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#look at what she did to adrien. to nathalie. to gabe. everyone who knew her loved her so completely
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Yeah but like. Didn't they confirm back in S2/S3 that Gabriel and Nathalie were aware of the whole "every action has an equal and opposite reaction" nature of the Wish and they knew Adrien could very well be the price to pay. And Nathalie being Mayura immediately makes me feel like she should not have custody of a sentikid. Either she had no problem committing multiple murders, or she doesn't view Adrien as a real person either. Given that she uses his amok and her motivation for loving/protecting Adrien from Gabe seems to be Adrien's importance to Emilie, I'm inclined to go with the latter. Meanwhile a fair amount of what Felix cites as unforgivable behavior from Colt is actually the same thing Gabriel's doing to Adrien nowadays, he's just more subtle about it. Bad vibes all around
I can't remember if they did?
Like. The fandom debated on if they did or not. I know that. I'm not sure if they know that Adrien would be at risk in a 'life-for-a-life' scenario.
Plus Canon kinda flipflops on if it's an 'Equivalent Exchange' situation or a 'rewriting the universe' situation. At the very least what happened in Ephemeral confirms more on the latter. So why would Gabriel or Nathalie believe that Adrien would be in any danger if they could recreate a perfect world where everything is fine?
The whole 'killing the Sentimonsters' thing is also questionable as fuck. This was definitely a case where the retcons make everyone look bad.
Pre-retcons? Who cares. Even the more lifelike ones like Sentibug were just fake Magic Constructs. Why did it matter if they 'died' if they're not 'alive'?
But when they retconned the Sentis to be sapient, they'd already had a handful get killed off. Suddenly giving Nathalie/Gabriel a conscience about the new ones they make would draw attention to the others. But also they can't just /not have them make and kill Sentimonsters/ because what the hell is the point of the Peacock being in this show if they can't use it??
(Side note: This is another reason I hate the retcon for making all Sentibeings be Sapient. No matter who has the Peacock. They either have to use it and then kill the Sentimonster, or just never use it at all.)
Anyway!
This might be possible to salvage for at least Nathalie if we have her in somewhat the same boat as Marinette? Where she doesn't know that /all/ the Sentimonsters are Sapient Beings. She knows Adrien, Felix and Kagami are, but assumes that they were Specially Made in some way or had something Added that made them Real while the others are not. So have her find out and have a breakdown about it. Gabriel can't get the same treatment since he /definitely/ knows as he was there for Adrien's creation.
Also yeah Canon!Gabriel is just. UGh.
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p-artsypants · 3 years
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It was the end. Ladybug and Chat Noir were defeated. Now Adrien and Marinette sat huddled together in Shadowmoth’s lair. Tears running down their faces, and the only comfort being that their partner was there, alive, and someone they loved.
Paris was in turmoil. The Akuma that had captured Ladybug and Chat Noir was violent, and had no qualms about destroying homes, schools, hospitals, whatever stood in his way. And the city was suffering a huge loss. The death toll continued to climb as causalities were left unable to be tended.
But Shadowmoth didn’t care. He didn’t care one bit, because he had the Miraculous and he could make the wish now! Adrien, as frightened and hurt as he was, would understand. And he’d get his ring back after. Gabriel had no need for the continued use.
“Gabriel, I beg you, one last time, don’t make this wish.” Marinette held Adrien’s sobbing face to her chest. “It comes with a price, and if you return someone you love, you’ll have to give up someone else. And there’s no guarantee who that will be.” But she had a horrible sinking feeling it would be Adrien, so she just held him tighter and tighter, pressing kisses to his head.
“You don’t know anything! You’re just a child, and you think you know about the Miraculous because some old man gave you the box in a moment of desperation. You didn’t train. You didn’t study! You know nothing! And Nothing is going to stop me from reviving my wife!”
“Father please!” Adrien shrieked.
“Plagg! Tikki! Unify!”
Marinette couldn’t watch. She couldn’t bear to see the horrors that would unfold. She just held Adrien, and cherished every minute he was in her arms.
“I love you,” she whispered. “You were the other boy. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner.”
His finger curled into her shirt. “My Lady…I have always loved you, and I always will.”
The chaos in the room grew still, and the lights and magic waned.
“Gabriel?” A feminine voice asked.
Adrien lifted his head, hope in his chest. “Mom?”
“Adrien?”
Gabriel was smirking in a smug way, before waltzing over to Marinette and dropping the jewels in her hand. “I told you, I knew what I was doing. But here, take your little friends back. I don’t need them anymore.”
Then he went to the intercom on the wall and called, “Nathalie, Emilie is awake. Would you bring her some tea please?”
There was no response.
“Nathalie?”
Adrien let out a sigh and clenched his eyes shut. “You were right after all, My Lady. Just…my father doesn’t love me as much as we feared.”
The conversation was not missed by Gabriel, and he ran out of the room, no doubt looking for her.
“What’s going on? Where am I?” Asked Emilie, approaching the couple.
Now with no fear of losing him, Marinette let Adrien go to embrace his mother. “It’s okay mom. You were asleep, but dad woke you up. I think…I think it cost Nathalie though. He…” he didn’t finish, too ashamed to say it.
“He loved her. I see.” Emilie was far too smart for her own good. “Well, I have you, my boy.”
Marinette called, “Tikki, Spots on,” as she had a feeling that Ladybug would be needed.
Only moments later, Gabriel ran into the room, with Nathalie’s cold, unmoving body in his arms. “Fix it!” He shouted at her, like a toddler throwing a tantrum. “Fix this!”
“Lucky Charm!” Ladybug summoned a bouquet of flowers, and with it, knew exactly what to do. “Gabriel, your Akuma killed half of Paris today, destroyed millions of homes…and you want me to resurrect the ‘other woman’?”
“I don’t care about Paris! I don’t care about all that! Nathalie doesn’t deserve this! She didn’t do anything wrong!”
Ladybug shook her head. “As much as I would love to give everyone a happy ending, you don’t deserve it. You never did. You didn’t heed my warning. You had no worries about sacrificing your son if need be. But trying to bring back your wife, while being in love with another woman? You can’t have your cake and eat it too.”
“Ladybug!” He shrieked.
“Miraculous Ladybug,” she threw the bouquet up in the air and the swarm took off into the city. The sound of sirens started to quiet as the healing took place.
“No! No no no!” Gabriel shouted. “Give me back the earrings! You don’t know how to use them!”
Chat Noir, now newly transformed, grabbed Gabriel’s tie and yanked, revealing the Butterfly Miraculous. He took the Peacock as well.
“You’re done causing heartbreak, Gabriel.”
“Son?”
“I’m not your son anymore. I haven’t been since you revealed yourself as a monster. I loved you, and I wanted nothing more than for you to love me back. But now I see that you’re greedy, and want too much. You’ll never be content, as long as you live.”
“No! You don’t know that! You can’t!”
Emilie walked up to Chat Noir’s side and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “I’ve got you baby. He needs to pay for his crimes. I can let him go.”
“Emilie!” Gabriel screamed. “I gave up everything for you! This was all for you! How can you just—“
She shook her head. “I still love you, Gabe. I probably will for a long time. But I’ve only been awake for a few minutes, but from what I’ve seen…I’m revolted.”
Chat Noir took Nathalie’s body from him, as Ladybug wrapped his wrists with her yo-yo. “I told you, the price was too high.”
Finally, finally Gabriel showed regret, but it was far too late. “I should have listened.”
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bard-of-worlds · 4 years
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Ladybug AU/ The Law is The Law CH1
Adrien scowled as he reached the location of the photoshoot, the way the battle with Mayura and Hawkmoth, what had been done to Sentibug was still causing him some problems, he didn’t know if after everything that had happened today he didn’t know how he would be able to handle the shoot.  When he saw Lila sitting on a chair and having her makeup done he stopped and grabbed Vincent as he walked by.  Vincent turned to Adrien and paled as he saw the look in Adrien’s eyes.
 “Vincent, hey……quick question, why in the name of everything good and pure is Lila here?” Adrien asked flatly as Vincent swallowed.
 “I don’t know Adrien, all I know was that I was told there would be a new model at the shoot, nothing about who or why only that Nathalie would introduce her…..Love to talk kid but I have to go and get my camera ready, sooooo.   Bye.”  Vincient said as he dashed off, throwing a look at Adrien as he walked away.  You know, I wondered how he was Gabe’s kid but that there, it’s gone now.  He thought as he looked around and saw the looks on the other crew’s faces and hoped Adrien wouldn’t explode.
 Adrien looked at Lila and scowled, not needing this now.  I don’t know what Father’s thinking, anyone in class could have been a better pick, Sabrina, Juleka or Chloe if he wanted someone my age to model with that’s not in the bussniess.  But maybe I can use this, if I can talk to her she might clean up what she did to Marinette, and if not then I might get the pressure to make her do it.  Adrien thought as he reached for his phone and moved it to his pocket, praying that he wouldn’t have to use this.
 “I don’t know how but you will fix this Lila.  How could you get Marinette expelled?!” Adrien demanded as he discreetly pointing his phone’s camera at her, part of him hoping this wouldn’t be necessary.
 “Why should I do that? I tried to get her play ball and she wouldn’t, I warned her and we both made our choices, I made mine and here we are.” Lila said as she looked at Adrien as he stared at her.   “I told her I would ruin her and I did, I said I would get you and here I am.”
 “So just so we’re clear, you lied, you threatened Marinette and got her expelled because she called you out on your lies?  How did you even do it anyway?” Adrien asked as he fought to keep his temper down    ‘Get me’, so I was right about her.  Just another person who objectified me or sees what they want to think. Adrien thought as he looked at her.  
  “It was so easy, all I had to do was go to the bathroom after the test, pull the alarm and get the answer sheet that was left on that idiot teacher’s desk and put it in Marinette’s bag. They never even noticed it but it was after the last class and well.” Lila said with a giggle as Adrien fumed and glared at her.
 “And you would do it again, wouldn’t you?”  Adrien asked as he kept his face plain, but inside he was shocked that this was so essay to get what he needed from her.
“I would even without the bonus your father gave me.”  Lila said as Adrien looked at her in confusion.  
 “Bonus, my father? What does he have to do with this?!” Adrien demanded as he looked at Lila, on the inside he wasn’t scared but angry, and he felt the last vestige of his control was starting to burn away.
 “Don’t act so surprised, he had to have talked to you about it and told you to act the way you did before the Akuma attacked everyone, the Gabriel brand over all, and its spokesperson speaking up for someone accused of a crime would be a perfect publicity stunt.” Lila said she looked at him.  
 Adrien stared at Lila as his vision went red as she sat there grinning back at him as he went over what she had said before whipping his head around and he saw Nathalie in the limo looking towards the shoot, his eyes widening as he realize that for once Lila was telling the truth, turning off his phone he turned to look at the river and tried to calm down. I can’t believe this!  I knew something was wrong when I learned that Lila was going to model with me but I can’t believe……Wait….if she’s here because of that then this means! Adrien thought as his thoughts crystalized
 “You did that for this!? You were completely willing to ruin her life for this?!” Adrien exploded as he shot up from his chair looking at her.  As the crew looked on Adrien grabbed her, pulled her behind him despite what she was saying and with surprising strength threw her into the river! Nathalie got out of the car and rushed over towards the water as the crew stared in total shock before they moved to help Lila out.
 “Adiren what were you thinking!  Your father will not be happy about this at all.  I don’t even know what….!” Nathalie would have kept talking but Adiren turned around and looked at her with such a look of rage, anger and disgust in his eyes that she stopped talking.
 “I don’t care.” Adrien said flatly as Nathalie tried to recover.. “Nathalie, tell my father that for the first time ever I’m glad that mom is gone.  This way I have memories of a beautiful person instead of someone who could love the monster that he’s become!” Adrien said as he looked at her and gripped his phone.  “An Agreste is held to high standards; well this has shown me that mine are very different from his and no amount of effort will ever be good enough for him!”
 As Nathalie looked at him, really looked at him for the first time ever she could comprehend what she was seeing.   Adrien had always been an accommodating to Gabriel’s wishes that she never thought that he would ever act this way.  Adrien turned, manipulating his phone as he did so and walked away, not even paying her any piece of mind.  Nathalie looked around and saw the photo crew trying to get Lila out of the river and stormed over to them, pulling them back and staring down at her. ”What did you say?”
 “What?” Lila asked as she tried to climb out of the river.
 “What did you say Lila!?” Nathalie demanded as Lila looked up at her.  “Adrien has never, ever acted even remotely like that or said anything about his father, so WHAT. DID. YOU. SAY?”
 “I told him about the job that got me here.  Why the hell he’d react that way, Gabriel told me to do it!” Lila said as Nathalie looked down at her and paled.
  “Louis, hey.  Sorry to call out of the blue but can we talk?” Adrien said into his phone as walked off, ignoring the camera crew as they stared at him, he just kept walking.  
 “Yeah Adrien, what’s up?” Louis’s voice came through the phone as Adrien could hear the squeak of his chair as he leaned back in it.  “Need some wisdom from somebody who’s been around the block a few times?”
 “No, not wisdom do it, that thing we talked about.  He’s finally crossed my final line, I don’t have a choice anymore.”  Adrien said as he looked behind him, not seeing the Gorilla anywhere so there was that.
 “You sure kid?  Once this goes out there’s no turning back, this is a big choice to make?” Louise asked causing Adrien to nod before he realized that Louise couldn’t see him and blushed before he spoke again.
 “Yeah I am, what he is, what he’s willing to do for his brand, I just can’t live with myself if we don’t do this.”  Adrien said as he walked.
  “And…….. done!  In a few hours there’s going to be such an investigation that gonna cause old Gabe to pass out!  I’m sorry you were pushed to this point kid, but I’ve got a spare coach if you want to use it.” Louise said.
 “Don’t be, I should have done this months ago.  Looking back my relationship with him died when mom disappeared.” Adrien said as he felt Plagg press against him and he reached into the pocket Plagg was in and felt Plagg hug his hand.  At least I still have him and Ladybug, and her kwami too.  He thought as he released a breath and let the last of his relationship with his father die as it should have when he started to treat him as only an employee. “And about that second thing I just sent you a video I just shot, and I think I have some pro bono work you’ll love, do you know the bakery near my school?”
 “Yeah, I love their cookies, but what do Tom and Sabine have to do with this?  And you know I only do that stuff when I have a good target of injustice so what happened?”  Louis asked. Wait a minute, don’t those two have a daughter who should be around the kid’s age?  Louise thought as he waited for Adrien’s reply.
 “First off, is it legal for a student to be expelled on the same day as the crime?” Adrien asked as he walked through Paris, hopping that
 “No, all students need a hearing for expulsion, did he use that world?  Hold on I’ve got the file you sent me………holy!  And this bitch framed a friend of yours at Gabe’s direction?!” Louise said as he “Kid you should have called me soon, now I can probably get the expulsion off her records and I think I can get a nice settlement for her and then there’s your dad but….”
 “That’s it Louise it happened today!” Adrien interrupted him and Louise stopped talking.  “There wasn’t a hearing, she wasn’t suspended, the principle just expelled her in front of everybody!”
 “Adrien, buddy.  You bring me the best presents!  A perfect way to strike against the school that let the person that abused my goddaughter into trying to commit suicide walk free, I love it!”  Louis said with a laugh.
 “Wait, what!  My school is the one where that happened?” Adrien asked as he stopped moving for a moment as his eyes went wide.
 “Yeah, this bitch always believed the whore and punished my goddaughter, she almost killed herself. In the end the teacher was fired, the bully had left and moved to a different county and what a teacher could do to a student was changed.  I think they were talking about changing the rules for how they punish someone.  One of the most idiotic ideas was to for it to only apply if the teacher saw them do it or they got it on camera, the most insane idea I have ever heard.”  Louise said as Adrien gasped.  “Kid, what is it?”
 “I think they did make that rule Louise. Chloe hasn’t changed much and besides words and actions taken where no one besides the victim could see it she’s gotten away with a lot.  And this time Mari….the victim was expelled based on only on the accusers word, they even made it a public spectator. ” Adrien said flatly.  Is this why Chloe gets away with everything she does? But wait the cameras! He thought as he heard Louise’s chair pushed backwards as he got up.
 “WHAT!  I know they’ve got cameras in that place; it was part of the settlement!  Don’t tell me that they aren’t being used!” Louise exclaimed with a hint of anger in his voice.
 “They’re practically ornamental at this point!  They never even looked at the ones in the courtyard, all Lila said was that Marinette pushed her down the stairs and the principle believed her!”  Adrien said as he heard Louise grit his teeth.  “And I admit finding the necklace in her locker was damming but there are no locks on any of them and it could have fit through the grill!”
 “This necklace, it was tested for fingerprints at least right?”  Louis asked as Adrien stayed silent and Louis felt a headache coming on. “Adrien tell me they at least did that and listened to more than just one student right, please?”
 “I can’t Louise, I just can’t.” Adrien said softly as he heard Louis trying to keep his temper down and count backwards from twenty.
 “Kid, I’ll meet you at the bakery, if I hear anything more now I’m going to scream.  I’ll have my people send out the papers for the first thing you called me about before I leave, see you there.” As Adrien heard the call end he sighed.
 “Plagg, I should have done this when this began.”  He said softly as he walked towards Tom & Sabine Boulangerie Patisserie.
 “The throwing Lila into the river or calling in Louise when pigtails got expelled, causing I’m all for transforming and going to cataclysming her.”  Plagg said as Adiren laughed.  I guess I can’t expect any different from Plagg, he’s been saying to get rid of her for weeks!  I had to hope she was acting that way like my mask have when I’m in public or around fat….Gabriel.  I guess this finally proved once and for all where I stand with him, and somehow I feel lighter. Adrien thought as he walked.
 “The calling Louise, I mean I had hoped she was just telling stories thing because she was nervuis and scared, I mean moving around so much I can understand that, it took me weeks to lighten up and start to be more then my mask at school.”  Adrien said with a sigh.  “And most of Chloe’s act is because she wants her mom to love her.”
 “I’ll say once and I’ll say it again, that woman is a piece of work!  I’ve seen a lot of people over the centuries but like her, always the worst of the worst.”  Plagg said as he looked up at Adrien.
 “Adrien there you are!” Chloe’s voice caused Adrien to turn and see her pounding towards him with Sabrina following behind her.  “How the hell are we going to get Marinette un-expelled?  This is ridicules, completely ridicules!”
 Adrien looked at Chloe as she started a terade and frowned as what she was saying got through to him. “Wait, you want to help Marinette?”
 “Of course!  Nobody but nobody messes with Dunpain-Chang but me! And even I wouldn’t threaten her how Lila did!” Chloe said a huff as she looked up at the sky.
 “What do you mean, threatened Marinette?!  When did that happen?!”  Adrien demanded as Chloe looked at him and Sabrina’s mouth dropped open.
 “It was when she came back, she cornered Marinette and she felt so scared an Akuma was summoned but she fought it off!”  Sabrina said causing Adrien to gasp at her.
 “That’s where that Akuma came from, that’s how Lila was Akumatized, not because I talked to her?!” Adrien said with shock, stepping backwards as he paled in horror. “God, I am the most idiotic person on the planet!”
 “Sabrina saw her reach for it Adrien what are you…..What did you do?!” Chloe demanded as she saw him react to what she and Sabrina told him and started to grow worried, he had only acted like this when he had made what he thought was a mistake, like when he had given his mom flowers and she turned out to be allergic to them.
 “I thought Lila’s emotions spiked because I talked to her about how she didn’t have to lie to get people to like her, not that she chased one down!  I told Marinette to take the highroad about her lies, I never knew…….” Adrien said as Chloe gasped and started to get mad and was about to exploded when Sabrina spoke up.
 “You thought she was so emotional that talking to her about her lies caused her to get on Hawkmoth’s radar?” Sabrina asked as Chloe looked at her then at Adrien with her mouth open.
 “God, and you were worried that she’d attack anyone who called her out, did you at least explain that to Marinette?” Chloe asked only to sigh when Adrien hung his head. “Adrien!”
 “I……. I knew she’d probably react like you guys are and I didn’t want to give Lila any ammunition to use, I’ve been trying to get alone to talk to her about it but I haven’t been able to yet.” Adrien said miserably.
 “Then go and talk to her now!  And wait……. Don’t you have a photoshoot about now?” Chloe asked as she looked around, confused beyond words.
 Adrien’s phone seemed to burn a hole into his leg and he looked at Chloe steadily. “I’m handling Marinette’s problems.  And about the shoot I walked off after I threw the other model there, Lila into the river!”
 “What the hell was Lie-la doing there?  And how are you handing what happened?” Chloe demanded as she looked at Adrien, fuming. Why the heck did Gabriel get Lila to model, if he wanted a new teen girl anyone would have been better, heck even Alya could do it!  She thought as Adrien seemed to be struggling with something.
 “I called Louise about it, he said that what the principle did wasn’t right…..and I told him to send off the notice to the Department of Child Services.” Adrien said as Chloe and Sabrina gasped and looked at him.
 “Why, I mean you should have done it months ago but why now?” Sabrina said, having been Chloe’s friend for years she knew Adrien at least superficially and this wasn’t like him.
 “Lila did what she did because he told her to.” Adrien as they looked at him, not understanding what he was saying.  “She said that the modeling thing is a bonus and that she thought how I tried to help Marinette was a publicity stunt for the brand.”
 Chloe gasped a hand shooting to her mouth as she looked at him with shock, wondering what had driven Gabriel to do that.  “I’m sorry Adrien, you know that there’s always a room at the hotel if you need it.”
 “I’ve got a couch dad will be happy to lend you.” Sabrina said with a small smile.
 “Yeah thanks girls…..I’m meeting Louise at Marinette’s, do you want to come along as support?” Adrien asked and Chloe laughed.
 “I can guess what’s going on, so I’ll do a little research and get back to you and Marinette later, good luck groveling to her.” Chloe said as she and Sabrina walked off. Adrien looked at her and shook his head, wondering if Marinette would forgive him for his mistake.
 OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
  Sabine sighed as she tried not to think what had happened earlier today at school but she couldn’t. “Nothing about it makes sense, I mean I know my daughter, she’d never do this!  And how Lila was still walking around after she was pushed, it doesn’t make sense!”
 “Your right Sabine and the necklace looked like it could have fit through the grill on the locker and did any of them have locks on them at all?  I thought Marinette said she only used hers for holding her coat during winter and projects?” Tom’s voice caused Sabine to turn and look at her husband as he brought a tray of bread out from the kitchen, the workers looking out as they all knew something was wrong with what happened.
 “Yeah, boss I guess you can bring them up when the hearing right?”  One of the cooks asked as he poked his head out of the back.
 Sabine and Tom looked at each other, confusion in their eyes.  Did that idiot owl do something wrong when he expelled Marinette?  Tom thought as he frowned. “What hearing?”
 “The expulsion hearing, the one she has to have after her suspension is up.  The one that by law all students are required to have before their expelled?”  The cook said in
 “The principle said Marinette was expelled, that’s it, are you saying he did something wrong?” Sabine asked as she looked at him.
 “That’s something I think I can help with!”  A voice caused all of them to see Adrien standing behind a man in a brown business suit holding a briefcase in his right hand.  “My name is Louis Artoga, attorney at law and I’d like to have a long talk with you about that if you don’t mind.”
 OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
 Marinette lay down on her bed and hugged one of her pillows as she tried to forget the look in Sentibug’s eyes when Mayura destroyed it….her. That was something that will only haunt her for weeks if she’s lucky.
 “How could she do it Tikki, I just can’t believe that she was even able to do it.”  Marinette said as she hugged her pillow.
 “There have been people who have been bad holders, but I’ve never seen Duusu’s powers used that way.” Tikki said as she floated and looked at her chosen.  “You gave the Amok the talisman that created her; Mayura shouldn’t have been able to do it.”
 “Why does that have to do with anything?” Marinette asked as she tried to understand Tikki.
“That should have broken the link to Mayura, she should have been fully independent….. I can’t explain it.” Tikki said as she floated there, not letting Marinette detect any of her thoughts.  The only way that could have been possible was if the Miracolous itself was damaged, but Duusu wouldn’t have transformed then, it would have hurt her chosen.  Tikki thought as she watched Marinette try and deal with what she had seen happen earlier, some part of her glad she wasn’t thinking about how she had been expelled.
 “Something to talk to Master Fu about then, I just want to forget everything happened today and deal with it tomorrow.” Marinette said before a knocking caused her to look at the door down and frown as Tikki hid.  “It’s unlocked!”  
 She didn’t know what she was expecting but when Adrien came into her room she stared in shock. “Adrien! Are what doing you here?”
 Adrien looked at her and sighed.  “I…..Marinette…. I called a friend of mine about what happened, he’s downstairs with your parents and I volunteered to come and get you.  I told them I wanted to talk to you for a few minutes, I want to apologize first.”
 “Apologize, Adrien what happened today wasn’t your fault at all, you tried to help but he wouldn’t listen.” Marinette said but stopped when Adrien shook his head.
 “No, not that.  The advice I gave you when Lila came back.” Adrien said as he hung his head.  “Sabrina was in the bathroom too, she heard Lila threaten you and then the Akuma came at you…… while that was happening I was talking to Lila about her lies and she tried to ruin my life at school and my friendships after sooo.”
 “You told me not to act against Lila because you thought she summoned and Akuma from you talking to her about her lies?” Marinette said in shock.
 “I thought she had summoned the Akuma while I was talking to her about how she didn’t have to lie to get people to like her and she acted normal so……I’m sorry.” Adrien said as he looked away from Marinette and she just looked at him as she tried to understand just what Adrien had thought
 “You gave me advice based on what you knew.”  Marinette said after a few moments. “If I thought that way about someone I might have said the same to you.”
 “Then?”  Adrien asked as he felt a bit of hope.
 “Apology accepted.  So who’s downstairs?” Marinette said as she got up and walked towards Adrien who smiled at her.
 OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
 “So she’s always been making clothing?” Louise asked as he drank a cup of tea and looked at Tom and Sabine as they sat in the living room.
 “Clothing, blankets, odds and ends, it’s been her passion for years.  She really blossomed when she started to look at fashion and started to design her own cloths really and make gifts for her friends.” Sabine said as she looked at Louise with a smile as she remembered her daughter’s antics.  “Why I remember how she went and got a roll of blue wool to make a scarf for a present last year.  But enough about that, you think you’ll be able to get the expulsion off her record?”
