#which brings me to a terrible question: did gabriel design a look that was ... good?

[clarkgriffon]

one gifset per episode → penalteam

#miraculousladybugedit #miraculous ladybug #creations #mledit #mlseries #ml #marinette dupain cheng #chloe bourgeois #julerose #penalteam #this look literally killed #she murdered with this. or at least attempted murder #which brings me to a terrible question: did gabriel design a look that was ... good? #but see i can't believe that #so i can only assume that chloe took creative control and made penalteam have the cutest fit

[quicksilversquared]

More than a Match

Felix Graham de Vanily is back in Paris for the summer, determined to make amends with his cousin. While standing in for Adrien at a photoshoot, he has to deal with a most disagreeable character by the name of Lila.

Unstoppable force, meet immovable object. There can only be one winner here, and Felix is not about to lose.

links in the reblog

Felix Graham de Vanily was more than a little apprehensive about returning to Paris for his mom's summer movie shoot, and for good reason.

The last time that he was in the city, he had caused no small amount of chaos. He had threatened his relationship with Adrien over a (in retrospect) petty, poorly-considered attempt at revenge- how badly their friendship had been damaged really remained to be seen- and gotten off on the wrong foot with all of Adrien's friends, which could make finding people to hang out with more than a little difficult. During that same revenge attempt, he had truly behaved poorly towards one of the city's superheroes, and he would have to try to apologize for it if he could get close to the superheroes again without endangering his life. On top of that, he had palmed his uncle's ring, which- well, was it really stealing when Mr. Agreste had gotten them through less-than-honest means in the first place?- with the full expectation that it would be at least a year before he and his mom returned to Paris, so his uncle might have simmered down by then.

It hadn't been anywhere near a full year yet. His uncle would no doubt still be furious about the retrieval of the ring, and so Felix had to be very careful with it.

Right now, that meant wearing the ring on a strong chain around his neck, hidden under his shirt. If he was going to be spending more than the odd minute here or there in the Agreste mansion, he and his mom might end up looking into getting a safe box for them to lock the ring up in, so that his uncle wouldn't steal it back.

"Don't let on that you're nervous," his mom coached as their train pulled into the Paris stop. "Be confident, don't react to questions about the rings. With a little luck, perhaps your uncle will assume that he misplaced it. Emilie always said that he would mess with his ring when he was designing and she was worried that he'd end up taking it off and misplacing it for good. He's already called me once demanding the ring back and I told him that we didn't have it and maybe he had just lost it."

Which meant that Felix could just act bored about the accusation instead of being surprised. That was useful information.

"I also got us an apartment that's a bit further outside of the city center," his mom continued after a moment. "Both to stay out of the way of the majority of the akuma attacks, and to give us some space from your uncle. We're near a subway line, though, so it'll be easy enough to go and visit."

Felix nodded. His mom had already mentioned that, and he knew that there was a third reason, too: apartments of a decent size close to the city center were expensive. Their family might be wealthy, but (largely due to his father's influence, Felix suspected) they still had never be people to throw money around without due consideration first. "But Uncle Gabriel won't bother to come out and bug us?"

"Of course not. When was the last time that he left that house of his? And if he does- well, I have no problems with kicking up a legal stink. Gabriel would do well to remember that the only reason he has connections to the Mayor's family is because of Emilie and I, so he has no advantage there." Amelie sniffed. "Not that he'll bother to remember that. If anyone asks him, I'm sure he would say that he worked himself up from nothing and made all of his connections himself with his superior bargaining skills."

"Ah, yes, the scowling and yelling and refusing to meet in person is very persuasive, I had forgotten."

Amelie laughed. "Yes, exactly. Emilie was the one who handled more of the PR and meetings with investors, really. If Gabriel had been trying to do it himself, he would have failed miserably." She shrugged, turning back to him with a large smile. "Don't let your uncle ruin your summer, Felix. He roars and rages a lot, but he's always been all bark and no bite."

Felix nodded, taking a steadying breath as the train came to a complete stop and they got up, reaching for their bags. "Right. Of course."

Somehow, he got the impression that that would be easier said than done.

  Really, it- it wasn't as terrible as Felix had thought. The summer had started out slowly- he had seen Adrien at dinner shortly after arriving in Paris, and then Felix had spent a week and a half entertaining himself while his mom started filming on the movie and his cousin finished up his school year.

