#all i want is to see adrien going from booth to booth

[neakco]

Inspired by the above song.

Lies and misunderstandings have caused Marinette to be hounded by press. Thankfully her best friend is there for her.

They Don’t Know About Us

Masterlist Ao3

Another day another lie, Marinette turned up the volume on her headphones and walked a little faster towards the café. With practiced ease she dodged the subtle jabs and cold stares. The current lie had been printed in papers for all to see, she was a homewrecker. Someone had spotted her leaving Jagged's apartment while Penny was out, while last week it had been Adrien's and before that it was the eldest Wayne's. At least Adrien was her friend and actually her age.

She entered the café and sighed, finally she was safe from the cold eyes judging her every blink. The owners here knew her and not only had they threatened legal action against the media if they were caught harassing any customers, but they had also installed tinting on all the windows to make it impossible to look in. They also treated her just the same as any other customer, it was relaxing. Still she selected a back booth with clear escapes routes.

She had only just sat with her coffee when a tall women with long dark hair and a bright maxi skirt approached, “Is this seat free?”

“I am sorry but I am meeting….” She cut herself off as she recognized the bright blue eyes of her best friend and smiled, “you, I am meeting you.”

“That seems rather convenient now doesn’t it?”

“I missed you Birdie.”

“Missed you too bug, been getting harder to escape reporters “

She sighed and glanced at the pack just waiting for her to leave. “Is it wrong of me to hope for a new super villain to distract them?”

“Nette, no”

“Nette, yes.” Mischief flashed briefly across her face before she smoothed it into something neutral, “It would only be for a month, maybe two, than Ladybug would swoop in to defeat me.”

Her friend had the audacity to laugh, “You don’t swoop.”

There was a pleasant thud as her head hit the table, “I know, swooping is trademarked by your family, bit this is exhausting. How am I supposed to keep clients when every consultation ends as a front page scandal?” Dexterous fingers pried her chin up and forced her to look at her coffee, “Sorry Tim, this is supposed to be us time, work stays at the door.”

He laughed quietly before dramatically pouting, “Here I am all dressed up pretty just for you and not one single compliment.”

She sat up straight and made an obvious show of studying his outfit. “You do look very pretty, is that skirt one of mine?”

“Of course, who else includes pockets?”

“Oh, I have a list if you want.” She pulled out her phone already knowing she would have no need for it. “If you had let me know you were interested in skirts I could have made you some in your colours so you wouldn’t have needed to steal one of Steph’s.”

“Maybe next time.” He placed a hand over hers, forcing the phone down. “Seriously though Nette, anything you need, I am here for you.” He paused, “Unless it is murder, than you need Jay or The Gremlin.”

“I thought they were reformed.”

“They are, but I am positive they would do it if you promised to bake them pastries.”

This brought a more genuine laugh to her lips, “Thanks love, but you know me, I have a plan. I just had to step up the timeline a bit.”

“Your going to do a reveal?” His eyes were wide. She couldn’t tell if it was from anticipation or shock. “Are you aiming for fashion week or a private show?”

She took a wistful drink before settling on her words, “If fashion week wasn’t months away I would wait. I just can’t deal with this palatable hatred for that long.” His hands tightened on hers, he could probably tell she was close to a panic attack. “I have enough designs ready right now, and enough of my friends owe me favours that I will have no shortage of models.”

“Than what do you need?”

“A venue. The good ones are either all booked or cost more than I think they’re worth.”

Tim started to massage her palm, “Did you forget that I am rich?”

“I don’t want the press to label you as another member of my harem.”

His phone dinged and he pulled it out with a flourish, “Look at that, I appear to have placed a rather large commission and paid in advance.”

Her phone lit up with the request, “You already knew this would be my plan and figured out where it would fall apart. How did you time it so well?”

“I keyed a timer to start when I said a certain sentence.”

“You are ridiculous.”

He hummed as he took a drink of her rapidly cooling coffee. “But you love me anyway.”

“I do.”

“You forgot the most important part.”

“Did I now?” Is this what being relaxed felt like?

“Be it hate, rumors or glares, why should we care? None of them actually know us.” She blushed at the affection radiating off of him. “They don’t know how much you care about everyone, how much of yourself you put into everything you do. No just for me or your friends, but to anyone in need.” He leaned forward and made sure to hold her other hand as well. “Those that matter care and those that don’t care don’t matter.” He suddenly dropped her hands and stood to adjust his skirt before offing her a hand up.

“Tim?”

“Let’s see how fast those paparazzi really are?”

She laughed and took his hand as he led her at a run through the back door and into the ally, pausing only to make sure she was ready before sprinting towards the wall.

She followed with a laugh, the vultures could try to give chase, but the roofs were hers.

#spotify #maribat #song fic #they don't know about us #rin writes #timari #i live

[uptoolateart]

Adrien's Fight for Self-Control - Pt 1

So, you’ll know by now that I have an Adrien obsession, because my inner child just relates to him so hard. I’ve wanted to talk about his fight for self-control for so long, and Season 5 is pushing the issue further – so here goes!

I’ve posted this in 3 parts for easy reading :)

Childhood Programming

Let’s get the basics out of the way. Adrien was home schooled for years, enabling his parents to select his friends for him - Chloe and Felix. The first decision Adrien makes on his own is to go to school. Plagg calls him strange for it, but it isn’t about school – it’s about those precious hours out of the house, without being watched, and being able to choose his own friends.

All his talents were chosen for him – fencing, piano, Chinese, etc. His career in modelling was forced on him. Even when he admits to Plagg that he wants to quit, he attends an expo looking for food booths, trying to find an identity through his kwami.

We see in ‘Wishmaker’ that he only ever wanted to be was what his parents wanted him to be. This implicates Emilie, too. Adrien didn’t just learn how to do all these things overnight, and he wasn’t home schooled only since she died. At the very least, Emilie allowed Gabriel to dictate their son’s life. One way or another, she had a hand in Adrien’s oppression.

Imprisonment

I’ve pointed out before that Adrien’s bedroom windows are covered in bars, and as Cat Noir he’s often shown using his cataclysm to break through bars. Keeping him at home all those years and moulding him into someone he’s not is another form of imprisonment – but so is the state of grief.

He doesn’t know it, but his home is a mausoleum, with Emilie’s body in the basement and statues in the garden. He’s trapped by the memories of his mother, and his father’s inability to move on. Adrien can’t live, can’t breathe. And for the longest time, I think he’s been trapped inside himself, struggling to get out of the shell that is the brand Adrien Agreste or even the character he made for himself as Cat Noir.

The Twin Rings

This is not to speak of the rings, which give literal control over Adrien in episodes like ‘Ephemeral’ and ‘Risk’. And let’s recall that Emilie had one of these, which again implicates her. I noted in Season 5 that Nathalie still wears the ring Gabriel passed to her in ‘Risk’. Chekov’s gun tells us that is definitely coming back. If she wanted, just what could she do to him?

Felix stole one of these rings, which was him trying to take back control of himself. Getting the peacock miraculous furthered this, and it waits to be seen what he’ll use it for. It’s clearly more than just self-protection. Adrien isn’t even there yet, but we know he will eventually surpass his cousin – because Adrien is not out for vengeance and hurt. I fully expect him to have a dark moment, but he will overcome it, because kindness is one of his greatest innate strengths.

Adrien’s Friendship Group

Moving outside the Agreste Mansion, let’s look at Adrien’s friendship group. How many times do they make decisions for him, or push him to do things he feels uncomfortable about? Even though we all know Nino means the best for him, in ‘The Bubbler’ he pressures Adrien into the birthday party that goes wildly wrong, and in ‘Party Crasher’ he leads all the boys to pressure Adrien into a secret shindig at the mansion.

All of this comes from the heart, of course – but these aren’t Adrien’s decisions. They’re Adrien being bossed around, just by people who mean better than his father.

Ladybug

We all know Ladybug bosses him around all the time, too. Worse than this, she repeatedly uses him, for instance as a weapon, and he sacrifices himself over and over again. We’re seeing this change in S5, the crucial moment being in ‘Reunion’ when Pharoah throws Cat down and Ladybug expresses concern that he got hurt. I’m pretty sure this is the first time she ever stopped to consider that he wasn’t invulnerable and might actually appreciate some care for his wellbeing. It was a long time coming, and ultimately it came about through Cat getting some self-respect and showing her that he was worth caring about. As long as he allowed her to boss him around, she was never going to stop. I don’t think it was done out of cruelty – she just had to learn.

Kagami

Kagami has never been shy and retiring. In ‘Frozer’ she tells Marinette that you have to be decisive and go after what you want. The way she talks about Adrien as her ‘target’ implies that she doesn’t really see him for him. He’s just an object of conquest, because this is how Ms Tsurugi has trained Kagami to think.

Kagami forces herself on Adrien, pushing a kiss on him that leaves him flustered, and he tells her he wasn’t ready. He dates her because she basically tells him to and he doesn’t know how to tell anyone no, at that point. In ‘Lies’ she pushes him against a wall and tells him that the silly side to him isn’t who he really is – ‘this is who you are’ (an intimidated mess totally cornered with no room to breathe or even stand up straight). He goes as far as asking, ‘Do you really think…?’ as if she might know who he is better than he does. But he ducks out of the situation and escapes, which is a key moment of development for him.

Even so, he doesn’t have the nerve to end things. Kagami is the one who dumps him. She calls all the shots. By the end of the season, in ‘Risk’ she calls him and tells him off for letting Felix literally take his place to stand up to his father, to enable Adrien to hide from his personal responsibilities. After barely seeing her through most of the season, she finally acknowledges that she pushed him around when they dated, and he let her and it was wrong. We can assume she spent the season self-reflecting on how badly she acted…but she’s right that it was half his fault. He enabled the behaviour, because that’s what he’s groomed for.

Ironically, the only reason he rushes back to the mansion to take back his identity after Felix stole it, and stand up to his father, is because Kagami told him to. I’m relieved Adrien didn’t get the chance to confront his father in that episode, because it would not have come from him. We’ll get back to this later.

Read Pt 2 here

#miraculous #miraculous meta #miraculous theory #miraculous thoughts #miraculous ladybug #mlb fandom #mlb theory #mlb thoughts #mlb meta #ml meta #ml theory #ml thoughts #ml fandom #miraculous fandom #adrienette #adrien x marinette #adrien agreste #ml Adrien #ladrien #miraculous ladybug adrien #marinette dupain cheng #marichat #chat noir #chat blanc #ladybug and chat noir #miraculous chat noir #cataclysm #cat noir #ml cat noir #ml fanart

[chronicallylatetotheparty]

Ch.3 With a Little Help from My Friends

Alya splashed water on her face and took a deep breath. Sending a silent thanks to Past Alya for deciding against wearing makeup. "It's okay. You're okay. This is for your best friend. She needs a little normal after hiding several life altering secrets from everyone... Again."

Making sure her afro was still in perfect condition Alya gave her reflection the I'm-watching-you gesture for good measure. Before walking back to their booth.

Rose, Zoe and Alix threw back their shots while Marinette cradled hers.

"So why couldn't Mylène come again?" Marinette asked.

"Something something mayoral duties," Alix supplied while refilling her glass.

"I'm sure she would've been here if she could!" Rose held her glass out for Alix to refill.

"Are you sure you should be drinking?" Zoe asked.

Rose stuck her tongue out. "I'm fine! One night out won't kill me, Jules."

Zoe snorted but held her hands up in surrender.

Marinette suddenly downed her shot and also held it out for a refill. "How are things with Juleka?"

"Amazing as always," Rose grinned dreamily. "You'd think she'd get tired of writing songs about me but nope!"

Alix perked up. "There's a new song?"

"Not for you!" Rose preened. "This one's just for the two of us."

"Aww."

Zoe chuckled into her drink as Alix slumped back down.

Rose grinning innocently. "We're even thinking of getting marr...ied..."

Marinette raised a finger at them "No. We're not doing that. We're not walking on eggshells around Marinette," she stated as her eyes reddened. "I've had my cry... Like, five times."

Alya nodded. "It's true. Marinette is an ugly crier." She was pleased with the chuckle that surprised out of Marinette.

Who wiped at her eyes as she took a steadying breath. "Okay, let's have it then."

The others glanced at each other before Zoe began.

"When do you see the kids?"

Alya gave her a glare from behind Marinette's head.

Zoe gestured in a well-what-did-you-expect sort of way.

"Ow." Marinette grabbed her shot and threw it back. "I can visit them this weekend. Ugh, that sounds awful. Hate that."

"It's weird that the court didn't settle on joint custody," Rose thought aloud.

"...Yup! Super weird!" Marinette grinned forcefully.

Alya bumped her shoulder.

"Alright, fine! Adrien wanted the kids with him and I... Have a business to run." Marinette shrugged with her hands.

Zoe grimaced. "Oh that sucks."

Marinette shook her head. "Adrien was already doing most of the parenting. I dug my heels in pretty hard but... He had a point." She stared into her empty glass. "Guess that's why I agreed to it in the end."

Alya bit the inside of her cheek. Don't say it. Don't say it. Don't say it.

"See, this is why I only date women," Zoe joked weakly.

"Objection!" Rose stood up to her full five foot four hight. "I've met the women you've dated! They weren't anything to write home about."

"This is why I don't date," Alix muttered as she refilled everyone's glasses.

"That is not why you don't date!" Marinette countered.

"I don't know what y'all are on about. I've only ever had great dating experiences," Alya interjected.

"I don't want to hear it from someone who's still friends with her exes."

"I'm still friends with my ex! We write letters every month!"

"We know, Rose."

"That's weird for entirely separate reasons."

"Also, we're all friends with our exes here."

"I retract the statement."

"LOL."

"Did you just say 'LOL' out loud?"

"I did and I'll do it again!"

"LOL. Lmao, even."

"I'm surrounded by teenagers."

"It helps that you're the size of one."

"I'll make you the size of one!"

"Girls, girls! No fighting. There'll be plenty of time for that later."

"Wh- Why did she say it like that? Why did you say it like that?"

"So, Alix, how's the protest art going?"

"Don't ignore me!"

"Well it's pissed off a lot of people."

"All according to plan then! Zoe?"

"I'm this close to getting boarding schools outlawed."

"Woohoo!"

"Yeah! Stick it to the man!"

"Alix, she's a millionaire."

"Shhhh. Lemme have this."

"What about you Alya?"

"The life of an intrepid reporter isn't as glamorous as it's made out to be-"

"Wait. When was this glamorized?"

"-but it does have it's moments."

As the night wore on Marinette relaxed into their banter. Her smile appearing less forced. Comebacks more natural.

Just for tonight Alya forgot about what Marinette told her. Just for tonight they weren't Paris' protectors but old friends catching up amid their busy lives.

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

"Girrrls, they wanna have fu-un!"

"Ok, Rose, let's get you home." Zoe gently grabbed her friend by the shoulders and steered her towards the metro.

"No," Rose giggled. "I already have a girlfriend," she slurred. "She's...way prettier than you."

"Oh, you owe me big-time Juleka," Zoe muttered.

"That's her!" Rose exclaimed. "That's my girlfriend!"

"Aww, c'mon! The night's still young!" Alix protested again. "We could hit up our old stomping grounds?"

"The night may be young but we're not," Marinette pointed out. Massaging a kink out of her arm.

"Speak for yourselves!" Alix ran a hand through her pink hair with a sigh. "But, yeah. Just don't let it be another six months before we all go out again! Looking at you millionaire people!"

Zoe gave a thumbs up without turning around.

"Just wanna! Just wan-na-a!"

Marinette giggled before realizing Alix was staring at her. "Oh. Oh! Right, millionaire. That means me too!"

Alya snorted as Alix rolled her eyes.

"Sure, we'll do this again soon."

"I'll hold you to that!" Alix said as she stopped to eye a barren patch of wall.

"Good luck!" Marinette called.

"Don't get caught!" Alya added.

... Alya and Marinette turned a corner into an alley. And after a flash of pink and orange light Ladybug and Rena Rouge leapt over the city rooftops.

"Thanks for this," Marinette said. "You were right. I did need that."

"I usually am..." Alya spun her flute as everything she wanted to say suddenly left her.

Marinette using the phone function of her yo-yo while muttering something about fabrics.

"...C'mon." Alya reached out, grabbed Marinette's hand, and pulled her towards her apartment.

"Huh?"

"You're not staying in that big empty mansion all by yourself," Alya stated.

"Well, actually the second mansion also has a-"

"Nope!" Alya cut her off as they jumped over a street. "You're gonna stay up late, working on some new design. Avoiding all of... this" -she gestured vaguely at Marinette- "and when you finally do go to bed it's gonna hit you all at once! So no. You're sleeping over and you're gonna like it!"

Marinette felt her eyes water as Alya's grip on her hand tightened. "O-okay..."