 “If she really was expelled and not suspended, of course, it will barely be a problem.  I’ll talk to the board of education and once I see the paperwork I’ll go from there, but there’s another subject that I need to talk to you about that I think I should wait until the kids are back to really start…..and here they are.” Louise said as he smiled as Marinnete and Adrien walked into the room, Louise standing up and offering Marinette his hand.  “Nice to meet you mam, I’m Louise, Louis Artoga, attorney at law and I want to help you.”
 “Help how?” Marinette asked as she and Adrien sat down after she shook his hand.  Louise beamed at her and before he continued.
 “I’d like to help you out, now fair warning.  I’ve have a goddaughter, a few years back she was bullied, badly enough that she tried to commit suicide.  She didn’t succeed and she got the help she needed, she’s studding to be a social worker last I heard.”  Louse began. “The people I blame are the teachers and the school, the same school that you go…..went to.”
 “Mr. Damocles had something to do with it?!” Marinette asked with shock, going silent as Louise’s face started to go red.
 “‘Damocles’?!  An old man with a beard, bald, has a fixation with owls?!  He’s the new principal” Louise screamed as he lunged to his feet.
 “Louise?”  Adrien’s voice caused Louise to look around the room and saw the looks on the others face and he released a breath and sat down slowly.
 “Sorry kid, he was the vice principle who let that bitch get away with everything back then.  I thought he was blacklisted.” Louise said as he sat back down, and got out a cell phone that he put in in a holder he got out of his briefcase so the camera was pointed at her. “Start recording, this is Louise Artoga, recording a questioning of Marinette Dupain-Chang about her ‘expulsion’ from earlier today.  As of right now I ask her parents, Tom and Sabine Dupain-Chang their permission to do so.  Also of note is that Adrien Agreste is here, as he was the person who told me about this incident.”
 “I, Sabine Dupain-Chang give my permission that my child; Marinette Dupain-Chang may decide if she wishes to be questioned and recorded.” Sabine said formally.
 “I, Tom Dupain-Chang give my permission that my child; Marinette Dupain-Chang may decide if she wishes to be questioned and recorded.” Tom said as he turned and looked at Marinette who smiled back.
 “I, Marinette Dupain-Chang agree to be question and recorded about the events earlier today.” Marinette said as she looked at the camera.
 “Thank you all, with that done the questioning shall begin.  So, walk me through what happened.” Louise said as he looked at Marinette.
 “Miss Bustier called me to the front of the room at the start of class and searched my backpack, the answer key was in it.”  Marinette said and stopped as Louise held up a finger.
 “Point of clarity what class was it in relation to the order of classes on a normal day in number format and has your backpack been out of your sight for any length of time before that.” Louise said as he looked at Marinette.
 “It was the first class of the day, as we had a test yesterday so I hadn’t looked at my backpack since then……..and my backpack was out of my sight because someone pulled the fire alarm yesterday and everyone evacuated, most taking their backpacks as it was the end of class and they were getting ready to leave.  As the class Representative I had collected the tests and had just put them on Miss Bustier’s desk with the alarm went off and we all evacuated.”  Marinette said as she thought about yesterday.
 “Why were you called to the front?” Louise asked, a frown forming on his face as he went over what he knew about proper class room behavior for teachers.
 “Miss Bustier said that someone had given an anomalous note that someone had seen me steal the answer sheet and my bag.”  Marinette said as and stopped as Louise held up a hand.
 “She didn’t call you outside the classroom?” Louise asked in shock.
 “No, after that I accused Lila of taking and putting it in my backpack to frame me and Madame B took both of us to the principal’s office.” Marinette answered as she looked at
 “Point of clarity, why did you believe that Lila is a liar?” Louise asked and Marinette went silent. “If it’s just what you believe about her its fine, sometimes we get feelings we can’t explain but please clarify your belief.”
 Marinette looked at Adrien before she hardened her eyes. “I know Lila is a liar and a thief.  A few months ago when she first came back I saw her take a book from Adrien, buy something at a store and throw it in the trash so he wouldn’t see her with it.” Marinette said causing Adrien to stare at her.
 “A book, my father’s book, the one that he took me out of school for losing, Lila was the one who lost it?!  You were the person who brought it back?!” Adrien exclaimed as he looked at her before blushing and turning away as everyone looked at him.
 “Yes and I was in passing by the park when Ladybug confronted her about her lies.  I was going to give it back to you the next day and tell you that you dropped it in the Library but then, well your father pulled your from school.”  Marinette said as she hung her head. “So after I saw that I had enough skepticism not to trust everything she said at face value.”
 “We’ll talk about that later, what happened next with Lila today?”  Louise asked as Marinette looked at him.
 “I told Lila that she wouldn’t win, that I wouldn’t fall for any of her traps and she said I did and then she walked down the stairs, sat down and made a commotion about how I had pushed her down the stairs.” Marinette replied as Louise tried to keep his temper down.
 “Point of interest, at no time were any of the camera’s that the school is required to have had checked at all?  And what about this Lila’s mother, was she contacted and was she sent to the nurse at least?” Louise inquired, his eyes twitching a little as Marinette shook her head.
 “They never checked and she wasn’t sent, they all just followed after Lila to my locker, a locker I only use to hold my coats and projects since none of all have a lock on them.” Marinette said as Louise nodded at her.  “And they contact my parents but Lila’s was unable to be reached, they left five messages as far as I know.”
 “Thank you Miss Marinette; that’s all I’ll need for this case, I will bring around paperwork that basicly says the sequence of events that you explained and have yourself and you’re parents sign them and that should be it.  This has been Louise Artoga, recording Madame Marinette Dupain-Chang.”  Louise said as he turned off the phone’s camera and picked it up and started to look over the file, they could hear the sounds of Louise or Marinette’s voice and he nodded.  “Thank you that should be all I need.  With this and the Adrien’s matter I think I’ll have a good few days of work to do. Now on your case, once I get to the board of education I think everything should be straightened out, but it might be best to wait a day, just so it’s not been filed as a suspension and it was the heat of the moment and all, if nothing comes tomorrow then I’ll move in.  And now let’s talk about Lila, with the video a Miss Sabrina has I think we could sue her for slander and making that threat.”
 Marinette gulped and looked at her father and mother who both went still and turned towards her as what Louise said penetrated their brains.  Louise winced as he realized that she hadn’t told her parents the same time as Adrien did and they both winced at what.
 “What threat?” Tom asked quietly as Marinette just looked at the table and stayed silent.
 “Who threatened my daughter!?” Sabine asked as Adrien looked up and motioned to Louise to let him talk.
 “It’s a long story, but may I can explain if Marinette lets me.”  Adiren said prompting Marinette to nod at him.  “From what I found out Lila corned Marinette in a bathroom the day she came back and threatened to take away all her friends and after that I gave her advice to take the high road, not confront Lila about her lying.”
 “Why did you tell Marinette not to confront her after she threatened my daughter.” Sabine asked coldly as Adrien looked down ashamed.
 “Because I thought Lila summoned the Akuma that got her from my talk with her.  And her first actions as a shape-shifter was to try and ruin my social life!  I didn’t want to think what would happen if she summed one when she wanted to hurt Marinette as the trigger!”  Adrien explained as he held his hands up.  “Of course idiot that I was I didn’t explain it, I didn’t want to take a chance that Marinette would get hurt, I never knew about the threat!”
 “Oh, so you were trying to protect her but didn’t know about she had been threatened.” Sabine said as Tom’s rage died down and he understood why Adrien had done what he did.  
 “Kid was raised to ignore lies the tablods said, do it and they die, like Tinkerbell, don’t act out and they die.” Louise said with a sigh.   Tom looked at Marinette as his wife hugged her and frowned.  
 “Wait, you thought Lila had summoned the Akuma? But wait if she didn’t summon it ….then who did?” Tom asked and Adrien went wide eyes and looked around, trying to find anything to say when Marinette spoke up.
 “Me.” Marinette said softly from within her mother’s arms causing Sabine to look down at her daughter as she closed her eyes.  “I was so scared she could do it.   She had them eating out of her hands, she even convicted Max that a thrown napkin could have taken out his eye and he wears glasses.”
 “I can’t even, I don’t even know where to…..just I can’t…. is she serious?” Louise asked as looked at Adrien in shock and when Adrien nodded as Marinette’s parents comforted her Louis sat there stunned.  Okay, getting that bitch sued is gonna be a public service and probably improve the intelligence of all those kids! Louise thought as he hung his head in disgust.
 “Ohhhh Marinette, I’m sorry that we never noticed how you were feeling!  I should have, I don’t know!” Sabine said as she hugged Marinette and before suddenly she went still.  “And those idiots at that school never even noticed, no they didn’t want to see!”
 “Kid, I don’t know but after the paperwork’s filed maybe you should look for a different school.” Louise said into the table as he put his head on it.
 “Wait, why would Adrien look for a different school?  After all that he did to make it into school in the first place…..and what paperwork?” Marinette asked as Louise looked up at her before paling as he realized what he had let slip.  Adrien spoke up and caused all of them to look at him.
 “I’m suing my father for not paying me for my work, the contracts I never signed and emotional abuse while going for emancipation or having myself removed from his control.” Adrien said flatly.  “The fact that he might have told Lila to do that, that he gave her a modeling contract and might have even hinted that I might be a prize to her, it’s too much, he crossed a line I didn’t even know I had.”
 “Oh Adrien, I’m sorry you were pushed to do this.” Marinette said as she looked at him as her parents looked on with concern, knowing from their interactions with him that he probably hadn’t want to do this but felt he had to.
 “I thought he was going around, that we had started to heal our relationship, especially after my birthday when I got that scarf from him.” Adrien said as closed his eyes.
 Louse went still when he saw Marinette wince, things connecting in his mind that didn’t paint a good picture.  Please, please don’t tell me.  He thought with a sinking feeling as he asked what he didn’t want to.  “Scarf, what scarf?”
 “A blue scarf that dad made with his own hands, I thought that maybe he was trying and……… what is it?” Adrien asked as he saw Sabine and Tom exchange a look and turn to Marinette who looked down as Louise held his head.
 “Adrien, do you have any picture of it?”  Tom asked as he turned to look at Adrien as he started to get a sinking feeling.  
 “Yeah, I did a selfie with Nino a few days after I got it and here it is.”  Adrien said as he pulled up the photo and turned it around and Tom sighed and Sabine closed her eyes.  “What’s wrong?”
 “Ask your friend kid, ask her.” Louise said around his hands and he turned to Marinette, who looked up,
 “I made it.” Marinette said softly.  “When you came to school so happy that you thought that he had put the effort into making it by hand, I couldn’t take that from you...”
 Adrien stared at her and he saw red, the sheer gull of what his father….what Gabriel had done causing him to lose focus and he felt so dizzy.
 “Adrien, Adrien are you okay?”  Sabine asked as she got up and Adrien shot to his feet as he held his hands to his mouth. “Oh hell.  Tom!  Open the door!”
 “Got it, Marinette help you mother!”  Tom said as he shot up and opened a door as Marinette and Sabine guided Adrien to the room which was revealed to be a bathroom.  
 Louise just sat there and shook his head and winced as he heard Adrien throw up in the bathroom and he knew he would have to mention this to the social worker.  Maybe it would be better to do it here, Nathalie wouldn’t look for him here and whoever they send could be in plain clothing and get around his eyes.  Louise thought as he looked at Tom and Sabine watch the door as Marinette rushed to the kitchen to get a glass of water.   “Tom, Sabine would you two mind if I called the social worker I sent the email to and have them come here, it might be helpful for Adiren.”
 “Please, the boy needs to know that not everyone is against him and what Gabriel did, I can’t even imagine.” Tom said as Louise smiled and sent off a text.
 “It’s taking all I have not to get my staff and go beat him up!” Sabine bit out as she glared towards the Agreste mansion.  “To have that little bitch hurt my daughter, but to have sold his son?!”
 “I’m tempted to get a sledgehammer and join you.”  Louise said with a sigh as he shook his head.  His phone buzzed and he looked down and up at Tom and Sabine.  “The Agent is nearby, and would like to get an initial statement from him, there are already a few red flags based on the paperwork and well, she wants to meet soon.”
 Tom and Sabine shared a look at each other and looked at the bathroom and after a few minutes looking at each other Sabine knocked on the door.
 “Adrien, are you okay? The agent from child Services texted Louise, they want to meet soon.  If you’re not up for it there’s nothing wrong with waiting.” Sabine said before they heard a toilet flush and the door open to reveal Adrien whipping his mouth with the back of his hand.
 “No, I want to get this done with and close off any chance of that monster from getting around this.” Adrien said as he clenched his hands. I thought you were just hard to understand and had a hard time with emotions but this, dad this is the last freaking straw!  Adrien thought as he tried to get his emotions back under control. He felt Plagg press against him and hide a smile.  If I didn’t have Plagg, Chloe and my lady to help me, I don’t know what I would be.  Probably broken beyond all points by now, if I didn’t have Plagg and my lady to inspire me I wouldn’t have snuck out on that second day to school. Adrien thought as he accepted a cup of water from Marinette and smiled at her before he drank it, not seeing her blush or her parents grin as Louise chuckled at the byplay.
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Rating: G
Summary: Kagami and Nino plan a surprise party for Adrien's seventeenth birthday. With help from their friends, nothing can go wrong this time. Nino's even invited an extra special guest who's sure to make Adrien's night. (Nino & Kagami & Adrien friendship, with a side of Ladrien)
Word Count:  3101 | Chapter 1/3
Notes: written for @marinetteplztakeabreak through the @mlbforblm charity drive!  The donations go directly to Color of Change, an online organization for racial justice centered on the Black Lives Matter movement.  I highly recommend checking them out and reblogging/donating the mlbforblm posts if you’re able!  I have one fic slot left as of 7/23/2020, and many other talented writers and artists are offering incentives as well!  There’s even a giveaway going on; see the mlbforblm blog for more info!
XXX
“Hmm.”  Kagami’s brow furrowed as she stared at Nino’s Operation: Totally Swank Party binder.  The two of them sat on a bench in the park, where she had agreed to meet him after slipping away from her fencing lesson.  “Bribing the bodyguard is a proven technique.  Get me a list of action figures his collection is missing, and I’ll have them by tomorrow.”
“Way ahead of you, dude.”  Nino tore a piece of notebook paper out.  He’d done his research last night after a long phone call with Adrien.  “Glad I can count on you.”
“Of course.”  She neatly folded the paper and slipped it into her jacket pocket.  “I’ll have them shipped to your apartment.  Do you have a plan to dispose of his babysitter?”
Nino sighed and flipped to the page with a doodle of Nathalie with horns at the top.  It was a much more tentative outline than what he’d prepared to deal with the Gorilla.  Hopefully Kagami would be able to help him with that.
“Nathalie’s whole job is to suck out all the fun in my bro’s life.  We’ll never be able to throw this party with her in the picture.”
He’d tried the past three years.  From Hawkmoth transforming him into the Bubbler, to Nathalie locking him in a closet, to Gabe himself nearly arresting him for trespassing, each had been a total bust.  At this point Adrien probably wasn’t expecting Nino to try.
But Adrien was his best bro.  Nino would never give up on throwing him the most poppin’ party ever.  
Plus, this year, he had a secret weapon.  One that even Kagami didn’t know about.
“You seem quite prepared.”  Kagami squinted at the page.  “You’re sure Max can play his part?  The Agrestes use my mother’s security technology.”
“Positive.  He and Markov can hack anything.”  
Max had already wired into the speaker system last time they threw a party for Adrien.  Of course, on Adrien’s birthday, the mansion would be too obvious a target.  That’s why the plan just required getting his bro out of the house altogether.
“I’ll trust you, then.  What exactly is my role?”
Nino grinned, placing a hand on her shoulder.  “You, my good bro, will be sneaking Adrien away from his fake fencing lessons.  Adrien says you’ve done it a thousand times, and his pops still barely knows who you are.  You’ve got like, some kind of invisibility superpower.”
“I simply have practice.  That’s all.”  She took his pen and began making notes in his binder.  “Nathalie will realize we’re gone approximately forty-five minutes after we leave.  The Gorilla has set patrol routes for finding Adrien when he goes missing, which I can map out for you.”
“If he takes the bribes, that shouldn’t be a problem.”
Kagami was already sketching out a map of the city on a clean sheet of paper.  Geez, how did she remember all that?  He doubted he could even draw the path from his apartment to Alya’s.
“I don’t want to take any chances.  We cannot fail Adrien.  Do you have a venue reserved already?”
“Huh?”  Nino scratched under his hat.  Kagami was pretty rad, but it was hard to follow her train of thought sometimes.  “Oh, right! I was thinking the hotel.  Now that Chloé’s not a total jerk—”
“No.  Too obvious.  Nathalie will find us within the hour.”  Kagami frowned and tapped the pen against the back of her hand.  “The ice rink will be our best option.  It’s out of his bodyguard’s patrol zone, and it can accommodate all of Adrien’s friends.  We hid there all the time when we were dating, and no one ever found us.”
“Sure, sure, there’s just one problem.”  He grinned nervously and tapped his fingers together.  “I, uh, don’t know how to skate.”
Kagami tilted her head and.  “Really?  No matter.  His birthday is twenty-one days away.  You have plenty of time to learn.”
Over her shoulder, he watched her write “Teach Nino to ice skate” in her crisp print.
“Uhh… well, I guess that works.”  Hopefully everyone else knew how to skate already, or they could just enjoy the food and cake from the seats surrounding the rink. Nino could technically do that too, but he didn’t want to miss hanging out on the ice with his best bro.
“I’ve seen you parkour with Alya.  You seem like you’ll learn quickly.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence.”  Nino chuckled.  “Just get ready to watch me starfish out there.”
Her lips pursed thoughtfully.  “If it proves too difficult for you, I can try to find a backup location.  I doubt one exists that will fit everyone you’ve listed, though.”  She flipped back to the guest list, which included all of their classmates from the last few years, Adrien’s whole fencing team, and a few other friends like Luka and XY.  Pretty much everyone Adrien had ever interacted with was on the list.
Except for one special guest, but Nino had left her out on purpose.
“No, no, it’ll be fine!  I’m just joking, dude.”
“Oh.”  Her face pinked a bit.  “How are we going to deliver the invitations without alerting Nathalie or Adrien’s father?
“I’ve started planning that too.”  Nino flipped forward a few pages.  “The most important guests—ones who aren’t gonna snitch on us—will get their invites a week in advance.  The rest will get theirs by text on the day of.  If they can’t come, they can’t come.”  It was the best solution he’d been able to come up with.  He was sure that even if people did have plans, most would drop them for a chance to party with Adrien Agreste.
“Hmm.  It still feels too obvious.  The fencing team in particular may give us up.”  She frowned before scratching a few names off the list.  Well, she was on the team herself; she would know better than anyone who could be trusted.  “You’re right though.  This does seem like the best plan.”
Nino grinned.  One nice thing about Kagami was that when she gave a compliment, he knew it was sincere.  If she agreed with his birthday plan, then it was as close to foolproof as it could be.
“Sweet.  I think that covers everything for now.”
“A very productive planning session.”  Kagami nodded before holding out her fist.
Nino laughed and bumped knuckles with her.  After a year of hanging out with him and his bro, Kagami was finally getting the hang of fist bumps.
“Meet me at the ice rink at eighteen hundred on Saturday.  We’ll begin your lessons then.”
She closed the binder and handed it back to him, then stood and walked away.
“Skating lessons with Kagami, huh…” 
This was either going to be a legit time, or he was going to make a total idiot of himself.
XXX
“Come on, Nino, you’ve got this!”  Alya called encouragement as she and Marinette lapped him again.  He frowned at their backs.  How was it that even Marinette, certified clumsiest girl in Paris, could be a better skater than him?
“Focus, Nino.”  Kagami snapped her fingers.  She stayed near him, slowing her pace even though she could’ve skated rings around him.  “Your girlfriend’s praise will only become reality if you practice proper technique.  Keep your weight centered.”
“Right, right.”  He pushed off from the handrail and tried not to flap his arms.  This time, he made it a solid twenty seconds before he slipped and went skidding across the ice.  His hat slid off in the opposite direction, but Kagami quickly retrieved it.
“Don’t try to go so fast.  Catching up to Marinette and Alya isn’t your goal.”  Kagami’s advice was blunt, but helpful.  Nino didn’t mind her getting to the point.  He knew his skating needed work, and no matter how many times he fell, she didn’t lose patience with him.
It was nice that Alya was so far ahead, honestly.  It meant she didn’t see him look like a total dorkasaurus every time he fell.
I’m doing this for Adrien, he reminded himself each time.  He didn’t need to be a pro skater.  He just needed to be able to stay upright.
“You make it look so easy.”  He frowned as Kagami glided backwards.
“I’ve been skating since I was six.  It makes a relaxing hobby.”
He snorted.  “How is anything about this relaxing?”
“Hmm.  Perhaps you’re thinking too hard.  It makes you hesitate, place your weight incorrectly.  You’re a musician, aren’t you?”
“Huh?  Yeah, you know I’m DJ-ing for the party.” He had no clue why Kagami was asking, though.
“Skating has a rhythm.  Maybe you’ll feel more comfortable timing your strides with music.”
He tapped his chin.  “Y’know… that’s not a half bad idea.”
“Not half bad?  Does that mean only half is good?”
“No, no, the whole idea’s good!  It’s just an expression.”
He slipped his headphones over his ears and picked one of the slowest songs on his playlist.  It was a waltz in ¾ time; hopefully that wouldn’t trip him up.
“Alright, here goes.”
He took a deep breath and pushed off from the wall.
One-two-three, one-two-three.  The music was smooth as the ice under his skates.  Kagami kept pace with him, smiling as he counted the beats under his breath.
Something about it did feel different.  Maybe it was that he stopped overthinking; maybe it was just the magic of music.  Either way, he went the whole six-minute song without falling on his butt.
“Not half bad.”  Kagami smiled.  “...Did I use that right?”
“Heck yeah, dude.”  They fistbumped.
“Way to go Nino!”  Marinette gave him a high five as she and Alya caught up.
“Thanks for teaching my boyfriend, Kagami.  I owe you one.”
“You owe me nothing, Alya.”  Kagami’s cheeks turned red.  “We’re all working together to ensure Adrien’s birthday is perfect.  Teaching Nino is just one step in that plan.”
“Well, I still think it’s really cool of you.  Oh!  And speaking of the party, my mom says she can cater.  I’ve already sworn her to secrecy.”
“Awesome!  What about you, Marinette?” Nino took his headphones off to better hear the conversation, but his legs still knew what to do.  “Are you gonna get Adrien a totally rad birthday cake or what?”
“Yeah, absolutely!”  She nodded.  “I’ll just have to drop it off before the party.”
“You’re still sure you can't come, girl?”  Alya asked her.
“No, sorry.  I promise I would if I could, but I—I’ve already made a commitment.  But I’ll have the cake here on time, I swear!”
“And one of his fifty birthday presents, right?”  She nudged Marinette with her elbow.  Marinette nearly fell, but Nino wasn’t sure if that was from Alya’s bump or her words.
“I—I don’t have those anymore!”  Her shoulders slumped.  “It turns out, planning presents fifty years in advance works a lot better if you can see the future.  They’re all out of style by now.”
Alya laughed at that.  Nino couldn’t help noticing that Kagami had gone silent, though, her gaze locked on the ice in front of them.
“Something wrong, bro?”  He asked her.
She shook her head.  “Adrien’s party won’t be perfect if Marinette isn’t present.  I thought she of all people would understand how much she means to him.”
Marinette gasped.  “I… I’m sorry, Kagami.  Adrien does mean the world to me, and… I promise, I’ll make it up to him.”
Nino was forced to stop as Kagami grabbed the handrail and locked eyes with Marinette.  Some kind of silent conversation seemed to pass between them.  He looked to Alya for help, but she just shrugged.  By now he thought he’d understand the girls, but maybe some things would always be a mystery.
“See that you do.  He deserves that much.”
This wasn’t some kind of love triangle over Adrien again, was it?  Kagami had stayed good friends with all of them after she and Adrien broke up.  Marinette was probably still crazy in love with him, but that was nothing new.
“It’s okay, dudes.  The party’s still going to be perfect.  I’ve got a special surprise planned for our favorite bro.”
He winked at Alya, who grinned back.  She’d been the one to help him pull it off.
“A surprise?”  Marinette clapped her hands together at the same time Kagami raised an eyebrow.
“I didn’t factor any surprises into our plans.  Why didn’t you tell me about this?”
“It’s not much of a surprise if everyone knows, is it?”  Nino said.  “But you’re right, I should have told you, Kagami.  I just wasn’t sure if it would be awkward for you, knowing who Adrien’s crushing on now and all…”
“It’s not an issue.  Adrien is a wonderful friend.  That is more than enough for me,” Kagami replied.
“Adrien’s... crushing on someone?”  Marinette asked, her eyes wide.  
Oops.  Kagami might have taken it well, but Nino should’ve waited until Marinette was gone.
“What’s the scoop, babe?”  Alya raised her eyebrow, and Nino threw his hands in the air.
“I thought you already knew!  Why do you think we worked so hard to get Ladybug to show up for his party?”
Marinette caught hold of the hand rail before her legs slipped out from under her.
“Adrien has a crush on Ladybug?”
“Oh.  That’s all?”  Kagami asked.  “I’ve known that for months.”
“You have?”  
“Was it supposed to be a secret?  He keeps posters of her in his fencing locker.”
Marinette still looked like she was blue screening.  Alya glared at Nino, and he gave a nervous smile.  What was he supposed to do?  Kagami had a point; the dude wasn’t exactly subtle.  
“Anyway.”  He coughed.  “Our bro likes Ladybug, and she’s coming to his party, so he’s going to have a totally cash money time.”
“Cash money?  You’ve been hanging out with Luka and XY too much, babe.”
Marinette giggled at that.  She got her feet back under her, and they started skating in unison again.  So… she wasn’t that upset?  Whew.
“Oh, speaking of XY, I gotta get him here to help set up the special effects,” Nino said.  “I already got permission from Phillipe.  We’re going all out, courtesy of the actual cash money Kitty Section and XY’s last collab made.”
“How did we end up friends with so many rich people?”  Alya mused under her breath.
“It sounds like the plan is in motion, then,” Kagami said.
“Yeah, it’s going to be perfect!  Adrien will love it.”  Marinette grinned.  “Thank you two for putting all this together.”
