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aliensunflower-fics · 11 months

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Dating ‘Prince Charming’ Part 2/3

[ Lila is finally starting to learn what its really like to be Adrien Agreste's girlfriend and finding out its not everything she hoped it would be. But while the liar struggles Marinette works toward her goals and meets someone new. ]

[ Prefer AO3? Link HERE! | Part 1 HERE! | Part 3 Coming Soon | Masterlist Link HERE! ]

Chloe made her grand return 3 weeks after Lila and Adrien’s big dating announcement. The bossy blonde had been away in New York with her mother and it was only in retrospect that Marinette briefly wondered if the entire timing of her and Adriens break up and Lila and Adriens announcement had been planned. After all Chloe had not taken well to Marinette dating Adrien and the class president was positive she would not take the news that Lila had swooped in right after their big breakup any better.

As it turns out Marinette had been right at least about Chloe not taking the news well. She’d walked into class early (for her) only to be met with chaos as Chloe and Lila stood opposed and yelling filled the classroom. Despite the fact that Marinette KNEW Chloe would hate whoever dated Adrien the sight was still enough to leave her mildly stunned after all Lila and Chloe had been tag team harassing Marinette since the second she and Adrien had started dating so to see the once allies now locked in a vicious match each using their unique brand of awful against each other… Well it was something.

Luckily Marinette knew she would not have to lift a finger to fix things. Because this? This was Adrien’s problem. And Marinette had no intention of helping or playing mediator. After all Adrien had let Lila and Chloe stomp all over their relationship when they’d still been dating, heck he’d even asked Marinette to simply deal with it so now he could deal with it and Marinette severely doubted that Lila would be even half as accepting or accommodating as she had been.

So while the two wannabe queens duked it out Lila with fake tears and Chloe with vicious mockery Marinette simply glided past the drama and up to her seat where she pulled out her sketchbook and started adding the finishing touches to a sketch of a brand new rock and roll suit for Uncle Jagged. Now that she wasn’t chasing after Adrien 24/7 and making him gifts and worrying about him or Lila or Chloe not to mention trying to keep up with her school work and grades all while also being Ladybug well Marinette had time on her hands and she’d been using it to study, track down Hawkmoth with Alya’s help, spend time with friends but most of all she’d been using that time on her career.

As she wrote in what materials she would need to get a certain sheen effect on the outfit, Marinette noticed the green eyes looking up at her desperately from the front of the class. Marinette glanced up noting how Adrien seemed to be trying to plead with her to help as he tried to reign in his dramatic new girlfriend and attack dog childhood friend; she only cocked her head to the side, smiled and offered him a little wave before continuing with her work. Yeah no way was she willingly throwing herself into THAT.

Sure enough before class could start Adrien managed to drag Lila out of the room and into the hallway no doubt to give her the same speech he had given Marinette when THEY were dating Lila bursting back into the classroom a few minutes later looking like she’d just swallowed a whole lemon only confirmed Marinette’s suspicions.

What Marinette had not expected was Lila openly complaining about ADRIEN at lunch, hours after the incidents of that morning. Marinette ate her steamed bun as she watched with mild surprise as the Italian wailed and threw a veritable tantrum as she told the girls all about how Adrien had put Chloe first and had asked Lila to simply deal with it. It was so painfully ironic that Marinette struggled not to roll her eyes. Honestly after the breakup Marinette had for a brief time contemplated revenge because truthfully. She was hurt and mad but Tikki had talked her out of it claiming that karma would have its way Marinette hadn’t believed the little god at the time too lost in her grief and her ice cream but now? Well now Marinette was starting to understand what Tikki meant. Because Lila wanted to be Adrien Agreste’s girlfriend no matter what it took, and she was only now starting to see what that really meant.

Sure enough in the weeks that followed Lila and Chloe kept each other busy allowing Marinette to for the first time in years relax at school. Of course Lila tried to redirect Chloe’s hatred back at Marinette by telling the blonde about how it had been Marinette who initiated the break up. But Marinette had easily overcome Chloe’s rage with honesty after all she had only broken up with Adrien because she knew they were incompatible and that Adrien would be happier with someone else, something Chloe agreed with though the way in which the blonde agreed made Marinette’s eye twitch just a little.

And then of course there was Adrien who was still trying to get Marinette to step in and help him handle his childhood friend and girlfriend but Marinette had been able to dodge him for weeks until they were having a class meetup at the park. Chloe was not attending due to wanting to avoid the ‘peasants’ as she so called them and Lila claimed she would be late due to an important meeting with some famous person. Honestly Marinette had not even bothered to pay attention. Adrien had noted the lack of ‘problem people’ and had decided to make a bold move calling Marinette out as they all hung out together to ‘talk to her in private’ yeah like THAT was going to happen.

Marinette knew Adrien’s modus operandi very well. He’d call you out, ask to talk to you privately and then lay on the guilt trip. No way was she doing that anymore she’d endured enough of them while they were dating to last a lifetime.

“Actually I would prefer not to talk to you alone, Adrien. You're publicly dating someone and we never know when your fans or the paparazzi might be around. Besides anything you can say to me in private you can say in front of OUR friends.”

Adrien looked like a kicked puppy at her words. But as their classmates quickly took her side and insisted he tell Marinette whatever he needed with them around the blonde was backed into a corner.

“Well the thing is… I was wondering if you could help? With the whole Lila, Chloe situation?”

Marinette wasn’t even given a chance to respond. The second the words left Adrien’s mouth the entire class bristled, many giving Adrien looks of confusion and shock as if he’d just spoken pure nonsense and honestly in a way he had. Nathaniel however was the one who said it best.

“Wait I’m sorry are you seriously asking Marinette to mediate between her long time bully and the girl you started dating not even an hour after your break up with her? Are you serious?!”

“W-Well I just thought-”

“Thought what Agreste? That Marinette should put herself in the worlds worst situation completely ignoring her own feelings just to make your life easier?”

Oof Kim going straight for the throat.

“B-But shes the class president!”

“So?! That doesn’t make her a genie! She can't just clap her hands and fix everything nor should she have to!”

Marinette had never heard Rose sound so upset in her life, which is when the young fashion designer knew it was her turn to say her piece and get things back under control.

“Adrien.” She ignored the hopeful look he shot her. “Not only do I not want to get involved but I don’t think it would help. Chloe doesn’t like me and Lila’s ‘disease’-” she said the word with barely concealed sarcasm “acts up when I’m around. So I’m sorry but no I will not help you with this.”

“But I’m sure if you just-”

The look the class shot him was enough to end the conversation and Marinette let out a relieved sigh as her heart filled with warmth she really loved her friends.

A month after the conversation in the park Lila Rossi got her second harsh wake up call to the ‘true joys’ of being Adrien Agreste’s girlfriend and it was a two for one deal.

Lila had seemingly been under the assumption that once she was dating Adrien her own popularity would rise to meet his but she was starting to learn that wasn’t the case. Adrien still got plenty more photo-shoots then she did and most were still solo and since they were fast approaching the spring fashion season Adrien was plenty busy with more and more shoots while Lila was left waiting for her turn in the spotlight.

Perhaps it was the frustration at not immediately sky rocketing her way up in fame or maybe it was the snide comments from Adrien Fangirls talking about the lack of couples shoots but Lila seemingly came up with the brilliant plan to force the spotlight onto herself by demanding, manipulating and forcing Adrien to take her on big flashy fancy dates where the paparazzi always conveniently found them Marinette had no doubt Lila was the one tipping them off but she kept her mouth shut. It wasn’t her problem.

However while Lila was enjoying her tabloid paparazzi fueled fame the class and more surprisingly Gabriel Agreste himself were beginning to notice the way it was wearing Adrien down. Between his photo-shoots and busy schedule all of Adrien’s precious free time was being filled up by Lila and her many needy antics and it was starting to show in the way Adrien carried himself and how exhausted he seemed.

Nino was the one who led the charge just as he had when Lila manipulated the class into thinking her ‘clingy’ but where Marinette had gotten some hurtful but well meaning lectures about her Adrien obsession which in retrospect DID help her realize her love was unhealthy. Lila was not given such a kind well meaning speech instead Nino got mad, something he rarely let himself become.

As it turns out Lila had worn Adrien down to the point where the blonde was too exhausted to function and he’d nearly passed out while standing and talking to Nino and that mixed with the fact that it had previously been Lila who painted the faux picture of Marinette as the clingy evil girlfriend isolating the boy from his friends was enough for Nino to harshly call her out. The liar did do her best to wriggle out of the situation trying to claim she only wanted ‘some’ private time with her oh so busy boyfriend but Nino was not having it and the class was too happy to back him up.

The more Lila tried to defend and excuse her actions the angrier Nino got and much to the liars annoyance the young musician had proof and plenty of it. Between his text correspondence with Adrien that revealed the model was constantly being forced to cancel relaxing friend days to take Lila out on flashy dates that always ended with paparazzi and fans swarming the location and forcing Adrien into high stress situations, and an extremely detailed schedule planner that Nino had made to keep track of his best buds work life balance (potential evidence to blackmail Gabriel Agreste if he ever threatened to pull Adrien out of school again apparently). The facts didn’t lie and they were showing that Lila was the real ‘clingy’ girlfriend.

Things eventually got so heated between Nino and Lila arguing that an akuma appeared to try and take advantage of the situation. Luckily for everyone Ladybug had been patrolling and stopped the naughty little butterfly from making things worse. In the end Lila was forced to grit her teeth and apologize to her darling boyfriend. Though perhaps what upset her more was the way the class proceeded to apologize to Marinette after the fact for ever accusing her of being clingy and taking up too much of Adrien’s free time.

However Lila still thought she had one last ace up her sleeve, and so after the class luncheon ended the liar proceeded to contact Gabriel hoping to get her new boyfriends dad to reign him in and do her bidding. Unluckily for Lila however Gabriel had been paying attention to the situation and that fact that it had ALMOST led to an akuma made him look even closer into things.

And he was not happy with what he found. The paparazzi pictures and articles that resulted from Lila and Adrien’s flashy dates had started positively enough with headlines and puff pieces about how cute the couple looked together, how it was nice to see the young Agreste in more casual settings with his girlfriend. But as the dates became more and more frequent and Lila’s constant demands and needs grew the articles slowly began to change soon they were discussing the concerning amount of money Adrien must be spending on his girlfriend, how exhausted and stressed the young Agreste heir looked under his strained smiles and was he eating and sleeping enough?

The akuma he’d sent had only further confirmed Gabriel’s negative feelings toward Lila though it did make him re-evaluate the young Lahiffe boy. Gabriel had originally thought the wannabe musician might just be interested in Adrien for money but seeing the lengths he went to defend his friend had the designer impressed and even a little grateful. So when Lila phoned to try and throw the boy under the bus and get Gabriel to side with her, well she had another thing coming.

Marinette heard later from Alya and the rest of the girls that Lila was ‘devastated’ how she’d wailed sobbed and thrown the tantrum of the century as she ranted and raved about Gabriel putting a 1 date a month maximum limit on Adrien and Lila. The two lovebirds could still hang out of course but it would be in the company of the rest of the class or other friends, or if they really wanted some privacy it would be strictly at the Agreste mansion for studying. Lila had told the girls that it was unfair and unjust that Gabriel was trying to get in the way of their love! Alya had relayed to Marinette that while the girls agreed that 1 date a month was a bit rough they all thought Lila’s tantrum was a bit childish especially when they all remembered how Marinette had rarely if ever got to enjoy 1 private date a month with Adrien and never in public.

Of course just because Lila had been told ‘no’ didn’t mean the liar was going to listen. And so she began trying to find ways to manipulate Adrien into ‘accidental’ dates, bugging the blonde to take her out instead of settling for lunch at school or trying to conveniently separate the two of them from the rest of the group during weekend and after school hang outs. But each time Lila tried Nino thwarted her eventually the Italian had gotten so angry at his meddling that she phoned Gabriel again this time to try and get the musician removed or banned or ANYTHING so that he’d back off, so when she instead learned that Nino had been asked by Gabriel to keep an eye out on for his son and that Adrien knew about it well the liar was furious.

Marinette learned later this time from Rose and Juleka that the Italian had tried to go on another tantrum tirade only to be stopped by Alya who would not tolerate anyone badmouthing her lovely boyfriend. Needless to say, Marinette was quick to notice the following Monday how Lila pouted and avoided the Ladyblogger like the plague. Luckily Marinette made sure Alya didn’t dwell on it too much by inviting the girl over to help her brainstorm some new ideas.

Because while Lila was focusing on leeching the fame and fortune off her boyfriend and being met with endless failures and a very hostile guard dog called Chloe. Marinette had been THRIVING. The suit she’d designed for Jagged had gone viral online and soon Jagged was passing on her contact information to a small selection of celebrities Marinette felt comfortable designing for. The fact that her identity was a secret and she had a very exclusive client list had only caused MDC to soar even higher in popularity with the public making it clear that they too wanted access to MDC fashion. And so Marinette had done her research and with the help of Uncle Jagged and Aunt Penny she’d set up an online store where she would sell ready made clothes.

Of course just because Marinette was seeing success didn’t mean she had forgotten about her friends. In fact the entire class minus Lila, Adrien and Chloe knew very well the true identity of the elusive MDC and that was because while Marinette was taking big steps toward her dreams she was helping her friends do just the same.

After all it didn’t take long for the internet to learn that the mysterious MDC designed Kitty Sections outfits causing the band to have a surge of free publicity that led to many people discovering their music and falling in love with the band.

