#decided to try ears out adrien this time what do we think

[marimbles]

my guys:)

#marichat #ml #miraculous ladybug #experimenting slightly bc it’s been so long since I’ve drawn them regularly and I think my style changed a bit (?) #so I’m like figuring out how I want to draw them again lol #decided to try ears out adrien this time what do we think #I think it’s cute:) altho in my mind adrien covers his normal ears on purpose at chat noir to be more Catboy #anyway. them etc #mine #my art

[sandradoodles]

oh my gosh, I love you adrienette bffs and ladynoir obsessively in love with each other idea. it gives amazing development and irony to both main ships of the love square at the same time! can’t imagine the looks of adrien & marinette’s faces when the reveal happens and they’re just like, “I can’t believe how stupidly in love I was and still am with you?? I should be thrown but I want to marry you even more now???”

(This is the original post, for the uninitiated; anyone who is interested should please check all the tags and comments over there because people have expanded on the idea in absolutely brilliant amazing ways that I never would have thought of. TEAMWORK IS BEAUTIFUL, I love this fandom.)

I have developed such a fast attachment to this au haha. Best Bros Adrienette and Actual Couple Ladynoir have sooooo much potential for consistent development throughout the whole story, more so imo than the actual canon setup. I do have an idea of how I think events would progress and cobbled various scenarios into this rough timeline fic that devolves into notes and then almost-fic again and then more notes at the end because I can't seem to decide if I'm writing a real thing or just yelling my story ideas at everyone. Either way, I WROTE A LOT, hope you enjoy!!

----

Seeing her ladybugs repair everything for the first time fills her with a sense of wonder and triumph, erasing her first mistake with Stoneheart so thoroughly that she feels like they repaired something inside of her as well. Ladybug's confidence swells, and she thinks to herself: yes, they can do this!

"All right, now we've got to get out of here before we transform back!

"Wait-- Ladybug!" She stops and turns back to her new superhero partner, who reaches out to take her hand. She allows it, considering what they just went through. "That was incredible." A smile spreads across her face. He's as much in awe of her new powers as she is, it seems, and he's right. They've done something incredible together.

"I’ll be quick. I just want to say..." He rubs the back of his neck with his free hand. "I know I was a little over-eager before. Getting the chance to be Chat Noir, it changes everything for me."

He's been full of jokes until now, and this sudden rush of sincerity touches her. They don't have much time before they transform back, but she's transfixed, unable to bring herself to hurry him along for some reason. Her face feels strangely warm.

"I was already looking forward to being a superhero, and now, knowing that I get to do it all with you? Well..." He gives her a grin, back to playful sauciness, but this time it doesn't trigger her impatience. She isn't sure what it's triggering. "I'm ready to follow you anywhere."

She ends up barely getting to cover before her earrings run out of time, and she tells herself that her heart is pounding because of the close call. But that is definitely not the reason.

----

As soon as Nathaniel--well, the akumatized version of him--leaves her room, Marinette leaps to her feet and transforms. What a crazy day! She’s going to have to think of something clever if she wants to manage this situation from both the Marinette and Ladybug sides...

There’s an alert from her yo-yo before she can fully settle on a course of action.

“Hey Chat Noir,” she answers, trying to sound casual. “How are things going with Chloe?”

“Oh, charming.” She is privately beyond pleased to hear the dripping sarcasm. “Listen, she did give me a clue though, by accident. I think the villain might be after this girl--” There’s a chime from her bug phone. Ladybug checks the screen to see a picture of herself (her other self, that is), giving a wide smile and cheesy victory sign. “Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Pretty cute, isn’t she?” 

“Wha-- buh-- you think-- Marinette-- cute?” GET IT TOGETHER, GIRL; why is she talking like this all of a sudden??

He laughs, a dreamy sound even over the phone.

“Not as cute as another girl I know. It sounds like there’s something wrong with our connection, so I’ll make this quick. Can you keep an eye on her? I’m sending you the address.”

“I-- I can’t,” she stammers, trying to figure her way out of this one. “You’re going to have to do it. I've got... a special mission!” Oh no that sounds so fake; he’s going to figure her out--

“Great! Chloe can do her own homework.” Okay, he’s just relieved. “I’ll head right over there.” He hangs up without further question and she experiences a moment of relief herself before the panic sets in.

Wait, Chat Noir is coming to her house? Noooo, what if she turns into a complete babbling disaster again? 

(Spoilers, that is exactly what happens.)

----

The first time Marinette suspects Adrien of being Chat Noir she is very uncomfortable with the possibility. It doesn’t even make sense, like why is she even considering something so insane... Just because they have the same allergy?? Chat Noir is a handsome, confident, utterly swoon-worthy daredevil; Adrien is a very nice, kind of awkward, and totally naive boy in her class. Once she gets the tiniest piece of evidence that swings in favor of them being different people, she is more than happy to lay that silly theory to rest.

After a while, she's put the thought so far out of her mind that she forgets she ever had it in the first place.

----

“There’s this... girl.” Adrien blushes, and he looks so adorable that Marinette just wants to put him in her pocket.

“A giiirl? That is so cute! Who is she? Do I knooow her?”

He flaps his hands at her, possibly regretting the decision to say anything. It’s too late now; Marinette is like a dog with a bone.

“No, no, you don’t know her. She’s my-- my pen-pal!”

“You have a pen-pal?” Well, if that isn’t just the sweetest thing she’s ever heard. And kind of sad. Was that his only way of making friends before he was able to come to school? 

“Right. And sometimes we... video chat?” He’s so awkward; why does it sound like he’s asking a question?

Marinette continues to press.

“And you liiike her?”

Adrien hesitates, and she thinks about how rarely he must have the chance to talk to anyone about his feelings. He’s barely allowed to leave the house (seriously, the scheme she had to come up with just to get him permission to visit her today...), his mother is gone, and his father might be one of the most emotionally withholding people on the planet.

“You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to,” she assures him. “But I might be able to help you out. I can give you insight, from a feminine perspective.” It’s a bold claim from a girl sitting with her legs spread-eagled on the floor and croissant crumbs on her shirt.

“She’s... so amazing,” Adrien sighs, and at that moment a new level of friendship unlocks between them. Love guru Marinette is on the case. She’s already formulating a plan; gosh, she is going to help this sweet naive boy so much and definitely not make everything more difficult for anyone involved!

----

Ladybug saves Chat Blanc but wrecks her own heart in the process. Now she's seen for herself what it would mean for her to act on her feelings for her superhero partner. Her love doomed him to the most miserable existence she can imagine; how could she ever allow herself to risk that happening again?

But she's shown Chat Noir too much of her hand, too much of her heart. In order to convince him to give up on her, she has to do something unforgivable: she has to lie to him.

Two days later, Marinette and Adrien are hanging out in the safe space of her room. He sighs and admits, "She turned me down. She said... there's someone else."

He looks absolutely wretched, and Marinette immediately flies into a frenzy. That sounds fake, just-- utterly ridiculous (and you know she wouldn't borrow words from Chloe of all people unless they actually suited the situation.) Who would turn down Adrien? He's kind, and cute, and multi-talented, and tons of other positive things! She tells him as much, with a great deal of emphatic gesturing and stomping back and forth across her room.

"You can't give up, Adrien! Promise me you'll keep trying!" Even if her own happiness can never be realized, she will NOT allow the same fate to befall her friend, who deserves some happiness more than anyone!

The next day, after they've captured the latest akuma, Chat Noir catches Ladybug by the wrist before she can yo-yo away.

"Hey, I'm about to change back!" She still has a good three minutes and they both know it, but the feel of his hand is dangerous and she wants to run.

"I have to tell you something first. I... I'm not giving up. I'm in love with you, and my feelings aren't going to change. I just want you to know that." He releases her hand as soon as his declaration is finished. She wants to throw her arms around him. She wants to throw him off the roof. She manages to keep herself from acting on either impulse, and instead just... bails without a word.

Later, as Marinette lies in bed with her insides doing some sort of crazy churning, fluttering dance between guilt and hope, a thought worms its way into her brain: isn't the timing of her love life and Adrien's a bit... coincidental?

She doesn't voice this thought aloud, to Tikki or even herself.

----

Ladybug keeps up the facade as best as she can, though there are times where her acting becomes so flimsy she just knows Chat can see right through her. Surely all of Paris can see right through her.

Then one day everything really falls apart.

"I don’t... I don’t know if I can do this.”

Chat Noir is right by her side, as he's always been, despite her repeated attempts to create some distance between them. His hands come to rest on her shoulders, firm and reassuring, and she leans in towards him despite herself. "Don't say that, m'lady... You're going to be an amazing guardian. I know it."

"No, I--" She shouldn't be saying this, not to him. But she can't go to Alya, who is too curious for her own good and would want all the details she can't share, and Adrien... Well, Adrien would be the perfect person to talk to about her anxieties if not for the fact that Kagami has somehow gotten it in her head that he and Marinette are, what? Secretly in LOVE with each other or something? Marinette can't confide in him right now; she needs to give them both some space so he can figure out his feelings and ask Kagami out already, then she'll realize that Marinette was never a threat and they can all be friends again. (And Adrien can fully move on from his mystery girl, who only seems to hurt him lately.)

Until then... staying away from him is painful, more than she wants to admit. The pressure, the isolation, the fear of failure have all been creeping up on her so long. Why does it feel like she always has to be the responsible one, always has to make a sacrifice so that someone else can be happy?

“I’m so tired,” Ladybug admits, a faint quaver in her voice. “I don’t know how much longer I can keep this up-- being responsible for everything, protecting other people, always... lying to everyone.”

"You've never lied to me," Chat Noir says, and tries to put his arm around her shoulders. She ducks away from him.

"Are you serious? I lie to you all the time! I've been lying to you since the day you told me how you feel about me! Don't tell me you really think--" 

Wait.

Wait. 

How is she only just now realizing that Chat Noir... is an idiot? 

"Do you actually believe I’m not in love with you?" She’s been fighting so hard but her true feelings are still so obvious, aren't they? Aren't they??

Apparently not. He’s just... staring at her, absolutely dumb-founded. Oh no. She knew she shouldn’t have said anything, this was a terrible idea, now she has to figure out how to fix this before it blows up in her--

That thought falls right out of her brain because Chat Noir has now pulled her into the kind of embrace that Marinette used to have wistful daydreams about on a regular basis.

“Do you mean that?” he asks, breathing the words into her hair, and his voice is actually trembling with hope. How she wishes she could feel the way he does, like the doors of possibility are flung wide open. Even for a second...

“Of course I do, but--” The words start tumbling out of her mouth, and before long she's telling him things she never meant to tell him, about her feelings, about her fears, about Chat Blanc. Not everything about Chat Blanc; even as all her walls are crumbling, she shields him from the worst of it. But she shares enough for him to understand.

“And that’s why I’ve had to keep pushing you away, pretending like I’m not in love with you! If I let it happen-- if I tell you my identity--”

He interrupts her with a brush of his hand against her cheek. “I’ve never needed to know your identity to be in love with you.”

She somehow manages to meet his eyes. How is he like this? She just told him that he might end up miserable, alone and devastated if he takes a chance on her, and his response is to make a tender declaration that weakens her at the knees.

"Did you even hear what I just said?"

"I heard you,” he assures. “But... just because that happened once doesn't mean it's the only thing that can happen! It could be something different this time, something incredible. We could be something incredible."

Something about his sincerity is infectious. She's dizzy, his words are giving her a fever. He loves her so much.

"Please... take my hand, m'lady. We could go anywhere together."

She doesn't bother with his hand. She grabs him by his face, feels the exact plunging physical sensation that accompanies a leap from a tall cliff, and kisses him with the fervor of a love long deferred.

----

AND BOOM, power couple Ladynoir is a thing. There are a few bumps in the road but about 95% of the dysfunction that arises in S4 (in canon) is eliminated because they TALK TO EACH OTHER and RESPECT EACH OTHER’S FEELINGS. Chat Noir is all too happy to bring in new team members because she trusts him with the details (and it’s hard to be jealous when you’re getting regular smooching time with your superhero gf.) He’s her #1 confidant and he knows it. She can finally let herself trust someone else and step out of the pressure cooker that is her own expectations/need to control everything all the time.

Meanwhile bff Adrienette have been working on the problem of Adrien’s crappy life (in this au the dodgeball conversation from Risk happens about two seasons earlier and without requiring the influence of an akumatized villain.) With Marinette having his back, Adrien is able to start looking forward and thinking about what he wants for HIMSELF and his OWN FUTURE. His entire circle of support is expanded because Marinette helps him assimilate more closely into their friend group, and because her parents have essentially adopted him. He gets the chance to process the fact that his father is a terrible person in a gradual, healthy way (which better prepares him for the eventual revelation that the guy is a legit supervillain.)

Felix has to come up with some new sneakiness to take Adrien's place in Risk, because Adrien turns down his offer to help in this version. Later, when Ladybug tells Chat to de-transform and prevent Strikeback from duplicating his power, he has nothing to prove and actually listens to her, meaning... he's not around when she comes up with her plan to recruit a new hero. She goes to grab Adrien, her dear friend, and Marinette lizard brain knows something is wrong but she tells herself it's because of the akuma, and because not having Chat by her side is messing with her head too. They capture the akuma and defeat the sentimonster, Strikeback never gets to Cataclysm anything and Paris is 90% less destroyed than it is in canon, so things seem pretty good until the inevitable happens and Felix steals Ladybug's yo-yo.

Panic attack in Adrien's room. Miraculous, gone. When Adrien throws open the bathroom door, Ladybug hasn't run off yet because Marinette needs him--Adrien, her friend, the person who hands out second chances like candy. It's a character trait that annoyed her when those chances were being handed to Chloe, or Adrien's father, or anyone else she deemed undeserving, but now Ladybug is the one who's made an unforgivable mistake, the one who’s lost everything--

"You can't blame yourself," he insists, and he's putting his arms around her for some reason, pulling her close. "If I'd only told you before... I've wanted to so badly, from the beginning. This wouldn't have happened if you knew who I am... m'lady."

She clings to him. While everything else collapses around her, one thing suddenly falls into place. She's been in love with Adrien Agreste this entire time.

----

And THAT'S AS FAR AS I'VE GOTTEN IN ANY DETAIL. Adrien doesn't totally blame himself for the mistaken identity, he just helps her lift some of the blame off herself. I feel like there's a good chunk of time where Ladybug knows who Chat is but they mutually agree she should stay anonymous. The Ladrien is GLOWING. Marinette has to pretend everything is normal and also like she's not absolutely head over heels in love with her bff, which is... exactly as convincing as one would expect. The final reveal is beautiful!!

#ask #anon #sandra talks #sandra writes #miraculous ladybug #ladynoir #adrienette #marichat #ladrien #lovesquare #ml season 4 spoilers #au

[maribatz-2k]

Child Of Mine

09/20/2023

Chapter 17

First|Previous

Two years later, Mari and Alix had moved to New Jersey to rebuild their lives. Alix applied for the art teacher position at the local schools and Marinette had opened a small store. The girls had found a dreary location of Gotham and sold their condo in London to a starting out family.

You’re probably wondering what would make the girls move to this location. Well my dear Watson, a dart to the globe did. Their home lays between the shady side and the abandoned side of the great city. If you’re wondering, the shady side is the rich smugs who flaunt money and don’t care for their city. What? Did you think we were talking about the side that has all the criminals who just want to tear up their city and take over like kings? Ha! That’s the abandoned side.

See Mari and Alix did research on Gotham after their dart landed on this city. They learned about the “Amazing” Batman and his fledglings, the villains of misfits, and the rich and poor communities. Since the loss and found of their sons, Mari and Alix decided they wanted to be helpful towards the wandering children of Gotham. Alix teaches the kids in the art studio she and Mari bought when Alix is not working at the school. Marinette makes sure they are fed and clothed, with maybe some medical assistances.

Marinette was working with a client when Alix walked in with a paper bag, two to-go cups of coffee, and a slim briefcase. Mari had to hold back her chuckle watching her wife stumble over the furniture to reach the desk to unload her supply. Her wife’s once proper bun was scattered and frizzed as if she had been pulling at it all day.

“I think its time to cut your hair short again. You look like Ms. Frizzle.” Mari comments winning a chuckle the tall male.

“If those rich brats tell me free form is not art one more time and we will continue to have problems.” Alix responds, placing the bags and drinks down on the entertainment table, fixes her hair, and walkover circling the client. “Oh wow, when is the big day?”

 “The gala is in two weeks, and I plan to propose to my girlfriend.” The client was a tall, strapping young man, crisp straight black hair that didn’t pass his ears unless untamed. He stood there trying to not be pricked by the seamstress as he shifted to look at the red head that entered the building.

“I’m thankful I had a suit already prepared so I didn’t have to do it all from scratch. And in short amount of time.” Marinette looked up with a smile as she gave a small giggle.

“Why ordering a suit so close to the timeline?” Alix asks as she sits down on the sofa with her coffee and watches. The young man looks down as he answers.

“My brothers thought they would be funny and use my best suit for a joke. I’m still amazed they were able to do it. But it cost me my only good suit.” The man looked grim at the memory again. He was getting a whole new suit thanks to his brothers pranks. They had taken his suit and put it on the cow and painted superman’s insignia on her chest. His youngest brother was really pissed that they did that to his cow and ended up shredding the suit up to get it off. Alix fell back laughing at response then covered her mouth.

“Shit, I’m sorry. Reminds me of me and my friends growing up pulling some dumb stuff like that. Mari shook her head then stood up.

“You guys were horrible with your pranks. Alright Dick, please tell me if you feel uncomfortable anywhere?” She addresses the man then steps back to watch him examine his new suit. He moved around freely then twisted, feeling no rubbing or tightness anywhere.

“This feels good. Thank you.” He gives her the most shiniest smile that could surpass Adrien’s.

“No problem. Go ahead and change out of them and ill have ready the day of the gala so you don’t have to worry about further damages. If you want, we can even bring it to your door.” Marinette offered. He gave another smile then went to the dressing area. Alix smiled as her wife turned to her and gave her own distressed smile. She offered Mari her cup of coffee and pastry from the bag. Gratefully she accepted then sat down with Alix and nibbled.

“What would I do without you.” She retorted.

“Absolutely die. Not even Chloe could revive you.”

“No, but she would try. Dr. Bourgeois is now top 20 in general doctor in France. She would definitely try.” Alix laughs holding her stomach. It was a shock to everyone when Chloe announced that she was approved to Med School in London after école secondaire. But she continues to prove everyone wrong.

“I think I saw she was suppose to be coming out here for Christmas with Adrien. Think the blondes can handle this dark life?” Alix asked earning another shudder and giggles from Mari. Dick steps out from the dressing room, dressed back in his jeans and button up blue and black plaid shirt, the full suit draped on his arms.

“You sure you can bring to my apartment the day of the gala? I hate to be a bother.” His concern showing in his tone despite his smile.

“Yes monsieur, it will be fine. Besides you’re paying full price for a premade suit. I hate to see the money go to waste.” Marinette says with a smile of her own. Standing she walks over and takes the suit from him, then place it on a hanger and hang it up on a rolling hanging line. “Now, go home and spend time with your family. I must close up.” He gave her another smile then runs out of the door. She didn’t need to lock up yet it was only after 17:00 after all, but she had mini-clienteles coming in and she didn’t want anyone to scare them off.

Taps on the back door sprung a smile on Mari’s lips as she ran to it. Quickly she opened the door and ushered the children in. It was only a small handful this time round.

“Quickly now. I have three bathrooms available if you all need ‘em, all on second floor and one down here. Feel free to shower if you desire. You’ll find fresh clean clothes sitting on hangers in the bathroom closets. I hope they are the right sizes. I will be in the front.” Mari turned away letting the kids get their space then headed back to the lobby. She had the blinds draped half – way up, just to allow sunlight to still enter, and double check to lock the door. Finally, a set of kids walk in the lobby with her and Alix.  It was three girls and two young strapping young boys.

“Oh my goodness you all look so cute! I’m glad they fit.” Marinette squeals happily. The youngest girls smile brightly, the oldest gave a curt nod. The boys just blush and scowl. “Oh, I’m sorry. You two look very handsome in your clothes.” This earned two happy smiles. Alix chuckles watching them all. Marinette crouched down to their level and adjusted the kids clothes accordingly, allowing room to grow and be able to still move around without contrition should they have to run away from strangers.

“Did you place your clothes in the hamper so I can wash them tonight?” All five of them nodded their heads. Mari smiles and stands back up, heading over to Alix to grab a couple of back packs. “Here, there are more clothes in here for you all. You are welcome to share them with others, but they are closer to your sizes. If you need more or just want to hang out, you are always welcome here.” Alix smiles as she hands the boys their bags.

“I even snuck in a couple of Mari’s famous homemade snacks.” She gave a wink as the woman gave a mock gasp of disbelief. The children giggle, even the oldest girl gave a mischievous smile. Closing the blinds completely, the girls walked the children out the back and to their “respective” homes. The couple stuck to the shadows watching them leave their sides, then headed out of the alleys to the main road to head home. Not aware of the time, the two decided to stop somewhere to pick up food. Thankfully, there was always the Tai place that remained open until midnight.

“Think we’ll run into him tonight?” Alix whispered to Mari on the way home holding their food bags. Mari shrugs holding Alix’s arm as they walked to their condo. Well aware it was time for patrol, the girls kept their eyes to the road avoiding to look around for the night crew.

The day of the gala couldn’t have come soon enough. Marinette was dressed as in her red pant suit and blazer featuring a white blouse ruffle down the front. Her hair was tied up in a tight professional bun pinned together by pearl barrettes and bobby pins. Sporting a pair of black kitten heels while Alix sported standard black slacks and a blue blouse, hair freshly cut to her old sporty, pixie style, and tennis shoes.

“Really?”

“What? You said dress business casual. Tennis shoes is the best casual.” Alix smiles innocently. Mari just shakes her head and smiles. They grab the dressing bag and head out the door to the addressed location. Luck was on their side, out of all the taxi cabs that never cross their living area, one comes by. They hailed it down then pass the address to the young man behind the wheel. The cab stopped in front of a rich apartment complex a couple blocks away from Wayne Enterprise. Alix hopped to main door, looked through the rows of name tags then pressed the button. The intercom let out a buzzing noise, then the door unlocked to let the girls in.