“Anything for my best bro.”  Nino shot her finger guns.
“He deserves a party worthy of his friendship,” Kagami added.
And he was going to get one.  This year, of all years, Nino refused to let anything go wrong.
XXX
Three weeks later, on the night of September twenty-first, Nino paced the blue chairs surrounding the perimeter of the ice rink.  His friends wove between the chairs, setting up tables of food and games.  His turntables were already in place at the head of the rink, and XY was hooking them up to the speaker system.
“Nathalie’s schedule?”  Nino asked as he passed Max.
“Hacked and adjusted.”  Max flashed a thumbs up.  
“Great job, dude.”  He clapped him on the shoulder before moving on to Rose and Juleka’s station.
“Presents?”
“Stacked and organized!”  Rose saluted.
“Sweet.  Make sure to leave some extra space, there’ll be more where those came from.”  He continued his path to where Chloé was lounging in a chair and scrolling through her phone.
“Chloé, status report.”
“No trace of Adrikins on Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, or YouTube.”  She flipped her ponytail.  “You should check your tone, though.  I’m not some peon you can just order around.”
“Right.”  He rolled his eyes.  Classic Chloé.  At least she was taking her job seriously, though.  “Thanks for all your hard work.”
“You’re welcome.”  She smirked.
Her job was one of the most important.  If the media caught wind of Adrien’s location, the party would have to split before he even got here.  To prevent that, Max had jammed the wifi and cell service so that only his computer, Chloé’s phone, and Nino’s phone had wifi.  If anyone wanted to post about the party on social media, they’d have to wait until after it was over.
Everything was looking perfect.  There wasn’t much else to do but wait for updates from Kagami.
19:00.  Arrived at the court.  No sign of Adrien.
19:04. Adrien has arrived.  Bodyguard bribed and driving away.
19:05. En route to ice rink.  Adrien was suspicious, but believed my excuse of buying him birthday orange juice.
Nino shook his head with a smile.  How did Kagami type all that without Adrien noticing?  At least everything seemed to going smoothly on her end, too.
He started pacing again.  According to Kagami, a casual stroll from the school to the ice rink took twenty minutes.  It was longer than Nino wanted to wait, but the location had to be far enough away to avoid notice.
His phone beeped again.  He unlocked it to see a selfie of Kagami and Adrien smiling wide, though Adrien was practically unrecognizable in the oversized hoodie and bright blue wig Kagami had borrowed from Juleka.
Alya’s chin rested on Nino’s shoulder.  “Aww, look at them.  All grown up and ready to rebel.”
“Psh, Kagami’s been rebelling for ages.  Adrien could still learn a thing or two from her.”
“Oh look, she sent another one!”  Alya clicked his phone.
In this photo, the two of them were pulling funny faces.  Adrien stuck out his tongue, while Kagami puffed out her cheeks and gave him bunny ears.
Nino laughed and put an arm around his girlfriend.  “We did a great job with them, didn’t we?”
“Absolutely.”  She smiled before zooming in on the background.  “Looks like they’re in front of the parking lot.  They’ll be here any time now.”
Sure enough, Kagami texted, 19:25. Two minutes away.
“Right!”  Nino gave her cheek a quick kiss before running to his turntables.  He snatched up the microphone, and his voice blasted through the speakers.  “Alright, dudes!  Adrien’s about to walk through those doors, so everyone hide!”
Their friends dove behind tables and chairs.  All of them except XY, anyway.
“What’s the point, dude?  He’s gonna see all our sick lights.”  XY pointed to the laser lights next to the turntable.
“That’s why we switch them off,” Luka said, pressing the button.  The rink fell into darkness.
“Ohhhh.”
Nino pulled the two of them under the table with him just before the double doors opened.
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rosethornewrites · 4 years
Text
Fic: The Rebellion of Adrien Agreste, ch. 16
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Gabriel Agreste | Papillon | Hawk Moth, Juleka Couffaine/Rose Lavillant, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Luka Couffaine, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug & Kagami Tsurugi, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Luka Couffaine, Lila Rossi/karma, Gabriel Agreste | Papillon | Hawk Moth/aneurism, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug/Kagami Tsurugi, Plagg & Tikki
Characters: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Gabriel Agreste | Papillon | Hawk Moth, Lila Rossi, Jagged Stone, Plagg, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Luka Couffaine, Penny Rolling, Anarka Couffaine, Rose Lavillant, Juleka Couffaine, Kagami Tsurugi, Alya Césaire, Chloé Bourgeois, Wayhem, Nadja Chamack, Nathalie Sancoeur, Sabine Cheng, Tom Dupain, Tikki, Fang, Principal Damocles, Caline Bustier, Ms. Mendeleiev, original minor character, Alec Cataldi, Lila Rossi’s Mother, Sabrina Raincomprix, Roger Raincomprix, Mylène Haprèle, Le Gorille | Adrien Agreste’s Bodyguard, Nino Lahiffe, Nooroo
Tags: Lila Rossi salt, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Teenage Rebellion, Swearing, Bad Parent Gabriel Agreste, Crack Treated Seriously, Lila Rossi’s Lies Are Exposed, Cuddling & Snuggling, Luka Couffaine Needs a Hug, Paparazzi, Parentification, Marinette Dupain-Cheng Needs a Hug, Gabriel Agreste Needs an Aneurism, Uncle Jagged Stone, we’re all queer here, the spirit of punk is sometimes just being allowed to be yourself, Kagami Finds Her Groove, punk rock fashion, Savage Kagami, Marinette protection squad, Good Parent Sabine Cheng, Good Parent Tom Dupain, Protective Kagami Tsurugi, Protective Luka Couffaine, Bisexual Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Pansexual Luka Couffaine, Sharing a Bed, Pet Names, LGBTQ Character, LGBTQ Themes, Instagram, Bullying, Social Media, Anxiety, Makeover, Hugs, will cure your acne, Face Punching, Bad Ass Juleka Couffaine, Rumors, Protective Juleka Couffaine, Protective Adrien Agreste, Lawyers, Hijinks & Shenanigans, Holding Hands, accountability, mental health, Jagged Stone’s well-paid pet shark, How to Make the Evening News, Sexy eyeliner for days, one fish two fish Lila is a screwed fish, How to have fun and piss Gabriel off, Fuckery, sweet litigious karma, Alya sugar, lawyer shark doo doo doo doo doo doo, Schadenfreude, Bad Ass Alya Césaire, Gaslighting, abuse denormalization, Jagged likes his lawyers like he likes his pets: toothy af, Blood in the Water, Everything you didn’t know you wanted and some things you did, Gabriel Agreste is shark bait, Denial, Consequences, Principal Damocles salt, caline bustier salt, the impotence of Gabriel Agreste, snarky Nooroo, lies and the lying liars who tell them, Lila’s brain is a narcissistic hellscape, Lila’s mind is built like an Escher piece, Alec Cataldi salt, Adrien Sugar, wholesome salt, Fu Salt, Kwami Shenanigans, Nooroo is a little shit
Summary: Kwami Omake
Notes: This is the last chapter already written, and next week is finals week at my institution, so I won’t have time to write more just yet. I’ve been getting in snatches of paragraphs for a different fic (for The Untamed), but I now feel more motivation for this fic. Some crap went down a few months ago and made writing for ML hard for a while. As it turns out, wonderful people creating fanart for it is inspiring af.
AO3 link
Chapters 1-2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12 | Chapter 13 | Chapter 14 | Chapter 15
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Tikki was almost falling asleep after the excitement of the morning when suddenly Plagg was in Marinette’s bag with her. She only barely managed to stop from letting out a startled cry.
“Plagg!” she hissed, glaring. “If my holder—”
“That’s why we need to go talk somewhere else, Sugarcube.”
Plagg was, at least, keeping his voice down. Small favors.
She scowled. “We’re not tempting Mme. Mendeleiev again. It was bad enough last time!”
He rolled his eyes. “Ugh, fine. We stay in the walls and floors until we find an empty room.”
“You had best hope there isn’t an Akuma Alert while we’re gone.”
It was unlikely, given that Marinette hadn’t had a chance to purify the Akuma Mme. Mendeleiev had captured. She likely wouldn’t even notice Tikki was gone, as Alya was sticking to her like glue, still occasionally crying when her guilt overflowed.
They did have to have a conversation—their holders had managed to get rid of the threat of the liar, but there were other issues to address. Namely the way his holder’s father was likely to react to what was happening as it continued. It wouldn’t do for Chat Noir to be on lockdown, after all.
They were able to make their way to the locker room and into an empty locker without any issue.
“Have you been reading the news?” Plagg asked once they had ascertained they wouldn’t be discovered. “Good ol’ Gabe tried to fire Lila a second time. Forgot he already had, I guess.”
Tikki frowned, not sure whether that was a good development. “So he’s irrational over it?”
Plagg snorted contemptuously. “When’s he not irrational, is more the question. Just more so than usual. My kid deals with way too much shit from that man.”
She was well aware of that, having heard enough through Marinette, who had always wondered how to help—both Adrien and Chat Noir, at that, since she was aware both had awful home lives but had no idea they were the same home life.
In many ways, Gabriel Agreste’s latest act of assholery was a blessing in disguise if it finally made Plagg’s holder snap and actively seek help. The boy was far too passive, and it was nice to see him finally put his foot down.
That it had involved an attempt to force him to date his “muse” the Liar was beyond the pale and more than a little creepy, in Tikki’s eyes. Sure, in some centuries their holders and all their friends would be married with kids by now, but allowing kids to grow more was a civilized move and a boon of modern society.
“If he likes her so much, he can date her,” Plagg commented.
Tikki had to suppress a smile at how in tune he was with her thoughts, truly her other half. “It’s illegal now.”
“Like Gabe cares about illegal,” Plagg scoffed. “The man’s a moral abyss. It’s shocking Adrien is such a good kid given his sire, but I guess it’s a good thing he’s had little involvement in his life beyond donating sperm.”
“Plagg!” Tikki frowned at him; that was taking it a bit far. Or at least she hoped it wasn’t that bad. “I hope you don’t talk like that around your holder.”
“I wish,” he muttered. “But no, the kid still hopes for his dad’s approval. Though from recent events that might’ve waned a bit.”
That was probably as good an opening as she was going to get.
“Recent events that might compromise your holder’s identity. His dad is obviously a loose cannon, and while it’s good the Liar was taken out, we need to counsel our holders to get the rest taken care of and their lives stabilized. Otherwise Hawkmoth could win.”
“Yeah, I know. But no Fu.”
Tikki already knew all the arguments he could bring up there, and she agreed with them. The man had trauma, certainly, but he kept making mistakes based on them that were hurting the kids. She had expected he would mentor them, not hide in his massage parlor and expect them to learn to swim on their own.
“Agreed. He’s prone to panic and bad decisions.”
Plagg looked briefly startled, but grinned. “Ah, always knew I’d create a rebel out of you, Sugarcube.”
She rolled her eyes affectionately. “I trust our judgment better, is all.”
“Been waiting a few millennia to hear you say that!”
He preened, and Tikki fixed him with an unimpressed stare.
“‘Our,’ Plagg. I know better than to trust yours alone. The dinosaurs, Atlantis…”
“Yeah, yeah. Make a few mistakes, everyone reminds you of them forever.”
Thankfully he knew better than to argue or mention her own. She hated reminders of her own failures, particularly the one that had gone beyond its target and through the millennia to the present. Tikki hadn’t expected the creation of abnormal cell growth to take on a life of its own… but maybe that was why she so rarely let herself lose her temper.
Plagg yawned widely, as though putting on a show to distract her, knowing she needed it.
Stinky Sock, always being so observant, making himself likeable.
“They’ll all be at Pigtails’ place tonight. We can plan more after we know their plan, right?”
Tikki hid a smile. “Let me guess. It’s naptime?”
He smiled. “You know me so well.”
She considered for a moment.
“Mind making a pit-stop along the way? I can purify that Akuma so my holder doesn’t have to worry about it.”
“Ooo!” Plagg brightened. “I wonder if that teacher has any of that delicious magic cheese…”
“Ugh, Stinky Sock. You and your cheese!”
Still, she felt the anxiety of the day start to ease at his antics as she led the way to the science room.
As it turned out, there was cheese, and a very pleasant teacher who actually apologized for trying to capture them and wished them luck fighting Hawkmoth. She even had a cookie for Tikki.
Life was good.
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apomaro-mellow · 5 years
Text
What has changed?
So yeah, we can all agree that airing episodes out of order can hurt things like character development. But there is some kind of progression and things are escalating. And I kinda disagree with the fact that some people are saying s3′s finale is the same as s2′s.
So what has changed between Origins and Miracle Queen?
1. Marinette’s confidence as a civilian - We can see that before the new school year, she let Chloe bully her around. It’s only after defeating an akuma for the first time (and meeting Alya) that she starts standing up for herself. Pre-season 1!Marinette probably would have never stood up to Lila the way she did in Chameleon.
2. Marinette’s responsibility as Ladybug - This one is a less dramatic change, but one nonetheless. In Origins, she gave up her miraculous the moment things got tough because she thought she wasn’t capable. In Miracle Queen, things are even rougher and she does need to be comforted twice, but she never considers giving up. 
3. Knowledge of the miraculous - This one covers a lot of ground. In the beginning, only Marinette, Adrien, Gabriel, and Fu had any knowing of the miraculous. (And possibly Nathalie, we don’t know for sure when she got clued in to HM). By the end of season three, Marinette knows all the powers of every miraculous. She and Adrien know how to combine two miraculous. And each know their powerups (water, ice, etc). 
Gabe has been presumably decoding the book’s texts which was in his possession pre-season 1.
Half of Mari’s class knows what a miraculous is; that it comes with a kwami and grants superpowers, as well as the time limit as opposed to the beginning. LB and CN came out of nowhere to fight a monster that also came out of nowhere.
4. Akumas in Paris - Going off the last thing I said, Parisians reactions to akumas, which have become normalized. They’re still a scary thing of course. But before, folks would have no idea what was going on or why. Now there’s “akuma alerts”, presumably in most public buildings as we saw in the Louvre during Riposte. Now citizens know that not only will there be at least 2 heroes taking care of it, but that any damage will be fixed in the end. And knowing is half the battle as we see in the few times a person has either fought against Hawkmoth or avoided an akuma altogether because they’re aware that they feed on negative emotion.
As much as we decry Chloe’s development, she is the first to actually refuse akumatization when HM’s already in her head, showing us that it can in fact be done.
5. The Guardian(s) - Initially, only Marinette knew Fu from the beginning of s2. Adrien met him and presumably learned a bit more partway through the same season. In Feast, HM finds his true identity and this all comes to a head in the s3 finale.
Fu did give up his guardianship in that same finale and now HM seems to be back at step one because he doesn’t know who LB is. But now there’s a bunch of guardians in that newly rediscovered temple which must certainly be a plot point in the coming seasons (one would hope).
And Ladybug is the guardian now. With Fu’s memories gone, she is the highest authority among the Parisian heroes.
She could find out Chat Noir’s identity through necessity
She can hand out miraculous at her discretion. We’re definitely going to see more of her classmates get a miraculous (as confirmed through the leaks)
And this possibly means more kwami interactions. Either between themselves, Marinette, or their future holders and speaking of.....
6. Future Miraculous holders - So, Hawkmoth knows the faces of all the part time heroes and he certainly must recognize a few of them as Adrien’s classmates. Chloe could possibly know as well. Being akumatized seems to cloud the victims memories at times, so it’s uncertain how much of Miracle Queen she retained. So what’s in store for them now? If we go by the show’s rules, none of them can ever use a miraculous again (or at the very least not the same one). And this is where the other miraculous come in, I’m sure.
The point is, HM could very well draw conclusions about LB and CN’s identities based on the allies they chose.
7. Adrien’s rebelliousness - Technically the first time we see Adrien, he’s being a rebel, going to school against his father’s wishes. But as the seasons went on we see him doing more and more to go against Gabe. Whether it’s escaping his room as Chat Noir or just straight up lying about where he’s going (Desperada, Frozer, Startrain). And we see this result in him ditching an official event in Loveater that Gabriel is even attending (as a tablet but still)! Something pre-season 1!Adrien may have never done.
8. Hawkmoth - Season one he’s just a dude in his attic acting alone with his akumas. By the end of s3 we know the villain is the father of one of our heroes, doing this to restore his comatose wife. And by this time, he has allies. Mayura, who is Nathalie, who was in on the scheme possibly from episode 1. Lila, his part time minion. And now he possibly has Chloe, who at this point is disillusioned by Ladybug.
9. Chloe - Oh lawd, here we go. Okay, yes, her development seems all over the place but let’s just focus on where she started to where she is by the end of Miracle Queen. In Origins, she’s the queen of the school. No one stops her from doing anything and they just kind of roll their eyes while letting her do her thing. 
Starting with Alya, people start to challenge her. Marinette and Adrien have done so as well, forcing her to consider the way she treats people. And from the beginning, she’s in love with LB (interpret that how you will).
By the end of s3, she’s been told to her face how she needs to treat people and how she needs to act if she really wants to be a hero. But in the end, she fights against Ladybug, willingly. She welcomes an akuma (almost twice) putting her in the same league with Lila. 
I believe in s4 we’ll see a Chloe who is very much like s1!Chloe, except we’ll understand her motivations and the choices that led up to this and know that she doesn’t mean to be good for good’s sake but would rather do anything, even evil, to be taken seriously.
10. How Adrien sees Marinette - Oh LAWD here we go! In Origins, Adrien certainly notices her. As someone who doesn’t hesitate to tell someone off when they’re doing wrong. Adrien ends up making amends because he wants to make nice with everyone. And from then on, he and Mari are friends in his eyes. And while some of us lament that “just friends”, friendship is very important to someone who has been isolated his whole life.
S2, Adrien acknowledges her as their “everyday Ladybug”, which means he sees how she helps everyone and always does the right thing, which he finds admirable.
By the end of s3, he’s actually seen her in action as Multimouse. He has seen her being a hero in and out of costume at this point. Whereas before she was probably just one of many friends he wanted to make, now she’s an important friend, and an incredible one at that. 
11. How Marinette sees Adrien - I’m not gonna say too much here because I wanna get into the lovesquare as a whole, but suffice to say, this dynamic has changed. Marinette went from not knowing who Adrien was, to being obsessed with him, to realizing that maybe it’s time to move on and that perhaps they’re better as friends
12. The Lovesquare - whooo boy. I want it to be known that because this is a children’s show, I’m betting on all sides of the square being resolved and together by the series end. I’d be surprised if any of the tertiary pairings (Lukanette & Adrigami) were seen through til the end. That being said, the status of our main couple has changed quite a bit. I already mentioned the possibility of Ladybug having to know Chat Noir’s identity due to her being the guardian, so just imagine that extra layer over these.
Ladrien
These two couldn’t look at each other two seconds without blushing and turning into babbling messes. We know Mari’s arc is leading her towards Luka and away from Adrien. Adrien’s is possibly leading him to Kagami, but a big part of his is his indecision. And this could mean that in the future, while he no longer flirts with LB as CN, he may try and shoot his shot with her as Adrien instead.
Marichat
In s1, LB’s attitude towards CN carries over into her identity as Marinette, which we see in Evillustrator when she mocks him. But come Glaciator and she finds out his feelings for Ladybug are serious, which is reinforced in Weredad. Seeing as Marin is moving towards Luka and Adrien towards Kagami, this could open up the door for a true Marichat friendship
Adrienette
This side of the square is pretty much “dead”. And I mean that in the sense that as of right now, neither is looking at the other as a romantic option. Marinette is moving on and Adrien never saw her that way to begin with. I’m sure this is something that will change is s4 and s5 and we might even experience a shift in the dynamic (reverse lovesquare anyone?). But as of right now, this might be the most platonic side of the square except for possibly....
Ladynoir
Remember in the beginning of Loveater when Chat Noir said he had a girlfriend and we all clutched our metaphorical pearls before he said “just kidding :3c” That might turn into a real conversation now if Adrien’s seriously going to date Kagami. Which means he won’t be flirting with LB. And Ladybug might be surprised this time around, but as we saw before, she would also be supportive. He’ll still be punning and she’ll be rolling her eyes, but now there’s no romantic advances on his part, which I’m sure LB will appreciate. But this could be potential for friendship and thus a stronger partnership.
And those are all the things that have changed from Origins to Miracle Queen. If I missed any, go ahead and lemme know.
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minimenace · 4 years
Text
Felix live thoughts:
i still don’t get why gabriel, who is known to wear his ring, is polishing both his and emilie’s rings
nathalie smiling at gabe aww
WAIT DOES ADRIEN SHIP NATHALIE AND GABE???
WAVE WAVE
its been a year???
cat song from chat blanc
sitting together, bonding time??
gabriel: i need to tell adrien im hawk moth and its for the greater good - the greatest good id ever get - emilie’s ass
adrien: oh dad i know
gabe: wHAT??
adrien: yeah...you and nathalie  👀 im cool
gabe: YOU FUCKER DONT DISGRACE YOUR MOTHER LIKE THAT
not that adrien knows his mom is even alive smh
gabe, you can’t expect your son to be all hopeful when there’s nothing he knows of to be hopeful for
gabe: bitch get ready cousin you is coming
1 year since emilie ‘went for cigarettes’
adrien: healing  😌
gabe: 
Tumblr media
marinette’s first act as class president: class meeting!!!! (plus luka and kagami) we need to cure adrien of his depression
adrien is hallucinating his mom isn’t he
wait it’s his mom’s twin isn’t it
IT IS
amelie and emilie huh
gabe is not “NO get out”
grouch kitten time!!!
felix getting hugged: bitch...fine ok
so felix and adrien’s favorite game as kids was Parent Confusion huh
gabe: how dare you shake my hand
felix: how dare you not shake my hand
so gabemilie wedding rings were from her family
emilie’s maiden name was NOT agreste...bitch no im DYING with this headcanon
felix whats to know what the FUCK is up with kyle gabriel
marinette...no...do not tell your crush you’re in love with him when you’re trying to console him about his missing mom
ok slightly better
bitch you’re still recording
is this gonna be another copycat where marinette tries to get the phone to delete the message
wait this is LITERALLY another copycat
YES TIKKI GET ANGRY
“I’m really sorry I didn’t come to your dad’s funeral” OH BITCH NOW I GET WHY HE HATES YOU
explains why they’re wearing black
felix with bryce’s voice hits bad
he needs kousei arima...max mittelman...pLAGG
“you do everything your dad tells you to” “oh well yeah you know”
do do do do-dUUHN
adrien and felix used to challenge each other in chess...nerds
plagg: “you’re cousin is being sus BUT HE TOUCHED MY CHEESE THAT UNFORGIVABLE”
plagg: *points out adrien’s mother is* adrien: *gets sad* plagg: oh baby fuck im so sorry
felix i know adrien is complete dumbass but you cannot call him an idiot!!!
wait is felix gonna find out marinette is ladybug because she was recording for so long
wAIT IS FELIX GONNA TRY TO SET UP MARINETTE AND ADRIEN BY DRESSING UP AS ADRIEN AND SEDUCING LADYBUG SINCE MARINETTE IS SUPPOSEDLY LADYBUG
probably not lol
felix fuck you im the only one allowed to make fun of nino’s dudebro accent
felix bby youre not building a good case for yourself by making fun of my babies
also bryce is trying to do a lower voice and he just sounds dudebro
wait is felix gonna rip chloe a new one
YES felix and chloe knew each other
the one time chloe is being genuinely nice for no discernable reason and felix is like “fucker”
well with the season finale we know it doesn’t matter
...annoyinG
FUCK
marinette time bitch lets see what happens im scared
ok thats mean
the writers are trying very hard to make me hate felix but joke’s on them, i’ll never hate anyone on this show
no joke i used to hate theo and call him a pedo and now i’m like “aww poor baby”
wait where is theo i havent seen him around
ok he deleted the videos so immmmmmmmmm hmmm
felix getting ready to cause havoc
ok luka is kind of a joke
*strums guitar* im supportive. this is my personality.
i cant really be mad about felix sending that mean message but adrien deserves to be a feral kitty
fel-ien: i renounce all my friends y’alllll SUCK
me: ...
calls out chloe specifically: NO THATS MEAN but true
marinette: there’s no way adrien can be mean he’s an absolute...aNGEL (how does that meme go)
i mean she has a point because he’d never call chloe out like tHAT
lila spying for gabe seems to be a good thing but im concerned about what gabe will be doing with this video
oh ok they knew it was felix
nathalie: so uh...sir...now’s a good time to um...akumatize some vulnerable kids...
gabe: ok amelie lets see how you feel about THIS akuma attack
gabe getting people to go chase down your “son” is still going to inevitably hurt your son
im fairly certain that max and kim know marinette is ladybug at this point 
*announcer voice* and in the confusion, reflekta, lady wifi, and princess fragrance were deakumatized because they couldn’t figure out who to be mad at
WHICH ONE OF YOU IS THE FAKE ADRIEN they all shout. “idk what do you think” says adrien 1 to adrien 2
adrien: *starts acting all mean*
punishers: IT MUST BE HIM
nathalie: STOP IT ADRIEN
punishers: wait who
adrien: muwahauwah i wonder who I could BE AJAHAHAHA
felix: bro why the fuck are you covering for me
nathalie get your grove on
hawkie: bitches Y’ALL THAT FUCK ASS IS RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU
felix: ha...no?
felix: oh well...KONO FELIX DA- LET’S FIGHT
istg if felix has his own miraculous
ladybug saves fel-ien
fel-ien: i love you
activates “smooch”
marinette: *has flashbacks to spook-drien* uhhh no
felix you’re being very menacing about this kiss
ok... i feel like marinette going “NO MEANS FUCKING NO” is a brownie points moment just the entire structure of the scene...also she has no reason to suspect adrien is not adrien, so the punching is just...intensely weird to me
this also feels like astruc trying to be like “FELIX IS THE OPPOSITE OF ADRIEN WHO IS A PERFECT GENTLEMAN AND RESPECTS WOMEN AND THEIR BOUNDARIES” when like um i dunno, adrien ALSO tries to kiss women (ladybug) without their consent but those moments are always treated as comedy so you’re not being very slick with this scene
side note; idk why when a male morally dark end character gets into a fight or something with a girl very one goes “THAT’S SEXIST”, like basically what you’re saying is “you can’t hit girls” which in itself IS sexist. everyone can be punched. don’t fucking hold back.
side note; you shouldn’t punch ANYONE
“You’re not Adrien, he would never be so pushy!” *looks at chat noir* uhhh....
i mean good deduction skills tho? i still think it’s pretty hastily and badly written
adrien is fucking OUTING his cousin lmao
i feel like there was pre-existing tension
felix: is actually ashamed for once
FELIX VISION
lb: great!!! now break the tablet felix: bitch this is some good fucking money i aint breaking it
felix and lila are the moth gang
hawk moth: why felix: uncle give me your fucking jewelry
felix: manipulate the situation...and profit
that has got to be the GREATEST defeat ever...truly lucky
felix looks like he thinks that he’s going to jail
adrien: dude wtf amelie: ...his dad- felix: no dude that was pretty fucked up, ill own up to it
“i hope to become a better person and see you again soon!” this was one concentrated bad incident but yeah ok
FELIX GOING FOR THE HUG
the tone is making me think this is supposed to be inauthentic and he doesn’t mean it but im hoping this isn’t the case.
but if it is genuine, it sounds like there’s a tacked on “learn to be better- from you” which like, yeah adrien is better than felix we get it but you don’t need to emphasis adrien as a model dude when he’s like tier 1 good guy. he’s decent. lmao.
wait felix has always been wearing a ring i didn’t notice
awww felix and gabriel made up.
wait
what even happened between them to begin with.
huh
adrien: aw sHIT CUZ WAIT gabe: nO DAVIC
adrien: if you need to talk in here felix: thanks
astruc: see he’s morally superior
did felix just gift adrien some expensive cheese lmao
felix: hey i feel bad, i replaced your cheese
adrien : *records message to thank everyone and says “i love you”* marinette: *obsessively plays back the “i love you”*
marinette: ill take what i can get
FELIX DID YOU UST FUCKING STEAL THIS MAN’S WEDDING RING I MEAN I KNOW HES MORALLY QUESTIONABLE IF NOT DESPICABLE BUT YOU’RE NOT MUCH BETTER YOU KNOW
so felix really is a magician huh
i feel like him and jean duparc would get along
oh so there’s history behind the rings?