Then there was Nathanial, Marc and Alya who Marinette or should she say MDC collaborated with while designing her ‘hero hoodie’ fashion collection all of them saw a boost in views with Marc and Nathanial’s comic picking up new readers though it was there brand new all original idea that had really flown off the shelves earning them an online cult following. Alya meanwhile got her blog spotted by Lois Lane herself who was impressed with the young future journalist and contacted Alya for a summer internship the scream Alya had made almost gave Marinette a heart attack.

And it didn’t end there. When Nino made a short film with Mylene and Kim of all people as his lead actors and uploaded it for free to YouTube MDC who was well known for supporting smaller creatives and signal boosting them on her social media was more than happy to make a tweet linking to the short film. Nino’s short film had been impactful and powerful despite being a comedy satire on Hawkmoth and it had quickly blown up earning Nino a summer internship at a film studio and Mylene and Kim several job offers. Kim had never been particularly interested in acting but after seeing the outpouring of love and support not to mention with the encouragement he got from his lovely girlfriend Ondine he decided to accept a few offers surprising everyone as he developed a new passion that he and Mylene bonded over.

Max, and Alix were also boosted in a similar way to Nino, Kim and Mylene when MDC retweeted some of their creative endeavors. Alix a video where she had used spray paint to recreate a few classical paintings though that had only acted as a signal boost that allowed the skater to be noticed for her real passion Extreme Sports! When a very exclusive extreme sports training summer camp contacted Alix about her attending she’d squealed almost as loud as Alya had. Max meanwhile had his demo for his work in progress video games retweeted by MDC and saw a huge surge in interest and a few interested investors and publishers even arrived with offers, though before he could agree to anything his popularity ballooned even further when a video of him showing off Markov surfaced. He had later joked to Marinette that while he appreciated the support he wasn’t sure how he felt about suddenly gaining a ‘nerd cult’ as Kim called it.

Of course all of Marinette’s friends knew she was largely responsible for their sudden surge of fame and good fortune and many of them tried to dismiss their own talents and give all the credit to Marinette. But the young designer simply threw it back at them. Yes she had signal boosted them and given them a helping hand but at the end of the day the only reason they had gotten so popular and stayed so popular after the brief burst from her influence passed and the internet moved on to the next big thing was because they were talented and amazing without Marinette.

The only problem with the classes' new found fame. Was that sooner or later Lila was bound to take notice. And take notice she did when Mylene appeared as an extra in one of Lila’s favorite daytime soaps. The liar had been so focused on Adrien and trying to leech her fame off him while beating Chloe back with a stick that she had somehow missed all the major developments. And she was livid.

She was supposed to be the most popular girl in school! She was meant to be the star, the one people admired and aspired to be like! The one they envied but loved too much to truly hate! And when she’d finally gotten Marinette and Adrien to break up she thought for sure that all her dreams would come true. But somehow while she’d been busy trying to reign in the pesky little blonde her classmates had all gone and gotten famous without her. Most of them wouldn’t even BE in Paris in the fast approaching summer since many of them either had internships, specialized camps, acting gigs, or in Kitty Sections case a whole music tour with Jagged Stone that for some reason Marinette was also a part of?!?

None of it made any sense and when Lila had gone looking for how exactly everything had happened she kept finding herself looking at MDC’s social media. The elusive and private designer was apparently a super sucker or something as every week they would highlight some small time random creator. Honestly it disgusted Lila who just handed out fame like that? Fame and popularity was meant to be exclusive! Earned! Something for only the most beautiful and talented of society. Not for chubby little idiots like Mylene or nerdy freaks like Max.

Of course Lila was nothing if not an opportunist. Sure in her opinion none of her talentless, average, classmates actually deserved their new found fame and popularity but the good thing was they were also a bunch of gullible idiots. And if she played her cards right they would surely carry her to the top. She already had the perfect lie, she would simply claim to be best friends with MDC and tell the class that she had been the one to recommend that the designer boost her classmates.

It was perfect. Genius really.

So then why did it fail immediately?

Lila stood in front of the class, her face frozen in shock as she was stared down by 10 pairs of angry glares. She had expected overwhelming thank you’s and the class bowing at her feet but the second the lie slipped out of her mouth the class instead turned on the liar like a close knit pack of wolves smelling a sheep. Honestly Lila could not understand where she’d gone wrong, and even if she had said something that was an obvious lie wouldn’t the class just normally brush it off as her disease? So why is it that they were acting this way?

It was Alya who broke the silence first.

“You want to run that by us again? Lila.”

The Italian girl swallowed the lump in her throat and ignored the obvious warning sign that was Alya’s sharp tone. Forcing a charming smile Lila brought out her sweetest voice determined that she could salvage whatever THIS was.

“I was just saying that I’m so happy for all of you! I didn’t want to say anything at the time BUT me and MDC are such good friends! So when he-”

“He?” Alix snorted and rolled her eyes. “Yeah that about confirms it.”

The entire class seemed to agree with Alix as they all shook their heads and shot Lila disappointed and annoyed looks before returning to their own conversations and or hobbies freezing her out. Ignoring her.

Oh that? That pissed Lila off like nothing else. Her cheeks grew hot as she stomped her foot angrily, regaining their attention.

“You guys think I’m telling lies again! You all promised that you wouldn’t judge me for my disease but you are!” For added effect she started to sniffle and sob expecting the class to do what they always did and feel guilty about their treatment of her and rush to comfort her.

Instead she was met with even harsher glares.

“Uhh yeah no duh we think you're lying because you ARE. We” Alix gestured to the people currently in class. “Have all met MDC and SHE not ‘he’ is a wonderful person who helped boost our careers because she thinks we're all super cool and talented not because you asked her too.”

Lila felt her face screw up like she’d just sucked a lemon but she quickly worked it to her advantage as she began to loudly sob.

“T-That’s not fair! You know I can't help my disease!”

“Uhh yeah no. I’m stopping you there.” Alya stood up looking down from her perch at Lila with her hands on her hips commanding the room, Lois had been training her well. “We can accept that MAYBE your lying disease makes you claim things when your nervous or scared like how you always accuse Marinette of stuff, and we can MAYBE believe that your disease makes you mix up names and words so you end up giving the wrong information out about charities and celebrities and yes MAYBE we can believe that you sometimes make false claims about yourself when your stressed out like that time with Clara Nightingale stealing your dance moves. Whatever! But Lila that right there? You were not having an ‘oops I lied’ moment you were actively trying to deceive us to make the false claim that YOU are the reason MDC noticed us when we know the truth. And when I gave you a chance to correct yourself you tried to double down. That was intentional. That was malicious.”

Lila felt her mouth fall open, her eyes blinking in shock. Too late she tried to recover. Tried to explain away the situation and make herself out to be innocent. But the class was done with her and they made it clear in how they iced her out. Eventually she had no choice but to suck it up and sit down at her seat. Not long later Marinette rushed into class followed by Chloe who was latched onto Adrien with Sabrina in tow.

Soon enough the school year came to an end and Lila watched bitterly through the all seeing eyes of the internet as her classmates left for their internships, job opportunities, highly specialized summer camps, and more. Meanwhile she was stuck at home. Oh sure she got to go on a few out of country photo-shoots with Adrien but her fame was still nothing compared to her boyfriends, and it was quickly becoming less than nothing as her classmates rose in influence and popularity. Come the new school year Lila would need to find some way to force the class back under her heel.

Marinette was having the best summer of her life! Jagged had taken Kitty Section on tour with him and insisted on Marinette coming with them as their designer. Marinette hadn’t been sure at first worried about the Hawkmoth situation and her own career. But in the end Tikki and her parents had convinced her. Her parents loved the idea of Marinette leaving Paris and going to see the world with her friends for a bit, and Tikki had reminded Marinette that she had the Horse Miraculous and could come home anytime, besides Hawkmoth had been getting lazier and lazier with both his akumas and the amount of them. So in the end Marinette agreed and it had been the BEST decision of her life.

They visited England before eventually traveling overseas to America. The sights and sounds and new foods were filling Marinette with inspiration and she’d never been so busy sketching. Then of course there was the great company. Uncle Jagged and Aunt Penny were wonderful and quickly ‘adopted’ all of Kitty Section + Marinette. They'd act like doting parents one second and then the next they’d be ordering way too much pizza for the teens to share.

Of course everyone missed their friends and family but video call existed and it was only for the summer anyway. Ivan was the one who was probably the worst off pouting over his beloved Mylene but the group was able to cheer him up encouraging him to write a song for his girlfriend, the piece he wrote became a new hit single the second they performed it on stage and Mylene had loved it.

The group stopped by Florida first where Jagged took them all to Disney World and then Universal Park, pictures of the rocker wearing mickey mouse ears and a hufflepuff scarf of all things while being followed by a gaggle of teenagers had soon gone viral, after that it was off to New York, and then Metropolis where they spent a bit of time so Alya could see them and hang out. Her internship with Lois Lane was going well but she’d still been relieved to see her friends and get some down time to just chill. After that they went to Gotham, which was Jagged’s home town. Now most parents might veto a place as dangerous as Gotham but seeing as how Paris was under siege by an emotional butterfly themed terrorist and they were from a class particularly used to dealing with deadly akumas on a regular basis well they were able to convince their parents to let it happen. And to Marinette’s surprise Gotham turned out to be her favorite place of the whole trip.

Sure the city was gloomy but the gothic architecture somehow inspired Marinette, and while the people were not outwardly all smiles and sunshine they were kind in their own way. But the thing Marinette ended up loving most about Gotham was its beautiful parks and famous greenhouses. Thanks to the influence of Poison Ivy and Bruce Wayne the city of Gotham had become the greenest city in all of America and it was a never ending source of inspiration for the young designer. Not to mention it was thanks to all the inspiring greenery that Marinette had met HIM.

She’d been walking through one of Gotham’s older parks admiring the beautiful blooming wisterias that had been shaped into a long hallway arch when she got bowled over by a massive terrifying but very friendly dog. Marinette had been terrified at first until she noticed the fast wagging tail and happy smile on the dog's face. Tikki had warned her that one side effect of holding the Ladybug miraculous would be extra friendly animals a rather ‘tame’ side effect compared to the super strength, increased speed, and occasional urge to hibernate when cold but still the designer had never expected to be attacked with friendly happy dog kisses, not like THIS anyway. As she squirmed and laughed she tried to gently push the dog off. That was when the dogs owner had come to her rescue. Yanking his dog off of her while admonishing it Marinette was finally able to sit up and begin wiping the dog drool off her cheek with a laugh.

“Don’t scold the cutie too much I’m okay I swear he didn’t hurt me.”

“Even if he didn’t hurt you he’s been trained better than that. I’m very sorry, please allow me to help you.”

The boy’s voice was cool, firmly polite and matter of fact leaving no room for argument. To an untrained ear he might even sound annoyed or angry but Marinette could tell that wasn’t the case. As Marinette accepted the hand the boy offered and let herself be pulled up she suddenly came face to face with the most beautiful pair of green eyes she’d ever seen.

Where Adrien’s eyes were bright like a blinding peridot green, these eyes were soft and warm like the green of a pine tree and Marinette could feel herself melt into them. It didn’t help that the rest of the boy's face was also incredibly handsome. The designer quickly shook herself out of her thoughts and glanced away not wanting to stare. Instead she directed her attention to her assailant, the dog was sitting now staring up at her with its tail still wagging wildly. Marinette smiled and reached her hand down letting the dog sniff her before she gave him some soft pets.

“Such a softy for a big guy. What's his name?”

“Titus. And I apologize again. He really is trained better than that. I don’t know what came over him.”

Marinette felt a little bad but she couldn’t exactly say that she was the chosen champion of a god and a side effect of that was very friendly animals so instead she shot the boy a smile.

“Don’t worry I just seem to have that effect on animals. Back home the pigeons and crows have started fighting for dominance of my roof and balcony because they both want my attention.”

The boy gave her a stunned look before he made a sound that Marinette believed might be a covered up laugh. She smiled even brighter and offered the boy her hand to shake.

“By the way my name is Marinette. And it's a pleasure to meet you.”

The boy looked at her hand for a moment before he eventually grabbed it and shook it awkwardly.

“Damian… It's nice to meet you too. Though I can tell by that introduction that you're not from here.”

Marinette snorted at that.

“Really the introduction was what gave it away but not my accent?”

The boy seemed to blush a little at that before he coughed awkwardly. Marinette took pity on him and giggled.

“You are correct in your deduction mr.detective. I’m visiting from Paris, France with some friends and my uncle.”

If Marinette hadn’t been too embarrassed to look him in the eyes she may have noticed the spark of curiosity when she mentioned Paris. And had she known who Damian truly was at the time she would have known that his curiosity came from the fact that Batman and the other supers had recently learned about the situation in Paris thanks to Lois Lane taking on a new intern who ran the Ladyblog. Mayor Bourgeois had been doing a good job hiding the situation but he’d overlooked the civilian journalist.

“Hm. We don’t get many tourists. What brought you all the way out here. If I may ask.”

Naturally without much thought the pair began to walk through the park together as their conversation flowed. Marinette avoided using Jagged's name not wanting her new very handsome friend to take an interest in her solely for her connections. Instead she told him that Gotham was her uncles hometown and that this was the last stop on what had already been a pretty busy summer vacation. That turned into her telling him a bit about her family in general which got him talking about his family, he complained about his adopted siblings of which there seemed to be many but Marinette could tell he loved them.

Talking about family made him admit he’d come to the park to get away from them for a little while which got Marinette talking about the park and all the beautiful nature in Gotham which got the two of them talking about the best parks in Gotham and then Marinette brought up her sketches and suddenly they were talking about art and other hobbies. Before they had even realized it they were sitting at a bench together hidden away in the trees and wisterias chatting away. Marinette didn’t know why but something about Damian made her feel comfortable. Maybe it was the way he gave her his full undivided attention, maybe it was the way he made sure not to invade her space without consent or how he didn’t interrupt her when she spoke. Either way she felt safe, felt warm, almost like she was home. And judging by the way he seemed to relax the longer they spoke, his stiff body unwinding and his gaze softening, she thought maybe he felt just as comfortable with her as she was with him.

