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goggles-mcgee · 2 years

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Too Late: Lila’s Mother

Latest Chapter in the story for @miner249er

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Summary: Her eyes had been opened but she wish they hadn’t.

Giada Rossi has gone through a lot in life and she had always said she would go through anything and do anything for her daughter. It was the same for any parent she was sure, and like any parent she had been convinced her daughter could do no wrong. Her little Delilah. She remembered the day she had found out she was pregnant had been the happiest day of her life, her and her at-the-time husband Matteo had been trying to conceive for years after their marriage, but things weren’t so easy for the couple. They tried and tried, went to doctors, everything they could. Giada had even feared that she had been unable to become pregnant. It had put a big strain on their marriage because Matteo had always wanted kids, he spoke about having a big family all the time when they were engaged. It got to the point where they were just having sex purely on a schedule to try and get pregnant, their was no passion, no…love like there had been in the beginning. She had even thought they might split up, but one day at work she had opened up her lunch and the smell nearly made her sick. At first she had been confused but she remembered all the signs of a pregnancy that the books and online mommy blogs had described and she had immediately gone to get a test. She cried when it was positive.

Her pregnancy wasn’t great, not that she thought it would be a walk in the park, but she hadn’t imagined it would have been as difficult as it had been. Both Matteo and herself had been so scared when she went into labor two months before she was supposed to. They worried what that would mean for their precious baby. Labor had been hell, it had been one big hazy, painful hell for Giada, but it was oh so worth it when she saw her baby girl for the first time. Of course even the birth had been something that hadn’t come normally. They had to name their little Delilah Gia Rossi when she was in an incubator instead of with her in Giada’s arms like she had imagined for months. The doctor had said that Delilah had an underdeveloped lung and that she had to be in the incubator until it was fully developed.

Giada and Matteo prayed and prayed that their little miracle would make it and when she did they cried. She was such a tiny little thing at first, Giada could hold her in one hand when feeding her if she wanted to. As Delilah grew, so did Giada and Matteo’s hope of a perfect family, sure she was a sick baby but she was a joy. Their joy. Giada would be the first to admit that they spoiled their little girl, especially after they found out that Giada couldn’t have any more kids. Everything was great and beautiful and her and Matteo’s marriage felt reborn, it was full of that ever-consuming love and sex was once more something enjoyable. Of course it didn’t happen as often as they would have liked given their child and her needs but they made it work. Giada couldn’t remember ever being so happy as she had been then at that moment in time when it was Delilah, Matteo and her against the world.

Things, however, didn’t last. Thinking back on the circumstances of her and Matteo’s divorce after everything she had learned recently, she had the strongest urge to reach out and apologize for never believing him. Things were so good up until Delilah had turned nine, she was at her fifth school after some incidents at the others and because of Matteo’s job. Matteo had started to become…wary of Delilah and what words fell from her mouth. The two butted heads constantly. Always arguing about telling the truth and honeyed words. At the time Giada had been convinced that Matteo was just stressed with work and that he was taking that stress out on them, because she knew that her little Gia wasn’t a liar. Sure there had been bullying accusations but it was Delilah who was getting bullied and those other kids who claimed her little baby was actually the bully were nothing more than troubled. Matteo hadn’t seen it that way. Not after Delilah’s third transfer.

No. He had been convinced that she was a troublemaker. That she was the bully and not the victim like she had sobbed to them every time there was an incident. It had only escalated from there and so had the fights on the matter. Giada just could not understand why her husband wouldn’t believe their daughter, it was like he couldn’t. Like he physically and mentally was incapable of doing so and Delilah noticed. She had always been an overly observant child, it made hiding her La Befana gifts hard; as well as the sweets. Delilah knew her father didn’t believe a word that came out of her mouth and it depressed her so. Giada could only do so much, could only provide so much attention and love when the only attention and love her baby wanted was her father’s. But it only got worse.

The shouting got louder. The words cut deeper and it felt like anything Giada did was useless. Matteo would get frustrated at her for being so easily manipulated while Delilah sobbed into her chest about her father’s anger. It all came to a head a couple of days after Delilah’s birthday, Matteo finally had a true day off from the Embassy same as Giada and of course Matteo and Delilah got into one of their little fights. Apparently one of her teacher’s had called Matteo to talk about Delilah’s missing assignments, ones she had told them she had done. Of course Giada believed her daughter because Delilah would ask her for help going over her homework so she knew she had done the work, even if there wasn’t much of it. When she had said that Matteo had looked like he had wanted to yell, scream, something other than the long sigh he had let out. He had gone on a rant about how ‘this was why he made sure the teachers called him’ and ‘how could she not see it’?

It was during this that Delilah had started to cry and cower behind her mother. She had been saying something repeatedly under her breath but Giada couldn’t hear her and listen to her daughter at the same time. That was when Delilah had seemed to snap. She curled into a little ball at Giada’s feet and yelled, “I’m sorry Babbo! Please, I’m sorry! I promise I did the work, I promise! I’m not lying so please don’t hit me again!” The silence. Oh how Giada remembered the silence that had followed that and her daughter’s whimpers. She remembered the numbness she had felt and the overwhelming fear and anger that followed. The fight after that had been astronomical, Giada had told Matteo she wanted a divorce and if he knew what was good for him he had better sign the papers and never come into their lives again. She had told him she was being merciful in not bringing him to court but he had only laughed and said he would have preferred they had gone to court but in the end he had signed the papers.

It was the last thing he ever said to her that was what haunted her till this day, till this very moment. It was right after the papers had been signed, all his things were moved out, the signing of the papers was to be the last time she saw him. It was with the last stroke of the pen that he finally looked up at her and said, “You better get that girl some help Giada. Sooner or later her lying with every breath she takes will come to bite you and her in the ass. This type of thing, Giada, it doesn't go away and she won’t grow out of it. You’re going to believe she’s your perfect little angel until consequences for her lies come knocking at the door. And you’re not going to like what they have to say.” After that, he had kept to his promise and left them alone, actually he had left Italy as a whole, apparently he had gotten an offer by another embassy to be the Italian ambassador. She never found out where, but it had been the hot gossip at work for a long time, too long.

That was when Giada had started looking at other embassies that needed a secretary, it wasn’t the high-profile job of an ambassador but it put bread on the table and it was what she was good at. The moves were good for her and Delilah and slowly they healed, but oh how Matteo’s words hung around her like a smell that wouldn’t go away. Especially now, because he was right and Giada should have listened. Maybe if she had and they had gotten Delilah the help she so desperately needed, then maybe she wouldn’t be in a Parisian hospital watching the slow rise and fall of her daughter’s machine aided breathing. She knew teenagers and practically everyone told lies, it’s a part of life, but she never imagined lies would have brought her to this moment in her life wondering if her child would wake up. Everything had changed once The Protector had surfaced, that was when everything had come to light and Giada wished she had still been in the dark.

It’s not easy to face reality especially when it was particularly against you, Giada thought as she looked over her daughter once more. She honestly didn’t know what she hoped for.

On one hand she desperately wanted her daughter to wake up, to be okay and to heal so she could answer every question her mother had running through her head at the moment. If Delilah woke up Giada vowed she would get her daughter the help that Matteo insisted she needed, the help that she now knew she needed. She just didn’t understand why her daughter would lie about so many things, why she felt the need to lie, the need to turn a whole class against one girl enough that that girl snapped. Thankfully, Giada knew how messed up it sounded, even just in her head, but thankfully Paris had Hawkmoth. Otherwise that little girl may have taken her own life and Giada didn’t know if she could live with herself if her daughter was the one responsible for that.