“where it belongs” everyone hates gabe huh. wuh happened
gabe why are you taking your wife’s ring
it’s like he needs that thing to function
the ring: why you so obsessed with me
is it like an anti-nathalie charm or something
gabe: bitch get it together yOU’RE MARRIED, YOU’RE WIFE IS DOWNSTAIRS
the beef is, probably like all things, related to the miraculous
HAPPY END OF THE SEASON!!!!!!
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inkchantress · 4 years
Text
I wrote another fic!!
Title: The Color Yellow
Fandom: Miraculous Ladybug (again... what can I say, I’m obsessed lol)
Word Count: 1,710
Summary: That moment in Collector when Adrien sees his broken childhood drawing on the ground. Flashbacks ensue.
AN: The moment that this fic is based off of is an important moment that’s kind of overlooked. It’s not particularly memorable, in and of itself, but I kept thinking that there was probably a story behind that, and well... here it is. Also I wrote most of this after midnight so it might not be super refined but ideas don’t stop till you write them all out lol.
Keep reading under the cut (or read it on AO3)
He couldn’t move.
He was six years old, gap-toothed and slightly cross-eyed, with more colors of crayon at his disposal than he could ever dream of.
Well. Maybe that wasn’t quite true. Maybe he could move. More like he wasn’t willing to try.
But he’d only needed four colors that day. The classics.
The house was empty. His father was gone, off to who knew where. To the basement, to his room. It didn’t matter where. Adrien could never tell the difference.
Red. Green. Blue. Yellow.
He tried to remind himself what he was doing here--they were trying to stop something horrible from happening. They were searching for Hawkmoth.
He’d had plenty of practice coloring with the classic four. He knew them well, from evenings in restaurants where he always scribbled furiously on the kids’ menu. He never went inside the lines, always drew his own thing. And he’d show his parents his masterpiece every time, once the night was over.
Hawkmoth, who at the moment was still at large, who Ladybug thought she had finally pinned down.
Every time, Gabriel Agreste would dismiss whatever work it was, and every single time, Emilie would smile down at Adrien and compliment it. She’d ask him to describe it and suggest areas for improvement, like adding binoculars so the people in the picture could see better, or putting in another bird so the first one could have a friend.
Hawkmoth, who might be his father.
And then, later, to Gabriel, when she thought Adrien couldn’t hear: “Leave him alone. He’s got a creative spirit, Gabe. He’s got it inside him. You’re the only one who doesn’t see it.”
The whole room was trashed. Mannequins smashed, ceramic vases hurled off of shelves, panes of glass lying shattered on the floor. Photographs in frames that sported spiderweb cracks littered the edges of the room.
Adrien knew artists were hard on themselves. He knew they got in their own heads. He knew they drove themselves crazy from the inside out.
But he had done this.
This would be his biggest masterpiece, his museum debut. ‘Six years old and already making history,’ his mother would say theatrically, grinning and tickling him until his stomach hurt from laughing.
And his father would look at the drawing and smile, a real one, one of those lopsided, carefree grins that he only sported in old photographs. ‘I’m proud of you,’ he’d say.
Adrien had driven his father insane. From the outside in.
He worked quickly, a six-year-old man on a mission, tongue poking through the space where he had recently lost his front tooth. There was still a slightly bloody stump from where his gums hadn’t quite healed, and it made the tip of his tongue taste like salt every time he touched it.
It was all because of that stupid book.
He sketched it out with a pencil first. The mountain peaks in the back. The roundness of his father’s glasses, the twist of his mother’s hair. Adrien came out quite a bit taller than he really was, compared to them, but no matter. It didn’t have to be realistic, not really. It just had to be visible.
Adrien could almost see his father in the room, walking around and smashing things. Picking mannequins up over his head and throwing them down onto their sides so they cracked. Kicking vases. Perhaps ranting to Nathalie.
He had to ask Nathalie to show him his mother’s best dress so he could get the pattern right. It was strange, little swirls and clouds and dots all working together. Nathalie had obliged, holding up the gown for him as he sat with his legs crossed on the floor of his mother’s closet, his small hands weaving the spots and swirls on the page. On the way back to the long dining room table that was doubling as his great workspace, Nathalie had asked about the drawing.
“It’s for Mom and Dad,” Adrien had whispered, looking around as if his parents were going to pop out of a corner at any moment. “But it’s a secret. Don’t tell.”
Nathalie nodded dutifully, and the corner of her mouth twitched up. She’d winked at him.
He’d winked, clumsily, back.
Adrien could see his father. Unleashing a tornado on his office, his face red and his lips pressed tight with anger. Picking Adrien’s drawing up and flinging it across the room with such gusto that it shattered on impact.
Blue for his pants, red for his father’s pants, green for the grass beneath their feet, and little accents all over his mother’s dress...
Adrien’s heart was in his throat. He’d done this.
And layers and layers of yellow, waves of blond hair.
He, Adrien Agreste, had done this. He might as well have just broken all of the things himself.
He’d finished the masterpiece with a dripping yellow sun, a bright misshapen oval hanging above his mother’s head. It shone down on the three of them, all proudly wearing wide grins, holding each other’s hands.
It was because of him and Plagg and that stupid book…
When he finished, he’d first shown it to Nathalie. She rarely ever smiled, but she did that day. A full smile, teeth included, accompanied by a professional nod. “I’m sure they’ll love it.”
There was emotion clouded in her voice when she spoke. He didn’t understand it then.
It was all because of him.
They’d eaten dinner together that evening, the three of them and Nathalie. It was Adrien’s favorite, spaghetti and meatballs, the ones that his mother made just right. Emilie told everyone a story of when she and Gabriel were young, and it was the first time Adrien had ever heard Nathalie laugh out loud. Adrien and his mother both laughed so hard they had to stop eating. How Adrien loved his mother’s laugh--when Emilie was laughing, she became the color yellow, sunny and bright and wildly contagious.
And it was working on everybody. They had all caught a case of the Emilies. Adrien could’ve even sworn up and down that he saw his father smile.
God. He wanted to turn back time so badly. He wanted a second chance, a third chance, a million more chances.
After dinner, when all of the dishes were packed away, Nathalie had gathered his parents in the living room and set the stage, and Adrien had emerged brandishing his drawing. He handed it to his mother first, and she was silent for several seconds, taking it in.
“Well?” he’d asked. “Is it okay?”
She’d put a hand to her mouth, which Adrien thought was a bad sign, but then she spoke, so softly it was almost a whisper. “Wow. This is… wonderful.”
She put a finger to the page. “That’s me, right? And that’s your father?”
Adrien had nodded, almost like a bobblehead, wild green eyes wide in his face and gap-toothed mouth grinning.
“And there, that’s you… this is beautiful. Look, Gabe.”
She’d handed his father the drawing, and Adrien’s breath caught.
Gabriel Agreste had surveyed the doodle once, twice, taking in every line, every color.
And he must have still been carrying a case of the Emilies, because he nodded in approval, so subtly it could have been an accident.
It was just like that. No critiques, nothing. Quick and painless.
Adrien turned back to Nathalie, and she, too, must still have been afflicted with the Emilies, because she winked at him for the second time that day. He’d winked back, and it filled him with gold.
“This is beautiful,” Emilie had repeated, “but I think it’s missing something, don’t you?”
“What?” Adrien had asked.
She’d reached out an arm to draw him into her lap. “You’re an artist,” she’d said, tapping his nose. “It needs a signature.”
Gabriel produced a pen from his coat, and Emilie handed it to her son, her eyes filled to the brim with a kind of wild excitement. Adrien had taken the pen, but he’d hesitated, hand hovering over the page.
“Go on,” Emilie had encouraged, smiling so wide she was almost glowing. “Sign it.”
So he had, in blocky kindergarten handwriting, in the deep black ink of the pen. He’d marveled at his own name, at the six letters beaming up at him from the page. They claimed the drawing as his own, a declaration that Adrien Agreste made this masterpiece with his own two hands, determination, inspiration, and four different colors of crayon, all sitting loud and proud on the paper.
It told the world that he was here.
Emilie had picked her son up and swung him around until he started to laugh, and then she had brought him into her arms. He had clung to the fabric of her shirt, the satin and cotton and his mother’s skin, a smell that he swore he’d never forget.
“It’s perfect,” she had whispered.
Adrien wanted to pick the drawing up, piece together the shards of glass into one pane again like time had never touched them. He longed to fix it, reverse it, go back. He wanted, he wanted, he wanted. He felt like his skin might shatter with the pain of wanting. Something had seized him around the heart, and it was collapsing him.
He was driving himself insane. From the inside out.
Like father, like son.
When Ladybug next spoke, it nearly scared him out of his wits--he could have been standing there seconds or hours or days. She looked at him sideways, coated with concern. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
He closed his eyes so his mother and his father and six-year-old self disappeared, and he could see the splash of colors and blocky signature and shattered glass no more. He forced himself away, and the memories all left him alone, one by one--his father’s hidden smile, Nathalie’s laugh, that feeling of wonder that filled him when he signed his name.
The color yellow was the last to go, lingering in his eyelids for a few final seconds. A shock of blond hair and a feeling of warmth and a golden sun, dripping light onto him and his parents like a promise.
He opened his eyes and turned away. “Yeah. Yeah, let’s keep going.”
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karma-jinx · 4 years
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ML Chat Blac BreakDown *Spoilers*
HOLY SHIT!!! That episode was a fucking rollercoaster I swear! I didn’t have a moments rest. I just need to breakdown what I just watched so bare with me. This isn’t gonna be like my usual ML Babbles.
Reminder: I DO NOT KNOW FRENCH! I understood things to the best of my abilities.
OK! First things first! We see Gabe talking to Emilie about how he’ll get the miraculous and what not. After that we have the girls all hanging out with what looks like a friend picnic sorta thing.
Apparently Alix and Rose has some sorta bet on whether or not Marinette was going to give Adrien the gift she made him. Alix said she wouldn’t while Rose said she would.
Alix wins the bet and a stuffed unicorn, which cause Rose to become aggressive. Seemed like she was being aggressively supportive in telling Marinette to try again. Hyping up our girl. Which works and Marinette goes back to his place to try again.
Except she gets turned down at the door. But Marinette is still determined to leave the gift. Tells Tikki she’s gonna go in through the window, which Tikki HEAVILY disagrees with for very good and obvious reasons. But Marinette goes through with it anyways and sneaks into his room.
But does our girl simply leave her gift and go? NOPE! Despite being in his room before she’s still in total awe that it’s his room she’s in. (To be fair this is the first time she’s in his room with out a some sort of akuma involved. Or party since this comes after Party Crasher.)
So she’s gawking and swooning. Smelling his pillow and shiz. (You do you sweetie. I not gonna judge) Finally she snaps too when she hears Adrien come home from his fencing match. (Which seems like he won AND wanted to tell his no good father about it but was told not to disturb him.)
Quickly Marinette leaves the gift and runs off. Only to remember that she forgot to sigh her name and quickly does so. As she leaves through Adrien walks in and sees her. The finds the gift she left that’s signed by Marinette. And FINALLY puts two and two together and figures out Marinette is ladybug. We see flashbacks of when she tells him she’s in love with someone else. That HE’S the someone else. And he couldn’t be happier!!!
Poor Plagg tried to detour his thoughts and say it wasn’t her but failed. So he reminds Adrien that their identities are suppose to be a secret. He isn’t suppose to know. But Adrien is too happy to care. He goes to where the girls are hanging out.
Here we see Marinette talking to them about how she left the gift sorta. Basically a vague excuse of some sort to say she left it but not how she left it. But then suddenly Adrien is there and she’s shoved in his direction. We see him with soft but love struck eyes as he most likely gushes to her. And she assumed it was about the gift. But he says he loves her and leans in for a kiss. And so at long last our dumb kids are happily together!
We see small flash backs of them at school. (Chloe’s jealous af but who cares. Wish I say Lila’s reaction to this but oh well.) A slow dance on what looks like Juleka’s boat. Luka appears in this flash back but he seems unbothered that their together. Kagami doesn’t seem to appear in any of the flashbacks though. In on of the flash backs is Nadia making a public statement of how Adrien is now dating Marinette hooray right?
WRONG!
For you see this is where it gets complicated.
That is all in an Alternate Timeline
Pre-Chat Blanc’s timeline.
Back to when ladybug leaves Adrien’s room. Bunnix comes to get her. Bringing ladybug into the “Rabbit Hole” So to speak. A place in between times. Ladybug can see all sorts of time periods. Which Bunnix covers her eyes with a bowl, since I guess she’s not suppose to see them?
Anyways, Bunnix takes her to Chat Blanc’s timeline. Bunnix doesn’t seem to know how or what happened to cause this reality. Simply telling Ladybug that she’s going to face her toughest akuma yet. Chat Noir (Blanc)
Bunnix goes back into the “Rabbit Hole” where all the other times are. She and her powers are fading. And it’s up to ladybug to save everyone. In Chat Blanc’s timeline we see a destroyed moon as well as Paris. Ladybug is utterly shocked to see the world in such a state. When she’s sees CB he’s sitting alone humming/singing to himself. She calls out to him, happily he turns around to see his lady there. Excitedly he goes over to her, seemingly unthreating, which causes Ladybug to trust him enough to let him get close enough to her to try and snatch her miraculous. But she kicks him back and goes on the defensive. Again he tries something else to get her close. This time being sad, crying even. She falls for the bait and goes up to wipe his tear. Again he tries to take her earrings. And again she knocks him over and runs off the building. Giving way to a chase. CB follows suit and calls Ladybug by her real name. Causing her to fumble her landing. She hastily denies she’s Marinette. But CB knows it’s her. And again a chase ensues.
Then we’re brought back to Bunnix who’s watching this go down. We she her move to another rabbit whole to see how thing became like this. She goes to the day Adrien and Marinette kissed. SOMETHING must have happened from that moment on. So she goes through to see what. This is where the flash backs stated earlier came from. Bunnix goes through the timeline and stops on a day where Marinette is visited by Nathalie, who’s holding and tablet where Gabe is on. Not sure what he says but it’s clearly a threat of some sort. Essentially it’s seems his telling Marinette she can’t be with his son or to break up with Adrien. He’s telling her all this in FRONT OF HER PARENTS! Sabine looks shocked and goes to comfort Marinette. Tom is furious and tells them to leave as he does the same. (Papa wolf mode! How dare they come into his business and break their daughter’s heart!)
Fast forward to Marinette outside Adrien’s house. The gate is open but she doesn’t go through. Instead she talks to Adrien from there. The Gorilla has the front door open but blocks Adrien from going out. Here and exchange of words happen. Then we she a heart broken Marinette running away. As well as a heart broken Adrien wanting to go after her. He begs the Gorilla to let him go, and the gorilla does. This is where we see Adrien running towards Marinette, then spots and akuma going for her. One apparently plotted by hawk moth. Natalie watches from a window to let hawkmoth know that Marinette is ready for the akuma. But Adrien’s seeing the akuma go after her, he didn’t care about transforming out in the open for others to see.
And others did. Marinette, the gorilla, and Natalie saw. Shocked Natalie tells his dad that Adrien is Chat Noir.
Marinette is shocked as well. Apparently Adrien kept it a secret that he knew she was Ladybug. Seeing as how she didn’t know he was CN. He smiles and seems to say something along the lines of, “he could let his lady get akumatized.” Or “he always has his lady’s back.” Either way Marinette crawls in to his lap and is comforted by his hug.
Hawkmoth on the other hand was upset to find out his son was CN. But it was short lived as now he feels that he has half of the miraculous he needs now.
Back to LB and CB fighting. We see ladybug trying to figure out where his akuma is. But it’s hard. His a difficult opponent. But she manages to get his staff but the akuma wasn’t there. Soon she’s cornered again and offers him her earrings. When he approaches though she swiftly maneuvers herself to snatch his tail while avoiding capture. But the akuma wasn’t there. CB threatens her with a blast but she refuses to give up her earrings. So he makes the platform beneath her break. Causing her to fall into the water. Here we see just how much damaged was caused by CB. Citizens are petrified in what looks like stone. Ladybug sees herself and goes to touch it but is disintegrates after being touched.
MEANING CHAT BLAC KILLED LADYBUG
Again we’re brought to Bunnix. We see what happens after Chat Noir’s ID is exposed. He and Ladybug fight Hawkmoth. Sending him crashing to where his Emilie is being kept. HM shows them his reason for the miraculous. And CN/Adrien is 🤯
He has no idea what to think. When he does react he attacks. He’s hurt and rightfully so. He goes to use a cataclysm, one that seems extra powerful due to his emotions, on his dad but stops just before he does. Asking him why.
AND YOU KNOW WHAT THE ASSHOLE DOES?!
HE KNOCKS HIS ASS ALL THE WAY TO THE EFFIEL TOWER!!! He beats up his SON!!!!
This man just whoops his ass like it’s nothing! NOTHING. He and ladybug go to Chat Noir. But HM arrives first and advances on CN. Who’s scrambling back in FEAR from his DAD. Ladybug arrives, now she and Hawkmoth try to convinces Adrien what the right thing to do is. But he’s torn. Not wanting for a decision to be made HM releases an akuma on his own fucking son! Forcing him to obey. Chat Noir struggles so much to not listen. To not cave in, but he can’t do it. And so he becomes akumatized. His first order is to attack ladybug. Force to give up her miraculous. Chat Blanc points a concentrated form of his cataclysm at her. Looking ever so hurt of what he’s doing. Ladybug tried to talk to him. But again is asshole dad orders him to obey. So Chat Blanc’s goes back and forth with his cataclysm until he can’t take it anymore and aims it upwards. A large beam shoots up and out. Cracking the moon and causing the timeline we saw Bunnix bring past ladybug too.
And here we see Chat Blanc growing tired of this game of chase. He threatens to release a cataclysm so powerful it’ll destroy the motherfucking galaxy! So she gives up. Her lucky charm gave her an eraser but she couldn’t use it. So she goes up to him, telling him that even though he’s like this she still loves him? She leans up to kiss him, but snatches his bell. Finally finding the akuma and getting rid of it.
When he comes too Chat Noir isnot sure what happened. And asks Marinette for context, but she tells him he shouldn’t know who she is. It’s here she realizes how to use her lucky charm.
Which this part is also a bit complicated. But basically she goes back and erases her name from the gift. Undoing the Chat Blanc future. Everything goes back to normal and apparently she doesn’t remember anything about the future or what happened? Bunnix seems to ask to see if she remembers too but Ladybug doesn’t recall. This part was hard for me to understand. It seemed pretty complicated.
Anyways, when Adrien sees Ladybug in his room. She comes up with some sort of excuse as to why she’s leaving a gift before she goes. She goes back to the group and tells them something too. At the end we see Chat Noir watching a sunset as he sings. He’s soon joined by Ladybug who rests her head on his shoulder. The two just enjoy the sunset together.
Sorry this one long. I just really needed to break down what I just watched since it wasn’t in a language I know. Maybe I’ll post one up about my thoughts once the English dub comes out. But who knows. 🤷‍♀️
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miraculouspaon · 4 years
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Lightbulb emoji, graph emoji, microscope emoji, pencil emoji, Star emoji, and flashlight emoji for dangerous beings and generations pls!!! (If you don’t want to do all of them, that’s fine, I don’t wanna take up too much of your time!! Thanks for writing these two amazing pieces!!)
Thanks so much for submitting! It is quite a lot, though, so I’m just gonna start with the set of answers for Dangerous Beings before I forget completely, and I’ll be back with Generations soon:
Lightbulb emoji: What was the motivation behind the story?
The motivation for the first fic was abbey whining that there wasn’t enough hawknath on AO3, and every subsequent installment has mostly been motivated by my thirst for morally ambiguous mama agreste, except for the adrino installments which were motivated by that one comment I got from someone complaining that it didn’t make sense for Adrien and Nino to date and I should be writing adrienette instead
graph emoji: Was there a clear character arch you wanted____ character to go on?
I wanted to get Gabe to “halfway decent human being” and I wanted to get Nathalie and Evelyn from enemies to lovers. Oh, and Nino, I was writing him as the friend who takes care of everyone from the start so his arc was more about how he sees himself going from “the boring normal one” to official Guardian, which I always knew wouldn’t properly click into place until he became a father.
microscope emoji: Was there one scene you were building up to/knew you had to get just right?
Oh yeah, I was writing to that scene in More Things in Heaven and Earth where Nathalie and Evelyn are camping for the night mid-escape since starting Female of the Species. I was also writing to that scene where Darcy meets the other novice sorcerers since Miles to Go Before I Sleep.
pencil emoji: Would you go back and change anything if you could?
Not really! A big part of that is probably just that once a chapter is properly posted on AO3, it kind of locks into place in my head and I stop thinking about alternate versions of it altogether.
Star emoji: What’s a scene/paragraph you’re proud of?
Adrien traced a finger over the drawing of the Miraculous. “She told my father it was weak. Useless.”
“It isn’t,” Nino said. “But that was probably easier to say than the truth.” He turned to Adrien. “It doesn’t excuse the rest of what she did, not even a little,” he said. “Leaving you, disappearing for two years. But abandoning the Miraculous… I don’t think I can blame her for that part of it. It was a mistake to choose Evelyn in the first place.” Sighing, Nino looked back down at the grimoire, narrowing his eyes in concentration. “If I decide to succeed Fu, I’ll have to figure out how to get it right next time.”
Adrien pressed his lips to Nino’s temple. “You will,” he said confidently.
I adore dramatic irony, and as far as dramatic irony in my fics goes this scene comes second only to that part in Generations where Marinette tells Gabriel and Adele “if we’re not back in a week, have fun raising three hellions”.
flashlight emoji: Did you learn anything while writing it? About yourself? Writing?
Hmmm. Well, I learned that all GabeNath I write eventually becomes Sangrestes, that’s for sure.
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whenimgoodandready · 5 years
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They said Marinette couldn’t be akumatized cuz she was “too optimistic”. Well, Hawk Moth tried to akumatize her in “Zombizou”, but that didn’t work. Strike 1. He tried to do it again in “Chameleon”, but that didn’t work either. Strike 2. So what’s it gonna take to really crack this clumsy aspiring fashion designer? You’d have to be conning and manipulative enough to orchestrate something so spirit breaking to have the schools Darling akumatized. The culprit achieves this. Find out how:
*Ladybug-Ever feel like you’re being watched? Like, you sense something off, but you just can’t put your finger on it? It’s creepy. Speaking of which, that creeper is Lila Rossi. During her “excessive traveling” she’s been spying on Marinette from her window growing increasingly jealous of all the love and attention she’s been getting. Especially from Adrien. Like how he gave her her own lucky charm bracelet (“Befana”). Season 2’s finale was the last straw for her, so that’s why she came back to school to ruin Marinettes life and take all of the attention for herself (“Chameleon”). After allying with Gabriel to be close to Adrien, she’s been keeping him up to date with Adriens whereabouts and how she says Marinette is a “bad influence” on him (“Miracular”). Gabe of course is only using Lila to trigger negative emotions for akumas. (whispers) She’s getting more wicked!
Since everyone seems to love Marinette, Lila thought she could sabatoge that and make her and everyone else miserable therefore she’d have to be akumatized along with them and Hawk Moth will get his miraculouses and Lila will finally see Ladybug fall. Well, Lila still doesn’t know Gabe and Hawk Moth are one in the same, but she’s technically “allied” with him (Hawk Moth) too, so she can get rid of Ladybug. How do they pull this off? Lila frames Marinette for stealing the answers to a test making it look like she cheated, faking an injury that Marinette pushed her down the stairs and even stealing her fox necklace found in her locker. All of which she planted and made look convincing getting Marinette expelled! Damn! She’s good at being a liar and it’s getting worse!
Marinette is so devastated by all this after failing to call out Lila and with that, Hawk Moth akumatizes Natalie as Catalyst again turning him into Scarlet Moth from last seasons finale so he can akumatize another whole army using his multiple scarlet akumas! Oh sh*t! Scarlet Moth akumatizes Marinette and-WHOA! WAIT A MINUTE! IT HAPPENED!? IT ACTUALLY HAPPENED! MARINETTE DUPAIN-CHENG WAS AKUMATIZED!? HOLY SH*T SHE TOOK OFF HER MIRACULOUS! OH GOD! WE’RE DOOMED! Don! Don! Don! SAY GOOD-BYE! SAY GOOD-BYE! CUZ WE’RE ALL GONNA-Huh!? What happened to Cataylst there!? Phew! Well thank God she’s still sick from the damaged peacock miraculous otherwise it would’ve been the end of the world as we know it. STRIKE 3! YOU’RE OUTTA HERE HAWK MOTH! :P.