#ml au #ml fanfiction #alya cesaire #marinette dupain cheng #Perfect Paradise #divorce au #alix kubdel #zoe lee #rose lavillant

[mlwritersguild]

The Spirit of Competition, by @2manyfandoms2count

AO3 link; Childhood Friends, Halloween Costumes, Fluff, Pre-Canon, Rivalry, Identity Reveal, Multichapter

Summary:

Marinette Dupain-Cheng isn't one to take a competition idly, especially not when it comes to costume design. When she meets a worthy competitor, she decides she can let one defeat slide... But she'll be damned if she lets him win the whole war.

Three years, three Halloween costume contests: who of Adrien and Marinette will come out victorious?

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

"Come on, Maman, quickly!" The little girl pulled on her mother's hand, drawn to the exhibition hall's entrance like a moth to a flame. Her mother chuckled as she tried to keep up, graciously side-stepping a puddle her daughter jovially jumped into. In her excitement, she hit the front of her red and black polka-dotted boots on a crack in the pavement, and would have sprawled onto the ground had her mother not scooped her in her arms at the last minute.

“Whoopsy daisy! Be careful where you put your feet, Marinette, you don’t want to dirty your pretty costume now!” she said, gently placing her daughter on the ground.

Marinette pouted as she readjusted her antennae headband, which had fallen out of place in the process, before checking to see if her wings had been damaged. Satisfied that they hadn’t, she insistently held out her hand again for her mother, fighting the urge to run off towards the crowd. On the one hand, she was confident that she could weave her way through the dense queue of people that stood before them, on the other hand, she was slightly afraid of being alone on the other side of the doors.

She huffed as they joined the admissions queue, which seemed a thousand miles long to her little four-year-old self.

“We’re going to miss it,” she grumbled, tugging at her polka-dotted dress.

“I promise that we won’t.” Her mother squeezed her hand, amused by Marinette’s annoyance.

The only thing on Marinette’s mind for the last two weeks had been the Halloween costume contest. She’d come home from school one day with stars in her eyes and a brochure in her hand, babbling about the event organised by the Mairie de Paris. She’d changed costume ideas about once a day, before finally settling for a Ladybug, a winner’s outfit if there ever was one; with her head to toe polka-dotted outfit, complete with antennae and wings, she didn’t feel like she needed any luck, but she still hadn’t chosen to be a Ladybug for nothing.

Her eyes scanned the crowd of competitors, landing on a blond boy who looked like he could have been in her class. He was wearing a black cat costume, which she instantly knew was good . She wasn’t sure what exactly it was about it, but something told her that it hadn’t been found in a costume shop, like most of the other kids around them. 

She chewed on her bottom lip as she sized him up, not registering her mother’s reassuring words as she noticed her daughter’s worry.

There was something about him that drew her to him, although she couldn’t quite pinpoint what exactly; was it his excitement, which seemed to match her own? Or maybe his smile, that made him look like he’d be a great friend?...

She wished her friend Nino were there; he was always good at telling if people were nice or not. Maybe she could find out for herself, though…

“Look, the line’s moving!” her mother pointed out, snapping her back to attention.  Skipping in anticipation, the cat boy was soon a million miles away from her thoughts as they crossed the threshold of the building. She marvelled at the size of the room, and all the stalls promising toys and candy galore. The exploration would have to wait until after the contest, though.

The line progressed again, and soon enough, they were in front of a registration booth. 

“Hi there, I’m Sabine Cheng, and this is my daughter, Marinette Dupain-Cheng,” Marinette’s mother said to the employee, who nodded, before sliding them a contestant number and allowing them inside. 

Sabine pinned it to the front of her daughter’s costume (Marinette refused to have it on her back, so as not to conceal her wings), then took her hand to go and stand in another line leading to the costume contest stage. The wait was a lot shorter than to get in the building, and just like that, Marinette found herself standing on stage in front of the judges, feeling suddenly very shy as the lights shined on her.

“A Ladybug? Very original costume choice!” complimented one of the judges, a kind-looking lady sporting a giant witch hat with a twinkle in her eye.

Marinette smiled brightly, her confidence back, and twirled.

“Lovely!” A vampire judge applauded.

“Thank you very much, young lady,” said the third judge, a mummy. “You can go and sit down, the results will be in soon.” 

Marinette skipped down the stairs and into her mother’s arms, babbling excitedly.

“You were amazing, my love,” Sabine said, kissing her forehead. “Now, let’s go and sit down.” 

Marinette fidgeted nervously on her folding chair as the rest of the line paraded in front of the jury, biting her tiny nails even though Sabine tried to prevent her from doing it. 

Finally, the last contestant stepped on stage, and Marinette gasped; it was the boy she’d seen earlier in the line. His costume somehow looked even better in the bright light than it had in the queue. She couldn’t hear the judges’ comments, but she could tell they were impressed from their big smiles. She knew instantly that the first prize wouldn’t be hers, but even through her pang of disappointment, she couldn’t help but feel like it was well deserved.

The jury gathered their notes as the boy climbed down the stairs, joining his mother. Marinette followed his every move, mesmerised by his radiance. He just seemed so friend-shaped. And if she was going to lose against someone, well…

“Ladies and gentlemen, the results are in!” the witch announced, bringing Marinette’s attention back on the stage. “In third place, we have Mademoiselle Alice Derieux!”

The crowd applauded as a little girl got up, followed by her parents.

“...In second place, Mademoiselle Marinette Dupain-Cheng!”

Next to Marinette, Sabine gasped and hugged her daughter, who chuckled delightedly. She was on the podium! 

She jumped off of her chair and made her way towards the stage, Sabine hot on her heels.

The boy was waiting at the bottom of the stairs; she’d missed his name in her celebration, but it had to be him who’d won. He bowed gently, gesturing for her to go first. 

“Thanks!” She smiled and started to make her way up, before abruptly stopping in the middle of the staircase to turn towards him. He almost ran into her in the process. “By the way, your costume is very cool.” 

“Oh, thank you. You know, I think you should have won, you look very pretty,” he answered shyly. 

He really is nice , Marinette thought, feeling satisfied.

“You look prettier, though!” she announced, moving upwards again.

The boy’s jaw hung slightly at the compliment, but Marinette didn’t notice as the judges greeted them, helping them up on a little podium that had been wheeled out on stage. Pictures were taken after the children had been handed their prizes, a pumpkin-shaped bucket filled to the brim with treats. Marinette couldn’t contain her wide smile.

It got even wider when Sabine invited the boy and his mother to join them in the exploration of the exhibit stalls. He was a great teammate, the both of them gathering incredible loot as they won game after game. 

When the time to go home arrived, she learned that her new friend’s name was Adrien. His  mother told Sabine they travelled a lot, but that maybe they’d make it back to the exhibition sometime.

Tiredly resting her head on her mother’s side during the bus ride home, Marinette thought that it had been a pretty good day. And that even though she hadn’t won the costume contest today, she’d make sure to come back the next year to win. Hopefully against Adrien.

It meant she’d see her friend again.

#miraculous writers guild #october event 2022 #2manyfandoms2count #miraculous ladybug #miraculous ladybug fic #ml fic #mlb #adrienette #adrinette #adrien agreste x marinette dupain-cheng #marinette dupain-cheng #adrien agreste #lovesquare #love square #sabine cheng #miraculous tales of ladybug and chat noir

[ladyofthenoodle]

every day i wish we could’ve actually seen adrien at the career fair in wishmaker

#instead we got him telling us he did it after the fact and we were stuck watching luka being luka #whyyyyy #all i want is to see adrien going from booth to booth #we were robbed #miraculous ladybug #noodling #kinda salty about this ngl #ml salt

[mochegato]

Dicking Around With Christmas

Chapter 5

Chapter 1     Chapter 4

Dick couldn’t stop the dazzling grin that seemed permanently settled on his face.  The morning had been one of the most fun times in his life.  The Marché was absolutely adorable and nothing like anything in Gotham.  There were small pop up stands everywhere filled with crafts of every possible kind.  And all of them were decorated to the nines with Christmas cheer.  He had somehow managed to find presents for all of his family and even a few for Marinette, Adrien, and Evelyn.

Even the people wandering around the Marché were adding to the holiday feeling.  You couldn’t help but feel festive as you made your way through the crowd. Everybody was smiling and actually happy, more than a few were humming Christmas carols and all more than willing to help one another.  Honestly, it couldn’t be farther from what he was used to in Gotham.  They seemed to actually enjoy being around each other and positively feed off of each other’s energy.

But by far, the best part of the morning had been his company.  He and Marinette had spent the last several hours constantly smiling and joking and laughing, at least once hard enough to accidentally knock into a display, almost knocking all the crystal ornaments over, which of course caused more laughter after they had apologized profusely and run away.  He couldn’t imagine a more enjoyable way to spend a morning… without needing some privacy for them.

He glanced over fondly at Marinette as she looked at some decorated cutting boards for her parents.  She looked up at him with a brilliant smile and held up a cutting board for him to see.  It had ‘The only way I’ll ever cut carbs’ seared into it.  She was almost vibrating with excitement.  “Isn’t it amazing?  My papa will love it.”

Dick barked out a laugh.  He grinned cheekily and leaned closer to Marinette.  “He sounds like a fungi.”  His grin widened at the groan she let out as she buried her head in her hands.  “I’m sure he’ll love it a waffle lot.”

Marinette glared at him playfully and turned away to pay, refusing to reward him with the laugh that was bubbling up inside.  She could tell he knew though by the amused glint in his eyes and the small smirk on his face.  As soon as she paid, she bounded back to him and beamed up at him. “Are you hungry?”

Dick pursed his lips for a second before nodding.  “I could definitely eat.”  He looked around at the booths around them.  “I’ve seen quite a few things that looked amazing, but do you have any recommendations?”

She gave him a sly look, her eyes flashing with a mischievous glint.  “It just so happens I do.”  She grabbed his hand and pulled him through the crowd.  She glanced back at him with a reassuring, bright smile every so often as she dodged between booths and people and past quite a few booths that smelled and looked amazing, a destination clearly in mind.  He was enjoying the feeling of her hand in his, the way it fit, the warmth it held, the pressure she applied to make sure they stayed together.  She finally stopped at the end of a booth’s long line.

Dick looked around at the other booths and back at her doubtfully.  “Are you sure this is the one we want?  It’s a long wait.”

Marinette bounced in front of him.  “I’m positive.  There’s a reason the line is so long.  It’ll be worth it; I promise you it will be.”

Dick smiled at the excited look in her eyes.  “Okay, I’ll trust you.”  He caught her gaze and couldn’t look away, his smile softening the longer he stared.  He finally looked away with a shake of the head when the people behind them in line cleared their throats to prompt them to move.  He closed the gap and looked back at her with a playfully threatening look. “But if you’re wrong, you owe me.”

Marinette failed to suppress a snort and plastered on a serious look.  “And what will I owe you?  What payment do you take to clear my debt?”

He looked at her for a few moments, his mind suddenly going blank, because the first place his mind went was definitely not appropriate.   He blinked a few times and opened his mouth to respond but was saved by the people behind them clearing their throats again.  Dick looked back in front of them, noting the new gap.  The line might be long, but at least it was moving quickly.  He looked back at her calculatingly.  “Let me pay for lunch,” he answered.

Marinette blinked a few times.  “What?”

“You can let me pay for lunch,” he repeated more firmly, stepping forward in line.

“That really isn’t necessary,” she assured him.

“Nope,” he grinned.  “You asked what you could do.  That’s what you can do.”

“If I’m wrong,” she pointed out with a laugh. “You won’t know until you try it. It’s like you’re betting against me.” She took a few steps forward to close the gap.

Dick looked down at her earnestly and followed after her. “I would never.”

Marinette turned toward the front of the line to hide her blush but turned a little too quickly and tripped over her foot.  She braced herself for a fall but before she could fall, she felt one of Dick’s strong arms wrap around her waist and pull her tight against his chest.  Marinette buried her head in his chest to hide her face in embarrassment.  Dick rested his face on her hair.  “It’s okay,” he assured her quietly.

Marinette groaned.  “I’m such a klutz.  I’m so sorry,” she looked up at him sheepishly.

Dick shook his head with a comforting smile.  “I’m just glad I was here to rescue you.”  He raised his hand to brush the hair away from her face but put it back down when he remembered he was carrying bags. Instead, he squeezed her closer for a second.  His smile shifted to charming.  “Now you’ll have to let me pay.”

Marinette giggled and shook her head.  “You don’t understand, you really don’t have to do that.”

Dick sighed heavily.  “Just let me do this for you, please?  I owe you for taking me around and making breakfast and hosting me.”

“Dick,” she groaned with exasperation, “you really don’t owe me for…”

“Please?” he asked again giving wide eyes.

Marinette shook her head and shrugged.  “You can try.”

“Next!”

The people in front of them stepped to the side allowing the cashier to see her and Dick with a raised eyebrow and a knowing smirk. Marinette looked down and jumped away with a squeak, realizing Dick’s arm was still around her waist, but not quickly enough to lessen the smirk.

“Well, hello,” she grinned.  “Looks like you two are having a good morning.”

Marinette sent her a flat look.  “Two tourtieres and two of the tarts please, Manon.”

Manon giggled and put the tourteires and tarts on plates for them.  “Of course, for the two lovebirds.”

“Manon…” Marinette started warningly.

Dick stepped up and pulled out his credit card.  His eyes widened slightly at the monster of a man who stepped up to the counter with an angry expression.  His eyes flitted between the two of them and Dick’s card.  He crossed his arms and glared at him.  “What is this?” he demanded.

Marinette closed her eyes with a groan.  “Could you not, please?”

“I asked ‘what is this’” he repeated.  “Just who do you think you are?” he demanded, towering over Dick.  Dick tensed almost imperceptibly, preparing to protect Marinette if needed.  He looked over at Marinette for a cue on how to react.

Marinette could feel him tensing and placed a calming hand on his arm.  “Papa! Please stop embarrassing me,” she whined.  “He thinks you’re threatening us.”

Her father’s stern expression cracked into a bright smile that very much reminded him of Marinette’s.  Dick let out a relived breath and could feel his muscles relaxing with the giant man’s smile.  “How am I supposed to have fun then?  It’s my right as a father to embarrass you.”

“Really, you’re getting off easy,” Manon nodded. “You should see what he’s done to me already, and I’m not even related.”  She shook her head and widened her eyes in mortification.  “I can never show my face at school again.”

“Papa, this is the American I mentioned before. Papa, Manon, this is M. Grayson. M. Grayson, Manon and my papa.”

Dick gave them a brilliant smile and held his hand out to shake them.  “It’s nice to meet you both.”

“And you, son.”  Manon shook his hand but Marinette’s father brushed the hand aside and pulled him into an awkward over the counter hug.  Marinette fought the groan that pushed out, but a light sound still made it out, garnering the attention of the other three.  “It looks like you two have been very busy this morning.”

Dick looked down at his bags and back up with a shrug. “Marinette has been showing me around the Marché.  It’s beautiful.  Very different from what I’m used to.  I love it.”

“It is definitely a lovely experience.  I’m glad you’re able to experience it,” he nodded in agreement.  “But it can get overwhelming if you don’t know where to go.”

Dick beamed at Marinette.  “I can definitely see that.  I’m lucky to have Marinette.”

Tom’s eyes sparkled as he looked back and forth between the two of them.  “I’m sure Marinette feels lucky to have you as well.”

“Papa,” Marinette begged.  She grabbed the plates and nodded to them both.  “And with that, we’re going to leave.  Love you, Papa.  Good luck, Manon.”  She pushed Dick away from the booth.

Dick chuckled and waved to them.  “Bye!  It was good to meet you.”

“I look forward to seeing you again, son,” Tom called after them.

Marinette groaned and pushed Dick to move faster. They found a bench to sit on next to the Seine and collapsed on it.  Marinette took a deep breath and closed her eyes.  “Sorry about him.  He can be a bit much.”

Dick shook his head fondly.  “He seems like he loves you very much.”

“He does,” she agreed.  “Almost as much as he loves embarrassing me.”

Dick snorted.  “That’s just part of being a family isn’t it?”  He grabbed one of the tourteires.

“No!” Marinette insisted dramatically.  Dick burst out laughing just before taking a bite. “Not necessary part of being a family. A family can function perfectly well without the teasing.”

Dick spread on a mock analytical look and stroked his chin. “That doesn’t sound right at all. I’m pretty sure that’s wrong.  That’s like ninety percent of my relationship with my brothers.”

Marinette groaned again and shook her head.  “You’re the big brother, aren’t you?”  Dick’s widened smile and glimmering eyes were answer enough for her.  She snorted and watched him tenderly.  “You’ll make an amazing dad.”

Dick’s smile froze and his eyes widened incidentally. He paled slightly and looked away, his eyes flicking between the river and his food.  He picked at his food, finally pulling off a small piece.  “Thank you,” he said, his eyes much more reserved than he had been any other time during the day.  He held up the tourteires.  These are really, good.”

Marinette nodded, still focusing on his face, trying to figure out the change in atmosphere.  “Thank you.  I’ve always thought so.”  They sat in silence for quite a while, the only sounds coming from the river and the crowd behind them.