Honestly Marinette could have sat there chatting with Damian all day in fact it had already been several hours when the pair were finally interrupted. Both of their phones began to ring, Marinette’s with the tell-tale alarm of an akuma attack in Paris and Damian’s with an emergency as the Riddler had broken out of Arkham. The teenagers regretfully had to go both citing emergencies before they departed. It wasn’t until later that they realized they had forgotten to exchange phone numbers.

The akuma back in Paris had turned out to be Lila Rossi, it seems that Adrien’s fangirls had never truly warmed up to the liar and they had been trying to dig up dirt on the girl for months before finally finding there evidence. Alya may have privated the videos of Lila’s lies after finding out about the ‘lying disease’ but apparently someone had copied and saved them beforehand. And those videos had finally made their way out into the public. Luckily no one criticized Alya seeing as how she’d already had the common sense to remove the videos from her blog it helped that Alya also made a post explaining the situation in more detail which led to the general public agreeing that it had not been Alya’s fault when she had a teacher and a principle telling her to believe in a fake ‘lying disease�� clearly it was the adults at fault here not the young girl who had believed in them.

Needless to say the public ripped Lila to shreds for being a serial liar with more of her lies coming to light each day now that she had been exposed. And obviously the Italian had not taken it well and gotten akumatized.

Marinette knew that she should be happy that Lila had been exposed. Her classmates certainly were, but instead Marinette could not help but mope. Damian had been SO kind she really had wanted to get to know him better. The fact she’d completely missed out on getting his number gnawed at her. Little did she know that Damian was across the city thinking the same thing as he sat on a Gargoyle statue.

But fate likes to play funny games. A few days later Jagged got a call from Bruce Wayne, a few of his sons namely Tim, Jason and Dick had heard about Jagged being in town and tjat the rocker had brought MDC the famous designer with him. Apparently they were huge fans and had bugged, pleaded, whined, and eventually threatened a hunger strike until Bruce would ask Jagged to pretty please introduce them. So Jagged got the go ahead from Marinette and the gaggle of teenagers plus Jagged and Penny piled into a big van and drove over to the Wayne mansion.

Seeing it from the outside, Marinette felt only intimidation and dread. It was so huge and they were so rich. What if they were unimpressed when they found out MDC was just some teenage girl? Letting Jagged guide her and her friends push her forward Marinette nervously knocked on the door and let herself be led inside by the kind old man who introduced himself as Alfred.

Walking through the halls in wonder Marinette slowly felt her fingers twitch with the urge to design. But she suppressed it and focused not wanting to be rude. As the group turned a corner into a large sitting room Marinette’s blue eyes somehow found a pair of familiar green. She gasped, he blinked wide eyed.

“Marinette?” - “Damian?”

They blinked again, shocked. Marinette eventually snorted and laughed. Damian found himself smiling as he approached the small girl. And everyone else? Well they were just confused. Except for Damian’s family they were confused and freaked out.

“Is the demon spawn, smiling Dicky bird? Or am I hallucinating?”

“No I see it too Jason. He looks genuinely happy.”

“So it's official.” Tim added “we're all hallucinating.”

After some introductions and explanations things settled down with Marinette happy to take the Wayne’s on as clients. And the Wayne’s in turn being suitably impressed and amazed by the young girls accomplishments though the part they found most amazing was how she interacted with not only them but Damian. She was genuine and kind, no fake smiles or hidden double meanings, nor did she let their money and fame impress or blind her in any way. Jason soon declared her a little sister and Jagged preened and puffed as he gloated about not only Marinette but Kitty Section as well.

The rest of the summer spent in Gotham was tons of fun with Jason teaching Juleka and Marinette how to shoot guns and ride motorcycles, Rose and Marinette learning some of Dick’s gymnastics moves, Ivan meanwhile got along well with the quiet Cass and level headed Duke. Eventually Stephanie and Bab’s returned home as well and they also took to the french teens with ease they organized girl nights where they taught the girls how to break and enter something Marinette had a natural affinity for go figure. The most surprising development however was Luka. The slightly older boy had seemingly set his sights on the awkward coffee addicted Tim and had spent the remainder of the summer wooing him.

But while Luka was wooing Tim there was one other couple slowly forming. Everyone had seen the spark between Damian and Marinette and soon enough everyone was shipping it. The pair were often ‘conveniently’ left alone or were sent on errands that somehow conveniently became accidental dates. Marinette had been guarding her heart after Adrien had shattered it but Damian made her want to take the risk and fall in love. He was charming, polite, kind, sarcastic, and as she’d learned after telling him about the entire Paris situation akuma’s and all he was protective but without going so far as to undermine Marinette’s strength. He trusted her to be fast and smart and strong enough to defend herself (especially after they did a bit of fight training for fun and she laid him flat on the ground) but he did worry and care about her.

But still there was something holding back both teens. Something that shattered near the end of the vacation. Marinette had been caught by a villain. Poison Ivy to be exact. The plant villainess had taken note of the new frequent visitor to her greenhouse but what had really gotten her attention was how the plant life reacted to her. And furthermore how the plant life SPOKE about her. Ivy’s curiosity eventually grew too large and so she snatched up the young designer and brought her home. Luckily Marinette wasn’t particularly scared of Ivy or Harley, sure she didn’t like being knocked out but she felt no real fear, in the end Ivy, Harley and Marinette ended up having an unprompted girls day complete with junk food, ranting, bad American tv and more. Ivy eventually figured that Marinette was some kind of Meta one who had a strong influence over plant and animal life and that was enough for her to adopt the small half Asian girl and inject her with her special blend the same one she’d given to Harley to keep her safe in a town full of crazies.

But while Marinette was perfectly fine hanging out with 2 of the 3 sirens Damian had not taken it so well. He had scoured the city trying to find the sirens newest abode all while he gnawed his lip until it bled. Maybe it was the stress that made him slip up or maybe it was just Marinette being too smart for her own good. But when the young Robin came bursting in through a window yelling Marinette’s name something had immediately clicked and she knew who he was. After she’d calmed the situation down and made sure no one fought anyone else, Marinette thanked Ivy and Harley for the nice day and let Robin carry her away. After talking with Tikki and deciding to be reckless and selfish for once in her life Marinette confronted Damian the next day, revealing her own identity in the process. There was some freaking out and a LOT of talking with Tikki and the rest of the bat clan but in the end it seemed to work out for the best. Ladybug was certainly happy to accept the help anyway even if Chat Noir wasn’t going to be.

A week later Damian finally asked Marinette out. Two days after that they shared their first kiss on the ferris wheel. And come the end of summer Marinette, Kitty Section and surprise guests Damian and Tim Wayne were all boarding a flight back to Paris.

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andraedevane · 17 days

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I'm gonna say it: Miraculous Ladybug is one of the most toxic fandoms related to the ships and that's a fact. Don't try to tell me I'm wrong.

I saw a lot of pins in Pinterest of Adrigami, Lukadrien, Kagaminette and more ships with comments like "Wtf is this?", "Disgusting", "The only good ship in MLB is Adrinette", "Marinette only deserves to end with Adrien".

Are. You. Serious?

People can ship whatever they want, and if someone ships Lilanette, Chloénette, Alyanette, Ninonette or another ship it's up to them. You don't have to say they're mentally ill for not shipping Adrinette. Just because a ship is canon doesn't mean everyone has to like it. And if you don't like Lilanette, Chloénette, Alyanette or any ship involving Marinette and a classmate of her, just ignore it. Don't watch posts of that ship or read fics just to say you hate it. Because if you do that, don't complain when people decide to do the same with Adrinette.

#miraculous lb #miraculoustalesofladybugandcatnoir #miraculous ladybug #marinette dupain cheng #adrien agreste #luka couffaine #chloé bourgeois #lila rossi #pro adrinette #pro lukanette #pro marigami #pro lilanette #pro chloénette #pro every classmate x marinette #seriously people #calm down #lila chloé alya nino kagami zoe or luka dating marinette is as valid as adrien dating her

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mochinek0 · 1 year

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Diner Girl

"So, we finally get to meet your girlfriend, in person?" Tim questioned.

"I'm already regretting this decision." Damian declared.

Jason chuckled, "Why? You think she'll like us more?"

"More like drive her away." Damian snarled.

"Relax, Little D." Dick smiled, "We won't do anything of the sort. Besides, it's been three years."

Damian sighed as they pulled up to the diner. Marinette had stated she was busy working until 5pm. The Wayne boys couldn't wait to meet her and asked if they could meet her at her work for a quick bite. They even said they could head out from there and take her home. He knew his brothers would try to convince her to change and go out instead.

Marinette heard the ding of the door opening and turned to see her boyfriend and his family. She smiled and looked at the clock.

'Thirty more minutes until I get off the clock. Maybe they'd like some appetizers.'

The Waynes sat down and saw Marinette subtly wave at them.

"My God, did you see her?"

"It suits her."

"I'm shocked she hasn't dropped anything yet."

Tim quickly took out his phone. He made sure to look interested at it, as he noticed the people in the booth behind them point at Marinette. He made sure his phone was still focused on them as his little brother's girlfriend approached the table.

"Sorry, for the wait." Mari spoke, "What can I get you to drink?"

"Hey, Pixie. Can I get a strawberry milkshake?" Jason questioned.

"Pixie?" she repeated.

"Because you're tiny and cute." he smiled.

His answered earned him a quick kick to the shin by Damian.

"Ow! You brat!" Jason yelled.

Damian flipped him off.

"Ignore them." Dick commented, "I'll take a limoncello float."

"Black coffee." declared Tim.

"Damian?" Marinette questioned, "Chai tea?"

"Yes." he answered.

Marinette smiled and walked away from their table.

"Oh, so she knows you favorites now?" Jason teased.

"Shut up." Damian growled.

"The butter knives aren't sharp enough and you know it." Tim sighed, noticing the girls in the next booth glaring at them.

Tim continued to appear interested in his phone.

'This isn't going to end well.'

Lila smirked as she tipped over her drink and it clattered to the floor.

"Oops." she spoke.

Alya snickered as the drink covered the floor.

"Clean it up, Lila." Adrien declared, "Now."

"Why would I do that, Adrien?" Lila questioned, "I don't work here."

"Well, if that is how you think, I can say you won't have a job anywhere." he replied.

Alya, Nino, and Lila looked at him shocked.

"You can't do that!" Alya shouted.

Adrien smiled and leaned back, "It's my father's company. Father expects perfection everywhere; especially in public."

"But my wrist hurts!" Lila whined, "It's why I spilled it. It was an accident."

He sighed, "We both know you're full of shit."

"Adrien!" Alya gasped.

"You are only special in your own head and it shows." he declared.

"Dude!" Nino cried out, surprised.

Marinette walked towards the table behind them and slipped on the scattered ice. Damian quickly grabbed her, preventing an accident, but the drinks still fell to the floor.

"Marinette!" the manager shouted.

"It-it wasn't my fault!" she stammered.

"You're fired!" he roared.

"But-" Marinette tried to refute.

"It's fine, Habibiti." Damian spoke.

"Yeah." Jason replied, "We'll leave."

The manager glared at her, "See! Now, you are making the patrons leave."

"The only reason we came here was to see Marinette." Dick annouced.

"Besides, " Tim spoke, "maybe you should hire Sausage Hair, there. Seems she'll be out of a job soon."

"Were you spying on us?" Alya shrieked.

"Recorded your conversations, too." Tim commented, "Planning to trip her? Classic."

"You're just jealous that Pixie Pop is better than you." Jason replied.

Lila stood up, in outrage, "I'm the daughter of an ambassador! I am a model for Gabriel Agreste! I travel the world and help with various charities! I know Prince Ali of Achu and Jagged Stone. I help Prince Ali in his environmental charities and I'm Jagged Stone's niece!"

The Waynes laughed. The manager noticed Marinette covering her mouth, but she was laughing, none the less.

'What is going on?'

"One: Prince Ali works in children's hospitals, not environmental projects." Dick stated, "He donates to our charities, all the time."

"Two: Marinette knows Jagged Stone. She is his 'niece', as well as his personal designer." Tim declared, "She doesn't even need this job, but she thought it would get her out of having kids thrown her way for unpaid babysitting gigs, at the last moment."

"Three: You are a waste of space from what Blondie was saying." Jason scoffed.

Damian smirked, "Go ahead. Tell her who we are Agreste. You've spoken to us before."

Adrien relaxed and smiled, "You're the Waynes. Your father is an international billionare."

Lila and the manager's faces drained of color.

Damian turned his glare to the manager, "Four: The only reason we were in your pathetic place was because of the angel in my arms."

"What's so special about her, anyways?" Alya snapped.

"She's my girlfriend." Damian announced.

The Waynes smiled behind him. Lila tensed up and looked between Marinette and the Wayne. Adrien just smiled and the manager sensed he had made a huge mistake.

"Come along, Angel." Damian spoke, "We'll take you home and we'll treat you to dinner."

"I have five restaurants ready to take our reservation in three hours." Tim declared.

Dick smiled, "We can settle it in the car."

"Sorry, I was such a bother, Damian." Marinette whispered.

Damian leaned down and placed a kiss on her lips, "You are never a bother to me. Though, you also have to thank Agreste there. He was trying to get the bitch to clean up the mess she made, before you came over."

Marinette smiled, "Thanks, Adrien."

"Oh, you're welcome, Mari." Adrien replied,, "Sorry, you ended up falling and getting fired."

