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thequietkid-moonie · 6 months

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Can you do Adrien agreste x y/n who is a childhood friend romantic headcanons?

Childhood friend to loves w/ Adrien Agreste

[ HEADCANONS ] [ Miraculous Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir ]

Hehe ~ I like this prompt quite a lot, I just find it pretty cute 🤭 thanks for requesting it! Hope you like it

Want to know something interesting? My bestie is living her own childhood friends to lovers in real life (me envy)

To be friends with Adrien since he was a child it has to be because your family is influential or part of the fashion world, or even has to have a really good relationship with his own, otherwise Gabriel won't allow you to be friend of his son (unless is while Emily is still alive since she is more willing to let you two be friends)

Is probably that you were friends with Cloe too, however she will either don't like you much or think really high of you and think you are above everyone else (like she does with Adrien)

Adrien will appreciate a lot if you treat him as just a friend and not as the son of a famous fashion designer and, later, a model (and, actually, that is when his feelings for you start to grow), he likes just being your friend, for him it doesn't matter much if you are more the shy or introvert type, or if you are more extrovert and energetic he will be more than happy to spend time with you and, at the end, is more likely that he just get used to your own rhythm

As he grows up Adrien tries to stay with you and Cloe as much as posible since you two are his only friends, however once his feelings start to grow as an innocent crush he will just mistook them as enjoying a lot your company and tries to be even more close to you (and it could easily go unnoticed for you two being friends for so long)

Is probably that Emily would notice but decided to don't say anything and just cheerish for you two. Is also probably that Natalie notice his growing feelings for you too, but she doesn't say anything about it neither, mostly because she isn't sure about what to do in that case

As time pass his desire to go to school grows more, one of the reasons is also because he wants to be able to go to school with you (specially if you tell him stories about what you and/or your classmates have done or what you do in school, even if for you is boring for him it isn't). Adrien wants to go to the same school as you and constantly express that to you but is probably that he won't tell you when he finally tries to sneak to go to school since it could be a good surprised (although his excitement won't allow him to hide it for too long)

Once in school he is pretty excited for everything and to make new friend and yet he can't help but be a little clingy with you (as long as you allow him to)

After a while of being in the school and with his new friends it could become more obvious his interest on you, and depending in how you are (how affectionate or just by how comfortable you are around him) people could even start thinking that there is something between you two. Nino, being his closest friend, will probably the one bringing the topic, asking him to already spit it out and say if you two are together or not (followed by Alya and all the rest of his friends if they heard), Adrien insist that there is nothing between you two since in his mind is actually like that, maybe knowing that your friendship is really stronge but he thinks is because is for how long you two had been friends

After that, and since Adrien don't seem to fully identify his feelings, his friends will make their personal goal to push you two together (what doesn't seem too difficult according to them), by trying to help him understand his true feelings and trying to put you two together

From his part, once Adrien finally undestand and accept his feelings he will try to win your heart in the right way, he won't asume that you feel the same and will never dare to force his feeling on you, so, for him, the only right thing to do is court you and try to win your heart (even if his friends insist that you feel the same). He tries to be romantic and affectionate (even if he was already affectionate now it goes with a new meaning)

At the end, for him it doesn't matter much who confess to who, what matter is that you reciprocate his feelings and being able to be in a relationship with you make him feel like when he was a child, like when you used to play together and forgeting about the rest of the world, he feel incredibly happy

#miraculous ladybug x reader #miraculous x reader #mlb x reader #adrien agreste #adrien agreste x reader #adrien x reader #cartoons x reader #cartoon x reader #x reader #x gn reader

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ijustliketoreadstuff · 5 months

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Lila made some investments

In "Protection", Lila reveals herself in a lie by explaining how she has always created the illusion in which she makes it seem like she helps others, when in reality it is everyone else who has been manipulated into helping her. However, back in "Chameleon", after Lila comes to terms with the fact that Marinette would not would not heed her warning and halt any attempts to expose her and all her lies, we see Lila take some time throughout series to make some "investments" to help in her fight against Marinette.

Times when we saw Lila go out of her way to baby sit Alya and Nino's younger siblings in "Time tagger", participate in the special video message for Adrien in "Felix", or attend Sabine's class in "Quilin", were far from moments when Lila was willing to be considerate enough to help others, they were an investment , and sadly, Kagami was now one of them.

(Back in "Perfection", we find out that Lila had come into contact with Kagami, offering both her friendship as well as advice on friendships.)

If Lila was ever to continue her façade and plans to ruin Marinette's life, she needed to not only get closer to those who were the closest to Marinette, but also convince them that she really was just as much of a good person as she pretended to be, resulting in Marinette's words falling on deaf ears if and when she attempted to expose her or tell others she was a fraud, because if she did, how could they believe such horrible things about Lila when they genuinely believe they have seen first hand how kind and considerate she can be.

In regards to Kagami, Lila's plan was simple, to befriend the girl(Kagami) who had lived much of her life in solitude and without friends, while also helping her better understand relationships and bonds, that is, so long as it was under her terms. Lila could have focused her attention on anyone else, but unlike everyone else, Kagami had something no one else in Marinette’s social circle had, a fragile innocence, a lack of experience with friendships, a connection to Marinette that could be twisted into a tragedy(more here), a former relationship with Adrien and a great sense of shame and unfamiliarity in simply living with her own complex emotions, viewing them as a weakness in her pressured life to maintain the image of perfection her family expected her to be.

Lila knew Kagami cherished her friendship with Marinette, but if Lila was to ever sever that connection, she needed to seclude Kagami and convince her that she was the only one in her life to confide in and trust, and that all other friendships in her life were meaningless. Which is why of all the things Lila could have talked to Kagami about in "Perfection", she chose the one thing that not only made Kagami vulnerable, but also damaged the friendships she already had, which was the concept that there were requirements Kagami needed to fulfill in order to NOT be considered someone's friend, requirements that Lila carefully worded on a list to ensure that she couldn't meet, but also make Kagami believe she fit well enough to believe she was never worthy enough to be considered Marinette's friend.

(Some of the things on the list specified that a person does not consider you a friend if they 1. never pick up the phone, 2. use a different language only their real friends will understand. Lila always picked up the phone and she was always straight forward when talking to Kagami, even if it was all a lie)

Although Kagami's situation was resolved near the end of "Perfection", Kagami never realized that the list Lila gave her was absurd, only that a simple misunderstanding had occurred between her and Marinette. Regardless of Lila's plan failing to sever Kagami's bond with Marinette in that moment, the situation still played out in her favor as Kagami's realization near the end of "Perfection" left her willing to accept Lila's friendship with open arms.

Although no one but Kagami knew it was Lila who created the list, it did not matter anymore, it fulfilled it's purpose by making Lila appear as someone who was willing to be what Kagami desperately wanted, a friend who would reach out to her and listen to her.

(Ladybug understood what Kagami desperately wanted, to be heard)

Unfortunately, when Kagami accepted Lila's friendship, it was Lila who placed herself as a friend with a far deeper connection to her than anyone else, and whom Kagami should consider above all others as she alone proclaimed that she viewed Kagami not just as a friend, but a sister. Lila wanted Kagami to feel as if the bond they had as friends was so strong they actually considered each other family, something Kagami had never experienced before but would have likely greatly appreciated and viewed highly.

In "Protection", Lila continued to present herself as someone whom Kagami could really talk to, someone who could always be there for her, and although Lila did not commit to these things wholeheartedly, for someone like Kagami who had lived a lonely life, it was enough just to see a "friend" like Lila show up for even a little in the midst of her busy schedule.

(Kagami appreciates Lila seeing her after practice)

The more Lila was present in little ways, the more she could slowly slip in how Marinette hated her for no good reason and make Kagami question why Marinette, or anyone for that matter, would ever hate someone as "good" and "trusting" as Lila.

