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The Five Minute Adventures of Chat Noir - Ch 10: And They All Lived Happily Ever After

Chapter 1: I Want It To Be You

Chapter 2: Best Friends

Chapter 3: Best Laid Plans

Chapter 4: A Thank You

Chapter 5: Unwanted Revelations

Chapter 6: Miraculous Abuse

Chapter 7: Five Minute Adventures of Ananta

Chapter 8: Confrontation

Chapter 9: Family

Chapter 10: And They All Lived Happily Ever After

The next few days were a blur, and honestly Adrien wasn’t sure how well he remembered any of it. But there were a few things that stood out in his recollections.

Ladybug had given a press conference. She explained that it was actually Adrien who had discovered his father’s identity and approached the heroes with what he knew, which had the benefit of actually being true. He hoped this would reduce the amount of suspicion he was under, even if years of being in the spotlight told him there would still be those who would be critical of his choices. Either for not figuring it out a long time ago, or for betraying his own family. But he figured that was better than being under suspicion for the rest of his life.

Marinette had held his hand through the crowds of paparazzi that seemed to swarm him everywhere in the days after Hawkmoth’s arrest and trial. Nino, Chloé, and Alya often shoved through the crowd, creating space for them to move forward.

Nino’s parents, Naima and Emir Lahiffe, had remained steadfast in their willingness to take him in even in the light of his father’s identity reveal to the world at large. In fact, they were terrified of him being placed at the mercy of the system.

And then Marinette’s parents had made him the same offer for almost the exact same reasons.

Emir Lahiffe and Sabine Cheng had almost come to blows over who would take him in, while Nino and Marinette fought to keep the peace between their parents for Adrien’s sake. And in the end, Adrien suspected the Dupain-Chengs had only let it go because the Lahiffes were already legally registered as foster parents.

Though Nino told him it might be more that the Dupain-Chengs hoped he would one day become their son in law, and that living with his future wife while they were still minors might make things awkward.

Whatever the reason, it was strange to be wanted, to actually be fought over.

Read on Ao3

But for the most part, Adrien wasn’t sure what day it was or what was taking place in his father’s trial or what he was missing at school. Nino kept bringing back homework for him, but the academic work could not hold his attention for more than a few minutes. He spent most of his time mindlessly watching some random anime or listening to music, but he was barely aware of any of that either. It was just to have some noise to drown out his thoughts and feelings.

Sometimes it worked. Sometimes, it didn’t.

Nino has suggested he use the snake to create some distance, but that option didn’t appeal to Adrien. He already had months of memories that he shared with no one, so even if it was hard, he wanted to move forward in normal time.

Today, he wasn’t even trying to distract himself. He was just laying out on Nino’s bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.

When Nino came in, and Adrien started. Had a whole school day gone by already? Because Adrien had only gotten up from the bed once since Nino had left. Had he really just been staring listlessly at nothing for hours?

Nino jumped into the bed beside him. “Talk to me, dude.”

“What’s there to say?” Adrien’s voice cracked from disuse.

“Dude!! There’s a ton to say! And you might feel better if you got it out.”

Adrien considered it. Maybe Nino had a point. But where to begin?

“I always thought receiving the miraculous was the best thing that ever happened to me.”

“And that’s not true anymore?”

“That’s the thing, I think it still might be. But it’s so complicated now! I thought… I thought that defeating Hawkmoth would be a day of celebration.”

“Yeah…”

“I want to hate him,” Adrien admitted.

“You’re definitely allowed to hate him,” Nino said emphatically.

Adrien shook his head. “But I can’t.”

“I get that, too,” Nino said, his voice suddenly soft.

Adrien stared distantly at Nino’s bedroom wall. “I keep thinking that maybe I could have done something different.”

“You mean not take down Hawkmoth?”

“No. I mean if I tried harder to be there for him when mother first disappeared, I might have been enough for him. That maybe he would have given up on his own. I did try in the beginning, but he only pulled away, and eventually I gave up trying. What if I had kept trying?”

“Dude! He was the parent. It wasn’t your responsibility to take care of him.”

“But I wonder if I could have anyway,” Adrien said wistfully.

It was silent for a moment. Adrien felt Nino’s eyes on him, considering him stoically.

“It wasn’t your fault,” Nino said eventually.

“Yeah, I know that. Sometimes, I don’t feel it though. I just wish there had been another way. I wish that in the end, I didn’t have to add to his pain.”

It was silent again.

“I still love him,” Adrien admitted. “Even knowing what he was, even knowing what he did specifically to me as Chat Noir, and as Adrien, too. I still love him.”

“Why?” Nino asked, but there was no judgement in the question.

“Because I understand,” Adrien said. “I’ve actually been wondering that if we had figured each other out earlier, before Ladyubg and I had been through the fire together, before you and I were solid, I wonder if I would have joined him.”

Nino didn’t say anything, just continued to wait.

“He was trying to revive my mother.”

“Do you wish that he had?” Nino asked.

Adrien closed his eyes. He missed her so much, but it was a distant ache. Not an all consuming ball of grief the way it had once been. He didn’t need her anymore.

“It’s totally normal if you feel that way. She was your maman,” Nino said.

“I… I don’t know if I even knew her.”

Nino’s brows furrowed together. “What do you mean?”

“My father said on one of the loops that this had been her plan. She knew what was going to happen and she wanted to be revived. Doesn’t that mean she didn’t care if the city was terrorized?”

Nino leaned back. “I don’t know, dude. Maybe her plan was just to find the Ladybug and Black Cat the way it sounds like they found the butterfly and the peacock somewhere in a cave. Maybe it was your father that escalated that to terrorism. Or maybe her plan was world domination! We can’t know what she was thinking. She can’t tell us.”

“I remember her being so kind,” Adrien said. “I remember her smile and her patience. I remember laughing while she chased me as a child or smiled with pride after a piano recital.” He turned to Nino, looking at him fully for the first time since their conversation started. “How do I reconcile any of that with what I know now? What if she wasn’t a good person?”

“She didn’t have to be a good person to be a good mom.”

Tension Adrien didn’t know he had been feeling released.

“I guess that’s true. So I’m allowed to love her still?” And Adrien knew the question was a little ridiculous after just admitting that he still loved his father, but he needed to ask it anyway.

“Dude! Of course! She’s your maman!”

“But haven’t you and Marientte and others said I don’t have to love my father?”

Nino paused, clearly thinking for a moment. “I don’t think we owe our parents love. But you are also the only one who gets to decide how you feel about either of them. Sometimes, I don’t understand how you can love your father, but you say that you do and I can respect it.”

“To me though, the difference is, your mother gave you attention. She gave you her time and her care. So, even if she was the most evil person and the rest of the world condemns her, you can still love her. You can still recognize that she cared about you!”

“Nino?”

“Yeah?”

“I love you. Thank you for being the brother that I never had. I don’t know how I would have gotten through any part of this without you. You were there in the be…” Adrien trailed off, as his throat lodged closed and suddenly he was crying again.

He was so sick of crying.

Nino’s arms wrapped around him from the side. “I love you, too, Dri. You’re one of the best people I know. You make it easy to love you.”

…

A few more weeks had gone by and Adrien was starting to feel normal again. He was attending school and the class was happy to have him back and they were considerate enough to not ask questions.

And with Nino, Alya and Marinette things felt almost normal. Except easier somehow. Because there were no secrets.

Marinette still occasionally stuttered and blushed around him, but she hadn’t said anything about her feelings. And it occurred to him that she didn’t know that he already knew. And she probably wouldn’t say anything with everything crazy for him. And even a week ago, he likely would have agreed. But now, he found himself hoping that she would say something.

He would have said something himself, but he still worried that maybe she saw him differently now. And he didn’t want her saying yes to him out of some sense of guilt or obligation.

“Dude! Do you even hear yourself?” Nino had shouted when Adrien shared his thoughts.

“Thank you!” Plagg exclaimed.

“It’s not fair that there’s two of you ganging up on me,” Adrien whined.

“She’s been crazy about you since forever!”

“As I’ve always told you!” Plagg added. “You just never listened.”

“Yeah, yeah yeah,” Adrien waved dismissively.

He still thought it should be her choice. He wasn’t going to push it by asking her out before she was comfortable.

“She literally visits you every day!” Nino continued to rant. “You don’t do that for someone you don’t care about.”

“I’m not doubting that she cares about me! I’m doubting that she’s still in love with me.”

Nino threw his hands up in frustration. “That’s you doubting yourself, dude. Trust me when I say her feelings for you have only gotten deeper.”

Adrien wanted to argue, but he knew that Nino was likely right. Marinette did visit him every day. Sometimes, she came in through the front door with Alya in tow, and the four of them would hang out in Nino��s room for the evening watching movies and throwing popcorn at one another.

But more often she swung into the room as Ladybug just after school was out before Nino had managed to get home. She in general, had a knack for showing up whenever Nino couldn’t be there. He wondered if they were tag teaming, or if Marinette just wanted to be alone with him sometimes and was using her knowledge of Alya’s dating schedule to her advantage.

They didn’t do much. Sometimes, they barely even said anything. But he was so glad that she was there, offering him snuggles and company.

About a week after his father’s trial had started, she had offered him the use of the snake miraculous again.

He took one look at it and shook his head. “No.”

She frowned. “But why? Won’t it put space between you and all that’s happened?”

“It could do that, yes. But it will take me just as long, and none of you will remember it.”

Her face softened in understanding.

“I already have too many memories that no one else shares. And besides, a big part of why I used it before was I was afraid I was going to be akumatized if I wasn’t okay.” Then he shrugged. “And I don’t have to worry about akumitization anymore. I’m actually allowed to have bad days now.”

“Wouldn’t you rather have good days?”

“It’s kinda luxurious to have bad days actually,” he told her, his lips upturned into a smirk. “It’s real. It’s me. I don’t have to pretend. It’s freeing.”

Her arms had wrapped around his shoulders then. “I’m really really glad you don’t have to pretend anymore, Chaton.”

He loved it when she called him that. Especially when he wasn’t transformed. It just held so much affection it made him physically feel warm.

He shook his head at himself. Nino was definitely right. She definitely still loved him. But when would she say something? He hoped it was soon.

He climbed up to the top of the new bunk bed that took up a huge corner of Nino’s room.

“It’s your room, too, dude! You have to stop referring to it as mine.”

Adrien rolled his eyes. It would always be Nino’s room in Adrien’s head. Adrien liked thinking of it as Nino’s room. He had always enjoyed being in Nino’s room, had always felt accepted, safe, and free in Nino’s room. Whereas, Adrien’s room had always felt like a cage. A really lavished, well funded, and fun cage. But still a cage.

Adrien glances around the room. It was definitely a lot more cluttered now with Adrien’s clothes, and some of his things - mostly just games and anime that he thought Nino would enjoy. He didn’t bring everything. Not only was there no room, but also Adrien wasn’t all that attached to the things that he had collected over the years.

Nino had wanted to bring the foosball table. His parents had vetoed him. Nino would still occasionally grumble about it, insisting that the game table could have doubled as a desk if they put a board over it, which always made Adrien smile fondly though he very much agreed with Nino’s parents.

All in all, Adrien loved the new set up, and coveted how much time he got to spend with his best bro. He was even becoming more comfortable with Noël and Nino’s parents, though he often worried he might be intruding.

Nino kept insisting he wasn’t.

Breakfast was often a quiet sleepy affair, punctuated by yawns and snuggles. Naima made a point of including Adrien in these rituals. And Adrien wasn’t sure if she was doing this from a place of genuine affection or a desire to make sure he felt included. Adrien was grateful either way even if he suspected he was stiff and awkward in his foster mother’s hug. But he definitely didn’t want her to stop.

Dinners were an entirely different affair. They were loud and chaotic, and at least once a week they included Nino’s aunts, uncles, and his cousins. Adrien was definitely overwhelmed. He was accustomed to eating the vast majority of his meals alone in a huge empty dining room with vaulted ceilings.

Now, the ceiling was low, and there were so many people that every nook and corner was occupied. The chatter was constant and loud, and the smells. There were so many unfamiliar foods and spices Adrien had never experienced before.

Needless to say, it was a lot and Adrien had a lot of practice at playing as eye candy or as a wallflower during his father’s parties. But here, Emir kept pulling him in, thrusting more food into his hands or pulling him into some game with Nino’s cousins when Nino himself wasn’t there.

He had never once felt so welcomed.

Nino had caught him in tears after one such evening with the extended Lahiffe family.

“Mec, what’s wrong?”

Adrien shook his head rapidly. “Nothing! I’m happy!” Adrien insisted.

“Could’ve fooled me, dude,” Nino said, taking a seat beside him.

“Your family is so kind, Nino,” Adrien confessed. “I love them all so much even though I can barely keep track of their names! And no one cares, no one gets upset. They all go out of their way to include me! The son of Paris’s supervillain!”

“You’re not your father, dude!”

“I know! I know!” Adrien conceded. “But they don’t know me. Not really. And they’re all so nice. I’m afraid I’m going to do something wrong, and this will all just vanish. Like, it’s too good.”

“But they do know you by proxy.”

Adrien frowned, turning to Nino with furrowed brows. “What do you mean?”

“Dude! I’ve never really told you this, but… I was kind’ve a shut-in before we met.”

“What?!” Adrien repeated, unable to picture it.

“I didn’t really have friends. I mean, people were friendly to me and I was, too. But…” Nino shrugged. “I just never felt like I fit anywhere. I preferred to spend my lunch break listening to my tunes, you know?”

Adrien did not know any of this.

“So, why did you offer to be my friend that first day?” Adrien asked.

Nino snorted. “You said Chloé was your only friend. And I’ve seen the way she treats Sabrina, dude. Not to mention Marinette and Kim. And I thought you deserved to know what a good friend could be like.”

Adrien was crying again.

Nino kept talking. “And with you, I don’t know. It was easy. You were always so straightforward and genuine. You were always so thankful, and it felt good. Like, you needed me. Being your friend never felt like a chore. I never preferred music over us hanging out. And I never felt like I didn’t belong like I did so many other times I tried to make friends.”

“This is all great, and I’m glad that you told me, but what does it have to do with your family?”

Nino glanced away. “Well, like I said, before I befriended you I kept completely to myself. That was true here, too. I was always quiet and in the corner and the other’s would try, but I ignored them.”

“Why?” Adrien asked.

Nino shrugged. “I don’t know. I was an emo kid or something. But after you became my friend, I realized that I liked it and that maybe I wanted that with other people, too. It’s how I was able to become close with some of my cousins and with Alya. It was because of your example.”

“Really?”

“Really! And when I first started opening up, you were the only thing that I ever talked about.” He caught Adrien’s gaze and held it. “Everyone in this family knows who you are. And I don’t mean that in some celebrity sense. They know who you are to me. You never had to prove yourself to them. You still don’t. They already love you.”

Adrien slammed his arms around Nino. They almost fell over, but Nino was able to stabilize them both.

“Dude!” Nino objected.

“I’m not sorry,” Adrien murmured. Nino squeezed him harder.

Adrien didn’t immediately stop feeling like an intruder at Lahiffe family events, and he occasionally still worried that he was a burden for Naima and Emir, especially when his foster parents were hounded by paparazzi wanting to know about Adrien.

“Someday, you’re going to realize you’re part of this family,” Nino had told him. “It’s not something you have to earn or deserve. Family just is!”

And Adrien wanted that to be true. He wanted it so bad.

A few days later, Noël started pranking him. And the first time Adrien had tried to play it off. He understood that Noël might feel threatened by Adrien’s presence. Adrien who was suddenly stealing his older brother’s and parents’ attention.

Noël had tricked him into throwing a pie into his own face. It was a quite clever setup, and Adrien really should have seen it coming. He had burst out laughing after the fact, licking the cream off his lips. But when he came out of a shower with his hair dyed green, Adrien was far less amused, nevermind that it was temporary. But when Adrien woke up with his face covered in sticky thick maple syrup, he was completely livid.

The younger boy lost it in a fit of maniacal giggles.

“Noël!” Adrien shrieked in genuine anger. Noël’s laughter dissipated like it never was, and took off running. Adrien bolted out of bed and chased after him downstairs, through the living area, and into the kitchen.

Only when he spotted Emir and Naima watching, did Adrien halt on the spot, while Noël kept on running in a wide loop around him and went pounding back up the stairs. “I’m s-sorry!” Adrien stammered, his head hung in shame. How had he forgotten so quickly that he was a guest in this house.

“Whatever for, dear?” Naima had asked with an amused smile, soaking a dish towel in the sink and holding it out to Adrien.

“Umm… for chasing Noël?”

Emir chuckled. “Based on the state of your face, Adrien, it looks like Noël might’ve deserved it.”

“You’re not mad?” Adrien said, genuinely confused, taking the offered towel, and clearing is face of sticky residue.

“That depends on the state of your pillowcase. Noël Lahiffe get your butt back down in here!” Naima called. “But if it’s ruined, it’s not you I’m mad at,” she added drolly.

Noël came pounding back down the stairs and stood before his mother, his expression sullen and pouty.

“What have I told you about pranks?”

Noël hung his head. “That they have to be harmless.”

“And was it harmless?”

“Yes! I was going to add feathers, but Nino said he was allergic. So I didn’t do that.”

“Nino knew about this?” Adrien asked, shocked.

Noël nodded. “It was his idea!”

Adrien bolted from the room. “Nino!”

Emir and Naima's laughter echoed behind him.

Nino was laughing, but already on the fire escape, calling for his transformation. Adrien was only two seconds behind.

So now, Chat Noir was chasing after Carapace. It took him a block to catch Carapace in a tackle. They rolled together onto a roof.

Nino was still laughing hysterically.

“What the hell?” Adrien demanded.

Nino was still laughing. “Look! He wanted to prank you. That was his idea.”

“And you didn’t talk him out of it?”

Nino laughed. “No! Do you know how many times he’s pranked me?! He has a new target! I am not going to discourage that!”

Adrien was so confused. “You threw me under the bus?

“You’ve always said you wanted little siblings!” Nino defended.

“Yeah, and?” Adrien asked, still not following.

“Well, little siblings are often an absolute pain! And now, you’re getting the full experience.”

Adrien felt like he had been sucker punched. “He’s treating me like he treats you?” he breathed out.

“Yup!” Nino said, popping the “p” with a huge grin on his face.

Adrien was crying again. “I have a little brother,” he choked out, the revelation being real for the first time.

“You do,” Nino confirmed.

“He’s so annoying.”

Nino laughed. “Yeah, he is!”

“I love him.”

“Yeah, me too,” Nino said with an exasperated sigh.

When they went back, Adrien chased Noël again while the younger child shrieked in mock fear, but once Adrien caught him, he just seized Noël in a bear hug, gave him a sloppy wet kiss on the cheek-

“Ew! Gross!”

-and started tickling him relentlessly. He was rewarded with uncontrolled laughter.

Afterwards, Adrien went to Nino’s parents and gave them both a hug - the type of hug he usually reserved for Nino or Marinette, where he just let himself cling to the person holding him. In the past, he had always been stiff, afraid to need their comfort and love, in fear that it would be gone.

But now, he understood. He didn’t need to be afraid. “Thank you for accepting me not just into your home, but into your family,” Adrien said.

“We are honored and privileged to be your family, Adrien,” Emir said. “We hope you realize that you will be expected to come home and visit every holiday season even once you’re an adult, out on your own.”

Adrien had nodded vigorously, suddenly too choked up to form actual words. It might have taken him until he was sixteen, but Adrien had no doubt the Lahiffe’s would be his family for the rest of his life. And Noël was now his favorite.

“What?! Traitor!” Nino exclaimed.

Adrien laughed. His phone buzzed, and he glanced down to see a text from Marinette.

Princess: Meet me here in your suit as soon as you can.

Adrien read the text, and the accompanying map. It was the rooftop where most of their patrols started. They used it because it was out of the way without a lot of sight lines, so it was difficult for people to get pictures.

Me: Are you okay?

But she didn’t respond. He waited several seconds, his anxiety soaring. What could have happened that could be so urgent?

“You okay, mec?” Nino asked.

“I don’t know. Marinette wants me to meet up with her urgently.”

The concern melted off of Nino’s face, and Adrien tried not to be irritated.

“I’m going to head out,” Adrien said, gesturing to the window. “Cover for me?”

Nino shook his head. “You don’t have to sneak out dude. Just go downstairs and say you’re heading out to see Marinette.”

“But what if they say no?”

“They won’t,” Nino assured.

“How can you be so sure?”

Nino laughed. “Because I ask every few days to go meet Alya!”

Adrien headed down to the dining room and found Nino’s parents sitting next to one another sharing a dessert. It was rather cute.

“Uh… sorry to interrupt, but I was wondering if it was okay if I head out to see Marinette tonight?” Adrien asked.

Both of Nino’s parents smiled at one another.

“Be back by ten,” Emir said.

“And text us if anything comes up,” Naima added.

Adrien was so shocked at how nonchalant they both were about his leaving, he didn’t move for several minutes.