Marinette just shrugged it off, "Like Tim said, I don't need this job. I just tired of Alya and Nino dumping their siblings at me for free babysitting gigs. I mostly took this out of spite. I'll be moving out of my parents' place this year; I didn't want to deal with packing and trying to take care of kids for some people who hate me."

"Come on, Pixie Pop!" Jason shouted, "Let's blow this popsicle stand!"

Dick smiled and placed a hand on her shoulder, "We can drop you off and we can go change in our suits that you made us."

Marinette smiled brighter, "They fit, right? Nothing needs to be adjusted?"

"Are you kidding me?" Jason asked, leading the way out the door, "Like a glove! Best monkey suit I've worn!" making her giggle.

"Do we need to stop anywhere to get you dressed up?" Tim asked.

Mari scoffed, "You think I wouldn't have dressy clothes? I have to travel with Jagged to his functions."

"Rock and Roll!" Jason smiled.

Damian kept his arm snug around Marinette's waist as they left the diner with a smile.

"Move, Lila." Adrien demanded.

"Huh?" she spoke, confused by the hostility coming out of his mouth.

"I need to leave." he declared

"But-" Nino spoke.

Adrien pointed to the door as Natalie walked in. She quickly spotted the blonde's coiffed hair and walked towards them.

"Adrien, those were-" she bean.

"The people Lila just humiliated herself in front of and they recorded the whole thing?" Adrien stated, throwing her fully under the bus.

Natalie glared at her as she quickly moved, allowing Adrine out of the booth. Adrien walked around the mess and spotted one of the dishtowels that Mari had dropped onto the floor. He picked it up and threw it right in Lila's face. She sputtered as she removed the soaked towel from her face. It was painfully obvious by the two toned skin color that most of her makeup was wiped off on the wet towel.

Adrien smiled, "You might want to get use to your new job."

"They know Marinette Dupain-Cheng?" Natalie questioned.

"Marinette is dating the youngest Wayne. Unless, Mari puts him in a good mood, Lila is likely to-" Adrien declared as his phone went off rapidly.

He pulled his phone out as Natalie looked towards her tablet.

"Oh, never mind. Timothy Drake-Wayne blasted Lila on twitter. The co-CEO of Wayne Enterprise just showed the world how two-faced Father's model really is." Adiren overdramatically sighed, "He posted the whole video of Lila pretending to be injured and purposefully making Marinette slip. He also posted Marinette getting horribly fired and all of the Waynes calling Lila a huge liar to her face. That's really not a good look for Gabriel."

Natalie tightened her grip on the tablet, "I'll call your father to see how he wants to deal with this new situation, seeing as we were suppose to meet the Waynes tomorrow."

Adrien smiled, "I'm pretty sure that the girl Lila got fired is the Waynes' personal designer."

Lila gulped and slowly sat back in the booth.

"If that is the case, I agree with Adrien, Miss Rossi; I would start looking for a new job." Natalie commanded.

Adrien walked out of the diner with Natalie in tow. Lila sat there frozen until Alya reached out and touched her hand.

"It's gonna be okay, Lila." Alya smiled, "It's-"

Lila tore her arm away from the journalist grasp and glared at her. She got up quickly and tried to rush out the door. In her hurry, she had forgotten about the spill and slipped. Lila fell forward but landed awkwardly, attempting to catch herself. She was rushed to the hospital with a broken arm.

As Nino drove Alya home, she sniffled as she looked through her phone. Her blog was being torn to shreds by people around the world. They were pointing out every lie and detail on how everything Lila said was fake. The comment that hurt the most was: I can't believe this blogger wants to be a reporter! Doesn't this girl know the basics for a reporter? It's called fact checking! Google isn't that hard to use!

TAGLIST: TAG LIST: @animeweebgirl @a-star-with-a-human-name @meme991001 @vixen-uchiha @abrx2002 @alysrose-starchild @fandom-trapped-03 @dood-space @moonlightstar64 @saltymiraculer @marveldcedits20 @09shell-sea09 @icerosecrystal @animegirlweeb @insane-fangirl-of-everything @blueblossombliss @nickristus-dreamer @megawhitleycalderonpaganus

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azal-lea · 3 months

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#marinette dupain cheng #alya cesaire #adrien agreste #nino lahiffe #kagami tsurugi #luka couffaine #marigami #luka x adrien #nino x adrien

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nunnimushka · 10 months

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I like when they switch costumes and it reminded me of something😏

this photo just exists!!!!!!

#miraculous ladybug and chat noir #miraculous les aventures de ladybug et chat noir #miraculous ladybug fanart #miraculous ladybug #ladybug #chat noir #cat noir #ladynoir #marinette dupen chang #adrien agreste #adrien x marinette #adrienette #miraculous alya #miraculous nino #I’m crazy I know hehe #redraw #artists on tumblr

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knifedancer · 6 months

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Sleeping Beauty

A new akuma has the power to turn fairy tales into reality. Marinette is hit and falls into a deep sleep. Ladybug has yet to show up to the battle, Paris fears for the worst. Without the miraculous cure, there may only be one other option. True Love's kiss should wake her…

But who is her true love?

Note: I imagine this is pre-Season 4-ish but it can also just be read as non-canon/alternate universe, if you so choose. Rated T for Teen for possible disturbing wording. Also on AO3.

Surprise! Related outtake can be found here!

~~~~~~~

When Grimm Talia – the latest akuma – arrived, no one was quite sure what to make of them. Their twisted color palette and oversized robes, which flared out like dragon wings as they glided through the air, disguised most of their identifying attributes. It seemed to be a playwright or author that had been working on a retelling of classic fairytales, that was angered by their lover or something – at least that’s what Alya assumed. It was odd that someone had yet to come forward with a civilian name for Grimm Talia. Perhaps Hawkmoth was the akuma’s lover and was akumatized for finding out his identity! The blogger was captivated immediately and tried to capture video for her blog, paying more attention to streaming and her play-by-play commentary for her followers than to her surroundings. She had wandered into the open from her hiding spot in the alley to get a better angle, exposing herself completely while distracted with her phone. Unfortunately, this put the blogger in the crosshairs of the akuma’s next blast.

Alya yelped as the akuma grinned down at her through the camera lens and raised a magical staff made of thorny briar branches, charging their ray as they recanted lines from Sleeping Beauty like a spell. The blogger stumbled back a step and dropped her phone with a clatter, her mouth dropping open as if to silently scream in horror or call for help. She was frozen in place; watching things happen like a slow-motion train crash that she could not look away from. Just when it appeared there was no escape, she was pushed out of the way and landed in a pile of discarded boxes nearby. The akuma cackled and floated off after the next victim in their sights. Alya pulled a box off her head only to realize that her savior had been none other than her dear friend…

“Marinette!” Alya hollered, quickly diving for her phone and the crumpled pigtailed girl on the sidewalk, dragging her back into the relative safety of the alleyway. Guilt flooded the reporter’s heart as she worried over the bluenette’s unconscious body in her arms. On the upside, her friend was still breathing. Downside, she seemed to be in a comatose-like sleep of which she could not be roused. Just then, Chat Noir landed beside them.

“Ladyblogger! You shouldn’t be here, it’s too dang-purr—is that Marinette?!” Chat exclaimed, too shocked at seeing his Everyday Ladybug unconscious to complete his pun.

Alya felt a few tears escape her eyes and slide down her face, “Chat Noir! Yes, I wasn’t paying attention and…Grimm Talia, the new akuma, was about to shoot me…she took the hit for me! Now she won’t wake up!”

The cat boy’s ears flattened to his hair with worry, reaching down to gently trace Marinette’s jaw with a clawed finger and pat her cheek. No response. The idea of his favorite civilian and good friend being hurt greatly unsettled the cat hero. He couldn’t understand why but all his instincts screamed to protect and get the girl to safety. “The bakery is just a couple blocks away, let’s get her home so she isn’t laying here in the street,” Chat lifted the girl from the reporter’s lap and cradled her against his chest with one arm, then motioned for Alya to hop on his back. “Once we take care of the akuma, the cure should wake her up. Hold on tight.” He pulled out his staff and launched the three of them easily into the sky, rushing towards the bakery to get them both to safety.

Looking around from the air, Alya saw several people suffering from various fairytale effects. It seemed the akuma’s power was not limited to putting to people to sleep… Some were transformed into various animals, large and small – frogs, bears, swans, stags… Others trapped in taxis that had become large pumpkins; a few unlucky people seemed to be stuck to a golden colored goose. Ladies clutched at their clothes, now turned into ratty, festering furs. Others muffled sobs as they knelt by golden statues that must have once been their children, staring at their hands in horror. Down a passing street a man seemed to be chasing a large wolf dressed in a floral housecoat and bonnet – what was that about? The blogger felt nauseous as she witnessed a few people screaming for help as they raised their severed arms in the air – every single one seemingly hacked off bloodlessly at the elbow. She quickly looked away, trying to find anything else on the horizon to distract her from the bile rising in her throat. For as far as her eye could see there were long streams of hair flowing down streets in a myriad of colors – like large skeins of yarn that had fallen from their basket – catching on every street sign and mailbox. As Chat launched them over the last intersection, on the corner below Alya spied an unlikely trio of a mouse, a bird, and…was that person transformed into a sausage?!

They landed beside the entry for the bakery and Alya quickly dismounted to open the door, only for them both to jump back as a cloud of blackbirds burst from the entry with an earsplitting screech. Inside looked like a disaster area after a bomb went off, every cake and pie appeared to have exploded. Feathers still floated through the air like snowflakes in winter as frosting and pie fillings dripped from the ceiling tiles. The Dupain-Cheng’s looked a little worse for wear – slowly lowering the broom and large wooden peel they had been using as weapons – but relieved that the birds were now gone. They let out a sigh until their eyes fell upon their limp daughter in the hero’s arms, fear overtaking their countenances. Alya recounted her tale as Chat brought Marinette up to her room and settled her comfortably on the chaise. He gently brushed a few stray bangs from her face, careful to keep his claws from marring her skin. His instincts were still screaming that something was very wrong. The cat hero felt immense guilt for not being able to protect the petite bluenette, she seemed so fragile... A look of determined resolve settled on his features as he rose to his feet.

“Madame, Monsieur, Ladybug and I will do all we can to fix this. Cat’s honor. Ladyblogger,” Chat met her eyes with a glare as he was unable to keep his roiling emotions from his voice, “stay away from the battle. You caused enough damage already; we don’t need to need to worry about rescuing you while we fight.” With that Chat gave a little salute before vaulting out the window and back towards the fray. The Dupain-Chengs quickly assured her that she could remain here while they went down to clean up what they could in the bakery.

Shocked by Chat’s angry gaze and overcome with guilt, Alya sat heavily in Marinette’s desk chair with her head in her hands. Chat was right. It was her fault that her friend was now unconscious… There had to be something she could do! Just then a notification popped up on her phone from the Ladyblog. The bespectacled girl scrolled through several comments, posts, images, and testimonials from various followers all over Paris… Ladybug had not been spotted yet; people seemed worried that she might have been hit by the akuma already. She raised her eyes from the phone to her friend with worry, hoping she could hear her. “Mari…they think Ladybug may have already been taken out. Without her there is no miraculous cure. I’m worried you might never wake up…a-and it’s all my fault.”

She gripped her phone helplessly as her gaze dropped to her shoes, wishing for a miraculous or some power she could use to undo what happened. Without Ladybug, what chance did Paris stand against Hawkmoth? What chance did Marinette have at waking up? Notifications kept coming in, the quiet pings sounding far louder in the deathly quiet room. Alya finally glanced at it again, intending to silence it, when the title of a post caught her eye…

REVERSING GRIMM TALIA’S SLEEP SPELL!! HAWKMOTH HATES THIS ONE TRICK!!

The blogger cringed at the headline but proceeded to read…

My husband was hit by the akuma and fell into an unconscious state while getting out of our taxi. I thought he was dead, but I was so relieved when he was still breathing. You see we had gone out to breakfast at this café by the Siene and he had the apple tart, even though apples cause him heartburn…

Alya skimmed through the post, bypassing the poster’s unnecessary explanation of what they had been doing before the akuma and their plans, seeking out the resolution. Was this person a recipe blogger? Just get to the point… Ah, there it was!

…discovered that the unconscious person awakes with true love’s kiss!

“That’s it! I just need to find Adrien!” Alya tried to call the boy but there was no answer. “Okay, I need to go out there. I’m not going to the battle zone so Chat shouldn’t get too angry… Don’t worry, I’m gonna save you, Mari!” With one last look at her unconscious friend, she bolted down and out of the bakery.

Mission: Find Adrien was a Go! The S.S. Adrienette ship was going sail!

~~~ Somewhere in Paris ~~~

She ran through the streets, carefully dodging impacted Parisians and narrowly avoiding tripping on random ropes of tangled hair. Alya eventually stumbled upon Nino and Felix taking cover near the public library where they had been working on a class project. If anyone would know where to find Adrien, it would be these two. “Nino, you’re safe,” she cried as she wrapped him up in a hug.

“Babe! I saw the stream earlier; I thought you had been hit!” Nino hugged her tight, finally releasing the worried tension from his body as he held his girlfriend close.

“I almost was but Marinette saved me. She…,” Alya choked on her words as she stepped back to meet his eyes, “Nino, she took the hit for me. She’s unconscious and won’t wake up! It’s all my fault. But there might be a way to save her…we need to find Adrien!” Both boys stiffened at her words, one with shock and the other unreadable.

“What do you need my clueless cousin for, Miss Césaire?” Felix asked, his usual haughty tone taking an air of suspicion.

“If Adrien kisses her, it’ll wake Marinette up,” cried the red head impatiently. “True love’s kiss has broken a similar state for some impacted by the akuma. Ladybug hasn’t been seen yet; this is Marinette’s best chance!”