It wasn't bad, really. He found a small bookstore that was cool and quiet, and he settled down there in a corner to read. It was nice and it was peaceful.

Alas, it was not to last. His mom expected that he would go hang out with Adrien, and so... Felix did. The first three times that he went over, the two of them simply hung out in Adrien's room for part of the day and played some of the video games that Adrien had around. His cousin seemed on high alert at first- Felix certainly noticed fewer things lying around his room, and there were several things with locks on them that hadn't had locks before- but willing enough to try again. By day three, their conversations were far more relaxed, and Adrien spent nearly an hour telling Felix about all of his friends. He wasn't bragging about having them, Felix could tell, but was just genuinely happy to have them and wanted to share that with him.

...unfortunately, Felix knew that it was more likely than not that a large number of Adrien's friends would not be very thrilled to meet him. He had not made a particularly good first impression, to say the least, and they- unlike Adrien- had not had any other interactions with him to go by. Felix didn't resent them for their judgement of him (after all, he rather deserved it, he could admit that much) but it would make meeting them a bit awkward, particularly if Adrien hadn't had a chance to mention how things were going now first.

Or if Felix hadn't done anything obvious to make amends for his earlier behavior. Thankfully, an opportunity to both put off the inevitable meeting and to make things up to Adrien properly practically fell in his lap after Nathalie scheduled a photoshoot right when Adrien was hoping to get together with his friends.

Or, rather, when Adrien had put a meet-up with his friends on his schedule and Nathalie deleted it last-minute to replace it with yet another photoshoot, because apparently she didn't know the meaning of fun. Or being nice, or kindness, or not being a terrible human being, really.

"Are- are you sure that you want to model, Felix? It's not exactly the most fun thing in the world."

Felix nodded resolutely, glancing towards his cousin's door and hoping that no one was eavesdropping on their conversation. "You want to be with your friends, and I would like to make a good impression this time around before meeting them anyway. It's no big deal. I can sit and make clothes look good for an hour or two."

At last, Adrien nodded in agreement. "I- okay, if you're sure. I'll text you the time and location, so you have it, and-"

"Won't your bodyguard be expecting to drive you there?"

Adrien paused. "...oh. Oh, yeah."

Felix tried not to sigh. Oh, yes was right. Clearly logistics weren't his cousin's strongest point.

"Well, I can ask him to bring me there early, so that I can have some time to relax in the park!" Adrien said after a moment's thought. "And then we can meet and swap outfits there- or I'll bring an extra, actually, it'll be less hassle. It'll be harder for me to get to Marinette's place from there, but I'll manage it. There's a bus line nearby that'll get me close enough."

"Your father actually lets you out enough for you to know how to take the bus?" Felix inquired, unable to help feeling a little incredulous. His cousin hadn't been allowed to walk to his collège, which was only a few mere blocks away, so he had assumed that his uncle had required use of the chauffeured car for all of his other travel. "Count me impressed."

A quick grin flashed across Adrien's face. "He doesn't let me out, exactly. I tend to sneak out. And then, of course, I need to know how to get where I'm going fast, or else I'll get picked up by the Gorilla right away before I have a proper chance of escape."

...that was just sad.

"Anyway, I should probably coach you if we're actually going to do this. You know, give you some pointers and all. Uh." Adrien twisted his ring around, glancing up at the ceiling as though that was going to help him any. "Um."

Felix rolled his eyes. "I hardly think that I'll need extensive coaching to be able to sit in front of a camera and pose."

"Yes, but-"

"Will I need to know several dozen poses to do in rapid-fire succession? I've heard that some models do that."

Adrien sighed. "No, Simon prefers to take more organic shots. I've been learning the fast poses on my own, in case I ever get a photographer who needs that or if I end up branching out and start modeling for catalogues instead of just ads, but Father prefers Simon's artistic vision. So he'll tell you what he wants in general, then give tweaks. Like, there's some moving my head around, maybe, but..." He trailed off, shrugging.

Well. If Felix actually needed any advice to pass off as Adrien during the photoshoot, he was pretty certain that he would be more or less out of luck. With advice like that, it would be a wonder if he wasn't left completely unprepared when he arrived.

"I've not had, like, professional training as a model or anything," Adrien added after a moment. "It's all been informal, which is maybe a bit unusual considering what father's like the rest of the time, but maybe it's good for publicity somehow or something." He shrugged, looking remarkably unbothered by the prospect of his father basing his decision on how to treat Adrien during photoshoots on what would sell best. "So just listen to Simon and don't forget to look towards the camera unless he tells you otherwise, and don't be too stiff but don't slouch, either, and-"

Felix tried not to sigh.