Nino burst out laughing. “Better get a move on, dude!” Nino said, clapping him on the back. “Don’t want to keep the princess waiting.”

Adrien didn’t need to be told twice.

…

Chat Noir ran through the city, some of his panic fading as he leapt from one rooftop to another. If she had actually been in trouble she wouldn’t have texted. She would have called or shown up, or something.

But he rushed anyway, eager to see her.

The scene he arrived at was completely different than he had anticipated.

There was a picnic blanket, with place settings for two complete with cutlery and wine glasses. Candles and rose petals were strewn everywhere, and music was playing - it sounded like one of Nino’s softer remixes.

But his lady was nowhere in sight.

“Hey, kitty cat.”

He whirled around and there she was, but she was transformed as Multimouse, and he found himself blushing.

“Cat got your tongue?” she prompted, with a teasing lily to her voice. Even her eyes sparkled with amusement.

He smiled brightly. “A mouse, actually.” Then he gestured to the setup. “What is all this?”

“It’s your purrfect first date.”

He grinned, and reached out for her hands. “Don’t you mean our purrfect first date?”

She nodded. “Oh, I hope so. But just so you know, this is only the beginning. The first course so to speak.”

“What else do you have planned?”

She shook her head. “Nope! You told me not to tell you!”

The statement stopped him. “Wh-what did you do?” he asked, though he already knew.

“I used the snake to interrogate you for information about creating the absolute perfect surprise.”

“How many loops?”

She glanced away. “It was a lot. I lost count.”

“Liar.” The snake didn’t let you lose count.

Her eyes whirled to his. “Are you seriously accusing me of lying on our first date?”

“You don’t have to tell me. I just wanted to know what kind of kiss I should hit you with right now.”

She smiled. “Oh, so I’m being graded on effort?”

He nodded. “Like under ten, you get a chaste kiss. One that is as sweet as you are.” And he kissed her exactly as he described.

“Mhmm,” she purred.

“But if it’s a few dozen, that deserves a little teasing.” He nipped at her lips.

“Uh huh,” she agreed, her eyes closed.

“A few hundred? And I might push my luck.” And this time he gently sucked on her lower lip, and her lips parted. He accepted the invitation enthusiastically.

They lost themselves in one another for several minutes before he finally pulled away.

She had her eyes closed and her smile was so pure and absolutely beautiful.

“So what’s the number, buginette?” he asked.

“4,734.”

He pulled away in surprise. “Marinette? Please tell me you weren’t that anxious about our first date. Because more than anything, I just want to spend time with you.”

She shook her head. “It wasn’t like that. I just… I had so much fun. You did too. And most of those, was just you telling me about all the loops that I didn’t remember.” And then she blushed. “Well, either that, or you, umm… demonstrating loops that I didn’t remember.”

He grinned. “So what you’re saying is that we made out a lot.”

Her blush deepened. “I also may have just wanted to know what it felt like.”

“And what did it feel like?” he asked softly.

She glanced down at her feet. “It was way harder than I thought it would be.”

“Why?” he asked, in genuine confusion.

“Because there were such amazing moments. Moments where I felt like I was flying and you were so happy.” She looked up at him then. “Happier than I’ve seen you since…” she trailed off glancing at him.

He squeezed her hands reassuringly. “You can say it.”

She smiled. “The happiest I’ve seen you since Hawkmoth was taken in. And well, I wanted you to remember them,” she whispered. “And when I said as much, you would just smile so big and then reset it.”

He laughed. He couldn’t help it. And pulled her into his chest. “I’m glad you got the full experience, then. You would not believe how many times you did that to me.”

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “For ever putting you through all that.”

“What do you mean?”

“You knew all the secrets. You figured everything out. And instead of us shouldering that burden together, I let you carry it alone.”

He smiled gently, and cradled the side of her face against his palm.

“I wasn’t alone.”

“Weren’t you?” she asked, her eyes turning glassy.

He shook his head. “No, I had you. Even if you didn’t remember, I had you. I promise you were there for me the entire time.”

“Even once you gave it to Nino?”

He laughed. “I know you won’t believe it, but you still were. Everytime you stumbled over your words, every time you blushed. I knew that you loved me. And most of the time that was enough.”

“And when it wasn’t?”

“I went crying or ranting to Nino.”

She laughed. “I’m glad he’s been there for you, too.”

“Nino’s awesome, but I don’t want to talk about him right now.”

She grinned, and nestled against his chest. “I’m really proud of you, Chaton. And I hope… I hope we never have to keep those kinds of secrets from one another again.”

“Are there some kinds of secrets you want to keep?” he asked, slightly appalled at even the idea of secrets between them.

She grinned playfully. “Well, of course!”

“What?!”

“My boyfriend apparently likes over the top surprises!”

All the tension bled out of his form and he smiled back at her. Her boyfriend. He was her boyfriend. He would never get sick of that word on her tongue.

“I love you so much, Marinette.”

“I love you, too.”

She kissed him again, and again. And he didn’t even need to go on a date. He was already flying, ecstatic and giddy beyond belief with her finally in his arms without any substantial secrets between them.

“Adrien?” she whispered against his lips.

“Yeah?” he breathed.

“Can we talk about how much time you spent in your time loops?”

He pulled away. “We can if you want.”

“Sass said you had developed more than a year’s worth of memories.”

He rubbed the back of the neck. “Yeah, I was there,” he squeaked out in embarrassment. “That seems like it could be right. Look, you told me to abuse it, and I abused it like crazy. But… when I realized I was getting addicted - getting to the point where I wasn’t sure I would be able to pull myself out of a loop, I gave it to Nino.”

She shook her head. “I’m not mad at you, kitty. I’m worried about what your life has been like, and how much I’ve missed that you needed that much of an escape.”

He eased her hand up to his mouth before depositing a gentle kiss. “I’m okay, now, m’lady.”

“I just hate that…”

He put a finger on her lips before she could spiral into guilt. “It was worth it to get to this moment. Now, shall we go have the most overplanned perfect first date that ever was?”

She nodded. “Please.”

It was the best first date ever, but more than that, it was the first of many to come.

...

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themaribatpit · 3 years

Text

Jasonette July Day 3: Grave

Written by: The Maribat Pit @jasonette-july-event

Prompt: Grave (EDIT : trying to make it look consistent)

Rated: T

Side note: Tikki and Plagg being the ones who created the Lazarus pits is my favourite bit of Maribat crossover lore.

Marinette had only known Jason for about a year, ever since that day he commissioned her for a new suit and leather jacket design. She had seen news reports about the Red Hood, but she had never seen him in person ever since she came to Gotham. That was until he visited her just as she was getting ready to close up shop. Marinette needed to know why her mysterious client was asking her to work with a great big bolt of Kevlar. It seemed like a challenging task for the young boutique owner. It wasn’t necessarily being used for nefarious purposes. He was a crimefighter, one of many that tried to keep Gotham safe. Tikki felt like there was something strange about him, but she couldn’t quite put their finger on why.

She didn’t think she’d ever see him again, until one night when there was a loud banging on the boutique door. Marinette was about to say something about people having no manners when she saw a redhead in a red suit and a green cap…with someone’s arm slung over his shoulder. Marinette rushed to the front door to find the Red Hood, with his helmet cracked to reveal a part of his face. She could make out some matted dark hair and a red domino mask around his eye. “Please, do you think he can lay low in here for a while? At least until we can get him fixed up,” the redhead asked, “we can’t take him to the hospital”. Marinette looked around before hurrying them inside.

She got to know more about Jason, the person behind the red mask. There’s only so much you can hide from a person after they end up cleaning and stitching your wounds in their apartment. He told her that he slept on the streets of Gotham before being taken in by Batman when he was 13. He told her that, when he was 15, he went on a journey to find his birth mother and he was never the same since. Jason would say that the old him died that day. Marinette assumed he meant that he was so drastically changed by the experience, that he was unrecognizable from his old self. Still, she got to know the person he was in that moment, and that was what mattered. The two became close and started dating shortly after, and Marinette told him that she had been a superhero since she was 13. Marinette remembered seeing a worried look on his face, before assuring him that she was up against very different villains from what he was used to in Gotham. Marinette wondered if he was worried that she could have ended up like him?

Marinette knew that there was a roguish charm to him, possibly a remnant of the young boy he described from his past. She would occasionally help him as Ladybug, and he became impressed with her quick thinking in a fight. Marinette told him about the time she got a rocket launcher as a lucky charm and discarded it because she only needed the targeting laser. She was certain that she saw a tear in his eye at that moment. Marinette also knew he was someone who cared about those close to him, a group of people who now included her. She got the chance to meet the rest of his adopted family, that is when he wasn’t at odds with them. Dick reminded her far too much of Chat Noir, Damian was a lot colder and more standoffish, Tim told her he’s like that with everyone. Though he wouldn’t admit it, Marinette knew Jason would put his life on the line for his adopted brothers. She came to know Roy as the more optimistic of their dynamic duo, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t battling demons of his own. As the year went on, Marinette went from being unsure about him, to feeling safe and warm with him by her side. Even Tikki came to see that whoever this person was, he made their Guardian happy, and that was what mattered most.

Today, however, Marinette had been worried sick. Jason had left for a mission in a rush, barely able to say goodbye. That was days ago, he had not answered any of her messages or her calls. She paced around the apartment in a panic, “why isn’t he answering? Is he hurt? Captured? Worse yet…dead?” She slapped her cheeks, trying to snap out of it.

“Jason’s strong, he can handle it. If he’s in trouble, I’m sure Dick or Tim would help him. If he’s really in trouble, Bruce would certainly help him,” Tikki assured her as Marinette paced around the room.

Marinette decided to take a trip to Wayne Manor, having some of Alfred’s baking would calm them both and she could ask him about Jason’s whereabouts. Ladybug sets off to Wayne Manor, changing back before she arrives at the front gate. When she arrives in the kitchen, she is greeted by Alfred wearing an apron. "Welcome Miss Dupain-Cheng, you're just in time. I'm doing the finishing touches on the ginger biscuits. Why don't you take a seat while they cool?"

Marinette smiles at Alfred, she could smell the biscuits from the front door. "Thanks, Alfred, I came to ask about Jason. I haven’t heard from him in a while,” she asked.

Alfred scratched his chin, "Master Todd? It would be best to ask Master Bruce then if it's related to work. He is currently asleep and should wake up in an hour or two"

“Thanks, Alfred, mind if I have a few biscuits to go then? I'd like to have a walk in the gardens, " she asked.

Alfred nodded and handed the biscuits to her in a paper bag.

Marinette took a stroll around Wayne Manor, walking past Damian drawing something, whilst a large dog was curled around him. She came across the private Wayne cemetery at the very edge of the estate. She was drawn in by the Gothic architecture and design of the area. Curious about the history of the Wayne family, she tentatively wandered into the graveyard. She saw the graves of Thomas and Martha Wayne. Everyone knew the story of how Bruce watched in horror as they were killed in Crime Alley.

She froze in shock as she saw one grave in particular, tears began forming in her eyes. “Here Lies Jason Peter Todd: Gone But Not Forgotten” in large bold letters. She felt her heart breaking, many questions raced through her mind. How did he die? Why didn’t anyone tell her? Did no one at least think to invite her to the funeral? She was too stunned to move, Tikki floated down to take a close look. Before she could utterly break down in tears, she heard a voice behind her.

“Hey, Pixie Pop” Marinette whipped around to see Jason standing before her. He was casually eating a chilli dog, acting as if standing in front of his gravestone was the most natural thing in the world. Marinette didn’t know if she should feel happy, distraught or furious. At first, she slammed into him, hugging him tightly. “Hey, Pixie, did you miss me that much?” He was about to return her hug, and maybe finish eating the chilli dog over her shoulder, when she softly pounded her fists into his chest.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” She asked, her fists punctuating her words, Jason was trying to make sense of what she meant. He had told her that he had died before, or at least tried to. Even he didn’t like to talk about it, the events leading up to it and how he was brought back. Eventually, she stopped, and just curled into him with tears streaming down her face. Right now, the last thing she needed was dumb jokes as he held her close to him.

“I’m sorry, I” Jason tried to explain, only to be interrupted by Tikki.

“Marinette,” Tikki called, Marinette looked back at the gravestone to see the date written on the tombstone. The year was 7 years ago when Jason was around 15.

She turned back to Jason “so when you said that your old self died…”, Tikki finally realised why she always felt there was something strange about him. The Lazarus pits, the result of a wish that she and Plagg were forced to grant long ago. Tikki could sense her magic on him, and a faint hint of Plagg’s magic that would consume him if left unchecked. In the time he’d known Marinette, he had managed to keep it under control, for her sake.

“So what happened? These last few days I mean,” she asked as she pulled away, wiping her tears on her sleeves before crossing her arms.

“I was gonna call you, Roy and I were in Paris fighting killer mimes when one of them fried my phone,” he explained. “I tried to get you something to eat from your parents’ bakery on the last day we were there, your parents said ‘hi’ by the way”, he told her.

“Then what happened?” she asked, he wasn’t holding any paper bags or boxes with their logo on them.

“Roy ate them all is what happened, right after his little talk with Killer Croc,” he told her.

“So why didn’t you just drop by for a visit when you came back?” she asked.

“We tried to, but Roy was craving chilli dogs and I was just ready to crash,” he replied. The look on Marinette’s face told him that if he didn’t do something, he might be back in that grave a lot sooner than he thought. “Look, I’ll make it up to you, starting with taking you to that little craft store you love…” he suggested, the corner of her mouth pulled into a slight smile. “I’ll buy you as much silk, satin and tulle as you want. Paid for with money we got from kicking killer mime ass”, he promised.

“You mean I’ll get a chance to sew something that isn’t Kevlar, leather or your flesh? Who are you and what have you done with the real Jason?” She asked jokingly. As the two of them walked away, Jason wrapped his arm around her. He glanced back at his tombstone, that boy had been gone for quite some time now. Right now, he was just trying to be a better man.

#jasonettejuly2021 #jasonette #maribat

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lupsss1412 · 3 years

Text

The Liar’s Sin Chap. 7

I am sorry for posting this so late!! Please forgibe me but college and personal life got in the way. I am still recuperating from the coronavirus sos my updates might be slow but I will give you a special for new year or christmas or if I manage it, both!!!

Without further notices this is the next capter!!

Remember it was inspired by @sayuricorner‘s promt HERE

Chap.1 Chap.2 Chap.3 Chap.4 Chap.5 Chap.6 Chap.8

Specials

HALLOWEEN

MASTERLIST

Link to Ao3

I hope you all enjoy this chapter!! It’s almost 5 AM here so...I gotta sleep guys...

Breath in, breath out

It was a beautiful morning in the city of love.

Birds were chirping and soaring through the blue sky, white fluffy looking clouds traveling slowly and providing spots of shadows for the people on the streets. Leaves falling from the trees filling the streets with their red, orange, and yellow colors. The soft breeze leaving a rosy tint on the Parisians cheeks as the temperatures kept lowering due to the change of seasons.

However, it was a strange occurrence for the people in Paris.

The last few days had been normal for them. Not a single thing seemed out of place.

It was…

Peaceful.

That was how the people around Paris felt. Everyone had been enjoying the time off that Hawkmoth decided to take. No alerts were made, no one had seen a glimpse of an Akuma for days and it certainly was a much-needed breather.

People were walking down the street, children were playing in the park, teens were walking down, a skip on their step that was way too obvious.

Gabriel Agreste observed their goings from his window, it was something refreshing as he was making preparations for his new Akuma the worst nightmare for Ladybug. With help from Nathalie, he didn’t have any doubts about how destructive and horrible his creation could be.

His piece of resistance, all he had to do was be patient for everyone to let down their guards and believe in the false sense of security their absence could cause. He smiled thinking about what he could do, the last time he almost akumatized the girl it had proven to be something quite difficult.

But this time he was sure, he wasn’t just going to attack her using Lila Rossi, he would do anything to make her righteous fury come out along with the rest of her friends at her school.

“You called for me sir?” Nathalie asked, streaming through her tablet into Monsieur Agreste’s own

“I believe it is indeed time for us to try and Akumatize again mademoiselle Marinette Dupain-Cheng” Gabriel Agreste spoke, his voice deep and eager “make sure the plan is going accordingly Nathalie”

“As you wish sir” Nathalie answered, for the first time since the girl won the competition of Mr. Agreste she dabbed into her profile and found out as much as she could about Marinette. Noticing that the record of Lila Rossi accusing her of theft and serious bodily harm was gone from the archive.

Nathalie frowned reading the rest of the archive.

It seemed that Lila Rossi had not heeded the warning of monsieur Agreste and went to attack the poor girl again.

That in itself could be a problem, or maybe they could just wait and let the little Liar do all of the dirty work for them if they just sat and observed. She had to report this to Gabriel and hope that he would see the opportunity that Lila had left them.

With that in mind, she smiled and starting organizing the files.

Ignoring the new alert that concerned Paris’ police force.

The disappearance of Marinette Dupain-Cheng and the alert that the police had placed for Gabriel Agreste’s son, as he was declared as one of the last people she had been seen with.

_______________________________________________________________

Marinette sighed for the hundredth time, before letting her head fall with a painful thud on her notebook.

“Are you alright?” Tikki asked, concerned for her holder, and received a huff in response “you should take a break”

Marinette groaned in protest; she had been trying to draw but her nerves were getting ahead of her. She usually tended to overcome her artist’s block doing other things, like walking around Pari’s streets to find inspiration for her designs. But now, she was blank.

Zilch.

Zero.

Nien.

Nothing.

Nada.

She had drawn some basic sketches as guides. Each one acting as a reference to each habitant of the Hotel. So far, she had managed to list out things she thought they probably would like and how their personalities could blend in with the styles she had listed. It all depended on how people were the most comfortable, she had found out that special tip when designing her clothes.

If you like what you’re wearing, and feel confident in it, the style can work and you can make it your own. But you also have to selective of the clothes you decide to wear, they must favor your figure so you can stand out in every single way.

So far, her thoughts had been filled with memories, of when she had been with all of her classmates and how it all had improved for her at the start of the year. She had felt so confident, so amazing and so strong. It was hard to believe she was again feeling so down and like a nobody.

Like as if she was nothing.

“I think it’s time for a break” Tikki interrupted her thoughts, making her glance at the small goddess “You need it, and a change of scenery could probably help you”

Marinette glanced at the notes and pieces of fabric she had on the board.

The studio was big, and there were so many high-quality fabrics she felt in heaven when coming inside. Charlie had argued that it was all for her, as her mother Lilith had claimed to no longer need those fabrics and that they were for Marinette’s private use.

At first, she had thrown herself and drew out as many ideas as she could. But after the first hour, she had stopped altogether.

All inspiration had left her and her enthusiasm had died. Her traitorous mind making her remember how she was in another plane of existence.

Away from the people she loved.

Away from the city, she had vowed to protect.

All of them being left behind because of Lila’s schemes.

She growled, her fists clenching and her lips formed a thin line.

Oh, how much she wanted to just be able to do something to take off that anger and frustration out. She had tried for hours to take those feelings into a design, any drawing but she just, couldn’t. It wasn’t enough and the stress was starting to get to her. Especially since she didn’t know how to change her situation and was told just to stay put in the hotel.

She couldn’t do anything and she was getting tired of it.

So, instead, she had decided to get to work immediately, trying to find a way to show her appreciation in the form of clothing for all of them. It would help her focus on the brighter side of things.

The people that were now caring for her, even if they were not friends, she had seen how they worried about her. Which she wanted to thank in any way she could.

Still, when looking again at her designs she was disappointed, it was something blocking her creativity as she often wore her heart on her sleeve.

“I guess you’re right” Marinette conceded, before getting up and closing her notebook, “I think it could help”

She smiled sweetly at the small goddess who returned the smile.

With that exchange, the small goddess smiled and hugged her holder’s cheek offering her support. Marinette walked out of the studio, a key in her hand. She took one last glance at it and felt the need to go and thank the crew of the hotel for all they had done for her, especially the princess. It was almost too good to be true for them to let her have a personal studio for her own.

With that in mind, she sighed. As much as she would love to stay there all day, it wasn’t healthy, Tikki was right. Maybe she needed fresh air. She closed the door behind her and locked it.

A growl coming from her stomach made her think about grabbing a snack if possible, as she knew it was almost time for lunch.

________________________________________________________________

“Hold up, just…hold up” Adrien muttered while pinching the bridge of his nose, Plagg still trying to get to his camembert “What did you just say? Because I must have heard wrong…”

Plagg groaned and turned to see the haunted look on Adrien’s face.

He looked lost, his pupils were dilatated and he was starting to take shorter breaths. His shoulders were shaking as he processed what Plagg had just said. His smile was tight and almost looked like one of the few he used near the little liar.