Heaven only knew if Delilah would have felt any guilt either way, she sure as hell didn’t seem remorseful knowing she caused the City’s worst akuma to date to form. If anything she had seemed pleased with herself and that, that’s what broke Giada. She had hoped beyond hope that Delilah just didn’t understand what she had done but when they had been watching the news Giada had seen it. She had seen that self-satisfied smirk her daughter wore before she schooled her look into one of fear. It was so fast, a blink-and-you-miss-it type of thing and it had made her feel like maybe she had hallucinated it due to the stress of the situation. Next thing everyone knew the news was reporting that the akuma victim, Marinette may have been Ladybug, who due to some extensive research Giada had done, was not as incompetent as Delilah had told her she was.

The research hadn’t made her feel any better because it meant she hadn’t been hallucinating. Her daughter wasn’t who she thought she was and Giada really didn’t know who she had been living with. She had been manipulated for years and she had had no idea. Delilah had always seemed so independent so Giada just placed her trust in her daughter, she now knew that was the wrong thing to do. Others would probably mock her, were probably mocking her for her stupidity but she had wanted to trust her daughter because really, they were all each other had. Even her parents had cut off contact with her because at the time Giada had believed they had been cruel to Delilah just like Matteo had supposedly been. So Giada had told them they would no longer visit unless they apologized to Delilah and owned up to what they had done, of course they had argued their innocence until they just stopped trying.

It hurt, it hurt because Giada lost them for nothing and she couldn’t even call them, or she could but there was a high possibility they wouldn’t answer and that would be more than her heart could take. Right now though she needed to talk to someone, anyone who didn’t look at her daughter in disgust and her in pity. She didn’t know what to do, her daughter laid before her on a hospital bed beaten and broken because of lies she told and the absolute craziness that Paris had become. It happened so fast. Giada had been ready, ready to confront Delilah with all her research as soon as her daughter had walked down from her room. She had hesitated when Delilah had kissed her cheek and said her usual morning greetings, a tear had fallen. Delilah had looked properly worried for her and that hurt because Giada had no idea if the worry was real.

She had opened her mouth to say something, anything but then their door was kicked down and people rushed in and it was all just motion. Hands were on her, holding her, a voice was soft, pitying, telling her she was a victim of the silver-tongued fox. They said it would all be over soon, that they were there for a higher purpose and that she would be free. Giada hadn’t understood but all she had done was struggle and scream for her daughter, her daughter who looked genuinely scared. She was made to watch as these people, The Followers she would later find out from the police, beat her daughter within an inch of her life. They used their fists, their feet, they used whatever objects in the home they could and just as fast as they had arrived they left. The strength in her legs had all but gone and Giada had crawled to her daughter who she couldn’t even recognize anymore and hastily called the cops.

Then they were here and the doctors were telling her most of her daughter’s bones were broken, some penetrated her organs and she had brain damage. Then came the announcement that Delilah was in a coma and that they weren’t sure if she would wake, that it would be a miracle if she did. She had been her little miracle so at first Giada had been certain Delilah would pull through and would wake, then she really processed everything and that certainty diminished. So she sat there thinking about the other hand, the other option for Delilah and arguably the most merciful. Of course Giada wanted her to wake but some part of her thought her daughter would be better off passing away. It was an awful ugly thought but it consumed her. Her little girl, no matter how mad she was, how disappointed and how horrified she was with her, she didn’t deserve this pain. If she woke she would be paralyzed for life, she would never be able to do anything for herself and it would be Giada taking care of her.

Giada didn’t know if she would have it in her to do so.

She also didn’t know if she had it in her to press the call button to the number she had gotten from her friend Theresa back in Italy, but Matteo deserved to know what happened to Delilah even if it was all over the news. She believed it was best to hear it from someone rather than to find out some third-party way. So with a heavy heart and small amount of confidence Giada pressed call.

It rang.

And rang.

Each ring made Giada’s already low confidence dwindle until she heard the tell-tale sound of a click. “Ciao. This is Matteo Baiamonte speaking.”

“Matteo. Cia-Ciao.”

“Giada.” The somewhat warm tone he had when answering the phone was all but gone. “How did you get this number? This is my personal number.”

“That’s beside the point Matteo, I…I have some bad news.”

A heavy sigh. “I know Giada. Bad news is the only news that travels fast, what I don’t understand is why you called me.”

“She’s your daughter Matteo.”

“Was. Both of you made that very clear when I was told to never contact you and you changed her last name-”

“She asked!”

“Because that makes it better? You always did what she asked like a good little fantoccia!”

He always knew what to say to cut her deep. “I didn’t call to fight Matteo!”

“Then what did you call for Giada?” He yelled, slightly hysterical. “If it was only to inform me of Delilah, a simple email would have sufficed but given you haven’t updated me on her medical history since I left I doubt this is what this call was really for.”

“If this was for sympathy,” She heard Matteo chuckle in disbelief. “You’ll get none from me. I warned you Giada. I warned you about that girl and now? Now you and her are facing the consequences.”

“Conseq-Matteo! You act as though Delilah deserved this! To be beaten within an inch of her life all because of some lies!”

“Porca miseria! Giada. What she did was more than lie. Delilah lied, she manipulated and she did it all without remorse. I feel some sympathy for her for the consequences she faced but I did tell you she would face them. I just never imagined they would be so pricey…I don’t know what you expect me to say Giada. I feel bad for the kid, I do but nothing more and I did not appreciate this call.”

“You deserved to be told.” Giada choked out over her tears.

“No I didn’t. I deserved to be left alone. I left you guys alone like I promised and now I ask you to give me the same courtesy Giada. I have a life, I have a family and I know that’s not news to you if you got your hands on my personal cell phone number. The point is, I moved on, and you need to move on from this to.”

“I don’t think I know how to Mat.” She answered honestly.

“Strength and Courage, Gia. Strength and Courage.”

The call ended without any goodbyes and that was just as well, because even with his harsh words, Matteo was still the man she knew. He still, in all his anger and frustration, gave her advice. Things were messy between them but even still after everything she and Delilah put him through he was willing to give her advice and call her the nickname she carried throughout her years. It felt like when they had been friends in the embassy and fought over something they both had different opinions on, but when she was stuck, Matteo always managed to give her advice and be her rock. So she wiped her face of any remaining tears and prepared to call her parents as many times as was necessary to get them to listen so she could apologize and maybe, just maybe they could mend their broken bond. Giada slipped her hand through Delilah’s unresponsive one and held it.

“Strength and Courage.” Giada echoed softly, she would get through this and when Delilah woke up they would get through this, so she pressed call.

Next Chapter

*La Befana-"The Good Witch" in Italy, on Jan. 6, Le Befana comes to the house and leaves gifts for children while also sweeping the floors of the household. For naughty children she stuffs their stockings with coal. It is said that her housework kept her from traveling with the Three Kings on the night they went in search for baby Jesus, or at least that's what it says according to the tale. It was later on that she went with a bag full of gifts for the newborn Jesus.

It's said that she sweeps the floor as a way to sweep away the problems of the previous year away and leave the family with a fresh start.