Dick finally spoke up when they were almost done eating. “I’ve always wanted to be a father.” A bittersweet smile spread across his face and his eyes flicked over to her for a moment and away.  “But every time I meet a woman I can picture that with, she’s already taken.”

Marinette stared at him in surprise for several minutes, her lips turned down in a frown.  It couldn’t hurt, could it?  If he knew? If she told him?  There would be time before he would see M. Dubois again, so he wouldn’t have to know, not for a while anyway, and she would have time to figure out what to tell him.  And until then she and Dick could figure out what all these moments meant, all these stolen glances and accidental touches, if they meant anything.

“Dick I…” she started, unsure of where to go or how to phrase it.  Dick turned to her, his eyes sincere yet sad.  “You should know, I’m not…”  Her eyes darted away.  “Adrien and I…” she stopped when her phone rang.  She glanced at it, fully prepared to ignore it until she saw the caller ID. “Sorry, it’s M. Dubois.  I have to take this.”  She turned away slightly as she answered it.  “Good morning, M. Dubois.  How are you doing?”

“I’m doing well, my dear.  Doing well.  Things going well with Mr. Grayson?  I trust you are making him feel welcome,” he said cheerfully.

Marinette gave Dick a strained smile and nodded, despite M. Dubois not being able to see her.  “I hope so, sir.  Right now we’re walking around the Marché de Noël.”

“Excellent.  Excellent. That’s a wonderful Parisian site. I knew I could place my trust in you. I always trust my instincts and my instincts told me that you are someone trustworthy.  A family woman such as yourself, how could you be anything else?”

Marinette swallowed heavily and pasted on a strained smile.  “How is Scotland?” she asked anxiously, trying to change the topic, eyes flicking over to Dick and away quickly.

“I wouldn’t know,” he sighed.  “I made it as far as London.  My granddaughter tested positive for COVID, so the visit is delayed a few weeks until she’s out of quarantine.  I’m back in Paris already.”  Marinette could hear shuffling around, which for some reason, caused her more anxiety. “I won’t lie, I am glad for a few more days with French food.  Scottish food is hardly the pinnacle of cuisine.  I assume you are making sure Mr. Grayson experiences proper French cuisine.”

“Y…yes, of course.  I’m trying…” she stuttered out.

“Of course you are.  Of course you are, my dear,” he assured her.  “With the amazing baking skills you grew up with, I’m sure you are introducing him to the most amazing homemade French food.”

“Evelyn and I have been baking, yes…” she faltered.

“Ahh, a family affair.  Wonderful.  Wonderful. And I’m sure your dinners are just as amazing,” he continued on.  It was almost like he hadn’t heard her at all.  Or rather he heard the words but not the tone or emotion behind it.

“Amazing is a little strong…” she started weakly.

“I’ll be the judge of that,” he scoffed in a very self-assured tone.

“You… you, sir?” she asked carefully, her face scrunching in confusion.  “You’ll judge my dinner?”

“That is very generous of you!” M. Dubois declared so loudly Marinette had to remove the phone from her ear.  “I’d love to join you for dinner.”

Marinette blinked, her face paling.  “What?”

“Don’t worry, my dear.  Don’t worry.”  His tone was calming but his words were making her heart race.  “I’m sure I’ll love whatever you create.  I’m not a harsh critic.  I’ll be there at seven tonight.  I can’t wait to meet your daughter and husband finally.”

Marinette stared ahead blankly, her heart sinking at a rapid pace.  “Me either, sir.  Can’t wait. See you tonight at seven.”

Chapter 6

Tags:

@jayjayspixiepop @corporeal-terrestrial @certainmuffinbagelcalzone @redscarlet95 @iloontjeboontje

#maribat #dickinette #Dicking Around With Christmas #Christmas in Connecticut AU

[justcourttee]

Adrien asks mari out and she says i would of been so happy in the past but now its too little to late. She's engaged to Damian but they haven't announced it yet

Bittersweet

It had been a while since Adrien had found himself in Gotham City. Too many years to count on his hand. Yet when he received an invite from Marinette he didn’t hesitate to hop on the next flight to attend her gala.

He had no idea that she had created a partnership with Wayne Enterprises, in fact, he had no idea they were interested in the fashion world at all. Then again, why should he be surprised? When Marinette put her mind to something, nothing would get in her way.

Ever since he had taken over his father’s company, Adrien hadn’t had much time to keep up with his old school friends but it hadn’t stopped them from trying to keep him in the loop. From what he could gather, Alya and Nino would also be attending, Rose and Juleka too. It would be nice to see them all again, especially Marinette.

Stepping out from the warmth of his hotel room and into the cool streets, Adrien couldn’t help but let his mind drift to thoughts of her.

It took Marinette moving to the States for him to realize how much he was in love with her. It was something he never wanted to admit seeing how much he adored Ladybug, but as she disappeared from his grasps, he was left to face his true feelings.

Glancing at his phone, Adrien confirmed that he was mere minutes away from the address she had listed. The gala was still a few days away, but Marinette asked if he had wanted to meet up for a late-night coffee, a Gotham specialty. Even her scarf that she had gifted him ages ago couldn’t hide the red on his cheeks as he imagined the perfect date with the girl of his dreams.

He paused, reaching the door of Deja Brew, his heart beating a million miles a minute. Somewhere in this late-night shop was his best friend. How would she react to seeing him again? Would she be as excited as he was? Would she feel the same way as she did?

Taking a deep breath, he pushed through the door, his eyes glancing through the scattered exhausted customers until they landed on her. She still hadn’t noticed his presence, her nose buried into her sketchbook, her coffee still steaming beside her seemingly untouched.

She was early.

The thought almost drew a laugh as he approached the counter to place his order. Of course she would have finally picked up some time management skills by now. Marinette was 27 and slowly making a name for herself as the future of the fashion industry. That wasn’t something accomplished by constant tardiness.

He picked up his cup, placing a ten into the tip jar, the hostess’ raised eyebrows making him smile. He could already hear his father scolding him. After all, that wasn’t the way to becoming a billionaire. You only make money by holding onto it.

Honestly, Adrien didn’t understand why he had to be a billionaire. His father said it would raise the bar for their line, but it just wasn’t in Adrien’s heart to hoard all of the money unnecessarily. Maybe the Waynes offered Marinette the same advice. Maybe they had something they could relate to together.

“Excuse me ma’am, is this seat taken?”

His heart had finally slowed down but as her eyes slowly peeked up at him under her lashes, it immediately began somersaulting once more.

“Oh Gods, Adrien!” She was out of her seat before he even had the chance to set down his coffee, her arms flung around his neck. He hoped and prayed she couldn’t feel his chest threatening to explode. “You should have said something! I’ve gotten into the bad habit of zoning out in public places.”

Her smile was blinding as she unwound herself, slipping back into her seat, motioning for him to sit as well.

“How was the flight? Did you fly private or first class?”

Adrien gasped, his hand covering his chest as if she had shot him.

“I only flew business thank you very much.” Marinette’s look of mock disbelief earned a small chuckle.

“That must have been so hard for you. I really am sorry you went through so much trouble for my sake.”

“You know, I would go through so much more for you Marinette.”

Her smile faltered for a moment, so quick that if he hadn’t been staring so hard at her, he might have missed it. Did his statement make her uncomfortable? He had only meant it jokingly with the truth laced in, but he was sure his eyes gave him away. They always softened when it came to her.

Marinette cleared her voice, her true smile shining once more as if the falter never happened in the first place.

“You’ve missed so much, I don’t even know where to start.”

“How about from the beginning?” She nodded as she dove into her move to the States and how she began as an intern for the CEO, Tim Drake, years ago and slowly worked her way up to personal assistant.

She recounted how Tim found her sketchbook at work one day and showed it to his father. Together they agreed that she was their way into the fashion industry, an investment that could open the door to many more jobs for the Gotham citizens.

It took two years, but she finally had a full line that was presented at Bruce’s first fashion show.

“So many big names were there Adrien! I really thought I was gonna faint!”

His smile became softer and softer as she recounted meeting the rest of the Waynes and finally after six long years, she had made enough of a name for herself to be holding her own official Gala, the Wayne’s simply a sponsor.

“That’s amazing Marinette, you’re amazing.”

She beamed proudly, her smile pulling at his heart.

“I couldn’t have done it without them. They are genuine and kind people and they are pretty much family.” Something glistened in her eyes as she spoke of them. It could have been obvious to anyone, Marinette cared so deeply for these people.

It was Adrien’s turn to falter as an ugly thought passed.

She’s so comfortable here, she would never want to come back to Paris with me.

He was shocked with himself. This was no time for jealousy. His best friend, the love of his life, was excitedly telling him about a future she had built for herself and the only thing he could think was that it was an obstacle keeping her from him?

Adrien desperately wanted to smack his own forehead, but for Marinette’s sake he straightened out his smile instead.

“I’m so sorry. I’ve only been talking about myself! What’s new with you? How’s your dad’s business? Do you have anyone you’re seeing?”

His eyebrow raised at the last question. She asked the question he so desperately wanted to ask her. And she did it so casually, equating it to his work and social life. Did that mean she was also fishing for his response?

“Nothing much. Dad wants to move from a multi-million dollar business to a multi-billion dollar business so he’s been pretty aggressive about money lately. He didn’t even want me flying over here for the gala.”

Marinette snorted much to his amusement. She knew how his dad was and how petty he could be as well.

“And as for your last question,” he paused watching her face carefully. “No, I am not seeing anyone.”

He waited for the reaction, any reaction really. But none came. Instead, she simply nodded as if she expected as much. Maybe he had read into it too much. She really could’ve just been asking for the sake of catching up. Should he ask too? Was that what she was leading up to?

Adrien cleared his throat before taking a long draw from his cup. This was so nerve wracking. She looked so content, so grown. This was a Marinette who had grown leaps and bounds while he was still stuck in this high school romance that was quite possibly one-sided.

“Well, I hate to cut it short but it’s going to be a long day tomorrow and Damian will be here any moment to pick me up.”

She slid out of her seat so effortlessly, her sketch book snapping shut before it disappeared into a bag that he hadn’t even noticed. Her smile was just as warm as he remembered, but something was missing from the girl he loved.

“Your eyes.” The words slipped out of his mouth before he could stop himself. Marinette’s smile faltered as she tentatively reached up to touch her eyelid, confusion etching it’s way into her face.

“Is there something near my eyes Adrien?”

“No, no, I’m sorry. That’s not what I meant. I just-” Adrien bit his lip, trying to string his thoughts together before he sounded even more like an idiot. “You used to stare at me with such soft look. I’m sorry I never noticed, but once I did, it was all I could see. Yet now-”

He trailed off as her lips drew into an o, her hand moving slowly from her eye to her lips, trying to hide her shock.

“-now, I can still feel the love in them, love directed at me, but it’s not the same love is it?”

She looked like she wanted to say something, but she couldn't find the right words. He knew she was trying to explain that he was wrong, but couldn’t bring herself to lie. It was the only confirmation he needed.

He slid out of the booth, his hand grasping the scarf slipping from his neck.

“Marinette, I was so excited when you invited me out tonight. In fact, I thought of it as a date.” She tried to reach out, but Adrien took a step back, tears brimming in his eyes. “I don’t blame you at all, please don’t think I’m saying all this to make you feel guilty. I just had to get it off my chest.”

Adrien blinked hard, trying to spill the tears clouding his vision. This was harder to say than he thought. Her eyes were so distracting, the sympathy oozing toward him in waves.

“I love you, Marinette Dupain-Cheng. I know you’ve made your life here and I would never dream of taking that from you. Hell, if you asked me to, I would drop everything to be at your side in an instance. Is there any chance at all that after the gala ends, we could give this a shot? Just one real date. Not some deluded fantasy I created in my head, but something we both consent to.”

He flinched when her hand finally made contact with his upper arm.

“Adrien, I love you. I really do. But you were right when you said my eyes had changed. That soft look is meant for someone else now. He and I had tried to keep our relationship quiet, but tomorrow at the gala, I was going to announce my engagement to Damian.”

Adrien couldn’t help the small sob that left his mouth. He was painfully aware of the few scattered glances all directed toward him, but he couldn’t help it. He felt Marinette pulling his head down until it laid resting on her shoulder, her small arms wrapping around his figure. It was embarrassing how hard he cried, unable to hold back his sobs any longer.

“I’m so sorry Adrien, I had no idea your feelings had changed. You were always chasing after a dream when we were younger and when I left Paris, I had finally decided that there wasn’t a chance after all between us.”

He knew she meant her words as a comfort, a promise that at one point, she would have gladly accepted his offer. Why couldn’t he have seen it earlier? Why was he so blinded by a partner who never even revealed herself right to the end? He had someone who trusted and loved him with all of their being and he ignored their feelings for a what if.

Adrien slowly pulled himself from her grasp, his smile shaky. He took a moment to use the end of his scarf to dry his soaked face.

“I’m glad you told me that Marinette. I really am. And I hope you and Damian have a long and prosperous life together.”

Her eyes widened, her mouth forming the wait, but he was already out of the door, running. It was a cowards move, one he would mull over all night. But it was too painful to look into the eyes of one you love and only find pity reflecting in them.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

“So you came?”

Adrien turned, his smile bittersweet as he embraced Alya, his fist connecting with Nino’s outstretched hand.

“How could I not support her? She’s worked so hard to make this a reality. My feelings can take a backburner for one night.”Their eyes all trailed to the center of the room where she stood, her arm threaded through with the man he assumed to be Damian Wayne. “Besides, you can tell. She loves that man beside her more than anything in this world.”

The glint of the ring on her finger caused an aching in his heart. Despite it all, he really did wish the Wayne boy no ill will. If he was who Marinette chose to spend the rest of her life with, then Adrien trusted her decision.

“I’ve never seen her smile so bright. And to think, I used to believe her smile was at its maximum blindlingness.” Nino’s chuckle earned a small chuckle from Adrien as well.

There was no denying it.

Marinette was where she belonged. The only thing left was for him to support her in any way that he could. And that was exactly what he planned to do.

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#daminette #maribat #miraculous ladybug

[marauderundercover]

This Side of Normal Ch. 8

AO3

Prev

Marinette was seriously considering murder. She was pretty sure Jason would be able to help her hide the body, he was a lot stronger than her. But murder was seriously on the table. Why has she decided to break that one golden rule, you might ask? Lila Rossi. The bane of her existence. The very reason they were spending two fucking weeks in the crime capital of the world instead of their original destinations. But no, Lila just had to convince Mme. Bustier to take them to Gotham. And then, as if making Marinette plan a million things last minute wasn’t bad enough, Lila decided to talk. Nonstop. Throughout the entire first half of their tour of Wayne Enterprises. The only thing keeping her from strangling the girl right now was the promise of coffee in the cafeteria. She didn’t need food, she needed coffee. And then she’d go right back to plotting murder. Would anyone look in the river for her body? 

“Whatever you’re thinking, I’m sure you shouldn’t do it.” Adrien says, pulling her out of her murder plot. She glares at him. 

“I’m planning a murder, and I don’t appreciate you interrupting me.” She deadpans. 

“Murder’s bad, Mari. We don’t murder people.” Adrien sighs, throwing an arm over her shoulders. 

“Maybe you don’t murder people. I’m thinking about branching out.” She hums, getting in the line for coffee. Adrien huffs and grabs her arm, tugging her behind him. She immediately starts whining, reaching out towards the coffee booth. 

“Mari, you need actual food. You can have coffee after you eat something. I know for a fact you didn’t eat breakfast.” He says, staring her down. She huffs, crossing her arms. 

“You’re not my dad.” She mumbles, turning away from him. 

“Why the hell are you all pouty?” Jason asks, walking up to the two. Marinette smiles briefly, then drops her face back into a scowl. 

“Someone is keeping me from my coffee.” She says. 

“Good job kid!” Jason says, high fiving Adrien. Marinette’s jaw drops at the betrayal. 

“Honestly rude. Guess I’m not gonna ask you to help me anymore.” She says, sighing dramatically. 

“Help with what?” He asks, frowning. 

“Murder. She wants to commit a murder.” Adrien says, rolling his eyes. 

“Who’re we killing?” Jason asks. This time it’s Adrien’s turn to drop his jaw, Marinette laughing loudly. 

“Ha! I told you Jay would help me!” She cheers, shooting Adrien a smug smile. 

“Marinette! Lila needs your help carrying her tray.” Mme. Bustier instructs, walking over to the trio. Marinette immediately frowns, looking over at Lila who was carrying a tray. Just fine. 

“Uh, looks like she’s got it.” She says, nodding towards the liar. 

“Well, she got it okay, but she needs someone to carry it to her table for her.” Mme. Bustier says, frowning. 

“And one of her friends can do it. I’m not getting out of line for my own lunch just to carry Lila’s tray Mme. Bustier.” Marinette argues, crossing her arms. 

“Marinette-” She starts, then stops when she realizes Jason isn’t one of the students. “Very well. But we’re going to talk about this later.” She adds before walking away. Marinette rolls her eyes. 