“What you heard kid” Plagg explained, trying to look as normal as he could “Ladybug isn’t going to be able to help, not after…she heard what happened to pigtails”

Adrien blinked in the direction of Plagg, his face devoid of any emotion. His body shaking as he started to laugh, covering with one of his hands his eyes, the other covering his stomach as if he had just heard the funniest joke on the planet.

He rationalized, with a part of his mind, that the small god was joking. That he was just trying to make him react. Just one of his silly jokes. Even if in the back of his mind a little voice reminded him that it wasn’t true. That Plagg would never joke about something so serious.

But it had to be, because if Plagg was telling the truth…

It would mean he was alone.

Alone, protecting Paris.

Alone, to fight against Hawkmoth.

With thousands, no, MILLIONS of people depending on him.

No Ladybug to clean up the mess.

No Ladybug to call in for help.

“It’s a joke, right?” Adrien laughed, falling into his sofa, his haunted gaze on Plagg “Please…please Plagg tell me you’re joking”

Plagg shook his head, unable to vocalize his answer. The desperation in the voice of his holder making his heart ache and his stomach twisting painfully. He knew Adrien wasn’t going to like the answer, but it seemed that he was just a ticking bomb.

“I’m sorry kid,” Plagg said, his head low and floating just in front of his holder “but ladybug had no other choice…”

Adrien growled, his hands becoming fists and running to grab the first thing he could reach before throwing it as hard as he could.

“So, she just left!?” Adrien screamed, his voice full of rage and fear “Left me alone because she just could, and left me behind to deal with this mess? What? Got a case of cold feet and left because she was scared?!”

Plagg was now getting mad, Adrien was doing what usually humans and most teenagers do. Blame others for their circumstances. He wasn’t stopping once to listen, it all seemed too much for him and he was searching for something or someone to blame just to make him feel better.

“She didn’t have an option!” Plagg screamed, finally growing frustrated by the little pity fest “When your friend was thrown to hell, she had to do something! The balance has to be maintained!”

Plagg groaned, knowing he had said too much in his haste for Adrien to stop talking.

“What are you talking about?” Adrien whispered “the…balance?”

Plagg sighed and motioned for Adrien to sit down on the couch, floating he turned to his holder.

“the miraculous not only are magical jewels” Plagg explained, Adrien nodded as he barely had this information because he was not the new guardian “we are the balance, but I am also a physical form of the aspects I represent as well as Tikki. We, in essence, are magic and as such we are tied to the balance of the world”

Adrien blinked once, taking all the information in.

“I am destruction and bad luck,” Plagg said, “and Tikki is my counterpart in every sense of the word as you have witnessed when the whole Refleckta rematch happened. What you must understand is that there has to be a balance to maintain. No matter what, when one of the miraculous is wielded, the other must be too…and never used for evil”

Adrien opened his mouth to speak and Plagg shook his head.

“You all are creatures of limited time, you follow a path,” Plagg explained “you grow, you live, you dream. Everything that makes humans unique is also what makes them vulnerable. But you have the option to choose who and what you want to be”

Adrien nodded, for once remembering the words of his father in his mind. For his actions had consequences, in more ways than one.

“As you are, every single one of you manages to keep the balance, even if it is never perfect” Plagg explained “Now you humans are moved using a form of energy, and a soul that gives you life. As you know energy nor matter can’t be destroyed…”

“Only transformed…” Adrien spoke, his voice a bit more than a whisper.

Plagg nodded, trying to think of a way to explain the absence of Marinette without giving away that she was also Ladybug.

“Now, when you die, your soul …” Plagg explained “Imagine it as a trip, one where you end somewhere to pay for your sins or to receive your rewards. That also marks the end of a phase and the beginning of another, further than that it could be reincarnation or obliteration. A cycle that shouldn’t be broken…but it was broken by someone alive being sent to hell”

Adrien widened his eyes, looking at Plagg as realization slowly caved in.

“Everyone has a time, some earlier than others” Plagg explained, shrugging a bit like in a form to say that you can’t really stop it “But Marinette was ripped from her plane of existence and dragged into another. It’s like the butterfly effect. One small thing tips another, then another, until you have a freaking tsunami at your doorstep…”

Adrien’s eyes were wide as the reality of the problem hit him in the face.

“Tikki and Ladybug are in charge of the good luck” Plagg explains, “they are the most powerful ones besides us, but this time Marinette was abducted using “dark” magic so we need to use “white” magic to bring her back. They have to be the ones that will bring Marinette back, but that also entails the balance is already tipped, and with Hawkmoth creating havoc …it will make it worse”

“What…will happen?” Adrien asked “Like, Marinette leaving tipped off the balance, right? Then that means Ladybug has to correct it since it was created by malice and with something evil…”

Plagg looked at his holder, trying to deliver the news as softly as he could.

“It will get worse” Plagg explained, “the more time Marinette spends there, the worse the consequences will be…as it is, bad luck is already knocking at your door…”

Adrien nodded; his head filled with this new information as he tried to start his early routine for the morning. Plagg didn’t make any other comments until Adrien once again talked to him. It was a lot to take in after all.

“What could happen if…Marinette doesn’t return? “Adrien asked, his head filled with worry and voice breaking “Will Ladybug be able to help her?

Plagg smiled and floated in front of Adrien.

“Kid, we’re talking about your lady” Plagg reassured him “I am sure they all will find a way to fix this. Meanwhile, we gotta make sure nothing happens to Paris, Ladybug trusts you. I know you can do this…”

Adrien smiled and raised his fist towards Plagg who bumped it softly.

“Thanks, Plagg” Adrien smiled, before grabbing his things and letting the small god hide in his clothes.

_______________________________________________________________

“Hey!” Blitzo groaned as Moxxie took away his piece of the sandwich “I was eating that!”

Moxxie shook his head and shoved the sandwich back into the basket Charlie gave them. He turned to his boss once again seeing how he just was looking all around without much care in the world.

“Sir!” Moxxie exclaimed as he watched Blitzo examine his nails “We are supposed to be in the watch. You know, doing our job!”

Blitzo reacted by sending a raspberry in Moxxie’s direction as he raised his middle fingers. Which Moxxie shrieked in offense before he started going after their boss, who just went around the corner laughing at him.

“Come on Moxxie!” Millie pulled her husband to her side “It’s not that bad, besides the enchantments are way too powerful to be so easily broken. We just gotta make sure no one else can even try to get close to the Hotel!”

Moxxie groaned and looked at his boss who was, once again munching on a sandwich.

“Yeah, Moxxie” Blitzo complained, his mouth full of food barely chewed before he swallowed it “relax, this is a job we can do with our eyes closed!”

Moxxie groaned and Millie giggled as she listened to her husband started arguing with their boss. Loona was sleeping as she didn’t really like to sleep at night, much less busy with her phone. This meant that while Loona was making watch they all would be eating and resting a bit. The princess and her girlfriend had arranged a schedule and managed to find a middle ground.

As safe as it was with the shields around the hotel, it was never too much to have an extra pair of eyes to watch over the human.

She started scouting the corners, they were almost in the outskirts of the city so there weren’t many places someone could hide. Still, they wanted for Marinette to be her most comfortable, and since this was hell, we’re talking about…

Paparazzi, Reporters, investigators, and demons who didn’t really care about the safety of others if it sells, they would do anything to get the story.

After all, this is hell.

This meant that they had to make sure to scare off anyone inside the hotel, near the hotel, or even in the grounds surrounding the hotel.

She shrugged hearing her husband and boss argue about when the refreshments should be eaten and hearing the pop of a can opening, and her boss’ slurping. It all seemed pretty normal.

She turned around, hoping to get closer so she could when a light caught her eye. She stayed still, her tail swishing back and forth, focused on any movement or shift.

Her concentration was broken by a crash and Blitzo’s screams of rage.

She quickly ran to where the noise was coming from, forgetting to check for that small glint she had caught a glimpse of.

Not aware of a paparazzo hiding on the roof of the building near the hotel.

“This is going straight to the news!” the small demon cheered “I’ll be rich!”

The small demon laughed as he looked at the photos he had taken, one of them being of the whole IMP gang, on the stairs of the hotel, talking to the princess.

________________________________________________________________

“GIVE ME BACK THAT YOU MOTHERFUCKER!”

That was not what Marinette had been expecting to hear when coming down to the lobby, nor hear as she walked downstairs.

A crash soon followed and she ran the last steps to see what was causing such a commotion.

What she found, almost made her believe she was trapped in a TV show, or maybe a cartoon. One with a lot of swearing, maybe another version of Deadpool’s movie would be more accurate. Only that without all of that blood splashing around and the insinuations and adult jokes…well she wasn’t so sure about that.

Charlie was trying to calm everyone down, Husk, especially since Blitzo had just stolen his bottle of cheap booze and was currently drinking it without a care in the world. Niffty was cleaning as she complained about the mess they had created while on the other side of the room Vaggie was being held by Millie and Moxxie the spear in her hand.

Alastor however seemed too far entertained and delighted by the chaos around the hotel. She could notice it by how his smile seemed to be a little bit sharper but not with any malicious glint. From the corner of her eyes, she could see a pinkish blur moving.

Just to turn and see Angel Dust walking up to her.

“Quite the spectacle, aren’t they?” Angel asked coming beside the staircase where Marinette had barely stopped, extending one of his secondary hands towards her “Not what you were expecting?”

Marinette nodded and took Angel’s hand, slowly descending the stairs until she reached the floor. Her gaze was on the spider noticing how he seemed to be comfortable using a different outfit from his usual one, the high waist shorts and white shirt with puffed sleeves making his fur glow and his figure stand out. She could appreciate now his long legs on those boots he never took off, his appearance sexy but still stylish.

“Not really” she spoke, Tikki floating on her left “but it’s quite the sight”

Angel chuckled and smiled, turning again to where the demons were. Both of them chucking seeing the group of demons bickering and shouting at each other. The situation getting out of control quickly but nothing dangerous just like watching a bunch of children wine and scream.

“At least you won’t get bored” Angel spoke, amusement evident in his voice “not for a long while I believe”

Marinette nodded and then a growl interrupted their conversation, Angel smiled looking at her all smug. She knew she was blushing as she had recognized the sound coming from her stomach. Sheepishly she tried to cover it by glancing another way.

“Hungry already toots?” he teased her “it’s barely noon sweetie, you should really take into account what you eat, wouldn’t want our dear ladybug getting chubby”

Marinette gasped and shoved him laughing, she stuck her tongue out and pouted. Making Angel laugh louder, as they both walked side by side to the kitchen.

“I’m at least doing something; designing is hard work I’ll have you know” she countered back “what have you been doing all day?”

Angel smiled and made a pose as if he was modeling before pirouetting, and fluttering his eyelashes. He turned to see Marinette who was biting her lip in an attempt not to burst out laughing and making all the attention turn to them. In the back of her mind alerts were already ringing as she felt someone’s gaze on her back.

“Darling looking like me is a full-time job” he exclaimed in an obnoxious voice sugar coating the words “my beauty sleep is crucial for maintaining me looking flawless!”

“That’s a job?” Marinette taunted “I thought it was just something you were good at naturally, like that attitude of yours”

That small compliment and jive made Angel do a double-take. Marinette was smiling at the tall spider who was making a perfect personification of a fish out of water. A giggle escaped Marinette, and she had to cover her mouth.

Both of them burst into laughter as they entered the kitchen. Angel holding his stomach with his lower hands as his right hand held out open the door for the kitchen and his left one was over his eyes.

“Holy shit” Angel smiled at Marinette “you’re too much Mari, way too much piccola coccinella”

Marinette did some finger guns at Angel as she winked, getting into the kitchen.

“Right back at ya” Marinette smiled, a taunting tone on her voice “araignée rose”

With a gasp, Angel faked an offended motion and looked straight at the small teenager. Tikki appearing from behind Marinette her small paws covering her mouth and her small shoulders shaking with laughter.

“How dare you…” Angel said, his voice offended but betrayed by the slight curve of his lips “I must inform you I am mostly white, not pink! Buguinette….”

Marinette when hearing the last nickname groaned and Tikki laughed while Angel closed the door behind himself.

The three of them hadn’t noticed their commotion had attracted the attention of the rest of the demons there.

They had stopped doing everything when the sound of laughter the trio had shared reached their ears.

Everyone watched their interaction, barely believing what they were witnessing.

Charlie was beaming, she knew Angel was something more and had more in him, but for him to instantly take a liking to Marinette was something new. She just hoped it would mean he would open himself and they would be able to help with his rehabilitation. That made a soft smile appear on her face.

Vaggie was speechless and with her mouth wide open. Her only eye still on her door of the kitchen, her eyebrows almost where her hair started. She had seen Angel had his often and strange soft moment but they were usually covered when he made an insult or a sexual jive.

Moxxie and Millie were just, surprised. Both of them had known about the spider and his reputation but they, certainly haven’t expected to see such an interaction to take place. For the spider demon known by half of hell because of his works to be just, so friendly and nice.

Niffty was now excited, she loved Angel Dust and they had become rather close. The spider demon is one of the few that knew what it meant to keep their rooms clean, and he knew how to cook amazing dishes, even if he had asked for her to keep it secret.

Husk was surprised but tried to conceal it. Even if his eyes were so wide, they almost looked like pool balls. He had seen the spider drunk, high out of his mind, but never acting so open. His gaze moved towards the radio demon who seemed to be too quiet, not even the soft hum of static was present.

Alastor’s smile was tight, but his eyes were not on the pair, they lingered where Angel had stood. He had been taken back by the genuine look of happiness and the boisterous laughter Angel had. He just, couldn’t help but remember his life, when he had his partner. The spider had revived those memories. Something he hadn’t expected, as well, was the teasing taunts that they had exchanged. A small memory nudging the back of his mind, his heart constricting in his chest. It was something he had never felt before, he grasped his microphone so tight he could almost feel his nails piercing his palm.

“What the fuck” Blitzo managed to choke out before taking another big gulp of the bottle of cheap booze.

That brought everyone back from their state, making them turn towards Blitzo.

“Shut the fuck up!” Loona screamed, half of her body inside the hotel before slamming the door with enough force to make everyone wince.

________________________________________________________________

Another day, another class and more boring subjects that he didn’t have any interest in.

The class was starting and Adrien could only sigh. He was nervous, he wanted nothing more than to scape. The words of Plagg’s warning still fresh on his mind.

He closed his eyes, trying to calm himself. After the news of Ladybug being away and him the only one protecting Paris. Let’s just say he for once understood why Ladybug was always on edge. He promised himself he would do everything in his power to be the best partner she could have.

His thoughts traveling to his schedule. He had a lot to do and Hawkmoth had been dormant so he wished and prayed that he wouldn’t be planning something. At least that is until the annoying voice of Lila interrupted his thoughts.

All of the class was already around her, Nino barely glancing in his direction as they paid close attention to the Italian girl.

Lila, once again, was lying as if it was the air she breathed.

All of the class were taken with her grand tale of how she had managed to convince the rising star MDC to meet Jagged Stone. Which Adrien knew was false, after all, it had been thanks to Chloe that Marinette met Jagged and started designing for him as per the rock star’s request.

Everyone awed at the “revelation”. Alya excitedly was posting the story on the Ladyblog, not even bothering to verify the story. Many of them asking question after question

“Well thank you for that informative tale Lila but I believe it is time to start the lesson” Bustier claimed and Adrien couldn't be happier, at least Lila would behave during class “Now, as for today we have a lot of material to go through, so I will start by taking attendance…”

At that everyone tensed slightly, most of them glancing at the place Marinette usually took. He could recognize some of them looking at it still weary but switched their attention to the teacher who had started calling their names.

“Okay, then we will start with some mathema…” Miss Bustier was interrupted as someone knocked on the door, the principal entering after that cheerful knocking “Monsieur Damocles…to what do I owe the surprise visit?”

Everyone looked at each other, questions in their gazes as two other men came inside the classroom following their Principal.

Adrien tried not to feel intimidated but it was useless.

The moment he looked at the two men at the front and their gazes met Adrien could say it was all over for him. It was intimidating and facing Hawkmoth would never compare. A small pat on his leg made him turn, Plagg was just there and for a second Adrien didn’t feel alone. He knew why those officers were there, he just prayed they would believe him instead of Lila’s lies.

“I’m sorry Caline, but these gentlemen want to talk to your students” Mr. Damocles explained his voice a bit shaky, letting two gentlemen wearing suits enter the classroom “It is a delicate matter”

The teacher nodded, fearful for her students as she looked at the two men in front of her. Both of them looked quite stoic and were regarding the class with cold eyes and calm that no one expected.

“As your boss said we are in because of an ongoing investigation regarding the disappearance of Marinette Dupain-Cheng” he then turned to regard the students and Adrien could swear his heart stopped beating when he felt their gazes on him “and we expect your full cooperation, as sources have claimed she was last seen with these group of students”

The class didn’t move, didn’t breathe and Lila could only seethe.

She thought that her problems cause by that goodie two shoes were over, but it seemed the universe had other ideas.

Still, no one that heard the real story would believe them. They would think they are loonies and maybe throw them into the bin.

Not even Adrien nor Chloe could ever make them change their opinion. At most, the one who could break under their pressure would be crossed out as crazy if they didn’t possess any proof, and if it came to that she only would have to play the victim and blame the class.

“As if someone would believe them if some kid says Marinette fell through a magic portal to hell” Lila smirked looking with the corner of her eye at Adrien who seemed a little too tense “I’m still winning Mari-brat!”

Still, she was already forming a plan on her head.

Smiling she glanced at her bestie, the person who she could place as the prime subject.

“Bring it on” Lila sneered while leaning back on her seat “I’ll make sure she never returns”

________________________________________________________________

Lucifer was done.

Done with everything and everyone.

He was two seconds away from going on a murdering spree and torturing as many souls as he pleased.

He laughed, the shadows becoming larger in his surroundings, his eyes glowing. He could feel his smile sharpening, his nails becoming claws, his tongue separating and becoming forked.

Taking a deep breath, he counted to ten, then to one hundred, then he tried to think of how nice it felt to hold Lilith last night and finally released his breath. He thought that the human landing on hell had been difficult, but this was so much worse.

They had nothing, absolutely nothing.

They had finished looking over the Library, now what was left was Stolas library. But the more time it passed the worse the feeling in his gut was getting.

So long his servants had not reported everything and he had gone out of his way to check over some ancient scrolls filled with hidden knowledge. Some

He was pacing through his office, sipping on his favorite wine to calm his nerves. Silently hoping and almost praying to his Father that it wouldn't end in an awkward call.

Although if that happened, he guessed he might as well die.

Groaning he let himself fall on his favorite chair. Hands on his face trying to not drag them down and scratch his face. It would be the third time that day and he knew Lilith would be crossed with him.

“My love you need to calm down,” Lilith said entering the office with a tray of Lucifer’s favorite desserts and coffee in her hands “it will all be alright, you will find a solution od that I am sure”

Lucifer sighed, letting himself spread out on the couch. His frown became deeper as he watched his beautiful wife arrange the desserts and put a cup of coffee on his hand.

“I do wish for that to be true my dear” Lucifer spoke, his voice strained but grateful at his wife “and what can I do except make sure every single record is cleared and reviewed before making a decision that could impact all of hell, nothing to worry about”

Lilith raised her eyebrow; Lucifer usually was calm and collected. This was something he needed to solve as he often saw it as his duty to preserve the life of hell-born.

But at the peace this was going, she assumed that they didn’t find anything worthy in their extensive search.

“you will find the answer” Lilith tried to reassure her husband “I know it”

Both rulers smiled at each other and Lucifer took Lilith's hand in his stroking the fore palm with his thumb.

“Thank you” Lucifer smiled at his wife “for believing in me”

Lilith smiled and leaned in, her eyes half-closed and glowing, Lucifer’s smile widened before he too raised himself to meet Lilith. His free hand now on her face lovingly stroking her cheek.

Both of them, about to get lost in a sea of passion and love.

When a knock interrupted them.

“Excuse me, your majesty” a demon knocked on his door, his voice traveling until it reached the ears of the rulers of hell “You asked for any news of the human to be brought to you immediately”

Lucifer groaned and Lilith giggled, covering her mouth with a hand. She gracefully tried to slip away from her husband when a pair of hands held her in place.

“I believe we aren’t quite finished my dear,” Lucifer said, his voice deep and laced with a promise of lust “but I will let it slide…until tonight”

Lilith smiled, leaning in to give Lucifer one more kiss before turning to the door and taking her exit.

Closing the doors, she let the servant pass and the imp closed the door behind the queen.

She sighed, guessing she had to go and entertain herself once again. Thinking about it, she had to go and take care of more of her coming shows. For that, she had already arranged the best stylists of Hell to come and show her about their creations.

She wanted the best of the best; a small spring was on her step as she thought about the new collection of dresses she was going to get. Her only regret was that she wouldn’t have the time to design them herself.

She was barely two meters away from her husband’s office when the palace shook and his voice exploded.

“THEY WHAT!?!?!”

And with that, Lilith knew without a doubt that her afternoon was going to be full of surprises.