*Babbo- a more personal way to refer to your father in Italian

*Ciao- Hello

*Fantoccia- female puppet

*Porca miseria- literal translation is "pig misery" but it basically means "For God's sake/For Goodness' Sake"

*Strength and Courage- it's a reference to an Italian saying, "Forza e coraggio che la vita è un passaggio." meaning "Strength and courage because life is a passage."

#too late commission #googles writes #goggles commission #lila rossi salt #lila rossi's lies exposed #lila rossi's mother #lila rossi's mom #angst #aaaaaangst #not a lot of comfort #Lila's mom needs a hug okay?#a lot of hugs #ml salt fic #this is a healthy dose of salt and angst right?

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cataclysmic-luck · 2 years

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Me reading salt fics knowing it's about to shit on my fav characters or end with fav characters getting hurt

#salt fics #they bring me both joy and pain #especially those lila exposing fics #wtf even happened to lila after chameleon #i genuinely don't know #I guess this is the circle of life #you either die watching your fav characters be good or live long enough to watch them get bashing fics

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snitchesnsneeds · 4 days

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Bethany's Bizarre Miraculous Baseball Episode!?

I decided, while I was readying myself for the finale and Chloe's character death, why not write one of the Miraculous ideas buzzing in my head not related to my fic? This one's a baseball episode because I like baseball episodes.

In terms of background plot, the Peacock Miraculous is fixed and Hawkmoth (no, not Shadowmoth, this is my canon,) has whittled down the identities of Ladybug and Chat Noir to being in Mme. Bustier's class. He doesn't immediately think Ladybug and Chat Noir are the only two students unakumatized in class because he knows Miraculouses can be swapped around, and Miraculous wielders can change their appearance. As for the episode prior,

Ms. Bustier's class is playing baseball for whatever reason. Gym class or something.

Hawkmoth, knowing Ladybug and Chat Noir are in the group, decides to strike, but instead of the overdone and constantly-failing akuma method (not to mention no one's having that bad of a day,) he decides to get creative.

Hawkmoth shows up at the baseball field the Miracuclass is at, in full baseball gear as well? The exits are blocked off by a mass of mold created by the peacock Miraculous, and Ladybug and Chat Noir have trouble running and transforming due to said mold having eyes everywhere, including, yes, the toilets.

He's also created a full robotic baseball team with the peacock miraculous, with 7 basic robot players, 1 armored catcher, and 1 pitching machine on wheels. The latter wields a bat by having it duct-taped to its "head," btw.

Hawkmoth merely wants to wager a game of baseball. If the home team wins, Hawkmoth will leave the class alone. No more akumas or amoks targeting them. However, if Hawkmoth wins, and he might, he gets to take all their accessories! Necklaces, Bracelets, Jewelry, Earrings, Rings, etc.

After the initial cries of shock, confusion, and "Ridiculous, utterly ridiculous!", the class decides on what to do. Some members see this as a low-cost high-gain game, not to mention they were already playing baseball in the first place.

Marinette and Adrien, being Ladybug and Chat Noir respectively in the first place, realize Hawkmoth's plan and are not for playing, although they have problems explaining why for reasons that don't expose themselves. Same with the classmates that have figured out their identities (Ivan, Nathaniel, Juleka, and Max,) although they fare a bit better in the reasoning department. Also Chloe is on team no for obvious reasons. As is Sabrina.

Lila's with team 'no' at first for the same reasons as Chloe, but changes sides when she figures out Hawkmoth's scheme and comes to the same conclusions as him.

Ultimately, not willing to risk what would happen if they said no, the Miracuclass takes up Hawkmoth's offer. Also they have uniforms now. From the power of baseball or something.

Since a baseball team only needs nine players and Ms. Bustier's class has fifteen people (six too many,) Chloe, Sabrina, Rose, Mylene, Lila, and Marinette form a cheer squad instead with uniforms as well. Very modest uniforms. Like at the lightest no sleeves and yes modesty shorts.

In terms of positions (because I care deeply about this,) Alix is the pitcher (a great one at that!), Ivan is the catcher, Nino looks over first base, Max looks over second base (he can catch and throw well by calculating the trajectories), Adrien looks over third base, Alya, the girlboss that she is, handles Shortstop, while Kim, Juleka, and Nathaniel are all outfielders. While Kim's highly athletic and a runner and Juleka is frequently at the right spot to catch the ball in midair, Nathaniel is an art kid that wants nothing to do with this and would rather doodle comics.

As for batting, it's as you'd expect. The students that are muscular, sporty, or have spent time as superheroes (mainly Alya and Nino for the latter,) bat better. Ivan's a bit on the slow side and Juleka's a deceptively fast runner, however. It helps that her girlfriend's cheering her on.

Finally, the cheer squad. Chloe, being a talented gymnast and Mean Girl, kills it as a cheerleader, with Rose and Sabrina not being too far behind. Mylene's doing her best, Marinette keeps on tripping over her own feet, and Lila's doing the bare minimum and using faked health conditions as excuses. She also tries to take the other cheerleaders' earrings and rings in case they're Ladybug or Chat Noir, and makes more fake excuses when noticed. At one point Chloe and Lila start fighting. Sabrina tries to break it up.

Hawkmoth's really getting into the sport, by the way. Yelling, telling the enemy team what to do when they mess up, getting mad when his robot baseball players try to cheat, etc. Mostly because some of Gabriel's best times with Emile were at baseball games. He even proposed to her after a game!

Adrien, sweating a bit: "Why does Hawkmoth keep on looking at me? Has he figured out my identity?"

Hawkmoth, looking at Adrien: "My son isn't doing as well as I'd hoped. A pity. Is he not interested?"

Also the bleachers are filled up with some audience members, let in by the Mold. Not a full crowd by any means, but there's people! It helps Nadja is broadcasting the game as well. Marinette's parents are there. The Gorilla is whistling in support of Adrien and has a foam finger. Nathalie isn't there, though. She was never into the sport.

Of course, a bunch of middle schoolers don't fare too well against a team of lifeforms designed to be good at baseball. Alya, using her own form of Ladybug vision (or whatever it's called,) on the cheer squad, determines that Marinette should join the team in place of someone else. Nathaniel seems like the best choice due to being the worst player.

Nathaniel: "NO! I am not becoming a cheerleader! Can't I just sit on the bench or something?"

Alya: "We need six cheerleaders. We can't have a full pyramid with only five!"

Murmur of agreement from the others

Nathaniel: "...Well can't you get someone else to be a cheerleader instead? Why can't it be someone like Jule-Gets hit by a thrown baseball mitt and shoe-OW! Hey!"

Adrien: "Everyone, calm down. I'll be the cheerleader. I've never liked competitive team sports like baseball anyways. I'd rather be my own rival."

Adrien walks over to Marinette and hands her his hat and baseball mitt

Adrien: "Win the game for everyone here, okay?"

Marinette: (Internally) Adrien's counting on me. I can't let him down again! I'll win this game not just to keep my Miraculous, but so I can rebuild Adrien's trust in me!

For the record, I decided in my canon this episode takes a while after Marinette and Adrien got together before having a horribly messy break-up three episodes later, and in general this is meant to be platonic, but if you make art of this and change that dialogue a little for the sake of Adrienette, I won't be cranky.

But yeah. The entire cheer squad welcomes Adrien in with open arms because they're nice girls, Lila, Chloe, and Chloe's girlfriend. Also maybe I'd have Adrien in a skirt but I'll need consultation on that.

