.

“I swear I mentioned this,” Marinette says, scratching her head before shugging.

“How’s my rockin’ ladybug!” Jagged says, pulling her into a hug.

“I’m doing good, I’m exhausted, though,” Marinette yawns before going to grab the bags that held her work from her room.

“Did you guys let her stay up way too late to finish them?” Jagged asks, in all seriousness.

“She lived off coffee for the past two days,” Tim says.

“If you’re ever around her when she’s like this, she has a curfew of one a.m.. At that time, you are allowed to gently take everything from her hands and just lewd her to her bed,” Jagged explains.

“Are you betraying me, Jagged?” Marinette asks arms crossed to the best of her ability because she was holding his outfits.

“All I’m saying Mari is that you lost enough sleep as a hero teen, you need to catch up on it now,” Jagged said, copying her posture.

“Hey you can’t even blame me, I remember having to fight a Fang because he was akumatized into freakin dragon around midnight,” Marinette deadpans. “I don’t hold it against you though, I got to fly, it was liberating.”

“I wrote you and Adrien a song because of it,” Jagged fires back.

“Conversation over, go try on the outfits,” Marinette says, shoving them into his arms.

“Fine, fine, so bossy,” Jagged sighs, before walking away.

“So you’re his personal designer? Which means you are Nettie!” Tim says.

“You’re Nettie and a magic girl! Bruce can we adopt her please!” Dick pleads.

There are three in sync no’s that follow, one from Jagged, one from Marinette, and lastly, on from Damian.

“Damian, why wouldn’t you want Marinette apart of your family? She rocking! If you can’t see this amazing girl, then you’re blind,” Jagged defends. “It doesn’t matter anyway, I got first dibs.”

“Tell that to Adrien’s aunt, she wants to adopt me as well,” Marinette responds.

“Don’t forget about my parents,” Jon adds.

“Joint custody?” Jagged shrugs. “Can we cut Adrien’s aunt out? She can have you when you visit him.”

“It doesn’t really matter to me, I’m just trying to make the most of what my life is right now,” Marinette shrugs.

“It’s decided, Clark and I have split custody,” Jagged shrugs.

“Woah, Woah, Woah, you can’t come into my house and cut me out of the adoption,” Bruce says, crossing his arms.

“You just wanted her in the family, we don’t need a triple custody for that,” Tim points out.

“Well this has been a great conversation, and I love being adopted and stuff, but I haven’t slept since Wednesday so I’m going to go to bed,” Marinette yawns. “Goodnight everyone.”

“I’ll walk you to your room so um you don’t get lost, it is a bit manor,” Damian says, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Um… sure, let’s go,” Marinette says, letting him lead her down the hall. When they’re out of earshot Jagged says. “They’re totally into each other, I’m no the only one seeing, right?”

“You’d have to literally be blind or be one of them to not notice it,” Jason says.

“So were you happy to see your uncle?” Damian asks.

“Of course, I haven’t seen him since before my move,” Marinette smiles.

“I’m pleased that you’re staying for the rest of break with us,” Damian says as they approach her room. “Sleep well, Angel.” He says, kissing her hand.

“Damn, I really hope this isn’t a dream,” Marinette mutters out, her eyelids feeling heavy. He leads her to lay down and she drags him down with her. “Imma go to sleep now,” she says hugging him tightly.

“Let me go first,” Damian mutters out.

“No, you’ll help me sleep,” she mutters back into his chest.

“You better not remember this tomorrow,” Damian grumbles. He doesn’t get a response.

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

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#maribat #marinette dupain cheng #batfam #damian x marinette #marinette x damian #damian wayne #damimari #ml x dc

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