She motioned for an imp passing by to come closer raising one of her hands.

“please tell my guest I’ll see them as soon as I can,” Lilith asked sweetly “and if they do not want to wait, they can be sure that I will never request their work again”

Lilith turned on her heel without giving any other explanation, hoping that whatever that had caused her husband to scream.

_______________________________________________________________

“Charlie, hun” Vaggie walked behind her excited girlfriend “you can’t tell me you don’t find it even a little bit strange”

Charlie sighed, Vaggie was right. Angel had been acting around them as he would usually do, but when Marinette was in the room it was…as if he showed another side of him. Charlie had seen Angel laughing without the strain of his shoulders around Marinette. Which she believed no one had taken notice, that is because until you had seen him completely relaxed you would never see any difference.

“I mean…yes, it’s strange” Charlie conceded “but I mean it’s good isn’t it? It means he’s doing better. You saw it for yourself! Angel seems to really like her and even Alastor said he would never think of harming Marinette and made some breakfast for her!”

Vaggie shrugged, honestly Angel was more complicated than what at first, she thought. But whenever he was getting better or they thought he had made any progress, he relapsed. After those incidents, Vaggie still couldn’t help but doubt Angel’s intentions.

“It is…” Vaggie said, while putting a hand on Charlie’s shoulders “but, Charlie …Angel isn’t a role model, nor someone we can really trust with Marinette…”

Charlie tried to refute, but with how many times Angel had broken their simple rules she knew Vaggie had a point. Besides, knowing Angel’s profession, it was harder for him to reach redemption or even get better. But he was trying and Charlie believed in him, there was just something about Angel that made her believe in him. She couldn’t explain, but she knew

“I don’t even trust the radio demon near her” Vaggie claimed, her eye frowning as she looked to her hands “I just, Charlie he doesn’t even believe in the cause. He’s just here for entertainment and…there are many ways to hurt or manipulate someone without being physical. Husk has been trying to be the best but so far we should limit her interactions with them…She’s too young and is easy for people to get into your head…”

Charlie nodded, her shoulders sagging as she tried her best to refute Vaggie’s claims. She did love Vaggie, and her girlfriend was making some valid points across. However, Alastor and Angel were now part of the Hotel as well as Husk and Niffty. Even the IMPs were now residing there, even if their function was of some bodyguards.

“I know it isn’t the ideal …circumstances” Charlie answered, “but please Vaggie, we can’t just force Marinette to spend her days trapped inside her room. I don’t want her to feel trapped…”

Vaggie rubbed her right arm, a bit of guilt pooling in her stomach. She knew Charlie often talked about how trapped she felt in the palace and even when having almost one-fourth of the palace for herself and servants she had always felt alone.

“She has already passed through a lot Vaggie” Charlie took one of her girlfriend’s hands on her own “But still she worries about us, she tries to ask if she can help and she has only been trying her hardest to remain in the Hotel grounds. I don’t want to turn this into a kind of prison for her…”

Vaggie nodded, knowing that Marinette deserved to be treated with the best they could offer. After all, she was alone and relying on people she couldn’t trust completely.

“I know we can’t let our guard down…” Charlie spoke as if she could read Vaggie’s mind “but we can still make this the best for Marinette. You heard the story, the people who she believed were her friends betrayed her…we can at least show her she can trust us too…even if it is only for a while”

Vaggie let out some of her breath and smiled at Charlie. The princess was right, and well, if anything happened, she doubted Lucifer would be as understanding as Charlie.

“Okay” She leaned towards her girlfriend, Charlie meeting her halfway both of them with their eyes closed and their foreheads touching “Thank you, hon”

“Thank you for always supporting me Vaggie” Charlie answered “I love you”

“I love you more” Vaggie answered before kissing Charlie’s cheek “ok then, so we should continue with the shopping list?”

Charlie smiled and nodded, talking about how many things she could probably buy now that they had a little bit more freedom, and a bigger budget thanks to Marinette and the IMPs. Vaggie laughed, both of them returning to the papers on the table.

_______________________________________________________________

All that she could see was darkness. Everything was pitch black.

It was all around her, but it made her feel safe. Strangely enough.

Even when a voice in the back of her mind was screaming that nothing was alright. She decided to ignore it

Marinette opened her eyes lazily as her phone vibrated beside her, it startled her awake.

She quickly sat on her bed, her arms supporting her and pink all around the room. Everything seemed normal. She was in her bed, her designs were all over the place, along with her discarded homework on her desk. Her last message was of Alya encouraging her on their last exam, nothing out of the ordinary.

It all was perfect.

She laid back on her bed, snuggling into her pink and white covers, the smooth fabric against her skin, and the sweet smell engulfing her. Her eyes started to drop, slowly, as she succumbed to Morpheus's arms.

Every second she felt like drowning in comfortable darkness.

For once ever since the arrival of Hawkmoth, she felt safe and in peace.

Until it wasn’t.

It started with her phone, vibrating so much that Marinette thought it was her usual wake up alarm.

She decided to ignore it, as she usually did, to get more sleep. Rolling to her side so she could ignore it better. A few seconds later it stopped.

Marinette sighed, once again letting all go and enjoying the peaceful atmosphere once again.

That is until the sound of thousands of people screaming reached her ears.

Her eyes shot wide open.

Marinette didn’t remember exactly what she was doing, everything felt as if it was a movie. She watched as her arms threw away the covers on top of her, getting up as fast as she could, not bothering her when she heard her parent’s voices screaming her name reached her ears.

Desperately she ran to her balcony, climbing the stairs as fast as her now trembling hands let her.

Opening the trap door, she wasn’t hit with the usual cold night air and the usual sound of cars moving in the streets.

Heat and ash hitting her face like a slap.

Her eyes became blurry and the smell of smoke filling her lungs.

She coughed, her eyes stinging but she willed herself to go to the railing of her balcony, the heat on her face making her skin burn as well as her lungs. Raising one of her arms she takes one deep breath and pushes herself forward, her eyes closed and moving just by memory. The light of the flames on her eyelids and she hopes it’s just her imagination.

Screams of terror ringing in her ears, her name being called by her parents were ignored for her to reach the railing of her balcony. Marinette grasps it and once again she tries to take a breath, more smoke filling her lungs.

She opens her eyes and looks at the distance.

Her eyes widened and she could swear her heart stopped beating.

What she was seeing, had to be a dream.

A nightmare.

The city of Paris was bathed in flames, dark smoke filling the air as well as screams.

The people were screaming because they were being burned alive, the stench of burned flesh reaching her nose, making her want to throw up. In the distance, she could see the Eiffel tower, the fire around it, the oranges and reds dancing making it look as if hell was being raised on earth.

Sirens all over the city and people trying to run away from the fire that seemed to be endless and growing with every minute that passed.

Marinette was shocked, taking steps back as she took the sight in.

A voice she knew very well, suddenly boomed, it was all over the city and making her body tremble with fear.

“Where is your precious Ladybug!?” The voice said, taunting them, coming from nowhere and everywhere “Where are your precious heroes now!?”

Glancing to the distance Marinette could see many figures, red energy in the form of butterflies acting as a mask, jumping through the roofs, in her direction.

Instinctively she searched for Tikki, looking to her sides when she noticed that the small goddess was missing. Her hands flew to her ears, her earrings missing.

She turned, trying to get into her room, the trap door closed and not budging under her more than insistent tries and pulls. Her parent’s call becoming more desperate with each passing second.

Until they stopped, the fire alarms went silent, the people stopped screaming.

The only thing left was the sound of buildings collapsing, wood cracking because of the heat, and the flames growing. Bathing everything in orange light.

“There’s no scape, Maribrat” Lila’s voice making her freeze on the spot “but I guess you already knew that”

Marinette turned, coughing as more smoke filled her lungs.

There they were.

All of them.

Luka, Alya, Nino, Kagami, Max, Kim, and Chloe. Every single one of them posing on the rail, burning her flowerpots with a single touch. Smiled sharp, eyes cold and unforgiving. All of them were wearing different suits, with matching scheme colors.

Luka was wearing ripped blood-red to black gradient jeans, with golden embroidery that traveled up the side of his legs, black combat boots on his feet. His shirt was black, with a red and orange gradient up to his waist where he had a golden belt with a butterfly insignia. The tips of his hair were changed to vibrant red color, a black mask was covering half of his face the trims golden, his eyes closed as he seemed to enjoy the chaos around him.

Chloe was wearing tight red jeans with black embroidery, high heeled boots of golden color on her feet. Her shirt was golden with black gradient sleeves that reached her forearms, it showed off her figure, on her waist red chains uniting to her right side where a red butterfly was resting. Her hair was loose up to her waist, red and black strands striking against her natural blonde color. Her eyes had a smoky style, golden eyeliner making her now red eyes stand out, red blood lips twisted in an arrogant smirk. Her hands were covered in ashes, but her nails still glowing a bright red. She lazily leaned on the railing examining the flower that was burning just with her touch.

Alya was sitting on the railing, a black top under a semi-transparent reddish loose shirt, on her waist she had a golden stash with black embroidery of butterflies. Her jeans were black to a blood-red gradient, her golden ankle boots covered in ash. Her hair was in a high ponytail with some loose strands framing her face, the usual red tips were now pitch black a golden butterfly emblem adorning the hairdo. Her makeup was simple, smoky eyes making her stand out more, black lipstick making her recall the incident with black cupid and red eye-liner. Her eyes a darker red than Chloe’s. She was staring at Marinette with such hatred she could feel her knees shaking, her mouth frown with disgust in her direction.

Kagami was there too, standing just beside Alya a sword in her hand. Her hair hadn’t changed, except for the black and red accessories that made it look as if she had horns. The red kimono was stained with ashes all over it, a black obi holding it all together like a belt, under that she only wore golden tights, but her red-blood high boots cut the pattern. Her hands were covered by bandages, crimson red and covered with ashes too, her nails glowing just like Chloe’s. Chains of gold wrapped around her sword’s handle and into her wrist. She could faintly see the bow of the obi being in the form of a butterfly with golden touches. Her lips were painted in different colors. The top a deep red color, the bottom was completely black, her eyes didn’t have any makeup but an intricated golden eyeliner, her eyes a deep dark red and her gaze was cold and unforgiving.

Nino was there too, wearing long black pants with a red gradient at the bottom, his sneakers a dark red tainted with ashes and golden trims. His red loose shirt with black stains was decorated with the emblem of the butterfly from Hawkmoth. His cap was black except with some reddish stains. His earphones were gone and, in their place, a golden chain hanging over his chest his glasses in a matching color. His hands were on his pockets, making them melt as he smiled evilly at her, the cap covering her eyes but she could see them, glowing red and filled with hatred directed at her.

“They look amazing don’t you think?” Lila laughed, coming forward, her hair loose and floating around her the tips a golden color “Courtesy of Hawkmoth”

She walked towards Marinette, a tight black short dress was the main piece, it reached her knees and it seemed so tight she even had difficulties to walk or move, it was meant to be sexy but Marinette could only wince at how off it looked on Lila. On top of the skirt of the dress, she had a golden semi-translucent fabric that swished with the air, her arms were covered with golden jewelry and ruby stones, a necklace made of gold shaped into spikes, a big red ruby on the middle. Her make up stayed the same color scheme, except for the golden touches on her eyelids and the butterflies of gold on her skin as if they were tattoos. A small golden crown on her had, with the biggest ruby Marinette had ever seen in her life.

“Did you truly believe you could win?” Lila spoke, slowly advancing towards Marinette “you lost Marinette, in more ways than one”

With that being said, Lila stepped aside. Her skirt flowing behind her as another figure advanced to her side. Lila raised her hand, offering it to the figure as it stepped closer.

“No…” Marinette spoke, more smoke filling her lungs and making her eyes sting, tears rolling down her cheeks “please…”

Adrien stood there, in all of his glory. Akumatized.

His outfit was a simple black tux, golden embroidery on his cuffs and trims. His shirt a deep red that contrasted against his pale skin. His shoes complimented his outfit, high-end and of course perfectly polished black dressing shoes. Cufflinks glinted when he raised his hand to take the one her rival was offering, as well as a crown resting on top of his head that matched Lila’s. His eyes now a glowing red and a smirk on his face.

“Doesn’t he look dashing?” Lila smiled as Adrien kissed her hand “the perfect king, for the perfect queen”

Adrien pulled Lila to her side, hands around her waist, and the long-haired girl rested her head against his chest. Both of them smiling with so much evil towards Marinette that she couldn’t help but let more tears fall. Lila raised one of her hands to stroke Adrien’s face, leaning in as their lips almost touched.

“You lost” Lila whispered before an explosion sounded in the distance.

Marinette wanted nothing more than to run, to scape. She would do anything to get away from them, she just wanted to run.

That is until a hand landed on her shoulder, scaring her and making her turn.

But nothing could’ve prepared her for the sight that was in front of her.

She could feel her blood run cold, and her heart breaking in two.

Chat Noir was on the floor, his hand stretched towards her. His gaze was unfocused, probably had a concussion but he still fought to stay awake and reach her.

“M-My lady” Chat spoke before he crumbled to the ground, with no strength left “I’m…sorry”

Marinette rushed to Chat’s side, the sound of Lila’s laughter all around her. She cradled Chat’s head into her legs, trying to shield him from the rest of the world. Slowly stroking his hair as slowly as she could.

The laughter of Hawkmoth could be heard through all Paris, proclaiming his victory. All of the akumatized people on the balcony started laughing too, the sound of their voices combined almost leaving her deaf.

Closing her eyes, she could hear the buildings crumbling, the laugher, her parent’s screams as they were also burned alive. Her lungs were filled with smoke, she could barely take another breath but she refused to leave Chat alone. Her eyes completely shut so she couldn’t see what was going on. Her anger, impotence, and fear making her blood boil.

With one final breath, Marinette screamed.

And woke up.

She almost fell from her chair but regained her balance rather fast.

“I…wha….where…” Marinette tried to focus on her surroundings, letting out a breath “oh…”

She was in the studio; the layout of the pentagram could be seen through the window. The sky looked a bit darker than before.

Her designs were all over the place, small notes here and there. A few samples of fabrics also in a pile and Tikki was taking her nap on top of a small cushion Charlie had left for her.

“It…was a nightmare” Marinette tried to reassure herself “breathe, Marinette, just breathe”

With that, she hugged herself. The images not leaving her mind, making her whole body shake with fear.

She reached once again to check the Akuma alert, see if anything was happening. But nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

Letting out a breath Marinette smiled, at least that was something she didn’t have to get worried about. She walked up to Tikki who barely registered her holder until Marinette poked her softly.

“Hey, um” Marinette spoke slowly letting Tikki yawn and stretch herself “Mind coming with me for a bite?”

Tikki shook her head, floating beside Marinette as they walked downstairs. Marinette was still a bit shook up but knowing that a stroll would help her nerves.

_______________________________________________________________

On the grounds surrounding the Hotel, we can see another figure. Lurking and hiding from view.

Moving too fast and precise for her to be some amateur. Her high ponytail letting her hair flow freely.

Somehow, she knew where and when the IMPs would be patrolling, so she knew how to hide from them, as well as the bombs.

“Angie owes me” Cherri mumbled to herself as she placed another hidden bomb “cover most of the hotel grounds with a system like these costs a fortune!”

She guessed she didn’t have any other option; Angel was her best friend and he had been desperate for her help. She had met the human and she didn’t seem like the people that usually ended down here, so Cherri was grateful to be able to help them both.

“Still” She mumbled as she placed another bomb strategically “Angel didn’t tell me why he’s so insistent on keeping that human so protected…”

With that in mind, she kept up with her work, barely noticing the two small eggs in the distance looking at her.

“I’m missing my fun!” Cherri groaned as she started messing with a small detonator on her hand, which didn’t want to cooperate with her “FUCK THIS SHIT!”

_______________________________________________________________

“Oh, gee” one of the egg boys nudges the other “We should tell the boss that the girl is here!”

The other egg boy nods. Smiling and clapping as the both of them run into the distance. Their only thoughts now on how happy the boss will be when they tell him their discovery.

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#hazbin hotel angel dust #hazbin hotel crossover #hazbin alastor #hazbin hotel husk #niffty #hazbin vaggie #CHARLIE MAGNE #Helluva Boss #blitzo #helluva millie #loona #helluva loona #miraculous fanfic #miraculous ladybug #miraculous crossover #lila salt #I am sorry please forgive me #I hate covid #FUCK WRITER'S BLOCK

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discoveringmiraculouswriters · 3 years

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@galahadwilder (AO3)

Galahad is a large poster on Tumblr (I’m actually surprised when I refresh my dash and the first post isn’t from him). On about 111 works total, he has 95 works for Miraculous Ladybug only! The others are mainly from the DCU. Many of them all are WIPs, but hey! Who doesn’t have WIPs?

Here’s my Top 10 (because I have to stop, eventually...)

Wisdom Teeth: Words:7605 - Chapters:7/7 Summary: Adrien FaceTimes Marinette while high on painkillers after wisdom tooth surgery, and lets something slip that he really shouldn’t have.

What I liked: Marinette driving Adrien insane :)

Personal Space : Words:6342 - Chapters:3/? - Updated:2020-10-25 Summary: Adrien Agreste was never taught to say no. Never allowed to have boundaries. So when someone finally pushes too far, Ladybug is left with a partner in pain, a crush in need of the kindness he’s never received...And a former idol she needs to murder.

What I liked: Marinette going into bodyguard mode, Adrien’s friends opened minds, DJWifi banter over the phone. Can’t wait for next chapter!

Inconceivable : Words:2537 - Chapters:3/? - Updated:2019-07-19 Summary: There are two things of which Gabriel Agreste is absolutely certain. The first is that there is no such thing as a soulmate. Everything he knows about both science and magic claims it impossible. The second thing is that his son somehow, infuriatingly, has a soulmate anyway.

What I liked: Gabriel POV, Gabriel actually having good intentions towards his son, Sabine plotting with him, credible explanations for canon

Notes to Self: Words:22911 - Chapters:16/? - Updated:2019-10-23 Summary: Adrien finds out midway through Oblivio that his assumption was wrong, and that Marinette is NOT his girlfriend. So he decides to do leave a message calling himself out for failing to properly appreciate the most incredible person he’s ever met. Now, having been confronted with his mistakes, Adrien has realized that he has a lot to make up for—and a girl who needs to know exactly how much she means to him.

What I liked: I think I’ve read this fic 3 times now, and can’t be bored of it. Adrien figuring out he was in love with Marinette from day 1, Oblivio-Adrien calling himself out, Tom and Sabine’s open mind about their super-heroing. Bonus: Kagami wanting a polygamic relationship and Adrien admitting looking at Luka’s butt 😂

Officiated: Words:7562 - Chapters:9/? - Updated:2020-04-28 Summary: The aftermath of an Akuma attack leaves Ladybug and Chat Noir legally married.

What I liked: mostly the originality of the akuma. The fic might update, but it also feels complete. You won’t be stuck on a cliffhanger.

Children of War: Words:8295 - Chapters:7/? - Updated:2019-05-03 Summary: Something dark is coming to Paris, and Master Fu has been lying to Adrien and Marinette. What happened to the previous Team Miraculous? And how did Marinette's aunt Bridgette really end up in a mental hospital?

What I liked: Gabriel’s intentions to save Paris, the integration of the Quantic Kids, the strong angst. Can’t wait for more!

Sick Days (series): Works:2 - Complete: No Summary: Adrien comes home after a long photoshoot to find Marinette Dupain-Cheng asleep in his bed, running a horrific fever. What is she doing there, and how did she get into his house without setting off any alarms? (And why does she keep mumbling his name?) / Marinette’s cold is passing, but the embarrassment is not—they may be dating, and they may be partners, but she still can’t keep it together around Adrien the way she can around his alter ego. Which is a problem, because he’s caught her cold—and the absolute lack of filter that came with it.

What I liked: the delirium shenanigans (read Out Sick by @sweetsweetsweetie if you like that too), the Dupain-Chengs actual A+ parenting. Please, Galahad, don’t abandon this fic!!

Wingman: Words:11211 - Chapters:10/12 - Updated:2019-08-06 Summary: Hawkmoth's Akuma have been acting strange lately--every single one has been an obsessive LadyNoir shipper, much to Chat's horrific embarrassment. Ladybug hasn't noticed, but Chat can't quite get over the fact that Hawkmoth seems to have redirected his supervillain antics to setting him up with the girl of his dreams.

What I liked: The humoristic scenes (Nath scolding Gabe was my favorite), Gabriel trying to parent properly, Nathalie caring for both Agrestes. “I swear this fic was supposed to be a comedy”

The shirt: Words:16503 - Chapters:20/? - Updated:2019-10-22 Summary: On a cold night in January, Chat Noir lends Ladybug his jacket--only to find Marinette wearing it to class the next day. And that's just the beginning of the trouble.

What I liked: the fluff over the fluff, Chloé working on her redemption, the post-reveal banter, "Tell... my father... he's a diiiiiiick..."