As for Marinette, her passion and muscle give the team the nudge and morale to outplay Hawkmoth's team and ultimately win. Taking the pitcher position from Alix, she throws fast, unpredictable balls to strike out the basebots, and she manages to outbat the pitching machine and hit a home run at the ninth inning while three of her teammates are on each of the bases.

Hawkmoth, is a man of his word, thankfully. A pretty good sport, too. He was pretty impressed He dispels his baseball team, skedaddles away, and finally dispels the Mold so Ladybug and Chat Noir can't immediately chase him.

At the ending part, in the Agreste Manor, Gabriel goes over to his son and said he heard all about his game, including what he said about competitive team sports.

"Did you mean all that?"

"Yes, father."

"Would you rather be a cheerleader than be in the basketball team?"

"Yes!"

And so Gabriel puts Adrien in the cheer squad instead of playing basketball and the two of them play a game of catch because Gabriel realized he's never done that with his son.

With baseball mitts and a baseball.

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myreia · 12 days

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15 Lines of Dialogue Rules: Share 15 or fewer lines of dialogue from an OC, ideally lines that capture the character/personality/vibe of the OC. Bonus points for just using the dialogue without other details about the scene, but you’re free to include those as well!

thanks for the tag, @thevikingwoman and @bearlytolerant, ty frens!

tagging: @roguelioness @lilas @galadae @ellstersmash @fourteenthz

@tsunael @birues @ardberts @gatheredfates @anneapocalypse

@impossible-rat-babies @coldshrugs @gefiltefished @consulaaris

sorry if you've been tagged before, I have... lost track of who has done what. 😂 No pressure, ofc! 💖 tags also for anyone else who would like to share their writing! Feel free to tag me even if I didn't tag you or even if we're not mutuals, I'd love to see what you're working on!!

These are from published (and one unpublished) ffxiv fics. Because a lot of my favourite Aureia lines happen within the context of banter, I had a hard time deciding what to cut and where.

— 1: Far From Happenstance [ARR]

“What’s that thing on your arm?” “This? Ah… well… Perhaps this conversation is best saved for later, perhaps in a less conspicuous place?” “Or we could have it now. Your choice.”

— 2: Uncertainty [ARR]

“Tailing unsuspecting women about the city is nothing to be proud of.” “I have done nothing of the sort! Our meetings have been no more than happenstance, a quirk of nature drawing us to the same spot at the same time. I assure you, Aureia, I am not following you—” She stifles a snort, laughter tugging at the corners of her lips. “Oh…” He blows out a breath. “Oh, you’re joking? That was a joke. You have an unfair sense of humour…” “Don’t make yourself such an easy target next time.”

— 3: To Ash and Ember [ARR]

Lahabrea stares at her, startled out of his victory, mouth twisted with contempt. “How—” Aureia raises a hand, palm sheathed in blinding light. “Get the fuck out of him, you bastard.”

— 4: Sand and Stone [ARR]

“This is good for us,” she says quietly. “The Scions, I mean. We’re exposed here. Ascians, Garleans… it’s only a matter of time before they try again. Mor Dhona will afford us some means of protection we’ve lost.”

— 5: Bitter Frost [ARR/HW]

“You press on,” she says after a moment. She cups her palm between them, subconsciously pulling on the aether around her. A faint flame sizzles to life, warming her fingers. “Guilt can only carry you so far before it bleeds you dry. Just know that the next time… the next time will be different. Better.”

— 6: Divergence of the Heart, Chp 5 [HW]

“I don’t care what they say about me. I’m a hero to some, a villain to others. I can live with it.” “You should not have to. If there was a way—” “Please, Aymeric, I’m begging you not to draft a new statute on my behalf. You can’t decree change and expect centuries-old beliefs to shift overnight.”

— 7: Divergence of the Heart, Chp 7 [HW]

“Happiness? What makes you think I’m happy with this? With any of this?” “You’re the Warrior of Light. Defender of Eorzea and a beacon of hope. Blessed by Hydaelyn and beloved by all. What possible reason could you have not to be?” “Oh, fuck you.”

— 8: Divergence of the Heart, Chp 8 [HW]

She blinks. It shouldn’t be more simple than that. Does he not comprehend why this is so profoundly embarrassing? “And..?” “And how would this fact be of such radical importance that it would be the sole cause of a change in my opinion of you? Do you believe it so crucial to your identity that I should judge you differently for it?” “No, I don’t think that at all. I suppose I feel I’m… a failure, somehow. As a person.”

— 9: For All the Truths Left Unspoken [HW]

“Oh? Because you seem a little haggard, Thancred. Why don’t you look me in the eye and tell me what time you went to bed last night. Or if you went to bed at all, for that matter.” “It is not your concern—” “No, but you could have at least done the decency of admitting what was going on before you started fucking my friend.”

— 10: A Question of Desire [HW]

She cuts him off with a kiss. [Aymeric] groans softly, leaning into it, and she laughs with delight. “Save it for later,” she murmurs against his mouth.

— 11: Bound by Faith, Chp 2 [ShB]

“Under pain of further admonishment, I told her what I could.” “Nothing unfavourable, I trust,” she says drolly. “Who do you take me for, Aur?” “An idiot, if I’m being honest. Next question?” “…stumbled right into that one, didn’t I?” “Yes.” Her eyes sparkle with fondness. “You did.”

— 12: Bound by Faith, Chp 2 [ShB]

“There. That’s it. Aureia was a name I took by chance. Not because I wanted it, but because I needed it. An alias intended for Ul’dah alone, one I intended to relinquish the moment I could escape the city. But then you called me Aur and it… stuck.” She hesitates, her voice breaking. “I don’t know why it felt right, but it did. You gave me a name, Thancred, without even realizing that that was what you were doing.”

— 13: Bound by Faith, Chp 4 [ShB]

“They don’t hurt. At least, not like this. Sometimes, with astral fire…” She closes her eyes and swallows hard. “He did something to me, Thancred. Whether it was his intention or not, he left a mark that is more than skin deep. Like a part of his aether was seared onto mine. It makes me powerful, yes, but… my magic is not always controlled. It’s never been the same since then.”

— 14: Untitled Post-5.3. Fic, Chp 2

She glances at him and finds him glaring at her. It’s not a real glare—behind the dark look and mock exasperation is a knowing smile. “She’s taken full reign of the apartment. Mess everywhere. Looks like a tempest went through the place.” “Far too easy to imagine that.” “I don’t know where she gets it from.” “Oh, I know for certain. That’s the influence of your bad habits, not mine—” “I—listen here, you ass—” “Oh, an ass, am I? Bit early to deteriorate to name calling, no?”

— 15: Untitled Post-5.3. Fic, Chp 4

“Aur… that suite I mentioned earlier… I was quite serious about it.” “The suite or the sex you want to have with me in it?” “The whole matter.” She pauses, holding the soup out to him. “You should finish it,” she says quietly.

#aureia malathar #writing tag #oc tag

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sturchling · 2 years

Note

Lila believes herself to be the Queen of the school

Turns out that she only has power on her class but her delusions don't let her see it

Until the end of the year dance, where she realices that only her class voted for her to be the Queen

And after she doesn't get akumatized (maybe because some other queen-wannabe was or because Gabriel isn't in París) she throws the biggest tantrum in the history of Dupont

Meanwhile Marinette is enjoying her night with her new friends

Lila was so excited for this weekend. It was the end of the year dance and everything was going to be perfect. Her dress was gorgeous, a Gabriel original that he gave to her so she could show off his newest designs before they were officially released to the public. She had Adrien as her perfect date, though he had been reluctant. But a little pressure from Gabriel and Adrien fell in line. And with everyone believing her lies, she was one of the most, if not the most, popular girls in school. She was a shoe in for Queen of the dance. Everything would be perfect, at least so she thought.