  "If- if Lila's there, just- ugh. Just don't agree to anything she says, and- well, she still tries to lie to me all the time, even though I know better than to trust anything she says. She loves manipulating people, so..."

Adrien's comment about his sometimes-coworker- probably the most intriguing and useful part of his "advice" for the photoshoot once he actually managed to think of something to say- ran through Felix's head as he arrived at the site for the photoshoot, a lovely little park in a less busy part of the city. This Lila character sounded like trouble, and he wasn't much interested in trouble. Or in being manipulated, for that matter.

How very fortunate, then, that Felix had more than a little experience with manipulation. He would be able to spot any attempts coming from a mile away. From what Felix could gather, this Lila person was a sloppy manipulator at best, relying on flashy stories and crocodile tears to keep her influence. They were things that would perhaps work in the short term but would wear off and become ineffective in the long run, particularly once people started picking up on inconsistencies. Eventually, things would backfire on her, and then she would be left alone and hated.

Felix preferred more subtle manipulation, and (unless he was not thinking clearly) only when a situation warranted it. A little nudge here and there to increase the odds of things going his way was rather different than Lila's graceless shoves to make everything go her way, to get the kind of popularity that Lila clearly wanted. His technique was sustainable- after all, infrequent manipulations were less likely to be picked up on- while hers was not.

His cousin hadn't really said much about Lila other than to mention that she might be there and to not fall for her lies, but Felix already disliked her.

"Felix! You got here all right, good!"

Felix pushed away his thoughts and smiled as Adrien ran up. He had a bag slung over his shoulder, presumably with an identical outfit to the one that he was wearing. "Yes, I've had sufficient down time to figure out the system. It wasn't hard to puzzle out."

"Oh, great." Adrien glanced around, clearly making sure that he wasn't being followed, and then passed his bag off to Felix after pulling a smaller bag out from inside of it. "I have an identical outfit in here. Are you good, or...?"

"I'll be fine," Felix assured him. "Go on, go hang out with your friends." He paused and considered Adrien. "Ah, are you going to wear a disguise or something? You know, in case anyone takes pictures of you and posts them?"

Adrien nodded, pulling- surprise, surprise- a baseball hat and a large pair of sunglasses out of his bag. "Yeah, this will work fine! There's plenty of guys in France with blond hair, so as long as my hair isn't visible and they can't see all of my face..."

Felix hoped, for Adrien's sake, that that actually somehow worked and he didn't run into any of his more fanatical fans. Maybe the most basic of disguises would work against most of the population, but there were a few weirdos who probably prided themselves on being able to identify his cousin with the smallest of clues.

"Anyway, hopefully it'll work," Adrien finished after a moment's pause. He glanced back at Felix. "Are you sure you're good?"

"Positive. Go."

Adrien went. Felix watched him for a minute, then made a beeline for the public restrooms building that he had seen earlier. He hated the idea of changing in it, truth be told, but he hardly had a choice.

...well, maybe he could have coordinated outfits with Adrien yesterday and only had to fiddle with his hairstyle at the park instead, but hindsight was 20/20.

Despite Felix's worries, the bathrooms weren't bad at all. He changed quickly and did a fast brushing of his hair into Adrien's hairstyle- it was a little difficult to account for the difference in their hair length in a few places, but he managed it well enough- before leaving the restroom and tracking down the plaza where the photoshoot would be taking place. It was a fairly basic set-up, honestly- a small trailer with the outfits to be worn in it, an equally small tent for changing, a couple chairs for touch-ups to makeup and hair with a screen nearby to block the wind. A few things for lighting and the photography equipment were scattered around, but otherwise it was incredibly minimal.

He had to wonder what normal shoots- ones that weren't solely for the boss's son- looked like. Surely not everything that Gabriel did was so low-budget.

"Ah, Adrien, you're on time- early, even!" A man with a camera hanging around his neck- Simon, Felix assumed- appeared behind him, clapping him on the shoulder and making Felix startle. He chuckled. "That's a nice change from the past couple shoots, hmm?"

Felix only nodded, not sure what to say. In all honesty, he hadn't been expecting the photoshoot's staff to be talking to him much, other than to issue directions for the shoot itself. If he had known that they were likely to be chatty, he would have asked Adrien more questions.