The moment Kagami felt comfortable enough to tell Lila of the plans everyone set to help Marinette, was the moment Lila proceeded with her next attempt to sever Kagami's friendship with Marinette, but in order to do this, Lila needed Kagami to feel ashamed of herself, and what better way than by resurfacing the pain of her lost love with Adrien. Lila knew Kagami would never intentionally hurt someone, much less Marinette, but she would if she was akumatized into someone she was not, all Lila had to do was direct Kagami's negative emotions towards Marinette, a chance that came sooner than expected as Kagami confided in her something she could not tell anyone else, her rekindled love for Adrien(more here).

As Lila heard Kagami speak out about her struggles and frustrations, Lila simply looked on and smiled, pleased to see Kagami so vulnerable and secluded from the others as she felt her feelings would only trouble everyone else amidst their efforts to help Marinette and Adrien. Lila had Kagami right where she wanted, all that was left was to give Kagami one more little push, a reminder of how "perfect" she was in the situation.

At the beginning of "Protection", Lila told Kagami she was perfect, and although Marinette and Ladybug are helping Kagami realize that her imperfections were nothing to be ashamed of, it was Lila who reminded Kagami of the duty she had to her family, that she is perfect and must always be perfect, but she would never be truly perfect if she did not cast aside the importance she felt towards Marinette's friendship, the very friendship that led her to lose what she wanted most, Adrien.

(As the akuma approached Kagami, Lila once again tells Kagami how perfect she is, reminding her that she is not like others and must not feel upset, she must suppress her feelings and pain, but in doing so, Kagami's pain would worsen and further attract the akuma.)

All of Lila's lies towards Kagami narrowed down to one simple suggestion, that Marinette lied to her, manipulated her and everyone else, stole Adrien from her and took what could have been a happy and meaningful future, so as a result, she had every right to go against Marinette to take everything back

Near the end of "Protection", as Lila realized Kagami had come back to her senses and was now confronting her about the lies she spoke about Marinette, Lila was still able to convince Kagami that she had no intention to hurt anyone, because regardless of the horrible things she said before about Marinette, it was in this very moment that Lila’s little investment came into play.

Lila did not deny the things she said about Marinette, Kagami knows now that Lila does not like Marinette, but the moment Kagami spoke about how she loved her just as much as Marinette, was the moment Lila knew that what little time she spent in pretending to be a good friend to Kagami had paid off.

Lila genuinely made Kagami believe she cared for her, that there was too much importance in their "friendship", as such, it was not worth losing so quickly, so as a result, Kagami did not end things between them right away, instead, she offered Lila a chance to stay friends if her feelings were genuine, and of course, Lila accepted, not because her feelings were genuine, but because she was not done with Kagami.

Kagami made it clear she was not a puppet for Lila to use, but to Lila, another chance will come along where Kagami can still be used, so long as she is still innocent enough to believe that what they have is a real friendship and not a toxic one, something Lila had ironically previously warned her about within her lie about Marinette.

#miraculous ladybug #miraculous tales of ladybug and chat noir #tales of ladybug and cat noir #lila rossi #kagami tsuguri #thomas astruc #ml ladybug #marinette dupan chang #adrien agrest #ml perfection analysis #ml protection analysis #ml season 5 #mlb s5 spoilers #ml s5 spoilers

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mlbigbang · 4 months

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2023 General Fic Rec List

It’s the end of the year which means it’s finally time for the ML Big Bang’s yearly fic rec lists! We’re really excited to bring you our contributors’ favourite fics started this year to supply you with plenty of reading material while you’re waiting for the Big Bang fics’ publication in January.

drowning (in plain sight) by @buggachat

Everybody had expected Monarch's defeat to be a moment of triumph. Nobody had expected Gabriel Agreste, unmasked and mind frayed from continual abuse of the miraculous, crying out to all who would listen and making Paris certain of one thing: His son, Adrien Agreste, is one of his sentimonsters. And now he's missing. Nobody can find him— not even the superheroes, and not even his closest friends. But Marinette, Nino, and Alya aren't ones to give up so easily. They'll find him, no matter what it takes. (But, geez, would it kill Chat Noir to lend a hand?)

I think most of the fandom already read this fic, but if you haven't, you should give it a try! The angst is balanced by how deeply Adrien's friends (including Plagg and Felix) care for him, and the reunion at the end is so touching.

all of your flaws and all of my flaws (are laid out one by one) by @coffeebanana

Ladybug and Marinette have both been acting strangely since Monarch's defeat, and Chat Noir would give anything to know why—to be able to help them. He just…didn't expect his answers to come when Ladybug drags him to his father's statue in the middle of the night along with a bag full of spray paint.

An incredibly cathartic scene set after the Season 5 finale that is a perfect mix of angst and hurt and comfort! All the emotions are so raw.

Dreaming Wide Awake by @uptoolateart

Gabriel died a hero. He sacrificed himself in the final battle against Monarch. Or so Adrien's been told. At least he has his mother there to help him through the grief. So what is this niggling feeling that this isn't how the story was meant to go? And why does he keep having flashes of another world that lies just beneath their own?

A fantastic follow-up to the Season 5 finale in which Adrien is dealing with the loss of his father, and his relationship with Marinette, in a reality that's not quite right. Incredibly emotional and moving.

All That Glitters by @trishacollins

After - After the dust settles, and things feel a little bit more...permanent. Nathalie thinks back on her mistakes. With Felix as close at hand as he is, she thinks one of them might be fixable.

Every fic should be a Sentibug fic, and that's why I rec this. I love that it runs with the finale of S5 and addresses various characters' feelings about senti stuff, which is the real big question hanging over the end of the season. Well, one of them :)

The moment I knew (I’d no choice but to love you) by @bbutterflies

“He’s dating me,” Nino said, taking Adrien’s hand in his own. Adrien could only stare back at him in shock. “How dare you all force him to come out?” Nino continued, glaring at the reporters. “That was disgusting.” He pulled Adrien over to the car, guided him in, and shut the door behind them. In the relative quiet and privacy of the backseat, Adrien finally processed what had just happened. “So… when were you going to tell me we were dating?”

It's fake dating, but with Adrino!! What's not to like?

The Parable of the Caller by nemali

A week after Hawk Moth’s identity has been revealed, Adrien finds himself with nowhere to go, nothing he can do, and worst of all, strange gaps in his memory he can’t explain. In a stroke of luck, he stumbles upon a burner phone filled with voicemails from one of the Saviors of Paris: Chat Noir himself, who disappeared following Hawk Moth’s arrest. But with each new voicemail Adrien listens to, he’s forced to confront the fact that there might be some kind of connection between himself and Chat Noir — and discovering it might leave him more broken than before.

It's subversion of so much. Adrien is the ex-Guardian. Adrien has lost his memories. There's been no reveal. He has no idea what this mysterious series of voicemails from Chat Noir means. A+++ read.

A Masked Game by @mysticraven20

For almost ten years Paris has been peaceful. No villains. No heroes. No hate. But, as always, peace never lasts forever and as a new threat takes over the city of love, there’s a change in the game where this time death is permanent. Adrien has been living full of hope after the worst years of his life. He’s free. He’s settled. But most importantly, he’s in love. After years of trying to find his calling everything came together the day he married his wife, or so he thought. Marinette still craved the companionship of her partner. It had been a decade since she’d seen him; the dull ache in her heart constantly asking what had happened to him. If only she had the opportunity to speak to him one more time. The chance for a reconnection appears when Paris’ heroes are needed again and as feelings begin to resurface so does the hate, love and lies. Ladybug and Chat Noir will need to find a new dynamic to make this work, saving not only their friends but also themselves, leaving Adrien and Marinette to risk everything in a need to survive.

Whodunit, murder mystery MLB fic from a great author exploring a new genre/style. Not just exploring, succeeding. Acing it. Wonderful story. As each chapter dropped, it really felt like the entire fandom was racing to read it first. Everyone was hooked. You should get hooked, too!