Felix scoffed and crossed his arms, “And why do you assume that Adrien is Miss Dupain-Cheng’s true love? The chance of it being him is as likely as you or I. Even Mr. Lahiffe here could be her potential ‘true love’ for that matter.” An explosion echoed in the distance as if to punctuate his point.

“As if! They’re meant to be together! Now, do you know where he is or not?” Alya demanded angrily. This guy was nothing but trouble! How could such an ass be related to their resident Sunshine Boy?

“Calm down, babe. I haven’t seen him but he did have a photoshoot earlier. With the akuma, he’s probably on lockdown at home. You know how paranoid his father gets during attacks,” Nino tried to defuse the situation. Perhaps it was just his imagination, but Felix seemed more irritated now than he had been in the library…

“Look Felix, do you think you can get your cousin out and to the bakery?” Alya swallowed her anger, this was for Marinette! She could be civil with the devil for her best friend’s wellbeing. Even if the devil was the most annoying, repugnant, arrogant, uncooperative…

“Tsk. Perhaps I might be able to disguise myself as my cousin and…,” began the taciturn blond.

“Perfect! Tell him we’ll meet him at the bakery! Come on, Nino,” the Ladyblogger impatiently dragged her boyfriend away, bolting down a neighboring street. Both teens missed the smirk that graced Felix’s face as he loosened his black tie.

~~~

Chat Noir landed with a huff and picked at a few thorns stuck to his suit. Ladybug was a no show and the akuma packed quite the wallop! Where was she?! He glanced around cautiously, checking for any civilians to evacuate before he jumped back into battle. From the corner of his eye, he saw a familiar head of hair and growled angrily. Alya had come back out to the fight! He had warned her to stay put!

He jumped over to the rooftop directly above the Ladyblogger and watched as she reunited with Nino. His ears twitched as he listened in, hearing Alya’s idea of how to wake Marinette… True Love’s kiss? Chat shuddered and frowned with dismay. This akuma reminded him too much of Dark Cupid for his liking! The cat hero was also feeling confused and flustered at the idea of kissing his dear friend. Sure, Mari was cute and sweet but, Felix had a point: why him? Marinette was his first friend, he trusted her in and out of the mask... What if Marinette hoped for more? The expectations of his father and fans were bad enough.

‘Still,’ Chat thought as he bit his lip, ‘I’d do anything for my friends…’

~~~ Twenty Minutes Later ~~~

A tousled Adrien ran towards the bakery, careful to avoid obstacles and looking around for the akuma before dashing across the street. He came to a sliding stop outside the bakery, panting with the physical strain of running through several blocks of fairytale victims, and flung open the door. Nino and the Dupain-Chengs, alerted by the door chime, looked up to see the exhausted teen and ushered him towards the back.

“Hey bro! Thank gods you made it!” Nino paused, looking over his friend’s outfit. “What’s up with the suit?”

Adrien glanced down to where a grey vest hung open to reveal his dress shirt and charcoal slacks. Using a hand to smooth out the wrinkled, untucked, button-up against his chest before chuckling. “Felix loaned me some clothes so I could get here without Gorilla following me. Not my best look but it seems to have worked!” The blond gave a disarming but concerned smile, “Fe said something happened to Marinette? Is she okay?” The blond anxiously ran a hand through his hair, messing up the styling so that he looked more like he normally did.

“Yeah, man, come on,” the Moroccan-French boy grabbed his friend’s rolled up sleeve and dragged him upstairs. Adrien stumbled up the last few steps and entered the pink room behind Nino. “Babe! I told you Felix would come through for our girl!”

“Sunshine! Thank the gods… Marinette got hit by an akuma and won’t wake up. We think true love’s kiss will wake her. What love is truer than friendship, right?” The reporter’s smile was a little too wide to be genuine but the blond did not seem to notice as he stepped towards the unconscious girl with a furrowed brow. Someone had let down her hair and it was fanned out like a halo on the cushion beneath her head. Her arms were laying on her stomach, delicate hands crossed at rest near her heart. Her pink lips, seeming to glisten with dew, were slightly parted. The sunlight from the window seemed to give her whole body a golden ethereal hue – she looked like a sleeping angel and it took his breath away.

He finally tore his eyes away briefly to look at the other two occupants of the room. “I don’t know… You know I’d do anything for Marinette but…why haven’t you two tried?”

The two bespectacled teens exchanged a look, communicating silently, before Alya replied slowly, “We did. She didn’t wake. We’re hoping a kiss from you might work since you’re such…good…friends.”

Adrien’s eyes dropped to Marinette’s still form again, unreadable emotions flitted across his face before he seemed to take a more resolute stance. “Alright. I’ll do it.” He kneeled down beside the chaise, taking one of her limp hands and holding it to his cheek. “Marinette…,” he murmured brokenly, overcome with his emotions in the moment. Alya and Nino watched with bated breath as the blond tentatively leaned down, pausing mere millimeters from their friend’s lips to gaze at her face and whisper something too low for them to hear. Then he closed the distance and placed a chaste kiss to her lips.

Her lips were as warm as they were soft, her breath tasted like chai tea and his lungs reverently drank it in. A mysterious, disembodied chime seemed to sound from above them and the model felt her fingers twitch in his grasp. They held their breath as Adrien pulled back with a look of awe. Marinette’s eyes fluttered open and met the green eyes of the blond still hovering above her with a look of quiet curiosity. Alya and Nino cried out with joy and hugged. “I knew it! I knew true love’s kiss would work!” Alya smiled slyly towards the two on the chaise, “We’ll go downstairs to let your parents know the good news and give you lovebirds some time to talk.”

“Hey!” protested Nino as he was roughly shoved through the trap door, his complaints cut off with a hasty slam of the wood against the frame. An oppressive silence descended upon the room in their absence, accentuated by a soft tick of a clock and their breathing. Marinette didn’t say a word, her bluebell eyes transfixed to the emerald-colored orbs in front of her. The model watched her nervously, he pressed a tentative kiss to the hand he still held between his own as if too scared to speak, to break the spell they were under. The bluenette raised her free hand and cupped his cheek, her thumb tracing a path under his eye as her gaze seemingly analyzed his every feature in agonizing detail. Finally, with a small smile, she slid her hand down to his neck and broke the silence by sweetly whispering his name.

“…. Felix.”

The blond boy’s eyes widened, and his body stiffened with shock, “How did you—”

He was cut off with a swift tug on his collar and her lips against his. While momentarily stunned, he quickly succumbed to the kiss and Felix was willingly dragged onto the chaise. They quickly found themselves in a tangled embrace – hands in hair, legs interwoven, chests pressed together – as they succumbed to their mutual passion with moans of delight. A familiar, crumpled up, black tie fell carelessly from his pocket to the floor. Hidden in a corner of the room, Tikki looked upon her chosen with a small smile. True love’s kiss was a powerful thing.

The akuma would have to wait…

~~~ BONUS SCENES ~~~

‘Still,’ Chat thought as he bit his lip, ‘I’d do anything for my friends…’

Before he could catch the rest of the trio’s conversation, an explosion in the distance drew his attention. From the dust sprang yet another tall beanstalk that reached into the clouds. Chat took off in search of the akuma, hoping desperately that his lady would arrive… He landed with a dull thud next to a young woman that had been changed into a beautiful golden harp, crying as she struggled to right herself. The cat boy quickly jumped to assist, setting her carefully against the nearest stairwell so that she could hold onto the railing for support. The lady harp cried out and pointed behind him with fear filled eyes, he turned to find himself face to face with the business end of the akuma’s thorny staff! Shit!

“…A curse upon your house and all within it. Until you have found someone to love you as you are, you shall remain…,” incanted Grimm Talia.

Chat Noir vaulted away as fast as he could, attempting to gain some ground, when he felt a warm blast hit his back. He fell gracelessly onto a neighboring rooftop where he convulsed painfully on the floor for a moment. This was nothing like being hit by Dark Cupid or Reflekta... Damn, it felt like he was being ripped apart and put back together! The akuma’s cackle echoed up from the streets below, which kicked his survival instincts into overdrive. Blindly Chat scrambled up and bolted into the roof access hatch, finding a restroom in the building to hide in temporarily. Breathing hard, he leaned against the sink to catch his breath – only to realize that his clawed hands were now covered in thick fur. He glanced up into the mirror, seeing that two small horns sprouted between his cat ears and his face took on the appearance of some sort of wild beast. He reached back and grabbed for his baton, intending to call Ladybug again, only to pull out a glowing red rose that proceeded to drop a single petal onto the tiled floor between his feet.

“Uh oh…”

~~~ Later ~~~

“Team Adrienette! A-DRI-EN-ETTE! Team Adrienette!” Alya sang while happily skipping down the sidewalk outside the bakery as if there wasn’t still an akuma on the loose somewhere in the city. Nino cautiously meandered after her, smiling as he shook his head at his girlfriend’s antics. If the quiet muffled noises coming from upstairs before they left were any indication, after years of trying, it seemed their resident sunshine boy and aspiring designer were finally a couple. Those two had danced around each other enough! So many misunderstandings, lies, and schemes! The bespectacled teens both hoped for the best – one already planning double dates and the other compiling a list of romantic music that might become ‘their song.’ They were both broken from their thoughts by a familiar voice calling their names.

“What the…,” muttered Alya. Across the street stood a bashful but happy looking Adrien waving at them with one hand while the other held the hand of an even more familiar bluenette teen… Marinette’s ex-boyfriend and Kitty Section’s favorite guitarist: Luka Couffaine.

“Dude! How did you get out here so quickly? And why are you with Luka?” Nino asked with confusion written all over his features as the two boys joined them.

“I was on my way to the bakery when I was hit by the akuma, got transformed into a giant beast with horns and a magical rose, can you believe it?” The blond model laughed and blushed. He rubbed the back of his head nervously. “Then I stumbled into Luka here and…well, turns out he was what I needed to reverse my akuma curse.”

“We heard about Marinette, how is she?” Luka asked, voice filled with concern as he dropped Adrien’s hand briefly to fiddle with a snake shaped bracelet. Must be a worrying habit the musician had.

“Well…she’s awake…,” Nino murmured distractedly, his mind still trying to fit the pieces together.

Alya, whom had been standing frozen with her mouth open in shock, seemed to finally recover. She pointed at the blond and then back over her shoulder towards the bakery entrance not five meters away. “What are you talking about?! We just saw you in the bakery with Marinette!” Just then, as if summoned by divine intervention, out of the bakery stumbled another blond – this one sporting a lovesick dazed smirk as he waved to someone hidden beyond the glass door. The four teens on the sidewalk took in his disheveled appearance with three looks of shock and one of amusement. A word that described the boy in this moment: rumpled. His shirt was untucked and incorrectly buttoned in a way that revealed a white undershirt beneath it, his crumpled black tie hung loosely around his neck like a scarf, pink lipstick smears were visible from his face to his collarbone (with a little adorning the inside of his shirt collar), and his hair seemed to be as wild and untamed as Chat Noir’s.

“…Fe?” Adrien tentatively called, unsure of what he was witnessing. His cousin had never looked less than professional for a day in his life! Perhaps it was a doppelgänger brought on by the akuma?

That warm gaze shifted towards the model’s call and, upon seeing them, it was as if a switch was flipped. Felix slicked back his unruly hair, draped his discarded wrinkled vest over his shoulder, and meandered towards the stunned group. With the lovesick look now cleared, his smirk took on a smug edge but his eyes still glowed with a satisfied happiness that none of them had seen on him before. “Cousin,” the formal boy nodded to the model and started whistling a jaunty tune as he swaggered past. Three sets of eyes stared at his every move in bewilderment. He seemed more relaxed and at ease than usual; plus, there was a…

Wait, was that a hickey under his right ear?!