Thankfully, Simon seemed willing enough to move on, immediately turning to the job at hand. The first outfit that "Adrien" was supposed to wear was already in the tent, so if he could just go ahead and change so that they could get started...

Felix was more than willing to comply. The sooner they started, then maybe the sooner they would finish. And while Felix didn't exactly have anything else that he wanted to do- hanging out at his cousin's house while Adrien wasn't there didn't sound like fun, nor was he particularly interested in crashing Adrien's friends' get-together- it was hot outside and changing into a dozen different outfits in quick succession and getting poked and prodded at wasn't Felix's idea of a good time.

Three outfits in, and Felix noticed a girl lingering around the edges of the photoshoot area. She wasn't getting shooed off by security, which meant that it was incredibly likely that she was meant to be there. And sure enough, a minute later, the girl headed into the second half of the changing tent.

That must be the Lila that Adrien had warned him about. Felix had rather hoped that he would get lucky and not have to deal with the liar, but apparently luck wasn't on his side today.

Or was it? Felix gave that a minute's thought. He had been a bit bored thus far, and doing a bit of manipulative sparring might be just the thing to spice up his afternoon. Little Miss Terror wouldn't be expecting it- after all, Felix didn't doubt that Adrien's approach to Lila was rather on the tepid side- and it might be amusing to throw her off her game. Going too far might alert her to the fact that he wasn't actually Adrien, though, and she might tattle, so that added another level of complexity, another thing to think about.

He was so busy trying to figure out how strong he would want to come off that he completely missed Lila snaking up behind him until thin arms slid around him in an entirely unexpected (and unwelcome) hug.

"Adrien! I'm so happy that we get to work together again!" Lila cooed, leaning forward to try to press a kiss to Felix's cheek. She missed when he dodged, just enough to get out of her path but not so far that it would look obvious. Lila pouted, but didn't make more of a fuss. "Aren't you?"

"Mmhmm," Felix murmured noncommittally, disengaging himself from Lila's groping hold smoothly to step away and move into the next pose that Simon had wanted. Lila was forced to back off for the remainder of Felix's solo shots, and then he could escape into the tent to change while she did a few solo shots of her own.

And then came the duo shots, aka the absolute longest forty-five minutes of Felix's life.

(Well. Okay, maybe there had been some other instances when time had stretched out far longer, but as far as normal everyday situations went- well, then this ranked waaay up there.)

Things had gone smoothly when Felix was on his own. Despite never having done photoshoots before- or at least clothing photoshoots, he had posed for a few family portraits over the year- he had gotten the hang of it right away. He followed Simon's instructions with little need for further correction, and the photographer had been beaming.

With Lila added to the mix, though? All of that was completely shot. She was completely unprofessional, and quite handsy to boot. Felix managed to get away from her hands most of the time, dodging where he could and stepping smoothly away to make it look natural, but it was absolutely aggravating.

Thankfully, he got a bit of a reprieve when he loudly complained that she had wrinkled the sleeve of the light coat that he was modeling with her vice grip on his arm and she got scolded.

Unfortunately, that reprieve only lasted for five minutes before she was right back at it. She didn't hold on nearly as tight as before when he had longer sleeves on, sure, but other than that there was no real change. If anything, she was brushing her hands over his shoulders and arms more often than before.

Needless to say, by the time the last picture of the last set of clothes had been snapped, Felix was more than eager to be done, change back to his- well, Adrien's- normal clothes, and be rid of the Italian pest for good.

But Lila clearly had other ideas.

"Oh, I think we could pose for a few more minutes, don't you, Adrien?" Lila purred, fluttering her eyelashes at him. Felix could see where her fake eyelashes were starting to come detached. Clearly she had no idea how to apply them correctly, considering that they had been crooked to start with. "Maybe some, ah, closer poses? Oh! I know! Summer romance always sells, right?"

Felix raised an unimpressed eyebrow. Slick, she was not. Her attempts at manipulation couldn't be any more heavy-handed. Or more distasteful. "I'll pass on that, thanks."

Lila's pout grew. "You don't want to? I think it would be fun! I thought that we were friends." The last word was bitten out with a bit of an edge to it, an unspoken threat. Felix had no idea what it was meant to be.

Forget his cousin coaching him about modeling, clearly Felix had needed more insider info on how to interact with Adrien's friends and classmates.