#ml #ml big bang #ml big bang 2023 #miraculous #miraculous ladybug #fic recs #ml fic recs

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flightfoot · 3 months

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ML Fanfic Recs for 2023: 60K - 80K Words

So I’ve been going through and adding particularly good fics I’ve read throughout the year. Only Complete fics, of course. Enjoy!

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drowning (in plain sight) by @buggachat

His son, Adrien Agreste, is one of his sentimonsters.

And now he's missing.

Nobody can find him— not even the superheroes, and not even his closest friends. But Marinette, Nino, and Alya aren't ones to give up so easily. They'll find him, no matter what it takes.

(But, geez, would it kill Chat Noir to lend a hand?)

I’m sure everyone saw this one coming. If there’s one thing buggachat’s good at, storywise, it’s capturing raw, tumultuous emotions, frantic breakdowns as the characters desperately try to navigate bad situations. This was a real treat to read, as I’m betting most people reading this will agree, given just how popular the fic has been. It also has a ton of fanart, both by buggachat and by random fans, if you go looking for it (there’s a drowning in plain sight tag which I’d advise perusing).

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The Rules of Engagement by @overworkedunderwhelmed

When tragedy sends Adrien Agreste racing back to Paris to run his father’s fashion house, Marinette doesn’t expect much from her very new, very rich boss. At least not until she is set up on a blind date with a very familiar face.

Much to her surprise, Adrien Agreste was hiding far more secrets behind his stoic business-like mask of temporary CEO. Maybe as many secrets as she had been trying to hide for years.

As they grow closer, Marinette fears her mask isn’t nearly as foolproof. Day after day, it gets harder for her to keep all her secrets well hidden from the surprisingly sweet man who insisted on staying by her side as often as possible.

Only she couldn’t afford to fail. Not when her biggest secret could spell the end of the job she’d dreamed about for years.

They might not be superheroes in this universe, but secret identities are still active here. Both Marinette and Adrien used to be involved with the Ladybug and Chat Noir movies, and both kept that a secret - Adrien especially, since if his father found out about it, there could be some bad repercussions, as he voiced Chat Noir without Gabriel’s permission. Marinette, meanwhile, is well known for making cosplay (calling herself “Ladybug” after the movie), and has been in contact with “Chat Noir” for quite some time before the story starts - not that she knows he’s the actual VA.

It’s mostly an Adrienette fic with the two of them getting to know each other after their unusual “first” meeting, where Marinette pretended to be Kagami in order to scupper the date with Adrien and get Tomoe off her back, with some intrigue and drama thrown in. Lila’s skulking around causing problems for the people around her, but she’s honestly not the main focus here.

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call it even by @anna-scribbles and @sha-nwa

After a year of dating, there is one thing Marinette knows for certain: it's her and Adrien against the world. Through it all, Adrien is kind, patient, and endlessly understanding—even as she tries her best to keep her secret superhero identity hidden from him along with the rest of the world.

Nothing could ruin it, not even the supervillains of Paris: Hawkmoth and Chat Noir.

(adrinette dating // ladynoir enemies au)

This is one of those fics where Adrien and Marinette are REALLY going through it emotionally, with them starting off with wildly different perceptions of each other when untransformed, and then reckoning with the person they love the most being someone they think of as a villain, with all the betrayal and doubt that involves. Especially with Adrien having been lied to extensively by his father, and not knowing who or what to believe.

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Miraculous Conception series by @ladynoirfanao3

Summary of the first story, The Power Of Creation:

Everyone knows that Ladybug's cure fixes everything after the destruction wrought by Shadow Moth's akumatized villains. After an akuma with an unfortunate power leaves Ladybug and Adrien in an awkward position, Marinette has never been happier to simply forget. However, she soon discovers that her miraculous ladybugs have a limitation on their curing ability, a limitation that puts her in a situation she never expected to be in.

So basically, Ladybug and Adrien run into each other just as an akuma makes everyone in the vicinity extremely horny, and when they both start remembering things again, they’re in a pretty... compromising position. But it’s just an akuma so they put it out of their heads, until Marinette discovers she’s pregnant and has to decide what to do about it, whether to keep the pregnancy, tell Adrien she’s Ladybug and is having his baby, what to do with the earrings when she’s too pregnant to be Ladybug, etc.

I really enjoyed it! Just watching Ladybug and Adrien try and navigate the situation, especially with secret identities thrown into the mix.

The main fics in the series are basically the same story, it’s just that the first one is from Marinette’s perspective, while the second one is from Adrien’s. The Power of Creation is rated M while the Power of Destruction is rated E, but for both fics it’s just rated that for a single sex scene that occurs in the fic (with it being the same sex scene in both fics, just told from two different perspectives).

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I Put A Spell On You by dazaimaru

Friday, October 25. 6 days until Halloween.

It’s their first high school Halloween dance, and Marinette and Adrien are ready to throw on some non-superhero costumes for once--that is, until an akumatized witch spoils the party and threatens to reveal what lies underneath everyone’s disguise.

With Hawkmoth taking full advantage of the spooky season, the days leading up to Halloween are certainly going to be thrilling! Especially considering Marinette’s growing feelings for a certain black cat…

This one’s mostly just some really cute Lovesquare shenanigans around Halloween, with some really fun sequences like Marinette and Adrien getting body-swapped and Marinette temporarily becoming a vampire (and also Marinette repeatedly stunning Adrien with her outfits. I was just waiting for him to pass out from blood loss from a nosebleed).

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Through the Looking Glass by @jheqiawrites

Adrien is a lonely child, cut off from the outside world by his parent's strict rules. But when he discovers a window in his closet and sees a young girl looking back at him like his reflection, maybe he has hope for friendship after all.

Poor Adrien here, he makes a long-time friend (who everyone thinks is an imaginary friend), and has several great years interacting with her as his parents grow more concerned with him not growing out of it... and then Emilie dies, Gabriel orders the window destroyed, Adrien’s put on medication to suppress his “hallucinations” (which also makes him forget Marinette) and he’s just kind of left like that for the next several years, until he’s an adult.

Luckily, while Adrien forgot Marinette, Marinette never forgot him, and he’s not too difficult to track down...

This is some really cute Adrienette, if you want a “forgotten childhood friends-to lovers” Adrienette story, you should check this out!

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Fate, Destiny... A Hamster by @mostmagical

After finally moving into his very first apartment per Ladybug’s suggestion, Adrien discovers something no movie or TV show could have ever prepared him for: someone else's hamster.

Marinette was so excited to have her first pet. If only it would stop escaping!

At least now there’s an excuse to talk to the new neighbor.

(Adrienette Never Met AU)

Funnily enough, this is based on a true story. Specifically, the author’s own experience of having her hamster run out and be found by a neighbor.

Anyway, this is adorable! Marinette and Adrien become smitten with each other extremely quickly, with Marinette’s hamster keeping giving them reasons to talk. Very effective wing-hamster, that one XD.

#miraculous ladybug #ml fanfic rec #drowning in plain sight #call it even #adrienette #ladynoir #marichat #ladrien #adrien agreste #marinette dupain cheng

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miabrown007 · 8 months

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Adrien Agreste: rich, lonely, freshly aware of the fact that he's expected to take over not a fashion, but a drug empire. Marinette Dupain-Cheng: broke, angry, freshly aware of the fact that bringing down drug empires is a blast. But where would she be without her team, Alya and Nino, and her very good friend, Luka? Not to mention the team’s newest addition, the kind, the funny, the ultra charming Chat Noir. If Marinette likes him, that’s alright, though. It isn’t like she’s dating Adrien Agreste for real. It’s all just part of her ten-step plan to make the Agrestes meet their demise.

with illustration from @art-the-f-up in the chapter!

many many thanks to @ladyofthenoodle and @khanofallorcs for beta-reading! <3

Chapter 1 - Eyes Wide Shut (3,835 words, 1/32 chapters)

Adrien Agreste is at a standstill, perched up way above ground, and he hates every second of it.