What Lila didn’t realize is that only the class believed her lies. Everyone else in the school saw her for what she was. A ridiculously bad liar and nothing more. In Mrs. Bustier’s class Lila may be popular, but with the rest of the school? She was low man on the social ladder. Her reputation was only damaged more when Marinette was practically forced out of Mrs. Bustier’s class because of the lies.

Marinette didn’t purposely bad mouth Lila, but word did get out of what exactly she had been doing to Marinette and the school hated her all the more for it. Marinette was close to everyone, and always so kind, so the rest of the school was outraged at what had been done to her.

As the day of the dance drew closer, everyone grew more excited. The end of year dance was always great. Time came for the dance’s court to be announced. Each class nominated one boy and girl to be a part of the court and have a chance to be crowned king and queen of the dance. Of course, Lila and Adrien were nominated from Mrs. Bustier’s class.

Marinette rolled her eyes seeing them on the ballot, but focused more on cheering on her new friend Carrie, who had been nominated for Marinette’s new class. Marinette also finished up the dresses and suits for her new friends, so they would all look amazing on the special night.

Soon, it was time for the dance. Lila arrived with Adrien and was immediately crowded by her minions. So busy with them, she didn’t even notice that the other students practically avoided her at all costs. All the focus of Mrs. Bustiers’s class was on Lila, and that was how she liked it.

Then Marinette and her group arrived. They were gorgeous in their new dresses and all eyes turned to them. A large crowd gathered around to look at the dresses, and even a few of Mrs. Bustier’s students started looking towards Marinette. Lila glared at the young designer for taking the spotlight off her, but brushed it off. As she started spinning a tale to get the class’ attention back on her, she let her mind wander. Not like Marinette actually matters, she can have this one. All attention will be on me where it belongs soon enough, when I become queen.

Soon, it came time to crown the king and queen. Adrien won king in a landslide, not that he particularly cared, but he smiled and accepted his crown anyway. Lila sat preening, waiting for her name to be called next. “And the queen of the dance is- Carrie!” Lila was shocked in silence, as was the rest of her class. How could she lose? She is one of the most popular girls in school.

But she didn’t panic, she just let the anger and rage consume her, and waited for the butterfly. He always showed up when she was angry. So she waited. And waited. And waited. But it never showed. What she didn’t know is that Gabriel had left town to go to fashion week in New York. She was on her own. No helpful supervillain or butterflies to help get her way this time. So, as Carrie began to speak and accept her crown, Lila stormed the stage.

“I demand a recount! This can’t be right! I’m the most popular girl in school! That is my crown, I should be queen! How could some nobody like you beat me!?” Lila stood there, expecting some push back, but also for the school to rally around her. Mrs Bustier’s class agreed and called for a recount as well.

Mr. Damocles just sighed. “If you insist, we can do a recount, but it will be quick. Almost everyone voted for Carrie, only your class voted for you Mrs. Rossi. Now, if there is nothing else, please get off the stage and let Carrie finish accepting her crown or you will be removed.”

The whole school was laughing at this point, laughing at her. How dare they laugh at me. Lila furiously whipped around and glared at everyone. “Stop it! Why are you laughing?! Stop that right now!” Someone in the crowd called out “We are laughing at you for thinking we would fall for you lies like your class did. They may believe you, but you are a pretty poor liar.”

The laughing continued, as Mrs. Bustier’s class looked around confused and asking why they thought Lila was a liar. Lila saw everything crumbling around her, but she couldn’t let this go. She couldn’t just stop here and focus on keeping her class in her thrall instead of getting this crown she had already lost. So she continued yelling and screaming about how it wasn’t fair and she deserved that crown. She threw a tantrum that would put Baby August, the frequent akuma, to shame.

It ended up that Mr. Damocles did have to have Lila escorted out of the dance and then up to his office to call her mother and discuss her behavior tonight. As she was taken out of the hall, she was still kicking and screaming, yelling about how it’s not fair and she never loses. By this point, Carrie had her crown and was back with Marinette and the rest of her friends. The small group just watched the show unfold with smiles on their faces. Forget the band, this show of Lila’s tantrum was the best entertainment they had all night.

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princess-of-the-corner · 6 months

Text

Fanfic Recs

some of my favourite Miraculous Ladybug fanfics, in case anyone wants to read them.

I would have put all of them, but I feel like recommending the author’s fanfic to the author is redundant.

Telling Lies? No Mama

Aishling

(My personal favourite long-form “Lila Exposed” fic. Portrays the class as flawed kids trying to do the right thing. Alya is far more supportive than in canon, and everyone is less of an idiot. Chloe even has a redemption - it can feel a little out of nowhere, but it is in-character for her, and I feel well-handled. Fair warning, Lila is very much portrayed as Evil, willing to work with a terrorist kind of evil, so it may not be for everyone.)

BURN THE WITCH

ChaoticNeutral

(My second favourite long-form “Lila Exposed” fic. Rather than the previous one, Lila is not portrayed as pure evil, but as opportunistic and manipulative, as well as impulsive and over confident. She’s so used to getting away with things that she doesn’t realize that there are some things she can’t lie away. It also has an interesting Akuma for the person manipulated by Lila, and some great characterization for all the characters.)

Threatened

Aki_Usagi

(yet another Lila Exposed fic, but one that changes things up a little. Marinette was all set to face Lila head on when she was the one being threatened, but what if Lila realized that? What if she didn’t threaten Marinette, but her friends?)

A Thief, a Thief

GalahadWilder

(Honestly, a super short drabble set just after Lila accuses Marinette of stealing - and it backfires hilariously.)

Double Monkey Dare

ChaoticNeutral

(a Lila Exposed fic that includes Kim at his most himb. one-shot)

Double Vision

dumbdpaus

(Marinette saves Lila’s life during an Akuma attack, and Lila is forced to do some examination of herself. One-shot)

Occam’s Razor

Flairina

(an interesting, alternative idea for why everyone believed Lila immediately - yes, magic was involved. No, it wasn’t Lila’s. Two-shot.)

what’s up danger

GuardianKarenTerrier

(A look at Miracuclass through the eyes of its teacher. One-shot. From the actual description on ao3:

“Caline Bustier has not seen a single one of her students come through the classroom door in a week and a half.

There would likely be more students on time if they weren’t all coming in through the windows or, in Juleka’s case, technically through the doorway- as much as going hand over hand along the ceiling counts. Caline’s not even sure how she’s doing that.

She’s not even sure who to blame for this anymore.”)

If At First You Don’t Succeed

Leisey

(a long but hilarious one-shot of the Miracuclass - headed by Chloe - deciding to take the reins and make Adrienette happen.)

Restorative Justice

Kasienda

(Chloe sitting through an in class activity she hates with a passion, and realizing that the two of only people she cares about - Adrien and Ladybug - are drowning under their responsibilities, and deciding to do something about it. Honestly one of my favourite versions of Chloe.)

Crash and Burn

quicksilversquared

(“Everyone expected Hawk Moth to die in a dramatic fashion during some battle with Ladybug and Cat Noir.

No one expected him to die in a car accident on a week day afternoon.