Unfortunately, none of this saved the fact that Marinette was still expelled. Sensing fowl play, Alya attempts to play detective and figure out who did this to her best friend. Glad to see she’s siding with Marinette again cuz I’m sure she must’ve learned from her mistakes. During that time Marinette was put under house arrest by her parents to keep her safe while Gabe takes back the peacock miraculous from Nathalie fearing for her health. Not wanting to disappoint her secret love, Nat secretly steals her miraculous to become Mayura and creates a sentimonster of her own. Hmmm, she can do that!? Wow! She creates one in the spitting image of Ladybug! Complete with voice! Oh God! This is gonna be a toughie.
It was a toughie. “Sentibug” was sooooooooooo convincing, Cat Noir actually fell for it and even sided with her over the real Ladybug! 😫 Ugh! C’mon you stupid cat! Didn’t you learn anything!? It was over a love confession and he damn well knew Ladybug loved “someone else”, but his school boy crush just overpowered it. Whomp! Whomp! Whomp! Luckily, it was only for a quick moment until he was called out on his stupidity and the dynamic duo (along with the fandom) learned something new today, sentimonsters have feelings!
Before I begin my thoughts on this, I’d like to say that this ep come out on my birthday! Sept 10! 🎉🎈Happy (Belated) Birthday🎂To Me!🎈🎉 I consider it a gift from Zagtoon and Thomas Astruc, so merci! What a treat I got from this as one of the best things about this episode was when the whole class vouched for Marinette knowing she’s a nice girl who wouldn’t steal (anything that wasn’t a smart phone) unlike how they did in “Chameleon” siding with Lila. Much better! Then there was the well calculated plan to déjà vu “Heroes Day” using Scarlet Moth and Catalyst. I could see how it would’ve gone had it not been for Nats growing health issues. From the Season 2 finale, almost everyone was akumatized cuz they were all in shock that their town heroine, Ladybug, turned evil and “killed” Cat Noir in front of ‘em (illusion by Volpina) and it almost happened again cuz the nicest girl in school, Marinette, was accused of being a criminal leaving everyone heartbroken from her expulsion cuz everyone loves Marinette as much they love Ladybug! (Lila is actually good at elaborate plans in a villainous sense). It almost happened! Marinette got akumatized! The fans were right, her akumatized form would’ve been something justice related, Princess Justice, cuz she’s a huge advocate for it and her mother too! As Verity Queen! However, we never got to see it cuz of Nats health, but it would’ve been cool. Since Marinette was taking off her miraculous, was she gonna give them to Hawk Moth or just took ‘em off before she was fully akumatized for safety? During the almost corruption, Alya and Chloe stood their ground keeping cool in case they were needed for battle (didn’t see Adrien there or even the others who already had miraculouses there, so I don’t know what went on with them). Detective Alya’s research went nowhere as she couldn’t find any evidence to back-up her friend, so it was a bust. Damn, that Lila! The debate over Cats guess on who the real Ladybug was was absolutely jarring! Guy was too blinded by his love for her to think clearly! Do what your real Lady said and LISTEN TO YOUR BRAIN YOU STUPID BANANA HAIRED CAT! Well, we can’t blame the guy, I mean, it was pretty convincing and we need to remember he’s the Heart Thinker to Ladybugs Brain Thinker. Love will be their downfall. Wait for it. Turns out, Mayura can create her own image of a sentimonster and they actually have thoughts and feelings! Their free will is just controlled by Mayura. Once Ladybug figured that out, Sentibug turned over a new leaf, but sadly was short lived as Mayura destroyed her. R.I.P. Sentibug :’(. Oh God! What is this, the 25, 915th time Cat Noir has to see Ladybug die in front of him!? First it was all those heart wrenching times in “Desperada”, then her capture in “Party Crasher” and now this! Guys gonna be traumatized, I swear. Hawk Moth made another of his rare public appeareances and this was to fight his adversaries in Mayuras defense. A little thing I liked was when Gabe woke up and realized Nathalie was out and about as Mayura and asked Nooroo why he didn’t wake him up, his excuse was “You looked so peaceful!” (Badum-tish🥁). XD! Straight outta sitcom! Hawk Moth and Ladybug have a short Mexican Standoff (he had his son right there!) before calling off the fight to escape with their partners. That was close! They almost revealed themselves there! Nat is out of commission as both Catalyst and Mayura as her health is getting worse from the damaged peacock miraculous (let’s not have another Emilie incident) and with that, they’ll figure out another way to find Master Fu (this is after “Feast”. Master Fus ep). In the end, Lila got no comeuppance sadly and instead, became Gabe’s “muse”, but Adrien put his foot down and confronted her, in all his tranquil fury, to bullsh*t her way into bringing back Marinette since she’s too good of a liar to expose (nobody messes with his “not-yet-aware” love interest). This is one of those rare moments where Adrien is pissed off! The last time we saw him this angry was in the Christmas special! It’s scary! He warned her in “Onichan” and now, she’s gonna pay! You go Adrikins! (I would’ve gone a little more tougher, but still, you did good!). “Things aren’t always what they seem” is the quote of the episode here and it plays it straight (No Marinette, it’s not for your benefit). Lila made up yet another “disease” for herself that involves lying (well, its technically true) and is saved Marinette to get her back in school. A little heads up folks, this episode is after “Cat Blanc” and “Felix” and before the big two part finale. Just lettin’ ya know there, *click* *click*.
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A Couple Things About Party Crasher
This is probably gonna be long. And salty.
First, uh, apparently there's functional hologram tech in the Miraculous universe now? I'm positive the writers did it cuz it's cool and might be relevant later as to keep identities secure, but like, how does it work??? Is it projected onto a person? Is it projected onto a robot or mannequin? Is it a stand alone projection? How does it project in a 3D and realistic way? Is it a green screen bodysuit? I want to know how exactly Gabriel pulled this off and why he didn't use it for the London trip.
Second, going into this episode knowing full well that it happens close to or even after the midseason finale made it so much easier to enjoy than when Miraculer happened. It was a really fun episode and so nice to see Adrien hang out with people while Gabriel really couldn't do anything to stop it.
Third, by Plagg, Gabe, you don't have Emelie on multiple generators that are separate from the mansion's power???? I knew you were stupid but wow are you the biggest idiot in the entire show. How the kwami has the mansion not lost power in the like year that you've been sending super destructive akumas out? Why is this the first time this has come up? How are you this stupid and a businessman? How much slack is Nathalie actually picking up for you? My Tikki, I can't believe the kids haven't defeated you yet if you're this stupid, Gabe.
Fourth, so I guess we're just supposed to be okay that Marinette got rewarded for lying to her friends and basically breaking into Adrien's house? Don't get me wrong, I'm delighted that Adrien wanted her there and clearly thinks they're very close friends. That said, uh, Mari, what happened to the whole not stalking him or doing stupid stuff like that at the end of Oni-chan? You weren't invited. You're not entitled to his time or to hang out with him when he's hanging out with other people. You are not and should not be that boy's life and only friend. You're two separate people with different personalities and flaws and friends. I thought you'd learnt this already. Why are the writers like this?
Fifth, uh, Nino, did we learn nothing from Bubbler? And like, you also basically broke into Adrien's home? And he was supposed to be doing stuff? Like professional stuff? If he wasn't busy he would've hung out with you? And like, you straight up lied to your girlfriend and friends and made some of your friends lie to their s/o's? You didn't even ask if you could come over! You just bribed and lied your way in! That's not okay!!!! Why are the writers doing this to the characters who should know better? Do y'all not have a show bible? Stop this noise please.
Sixth, I'm 95% certain that Kim's power will be called "Monkey Business" in English and if it's not, I'm going to be very disappointed. Like the fact that Ladybug!Adrien is called "Mister Bug" instead of "Lord Bug". Also, like, why is Sass's power time travel? I'm very confused about that. Shouldn't Sass's power have more to do with, I don't know, snakes or persuasion since he's the snake Kwami? Or at least be a pun/play on words like Cataclysm? C'mon writers, be clever! All this darn time travel is driving me crazy. Unless you're gonna do something actually unique or fun with it please stop. Also, literally everyone else's designs are so much cooler than Mari's??? Like, she's literally just in a bodysuit? Adrien gets ears and a tail and a bell but the literal fashion designer has the most basic costume design ever??? It genuinely makes me hope they switch kwamis more often so Mari can at least look cool. She's our main character!
Okay, got off track. Here's a bunch of questions I have:
Also, why in the name of Kwami is Fu at Adrien's party? With the miraculouses?
Did Adrien invite him? Did someone post about the party? Why and where did all these people come from? How did they know the party was happening?
Why did Gabriel decide instead of heading up and fixing the power situation that he was just gonna monologue to Emelie?
Is Gabe aware of how transparently abusive he is?
Why did Emelie marry Gabe?
Why did Emelie also decide that isolating her child was okay?
Was Emelie also a victim of Gabriel's abuse? We know losing Emelie made Gabriel treat Adrien worse but was he just moving his abuse from Emelie to Adrien cuz he couldn't abuse her anymore?
Is the reason the peacock miraculous is damaged due to Gabriel's abuse?
If it weren't for the Miraculous Cure, how many people would Gabe have killed by this point? Would Plagg be gone by this point? Destroyed by an akuma along with Adrien due to his self-sacrificing nature?
Why are the writers holding back on giving us real concrete information on Emelie? Are we ever going to get her unfridged?
Why are Chloe's parents together?
Is Andre magic?
Why is Ladybug the only miraculous with multiple powers especially when Cat Noir is supposed to be her equal and opposite?
Why are we supposed to believe that Gorilla and Nathalie don't know Adrien is Cat Noir?
Why is Adrien so deeply in denial about Mari even though he's clearly been in love with Marinette as well since season 1?
Why are Silencer, Oblivio and Oni-chan right after one another and give us emotional and tonal whiplash?
Why can't the freaking people runnung the stations release the episodes in order!?!?!?
Why is Kagami crushing on Adrien?
What precisely are Chloe's feelings for Adrien?
Why does MariChat feel like the most realistic and easy to transition into romance side of the love square?
Is Adrien going to know that Ladybug is the wielder of the Mouse Miraculous or is he going to know that Marinette is?
Why, precisely, does the kwami swap happen and, more importantly, how?
Why the kwami did Alya decide to actively choose a literal stranger over Marinette? And why are we and Mari expected to forgive and trust her?
Why didn't Chloe hang out with Sabrina and Adrien at the same time before Hawkmoth became a thing?
Why weren't Sabrina and Adrien friends?
Can the creators stop leaking show spoilers for the love of everything!?
What is with shows and the constant inconsistencies in characterization of the characters who are on screen most of the time?
Why is Oblivio a season 3 episode when we know there's at least one other season after this?
Why are Lila and Gabriel working together? It doesn't actually seem to affect the status quo.
Why does Gabriel act like he has no idea who various characters/classmates of Adrien are? He's akumatized them enough, you'd think he'd know them pretty well by now.
Why akumatize the same dude 25 times in a row?
How exactly don't Adrienette know each other's identity by now when they literally don't have voice changes and hardly have their physical appearances change?
Why does Gabriel need to breed the butterflies?
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The not so secret diary of Gabriel Agreste
Because I needed some crack in my life. This is a gift for @geek-fashionista who requested my joke idea become a fic. 
And because writing ridiculous Gabe content cheers me up and I needed a good pick me up. (Hopefully this will get me back in the mood to finish the next chapter of Cut from the Same cloth. If nothing else it felt good to really sit down and write again.) 
Anyways- enjoy. 
The not so secret diary of Gabriel Agreste
(Edited and catalogued by Nathalie Sancoeur)
March 18th
So apparently driving 4 employees to a nervous breakdown in the span of 2 weeks is a problem to my board of directors. They claim it’s ‘not good for the company’. Also, apparently, backhanding one of them during the meeting for suggesting I ‘take a leave of absence to deal with the loss of your wife’ counts as assault.
To avoid charges, and more importantly a forced sabbatical, I have agreed to see a therapist. Hence this ridiculous writing exercise.  Oh well. At least it is only one wasted hour a week as opposed to several months of sitting in my house, watching them drive my company into the ground with their ineptitude.
March 25th-
My therapist says that I have a problem.
Of course I have a problem! My wife is missing. Honestly, I have to pay this man?
He says that I need to be ‘focused on healing and rebuilding a new sense of normalcy instead of lashing out at the people around me.’
Well perhaps if the people around me weren’t so incompetent I wouldn’t need to lash out so much.
Nathalie- does it count as attending my therapy sessions if I send a proxy in my place? Please investigate.
March 30th-
My therapist has informed me that I am developing an obsession, and that he is concerned that the loss of my wife and my need to get her back is driving me to an unhealthy dissociative state.
Well maybe that’s why it is so important that I get her back. Did you ever think of that? Then I won’t need to waste my time adjusting to my new circumstances, because everything can just go back to the way it was. It’s really not that complicated. For someone whose job it is to ‘help me cope with my grief’ he is quite the pessimist. He keeps insisting we discuss the possibility of if she never comes back. Thank God these sessions are only an hour long, I don’t need to get charged with assault again.
April 1st-
I told my therapist that his advice was working and that I have completely seen the error of my ways.
And Nathalie says I have a terrible sense of humor.
The crushed look on his face when I pointed out the date was priceless.
Nathalie- make sure we are having fish for dinner, Adrien will appreciate the humor even if you don’t.
April 9th-
I had the portrait artist come in today so that we could replace the family portrait at the top of the staircase. I pre-selected our mourning ensembles and Adrien was miserable the whole time. The artist asked me if he should take some artistic licence with our expressions. I asked him if he valued his commission. The finished work was a perfect testament to the state of misery in this house. Hopefully this will serve as an adequate reminder to anyone who thinks it’s acceptable to attempt to inform me that ‘things are never as bad as they seem.’
My therapist says this is yet another sign of my increased megalomania. I think that it isn’t my fault that more people don’t have the resources to afford appropriate decor for their homes based on the emotional environment. Given what I am having to pay out for these worthless sessions I wouldn’t be surprised if he has a half dozen portraits of his own scattered around some poorly decorated eyesore he calls a home.
Nathalie- please arrange for some new backlighting for the updated portrait. Either some cool blue tones or perhaps some purple.
April 14th-
Today my therapy session consisted of discussing my childhood. On the bright side I sketched out two new designs while I tuned out his prattle.
Nathalie- you owe me 20 Euro. I told you it would take less than a month for him to try the Freudian approach.
April 21st-
Yesterday was the runway launch of the new Spring line. Not some of my best work to be honest but still a far sight better than anything else released this season. Maybe the Italians will give me some competition this year at least.
One of the reporters asked if the line was being dedicated to my ‘late wife’. I ask him if he was going to dedicate this interview to his soon to be late career?
Of course Adrien heard the whole thing and has been in a mood ever since, although he didn’t let it affect his performance. Even as a child, he is more professional than a fair percentage of my staff. I am prodigiously proud of him. Now if only he would stop being so emotional. It isn’t good for him. He spent the entire morning and afternoon holed up in his room listening to angst ridden J-pop and ordering mint fudge ice cream from the kitchen staff.
My therapist says that I need to be making an effort to empathize with his grief instead of fixating on my own, and compensate more in my new role as a single parent.
Clearly the stress of this show has addled my brain because I stupidly attempted to follow his advice.
After a pre-scheduled family dinner I patted Adrien on the shoulder and told him that I promises that things will get better.
He stared at me for a few seconds like I had grown a second head, before hugging onto me like a barnacle and bursting into tears.
Wonderful.
I managed to send my own child into hysterics.
This is the sort of disaster that comes from listening to the advice of idiots.
April 22nd-
Adrien seems to have recovered from last night’s meltdown rather admirably. Thank God children bounce back from these sorts of setbacks. I am glad to see that my poor judgement in following my therapist's advice doesn’t seem to have caused any permanent damage. Now I can go back to the important business of figuring out how to bring his mother back instead of wasting everyone’s time with pointless platitudes. Really that is the much smarter approach.
It’s like I tell my employees- if you just fix the mistake you won’t have to spend your energy explaining why it was there in the first place. No one will care how many failures you went through to get there- all that matters is the end result.
Speaking of failures, what was I thinking when I chose the dining room furniture? It’s hideous.
Nathalie- remind me to set aside time to purchase a new dining set.
April 30th-
She has been gone for exactly 100 days.
May 9th-
Today is my 20th Wedding anniversary.
It was storming today. My therapist asked me how that made me feel.
I told him- wet.
I don’t think he appreciated my answer.
May 12th-
I have fired my therapist.
No the answer to my problems is not to ‘move on and accept my loss and just be grateful for each new day.’ What sort of idiotic attitude is that? If I approached my life according to the advice of this degenerate I would be designing pink sequins party dresses for some mass produced tween fashion label. Even worse, the toad-faced troll had the audacity to suggest that I should consider arranging for Adrien to have his own therapy sessions. As if my child needs any sort of support from a second rate psychoanalyst with delusions of grandeur.
Good riddance. Besides, 2 months of this charade should be more than enough to satisfy the board.
Nathalie- make arrangement for a private investigator to look into his business. Perhaps we can do the world a favor and get his licence revoked.
May 14th-
I have decided to keep this diary. I find writing about the stupidity of others quite therapeutic.
Nathalie please find a more appropriately color coordinated journal in which to properly transcribe my entries.   
May 17th-
I have hired a bodyguard for Adrien. He keeps trying to sneak out, and I can’t keep losing Nathalie for hours at a time while she chases him down. I don’t understand why he is so desperate to go out and meet other people. Hasn’t he figured out by now that very few people are actually worth meeting? Clearly the stress of losing his mother is clouding his judgement. I’ll arrange for Nathalie to get a few more of those arcade machines he enjoys so much to be shipped in. Hopefully that will help keep him distracted.
Meanwhile, perhaps I should up his modeling engagements. After all, throwing oneself into one's work does provide some temporary solace. It’s certainly the best plan I have come up with so far.
May 22nd-
Adrien’s new Bodyguard has caught him attempting to sneak out twice. Both times he sent me a text informing me that the incident had been taken care of and requesting an appropriate stipend for the installation of new security cameras.
This is clearly the best hiring decision I have made in years.
Adrien may be the closest thing to perfection in this world but alas, children will be children, so I am glad I have some competent staff to manage him until he grows out of it. I believe this teenaged need to rebel in light of our recent family tragedy is what the media refers to as ‘Emo’. I will make some calls to the main office to have more of our black pieces added to his wardrobe. And my ex therapist said I ‘wasn’t paying attention to my sons needs.’ Ha.
June 3rd-
Still no progress in my plan. This morning I woke up from a dream and I couldn’t remember if that is what my wifes laugh actually sounded like.
I can’t live like this. I won’t live like this.
June 5th-
Nathalie I will take dinner in my office. Also I am not to be disturbed for the rest of the weekend.
June 10th-
Feeling infinitely better today.
It has been uncovered that my recently disgraced ex-therapist was having an affair, and with a former patient no less! Clearly he was taking out his own frustrations with his own failed marriage out on me.
Unlike that hypocritical cow, I will preserve my family no matter what impediments I may face. I knew I was right all along. Still, it’s nice to have outside validation.
Nathalie- be sure to send a sizable bonus to the private investigator, as well as a nice fruit basket.
June 17th-
Adrien had a piano recital today. It was exceptional of course. I do wish he had chosen something other than Chopin. Really, is this emo phase going to carry over into everything he does?
I will have to send a message to his bodyguard to start monitoring his packages for hair dye.
Apparently he didn’t approve of me leaving as soon as his piece was over. I don’t see why. It’s not like I have any interest in the other performers and I already paid my admission so it’s no loss to the institution. Children can be so demanding.
Nathalie- make a note, the next time I am required to attend one of these functions make sure I have a tablet with me.
June 23rd-
Why have I still not replaced that dining room table?
July 2nd-
On the plane to London because apparently the instructions “just recreate the exact same show we did a month ago” are too complicated for my employees.
I am doubly glad that I hired a bodyguard for Adrien since he is ill and will not be joining us on this trip.
Hopefully I shouldn’t be gone more than a day or so.
July 6th-
Still in London. Apparently I underestimated just how moronic people can be. I miss my wife. She always knew how to get people to do what I needed them to do with causing them to burst into tears.
She also would have appreciated my puns.
Once I get her home I swear I am going to reward myself with an entire month of not having to speak to anyone whose surname isn’t Agreste.
Except for Nathalie, of course.
July 10th-
Finally home. Adrien has made a full recovery.
He spent all of dinner expounding on the merits of something called ‘MOBA’s. I’ve found it best to just nod and pretend like I understand what he is talking about when he goes on these tangents.
Nathalie- please get me the definition for the term Noob.
July 15th-
I am truly at my wits end. Between my lack of progress on my search for my wife and my constant set backs at the company I am for all intents and purposes trying to go up a creek without a paddle.
Nathalie is less than thrilled with me at the moment as I have taken to locking myself in the office with my cellphone and computer turned off. She doesn’t seem to appreciate having to slide notes under the door.
July 22nd-
Nathalie Sancoeur is the only person to whom I am not related by blood or marriage whom I would make an effort to save during a zombie apocalypse. (Adrien’s current favorite pastime is discussing how he would react to various ridiculous survival scenarios with his bodyguard, or more accurately at his bodyguard.)
She suggested that given my frustrations with some of my staff perhaps some personnel changes were in order.
There is nothing quite so satisfying as telling  a worthless employee that they should pack up their desk and go.
I am quite confident that none of the individuals fired today would survive a zombie apocalypse.
Nathalie- please give yourself a 2% raise. It might come in handy for purchasing supplies when we are under siege by an army of the undead.
July 28th-
Adrien had his friend Mllm Bourgeois over again today. He has asked if he can be allowed to attend public school with her this term.
I told him that if Miss Bourgeois is an example of the merits of a public school education I would sooner be tarred and feathered than let him within 50 feet of said institution.  
He seems to believe that going to school would allow him the opportunity to make new friends- so I suppose I can at least see the appeal. Though, after observing his interactions today I am amazed he doesn’t simply swear off friendship altogether.
Nathalie- look into putting together some sort of dossier of suitable young people with whom Adrien could potentially associate. Perhaps we can arrange to have some on call for social engagements in the future.
July 29th-
Adrien is not speaking to me today. He has locked himself in his room. Why is everyone in this family so sensitive?
Apparently ‘you can’t just buy friends.’
Clearly he has never been involved in politics.
August 2nd-
Adrien is still angry at me. Fine, if he wants to get into a petty game of who can ignore the other longer I will play his game. He’ll learn that no one beats me when it comes to the silent treatment, just like his mother did. The most she ever made it was 3 days. We will see if Adrien fairs any better.
August 3rd-
Upon further reflection, at the end of those three days I ended up with a broken nose when my wife punched me in the face. Perhaps I should rethink my strategy.
Nathalie- schedule a family meeting to discuss Adrien’s grievances. Tell him it will save time if he prepares a list of his complaints and proposed solutions for me to consult before the start of the negotiations.
August 6th-
Adrien is visiting with his friend Mllm Bourgeois so I am taking the opportunity to go through and organize my wife’s belongings. (The staff has been forbidden from disturbing anything but it is starting to get a bit dusty.) It is best to do this while Adrien is gone as I don’t know if I can tolerate another weekend of melancholy foreign ballads blasting from his room. Or worse that new Jagged Stone album I was foolish enough to order for him as a reward for winning his last fencing competition. I swear that man sounds like a beached whale screaming its way through a slow and agonizing death. I don’t know what Adrien sees to admire in it.
At least his attempted breakouts seem to have come to a temporary halt. Either the efforts of his bodyguard have finally tempered his resolve or he is secretly plotting some sort of elaborate scheme and is trying to lure us into a false sense of security.
I guess we will see how much he takes after me.
Nathalie- make sure all of Adrien’s electronic devices are equipped with GPS tracking.
August 8th-
Still slowly working my way through the cleaning process. The latest edition of some video fighting game arrived for Adrien so he has been conveniently occupied by that. It’s getting harder to face him knowing that I am still no closer to having an answer as to how to get his mother back, not that he asks. He has always been far too kind for his own good.  
Still, it is a parent’s job to do what is ultimately best for their children and for the first time in my life I find myself spectacularly failing.
No matter how many hours I spend locked in my office I am still no closer to a concrete plan.
At least Adrien has stopped trying to accompany when I am in there. It’s too hard enough coping with my own failure without my son having to bare witness.
I will figure out a way. I did not get where I am today without being willing to fight for what I want. And once I am successful all of this will just seem like a bad dream. Both for me and for my son.
August 9th-
I never realized just how much of a hoarder my wife was until I took on this project. How many souvenirs does one woman need?
There is an entire suitcase from our last trip to Tibet that she didn’t even bother to unpack.
I’ll take care of it tomorrow.
Nathalie- reschedule my lunch with the mayor. Until after the election if at all possible. 4 months isn’t an unreasonable delay for a man with my obligations.
August 10th-
It seems that there is some truth to the concept that one should actually OPEN the boxes one acquires. I now have in my possession a strange magical creature named Nooroo who seems optimistic in his belief that he can help me in my quest to restore my family. It seems I will have the chance to turn into some sort of super powered empath with the ability to grant powers to others to help combat the forces of evil in this world. Seems like a rather dubious power. Most people are insufferably dim and couldn’t be trusted with a butter knife much less magical enhancements. Still, it is the first positive news in months. I tried opening the other box with the peacock pin but after 10 seconds of the creature crying upon being awakened I have decided to simply return it to dormant and lock it in the safe. Perhaps it will be useful later but for now one miraculous should be more than sufficient.  
Nathalie- In light of my new associate we will need a few changes to the house. Additional security, new curtains,  as well as some additions to the kitchen inventory. I will upload a list to your PDA.
August 12th-
And Everyone told me I would never have a use for a secret lair. Well I showed them. I have asked Nathalie to arrange for a large shipment of butterflies to be installed for ambiance. I have also brought in a private contractor to hide the control panel. The last thing I want in for Adrien to stumble upon any of this and get the idea to become some sort of hero vigilante. Honestly I don’t know where that boy gets his ridiculous flair for the dramatic. It must be from his mother. Meanwhile I have decided to keep Nooroo dormant for a little while. He keeps wanting me to talk to him about my feelings. If I wanted to do that I wouldn’t have fired my therapist.