“Is she the one we’re murdering?” Jason asks, leaning down a little so he could whisper. 

“Nope. The one whose tray I was supposed to carry is the one on my list.” Mari says, nodding towards the girl who was now fake crying. 

“Jesus. How does anyone put up with her?” He asks, face curling in disgust. Marinette shrugs. 

“At first I thought she was Meta. Now I think my classmates are just idiots.” She says simply. Jason snorts. 

“I believe that. I’m gonna go grab you a coffee. As much as I’d love to help you commit a murder, pretty sure the boss would be pissed.” He says, ruffling her hair before walking away. Marinette turns to Adrien and gives him a smug smile. 

“Ha, bitch.” She says, snorting as he starts spluttering. 

“You can’t just say that, Bug!” He whines, before turning to order his food. Marinette snorts. 

“Sure I can.” She says in English, before quickly switching to Mandarin and lowering her voice. “I’m a seventeen year old ex-superhero, I’m allowed to say bitch.” Adrien just snorts, thanking the lady and grabbing his food so that Marinette can order. Once she has her food, she follows Adrien to an almost empty table in the corner farthest away from their classmates. She smiles at the person at the other end of the table, Dick Grayson. He was their tour guide and had dealt with their annoying ass class surprisingly well. She was tempted to make him a certificate if he lasted til the end of the day without losing his sanity. Plopping down in her seat, she starts eating her food slowly, watching Jason across the room at the coffee booth. 

“Mari, he said he would get you coffee. He’s gonna get you coffee.” Adrien says, nudging her side to try and get her to actually eat. 

“You don’t think he’d get me decaf, do you?” She asks, remembering the time he’d brought coffee to one of their late night training sessions. It was decaf then, he claimed that she needed to be able to sleep after training. She argued that she needed to stay awake and do homework and commissions and some lameass decaf coffee was not going to help her do that. She just hoped he would take pity on her and get her actual coffee this time. 

“I think I’d get you decaf,” Adrien starts, dodging her attempt to whack him. “But, I think Jay’s a little nicer than me today. Probably since he hasn’t seen us in awhile.” He muses. Marinette stops trying to attack him, nodding in agreement. He’d be more likely to give her decaf tomorrow than today. So it was still safe to trust her coffee order to him. For now. 

“I’m sorry, did you say Jay?” Mr. Grayson asks, catching her attention. She glances at Adrien who just shrugs. She knew the two had talked earlier, but she really didn’t want to accidentally get Jay in trouble. 

“Uh, yes?” She says, wincing at the awkwardness. 

“You know Jason.” He says, and she nods, frowning. 

“Yeah, we got to know him last year when he was on a business trip in Paris.” She explains, dodging around the whole ‘he trained us as heroes and then found out our identities and helped us take down a supervillain’ part of it. “We ended up getting close and we’ve kept in contact over the last year.” Mari adds, confused as to why Mr. Grayson looks so lost. 

“Really?” He finally asks. 

“Yeah. He’s basically like our big brother.” Adrien adds, obviously sensing that Marinette was getting uncomfortable. 

“Hey Dick, long time no see.” Jason snarks, putting Mari’s coffee in front of her and plopping down in the seat next to Adrien. 

“Jason. So you have two new siblings?” He asks, gesturing to Mari and Adrien. Jason nods. 

“Yup. And they’re loads better than you lot. Pixie Pop here even said I could help her with her first murder.” Jason teases. Marinette’s face instantly heats up, as she turns her glare to Jason. 

“Jason!” She hisses. He’s lucky he’s on the other side of Adrien. 

“Wait, you two are brothers?” Adrien asks, and Marinette blinks. Oh, yeah. Wait, what. 

“You didn’t know?” Dick asks. Adrien looks at Mari who shrugs. She definitely hadn’t known. She’d assumed Dick was one of Jason’s bosses. 

“Yeah, unfortunately this dipshit is my older brother. Adopted, of course.” Jason says. 

“We also have two other brothers and a sister. And some unofficial siblings.” Dick adds, making Mari raise an eyebrow. 

“All adopted?” She asks. Adoption was no joke. It was crazy expensive in the US. 

“All but one. B kinda adopts every dark haired, blue eyed kid with trauma that he meets.” Jason says, smirking at Marinette’s face. 

“I’m feeling attacked right now. Are you attacking me? If anyone has enough trauma to be adopted by a serial adopter, it’s Adrien. Not me.” She says with a pout. 

“Hey!” Adrien objects. Marinette looks pointedly at his arm. 

“Your arm was cut off by your supervillain father who was an emotional terrorist for over three years. That’s a shit ton of trauma.” She says as he pouts. 

“Yeah, but if I get adopted in the US, I’d never see you anymore.” He points out. 

“But you’d see me all the time.” Jason teases. Adrien grins. 

“That’s right! Okay, sorry M, I’m gonna get adopted here.” He says with a wide grin. 

“Traitors, the both of you. Mr. Grayson, how’d you like a new little sister? I’m officially disowning both of these losers.” Marinette says, ignoring the indignant squawks from Adrien. Dick snorts, a wide grin stretching across his face. 

“Sure kid. And call me Dick. Do you happen to know any acrobatics?” He asks with a teasing grin. Mari smirks. 

“As a matter of fact, I do.” She says. Dick freezes before a huge smile makes its way onto his face, his whole body shaking in excitement. 

“Wait, really? You’re serious?” He asks. She nods. “That’s awesome! Sorry Jay, I’m stealing this one.” He says. Jason scowls. 

“I don’t think so. I’ve known Pixie Pop longer, therefore, she’s my sister.” He says. Adrien clears his throat. “Our sister.” Jason amends, nodding to Adrien. 

“But she’s an acrobat! You know I’ve been looking for someone to teach trapeze to!” Dick whines. Mari’s eyes light up and she starts bouncing in her seat. 

“Wait, trapeze? Seriously? Where? Oh my god, that would be so much fun!” She squeals, suddenly actually excited about being in Gotham. 

“We have one at our house, you guys have to come over! I could show you the basics.” Dick suggests, still grinning. Marinette turns to Jason, waiting to see what he’d say. If Dick didn’t know Jason, she’d never consider going over and learning trapeze. But since he’s Jason’s brother…..

“Ugh, fine. But if B ends up trying to adopt both of you, you can’t blame me. I wanted to keep you away from him. You’re the one who got suckered in by the damn trapeze.” Jason gripes, leaning back in his seat. Marinette just grins at him before turning back to Dick to figure out the specifics. Maybe this trip wouldn’t be that bad.

Next

Tag list (open): @toodaloo-kangaroo @laurcad123 @kittenmywaythrulife @lost-in-the-world-of-maribat @queenz-z

#maribat #maribat jason todd #maribat dick grayson #maribat marinette dupain cheng #maribat adrien agreste #maribat platonic adrienette #platonic maribat adrienette #fanfic #maribat fanfiction #maribat fanfic #platonic jasonette #This Side of Normal #ao3fic #daminette #but they haven't met yet #maribat big brother Jason Todd #akuma class goes to Gotham #maribat gotham fic #maribat but make it all left au #platonic dickinette

[artzychic27]

In honor of the glorious pride month (Coming up soon), please enjoy these Miraculous Pride Headcanons!

Inspired by this post by @transvoltronhc

You a TERF? Fuck off, beeyatch!

Marinette- The Pan Trans Queen we all Need 🏳️‍⚧️

She/Her- Pansexual/Polyamorous

Every time Marinette inhales, a terf gets punched

Every time Marinette exhales, a trans kid gets a flag

She and Nathaniel supply the face paint

She’s very vocal at pride and gets super violent with protesters

Marinette: *Punching protester while her friends cheer* I don’t wanna see your disgusting face here ever again, you filthy pig! Same goes for the rest of you!

Terfs go to protest, walk away covered in bruises and with a tiny crush on the bluenette

Got into a muscle-flexing contest and won first

Dyed her hair the colors of the pan flag and walks around with a brightly colored, bedazzled trans flag cape

Supplies juice boxes and cookies for the pride kids

She and Marc pass out colorful binders, flower crowns, and starter makeup kits

Drag Queens and Kings LOVE her and are always giving her hugs whenever she walks by / She’s even been commissioned by them to make outfits for their next shows. The audience loved them

Alya- The Badass Pansexual Pirate 🏴‍☠️

She/Her but is not opposed to They/Them

Actually has dressed like a pirate with a sword the colors of her flag. Anarka was so proud

Will punch TERFs with their Pan bestie any day

Ships random people

Leaves many girls swooning as she walks by in her thigh high leather boots

Alya: Sorry ladies, I’m spoken for. *Kisses Nino*

No one dares to flirt with her because she’s out of everyone’s league

One protester made a transphobic comment about Nino, and Alya immediately hit em with a frying Pan

The chaotic aunt of pride

Death drops are flawless!

Hands out phone cases they painted the colors of different pride flags

Born This Way is her anthem

Has many pride-themed superhero tank-tops ‘Super Gay 4 Super Girl’ ‘I’m Bi Man’ ‘Deadpool was at Stonewall’

Nino- The Insanely Cool Bi Trans Guy 😎🏳️‍⚧️

He/Him

Marinette made him a bedazzled cape so they could match

Mari and Kim’s brother in Transness

Dresses in hoodies no matter how hot it is

One of the mom friends. / Everyone wants to be adopted by him. / He once put everyone on baby leashes so they wouldn’t wander off

Everyone refers to him as “Trans DJ Jesus” because he wore sandals with a long curly wig one time. (To this day, no one knows why he did it)

Takes a five-minute break to Vogue with the drag queens

Supplies the music while skateboarding. He blasts every gay national anthem known to humankind

Alya, Adrien, Marinette, and Kim are very protective of him. Once, a TERF pushed him to the ground. Alya, Marinette, and Kim beat up the TERF while Adrien treated his friend to some ice cream

Adrien- Shit! We lost the baby! 🏳️‍🌈😱

He/Him & She/Her- Bigender/Bisexual/Polyamorous

Can’t stop, won’t stop wandering off because he’s never been to a Pride parade before

He was surprised at how accepting his father was. Although, it probably had something to do with Nathalie and Gorilla threatening to expose him as Hawkmoth if he didn’t let Adrien go

The class goes ballistic whenever she goes missing and will interrogate anyone

Myléne: *Interrogating a drag queen* Are you hiding him in your wig?! / Marinette: Get her out! She’s so frail! Her dad doesn’t feed her! / Nino: Found him! He was getting ice cream. / Myléne: ... You are free to go.

Nino has to put him on a baby leash every time

Drinks the most juice boxes and eats the most ice cream

Can’t tell when he’s being flirted with / Rando: Hey, cutie. / Adrien: ... My name is Adrien.

Bigender legwarmers, bracelets, and headbands

Dresses in pastels every year, and people just wanna hug him / He's happy to oblige and will hug anyone / Vows to hug the hate out of protesters

Every time Adrien smiles or laughs, a transgender child is accepted by friends and family and then gets a flower crown

Keeps getting asked if she and Marinette are dating. / Adrien: No, we’re just shopping buddies. (Secretly wishes for more)

A girl once asked if he was Cinderella when he wore a blue headband, and he immediately said yes. Now every week for Pride month, she dresses as a different Disney Princess

Nearly fainted when Marinette and Luka entered a flexing contest and Luka’s sleeves tore

Kim- Mari and Nino’s Bi brother in Trans Pride🏳️‍⚧️

He/Him & They/Them- Gender nonconforming

Kim: I’m a guy, I like blouses and heels, deal with it, people!

Kim/Mari/Nino: Bedazzled Cape Squad!

Muscle shirts and converse sneakers / Has a tank top that reads, ‘I flexed so hard the sleeves came off’

Got into a muscle-flexing contest against Luka and Marinette and got third place (No one beats Marinette)

Also can’t tell when they’re being flirted with

Alix and Max convinced him to dress in drag, and he went all out. Now he has the respect of many drag queens. And every pride parade, he wears heels and a huge wig

Gives everyone (Mainly Max) piggyback rides

Asked Max to be his boyfriend at one pride parade, and people thought it was so cute! They named that day, ‘Kimax Day’

Max- Not a Robot, I’m Agender 🤖

They/Them

Has many pride tank-tops and pins with puns / ‘Error 404 Gender Not Found’ ‘I Don’t Speak Binary Code’ ‘2/3 of the Invisible Trio’

Has Marinette paint their cheeks the colors of the agender and asexual flags

Has one of those digital backpacks with pixelated images on the front

Downloads Pride songs for Markov to blasts from their speakers

When they and Alix convinced Kim to dress in drag, Max may or may not have drooled a bit

Progress Pride Flag cape, socks, and nails

When protestors attack, Max goes all LGBT scientist on their butts, explaining the difference between gender and sex, what hormone blockers actually do, and how not every gay person has AIDS

Once beat up a sleazy protester for... Feeling Kim down there / Max: *Hitting protester with a baseball bat* If you ever do that again, I will fit Markov with a laser and have them slice your rotten dick off!

Marinette and Nathaniel helped them make pride bracelets with the sexualities and gender identities written in binary code. The pride nerds LOVED them

Nathaniel: Our Beautiful BiRomantic Son 🎨

He/Him

He and Marinette paint everyone’s faces before every pride parade

Painted an asexual heart on his Bi flag and wore it as a cape

Cuffed jeans, boots, tucked-in shirt, beanie, pride buttons / Paints pride flags on his denim jacket and shorts

Marc does his makeup, and he looks fabulous

His grandma teaches him how to fight in case of violent Christian protesters / Grandma: Sweetie, you’re Jewish and Bisexual, the world is gonna tear you apart. Learn how to give a mean left hook.

Once took over a face painting booth, now he does it every Pride Month

Enters the 'Crush a watermelon between your thighs' contest every time and always wins first

Saw couples cosplaying as Mightillustrator and Inverser, and cried tears of joy

He and Marc cosplay as couples at every pride parade. The fan favorites are Keith and Lance, Tweek and Craig, and Michael and Rich

CANNOT have too much sugar or he goes crazy and wakes up with no memories of what he did

The next day after an intense sugar high, people were saluting as he walked by and calling him ‘General of the Bisexual Battalion’ / He’s not complaining or questioning it / He has an army now and will one day take over all of Europe. Then the world.

Marc: The Rainbow Flag has Taken a Human Form🏳️‍🌈

Nonbinary- He/Him & They/Them

A True Pride Legend

Born on June 1st at a pride parade.

A singer helped deliver him, his cord was cut by a sword Lesbian, he was swaddled in a drag queen’s glitter cape, and their name was thought of by a drag king

This moment was so beautiful that many protesters cried and decided to join the parade

Everyone will literally stop what they’re doing just to get a picture with them / Everyone loves Marc!

Got into a splits contest and won

Makes flower crowns and knits rainbow flag scarves to pass out to everyone

Certified Mom Friend

Does everyone's makeup

Loses his shit when his shorter friends get lost in crowds

Hugs pride kids who were forced to sneak out or were kicked out of their homes then buys them ice cream / He and Nathaniel have adopted over fifty Pride kids who were kicked out of their homes

Joins Adrien in dressing like a Disney Princess. He SLAYED as Snow White

It may not seem like it, but Marc can throw a punch and fight with one hand right behind their back

Beat up a transphobic asshole for trying to “correct” a trans boy by forcing himself onto him. / They never did find the man’s body. In fact, all of his personal information was gone. Almost like he had never even existed... / Marc looks cute, but he can be terrifying when he needs to be

Alix: Two Out of 3 💚💜🖤🤍

She/Her & They/Them

Leaves many girls swooning as they skate by

Devious little shit

She doesn’t beat up protesters like her classmates. She pranks them until they cry / One year, they all ended up covered in rainbow glitter and pink feathers / Adrien and Rose help them make glitter bombs to throw at protesters, then they run away giggling

Wears sarcastic Pride shirts and black shorts with her roller skates

She and Jalil come out to their father every June

Alix: Father. I am AroAce! / Jalil: Also, I am gay! / Alim: Kids, I know. You’ve been doing this every year. / Jalil: Well... Thank you for being an ally!

This is the only time she’ll wear makeup / She wears it like war paint. Only it’s rainbow

Drinks the most juice out of everyone

Ships people with Alya. SHIPPING BUDS!

Myléne: Smol Asexual Bean ♠️

She/Her

Goes all out for Pride Month / Rolls around in glitter with Rose and Sabrina before every parade

Dyes her hair all rainbow / Wears a ‘Shakespeare was Here’ shirt with her asexual flag skirt

Has also beaten up homophobes and transphobes

Is the most vocal when it comes to putting those assholes in their place. Ivan has to hold her back sometimes

After an acephobe after they made certain comments (You ace folk know what I’m talkin ‘bout) She roundhouse kicked them / Every protester knows not to mess with the bohemian girl

Will blast The PROM soundtrack at max volume from her phone

Cosplays as musical characters. Veronica Sawyer was a fan favorite

Part of the “Where the Hell is Adrien?” Squad

Ivan: My Girlfriend is Stronger than Me, and it’s So Hot 💪😍

Prefers He/Him but is cool with other pronouns - Questioning his gender so isn’t using any labels right now

The responsible auncle

Mari and Alya’s partner in Pansexuality/ He can’t help if everyone is attractive, he just can’t!