Like a marionette waiting for its next command, his arms dangle by his elbows, prim and proper. He has no idea for how long he has to exist like this—because letting him know about decisions affecting his own life feels like a revolutionary concept no one has ever considered—but he knows he is getting tired. If only he knew how to cut his strings; but it's impossible when he barely sees them.

Even if he could, the question remains, what would he do after?

"Raise this arm a little higher, dear." Violet nudges him.

Adrien complies. The more seamlessly he follows the instructions, the sooner he's done with any task. He knows. It doesn't make him hate the process less, though.

He doesn't even know exactly why they are taking his measurements for this particular outfit. The black lounge suit had been an item for the 'dystopian fashion collection', a failure so spectacular in its Gallup poll that the project had been shut down before the first concepts were presented to the wider staff.

But Adrien has gotten over the need to ask questions. He endures the tape-measure’s dance around him silently, and doesn't mention that it's probably overkill to be wearing the black face mask that goes with the suit. Truth be told, it's quite cute with the white whiskers. It's something Adrien can imagine taking a liking to—were it not for the inherent design flaw of making breathing impossible.

All things considered, the collection's downfall isn't such a wonder. It'd have been hard to find any sane person willingly submitting themselves to wearing these masks, bar something devastatingly convincing, like a global pandemic, occurring. Paired with the inbuilt ‘bonus’ of preventing recognition by even your closest friends, Adrien is of the opinion the design never stood a chance.

Of course, haute couture has never been about functionality. Designer items sell by the brand name. This is why the lack of recognition surrounding the purple butterfly used to puzzle Adrien. After all—according to everyone he’s ever talked to—his father is a great and successful businessman. So, he figured, there's a lot he couldn’t know about running a financially successful business, and thus the origins of the Agreste wealth.

Money had never been more than a mere concept to him. His family had always had it. And with money had come the business trips his father had taken twice a month, as well as the myriad of staff around the mansion Adrien had grown up in. It had been just their way of living—cold rooms, deep frowns, and deeper curtsies—and so he’d never stopped to consider: where has all the money been coming from?

In hindsight, it should have been evident.

And Adrien could have seen it— Adrien should have seen it. His only excuse for this blind spot is his very nature: being his father’s son, born more than raised. But even that thin line of defence crumbles under the significance of the issue.

He had tried telling himself that he’d always been trained to drop the questions and follow orders. To look the other way when business papers get signed. To leave banalities be, like the way his mother vanished one day when he was eleven. To turn up the music when the arguments get too loud and pots of cranberry sauce splashed on the tiles. He had tried to convince himself that when he’d started to study the company’s records—instead of studying architecture, like he’d wanted to—they’d all looked oh-so-very-orderly, so really, he couldn’t have known. He had tried, but…

In the end, the argument of ‘how was he supposed to know the family business he’s been preparing to take over is not a fashion empire, but a drug cartel?’ falls flat on its face.

Eyes wide shut don’t turn the lights any less red.

[read the whole chapter on AO3]

#miraculous #miraculous ladybug #adrien agreste #marinette dupain cheng #enemies au #heist au #faoll #felonies and other love languages #marichat #this is a reverse crush ladrien enemies AU we deserve that marichat before things go to shit #miaraculous writing #ml fanfiction

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aalissy · 12 days

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Sharing a Bed

Woop woop! Day 13 is doneee!! And it's a prompt that I'm so glad I finally got to write hehe. I've had an idea for this for agessss. I hope you like it <3

AO3

Oh.

Oh no.

Marinette gaped down at the one queen-sized bed that was planted in their hotel room. Alya and Nino were just down the hall in their own room. Maybe they were in the wrong room.

Glancing down at her key, she gulped nervously. Nope. This was the right room according to the hotel.

Her gaze darted over to Adrien before quickly darting away when their gazes met. She was certain her face must look tomato red as she shifted awkwardly on her feet. She still had time to call Alya and beg her friend to let her sleep with her instead.

Half of this crazy plan was from Alya anyway. Thinking it would help her to confess if they spent the night in the same room. At the time, Marinette had thought it was a good idea too. Until she saw that there was only one bed!

“Well,” Adrien started with a chuckle, causing her to peek back over at him. He was scratching the back of his neck, an easy smile on his lips. “I can take the floor.”

“What?!” Marinette practically screeched, shaking her head rapidly. She turned fully, meeting his gaze head-on. She crossed her arms against her chest, her eyes blazing with determination. “No, you can not! Adrien, this whole trip was for you. It’s a miracle your father even let you come. So... I’ll take the floor.”

She gave a firm nod. She would take the floor and that was that. It did look kind of cold, though. Nibbling on her lip, Marinette gave him a small smile. “But, um... maybe I can have just one blanket?”

Soon Adrien burst into a fit of raucous laughter that had her frowning over at him. Surely it wasn’t that funny! She was taking the floor so surely he could part with one little blanket!

Opening her mouth to defend herself, she was stopped by Adrien finally sucking in a deep breath as his laughter fell away. “Marinette, don’t be ridiculous,” he finally said. “I’m not going to just let you sleep on the floor. And, even if I did, I’d be giving you all of the blankets, Marinette.”

Her furrowed brow deepened. His reaction made much more sense now. But... even still...

“But that’s not fair to you, then, Adrien.” She shook her head. “I don’t want you to be cold.”

His gaze softened as he looked at her in a way that had her heart thumping loudly in her ears. Why did he have to look so adorable all of the time?

“Well, if neither of us wants the other to sleep on the floor, then how about we share the bed?” Adrien suggested, his voice gentle as he took a step closer to her. Marinette's breath caught in her throat at the suggestion.

“W-what? Share the bed?” she squawked, her eyes wide as she looked up at him. Did he really just ask her to do that? Was he a secret mind reader? Was he reading her hopes and wishes right now?

Adrien nodded, a small smile playing on his lips. “Yeah, why not? It’s big enough for both of us, and we can each have our own space.”

Marinette felt her cheeks heat up even more at the thought of sharing a bed with Adrien. It was something she had only dreamed of, quite literally at times, but now that it was actually happening, she wasn’t sure how to react.

“I... I guess that could work,” she stammered, trying to sound casual despite the butterflies in her stomach. She gave a large smile that she prayed didn’t look completely awkward.

Adrien chuckled softly. “Sounds like a plan. I’ll take the bathroom first if you don’t mind.”

“N-not at all.”

When he shut the bathroom door behind him, Marinette finally released the breath she hadn’t known she had been holding. Why oh why had she let Alya talk her into this?

Fiddling with her suitcase, she took the side closest to the window and away from the bathroom door. Needing something to do to keep her mind from spiraling, Marinette began to unpack everything into her little drawers.

When Adrien came out of the bathroom, she couldn’t help but steal a glance over at him. Her mouth dried at the sight. He was in an adorable set of pajamas that she had never seen him wear before.

He cleared his throat and Marinette prayed he hadn’t noticed her staring. “Bathroom’s open now.”

She gave him one final grin before sprinting into the bathroom. She grabbed onto the counter, sucking in air as quickly as possible. How on earth was she mean to share a bed with him if she could barely handle seeing him in a pair of pajamas?

Finally, after a few moments of panic, Marinette managed to calm herself down. Everything was going to be fine. She’d put on her pajamas, turn off the lights, and run over to her side of the bed where she’d press herself against the very edge for the entire night. Sure, she might not get much sleep but that was a small torment she was willing to bear to share a bed with her crush.

With that plan in mind, Marinette threw on her pajamas. Slowly, she opened the door, wincing at the small creak it made. Adrien was facing away from her, curled over on his side. Breathing a quiet sigh of relief, she turned off the light.