After three flights of stairs, they reach the apartment door greeted by loud shouts on the other side of the door. Fighting instinct, Marinette knocks on the door then tried to wiggle to doorknob finding it unlocked. They pushed the door open coming face to face with Dick wrestling with someone in his underwear. Alix let out a wolf call making the two men freeze in their spot and look up.

“Are we interrupting something?” Marinette asks. Dick quickly pushes against the other man to stand up.

“No, no. My brother just decided he needed to be an Ass.” Dick says turning his glare at the man below him.

“In your whitey tighties?” Alix smirks, raising a brow at the man. Dick’s face burns red. He leans over and grabs the blanket off the back of his sofa and wrap it around his waist.

“I-is that my suit?” He cleared his throat as he tried to speak. Alix and Mari laugh for his change of subject before handing the dress bag to him. Dick left the room to put it on, leaving the two with his so-called brother. The brother sat up on the floor and stared at the Alix and Marinette curiously.

“So, are you two going to just stay here until he pays you or are you looking for something else?” He asks clearly insinuating something inappropriate. Before Alix could say anything, Dick returned dressed dashing in the new black and white suit, with a tinge of blue that shined based on the lighting.

“Don’t you look sexy. If Kor’i doesn’t say ‘Yes’ I will.”

“Thanks Jason, but you’re not my type.” Dick says. “Thank you ladies. I’ll let you know what happens. Will need to commission you for future functions.” Marinette smiled widely.

“Always welcome to have the clients. Enjoy your gala.” They walk out and head back to the elevator when Jason ran up to them.

“Hey wait! I wanted to apologize.” Jason stops next to them, rubbing the back of his neck. Mari examined the young man, something about him feeling familiar to her. He stood a foot and a half taller than her in heels. White tuff of hair twirled in the front, body as brawny and muscular as her papa’s if she had anyone to compare to. His eyes held a bright blue hue to it but something about his eyes, something more, intriguing was drawing her in.  

“Not a worry at all. Mari and I are use to mischief behavior all the time.” Alix gives him a wink then elbowed her wife, returning her back to earth. Before Marinette can say anything further, the elevator arrived and opened. “Our ride is here. It was a pleasure to meet you.” Alix drags the blunette into the machine and pushes the first floor. Mari just blinks and waves at the man hearing him just before the door closes.

“Another time.”

Next

@laurcad123 @vixen-uchiha @iamablinkmarvelarmy @emimar7 @magic-miraculous @jayjayspixiepop @galla02006 @queenz-z @tazanna-blythe @talia-scar123

#maribat #mlb x dc #alixnette #child of mine #mother x child #alix x marinette #ml x dc #mominette

[uridestiny]

The Warrior of the Moon Chapter 21: Tears of memories

Previous chapter:

https://www.tumblr.com/uridestiny/747036113351376896/the-warrior-of-the-moon?source=share

The days that passed after that incident passed normally, and the Forum withdrew the punishment and gave me an apology for how rude they were to me to the point of leading me to collapse. But deep down I couldn't blame them for anything, I couldn't even explain what was happening to me.

Adrien even came to visit us more often, and informed me about how the reconstruction of the cities was going after the Calamity left several destructions in its wake. It was a slow procedure, but sure, Adrien assured that they would recover sooner than we thought if they continued at this pace.

My days in the Noumenon passed normally, it has never been a job involving much effort other than organization and observation. However, something in me felt that things were no longer the same, and over time being between these walls and the shelves inside the library became suffocating for me. Sometimes when I had the opportunity to return home early I would take my bow and arrows, as well as the map that Adrien made for me on one of his visits, because the previous map was lost with the rest of his cabin.

I spent some afternoons walking through weeds and rocks to try to find a safe path between the lesser-known corners of the island. I was even curious to understand why the zone of civilization had a considerable limitation on the size of the island, although the most logical answer was It would probably be inside the empty volcano that is now known as Labyrinthos. Whose projects and experimentation to create ideal terrain for exotic creatures would be more entertaining work than the complete exploration of the island.

Thanks to Adrien's map, I was able to find an easy way to get back home just by looking at the position of the sun, I just had to get close to the shore next to the rocks and the sea to know where to go. On the way I found some trees and pine trees with holes, when my finger brushed over them, I noticed that they were made by arrows and I smiled to myself thinking that Adrien probably passed by here to leave his mark, I just hoped that the trunk of these didn’t has been damaged a lot.

There were also times where I felt watched, but Adrien warned me in advance that students from the reconnaissance and espionage department might be hanging around the area to practice their skills. So, I decided not to pay much attention while practicing.

I spent several months repeating this routine, but there were times when Aaron and I would return home together and it wasn’t possible for me to practice with him nearby; After all, knowing him, he'd make me listen to a sermon until his tongue hurt from talking so much.

But this day was different...

While I was trying to shoot an arrow, when I shot it, it never touched the trunk of a tree in front of me, because my arrow had been cut in two and was now on the ground. And when I tried to reach out to pick it up, a dagger landed right next to me.

I raised my head carefully and paid close attention to the sound, my ears perked up when I managed to perceive the sound of a person's breathing from above. I stood still, waiting for his next move.

¨Hey, where do you want to go by shooting so many arrows?¨ I heard someone's voice with a tone of sarcasm.

I didn't answer, but I stayed in my place, my eyes scanned the trunks of the trees around me, hoping to find the person who was talking to me, but it seemed like he was using an illusion spell to hide. Which didn't surprise me at all.

¨Hey, I made you a question, aren't you going to answer?¨ He continued insisting, but his tone was rude.

"I don't talk to people who are so cowardly as not to show themselves when they shoot a dagger almost in the face." I responded defiantly, if there was one thing I didn't like, it was being played with like that.

¨Oops, does it bother you little princess?¨ His tone sounded mocking.

I wasn't in the mood to deal with pranksters, much less spoiled children, so I got up from my position and with a quick movement with my bow and arrow I aimed up where I could see a small shadow and shot there. Then I saw how the shadow staggered and jumped somewhere else.

¨Are you trying to kill me?!¨ He shouted now sounding angry.

¨It seemed like that was your intention towards me with that dagger, I'm just giving you the answer back¨ I said sounding annoyed.

The shadow jumped from one branch to another, from one tree to another it moved, it looked like a slippery squirrel at this moment, probably its intention was to confuse me to prevent me from landing the next blow, but I didn’t want to continue this game of point and shoot towards the prize and lowered my bow, trying to show that I didn't want to continue with that. When he noticed this gesture on my part, I heard how he landed on the nearest tree behind me.

¨...How did you know I was there?¨ He said, sounding tired.

“You're not good at staying silent” I told him.

Then I felt his shadow descending towards me and I jumped forward and rolled around to face him; Leaning on one knee, I saw a young Aura, with blue skin and dark scales with glowing orange eyes. He seemed to be only a couple of years older than me.

We looked at each other for a few seconds, until in our awkward silence we finally put an end to this game of hide-and-seek.

¨My name is Maral¨ He said and stood up. "Maral Kahkol"

I also got up, as we were standing face to face, I could see that he is tall, but he still needs to mature a little, because as I have heard, the Aura can measure up to 2 meters in their adult stage, even surpassing the Elezen, but at this moment, he barely surpassed my height, he would probably be close to that; When I was just about to open my mouth to speak and introduce myself, he spoke first.

¨You are the younger sister of Aaron and Adrien Urih; Destiny Urih I have heard a lot about you¨ He said and crossed his arms. ¨However, I didn't expect that after getting into so much trouble when you went to Eorzea without permission, that you would be willing to get into new ones, if any of my classmates ever tell our professors that you are in this area, I can only imagine that you will receive a letter for the next call to the Forum for your behavior.¨

I crossed my arms, actually kind of surprised to he knew even a little bit about me.

¨But something tells me that you are not snitches, there is a reason why you have the espionage department, not only do you learn to be stealthy, which you have failed today, but also to keep secrets very well.¨ I said without seeming affected by his words.

To my surprise, he smiled.

"You're clever, but that doesn't take away my curiosity to see you shoot arrows in such a far corner. The way you hold that bow, it doesn't seem like you're just practicing for fun. What are you trying to do here?" He asked and I noticed how he was looking at my face, scanning my gestures and probably something that would reveal my thoughts more easily.

"I'm just looking to be stronger" I said without giving much thought, but my answer apparently brought more questions to young Aura.

¨But why do you want to do that? I mean from my knowledge, you have a good family, and you don't seem to be in a bad position to need to go into battle, you even have a pretty face, you could even get a husband and never work in your life, not even the possibility of taking another weapon in your hand... Well that would only happen if you were looking to stay on the island of course.¨

In addition to having flaws in his stealth, he talks too much. It says mere theories about a person about their personal life from the present to the future without considering other possibilities, such as the person's will. I sighed to myself, I didn't have to explain my life to a complete stranger and give them reasons to imagine new scenarios.

¨What I do shouldn't worry you, better try to improve your stealth.¨ I said as I turned around to leave.

¨So that means you want to leave the island?¨ He said suddenly and I stopped.

I didn't say a single word, but then I felt him approach me again and try to look at my face again, trying to figure me out again.

"Listen, I have heard a lot about what happened with the fall of Dalamud and the Battle of Cartenau, it was a very dangerous and frightening scenario, one would think that a person would be traumatized to return to the place where they saw such a nightmare" he insisted.

"I have my reasons" I responded without flinching, but inside I was already eager to leave and burning with anger, however I didn't want to show this to him.

He kept his gaze fixed on me, as if waiting for a reaction from me of some kind, and then he changed position and put his arms behind his head. He walks a few meters away from me and then lowers his head to look at me out of the corner of his eye again. Seriously, I didn't understand this guy.

¨If you want to survive out there, you won't achieve it just by shooting arrows... You need to know the basics.¨ His words resonated in my mind, but I didn't want to hear a lecture from him.

“I know some things” I said, trying not to sound smug.

¨Really?¨ He paused and smiled, mocking. ¨Do you know how to collect wood? Turn on a wood fire? Or do you even want to prepare a tent to camp at night?¨

I changed position and faced him, already tired of his teasing.

¨Yes, but preparing a tent for camping no.¨ Then I crossed my arms. ¨But I learned that a viable option to avoid predators is to climb trees. Or preferably high places with good visibility, but you should not be in sight, but in the shadows.¨

Then he nodded his head, ran his tongue over his teeth making a clicking sound and then smiled big.

¨You seem like a decent person, did you have another life before coming to Sharlayan?¨

I didn't want to answer that, instead, I sighed and tried to leave.

“If you are good with your homework, you will have to find out for yourself.” And with that said, I decided to make my way back home.

Of course I had my reasons for leaving the island once again, but I had to prepare for it, I didn't want to shelter in the walls of Gridania again waiting for stronger people to protect me again. I couldn't do anything before during the events of the Calamity... And that feeling hasn't stopped tormenting me since that night...

It had been almost 1 year since those events...

That night, when I was looking at the stars after that unusual dream, I tried to find solace by looking at the sky, like I always used to do; I looked for the constellations, and watch the stars shine in different colors, to observe the brightness of the full moon, and even try to follow the trail of a shooting star that passed over the sky.

But none of that had the answer I was looking for, there were no words in heaven that could explain to me the reason why many people lost the memory of adventurers who were no longer here. Then I tried to focus on the words I could remember from that dream, although they were few, I could understand a couple of things.

I could vaguely remember having helped an adventurer, I didn't remember if they was a man or a woman, I couldn't remember their appearance and I couldn't hear their voice, but if I could remember that them was injured, I help them, and even support them in the work, we exchanged many words, but they talked about heroes and adventures, about stories that they heard and that they wanted to make a difference and to help those who need it...

¨ To make a difference and to help those who need it...¨ I whispered those words as if they were important, they created a strange feeling in my chest, like a kind of mantra that I had to do for myself too.

In my time in the Gridania infirmary, many people asked about these adventurers, and out of curiosity, I ended up hearing that most of these people sought glory or fame about their deeds, searching for treasures by accepting challenges and battles that ordinary people couldn’t do, face danger with courage to protect... Not many adventurers had good intentions, but of the few who tried their best... They no longer had a face or name, and that... Destroyed the hearts of many.

It was then that, under the starry sky and the cold air entering my lungs, I remembered that there was a pleasant warmth in the words of the adventurer I met, although I could no longer remember it, a part of me told me that, they was a good person, and they truly wanted to do the best for others. I remembered the feeling how nice was it to spend time with them, but now...

That person no longer existed in the world...

During those months that I spent practicing using my bow and arrow more intensely, I remembered the words of this adventurer. And then I thought about my life; I had seen myself how cruel and raw the world could be, a hell that can consume you if you face it alone. There are people who simply see a vulnerable being to do whatever they want with them, who do not care about the well-being from others only just the benefit they can obtain, whose selfishness could kill more than one person along the way, to the point to end their life; Just as there are those who see the weak as tools to serve others, oppressing them with fear and binding them with false promises of freedom, those who enjoy seeing the pain of others, because they are pleased to see someone weaker than them...

With each of these thoughts, I shot the arrows with more anger at the trees, reaching the point of feeling my fingers hurt from holding my arrows roughly and I only stopped when I ran out of arrows and looked at my hand with cuts and blood bathed in it...

There were days when I came home with my fingers bandaged, but at no time did Aaron ask me any questions about it. I guess he was waiting for me to explain my injuries. Fortunately, that never affected my work, I was still able to hold the books and record them, so I didn't see the need to take a break for this.

When I returned to practice, I just hoped I wouldn't see again that Aura that interrupted me on the previous occasion, with him in the middle, I was worried about hurting him. But for my misfortune... He was standing there.

I silently walked forward with the intention of walking past him and looking for another place to practice my aim, but then I felt him take my arm.

¨You know the trees aren't to blame, right?¨ He asked and I raised an eyebrow, not understanding his intentions now.

¨Don't you feel any love for nature? Unleashing your anger against their trunks is not going to recover what you have lost.¨ He insisted, but I raised my arm so that he would let me go and move him away, but instead he squeezed my arm a little more.

"Could it be that you did your homework? Or do you just want to bother me again?" I asked in a sarcastic tone.

When I looked into his eyes, what surprised me most was seeing that there was concern in them. And I realized that he was holding me by my arm with my hand injured by so many hours of furious practice to shoot arrows.

¨I didn't do it, but I can easily say that you didn't do this to yourself because of your desire to practice for self-defense or just be stronger... This is anger.¨ He kept his hand firm and didn't let go of my arm, but he wasn't squeezing it anymore.

"That's not your problem, so I'll ask you to please let go of my arm" I said in a warning tone.

Maral paused, trying to gather the words he sought to express.

¨I decided not to investigate your life, so I don't know anything about you, only what my classmates and I have been able to see from afar and hear out there. But I can see in your eyes that you have suffered a lot." He said, for the first time he spoke in a soft tone and there was not a hint of joking.

¨Whatever it was, anger won't fix any of it. And you may lose yourself"

I looked at him in silence, I had no intention of talking about my life with a stranger. After that, he let go of my arm.

¨...Tell me something, was everything in your life bad?¨

He asked and walked a few meters away from me. I turned around to see him, but he only showed me his back.

"Maybe this is just personal opinion but... I think you should try to remember the good things too, after all, there must be a reason why you have a nice smile."

Before I could say a complaint about it, I saw him take a big leap upwards and I could hear him laughing out loud as he jumped from one tree to another. I didn't understand at all what bug had bitten him to say those words.

It was probably him trying to bother me again, which, he run away just to leave me with this feeling of confusion. In the end I decided not to think about it too much, and just take it as a mockery towards me.

I decided to sit in the grass and brush as I look up again, the stars are just making their appearance in the sky, but there is enough illumination for me to understand my surroundings.

I looked at my right hand covered in bandages and sighed at the slight sensation of pain between my fingers full of wounds, it was clearly the reflection of my arduous nights of practice, but I couldn't deny that all that time I was also feeling deeply frustrated by my thoughts about our world. Although I didn’t have a normal childhood, there were situations that made the suffering less...

I ran a hand through my hair, ruffling it as I sighed... And finally I decided that I didn't want to train today, so I let myself fall on my back in the grass and brush, and I saw the sky and the stars, the night was coming and the stars would cover the sky in that vast black sea that has always been out of our reach.

During all that time, I tried again to find the constellations, but I didn't have much luck with all the trees around me, limiting my area of vision of the sky, but that didn't bother me at all. Since the moon was more difficult to hide between the trees, especially if it shone with all its splendor when it was in its full phase.

At some point I ended up taking one of the arrows and started playing with it with my good hand, making it spin around in the air a few times, and then holding it in my hand to play with the feathers and the sharp metal tip; For some strange reason, I felt hypnotized just holding it and playing with it. Before the bow and arrows, my father had taught me to use a small knife, but he only taught me to use it to defend myself against small animals, but if I was unlucky enough to find a large one, I had to hide until he came to find me or wait for the beast to take another path.

But in the end... He was always there to save me.

I sighed sadly at the memory.

Unfortunately, time plays very badly with the mind and you end up forgetting almost all the details of your life, and only the ones that had the most impact remain, I was no exception. I remembered my parents, but the moments of happiness and peaceful days felt very far away for me, and I hardly remembered much about them. Which sometimes gave me a little anxiety about forgetting them.

But I did remember clearly what my uncle did to me... I remembered my sisters when we worked for him. I even remembered clearly how he handed me over to Garlemald soldiers after selling me.

The days I spent as a slave were deeply etched in my mind... The fear, the anger, the pain, the helplessness I felt when I was trampled by them every day. But... She wasn’t like that, Khistis was different... She, despite being Garlean, took good care of me and it was she... Who freed me from that life.

My vision became cloudy as I felt tears emerge in my eyes, a feeling of sadness and relief washed over me like that day. I could never forget that feeling I had when I got out of that bag and in a long time I had left my cell to see the stars, the forest, the wind, the night... They were the greatest and best gift I received in my life.

When I met Adrien, it was the beginning of a new life that I had never thought I would have, I met my brothers and thanks to them, I was able to feel like I belonged somewhere again.

I didn't want to forget any of them; to my parents, my sisters, Khistis, or my brothers... Even... Mr. Leveilleur and the adventurer I met.

My tears didn’t stop falling that night, as I recounted all the good and bad things that happened in my life, each of them showed me a small part of the world in its cruelty, but also showed me its beauty and goodness.

Time passed since then...

With every visit I made at night to continue practicing, the more often I had Maral's company with me, apparently, apart from not doing his homework, he used to sneak out of some of his classes just to annoy me with his new methods of hiding and sharing his ways to “survive”. Although I found his jokes in bad taste, I admit that he was pleasant company over time and we became good friends.

We even trained together several times to continue growing in our fighting style. Thanks to his support, I managed to improve my aim a little more and was able to shoot arrows when a high-speed target appeared in front of me. Just as he would ask me for help to test his hiding skills, with my good hearing and sense of smell, I could easily detect where he was and the challenge was that I wouldn’t find him, which, sadly, he couldn’t achieve. But a part of me wondered if he even had any intention of getting serious about improving his stealth skills.

Also, we had moments of breaks, where he, being very curious and observant, used to listen to many interesting rumors and gossip, but he always asked me for discretion in not sharing them because he would probably be the one who would get into trouble.

My work at the Noumenon was no different than usual, but when Aaron finally decided to ask me what I did with my free time, because he ended up noticing that I wasn't home after my work hours, I ended up telling him the truth about my nocturnal activities during training of using my bow and arrows, but that I did it with a friend from the reconnaissance and espionage department.

His only reaction to this was to run a hand over his face and say that "I was easily following in Adrien's footsteps by making friends with them."

I smiled a little sheepishly, knowing that probably a new worry had been added to Aaron's list. But the surprises would not end there.

For those curious, when Maral mentioned Destiny's smile. It's because he has been watching her since the moment she entered the territory to train with her bow and arrow for the first time. Since then, if he has the opportunity to see her, while he is wandering around the city or on an exercise with his classmates, he goes to see her.

#ff14 #ffxiv #final fantasy 14 #final fantasy xiv #ff14 wol #ffxiv wol #ff14 writing #ff14 fanfic #ffxiv fanfiction #my ocs #my writing #emotion #sad thoughts #anger #new friends

[the-delta-42]

The Dead Guy

The Dead Guy

Jason grunted as Ryuko kicked him in the chest. The heroine using him as a springboard to get to higher ground than him. The woman was around Dick’s age, but had the temperament of Bruce on a bad day. Jason absently acknowledged Adrien dropping onto a ledge.

“Ryuko, I thought we all agreed to keep sparring inside the base.” Said Chat, his chin resting on his knee.

“I thought you were helping your wife.” Bit Ryuko, folding her arms.

“She got fed up with me waiting on her hand and foot.” Shrugged Chat, his leather ears twitching into different directions.

“Can you actually hear through those things?” Asked Jason, examining the ears.

“Yup, I can see in the dark too.”

“Bullshit.”

Chat dodged something, before snapping his fingers and throwing a black, stormy, ball away from him. Ryuko was suddenly beside him, lightning running along the blade of her sword.

“Anubis?” Questioned Ryuko, as a sudden burst of air nearly knocked the three to the floor.

Chat waved his hand, the wind stopping. He walked over to a wall and pulled a sickle out of the wall, “Or one of his subordinates.”

TDG

Chat and Ryuko landed on the room across from Adrien and Marinette’s home, while Jason drove onto the driveway. Adrien ran up to the front door and scrambled to get his key into the lock. The door swung open, revealing Chloé staring at them.

“What the fuck’s gotten into you?”

Adrien rushed past Chloé, leaving the woman to stare after him. He skidded to a stop, staring at Marinette, who had her head in her hands, and Damian, who was wearing make-up, with Emma clambering over her uncle, humming a little tune.

Marinette slowly raised her head, before quickly depositing it back in her hands. A mix of a whine and a laugh snuck out of Marinette’s mouth.