Looks like he can kill you, but is actually a cinnamon role. Myléne on the other hand...

Has let Marc do their makeup and nails, and looks gorgeous!

Did drag. Slayed. Rocks those three-inch heels.

Tank tops and shorts club

Like Marinette, no one dares to flirt with him. Not because he’s out of their league, but because they’re scared of his girlfriend

Dyes his blonde tuft pastel pink every year

More pacifistic than her friends are when it comes to protesters, but if the right buttons are pressed, hell shall be raised

They join Alya and Alix in shipping random people

Rose: The Lovely Lipstick Lesbian💄

She/Her- Breaking lesbian stereotypes est. 2004

The kind aunt who supports all of her niblings

Has been going to pride with her dads since she was born/ One of her dads is a retired drag queen

Wears her rainbow fairy wings every year

Has a lesbian flag with dozens of girls' phone numbers written on it. / Doesn’t wear it anymore now that she has Juleka

Throws fistfuls of glitter at protesters and yells at them, “LIGHTEN UP!”

Sprinkles glitter on pride kids and tells them to sparkle

Marinette helps her make rainbow unicorn plushies to hand out to children every year

Dresses as Disney Princesses with Adrien and Marc. Princess Squad!

Bakes cookies to pass around

Drag Kings and Queens love this girl! She’s cute, loud, and carries glitter everywhere

Butch lesbians learn not to flirt with her after their encounter with Juleka

To piss of protesters, she dipped Juleka and kissed her for ten whole seconds / Rose: I bet your husbands don’t love you like that. / Drag Queens: BUUUUUURN!

Juleka: The Gay Witch 🖤🏳️‍🌈

She/Her & They/Them - Total lesbian

Was there when Marc was born, and will never forget that day. (She has an impressive memory, even as a baby)

They swore they saw a rainbow when he was born

Dresses as a witch and wears red eye contacts to every pride event so she freaks out protesters

Has actually cursed them / They just bought the spellbook off of Amazon

Carries around a rainbow parasol

Carries Rose under every threshold she comes across

Is a lot louder at pride events than on regular days

She actually sang Girls Like Girls up on stage, and everyone went wild

Sometimes wears suits

When they saw Rose being flirted with by some butch lesbians, they went ballistic / Now the butch lesbians are terrified of her forever

She and Luka help out with painting her friends’ nails and dying their hair

Dyes her hair rainbow every pride month

Luka: The Responsible Hot & Chaotic Auncle 💖💚💙

Agender- They/Them, He/Him, She/Her - Polysexual/Polyamorous

“For me, gender is like silence... I’m just not into it.”

Doesn’t really care what pronouns people use for him

Wears dresses to every pride parade. Anarka and Juleka have never been so proud

Is always doing drag cosplay. Marc and Nathaniel have never been so proud / They had people gawking when they did Jessica Rabbit cosplay

Purposely bends over in front of people, while wearing leggings, skirts, skinny jeans, or short shorts. Marinette, Kagami, and Adrien got nosebleeds

Marinette/Kagami/Adrien: Luka's ass in those shorts is a Godsend.

Dyes her hair rainbow every pride parade

The minute June starts, they’ll get up in the morning, grab their Polysexual flag, and just run around the city

Has been coming up with Pride songs to sing at protesters. Many of the songs insult them. / Luka: Okay! This one goes out to the trash behind barriers, it’s called, “Please shut the fuck up, you homophobic dildos!”

Got into a flexing contest and won second, but at the cost of their sequined sleeves

Asked Adrien, Marinette, and Kagami to be his significant others at a pride event. They all said yes

Has carried Adrien and Marinette on her biceps, and Kagami on her shoulders

Adrien: ... I marrying them first. / Marinette: Get in the back of the line, blonde wonder! / Kagami: Both of you move to the back.

Kagami: While You Were Busy Being Hetero, I Studied the Blade 🗡

She/Her - PanRomantic/Polyamorous

Surprisingly, her mother was very supportive. She even bought Kagami a rainbow sword / Turns out, Tamoe had a few flings herself. 😉

Kagami came out to the whole fencing team by wearing a pansexual-flag print fencing mask. Adrien squealed all through practice

She didn’t quite understand what polyamory meant and was confused as to why she had crushes on Adrien, Marinette, and Luka at the same time

After a bit of explaining and reassuring her that it was totally normal and not being disloyal to a partner, Kagami came to terms with being polyamorous

Tamoe allowed Kagami to go to her first Pride Parade. On the condition that she take her sword to ward off protesters

She was so overwhelmed and wasn’t entirely sure what to do until she found Marinette, Luka, and Adrien in the crowd with their friends

The four of them hung out together and got closer

Believes Adrien in pastels is one of the purest things on Earth

When Marinette and Luka entered the flexing contest, Kagami had to keep Adrien and herself from fainting

When Luka asked her, Marinette, and Adrien to be his significant others she tried to resist the urge to jump and squeal, but couldn’t hold it in

Likes it when Marinette wraps her trans flag around her. It’s so warm

Chased off a protester and TERF with her sword. They said some shit about Marinette being ‘fake’, Luka being ‘greedy’, and Adrien being a ‘pansy’, and she just snapped / While screaming in rapid Japanese, she chased about fifty protesters away. Her SOs were so proud.

Sabrina: The Ginger Gent 👑🏳️‍🌈

She/Her, He/Him in Drag- PanRomantic

Rolls around in glitter, as is a Drag tradition

Dresses in drag. / The Ginger Gent is her drag king name and she’s got like a glam rocker theme going on

Sequined leather jacket, coiffed toupee, glitter makeup

Started doing drag when she was twelve. Her dad supported her wholeheartedly and even entered her in junior drag contests. She took first place three times

Sometimes puts on private drag shows for Chloé. (Nothing weird!)

Marinette helps makes most of her costumes

Luka’s partner in Drag / Together, they kick ass and still look glamorous

A makeup expert (Next to Marc)

Roger taught her self defense / If you're going to Pride, learn to fight

Has taken down thirty protesters, his hair still looks awesome, and there's not a sequin out of place.

Chloé: The Badass Polysexual Demigirl 💖💚💙

She/Her and They/Them

Not really that attracted to guys

Best dressed. / Marc/Luka/Sabrina: She wishes!

Only allows Marc to do their makeup, no one else!

She has her own float in the parade / She passes out rainbow boas

Taking names and kicking butt

Has actually choked a protester with their flag and they don't do a thing about it since they're the mayor's child

Chloe: It pays to have political power. / Marinette: In this situation.

Doesn't tell people, but they came to Marinette, Nino, and Kim about gender stuff when they were questioning their identity

The day was spent teaching Chloe about the trans spectrum until she found the gender that felt right to her

Whenever Chloe gets excited, she makes out with the first girl she comes across. / Many young female protesters started questioning things when the blonde's lips grazed against theirs'

#miraculous ladybug #lgbt headcanons #everyone is gay #happy pride 🌈 #love is love #nathaniel x marc #rose x juleka #marinette x adrien x luka x kagami #kim x max #trans Kim #trans Nino #trans Marinette #brotp #lukadrinette #lukadrigaminette #lgbt pride #lgbtq #lesbian #gay #bisexual #transgender #pansexual #asexual #nonbinary #Aromantic #akuma class #polyamory

[tsuki-chibi]

Post-Reveal Revelry Day 22: Glass

Read them all on AO3

—-

“So what is this exactly?” Chloé said dubiously, looking around at the collection of booths in the park.

“It’s a craft fair!” Marinette said brightly, seemingly immune to Chloé’s skepticism. “I can’t believe you and Adrien have never been to one before.”

“Just a coincidence, I guess,” Adrien said, exchanging a look with Chloé. He thought that the craft fair sounded like fun, and it was definitely right up Marinette’s alley, but he didn’t think his father would’ve been thrilled to know that Adrien was here. Gabriel tended to look down on homemade crafts unless they were from someone as naturally talented as Marinette.

“Well, you’re both going to love it,” Marinette said determinedly, linking her arms through Adrien’s left arm and Chloé’s right arm. She pulled them along with her before Adrien or Chloé had the chance to say anything, dragging them right up to the first booth.

Adrien looked at the collection that the booth was offering, realizing that it was a selection of scarves and other knitted products – or maybe it was crochet. He couldn’t tell. But what he did know was that none of the available stuff could even hold a candle to what Marinette was capable of. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Chloé opening her mouth and stepped around Marinette to jab Chloé in the ribs.

“Ow,” Chloé said, pouting at him. Adrien just rolled his eyes back at her and then jerked his chin towards the person manning the booth. They were involved in a conversation with Marinette already, but that didn’t mean they’d be deaf to what Chloé had to say.

“Come on. Marinette is going to be a while,” he said, recognizing the signs of Marinette settling in for a good long chat. The craft terms being tossed around right now were going way over Adrien’s head. He and Chloé could keep walking around while she was talking, and then Marinette could catch up with them when she was done.

“Oh fine,” Chloé said, falling into step beside him. “What do you want to look at then?”

“Umm…” Adrien looked around, searching for a booth to hold their interest, and smiled when he saw just the right one. “Hey, look. They’re selling merchandise of the Miraculous team.”

“What?!” Chloé’s head whipped around. Her eyes lit up with excitement when she saw that there was some Queen Bee merchandise available, and for the second time that day Adrien found himself being dragged around by a girl. But that was okay. He was just as excited to see the Chat Noir merchandise.

“Oh my god, look at this one!” He pointed to a figure of Chat Noir right in the middle of use Cataclysm. The effect of Cataclysm had been recreated using some kind of black glass that glittered in the light. It looked really cool.

“You should buy it,” Chloé said. She was holding a fat pillow shaped like a bee and a small keychain shaped like an exaggerated version of Queen Bee. Adrien was also surprised to see her holding similar keychains of Ladybug, Chat Noir, Carapace, and Rena Rouge. He looked at them questioningly.

“You’re getting all five?”

Chloé’s cheeks turned a bit pink. “Lahiffe and Césaire couldn’t come,” she said stiffly. “And it’s only for one day, so…”

Growth! Adrien wanted to hug her, but he decided that doing so would probably embarrass her. So he just nodded and said, “And who is the Chat Noir one for?” He gave her his best set of cute kitty begging eyes.

“I haven’t decided yet,” Chloé said teasingly, because she was more immune to the kitty eyes than Marinette was. “Maybe Marinette would like it.”

It was Adrien’s turn to blush, but he recovered quickly. “Does that mean I can have the Ladybug one then?”

“Pfft, no way. The Ladybug one is mine,” Chloé said.

Adrien pouted. “Mean! Is there another one?”

“Nope. It’s the last one.” She grinned and stuck out a finger, letting the keychain dangle from her finger tauntingly. Adrien tried to grab it and she laughed and pulled away just in time.

“Chloé!” he whined.

“Sorry, Adrikins. Gotta be faster than that. Maybe if you pay for me, I’ll think about sharing.” She stuck her tongue out from a couple feet away.

Adrien sighed but nodded because the keychain really was cute, and took his wallet out. “Fine. You drive a hard bargain, but you win.”

“Excellent! Then you should totally buy that Chat Noir figure out were looking at and the matching Ladybug one,” Chloé said, appearing back at his side as though by magic.

Matching Ladybug?!

Adrien took it back. Chloé wasn’t mean. She was a genius.

#miraculous ladybug #marinette dupain-cheng #adrien agreste #chloe bourgeois #post-reveal #postreveal2022 #post-reveal revelry

[uptoolateart]

Adrien's Fight for Self-Control

So, you’ll know by now that I have an Adrien obsession, because my inner child just relates to him so hard. I’ve wanted to talk about his fight for self-control for so long, and Season 5 is pushing the issue further – so here goes!

Warning: This is one of my long ones! I've broken it up with some fanart :) I’ve also posted it in 3 separate parts, for easier reading.

Childhood Programming

Let’s get the basics out of the way. Adrien was home schooled for years, enabling his parents to select his friends for him - Chloe and Felix. The first decision Adrien makes on his own is to go to school. Plagg calls him strange for it, but it isn’t about school – it’s about those precious hours out of the house, without being watched, and being able to choose his own friends.

All his talents were chosen for him – fencing, piano, Chinese, etc. His career in modelling was forced on him. Even when he admits to Plagg that he wants to quit, he attends an expo looking for food booths, trying to find an identity through his kwami.

We see in ‘Wishmaker’ that he only ever wanted to be was what his parents wanted him to be. This implicates Emilie, too. Adrien didn’t just learn how to do all these things overnight, and he wasn’t home schooled only since she died. At the very least, Emilie allowed Gabriel to dictate their son’s life. One way or another, she had a hand in Adrien’s oppression.

Imprisonment

I’ve pointed out before that Adrien’s bedroom windows are covered in bars, and as Cat Noir he’s often shown using his cataclysm to break through bars. Keeping him at home all those years and moulding him into someone he’s not is another form of imprisonment – but so is the state of grief.

He doesn’t know it, but his home is a mausoleum, with Emilie’s body in the basement and statues in the garden. He’s trapped by the memories of his mother, and his father’s inability to move on. Adrien can’t live, can’t breathe. And for the longest time, I think he’s been trapped inside himself, struggling to get out of the shell that is the brand Adrien Agreste or even the character he made for himself as Cat Noir.

The Twin Rings

This is not to speak of the rings, which give literal control over Adrien in episodes like ‘Ephemeral’ and ‘Risk’. And let’s recall that Emilie had one of these, which again implicates her. I noted in Season 5 that Nathalie still wears the ring Gabriel passed to her in ‘Risk’. Chekov’s gun tells us that is definitely coming back. If she wanted, just what could she do to him?

Felix stole one of these rings, which was him trying to take back control of himself. Getting the peacock miraculous furthered this, and it waits to be seen what he’ll use it for. It’s clearly more than just self-protection. Adrien isn’t even there yet, but we know he will eventually surpass his cousin – because Adrien is not out for vengeance and hurt. I fully expect him to have a dark moment, but he will overcome it, because kindness is one of his greatest innate strengths.

Adrien’s Friendship Group

Moving outside the Agreste Mansion, let’s look at Adrien’s friendship group. How many times do they make decisions for him, or push him to do things he feels uncomfortable about? Even though we all know Nino means the best for him, in ‘The Bubbler’ he pressures Adrien into the birthday party that goes wildly wrong, and in ‘Party Crasher’ he leads all the boys to pressure Adrien into a secret shindig at the mansion.

All of this comes from the heart, of course – but these aren’t Adrien’s decisions. They’re Adrien being bossed around, just by people who mean better than his father.

Ladybug

We all know Ladybug bosses him around all the time, too. Worse than this, she repeatedly uses him, for instance as a weapon, and he sacrifices himself over and over again. We’re seeing this change in S5, the crucial moment being in ‘Reunion’ when Pharoah throws Cat down and Ladybug expresses concern that he got hurt. I’m pretty sure this is the first time she ever stopped to consider that he wasn’t invulnerable and might actually appreciate some care for his wellbeing. It was a long time coming, and ultimately it came about through Cat getting some self-respect and showing her that he was worth caring about. As long as he allowed her to boss him around, she was never going to stop. I don’t think it was done out of cruelty – she just had to learn.

Kagami

Kagami has never been shy and retiring. In ‘Frozer’ she tells Marinette that you have to be decisive and go after what you want. The way she talks about Adrien as her ‘target’ implies that she doesn’t really see him for him. He’s just an object of conquest, because this is how Ms Tsurugi has trained Kagami to think.

Kagami forces herself on Adrien, pushing a kiss on him that leaves him flustered, and he tells her he wasn’t ready. He dates her because she basically tells him to and he doesn’t know how to tell anyone no, at that point. In ‘Lies’ she pushes him against a wall and tells him that the silly side to him isn’t who he really is – ‘this is who you are’ (an intimidated mess totally cornered with no room to breathe or even stand up straight). He goes as far as asking, ‘Do you really think…?’ as if she might know who he is better than he does. But he ducks out of the situation and escapes, which is a key moment of development for him.

Even so, he doesn’t have the nerve to end things. Kagami is the one who dumps him. She calls all the shots. By the end of the season, in ‘Risk’ she calls him and tells him off for letting Felix literally take his place to stand up to his father, to enable Adrien to hide from his personal responsibilities. After barely seeing her through most of the season, she finally acknowledges that she pushed him around when they dated, and he let her and it was wrong. We can assume she spent the season self-reflecting on how badly she acted…but she’s right that it was half his fault. He enabled the behaviour, because that’s what he’s groomed for.

Ironically, the only reason he rushes back to the mansion to take back his identity after Felix stole it, and stand up to his father, is because Kagami told him to. I’m relieved Adrien didn’t get the chance to confront his father in that episode, because it would not have come from him. We’ll get back to this later.