Suddenly, the room was pitch black and she could no longer see two feet in front of her. It was fine. She knew where the bed was. Slowly, with her arms out in front of her, Marinette began shuffling over to her side of the room.

She was almost there. Her eyes had almost adjusted in the darkness and she could see the pillow awaiting her. Abandoning caution, she quickened her pace only to stub her toe directly against the edge of the bed.

Marinette squeaked in pain, grateful that she could collapse onto her side of the bed as her toe ached. She winced at the seemingly unending agony, hoping to rub some of the pain away.

The lamp flicked on at the other side of the bed and Marinette quickly had to clench her eyes shut at the sudden onslaught of light.

“Marinette, are you alright?” Adrien’s worried voice called out to her as his eyebrows furrowed over a pair of concerned emerald-green eyes.

“Yep!” she chirped, flinching again at how high-pitched her tone was. Clearing her throat, she lowered it. “Just, um, stubbed my toe.”

“Oh.” His frown deepened. “Well, are you sure you’re alright? You didn’t break it or anything, right?”

She couldn’t help but giggle, relaxing for the first time that night. “I’m really okay, Adrien. I promise. No broken toes over here.”

“Alright, if you’re sure,” he trailed off, seemingly still uncertain. “Goodnight, Marinette,” Adrien then said softly, his voice barely above a whisper.

“Goodnight, Adrien,” she replied, her heart fluttering as he turned off the bedside lamp.

In the darkness, Marinette lay awake for a while, listening to the sound of Adrien’s steady breathing. It was surreal, being so close to him like this. She couldn’t deny the warmth that spread through her at the thought of sharing this intimate space with him.

As sleep finally began to claim her, Marinette couldn’t help but smile. Maybe this crazy plan of Alya’s hadn’t been so crazy after all.

#miraculous ladybug #miraculous #mlb #ml #fic #fanfic #adrienette #adrinette #ml fic #adrienetteapril2024 #adrinetteapril2024 #adrienetteapril #adrinetteapril #sharing a bed #there was only one bed #love square

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runawaycatwalker · 10 months

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Part 22. A Best Friend's Interrogative Prerogative

<< First | < Previous | Next >

Description below the cut

Bonus: Alternate version shot in NinoVision:

In black and white, Nino pulls on the brim of his cap as he watches Catwalker uses his baton to leap around the buildings of Paris.

Nino (voiceover): The name's Lahiffe. Detective Lahiffe. The foxiest gal in the world, Alya Césaire, called me for a favor: Sniff around the new hero who'd sauntered into Paris.

The image of Catwalker holding his hands up in confusion by a picture of Adrien being sad and a question mark.

Nino (voiceover): I'd met this smooth cat once before. I assumed he was naïve and oblivious. He wasn't.

Cut back to Nino hiding behind a wall as Catwalker continues to leap above the rooftops.

Nino (voiceover): According to Alya, the charming kittyboy was secretly involved in the departure of my closest bro, Adrien. She wasn't sure how the guy had managed to act under all our noses or why, but I am determined to find out. I'll need to draw upon all my knowledge of the greatest detectives as I stake him out and gather enough clues to—

The panel abruptly switches to color as Catwalker drops in behind Nino, making the latter leap back and hold his hands in front of his face, thoroughly startled.

Catwalker: Are you following me?

Nino: Aaah! No! Why would I be following you?

Catwalker holds up a courteous hand.

Catwalker: Perhaps you wanted an autograph?

Nino: No! That's not...

The panel swiftly switches back to grayscale as Nino pushes up his glasses in a serious manner.

Nino (internally): Get it together, Detective! Interrogate him!

Nino (aloud): I was just curious if you'd managed to get any info about Adrien Agreste.

Catwalker places a hand on his chest with a look of sympathy.

Catwalker: You're a friend of his, I presume? My condolences for your loss. It must be hard not knowing what happened to someone you care about. Unfortunately, my efforts in searching for Adrien have been fruitless thus far, but I assure you that I will be keeping my eyes open if he turns up.

The grayscale bleeds away back into color as we see a close-up of Nino’s eye, rage bubbling inside him.

Nino (internally): I can't believe this guy! Acting like he's all innocent! Screw the subtle approach, this slimeball needs to have the truth forced out of him.

Nino flares his hands out to either side indignantly.

Nino: You can't lie to me, Catwalker! I know you were behind Adrien's disappearance!

Catwalker’s pupils narrow in shock.

Catwalker: Who told you that?

Nino rebuffs with folded arms.

Nino: A little birdie. It doesn't matter.

Catwalker holds up a hand, expression now severe.

Catwalker: Your 'little birdie' could be the real reason Adrien had to go into hiding in the first place, so: Yes. It. Does.

Nino fumes, waving his arms above his head.

Nino: She would never do that!

Catwalker: 'She' wouldn't happen to be affiliated with a girl named Marinette Dupain-Cheng, would she?

Nino: Even if she is, that's none of your business!

Nino points an accusatory finger, his other hand starting to clench up as if ready to start tearing someone apart.

Nino: You're the one who needs to explain yourself! What did you do to Adrien? Where is he now? What did his father do to him that made him so terrified of anyone knowing where he is?

Catwalker looks down stiffly at his own fists.

Catwalker: Your 'birdie' should already know that I can't provide answers to those questions.

Nino: You have to know something! Spill!

Catwalker is exasperated as he rubs half of his face.

Catwalker: Please understand. The nature of Adrien's situation is extremely precarious, so much so that I cannot share what I know with anyone.

Nino: I'm not just 'anyone'!

Nino places both hands on his chest with a look of defiance as tears start to stream down his face.

Nino: I'm Adrien's best friend! I know everything about him! I'm the only person he contacted the night he ran away! So if anybody deserves the truth, it's me!

Catwalker folds his arms and looks away with regret.

Catwalker: If the fallout of his disappearance had gone how Adrien expected it to, you'd know that he's kept an entire part of his life a secret from everyone. Even you. Some things are too important to share, even with your best friend.

Nino puts his head in his hands in exasperation.

Nino: But why would Adrien tell you of all people? He can't possibly trust you more than his friends! Did you get inside his head? Gaslight him? Blackmail him? Torture him until he did what you wanted?

Nino has now sunk to the ground, hands still grasping at his head, as he weeps. Catwalker squats about a meter in front of him with a look of restrained beseeching.

Catwalker: Adrien told you as much as he thought he could get away with. He does care about you. But he didn't expect that you'd be able to keep whatever he told you quiet for very long. I'm no friend to Adrien, but he trusted me with his escape. He knows that I can keep his secrets safe indefinitely. And I can only consider entrusting you with some of the answers I have if I am certain that you won't tell anyone—especially not the person who asked you to investigate me. It is vital that you tell me who that person is so I can deal with her.

Nino yells at Catwalker as an akuma starts to fly in behind him.

Nino: Screw you!

Nino’s teeth clench as he is absorbed by his crying rage, right as Catwalker reaches out a Cataclysm-powered hand to touch the akuma, mere inches past Nino’s head.

Nino: You can go—

Catwalker: Cataclysm.

Seen from below, Catwalker looks imposing as he holds the akuma in his hand as it crumbles away, bitter tears starting to fall down his conflicted face.

Catwalker: I'm sorry. I never wanted this. Please, for Adrien's sake, let your investigation go.

Catwalker turns away as the remnants of crushed butterfly fall from his fist.

Catwalker: And Nino? You should be more careful about who you confide in. You never know who might be your enemy.

["Alternate "NinoVision" version is recolored to be all in greenish sepia, with Catwalker's expressions recolored to be opaque and distorted: no green in his eyes, just the black mask and a misplaced line of gold]

Below is the same image as above, only without text:

#runaway catwalker #catwalker #cat walker #nino lahiffe #shoutout to flightfoot (Keyseeker) for getting more of your eyeballs on Runaway Catwalker #shes been highly supportive of this comic for a while and her spotlight here on tumblr two weeks ago brought an influx of new followers #extremely grateful for her and her willingness to engage with and signal boost fan creators #and to everyone new here: welcome!#i promise that i can give adrien and nino nice things #just not this adrien and this nino at this moment #ill try to put more fluffiness for them in my other main wip to make up for it

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campbells-content · 9 months

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Here to drop some random ml hcs or scenarios on yall and then probably disappear for another month.