We Break Things Down Just to Build Them Back Up Again: Words:7916 - Chapters:5/? - Updated:2019-11-05 Summary: Adrien promised he'd have Marinette's back, but no matter how badly she needs him, he won't take any kind of action to protect her—or, for that matter, himself. When Marinette discovers WHY he finds it so impossible to stand up to bullies, she resolves to put aside her crush to help him escape his abusive household. But the less she thinks about Adrien, the more she thinks about a different blond boy in her life—and the more time she spends taking care of Adrien, the more he starts to see her as more than just a friend...

What I liked: Marinette’s mom friend override, Adrien’s hurt to comfort (even though Chat’s part is yet to come), Tom telling Adrien he’s proud of him, and Adrien’s reaction to that just made me cry. I’m craving for moooooooooore!!!

Honorable mentions:

Moving Forward (series): Works:2 - Complete: No (I already wrote a rec. about this one. Read it here)

I’m Your Heating Pad (And Other Uses for a Cat Boyfriend): Words:3045 - Chapters:1/1

Memories: Words:1110 - Chapters:1/1

Waking Nightmare: Words:1667 - Chapters:1/1

The One I Depend On: Words:1420 - Chapters:1/1

Next to me : Words:3033 - Chapters:1/1

I know what you did in the cat-acombs : Words:4869 - Chapters:1/1

Stress Relief: Words:3407 - Chapters:4/?

It’s Just a Nickname: Words:4552 - Chapters:7/7

The Future Lands Soft: Words:6043 - Chapters:8/?

Overworked and Overwhelmed: Words:4628 - Chapters:1/1

All's Fair in Love and War (And Turnabout's Fair Play): Words:4835 - Chapters:3/4

Futures Trading: Words:1651 - Chapters:1/1

Kitty Missed the Message: Words:3351 - Chapters:2/2

Broken Masks: Words:3320 - Chapters:2/?

We Are Miraculous: Words:6543 - Chapters:5/?

The Agreste Letters: Words:13809 - Chapters:14/?

Before and After: Words:21192 - Chapters:14/20

I’ve been reading non-stop since my previous Fic of the month special. I have many regrets in life, but reading Galahad’s fics wasn’t one of them!

Thanks for so much work and efforts! I really love the variety, originality and consistency between the fics, even if they have different stories. I really love the hurt to comfort too, and how many mental troubles and disorders are depicted.

Please read, share and leave kudos on his works!

-----

If you know ML writers you’d like to shout out, or are a ML writer yourself, please contact me!! @clawsout83

#fic of the month #fic of the month special #long post #by clawsout83 #galahadwilder

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mc-lukanette · 3 years

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MC-Lukanette’s “No Context November” 2020 Masterpost

My personal “No Context November” was so much fun, and thanks to everyone who interacted with/enjoyed it! I adore Lukanette a ton and it was a blast getting out these 54,000+ words and seeing how people reacted to them.

As is appropriate since there were thirty posts involved (+1 more counting the bonus for October 31st), which may or may not be more than one can handle in a single month, here’s a masterpost of everything!

` = ficlet

* = one-shot (or close to being a one-shot if a few paragraphs/a little more context were added)

^ = part of a larger AU/hypothetical story

{AO3 link for No Context November}

(Halloween bonus) * (1003 words) - Loose Threads [Fairy Tale] [Creature Marinette] [Crafted Luka]

A fairy-tale-styled story about a lonely monster who believes in karmic justice.

Day 1 * (1601 words) - {Lukanette} [Festival] [Haunted House] [Confession] [Kiss]

After being shoved into a haunted house attraction by their friends, Luka and Marinette bond over being mutually scared and have a little talk about their feelings.

Day 2 * (2078 words) - {Lukanette} [”Party Crasher” divergence] [Crossdressing] [Marinette Wears Luka’s Clothes and He Doesn’t Know What to Do With Himself]

Upon seeing Marinette sulking outside the Agreste mansion in “Party Crasher,” Luka decides to help her out. When the direct approach fails, he takes her to his house for “Plan B.”

(bonus continuation - 1359 words)

Day 3 * (1781 words) - {Lukanette} [Cuddling] [Discussion of Visual and Auditory Interpretation] [Confession] [Kiss]

When Marinette struggles with her stress, she relies on Luka for comfort and wonders how he can do what he does. His lesson to her goes a little differently than he expected.

Day 4 ^ (2602 words) - {Lukanette} [Talks About Love] [Hurt/Comfort] [Luka Knows] [Dating Without Dating] [Gray Morality] [Mutual Selfishness] [Kiss]

In which Marinette is affection-starved and both she and Luka decide to be selfish about how they feel.

Day 5 * (1461 words) - {Lukanette} [Akuma Mention] [Hurt/Comfort] [Mentioned Confession] [Kiss]

After having snapped at Marinette due to an akuma, Luka goes to Marinette to assure her that he didn’t mean a word of it.

Day 6 ^ (2335 words) - {Lukanette} [Winged Marinette Dupain Cheng] [Luka has Cat] [Luka’s Song Sensing Taken Up a Notch]

When Marinette doesn’t meet with Luka and the others outside of school one day, Luka goes to find her and discovers something about her in the process.

Day 7 ` (600 words) - {Viperbug} [Concern] [Identity Reveal] [Kiss]

Viperion worries about Marinette on the way to an akuma battle. Ladybug explains without words why he shouldn’t.

Day 8 ^ (1212 words) - {Lukanette} [Magical Luka Couffaine] [Blue-skinned Luka Couffaine ala Silencer] [Injuries] [Meeting for the First Time]

Luka Couffaine, hailing from the Tribe of Chaos, wakes up injured in the home of a cute human girl who - to his surprise - only wants to help him.

Day 9 ^ (2178 words) - {Lukanette} [Adulthood] [Time Travel] [Apologies/Regrets] [Confession] [Kiss]

While on a date that Luka had gently requested for her, Marinette confesses to her feelings for him, along with a lot more.

Day 10 ^ (850 words) - {Lukanette} [Adulthood] [Housemates] [Luka and Marinette Are Just “Very Good Best Friends” (in denial)]

Luka has some issues to work out concerning moving. Marinette offers to help.

Day 11 ^ (1003 words) - {Lukanette} [Luka has Cat] [Luka and Marinette Know Each Other’s Identities] [Accidental Kiss]

Marinette meets Luka outside of school and notices that he’s acting weird. Just what is he hiding under that hood?

Day 12 ^ (1543 words) - {Lukanette} [Childhood] [Luka and Marinette Are Basically Neighbors] [Meeting for the First Time] [Paper Airplanes]

For the most part, Marinette didn’t have an opinion on the fact that her house was so close to the Seine. It’s only when she hears the sweet sound of a boy’s guitar that she changes her mind.

Day 13 ^ (1297 words) - {Lukanette} [Adulthood] [Multiverse] [Pre-Established Relationship... sort of]

Marinette could use some serious help in the romance department. Luckily for her, Sass knows just the guy to send her to.

Day 14 ^ (1536 words) - {Lukanette} [Spirit Luka Couffaine] [Possession] [Confession]

Luka, having been in a spirit state for a while, feels miserable about his plan to get Marinette together with her crush (via possession, one of his few capabilities) falling through. Turns out that Marinette doesn’t mind as much as he thinks.

Day 15 ^ (2502 words) - {Vipernette} [Miraculous Cure With No Ladybug] [Miraculouses Have Side-Effects] [Meeting for the First Time] [Hugs]

Viperion suffers through the drawbacks of his cold-blooded miraculous and Marinette helps.

Day 16 * (1525 words) - {Lukanette} [Clothes] [Unspoken Confession] [Kiss]

Marinette just wanted to sleep for the day, but being a normal person requires her not to. She just wishes that she could understand why everyone keeps looking at her weird.

Day 17 ^ (1190 words) - {Lukanette} [Shared Locker] [Communication Over Notes] [Luka is Juleka’s Twin Brother] [Luka is in Ms. Mendeleiev’s Class]

Marinette arrives on the first day of school to find that someone’s things are in her locker. What might’ve seemed like something bad at first ends up being a neat opportunity to make a new friend.

(continuation - 1355 words)

(continuation - 2825 words)

Day 18 ^ (1838 words) - {Lukanette} [Adulthood] [Bus Rides] [Sleep-Deprived Marinette Dupain-Cheng] [Meeting for the First Time]

Marinette ends up meeting someone on a bus ride. The circumstances behind it weren’t exactly things she’d mention to others, but it turns out not being as bad as she thought.

Day 19 ` (818 words) - {Lukanette} [post-”Silencer”] [Guilt] [Nightmares] [Luka Knows]

Luka has been, to put it simply, excessively helpful as of late, and Marinette decides to get to the bottom of it.

Day 20 ^ (1922 words) - {Lukanette} [Adulthood] [Baker Marinette Dupain-Cheng] [Rock Star Luka Couffaine] [Meeting for the First Time]

When Luka comes back from tour with questions in his head, Juleka decides to solve the problem by sending him to a bakery, where he ends up being more taken by the woman working there than the actual sweets.

Day 21 ^ (1565 words) - {Lukanette} [Adulthood] [Children’s Books] [Author Marinette Dupain-Cheng] [Luka Knows]

While shopping with Ivan and Mylene’s child, Luka comes across a particular children’s book that reminds him of himself (as Viperion) and Ladybug. His curiosity is piqued and he wants to know more.

Day 22 * (2682 words) - {Lukanette} [Non-consensual Kiss] [Confession] [Kiss]

Lila is up to her usual tricks again, with Marinette silently seething in the background while trying not to make a scene. This time though, Lila goes after Luka, which might just end up working in Marinette’s favor in the end, if only in what matters most.

Day 23 * (3874 words) - {Lukabug} [Adulthood] [Cut Contact] [Long-standing Crushes]

On patrol one night, Ladybug meets up with Luka after she’d (as Marinette) cut contact with him for years. They end up talking and she learns that things are much different with him than she expects.

Day 24 ^ (1578 words) - {Lukanette} [Adulthood] [Coffee Shop] [Sleep-Deprived Marinette Dupain-Cheng] [Meeting For the First Time]

Luka finds an exhausted Marinette one day and decides to offer her his coffee. He expects not to see her again and ends up being very wrong.

Day 25 ` (1116 words) - {Lukanette} [Guitar Lessons] [Light Flirting] [Indirect Confession]

In which Luka just wants to continue Marinette’s guitar lessons and she returns the favor by assaulting him with feelings.

Day 26 ^ (1217 words) - {Lukanette} [Adulthood] [Fake Marriage] [Jagged Stone is Luka Couffaine’s Father] [Hereditary Song Sensing] [Meeting For the First Time]

Jagged has called Marinette for an abundance of strange things over the time she’s known him. This one, though, is probably the strangest of them all.

Day 27 ^ (1460 words) - {Lukanette} [Naga Luka Couffaine] [Dimensional Travel] [Confession] [Kiss]

Waking up in the middle of the night, Luka realizes that Marinette is also awake and notices that she’s acting suspicious.

Day 28 ^ (1432 words) - {Lukanette} [Adulthood] [Adrien and Marinette Are Friends] [Bonus Adrimi] [Relationship Meddling]

Adrien and Marinette talk while on patrol, and Adrien is both shocked and confused at the fact that Marinette isn’t dating despite being in love with Luka.

Day 29 ^ (1184 words) - {Lukanette} [Not-So-Secret Admirer] [Mutually Misunderstood] [Meeting For the First Time]

Luka is lamenting how people view him, given his supposed “bad boy” appearance, when he gets a surprise visitor.

Day 30 ^ (3726 words) - {Lukanette} [Childhood] [Adulthood] [Timeskip] [Promise Rings] [Jagged Stone is Luka Couffaine’s Father] [Failed/Newfound Goals] [Flower Shop] [Music Shop]

Luka and Marinette have been best friends for years, but when Luka has to be torn away from her on his quest to be a rockstar, they make a promise that they carry with them all the way through adulthood.

#lukaneventte: No Context November #Flower Arrangement Shipping #Lukabug #Vipernette #Viperbug #((54000+ words))#((Also known as ''half a Quickspinner fic'' ;D))#Lukanette #Pro LukaMari

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ao3feed-ladynoir · 3 years

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All I Want for Christmas (Is You)

All I Want For Christmas (Is You) by Jendora

When Adrien Agreste and Marinette Dupain-Cheng moved in together (as roommates only because they are just very good friends!), she promised him that this year she would make sure that he had the best Christmas ever! Marinette had planned lots of different festivities for her and Adrien to take part in and he was looking forward to it!

However, now that the time has finally come, Adrien has noticed that Marinette seems more withdrawn. She's lying to him (which is definitely strange because Marinette hates liars!). Is she going back on her promise?

Words: 1383, Chapters: 1/7, Language: English

Fandoms: Miraculous Ladybug

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: F/M

Characters: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug

Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug

Additional Tags: ML Christmas in July 2021, Other Additional Tags to Be Added

Read Here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/32824810

#AO3 Feed #FanFiction #AO3 Adrienette #❤️#💖#💚#Adrienette #Miraculous Ladybug #♥#R:T #A:Jendora

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pl-panda · 4 years

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Damienette arranged marriage: part 9

If someone wants to know how I can write three chapters in the span of 24 hours... I have no idea, but this is around 5k words, so ten times the length of essay I was supposed to write today. But it is more interesting.

Credits: Miraculous Ladybug team for the elements I take from MLB show. DC for their characters, @ozmav for the AU, @maribat-archive for giving me access to so many different stories to have take inspirations from, @thyladyanput for idea for Chat Damian and me for the plot.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4

Part 5 Part 6 Part 7

Part 8

Damienette arranged marriage: part 9

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

They got into her room and Chloe locked the doors.

“Okay. Now you explain to me Dupain-Cheng how did you manage to get a mysterious Damian Wayne, the damned ‘Ice Prince’ of Gotham, to act like a lost puppy toward you.”

-------

Marinette almost fainted. She had an urge to mentally facepalm. Of course Chloe would recognize a celebrity. It was stupid to bring her so close to Damian on the first meeting. Maybe from the distance she would shrug it off or ignore this, but now that she saw them interact and could get a better look at him there was almost no denying it. But Marinette would still try.

“Wayne? I have no idea who are you talking about. This is Damian Grayson. He can’t be Wayne if his name is Grayson. Besides aren’t Wayne’s this rich and powerful family running an international company? Damian is not rich. He is just an exchange student…” Marinette tried to talk her way out of it, but the expecting face Chloe was making told her it was not working. “Yes, this is Damian Wayne…” The bluenette relented

“Nice try Dupain-Cheng. Maybe I would even believe you if I didn’t know better.” She stated before walking to her wardrobe. Chloe then started to toss out multiple clothes onto her giant bed.

“Wait! That’s it?” Marinette questioned. She expected… something.

“Well, while you tell me how did you melt his heart I can at least start looking for something utterly fabulous for you to wear. I can’t stand this ridiculous outfit you wear right now. So spill!”

Marinette looked at Damian and he shrugged. “tt. I am not getting involved. You brew this and you solve this.”

“I will get you back for that.” the bluenette threatened with a smile. They both knew this was mostly a tease. Marinette turned to see Chloe with three dresses. One was lemony yellow, one was smooth pink and one was deep red. “Uh… Red one?” Blonde shoved the cloth piece at the girl and pushed her into the bathroom.

“I’m waiting for a tale Dupain-Cheng.”

“Okay. Okay.” This girl has probably the best interrogation tactics I’ve ever seen… “So yesterday Damian joined our class as part of some exchange program. He decided to sit next to me and we exchanged few words. After classes his pen slipped under the desk and he had to get down to pick it up. Lila thought I was alone and decided to threaten me to stay away from him and the next thing either of us know is he held the sword to her throat. After that he asked me out and that’s the story.”

Marinette walked from the bathroom and Damian felt air leave his lungs. She wore a modest red dress that reached a bit beyond her knees. It had long sleeves that ended about one and a half inch before her wrist. The upper part was a bit darker than the lower part, but otherwise there was no decorations. It hugged her small figure perfectly, but at the same time was not restaining and allowed much space to breathe. Marinette looked beyond stunning, at least to him. Pull it together Wayne. You are not some emotional schoolgirl. You are cool and collected. You are the Prince of Assassins. Damian tried not to blush. But then there was another voice inside him. And she is your princess and your wife. Get your game together. Somehow, it sounded pretty close to Beast Boy’s voice.

“Close your mouth hunny or you will catch flies.” Chloe laughed. “It looks perfect, but I think you need one more thing.” She walked to the bluenette who was feeling a bit insecure about this look. Chloe pulled her hair bands off and let the hair flow freely. “Now you look perfect.”

“I… I don’t know.” Marinette spinned around to see herself in the mirror. “Are you sure?”

“Check the lover-boy over there and you will believe me.” Without turning Chloe pointed to Damian who was still glaring at the girl in red. An idea came to Marinette’s head. She would get her revenge faster than she expected. She slightly nodded toward Chloe’s phone that was laying nearby. Luckily, they had an understanding. Marinette turned so she was now facind Damian and looked deep into his eyes. She stood there smiling the most prominent smile she could muster. Suddenly, a flash illuminated the room. “And done. Already sent it to your phone Dupain-Cheng.”

The light finally got Damian’s brain to start up. He looked at Chloe holding a phone with camera aimed at him and Marinette giggled. “Told you I would get back at you for that.”

If it was anyone else, he would curse them, threaten them or just punch them, but strangely he couldn’t get angry at the bluenette. “Worth it.” He stated with a smug grin. “If having an embarrassing picture taken is the price to see you look so beautiful, then I am willing to pay it.” He complimented her and Marinette felt like her face turned more or less the color of her dress.

“Smooth mr. Ice Prince Charming.” Chloe commented. She then took a picture of blushing Marinette. “Now you are even. Close your mouth Dupain-Cheng. You are the one to start catching flies now.” The blonde then turned back to Damian and her face took the standard expecting look. “Now back to you. Care to explain why exactly did you decide to ask her out of all people out? You have tons of girls throwing themselves at you and yet you chose her.”

Damian didn’t answer immediately. He had to think this through. The big factor was that she was technically his wife, but through the last twenty-four hours he came to conclusion that if they weren’t married, he would still ask her out. She was… her. He had no other word for this. But his mother was in details. “She saw me as just Damian. I felt that I could be myself with her.”

“Sweet. Want some tea to this sugar?” Chloe deadpanned. “No seriously, want something to drink? I… I only ever had Sabrina in here and she drank just the tap water.”

Damian was honestly not surprised. Chloe had the Queen Bee personality and they usually only had followers, not friends. But he actually liked the no-nonsense personality. “Green Tea with half spoon of honey.” He stated and walked to the couches.

“And for you Dupain-Cheng?”

“Uh… water?” Marinette was still not entirely sure what to do with this situation. Chloe was not herself while at the same time being herself. It was… strange. Blonde just shrugged and made a quick call downstairs.

“It will come soon.” She walked to the couch and sat, motioning them to do the same.

The bluenette remembered that she still had some macaroons with her so she pulled the box and placed it on the table. “Maman and papa made them for me and Damian, but you can have some too.” She nudged the box slightly toward Chloe, who reluctantly took one.

“... Thank you Dupain-Cheng.” She said after a moment of hesitation. Another tear formed in her eye. “I am truly sorry how I treated you. You did not deserve this.”

“tt. On that we can agree.” Damian almost growled. “After today don’t be surprised to see a change in teachers.”

“What?” Marinette almost jumped. “No. Madame Bustier is a good teacher.”

“She is unfit to even be in the same space as anyone below her age. This woman will be lucky if she doesn’t face criminal charges.” Damian held the urge to spit, but he didn’t want to damage anything in this room. It looked more expensive than his room at Wayne’s manor and this was saying something.

“But… But…” Marinette tried to find right words. “Madame Bustier is so lovely. She has her… original methods of teaching, but everyone would defend her in a blink of an eye.”

“tt. That doesn’t excuse her. Sadly this type of procedure usually takes years if school is not willing to cooperate. And yours definitely won’t. Bunch of idiots.” The last part was added in arabic so neither girls understood. There was an uncomfortable silence between them for a moment until Marinette decided to stop beating around the bat.

“Chloe… It’s not that I don’t appreciate the change, in fact I am proud of you, but… why? what made you change so suddenly?”

The blonde shifted in her place. It was clearly an uncomfortable topic. Finally, she decided to play an open hand. Deep inside, Chloe wanted to have real friends. She saw how Damian looked at Marinette and how he spoke about her acting normal toward him. When Adrien spoked about things like this she could never understand what he meant. But now she finally got it. It was this feeling of being just herself. “I was lonely. Sabrina left me and became a loyal Lila worshipper, surpassed only by Alya. And Adrien… He cut himself off completely about a month ago. Now he plays along whatever Lila plans for him.” She had a small tear forming in her eye, but she quickly wiped it out before it ruined her makeup (not that there was much of it left). “I… I went to talk with my father, demanding he do something about the liar. But my mother was there and… and… and she laughed at me. She said that it’s utterly ridiculous and if my friends left me it’s because of me and not someone else. But the most painful part was that she was right. My friends left me and others hated me. I was completely alone. It was utterly… awful.” Marinette handed her the box so she could cheer herself with another treat. It worked. “I am so sorry Dupain-Cheng. For the first time I was on the receiving end of harsh words and painful comments. I never imagined how much it hurt.”