Becoming Cat Noir

As Cat Noir, he gets the opportunity for some degree of freedom, although it leads to a similar situation – again, he’s a celebrity icon no one truly knows. He can’t be himself – he’s a character.

In S5 we saw Ladybug and Cat Noir go back in time and meet Master Fu without him knowing their identities. It got me thinking – did he remember them from that and did it lead to his judgments in who to choose as the miraculous holders, later on?

Then I was thinking for the umpteenth time: why did he select Adrien for the cat? He must have watched Adrien and Marinette for a time before entrusting them with such responsibilities. He had to have known who Adrien was – he’s a global celebrity, after all. Maybe he saw the pretty perfect boy and thought this kid needs to get out more and have some fun – there’s a fire in his eyes that needs expression. Maybe he saw the goodness in there, too.

I can’t help but think Adrien has this self-destructive streak, which pairs well with his power. It’s almost like someone said, let’s give you the ultimate power of destruction and see what you do with it. Because he could very well use that cataclysm on himself, or his father. We’ve seen this hinted at multiple times, such as in ‘Guilt Trip’ and ‘Cat Blanc’. But when that power is literally in your hands, not just theory…could you actually use it?? This is Adrien’s test. I’ll touch on this more, later on.

Emotions

So, we’ve looked at how Adrien is controlled, and struggling to take back that control over his own life. But self-control is also about managing your emotions.

We see moments like in ‘Sentibubbler’ when he smashes down a wall and stares at it in surprise, like he didn’t even realise he had that in him. In New York, he cataclysmed Uncanny Valley and realised for the first time that he’s basically a god of destruction. It hadn’t previously occurred to him just how far his power could go – he doesn’t remember ‘Cat Blanc’. From that point onward, we saw him have more and more of these ‘dark’ moments where he loses control of himself because his feelings best him.

This also comes out in the way he forces his feelings on Ladybug. But in ‘Glaciator 2.0’ and then ‘Kuro Neko’ he comes to terms with this and begins to change. We could see Kuro Neko as a symbol of how far he let it all blow up – but by the end, it’s just a tiny black kitten in need of tender care. That’s what Adrien is inside.

Similar to the cataclysm, part of Adrien’s journey is learning the art of restraint. Only someone in total self-control can truly wield the power of destruction.

Strike Back

The moment at the end of ‘Strike Back’ changed him, letting him see that Ladybug had actually been struggling with self-control all that time too. I mean, we could write a whole essay on that too, but briefly: as Marinette and as Ladybug, she comes up with all these elaborate schemes and dictates what should happen, as a means of controlling the outcome of literally everything. When things don’t work out as she planned, she melts down. This is classic anxiety. She needs to learn to let go more, and we see this happening in S5, especially in ‘Passion’ when she is paralysed and it’s down to Adrien to come up with all the ideas and release the akuma.

But sometimes you need to break completely before you can build yourself up again, and that’s what happens in ‘Strike Back’ when she has that panic attack. This is also the first time Adrien steps up and takes charge – simply by being kind. This is his true identity, after so much time trying to figure it out.

That strong stance at the end, just showing her that he will never stop being there for her – letting go of all the romance and seeing what really matters, being her friend – that was powerful. Remember moments like in ‘Party Crasher’ when Fu told him to think sensibly and not go rushing in, and Cat stared blankly before hurling himself at the villain and getting captured. In ‘Strike Back’ he could have done something similar – gone after Felix, for instance. But Adrien pushed all of that aside, took responsibility and just showed up for Ladybug. When she looked at him with new eyes, it was because she was seeing a Cat Noir in total control of himself and his emotions.

Alliance

This paves the way for a new Adrien in S5. At the end of S4, in ‘Risk’ we saw Marinette show him understanding and support about his frustrations with his father dictating his life. In S5, far from just doing what Kagami told him to do, Adrien thinks of Marinette’s words of encouragement and he makes the decision for himself – to quit modelling. It’s on his own terms. We can also see this as the direct result of him being forced into cataclysming a human for the first time, which we’ll look at next. The point is: he’d had enough.

Unfortunately, Adrien’s freedom is granted via Gabriel designing Alliance. Now Adrien is owned by just about everyone. And let’s not overlook the fact that this is all done via rings. There were first two rings wielding power over him, and now there are millions. In a story where identity is such a strong theme, this is an act of identity theft in perhaps its darkest form. Not just that, but in ‘Elation’ we see fans chasing Adrien down the street again, thinking they know him or have a stake in him.

Importantly, I believe Marinette is the only one not wearing one of these rings. She is the only one not trying to own him – and this is paralleled by her making the decision to let him go as a love interest.

Cataclysm

We can’t look at this subject without examining ‘Cat Blanc’ – particularly that moment when Hawk Moth revealed himself as Gabriel and Cat’s first impulse was to cataclysm his own father, in full knowledge of who he was. He stopped himself at the last second – but it was foreshadowing. Similarly, Cat struggling to decide who he should listen to and obey, Ladybug or Gabriel, was foreshadowing.

Jump to S5, in ‘Destruction’ Ladybug made a complicated plan (again without telling Cat in advance) that involved tying him to Monarch, cataclysm charged as a threat. I think this was probably Ladybug’s worst moment, and I do hope the show has her reflect on things like this, as the series goes on.

Monarch is the one who forces the cataclysm. Adrien has now initiated his own father’s slow painful death, completely against his will. It’s a turning point, because then in ‘Jubilation’ after Cat’s dream is shattered, he knowingly and purposely launches his cataclysm at Darker Owl. He stops himself at the last second, but you can see it in his eyes – he nearly lost control and he’s terrified by the power of his own rage.

As an aside, when that dream fades, we could see this as Adrien being forced to give up the dream of being with Ladybug. It’s no coincidence that the very next episode is ‘Determination’, where he’s moving on to Marinette.

Exaltation

And now we push on to ‘Elation’, a strange title choice in English when the original French title ‘Exaltation’ is a word in English, as well.

I prefer ‘Exaltation’ because of its additional meanings:

1.       A feeling or state of extreme happiness

2.       The action of elevating someone in rank or power

3.       The action of praising someone or something highly

Moreover, in astrology exaltation refers to the state of total awareness in relation to a particular planet – in other words, owning the qualities that planet symbolizes.

Not only was this episode about the joy Marinette and Cat Noir both felt for a while, but Adrien / Cat’s elevation as a person when he exercised the greatest self-control he could.

He gets his wish – Marinette kisses him – but he stops the kiss because it’s the right thing to do (as I’ve discussed in a previous post). He had exactly what he wanted, but he refused to have it on deceptive terms. He won’t push someone else around the way he’s been pushed around all his life.

This is not a needy Adrien / Cat Noir. He’s not reached his full potential yet, but he is definitely well on his journey.

Owning Your Cat Blanc

Finally, I leave you with a brief extract from my fic ‘Breaking Free’, where I explored the theme of Adrien’s need to own his Cat Blanc. The truth is that we all have one and we can’t just get rid of it. That potential is always in Adrien and that’s part of what he’s battling with.

We’re unlikely to see anything like this in the show so directly, but this is what I’m waiting for symbolically, expressed however the writers want to do it:

‘Cat Blanc,’ he said, bold enough to be heard over the sound of metal beginning to collapse beneath them. ‘I’ve been afraid of you ever since Marinette told me about you. But that’s just because I’ve been afraid of losing control. If I’m a blank slate….’ He glanced down for a moment, then gave a brief laugh and met Cat’s eyes again. ‘That means I don’t have to live up to anyone’s expectations. I don’t care what my father thinks anymore.’

He paused and savoured that epiphany. ‘I truly don’t care. He’s not even my father. He’s just the figure in this reality who’s been tasked with raising me. But I’m something beyond just his son Adrien, and he’s something beyond being just my father. There’s more to be explored.’

Then, without giving his former opponent time to respond, Adrien leaned in and embraced Cat Blanc, speaking softly over his shoulder. ‘I don’t want to defeat you. I accept you. You’re flawed – but you’re part of me, and that’s okay. I never wanted to be perfect anyway. I’m not afraid of you anymore.’

Come on, Adrien - you're nearly there!!!

#miraculous #miraculous meta #miraculous theory #miraculous thoughts #miraculous ladybug #mlb fandom #mlb theory #mlb thoughts #mlb meta #ml meta #ml theory #ml thoughts #ml fandom #miraculous fandom #adrienette #adrien x marinette #adrien agreste #ml Adrien #ladrien #miraculous ladybug adrien #marinette dupain cheng #marichat #chat noir #chat blanc #ladybug and chat noir #miraculous chat noir #cataclysm #cat noir #ml cat noir #ml fanart

[pengirl91]

Adrien was not the biggest fan of the new Ladybug movie script.

I haven’t posted in a while but since episode 5 aired, I’ve been able to continue my after the credits series. Here’s a snipit from the latest chapter. Full series on AO3. 

“I can’t Rena. My heart belongs to Ladybug.” Adrien said into his microphone. At least this line he could say properly. They had had to do many takes of the scene leading up to the kiss between Rena Rouge and Cat Noir. He was still angry about it but at least the rest of the movie would somewhat make up for it.

Elena, the teenage girl they had found to voice Rena Rouge, sighed into her microphone in the other booth. They had thought that having them hear each other’s lines may help him with his delivery. It hadn’t.

“One day, you’ll realize you love her more than she loves you and you’ll want more. Find me when you do.” Elena read. She was good. She hadn’t needed the extra takes to deliver the words with believable sincerity. She, along with everyone, must be so frustrated with him.

“You just don’t know her the way I do.”

“Maybe you don’t know her as well as you think.”

“Cut.” The director, Steve, said after a beat. It was the end of the scene and Adrien hoped they could move on to the next one this time. “Let’s take a break.” That worked too. Adrien let out a long exhale in relief and removed his headset to go out into the main room where the food table was. He made a beeline for the cheese but was stopped by Elena.

“Hey Adrien, you seemed off your game today with that scene. You ok?”

“I’m sorry. I’m just having a hard time figuring out what’s going through Cat Noir’s head.”

“What do you mean?” Elena blinked. She was kind. He shouldn’t let the fact that she was playing Rena the way the director wanted impact how he viewed her.

“He just lets Rena kiss him, he cheats on Ladybug. I just don’t see him doing that.”

“He doesn’t know that that’s what Rena was going to do. He stops it the second it starts.”

“But why all this doubt about him and Ladybug? Why is she treating him like this?” He gulped. Some of the stuff in the script hit a little closer to home than others.

“It sounds like you’re not sure what Ladybug is thinking. Which is exactly what Cat Noir would be thinking too I think.”

He didn’t know what to say to that so he opted for no reply at all.

Elena smiled at him. “Or maybe you’re over-thinking things, it’s just a movie after all.”

“Right.” He forced a smile. She turned away from him to get to the food and snuck Plagg some cheese. She was right. It was just a movie and sure, the real Ladybug kept secrets from him and maybe he felt a little underused these days but Ladybug had said she needed him. He made it more fun. She appreciated him. He repeated her words to him again in his mind and got back into the recording booth.

“Let’s try it one more time. From the moment Rena arrives.” The director ordered.

Great.

#ml fanfic #miraculous fanfic #miraculous ladybug

[sturchling]

How MDC Actually Started

Got this idea from a post from @flufflepuffle296

It was so awesome, I had to write it out! Hope you like it! Let me know what you think!

Ever wonder how MDC was formed? This is the story of its formation, and why Marinette started the brand. 

Nino had been miserable for several days now. He and Alya had just broken up. He had realized that Lila was lying about everything and tried to warn Alya. After all, Alya had been posting Lila’s lies on her blog without fact-checking. That could ruin Alya’s credibility and really damage her chances of becoming a journalist. He had pulled Alya aside after school one day to warn her privately. “Alya, you need to hear this. Lila has been lying to you; to all of us. You should pull down those interviews with her from your blog, they could hurt your reputation.” Alya got an irritated look on her face, “Nino, did Marinette get to you? Lila wouldn’t lie to us; we are all friends. How could you accuse Lila without any proof?” Nino, admittedly, got a little defensive at this comment, “What do you mean what proof do I have? What proof do you have that she is telling the truth? Proof is a two-way street, and you are a journalist. Where are your sources?” To say the conversation devolved from there would be an understatement. It ended with the young couple breaking up and more than a few tears being shed on both sides.

 --------------

For the next several days after the confrontation, Nino was miserable. He was taking the break up pretty hard. Eventually, his friends got tired of seeing him mope. Adrien, and Marinette invite him to a music festival that weekend, hoping it might get Nino out of his funk. They knew he had really wanted to go to this festival, and that he was a fan of several of the artists that were playing there. But when they got there, while Nino was enjoying himself, he couldn’t help but feel like a third wheel. Marinette was having a hard time hiding her crush, and Adrien was still being dense, but it felt like Nino had crashed a date. So, he made an excuse to the two and wondered off on his own. It was then that he met Emilia. They were both listening to the same person’s set and just started talking. The end of the festival felt like it came too quickly, but soon it was the end of the day and everyone had to leave. Nino and Emilia ended up exchanging phone numbers and promising to talk soon. Nino left the festival a lot happier than when he arrived.

  --------------

Over the next several days, Nino’s mood continued to improve. He was constantly smiling and seemed to be much happier. He and Emilia had been texting everyday since the festival and had grown quite close. They were constantly texting, and anytime his phone went off with another text notification, his smile grew wider. This did not escape the class’ notice and they started hounding him for details. “Who is she?” “Where did you meet?” “What is she like?” Nino was very tight lipped about the whole thing. He did tell them that her name was Emilia and that she was very kind and really like music too. The class kept pestering him until one day he told them, “Since you dudes keep bugging me, me and Emilia are going on our first date.” Most of the class, except for Alya and Lila, got really excited hearing that. Alya was unhappy that her ex already had a new date, and Lila was ‘supporting her bestie’. The class pressed Nino for details and he revealed, “We are going to that little café near the Louvre at 3pm next Saturday.” The class was very happy for Nino and kept talking with him for the rest of the day.

  --------------

Adrien and Marinette were very excited for their friend. They also wanted to make sure that the date goes smoothly. They thought the best way to know how the date goes, is to be there themselves. They spent the rest of the week coming up with their plan. When Saturday came, Adrien and Marinette arrived at the café about ten minutes after Nino or Emilia sat down, and slipped into booth so that Nino had his back to them. They were far enough away that they hoped the couple wouldn’t notice them, but close enough that they could still hear what they were saying. What Adrien and Marinette hadn’t anticipated was the arrival of Luka. Luka walked into the café and immediately noticed Marinette and Adrien trying to be discrete. He walked over to their booth, and Marinette immediately dragged him down into the booth. She quietly explained the situation to Luka, and he decided to stay for the rest of the date as well.

  --------------

That Monday, Nino came into the school and walked right up to Marinette and Adrien, who were talking with Luka in the courtyard. “Dudes! The date went great! We had such a fun time and we have a lot in common! We even decided to go on another date on Saturday. While Nino continues going on about his date, the three friends exchange eye contact. A silent pact was made right there, to continue their spying on Nino’s dates. So, the small group of three kept spying on Nino and Emilia during their dates.

  --------------

Eventually, someone became suspicious of their activities. But it wasn’t Nino or Emilia. It was Chloe. Chloe had noticed that Adrien kept disappearing every Saturday. She had no idea where he would be every single Saturday. They didn’t have school, there was no fencing on the weekends, and he didn’t have Chinese lessons on the weekend either. It couldn’t be photo shoots this often either. So, one Friday, Chloe stopped Adrien on his way to class and demanded to know what was going on. When Adrien filled her in on their weekly stalking of Nino and his girlfriend, Chloe was very interested and wanted to join the little group. And so, the group of spies now had their fourth member. The small group continued to stalk Nino and Emilia on all their dates. The group felt a little guilty about being so invasive, but this was incredibly entertaining. They were just happy they hadn’t been caught yet, because that would be embarrassing.

  --------------

Then, one weekend, Emilia arrived at the usual café before Nino. She had noticed that the same group had always been at the café for every single date she and Nino had been on. She had also noticed how much this group was desperate not to be seen by either of them. She approached them and asked, “What is going on? You guys are always here during our dates. What are you guys up to?” Que the group beginning to panic that they had been caught. They hadn’t thought up an excuse in case this happened and now they were regretting it. In her panic, Marinette managed to blurt out, “We’re starting a fashion business!” Emilia looked at them skeptically, “Really?” It was too late to stop now, so Marinette continued with the story, “Yes! I am the head designer, Chloe and Luka are the models and Adrien is going to do the PR!” Emilia didn’t look convinced at all.

  --------------

Emilia hadn’t bought their story about the fashion business. But she didn’t think they meant any harm, so she would just let it go. She turned to leave, only to stop as Nino arrived and walked over to Emilia and the small group. He seemed confused when he saw his friends, which he was. “Hi dudes. What are you all talking about?” Before the small group could answer, Emilia jumps in saying, “Oh, these guys are starting a fashion business.” Nino is a little surprised by that, but just says, “Cool. Can’t wait to see what you dudes come up with!” With that he takes Emilia by the hand and heads to their usual table.