“Felix Fathom! What the hell—,” Alya began but, with a raised hand that bid them adieu without looking back, Felix disappeared around the smashed carcass of a giant pumpkin that was once a delivery van. Only with the soft echo of his whistling hanging in the air did Nino realize…

‘Huh, I didn’t know Felix was a Daft Punk fan.’

~~~

Ladybug, feeling guilty after the increasingly panicked voicemails from Chat while she was otherwise detained, managed to defeat the akuma with a little help from Viperion and cast the cure just in time to meet her date that evening at Andre’s.

Paris is saved once again by the Powerpuf—err, Ladybug!

Notes:

Felix was whistling Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky.” I’ll let you imagine what he whispered to her before kissing her. 😊

Peel (based on the French word ‘pelle’) is the long paddle looking implement that is often used at brick oven pizza places but are also used for bread and pastries.

Please let me know in the comments what enchanted furniture you think Gabriel transformed into while Adrien was the Beast! Grimm Talia did say “a curse upon your house and all within it.” 😉 Talk about an akuma backfiring on the user! Check out the other suggestions here!

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marii-iana · 1 year

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Alya when she finds out Marinette has been rejecting Adrien for Adrien:

#miraculous ladybug #adrienette #cat noir x ladybug #ladybug x cat noir #adrien agreste #adrinette #ladybug and chat noir #marinette dupain cheng #ml ladybug #mlb marinette #mlb s5 #ladynoir #alya cesaire #alya x nino #miraculous alya

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arisu-artnfics · 8 days

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“Un viaje a París” 5

Notas:

Capítulo: 5/12 Anterior Siguiente (Primero). Version on English

También en: A03 || FF || DeviantArt || Facebook.

Capítulo 5: “De Amity a París”

Esa noche, Sam ofreció ayudar a los Fentons con sus reservaciones de hotel, o mejor dicho, insistió que ella ayudará con la reserva del hotel. Ella quería sólo lo mejor para su enamorado después de todo, incluso si no lo decía en voz alta. Después de varias búsquedas y comparando precios aquí y ahí, ellos finalmente decidieron en el hotel ‘Le Grand Paris’. Era un poco más elegante de lo que los Fentons estaban acostumbrados, y quizás un poco más caro… o, bueno, muy caro, pero eso no molestaba a Sam, era la mejor opción para la familia.

El hotel contaba con dos opciones de alojamiento: suites y habitaciones tipo apartamento. Las suites tienen capacidad para cuatro personas, mientras las habitaciones tipo apartamento tiene capacidad hasta seis. Como familia de cuatro, la suite sonaba perfecta para los Fentons, eso es, hasta que leyeron algunas opiniones. Todos decían que el primer cuarto de la suite estaba bien, pero el segundo era tan pequeño y apretado que tú apenas podías abrir el ropero y no había espacio para poner tus maletas. La opción del cuarto tipo apartamento debería ser la mejor para ellos, incluso cuando era una extraña opción para cuatro. Consideraba de un cuarto principal con una cama tamaño king y dos cuartos pequeños que cada uno venía con una cama tamaño queen o dos camas individuales. De esa manera Jazz y Danny podrían tener sus propios cuartos, en vez de que ellos tengan que compartir como cuando eran muy, muy pequeños.

Sam tomó esta oportunidad una vez más sugirió que ella también vaya con ellos desde que habría más que suficiente espacio para ella también. Ella propuso que ella podría compartir un cuarto con Danny, uno de los cuales con camas pequeñas, en vez de una de tamaño queen.

Jack y Maddie estuvieron dudando de decir “sí,” a ellos obviamente no les molestaba los dos adolescentes compartiendo una habitación desde que ellos la habían invitado a quedarse la noche, pero ellos ya habían comprado sus boletos de avión. E incluso aunque ellos han aceptado la ayuda de Sam con su hotel -por su insistencia en vez de algo más- ellos no estaban seguros si ellos podían conseguir un boleto para ella en el mismo avión.

A eso, Sam sacó su teléfono, preguntó a los Fentons por la información de vuelo, y manejo usar el poder que viene con ser un Manson no sólo obtener un boleto en el mismo vuelo, sino sentándose junto a ellos. Ella ofreció mejorar todos sus boletos a primera clase mientras estaba en ello, pero los Fentons negaron, ellos habían ahorrado suficiente dinero para sus gastos del viaje y no querían que ella gastara más- o mejor dicho, mucho más- de lo necesario.

Después de eso, los Fentons simplemente permitieron a Sam terminar reservando el hotel por dos semanas que habían planeado estar en París. Ella respetó sus deseos y como pidieron, sólo compró el boleto para ella y se aseguró que la familia y ella misma estuvieran confortable en uno de los hoteles más bonitos en París. Después de todo, la idea era para ellos de tener una relajada y sin preocupaciones vacaciones, y eso incluía no estresarse sobre detalles que ella estaría más que feliz de ayudar.

Los Fentons y Sam tenían todo arreglado para su viaje a París, y Dani y Valerie estaban preparadas para quedarse atrás y proteger Amity Park. Todos están excitados por el inicio de las vacaciones de verano, todos menos Tucker.

Él amaba su trabajo como alcalde de Amity Park, ¡Realmente lo hace! Era como esa vez que se lanzó como representante de clase, ¡sólo mejor! Pero extrañaba pasar tiempo con sus amigos. Él entendía porque tenía un tutor privado en vez de ir al colegio, pero realmente, ¡él seguía siendo un adolecente! Él nunca pensó que extrañaría Casper High, pero estaba trabajando en una manera de atender clases ahí de nuevo el próximo año, incluso si era sólo medio tiempo. No planeaba correr por la posición nuevamente, así que apenas alguien más fuera elegido, él sería libre de regresar a ser estudiante a tiempo completo.

Era muy difícil liderar, o incluso vivir en, un pueblo invadido con fantasmas, así que Tucker y los ciudadanos de Amity estaban más que aliviados cuando las noticias esparcieron de que el portal de los Fentons estaría cerrado por dos semanas. Ellos estaban aún más aliviados cuando escucharon que Jack Fenton estaría fuera del país y tomarían un descanso de constantemente chequear sus espejos retrovisores por esa motricidad que llaman una caravana. Será bonito tener un descanso del caos diario, incluso si fuese sólo temporalmente. Después de todo, cerrar el portal por siempre no hará ningún bien a la larga. Los fantasmas de portales naturales aún necesitan una manera de regresar a la Zona Fantasma. Esa fue la parte principal del caso de los Fentons presentaron al FBI del porqué deberían de ser permitidos reparar su portal.

Los estudiantes van a estar fuera del colegio pronto, pero el trabajo de alcalde nunca termina. Tucker necesitaba un descanso también. Cuando escuchó las noticias que sus amigos estaban planeando un viaje a París, él comenzó a pensar una manera de viajar allá también. Si pudiera crear una buena razón suficiente, él podría usar dinero del presupuesto para pagar por ello… Incluso aunque era mayormente una excusa para tener unas vacaciones, él tenía que pensar en realidad hacer algo oficial mientras está allá, así que no sería visto como un completo abuso de poder. Él tenía responsabilidades después de todo.

El resto del año escolar vino y fue. El plan de Danny de gestión del tiempo estaba en pleno funcionamiento, y, aunque aquí había muchas cosas que necesitaban ser mejoradas, parecía que estaba funcionando. Él tenía ayuda peleando los fantasmas, y el sr. Lancer haciendo su parte también, Danny se las arregló en pasar todas sus clases. Ahora todo lo que quedaba era empacar.

El día de su salida finalmente llegó, y el sr. Gray y Dani condujeron a los Fentons al aeropuerto.

Cuando Damon aprendió sobre la niña pequeña y que es exactamente, él casi no podía creerlo hasta que la conoció y vio que tanto se parece a Danny. Fue invitado a FentonWorks un par de días atrás así Jack y Maddie podían explicarle qué hacer si el portal accidentalmente se activa o algo más pasaba, así como conocer a Dani un poco más.

Los Fentons se aseguraron que el filtro esté cambiado antes de salir, así eso no estaría en riesgo, pero Dani sabía qué hacer si ese fuese el caso de todas formas. Todo estaba arreglado, ahora la aventura estaba por comenzar.

Ellos estaban en el aeropuerto, jalando las maletas del carro. Danny se aseguró de sacar las más pesadas, ya que sus poderes les ayudaba más que los iban a aceptar, al menos en voz alta.

–No puedo creer que realmente estemos aquí,– dijo Danny. –Ustedes realmente cerraron el portal… N- N- No sé qué decir…

–Bueno, créelo hermanito. En verdad vas a recibir algo de descanso ahora, como lo necesitas,– dijo Jazz. Era hora para Danny de dejar de usar sus poderes, incluso si era su super fuerza que estaba usado casi sin notarlo estos días. Jazz había notado como él había tomado las maletas más pesadas por sí mismo.

El grupo de viajantes dijeron sus adioses a Dani y Damon, saludando hasta que manejaron fuera de vista, de ahí se dirigieron adentro. Jack y Maddie siguieron bien cerca a los tres adolescentes mientras se dirigían adentro. Era extraño verlos usar ropas “normales”, dejando sus trajes de una pieza atrás, pero ellos habían prometido unas buenas, no-cazaría-de-fantasmas vacaciones. E incluso aunque era un gran cambio para ellos, ellos estaban fieles a su palabra.

–¡Exactamente Danny-boy! Estamos aquí, ¡y todo está arreglado! ¡Es hora de relajarse!– explotó Jack.

–Tu padre tiene razón, Danny.– Maddie pausó, –Jack cariño, ¿recordamos agradecer al Sr. Gray por manejarnos aquí?– preguntó. Incluso aunque lo han hecho, ella tenía el presentimiento que se estaban olvidando algo.

–Espero que recuerden que Dani y Valerie le hicieron prometer que nos recogerían del aeropuerto cuando regresemos, también…– dijo Sam sabiendo que como que le obligaron a hacer la oferta, incluso aunque ellos iban a estar llegando bien tarde en la noche.

–Como que me siento algo mal sobre preguntarle de hacer tanto por nosotros, Dani y Valerie no debieron hacerlo… digo, podría haber volar nos hacia y desde el aeropuerto al menos,– dijo Danny. Él sabía muy bien que era más que capaz de cargar la familia y su equipaje sin tanto problema.

Ellos rápidamente dejaron sus maletas en el mostrador de registro y se dirigieron a seguridad.

Jazz pinchó el puente de su nariz en frustración, –por última vez, Danny, estás son unas vacaciones. Eso significa que no debes esforzarte, no deberías de estar haciendo nada de peso pesado. Y antes que digas nada, sólo porque tú puedes no significa que debas.– Ella mantuvo su voz baja y se aseguró de no mencionar los poderes de Danny ya que estaban en público, pero su tono firme de voz le hizo saber que ella no toleraría ningún argumento.

–Yeah, lo sé, lo sé,– dijo Danny con un gesto de su mano, –pero-–

–No. No peros, Danny.– Sam interrumpió. –Ya hemos hablado al respecto, ¿verdad?– Ella estaba tan cansada de tratar de hacer que Danny dejará de usar sus poderes todo el tiempo tanto como Jazz.

–Sí, lo sé…– Danny suspiró, –Tienes razón.– Él miró alrededor por el número de la puerta que necesitaban ir. No había muchas puertas, pero era la primera vez ahí.

–¡Por aquí!– Jazz apuntó hacia su puerta. No le tomó mucho encontrar el número que coincidía con su tarjeta de embarque, era un pequeño aeropuerto, después de todo. “Amity Park Airport” era relativamente nuevo, y posiblemente una de las únicas cosas buenas que Vlad ha hecho como alcalde.

–Buen ojo, Jazz, querida,– dijo Maddie, dirigiéndose en la dirección que Jazz había apuntado.

En la zona de espera cerca de la puerta, había una ventana larga que miraba sobre la pista y estaban sorprendidos por cuantos aviones podían ver y que tan ocupado y bullicioso todo era. Incluso aunque el aeropuerto de Amity Park era pequeño, era lo suficientemente grande para que hubiera varios aviones volando a la vez a diferentes partes del país. Era su primera vez viajando así. Sí, ellos han volado antes, pero nunca en aviones grandes como este, menos internacionalmente.

Los asientos en el primer avión estaban divididos en dos secciones de tres asientos por fila en cada lado del pasillo. Danny, Sam y Jazz se sentaron juntos en una fila mientras que Jack y Maddie se sentaron detrás de ellos junto a un buen, joven señor de negocios. Era un vuelo corto a Chicago y fácil escala en O’Hare antes de despegar de vuelta. Su segundo avión, el internacional, era mucho más grande que el primero. Este estaba dividido en tres secciones, dos en los costados con tres asientos cada uno, y una en el medio con cuatro. Tal como en su primer vuelo, los tres adolescentes se sentaron juntos con sus padres en la fila de atrás de ellos.

Un poco más de diez horas después, la familia Fenton, más Sam, aterrizaron en París en el “Charles de Gaulle Airport.” Ellos recogieron sus maletas e intercambiaron algunos de sus dólares por euros, por si acaso, aunque tenían planeado usar sus tarjetas de crédito principalmente desde que era más fácil. Con suerte para ellos, el agente en el intercambio de moneda hablaba inglés lo suficientemente bien. Ellos también estaban agradecidos que habían reservado el transporte del aeropuerto al hotel en avanzado, porque francés no era fácil, especialmente después de tan largo viaje.

Cuando llegaron al hotel, ellos se registraron y de ahí fueron guiados a sus habitaciones por un botones servicial. Una vez adentro, ellos rápidamente se pusieron a explorar la suite estilo departamento, admirando tan sólo que tan grande y lujoso realmente era. De ahí reclamaron sus cuartos y sus camas, y desempacaron un poco para acomodarse. Jack y Maddie obviamente tomaron el cuarto principal, mientras Danny y Sam tomaron el cuarto con dos camas pequeñas y Jazz tomó el que tenía una queen. Tal como habían acordado en casa.