“Well, I am happy you realize your mistakes.” Marinette smiled and Damian clicked his tongue again.

“But,” the Wayne heir started, “it is not that easy to earn forgiveness. Just because Marinette is too good for this world does not mean I will let you exploit her good heart.”

“Damian!” The girl in question shouted at him. “I am a grown-up girl who can make her own decisions.”

“You are fifteen and have heart made of pure gold” He deadpanned.

“You are fifteen too. And we are married, so we are as adult as a person can be.” She stated in mandarin grinning at him.

“This doesn’t prove anything. And I am still your husband.” He argued.

Chloe sat there, not sure what to make of the discussion. She was about to say something when something crashed through the window. The three teens starred at the form of Chat Noir. He was looking different. His ears and tail were real instead of accesories and instead of bell on his neck he had only a choker with word ‘Marinette’ written on it.

“My Purrincess! I come to save you!”

——————————————————————————————————–

Taglist (sorry if I missed you)@pheonixashtree @sassakitty @unabashedbookworm @vixen-uchiha @maggiecc12 @actualdisasterwoman @tired-butterfly @shizukiryuu @floralfi @imanerddealwith @northernbluetongue @krispydefendorpolice @toodaloo-kangaroo @dast218 @bluesoulblueheart @theatreandcomicfreak @disneyfoxuniverse @mindfulmagics @alwaysnumberonetruth @nyaabinch @jardimazul @lenamau @rosep16 @dramatic-squirrel @sonif50 @daminett4life @lulutheawkwardess @weird-pale-blonde-person @mooshoon @jeminiikrystal @mochegato @moonlightstar64 @dragonflyswing @silverwhiteraven @shamefullove @magic-miraculous @valeks-princess @heaven428 @mlbchaosqueen @winter-gardenflower @spicybelladonna @emo-elaine13 @vetilora @karukofox21 @my-name-is-michell @sturchling @lokiifriggasonn @redscarlet95 @melicmusicmagic @interobanginyourmom @the-fusionist @razzledazzle247 @miss-mysterys-blog @darkthunder1589 @i-is-mysterious @catthhay @the-one-woman-army @zestyzealot @dahjokester @write-for-your-life2 @mermaidreject @peachedpocky @sassakitty @dahjokester

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hermionemonica · 3 years

Text

The Road to Us, and Everything in Between: Chapter 6

Happy Holidays everyone!

(This is a no magic AU. There is no existence of the Miraculous or the superheroes in this universe.)

AO3 | Chapter 1 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 7

A couple of weeks later, Marinette was hanging out with the other girls at Juleka's. They all knew about the unfortunate incident (thanks to Alya) and had kindly refrained from mentioning Adrien since that, and Marinette could not be more grateful of her group of friends.

“Hey Juleka, do you happen to have a box of tissues around?” asked Mylene, who was trying to paint Rose’s nails.

“Yeah,” said Juleka, looking up from her guitar, “Marinette can you get them from my room?”

“Sure thing, Juleka!” Marinette got up immediately.

By now, Marinette knew Juleka's home and her room very well.

But she had not accounted for the boy who was sitting on the other bed in Juleka's room.

He looked up at Marinette, and spoke almost as if he was expecting her, “Hello.”

The unexpected presence had stunned Marinette into silence.

“Oh, I see you've met Luka!”

Marinette whipped around to find Juleka leaning against the door frame.

“Luka? Your brother who went to New York?”

Juleka smiled. “The very same. He got back only last night, unexpectedly.”

Marinette hadn't seen Juleka's older brother for over what, like six years? Mostly because he would be home for only two days at the most; being a professional musician and part of a travelling band had its own disadvantages.

“But his hair-?”

“You know you can talk to me when I'm sitting right here?” Luka said with a laugh, making Marinette turn back to him. “I got the teal tips only a couple of months ago,” he said, running his hands through the strands at his forehead.

“Oh. Umm, hey. It’s been a while, right?” Marinette finally managed to utter.

“Yeah, sadly,” Luka said with a slight smile. “But this time I'm gonna be here for a long time.”

“Luka resigned from his band because he was homesick,” Juleka explained. “He says he’s going to chill at home for a few months at least, and after that until he gets a decent offer. Till then he's going to be a temporary member of the Kitty Section.”

The Kitty Section was an amateur band that Juleka, Rose and Ivan had founded in their spare time.

“You could say that with a little more enthusiasm, you know, Jules. After all, not everybody gets lucky enough to be honoured by the presence of Luka Couffaine in their little band,” Luka puffed his chest, at which he was promptly hit in the face with a cushion.

“Tut-tut, newbie,” Juleka said in a condescending voice, “you still have a lot to learn.”

Marinette all but escaped the room with the box of tissues in a fit of laughter. It was at times like this that she found herself wondering how different her life would have been if she were not an only child.

She remembered being very close to Luka when they were younger. They had struck up a strong friendship despite the age difference between them. Maybe they could rekindle that bond? Because Marinette could definitely use one more friend.

Luka was more than eager to spend time with Marinette. And despite his celebrity status, he was never anything but sweet to her. As the weeks passed, they grew closer and began to spend more and more time with each other. Luka occasionally showed up at Marinette's university and offered to take her home after she was done with her day. Or sometimes they would go for a stroll together. Marinette always found Luka’s company particularly comforting.

One day, as Luka waited outside the university gates for Marinette, he saw a well-dressed blonde boy walk up to him.

“Hey there,” Adrien greeted him curtly.

“Hi, do we know each other?” asked Luka.

“Not directly, but I believe we have a friend in common.”

“And who might that be?”

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng.”

“So, you are one of Marinette's friends?”

Adrien's eyebrow twitched slightly at the question. “You might say so.”

“That's strange, because I don't think she has never mentioned any friends from university.”

Adrien felt a pang at his chest. “Are you her friend too?”

“Yes, I’ve known her since we were kids.”

“Oh, that's interesting.”

“So, was there anything you wanted to talk to me about?”

“Yeah,” Adrien squared up his shoulders. “Listen to me, guitar-guy, I don't know how close you are with Marinette, or what your intentions are, but you dare break her heart and you will have to answer to me.”

Unexpectedly, Luka smiled. “Don’t worry, I really care about her. I will never do anything to hurt her.”

Adrien's expression softened considerably at that.

Luka extended his hand. “It's Luka, by the way.”

Adrien grasped his hand and gave it a firm shake. “Adrien.”

“Well, Adrien, thank you once again for the warning. But I hope I never have to get on the wrong side of you.”

Adrien nodded silently. “I'll be on my way,” he said, and walked away to a black car that stood at a distance.

After a few seconds, Luka heard Marinette’s voice, “Luka! Did I keep you waiting for long?”

“Not at all, Marinette,” he smiled, “Say, would you like a cup of coffee?”

“I'd love it! Ugh, it's been a long day.”

“Want to talk about it?”

Luka intentionally refrained from talking to Marinette about the conversation he had with Adrien a while ago.

Adrien leaned back on the seat of his car. He felt restless. Of course, Marinette would try to find love somewhere else, now that he had turned her down. But that did not explain this strange feeling in his chest, like someone was pressing down on it, and he found breathing painful.

He had watched for more than two weeks, that boy would be waiting for Marinette outside their university almost every other day. And he had seen how Marinette's face would break into a smile when she saw him. Adrien had watched from a distance, and sadly wondered how long it had been since Marinette had smiled like that on seeing him.

Two weeks. It had taken him two weeks to gather his guts and walk up to him. Because no matter if they were apart, Adrien still cared for Marinette. And he would always look out for her. So he decided to ensure that Marinette did not get her heart broken by another guy again. But no matter what the tattoos or the nail-paints might suggest, Luka seemed to be a nice guy. And if they knew each other from childhood as he said, well then she knew who she was getting involved with. He wished nothing but happiness for her.

But really? Marinette hadn't even talked about him once? Did she really not want to have anything to do with him at all? Adrien ran a hand through his hair and pulled at the strands in agony. Had he really lost Marinette's friendship forever?

One day, the girls and Ivan and Luka were hanging out at the Kitty Section rehearsal studio.

All of a sudden, Alya stood up. “Will you come with me to the bathroom, Marinette?”

Marinette was a little taken aback, more by the tone of exasperation in her voice. She excused herself to go after Alya.

When the bathroom door was shut behind them, Marinette asked, “Are you oka-"

“Alright, what is going on down there?” Alya cut her off with a question.

“What are you talking about?”

“Luka, of course!”

“What?” Marinette asked incredulously.

“See girl,” Alya went on, “I am all for you being happy, but I don't like what you're doing here. You are clearly not over Adrien yet, and I don't want you to get involved with someone else like that.”

Marinette had not seen this coming. “You have got it all wrong Alya. Luka and I, we are not like that.”

“Is that so? Then pray explain to me all the dates and the lovey-dovey glances and all that stuff!”

“I-I don't know what you're talking about.”

“Marinette,” Alya went on in a gentler tone, “maybe you don’t understand what you're doing. But please don't get yourself into a situation that will inevitably lead to both your hearts broken.”

Alya patted Marinette's shoulder and gave her an encouraging smile. “Just think about it. Let's go now, the others must be waiting for us.”

Marinette was sure that she did not have any feelings besides friendship for Luka. But was she unconsciously using him to get over Adrien?

#miraculous ladybug #ml fanfic #my fic #the road to us and everything in between #chapter 6 #no magic au #alternate universe - no powers #marinette dupain cheng #adrien agreste #adrienette #slow burn #lukanette

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tired-college-student-writing · 4 years

Text

Tim’s Secret Weapon Pt.7

I’ve been slightly obsessed with @ozmav ‘s Damian Wayne/Marinette Dupain-Cheng pairing as of late, and just saw a post that has inspired me more than anything else has in months, so I felt the need to write it

Summary- Tim has always seen the numbers floating above people’s heads, been able to perceive their threat levels with a single glance. After being a hero for so long he thought he was desensitized to seeing high numbers above people’s heads until Damian brings a new friend home.

Part 1 Part 6 Part 7 (HERE) Part 8

This is out earlier than expected because my procrastination sucks ass

____________________________________________

The battle was fascinating to watch, to say the least. The team worked together like a well-oiled machine, making their acrobatic plan flawlessly after Marinette called for her ‘Lucky Charm’ and used the white paint she received along with Ryoko’s water powers to break the connection The Queen of Hearts had with her guards. This gave Abeille the chance to sneak in dive in and freeze her with her venom sting as Chat grabbed her bracelet and turned it to dust. Viperion seemed to not have an outright offensive move associated with him, but his time travel ability seemed infallible as he effortlessly redirected his teammates around attacks yet to come.

The Bats were left watching with respect as Ladybug caught the dark purple butterfly in her yoyo. From the second she had left them on the roof to when she tossed the paint can in the air, allowing her magic to fix all the damage done by the fight, only fifteen minutes had passed.

The five heroes grinned at each other, fist-bumping with a chorus of “Pound it!” before Chat and Abeille went up to the woman in her early 30s that had been the victim of the fight, and the other three turned to take off, Ladybug making a clear path back to the hotel, with the Bats on her heels.

They passed through the window they had left not long before just in time for Ladybug to flash bright pink once more. Tim flinched slightly as her number reappeared and slowly fell back to her normal 15. Alfred looked up from the chair where he was reading.

“Welcome back, Shall I call for refreshments?” He asked, placing the book down.

“Yes please,” Dick answered, “I feel like we’re going to be here for a while.

“Of course,” He hummed standing up to go to the phone, “Aw and Miss. Marinette, what food does your Kwami favor?”

The young girl jumped, eyes wide, “What!”

“Your Kwami, I saw the battle on the news, and assumed your Kwami will be famished after that much magic being used.”

“I don’t-”

A small red fairy-like creature flew out from Marinette’s jacket.

“It’s okay, Marinette,” The creature reassured before turning to the men in the room, “Hello I’m Tikki! I’m glad to finally meet all of you.”

Alfred’s face became unbelievably soft as he held out his index finger to the small creature, “Hello Madam Tikki, it’s lovely to meet you as well. What can I get for you?”

She giggled as she shook the offered finger, “No need to be so formal with me, Alfred, but I’m partial to cookies if you don’t mind.”

“Not at all, Tikki,” He said before striding over to the room’s phone, raising an eye at the still costumed Bats, “I would suggest getting dressed in something more appropriate before room service arrives gentlemen.”

“You dropped her title,” Jason countered instead of moving to change, “You never drop titles when asked!”

Alfred let out an amused huff, “Arguing with Kwamis over respect is a futile endeavor. Now do not make me tell you again. This is a conversation best suited for the Waynes, not the Bats.”

The Bats ducked into one of the adjoining bedrooms, as Marinette just blinked in surprise at the exchange.

“You’ve had experience with the miraculous before?” She asked as he hung up the phone, Tikki settling in her hair.

“I do,” He confirmed, “For several years I was a hero known as Emrys with the help of a very good friend named Duusu.”

Tikki gasped, “You’re a peachick.”

Alfred’s eyes misted slightly, “Yes, and I must admit I never thought I would be able to converse with another Kwami after losing the peacock brooch. I was devastated to hear that the butterfly had fallen into the wrong hands,”

Marinette was biting her lip as the Bats reentered the room, now in their civilian clothing.

Damian raised an eyebrow, “Is everything okay, Angel?”

“I just…” She looked at all of them, “This is a lot, how did we get here?”

The room glanced at Tim as he sighed and stepped forward and began his explanation once more.

Marinette took the information on how his powers worked really well, humming at certain parts as she looked deep in thought. Tikki was looking at him strangely, by the time that he had finished.

“You’ve been able to do this since you were born?” She questioned lightly, nibbling on one of the cookies that had arrived during his explanation.

He gave a nod, “As far as I’m aware. Why?”

The Kwami shook her head, “Just making sure.”

“Well that’s cryptic,” Jason drawled from where he was laying on the floor.

Marinette giggled, “Welcome to Kwamis, they give the most helpful cryptic insight you could ask for.”

Tikki stuck her tongue out at her user before both broke down into giggles.

Tim looked between them before finally asking, “Do you know the other Paris’ heroes secret identities?”

Marinette cocked her head, sitting up slightly from where she was snuggled under Damian’s arm, “All but Chat Noir’s, as when I took over the Guardian position I was the one that had to pick those that would receive the Miraculous. I’m guessing your powers gave them away?”

He gave a sheepish shrug, “It’s kinda hard to see a 12, 13, 14, or 15 over someone’s head and not put together their identities. Viperion is the only one I don’t know because I didn’t see him out of his mask.”

Dick raised a brow from his upside-down seat on the couch, “Was that why you were so weird at the school?”

“There were six people with 12s or higher,” He snapped, “And that creepy chick that called Damian ‘Dami-Bear’ was a 9.”

Jason gave a low whistle, “Damn, that’s a lot.”

Marinette looked surprised, “Six? But there’s only five miraculous out permanently on our side…”

“Yeah about that,” Tim said, “I’ve seen other users online, have Max or Kim from your class ever held a miraculous?”

“How did…”

“It’s rare to see people with the exact same shade of a color, even less so when they have the same number,” He explained, knowing his family was hanging onto his every word, “And yet Kim and Max both had a pure white 12, the exact same pure white 12 as Alfred. I think the miraculous might permanently affect the user’s danger level.”

“You only asked about Kim and Max,” Marinette put in, “But Alya and Nino also held miraculous before, what were their numbers.”

“Alya was the girl that started recording right? And who was Nino.”

“Yeah, and Nino was the boy with the bright blue headphones around his neck, red cap, and glasses.”

“She had an obnoxious orange 5, and He had a mossy green 4.”

“Why wouldn’t they have 12s then…”

Tikki was the one to answer, “Alya and Nino weren’t true holders, but Max and Kim are both true holders so I imagine that would affect Tim’s powers.”

All eyes fell on the small goddess.

“True holder?” Marinette asked.

She gave a small nod, “The Kwamis are much older than the human race and the miraculous, but when we began using humans to regulate our powers each Kwami blessed a handful of souls. As they go through the reincarnation cycle we can find our true users, who will always be more intuned with our powers than anyone else that could use our miraculous and our true users usually showcase abilities that go along with the concept the Kwami represents. After a true holder transforms for the first time Kwami’s can feel them, and recognize them as one of the blessed souls, though we don’t know what Kwami blessed their souls on that feeling alone.”

“So the 12s saw were true users that don’t have their miraculous,” Tim summed up.

“Most likely,” Tikki confirmed, “The others would be the ones that still hold their miraculous.”

The conversation goes on for a while as Marinette asks questions of Tim and he asks them right back. The rest of the family remaining silent as they soak in the information, all making mental notes on where to go next.

Bruce finally claps his hands startling the pair out of the intense debate they had gotten over whether his ability could be used to detect a potential Akuma victim before an Akuma got to them or not as the sunset.

“As insightful this discussion is,” He comments, “I believe it is time that we contact the rest of the League and make a plan on how to out Hawkmoth.”

“We should change and head for WE,” Damian suggested, “No one would be on the executive floor at this time so we can do a conference call without risk of being disturbed.”

When Bruce gave a nod all the Bats rose and headed to the bedroom.

“Before we call the league,” Marinette said quietly making them pause, “I need to do two things.”

Bruce nodded, waiting for her to continue, her city, her rules.

“Firstly I want to call my team, they should be there when we contact the league,” She said, turning towards Tim, “I would also like to inform them that you know who most of them are, and how you figured it out since it’s their secrets.”

“I’m willing to share with them,” He told her, “It’s only fair that they know the facts before we form.”

“Thank you,” She breathed.

“Now what else did you want to do?” Jason asked.

“Alfred,” She turned to the butler, “There’s something you should know about who we’re fighting.”

“Nooroo and his user?” He questioned with a raised brow.

She shook her head, “No, Hawkmoth may have been there from the start but a little less than a year into the fight another miraculous user joined him. Mayura and… her Sentimonsters.”

His strangled gasp sent a stab of pain through all the hearts in the room, “Not Duusu…”

She gave a grim nod, “Mayura is the current holder of the peacock miraculous. Though at first, her appearances were few and far between due to the brooch being damaged, they learned how to repair the damage shortly after I became Guardian allowing for her to make more regular appearances.”

None of the Wayne’s had ever seen Alfred look so pale, so worn out, so… old.

Bruce wrapped an arm around the butler’s waist pulling him towards the couch, making him sit gently.

“It’s okay, Alfie,” Bruce breathed as the others remained silent. Alfred was shaking slightly, unable to find his voice as he slowly held out a hand. Bruce clasped it tightly, sitting with the man that raised him in reassuring silence.

“Master Bruce,” Alfred’s voice was quiet as he continued to stare at their clasped hands, “I don’t normally ask anything of you except for you and the young masters to stay safe, but if I might make a request?”

“Anything, Alfred,” The man answered without a second of hesitation.

“Find Hawkmoth and Mayura and free Nooroo and Duusu as quickly as possible. Rescue them, please, no matter what it takes.”

“I promise,”

Alfred finally raised his eyes, a hard steely gaze flashing over his ward’s face, “Go.”

Bruce was on his feet and in the bedroom ready to change within a second, his sons not far behind him.

“I’m sorry Alfred,” Mari breathed only to be rewarded a shaky smile.

“It’s not your fault, Marinette,” He reassured, professional mask struggling to raise, “I believe it is time to call your team.”

“Tikki, spots on.”

____________________________________________

Thirty minutes later Ladybug found herself staring at her whole team in the art room of her school with the blackout curtains pulled tight over the windows, able to feel their buzzing energy overflowing the room.

Abeille was looking at her imploringly, knowing slightly what the meeting was about, but the fact that Ladybug had contacted not just the regular team, but the reserve members, Pegasus, King Monkey, and Bunnyx, as well had them all on edge.

“Is everything okay, bugaboo?” Chat finally broke through the nerves to ask.

She nodded slightly, taking a deep breath, “Earlier today before the Akuma, Abeille came across two foreign heroes.”

The rooftop stilled, eyes wide.

“Who was here,” Vipieion asked first.

Ladybug gave them all reassuring smiles, “Nightwing and Red Robin, and after making contact with Abeille, I met with the Batman, Nightwing, Red Hood, Red Robin, and Robin. They wanted to offer their help.”

“They finally answered!” Chat cheered causing the gathered heroes to break out in celebration, even Ladybug couldn’t stop a grin from spreading her lips.

Finally indeed. Three days after Stoneheart the original duo had tried to contact the Justice League, and then again a month later, and again, and again...