Before becoming ladybug, Marinette would always convince her friends to play in the rain or jump in puddles. Right after becoming ladybug the idea of asking Alya to don a raincoat and come outside seemed childish. After being Ladybug for a while, rain only reminds her that there are people out there that she can't help. People who have storms in their brains so strong that even Hawkmoth avoids them. Nino, the closest friend she's had since childhood notices for a second that she no longer looks at puddles with wonder. He brings Alya and Adrien to Marinette on a rainy day, telling them to wear raincoats and clogs. Neither know what clogs are. They get there, waiting outside as Nino went up. Marinette is kindof against it, saying its a waist of time or she was too busy but Nino drags her down anyway. Nino runs out to join Alya and Adrien who were already jumping in puddles but he turns back when he notices Marinette hesitate under the over hang. She's asking herself existential questions like how can she act like a child and play in the rain when someone might need her. Nino grabs her hand and pulls her arm into the downpour making them both laugh as it instantly soaked what little if her sleave was exposed. In that moment she remembered why she loved the rain so much and they all played in the rain like kids because they are kids and they are allowed to enjoy the little things. The rain eventually stopped but they didn't, jumping in puddles and dancing without a care in the world.

(If you can't tell i am releasing all of the creativity that has been trapped within me since my last post.)

After using the dragon miraculous a couple more times kagami starts to collect little trinkets and tells no one, not even her mother. They are her little secret and they belong to her alone.

(When yall think of dragon side effects, do yall see her as cold blooded or a literal heater? I like the heater because when everyone is in t-shits and pants, Kagami literally exhales steam.)

Every time Juleka mutters indecipherably, there was a curse word somewhere in her statement.

Nino and Marinette eat Funyuns but Nino prefers off brand. Adrian eats salt and vinegar chips. Alya eats cheetos. Chloe eats the vegetable chips. Lila eats the vegetable straw chips. Sabrina eats the cheddar pringles, not necessarily by choice. Juleka eats purple doritos. Luka and Zoe eat blue doritos. Rose eats spicy doritos. Kagami does not eat chips but she will take one from any of them if offered. Also, Mylene and Ivan eat basic potato chips together, Kim eats cheese doodles, Max eats different flavours of ruffles and Nathaniel and Alix sit away from everyone eating seaweed.

(If i missed someone I'm sorry, i got the important people. (A part of me feels like i might've mixed up Chloe and Lila on the vibe check but oh well.))

Marinette has bubbles in her desk because they remind her of Nino.

Alya trys to start controlled discourse when her friends drink different sodas but everyone is just glad they get a mini pickmeup of caffeine.

#miraculous ladybug #lmb #miraculous lb #miraculous #marinette dupain cheng #marinette dupen chang #adrien agreste #alya cesaire #nino lahiffe #chloe bourgeois #lila rossi #kagami tsuguri #juleka couffaine #im not tagging everyone #miracuclass #akuma class

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beezonia · 27 days

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Okay some more general miraculous mons stuff because I need to world build a bit more

I feel like all I’m posting for this au is doodles and no story (I’m sorry)

——

Mari is 18 and so are most of the kids

She and Nino are still best friends in this, same with Kim but he’s separated himself from them now (hangs around with Max, Alix and Ondine)

These three were like shauna, tierno and trevor in the xy games and they went around Kalos helping professor sycamore with his research

Marinette then went to compete in showcases full time

Nino has his own radio show where he just blasts good tunes and vibes all around Kalos

Kim and his pokèmon are training to become the strongest (he plans on doing the gym challenge soon)

Yeah

Adrien grew up with Chloe as one of his closest friends

The two of them trained together constantly, longing for their parents validation (Chloe specifically wanted to impress audrey)

Adrien then started to enter contests due to his mother and her showcase performances being his inspiration

He gained his popularity for being humble but absolutely decimating his competition

Chloe followed not long after but ended up doing showcases instead, her father always backed her and was proud she had decided to do something for herself

Chloe and Marinette met due to the showcase circuits, they tended to but heads at first but soon found common ground when they both realised they loved styling their pokèmon

Chloe also does Furfrou grooming in her spare time, she finds it therapeutic!

She then flips when Adrien and Marinette tell her they finally met each other

Kagami longs to be a pokèmon ranger instead of a champion (like her mother, Tomoe was the champion of Jhoto before she passed it to Lance)

So when she meets Felix and the rest of the gang kagami slowly learns to let loose and break free from the chains

Felix is going for champion

In Galar, he’s already in the top 2 for the region’s best trainers so why not

He also really loves studying the legends of pokèmon and how the bonds of humans and mons made the pokèmon world how it is today

Alya is working under Alexa, she’s always out looking for the next big scoops

Yeah that’s about it for now (again sorry I’m not giving you guys a lot for this au)

#miraculous mons au #miraculous ladybug au #miraculous au #miraculous ladybug #miraculous #marinette dupain cheng #nino lahiffe #le chien kim #adrien agreste #chloe bourgeois #kagami tsuguri #felix graham de vanily #alya cesaire #bee rambles

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genericnam · 7 months

Text

A Miraculous Ladybug fic that I might or might not write someday:

Marinette centric, long multi-chap

During an Akuma attack, Hawkmoth/Shadowmoth figures out Ladybug’s secret identity (no one else discovers it). Marinette returns from school to Hawkmoth/Shadowmoth standing in front of her burned down bakery, with her parents dead inside.

Thinking fast, and running on adrenaline and hate, Marinette manages to dodge Hawkmoth’s attempts to catch her and she escapes with the Miracle Box, no Kwami lost.

Marinette is left without anywhere to go, too scared to try living with any of her other family members. She begins to spiral, sacrificing her life as ‘Marinette’ in favor of being Ladybug as much as humanly possible.

Regularly pulling all nighters and fueled by the energy boosts of having superpowers, Marinette and Ladybug both are messes. Chat Noir and all of Paris are concerned about Ladybug, and the entire class is worried about Marinette.

When she isn’t paranoidly patrolling the city for days on end, Marinette crashes with Alya, Luka and occasionally Kagami. Her excuses growing weaker and weaker until she just stops bothering trying to explain things, walking out of class whenever she needs to be Ladybug, and climbing through her friend’s windows to sleep on the cots that they don’t even bother taking down anymore.

Marinette’s constant fear and overprotectiveness of the Kwamis leads to her regularly sacrificing her own needs for them, often choosing to give them her meals while she just barely makes due with the scraps she keeps for herself.

Eventually, things would catch up with Marinette, and the class (minus Lila) would realize the full extent of what she’s going through (they thought that she was staying with her grandfather, and she swore Alya and Luka to secrecy), obviously, this will not do, so the class and their parents all pitch in to help her out.

On the superhero side of things, Chat Noir, after figuring out Ladybug’s current situation, becomes even more determined to stop Hawkmoth/Shadowmoth from doing anything more, so that Ladybug won’t live in fear of visiting her own family.

Sooner or later, he and Ladybug take down Gabriel, revealing their secret identities in the process. Adrien is conflicted about his father being Hawkmoth, but after discovering that the man had killed the parents of one of his closest friends/love interest and completely destroyed her mental health, he can’t bring himself to have sympathy.