–Está bien chicos, vamos a dormir,– Maddie miró a su reloj, era bien pasado la media noche en París, aunque incluso no se sentía.

–Pero no estoy cansado,– Danny se quejó, –¿podemos quedarnos un poco más?

Maddie le lanzó una mirada materna. –Vas a desear haber ido a la cama cuando por la mañana llegué y la descompensación horaria te golpeé,– les recordó a ellos.

–Ella tiene razón, ya sabes,– Jazz dijo. –Se siente como si sólo son las cinco o seis de la tarde porque esa es la hora en Amity Park. Pero no estamos en Amity Park, y si queremos disfrutar todas las cosas que París tiene para ofrecer, necesitamos ajustar nuestro horario de dormir tan pronto como sea posible.

Ellos gemieron y gimieron y arrastraron sus pies, incluso los adultos, pero eventualmente todos estaban en la cama. Les tomó tiempo quedarse dormidos de verdad, pero la noche vino y fue y antes que realizarán, era el día siguiente.

Se despertaron temprano y brillando, más a la consternación de los adolescentes y la familia bostezando, arrastrando los pies bajó las escaleras para desayunar. El restaurante estaba en el primer piso, o planta baja, como era llamado aquí. Ellos no tenían mucho planeado para el día otro que acostumbrarse a estar aquí y acostumbrarse a escuchar todo en francés en vez de inglés.

Una vez que se estaban sentando en la mesa de desayuno, Sam admitió aprender algo de francés gracias a sus padres insistencia en tener una “íntegra y culta hija.” Por supuesto, a Sam nunca le gustó la imagen que sus padres trataron de forzar en ella, ella sólo quería ser ella misma. Pero a pesar de sus mejores esfuerzos, aún así ella había cogido un poquito del lenguaje.

–Bueno esto va a ser interesante…– Danny dijo mientras cogía el menú de desayuno, parecía como si estuviera escrito en Latin o algo.

–Aquí, Danny, intenta este,– Sam le entregó el menú internacional. Aunque incluso este estaba en inglés, tenía varias páginas de comida que no él no puede pronunciar, porque, por supuesto, cualquiera que pudiera permitírselo comía allí y necesitaba un menú elegante lleno de comida elegante para satisfacer todos sus gustos sofisticados.

–Debí haber sabido,– Maddie susurró, más para ella, mientras miraba el menú, –El precio era decente para la habitación pero no para la comida…– Ella y Jack estaban pensando en ordenar unas bandejas de desayuno grandes para la familia para compartir.

Habían encontrado una buena oferta en el hotel, que estaba dentro de su presupuesto, pero Sam aún seguía insistiendo en pagar por eso y bueno, ¿cómo podían negarse?

–Hey, Sam, ¿Crees que obtuvimos una buena oferta por la Semana de la Amistad Franco-Americana que pasó recientemente?– preguntó Jazz. Ella había escuchado en alguna parte que estaba pasado, quizás ha leído algo sobre aquello… sonaba divertido, pero su familia nunca era de celebraciones. Ni siquiera la navidad era celebrada correctamente en su casa, tristemente.

–¿Qué?– Danny preguntó en confusión. –¿El qué-qué, ahora?– Él pensó sobre eso por un momento, y quizás le sonaba un poquito familiar, pero hey, las celebraciones no eran su fuerte.

–Estoy segura que lo aprendiste en el colegio, Danny. La Semana de la Amistad Franco-Americana es una celebración de nuestra historia compartida, yendo atrás a la Guerra Revolucionaria cuando Francia fue uno de nuestros primeros aliados como una nación jovén. Pasó hace unas semanas atrás, si lo recuerdo correctamente. Sólo antes, bueno, todo…– dijo Jazz, pensado atrás a lo que vio cuando reservaban el hotel con sus padres. El sitio en línea decía “reservar ahora” antes de que la “oferta” termine. –creo que este bonito hotel ofreció descuentos especiales sólo para americanos… o algo, durante el resto del mes…– Ellos tuvieron suerte que la reserva les dejó tener los precios baratos por ese tiempo extendido.

–Eso creo,– respondió Sam. –Me olvidé completamente sobre la Semana de la Amistad, no es como si ellos dijeran nada sobre ello en Casper. Vivimos en Amity Park, y si no es sobre fantasmas, es como si a nadie le imparta. ¡Como si la historia no importase! Pero todos deberían de aprender sobre historia así cosas como guerras no se repiten de vuelta, ¿saben?– ella despotricó, pero sin ningún enojo real. Ella sabía que todos ellos compartían ideas similares sobre la educación en Amity Park.

Jazz tarareó su acuerdo. Educación era importante, pero bueno ellos son de Amity… ¿Qué puedes hacer, verdad? Es por eso que ella hacía lo mejor para enseñarles algunas cosas importantes que ellos no aprendían en el colegio. Ella también hacía lo mejor para mantenerse al tanto con la última tecnología. Nadia decía que su educación era mala, sólo que ahí habían definitivamente huecos. Al menos cumplía con el estándar del gobierno, pero no por mucho.

–¡Está bien chicos, creo que lo tengo!– Jack interrumpió después que él y Maddie habían pasado un rato leyendo sobre las opciones del menú en silencio. Las pequeñas explicaciones junto a los nombres de cada plato eran muy útiles. Los nombres en francés era una reto, pero no iban a detener a Jack Fenton.

–¿Tener qué?– preguntó Danny. –¡Oh verdad, desayuno! Um, ¿qué tal, uh, tostada francesa?– Él ni siquiera sabía que tener aún, o por qué sugirió eso cuando ni siquiera le gustan las tostadas. Él quizás había olvidado que se supone que estaban decidiendo qué tener. Era la hora del desayuno después de todo, y, por primera vez en mucho tiempo, iba realmente a tener algo de comer que no le ataque.

–Realmente, ¿Danny?– Jazz se cruzó de brazos, no impresionada. –¿tostada francesa?

Danny simplemente se encogió de hombros en respuesta. Era la única cosa que podía pensar en ese segundo.

–Tu padre y yo hemos estado mirando el menú… y, bueno, hay un especial familiar que incluye variedad de comida,– Maddie explicó, tocando ligeramente el menú por énfasis mientras hablaba. –Estamos pensando en tener algo de eso. Viene con tostadas, Danny, así que todos deberían…

Sam volteó a mirarla, alzando una ceja. Hasta ahora ella no estaba segura si ofrecían opciones veganas, así que no todos podrían ser capaces de comer, o eso es lo que Sam estaba pensando.

Maddie parpadeó un par de veces hacía esa expresión. –No te preocupes, Sam querida, por lo que veo, podemos ordenarlo con una parte vegana y otra no, y está incluye opciones veganas,– ella terminó diciendo. Ella estaba muy segura que los símbolos “V” en el menú deberían de ser por opciones veganas, ¿verdad?

–Oh…– dijo Sam, quién chequeó esa sección del menú por sí misma para encontrar que Maddie estaba correcta. Restaurantes de lujo tienen tendencia de ser así de todas formas. Ya sea aquí o en Amity, de lujo también significa “hacer lo que sea que el cliente pregunte.” Ella nunca ha tenido un problema con eso de vuelta en casa, así ¿por qué debería tenerlo aquí? Y era claro que el símbolo “V” era de hecho para las opciones veganas, y también que la bandeja tenía la opción de hacerla mitad vegana.

Después que miraron el menú por unos pocos minutos, un mayordomo que se introdujo a sí mismo como ‘Armand’ apareció a tomar la orden.

Incluso aunque él estaba normalmente en llamada para la Srta Chloe, atendiendo a todos sus caprichos, ser un mayordomo para la familia Bourgeois significaba que básicamente era un empleado para todo. Él trabajaba para Le Grand Paris, registrando a las personas en la recepción, entregando servicio de habitación, y a veces intervenía para ayudar a los meseros en el restaurante o el bar del hotel.

Los Fentons terminaron teniendo el especial familiar, así como algunas otras opciones veganas para acomodar a Sam.

Después del desayuno, Jack y Maddie anunciaron que iban a explorar el hotel, sólo para asegurarse de que no estaba encantado. Uno no podría ser muy cuidadoso, ellos siempre decían. Los chicos rápidamente dijeron que preferirían caminar y explorar la ciudad. Y después que Danny prometió no transformarse y volarlos alrededor, invisible o no, ellos les dejaron ir.

Danny entendía el porqué sus padres preguntaron eso de él, tenía sentido. Incluso si se suponía que debería de estar tomándose las cosas con calma, no podían arriesgar a alguien que viera a Phantom en París y lo conectara con el viaje de la familia Fenton. Él entendía, pero eso no hizo que fuera una regla fácil de seguir. Durante el vuelo para allá, había estado muy tentado de volar debajo del avión por un momento, sólo porqué estaba desesperado por un poco de tiempo para sí mismo. Estando hacinados en espacios reducidos por varias horas con un montón de extraños era estresante, especialmente cuando uno de esos extraños era un bebé muy infeliz. Sus poderes de fantasmas nunca han parecido ser tan atractivos.

Los chicos se dirigieron a la puerta, llamando de que ellos se mantendrían en contacto mientras se despidieron.

Los Fentons nunca habían viajado fuera del país, y por ello no habían considerado que estarían dejando su red telefónica atrás. Afortunadamente para ellos, París tenía una buena red wifi. Ellos también tenían sus teléfonos Fentons como respaldo. Danny había confesado tímidamente traer el suyo en el avión, y de ahí uno tras otro, el resto del equipo admitió hacer lo mismo también. Aunque estos estaban diseñados para funcionar específicamente en la Zona Fantasma, en el mundo humano técnicamente funcionan como teléfonos sin la necesidad de una red o data para comunicación básica. Ellos tenían el inconveniente de que sólo funcionaba para llamadas, no mensajes; para eso necesitaban wifi. Este viaje iba a ser tan impredecible como pensaron que sería. Pero incluso aunque no lo habían planeado, al menos con los teléfonos Fenton podrían comunicarse con los otros si algo pasaba.

No tan lejos del hotel, los tres adolescentes encontraron un pequeño parque. Fueron atraídos por el hermoso paisaje y curiosidad sobre la estatua que podían ver en el medio de este. Mientras seguían uno de los muchos senderos sinuosos hacia el centro del parque, se sintieron extrañamente como en casa. La ciudad no se llamaba Amity Park por nada, e incluso aunque habían sólo estado por un día, ya la extrañaban.

Una caminata corta después y estaban examinando la estatua cercanamente. Era obviamente importante para la ciudad o no estaría ahí, pero se veía bastante nueva. Parecía representar un par de superhéroes, o al menos es lo lucía para los tres, con esos disfraces y todo. Mientras se preguntaban quiénes serían los héroes misteriosos, Jazz apuntó a la placa en la base de la estatua. Se acercaron para leer la inscripción en ella, y con la ayuda del limitado francés de Sam, aprendieron que el par eran héroes locales llamados “Ladybug” y “Chat Noir.”

–¿Son reales?– Danny preguntó con una risa. –Es un poco obvio, ¿no es así?

Sus disfraces parecían como una mariquita y un gato negro. Al menos, él estaba bien seguro que “Chat” significaba “gato” y “noir” significa “negro” pero no se acordaba donde lo había aprendido. y “Ladybug” es obvio, eso era sólo inglés.

–Hey, no puedes decir nada, Señor…– Jazz rápidamente miró alrededor para ver si alguien estaba cerca a ellos, –Señor soy-un-fantasma-llamado-Phantom,– ella susurró con una sonrisa burlona.

–¿Y sólo que hay de malo con mi nombre?– fingió ofenderse. –Es mucho mejor que el que la media me dió, podría haber sido “Inviso-Bill” ¡por llorar a gritos! ¡Phantom es mucho más genial!

–Tú fuiste de un juego de palabras sin vergüenza por otro, Danny,– su hermana respondió con una expresión inexpresiva. –digo, podrías haber elegido cualquier cosa, pero ¿es eso por lo que fuiste?

–¡Hey! ¡Eso es un gran juego de palabras! ¡Me tomó semanas venir con eso!– cruzó sus brazos con un resoplido, –quien sabe, quizás encontraré a alguien alrededor de aquí quien en realidad tenga buen gusto. Eso te enseñara.

Le sacó la lengua a ella, después de un momento, todos los tres adolescentes reventaron en risa.

Una vez que se calmaron de vuelta, Danny se preguntó en voz alta si habría una estatua de él en París. Era una ciudad capital, después de todo.

–Espero no estes pensando lo que creo que estás pensado.– Sam advirtió. Sería muy fácil para Danny explorar la ciudad como Phantom sin que nadie sepa, al menos ningún Parisino, e intentar encontrar qué es lo que los locales piensan de él. –sabes que si te vas por tu cuenta y te pierdes, no serás capaz de preguntar por direcciones. Incluso ahora no podemos hacer eso, cuando estamos juntos. Lo cual es exactamente porque no vamos muy lejos del hotel.– Incluso si ella hablase algo de francés, no quiere decir que sea fluida.

–Es por eso que traje un cuaderno,– dijo Jazz, apuntando a lo que era, en sí, un cuaderno, en su mano. –Y estoy escribiendo los nombres de todas las calles que veo, así al menos podemos apuntar e intentar preguntar por direcciones si necesitamos.

Danny suspiró, –No, no estaba pensando sobre eso, en verdad. Le prometí a Dany, y, bueno, a ustedes chicos y mis padres, también… e incluso a Valerie. Para este viaje sólo soy el simple viejo Danny Fenton. No hay superhéroes. No poderes de fantasmas en ningún momento.– Había sido difícil de aceptar sus términos, pero unas reales vacaciones estaban sonando más y más tentadoras cada vez que alguien lo mencionaba.

–Bien,– Sam tomó la mano de Danny con una sonrisa y sonrojándose, –Estamos aquí para relajarnos, ¿recuerdas?– Incluso después de todo este tiempo saliendo, ellos aún se dan mariposas.

–Está bien, ¿ahora donde?– dijo Jazz, aclarando su garganta. Incluso aunque ella estaba feliz por Danny, era un poco incómodo ver a su hermanito aún sonrojándose sobre algo tan simple. Les ha tomado tanto tiempo finalmente admitir sus sentimientos uno al otro, y ella estaba feliz por ellos, en verdad lo está, pero estaba empezando a sentir como tercera rueda.