August 20th-
Lair is finally ready to go. I realize though that perhaps I should read the instruction manual that came with the miraculous before I attempt to utilize unpredictable magical powers.
Nathalie- please arrange for a large pot of coffee and my favorite armchair to be placed in the lair this afternoon.  
August 30th-
Apparently translating ancient codes with no resources or starting point whatsoever is, in fact rather difficult. I supposed I should ask Nooroo for assistance.
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bard-of-worlds · 3 years
Text
Chapter 11
Sorry I was gone so long, I had to work through somethings.  I’m going to keep publishing my Ladybug stories, my other work over 10k per chapter will be on my Patreon and that’s what i can live with.  I hope you all had a great New year one and all
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Nathalie finished drying herself off and heard a beeping from her phone. Tying down the towel around herself, she grabbed it and cursed mentally as she looked at it.  
 HeadAgr; Failed again, any luck on your end?
 She typed a reply and sighed as she read it before sending it.
 Me; Guest was crocodile with a stomach ache, had to shower to clean off and get new clothing from assistant, will return to base.
 As she started to put the clothes Penny had given her on, she sighed and hoped that they would fit, with how they had different builds. As she forced the shirt down she looked at herself and blushed a little, she liked how the clothing highlighted her figure.  Maybe I should look into upgrading my wardrobe, maybe see if I can find a seamstress to make my clothing tighter.  She thought as she turned this way and that as she looked at her reflection.
 “You done in there Nathalie?” Penny’s voice caused her to remember where she was and what had happened to her. 
She got out and she heard a whistle from Penny who smiled at her.  
 “Damn girl, not bad! So before we send you away, mind telling us why you broke down the door and who you were trying to find?” Penny asked as Nathalie looked at her and Jagged laughed from behind her.
 “Remember that we’ve got you dead to rights, we dropped a recorder to keep an eye on my boy, so spill it lady!” Jagged said and Penny moved to stand in front of the only way out of the room.
 “I was looking for Adrien.” Nathalie said and Jagged looked up and frowned.
 “What, did he finally run away from Gabe?” Jagged asked and when Nathalie nodded he whistled. “I didn’t think that guy had it in him, what happened?”
 “It’s a long story; basically it started because Gabriel started to have doubts about the staff of the college, and if Adrien would tell him if people were using him.” Nathalie said and Jagged looked at Penny and after a few moments nodded.
 “Yeah, I can see that. After the ‘Owl’ came out I was starting to be a bit worried about that place myself, so what’d he do?” Jagged said and Nathalie looked a little angry. 
 “After a girl lied to get into the mansion Gabriel was…….impressed with her and thought that he could use her. He offered her a contract to model with us if she told him what happened at the school, and tried to keep those who would use Adrien away from him.” 
Nathalie said and Penny gasped as Jagged laughed and shook his head.
 “Oh Gabe, when you screw up you screw up good! So what happened, how’d he figure it out?” Jagged asked and Nathalie looked truly angry.
 “The little twit supposedly got a girl expelled, she painted her as someone who was taking advantage of Adrien in her reports but giving his reaction we’re starting to doubt them.” Nathalie said and Jagged frowned, something about that was bothering him.
 “So how did Adrien figure that out?” Penny asked and Nathalie looked down. “Come on, it’s not like the twit told him right?”
 “She even painted it like the modeling contract was a reward for doing it. I don’t understand what she had against this Dupain-Cheng girl.” Nathalie said and Jagged’s eyes went wide and looked at her as Penny gasped. “You know her then?”
 “She’s done some work for me, made me Tower glasses and the cover of one of my CDs. The girl also has a crush on that boy o yours, one that everyone but him knows.” Jagged said bluntly and Nathalie looked at him before facepalming and moaning.
 “Of course, that’s why she painted her so bad! I can’t believe this, I’m usually better at spotting people like that.” Nathalie muttered as she walked past Penny, shaking her head in a semi daze as she realized that they had been played. As Jagged sat down and let Fang rub against his leg he reached down and rubbed his head.
 “I think we need to contact Marinette Penn, if she was expelled she should have at least had a hearing!” Jagged said and frowned as he saw the look she shot him. “What?”
 “Mind telling me that you know that Jagged?” Penny asked and Jagged shrugged.
 “Fangster stowed away one day back when I was in school and I almost got expelled for that, long story but in the end, the principal was fired, Fang became the honorary mascot, the team was renamed and I got me my first gig to play for a dance.” Jagged said and smiled at her look. “What can I say, I had a crazy youth, really a crazy one!”
 “I’m sure, I’ll head to the bakery and ask Sabine what’s going on when I pick up our weakly order. And is there anything you want me to tell Marinette?” Penny asked and Jagged nodded.
 “Yeah, tell her my next tour is the beginning stages of being planned, I have a few ideas for some costumes I want to talk to her about.” Jagged said and looked at Penny. “And tell her if she needs character witness that I’m there if she needs me.”
 “We’ll be there if she needs us.” Penny corrected him and he gave her a thumbs up and smiled at her. 
 “Thanks Penn.” Jagged said as he got up and Penny laughed a little.
 “After the time with Bob, I think we should help her if it’s legal.” Penny said and frowned. “But I think I’ll take a look into this girl, I know where the photographers gather after hours; I’ll see if I find out about any shoots that were canceled.”
 “Think you should Penny?” Jagged asked as he put a collar around Fang’s neck, attached a leash, and started to lead him out of the room, Penny following behind them.
 “Yeah, something about this is bothering me, I want to know exactly what this other girl did in the school, I have a bad feeling about this.” Penny said and frowned as they left the room and looked down the hallway and saw the door to the stairs closing.  Did she go that way, why? I don’t like how she was here during the Akuma attack to look for Adrien, I mean hanging out to wait for him is one thing, but why do I have a feeling that there’s more to this story than she said.  Penny thought as they walked towards the elevator.
 As she walked down the stairs, Nathalie frowned and started to scowl as she went over what Penny and Jagged told her about Marinette.  Of course she has a crush on Adrien, of course she does! And I bet Adrien likes her back but can’t see it and Lila tried to attack her to better her chances! And we swallowed it hook line and sinker! I can’t believe this, but at least some of how Adrien reacted is explained.  She thought as she got out her phone and sighed before texting.
 Me; Will talk more when I get back, but who Lila targeted might be the reason why he reacted the way he did, need to talk in person.
 As she came out into the lobby she heard her phone ding and looked at the message.
 HeadAgr; What is it?
 Me; Have to tell you in person, I need to talk to you face to face.  
 She finished the text moments before her phone dinged and she saw that the Akuma Alert App was off, she knew that the Akuma had been defeated but now the rest of the city were being told, she knew within moments the siren that the mayor had created would soon sound, but she hoped that she could get home before the rest of the city knew it. As she walked out of the hotel she saw the Gorilla move out of a building and nod at her before gesturing towards a parking lot and she nodded back, walking towards it as he helped a few people out of the store before walking towards the limo.  Take the soldier out of the army, but you can’t take the army out of the soldier. And that’s one of the reasons we hired him as a bodyguard. Still the time he was an Akuma was interesting, but if he had been a better form……. Maybe I should talk to Gabriel about how the magic works, if we can craft them better, we could try and create a custom Akuma and hopefully end this.  She thought as she waited for the Gorilla who grunted as soon as he saw what she was wearing.
 “It was a no show; the guest was just a sick crocodile. And by that yes, I mean an actual sick crocodile.” Nathalie said as The Gorilla only looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “And believe me it was physically sick, vomiting and everything. Vomit that I fell into.”
 At the disgusted look he sent her she nodded.  
 “Yes it was as disgusting as it sounds, and but at least I learned that Adrien is most likely not here.” Nathalie said as she got into the limo.  And I learned that the little witch probably played us even more than I thought she could. He is not going to like this but then this is what we get for trusting someone who lied to get into the mansion!  She thought as she sat back as the Gorilla drove off, her mind going strange places and she hoped, hoped that he wouldn’t do anything too far off when he learned that Lila had played them all.
  XXXXXX
  As Chat Noir moved over the rooftops he saw Ladybug wave at him and then drop down into an alley and he moved faster, another beep caused him to hurry. He dropped down and landed before Sabrina, Chloe, and Marinette and their kwami smiled as Plagg floated above Adrien’s shoulder.
 “What happened?” Marinette asked and Sabrina looked down. “Hey you did great, you found where the Akuma was hiding and got Chloe there, a lot better than my first outing.”
 “Really?” Sabrina asked and Marinette saw Chloe wince and put that away in the file that she had that she and Chloe needed to talk about a lot of things.
 “Oh yes, on the ranking of bad first times, I think it’s in the middle.” Tikki said and giggled. “She even called me a bug-mouse!”
 “Really?!” Pollen asked and Tikki laughed as the Kwami all chuckled or giggled.
 “Yeah, and I transformed before Tikki could finish telling me what to do, hence why the Akuma multiplied.” Marinette said with a shake of her head and looked at Sabrina. “You did everything that you had to do, and keeping these things and the Kwami safe is job 3, job 2 is protecting other people and job 1 is staying alive.”
 “Thanks. Once we were in range of the battle I activated Barkk’s power and I tracked the magic to the alley, then I went away after I started to time out, after I was away I heard the explosion but I had only just transformed back and I don’t have anything to recharge Barkk.” Sabrina said and looked up at Barkk who smiled back. “But before I left I saw a bolt of magic go to the Akuma right before an energy mask appeared on her face.”
 Adrien gasped and looked at Sabrina as Plagg looked at Bark.  
 “How’d the power do that, I thought you said that whoever used your power had to think about what their after!” Plagg said as the Kwami hovered in the air.
 “They do, maybe because the Akuma uses Nooroo’s power, I don’t know!” Barkk said and Chloe looked at Pollen as she ahhed in shock.
 “Could it have been that easy?” Pollen said as she looked around. “If that’s something then we could find Nooroo!”
 “I’ll need to stay active but this might be the best lead we’ve found!” Barkk said with a laugh as he somersaulted. Sabrina looked at the Kwami as she tied her bow back on, covering the Miraculous and grinned at Marinette.
 “If that’s what it takes, then so be it! So what do you like to eat?” Sabrina asked and Barkk hugged her cheek.
 “Anything a dog can eat, but I love dog treats!” Barkk said with a laugh and Sabrina looked at him and nodded. 
 “I can order them online, and I have ways so my dad won’t see them, should be about a day or two for them. But how did you get thrown by that explosion Chloe?” Sabrina asked and Chloe nodded and took over.
 “After I brought Sabrina away from the edge of the roof and sent her off before she timed out, I prepared to jump at the Akuma, but the moment I did it the explosion happed and I was airborne heading towards you guys. The only thing I can see is if Hawkmoth was able to see around the Akuma, maybe he saw Pollen’s magic aura or whatever.” Chloe said and Marinette looked at Tikki who hovered next to her and she saw the same worry that was in her eyes.
 Marinette looked into space as she tried to understand what was being said here. this changes things, I mean I was always worried that Hawkmoth could have a way to see through his Akuma’s eyes, but this is something different. The pages of the grimoire, if the Butterfly pages can tell anything about it then we might learn something, he said he was trying to translate but each one Miraculous had a different code so only it wouldn’t be easy to break but if we can even get confirmation of what he can see then that’s a victory. She thought as Adrien handed Plagg a piece of cheese.
 “So I’ll see you ladies back at the theater, I’m sorry but I don’t want to risk the Gorilla seeing me. Ready Plagg?” Adrien asked and Plagg grinned.
 “Ready kid!” Plagg said, snapping Marinette out of her shock.
 “Wait!” Marinette said and they all looked at her. “Once you get there, tell Master Fu about what happened with Chloe and Sabrina, we need to rethink everything we thought we knew about fighting Hawkmoth if I’m right!”
 “Got it princess, Plagg claws out!” Adrien said as he transformed into Chat Noir and looked at the others. “Good luck on not being seen by Lila!”
 As Chat Noir jumped upwards Marinette turned back to Chloe and Sabrina and smiled, it dropped a bit as she saw the grin on Chloe’s face. “What?”
 “Princess? Oh, I’m going to be holding that over my brother’s head for a while now! And wait……..didn’t you….. oh god it was a two-person love square wasn’t it?” Chloe asked she put her head into her hands and started to laugh as Marinette blushed and Sabrina started to giggle.
 “It’s something he started to call me as Chat Noir, not as Adrien!” Marinette said and looked away. 
 “Let’s not forget how you kissed Chat as Ladybug during the Dark Cupid attack!” Tikki said and Chloe squealed and looked at Marinette as Sabrina grinned as Barkk and Pollen giggled.
 As the three girls walked through Paris, Marinette looked at Chloe with a strange look on her face, her thoughts running wild. 
 “Chloe, I have to know, when you stole my design for that hat contest, did you do it on purpose? I mean did you keep my signature on the hat.” Marinette asked and Chloe nodded. “Oh Chloe.”
 ”I have baggage, that’s true; I mean I have a lot of stuff, I wanted to be burned as a cheat and liar so that the arranged marriage proposals would die down.” Chloe said with a snort. 
 “I noticed the signature; we knew you’d be able to prove that you were the creator.” Sabrina said and giggled at Marinette's look. “Yeah, I'm a lot more independent than I act, my mom really worked me over before she left me and my dad.”
 “Wow.” Marinette said and looked at the two girls and could only stare as Tikki floated down and rubbed her cheek.
 “Okay, time to share everything is done, time to move!” Sabrina said as she opened her purse and Barkk slipped into it, Pollen and Tikki both hide in something their chosen carried. Moments later they walked out of the alley as the Akuma All clear sounded. “That was faster than usual.”
 “It was at City Hall this time, that has to have something to do with it.” Chloe said bitterly. His honor would only care about himself, the same as his bitch! I mean after everything I've seen them do I'm not even surprised anymore! She thought as they walked along the sidewalk.
 “Still the band's along the river were great, you know?” Sabrina said and Marinette looked up.
 “Bands?” Marinette asked and Sabrina nodded.
 “Oh yes. Chloe and I like to see what bands are playing, it really is nice and we can see what new bands are coming up to see what the clubs might have.” Sabrina explained as Marinette looked at her. “Oh I'm talking about the local dance clubs; they usually recruit those who don't have contracts like Kitty Select. There are some interesting independents in the city.”
 “That's interesting. And you two do that on the weekends?” Marinette asked and Chloe nodded.
 “Only in late spring to early fall, that's when the bands play really. And in winter that's when they play little concerts here or there when they’re not performing at the clubs. You know there's this little place that's basically just small rooms for private parties and they play recordings for small gatherings or dates away from reporters and gawkers, I'm sure Adrien would love to take you dancing there.” Chloe said and laughed at Marinette's blush.
 Chloe looked at her and sighed, shaking her head as she brought a small case and pulled out an earbud and put it into her right ear as she dialed a number on her phone as Marinette looked at her.
 “Hey fox-girl, me, Sabrina and Marinette were able to stay safe until the heroes dealt with the problem! So we're gonna grab some sandwiches from Subhub and meet you there, so what do you all want?” Chloe said and Marinette looked at her.
 “Chloe?” Marinette asked as Chloe ignored her and listened to her phone and nodded.
 “Yeah, my treat, footlongs for the big guys and six or salads for the small guys, what do they want?” Chloe said as she started to type out a few things on an app she activated and smiled. “Got it, see you in a bit!”
 Marinette tried to say something when Sabrina laughed and pulled Marinette after her as Chloe came up behind her, the Kwami giggling and flew to hide in their chosen’s purses.
 XXXXXXX
 Lila pouted as the all-clear sounded. So another of his pawns failed again, he needs to learn that only those who want to take down Ladybug can truly win against her. People like me with the right mindset, the ones that won't fight against the power he uses to force them to fight; he should only help those who will use all of the power, to be stronger than the usual fools are. But of course there is the way that he can sometimes make them more powerful if he gets them again. Lila thought as she looked around her room as she sat on her bed.  
 As she looked at the Ladyblog she frowned as she saw nothing about the fight. That's weird, that blogger bitch usually live streams what the Ladybitch and her cat do, was she out of range or had what happened to Marinette, oh if she's worried about how she couldn't see her true nature. To fully destroy her friendship with Alya would be the icing on the cake. She thought as she sighed. “But I can't believe how easy it was to get her expelled, I thought at most it would be suspension, and to think I didn't have to fake being hurt!”
 As Lila surfed the net she went to the class chat room and frowned as she saw the conversation was about the events, nothing about how much of a bitch Marinette was. “They didn't say anything when it happened, but do they have any doubts about my version of events? And where was Adrien yesterday? At least none of them heard about what he did.”
 Lila looked thoughtful as she looked upwards and sighed.  But that was out of left field, after everything I thought I knew about Adrien that if I even hinted that his father was okay with what I did then he would have completely folded. I guess that I was wrong, I can only hope that his father will get through to him about the reality of the world before he lets him out again.  Lila thought as she stared at the ceiling.
 “And with luck after this he'll understand that people like him exist to be used by people like me.” Lila said as she smirked. And the first thing I should do after school is stop by that bakery across the street and start working on those people, it's the best in the city and I can't wait until they ban her family. It's your own fault really Marinette; if you’re not with me then I crush them utterly. She thought as she giggled. “So let’s see what the peons are talking about.”
 Gothleta; After everything that happened at school, I’m looking forward to the field trip at the Lourve next month.
 FlowerChild; Yeah, it’s for science class right, something about planets?
 SuperPen; I think it was about Saturn and how it inspired art or something, do you remember what she said exactly?
 Actfear; I think your dad is involved with it right Alex?
 Timehopper; No, it’s because the Lourve has the new planetarium on the bottom floor; they cleared out some of the storage and even moved into the catacombs and set up new security for it! it’s a great show, and I know your all going to like it!
 RockRocker; Killer! I wanted to talk to you about it Rose, I got an idea I wanted to talk to the group so I’ll see you in that room later tonight, okay?
 FlowerChild; Sure Ivan, I’ll be free around seven, see you there! 
Hey is it still okay that I’m coming over for dinner tonight Juleka?
 Gothleta; Perfectly fine Rose, my mom loves when you come over! 
She asked me to invite the whole group for a nice meal but then this happened and well…… you know.
 Actfear; Yeah, this was terrible. I hope Luka is okay after what happened to him.
 “Oh gag me, how can those people be such 
 “I wonder what those three are always talking about on this, I can’t exactly weave my stories if I can’t know everything about them, now can I?” 
Lila asked aloud and frowned as she went still.  
 “Wait a second, hello what’s this?”
 After rereading the day's chat she discovered that neither Kim, Max, Alya or Nino hadn’t talked to anyone on it at all.
 “Where are you four and Adrien didn't contact anyone at all? And what about Chloe and Sabrina, I know that you two don’t talk to the commoners, but what” Lila mused as she leaned back and looked out her window. “Maybe I should contact that assistant, if she told his father about how he acted then I can just imagine how dear Gabriel reacted. Adrien is probably grounded until he learned his lesson to his father’s satisfaction, and took his tech until he feels he can trust him with it. But should I text or phone? Text, yes that makes more sense, the perfect way to see what I should do on that end and not seem too ”
 Lila got out her phone when a text message popped up from the person in question.
 Nathalie Sec; We are currently dealing with the fallout of the photo-shoot on our ends, don’t contact us until I send you the all-clear. 
As of now also do not contact Adrien at all or try to visit him here.
 “I was right then, he is grounded. Poor Adrien, I will have to get him alone and talk to him about the facts of life once I see him again.” Lila purred evilly and grinned.  Of course, once he understands the truth of this world and I teach him how to rule, in time we’ll be the power couple of Paris! And it doesn’t hurt that he’s handsome and the heir to a company!  Lila thought with a grin as she laughed.  
 “Everything is going perfectly for once! I can’t believe this. I have a good line with Hawkmoth to get that bitch Ladybug squashed, I have a job as a model to get invited to parties with celebrities, and within the week I’ll have a perfect boy-toy!” Lila said as she kept laughing as she saw her future and enjoyed what she fantasized about it.  Everything is coming together, a few more modeling gigs to buff up my portfolio and even if I have to leave Paris I’ll still have something to show for it! And I might get close enough to him to take it or I might even get the Fox, with that power my life could be perfect! 
She thought with a laugh.
 “But all to make sure this happens I have to make sure that nothing that could affect my web, and I have to make sure that Mari-Trash stays gone!” 
Lila said with a smirk as she looked around her room and grinned. I’ve had many foes over the years, but she was the hardest to break, I’m just so sad I wasn’t able to hear what her parents did to her. I mean if the school punished her then they will have to as well.  She thought as she giggled and fell backwards onto her bed.
 “I wonder how school will be now that I've finally won against Marinette, but that Kim…….. I think I need to have a talk with him, if he keeps doing what that I would hate to discover that he’s just like Marinette, or he’s taking drugs to enhance his athletic performance.” Lila purred as she leaned back and brought out a book, and started to write down a few plans to deal with what they might move against her, not knowing that her plans would soon become the chain around her neck.
 XXXXXXXX
  Gabriel sat at his desk and tried to figure out how this Akuma had failed. I was able to give her complete power over heat and she still failed! At least I learned that there's a new bee and they sent out a new Miraculous. He thought as he sighed.
 “How did they find her, were they coming that way, no then why did the other one fall back? Still perhaps I can use this, if I have a way to get another lawn who will accept the power on their own then I might have a better Hero Day 2.0” Gabriel said as Nooroo hovered above him.
 Nooroo stayed silent, but his thoughts were running wild. I might be right, my set is still around, I I thought it had been destroyed with the others. I can't let on that I know anything, if he orders me to tell him anything then I have to word it right, I can't let on I know anything. Nooroo thought as he looked at Gabriel and hoped that he wouldn't ask a question in a way he had to answer.
 Gabriel eyed Nooroo, something about the kwami was bothering him but he couldn't tell what it was. He was about to say something when the doors opened and he looked up and saw Nathalie walk into the room with her borrowed clothes and he went still for a second.
 “What happened? Why did you change your clothes?” Gabriel asked and Nathalie looked at him.
 “The special guest was Jagged Stone's pet crocodile. It was sick and I slipped and fell into its vomit. Thankfully its owners were taking him back there room and Penny let me borrow something to change into.” Nathalie said and Gabriel winced and Nooroo shuddered.
 “Oh I'm sorry miss Nathalie! I remember when Trixx used horse manure in a prank, Plagg almost cataclysmed the horse before Tikki stopped him!” Nooroo said and Gabriel nodded.
 “Yes, I'm sorry Nathalie.” Gabriel said and Natalie shrugged.
 “It happened, and I learned why Lila was so happy to act against Miss Dunpain-Cheng.” Nathalie said and Gabriel looked at her.
 “Then she had a reason beyond the contract and staying on his good sides?” Gabriel asked and Nathalie nodded. “What?”
 “Miss Dunpain-Cheng has a crush on Adrien.” Nathalie said and Gabriel's mouth dropped open.
 “What do you mean; Miss Dunpain-Cheng had a crush on my son?” Gabriel demanded icily and Nathalie nodded.
 “That is what Jagged Stone and Penny Rolling said Gabriel.” Nathalie said as Nooroo hovered above them looking down at them, his normal face hiding the worry that he had.  Of course those two would find out about how they feel about each other now, perfect! 
If they figure out one of those two then they could win! I want master’s wife to be healed but this is too much, the wish is only when there are no other avenues to get what you want, to act against terrible events in the near future!  Nooroo thought and cursed that Gabriel had ordered him from telling him anything else with his order.
 “Then that little witch played us, she fingered Dunpain-Cheng as a disruptive influence because she wanted to get rid of a rival for Adrien’s heart.” Gabriel said and looked up at Nooroo who felt the rage that Gabriel was keeping under control with force of will alone. “And you couldn’t tell me that?”
 “I can only sense the emotions that people are feeling when they first happen master, if I wasn’t around them when the crush first started then I wouldn’t know at all!” Nooroo said and Gabriel nodded and looked down.
 “Oh, right. I forgot about that, it’s normally hard enough to find someone to use from here I forgot about that limitation of yours.” Gabriel said and Nathalie giggled and he looked up at her. “What is it?”
 “Just that this crush might not be as one-sided as people believe giving how Adrien reacted when Lila told her that you said to get Miss Dunpain-Cheng expelled. It paints a clearer picture of Adrien’s actions at the shoot Gabriel.” Nathalie said and Gabriel nodded, his mind going strange places.
 “I can’t believe this, I just can’t.” Gabriel said as he looked at his wife’s painting.  I can’t believe she tricked me oh so well, I can only blame myself for this. I was so sure that if the theater I helped Lila sculpt worked then the emotions from what happened would have let me bring back some of my most powerful Akuma and with Dunpain-Cheng among them then I was sure I could have won at last! 
Heroes day only failed because they broke Nathalie’s item .......item………..wait………she was miles away, I don’t believe it, how could I have missed that.  He thought as he went still and started to grin. “I just had a thought, why have we been having my champions keep their items on them?”
 “Gabriel?” Nathalie asked as Nooroo went still and actually looked shocked at the question.
 “Why do our Akumas have to hive their items on them? What if we have can keep the item away from them, is there a range the item has to be in Nooroo?” Gabriel asked and Nooroo actually looked confused and then started to think. “Well do they?”
 “I don’t know master, I’ve never really tried, the items my champions resonated with things that were usually weapons or items that were nearby or they were wearing.” Nooroo said and Gabriel nodded. “Then this might have a good test, I think I need to talk to Lila as my other ego, have a talk about how the Dunpain-Cheng thing failed, how I want to try again with an experiment when her trial happens.”
 Nooroo looked at Gabriel as he grinned, a strange feeling through the kwami as he looked through his memories and saw that he had never even tried that with any of his Champions, he tried to figure out why he hadn’t but he just hadn’t thought of it, and that bothered him for some reason.
 “I still don’t like this Gabriel, if she used Gabriel Agreste then what about Hawkmoth? If she’s trying to get closer to him to take his power for her own then we might have a problem.” Nathalie said and Gabriel nodded.
 “Yes, I think she might be too much for us to associated with too closely. Since the photo-shoot has she contacted you at all?” Gabriel asked and Nathalie nodded
 “No I texted her on the way back, I told her that Adrien was unavailable and not to bother contacting him.” 