  --------------

Now the small group was really panicking. They didn’t have many options right now. The first option is that they continue the lie and try to hide their real intentions. The second option is to admit to the spying and tell Nino what they had really been doing. Neither option sounded very appealing. But then, Chloe interjected, “Well, why not make the lie come true. We could actually start a fashion brand. Then we aren’t lying to Nino, and most importantly, he will never find out we were stalking him. Marinette could finally launch her fashion brand. We would all get some work experience, and if all goes well, we might even get some money out of the deal. If Marinette’s brand actually takes off, we could make a lot of money.” The group seemed very apprehensive about it, Marinette especially. But with a little more convincing from Chloe, the rest of the group agreed to give it a try. Marinette spoke up, “Wait, what should we call the brand?” Chloe just rolled her eyes, “That is obvious, we can use your initials. Way easier to make logos from initials.” Adrien says, “Yeah, that is a good idea Chloe. Her initials would be perfect. The brand can be called MDC.” Slowly, the other members of the group started to grin. Marinette looks at everyone and says, “So, everyone ready to launch MDC?”

  --------------

After that, MDC took off pretty quickly. With the daughter of the mayor of Paris and Adrien Agreste backing the brand, how could it not do well? It wasn’t until a few years later, that Nino found out how all of this had happened. It was during an interview with the small team that this whole story came out. After Marinette finished telling the long story, Chloe summed it up, “Essentially, this whole thing started because we were spying on a friend of ours’ on his date and his girlfriend cornered us one day. It made us all panic and then Marinette just blurted out that we were starting a fashion brand. So, we actually started one to keep Nino from finding out.” Nino and Emilia were sitting at Nino’s place watching the interview and they were shocked. This is the first they had heard about any of this. The couple got a good laugh out of the story. To think that MDC, a now major fashion brand, never would have been made if Emilia hadn’t cornered Marinette and made her panic. So, that is the story of the formation of MDC. It wasn’t a revenge plot or anything dramatic. It was simply the result of Marinette panicking. It was without a doubt the best result of any of Marinette’s panicked moments.

#ml #ml fic #ml fanfic #ml fandom salt #ml salt #ml salt fic #ml salt fanfic #nino sugar #adrien sugar #chloe sugar #alya salt #lila salt #lila rossi #MDC #miraculous ladybug #miraculous fic #miraculous fanfic #miraculous salt #miraculous salt fic #miraculous salt fanfic #miraculoustalesofladybugandcatnoir

[pawsitivelymiraculous]

Four pictures worth one thousand two-hundred and eighty two words

This is the Valentine's piece for @bunathebunny!!! I hope you like it :D Also thank you @eat0crow for organizing this event.

Ao3

Marinette looked at the photo strip of paper in her hand, which had four pictures in it, and smiled. Because if one picture alone was a thousand words. Then those four were a story.

One with the most unexpected beginning. Where she found the love of her life at probably her lowest point.

Being the guardian of the miraculous while still going out as ladybug had been stressful enough but when the end of high school began to approach, Marinette realized that she couldn't handle it all.

People were expecting her to make decisions that would define the rest of her life while Marinette longed for the days when she didn't have the weight of the world on her shoulders.

Marinette felt lost, because she needed to figure out what she wanted to do with her life, alone.

And then she found him.

Jason Todd. Who looked a lot more lost than she did. Who's past had been so dark that Marinette could feel the bad luck and misfortune radiating from him. But within all of that she found beauty, a soul that had been through a lot but still cared.

That's when she found her best friend. The destruction to her creation. They both helped each other and Marinette got to see as the light seeped back into Jason's eyes. The clouds cleared and the real Jason Todd shined through.

Likewise, she had found a balance between her life, a way to achieve her dreams, and her keep responsibilities as guardian.

Jason helped her a lot. He took the Chat noir miraculous after Adrien left to live in London when he was accepted to go to college there. And fought by her side.

The only downside to it all was everyone thinking that they were dating. Not because she didn't like Jason. She did. A lot. But Jason had been through so much that she didn't think it was the right time. So every time one of her friends teased her about how they were basically an old married couple Marinette felt a pang of sorrow knowing that she had once again fallen for a guy who didn't love her back, romantically at least.

It hurt a lot. The years passed and they were still there for one another. But Marinette had to suffer through seeing Jason with random girls. "No commitment" he would say but that didn't lessen the sting.

But Marinette had his friendship, and that was something she treasured. And that she was not going to lose for anything in the world.

Then Jason started to become distant. Before, he basically lived at her house. Now he barely visited. Every time she called him to hang out, he came up with an excuse for why he couldn't. She was losing her best friend and didn't know why.

Had she done something? Did he go back to Gotham without telling her? Both of these options terrified her.

Then after a couple of weeks Marinette decided that enough was enough. She was going to go to Jason's apartment and lure him out to go to a carnival. And god forbid he refused because she was going to drag him there kicking and screaming if necessary.

She was going to get her best friend back.

~♡~♡~♡~

Jason was an idiot. There was no question about it. He was an idiot and Marinette was going to kill him for good this time.

And he deserved it because he had fallen for his best friend.

He couldn't handle it. Every time he saw her he wanted to just look into those beautiful blue eyes and kiss her.

He wanted to kiss her forever, and then marry her and- okay he was really getting carried away.

But since he couldn't do that, Jason avoided her. Which was really stupid because it was probably driving Marinette insane. And that was never good.

Why was he such a… a mess? He wanted to kill Bruce, but couldn't. He left Gotham And wandered aimlessly around the world before crashing into Paris and meeting the most amazing girl in the world. She took him in, cleaned his wounds both literally and metaphorically. And now he was almost purposefully hurting said girl because he was a coward.

Jason wondered just how angry and hurt Mari was at the moment. This was answered a couple of days later when there was a knock on his door.

When he opened it he saw her, Marinette in all her glory looking downright pissed. She examined him, from head to toe, with narrowed eyes. And when she concluded that he looked unharmed she glared at him.

"So he lives." She remarked sarcastically.

"Oh, hey Pixie. What's up?" He said nervously. If looks could kill, he'd be dead and nothing would be able to bring him back.

He needed to get his act together.

"Well you barely talk to me anymore so I came to find your corpse." Ouch "But since you're still here then you're coming with me to the carnival." Her tone made it clear it was not up to discussion.

He tried to refuse anyway. "Actually, Mari. I'm busy right now but maybe next time?"

"No"

"Um what?"

"I didn't ask you to come, I said you're coming with me. So get your keys and let's go."

Needless to say, Jason did as he was told. Pissed off Mari was terrifying.

~♡~♡~♡~

Walking around the carnival was awkward to say the least. Jason didn't talk, and didn't really do much except jump every time they accidentally made contact.

This was very out of character. Her dork would joke about how rigged the games were. Then he would spend hours proving that he could beat them all anyway. Her Jason would laugh, and have fun with her, not stare into the distance while looking like he wished he was miles aways from her.

Marinette's patience was running thin. And when they were in line for the photobooth she finally snapped.

"What the hell is wrong with you?"

Jason looked at like a deer caught in headlights. "Uh, I don't know what you mean."

Marinette fumed "Jason Peter Todd you know exactly what I'm talking about! You've been ignoring me, and acting all strange. " At this point her anger blended with hurt when her voice cracked as she said. "What did I do to you?"

Seeing Marinette's eyes shine with unshed tears broke Jason. "I think I'm in love with you!" He blurted. "Can't you understand? I'm in love with you, and I'm terrified."

Marinette looked at him in confusion. His words barely registered in her head when she looked at his eyes. They looked so confused, but at the same time hopeful and filled with love. Before she knew what was happening, she was moving closer, and so was he. They were millimeters apart when-

"Are you going inside or not?" A man who was behind them in line asked, tapping his foot impatiently. His daughter looked up at him in confusion.

Jason's eyes flashed dangerously, so Marinette grabbed him and pushed him into the booth before he could kill the guy.

Once inside they sat awkwardly. Their moment was interrupted. Should they continue? Should she take initiative? They both seemed to be at loss on what to do.

Then a click and a flash interrupted their thoughts. Marinette looked at the camera, startled. Then she looked at Jason, who had been looking at her intensely. When their eyes met, all of Marinette's worries vanished. She grabbed Jason by the collar and their lips crashed together into a deep and passionate kiss as the camera clicked away.

Ps: I'm still working on the art for this so yeahh hopefully I'll finish that soon.

~♡~♡~♡~ Permanent Tag List ~♡~♡~♡~ 

(If you want to be added please let me know)

@charme-de-malchan , @theatreandcomicfreak , @m3owww , @elliebelliegirl , @genevieve-the-demonologist, @vixen-uchiha , @t1dwarrior-of-earth , @waffleyunsure , @technicallyburninggarden , @azuremayscarlet , @vroomtaka , @emimar7 , @ichigorose , @maskedpainter , @art-is-hard-to-do-sorry

#maribat #ml x dc #mlb x dc #jasonette #valentines drabble #jason×marinette #one shot #my writing #my trash writing

[saltymiraculer]

Ceremonial Kisses (Part 1 of 3)

Part 2

So I decided to try my hand at the “Marinette, the princess of China” trope and see how I did! Tell me what you think?

Also, the first chapter is going to be fluffy, the second chapter’ll have a sprinkling of salt, and the third chapter will be a mix of piles and piles of salt and some fluff. Be warned!

.

“I’ve got a big, big, big announcement for you today, class!“ Bustier chirped, clapping her hands to get their attention. “China’s princess will be coronated in a week and a half, the day she turns 18, as many of you know, and one class from the school will be selected to travel to China and watch the ceremony. Guess which class it was?“

“Uhhh…Mme. Mendeleiev’s!“

“Ooh, M. D’Argencourt’s? They’ve wanted that trip for weeks!“

“No, class, it’s ours! In three days, we’ll board the plane to Asia and have a few days to sightsee and explore, then attend the coronation on the second-to-last day!“

“Wow! Why our class?“ Kim asked.

Marinette knew exactly why. Marc had told her that the entire school was sick of Lila’s lies and wanted to enjoy the coronation without her butting in in the middle of the assembly to tell a ‘story’ about herself.

But she couldn’t just say that.

“You know, I actually know the princess,“ Lila said, immediately drawing the attention of everyone in the room. “But her identity is being kept a secret for now. That’s how we landed the trip!“

“Wow, Lila!“

“That’s amazing!“

“So cool of you.“

“They know that’s stupid, right?“ Alya stage-whispered, earning a glare from Lila’s new puppy–more commonly known as Kim. She shrugged. “I’m just tellin’ the truth!“

Alya, who was now her only other supporter next to Nino (and technically Adrien, but she’d discuss that later–it was very complicated), had decided to Google Lila’s name during a sleepover and found…some rather incriminating Facebook posts.

After that, she was 100% team Marinette and an amazing friend, along with Nino, who had decided that he needed a theme song. No one knew why.

But they loved him anyways!

So while Bustier was rattling off facts about Chinese emperors and kings and queens, Nino was showing them his latest idea to expose Lila.

“Okay,“ he started. “First, we go to China. Then we do our sightseeing and shit, and then. I did some research, and we can ask the princess questions if we’re with a national news channel. Alya’s blog counts. For real, we can talk to the princess of China. And we ask her if she knows Lila.“

“Brilliant plan, Nino. I wonder how the princess will react to a few teenagers in the middle of a crowd of famous people.“

Nino frowned. “The princess is only, like, 17. She’ll probably notice us, Als.”

“Oh, that reminds me, your birthday’s on the same day as the coronation, Marinette! Weird, isn’t it? That you and the princess have the same birthday?“ Alya asked, pulling out her phone and swiping through something.

“Huh, yeah. You’re right. Maybe we can invite her to my birthday party?“

“Ooh, the wiki page says she likes custard buns, and I’m not sure how they know that,“ Nino chuckled. “but make sure to stock up on those.“

“Noted,“ Marinette said drily as Bustier turned to them with a condemning look on her face. “Alya! I hope what you’re doing on that phone relates to the lesson!“

“China’s princess’s identity is being kept a secret because the last two were sent death threats, dangerous items, highly innapropriate items, and several other things that prompted them to not reveal the princess until it was necessary.“

“C-correct, Alya. Good job.“

“Nice!“ Marinette mouthed, high-fiving Alya, who flipped her phone around to reveal a website about the princess.

                                                           -🌸-

The final bell rang as several of the students cheered. One school day until the trip over, three more to go. Alya swung her bag over her shoulder and bumped Marinette’s elbow. “We goin’ to your place to hang out?”

“Yeah, my dad’s out anyways and mom closed the bakery for the afternoon. let’s go!“ Alya took Nino’s hand and walked the short distance to Marinette’s house. They entered and immediately felt something off.

Ah, there it was.

Sabine was leaning over the counter with a cup of very strong-smelling peppermint tea beside her. She was rubbing her temples and muttering to herself in rapid Mandarin.

“Maman? Are you alright?“ Marinette asked worriedly. Alya and Nino stood by the door–they had only seen her like this once before, when her cousin had been run over and killed.

“Yes, dear, everything’s okay, it’s just–there’s something I need to tell you.“

“Oh, no, did something happen to someone?“

“No, no, everyone’s just fine. I can’t not tell you without there being serious problems.“

“So what is it? What’s so important you had to close the bakery?“

“You’re the princess. China’s princess. The one nobody knows about.“

“I’m what?!“ Marinette screeched, grabbing at her hair. “I’m the heir to the throne of the most populated country in the world, and you waited until a week before the coronation to tell me?!“

“Holy shit.“ Alya and Nino said simultaneously. Sabine stared at them, likely just realizing they were there.

“Oh. They know now, too. Perfect, that’s just what we need, a reporter knowing who–“

“Maman! Alya wouldn’t tell a soul, I know she wouldn’t.“

Sabine turned to Alya. “I’m sorry, dear, I’m just stressed. With that trip to China in a few days and all that, we’ll have to close down the bakery for about a week.”

“And we never close down the bakery.“ Marinette finished, putting a steady hand on her mom’s shoulder. “But I know just the person to run it while we’re gone.“

As she was about to say who exactly would run the bakery, Nino backed into the door, wide-eyed.

“Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit. My best friend…holy shit.“

“Nino, I know this is a lot, but we’ll have to stay calm,“ Alya said, grabbing his hand. “So we don’t spill her secret. That’s top priority, all right? Don’t–tell–anyone.“

Nino sighed. “Sorry, babe. This…“ he turned to Marinette. “Do you have any cookies?“

Marinette grinned and led them into the kitchen. “Of course! Chocolate chunk or raspberry frosted?“

“Raspberry, all the way!“

“There’s the Nino I know!“

After a quick cookie interval, Marinette pushed her plate away and sighed. “Anyone up for an impromptu sleepover? You all left a bunch of your clothes here the last few times.”

“Marinette. If you know us, you will know our answers.“ Alya said solemnly.

“Hell yeah. Wanna go choose which terrible rom-com to watch this time?“

They ended up settling on The Kissing Booth, one of Marinette’s personal favorites (”To lighten the tension, you know?” Alya had said. “Although the tension in here probably weighs the same as an obese hippopotamus at this point.”) and made a bowl of caramel popcorn, with a tiny bag of sea-salt Skinny Pop for Nino.

“Sugar on popcorn is a crime, man. I ain’t touching that.“

“You’ve tried it once, Nino.“

“Yes, and I hated it. Is there anything else to be said?“

So they spent the next two hours in a blanket fort that was made almost entirely of throw pillows laughing over Elle and Noah and Lee being idiots, with a few highlights such as the iconic “Ninth grade skirt, eleventh grade body” scene, where Alya snorted and said “You know, Lila’s skipped so much school, might as well be ninth grade brain, eleventh grade work.”

“Too true,“ Nino agreed. “The other day, she called Chloe’s mom Aurora Bourgeois. That was a pretty major mess-up.”

“Shhh! Let’s just watch the movie!“ Marinette said, effectively quieting them down.

They watched the rest in silence with the usual laughs., ending up falling asleep halfway through the second movie, snuggled up on their respective couches. Marinette mother shook them awake the next morning, telling them to take showers and eat breakfast and get dressed and for god’s sake, Marinette, finish your homework.

“Crap, crap, crapcrapcrap! Nino, we’re going to be late if we don’t get ready fast!“ Alya shouted as Marinette ran up the stairs to change. “Can I use your shower, M?“

“Sure!“ was the muffled reply.

After about 10 minutes of running around and shoving waffles in their mouths, they grabbed their bags and ran off to school.

They burst through the door in the nick of time, the bell ringing just as they plunked down their things.

Bustier wasn’t there five minutes into the class, so they started talking.

“Marinette, you have to listen to Nino’s latest track, it’s–“ Just as she was about to describe Nino’s latest track, a bouncy-ball the size of a walrus snashed through the wall, nearly taking off Kim’s head.