(On a side note, over the course of the fic, Marinette’s inner monolog slowly stops calling her “Marinette” more and more as she spirals and starts referring to herself only as “Ladybug” and “The Guardian”)

#miraculous ladybug #marinette dupain cheng #tales of ladybug and cat noir #ladybug and chat noir #hawkmoth #akuma #tw long post #tw long text #tw homelessness #fanfic #fanfiction #miraculous ladybug fanfic #au concept

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justrandomfanfictionskh · 1 year

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A Blue Bird and a Black Cat pt 5

(Selina decides that Marinette would be better as the Cat than Adrien. Five years, later Dick is very confused about this Lady Noire)

ao3 Beginning Previous

Dick closed his computer with a groan when Alfred knocked on his door. He instantly regretted all of his life choices when he realized that not only had he neglected to change out of his itchy suit, but he had also not slept a wink. He didn't know why he had done it. He was not Tim. He had a moderately healthy sleep schedule. He did not go on twenty-four hour research benders. He knew how to put aside his obsessions for some well needed shut-eye. But ever since meeting Marinette and witnessing her reunion with an old school "friend," Dick had been desperate to learn more.

He couldn't say why, only that he needed to know how someone so brash and confident, had been quelled so easily. So, he dug into all of Barbara and Tim's research on the Paris Incident, and began scouring the internet for even a scrap of information about Marinette, Hawkmoth, and Alya Césaire. As it turned out there was a lot to learn, and the Tech Bats had learned almost all of it and complied it neatly into an easy to read file the size of a Dickens novel. But for all of their thoroughness, they had yet to answer the most burning questions of Dick's mind. Why was Lady Noire afraid of an amateur journalist interning under Lois?

The closest answer he could find was an obscure little article at the back of Tim's research about something called the "Akuma Class." A specific collége and lycée class that had been targeted repeatedly by the emotional terrorist. It seemed that almost every member of that class had been akumatized at one point or another, repeatedly. According to the article, only two people were never akumatized in that class. Therefore, they were suspected of working with Hawkmoth, especially when both teens vanished after the death of the villain. They were Adrien Agreste and Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

Dick didn't know this Adrien, but he was Hawkmoth's son, so he supposed it was possible. But he wasn't focused on him, not when he recognized Marinette immediately. And just as quickly dismissed the idea of her working with a villain, for three reasons. One, Selina would never associate with anyone who willingly worked with a bastard who targeted children. Two, Lady Noire was clearly working with Ladybug, thus explaining all of her "suspicious" behavior. But the third reason was something he had a difficulty quantifying. He would call it a gut instinct, but that was hardly enough proof for the all knowing Batman. Still, despite her blatant criminal activity, it was impossible for him to picture either Lady Noire or Marinette as a super villain. It just didn't make since.

He sighed as he stepped out of the shower, and dressed in comfortable Saturday clothes, as he continued to process all of his new information. There was a lot to process, but the one thing he kept coming back to was the Akuma Class. Of all the disturbing and perverse things he had read about the Paris Incident, that one was the most disturbing. Specifically, he kept turning a single quote from the article over and over in his head.

"Under normal circumstances, such a volatile mix of emotional personalities would have been dispersed to other classes throughout their education. However, by some unspoken agreement of the school board and community, no member of the Akuma Class was ever able to transfer out, not even to other classes within the school. Leading many to believe that (like 'Mr. Pigeon') the Akuma Class was silently offered up to Hawkmoth as sacrificial lambs in order to protect the rest of Paris's student population."

The whole idea made Dick sick, and just thinking about it made him want to throw up. He remembered his own high school experience. His raging emotions, his swirling grief, his never ending crusade. And he was the same age was the Akuma Class. That could have been him, trapped in a toxic environment, with his classmates constantly turning into villains, offered up as a sacrifice for the rest of the city. No wonder Selina kidnapped the girl, he thought as he plodded down the stairs. But Marinette had never been akumatized. He tried to wrap his mind around that. Did that mean she was extremely emotionally mature, or extremely traumatically damaged. Based on what he had seen last night, and the Wayne family track record, Dick was leaning more towards damaged...just like the rest of them.

He was distracted by a knock on the door, and furrowing his brows, he peered into the foyer to see who it could be. Dick didn't even try to stop his mouth from dropping when he saw Alfred move out of the way to admit the very person he was just brooding over. Marinette 'Lady Noire' Dupain-Cheng smiled brightly at the butler as she entered the house, and Dick suddenly felt as if he was severely underdressed. He was wearing faded grey sweatpants and a ratty old graphic tee, while she was dressed to the nines in a red blouse, black blazer, and pants. He had the sudden urge to run upstairs and at least comb his still wet hair, but it was too late.

Her eyes found him as she took in the foyer, and the amused smile that spread over her face made him flush with annoyance and confusion, Why did he suddenly feel the need to be dressed up, just because she was? Her clothes weren't even that nice! Just regular fashionable, business casual attire. But somehow she made it look elegant and refined. And when she studied him with an amused and critical eye, he was suddenly very aware how ragged he looked compared to her. It made him scowl. He had never been uncomfortable in his own clothes before. He liked his style, whatever that happened to be at the moment, and he was not going to let her ruin it for him. Nope. Not on comfy Saturday! Suddenly determined to die on the sweatpants hill he found himself on, Dick plunged his hands into his pockets and marched down the stairs as if he were in his finest suite. "What brings you back here?" he tried to sound casual, but between his exhaustion and conflicting emotions his words came out a little harsher than he intended.

She raised an eyebrow at him but answered, cheerfully saying, "I was invited." She held up a card with Selina's handwriting before continuing, "Why? Do you not want me?"

"I didn't say that."

"Then you do want me?"

"I want a straight answer."

"That's something you're going to have to earn."

"Earn how?"

"Hmm...well, lets start with entertaining me, and we'll see where we go from there."

"I haven't entertained you enough already?"

"Not nearly!" Marinette said with a laugh and a smile. Dick felt the pull of his lips into a smile. But just as he was about to open his mouth to retort back, he saw Alfred raising an eyebrow at him from behind Marinette. Dick shut his mouth with a scowl, and coughed,

"Selina should be in the sitting room. I'll show you."

Marinette threw her head back in a clear bright laugh, as she trotted to keep up with Dick's longer legs. "You're fun Blue Bird!"

"Does that mean I'm about to get a straight answer."

"Well that depends."

"On?"

"On your question," Marinette said eyeing him from the side, her playful smile never leaving her lips. She clasped her hands behind her back, almost innocently as she waited for Dick to take his turn.

Dick on the other hand, felt as if he had stepped into a game of riddles with the fey. He could keep the game going. Playfully bantering with each other while his family watched him skeptically, and teased him about being a flirt or turning into Bruce. Or he could ask the questions that were really pressing on his mind. Questions that might have her shutting down completely. He stopped to look at her seriously, his mind swirling with all of the information he had learned the last night, and the one quote that kept coming back to him, "silently offered up to Hawkmoth as sacrificial lambs." This woman was not a lamb in any sense of the word. He couldn't believe that she would ever allow herself to be sacrificed so unfeelingly or unwillingly.

And yet...it was still there. The hidden steel. The dangerous edge that watched him as warily as she was playful. It was the tenseness in her shoulders and the challenge in her eyes, that had every bone in his body on alert saying, "Watch out this one's dangerous!" She had a caution that Dick knew only came from seeing the worst in humanity. And the memory of how she had responded to her classmate was still burned into his mind like a brand.

"Why did you leave Paris with Selina?" He finally said, "There had to have been other options."

Marinette froze and straightened. Her hands were still clasped behind her back, but her smile was gone. Now there was only the steel and the challenge as she look him straight in the face. They stood there frozen for a minute. Dick didn't know what she was looking for, but he had a feeling it was probably something similar to what he was looking for. They both seemed to find it in each others eyes as they stared each other down. Two pairs of big blue eyes that were still too young to carry the kind of weight that was behind them.

Finally Marinette answered his question, "I left with Selina, because there was no one else to leave with. I probably could have gone off alone. But I didn't want to, and neither did she. For about two years, we only had each other. And that was all we needed."

"What about Ladybug?"