"It is far too hot outside to be close to anyone," Felix countered tartly, refusing to let himself pause in the conversation. "We have a number of photos already. I see no need to risk heat stroke for more. Additionally, this is a clothes company, not a manufacturer of cheap romance novels, and there was nothing about summer romance in the shoot briefings."

Lila's eyes narrowed. Felix refused to back down.

"Adrien is right," Simon said, glancing over his notes. "And if the shoot goes much longer, we'll go into overtime, and Mr. Agreste hates that. It costs the company money, you know. So we're done for the day. Thank you for your work."

Felix murmured a quick thank-you in return. Lila looked as though she had maybe swallowed a lemon. Before she could recover and come up with a new ploy, Felix turned and strode off to the changing tent to switch back into Adrien's normal outfit as fast as he could.

He made sure to keep a suspicious eye out for any unusual ripples in the fabric of the tent. Felix didn't trust Lila to not try to sneak a peek of him changing. She seemed to have a complete lack of respect for normal boundaries and more than a slight fixation on him (or, rather, his cousin), so Felix wouldn't put it past her to try to look or even snap a picture.

A picture would probably be the more appealing option to Lila, if he was reading her right. Properly hidden so that no one else would discover that she had it, it would make valuable blackmail to get Adrien to play along with her little games.

One final change later, Felix exited the tent to see Lila talking with Nathalie. From the look of it, she had been the one to approach Nathalie rather than the other way around- after all, Nathalie had been standing in the same spot for most of the shoot- and she seemed to be trying to persuade Nathalie of something. And- odder yet- Nathalie actually seemed to be listening.

Felix frowned at that. Nathalie actually listening to someone who wasn't her boss? That was unusual, not to mention incredibly suspicious- and so was the entire inclusion of Lila in the Gabriel photoshoots, honestly. Why would Nathalie- and by natural extension, Mr. Agreste- want to bother working with someone like Lila? She was hardly a talented model. Even though she had had more experience with photoshoots than Felix had, and it was Felix's first time modeling to boot, she had needed more direction (and redirection) than he had. She rarely did exactly as the photographer asked, particularly with several shots alongside "Adrien". She preferred making her poses more flirty and having her hands on "Adrien" whenever she could, even arguing with the photographer about the poses he wanted. Lila was hardly any great beauty, either, and her atrocious hairstyle wasn't doing her any favors. And she was hardly rich or famous to start with, despite what she reportedly liked claiming.

Surely Mr. Agreste and Nathalie wouldn't fall for her lies. Maybe they weren't the sharpest tools in the shed, but they had enough experience to navigate what his father had always referred to as shark-infested waters of the business world. They should be able to pick up on the lies and manipulation without a problem.

...so why was she here? What was Mr. Agreste getting out of their arrangement? Besides higher bills from photoshoot staff because of Lila holding things up, of course.

Felix didn't like this. Not at all.

Nathalie finally nodded, making a note on her tablet, and then she and Lila parted ways. Felix glanced away at once- he didn't want to appear to be inviting her over, after all, he had already had more than enough of her for the day- but he could see her making a beeline for him regardless. Felix deliberately stepped away, headed for Adrien's bodyguard. He would very much prefer to go back to the house now, but Lila was faster.

Faster, and had very sharp nails.

"Surely you weren't about to run off without saying good-bye?" Lila crooned, her voice so sickly sweet that it nearly made Felix gag. "How rude."

"If you put holes in this shirt with your nails, my father will hear about it," Felix warned her instead of replying with a cutting comment about how hypocritical it was of her to call anyone rude. Lila only scoffed and tightened her hold, ignoring his words just as he had ignored hers.

"I feel like you're forgetting about our arrangement, Adrien." Lila's voice had dropped to a hiss. "Or do you want everyone to turn on Marinette, hmm? Think about it."

She didn't give him a chance to respond before giving his arm another painful squeeze and flouncing away, trailing her fingers across his chest as she went. It was probably just as well that she left, really, because Felix really wasn't sure what to say about that.

What kind of arrangement his cousin had with that wretched girl, Felix didn't know, but he didn't doubt that it was neither a good one nor a smart one. Considering that it apparently involved threats against one of Adrien's friends- the friend Adrien had gushed about the most over the past couple of days, coincidentally- there really was no way that it could be a good arrangement.