Jason froze at Damian’s new look, “Hey, Demon Spawn, trying out new looks?”

“Not a word gets to father, Todd.” As Emma decided to draw whiskers on Damian’s cheeks.

There was a flash, followed by a shutter sound as Chloé took a picture of the pair. Marinette looked at the group of four, before scowling at Jason.

“Jason,” Started Marinette, “I believe I made it clear that weapons are to be left at the door.”

Adrien suddenly shook his head, “One of Anubis’s lackeys appeared tonight.”

Marinette stiffened, before standing up, “Damian, stay with Emma. Emma, you’re doing great sweetie.”

Emma beamed, as Marinette left the room and closed the door.

“What do you mean ‘one of Anubis’s lackeys appeared tonight’?” Demanded Marinette, staring at her husband.

“The one with the sickles,” Responded Adrien, “I think they were watching Ryuko and Hood.”

“But they only appear in the presence of death, or someone surrounded by death.”

“What about someone who’s been brought back from the dead?”

The Miraculous holders all looked at Jason, who was staring at the floor.

“Brought back how?” Asked Marinette, “Because there’s multiple ways, the Pagan Deities, the Kwami, Celestial and Primordial beings and witches can resurrect the dead, so you need to give me more to work on here.”

“The Lazarus Pit.”

Marinette’s face curled in disgust, leaning away from him, “Yeah, that’d attract them.”

“Who’s them?” Asked Jason, irritation colouring his tone, “And who the fuck is ‘Anubis’ and who are ‘his lackeys’?”

“Anubis is a Miraculous User that, until recently, was imprisoned in an eternal cage under the lowest depths of the tallest mountain.” Said Adrien, “Some moron thought it’d be funny to break him out.”

Jason looked between the group, “Who’s the moron?”

“Some boy band that wanted Satan to bless them so they could be famous.” Growled Marinette, her hand going to her bump, “Jason, come back here tomorrow, I need you for something.”

Jason frowned but nodded and allowed Adrien to guide him out of the house.

Marinette ducked her head into the room where she’d left Emma and Damian, “Emma, come on, it’s time for bed.”

Emma groaned, but let her mother guide her ways. Adrien arrived with some wipes and gave them to Damian, “So you don’t have to walk through the streets looking like a clown.”

Damian tried to smile, although it looked more like a grimace, “Thank you.”

Adrien nodded and left the room, leaving Damian to clean the makeup off his face.

TDG

Adrien watched Marinette quietly praying, he seriously hoped that an angel actually responded this time and not Constantine, or the devil for that matter. And Marinette didn’t have the patience to sweet talk a pagan god without insulting them.

A flapping sound made them look at an open window. An angel with dark hair, bright blue eyes, a suit and a trench coat stood in front of the window.

“Hello.” Said the angel, in his signature gravelly voice.

“Hello Castiel.” Smiled Marinette, rising to her feet to greet the angel.

TDG

Jason scowled at the light, before putting on a pair of sunglasses. He strode into Marinette and Adrien’s home, dropping his guns into a tray by the door and stalking further into the home.

“So, what’s gonna happen, cupcake?” Asked Jason, as soon as he saw Marinette.

“Please, don’t call me cupcake.” Said Marinette, “And, we’re going to remove the taint of the Lazarus from you.”

“How’re you gonna do that?”

“We’re going to kill you and bring you back to life.”

Jason froze, before looking around the room, “Okay, are there any alternative?”

“Yeah, we send you to purgatory to get your soul cleansed and then wait anywhere from a day to ten years for you to return.”

“Will it hurt?”

“No, I’ve been told this method is quite enjoyable.” Jason whirled around and stared at the man that suddenly appeared behind him.

“Hello.” Greeted the man, tilting his head to the side.

“Constantine?”

“No.”

“Then, who the fuck are you?”

“I’m Castiel.”

“What?” Sputtered Jason, looking at Marinette.

“Castiel’s an angel, I met him a couple years ago in the states.” Shrugged Marinette, “He works for the man of ladders or something.”

“The Men of Letters?” Asked Jason, looking at Castiel, “Hold on, are you the guy that hangs out with the Windsor’s?”

“Winchesters, and yes” Replied Castiel, “I do ‘hang around’ with Sam and Dean.”

“The guys that go travelling around and killing people?”

“The Winchesters are hunters, Jason,” Corrected Marinette, “They hunt monsters, or at least, the ones the Justice League has no interest in.”

Jason shook his head, “Okay, so, you said I needed to die, how do you plan on doing that?”

“Castiel’s going to overdose you.”

“What?” Squawked Jason, before he felt a pinch on his neck, and everything went black.

TDG

Jason suddenly jerked, finding himself in a room with Dick and Tim. He looked around, there was no Bruce, Alfred, Demon Spawn or other ‘Bat-Family’ member. He couldn’t remember when he got here or how.

“You okay, Jay?” Asked Dick, holding a beer out to him.

“Yeah, just got a bit confused for a sec.” Answered Jason, looking at Dick, “Why are we here?”

“Drinks, Bruce and the others are out getting snacks, remember?” Said Dick, as Tim powered up his laptop.

“I don’t understand.” Muttered Jason, looking around. He knew this place, he remembered this night. It was the night Bruce had chosen to spend time with him while he was sick instead of going on patrol.

It was his happiest memory.

But it was just him, Bruce and Alfred. Dick and Tim weren’t there. Jason shook his head, before looking towards the door, as if they’d always been there, Bruce, Alfred, Demon Spawn, Selena, Stephine, Barbara and, Jason bit down a groan, he could never remember her name, Cassie? Carla? It was something with a C. Jason groaned and rubbed his eyes, before seeing the Kanes, a couple Titans, Kory and Roy, and Marinette.

“This isn’t what happened.” Murmured Jason, before someone snapped their fingers.

In a blink of an eye, everyone was gone. Jason looked around, before spotting Zatara.

“Hold on, aren’t you the guy that Doctor Fate’s using as a suit?” Asked Jason, approaching Zatara.

“That’s a…crude way of putting it, but yes.” Responded Zatara, “Nabu’s able to enter heaven, but he can’t enter someone’s personal heaven.”

“Personal heaven?”

“Each and every person has their own personal heaven,” Explained Zatara, “of course, there’s the main heaven where everyone is together, but personal heavens are usually for one person. Their happiest memory, if you will.”

“But I remember that night, no one else was there aside from Alfred and Bruce.” Said Jason, looking around.

“The memory has remained the same, but the people you love have grown.” Responded Zatara, looking around the room, “Whether you want to acknowledge it or not.”

Jason swallowed, “So, what, I’m dead?”

“Until you want to return.” Said Zatara, “Time passes differently here, a few minutes down on Earth can be equal to several years here.”

“But those years aren’t worth anything without them.” Finished Jason, looking at Zarata, “So, how am I getting back?”

“Don’t hold your breath.” Said Zatara, before tapping Jason’s forehead.

TDG

Jason sat up with a loud gasp. He vaguely heard Dick and Tim shriek, while Barbra and Stephine laughed at them.

“What,” Jason coughed, “the fuck was that?”

A small hand ineffectively swatted his arm, “Naughty! Go put money in the jar!”

Jason stared down at Emma, who had her hair in tiny braids. Jason then looked around the room and spotted Constantine having a staring match with the angel.

“What took you so long?” Asked Marinette, spooning ice-cream and mustard onto her celery.

“I don’t know, maybe the fact that I didn’t know I was dead?!” Retorted Jason, staggering to his feet, “What the hell was in those needles?”

“Opioids.” Said Castiel, looking over at Marinette, “Can I go now?”

Marinette waved her hand, making a sigil on the wall vanish. Castiel was gone with a flap of his wings.

“How do you know an angel, anyway?” Asked Dick, looking over at Marinette.

TDG

“Why’s Jason asked us here again?” Asked Kori, as Dick shifted uncomfortably.

“No idea.” Replied Dick, as Barbara and Zatanna talked to each other across the room.

“Are you still uncomfortable around people?” Asked Kori, quietly.

“I’ll be fine.” Dismissed Dick, as Emma toddled into the room, chasing Alfred the cat.

“He spent several weeks asking everyone what their favourite movie was.” Said Roy, slumping in the seat next to them, “For such a big group, you all gave more or less the same response.”

Dick heard Jason and Adrien enter the room, while Marinette and Bruce quietly talked to each other.

“What’s this about?” Asked Damian, folding his arms across his chest.

“Nothing, I just never realised before that we all liked Oliver Twist.” Said Jason, depositing snacks and drinks onto the table, “Or Robo-Cop, Die Hard, or every Disney movie under the sun.”

“Meaning?” Asked Damian, glaring up at Jason.

“Meaning, it’s been a while since we had a movie night.” Shrugged Jason, as Emma climbed up onto Damian’s lap, “So, what one do we want to watch first?”

#miraculous ladybug #batman #young justice #teen titans #marinette dupain cheng #adrien agreste #kagami tsurugi #chloe bourgeois #emma agreste #jason todd #damian wayne #dick grayson #tim drake #bruce wayne #alfred pennyworth #alfred the cat #batfam #batfamily #delta writes #maribat

[aalissy]

Online Games

Sorry this chapter is a little late. I had a busy day today :). I hope you guys enjoy this lil AU even with the tiny bit of Ladynoir that crept in here haha. Lemme know what you think!

AO3

Adrien winced as once again his character died. Their session today was not going well at all. Out of the five rounds they had played earlier, they had only won two. He could hear Nino shouting at his other teammates through his headset and anxiously awaited his respawn. 

It was too late, though. By the time he did finally respawn the game was over and his team had lost once again. Pushing a hand through his hair angrily, Adrien released a frustrated sigh. Maybe he should just call it a day. His father would probably send his assistant up soon to demand he do some photoshoot or something.

“Hey, Nino. I think I might call it a night.” He sighed once more, wishing futilely that they had better games.

“Aw come on dude. One more then we can call it quits, I promise. We’ve gotta end on a high!” Nino’s chipper voice made the frustration ebb away slightly.

With a chuckle, Adrien scooted his chair in closer to the screen, hoping that would increase his reaction time a little. With a nod of his head, he replied, “Alright, Nino. One more game but that’s it.”

He heard Nino shout happily on the other end and that last bit of anger completely dissolved.

“You won’t regret this, dude! I promise!” he shouted happily. “Like I said before our luck’s about to change.”

“Alright, I believe you.” Adrien snickered, hoping that Nino was right. It would be good to end on a win today.

Joining a new game, he looked at his teammates. Nino, of course, and a few people he recognized from previous matches. There was one player that stuck out to him, though. Her username was Ladybug and she had a custom red-and-black-spotted skin to match. 

It felt fitting. After all, his own username was Chat_Noir and he had custom black kitten ears on his character. 

Before he could get to lost in his thoughts of trying to persuade Nino to get a custom skin to match their animal theme, the game started. Perking up to attention, Adrien instantly sat up straighter, heading straight for the middle to get easy access to the enemy team.

The first thing that he noticed was that Ladybug was good. Like really good. They were getting headshots left and right and even saved him from getting downed a couple of times. 

“Wow, Ladybug, you’re really good at this game,” Adrien practically breathed out over his headset in awe. 

“Thanks, you’re not so bad yourself.” A bright, happy, adorable voice responded to him. 

Even her voice was absolutely perfect. 

“On your left!” Ladybug shouted, shooting at an enemy player he hadn’t noticed crept up on them. 

Adrien blushed, scolding himself for getting distracted by a voice of all things. They were finally winning! He couldn’t mess this up for the team. And, a small voice in the back of his head chirped, definitely not in front of Ladybug. 

“Huh, maybe I was wrong. Maybe you aren’t so good after all, Chaton,” Ladybug teased, a smile evident in her voice.

She rocket-jumped away, heading over to the next point that looked to be in more trouble than the one they were currently standing on. Adrien frowned, resentment pouring through him even as a shiver of excitement raced up his spine at the nickname.

“Hey!” he called after her, about to jump after her before deciding against it. Defending this area would help them win the game. He’d just stick up for his skills after the game. 

And, if that prolonged his contact with Ladybug, well that was purely because he needed to demonstrate his expertise with the game. No ulterior motive whatsoever.

 The game finished quite quickly after that. With Ladybug winning the other point and with him staying and defending his area, they managed to get that win Nino had promised him.

When they made it to the game menu, Adrien cheered along with his other teammates, congratulating each other on a well-deserved victory. When most of the players logged out, he called over to Ladybug, “I think I proved I was pretty good that game, wouldn’t you say?”

She giggled and he could practically envision her shaking her head at him. “You really need my validation that badly?”

“Well, you were definitely the best member on this team by far. We wouldn’t have won without you.” Adrien practically beamed.

There was a long pause where he thought he’d said something wrong before Ladybug commented, “Thanks Chat. That was very sweet. And, yes, you played very well, too.”

His beam grew wider with the praise before he quickly said, “Wait, what’s your name?”

“Huh? My name is Ladybug?” He could hear her frown over his headset. “You can see that... can’t you?”

“No, no, your real name.” 

There was another long pause and Adrien once again wondered if he had pushed too far. 

“And why would I tell you that?” Suspicion was clear in her voice and he wanted desperately to erase it.

“Because, buginette, I’ll tell you my name first.” With another long stretch of silence for dramatic effect, he said, “It’s Adrien.”

Ladybug giggled and instantly he felt another bit of relief hit him. He hadn’t completely ruined this, then. 

“Alright then, Adrien...” God, even his real name sounded absolutely delightful coming from her lips. “You were actually quite close with Buginette. My real name is Marinette.”

“Marinette,” he breathed out, testing to see how her name rolled on his tongue. 

Such a pretty name. 

“Alright, I’ve got to log off now but it was really nice talking with you, Adrien,” Marinette’s voice held a note of finality in it.

Panic seized his chest briefly before he shouted, “Wait!” Blushing at his own overeagerness, Adrien quickly shook off the embarrassment. “I, uh, wanted to know if we could add each other to our friend's list? That way we could play again sometime?”

He desperately wished he didn’t sound too hopeful.

“Course we can. I already sent you a request, Adrien.” With those last words, her character logged off.

Breathing out a sigh of relief, he scrolled over to his friend's list and saw her request. Joy flooded through him as he added her back before logging out of the game as well. As soon as he did, though, he was flooded with many teasing messages from Nino.

With a small quirk of his lips, Adrien sent out a reply. After all, meeting Marinette was definitely worth the annoying texts from Nino.

#miraculous ladybug #ml #mlb #miraculous #adrinetteapril2023 #adrienetteapril2023 #adrinette #adrienette #ladynoir #no kwamis au #no powers au #love square #fic #ml fic #fanfic

[empressofthesunwriter]

Kick the cat out of the bag!

Warning: If you like Adrien Agreste/Chat Noir you should turn back because I'm salty at this boy and the creators of this show and I won't hold back.

If you feel the same, enjoy with me this trip down the salty road.

Author Note: Hi guy I made a DeviantArt account you should check it out. There I already made my version of Reader-Chan, their Akuma-Self Nemesis, and my version of Calamity. It’s EmpressOfTheSun. Now I wish you happy reading!

Chapter 10: New Beginnings

(My version of the Reader as the new black cat hero Calamity, of course, you decide what she looks like, I just wanted to give you an idea. Made with a base on DeviantArt all credits to them. Here is the link: https://www.deviantart.com/selenaede/art/Crystal-Sailor-Saturn-Base-01-692744586 )

From the ring, a green ball of light floated up.

In awe, you watched how the ball circled you and then stopped before you.

The light vanished.

Now a little black cat floated before you.

The kitty yawned and you wanted to coo.

It was adorable!

“Ah, Ladybug, Master, this means you took away his ring?”, asked the kitty the two.

Grand Dragon nodded putting a hand on your shoulder.

“Plagg meet your new chosen Miss [Y/N] [L/N].”

You hold out your hand to Plagg and he sniffed curiously at your fingers. You smiled.

“Hi, Plagg, you can call me Harmony if you want. I hope we can be friends.”

As answer Plagg nudge your fingers. You understood what he wanted and petted him between his ears. Soon you all could hear a sound.

Plagg purred!

Ladybug and Grand Dragon chuckled, while you just smiled brighter.

The kwami seemed already to like you!

You had been worried he wouldn’t accept you.

“Mmh, you give good pets, girl!”, mussed Plagg. “I assume Ladybug and the Master told you anything.”

“Yes, but are you okay with it? Adrien had been for a long time your partner.”

Here Plagg turned to the still sleeping Adrien on the floor and signed loud.

“I didn’t make the whole situation better, it was after your blog that I realized that he, that he wasn’t a good cat. I was blind for a long time.”

“You weren’t the only one, Plagg.”, tried Ladybug to comfort him.

“I’m here more at fault, Plagg. I should have long ago taken you from Adrien, but I couldn’t admit to myself that I did a mistake. Again. Sometimes we run from the truth, so we don’t have to face it.”, explained Grand Dragon sober.

“But we are trying to fix it and I think we are doing a good job.”, you reassured everybody with a smile. “The ring is now in my care and I promise I will treat Plagg as a friend and be the best hero you can be. I don’t want to disappoint.”

“I like you already, girl. So, how about we transform? Just say Plagg, claw’s out.”

You nodded to the kwami and said the words.

The feeling was incredible.

You practically felt the destructive power, how it hugged your being, and became one with it.

Strangely…it was somehow familiar.

Like you had done this a thousand times…

And were once stand you, a normal teenage girl was born the new cat hero of Paris.

For Luka becoming a Miraculous User and facing you as his first Akuma, had been like someone had ripped his heart out.

But he had followed Ladybug and his teammates without hesitation.

Papillion would one-day pay for all this!

That he nearly akumatized Marinette and had got you.

No one messed with his Melody and Harmony!

He was sad that he couldn’t hit Chat Noir for Kagami today, but there was always the next time.

Anyway, Ladybug had told them they should meet again at night to discuss the new team and what to do with Chat Noir.

So here he was on one of the rooftops of Paris together with Abeille and Renard.

His hero colleagues were talking with each other, while he just listen in.

That’s when he heard the laughing of two girls.

It was Ladybug who hold hands with a cat girl.

Luka couldn’t help but grin.

Well, seemed like Chat Noir was history and Ladybug already found a new cat.

He was happy, yet he still owed the ex-cat a punch in his face. Maybe Adrien would do something stupid as a civilian now and he could punch him then? He could only hope.

The two girls are laden before them.

The new cat hero seemed a bit shy and gripped Ladybug’s hand harder.

He tried to give her a reassuring smile.

Alya had admitted she missed Trixx and being Rena Rouge, but Pollen was a cute little thing and she would do her best to be the best bee Paris ever had.

It wasn’t that hard since she wouldn’t wreck a train on purpose just to be a hero like Chloe had done it.

She was talking with Renard to see if he was a good match for Trixx. Trixx may never have been officially her Kwami, yet she still worried for the little guy.

From what she had seen today of Renard against you as Akuma, he was good with Mirage and he was nice to her, Shellrock and Ladybug.

Also, he talked to her really openly and seemed honest.

He was a good successor she decide.

That’s when Ladybug came and she had a new cat with her.

Alya watched interestedly how Ladybug and the new female cat already seemed so close. They were holding hands and standing really close.

They looked cute together.

But Ladybug suit in comparison to the new cat ones was really bland.

The only thing in common with her predecessor was the simple black mask and green cat eyes.

“Hey anyone.”, greeted Ladybug them. “I want you to meet our new black cat.”

“Hi, I’m Calamity, nice to meet you guys.”

Calamity, heh?

Renard aka. Nino liked it. Another word for bad luck was fitting for a black cat, which was infamous for the first.

As he had woken up today and got the Miraculous of the fox and not of the turtle he had been really sad. He had hoped a little that Wazyy would be again and permeant his kwami, but Trixx was cool.

The little fox was mischief no question, nether less they got along pretty well.

He hoped that Shellrock took care of his little turtle friend. He seemed nice enough and was good with Shellter.

Nino had to admit that he was surprised that Ladybug had already found a replacement for stupid Chat Noir.

Even a female cat.

The old Chat Noir would surely not like this.

It was sad that he could not see his expression when they presented Calamity to Paris and the world, but you couldn’t have anything.

You tried to smile naturally at your new teammates, but you could feel how wobbly it was.

Even if you had a feeling they would take you in with open arms, you couldn’t help to be a bit nervous.

Ladybug squeezed your hand to calm you down. Thank god, she was here with you. You squeezed back.

“Alright, we should all sit down. What I have to tell you, will take a while.”, said Ladybug.

You follow her example and sat down on the roof. Your teammates joined you.

You were all sitting in a circle, with Ladybug on your right, then came Abeille, Renard, which made Shellrock sit on your left.

Ladybug didn’t waste any time and started to explain anything.

Why it took so long to kick Chat Noir from the team and why you were the new cat.

It was all because of your Chakra.

Your Yin and Yang Chakra were in perfect balance and the essence of it was needed for two special potions.

One to make it impossible for Chat Noir to ever out the secrets of the Miraculous and two that your whole team could know each other identity and all secrets of the miraculous without the danger you could tell another if akumatized.

Abeille was formally vibrating from happiness.

You bet that she was a huge Ladybug Fan and couldn’t wait to know who was her idol.

Shellrock and Renard seemed to accept this too.

Ladybug told them also about Master Fu and that he would join them soon. So all could get to know each other.

But first, after taking the potions, it was time to see who was behind the mask of your teammates.

And with that you all detransformed.

“I cannot believe I never suspect something! Goddamit Marinette you are normally so bad at lying! How could you keep this secret from me is beyond me!”

“Alya, it was simply because I needed to protect the people I love.”

“I know girl, I’m just in shock still.”

“You and shock? You know I was Carapace, Alya and now I have your kwami? That’s a bomb!”

“You make a good fox Nino, I didn’t realize it this time it was you.”

“You gave me a flirty smile when I wasn’t an Akuma anymore, Luka?! I know I wasn’t hallucination that the new turtle hero smiled in a special way for me.”

“I couldn’t help myself sorry. I find it so cool that you are the new cat. You and Marinette together…your heartsongs make the perfect symphony.”

“What, really?”