A year and a half into the fight against Hawkmoth they finally got a response, telling them the contact was for real emergencies, not for pranks. The response wasn’t even signed past the official Justice League seal.

For League associated heroes to be here in Paris, and willing to talk, it filled them all with the hope that the fight wasn’t going to last forever.

Ladybug let them enjoy the feeling for a few minutes before she called them back to order. The bright smiles pointed at her made the nervous twist in her stomach lessen slightly even as she readied herself for the next announcement.

“Before we met up with the League and determining a game plan, I think it is only fair to have us all on the same page,” She told them, “After speaking with the Gotham heroes they informed me that they figured out not only my civilian identity but, Chat Noir, Ryuko and Abielle’s as well.”

“What!” Bunnyx roared, “How dare they! The sneak sons of-”

“Stop!” Ladybug cut her off with a glare, “They did not go digging into our backgrounds to figure it out, and while they will explain in more depth when we go meet them, I can tell you that they discovered our identities because Red Robin is a Metahuman with an ability he can’t physically turn off, it was the same way he figured out who Batman and other heroes were long before he was Robin, and he’s never given away an identity without express permission.”

The room quieted down but still looked uneasy, She just sighed.

“That brings me to the next point. With the League finally answering us, I think we need to not waste the opportunity. If we’re going to finish this, we need to use every advantage we have against Hawkmoth and Mayura, which means we need to be able to work at all hours of the day.”

The room was silent as all the heroes tried to decide where she was going with this, but she just stared at her partner.

Chat maintained her eye contact, and she could see the exact second he put together what she was saying.

“Ladybug,” He spoke slowly, “Are you serious?”

She gave a nod, “I’ve spoken with my Kwami and I’ve decided that if all of you are comfortable with it, I think we should tell each other our identities.”

____________________________________________

Taglist: @vixen-uchiha @iggy-of-fans @mewwitch @roseinbloom02 @worlds-tiniest-spook-pastry @mochinek0 @royalchaoticfangirl @09shell-sea09 @mystery-5-5 @derpingrainbow @aloha-posts-stuff @hauntedfreakdeputyhero @maribat-archive @blue-peach14 @kae690 @zazzlejazzle @vincentvangoose @be-happy-every-day-please @xxmadamjinxx @celestiacq @peculiarlylostdreamer @dani-ari @melicmusicmagic @themcclan @nyctamaximoff @nataladriana9 @drama-queen-supreme @miraculousbelladonna @urbanpineapplefarmer @graduatedmelon @lexysama @hecate-hallow @ki117h3dr4g0n @vinerlover @interobanginyourmom @bluefiredemon @imanerddealwith @tinybrie @clumsy-owl-4178 @shizukiryuu @whogavemeaninternet @schrodingers25 @lunar-wolf-warrior @urbanpineapplefarmer @xxmadamjinxx @crazylittlemunchkin @littleredrobinhoodlum @rougemme @dur55 @phantommeow12 @kand-roo @silvergold-swirl @officiallyathiana @completelypeccable @redhoodsdoll @nataladriana9 @mariae2900 @northernbluetongue @sturchling @thesunanditsangel @reyna-avila-ramirez-alreanaldo @bobothyross @taoiichii @magnitude101999 @magicalfirebird @nataladriana9 @panda3506 @aquariusrunes @woodland-queer @sayarock121 @mindfulmagics @magic-miraculous @my-name-is-michell @naoryllis @slytherinqueen2432

#miraculous ladybug #batman #maribat #marinette dupain cheng #Tim Drake #meta!tim #Damian Wayne #dick grayson #Jason Todd #bruce wayne #Alfred Pennyworth #Alfred was a miraculous holder and you can't change my mind #chloe bourgeois #Adrian agreste #Kagami Tsurugi #luka couffaine #miraculous team

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trashystar420 · 4 years

Text

Chapter 7 Maribat Babysitter AU

“Alright boys.” Bruce looked at his two youngest. Dick and Jason looked into his eyes.

“Try to not destroy anything.”

“Yes sir!”

“Yes Bruce.”

“I have also asked Tim to join you with your time with Marinette.” Said boy also spits out his coffee at the news.

“What I have to-“

“you are burnt out from overworking yourself. A boy your age should be hanging out with people his age.”

“Everyone is too dumb or in it for the money what do you expect of me?!”Tim shouted at the man. But Bruce did not give in.

“Tim, think of this as a forced vacation, for a day. Relax and have fun. And if your looking for intelligent conversations, Marinette will be there.” Tim lit up at that.

“Fine, I guess I get to learn why the brats over here love her.” He gave in, and rubbed Dick’s head, who just giggled at his older brother’s physical affection.

“I’m fine with ole Tim Bolt here,” Jason said while pointing his thumb at said boy.”

“But please do NOT tell me Demon Spawn is joining us.” Dick cowered at the thought.

“He’s so mean to Marinette. He called her a witch.” Bruce sighed, thanking his lucky stars that he did not ask him to join. The man trusts Selina, and now trusts Marinette with keeping the house in one piece. But they’ve only known each other for around 3 weeks. It was tad suspicious that she would ask if she could take the boys out of the mansion.

But having Tim with the three of them, perhaps nothing too serious could happen. It IS Gotham after all.

“Alright Dick, Jason, pack whatever you need and wait by the door, I need to talk with your brother about something else.” The two obeyed and off they went to pack up.

“You think we should get her something, you know for all the baked goods she’s made for us?” Dick asked. Jason lit up like a Christmas tree.

“Dickie that is so considerate and smart!!! Of course you’d think of that. But let’s think about that later ok!” Dick nodded and continued to pack his essentials, comprised mainly his hero get up and his weapons. Jason and his guns as well.

“Alright Bruce what’s up?”

“Has Damien been doing something he is not supposed to be doing?” Bruce asked. Tim gave a thoughtful hum.

“Not that I know of, want me to look into it?” Bruce shook his head.

“No, I just wanted to know if you had any idea.” Bruce finished quickly. Tim gave him a knowing look, but didn’t say anything. Bruce sighed.

“If he does anything I’ll be sure to stop him.” Tim reassured, but that didn’t really help the old bat much.

“Oh and tell Selina I said hi.” Tim teased. Bruce gave a hearty laugh and left the cave. Tim went to the super computer to last minute check the case he was working on involving Lex Luther. And then he found a strange folder he KNEW he did not placed. He clicked it, and it needed a passcode to access. Folder name: Fxtslqpcna

“Okay.... what the hell.” Before he could type a passcode in, Jason yelled for Tim, which sent him running out the bat-cave and change into some casual clothing.

...

“Alright boys, ready to have some fun!!!” Mari asked, the boys cheered. Tim just rolled his eyes at his brothers antics, and off the four of them went in the limousine, driven by Alfred.

...

Jason blurted out a ‘woah’ while Dick was in a trance over the many paintings placed on display. Tim could care less, and sipped his 5th cup of coffee.

“Hey wasn’t that your second cup?” Marinette asked in concern.

“Fifth actually.” Marinette did a double take. She released a breathe as though calming herself.

“Tim, listen sweetie.”

“Don’t even try, Alfred and Bruce and heck even Demon Spawn have all tried and failed to convince me on giving up on coffee.” Mari gave him an offended look.

“Excuse me?!? What makes you think I’d convince you to give up God’s Nectar?!?” She spoke scandalized. Tim spits his drink and tried and failed miserably in holding back his laughter. Which had Mari in a fit of giggles herself.

“Just try not to overdo it ok?” And Tim nodded, finishing his drink in peace.

“Woah Pixie Bob check this out!!!” Jason grabbed Mari by the arm and pulled her towards a painting of a woman in a chair.

“Wow look at the shading.” Mari remarked. Jason then pointed to a strange insignia on the lady’s dress.

“Look it’s a Chinese marking.” Marinette turned as white as a ghost. ‘That’s the guardian’s symbol. But this was made by modern artists, alive! What does this mean?’

“Pixie bob, yo Mari you alrite?” The young concerned boy waved his hand in front of the petrified face of the older woman. She shook out of whatever daydream, nightmare?

“Y-yes Jason?” Said boy gave her a look, but chose not to say anything about it.

“Just wanted to let you know Timbolt and Dickie went ahead.” So the two picked up their pace to catch up with the other boys.

“I am very sorry about that Tim, I was supposed to keep up with you two.” Tim chuckled.

“Don’t worry about it Mar-Bear. Dick just really wanted some popcorn.”

“It’s buttered POPCORN!!!!” Dick yelled and jumped on Tim pleading with him if he could get some.

“Ugh ask the babysitter here.” Shaking the puppy dog eyes towards the Bluenette.

“Fine, but don’t get so much, you need to save some room for lunch time ok. Speaking of lunch...” the four left the art museum and started walking towards the dog park.

“I think it’s time for us to eat, what do you all have to say to that?”

“I think we could all have a snack break.” Tim spoke for himself and Jason, who nodded in agreement.

“Anyways Mon Cherrie, why do you like Popcorn so much?” An innocent question, but one that caused Dick to ponder it over. Wondering if he should say it or not. Tim gave a questioning look, while Jason was scarfing down another piece of a delicious quiche.

“I-It reminds me of my biological parents.” No one dared to even breathe another word. ‘Goddammit Marinette Dupain-Cheng why would you say something so stupid’

“Before the... accident.” Dick paused, and took a deep breathe before continuing.

“ My family and I were once part of a circus group. They were acrobats, and they would always make the most elegant performances ever. One day, when the circus was about to open, my parents would always make some pretty good buttered popcorn. It was much better than the one I’m eating, but idk just the taste of buttered popcorn reminds me of those simpler times, ya know. I-I’m not saying I hate being apart of the Wayne family, I love it, I love you guys.” Loving young blue eyes gazed upon his now family. Tim smiled while Jason gave a cheeky grin.

“Anyways that’s why I love buttered popcorn. It always brings me joy.” Marinette wipes a stray tear, and then perks up at another idea.

“Hey Mon Cherrie, why don’t I help you make the best buttered popcorn! We could even try and replicate it! If you want to that is, I mean I’d TOTALLY understand it you don’t and that it might bring up -I’d like that.” Dick interrupted. The bluenette blushed at her stammering, and then hugged the boy. Jason and Tim joined in after Dick and Mari demand the two to join them with the best puppy dog eyes the two could possibly muster.

...

Damien Wayne got up rather late. He ended up finding himself alone in the mansion, except Alfred, who seemed to be cleaning a closet.

“Hey where is everyone?” He demanded. Alfred places a broom on a corner.

“Master Bruce is on another date with Selina, and your brothers, Master Damien, are with Marinette. She is taking them out for the whole day.” Damien kept his usual expression. But inside he began to panic.

‘This can’t be a coincidence.’ Is all he thought, and stormed off into the bat-cave. It looks like BlackBird will be investigating a certain case. Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

#damien x marinette #marinette dupen chang #maridami #maribat #batfam #batman #miraculous ladybug #older tim drake #older damian wayne #younger dick grayson #younger jason todd #bruce wayne

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mistydacat · 4 years

Text

Marichat Day 10 || Can I borrow your miraculous

This is technically Ladrien, but frankly, I don’t give a crap.

Marinette Dupain-Cheng lay in her bed, snuggling up against her boyfriend. Tikki was nowhere to be seen but was probably eating some sort of sugary snack somewhere.

"Adrien?" She started. He opened his eyes to look at her.

"Yes, Purr-incess?"

"Do you think I'd purr and stuff as Lady Noire?"

His cat ear twitched in confusion.

"I don't see why not. Where is this coming from?"

"I don't know, I was just thinking. To be honest, there were a lot of things we didn't get the chance to explore when we switched miraculous. I barely even got time to process the outfit change during the battle. You know the braid was supposed to be my tail? I thought that was really cool. I wonder if I could undo the braid, and I'd just have really long hair."

Cat Noir chuckled. "You were very cute as Lady Noire."

Marinette gave him a pointed look. "What? I'm not cute when I'm Marinette, Multimouse, or Ladybug?"

Cat Noir smiled and leaned to rub his nose against hers in an Eskimo kiss.

"You know what I mean."

"Anyways, I hope we get another opportunity to switch miraculous. I'd like to be Lady Noire again."

He knew Marinette wouldn't say, "Can I borrow your Miraculous?" probably because she didn't want him to think she was obnoxious, so she was strongly hinting at it.

Cat Noir started sliding his ring off, his transformation coming off with it. Plagg appeared.

"The Miraculous aren't meant to be used for you to play dress-up with them." He grumbled in his nasal voice.

"We know, but just this once? We'll leave you alone to hang out with Tikki afterwards." Marinette promised, knowing the two kwamis enjoyed spending time alone together, though neither of them would admit it. "And, I'll make croissants with camembert."

"Alright, fine." He gave in with a huff. "But just with once!"

Marinette removed her earrings and handed them to Adrien, who put them on his own ears. Even though only the ring would be activated, the idea of wearing both the Miraculous of creation and destruction made her feel uneasy.

"Plagg, claws out! She said. There was a flash of green light, and her pyjamas were replaced with a black catsuit. Her hair grew much longer and into a braid. One her transformation was complete, she looked up at Adrien, who was now in his own "I heart Ladybug" pyjamas.

"You look adorable!" He gushed.

She twirled the end of her braid around. "Are those Ladybug pyjamas I see?" She teased.

Adrien's cheeks coloured slightly.

"Well, I'm flattered." She practically purred.

"I'm going to put my hair down, mind lending a hand?"

Adrien nodded.

Lady Noire got up and went to her vanity, grabbing a hairbrush before returning to Adrien. She placed the brush down next to her and removed the green elastic from the end of her braid before starting to unbraid it.

It took her a while, and Adrien had to help her. Once she was finished, her hair practically pooled around her. Adrien picked up the hairbrush, and Lady Noire turned, so her back was facing away from him.

He took a section of her hair and started to brush it.

"Tell me if I hurt you, okay?" He said, placing a kiss on her shoulder, though there were no knots or tangles in her hair.

"Okay." Lady Noire agreed.

"Can I do your hair?" Adrien asked after he finished brushing it out.

"You know how to do hair?" Marinette turned to face him, looking impressed.

"Yeah. How would you like me to do yours?" He responded.

"I don't know, surprise me."

Adrien thought for a moment before an idea hit him. He parted her hair into two halves and began working on braiding one of them, starting from her hairline.

"Tell me if it's too tight, 'kay?"

"Mhmm."

Around fifteen minutes later, Adrien was done. The two teenagers got up and went to the mirror so Marinette could see herself, Adrien had braided two elegant dutch braids into her hair, leaving out her bangs and the shorter strands at the front.

"Wow, this looks great!" Gushed Marinette. She turned to Adrien, taking his hands and placing a kiss atop his knuckles. "My purr-ince is very talented."

"You could do your hair in any style and still look beautiful." Adrien complimented. His innocent demeanour shifted, turning a little more flirty, a side of him he would only show as Cat Noir.

"Now, let's see what Cat tendencies I can coax out of you like you always do to me." He smirked, pulling Marinette to sit next to him on her chaise.

Marinette lay her head on his side, the way she had watched him do many times before.

"This feels a little awkward." She admitted, her right cat ear squished against him.

"Don't worry," He said, leaning down to place a kiss on her head. "You'll forget about it soon." He paused for a second.

"I've never been on the giving end of this before, so if I do something wrong, or make you feel uncomfortable, just tell me."

Lady Noire nodded.

Adrien brought his left hand to her head, scratching gently behind her ear. His other hand went to take or gloved one, tracing slow circles on the back of her palm.

Lady Noire closed her eyes, relaxing into his touch.

"You're good at this." She whispered.

Adrien let go of her hand, placing his index finger under her chin and using his thumb to stroke her cheek. He tilted her face towards him and leaned down, placing a soft kiss on her nose's tip.

"My Kitty." He cooed.

Lady Noire blushed and looked away, a soft rumble sounding from her chest.

Was this how Cat Noir felt when she did this to him? Did his stomach flutter with butterflies at every touch, like hers was doing now?

"You're so cute." Continued Adrien, meeting her eyes.

"Who's my little kitten?" He asked, his voice patronizing, though she found it strangely satisfying.

"Me." She purred. "I'm your kitten." In any other situation, this would have been extremely embarrassing, but something about it was so intoxicating. Her brain felt foggy and sleepy.

"Good kitten." Adrien praised, though she hadn't really done anything. "Such a good kitty."

His words were like music to her ears. Her purrs grew louder, her way of telling him to keep going when she didn't trust her mouth to form coherent words.

"You have no idea how cute you look right now." He moved his fingers, focusing on a different part of her head to pet.

Marinette didn't know why, but him rubbing that specific spot just felt so good. She leaned into his touch, rubbing her head against his hand and accidentally letting out a soft mewl.

Adrien stilled. "Did you just..?"

Lady Noire whimpered and buried her head against his side, bring a hand to her face and hiding behind it. Her purrs silenced.

"No, no! I didn't mean it like that! Don't be embarrassed, I've done the same."

She uncovered her face and looked up at Adrien. Damn, she really felt like a cat.

"Can you do it again?" He asked, sounding a little shy.

Lady Noire took his hand and guided back to her head.

"Just keep doing what you were doing before." She mumbled lazily.

"Do you like it here?" He asked, scratching the spot that he had been petting before.

She mewled in response, closing her eyes as the sound of her purring filled the room again.

They continued like this for a while, Lady Noire getting sleepier and sleepier as time went on. Adrien was very much aware of this, so he wasn't surprised when she sat up on all fours, stretched and yawned, arching her back as she did so. Then she curled into a ball and placed her head in Adrien's lap.

"I'm going to sleep." She announced, her words slurred.

"Goodnight, ma Minette." He said, sighing and gazing tenderly at her.

She hummed in response, already halfway to Dreamland.

Adrien waited until she had been asleep for a few minutes before picking her up and carefully carrying her to bed. He tried to lower her down, but she held on to him, snuggling against his chest.

"You're too cute for your own good," Adrien whispered.

Realizing there was no way to leave without waking her, Adrien lay on the bed with Marinette wrapping herself around him. He carefully removed his ring from her hand, replacing the earing in her ears before sliding it back on his own finger.

Plagg flew out of the ring when Marinette detransformed, opening his mouth to complain, most likely. Adrien shushed him before he has the chance to start talking by placing a finger to his lips and pointing to Marinette.

"Tikki's probably in the bakery eating. If you wake Marinette or her parents, I will end you. Got it?" He whispered to Plagg.

Plagg nodded in understanding and dashed downstairs to meet his Sugarcube.

Adrien pulled the covers over him and his sleeping girlfriend, kissing the top of her head and whispering, "I love you, ma Minette."

Marinette stirred in her sleep, and Adrien worried he had woken her, but she only snuggled closer to him.

Then she muttered something that almost made his heart leap out of his chest.

"I love you, my Purr-ince."

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰ Parts: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10

#marichat may 2020 #marichatmay2020 #marichatmay #marichat may #marinette x cat noir #miraculous ladybug fanfic #miraculous ladybug #miraculous #ladybug and cat noir #marichat #can I borrow your miraculous

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aserniccatnip · 5 years

Text

Lady light. (Part 1)

So... Maybe there is already an AU like this one, please, say it to me if it is the case ! Or I might really think I actually had an idea all by myself... This story is writen after Ladybug but I might put some things from the others episodes, the diffusion order is killing me.

Warning : It's a Damian x Marinette au but it can alsi be a "Marinette doesn't need a man in her life because she's perfect" au base, Chloé will be redeemed.

Part 2, Part 3, Taglist

___________

Sabine couldn't stop thinking of the accident, about the girl and her habit to say stranges things. She couldn't stop thinking about her daugther who was expelled, of her faded smile and her sadness. She tought about it for hours and hours. Days and days. Everyday she thinks about it and feels anger growing slowly inside of her, but luckily for her, Tom is always by her side and try to find a way to make everybody happy again in his little family.

But after several days of intense reflection, they came to the best solution possible for their daughter. Maybe for some they were making a mistake, but they still wanted to do everything to ensure the happiness of Marinette. It was their duty as parents.

To make sure they were not doing anything stupid, however, they once invited Alya home while Marinette was at Nadja's house looking after her daughter to earn some pocket money. Like any child invited to a parent's house without knowing the reason, Alya was stoned, but she knew how much Marinette's parents were angels. (She was always shocked that a man like Tom Dupain was able to be akumatized.) After drinking her cup of hot chocolate and her croissant, which melted delicately in her mouth, she tried to focus on the adults. "Why did you want to see me?"

Sabine looked at Tom, hesitantly and took a deep breath. "You are a future journalist and Marinette's friend, can you tell us what is her relationship with this so-called Lila Rossi?"

Alya looked at them in turn, understanding finally the reason for her coming, the parents anxiety after the accident that had occurred a month earlier was easy to see. She didn't blame them for seeking explanations when everyone had already turned the page on this unfortunate misunderstanding and moved on.

"Marinette doesn't like Lila since ... Since her arrival. She doesn't stop treating her as a liar and manipulator. I must admit that I think it's because she's in love with Adrien and Lila is in love too." Alya drank her chocolate, not noticing the shock of the parents right away.