–No lo sé… ¿el río?– él sugirió, mirando alrededor y notando que no estaban tan lejos de eso. –Esperen, ¿es eso un colegio? ¿Al frente de una panadería?– preguntó, confundido. Era un poco extraño, si le preguntas, tener un colegio, panadería, y un parque tan cerca de lo que asumió que era una zona turística, su hotel no estaba tan lejos después de todo.

Sam se encogió de hombros después de notar el colegio al que se estaba refiriendo, –quien sabe, quizás toda esta área no es tan turística como pensamos. Digo aún estamos muy lejos de la torre eiffel o cualquiera de los museos.

–Ella tiene razón, sabes,– añadió Jazz. Ella había mirado todas las atracciones turísticas en el mapa antes de dejar el hotel, y nada estaba a poca distancia.

–Supongo… así que, ¿el río?– Danny preguntó. Él no lo iba a sobrepensar. Estaba ahí para ser un turista, y turistas visitaban el río.

–El Sena.– Jazz intervino automáticamente.

–Lo que sea.– Danny giró sus ojos.

–Supongo que el río podría ser bonito…– respondió Sam, sólo feliz de estar pasando tiempo con Danny. Ella hubiera preferido si eran sólo los dos, pero no le importaba que Jazz les acompañara.

Se despidieron de la estatua y cruzaron el parque en dirección de la panadería. De ahí, ellos deberían de hacer camino hacia las escaleras que les llevaban a lo largo del río.

Justo cuando llegaron a la panadería, la puerta principal se abrió de golpe y una chica con cabello negro azulado puesto en dos colitas corrió fuera de esta. Estaba cargando una torre de cajas tan alta que no podía ver dónde estaba yendo y casi se topó con Jazz. Afortunadamente, Danny reaccionó rápidamente, poniéndola fuera del camino justo a tiempo.

La chica casi se tropezó con el aire cuando notó a los tres de ellos, tartamudeó algo rápido en francés.

Ellos simplemente la miraron con caras confundidas.

–Uh, lo siento, no somos franceses,– Danny ofreció mientras ayudaba su balance de las cajas que estaba cargando.

–¡Oh!– la cara de la chica se iluminó mientras reconoció el lenguaje, repitiendo su disculpa en inglés. –¡Y gracias por tu ayuda!

Danny le dio una sonrisa amigable. –Está bien, feliz de asistir.

–Soy Marinette,– la chica se introdujo. –Y mi familia es dueña de esta panadería. Me encantaría quedarme y hablar, pero estoy muy tarde con está orden, así que, um, ¡adiós!– Se volteó para correr en la dirección del parque e inmediatamente tropezó con sus propios pies, casi cayéndose otra vez.

–Woah, ¡cuidado!– Sam llamó, ayudando a Marinette con las cajas esta vez. Ella no había pensado que era posible para nadie ser tan torpe.

–¿Quieres, uh, te gustaría algo de ayuda?– ofreció Danny. Él cogió las cajas de encima antes que se deslizaran de la torre. Era la tercera vez en tan pocos minutos que la han ayudado con esas y se preguntaba si esto era algo que ella podía normalmente hacer por sí sola.

–¡Oh!– dijo Marinette, notando que más fácil era moverse ahora que no tenía tantas. –¡Gracias! Debería de esperar por mi amiga para que me ayude con estas… pero ella tenía que cuidar a las niñas y en verdad necesitan las cajas ser entregadas en este momento…– suspiró, –siento molestarte, pero lo apreciaría si pudieras… digo, ya me estás ayudando… así que, gracias.

Marinette sonrió a los extraños amables. Ella en verdad necesitaba ayuda. Su amiga le había ofrecido ayudarla el día anterior, pero tuvo que cancelar en el último minuto porque sus padres la necesitaban para mirar a las gemelas.

–Soy Danny,– dijo Danny, sonriéndole de regreso. Si Marinette se ha introducido a ellos, sería sólo educado que él regrese el gesto, ¿verdad?

–Sam,– dijo la chica junto a él, inclinando su cabeza cuando Marinette la miró.

–Y mi nombre es Jasmine, pero tú me puedes llamar “Jazz,”– dijo Jazz, cuando fue su turno.

–Lo siento de vuelta por todo esto. Normalmente tomó turnos cuando hago esta cantidad de cajas, o le preguntó a mi amiga Alya que me ayude,– comenzó a caminar y los tres americanos la siguieron, –pero como dije… bueno, es en realidad mi culpa, me distraje, y, bueno, no salí cuando debí y bueno…

Ellos no deberían saber ya que el ataque pasó antes que llegaran, pero Ladybug y Chat Noir estuvieron afuera hasta tarde peleando una akuma. Porque ella se quedó hasta tarde, Marinette se quedó dormida esta mañana.

–Hey, esta bien, no tienes que explicarte a ti misma a nosotros, ya sabes. Y estoy segura que quien sea que está esperando por estos entenderá que te estás demorando un poco más, ¿verdad?– Jazz dijo gentilmente, tratando de calmar a Marinette. La pobre chica obviamente tenía un montón en su cabeza y la distracción certamente no estaba ayudando su coordinación. Ella era ya muy torpe, y cuando no estaba prestando atención, las cajas empezaban a inclinarse y caer porque no las estaba cojiendo derechas.

–Yeah, está bien Marinette, no nos molesta darte una mano. No es como si tuviéramos nada más que hacer,– dijo Danny, aún siguiendo Marinette con las cajas. Sus únicos planes por el día eran acostumbrarse a París y ajustarse al cambio de horario. No habían planeado visitar la torre Eiffel o ningún museo hasta después en la semana. Todo bien en ese departamento.

–¡Oh dios! ¡Lo siento mucho!– Marinette comenzó de vuelta. –ni siquiera pregunté… sólo asume que-

–No, no, ¡estás bien aquí! No nos importa,– Sam interrumpió. –Tal como dijo Danny, no tenemos realmente nada planeado para hoy. Por ahora sólo nos estamos acostumbrando a todo, ¿sabes?– Se apresuró en asegurar la Parisina, ella no estaba apunto de escuchar otra perorata de disculpas de una chica que acaban de conocer. Sabía que eso podría ser fastidioso rápido.

–¡Ah!– dijo Marinette, realizando que ellos posiblemente acaban de llegar a París. –¿De dónde son? si no les molesta que les pregunté. Quizás después de dejar estas,– ella levantó las cajas como si fuera apuntar el favor que le están haciendo, –podría ayudarlos a encontrar un guía o ¿algo? Es lo menos que puedo hacer para agradecerles por ayudar a un completo extraño durante lo que asumo son sus vacaciones.– Se sentía algo culpable por estar fastidiando a los turistas.

–Bueno, parecía que necesitabas una mano, y estamos aquí mismo, así que ¿por qué no colaborar, ya sabes?– Danny encogió sus hombros, las cajas en sus manos balanceándose hacia arriba y hacia abajo. –Somos de Amity Park, Illinois. Probablemente no has escuchado de-

–¡Oh! ¡Conozco el lugar!– Marinette interrumpió animosamente, reconociendo el nombre, –Ustedes son de esa ciudad fantasma, ¿verdad?–

Danny se había olvidado de que aunque Amity no es considerado grande, era una gran noticia ahora.

–Bueno, no una “ciudad fantasma” ciudad fantasma, pero es donde ese nuevo héroe es, ¿verdad? ¿Es realmente un fantasma? Lo siento, posiblemente una pregunta tonta de preguntar…– Marinette murmuró, sintiéndose un poco tonta ahora que lo decía en voz alta, pero ella y Chat Noir han sido curiosos sobre él desde que pusieron la nueva estatua.

–No seas tan dura contigo misma Marinette, es sólo natural que seas curiosa. Cuando los fantasmas empezaron a aparecer, un montón de gente en Amity no creía que eran reales tampoco. Le dije a mi hermanito aquí, que ahora que Amity Park ha estado en las noticias, gente de todas partes del mundo se podrían estar preguntado las mismas cosas que hicimos al comienzo,– dijo Jazz. Aunque ella no estaba realmente esperando encontrar a alguien que realmente estuviera preguntando… O incluso alguien que reconociera el nombre de Amity Park tan rápido.

–Gracias,– dijo Marinette. Las palabras de Jazz la hicieron sentir un poco mejor, pero sus cachetes seguían quemando en vergüenza. Agradecidamente ellos acaban de llegar a su destino. –Bueno, ¡estamos aquí!

Notando que habían caminado todo el camino de vuelta al hotel, Danny tuvo una realización repentina, –Espera, ¿los productos horneados de aquí son de la panadería de tu familia?– preguntó.

–¿Se están quedando aquí?– preguntó Marinette, haciendo una cara. Sólo la gente muy rica y famosa se quedaba en ‘Le Grand Paris,’ así que Marinette estaba un poco sorprendida de que sus nuevos amigos se estaban quedando ahí. Ellos son buenos, pero no parecían particularmente ricos o famosos.

–Ellos tenían un descuento corriendo por la Semana de la Amistad franco-estadounidense, así que…– Sam encogió los hombros como si eso fuera obvio. Ella no sabía que fue con su actitud de repente.

–Oh, verdad…– Marinette respondió. Se había olvidado que por todo un mes el hotel había reservado a cualquiera de los Estados Unidos por muy, muy baratos precios. Ella había estado sorprendida cuando escuchó sobre ello, ya que no parecía como una muy buena decisión de negocios, pero de ahí cuando vio la extra publicidad que le daba al hotel, entendió. –Esperen, pensé que esa promoción terminó antes de las vacaciones de verano…– añadió.

–Hicimos nuestras reservaciones durante el periodo promocional, y la oferta se transfirió,– Jazz explicó. Ella sabía los precios normales, y parecía que Marinette sabía, también, así que su reacción era entendible. Era un hotel muy caro, después de todo.

–E incluso si no lo hubiera, Sam podría haber pagado de todas formas,– Danny se encogió de hombros, no dando más que pensar.

–¡Danny!– amonestó Jazz. Era malcriado asumir que Sam podría simplemente pagar por todo. Ella había ofrecido, pero igual.

–Digo, yeah, yo podría hacerlo de todas formas. Pero aún fue bueno obtener la oferta, sólo así tus padres no se sentirían mal sobre mí gastando dinero en ustedes, ¿sabes? No creas que no los noté mirando por alternativas. Y no les culpo, digo que los precios normales en este lugar son ridículamente caros,– Sam giró sus ojos.

–Dimelo,– murmuró Marinette. Aunque ella personalmente no había chequeado sus precios normales, sabía que la familia Bourgeois normalmente no permitirían tales precios baratos. Es por eso que sólo gente internacionalmente famosa venía aquí. Gente como Jagged Stone o su tío abuelo.

–Ah, ¿qué fue lo que dijiste?– preguntó Danny. Él pensó que la escuchó decir algo, pero no estaba seguro.

–¡Oh!– ella exclamó, sorprendida de ser escuchada. –Bueno deberíamos de entrar…– rápidamente cambió el tema y movió las cajas en sus brazos. Corrió adentro e hizo una línea recta hacia el área de recepción, era una buena cosa que la estaban esperando.

–Oh, verdad,– dijo Danny, siguiéndola dentro del hotel. Se encogió de hombros, se debe de tan sólo imaginarse cosas. Ellos aún se estaban acostumbrado a todo.

Jazz y Sam compartieron una mirada, giraron sus ojos a las payasadas de los otros dos.

Después de que Marinette y Danny dejaron las cajas, todos ellos se dirigieron de vuelta a la panadería. Ella les agradeció de vuelta por su ayuda, incluso cuando había sido sólo Danny, y él le cortó con la mano su gracias diciendo que no era nada y que estaba feliz de hacerlo.

En su camino de regreso Jazz comenzó a invadir a Marinette con preguntas sobre todos los típicos, y no tan típicos, lugares que pueden visitar mientras están en París. Marinette estaba más que feliz de ayudarlos a movilizarse y se lanzó en una explicación detallada de las menos conocidas atracciones y como hay una línea directa del bus que va desde el hotel a la Torre Eiffel si están interesados. Ella de ahí incluso les habló sobre Ladybug y Chat Noir, los dos héroes locales, así como también su mejor amiga posiblemente sabía más porque ella maneja el “Ladyblog,” un blog totalmente dedicado a los héroes locales.

Danny estaba sorprendido de que estaba correcto cuando estaban adivinando de qué se trataba la estatua, especialmente la parte de los nombres obvios.

Marinette acordó que los nombres eran muy obvios si lo pensabas al respecto, pero esos eran los nombres que los héroes dieron al público. Ella personalmente nunca lo había pensado, ella quizás le pregunte a Chat que piensa sobre eso cuando lo vea como Ladybug.

Cuando regresaron a la panadería, Marinette les ofreció algunos pastelitos como gracias por ayudarla. Los tres adolescentes rechazaron la oferta, diciendo que su consejo sobre qué visitar y cómo navegar la ciudad era más que suficiente. Jazz por supuesto había escrito todo lo que Marinette les dijo. Ella se aseguró de anotar cada uno de los detalles, después de todo ella estaba en cargo ya que era su idea.

Justo cuando estaban por decir sus adioses, los padres de Marinette se les unieron al frente de la panadería. Se introdujeron cómo Sabine y Tom, y agradecieron por la ayuda también. Ellos habían notado que cuando su hija estaba luchando con las cajas y estaban por tomar turnos ayudando cuando vieron a los tres de ellos interviniendo. Normalmente ellos hubieran necesitado empezar a hacer una segundo lote de productos horneados por si acaso el primero no llegará al hotel, pero parecían ser como un grupo de responsables jóvenes con decente balance y así ellos regresaron a atender la tienda, seguros que su hija estaba en buenas manos.

Los cachetes de Marinette se volvieron rosados brillante mientras sus padres explicaban que tan torpe era. ¡Ahora estás personas buenas nunca van a querer ser sus amigos! Ella gimió y enterró su caliente cara en sus manos.

Jazz la palmeó confortablemente en la espalda y Danny dijo que ellos entendían su dolor todo muy bien. Después de todo, los padres Fenton eran tan sutiles como una señal de neón intermitente. Incluso Sam podía relacionarse, había una razón por la cual a ella no le gustaban sus padres tanto.

Los Dupain-Chengs se disculparon con su hija y repitieron la oferta de cosas horneadas como agradecimiento y no tomarían un no como respuesta. El esfuerzo de la familia finalmente los convenció de aceptar la caja de dulces, no es como si tuvieran mucha opción. El sr. Dupain justo les había empujado la caja de dulces en las manos de Danny cuando una explosión cercana sacudió la panadería.

Continuará… :D :D

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