“Yes, really, Marinette. You two will be great team leaders.”

In this chaos of teenagers and cackling kwamis, Master Fu arrived.

He chuckled quietly to himself.

Seemed like the children were in shock, but happy that their friends were their teammates.

And if he saw how Marinette was sitting on your lap, Luka had an arm around your shoulder and was with his other hand holding Marinette one, their lovers too.

Ah, to be young again and in love…

“I can’t fucking believe it!”

“Nino, langue, not before the Master!”

“How can I when the dude I thought my best friend is, is also a sexual abuser and grand asshole, Alya! God, I need a shower.”

“Luka, Harmony, told you both already know it, I want to know from you why you keep it a secret.”

“Because we didn’t want to stress you and Kagami with this secret. You had to be more careful with your emotion, Adrien is garbage, but handing him over Papillion is not right.”

“I understand. When Kagami joins one day the team, we should tell her but for now, even if I don’t like it we will keep it a secret.”

“Master Fu, can’t we just make the potion for anybody like our parents, so there doesn’t need to be secrets?”

“While the idea is good, [Y/N], the potion is only for Miraculous User. It doesn’t work on normal civilians.”

“Damn.”

The Kwami watched amused at how their children and the Master interacted with it each other.

It warmed their hearts to see their Master surrounded by children.

For nearly a century and a half, he had been all alone. Without a home, without order, without friends.

Now he got it a bit back from their chosen’s.

“I will say this day was the craziest ever.”, said Alya to you all.

Master Fu had long since gone home, but your team stayed for another while on the rooftop.

You still had to discuss a few things.

About patrols, Akuma fights, normal crime fighting, etc.

Ladybug also decides that she would change her suit. You all looked so much cooler than her and that wasn’t fair.

In the end, you all found the right way to handle these things and were happy.

Now you all were laying on the floor, each with your kwami on your stomach, and watching the night sky.

“Couldn’t say it better, Alya.”, agreed Marinette. “I’m just happy that all turned good at the end.”

“A new beginning.”, mussed Nino.

“Are you guys sure, you will handle Adrien in your civilian life? He could get suspicions if you all stopped from one day to another to be his friends.”, reminded worried Luka.

“We will have to act for a bit…but dude I can’t just pretend that all is good and dandy.”

“Of course not.”

“We will manage. We are three people who know the truth. We will make the other see it too.”, said Alya determined. “No one should be his friends.”

“With the punishment of the potion and losing all his friends, that’s an even better punishment for Adrien.”, said Marinette.

“Still can’t believe you had a crazy stalker crush on him!”

“Alya, it’s so terrible to think about what stupid things I did for Adrien, I just wanna forget and start a new.”

“Well, I wasn’t better I support you in it and I was a crazy shipper.”

“We both were bananas, alright?”

“Agree and sorry, Marinette.”

“Sorry too, Alya.”

“To new beginnings.”, you shouted and raised your hand like you had a glass of champagne.

Your team follow your example and even the kwamis shouted with you.

You could only move forward after all.

Adrien woke up from some of the weirdest dreams he ever had.

He had dreamed about all the times he tried to flirt and be a gentleman with his lady…but he felt strange emotions.

He felt scared, angry, disgusted…at himself.

It was so weird.

With a groan, he open his eyes and looked around his room for Plagg.

Maybe his Kwami would know something.

Even if he often wasn’t a real help.

“Plagg, Plagg?”, he called softly into the room.

No response came.

Confused he turned on the lamp on his bedside table.

Still, he couldn’t see any Plagg.

And then he remembers.

Ladybug, the potion!

Why was he back in his room and not somewhere with his lady? Finally, knowing who she really was?

That’s when he also noted that something was missing.

Something so important to him than breathing.

His miraculous.

…Oh no, oh no!

No, his lady wouldn’t trick him, he was sure. She was just a bit angry with him, but tonight she had been her true self with him.

This could only mean Master Fu had demanded from Ladybug to take away his ring!

Yes, that was it!

The Master never wanted him to know he existed and now he had used his lady to get the miraculous back.

“Don’t worry, M’Lady, it will take a while but I will be back at your side!”, he whispered to himself. “Don’t miss me too much and be strong.”

You were now finally home.

You and your friends and loves had talked long on the rooftop, it was high time to sleep.

Tomorrow was school.

You were cuddling up in your bed, Plagg beside you on your pillow.

He looked like a little ball and had even curled his tail around himself.

Gosh, he was really adorable.

“I can feel your eyes, girl.”, he mumbled sleepily. “You should rest. Who knows what Akuma waits for us tomorrow.”

“That’s not a really positive view of the world, but I agree with you. I doubt Papillion gives up only because I could free myself.”, you agreed.

“Then why you don’t sleep?”

“I’m just worried for Mari, Alya, and Nino. They have to play friends with Adrien when we all know that each of them would like to punch him in the face.”

“You have a good heart, Harmony. But give them some credits, you know them. Do they seem like they can’t handle it?”

“No, not really. I just wish I was at school with them. Luka surely thinks the same.”

Plagg bocked you with his head, which made you giggle.

“Come on, now, Harmony. Time to sleep. You can overthink later.”

And with that, he fall asleep.

You looked at Plagg in surprise, then you laughed.

You had a feeling that it wouldn’t get boring with Plagg around.

You were happy to have him.

Again…you had the feeling you had experienced this before.

So strange.

Meh, probably just some Deja Vu, nothing to worry about.

With a yawn, you settled yourself back in your comfy bed and tried to sleep.

This window, this strange window that looked like a butterfly.

This room, this hidden room.

How long you had searched for it?

Now you were finally here.

Facing him.

He was your age.

Blond, green eyes, clothed in purple with a butterfly mask.

How could someone so young terrorize a whole city?

Why?

Why did he do this?

It was no time for questions…they could come later.

You gripped your Glaive tighter.

It would end today.

Ladybug, your love, was beside you, her wings fluttering nervously.

You felt your team behind you two.

Ready for anything.

Just waiting for your commands.

Papillion grinned at you two.

The leaders in this long fight against him.

“M’Lady.”, he purred to Ladybug. “You finally have come for me it seems.”

Startled you sit up from your bed and breath heavy.

What the…?

What kind of weird ass dream was that?

Why would your brain create such images?

It was again like a Dejà Vu.

But…showed you this the future…or something different? 

#miraculous ladybug #miraculous lb #marinette deserves better #anti adrien agreste #anti chat noir #anti miraculous creators #ml salt #ml syren #ml syren salt au #anti love square #miraclous ladybug salt #love square salt #ml writers salt #adrien salt #ml fanfic: kick the cat out of the bag #luka couffain x reader #marinette dupain cheng x reader #kagami tsurugi x reader #luka couffaine x marinette dupain cheng x kagami tsurugi x reader #lukanette #kagaminette #queerplatonic lukagami #yin and yang chakra #ispirazione from naruto since miraculous sucks at explaining the powers

[crescent14]

First Kiss

Let me know if there are any prompts of Miraculous fanfics that you have always wanted to read, and I will try to add it to my story.

AO3

Adrien could never believe he could be this happy. Granted the loss of his father was devastating, but his mother was proud of the young man he had become in her absence, not to mention the endless support she gave him in dating Marinette and choosing his path in life. What once felt like a cold, dark mansion was finally a safe, warm home once again.

Adrien groggily opened his eyes from his little daydream to be met with an orange and pink sky. Before he could wonder where his ceiling went, he heard a soft snore beside him and the sight that awaited him was too much to keep the lovesick look off his face. Marinette was asleep in her pyjamas with hair loosely flowing around her face, out of their usual pigtails. Her mouth was open as she disturbed a strand of hair over her face when she breathe out.

That's right, he had invited her over to have a remake of the picnic Kagami had interrupted when she became Riposte Prime. Like last time, she had once again come over in her pyjamas. Unlike last time, they didn't have to sneak around anymore. Emilie and Nathalie were both aware of the picnic date Adrien had arranged for his girlfriend and decided to leave them alone for some privacy. Unbeknownst to the teens, Emilie had come over to check up on them when the laughter and screams of joy, that could be heard inside, died down, only to find them curled up in each other's arms and fast asleep. She couldn't help but remember the day she and Gabriel had a picnic in the same spot when they decided to try and conceive Adrien. Looking at her son's peaceful face, her lips unconsciously turned upward as she pulled out her phone to snap a few shots of the young couple.

When Adrien turned to his side, he reached out to tuck the disturbed strand of hair behind her ear, which in turn led to her eyes fluttering open at the sudden contact. Her face morphed from a look of confusion to a soft smile as their eyes met and Adrien could not help but lean in for a kiss. He loved this girl with all his being and he would shout it to the world if she would let him.

"Hey", she said with a yawn. The sleepy look in her eyes made her all the more adorable to him.

"Hey", he said back as she turned on her side so they were face to face.

"You know what I just realized?", she asked him with just as much adoration. "What?"

"We're in the same position we were last time we had this picnic."

"Wanna pick up where we left off?", he teased as he grasped her hand in his. He took her to intertwine their fingers as a yes and continued.

"I've never admired the clouds in my pyjamas with anyone before. Is it always so magical?", he said the same line he said last time with a little amusement in his voice.

She giggled, "Adrien, I love you. I was finally going to tell you at the last picnic when Kagami interrupted us and tried to skewer me."

They laughed at the memory, a slight blush tinting their cheeks as they remembered the day. But there were no interruptions this time, so he was going to do today, what he desperately wanted to do back then.

"I love you too, Marinette. With all my heart." They closed their eyes and leaned for the kiss that would have been their first if not for Lila and Monarch.

When they pulled away, he was surprised to see tears at the corner of her eyes, and panic flooded through him at what could have happened to make her cry.

"Hey", he cooed, "What's wrong?", he gently placed an arm on her waist, light enough so she could move away if she wanted to. Oh, how he hoped she didn't want to.

She shook her head, "Nothing's wrong. Just thinking about how much Kagami was hurt that day. And how we could have had our first kiss wrapped around a sweet memory instead of at the plane."

He was going to say something along the lines of 'first kisses are overrated', but Marinette interrupted him with her rambling. "I know people put too much importance on a first kiss, and as long as it was with the right person, it doesn't have to necessarily be romantic or anything, but I don't like the memory associated with our first kiss!", her voice started to reach a shriek with every word till she practically yelled at the end of her sentence, and then she started to cry.

Immediately, he wrapped her up in a warm hug and ran his hands down her back as she sobbed into his shoulder. He waited patiently for her to continue, to vent out all her emotions and explain. She would talk when she was ready, and he would be there to listen. Marinette was a strong girl. Through all the bullying and pranks she endured from Chloe and Lila over the year he knew her, he had never seen her break down like this, so he was more than sure that there was something more to the reason she stated. An underlying reason as to why she broke down like she did.

When her sobs turned into quiet sniffles as she began to calm down, and if it weren't for his heightened senses thanks to the miraculous, he wouldn't have heard the feeble "I'm sorry." she mumbled.

Now that was a shock, "What?! Why are you sorry? You shouldn't apologize for your emotions, you are entitled to them. Don't apologize for being honest about your feelings, okay?"

"Okay", she quietly muttered. She pulled away from the hug to wipe her eyes and cheeks which were tinged pink with embarrassment.

Once she seemed to calm down a little, he tentatively asked, "Can I ask you something?" "Anything", she replied instantly.

"What did you mean when you said you didn't like our first kiss? Was there something wrong with-", he didn't know if he could finish that sentence.

Luckily for him, he didn't have to. She immediately spoke up, "No! Of course there was nothing wrong with you, Adrien. I did want to kiss you, for so long. I just don't like how I felt the day we shared our first.", she shyly looked away as she finished her sentence.

Adrien cocked his head to the side and asked, confused, "What do you mean, you don't like the memory?" When she looked at him, tears neared the brim of her eyes, but she still spoke in a shaky voice, "I-I remember wh-when you called me a-and told me about g-going to L-London. I h-had p-promised that I wouldn't a-abandon you so I came to the plane, b-but all I could think about was how I m-might never get to see you again. Th-that when we kissed, i-it was us saying g-goodbye. And my h-heart couldn't h-handle it." At the end of her monologue, Adrien once again pulled her into his arms and she practically collapsed on his chest.

"That wasn't going to happen. I was trying so hard to find a way to sneak out of the apartment and London and find a way to come see you. I almost did, actually." he chuckled.

Marinette looked at him, confused, and he told her about his adventurous, fond memory of escaping his apartment by hiding behind plants, explaining to one of the staff members about his confinement and being allowed to use the service elevator. Then wondering if he could catch a ride on a ferry or a yacht on its way to France, or whether he should take the train instead. Of course, she didn't need to know that he made it all up on the spot to cover the fact that he just transformed into Astrochat to come to see her in Paris to tell her his secret, but ended up fighting his akumatized dad instead. One day if- no, when- when the time comes to tell her the truth, he vowed to tell her everything. But today was not that day.

It was already getting late, so Nathalie came to get the teens for dinner and asked Marinette to join, which she happily accepted. Then, much to her dismissal and Emilie's constant nagging of raising a gentleman, Adrien walked Marinette home, hand-in-hand, with huge smiles plastered on their faces. He also stole a goodnight kiss- just because he could- before the usual "See you tomorrow." as they parted ways.

#miraculous ladybug #adrienette #fluff #cute #mlb #post s5 #post monarch

[inner-sakura]

Hypothetically Ever After

[childhood friends AU, adrienette, slowburn, fake/pretend relationship]

With only two weeks of summer vacation to spare, Marinette enlists Adrien’s help with a task of utmost importance.

“I need you to help me seduce your brother.”

Quite predictably, nothing goes according to plan.

a fic loosely inspired by starrycove​’s Brothers AU from approximately 9835 years ago that has lived in my head and my heart ever since.

read the rest here

chapter twenty-nine

Adrien’s question broke through the silence, blindsiding her with its suddenness. 

Why does it have to be Félix? The words rang in her ears. 

Although Marinette thought she understood the framework of the question, she had no sweet clue where it was coming from. Why did Adrien suddenly want to know her reasoning after so many years of listening to her talk about her crush on his brother? The timing seemed incredibly odd, even more so now that they had been ‘dating’ for almost an entire week. 

“What do you mean?” She asked, not having to feign confusion since her befuddlement was, unfortunately, all too genuine.

Did he mean his question in the sense of:  Why does it have to be Félix, my older brother?  

Or, much more dangerously, did he mean:  Why does it have to be Félix, and not me?   

Because the former, Marinette knew how to handle. The latter might prove much trickier. 

The reality was, at this point, there was no denying that she was attracted to Adrien. She enjoyed spending time with him, doing coupley things like holding hands and going on dates. And she had really enjoyed making out with him last night. But Marinette wasn’t sure what any of that meant for their friendship, or for the fate of this whole endeavour. 

It didn't help that Adrien, for some reason, wouldn't meet her eye, choosing instead to gaze in the direction of the waterfall, appearing thoroughly engrossed in the cascading water. Which, suffice to say, left her no closer to deciphering his intentions. 

Marinette shook herself, trying to gather the few shreds of common sense she had left. 

What was she thinking? Of course he didn’t mean it in the ‘why him, not me’ sense. There was no way that Adrien Agreste had actual feelings for her. He probably just wanted to know why—of all of the boys in the world—she had to be head-over-heels for his brother. It was undoubtedly a bit uncomfortable for him. She was his best friend, Félix was his brother. Things had the potential to get very awkward very fast. 

And besides, up until recently Adrien had been keeping himself quite happily occupied with another pretty, dark-haired girl. So it wasn’t like he had been melodramatically pining for her from afar or anything.  

Surely if he was secretly holding a burning, passionate flame of love for her, then wouldn’t he have had more difficulty dating someone else? The rational part of her brain pointed out. 

No, she decided, Adrien definitely wasn’t in love with her. But she supposed she did owe him an explanation, or at the very least the truth about her mission to snag his brother. He had agreed to help her after all, and he was being a remarkably good sport about the whole thing.

“Adrien, I don’t know how to tell you this… But your brother… is kind of really hot?” 

Adrien made a face, whether at her half-assed attempt at a joke or the implication that his brother was fine as hell—which, like, hello? Everyone knew there was no such thing as an ugly Agreste—she didn’t know.  

Sensing that it would behoove her to respond more seriously this time, Marinette went on.

“If you’re asking why I have a crush on Félix, then the answer is that I don’t really know. I suppose it’s just always been there to some extent... I’ve never really thought about why before,” she pulled at a stalk of grass beside her, tugging without tearing it from the ground. “But I guess my earliest recollection would be from when we were little.”

She felt Adrien’s eyes on her. Now it was her turn to avoid eye contact, staring down at the sad little patch of grass, surrounded by rocks on all sides. 

The forest scenery around them melted away, becoming the sun-drenched backyard of her memories. 

“We were playing by the lake. I couldn't have been any more than four or five at the time. You guys had ganged up on me—again—and chosen whatever game we were playing… I can’t remember what it was now. So I decided to stage a protest. Meaning that I went off to sulk by myself.” She huffed out a laugh and heard Adrien do the same. Peeking at him from the corner of her eye, she found him staring at her intently. The earnest look on his face had her quickly focusing back on the ground. Rocks and dirt were much easier to deal with than whatever lay behind the softness in his green eyes. 

“Your parents found me, and I thought they were mad that I didn’t want to play what you guys wanted, so I started crying.” She had been so afraid they were going to take her home, or forbid her from ever playing with the boys again. The infallible wisdom and logic of a five-year-old’s brain, she supposed. 

“But instead of getting mad, your mom hugged me and told me that she wanted me to look out for you both. That you needed me just as much as I needed you. And then she said, I’ll never forget this part—”

Marinette was completely lost in her recollection now, remembering the warmth of Émilie’s embrace settling over her shoulders like sunshine.   

“—‘those two were made for each other.’” She quoted, echoing those few precious words from so long ago—the ones she’d permanently etched into her heart and carried with her ever since. 

“I’m not sure whether I was even meant to hear it, or if she was speaking to your dad, but I knew she was talking about Félix and I because at that exact moment he smiled at me... I remember it, clear as day.” She smiled softly to herself, her heart swelling against her ribcage as she recalled that little boy’s grin. Each display of warmth and affection from Félix was something to be treasured, made infinitely more valuable by their rarity.   

Marinette had expected Adrien to maybe be a bit skeptical of her story—the human mind was not an inerrant source after all, much less that of a child—or perhaps even upset that she’d been keeping this conversation with his late mother a secret from him for so many years. She had mentally prepared herself for any number of reactions, with varying degrees of emotional intensity. 

What she hadn’t anticipated, however, was this… blank nothingness of a non-reaction. 

Adrien sat as still as a statue before her, so stony and closed off that she wondered for a moment whether he had even heard what she’d said. 

She had no idea what lay behind the impenetrable wall of his expression, but whatever it was, she had the distinct impression that she did not want to hear it. The thought of Adrien poking and prodding at one of her most cherished memories was enough to make her sick to her stomach. 

When he finally found his voice, Marinette couldn’t help but wish he hadn’t. “So… you’re telling me that the reason you have a crush on my brother is because you think my mother wanted you to be together?” Adrien sounded disbelieving, his tone bordering on rude. “That’s it?” 

Immediately falling on the defensive, Marinette withdrew, her emotional walls rapidly reassembling as she tried to protect her precious memory from further scrutiny. 

“You asked me why Félix and I told you. I never promised it was going to make sense,” she replied, sullenly ripping at the grass beside her. She plucked the stalks out by the handful, relishing in the act of destruction. “Sorry to disappoint.” 

This was exactly why she had never shared the story with anyone before, she thought with a stab of regret. She hadn’t wanted it to become tarnished. 

Adrien, to his credit, appeared to realize the effect of his words, judging by the rueful expression that overtook his face. He hesitated, his mouth opening and closing several times before he spoke again.

“I’m not disappointed,” he said, his tone softening. “Just...surprised, is all.”

Marinette probably would have believed him more had it not been for the look in his eye, which told her there might be more to his feelings than the platitudes he was spouting. 

Still, he did look genuinely remorseful as he leaned forward, pulling his knees towards his chest and resting his elbows atop them. He scanned her face at length, green eyes probing hers like he was searching for something; some kind of answer to a question she would have gladly given, had she known what he was after. 

“Is that really it?” He asked, pausing meaningfully. “The entire reason you’ve had a crush on Félix for so long is because you think my mother picked him for you, like some kind of weird arranged child marriage?” 

Annoyed and slightly wounded by his tone, Marinette decided she’d had her fill of the current line of conversation and wanted to shut it down. She’d heard quite enough of Adrien’s opining on the matter, thank you very much. 

“Well, I'm also physically attracted to him, so that does help,” she sniped, knowing that it would annoy Adrien to be reminded of how handsome she found his brother. 

As expected, her barb landed perfectly, judging by the way Adrien's face twisted in a scowl. 

“Yes, you’ve made that abundantly clear by now,” he grimaced, looking a bit green about the gills. 

He stared at her for a beat longer, appearing as though he wanted to say more. 

“We should get back,” he said at last, breaking eye contact as he rose to his feet with a grunt. He dusted himself off primly, heedless of the fact that they were about to get back in the water. “Everyone’s probably waiting for us.”

Marinette stood as well, loosening her fist to let the last few stalks of grass be carried away by the wind. 

“Yeah.”

She wished he had said what he was going to say. She was glad he hadn’t. 

Her eyes drilling into the space between his shoulder blades, Marinette followed Adrien back to the jet ski without another word. 

-x- 

The rest of the day passed pretty much how she’d expected it to. 

They ate more delicious food—Adrien and Félix both gorged themselves at dinner, having second and then third helpings, much to the delight of her parents—swam in the beautiful blue-green water of the lake, and generally just tried to make the most of their vacation while it lasted. 

Marinette was relieved to note that any lingering tension between her and Adrien had faded with the drone of the jet ski’s motor; burned away by the blinding light of the sun reflecting off the waves. By the time they made it back to join their families, it felt as though they’d left any thoughts of Félix, Émilie, and unfulfilled promises a world away—the remnants of their conversation lying forgotten on the shore by their little clearing in the woods.  