There was a cackle from outside. “I am Gradack! You will all feel the same sorrow that I did!“

                                                          -🌸-

The fight was over relatively fast, and everything was calmed down and restored before their next class. Turns out Chat Noir didn’t show, so Marinette had to ask Alya for assistance.

In hindsight, she probably should have picked a better place to transform.

“Tikki, spots on!“ After she transformed, she was about to go to Fu to get one of the Miraculous, when she heard a strangled gasp.

“…shit.“

“My best friend is the princess of goddamn China and Ladybug? What the fuck?! Who are you? How did I not know? When did–“

“Alya, I know the feeling, but you can’t tell anyone. Got it?“

“Nino?“

“Well,“ Marinette paused to think. “Yeah, I guess. I trust him enough. Now, take this and transform!“ she tossed Alya the hexagonal box, and after a quick transformation, they ran off to defeat the saddened graduate of an akuma.

As she said, it was an easy fight.

They comforted the victim with four minutes (each) to spare, then ran back to the locker rooms to transform back.

                                                   Time Skip!

It was the morning of the flight to China, and she was ecstatic. Of course, she had to get up at 3:45 in the morning, but it was worth it–the flight took off at six in the morning, of course.

She could see the logic of wanting to arrive at 12:00, but she would’ve much preferred a red-eye.

Then she wouldn’t have had to stay up all night reading, because no way in hell would she just wake up at 3:45 in the morning.

The alarm would’ve had to go off for hours.

But back to the morning, she poured herself a sasquatch-sized mug of coffee, with about a gallon of cream and enough sugar to put an entire city of diabetics into shock, she started getting dressed.

Trudging around and haphazardly pulling out shirts, she finally decided on a simple red-and-orange flannel, a white t-shirt, and a pair of cropped jeans.

The she downed the rest of her coffee with an apathetic “Bottoms up!” and slapped her cheeks.

She grapped her suitcase and walked outside to where her mother was typing away on a laptop in the pitch-black night.

“Mom, why are you up?“

“Because I have to drive you to the airport, that’s why. And no alarm would be able to wake me up at 3 in the morning.“

“Preach. I’m ready to go, so can we get in the car now?“

After driving to the airport and saying goodbye to her mom, she walked into the airport and immediately saw the group of sleepy teens (and a certain disheveled teacher) leaning on their suitcases, trying not to fall asleep.

Nino and Marinette were already there, their eyelids drooping. The only person who looked properly awake was Sabrina, who was–inevitably–holding a saucer out to Chloé, who was sipping from a teacup.

Alya rolled her eyes and walked over to Marinette and Nino. “Who’re we missing?”

“Kim and Rose. They’re carpooling, so they should be here any minute.“

Just as Marinette had said, a few seconds later, Rose and Kim walked into the airport. Kim was still wearing pajama pants.

                                           Another Time Skip!

“Marinette.“ Alya groaned, shaking Marinette’s shoulders. “Marinette, wake up, we’re here.“

Marinette’s eyes fluttered open. “No. Five more minutes.”

“Everyone else is already off the plane!“

“Shit. Let’s go!“ Marinette said, jumping up, grabbing her purse (which she had recently learned concealed a kwami) and scrambling out the door.

Alya picked up the mini-backpack she now carried (which held Trixx, cookies, and some grape jelly) and followed her out the door.

Almost as soon as they stepped off the plane, they heard a loud wail.

“Great. She’s back on her bullshit.“

“I just can’t believe she would steal that, Lila! It’s so unlike her!“

“M-maybe, but there’s p-proof! Look!“

“Oh, great, what did we do this time?“ Alya asked exasperatedly. They watched as Lila held out the remains of–from what they could see from a meter away–a sketch of an orange mermaid gown with a black lace collar, ripped into quarters and laid out on the ground.

Marinette gasped beside her.

“That’s your dress, isn’t it?“

A small tear made its way down Marinette’s face. “It was going to be for you,” she said softly.

Alya threw her arms around Marinette and rubbed her shoulders. “It’s okay, sweetie. Once you’re princess, we’ll sue her for all she’s worth.”

Marinette detached herself from Alya and wiped her eyes. “Yeah. Yeah, thanks, Alya.”

                                                         -🌸-

Nino stormed up to where Alya and Marinette were standing with a furious expression on his face.

“That fox,“ he seethed. “that bitchy little fox of a liar stole your drawing.“

Marinette chuckled wetly. “Yeah, we know.“

“Are you okay? I know how important they are to you.“

“I’m fine, Nino, and o–who the hell are you?“ A man in an oddly formal suit was standing next to her, holding out a small red envelope.

Marinette plucked the envelope from his fingers, opened it, and read the contents. She looked up and nodded at the suit-wearing guy.

“Good. In that case, Miss Dupain-Cheng, I’m going to need you to come with me.“ Alya and Nino immediately stepped in front of her in a protective shield.

“She’s not in trouble, is she?“

The strange man looked surprisingly amused. “Not at all–but you might want to come with us, too. You as well, headphone-boy.”

Nino put a hand on his chest and gasped in offense.

“Nino. He’s going to drive us to the palace. You’re coming, too, ya doof!“ Nino made a noise of realization and followed them out to where a black limousine was waiting.

They climbed in and drove off.

About five minutes into the drive, he moved his foot to the side, accidentally kicking a black box.

Just as he was preparing his final goodbyes, it sprung open, and inside was a junk food lover’s heaven.

“Dude.“

#ml #ml salt #ml salt fic #marinette dupain cheng #marinette deserves better #alya cesaire #nino lahiffe #alya sugar #nino sugar #lila rossi #lila salt #lila bashing #adrien agreste #adrien salt #adrien bashing #marinette the princess of china #WHY ARE YOU READING THE TAGS

[boldlyanxious]

None the Wiser 2

Masterlist

All fic masterlist

Bruce bio-dad--father-daughter bonding

Her parents pulled themselves together while she changed. She came back down hoping they would be back to normal but their anger and fear seemed to have moved on to calm sadness and trepidation. While she was in her room one of them had made tea and they were sitting close on the couch talking with quiet voices. When Marinette reappeared they sat her down to talk.

"Honey, did you take a DNA test?" her dad spoke first.

"Uh-m yeah. I just sent it off last weekend. Did it come back already?" Marinette asked.

"Was there a reason you did it without telling us?" Sabine asked.

"We have been studying genetics in biology class. I knew both of you have O+ blood but that meant there was still a small chance I could have O-," she took a deep breath that didn't calm the twisting feeling in her stomach. "When I tested my blood in class it showed that my blood was A+. I just wanted to know how but I didn't like the idea of asking because--"

Her voice trailed off instead of finishing. Her parents understood what she was suggesting and pulled her between them. Marinette had been so angry at Lila when she arrived and then she shifted so quickly to confusion based on her parents' moods that she didn't know how to feel. She just sank into the couch and allowed her parents to hug her until her father began speaking again.

"Marinette, your mother wasn't with another man." She looked up at him. "When we decided we wanted children we expected that it would happen but it never did."

"After a series of visits with specialists, I eventually conceived you after using in vitro fertilization." Sabine continued.

"But you never told me." Marinette said.

"No. It didn't matter because when we were successful we took the clinic at their word that biologically you were ours." Tom said.

"They lied? Why?" Marinette asked.

"We don't know." Sabine said.

Her mom went on to explain everything that the man had told them about how he thought they had conceived his child. Her dad went further to tell her of their fears that the man would try to gain custody of her. He said they had plans to call a lawyer but that the man seemed to like he could probably afford a better lawyer. They didn't know what to do yet but they wanted her to always have her phone with the gps activated just in case.

---

Tim didn't catch up to Bruce until he was leaving the patisserie. He pulled him away from the building and directed him to a local diner. He didn't start talking about it until they were seated in a quiet booth.

"So how did it go?" Tim asked.

"I was just going to talk to her parents but she ended up coming in at the end. I got to meet her," Bruce said with a smile.

"I can't believe you rushed over like that. How did they react?"

"They seemed kind of stiff or aloof. But maybe that is just how they are when they aren't serving customers."

"Maybe you went into their home and claimed that their child was actually yours and they think you are trying to take her away from them."

"That seems like a stretch."

"Why else would you rush off to tell them. Did you tell them about the circumstances? Maybe that the situation was not consensual and that you now have custody of Damian from a similar situation."

"Well that seems like an awfully dark take on the situation."

Tim just gave him a look as Bruce finished paying the check and they walked back to the hotel in silence.

---

Marinette was happy that her mask covered so much of her face so no one could really tell that she wasn't as happy as she had been. She did fine when she returned and got everyone to sing to Alya and served the cake, hiding the side that Lila had 'accidentally' bumped. Kitty Section went on and performed all their old hits and a few new ones. Adrien joined them for the songs he was familiar with.

Marinette looked around after they finished and everyone seemed to be having a good time. Her mask worked with everyone except one. Luka could always see right through her dark moods and get her to talk about it.

"Is your mood just from your costume change or is there something else on your mind?" Luka asked.

"I was really angry when it happened but there is something else."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"I'm not sure if I should. Or even if I can."

"Dance with me." He held his hand out to her. "You can talk or not."

So they swayed to the song and Marinette remained quiet. But when it was over she pulled him to the hallway and explained everything her parents had told her. Luka didn't know what to say but he didn't feel like she really wanted to talk about it anymore. Instead he just held her until she pulled away.

She didn't say anymore about it but she seemed to be feeling a bit better about it after talking about it. She had Alya pick the next activity and so everyone excitedly ran out into the night to do the scavenger hunt that Nino helped her make. They all were to be back to the hotel by 11 and they headed back up to the rooms. The desk clerk checked to make sure they all returned and reminded them to keep the noise down for the other guests.

They piled into one of the rooms and turned on a movie. They talked through the first one but went quiet during the second one most of them enjoying the creepy feeling of the scary movie and a few of them drifting off to sleep as it got late. Marinette didn't really like scary movies she snuck away to get her sketchbook instead of watching. She looked up a while later when Adrien came into the room. He got ready for bed but then came and sat by her.

"Are you okay, Marinette? You've been quiet since you got back. Are you still upset about Lila?"

"Not really. I'm not happy about her ruining my dress but that doesn't seem very important right now."

"Okay. I'm here if you need me. Not just for dealing with Lila."

Marinette nodded, not wanting to discuss her parentage any more. They talked about other things for a bit before Adrien told her he would be in trouble if he didn't sleep and looked too tired for the photo shoot tomorrow. Marinette prepared to get up and let him sleep but his hand on her arm stopped her.

"You can stay. It's dark in the other room and they were starting the sequel for those still awake. I know you don't like scary movies."

Marinette continued drawing even though it was very late she didn't feel like she could sleep.

When she woke much later it was disorienting. She knew she wasn't in her bed because the ceiling would be closer to her loft but it was much too soft to be her lounge chair. She shifted to move her sketchbook where it was digging into her side but was prevented by pressure across her midsection. When she turned over she realized she was in the hotel bed. The room was dark because of the curtain being closed with one line of daylight shining into the room directly on to Adrien's blond hair. Just as she noticed him in the bed next to her his eyes opened.

His arm that was over her trailer up her back as he pulled himself to sitting up. His green eyes met her blue ones and he pulled his arm back running his hand through his bed head down to the back of his neck. She knew that meant he was uncertain or nervous. She felt the same as she got out of the bed carefully making sure her pajamas hadn't shifted.

"I'm going to go find some coffee downstairs." Marinette whispered. "Do you want one?"

"Please."

He looked around noting that there were others sleeping in the room besides the two of them. He looked down and checked the time before adding.

"I should get a shower though. My ride will be here very soon."

---

As she was getting their coffees, Marinette was amazed at how well she had managed waking up to her long-time crush sleeping next to her in a bed. She should have had a life changing discovery that took up all her over-thinking power much sooner. As she finished fixing the 2 cups of coffee she turned and then saw the younger man who she had seen with the man who claimed to be her biological father. She could see where he had been sitting with a newspaper when she entered but now he was blocking her way out.

She froze and looked around. She took a step back but with one step her back was against the coffee bar. He was at the opening of the narrow entrance that blocked the counter from the view of the public entrance. He lifted his hands in a surrender motion before speaking but that didn't stop her heart from beating quickly as her fight or flight response triggered her adrenaline. Her parents told her to leave her phone on her at all times but she didn't think it would matter in the hotel. She should be safe here.

"Okay, this was clearly a bad idea but I needed to talk to you."

Marinette said nothing. She was still looking for an escape.

"I told him to wait. I tried to tell him not to go off and talk to your parents without planning but he doesn't always listen." Tim took a breath before continuing. "No one wants to change your life. He simply wants to be a part of it."

"You just expect me to believe you?"

"No. I'm hoping you will give us a chance. Would you be willing to meet him?"

"I did meet him."

"More than an introduction. Maybe breakfast in an hour right over in the dining room. It's a public place with plenty of access to the exits."

"I won't hide anything from my parents."

"You shouldn't hide it from your parents."

---

Marinette carried the coffees back upstairs and tried to calm herself. Most of the party-goes were still sleeping. She snuck around gathering her things but left her bag plainly visible so if it was still there when she woke her friends would notice it. She checked that her phone had a charge and confirmed that she still had the gps turned on before calling her mom to tell her what she was doing.

Her mom really didn't like the idea but eventually caved when Marinette said she was curious about the man. Adrien came out of the bathroom ready to leave for his photo shoot but could hear her side of the conversation when he retrieved his coffee. He paused to give her a concerned look that she waved off.

They ended up walking back down to the lobby together. It has not been an hour but Bruce was already sitting there waiting. She had explained to Adrien that she was meeting with the man but not why. She just told him it made her parents very nervous.

Rather than let her walk up to the man alone Adrien waved Nathalie over and walked up to the man. He introduced himself in an arrogant manner that Marinette had never seen him use. He told him that the only meeting with Marinette would be in the park where his bodyguard would be watching. Marinette just stared at Adrien taking charge like that but the man complied with a smile.

It took a few minutes for him to gather the things but Adrien pulled Marinette after him without waiting for the man to follow. In only a few minutes 3 hotel employees had brought out a table and chairs and set it up under a tree and near the fountain. Marinette remembered to text her parents the change and got a quick response back that it made her mother feel better to know that someone else would be looking out for her since the bakery was too busy for either of her parents to be available.

She walked up tentatively and Bruce motioned for her to sit. He was smiling again but Marinette thought he also seemed a bit nervous about her reaction. She tried to calm herself with deep breaths. This was all happening so fast, she didn't know how to handle it.

"So, I'm assuming your parents told you a little about me." Bruce started off awkwardly.

"Yeah. They told me last night that you think I'm somehow your child."

"Yes, the results of your test were flagged because it was a match to my biological son Damian and a half match to me."

"I don't understand how any of that is possible. I only sent the test in a week ago."

"I own the company who did the testing. Typically it would take time to compile results but since it was a match, I was sent and alert."

"So what do you want from me?"

"I want to get to know you. Possibly have a relationship. Calls and emails. Maybe even visits after a time."

She made a face when he suggested visits.

"Perhaps not just yet on visits. But I could visit. I have other children who would like to meet you. Here, in Paris, if you would allow."

"I'm not sure yet."

"That's fine. Tell me about you. Do you bake like your parents?"

"Well, I can make most of the things from the bakery. And I cook dinner when it is my turn."

"But it's not your passion. What is your passion?"

"Well I really like designing clothes and accessories."

"That's really cool. Do you have any pictures?"

Marinette pulled out her phone and showed him the album that she had set up as a portfolio of sorts. He listened to all she said about each item and asked questions. He was very excited to see the album cover she designed for Jagged Stone and then the picture of her with him when he was wearing his Eiffel Tower glasses. So she showed him the Kitty Section outfits and told how XY tried to steal her design and the band's music. Then she flipped past a few more of her own clothes and gifts for friends until she came to the picture of Adrien in the hat she designed.

"This boy again. Is he your boyfriend?"

"Oh no. Nothing like that. His father held a competition and the prize was having him wear my design on the runway for his brand Gabriel."

He gave her a knowing look as she turned a bit pink but kept scrolling through. He paused a bit longer on a picture of him in a blue scarf.

"He can't know I made that. It was for his birthday but there was a mix up and he thought it was from his father."

"But you couldn't correct the misunderstanding?"

"I could have. But he was so happy that his father got him something like that I didn't want to feel like I was talking that away from him."

"That is very sweet."

He spent a moment just looking at this daughter he had just met and couldn't help but be amazed. He could tell that their time was ending but he wanted to find a way to drag it out. But she was getting restless and the model's bodyguard was mean mugging him.

"Well Marinette, I hope I can see you again during my stay. I would walk you to wherever you are heading, but I think that the bodyguard would like to see us walk away separately."

"I think my parents want to see me anyway."

She reached out to shake his hand. He wanted nothing more than to pull her into a hug but he settled for shaking her hand and briefly putting his other hand on the back of hers before releasing it.

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