Nathalie said and Gabriel nodded.
 “Good, good. With luck, we’ll be able to finish her and hopefully we’ll be able to weather this.” Gabriel said and looked at Nathalie and then away, Nathalie saw this and smiled a little as she
 and looked towards her as a beep caused them to look at Nathalie’s tablet. They frowned and looked at it as Nathalie looked at it before her eyes found Gabriel. Gabriel was starting to get worried when he saw the way Nathalie’s eyes were wide.  
 “We so shouldn’t have gotten involved with her Gabriel, not at all!” Nathalie said quietly as she paled in horror and Gabriel looked at her as she passed over the tablet and he started to read it.
 As his eyes went over the files, the first one was a travel itinerary of Lila and her mother through the last few years, then there were files on school websites and emails from students and then there were articles from newspapers about how people got hurt in accidents, deaths that happened in the same cities during the time that Lila had been there and then there were incidents that might have been linked to her mother.  What is this; this is………….. I don’t understand, why hasn’t anyone found this before, I mean people aren’t that stupid so why hasn’t anyone…….wait, where is her father?  Gabriel thought and frowned as he looked up at Nathalie.  
 “I, this is so far beyond what I thought we would find, maybe another expulsion or something but this is beyond anything, I can’t believe that nobody found out about this girl before now!” Nathalie said and Gabriel nodded.
 “I agree, it is impossible for anyone not to have found this before now……..who was watching out for her, and where did they go?” Gabriel asked softly before nodding at Nathalie. “Send our payment to the investigator, and tell him I want anything and everything about her father and family.”
 “Of course sir…….do you think that there’s something there?” Nathalie asked and Gabriel stood there and looked at his wife’s painting and nodded, a strange feeling coming through him as he looked at it.
 “A father will do anything to protect his child; I fear that before this is over we will see that in someone else.” Gabriel said and then he had a thought and frowned and looked at Nathalie. “And make a copy of the files, and make a separate file with only the school information and itinerary, make sure to send that to the Dunpain’s at the first opportunity, as an ‘apology’ and hope it works from the hacker.”
 “You seem to be really trying to help this girl Gabriel, why?" Nathalie asked and Gabriel shrugged.  
 "I don't want to do lasting harm to anyone, especially one of Adrien's friends. This is a way of helping my own conscious, and when my wife wakes up and she learns about all this, do you want to think what she will do to the two of us?" Gabriel asked and Nathalie looked shellshocked and nodded.
 XXXXXXXXX
 Nora walked through Paris leading her sisters with a scowl on her face as she saw people come out of hiding after the Akuma alarm sounded the all-clear. As she walked she heard the comments as she sometimes did, wondering if Hawkmoth should just be given what he wants at this point and scowled. The whole city is giving Butterfly-man too much fear, I mean Mister Whiskers and Buggirl have reasons not to give up their bling, and I bet Butterfly-man knows them. If given an impossible choice you fight, I mean I would!  She thought as she led the way towards the park in front of the bakery.
 “So we can go play once you grab some snacks sis?” Ella asked as she and her twin Etta tried to keep the excitement from
 “Yeah rug rats let me just touch base and I’ll take you to the park.” Nora reassured her as they reached the bakery. As they walked in she saw a few people ducking out of the backroom and she grinned, how they used their basement offices as an Akuma shelter was part of how the Dunpain-Chengs dealt with Hawkmoth and part of what she really liked that about them.
 “Thank you all for being so good, please come again if you want some cookies or cakes!” Sabine said as she herded the people out and looked up and saw Nora walking in. “Oh Nora, good to see you!”
 “Hey Sabine, I was in the area and I really wanted to talk to you about what happened to your kid.” 
Nora said and Sabine raised an eyebrow and Nora winced.
 “And that’s all?” Sabine asked as Tom came out behind his wife.   
 “And I really wanted to get some of your cookies.” Nora admitted with a chuckle.
 “I just put in the last of the new stuff in Sabine, why don’t you go and talk to her while I watch the front.” Tom said as he got Nora’s usual into a bag.
 “Thanks, and some for the twins please!” Nora said and Tom laughed and put a few vegetable cookies into another bag.  
 “And that’s the total!” 
Sabine said as she punched in the last of the snacks and Nora nodded at the total and pulled out her bank card.  
 “I still think that a five percent discount is too much for stuff like this!” Nora said as Sabine laughed before a phone rang next to them.
 “Membership discount is four percent, and family and friends is five. That’s how my dad did it, that’s how I’ll do it!” Tom called out from the kitchen.
 “Hold on one minute…..Hello, Boulangerie Patisserie how can I help you……..Penny, hi! Did you want to talk to Marinette or is this about your order?” Sabine asked with a smile that fell and she winced. “Oh, how did you find out about that? Oh, wait Fang’s what?! How is he, oh good……. To tell you the truth someone else wants to find out what happened, are you near the store……good we’ll be at the park across the way, you’ll see me there okay? Good.”
 Nora looked at Sabine as she moved from behind the counter. “I’m guessing I’ll be waiting for whoever that was until you tell me what happened, right?”
 XXXXXX
 Penny walked through the park, her mind going strange places as she tried to understand how this could have happened to Marinette, and knowing that neither she nor Jagged would like what she would be told.  
 “Penny, over here!”  Sabine called out and Penny looked up and saw Sabine sitting next to Nora on a bench as Elle and Etta ran about the park.  As Penny reached the two Sabine got up and hugged her.
 “Hey Sabine, so who’s this?” Penny asked and Nora got up and offered her hand.
 “Nora Cesaire, I’m the sister of a friend of Pinkie’s.” Nora said and Penny looked at her and frowned.  “What, do I have crumbs on my mouth or something?”
 “No, but I know your face, I can’t tell from where but I know you.” Penny said and Nora laughed a little.
 “I’m a kickboxer, maybe you saw one of my matches on the tube or something.” Nora said and looked at Sabine.  “But enough about me, what happened at the school Sabine!”
 “It started out simple enough for us.  We saw got a call and we went over, once there we were told that Marinette had cheated on a practice test, pushed a student down the stairs and then the girl said that Marinette stole a necklace from her, led us to the locker-room and Marinette’s locker and there it was in the locker.”  Sabine said bitterly and Penny frowned and Nora scowled.  
 “This necklace, was it small enough to fit through the grating on Marinette’s locker?”  Nora asked and Sabine nodded, Penny meanwhile was deep in thought. “Then there’s no evidence that Mari took it, and people saw her push this girl down the stairs?”
 “No, and they didn’t even check the CCTV camera’s.” Sabine said and Penny’s mouth dropped open and she gasped.
 “This girl who fell down the stairs walked into the locker room of the school, the nurse let her?” Penny asked and Sabine shook her head.
 “No, the nurse wasn’t even called.  And after the principle expelled Marinette on the spot, before Hawkmoth attacked everyone.”
Sabine said and Nora and Penny both looked at her in shock.
 “Another crimson moth attack?!” Nora said in horror, remembering the chaos of Heroes Day and how the whole city had fought back against
 “Why didn’t anyone tell the rest of the city?! Were the heroes able to contain them all!?”  Penny asked and Sabine winced.
 “The attack, stopped in the middle, no one turned but butterflies hit us all.”  Sabine said and looked down as the others looked at her in sympathy.
 “You Sabine?”
 “Me and Marinette.” Sabine said and Penny winced and Nora just started to curse.  “I……..he just named us when the attacked stopped, he called me Verity Queen and Marinette Princess Justice.”
 “Damn, I mean damn.” Penny said as she paled. “Thank god it failed, otherwise Paris would have fallen.”
 “Mr. Whiskers and Beetle handled the first mass attack, with help they would have handled this one.” Nora said and Penny shook her head and even Sabine looked confused at what Penny meant.
 “I meant Marinette as an Akuma.  The girl is strong, more creative than a lot of people in the business, she would have won, at least Jagged and I think so.” Penny admitted and blushed at the look Sabine sent her.  “It was at the end of a day, we had seen a report about a musician who acts like so innocent on camera but is a total bitch off it, we made up so Akuma’s and then Jagged went pale and gasped out that Marinette as an Akuma would have won against them and well…..”
 Sabine looked at Penny with a strange look on her face, Nora nodded after looking thoughtful for a few minutes.
 "What, she's smart enough to have made a trap that would have worked." Penny said and Nora chuckled.
 “Makes sense, when Hawkbutt used me, I was so straightforward according to sis.”  Nora said and Penny looked at her with a look of sympathy that
 “You too?” Penny asked and Nora nodded, a guarded look in her eyes.
 “Yeah, I was this spider wrestler Akuma that grabbed my sister and Mr. Whiskers until that Turtle guy helped Beetle handle me.” Nora said and grabbed her arms.  “At least that’s what Alya said about it, so you?”
 “A punk groupie with pink mohawk armed with a pen that made me intangible.” Penny said and Nora snickered.
 “All I could do was make webbing and had six arms.” Nora said as Penny laughed and shook her head.
 “I….. I was trying to figure out how to contact you and Jagged, Marinette wanted to talk to you about the lies she heard, one of them was about him.”  Sabine said reluctantly and Penny felt a headache starting to form.
 “What could she had said?” Penny asked and Sabine looked down.
 “That she saved his kitten from being run over by an airplane and that she got tinnitus from it, and that he wrote a song about her.”  Sabine said and Penny looked at her before she face palmed.
 “Good god, this is too stupid!  And if the paparazzi heard about this then Jagged could be accused of courting a minor!” Penny said and Nora started to laugh it up before she went still.
 “Alya didn’t put that up on her blog, did she?” Nora asked and Sabine shook her head.
 “No, Marinette said that she didn’t feel constable putting something like that on the Ladyblog, and  if Jagged made a song to thank someone for saving his pet and not sing it at concerts then it was because the person didn’t want him to and she wouldn’t bring attention to it.” Sabine said and Nora sighed and nodded.
 “Nice to see that she’s learning at least, I do not want to have to deal with her being sued!” Nora said and Penny looked interested and Nora shrugged.  “Sis wants to be a reporter, so she has this blog and well.”
 “Yeah, she could have been sued for slander if she did.  I swear, the number of times Bob Roth did that, you think that was his business instead of his company!”  Penny said with disgust and Nora snorted.
 “Know a few promoters like that around the ring, don’t like them at all!  Always trying to do something to get ahead at the expense of others, you two are going solo from this Bob right?”  Nora asked and Penny nodded.
 “We’re under contract for one last concert, then everything Jagged is his and we’re free from him.” Penny said as she got up and smiled at the two. “Thanks for the talk, call us if you need character witness Sabine, please.”
 “We will Penny, have a good day.” Sabine said as Penny walked away
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purrincess-chat · 7 years
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Colors of the Soul CH20 (Final)
Alas, the time has come for this one to end! Thank you everyone who has read this and left me such nice comments! I hope you enjoy the final chapter of this story, and continue to support me as I move forward. (also if anyone wants to draw Sophie I’d be cool with that *cough*) I will warn you, this is 7000 words of a lot happening, so buckle up.
FF | AO3
Devil with a Blue Dress
           It was a bright spring day when everything Adrien Agreste thought he knew fell apart.
           The weather was fair, and puffy white clouds painted the sky, a rarity for Paris. Everything in his world had become so much more colorful since he and Marinette found out each other’s secret and started dating, and as he headed up the stairs into the school, a cheerful smile stretched across his face. Things inside the school were looking up as well ever since Chloe found her soulmate. She and Lila were busy chatting on the bench they’d staked claim over, ignoring the rest of the student body while they absorbed every ounce of each other.
           Everything was peaceful for the moment, and when two arms wrapped around his waist, all of the color around him became more vibrant and alive. It was a miraculous sensation that he wasn’t sure he’d ever get used to right next to the way those bluebell eyes of hers made his heart skip a beat whenever they met his. Her rosy lips curled into a smile when he turned around, and he leaned down to touch them with his own.
           “Good morning, minou,” She breathed cheerfully as he leaned his forehead against hers.
           “Good morning, my love,” He whispered, inhaling her sweet scent for a moment before taking her hand and walking with her up to class.
           “Things are much quieter now that Chloe is preoccupied with Lila. I think everyone was thankful for that match,” She commented, glancing at the two girls giggling to themselves with dopey, loving expressions.
“Chloe’s wanted a soulmate so bad since we were kids. I’m glad she finally found someone. I’m not sure how much more of her clinging I could stand,” He let out a sigh. “I’m happy for her.”
“Me too,” Marinette agreed once they reached the class. Alya was perched atop Nino’s desk, and the two were chatting animatedly about something.
“They are soulmates without a doubt,” Alya was saying when they approached.
“Who are we talking about?” Marinette interjected, setting her bag on her desk and sliding into her seat.
“Ladybug and Chat Noir,” Alya grinned. “I think they’re soulmates.”
“Oh, you think so?” Adrien smirked, taking his seat beside Nino.
“How else could they work so well together? They are so made for one another, and they have to be soulmates,” Alya determined. “Hey, maybe I’ll try and get an interview next time and ask them!”
“I’m glad to see you’ve shifted your focus to terrorize two other people now that Adrien and I are together,” Marinette teased, leaning against her fist.
“I knew you two just needed to sit down and talk to each other, so you’re welcome for that one,” Alya hopped down from Nino’s desk and took her place at her own.
“I’m just glad I don’t have to keep any secrets anymore,” Nino sighed. “You two were killing me, and I’m so glad you two have each other now.”
“Yeah,” Adrien smiled, casting a loving look up at Marinette. “Us too.”
As far as he knew, every wrong in his life had found some sort of resolution, and he was okay with the way things were. Marinette’s parents embraced him with open arms, the other half of his soul was extremely lovely by all accounts, and even his father was starting to break out of his shell a little more. Nathalie worked diligently to take care of both of them, organizing their schedules, making sure they ate regularly, running errands when needed, and Adrien hadn’t seen his father look happier since his mom was still around. Which, incidentally, is where things got interesting.
See, Adrien had come to terms with the fact that his mother was probably dead and gone and that he would never see her again. He’d accepted it. He’d moved on. Found refuge elsewhere and found a group of people that made him happy. It’s why when that very same dead mother was sitting in his father’s study that afternoon, he was certain his jaw hit the floor. When she spotted him, she stood up and rushed to his side.
“Oh, my little Adrien, look how you’ve grown,” She gasped, pulling him into a tight hug.
“M-Mom?” He blinked, attempting to stomach just what was happening. In an instant, it clicked, and he wrapped his arms around her tightly, burying his face in her shoulder. “Mom!”
“Yes, baby. Mommy’s home,” She cooed, nuzzling his cheek with her nose.
“Where have you been all this time?” He asked, pulling back slightly, eyebrows furrowing in confusion.
“Come sit down, I’ll tell you,” She pulled him over to the couch where Nathalie and his father sat. “I was just finishing telling Nathalie and Gabey all about it. It’s the most horrible and bizarre thing. I was out in town one day when I got hit in the head and lost my memory. When I woke up, I had no idea who I was, and I’ve been working in a little shop across town thinking I was someone else. Then this morning when I woke up, I saw a little blond haired boy out my window who reminded me of you, and then I remembered everything and rushed straight home!”
“That’s unbelievable, Mom!” He gasped, hugging her neck once more as if he expected her to fade away at any moment.
“Yes, it is quite a miraculous tale, isn’t it?” Gabriel remarked, eyes trained on her. His expression was something Adrien couldn’t quite place, somewhere between cautious and curious, but he supposed the shock hadn’t quite worn off yet.
“I’m so glad to be home with my boys,” She sighed, standing up and flopping on the couch next to Gabriel. She nuzzled into his chest, and he wrapped a robotic arm around her, accepting her affection as she planted a firm kiss on his lips, but it seemed as if he were refusing to give any of his own. “Thank you for taking care of them while I was away, Nathalie.”
“It was my pleasure, Mrs. Agreste,” Nathalie nodded politely before standing up. “If you’ll excuse me, I have to finish up the schedule for next month.”
“Thank you, Nathalie,” Gabriel glanced up at her with an appreciative nod, and Nathalie offered up a pained smile before taking her place at her desk.
“So, tell me what’s been going on since I left. Adrien has started public school, I see,” She gestured to his shoulder bag on the floor. “Have you made lots of friends? Are you making good grades? Have you found a soulmate yet?”
“Yes, yes, and yes,” Adrien grinned, and she perked up.            “Oh? What’s their name?” She nudged him with a giddy smirk.
“Her name is Marinette, and she’s amazing. She wants to be a designer just like father, and she’s really talented,” He gushed. “She’s sweet and funny, and she really cares about me. I can’t wait for you to meet her.”
“Of course! We will have to have her over for dinner soon, won’t we, Gabe?” She placed a hand on her husband’s knee with a smile that he returned less enthusiastically.
“Adrien, shouldn’t you be getting ready for your karate lesson?” His father glanced at his watch and cleared his throat.
“Oh yeah,” He slumped a little.
“I’ll still be here when you get back, my sweet,” His mother cast a sympathetic smile and patted his shoulder, and he pulled her into a tight hug.
“I’m glad you’re home, Mom,” He murmured before racing from the room and up the stairs to his bedroom.
Once his son was gone, Gabriel took a deep breath and turned to his assistant. “Nathalie, will you gives us a moment?”
“Of course, sir,” She stood up with a dutiful nod and pulled the doors closed behind her.
“It’s been so long since I’ve seen you, Gabey. You have such dark circles under your eyes, are you sleeping enough?” She reached out to touch them, but he caught her wrist before her fingers could make contact.
“I know you’re aware that I don’t buy your little amnesia story. Why have you come back after all this time?” His eyes narrowed skeptically, and Mrs. Agreste leaned back with mirth.
“I missed my boys,” She cooed, but it only made Gabriel’s glare cut deeper.
“Last time you walked out that door willingly on some power scheme, and you stayed gone for a year. Do you honestly expect me to believe that you came back because you missed us? Don’t think I haven’t become aware of what you’ve been up to,” He growled. “I hope your boyfriend treats you better than I did, but judging from the fact that you ran off with half a million in your pockets tells me otherwise.”
“You haven’t been up to much of anything since I left, have you? You’ve been letting yourself rot,” She leaned her chin against her fist with a sinister smile. “I came back because I missed you two, like I said.”
“Then you need more money, I presume?” He grunted. “Is that how you’re going to play me? Run around with your new lover out of the pocket of your husband. Adrien isn’t stupid; he’ll figure it out eventually, and it’s going to break his heart.”
“Oh, Gabey, people can change, you know. I’ve had my taste of the world, but I’m here to stay. Adrien has grown so much since I left, and I want to be here for him. He needs a mother, not some assistant that you pay to pretend,” She leaned closer to him, but Gabriel shied away.
“Nathalie has been an unexpendable help since you abandoned him, and she cares for him like he was her own son,” Gabriel’s voice was low and gravely. “You are not getting another euro out of me, so if it’s money you want just get out. I have no interest in your pursuit of power, nor do I wish to have you back in my life.” With that, he stood and straightened his suit coat before stalking to the door.
“I’m not here for your money, Gabe,” She spoke up, lips pulling up to one side. “I have my eyes on something much more valuable.”
“Mari!” Adrien gasped when his girlfriend finally answered on the third ring. He tapped his Miraculous anxiously against his desk and bit back a giddy smile. “You’ll never guess what happened!”
“Adrien? What’s up?” She laughed, reading his excitement over the phone.
“My mom’s back,” He announced. “Isn’t it amazing?”
“Wait, your mom? I thought you told me she was dead,” Marinette gasped.
“Well, she was technically just missing, but I always thought she was dead. I mean, after a year, what are the odds that she’ll just walk back in through the front door?” He ran a hand through his hair. “Mari, you have to meet her. She’s going to love you.”
“I’d love to meet her, minou! I’m so happy that she’s come home.”
“Me too,” He sighed contently. “Well, I gotta go to karate practice, but I’ll tell you more about it later, okay? I love you.”
“I love you too, chaton,” She giggled, and he smiled as he hung up and grabbed his gi off the bed.
“You don’t think it’s a little weird that she just showed up after all this time?” Plagg asked as Adrien got dressed.
“I mean, I guess, but she’s home now. What does it matter?” Adrien cocked a brow, but Plagg frowned and gave a resigned shrug.
“Your dad didn’t seem too happy to see her,” He pointed out.
“My dad isn’t happy to see anyone, and I’m sure he’s just shocked. Can’t you just be happy for me?” Adrien grunted in frustration.
“I am, but…” Plagg shook his head. “Just be careful.”
Naturally Adrien shrugged off his kwami’s warnings because why would he need to worry about being careful around his mom? She was the most loving and kindhearted person he knew next to Marinette, and she cared about him. Or rather, he thought she cared about him until the next day when he returned home from school and set out to patrol the city. Everything was quiet for the most part. No akumas, very minimal citizens needing assistance, and he felt excited to get back home for once. Things were looking up for him for the first time in his life, and everything was perfect. Or very nearly.
On his way home, he picked up a scream from a deserted alley and skidded to a stop on a rooftop to listen closer. After a moment, he realized he recognized the voice pleading desperately below, and his heart shot off in an instant. He leapt down into the alley without a second thought, grabbing his staff from his belt and readying it to take on whatever threat awaited him down there.
“Chat Noir!” His mother gasped as he landed and put himself between her and the attacker.
“Run! I’ll handle this!” He ordered, squaring up to face his opponent who towered over him by at least a foot. He felt his blood run cold when he found himself staring at the face of his mortal enemy.
“Will you now, boy?” He smirked darkly as blue light flashed behind him, and he spun around to see the woman who raised him transforming before his eyes.
“W-What? You’re-” His eyes widened with shock as she offered him a sickly sweet smile.
“Oh, sweetie. I’m very sorry, but you’re standing between me and what I want,” She purred, pacing forward and taking his hands. “I don’t want to hurt you, so don’t resist.”
“I-I don’t understand,” He whispered, and in a flash his transformation released. He glanced down at his right hand to find that his ring was no longer in place, and he looked back up slowly to the woman who held it in her hand.
“Mom…” He whimpered, pleaded almost. “Why?”
“It’s nothing personal, Adrien, dear,” She pinched his cheek hard causing him to flinch. “Fate put us on different paths.”
His mind was a jumbled mess of thoughts, and his fear kept his feet rooted to the ground. It was all a dream, it must have been. Any moment now and he would wake up. His mother smiled coldly as she began to sing, and Adrien felt the overflowing rapids in his mind begin to calm. With each note, his mind was shrouded in a denser haze that he couldn’t quite see through, and his eyelids began to weigh heavily. He recognized the melody; it was the lullaby she had sung to him every night as a child until he fell asleep.
“Lullaby, child, lullaby,” She hummed as he staggered backward.
“Why…Mom?” He slurred, falling to his knees, despite using every ounce of his willpower to stay awake.
“The child will soon be asleep,” She crouched beside him and ruffled his hair gently for a moment before Hawkmoth hoisted him over his shoulder. He felt the rush of wind as they sprang back up into the rooftops before everything in his world went black.
Marinette was curled up on her chaise, reading their novel for literature when her earrings began to hum in her ears. She set her book down and touched them curiously as they flashed, thankful that she was alone.
“Tikki, what’s going on?” She called worriedly as her kwami rushed over.
“Oh no,” She gasped, covering her mouth with wide eyes.
“What is it?” Marinette’s eyebrows knitted together.
“It’s Plagg. He’s activated Chat Noir’s distress call,” Tikki explained. “Something must have happened to Adrien.”
“No! We have to transform!” Marinette shot up, racing up to her skylight as her suit materialized. In a matter of moments she reached the Agreste mansion and burst through the front door.
“Adrien?” She called, hysteria lacing her voice.
“Ladybug?” Gabriel’s assistant appeared from the study off to the left.
“Where’s Adrien?” She demanded, eyes brimming with tears.
“He should be up in his room, why?” Ladybug didn’t waste any time before racing up the stairs and kicking open the door. His room was empty, and she felt the weight of her panic spreading through her chest.
“What’s going on?” Gabriel called from the base of the stairs. “Where is my son?”
“Mr. Agreste, I’m afraid something has happened to him,” Ladybug clutched her hands to her chest worriedly, and Gabriel’s frown deepened.
“Where is my wife?” He asked Nathalie, a hint of malice in his tone.
“She stepped out a little while ago,” Nathalie reported, and Gabriel let out a low growl and turned back to Ladybug.
“That’s what I was afraid of,” He sighed. “There are some things that I should tell you because they involve you in a way,” He stated leading the way into his study. “And you are the only one who can stop her.”
“Stop who?” Ladybug’s eyebrows furrowed, patience wearing a bit thin.
“My wife,” He stated flatly.
“Your what?” She gasped in surprise.
“There isn’t much time to explain. If she has him, she likely has already taken his Miraculous,” When Ladybug stared at him with wide eyes, he smirked. “Yes, I know a Miraculous when I see one, Marinette.”
He pulled back a large painting of Mrs. Agreste to reveal a wall safe which he punched in a code and opened. Inside where a few trivial things. Jewelry, important documents, and most interestingly a bright red book that Gabriel retrieved and flipped open.
“Whoa,” Her eyebrows raised in surprise when he flipped to a page with detailed illustrations of Chat Noir’s ring.
“My wife stole this book from an old master. Her kwami told her of absolute power obtained from wielding both the Ladybug earrings and Black Cat ring. At first her intentions were pure, though a little naïve, but as time wore on, her desire for this power corrupted her,” He explained solemnly. “A year ago she and I had an argument about it because she got her hands on the Moth brooch and pleaded with me to join her cause. When I refused, she left in the middle of the night, though I managed to retain this book from her.”
“Wait, so Adrien’s mother is working with Hawkmoth?” Ladybug gasped.
“It’s likely she recruited someone, yes. Probably her new boyfriend,” His voice was a low growl.
“You mean she’s-”
“Yes. For many months I have suffered from episodes of wild color fluctuations during her escapades. Cheating is very hard to hide when you have a soulmate, though I wouldn’t classify her behavior as cheating. Our ties broke the night she left,” He looked dejected for a brief moment but quickly regained poise and flipped to another page in the book. “The Miraculous she wields is the peacock. She calls herself Le Paon, and she cannot be trusted. Her powers are manipulative, and there’s no telling what she wants with Adrien now that she has his Miraculous. You must find him and stop her before it’s too late.”
“How am I going to find him?” Ladybug asked, a new wave of panic forming in her chest.