Least of all his son.”)

What the Cat Dragged In

Kryal

(A pretty good crossover fic with the Avengers. Tony Stark, Clint Barton, and Natasha Romanov head to Paris, and encounter the local heroes, the villain, and some kids with fascinating insights on how this whole “Miraculous” thing works.)

Little Devil

angelofthequeers

(An interesting take on Marinette being Akumatized, and Chloe becoming Ladybug. Pretty enjoyable.)

I think I’ve read a good chunk of these lmao.

#submission

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aliensunflower-fics · 11 months

Text

Dating ‘Prince Charming’ Part 2/3

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“W-Well I just thought-”

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

Oof Kim going straight for the throat.

“B-But shes the class president!”

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

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

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

“But I’m sure if you just-”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

It was perfect. Genius really.

So then why did it fail immediately?

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

It was Alya who broke the silence first.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Instead she was met with even harsher glares.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Marinette snorted at that.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Marinette?” - “Damian?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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mcheang · 6 months

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The stone among diamonds

Yeah, Lila has an overinflated ego if she thinks she’s going to be invited to an upper class party because she’s a model. Only those born in prominent families are invited and Mrs Rossi clearly wasn’t. She overestimated herself and got too pushy.

When Kagami told Lila about the diamond dance and the latter expressed surprise at not being invited, Kagami’s answer was blunt.

“Of course not. You may be a model for Gabriel, Lila, but this dance is for those with connections, not for every model. Adrien is coming because he’s Gabriel’s heir. My family is ancient Japanese nobility. Chloe’s father is the mayor. If you do want to come, you should ask your mother. She’s the ambassador right? She should be invited. I know a few political diplomats who were.”

Lila feigned a smile, knowing full well her mother’s job was nowhere near prestigious enough for an invitation. “She did receive it but she rejected it. She’s never been one for parties. And it was just one invite.”

Kagami: oh, then I’m not sure what you can do. You can ask Gabriel if you may attend in your mother’s place.

Lila: I’ll be sure to do that. Besides, as the face of the Gabriel brand, I’m sure I’ll merit my own invitation

Kagami: don’t hold your breath on that count. You also have to have a rich background.

Lila: are you saying I look poor?

Kagami: no, but my mother trained me to watch for those who have money

Lila is annoyed. She calls Gabriel to get her invitation but he ignores her. Ugh! One way or another she is getting to that party.

But wait, wasn’t Zoe going to the movies with Marinette? As the daughter of style queen, she is sure to have an invitation.

Sure enough, Zoe doesn’t mind giving her invitation to Lila, who says she lost her own and Gabriel is too busy to bother.

At the party, Lila is all for schmoozing with the guests. She would have preferred the adults but the party was clearly divided between adults and kids.

To Lila’s dismay, her own introduction as the face of Gabriel and the daughter of an ambassador wasn’t impressive enough for these people. It wasn’t until she spun her usual lies of knowing Jagged Stone and Prince Ali that she actually got anywhere. (And even then the snobs were not impressed with her charity work, just her connections)

Another guest overheard and walked over. “Excuse me, is it true you worked with Prince Ali? I’m a fan of his work. Might I know your name, please?”

Lila smirked. “Lila Rossi. I worked with Ali on multiple projects and parties.”

The stranger unmasked himself. “I am Prince Ali of Achu, and I have never met you before in my life.” He paged his chaperone.

Soraya walked over. “What is going on here?”

Ali gestured to Lila. “I believe we do have a party crasher.”

Another guest called for security in a loud voice, drawing attention from the rest of the room.

The security drones analysed Lila’s mask and announced it belonged to Zoe Lee.

Chloe pushed her way over and gaped. “Lilo, what are you doing here?” (This is not a typo. Chloe actually called Lila Lilo during Confrontation)

Lila gritted her teeth. “Your sister lent me her invitation when I lost mine. As for this lying accusation, I wasn’t referring to Prince Ali, but another one from Egypt.”

Except the guests she had been trying to impress called her out on her lies.

Guest: isn’t she the alliance Lila?

Lila exhaled in relief. Perhaps her fame could still save her.

Soraya scowled at Gabriel. “You have made a disappointing choice, Gabriel.”

Guest: what a wannabe. I am so changing my alliance avatar.

Seeing the crowd murmuring in front and the adults whispering behind, Gabriel addressed the situation at hand. “I am aware of Lila’s behavior, that was why I had planned to announce at my diamond dance that Kagami would be taking her place.” Tomoe subtly activated the screens showing the new changes, simultaneously having all alliance rings updated.

Lila’s jaw dropped. Her fame gone, just like that. She was tempted to expose Gabriel for hiring her to spy on his son but she doubt it would change much in the face of all these snobs.

Soraya glared at Lila. “Whatever other claims you have made about Prince Ali, we will find out. Prepare yourself for a lawsuit.”

Surrounded by hostile faces, Lila looked for friendly faces.

Chloe wasn’t going to stand up for her.

Kagami was shocked at Lila’s appearance and the revelation that she was a liar.

Felix already knew Lila was a spy and was fine with her current predicament.

Gabriel just fired her. “Escort the Miss wearing Zoe Lee’s mask out of my party.”

Lila was practically boxed in by 4 drones. Chloe snapped a photo because it was kind of funny

Meanwhile as Kagami protested having their avatars be in a romantic relationship, Felix revealed himself.

Cue Canon ending

Now, Rose received word from Ali asking what she knew about Lila. She was shocked that her friend was a liar and that Marinette was telling the truth. Did this mean that Marinette was indeed framed?

Rose calls Marinette to apologize and suggest that they tell Miss Bustier. However Marinette tells Rose that both teacher and principal know the truth. However Lila used the same reason Rose kept her illness a secret to keep them from telling the class.

Rose: this can’t be how it ends. Ali will expose Lila in public, it will be on the news, she can’t hide it then.

Indeed, Lila knew she couldn’t. So it was time to become Cerise once again and abandon Lila.

But Monarch has not seen the last of her. Neither has Prince Ali.

#miraculous ladybug fanfic #miraculous ladybug fic #ml fanfic #ml fanfiction #ml fic #miraculous ladybug fanfiction #Lila gets exposed #Lila is exposed

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howhow326 · 1 year

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Break My Soul

Miraculous Ladybug S4: Nino salt fic (CW: Misogynoir, casual racism)

Alya PoV

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Last week was surely the worst week of Alya's entire life.

Sunday, Alya noticed something strange about the trip Lila took last week with prince Ali... it never happened. Prince Ali was staying with his grandmother all week because she got sick. Alya was sure that this was all just some big understanding, so when she saw her green-eyed friend walking down the street she asked her about what happened. "Are you calling me a Liar?" Lila spat at Alya, all of her words dripping with venom. "What?! Of course not! I'm just saying that you didn't go with Prince Ali last week. Did you mean the week before or-" Lila cut off Alya before she could finish. "You're going to regret that." Alya tried to reach out to the girl she thought was her friend, but the liar walked away without a word.