The two of them helped to clean up after supper, laughing and joking around with her parents and Bridgette while Félix and Gabriel looked on, the latter sipping slowly from a glass of wine. Everything felt so mundane, and yet… Not. 

Bridgette and Félix were still off in their own lovey-dovey world—hopelessly ensnared in each other’s orbit and oblivious to anything and everything else around them.  

And she was still hyper-aware of every movement of Adrien’s body, cataloguing each accidental brush of skin and lengthy look until she was certain she would burst into flames, all her nerve endings alight with a pleasant sort of inferno. 

The boat cast off at sunset, wanting to make it back to the marina before nightfall.

Sleepy and sated after a long day spent in the fresh air, she and Adrien curled up on the bow, the sun warming their backs as it began its descent behind the mountains, painting the world around them in fiery shades of red and gold. 

Marinette fought to keep her eyes open, the heaviness of her lids increasing as the boat rocked gently beneath them. At some point she must have slipped into a doze, because the next thing she knew she was being jolted awake, the sound of raised voices wrenching back the haze of sleep. 

She scanned the horizon blearily, squinting as she tried to figure out where the disturbance was coming from. Her eyes landed on the old rail bridge that marked the outer edge of the Agrestes' property line, and the group standing atop it.  

Their whooping echoed across the water, shattering the peaceful serenity that fell over the lake at golden hour. 

Bingo. 

“What are they doing?” She leaned forward, trying to get a better look. There was quite a large crowd up there from what she could tell, counting at least a dozen people, if not more. They appeared to be around their age, most likely teenagers based on the style of their brightly coloured clothing and the ungodly amount of noise they were producing.

Their hooting and hollering—which had at first been no more than a faint echo—was steadily growing louder as the boat drew nearer.

“Apart from trying to prove Darwin’s theory of evolution, you mean?” Marinette glanced over, surprised by the strength of Adrien’s reaction. He frowned darkly, his gaze fixed on the crowd. 

Curious in spite of herself, she turned her attention back to the bridge and its occupants. While most seemed to have enough common sense to keep their feet firmly planted on the deck, an alarming number of them were crawling over the railing, shimmying across the narrow ledge to a platform near the midway point.   

Adrien scoffed. “Just another group of simpletons risking life and limb for a dumbass dare.” 

Marinette quirked a brow. She hadn’t heard anything about this. “A dare?” 

“It’s been a trend this summer, apparently,” he explained, picking up on her confusion. “Friends challenging each other to see who’s brave enough to jump off the top and down into the lake. They’re calling it a test of courage or something ridiculous.” 

“Is it safe?” She eyed the distance from the platform to the water. It had to be at least an eight, if not ten metre drop. She repressed a shudder.  

“I mean, the distance is definitely survivable. Olympic diving platforms are usually that height or higher,” Adrien shrugged. “It’s more the uncertainty of what lies below and the possibility of passing boats that makes me question their sanity.” 

They both sobered. Boating accidents were thankfully rare, but not entirely unheard of on the lake. All it took was one idiot with too much to drink and too little common sense for bad things to happen. They’d all heard the horror stories.   

“Diving doesn’t bother me... It’s the thought of not knowing what awaits you at the bottom that should be frightening.”  

Marinette hummed in agreement, watching as someone in a pair of bright pink swim trunks teetered precariously on the edge of the platform, nothing but the yawning void beneath their feet.

The sound of their screams as they fell continued to ring in her ears long after they’d disappeared under the waves. 

“You couldn’t pay me enough to do it,” Marinette said eventually, shaking her head as she watched them swim back to shore. Her heart was in her throat just from spectating, forget ever doing it herself. “Screw courage. I care more about surviving into adulthood, thanks.” 

Adrien nodded emphatically.

“Amen to that.”

They fist-bumped.

-x-

#ml fanfic #miraculous ladybug #adrienette #marinette dupain-cheng #adrien agreste #adrinette #ml fic #miraculous fanfic #no miraculous au #ml brothers au #childhood friends au #ongoing fic #hypothetically ever after #my fics

[sorcerymuses]

Chat Blanc and Cocimal Chapter 8: “Aftermath”

Fandom: Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir

Pairing: Adrinette (platonic)

Rating: G

Word Count: 1,646

Summary: Loose ends are closed...

More: <- Cocimal/All Links

Before she went to the Eiffel Tower, Marinette put together fake Miraculous and put the ring in a box. She took the fake earrings and traded them with her Miraculous, setting the earrings down.

"Marinette, what are you doing?" Tikki demanded.

"I'm going to put an end to this…tonight. But I need you to do something for me," she told the Kwami. "Can you take the earrings to someone we can trust? No one on the team and definitely not Master Fu…"

"How are you going to fight without the earrings though?"

"I've been studying magic, remember? I've got this," she assured her. "Just take the earrings to someone we can trust for safekeeping and after everything's done, have them bring me the earrings at the Trocadéro."

"Okay…if you're sure this will work…," Tikki mumbled.

"I'm sure, Tikki," she promised. "Now, go." Tikki nodded and flew out of her room. The next thing she did was call Gabriel to tell him the plan so he could talk to Adrien and Celeste about it. Then, she went to the hotel and went up to Chloé's room.

"Hey, Marinette," Chloé greeted. "Something up?"

"Yeah, I'm ending this tonight," she said, shutting the door. "But I need to borrow your Ladybug costume. And be ready for a media storm…"

"Marinette, you're gonna need to back up and explain what your plan is…where's Tikki?"

"No idea. I sent her off to hide the earrings," she laughed as Chloé opened her closet and pulled out the suit. As she got changed into it, Marinette explained her plan.

Tikki flew out of the room and hid under Marinette's lounge chair on the balcony. There were honestly a lot of people that Marinette would consider trustworthy, and Tikki couldn't think which one to take the earrings to. Finally, she decided to go downstairs and give the earrings to Sabine. Who better to look after Ladybug's Miraculous than her mother? The woman was in the kitchen mixing together a sauce of some kind. Tikki floated near the woman's head to see what she was making. On closer inspection, it seemed to be a bean sauce.

Knowing time was on her side, Tikki floated back to watch the woman cook. Sabine bustled around the kitchen chopping vegetables and meat, frying up eggs and tofu and the vegetables, and finally assembling all of her ingredients into skins of some kind. Tikki hadn't actually watched anyone cook in a while, so she couldn't name any of the ingredients that weren't labelled.

"Making Popiah, dear?" Tom called from the door, apparently having finished his work in the bakery.

"Yeah," Sabine laughed. Abruptly, Tom shouted and Tikki remembered what she was out in the open for. She almost dropped the earrings as she dodged a book trying to squish her. "Oh my god, how did that bug get in here?!" Tom tried to hit her again and she flew out of the way.

"Tom, Sabine," she tried gently.

"It looks more like a flying mouse," Tom griped, trying again. Tikki sighed and danced around the book. "A…bug-mouse?" That made her giggle.

"I see where she gets it from…," she laughed and Sabine shrieked.

"Bug-mouse talks!"

"Please, I'm not here to cause any trouble," she told them, setting the earrings down to yank the book from Tom's hand. She dropped the book onto the counter and went to sit beside the earrings. "I'm here on an errand." The two adults looked at her in confusion and she sighed. "Ladybug sent me."

"Why would she send a bug-mouse to us?" Sabine mumbled.

"I'm not a 'bug-mouse'. I'm a Kwami. A…familiar if you will," she explained carefully. "Ladybug asked me to bring these to someone for safe keeping," she continued, holding up the earrings. Sabine was the one to gently take the earrings from her. In the woman's hands, the spotted earrings transformed into plain pink studs.

"Wait a second, isn't this…Ladybug's…," she trailed off. "What was the word?"

"Miraculous," Tikki told her. "I don't know what she has planned, but it'll probably be on the news." Tom took her statement as a prompt and turned the TV on. Sabine pinned the earrings on and went back to cooking.

"We interrupt this program for an urgent bulletin," a reporter declared from the TV and all three of them turned their full attention to the broadcast. "We're reporting live from the studio where Hawkmoth just arrived and seems to be waiting for someone. No one inside is willing to get any closer to see what's going on. Oh, thank god, here comes Ladybug!"

"If we have her Miraculous…how is she transformed?" Tom asked, looking over at Tikki.

"I don't know her plan…," she admitted.

"Oh my god!" the reporter gasped and the camera zoomed in on Ladybug handing something to Hawkmoth. "Is that Chat Noir's ring?!"

"She was making copies of the Miraculous before she went out," Tikki defended. "I'm sure she wouldn't really take Chat Noir's ring…" Of course, she wasn't sure about that. If Marinette had gotten herself Akumatized (and it was looking like that was the case), then there was no telling how much control over her own actions she would have. The reporter started panicking and there was a commotion around her as the footage showed Ladybug removing her earrings and handing them over to Hawkmoth.

The police took control of the situation, pushing the onlookers back so they would have room to make their arrest. As the police finished loading 'Hawkmoth' into the van, an officer approached Marinette and shook her hand. She nodded to him and the officers drove away. Reporters swarmed the group of heroes again, clamouring for answers.

"One at a time, please," Marinette laughed. Nadja pushed to the front of the crowd rudely, rather than lift a hand or otherwise call attention to herself.

"How did you manage this, Ladybug?" Nadja asked and she ignored her in favour of a school mate of hers that she recognized with her hand raised patiently.

"Go ahead…Karen, right?"

"That's right," Karen laughed. "But…Nadja already asked a question…"

"Oh, she did?" Marinette quipped. "I'm not taking questions from someone that would so blatantly slander someone who's helped to save her skin multiple times from Akuma that she helped create."

"Okay…well…," Karen cleared her throat. "Did you know that Hawkmoth was Gabriel Agreste before you unmasked him just now?"

"If he were Gabriel Agreste, I would say yes," she laughed. "I knew his identity before going into this fight."

"If he's not Gabriel Agreste, then why does he look just like him?" another reporter piped in.

"It sounds like a bad soap opera answer, but he's Mr Agreste's evil twin who escaped from prison," she told them.

"And how did you accomplish this tonight?" another asked.

"There's a lot more to the answer than I'm willing to share," she sighed. "But in short, I made a plan that involved drawing his attention for an Akuma and used his own plots against him."

"So, what you're saying is that people are actually in control of their actions while Akumatized?" someone demanded.

"No," she sighed. "There's a specific process to stay in full control. I just learned how to do it. That's all I'm willing to say on that matter. And it's been a long day, so I'll be going." She finished off her drink and found a trash can for it. The reporters continued, pressing for answers, but she cast a teleportation spell and went back to the Eiffel Tower to get Chloé's trench coat.

When she had her costume covered, she went to the Trocadéro to wait as her memory spell wore off. Fortunately for her sanity, since it was dark out, she didn't have to deal with people walking around and questioning her.

"Ladybug?" a familiar voice called behind her and she turned to see her parents on the approach.

"Oh…Mr Dupain, Mme Cheng, what brings you out this late?" she asked, cursing her lack of specifics with Tikki. But at the same time, she'd been so vague about her instructions to Tikki just in case some part of her plan went sour.

"Well, we were told to come meet you to return these," Sabine said lightly, holding out the earrings.

"I have to wonder," Tom mumbled. "What made your familiar feel like we could be trusted with your Miraculous?"

"I'll tell you in private," Marinette laughed. "I can't believe Tikki would do this to me…"

"Well," Tikki said, floating into the open as Marinette put the earrings in. "You didn't give me much to go on…and I think it's high time you told them. The danger's passed now." Marinette nodded and opened a portal.

"Good point, Tikki," she sighed. "Here, a shortcut." She indicated the portal and her parents went through it. She followed them into the living room and ended the spell. While her parents processed her shortcut, she took her mask off and set it on a shelf. Her mother gasped loudly as she turned to face them.

"Marinette?!"

"You're Ladybug?" her father gasped. She nodded.

"Yeah. I'm sorry I couldn't tell you before."

The day after Hawkmoth's defeat was filled with press conferences and celebrations. Over all, the party lasted a solid week. When things finally calmed down, things went back to normal, with a few exceptions. Marinette, Chloé and Adrien kept their Miraculous. And eventually, Marinette and Adrien started dating.

#miraculous ladybug #miraculous fanfiction #fanfiction #my writing #fic: chat blanc and cocimal #marinette dupain cheng #adrien agreste #gabriel is not hawkmoth #emilie agreste has a different name #verse: cocimal et chat blanc #(Marinette) the power of love so strong 🐞

[wornoutmouse]

Look I wrote this for my friend but i popped the hell off with this one so if you don’t mind reading a name inbetween a few dialogue points pls read

You ran hurriedly through the halls of the school as the third bell finally rang. You had overslept and had barely made it onto the bus. Skidding to a stop, you slow down when you get to the door, catching your breath before entering. Just as you annoyingly expected, eyes dart towards you as soon as you entered, effectively catching the teacher’s attention.

 “This is the second time you are late young lady, one more time and I will have no choice but to write you up.” You smile awkwardly, “Sorry Miss, it won’t happen again.”  Ms. Bustier clicks her tongue disapprovingly as she watched her student walk to her seat, head hanging low. You sit down in your chair with a soft sigh as Ms. Bustier spoke about today’s lesson.

For the most part, you pay attention to the lesson being taught, that is until your attention is being interrupted by a pencil poking your side. From your peripheral vision, you see fluffy blond hair swaying gently to get your attention. You mutter under your breath, swiping the pencil with your hand, “Quit it Adrien I’m already in trouble.” The boy huffs but the playful aura still hung around making your skin buzz with excitement.

 Shifting in your seat, you squint your eyes at the smartboard, writing down notes every so often. Looking down once again, you notice a small piece of paper folded, You look at Adrien who boredly watched your teacher speak. Opening the paper you roll your eyes at the note inside. 

A - Late again are you Miss Mia? One more time and I might have to wake you up myself

Nibbling the tip of your pencil you write a note back, crumpling the paper before tossing it at Adrien’s head with a smirk.

You- Well maybe I wouldn’t have been so tired if you hadn’t interrupted my study time with your modeling rants

The paper is tossed back at your head, catching in your curly hair, making Adrien snort.

A- Well I can think of other ways to keep you up at night...

You cough loudly at the message, eyes darting at Adrien’s laid-back figure. You scribble down a quick snarky reply with shaking hands. You go to pass the paper but the sound of a throat clearing interrupts you. You turn to your left and are forced to look up, gulping when you notice your teacher’s signature white blazer. She holds her hand out and you reluctantly place the ball of paper in her hand.

“While I will not embarrass you by reading out your hidden messages, I will embarrass you by writing you up for detention.” Sputtering, you point an accusing finger at the smug boy behind you, “He started it first I was just..” You are hushed by a firm hand on your shoulder, “Well if that’s the case, both you and Adrien can join each other at study hall.” Adrien groans behind you and you throw a glare his way, one that he responds with a teasing wink. The sound of the bell ringing grimly reminds you of the dreadful time awaiting you in study hall after school.

 When you get thereAdrien is already there and waves you over to him. You narrow your eyes at him but sit next to him anyway. “Aww don’t look at me like that Mi, it’s not my fault you aren’t stealthy enough to pass a simple note in class.” You roll your eyes, “Well if you weren’t tossing notes like a child, we wouldn’t be here either.” Adrien laughs loudly earning a sharp look from the detention monitor. 

He mutters a silent apology as you busy yourself with a notepad and pencil. The study hall is silent and boring and 11 minutes feel like 11 hours as the clock ticks by. Adrien watches your small scribbles turn into different shapes and sizes. Before long, he notices you drawing a rather familiar face. “Whatcha drawing?” You shrug, watching your pencil make the shape of cat-like ears.

You continue drawing, briefly recognizing Adrien’s body heat as he watches over your shoulder. “You like Chat Noir huh?” Your precise pencil strokes outline the lean frame of one of Paris’s heros. While it is undoubtedly Chart Noir in a heroic setting, the way his eyes slant a little more than his mask allows and the way one of his hands rested on his chest did give way to a more seductive undertone. 

“Yeah, I think he’s pretty hot not gonna lie.” Adrien hums, the feeling of his short breaths blowing against your shoulder makes you shiver. “Really? Well, he can’t be hotter than I can he?” Adrien fluffs his hair pompously as he stretches his body lazily. “I don’t know maybe a little.” Adrien sticks his tongue out at you.

Your monitor stands up and walks towards the door before turning around, “Listen you two, I am going to get lunch, and I better see you two here when I come back or you’ll get worse than detention.” The teacher fixes you both with a long look before leaving. “They are a little stiff in the ass.” You chuckle resting your head on your palm. Adrien slouches in his chair to play on his phone, giving you the perfect opportunity to observe him. Your friend is attractive, that is something you’ve come to terms with a long time ago, hiding your crush away deep in your mind. 

“You like to stare at me when you think?” His tenor voice startles you out of thought and you realize you now have his full attention. Your face is warm and for once you are glad you couldn’t visibly blush. 

“Hey, Adrien? What did you mean by that last message you passed me in class?” You tried to pass the question off as casual but you could feel your heart racing as the room filled with daunting silence. “What do you think I meant?” 

Suddenly Adrien felt too close and the room felt smaller. When you made eye contact with him, his eyes were slanted just like Chat Noirs on your drawing. “You tell me.” You said boldly. Adrien pondered for a while, green eyes observing your features, going from your eyes, down your nose before finally resting on your plump lips. “Well, I think it meant exactly what it said.” Adrien placed a hand on your thigh, squeezing the flesh in his palm. “So tell me why you like Cat Noir?” You stare at nothing, unable to compute the absurd request that came seemingly out of nowhere.

“What?” Adrian’s hand doesn’t stop moving on your thigh, heating your skin through your jeans. “Come on Mi, humor me for a moment.” You hum softly in an attempt at calming your heart rate. “Well, I like how he seems to enjoy what he does,  saving people...” As you speak Adrien takes the time to scoot closer to you paying a sparing glance at the door your teacher left out of a moment ago. “What would you do if you met him?” His hands got closer to your inner thigh fiddling with your belt loops.

The urge to clench your legs together was immediate as the fire within you grew stronger. “I would thank him for his service and-” Adrien shushes you with the sound of your belt clinking a loose. “Let me rephrase, what do you want him to do to you?” Before you had comprehended your predicament, Adrien’s hand had found itself inside your pants.

You were sitting rigidly in your chair, lips parted in a silent exhale. Slender fingers focused themselves on your swelling bud, pressing soft circles on it in an effort to coax it out of its hood. Noting your tensed posture, Adrien tries to distract you. He’ll admit even to himself that this was a bold move on his part and he was surprised you hadn’t pushed him off at this point. “I can stop if you want me to?” You feel his fingers stop their ministrations and you quickly grab his wrist. “No!”

His concerned demeanor is quickly wiped away by a broad smirk as his fingers resumed their task. “Okay then.” He places a kiss on your shoulder through your shirt making you shiver. “You didn’t answer my question.” You nod and try to speak in a stable manner. “I would want him to- oh god!” Adrien’s fingers began to work overtime as they went down to your lips, now wet with your arousal. “I would want him to touch me there! Please.” 

Lips latched lazily on your skin, sucking hard enough for you to feel it but not hard enough for marks to be left behind. “Where is’ there’ Mia? Use your words.” Your back arched in your chair when you felt his slick index finger playfully dip inside of you before returning to your clit.  “Adrien~” Your soft moans were audible now, and every small whimper made his cock ache at the thought of being the cause of your sweet noises. Adrien mockingly hummed, “Oh I see now.”

“You want him to fuck that pretty pussy of yours don’t you?”  You make a strange noise that is a mix of surprise and a moan. You’d never think words like those could leave Adrien’s mouth. “Y-Yes!”  Adrien nodded moving to use both hands now, it was an awkward position but it was worth it seeing you fall apart by his hands. “I bet you think of him at night, kissing you slowly, while his hands roam your body.”  Adrien sinks his teeth in your shoulder blade making you jerk as a particularly hard burst of pleasure racks your body. “You look so damn sexy like this kitty cat.’

You lean forward, holding yourself up by your desk as Adrien’s fingers move faster on your clit. “I can feel how fast your heart is beating, you gonna cum?” The teasing tone in his voice ignited the smallest ounce of competitiveness within you. You grit your teeth and shake your head, “Don’t get so full of yourself Agreste.” Your eyes clenched shut at the feeling of a finger finally entering you. Adrien looked at you with narrowed eyes. He wasn’t a fan when you got competitive, especially when you were obviously bluffing.

There was a thin layer of sweat forming on your skin as your orgasm got closer. Adrien focused on the way your walls quivered around his finger. Your choked-back moans cut the air as he pumps his finger faster. Your wetness was dripping onto your underwear and around his palm making squelching noises. “Are you sure you aren’t going to cum?” Adrien whispered close to your ear taking glee when a tremor passed down your spine. Your orgasm was too damn close for him to stop so you decide to swallow your pride just this once. “F-faster, Adrien, I’m close.” Those were indeed the wrong words to say. Adrien slowed his finger down to slow pumps while his thumb pressed harshly on your clit. He laughed as he could practically feel it throbbing, “I thought you said you weren’t going to cum?” You try to grind down on his hand, bucking slightly as his rough palm stimulated your sensitive lips. “Don’t be an ass ah-fuck!”

You grip the edge of your desk as you finally cum on his hand. Your eyelids flutter and Adrien marvels that the feeling of your cunt that was squeezing him so tightly he could neither tell if it was pulling him in or pushing him out. 

You grunt as he removes his finger, when you look over at him, he is preoccupied with pulling his cock out while licking his fingers clean of your cum. Adrien whimpered around his fingers as his other hand jerked his cock sharply “Ah, you taste better than I thought.” Your eyes travel down his chest to meet his junior. It was thick and surprisingly long. You couldn’t help but feel sorrow for the angry red it was at the tip. But the vein traveling up the side made your mouth water.