“Your yoyo has an emergency tracking system that should have kicked in when his distress signal sounded,” Gabriel explained, and she ripped her yoyo from her hip. When she gave him a questioning look, he continued, “I’ve spent the past year studying this book looking for a way to stop her. It’s coded, but I’ve managed to decipher a few things.”
“Thank you,” She nodded, turning and racing for the door, pausing briefly. “Come with me.”
“What?” His eyebrows raised.
“He’s your son, and she’s your wife. Maybe you can talk some sense into her,” She pleaded.
“I doubt it,” He grunted, but upon seeing her desperate frown, he nodded. “Alright. Let’s hurry.”
Nathalie lingered in the doorway as they rushed out, and Gabriel paused to meet her gaze.
“Please be careful,” She whispered softly, and Gabriel nodded.
“I’ll bring him home,” He promised, cupping her cheek with a small smile before following Ladybug out the door. They climbed inside one of their several flashy vehicles, and Gabriel took the wheel, expertly swerving out of their courtyard.
“I didn’t know you could drive,” Her eyebrows raised as he weaved through traffic to the address displayed on the GPS.
“There’s a lot of things people don’t know about me.” He remarked.
Soon they arrived at an old apartment building across town, and Gabriel parked the car. His nose wrinkled slightly as he glanced around the street, and he straightened his coat a little. They crept up the front steps together, and Ladybug kicked open the door to reveal Hawkmoth waiting in the lobby with his newest champion and a twisted grin. It was the first time Ladybug had seen him in person, and she felt a small sliver of fear slide down her spine.
“So, we finally meet, Ladybug,” He commented darkly, and she clutched her yoyo instinctively.
“Where’s Adrien?” She demanded, voice firm despite how her hands shook at her sides.
“Don’t worry about him. You’ll be joining him soon enough,” He chuckled, snapping his finger for his minion to spring into action.
Ladybug felt her patience wearing thin as she dashed forward and landed a kick to the akuma’s stomach. Their hand-to-hand melee was wasting time, and she knew it. She needed to get to Adrien quickly, but there was no way that she could get to him without taking Hawkmoth down. For a moment she felt completely alone, that is, until Gabriel tugged the rug out from under the akumas feet, and she saw her opening. She crunched the pen under her foot and captured the akuma quickly, shooting Gabriel a grateful smile, but he was soon swept up by Hawkmoth.
“You must be the other one,” Hawkmoth grunted, sizing him up. “I have no need of you.”
He raised his cane to strike, but before the blow could land a green slab of metal appeared between them, held up by a small old man. Hawkmoth’s eyes narrowed as he jumped a few paces back, and Gabriel’s savior straightened up.
“It’s you,” Gabriel blinked in surprise as the old man smiled.
“Who are you?” Ladybug demanded, spinning her yoyo at her side as he helped Gabriel up.
“A friend,” Gabriel held up a hand to calm her.
“Call me The Guardian. I’m here to help. Would you care to assist me, Ladybug? It’s going to take both of us to take back his Miraculous,” He requested, and Ladybug felt her skepticism ebb under his calming gaze.
“Thanks,” She nodded, stepping up by his side.
It was strange. Working with him came so naturally. Hawkmoth had no champions to summon, and between their combined wits, he was surprisingly easy to overcome by binding his legs with her yoyo and knocking him from behind with her partner’s shield. He approached Hawkmoth calmly and unfastened the brooch from his suit, causing his transformation to break and reveal the man hiding underneath.
“Where’s Adrien?” She demanded.
“Top floor,” He grunted, and she shot off leaving the men alone.
“The Moth has been lost for so long, and I finally have it back,” The old man smiled fondly down at the jewel in his hand. “But I fear that the battle has only just begun. She is going to need help with whatever is waiting up there.” Turning to Gabriel, he extended his hand and offered the Moth Miraculous to him.
“I have no interest in power,” Gabriel stated, turning away.
“Your son’s life may depend on this decision,” He urged, pacing forward and placing the brooch in Gabriel’s hand. “Defeat her, and put an end to the darkness ruling over the Miraculous she wields.”
Gabriel nodded curtly and fastened the brooch to his tie as a small purple creature appeared before him in a flash of light.
“Master!” It called excitedly, flitting over to The Guardian and nuzzling his cheek.
“I has been a long time, Nooro. I am sorry that I could not help you sooner,” He smiled apologetically.
“It’s okay. My new master and I will put a stop to this evil,” He turned back to Gabriel with a smile.
“Don’t get any ideas. I’m only doing this to save my son,” He replied shortly. “Transform me.”
Ladybug raced up each flight of stairs, desperately crawling her way to the top floor where Le Paon and Chat Noir awaited. Relief filled her the moment she saw him, but it was quickly quashed as he glared at her with emotionless, dead eyes. He reached for the staff on his belt and extended it, awaiting orders from the woman behind him.
“Chat Noir, it’s me!” She frowned, holding her arms out, but when the woman behind him nodded he sprang forward and raised his staff to strike. Ladybug dodged quickly, avoiding each strike as it came. “She’s controlling you! Please snap out of it!”
Chat said nothing, but continued his assault mercilessly until a tall figure knocked him sideways. Ladybug turned to stare up in horror at the person before her. He was clad in purple just like before, but something about him was different. She turned to see a new Hawkmoth standing in the doorway, and she felt a gasp leave her lips.
“Gabriel…”
“Jean! What have you done to him?” Le Paon growled, eyes narrowing as she beheld her akumatized lover.
“He serves me now,” Hawkmoth, no, Gabriel said coldly, stepping forward. “Enough is enough. It’s time to end this thirst for power of yours.”
“You never did understand it,” She scoffed with a sinister smirk. “But even Adrien came to my side in the end.”
“Adrien, please! This isn’t you,” Ladybug pleaded, dodging every strike as it came. “Snap out of it!”
Gabriel eyed him with a cold frown, knuckles tightening around his cane.
“What a true testament for you. You have to manipulate everyone into loving you,” He growled bitterly.
“He does love me!” She snapped back. “You’re the one who was never there for him!”
She struck forward, but Gabriel parried. Her movements were wide and sloppy, making them easy to deflect. She was caving, and he knew it. He only had to push a little harder.
“That may be true, but I’m not the one who abandoned him,” He retorted. “Once we put an end to this, Adrien will never forgive you.”
“Liar!” She screeched.
Ladybug held out her arms as Chat Noir approached her, those green sclera lifeless and cold. This wasn’t him. She needed to get through to him, but how? The bond between soulmates is the strongest force in nature, so why couldn’t he see her?
“Adrien, I don’t want to fight you,” She breathed softly, her voice no louder than a whisper. “Please.”
She jumped into his arms, wrapping her arms around his neck and burying her face into his shoulder. She held herself to him tightly, begging him to remember, and after a moment, he wrapped his arms around her too. She let out a breath of relief, but it was cut short as his hand clamped around her neck and shoved her to the ground. Desperately, she clawed at his fingers, trying to pry them away from her throat, but he had her pinned, and there was no escaping. She stared up at him in horror as his grip tightened, and tears began to paint her cheeks.
“It’s okay,” She choked, resting her hand over his with a sympathetic smile. “I still love you.”
In a split second, his eyes cleared, and he shook himself, realizing what was happening and releasing his hold. His pupils widened with horror, and he immediately scooped her up in his arms.
“Ladybug!” He gasped, holding her tightly. “I’m so sorry! I-I-”
She sputtered and coughed, gasping for air as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. He rocked her slowly, running his fingers through her hair and refusing to let go, blubbering apologies like a mantra.
“Hey, it’s alright, kitty,” She croaked, rubbing his back. “I’m okay.”
“My mom, she- Mom…” He pulled back and spun around where Gabriel was standing at the edge of the roof, holding the peacock brooch in his hand and staring over the edge of the building morosely. Chat moved instinctively in front of Ladybug to protect her, brandishing his staff in front of them.
“No, it’s okay, it’s not Hawkmoth,” Ladybug reached over him to grab his staff. She pointed to the akumatized man standing off to the side, and Chat sat back a little.
“Then who-” His eyebrows furrowed as Gabriel turned and paced back toward them. “Father?”
“I’m sorry, Adrien,” He murmured. There was something about his expression that seemed a little, relieved. His shoulders seemed less tense, and his fingers drummed on the brooch thoughtfully. “I’m sorry that you had to learn it this way.”
“What happened? Where’s Mom?” Chat asked, and Ladybug eyed him knowingly as his head fell.
“Gabriel, what do you see?” His gaze flicked up to meet hers, and he smiled a little.
“Gray,” He sighed, closing his eyes as his transformation faded. Ladybug’s arms tightened around Chat’s shoulders.
“I have a lot to explain to you later, Adrien, and I’m sorry I kept the truth from you for so long,” He mumbled as his champion reverted back to normal and raced through the doors to the stairwell just as The Guardian from earlier paced up calmly.
“Where’s Mom?” Chat repeated, shoulders slumping as if he already knew the answer as sirens began to blare on the streets below, and Gabriel sighed.
“We scuffled for a while, but she was deteriorating fast. Her obsession with power made her a shell of who she used to be, and when I grabbed her Miraculous, she fell backwards over the edge,” He explained carefully, and Chat cupped a hand over his mouth with wide eyes. “Truthfully I think it’s what she wanted to happen. I tried to reach for her, but she didn’t reach back…I’m sorry, son.”
Ladybug moved around and took him into her arms as he began to weep, running her fingers soothingly through his hair and kissing his cheeks. Gabriel sat back and let out a deep breath.
“We’ll both be needing therapy after this one,” He joked somewhat dryly. Upon noticing The Guardian, he stood up.
“You have helped me retrieve two lost Miraculous today,” He remarked with a grateful smile. “You seem to wield that one naturally.”
“Don’t get any ideas, old man,” He grunted, removing the brooch from his tie and passing it along with the peacock back to him. “I have no interest in power.”
“Somethings never change, I suppose,” The Guardian chuckled, accepting them with a humble bow. “I express my condolences for your loss. It is most regrettable what has happened.”
“I suppose,” Gabriel nodded, pursing his lips. “It’s strange though. I felt it the moment it happened, and for the first time since I met her, it feels like a weight has been lifted from my chest.”
“Most soulmates are a blessing, but sometimes, they can be a curse,” The Guardian glanced down at the Miraculouses in his hand and sighed. “Thank you for all of your help.”
“I didn’t do it for you,” He grunted shortly.
“I know,” The Guardian nodded with a small smile, glancing at the boy on the ground before turning and calmly pacing back to the stairwell.
Gabriel turned back to his son who was a hiccupping heap in Ladybug’s arms and crouched down beside them. Ladybug offered him a sympathetic smile and reached out a hand to cup his face. He accepted it gratefully for a moment before clearing his throat.
“I know this is a lot to handle right now, but we can’t stay here,” He murmured, as Chat’s gaze flicked back to him.
“You knew she was like that, didn’t you?” He asked hoarsely.
“Yes,” Gabriel nodded.
“When she disappeared, it wasn’t by chance, was it?”
“No. She left us,” He confirmed, and Chat weighed it for a moment with pursed lips.
“She only came back because she wanted my Miraculous,” He glanced down at it with a wry smirk. “Plagg was right. I should have known it was too good to be true.”
“Adrien-”
“It’s fine,” He cut him off with a sigh. “We’re going to have a lot of damage control to do down there.”
“I’ll handle it,” Ladybug offered, standing up. “You two go home.”
“I’ll be fine, m’lady. I can handle it,” He placed a hand over his heart, attempting in vain to put forth his usual front, but she shook her head.
“Please go home. I don’t want you to have to deal with it,” She gave him a pleading look, and he nodded, shoulders slumping.
“Thank you,” He stooped down to peck her cheek, lingering for a moment before turning back to his father who didn’t say a word but simply turned and led the way to the stairs.
Back at the mansion, Nathalie was pacing the foyer with a phone pressed to her ear, biting her thumb nail anxiously. When they entered, she hung up immediately and rushed to their side with an equally relieved and worried expression.
“I saw the news, I was so worried, I-” She stopped short when Gabriel pulled her into his arms and held her tightly. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” He said. “For the first time in a long time, I feel free. I’ve carried the weight of her betrayal all this time, and now I have finally been rid of that burden.”
“Adrien, are you alright?” Nathalie pulled back and cupped his face tenderly, looking him over for any scrapes or bruises.
“I’ll be alright. I-I just need time to process, I guess,” He insisted with a wince. Nathalie didn’t buy it, so she pulled him against her chest and held him tight. Adrien let out a sigh and wrapped his arms around her. “Thanks, Nathalie.”
“Anything you need, I’m here for you,” She pulled back slightly and looked at Gabriel. “Both of you.”
“You have been an invaluable help to us, Nathalie,” Gabriel smiled, placing his hands on her shoulders. “And I’ve been blind to how much you care for us, and, incidentally, how much we care for you.”
“I’ve never asked it of you,” She winced sympathetically. “I understood your reservations. I am not the woman fate chose for you.”
“Yes, well, I’ve come to believe that sometimes it’s best to take fate into your own hands,” He smiled, before jerking her arm forward and dipping her in their foyer, pressing his lips to hers.
Adrien cupped a hand over his mouth in shock, a similar expression adorning Nathalie’s face for a moment before she accepted it and wrapped her arms around his neck. They both glanced at Adrien and pursed their lips guiltily, but the boy simply smiled. He couldn’t remember ever seeing his father look so happy in all of his life.
“I’m glad you’ve found someone you love, and someone that I love as well,” He accepted the warm hug from Nathalie with a smile. “I want you to be happy, no matter what.”
“Can you forgive me for my actions? For how I’ve treated you? For what I kept from you,” Gabriel’s gaze fell to his shoes, and Adrien stepped forward and pulled him into a tight embrace.
“Of course, Father,” He murmured. “I know you did it to protect me.”
“Always,” Gabriel whispered, a small smile tugging the corners of his lips.
Such was the lot that fate gave the Agreste family. To be broken and trialed by misfortune just like the unlucky black cat that Adrien represented. But in the months that followed for all of the misfortune that had plagued them, good fortune soon followed. Adrien and his father had many heart-to-hearts, and often consulted Nathalie and Marinette for support. Soon the events on that rooftop became nothing more than a dark memory that they buried and moved past. Their life was changing for the better, and it was only the beginning.
Marinette stood behind Nathalie, tucking loose strands of hair back in place with pins, brow knitted together as she concentrated. She glanced up at her work in the mirror with a thoughtful frown before a smile broke across her lips.
“You look beautiful,” She giggled, and Nathalie blushed.
“I must admit I’m a bit nervous,” She sighed shakily, running her fingers along the bouquet in her lap.
“Don’t be. Everything is going to be perfect,” Marinette encouraged. “Let’s get you in your dress.”
In the chapel, Adrien stood next to his father whose hands were shoved in his pockets as they chatted with the priest. Every so often, Adrien would glance at the doors at the end of the aisle anxiously, shifting in anticipation.
“Are you nervous?” He asked, glancing up at his father.
“No, but you seem to be,” Gabriel pointed out with a smirk.
“Well, she’s about to be my new mom. I’m a little excited,” He rocked back on his heels.
“She’s already your new mother. We signed the paperwork at city hall this morning.”
Adrien sighed, feeling any form of retort would be moot. In that moment, the chapel doors opened in the back, and Marinette paced forward with a confident smile. Gabriel and Adrien took their places, and Adrien gave her a warm smile. Once she’d taken her place across from Adrien, they all turned to witness as Nathalie entered the doorway.
“She looks beautiful, Mari,” Adrien gasped turning back to face her. She winked, and they watched as the bride floated down the aisle, poised and graceful.
“There’s a reason I made her my new assistant,” Gabriel commented, though his eyes never strayed from the woman approaching them.
When Nathalie made it to the steps, he stretched out his hand and led her the rest of the way up to the alter where the priest awaited.
“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to celebrate the union of Gabriel Agreste and Nathalie Sancoeur,” He began, and Adrien glanced at Marinette who was smiling up at the couple cheerfully.
He imagined what their wedding would be like, and how beautiful Marinette would look in a dress like that. His face heated up a little at the thought, and to make matters worse, Marinette caught him staring. Her expression softened when their eyes met, like she understood his thinking and imagined it too.
“I, Gabriel, take you, Nathalie, to be my wife,” Gabriel started, ripping their attention away from each other as he slid a silver band on Nathalie’s ring finger. “To have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish until death separates us.”
“And I, Nathalie, take you, Gabriel, to be my husband; to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish until death separates us,” Nathalie repeated, slipping his ring on and lacing her fingers through his.
“By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife,” The priest announced. “Gabriel, you may kiss your bride.”
His eyes softened slightly as he cupped his wife’s cheek and stooped down to meet her lips with his own. The kiss was soft and tender, and Marinette clapped excitedly.
“This is so exciting!” She squealed, clasping her hands together in front of her chest with a giddy smile. “I’m so happy for you two!”
“Thank you,” Nathalie smiled as Gabriel straightened and cleared his throat.
“We should go. We wouldn’t want to miss our reservations,” He said stiffly, and Marinette gave him a look. “And thank you.”
“Okay, let’s go,” She turned and linked her arm through Adrien’s as they headed collectively back up the aisle where Gorilla waited by the door.
Fate had certainly given them a poor lot along the way, but they’d managed to make the most of it. Nothing in life was ever perfect, but despite all of the hardships they encountered, they all found people to lift them up when things got hard. As they piled into the limo and huddled together, Adrien couldn’t help but feel grateful for the girl sitting beside him. He’d seen how soulmates could go wrong, but also that it was still possible to pick up the pieces afterward. He’d never seen his father look so happy, and his only wish was that he and Mari could be that happy someday. When she glanced up at him with a smile, the brilliant blue of her eyes swirled with all of her love and affection, and he knew that no matter what they faced next, they would always have each other.
 Epilogue
“Can you relax?” Marinette teased her boyfriend as he paced the floor of the waiting room.
“What if something went wrong? Why haven’t we heard anything?” He ran a hand through his golden locks, and Marinette rolled her eyes.
“These things don’t happen instantly, you know. They take time,” She reached out and took his hand as he passed. “Sit down. I’m sure everything is fine.”
He let out a sigh, and flopped down beside her, knee shaking anxiously. Marinette leaned against his shoulder and placed a hand on his knee to steady it, but after a moment, the doors opened, and he shot up again.
“Is everything alright?” He demanded as the nurse came out. She gave him an amused grin and nodded.
“Everything went fine. You can come back and see her now if you want,” She gestured with her thumb, and Adrien took off, Marinette in tow.
Adrien paused outside the door and took a deep breath, so Marinette took his hand in hers and nodded encouragingly. They pushed the door open together, and found Gabriel reclining casually in a chair beside the bed. He folded his arms over his chest with a smirk as they entered and fixed their gazes on Nathalie lying in the hospital bed clutching a small bundle in her arms. Adrien glanced at his father who nodded, and Nathalie looked up and smiled warmly.
“Adrien, come and meet your new sister.”
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help-too-many-ideas · 3 years
Text
Always positive/Always negative
Now these are two prompt which are the opposites of each other.
For both of them we need:
the miraculous ladybug universe
Gabe having character development
a certain girl called Diana Luna
Now for the first one!
Always positive starts shortly after chameleon.
So Lila is back, has everyone wrapped around her finger except for Marinette and Adrien, they're still in their two love squares, and the heroes all got their miraculous.
Now this is where Diana comes in.
Her family moved to Paris a few days ago, and now she's going to attend the same school as the Miracuclass. She's even gonna be in it.
Now Diana is a special girl. She's always positive. Meaning she can't feel any negative emotion at all.
She learned to identify when she would have those feelings though, as for when she'd doubt something, there'd be a lack of trust.
So when she enters the class, first she introduced herself.
It goes a little bit like this:
"Hey everybody, I'm Diana Luna. Me and my dads moved here a week ago and now I'm gonna be in your class. I really enjoy reading, singing and drawing. Oh, and a quick note, I can't feel any negative emotions. However I notice when I should. I hope you'll accept that. If you don't believe me, then don't. If you do, THANKS A LOT! Yeah, that's it. I hope at least some of you believe me, and that those few will end up my friends!"
And that got a lot of different reactions.
Adrien, with his heart of gold, would of course believe her, and maybe be like hey, one person I don't have to save.
Marinette would be like wait should I pity her or not. Wait she probably doesn't want me to pity her. Wait can she even not want something- (more internal spiraling)
Lila would be like she should be an easy target if what she says is true. She can't feel doubt after all.
To only name those three.
So of course, as it is the only free seat, Diana goes to sit next to Lila. Who of course wants to start one of her stories, but Diana is like "can we talk later? I wouldn't want to miss out on my first lesson, ok? Thanks!" And Lila is just so confused about this new girl that she in fact DOES stop.
After the lesson of course, she'll try her stories, maybe I'll write something short for that.
--------
Now you will realize that when they actually want to, Gabriel can be smart.
And he actually is this time too.
--------
(after miracle queen, and after gang of secrets)
Nadja:Don't be bemused, it's just the news. It looks like Shadow Moth has taken on an even newer form! Yes, I'm being told that .......... Scarlet Shadow has made an announcement!
If anyone was able to resist negative emotions when facing all of his sentimonsters and the akumas he send out, he would surrender the butterfly and the peacock miraculous to them.
However, if the heroes weren’t able to find a person, they had to give him theirs.
They get multiple tries, but once started, they only have 24 hours until they have to give up if they don’t succeed.
If you think you could do it, please call us immediately.
So far the list of sighted sentimonsters are guilt, the giant lollipop monster and Ladybug.
The akumas are Animaestro, Gamer 2.0, Copycat, Sandboy, Dark Cupid, Horrificator, Reverser, Silencer, Reflekta, Lies and Truth.
--------------
LoL I actually made the picture for this
Tumblr media
ANYway......
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Of course Marinette and Adrien immediately think of Diana. But they're both not sure if she's able to do it.
I mean, they could just try to defeat all of the akumas, even taking on a fake Luka or someone copying him, cause he's akumatized two times, but only a few people know that.
But she's the only person they know, so they plan on asking her, but they think they have to figure out a way to convince their partner to trust her.
Meanwhile Nadja gets akumatized once again.
Then Diana calls the studio and she picks up, but since she still sound like Nadja, and it's over the phone, she doesn't notice it's not her.
So now Hawkmoth knows there is a candidate.
That's why he sends Copycat and Sentibug there.
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
I'll finish this tomorrow, now I REALLY wanna talk about the other one, cause it's a little bit longer.
------------
So now for the second one:
So this one start shortly before miracle queen.
And it's not really a happy beginning.
........
It hurt.
It hurt so much.
Why did she do that?
If she wants the others so badly to see a happy mother and daughter, why can't we at least try to be that?
Why?
Why so hard?
It hurts.
It hurts.
It hurts.
It hurts.
It hurts.
It hu-
............
Marinette comes out of Fu's massage shop when she sees her.
Lying on the floor, bruises everywhere you can see. Shivering. Outside with only her PJs on, in the pouring rain. Curled up.
She immediately knocks at his door again and they get her inside.
.............
Warmth. That's the first thing she felt when she woke up. When she opened up her eyes, she saw a girl, looking worriedly at her.
----
So Diana woke up in Fu's shop. Of course she's scared at first, but she quickly opens up to them, since they're kind to her.
Now the thing with THIS Diana is that she can't feel positive emotions. But she is able to feel the lack of them, and she can control them pretty well, since she delt with them her whole life.
Sooooooo........……..………………………………...........
What's the deal with her mother?
She's just a big asshole. She wants everyone to believe they're a happy family. She started beating her husband after they got married because he said they should talk about their problems rather than ignoring them.
Like their child not being able to feel positive emotions.
But she didn't want to hear it. He left them soon after Diana turned 6. Whick made it harder for her mother to keep up the image. But miraculously, she managed. (Pun not intended)
So, since she couldn't beat him anymore, she started beating her daughter.
At the beginning it didn't hurt that much. Maybe she still had a fragment of a moral code left inside her or something and didn't want to beat a child.
But it got worse after Diana turned 10. Because she couldn't be homeschooled forever.
So whenever her mother found out that someone knew they weren't always happy, she punished Diana for not being a convincing actor. Which means she hit her.
But the problem is that these other children don't forget like this. And of course they talk to their parents.
So one day when everyone is having cake, on of the mothers asks about it, not expecting there to really be anything. But then a father says his child said something similar too. Another mother says her twins noticed something too.
And with that, the illusion breaks.
Diana runs out of the room crying.
Later her mother beats her up again and again and again. When she thinks Diana is unconscious, she takes a break and tries to fix everything with her friends. That's the moment Diana escapes.
She can barely walk, she's cold, but she just wants to get away from that monster. She wouldn't even care if she was akumatized now probably. This can't get any worse.
And that's where I started.
------
From here on, it'll get better, and even a little bit funnier.
Now being a teenager, and her mother not being around to 'keep her in check', her emotions grow bigger and louder.
One day when Hawkmoth opens his window to look for a victim, all he senses is the burning anger of a 14-year-old..... Normally a perfect victim. But OH BOI is he wrong.
Punisher, I am Hawkmothe. You have been-
Oh shut up and get out.
Then she throws away the bracelet the akuma entered.
This happens often, because her emotions are just always there. She's sorta blocking his radar.
She doesn't WANT to try to reduce the negative emotions. She's finally NOT suppressing them but letting them out. And she doesn't need a f*cking akuma for that.
----------
Now Gabriel isn't dumb. Well sometimes he is, especially with twelve specific akumas. But not in this story. Oh no.
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"I don't know what to do Nathalie, she's blocking my view, I can't sense anything."
"What exactly is the reason you can't akumatize her?"
"She keeps throwing away that bracelet of hers the butterfly always enters."
"Then I suggest finding out what is her problem and feeding into it so she won't be able to refuse your offer...."
"Yes........ Thank you, Nathalie."
------
No, I won't tell you, now GET OUT OF MY HEAD!
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Didn't you listen? I
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SAID
------
I WON'T
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TELL YOU!!!!
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This isn't working, I need to try something different..............
Ok, one more try......
Punisher, I am-
Don't. Even. Think. About it. Hawkface.
Ok, ok, I won't, but your blocking my radar, could you please calm down?
So you don't want to push me into akumatization?
Well I'd want to but it doesn't work. So I-
Are you siriously singing right now?
What, you said I should calm down. Singing helps me calm down.
-------------------------------------------------
See you tomorrow!
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