Monday was probably the worst day of Alya's entire life. She went to school like normal, but Nino was late. Then, he burst through the door and screamed "ALYA'S CHEATING ON ME!!!", "What??? How could-" "Lila told me everything you DIRTY LIAR!!! AND I HAVE PROOF!!!" Nino took his phone out and showed the class a poorly edited photo of Alya huging some random boy. Alya was speechless, but Nino wasn't. "I'M DUMPING YOU, CHEATER!!!" In that moment, Alya finnally realized that Marinette had been right about Lila after all. Lila wasn't Alya's friend, she wasn't a celebrity, and she definitely wasn't a good person. "Nino, you have to trust me-", "I'LL NEVER TRUST YOU AGAIN, LIAR!!!" and Nino sat next to Adrien quiet the rest of the class. As Alya's heart slowly broke into pieces, Lila's smile grew larger.

Tuesday, Alya and Marinette became fully ostracized from the rest of the class. All of the girls asked the duo to delete their phone numbers, and they didn't say anything else to them. Nino still kept quiet the whole class, he didn't even speak to his best friend. As for Adrien, Alya and Marinette both knew that he knew Lila was a liar, but he argued that going against her would only do more damage. "BS" Marinette muttered under her breath. "Adrien is the most popular boy at school and he has Chloe in his pocket. You really think the class would choose Lila over him?" "I... I don't know anymore." Alya could feel the resentment of everyone in her homeroom crushing her. "H-hey, calm down! We can't get upset or else-" "-Shadowmoth will try to akumatize us, I know. I just... can't take this. I'm sorry I didn't believe you about Lila before." The more Alya thought about how many second chances she gave Lila, the more twisted her stomach became. "Don't apologize, Alya. Even when you believed Lila, you were still nice to me. You are better than everyone in that heck hole." "sniff Thanks girl." Alya said as she wiped tears from her face. The two girls continued to chat, alone togather in the cafeteria. Out the corner of Alya's eye, she could see Lila leading Nino into what looked like one of the bathrooms, but at this point she was over him. Everyone at school hated Alya and refused to talk to her, but at least things can't get worse right?

Wensday, things got worse. That was the day her classmates started bullying her. Chloe, her doormat, and Kim started name calling Alya and Marinette the minute they sat down. Rose cringed at what she saw, but she never spoke up. Mylene looked like she was enjoying what she saw. And Adrien had a dull look in his eyes, like he was above his classmates antics and not a coward. Miss Bustier walked into the class room during the middle of the name-calling, and she was very quick to get Kim to "settle down". But she never stopped Chloe and Sabrina... Alya wondered why, but she knew in her heart of hearts what was going on. Then Nino walked in, a completely different person from the last time Alya saw him. His base ball cap was gone, and his hair had been straightened and slicked up into a hairstyle that resembled pictures Alya saw of American frat boys. His blue T-shirt and jeans were replaced with black dress pants, a black wifebeater underneath a brown vest. His glasses were missing, but he had many watches on his arms. And besides the new Nino was Lila clinging to his shoulder. "HEY GUYS, LILA AND I ARE DATING!!!" Nino shouted in his 'indoor' voice. "Nino, how many times do I have to tell you to be quiet indoors!" Miss Bustier reprimanded him. "Oh Miss Bustier, please forgive Nino. You know how he gets when he's excited!" Lila spoke in her fake nice voice. "Oh, alight Lila. But make sure to control him better next time!" Miss Bustier urged the Italian. Alya did a double take at what the white teacher had suggested. Ms Bustier was always like that, being ignorant of her blatant racism and disguising it as "helping Chloe and Lila". Alya didn't think it was a sin to be racist on accident, but it was a sin to act like you know everything and still act ignorant. As for Lila... Alya didn't know if she was racist and she didn't care. Lila was already weaponizing racism against her and Marinette. The rest of class was much the same, half of the class harassed Alya and Marinette, but Ms Bustier only stopped the non-french kids from "acting uncivilized with each other".

Thursday was much the same, the exact same actually. After class Alya spotted Nino, or new Nino... evil Nino? Jerk Nino? Alya spotted jerk Nino standing on the sidewalk behind the school. Her brain wanted to ignore him, but her heart wanted to make things right with him. Alya knew that she could never get back with Nino, but she knew that he was better than Lila and didn't want her to influence him anymore. "...Nino?" "Ugh, what do you want." Nino bit at Alya with his words. "Look, just hear me out okay?" Nino stared at Alya for a bit, then he turned his head and popped a cigarette out. Oh Nino, Alya thought, when did you start smoking? "I know that you still don't believe that I never cheated on you, and that there's nothing I can say or do to be with you again-" Alya felt a trail of tears go down her cheek. "- but you have to believe me when I say that Lila is a bad influence on you. My heart has broken into pieces, and watching that girl corrupt you into someone your not is grinding those pieces to dust! You have to break up with Lila, for your sake!" For a moment, silence. Nino looked at Alya like she was nothing, a look he never gave her even when he hated her. "Are you done?" Nino blankly asked Alya. "What?" "See girl, the thing is, I never liked you like that. Having my first girlfriend was nice and all, but you were never Marinette." Alya's mouth hanged from her jaw, did Nino not hear me? "Eww, and that's the other thing; you're ugly!" Alya felt like a dagger was being pushed into her heart. "And judgmental, and bossy, and you never let me be a real man. Now Lila, that girl's got everything! She's nice, cute, not fat like you, and she let me be the person I always wanted to be!" "That... that can't be true! The Nino I knew would never speak to me like that!" Then, Alya felt something hard crash into the side of her face, knocking her off balance and onto the ground. As she looked up, she saw Nino's hand raised. "KEEP MY NAME OUT YOUR MOUTH, WITCH!!!" When Alya touched her cheek, she could feel a small cut from one of Nino's gold rings. Alya looked back at Nino, and he spat into her eye. Alya screamed. "Oh shut up!" Ladybug then dropped out of the sky, punched Nino in the gut, and then threw him into a trash can. "M'lady stop, you could have killed him!" Chat Noir meekly said as he fell down moments after Ladybug. "THEN YOU HELP HIM!" Ladybug shouted at Chat Noir. She then scooped Alya into her arms and swung back to Marinette's room. Once they were safe, Ladybug detransformed into Marinette and Alya cried into her arms.

Friday, Alya stayed home. She was treated for a possible eye infection after the Cigar Rat had spat into her eye, and she. Stayed. Home. At 3:00 p.m., Marinette came for a visit. She told Alya how her day was, that Nino and all the rich kids were cutting classes. They might be held back. Then she left. At 5:00 p.m., Nora answered a call from Nino's father, and she told him to never call this number again. Then Alya went to sleep.

Saturday, and Alya stayed home. On the news, Ladybug and Chat Noir were fighting an akumatized Nino. They beat him, but Nino slapped Chat Noir's hand when he reached for him and ran off. That couldn't be good for his reputation. Ayla laid in her bed all morning and afternoon, and she wanted to disappear. She felt like nothing. She felt worthless. She felt unlovable. She felt- "Hey sis, can we talk for a bit?" Nora spoke through a crack in the door. "Sure." Nora opened the door and came into Alya's bedroom, which looked frozen in time. "Alya... what's happening to you? You're not acting like yourself." "Well, me and my bestfriend are being bullied at school. You already know about Nino, and his new girlfriend is the one that caused all this. The classroom teacher is letting this all slide because she puts white girls first, and Adrien is letting this all slide because... I don't know, he's scared." Alya said blankly. Nora looked furious "That's seriously not cool! Why didn't you tell anyone! Why didn't you tell me?!" Alya felt water leak from her eyes. "Because... maybe if I had just lied and said that I was sorry to Nino and believed that Lila went on a trip last week, none of this would be happening. I-" "Alya stop! This isn't who you are! You an ace journalist! You care more about the truth then anyone I know! So stop lying to yourself! You are seen, you are amazing, you are worthy, and you are loved!" and with those touching words, Nora hugged Alya until she stopped crying.