His hips bucked to meet his hand desperately. Curses left his soft lips as he tossed his head back in pleasure. A deep warmth flooded your gut from the vibrant imagery of him fucking you with it. “Mia-ah shit.” You raise your head up to meet his eyes, your heart skipping a beat at how the green of his eyes was almost completely drowned by his pupils. “It’s not fair if I helped you get you off, but you won’t help me.” You scootch forward a little bit, swallowing your saliva, “What do you want me to do?” Adrien spread his legs with his hands holding the sides of his chair, “Come on Mi, I haven’t even fucked you yet and you’ve already gone dumb?” 

A hand comes on your shoulder and gently coaxes you down to your knees. You feel small as Adrien peers down at you,  gaze disrupted as his cock begins twitching in front of you. Nervousness enters your head as you quickly come to the realization of how large his dick actually was. “What, are you afraid Mia? Or do I need to get you into the mood?”  Adrien sits up straighter, “Claws out.”  Your tilt your head curious as he combs his fingers through his hair, revealing...cat ears? The sight of a green glow slithering around his body was almost as unnerving as the sight of his outfit changing right before you. 

In little as no time flat, Paris’s neighborhood hero sat in front of you in all his leather glory. His eyes seemed even greener than before, and his personality seemed to change right before you. “Adrien you’re Chat Noir!?” The blond shrugs nonchalantly, gripping his cock and slapping it against your cheek. “Mi I am all for the formalities, but I am so close to fucking your brains out right now, that I think it would be in your best interest to start sucking.” While still being conscious of your hairstyle, Adrien...Noir, pulls your head closer to his groin.

You resist the urge to scrunch your face at the feeling of precum being smeared on your mouth and chin. This resistance only makes Noir chuckle, “Stick your tongue out for me.”  As if it was routine, you do as he says and moan softly from the feeling of his tip tapping your warm muscle. “So fucking perfect for me.”  The praise makes you clench and gives you the courage to open your mouth wider. You suck on his member making him release a pleased growl. His hand laid limply on the back of your head as you take the lead.

The salty taste while slightly unpleasant, wholly addictive. Feeling your growing comfort, Adrien begins thrusting to meet your mouth. The tip of his cock goes all the way to the back of your throat making you choke before dragging back but the sounds of you struggling doesn’t dissuade him. The feeling of your tongue grazing over his vein just before your throat constricted around him drove him wild. Your tiny whimpers made his balls vibrate as he moved faster.

You place your hands on his thighs in order to stable yourself as his thrusts got more brutal. Slob collected around your mouth before dripping down your chin and finally collected by his balls every time they hit your jaw. “Fuck I’m going to cum, I’m going to cum!” Adrien’s voice pitched higher as his claws scratched into the wooden chair of his seat. His head tossed back violently as his thrusts became sloppy, legs shaking. Loud sobs left his mouth as you bright him closer to the edge each thrust is accentuated by filthy words. “Your mouth is so. fucking. Tight. Fuck Mia!”

You felt cum shoot down your throat as Adrien holds your head painfully against this crotch. He weakly thrusts into your mouth a few more times before realizing you. Gasping for air, you wipe your mouth of saliva and look up at Adrien as he catches his breath.  Rough hands grip your chin making you look up at him. “You looked wrecked Mi.” Adrien laughs as he wipes cum off the corner of your mouth.  You stand up wobbly and albeit a bit light-headed, Adrien stands with you and kisses your lips, enjoying the taste of himself in your mouth.

“We are going to finish this later.” Before your brain could even prompt you to ask, the bell rings signaling that detention was over. Adrien deactivates his miraculous before grabbing his backpack and leaving detention hall.

#adrien agreste smut #anime smut #miraculous smut #chat noir smut #smut

[sturchling]

Could I ask for Chat Noir salt where

After Marinette leaves Paris and heads to your city for choice (Star City, Central City, Metropolis, Gotham) and gets into a relationship.

She has to return to Paris via Horse Miraculous to fight an akuma and bumps into Chat immediately after leaving the portal, so he asks why and she explains her new living situation (its actually been a while since she moved, he just now noticed)

Maybe he wants her identity since she's no longer at risk and she shuts it down

He gets violent and she takes the ring?

Sorry for the wait! Hope you like it and was worth the wait!

Marinette had decided enough was enough. Things in Paris had been getting worse lately, with Lila and the class. So she had decided to move to Gotham as a part of a student exchange program. She had a pen pal that attended Gotham Academy and their family had offered to host her, if she decided to participate in the exchange program. At first Marinette had been hesitant about leaving Paris while Hawkmoth was still active. But now, things had gotten so bad in Paris, she was worried she could be akumatized herself. That couldn’t happen. She figured the distance from Paris would do her good. So, she packed up her stuff and left for Gotham.

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

Marinette had been in Gotham for about a month now. So far everything was going great. Her host family was really nice and welcoming. Her new class was fantastic, and they all became friends quickly. She had even started growing close to Damian Wayne, much to her new class’ shock. Damian wasn’t exactly outgoing, or friendly to the rest of the class. So it was a bit of a shock to see him warm up to Marinette so fast. Marinette was very happy with Gotham and really enjoyed her time there. 

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

But without fail, about once every few days, Hawkmoth would attack Paris and she would have to go back to deal with an akuma. She had been using the horse miraculous to travel back and forth as needed, and so far no one had figured out that she didn’t live in Paris anymore. She hadn’t even told Chat when she left. She didn’t want to risk anyone knowing she didn’t live in the city anymore and that news getting back to Hawkmoth. The less people that knew, the better. And that includes Chat. She had always made sure to open a portal to Paris, somewhere isolated, where no Parisians would see her. She had always been very careful. But today, she had been at Wayne Manor, having a movie date night with Damian, when the alert went out. So she was in a rush once she found a spare bedroom to hide and transform. So, she also didn’t realize that the portal she had made put her in an alley that Chat was also using to transform.

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

Marinette stepped out of the portal, thankfully already transformed, and right in front of Chat. He stared at her, confused. “Milady? Why are you using the horse miraculous? What’s going on?” Marinette, trying to focus on the task at hand, said “Let’s focus on the akuma for now. I will explain everything after.” Chat nodded, but was distracted for the majority of the fight, trying to figure out why Ladybug had used the horse miraculous. 

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

It was an easy fight, Mr. Pigeon again. They didn’t even have to use their powers to beat him. Which left them plenty of time to discuss the horse miraculous. Marinette explained everything. How things in Paris had gotten bad for her in her civilian life and she was worried about being akumatized. How she had moved to Gotham as part of an exchange program. And how she had been using the horse miraculous to go back and forth between the two cities for about a month now. After she was done, Chat was just staring at her in shock. Marinette waited for him to be mad at her for keeping this from him, or maybe be concerned about whatever had happened in Paris to make her leave. But instead, the first thing he said was “This is great Milady!”

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

Marinette was now the one in shock, as she stared at her partner. “What do you mean, ‘this is great’? I thought you would be mad I didn’t tell you sooner.” Chat shook his head. “Well, maybe I was a little mad, but its fine. Because now that you don’t live here, your identity is perfectly safe! We can tell each other now and it will be fine!” Marinette just stared at Chat, not sure what to say. “Chat, we can’t. Our identities have to be a secret. Just because I live in Gotham now, doesn’t mean it is safe. You could be akumatized and Hawkmoth would find out. Or if I come back to Paris for a time, and get akumatized, he could learn your identity. I am sorry Chat, but we can’t.” Marinette turned to leave, about to open a portal, when Chat’s clawed hand grabbed her arm tightly. She turned around to look at him again, and Chat looked furious.

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

Marinette tried to pull her arm out of Chat’s grip, but she couldn’t get away. “Chat, what are you doing? Let go!” Chat’s grip tightened, definitely leaving a bruise. “No! I am tired of this Milady. I have waited long enough. I deserve to know who you are!” Much to Marinette’s horror, Chat reached with his free hand for her earrings. Thinking quickly, Marinette twisted her arm Chat was holding, making his arm twist too. She kneed him in the stomach, sending him to the ground. Chat jumped up and actually tried to use his claws on her! Marinette couldn’t believe this was happening. Chat had managed to land a few hits, leaving Marinette with several bleeding cuts on her arms and chest. Before Chat was able to cause any life threatening injuries, Marinette was able to trip him and pin him to the ground with his arms behind his back. In this moment, Marinette knew that Chat was not fit for a miraculous anymore. Maybe he had been once, but he couldn’t be trusted now. Marinette removed the ring from his finger. A green light flashed, and then Adrien was on the ground in front of her. Adrien tried to apologize and beg for the ring back, but Marinette didn’t listen. She just opened the portal, and arrived back at the manor, still bleeding. Of course though, with the way this night had been going, she wasn’t alone in the bedroom she had come back to. Damian had been looking for her and came into the room, just as the portal opened and Marinette stepped through, still transformed. For a while, after the portal closed, they just stared at each other in silence. Finally, Damian broke the silence. “So, Angel, are we going to talk about the portal, your new outfit, or the bleeding wounds first?”

#ml #ml fic #ml fanfic #ml salt #ml salt fic #ml salt fanfic #ml class #ml class salt #chat noir salt #adrien salt #miraculous tales of ladybug and chat noir #miraculous ladybug #miraculous fic #miraculous fanfic #miraculous salt #miraculous salt fic #miraculous salt fanfic #miraculous ladybug x dc #ml x dc #daminette #damimari #maridami #damian x marinette #marinette x damian #maribat

[artzee-bee]

End of all things [1] | Chat Noir x witch!reader

Fandom: Miraculous Ladybug (Adrien Agreste/Chat Noir)

Summary: Y/N had been Chat Noir’s friend and moral support for a long time now. Even though she had magical powers too, she never liked getting involved with akuma attacks, but now, as Hawkmoth’s gotten control of the miraculous of creation, she couldn’t stay indiferent anymore. She had to save her friend and Paris!

Genre: Mostly angst? A little fluff

Warnings: canon typical violence, mentions of death/dying

A/N: This was requested, but as I was writting it, it got very long and I’ve decided to post it in 2 parts. I’m not gonna post the request just now, so as to not spoil the rest of the story but Part 2 will be coming out on friday!!!