Marinette smiled softly, somehow both sad and mischievous at the same time. "She had other responsibilities to fulfill. But don't ask me about them now, I have a feeling the big bad Bats, is going to want to know, and I only want to answer those questions, once if you don't mind."

This time Dick nodded and led the way into the sitting room. If he noticed the way her shoulders seemed to subtly relax at his turning away, he did not mention it. If she noticed the way the small smile played on his lips without him fighting it, then she said nothing. And if either of them noticed Alfred smiling behind them with genuine fondness, then neither of them uttered a syllable. And for three very brief seconds, both were completely comfortable in the other's presence.

Of course, that moment was instantly shattered when they entered the sitting room. The moment Dick opened the door, there was a violent squeal as Selina ran to embrace her protégé, as if they had not just parted the night before. Dick moved past the two women embracing and cooing over each other to see who else was up. Bruce was sitting in the arm chair watching Marinette with thinly veiled skepticism. Damian was standing behind him, not even attempting to hide his skepticism. While Barbara, Cass and Steph were sitting on the couch watching with varying levels on enthusiasm. Well Cass and Steph were on the couch, Barbara was near them in her wheel chair. Meanwhile Duke was squinting at her as if she were under a microscope, while Jason just smirked. Tim, however, was lost to the world as he cradled his coffee, as if it were about to be stollen from him.

Dick moved to stand beside Duke, and elbowed him gently. Duke jerked, and then explained, "She's got this light around her. I don't know how to explain it but...I don't know. It's somehow black and red at the same time. Like...like someone superimposed one color over the other...I don't know how else to explain it."

"That's probably the miraculous," Dick whispered back. "You read the file right?"

Duke scoffed, "Like I have the time...How did you find the time?"

Dick was about to answer, but just then Selina moved so that everyone could get a clear view of their newest...acquaintance. "Everyone!" Selina exclaimed. "This is my protégé, in unconquerable Marinette! Marinette, you met my fiancé, Bruce, and his eldest, Dick."

Bruce stood plastering the best fake smile he could manage, "Marinette, Selina says good things about you."

"And you as well," Marinette said with a smile, "I'm meant what I said on the roof by the way. But for now it's a pleasure to meet you."

The open confusion and indecision on Bruce's face had almost the entire family snickering, as he desperately fought to chose between his desire to make Selina happy, and his instincts as Batman. However, before he could make up his mind, Selina whisked her away to the rest of the family. The girls all hugged her warmly. Jason gave her a casual salute. Tim toasted her with his coffee. And Duke shook her hand with a smile. Dick tried not to laugh, as Duke struggled not to squint at her in an attempt to better understand her light. But the newest Wayne succeeded which only left Damian.

Damian was openly scowling at the woman, and the scowl deepened as each member of his family greeted her with friendliness. When Marinette turned to him he only said, "Tt." And marched to the door where Alfred was waiting to usher them to their late breakfast.

Marinette turned to Selina with her signature playful smile and said, "Charmer."

All of the kids burst into a fit of snickers as Bruce rubbed his temples with a sigh. "Oh don't mind Demon Spawn," Jason said with a grin. "He was raised on the wrong side of hell, and now the rest of us have to pay for it."

"I'll talk to him," Bruce said gruffly shooting Jason a warning glare.

Marinette waved him away with a patient smile, "Don't bother I understand. Talia's his mother yes?"

Bruce stiffened and turned to Selina, "You told her?"

"She did not," Marinette interrupted. "I've just had a few...run ins with the League before. None of them pleasant mind you, especially not when Talia was involved. But, oh well, c'est la vie. I won't take anything he does too seriously. And I'm sure we'll get along swimmingly soon enough."

"You've had 'run ins' with the League?" Bruce said cautiously.

Marinette's smile turned mysterious as she said, "I'll tell you as we eat. We don't want all of Alfred's hard work to go to waist while you grill me one my life story. Now do we?"

Alfred smiled at her acknowledgement and the family entered the dinning room with mutterings, grumblings, and a lot of "Well she'll fit right in's." After a bustle of finding everyone a seat and getting food, Dick found himself across from Marinette, who was beside Selina. He was also right beside Damian, which meant he was on demon duty for the next thirty minutes to an hour, so he wouldn't be able to study Marinette's reactions properly. In the end, it was Stephanie who got the first question as she called,

"So what were you stealing the other night."

If any of the family members tensed at the reminder of Marinette's less than reputably dealings, then she did not noticed as she said calmly and casually, "I was not stealing. I was liberating. There's a difference."

"Tt," Damian scowled. "I fail to see the difference."

"The difference," Marinette said with secretive smile, "My young red bird, is that one means I'm taking something that doesn't belong to me. The other means I'm retrieving something that does belong to me. Or well, Ladybug."

"So the Falcon Vambrace," Barbara said leaning forward, "Is a Miraculous."

"MmHm," Marinette said as she took a bite of her eggs. "Mm. Alfred these eggs are divine do you mix cream in with them?"

"Wait," Tim interrupted, "What kind of Miraculous?"

"The Miraculous of the Falcon of course," Marinette said as if it were obvious. "It possesses the kwami of nobility. It's a very powerful piece, and should never have made its way into a museum. If that artifact had gotten into the wrong hands." Marinette shook herself as if someone had dumped cold water on her. "Not good. Kublai Khan used it to conquer all of China, you know."

"Marinette," Selina explained gently, "Only steals miraculous. Ladybug has very strict rules on what kind of chaos Lady Noire is and isn't allowed to create."

"Hmm," said Bruce, "and where is Ladybug?"

Marinette waved dismissively, "Off rebuilding the Order of the Guardians. They vanished for over 200 years you know, and only reappeared seven...no eight years ago. There is a lot they need to catch up on. You know, like basic electricity."

"And in the mean time," Tim supplied, "She has you retrieving all of the lost Miraculous."

"So you really are the clever one," Marinette cooed, "But yes, basically."

"What about the old Black Cat?" Stephanie asked.

Marinette tensed. It was slight and barely noticeable, but she covered it with a bite of food, before saying, "When Ladybug became the Grand Guardian of the Miracle Box, that is the box that store the most powerful of the Miraculous, Chat Noir...he began to change. In the end, it was too dangerous for himself and the world to continue as the wielder of the Black Cat." Here Marinette lifted her eyes, and everyone froze. They could all now see the threat and the warning that was there as she said, "The miraculous are dangerous artifacts. Especially the Ladybug and the Black Cat. An unbalanced or incompatible user could cause the devastation of the entire world, with a single word. These are matters we do not take lightly."

"Which was Chat," Dick found himself asking. "Unbalanced or incompatible?"

Marinette was now studying him the same way she had in the hall way. After a brief moment she said casually, "In the end I guess he was both. He was incompatible, but it was the type of incompatibility that allowed him to resist the more...dangerous urges of the Miraculous for a long time. But in the end..."

"He gave in," Cass said quiet but clear. "He hurt you."

Marinette leaned back and waved her hand dismissively, but she wouldn't meet Cass's eyes as she focused on cutting her breakfast sausage. "The past is the past. He is no longer a consideration. Let us leave it at that."

Dick saw Selina shift. He had a feeling that if he looked under the table, then he would see the older woman holding the younger's leg in sympathy and consideration. The disquiet silence that followed was tense as everyone struggled to respond to such a statement. To everyone's surprise it was Jason who changed the subject. "When did you run in with the League?"

Marinette sighed and looked to the ceiling in consideration before saying, "Off and on for the last...four years. The first time was in...Portland. Talia got her hands on the Miraculous of the Bear, and I had to steal it from her," Marinette smirked as she side eyed Jason, "I got the Bear. Talia got a scar."

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Damian's fork and knife clattered onto his plate as everyone, even Bruce, stared at her in open amazement. Selina smiled with pride. She then had one whole minute of absolute silence, which she used to discuss Marinette's plans for her wedding dress before the dinning room erupted into beautiful chaos.

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