Sunday, Alya's parents asked her to run some errands for them because they thought she needed a breath of fresh air. She was just about done when Lila appeared behind her. "Hi... Alya." Lila spoke in what she thought was the evilest way possible. "Lila, what do you wa-" "Save it. I hope you understand by now what I meant last Sunday. Do understand, Alya, that this is not the end. It is merely the beginning. Tell me, how would you feel if the Ladyblog got hacked? If your big sis got banned from boxing? If Marinette got expelled from school? These aren't empty threats, but the reality you are living. I. HAVE. POWER. I can make heads turn! I can make mountains move! I can do the impossible and the unthinkable! So now you have a choice... choose me over Marinette, and I'll even get you back togather with Nino! Choose Marinette over me... and you will now what it's like to live in H e l l! You don't have to decide today. Just like Marinette, I'll give you some time to think about it." Lila then flipped her hair and walked away like she hadn't talked like a maniac two seconds ago. That made Alya mad.

"Lady Wifi, I am Shadowmoth. You are the most honest person in all of Paris, and yet you're life has been destroyed by the lies of one girl. I will give you back your powers and, in exchange, all I ask are Ladybug and Chat Noir's miraculous." "I, no-" Alya felt like her head was about to explode from pressure. "Why resist me? After all, I'm the only one that believes you are innocent." Shadowmoth whispered into Alya's ear. For a moment, Alya was about to accept Shadowmoth's offer, and smash Lila's head. But then she remembered the truth "No Shadowmoth! You aren't the only one that believes me! Marinette, my best friend in the whole world has always supported me! Ugh, I renounce your power!!!" And with those words, Alya broke the hold Shadowmoth had over her.

Last week was surely the worst week of Alya's entire life.

And this week was surely the best. Alya and Marinette went to school like normal, all apart of their master plan. "Honestly, I don't even like black girls" Nino said in his "indoor" voice. "Their too loud, annoying, and aggressive!" "Haha, Nino, aren't you black too?" Lila asked while, for the first time in her life, genuinely laughing. "What??? No! I'm not black, I'm just a dark skinned Arab!" Nino said, oblivious to the fact that people can be black and Arab at the same time. Not so oblivious to the fact that he was uplifting one race to put down black people, playing coon for an Italian girl. "The difference is?" Lila asked, not because she wanted to know but because she liked seeing her boyfriend humiliate himself in public. "Well, black people aren't cute like me!" Nino shouted in his indoor voice. All of the white kids, minus Rose and Juleka, plus Kim, laughed at the anti-black joke. Max cringed, but didn't say anything. Alya decided to raise her hand, for the plan to work. "Ms Bustier, are you seriously going to let him say that about my people?" she asked, knowing Ms Bustier definitely would. "Alya, it's just a harmless joke. And Lila, I told you to keep Nino under control!" Ms Bustier commanded. "Sorry Ms Bustier. Um, can I go to the bathroom?" Lila asked. Not like she needed to ask, since Ms Bustier would do everything she wanted in order to teach the class to "uplift white women". As she was a foot out the door, Lila winked at Nino. "Oh, uhh, Ms Bustier! Can I go to the bathroom too?" "It's not 'can I', it's 'may I'! And you better be back in 15 minutes young man! I won't have you making sexist jokes all day and failing my class!" Ms Bustier shouted at him. Per usual, Ms Bustier only stands up for black girls when white girls are threatened. Nino scurred out the room to go smoke with Lila, or drink with Lila, or do something else with Lila. Per usual, Lila and Nino didn't return to the classroom, which caused Ms Bustier to sigh. "I knew Nino was a bad influence on Lila". For a second, Alya wanted to scream at the ignorant teacher, but then she remembered that Lila didn't corrupt Nino. She only brought out his true colors.

The next day was the best day of Alya's life. Marinette's plan was quite simple for once, record the classes awful behavior and post it onto the Ladyblog. The website had actually had a lack of updates for a few days because of the drama, so when it randomly posts evidence of the beloved creator being bullied and racially harassed, Alya's entire family got akumatized and attacked the school. After Ladybug stopped the attack, alone, a full investigation was launched into Ms Bustier's homeroom. Apparently the woman used to be a kindergarten teacher, and before that she was a Trans Exclusive Radical Feminist living in Britin. And she was guilty of tax evasion. Alya almost felt sad for her. Almost. Chloe, Sabrina, and Kim were all sent to seperate reform schools full of kids that were 10x nastier than they were, pure karma. Ivan was planning a mass shooting on the school and told Mylene, who though he was joking. He got sent to a psyche ward, and she got a "slap on the wrist" of 1,000 hours mandatory community service.

The next day, Marinette and Alya were invited to a special news interview where they discussed, at length, the lies Lila had told. The special guest, aside from them, was prince Ali, who admitted he didn't know who Lila was. Lila then asked Max to permanently delete the Ladyblog off the Internet as a favor from "saving his life from a ball of paper". Max considered it, but then he remembered Lila's racism. So Max called the news segment and gave them a voice recording of Lila asking him to destroy the Ladyblog to hurt Alya. On live TV. With almost everyone in Paris watching.

Thursday, Lila broke into the news studio to spread "the truth" that Shadowmoth is Gabriel Agreste and that Alya is working with him. She was arrested and placed into an asylum far away from modern technology, a place where she would never "hurt hurself" again. Marinette and Alya had a little laugh at her desperate attempt to stay relevant... then Alya put the pieces in place and realized she was right. Marinette used the rooster Miraculous to gain the power of X-ray vision and looked through the Agreste mansion, only to find a ridiculously sized basement with a... coffin inside. Gabriel's mansion was raided within the hour. Shadowmoth attempted to put up a fight, but Ladybug had a new team of miraculous holders that were actually good at their jobs helping her this time. Gabriel was apprehended and to be brought before a U.N. court for international levels of terrorism. Chat Noir, who was Adrien, had his identity found out by all of Paris. On accident. Ladybug considered taking his miraculous away, but Rena Furtive convinced her otherwisr on the the condition he never become Chat Noir again. "Keeping Plagg might make him grow a spine" Rena argued. "Either way, if he commits a crime with a miraculous, he is definitely going to jail." "Oh, definitely." Before the day ended, Marinette finnaly got togather with Luka, the only person besides Alya that actually supported her. Luka also gave a stern talking to Juleka and Rose, who apologized to the duo for everything they didn't do. They even offered to become friends again, but Alya declined. It was nice they don't have their heads stuck up their butts anymore, Alya thought, but it will take more time to forgive them.

Friday, everything felt right with the world. Adrien moved to London to live with his aunt, and with him gone only one last blight remained. Afterschool, Nino approached Alya on the sidewalk. "So you thought you could ruin my life again and get away with it, YOU BLACK WITCH!!!" Nino screamed at Alya. "Are you done?" Alya blankly asked him. Nino raised his hand, but this time Alya caught him.

Then she punched him in his teeth.

I will not do this ever again.

#miraculous ladybug #ml salt fic #lila salt #nino salt #ml class salt #kim salt #ml Kim salt #Ayla sugar #marinette sugar #Adrien salt #chloe salt #lila gets exposed #miss bustier salt #ml writers salt #ml salt #alya cesaire #white feminism #ninola #nino x lila

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