He brought it up with his mom that night, bringing up the fact that Adrien had thought to warn him about Lila and her lies, but he hadn't mentioned the harassment- the sexual harassment, really, considering the fact that Lila had tried to kiss him and rub her hands all over his chest- that was clearly normal for her interactions with him. That seemed like a rather important thing to mention, and the fact that he hadn't...

"Adrien's probably been raised not to raise a fuss," his mom said once she was done ranting and raving about shameless harlots and the adults who enabled them. "Or- you mentioned some sort of deal. Adrien might have decided the best way to protect his other friend was by just tolerating this monster, because no one's taught him better."

Felix blinked. He had heard his mom criticize her sister before, but not since her disappearance. It was a bit strange to hear, honestly, no matter how the indirect the criticism was, but he wasn't going to point it out.

"Emilie wouldn't want someone harassing Adrien," Amelie said after a minute of angry muttering under her breath. "I'm sure she would have taught him about exceptions to the whole politeness rule after he started attending school and running into less savory people. And she would want me to step in now." Her fingers started tapping against the table, an angry staccato as she thought. After a couple minutes, she spun to face Felix with an eager clap of her hands.

Felix, who was more than used to this sort of behavior by now and who had resumed eating his dinner while she thought, merely raised an eyebrow and set his fork back down on his plate neatly.

"You said that Adrien has regular photoshoots with this girl, correct?" Amelie asked eagerly. Felix nodded at once, raising an eyebrow at how hopeful his mom sounded.

"Yeah. And he mentioned that the start of his summers always has a higher concentration of photoshoots, to make up for not having them during exams and studying. That's why I offered to go for him today, because he's been kept so busy that he's not been able to see his friends. And because he had scheduled something with his friends, and then Nathalie just knocked it off of his schedule to put the photoshoot there instead and that didn't seem fair."

Amelie muttered something uncomplimentary about that, too, then her determined expression returned. "Well, that works in our favor. Tell Adrien that you'll do his next photoshoot, too- if you're willing to, of course," she added hastily. "And then I want you to tell this girl no. Tell her to back off. Enforce your boundaries- which I know you're good at doing."

Felix hesitated. He could see where his mom was going with her plan and why it would make more sense for him to be the one to confront Lila instead of Adrien, but- well, another Lila-filled photoshoot really wasn't that appealing.

But it sounded like he wouldn't have to deal with Lila's nonsense this time and could cut it off like he normally would, abrupt and sharp. He could see her downfall in person, see her expression go from overconfident to uncertain to crushed.

Maybe it was a bit petty and vindictive of him, but... well, Felix was a bit petty and vindictive, so what.

So he nodded. "I can do that."

Amelie lit up, clearly excited. "If I'm reading this girl right from what you've said, your no will mean next to nothing to her and she'll persist. To press charges and win, we'll probably need audio- and I can set you up with something that can hide under your clothes without showing."

Felix couldn't help the grin that flashed across his face. "Very nice."

"If my schedule allows, I'll be there too," his mom added. "As close by as I can be, so I can step in as needed. If Nathalie thinks that she'll be telling Adrien- you- to simply endure the harassment, she has another think coming."

"I like that," Felix said at once. "I mean, I don't like the idea of having to tolerate any more of Lila's company, but I can do it."

"Fantastic." Amelie leaned forward, her eyes narrowed in concentration. "Now, as for the rest of the plan..."

  Convincing Adrien to let Felix take over for his next photoshoot was easier said than done, particularly after Felix told him about the brief face-off that he and Lila had had after the photoshoot. Adrien wanted to step in and work to smooth things over before Lila could lash out at Marinette in retribution, but Felix pointed out that Lila wouldn't be able to lash out at Marinette if Felix carried out the photoshoot like his mom wanted him to. She would be completely and thoroughly discredited, and if she turned into an akuma for it- well, so what? Better her than Marinette, surely, or Adrien.

Adrien hadn't considered that, obviously. After another moment's consideration, and the reassurance that it was Amelie's plan and not Felix's, he had given in and sent a screenshot of his photoshoot schedule to Felix so that he could show his mom and they could plan. Thankfully the next photoshoot wasn't too far out, so Adrien might not have to deal with keeping Lila happy in the meantime so that she wouldn't try to smear Marinette's reputation.

(Apparently Marinette was the only one of Adrien's friends who had been told about Felix's stepping in for a photoshoot thus far, and the only one told about Felix's plan to knock Lila back. He hadn't seen her again in person, but from what Adrien told him, Marinette had already forgiven Felix for the fiasco he had caused during his previous time in Paris.)