Part 2

~~~

Chat was pacing around the room, waiting for you to be done with your potion. You had heard from your parents that there had been a new akuma attack today, but as the news reported, the two parisian heros took care of the problem in no time. For this reason, Chat’s presence at your house felt unusual. Normally he would stop by when he needed to rant, when he was in need of comfort and reassurance but the fight today went well, so what could possibly be bothering him?

“Ok, I’m done” you said, screwing the cap on the little bottle and placing it on your shelf “Wanna talk?” you asked, to which Chat gave you a shy smile

“Yeah, a little”

You made your way to your bed, motioning for him to follow you. You got under your covers and passed him his favorite plushie, a cat to no one’s surprise

“So what’s up? Is it about the fight today?”

“Well no it’s more like a...personal problem?”

“Oh…”

“Claws out” in a rush of light and electricity, the infamous hero vanished before you, transforming into Adrien Agrest

“Well, what is it?” 

Adrien revealed his identity to you months ago. You first met him as Chat, but when you really got to know each other, he decided you needed to know all of him. Well, he needed you to know all of him.

You listened to him rant until way past midnight. Until you were both too tired to stand up straight, so you laid down in your bed, covers up to your necks, muffled stories told in between yawns. You listened carefully, giving him your full attention. He fidgeted with the collar of the stuffed toy and you used your magic to make 2 hot chocolates. Eventually, everything that needed to be said, was said. You offered Adrien to watch a movie, since that always cheered him up, but he refused

“It’s late and I have a photoshoot early in the morning. My makeup team will be angry with my dark circles anyways, better not make it worse” he joked

Adrien transformed back into Chat and you cast a safety spell on him, which you did every time he left your house late at night. He always teased you about being ‘too protective’, but deep down he found it sweet how much you cared and wanted to know that he would get home in one piece.

“Night Chat” you said, wrapping your arms around the hero

“Good night Y/N!”

The next few days went by quietly. You hadn’t run into Adrien at all, but you texted a bit back and forth. Sunday evening however, things took a toll for the worst. You turned on your tv, ready to catch up with your show when you heard Nadja Chamack’s voice doing the news report

“It seems as though Rena Rouge and Chat Noir are struggling to stay on their feet! They have taken shelter under a fallen bus, leaving Ladybug alone to defeat Hawkmoth'' your pulse skyrocketed. As you watched the screen you could see Chat and Rena off to the side, struggling to catch their breath. Rena seemed to be in pain while Chat was trying to help. Ladybug was using her yoyo the best she could in order to protect herself from the supervillain, who was wielding his cane like a sword over her head. The fight was clearly going in Hawkmoth's favour! You grabbed your jacket and ran out the front door and onto the empty streets of Paris, towards the Eiffel Tower, where the fight was taking place. 

People screamed at you from their balconies to go home, warning you about the fight and the danger you were putting your life in but you didn’t care. All you could think about was how they needed you. Chat needed you! Every late night talk and every inside joke shared between you two replaid in your head like a broken record. Behind Chat’s tough mask, his alter ego of hero and protector, was the fragile figure of Adrien Agreste. The young blonde boy who cried during romantic comedies, who liked to have his hair braided and forgot how to speak when someone complimented him. If you didn’t help, the heros would loose and he would most likely die! Alongside Ladybug and Rena who, even though you didn’t know their real identities, were still young girls. As you ran down the street, you heard kids crying inside one of the homes. You ran past but at the last second you heard Nadia’s voice coming from their tv

“Ladybug was akumatized”

You approached the Eiffel tower from the side, where you could see everything going on. In front of the tower, right next to Hawkmoth, stood Marinette Dupain-Cheng, dressed in a tight, dark red suit, darker than Ladybug’s. Black butterflies replaced the dots of the heroine's suit and the purple butterfly mask of Hawkmoth’s control was shining over her face. Marinette was Ladybug! She did, in fact, get akumatized. On the other side, you saw Rena and Chat, struggling to stay up right. They were obviously in a lot of pain and extremely tired, but Hawkmoth was merely mocking them.

“After all this time” Chat spoke up, but his breaths were shallow and rapid “I thought you’d know one thing about us! We don’t give up without a fight. Never will. Especially not against you” and with that, the two ran at each other.

“It doesn’t have to end like this, you know?” he said “We don’t have to fight to death. I wouldn’t want to have that on my conscience. All you have to do is give me your miraculouses willingly. The town will be safe, you will be safe! It’s the most heroic option you’ve got. You won’t be any good to Paris if you are dead”

You knew this was not just another fight between them. This was it. Either the heros won or everything they’ve worked for would be lost. Hawkmoth would win and get his hands on both miraculous and god knows what kind of destruction that would bring not only upon Paris, but the world. You focused all your energy in one spot in the air, right between where Chat and Hawkmoth were supposed to clash but before they could reach each other, you sent a wave of energy that blew both of them apart, like a bomb. Hawkmoth flew back into the Eiffel tower while Chat hit the pavement with a thud. Confused and certainly disturbed, both of them began looking around for an answer as to what happened when, finally, Hawkmoth’s eyes landed on yours.

“Aha, miss Y/L/N. What a spectacular honor to finally meet you!” you didn’t reply, instead you stood tall, maintaining eye contact

“I know a lot about you. Seen a lot. Felt a lot of your emotions. None of them can compare to the powers I’ll have with the two miraculouses. With Ladybug’s earrings and the guardian under my control, I’d say my mission here is almost over’’

“Y/N get back!’’ Chat screamed but you were too involved now to run. This was your fight too.

“It is time you give up Hawkmoth. Paris is not yours, neither are the miraculouses. We will destroy you, no matter what it takes!”

“Listen to yourself, kid! <<Destroy me>>? The most you can do is pull a rabbit out of your hat…” before he could finish his sentence, you snapped your fingers in his direction and instantly, the ground around beneath Hawkmoth and akumatized Marinette, fractured. From within the cracks, many tangled plants came out, encapsulating the 2 villains. You sprinted towards Chat and Rena, ignoring the signs of struggle coming from the prison of weeds.

 Alongside the two superheros, you hid inside a corner coffee shop, which was now empty.

“Y/N, you need to leave!! You are putting yourself in too much danger!” Rena told you, as she collapsed to the ground from exhaustion

“Stop with that already! I am here and I’m not going anywhere!”

“Yes you are!” Chat looked at you. His voice was calm and yet, his eyes were filled with disappointment “You are not a superhero. This is our job!”

“You need help”

“No we don’t!” Chat had never, in all your years of friendship, raised his voice at you, let alone yell “ You need to stay safe! You could die! Hawkmoth doesn’t care about anything if it helps him get what he wants! I am ready to take that risk. Rena is too” you both turned to the red headed hero, only to see her slowly nod “But I can’t allow you to take it”

“You can’t tell me what to do”

“I don’t want you to die!” he screamed again “I love you and I will never forgive myself if you don’t come out of this alive!”

Before you could say anything, you saw Hawkmoth and his minion, through the cafe window, cutting through the last of the plants and escaping your trap. You grabbed Chat’s arm and pulled him to the floor, from where you could not be seen

“We’re in this together now” you said in a stern voice, looking the blonde kid right in his eyes “Whether you like it or not '' this time, he simply nodded.

You stuffed your hands into the pocket of your jacket and pulled out 3 little bottles, containing a mate, green liquid. You had prepared one for each of the heros, now you’d only need two.

“Here, drink this!” You handed each of them one “Regeneration potion. Should put you back on your feet.” as soon as they finished drinking the brew, you could see color coming back to their faces

“Where’s Marinette’s akuma??” 

“Her necklace” replied Rena “It’s a gift from her kwami”

“Got it. You deal with Hawkmoth. I’ll bring Marinette back!”

Chat and Rena exited through the front door, grabbing Hawkmoth’s attention. He called out to Marinette to attack, but before she could take a single step in your direction, you had snuck up behind her. Using a simple invisibility spell, you managed to exit unnoticed behind the two heros. It finally felt like the fight had truly begun. From the corner of your eye you could see Chat and Rena doging Hawkmoth’s attacks while you, were doing your best to get your hands on the stupid necklace! Even though she couldn’t see you, Marinette seemed to almost always know what your next move was. She would expertly block all your attack and would keep you an arm’s length away at all times. Finally, you had enough and in one swift motion, you pinned her back to your chest, ripping the necklace away. A wave of black and purple took over the both of you and when it vanished, all you were left with was a half unconscious Marinette in your arms. You dropped her to the ground slowly as she was coming back to her senses. You wanted to talk to her but your thoughts were driven away as you heard Chat scream bloody murder.

On the opposite side of the platza, you saw Hawkmoth rip Chat’s ring off his finger, forcing him to detransform. The exhausted figure of Adrien Agreste fell to the ground with a thud. Hawkmoth had, indeed, gotten his hand on both the miraculouses.

#miraculous ladybug #mlb #mlb x reader #adrien agreste #adrien agreste x reader #adrien agreste fluff #adrien agreste imagine #adrien agreste angst #chat noir #chat noir x reader #chat noir fluff #chat noir imagine #chat noir angst #rena rogue #marinette dupain cheng #ml ladybug

[mc-lukanette]

[Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4] [Part 5]

—————

Luka took a breath as he hit the last emotion-filled note on his guitar. His body vibrated just as his strings did, though he realized soon enough that there weren't enough high notes to lift him from feeling so low.

Marinette was Ladybug. He was still absorbing it, even though a part of him insisted that it should've been obvious; not just because there could only be one girl in Paris who was so brave, kindhearted, and suited for the job, but... well—

There was also only one girl in Paris who could be so unlucky. Luka was upset - angry, really - at all the things he couldn't have known that just proved to put more pressure on her. People idolized and adored Ladybug, but he never once thought that he wanted to be her. She didn't get anything from being a superhero outside of wasted time and the guilt of having to lie to everyone. He'd felt bad enough keeping Viperion a secret from his family, and he was only a temporary hero.

He sighed, setting his guitar down and raking his fingers through his hair. Marinette being Ladybug would've been enough of a shock on its own, but Adrien being Chat Noir made everything both worse and more complicated. In the midst of all the realizations he'd been having at the time, he felt lucky that he was able to get Ladybug - Marinette - to believe that his mind had just drifted for a moment. She'd still looked worried, but there was nothing he could've told her at the time, his mind too scrambled to be certain what the right steps were.

He'd always imagined that past snakes had learned of other's identities before as well, and thus had wondered before what he'd do if such a thing ever happened. Chat wasn't the one "in charge," so Luka wasn't worried about him (at least not in terms of talking about identities), but Ladybug was a different story.

Previously, he would've said that he'd tell her without hesitation, but the problem was that she was Marinette and the way he found out made things messy. If he told her that he knew, she'd blame herself and demand to know what happened for him to know so she could try to "fix" it, except there was nothing to fix and a conversation about his abilities would inevitably lead to talking about Adrien being Chat Noir.

In essence, he was at a roadblock. There was probably no "right" solution either, as he figured Sass might tell him; that even seemed to be the message Sass wordlessly sent him as Ladybug took his miraculous back. He’d probably known, and maybe had intentionally given him the power to see red strings on heroes in the first place. He didn’t know for sure because he couldn’t ask, aware that it would make Ladybug even more suspicious after he’d already tried to assure her.

What he did know was that Chat was something else to think about now. Chat was tied to her, and he knew - everyone knew, really - that there was drama going on in their relationship. He'd done only a little digging and Face to Face was all the evidence he'd needed, as if seeing the two interact in person wasn't already enough.

There was a pressure there, for Ladybug and Chat Noir to be a couple. Chat Noir was a habitual flirt, and most people ate up any drama or “juicy details” about their relationship. Everyone went wild for the hand kisses that Chat gave Ladybug, whether or not she pulled away from it. Add on the red string of fate, and it just made everything worse, making him wonder what the ties meant; did Adrien's string being tied around his ring mean that he became the cat through fate, specifically so—

It made Luka feel gross just thinking about it, and knowing what he knew made it even worse; people were shipping his friend with someone she wasn't interested in, even if it was "one side" specifically that she wasn't interested in.

He shook his head, feeling vaguely possessive. It wasn't about Marinette being his friend; it was about her deserving better than something deciding her fate for her.

He was brought out of his thoughts by a familiar jingle, pulling out his phone to see a message from Marinette.

Are we still on for tonight?

FOR THE FIRE I MEAN.

I just don't want you to get in trouble! You're sure???

He chuckled, his shoulders easing at Marinette's usual enthusiasm. It was adorable that she was worried about him and not what they were planning to do.

He typed back immediately, I'm sure, Marinette. Don't worry.

He glanced at the drawer under his bed, where all the Adrien pictures were. He imagined Adrien's face plastered all over Paris, flashing back and forth between Adrien himself and Chat Noir.

He felt like he shouldn’t be shocked by the revelation, though he wouldn't be able to quite explain why.

—————

Luka looked over his work once more, checking to make sure the fire would start properly. It'd been a while, but he at least hadn't gotten rusty and even got a congratulatory pat on the back from his mother when she'd seen him carrying the supplies. Had she known that it was Marinette's decision to do this, she would've married them on the spot herself.

As he eyed the box of Adrien pictures set out, he had to bury another slew of thoughts. He knew it was right to try and get rid of Marinette's string, but and he felt guilty knowing that he’d be satisfied at seeing the pictures burn for reasons outside of Marinette.

Speaking of whom, he looked up as he heard a familiar set of footsteps to see Marinette herself heading towards the Liberty, having just made her way down the stairs. She was dressed fairly lightly for nighttime, but wore a fluffy pink shawl around her shoulders to make up for it. Considering what they were doing, it made sense that she wasn't concerned about the cold.

The gangplank had already been put up for her, so she walked across with a smile that warmed him more than the eventual fire would. "Hey."

He smiled back, plopping down comfortably on the seat behind him. "Hey."

She gripped her shawl closer to herself as she glanced at the setup for the fire, the moonlight briefly shining off of her earrings. Luka attempted to avert his gaze from them, but only ended up staring at the red string around her neck. He gave up looking at her entirely at that point, checking the setup again as if it was extremely important to do so.

"You can sit anywhere," he offered, gesturing vaguely to all of the mismatched seats he'd placed around the future fire. He'd wanted to make sure she'd have options, though he hoped the designer side of her didn't mind the chaos of it all. He'd just grabbed whatever spare seating they'd had.

Marinette's eyes scanned over the various choices. Giggling, she replied, "Thank you."

He nodded in acknowledgment. He wasn't in any hurry to get the pictures burned, even if burning them was their goal that day. He'd intentionally had her go slowly so as to test the red string as little as possible, and he planned on doing the same here.

"I brought one for you too," she suddenly said off to his side.

He looked over in curiosity and noticed her open purse, a large piece of blue fabric nearly bursting out of it. It took a bit of effort from her - he imagined that she'd wanted it to be a surprise - but she managed to pull it out, presenting him with a shawl that matched hers exactly outside of its color. He smiled in appreciation of her thoughtfulness, then reached for it before realizing with a start, "Wait. Marinette, did you make these?"

Before she could answer, he took the shawl in his hands, turning it every possible way. Without a doubt, it was her handiwork, and along the back was where the design broke with a Marinette.

"Yeah," she confirmed, and he could practically hear her shy blush. "It's just—you're doing this for me, but even if you weren't, I don't want you to get cold, so..."

"It's great," he cut in firmly, leaving no room for doubt on her end. "Soft. Comfortable. I wish I was better with fashion to say more."

"No, you said more than enough," she assured, taking a seat next to him. That fact looked both silly and intimate given the multiple other seats she could've chosen instead, but he tried not to think about it.

Instead, he gave a curious glance at her pink shawl, silently comparing it to the one she'd given him. "...You didn't have to make it blue," he commented, and clarified before she could think anything bad, "I would've happily worn your colors."

She gave him a look, though didn't seem weirded out by the idea. "But... it's pink."

"What's wrong with pink?" he asked, genuinely confused. "It's your color."

She blushed, her shoulders hunching forward shyly. He didn't even bother taking back what he said, because he meant it; he might've favored blue when he picked out an outfit, but pink made him think of her.

It was much better than red at the very least.

Marinette pursed her lips in response, idly tugging at her shawl and seeming to be in an internal debate with herself. Apparently making a decision, she closed her eyes and breathed up, letting out a soft, "Okay."

He blinked and gave a tilt of his head to show his confusion. "Okay?"

She turned to him, resolutely pulling the fabric off of her shoulders. "T-then you can wear mine?"

He couldn't get another word out, too distracted by Marinette leaning towards him and carefully settling the shawl around his shoulders. Despite the bold move, she couldn't keep eye contact with him, awkwardly hanging onto the front of the shawl as she stared at his lap. She wasn't exactly warm or exuded any particular body heat - in fact, he was sure that her hands would be cold if he held them - but there was a comfort there that couldn't be matched by anyone else.

It took him a moment to make a move, at which point he remembered the fabric underneath his fingers. In a motion equally as careful as hers, he raised the blue shawl and settled it around her shoulders. She finally met his gaze, surprised, but smiled gratefully and released her grip on the pink shawl.

"You can keep it," she said quietly, with less shyness than before.

"Really?" he asked, placing a hand on the fabric to make sure it was what she meant.

She nodded, gripping her own as she replied, "A-as long as I can keep this one in exchange?"

He snorted, even covering his mouth to stifle a chuckle. "You made them, Marinette. Of course you can." He gave an obvious glance at the shawl to admire it. "I'd be happy to match with you."

She beamed at him. "Me too."

That topic officially concluded, his mind went blank for anything more and both of their gazes drifted to the unlit fire. He didn't have to look to know that she was shifting in anxiety in her seat, either wanting to back out or just get it over with.

"Are you ready?" he asked experimentally.

"Yes," she responded, perhaps a little stiffly but the resolve was there. She wanted this.

Luka stood briefly, and within the next few moments, the fire had been lit. The flames started out faint at first, then grew until it was something respectable, easily illuminating the small area around them. The slight chill from the wind dissipated as the fire warmed their skin, Luka hearing Marinette sigh in content harmony with him.

Neither of them took their shawls off despite the increased warmth.

The additional light from the fire made the box of pictures more obvious, with it sitting on a table not too far away. Luka took a step towards it, but Marinette was faster, grabbing up the box and turning to him with a determined expression.

"I have to do it," she insisted.

He didn't exactly disagree - this wasn't his battle - but it didn't stop him from looking nervously at the red string, the dangling part of it laying across her hand and dipping itself in the box, taunting him.

"How many do you want to do at a time?" He was careful in his wording, not wanting his tone to imply anything.

She furrowed her brows, staring down at the box in deep thought. Her fingers flexed against the cardboard, a small gust of wind blowing by and causing the fire behind her to whip around in protest.

"...All of them," she muttered, then met his gaze cautiously. "Will that be okay?"

Luka glanced at the fire, but it wasn't that he was worried about. The string would try to fight her, he was sure of it, and the only thing he wasn't sure of was if it would be better or not to let her go with her wishes. He half expected the string to physically drag her off the Liberty, and the mere thought caused his neck to sting.

But, he also believed in her. She was fighting fate herself without having used the snake even once, and he wasn't going to deny her if she thought this was best.

"Yeah," he assured. "Just don't get too close. I don't want you to get hurt."

She nodded, obviously not catching onto what he really meant.

Luka sat down on his chair, toying with the rips in his pants to keep his hands occupied as he watched her. Her posture was straight and confident as she faced the flames, despite the shake in her hands, and he was sure the fire in her eyes wasn't just a reflection.

He didn't see Ladybug in her place. There was only Marinette and everything that he already knew about her. Knowing what he did now wasn't surprising, but heartbreaking, and he couldn't be prouder of her for doing what she was trying to do.

To go against what everyone - even fate itself - expected of her. He couldn't relate on her level, but looking as he did and having the mother he did, he understood.

Finally, Marinette stepped forward, and the string was already tightening around her neck. She froze, shutting her eyes and clutching the box tighter as she mentally fought the sensation.

He barely managed to keep himself still.

She swallowed, taking another step and managing to open her eyes again. She squinted at the fire, either from the light or from her own resolve.

Then, all at once, she thrust the box forward, the pictures flying out and mingling with the flames. The fire flared up in response, practically roaring, and the string tightened further in protest. Marinette even let out a cry as she tossed the box aside.

Luka barely had time to react when she suddenly rushed towards him. He outstretched his arms and she filled up his lap, her heart seeking him out as she clutched his jacket. He wrapped his arms around her, hoping his comfort came through without words.

Her breathing was ragged, and he couldn't tell whether it was from the string or her emotions running high. He brought one of his hands higher up on her back, knowing that he could do nothing more for her but wishing he could.

He took solace in the fact that the worst of it was over.

Staring over her head, he watched as the pictures burned, blond turning black as the flames singed the pictures and reduced them to ashes. Marinette, meanwhile, remained against him, desperately clutching his fabric for wordless support. He honestly would've been okay being the only spectator to what she'd done, but she then shifted in his lap to glance behind her.

They watched the sight together, the fire whipping about with the wind like it was making sure the job was done as they'd wanted. In no time at all, there was no evidence of the pictures left outside of what was allowing the fire to burn brighter.

Marinette let out sigh of relief, collapsing against him again and nuzzling his chest. "What's wrong with me...?"

"Nothing," he replied, clutching her tighter. "You were amazing."

She looked up at him, possibly searching his expression to ensure he meant it, then offered a tired smile. She shifted again, but this time without any urgency or need. Luka sucked in a breath as she nestled her head against his shoulder, making herself comfortable on his lap while still being in a position where they could watch the fire together. Slowly, he relaxed, and they ended up not needing those other chairs after all, neither moving from their comfortable positions.

And, maybe it was just him, but the string seemed looser around her neck than it ever had before.

#au: Dread String of Fate #Dread String of Fate: writing #Flower Arrangement Shipping #Pro LukaMari #Lukanette

[uridestiny]

The Warrior of the Moon Chapter 15: The life of an adventurer

Previous chapter:

https://www.tumblr.com/uridestiny/743113015298326528/the-warrior-of-the-moon?source=share

I woke up with pain in my back due to the bad position I had while sleeping on the couch. I admit it wasn't the most comfortable I've slept in years, but this was better than sleeping on the floor or letting my brother sleep here while I was in his bed. I would have felt bad knowing that he had to go to work and I didn't. I stretched my body and stared at the ceiling of the cabin for a few seconds, trying to mentally determine what time of day it was.

I got off the couch and went to the bathroom to clean my face. That's when I realized that my brother had already left, but I saw a piece of parchment on the table.

"I made you some sandwiches in case you're hungry, the cabin is yours until I get back, I'll leave you the key, don't break anything else that's already broken if you know what I mean, see you tonight.

PS: If you are going out, don't be late because you're spending time with your boyfriend.¨

Below those words is a scribble made with a shaky hand, it seemed that Adrien tried to draw himself with a flirtatious or perhaps mocking smile and a raised eyebrow with a small glint near his eyes, despite how bad he is at drawing, at least I was able to save his illustrated message to show his intentions.

I crumpled the parchment in my hand, trying to contain my urge to run straight to Adder's Nest to throw the now crumpled paper in my brother's face for insisting on this joke; Adrien was really harping on this nonsense too much, the idea of that adventurer and I had something on our hands even though I had only known him for a few minutes, it was annoying, I took out my own paper and wrote.

"You better stop insisting on that, or next time I will let you sleep outside the cabin dear brother."

I made my own drawing below this comment, but unlike my brother Adrien, I have a little more practice thanks to my little hobby of drawing objects from my environment when I feel bored. I drew myself trying to look menacing while trying to preserve my smile, trying to mirror my attempts to remain composed, but that sooner or later I would run out of patience to tolerate his jokes if he kept insisting, or at least try to mirror that, well I was more used to drawing objects and not self-portraits. I hope my brother understands the message...

My ears fluttered as I remembered what I was really considering doing today.

¨I'll go out for a while, maybe with luck, I'll be able to find this adventurer in the Carline Canopy. I will also stop by the market and buy ingredients for dinner. I'll see you tonight, I hope you don't forget that we promised to make gingerbread cookies together.¨

When I finished writing, I left the piece of parchment on the table as well, only I left my name written on it to prevent my brother from thinking it was the same piece of paper.

After eating the sandwiches for breakfast, I also prepared a coffee with milk and sugar, I dressed to go out, my intention is to stay near the city of Gridania, but just in case I had any doubts I decided to empty a little of the contents inside my backpack and leave it on the couch, at that moment I thought "at this point my brother shouldn't feel embarrassed for seeing my belongings" but unlike Aaron, he would scold me for leaving my personal belongings in front of his eyes.

I accidentally spilled a drop of coffee on the piece of parchment when I walked next to the table, I decided to clean whatever I used for breakfast; then I took my bow and arrows to carry them on my back along with my backpack.

I really didn't expect to use it, but life tends to throw up big surprises when you least expect it and I learned that the hard way, carrying something with me to defend myself wouldn't do any harm.

From the position of the sun, I could tell that it was still early, but I had to get moving if I wanted to find that adventurer. When I made my way back to Gridania I walked towards the building Carline Canopy, I saw the elezen woman I had greeted yesterday again and I approached her.

Even though this was the second time we shared glances, she was startled and made a singular sound when she saw me.

¨Ah, I remember you! Elwin was showing you around the city yesterday.¨ She smiled, which reassured me despite my worry of not being received well.

¨Welcome to Carline Canopy, I am Mother Miounne and I am the owner. How can I help you?¨ Her kind, warm voice calmed me, and I felt like I could open up to her easily.

"Good morning, my name is Destiny Urih, I'm looking for Elwin, do you know where he could be?"

"Are you looking for Elwin? That will not be an easy task darling, he is very restless, he looks like a child running around when he has a lot to do.¨  Mother Miounne placed her hand on her chin, it seemed like she was trying to remember something important.

"If my memory serves me correctly, he have a task to do in Bentbranch Meadows, it's about a small pest that is bothering the inhabitants of the area, but above all making the chocobos nervous" she said and gave a sweet look.

"If you like, you can wait for him here and I can offer you some tea. All adventurers return here to report on their tasks and to receive new ones ."

I shook my head

"I appreciate the gesture, but I would like to go look for him myself, I need to talk to him."

But before I could leave then I remembered something important.

“Mother Miounne, If you allow me to ask, how can I pay an adventurer for his help?”

She seemed surprised by my question, but smiled sweetly again.

"It can be anything from money, food, ingredients, armor, jewelry, and even mamets or mounts for your travels."

I couldn't believe that adventurers could agree to receive so many things to consider it "a fair payment", after all, if a person decided not to give them money when they needed it, in any case the activity and the reward would not be exactly a factor equivalent at the weight it had. Which from my perspective generated more disadvantage than being beneficial.

¨The adventurers may be open to receiving anything, but in any case, it is also their decision whether they want to accept the task to receive the reward. An adventurer is dedicated not only to helping those in need, but also to exploring beyond what one can see. They are given certain freedoms and to do so, they sometimes tend to require materials of all kinds for their trips.¨