Their daughter ? Treat someone liar just because they are fighting for the same man? It wasn't the Marinette they had raised. Suddenly, they wondered where they had failed in hee education. Marinette used to hate lies in the past.

"So ... do you think she really steals her family necklace?"

"Marinette? Never ! She has already done some unthinkable things, but I don't think she did that. "

"So this Lila has set up a trap for my cupcake!" Tom stood up, growling with a more than angry look. The two women looked at each other, almost afraid to see an Akuma appear.

"M. Dupain, it's impossible. Lila is very sweet and an adorable girl. She would never hurt a fly ! But ... I know two other people who also love Adrien and can be responsible for all that. Two incredibly mean girls for nothing. A bit like Marinette with Lila at times ... "

Sabine couldn't believe her ears: people were ready to sabotage the whole schooling of a girl just because, at the age of fourteen, she loved a boy? A model moreover? Someone who, inevitably, attracted the attention of others? No. All this was not correct.

"Thank you Alya, have some macaroons and thank you, once again, for your time." Smiling as she accompanied Alya to the door, Sabine slowly lose her smile and put her future plan into action. It was hurting her to do that. But Marinette happiness was the only thing that matter.

___

When Marinette returned home that day, she thanked Heaven for giving Ladybug a day off because she couldn't have saved anyone because of her current condition. Exhausted, she immediately climbed into her room and didn't notice that her parents were not at the bakery. It was only once in her room that she jumped, seeing her mother sitting on her bed waiting for her.

"Mom ? What are you doing in my room?“

"I wanted to talk to you about Lila Rossi. “

Marinette turned pale and her eyes were filled with anger, fear and sadness.

Everything she hated to see in her daughter's eyes.

"Mom, I don't want to talk about it... "

Her mother nodded and got up from the bed, showing her a suitcase next to her. "Marinette, your father and I love you, that's why we want to fulfill our duty as parents at best by thinking about your future and your well-being, which sometimes means making choices that don't please everyone immediately to our child. "

Marinette stepped back, shaking her head as she tried to flee, she was slowly beginning to understand and it scared her. Where was she going? Somewhere in Paris at least, right? Outside, she could hear the noisy horn of a car and the shrill voice of Chloe Bourgeois, her eternal enemy. She ran to the window, wanting to be sure. At hee back, her mother continued to talk to her.

"Marinette Dupain Cheng, you are going to live in New York with Chloé Bourgeois and her mother to realize your dream of becoming a stylist!"

The teenager could hear happiness in her mother's voice as she was about to realize her dream. But what would she do with Ladybug? Alya? Adrien? And ... Going with Chloe? Really ? It was to sign her death warrant.

"But mom... I love Paris! Everything is fine here for me. And everyone is here ! You, dad, Alya, Adrien and... "

"And Lila Rossi? No. You may have only fourteen years old but you have a gift and New York can show your gift to the whole world. This is a big opportunity. "

"But Chloé is worse than Lila!" She remained silent for a moment. Chloe was sticky, annoying and she was doing everything to annoy her but ... Lila? No, clearly, Lila was worse. "I can become a stylist here mom!"

"Don't discuss my orders, pack your bags, your father has prepared your favorite meal as a farewell dinner ... We will come to visit you during the holidays and every night we will call each other."

Marinette wanted to cry. No, she was crying. She cried at the thought of being away from her parents, at the thought of being in an unknown and far too big city whose language she barely knew. She was crying to say goodbye to Alya, Adrien, Nino, Juleka, Rose, her new friend Kagami, she was crying to disappoint Master Fu.

"Before leaving ... can I say goodbye to my friends ...?"

At the table, Sabine was silent: it was hard for her to play the bad mother. And Tom? He was trying to keep smiling even if he was going to say goodbye to his daughter. Fortunately, the Bourgeois made the promise that she would have a bodyguard and that they would keep them informed of everything. He was a proud father of his daughter.

"Yes, my cupcake, you can go ... But at 7 pm you have to be at the airport for your departure." He gave a nervous little smile. "The Mayor told me that you have a first class ticket. First class ! Do you imagine the comfort?"

He was the only one who seemed happy about it.

Sabine watched her daughter as she left the table to see her friends without even eating her last family meal. She knew she was making the right choice and if it wasn't the right one... She was going to fly to New York to take her home if she had to. But the Parisian air was no longer made for Marinette. She deserved better and Sabine knew it.

----

"You go away ?" Alya's voice was shaking with anger.

"Alya ... I'm sorry, I just learned it right now, my mother made that decision without warning me before today!"

"Of course, your parents send you to New York the same day they decided it without telling anyone? You know what? Maybe Lila was saying, you're selfish!" She hung up.

Marinette knew that most of the words her best friend was saying were angry, but she couldn’t help but feel hurt. The student had always tried to please everyone, to make all her friends smile, then hear that she was selfish? It was almost too much for her.

"You're a big-hearted girl, Marinette, she's going to calm down and she's going to realize her words." Tikki tried her best to reassure her, knowing how sensitive Marinette is.

Marinette smiles, sticking her little girlfriend to her cheek to thank her for her sweetness in such a moment then she put Tikki back in her bag. Marinette inhaled and went to Master Fu's apartment.

For the others ? It was better that she was content to just write them a farewell letter, it was simpler, less painful.

"Master Fu?" Marinette muttered as she entered the miraculous guardian's apartment.

The old man smiled as he looked at her, but his smile vanished as he saw the sad look on Marinette's face, but also on Tikki's face. "Master Fu, Marinette is leaving for New York, she has no choice, her parents choose it for her..."

The guard didn’t know what to answer right away. But after a glass of tea, he put the horse’s glasses in the hands of the young woman. Marinette looked up at the old man with a lost face.

"Master ... But ..."

"You're the only person who can be the ladybug holder, I can’t replace you, I don’t want to replace you, so I'm sorry, but for now I have to rely on you to make the journey as soon as we need you here. I only trust you to fight Hawkmoth."

Tears rolled over Marinette's cheeks and she hugged him, taking advantage of that moment with him. Tikki was coming with her and that was something that reassured her in her situation.

Later in the evening, her father took the cards she had written for each of her acquaintances, even for Manon. She wanted everyone to know that she would miss Paris and that she wouldn’t forget them. She hugged her parents and went to the limousine to leave with Chloe and her parents. Neither Tom nor Sabine had the courage to accompany her to the airport without reconsidering their decision.

"So ... We're going to New York ..." Marinette tried to engage in a conversation with Chloe, smiling as hard as she could in her situation.

"It's ridiculous, utterly ridiculous, sharing an apartment with you ? Ridiculous!" She grunted, folding her arms and looking down at her. "Don’t you know ? My mother can’t come with us, so we're going to Gotham, I'm going into a dance school and modeling and you ... you're gonna try to survive before you come back here crying for your mama!"

"But ... who will take care of us, if your mother doesn’t come?"

"An adult will live with us and we will have bodyguards to avoid having problems." Seeing Marinette's growing fear, she smiled. "You can always back off."

"If only I had a choice."

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

Inspired of @coke-and-candy and her little drabble about Sabine. You all should read it ! It’s awesome.

#tikki #damian x marinette #ml au #marinette dupain cheng #lila is such a bad liar #my english is so bad #chloé bourgeois #maribat #fan fiction #Lady Light au

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mc-lukanette · 4 years

Text

Grade for Each Other (Part 8)

[Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4] [Part 5] [Part 6] [Part 7]

Luka’d never had any sort of "fancy dinner experience," so seeing Tom and Sabine run around excitedly to prepare one was very new to him. His mother wasn't the type to follow any sort of schedule or pattern, which inevitably rubbed off on him and Juleka (for better or worse). Eating was something they just did, not something they planned for, often leading to any of them grabbing anything at any time so long as they were hungry.

It made him feel weirdly spoiled to have anything close to a "normal" family dinner. Having Marinette be part of the equation didn't help him feel otherwise, nor the way Tom and Sabine stared at him from across the table like they were his biggest fans.

He'd barely taken his first bite before Tom dropped his forearm casually onto the table and asked, "So, Luka, how's having our daughter in your class?"

"Papa!" Marinette rushed to scold him, mouth half-full as she pouted at Tom from across the table.

Luka chuckled, swallowing his bite of food before answering. He'd honestly expected something like this; after all, he was a boy spending a lot of one-on-one time with a girl, so suspicion - or excitement apparently, in Tom's case - was to be expected.

"It's alright," he assured Marinette. She gave him a confused look, but he merely turned his focus to Tom. "Marinette sits next to me in class. It's great."

"She sits next to you?" Sabine inquired, seemingly intrigued.

Marinette piped up, "Luka's a very good student and he doesn't get into trouble. The teacher thought it'd be best if I sit next to someone like him, and he was right."

She almost looked proud of that and Luka hid his smile behind his hand.

Tom picked up one of the rolls off to the side, offering it to Luka as he asked, "And you're in a band? You were here before Marinette skipped grades, weren't you?"

Luka nodded, taking the roll gratefully. "I play guitar for Kitty Section."

"He's really talented, Papa," Marinette cut in tersely. "He's going places, even if the rest of the band decides to quit."

Tom let out a laugh, waving at her dismissively. "I know, I know. We trust you."

Luka looked back and forth between the two, needing a moment to understand exactly what had just transpired. He'd spent so much of his life around his music-enthused mother that it hadn't occurred to him that people would question the life of a musician.

...Well, not to mention that Tom's wording made it seem largely like Luka himself was already dating Marinette, which had briefly thrown him off. Actually, Marinette's wording kind of implied that too and—

Luka nearly shoved the roll into his mouth to force himself not to think about it, only to then be blindsided by how good the bread was. He let out a pleased hum and Tom and Sabine's grins assured him that they got the message.

Sabine took a bite of her food, looking Luka up and down before asking, "You're passionate, right?"

"Yes, very," Luka assured. A moment then passed, with him trying not to let the realization show on his face that Sabine had meant music and not his relationship with Marinette when he'd been thinking about the latter just a few seconds ago.

At least his answer would've been the same regardless.

"See? That's the kind of spirit we like!" Tom exclaimed, throwing his hands up. When they enthusiastically slammed back down on the table, Luka saw his plate shake from the force. "Us Dupain and Chengs are all passionate about what we do! Why, the very start of our bakery was built on it, and—"

Luka welcomed the change in topic, nodding along as Tom rambled. It was clear who Marinette had gotten it from and Luka liked seeing how strongly people felt about the things they enjoyed. He supposed it was because the people he grew up with felt strongly about things in general, even if Juleka felt those things more internally.

The rest of dinner was spent in idle conversation, Luka answering the occasional probing question from either of Marinette's parents. He had nothing to hide and felt it important for them to know and trust him regardless of how close he was to Marinette. He'd already expected the food itself to be beyond what he was used to, given that he was dealing with bakers, but he was more thankful that the atmosphere they gave off - as weirdly overwhelming as it was - didn't make him feel judged or unwelcome.

All four of them were in the middle of cleaning up the plates, glasses, and cutlery when a sudden crack of thunder startled them. Luka glanced over at the window, seeing the raindrops that had gone unnoticed until now. He was surprised that such a storm would—

...Oh. He hadn't thought that his mother had meant it literally when she was talking about a storm. Or—maybe she didn't and it was just coincidence?

He was jarred out of his thoughts as Sabine took everything in his hands, stacking it on top of what she was already carrying. She frowned at the window, observing, "That would be dreadful to walk home in."

Luka managed a reassuring smile. "Don't worry about me. I’ve done it before, and rain isn't—"

"You can't do that!" Tom protested. "You're going to make these two meddlers feel guilty if you go running out in the middle of a storm!"

Huh. So they were at least admitting to their meddling.

Sabine sighed, turning away to head to the sink. "We're sorry about this, Luka. Will you stay for the night?"

"Maman," Marinette interrupted, passing over the dishes she was carrying to Tom, "please don't pressure Luka into staying if he doesn't want to."

"We wouldn't want to pressure him into anything!" Tom insisted.

Marinette gave him a flat look and vaguely gestured to the plates. He proceeded to ignore her.

"We're worried about him catching a cold out there! Who will sit next to you in class if he's not there?" he asked with dramatic flair.

"Papa—!" Marinette cut herself off with a huff, apparently resigning herself on the matter.

Luka chuckled. "I'd love to stay. It wouldn't be any trouble?"

"Not at all!" Sabine replied. "You'll just need a place to sleep!"

Once she'd gotten everything into the sink, she turned to Tom with an urgent look, the two seeming to communicate wordlessly before racing off together. Marinette must've noticed Luka’s confusion at it, what with how she abruptly explained, "We have spare pillows and blankets for stuff like this. They're probably going to get them."

Then, with a sigh, she added, "I really am sorry about them."

"It just means that they like me," he replied, "so I'm happy."

"Really? Wait—" She squinted. "Did you think you'd say something that'd make them not like you?"

He shook his head, though amused at how shocked she seemed by the concept. "They're really open, like my mom is, and they trust you and who you pick out for friends, right?"

"Yeah. Well, a lot more now, especially." She paused, thoughtful. "Are you really okay with staying? I-I know you have your hood that could’ve protected you in the rain."

"Why would I mind being here with you?" he asked in reply, enjoying the way her cheeks tinted pink. "And I wouldn't want your parents to feel bad. They were the ones who asked me to stay for dinner in the first place."

The talk of family reminded him of Juleka. Pulling his phone out, he went straight for his contacts so he could text her to let her know that he wouldn't be coming home that day, remaining short on the details as she probably didn't want to hear anything extensive about Marinette at the moment.

Just as he'd slipped his phone back into his pocket, Tom and Sabine came barreling through the door like a pair of superheroes, arms full of pillows and blankets. Had Luka not been so skilled with sounds, he might've mistaken the slamming of the door for another crack of thunder.

"Marinette!" Tom shouted urgently. "The couch!"

Marinette jerked up, pointing to herself. "Wha—the couch? ...Oh!"

Luka had to step back as she rushed past him, the family of three seeming to be in sync as they began sorting various blankets and pillows onto the couch. He almost felt overwhelmed trying to watch all of their movements; Tom was unfolding and laying out the blankets, Sabine was efficiently fluffing out the pillows, and Marinette apparently had a problem with the appearance, insisting that one color had to go above the other and that any level of comfort worked better that way anyway.

"Luka," Sabine called out, stopping mid-fluff to glance up at him, "how do you like to sleep?"

He blinked at her cluelessly, having never thought of alternative sleeping positions in his life.

Seeing that she wasn’t getting an answer, Sabine turned her gaze to Marinette instead. "He said he plays guitar, right?"

Marinette nodded.

"...Back support then," Sabine concluded, Luka feeling somewhat called out as she adjusted the pillows accordingly.

He was left awkwardly standing there, simply observing as the three finished what they'd defined as "the perfect bed." He couldn't lie, it did look really perfect, and now he was left feeling spoiled again.

"Alright!" Marinette shouted the second they were done, making gestures at her parents. "Now, both of you, shoo!"

Even though it wasn't late enough to exactly sleep, the two relented, probably still feeling bad about making Luka stay longer even if they couldn't have known about the weather. They both gave Marinette a simultaneous cheek kiss on opposite sides of her face, then patted Luka on the back on their way out.

It was strange how they'd patted him with the exact same pressure despite their height difference. Luka supposed that they were just that in sync.

When he looked back at Marinette, she was still making tiny adjustments to his bed, her inner organizer somehow not satisfied until everything was perfectly aligned. He approached and admired her, particularly how adorable her focused face was. Though he knew it'd be pointless to try and tell her, he nonetheless insisted, "You don't have to go through all this effort for me."

"What if I want to?" she challenged with a smile, not looking at him due to being preoccupied with the bed.

He feigned a sigh. "Then I guess I have no choice but to take it."

She hummed smugly, in the process of smoothing out the blankets as she asked, "So, Luka, what do you want for breakfast in the morning?"

He wasn’t expecting the question. "What?"

"I'm sure Maman's going to ask me about it, or she'll just ask you if I tell her that I don't know," she explained. "What do you like?"

"Oh, I’m not picky," he assured, "and I don't need anything anyway. I don't usually have breakfast."

Marinette stopped mid-smoothing, her head darting up and staring at nothing. Finally, she made eye contact, even gaping at him. "You don't? B-but it's important!"

He grew apologetic under the intensity of her gaze, resorting to looking at the wall. "I used to make it for Jule when we were younger, but we stopped once she started feeling like I was playing too many of her notes for her." He shrugged, showing that he wasn't bothered by Juleka’s choice. "Besides, I like taking my time walking to school."

"...Oh."

Her tone worried him. He looked back, confirming that she seemed discouraged. "Marinette—"

"That's okay!" she cut in, standing and holding her hands up. She clearly realized that she'd been showing too much emotion and he’d caught onto it. "I'm just so used to it here but it's fine if that's not what you're used to! I know my parents can be a lot and I don't really help and I wasn't thinking of you at all—"

He reached up, grabbing her hands and gently saying, "Marinette, stop."

She halted mid-sentence, her mouth still hanging open as she stared at him.

"It's... you're right, it is a lot, but not in a way that's distorting my sound," he corrected.

She tilted her head in response, not understanding what he meant.

He struggled to find the words. "Things are so much different on the Liberty. We all love each other but I'm the most physical one there. My mom's okay with whatever we want to do and Jule doesn't think of me as someone to worry about - neither do my friends - so I'm not used to people checking on me."

"Y-you mean fretting over you," Marinette gently cut in with a pout.

He squeezed her hands. "There's nothing wrong with that."

"But..." She sighed, staring at the floor. "s-still, you shouldn't have to worry about what I said. I was just... fantasizing about having breakfast with you without thinking about what you'd want. I know that your lifestyle doesn't match up with mine."

He smiled softly, bending over to be more level with her. "If it's you, I'd like to get used to it."

She looked at him questioningly, but he could see the glimmer of hope in her eyes now.

"It's how you show that you care, and I want to get used to being fretted over, especially if it's you doing it."

Her brows rose in surprise. She looked away sheepishly, but he gave her however much time she needed to respond, noting that she wasn't feeling anything negative.

"...How—" She peeked up at him, though not turning her head fully to face him. "How about a compromise?"

"Hm?"

"I can make something for you—for us?" She pulled her hands out of his just so she could grab his hands in return, rotating them so his palms were facing upwards. "Something portable? And then we can walk to school together and eat at the same time. We can still take our time but you get to eat too."

He considered telling her that the Liberty was farther away than the bakery from their school, but he imagined that she already knew that. Plus, his heart was focused on something else.

"You'd make breakfast for me?"

"Of course!" she exclaimed, as if it were obvious. "I can't let my parents outdo me all the time!"

He tried to contain it, but the laughter was too hard to hold in. He hunched over in his giggling fit, only glancing up at her to ensure that she wasn't taking it the wrong way.

Thankfully, she was smiling at him, thoroughly amused.

Even after he'd managed to compose himself, the warm, bubbly feeling wouldn't leave him. "You're an extraordinary girl, Marinette."

Her smile widened. She pulled his hands to her chest, clasping them in her own. "Clear as a music note, sincere as a melody?"

His gaze softened, his heart skipping a beat that she'd remembered what he’d said so exactly. "The song that's been stuck in my head since the day that we met."

The blush that had started small bloomed further to that happy red color he loved so dearly. She took a breath, dropping his hands and fiddling with the corners of her jacket.

"And...if the breakfast thing works out," she began, "if you wouldn't mind stopping by the bakery on your way to school—"

"I wouldn't," he immediately reassured.

"—then we could do it all the time?" she asked hopefully. "Walking to school together and eating breakfast?"

He chuckled. "You call it a compromise, Marinette, but I just feel spoiled right now."

She stared at the floor, shrugging shyly. "B-but it's still even at least?"

He let out a confused hum, sure that she heard it by the way her gaze flicked up to him.

She raised her head back up, actually daring to wink at him. "Because I feel spoiled with you too!"

He opened his mouth to respond, but his words left him. It apparently wouldn't have mattered if he’d had anything to say anyway, as Marinette suddenly got even redder than before.

"A-AH, ANYWAY, I need to get ready for bed, it's late!"

It was absolutely not late, but Luka didn't stop her from rushing past him to head up the stairs. He knew very well that they were both probably feeling too much to have a proper conversation.

After she'd shut the trapdoor, he could vaguely hear her shouting - panicked but happy - to her kwami about how she "couldn't believe she just did that."

As for himself, he was already taking off his hoodie and jacket combo, the room spontaneously feeling too warm. He threw it to the side of the couch that was devoid of blankets, then sunk down onto his bed.

That was definitely flirting; it was the most blatant she'd ever flirted with him. Her wink wasn't even perfect but—

He buried his face in his hands, feeling the heat of his own blush against his palms. He needed to rethink his approach with her before she caught him off-guard again.

Not that he technically minded, but still.

[Part 9] [Part 10]

#multi chapter: Grade for Each Other

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