Mother Miounne continued to explain to me, but in my mind, I kept questioning this lifestyle, since it would mean that you must be resourceful and strong to be able to deal with what is at your disposal and the time you invest... Which, it wasn’t really something simple to do, there are people who may have the strength to do certain complicated tasks and skill in fighting, but also those who didn’t possess such strength but did have knowledge and ingenuity. In any case, how would it be possible to compensate for one side and the other?

¨Some adventurers tend to seek advice from the owners of the adventurer's guild about what tasks one can or cannot do, because, even though they are free spirits, it does not mean that we want to abandon them to their fate. Being adventurer means risking your life in exchange for a job that a person needs to support themselves, which is not easy. We have the responsibility to ensure their safety.¨

¨I understand¨ I responded; I was curious about the topic. ¨And what could I give to an adventurer who agreed to help me without me being able to offer him something as a reward?¨

Mother Miounne blinked, immediately realizing my point in the conversation.

"Like I said honey, it could be anything, but I think it would be better if you asked yourself what the adventurer would like."

I thought about her words for a moment, my best option would be to ask him myself of course, but I didn't have the slightest idea what I could offer him being in a place far from the city. But, there was no point in standing there rambling about things, time moves forward and I had to find Elwin before he left the place for another task.

"I understand... Thank you very much for the information."

As I left the Caroline Canopy, I raised my hand to say goodbye to Mother Miounne one last time for her kindness, she was really very sweet to me. I walked towards the gates of Gridania, where I saw Cenort and Igront outside the protective walls, I bowed my head slightly in respect to address them, but Igront was the only one who greeted me back while Cenort, ignored me, moving his head in another direction, he really didn't like me but that wasn't my problem.

It had been a long time since I walked alone in The Shroud, the whisper of the wind calmed me a lot, but its sound couldn’t keep me away from the reality around me, now I was exposed to many animals and with every step I advanced I was further from the safety of the walls, a part of me I felt a slight feeling of anxiety at the idea of being suddenly attacked, but I tried to control my mind and heart by taking deep breaths and showing my steps decisively.

If the creatures sensed fear in me, the probability that they would attack me was very high, therefore, I had to be confident and not hesitate with every step I took; If something tried to get close to me, I felt my left hand ready to hold my bow, but I just prayed to the Twelve that I wouldn't need to use it.

I may seem like a coward for not wanting to use my bow to defend myself, but I really didn't want to take the lives of creatures. I always had a hard time raising my bow with the idea of killing. Both my parents and my brothers had taught me to respect the life of living beings, and taking it away unjustly is not right; and that if I take the life of another, it will be because I had no choice, in a battle where one wishes the death of the other, you have two options: you defend yourself to live or you die.

I looked up at the sky, the sunlight passed through the leaves of the trees, I raised my hand to reach one of these rays of light near me, a warm sensation ran from my hand and then I felt a chill all over my body, I closed my eyes, enjoying the feeling of warmth filling my entire body, unfortunately, I couldn't bear this feeling for long; my ears perked up as I heard a sound in the distance, a scream.

#ff14 #ffxiv #ff14 writing #ff14 wol #ffxiv wol #final fantasy 14 #final fantasy xiv #ff14 fanfic #ffxiv fanfiction #my ocs #adventure

[flightfoot]

Perspective From Another Timeline

Thanks to my betas @steelblaidd and Izzybusy!

I ADORE @buggachat new Bakery Enemies AU. This idea just kept on swirling through my head, I had to write it! This is set between parts 13 and 14, so after Adrien meets Alya and Nino but before Marinette starts sympathizing with him. AO3

---------

“You okay?”

Alya shook her head, trying to clear it. “I’ll be fine. I’ve weathered worse than that - we both have.”

Nino grinned at her. “True that.”

Alya smiled at him fondly, remembering Heroes Day. It was a bittersweet memory, with her having been turned against Nino and them both being akumatized. 

But they had fought to protect each other as best they could. She’d seen Prime Queen’s footage, how Carapace had struggled to get her to fight against Dark Cupid’s magic, how he’d only given into despair after she’d given into akumatization. 

“What did that blast do to us?” Nino wondered. “Everyone else the akuma blasted just disappeared. Why’re we still here?”

Alya’s brow furrowed. “I dunno… hold on, let me check to see whether any new info on the akuma’s been uploaded.”

Pulling out her phone, she tapped on the Akuma News Alert app.

An error message popped up, telling her that she had no internet connection.

Puzzled, Alya checked her phone’s other settings. 

No wifi - no wifi even recognized, much less connectable - no cell service, no connection to the outside world at all.

She glanced over at Nino. “Hey, you got any signal?”

Taking out his own phone, he quickly checked his connection. He shook his head. “Not a single bar.”

Frowning, Alya looked around. “Maybe all the cell towers were taken out?”

Everything looked intact though, no sign of any destruction at all.

Something else caught Alya’s eye. “Hey Nino, what time should it be?”

Nino blinked. “Well I mean lunch just started so it should be a little past noon-”

He glanced around, noticing the long shadows and the pinkish-orange of the evening sky.

“-which it clearly is not anymore,” he concluded.

Great. “Guess Ladybug and Chat Noir must’ve taken a while to defeat the akuma,” she said, putting her phone away. “Hopefully my parents aren’t too worried. They like me to text them just after an akuma attack, but right now…?” she gestured to her pocket.

“My folks aren’t as worried,” Nino said. “But they still expect me back home before the sun goes down. They’ll be getting nervous soon.”

Alya let out a small sigh. “So much for playing Super Penguino together.”

“Hmmm…” Nino’s eyes gleamed. “You know… it’s not night just yet. And I’m sure my parents would understand if I was a few minutes late because I grabbed a bite to eat.”

Grabbed a bite to eat? What was Nino hinting at…?

Alya looked around at their location more closely.

Wait… that blast seemed to have carried them to that one park, the one near-

Alya grinned. “I think my parents will forgive me for not calling in if I bring them fresh-baked treats from the best bakery in Paris.”

---

*ring ring*

The scent of freshly baked bread wafted through the store. 

Instantly Alya felt her shoulders loosen up, releasing tension she didn’t even know she’d had. There was just something so warm and comforting about the bakery.

Of course, a lot of that was due to the people running it. Good luck finding more friendly, caring people than Marinette’s parents. Sabine often checked up on anyone who seemed to be struggling or upset (and ready to protect them if they were - Alya had seen the video of the time a TV crew decided to invade Marinette’s privacy), and Tom was basically a giant teddy bear in human form.

But neither of them were manning the counter today.

Instead a young woman stared back at them.

A very familiar-looking young woman. 

“Marinette?” Alya asked cautiously.

The woman stared at her for a minute. “Alya?” she finally asked. “What happened to you?” She paled. “Did a new supervillain attack? Is that why you and Nino are younger?”

Huh. Weirdly scared reaction from Marinette. They’d all gotten used to supervillains by now. She’d expect an older Marinette to take them in stride even more than the current Marinette.

Hm… an older Marinette, a different time of day, and Marinette not seeming to know about the latest akuma attack? 

“Marinette… what year is it?” 

Marinette blinked for a moment. Her eyes widened.

Seemed Marinette understood what she was getting at.

She told Alya the date.

Her hunch was right. “We’re in the future,” Alya breathed.

A wicked grin slowly spread over her face. 

Five years was a long time. A lot of things could have happened. A lot of information could’ve come to light.

Like Hawkmoth’s identity.

Or more information on the Miraculous.

But most importantly right now-

She leaned in close to Marinette, making sure to keep her voice down, just in case someone else was around in the back. “So did you ever get together with a certain blond-haired, green-eyed model?”

“Uh… what?” Marinette asked, looking puzzled.

Alya snapped her fingers. “Adrien. Did you and Adrien finally get together? Ooooh, if you did you’ve GOTTA tell me how the confession went! Or, no, wait, don’t tell me, I want to get the deets at the time. Just let me know how long I’ve got to wait, girl!”

Marinette just stared at her, slack-jawed. “Adrien… like ADRIEN AGRESTE?!” she said, her volume rising with every word.

Alya’s eyebrows flew up. “Um… yes…?”

She’d thought that Marinette would be glowing about finally getting together with her crush, or dejected about still not being able to spit out what she wanted to say to him, downcast over him rejecting her, or maybe even infuriated because he mistreated her and they subsequently broke up.

(The last one was VERY unlikely though. After the Felix debacle, she’d learned to have a bit more faith in Adrien’s good nature.)

Shock at the concept of dating him? Not something she’d anticipated.

Footsteps echoed from behind Marinette.

So one of Marinette’s parents must’ve been in the back-

Adrien popped his head around the corner.

Seemed both he AND Marinette had aged well. 

Not that Adrien looked all that different. Taller, definitely, maybe with slightly messier hair and… were those earrings? They looked good on him.

“Hey dude!” Nino waved at his best friend. “What’s up?”

“Uh…” Adrien said, scratching the back of his neck.

“WOW those outfits really take the years off, huh?” Marinette said loudly, shoving them out the door. “Make you look smaller than usual. Well we better go talk about plans later okaybye-”

She promptly slammed the door behind them, physically pushing them away from the bakery.

After Marinette had dragged them a good distance away, Alya finally got over her shock, turning around and glaring at her. “What was that about?!” she asked Marinette indignantly, hands on her hips. “You know me, I wasn’t going to spill anything to him. That’s why I was talking so quietly! Why’d you have to do that?!”

Nino frowned, seeming more concerned than annoyed. “Adrien looked really hurt by that. Not cool.”

“There’s nothing to spill!” Marinette protested, gesticulating wildly. “I only met him for the first time two days ago!”

*record scratch*

Two-

Two DAYS ago?!

Ok, hold up.

“Adrien joined our collège class the day after I did! He sits in front of you in class! What’re you TALKING about?!”

“Uh… no…?” Marinette tilted her head to the side, befuddled. “I think I would remember that, even if it was a few years back.” 

Alya let out a bark of laughter. “Yeah, no kidding. He would be uh, difficult for you to forget. Heck, even if your memory was erased, you’ve got so much stuff revolving around him, I couldn’t see that lasting long.”

Marinette blushed. “Why do you think I have a crush on him?! He’s HAWKMOTH’S SON!”

“WHAT?!” Alya and Nino yelled in unison.

“Ladybug and Chat Noir defeated Hawkmoth a couple years ago,” Marinette explained, pulling out her phone.

A moment later she held it up, showing a blog post from the Ladyblog.

Oooh, that’s a nice graphical design. I’ll have to look into updating my site, Alya thought.

Turning her attention to the picture, she squinted. “Hey, can you enlarge the photo?” She asked.

Marinette complied, enlarging it and turning her phone sideways, letting it fill the entire screen. 

Gabriel Agreste being led away in handcuffs by the police, with Ladybug and Chat Noir in the background. Ladybug looked satisfied, with maybe a twinge of melancholy, but Chat Noir…

He stared vacantly ahead, seemingly not focused on anyone or anything, a smile on his face - but the most forced one she’d ever seen.

“What’s wrong with Chat Noir?” 

Marinette frowned, looking troubled. “I don’t know. He seemed really, really upset when Hawkmoth was defeated. It was a tough battle, bad enough that neither of them have returned since, but that doesn’t explain why-”

She trailed off, lost in thought. 

A moment later she looked up, meeting Alya’s eyes.

Immediately she waved her hands around, trying to ward off… something. “I- I mean, that’s what I read on the Ladyblog and what I could piece together from video footage, it’s not like I was there, NOPE. I was huddled in my room the entire time. Not like I have any insight into what Chat Noir was acting like during the battle, not beyond what any other civilian would know! That would be ridiculous, utterly ridiculous!” she let out a few forced guffaws.

Alya’s eyebrows flew up.

O...Kay…?

Maybe Marinette had been following Ladybug and Chat Noir during the final battle and hadn’t wanted anyone to know? She’d wondered whether Marinette might have a thing for Chat Noir, but her crush on Adrien dwarfed any feelings she might have had for him. Plus it’s not like Marinette would actually know Chat Noir, unlike Adrien.

Thinking about Adrien…

“He must’ve been devastated,” she murmured. Marinette looked at her questioningly. “Adrien, I mean,” Alya clarified. “Having your father turn out to be a terrorist? I can’t even imagine.”

Marinette buried her face in her hands. “Not you TOO,” she said, her voice muffled.

Nino slowly started edging his way behind Marinette.

“What’s your problem with Adrien?” Alya asked. “Did he do something?”

Marinette glanced away. “Not… exactly… I just… I’m afraid that it might all be an act. That he might’ve been helping Hawkmoth secretly, and… and even if he wasn’t before, that he might just be biding his time, waiting until he figures out who Ladybug and Chat Noir and then BAM!” she slammed her fist down on her other hand. “He takes them out, steals all the Miraculous, frees his father and rules Paris FOREVER!”

Alya reached out towards Marinette tentatively. She collapsed into Alya’s arms. 

Hugging her tightly, she sang a soft nonsense song, rubbing small circles in Marinette’s back. 

She’d done this a few other times since she’d met Marinette, though she’d never thought she’d do it underneath these circumstances.

Whatever these circumstances actually were.

Did everyone have amnesia or…?

“Do you have any big memory gaps?” Alya asked once Marinette’s breathing had calmed down. “Especially from five years ago?” 

Marinette shook her head. 

She’d shelve that theory for now then. More likely it was…

“An alternate timeline, huh?” Alya said.

Marinette looked up at her questioningly.

“That’s what I think this is,” Alya explained. “I WAS thinking that maybe there’d been some sort of mass amnesia, but if you don’t have any memory gaps - and trust me girl, with how involved you were with Adrien, there WOULD be memory gaps - that seems unlikely. I’m betting this is some sort of alternate universe, one where Adrien never got to go to school.”

“I still don’t get why you think there’s something between me and Adrien!” Marinette said. “I mean sure, he’s pretty, but did I really fall for him just for that?” 

Alya shook her head. “Actually, you hated him at first. Chloe’d been bragging about how he was her friend, and with that on top of you catching him trying to remove the gum Chloe’d planted on your seat and mistaking it for him PLANTING the gum… well… both of us just assumed he was a spoiled rich bully, just like Chloe. Luckily that turned out not to be the case.”

“How’d that misunderstanding get cleared up?” Marinette asked. “And how did your Marinette jump from that to crushing on him?”

Alya grinned. Marinette had ranted about this moment to her SO. MANY. TIMES.

“School let out later that day. It was raining and Marinette had forgotten her umbrella, so she hung back a moment, long enough for Adrien to approach her. At first she looked away from him, not wanting to acknowledge his greeting. But then he told you - told her I mean - that he hadn’t done it, promised that he’d just been trying to take it off with such sincerity that she had no choice but to believe it. He opened up to her, even though she’d been shunning him just moments ago. And finally he gave her his umbrella, just because he could. Because it was the kind thing to do. She’s been a goner ever since.”

The Marinette in her arms looked away. “I can see why she might have developed a crush on him. But I still dunno whether I trust him.”

“I don’t know whether I have anything that could convince you on that,” Alya admitted, “especially since this is probably a different timeline, and for all I know he could be evil here. Just make sure that you’re judging him on his own merits, okay? Not who he’s associated with. Not his fault he has so many crappy people in his life.”

“I’ll… take it under consideration,” Marinette said reluctantly. 

Marinette looked from side to side. “Where’d Nino go?”

“Oh, he snuck back into the bakery several minutes ago.”

“WHAT?!”

---

Nino opened the door to the bakery, letting out a small sigh of relief. He really wanted to check in on his best friend, and judging by Marinette’s behavior, she wasn’t exactly keen on him or Alya chatting with Adrien.

Thinking back on what he’d just heard, he frowned. 

He wished he could say that he’d never have suspected that Gabriel was Hawkmoth.

That he didn’t think Adrien’s old man could ever be capable of such evil.

But he knew better.

The guy threatened to withdraw Adrien from school and isolate him from everyone else at the drop of a hat, paid little attention to his son when he was at home, and was a very negative influence on his life in general. He might have been grieving, but… so was Adrien. He needed the only parent he had left.

And instead Gabriel had chosen to respond by becoming a supervillain and terrorizing Paris, endangering his own son in the process.

He really wished he’d gotten to hit Hawkmoth with his turtle shield more. At least he got to relish the smack he got in.

“You’re back!” 

Nino looked towards the voice.

Adrien walked closer to him, a tentative grin on his face. “I didn’t think you’d return so soon!”

“I had to come back to talk to my best friend,” Nino said.

“Best friend?” Adrien asked, blank-faced.

Oh, right. According to Marinette, Adrien hadn’t joined their class. She hadn’t even met Adrien until recently. 

Had some sort of memory-wiping akuma attacked? Wouldn’t have been the first time. 

“Do you know who I am?” Nino asked, pointing at himself.

Adrien rubbed the back of his neck. “Uh… well I know you’re friends with the Ladyblogger and Marinette, and… sorry, that’s it.”

He looked really apologetic, like a dog who’d ripped up a bunch of toilet paper and acted guilty about it once caught.

Hm. If it had been a memory-erasing akuma, maybe he could jog Adrien’s memory…?

And even if it wasn’t, he wanted to let Adrien know that someplace, somewhere, people cared about him. If Marinette’s reaction to him was any indication, he’d need that reassurance. Being looked at with suspicion, having people run from you just because of who your dad was, thinking that you might’ve been involved in his crimes… he couldn’t imagine.

“You joined our class the day after Hawkmoth first attacked,” Nino told him, pulling out his phone.

Adrien shook his head, looking confused. “Uh… no? I wanted to, I REALLY wanted to go to school, but Father-”

He cut himself off, looking away.

“Marinette said the same thing,” Nino told him. “That you hadn’t enrolled in our class, that she’d only met you recently. I don't know what that’s about, whether everyone’s memories were wiped, or an akuma messed with the past, or what.”

Come on, come on, where was it- ah!

He clicked on a photo, one taken a few months ago, holding his phone up so his friend could get a better look.

Adrien squinted for a moment. His eyes widened. “That’s-!”

Nino nodded. “Our class photo. The official one, anyway.” He chuckled. “I liked our unofficial ones better.” Swiping to the side, he showed the new ones the class had taken at the park. 

Adrien’s jaw dropped more with every new photo. He let out an involuntary bark of laughter at the one of himself, Nino, Kim, and Juleka posing. “I- I always wanted to mess around like that at photoshoots,” Adrien said. His voice trembled slightly. “But I wouldn’t be able to get away with it. And that’s mostly fun when you can share it with friends, at least share the picture, and I- I couldn’t. Chloe wouldn’t have appreciated it, and L-”

He cut himself off, shaking his head.

“Luka?” Nino asked. 

He didn’t know why Adrien would know Luka and not anybody else, but he seemed the most likely option.

“Uh…” Adrien scratched the back of his neck, looking away.

Hm, he’d have to see if he had- ah!

“You played in Kitty Section too, with Luka, Rose, Ivan, and Juleka.” Nino explained, clicking on the video. 

Adrien’s hands shook as Nino handed him the phone, watching the mini-concert.

“I- I was allowed to- I got to-” Adrien’s voice quavered. 

“Not at first.” Nino grimaced, remembering how bummed Adrien had sounded when he called him. “Your old man said that Agrestes were soloists, and that we were all bad influences.”

“HE was the bad influence,” Adrien said. A current of anger, of venom ran through his voice that Nino had never heard before. 

“Well I already knew that, even before finding out he was Hawkmoth,” Nino said, making a face. “Dude needed to chill out.”

Adrien snorted. “If he had any ‘chill’ he wouldn’t have decided that becoming a supervillain was the best way to heal my mother.”

Oh.

So THAT was why Gabriel had done it.

He’d just thought it was standard ‘I’m an asshole and want to rule the world while being a jackass to everyone in my life’ behavior.

(He still wasn’t going to rule out that being a factor.)

Nino put a hand on Adrien’s shoulder sympathetically. “At least he’s gone now and you’re free, right?”

“Right,” Adrien said. He didn’t meet Nino’s eyes.

“Not you TOO,” Marinette had said, burying her face in her hands.

As if she found it exasperating that Alya sympathized with Adrien. As if she had expected differently. 

Those worries she’d voiced as Nino had been tiptoeing away, about Adrien helping Hawkmoth, about him lying in wait, biding his time… Marinette probably wasn’t the only one to have that concern. And with Adrien’s face being as well-known as it was...

“You AREN’T free, are you?” Nino asked, eyes wide.

Adrien sighed. “I was as surprised as everyone else when I found out who Hawkmoth was. That someone who’s caused that much harm, that much trauma to this city, lived in my own house.” He clenched his fists, digging into his jean’s fabric. “I could barely believe it… no… I didn’t WANT to believe it.”

He took a deep breath, steadying himself. “I- I only remember snippets from right after his arrest. The police chief talking to me. Riding back to the station. It’s all a blur. Everything felt like I was processing it underwater. It was all so blurry and muffled. Even- even then, though, I could feel everyone’s accusing stares.” “I understand why, don’t get me wrong,” he cut in hurriedly. “Who wouldn’t be suspicious of the son of the terrorist who’s been making everyone’s life miserable for the past four years?” Adrien almost panted with exertion, his eyes wild. “And- and it was happening in my own house! Underneath my nose! I should have KNOWN! I could’ve stopped this!” 

Reaching out, Nino pulled his friend into a hug. 

Adrien stiffened for a moment, before melting into his embrace.

“It’s his fault, not yours,” Nino murmured. “Remember that, dude. He was the adult. He was your parent. Your ONLY remaining parent. I’ve met the guy. And I’ve heard you talk about what he’s like. If you had investigated more?” Nino shuddered, thinking about the disproportionate punishments the bastard had enacted. “And knowing he was HAWKMOTH on top of that? I’m kinda glad you didn’t. Yeah, maybe you could’ve ended things sooner. Or maybe he would’ve hurt you more before you had the chance. I’m just glad you survived.”

“I-” Adrien’s throat sounded tight. “I’m- I’m glad I survived too.”

They stood there for a moment, Nino feeling Adrien’s breath go in-and-out, his heartbeat racing, until it gradually started to slow.

*ring ring*

Adrien and Nino broke up their hug just as Marinette burst through the door, Alya on her heels. She skidded to a halt in front of Adrien - but not quite in time, sending her careening towards the floor.

She never made contact.

“Woah!” Adrien shouted, catching her in his arms.

Nino detected a hint of pink to Marinette’s cheeks before she abruptly sprang to her feet.

“So, uh,” Marinette said awkwardly. “I’m guessing Nino talked to you about some stuff. I mean, of course he talked to you about stuff, because that’s what talking is about. What- what I mean is, what were you two talking about?”

“I wanted to show him how much we care about him,” Nino told her. “Especially since with this… amnesia?”

“I think it’s an alternate timeline,” Alya said. 

“Especially since in this timeline,” Nino continued, “it really doesn’t seem like he had anyone.”

“I had a couple other friends,” Adrien told him quietly, giving a melancholic smile. “But I lost contact with them right after Hawkmoth’s defeat.”

Noticing Nino’s frown, he hastily added, “they didn’t abandon me or anything! They were online friends. One moved somewhere without internet reception, and the other... we never knew each other’s names. But we talked all the time. We chatted, laughed, defeated villains together…”

“In the video games we played, of course!” he added after a moment. He chuckled fondly. “We played as a team. Together, we were unstoppable, no matter what our opponent threw at us.”

Adrien swallowed. “But in the aftermath of Hawkmoth’s defeat, with all the turmoil, with everything that happened… I lost my means of contacting her. I- I don’t know whether I’ll ever get to see her again.”

“We’d promised to meet up after Hawkmoth’s defeat,” Adrien said. His voice cracked. “That- that once it was safer in Paris, we’d finally tell our names.”

His eyes dropped to the ground. “Instead, we lost each other. Maybe for good.”

“I know what that’s like,” Marinette said. She sounded strangely distant. “I had a friend like that too. I cared about him. A lot. Maybe… maybe even as more than a friend.” She said the last part haltingly, as if she’d only just admitted it to herself. “He- he wanted to know who I was. For me to know who he was. But- but I couldn’t do that. Not in Hawkmoth’s Paris. I already cared for him so much it ached. If I was closer to him than that- if I’d accepted his rose- I’m- I’m afraid Hawkmoth might’ve used the strength of those feelings against me. That I could’ve gotten akumatized, or he might’ve, and if we knew who each other was, knew WHERE the other one was… I just… I couldn’t accept that we might be sent to hurt each other.”

“We talked while the final battle was raging,” she continued. “He seemed really upset, more angry than I’ve ever seen him before, but… also kind of sad. I wanted to know what was wrong, but there wasn’t really time to press him. And after that battle he just… disappeared. I knew there was going to be some sort of disruption, but- but I’d thought we’d have more time to talk beforehand, that we’d be able to exchange new contact information. We were cut off before we had the chance.”

“I- I think of him every day,” she said quietly. “Wondering how he’s doing. He was always so positive, no matter what life threw at us. I hope that wherever he is, whatever he’s doing, he hasn’t lost that positivity, that optimism, the ability to see the best in the world and in others.”

“I’m sure he’d be happy to know you cared for him so much,” Adrien said, giving her a warm smile.

Marinette blinked, giving herself a small shake. She turned to Alya. “I dunno whether you’ll remember any of this after the Ladybug in your time restores anything, but on the off-chance you do, is there anything you need to know?”

“Oh!” Alya pulled up some footage. “You told me who Hawkmoth was, but what about Mayura?”

“Mayura?” 

“Who?”

Alya snapped her fingers. “You know, the Peacock Miraculous wielder, the one summoning the sentimonsters! Did she not exist in this universe?”

She pulled up part of the fight against Mayura, the sentimonster Ladybug, and Hawkmoth.

The video ended, she took another glance at Marinette and Adrien.

Marinette seemed to be in shock, staring straight ahead.

Adrien frowned, thinking. “I’d wondered for a long time how Father managed to hide his supervillain activities from Nathalie, considering she was around him most of the time. I thought maybe she was just really good at never asking questions.”

He grimaced. “Looking at that? I’m betting she didn’t ask questions because she already knew the answers.”

“You think Mayura’s Nathalie?” Alya questioned.

He nodded. “Unless something’s different in your universe. My father doesn’t have a lot of associates, and the way he acted around Mayura there, how he was willing to pass up a chance to fight Ladybug for her Miraculous in exchange for catching her… the only people I can think of who he’d do that for are my mother and Nathalie, and mom…” he trailed off.

“I- I didn’t even think about that,” Marinette said guiltily. “I remember reading something about Gabriel having a secretary, but I didn’t think about her much beyond that.”

“Maybe you could ask this universe’s Alya to post something on the Ladyblog, telling Ladybug and Chat Noir she has a lead on who Mayura is?” Alya said. “I mean, I know they haven’t shown up in ages, but maybe that’s just because they haven’t had reason to.”

Marinette winced. “I… really don’t think that’s it… plus Ladybug and Chat Noir never said that someone was helping Hawkmoth. Mayura never appeared, at least in public. I don’t know what we can do about this right now, especially without proof. Maybe if Ladybug and Chat Noir appeared, but…”

She sounded doubtful. Alya was beginning to think that the final battle was even worse than Marinette had alluded to.

She hesitated a moment, before turning to Adrien. “I- I think I owe you an apology. I thought you might’ve been helping Hawkmoth, but… well… I was just judging you by who your dad was. You’ve been nothing but sweet and kind.”

Adrien smiled at her, though it was slightly strained. “It’s fine. I’m used to it. A lot of people in this city have suffered at Hawkmoth’s hands. I don’t blame them for being scared, or angry at any reminders of him.”

“That doesn’t make it RIGHT,” Marinette said heatedly.

Nino nodded. “Dude just because something’s done to you it doesn’t mean it’s justified, or that it shouldn’t be made better. Like with your old man forbidding parties. I didn’t let that stop me from bribing your bodyguard into letting me and the other guys throw a party at your place for you!”

He chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. “It kinda escalated though. I think half the guys at Paris were partying in your room by the end!”

Alya gave Nino a sideways look. “And ONLY the guys because they ditched us girls while we were planting trees with a lame excuse. Seriously if you’d said you wanted to throw a party for Adrien while his dad was away, you could’ve just told us!”

Nino winced. “Yeah, my bad. At least we got to have fun there for a while before the akuma attack.”

“Akuma attack?” Adrien asked, eyes wide. “But I thought you said Father was gone!”

“He was- OOOOOOOH.”

“Yeeaaaah I don’t think he was actually gone,” Alya said. “You threw a ‘secret’ party in Hawkmoth’s house, WHILE he was still at home.”

Adrien gaped at Nino. “How’re you not DEAD?!”

Nino chuckled. “Lucky I guess?”

*twinkle twinkle*

A familiar red mass flew towards Alya and Nino.

Adrien’s eyes widened. 

“Behind the portrait!” he blurted out, just as the two of them were enveloped by the ladybugs, spiriting them off to whence they came.

It was silent for a moment.

“Do you think they heard?” Adrien asked Marinette.

“I hope so,” she said, looking off in the direction the ladybugs flew.

She turned to him. “I was planning on setting up some hang out time with Alya and Nino later this week. If you’re not busy… would you like to join?”

His smile told her everything she needed to know.

#bakery enemies au #ml fanfic #miraculous ladybug #adrien agreste #alya cesaire #nino lahiffe #marinette dupain cheng #buggachat