(Marinette was also the person that Adrien was going to be spending his time with while Felix was doing the photoshoot. Apparently most of his other friends were going to be busy, but Marinette wasn't, and she had been plenty happy to spend some time with Adrien.

Adrien had been pleasantly surprised by that, since he had been sure that she would be busy, too, but Felix hadn't been. After all, Marinette was in love with Adrien, wasn't she? Of course she would make time to spend with Adrien, that shouldn't have been a surprise.

Or had she not confessed to Adrien again in the months since Felix was last in Paris? He would have thought that she would have.)

"Remember to turn the recorder on," Amelie reminded him as they pulled up near the school, where Adrien was finishing up with a fencing lesson. He and Adrien were hoping to make the swap earlier than they had the previous time, since the photoshoot was pretty much right after Adrien's fencing lesson got out and it would be hard for them to swap without risking someone noticing. "And be very clear vocally about your objections, so that the recorder will pick them all up."

"Will we be able to use the recordings, do you think?" Felix asked, a thought occurring to him last-minute. "Or is it against the law here? I think it's fine back at home, but…"

"I'll deal with it if there's any legal issues," Amelie assured him. "I have connections, and I'm not afraid to use them."

That didn't quite answer Felix's question, but he supposed that it was as good of an answer as any. With one last check to make sure that he looked like Adrien and had everything he needed, Felix hopped out of the car and slipped into the school, making his way to the locker rooms. The fencers were finishing up their last matches, so it was easy enough for Felix to head to the bathrooms and text Adrien to make sure that he would know to come into the bathrooms, too. They wouldn't see each other face-to-face before the photoshoot- after all, Adrien's teammates might question how he had somehow doubled himself if they ran into the two of them in the bathroom- but it would make the trade much easier.

It wasn't long at all before Felix heard someone else enter the bathroom. He straightened in his stall, listening closely and keeping an eye on his phone. That could be Adrien, but it could just as easily be one of his teammates.

Luck was on his side. His phone buzzed, and a message lit up the screen.

Adrien: In the bathroom. Left my fencing bag on the chair near the door- you can take it so that the Gorilla doesn't wonder where I left it.

Felix nodded and shot back a quick message.

Right. See you later.

After another pause, Felix stepped out of his stall, heading for the sinks and washing his hands before claiming the fencing bag that was sitting on the somewhat out-of-place chair near the door. One glance- or rather, one whiff- inside assured him that it was Adrien's bag, and so Felix slung it over his shoulder before heading out into the locker rooms. A few good-byes to Adrien's teammates later and Felix was in Adrien's car, being whisked efficiently away by his bodyguard to the photoshoot.

Trade-off: smooth as butter.

Now that he had been to a photoshoot once, there was far less hesitation in Felix's step as he headed into the small tent to change, then out to hair and make-up for a touch-up. He had to wonder why Mr. Agreste would schedule a photoshoot for right after fencing in the first place as the stylists teased his hair to perfection. Surely the real Adrien's hair would be sweaty and messy after fencing and it would have made more sense for him to have some time for a shower first?

Maybe this was a one-off thing, just happening because they were trying to catch up on photoshoots after exams and they also had to work around Lila's schedule. If she even had one, that was. Something made Felix guess that Lila simply spent a lot of time holed up in her room, scheming and plotting. Maybe she pretended that she had a packed schedule in front of her friends, but in reality...

Well, one had to be really uninteresting to go to the same amount of effort that Lila was to get attention, and that generally suggested a lack of real activities to do.

Just like the previous time, the photoshoot started with individual shots. Felix went through the motions, posing and adjusting his expression as requested. It all went very smoothly...

...and then Lila showed up.

While Lila did her first individual shoot and Felix changed into his next outfit, he pulled the recorder that his mom had given him out. It was small and discreet, easy enough to hide until his shirt or in a pocket without creating any lumps. He got it set up to start recording, then headed outside, resigned to at least a few minutes of dealing with Lila and her grabby hands.

And as expected, Lila started clinging to him the second that Felix got back outside.

"Positions, please!" Simon called. "I want you back to back, but not quite touching, just next to each other-"

"Don't you think that we should be closer, though?" Lila asked immediately, wrapping her hands around Felix's bicep. "We could play a couple!"

"Not for these outfits," Simon told her. "Backs to each other, please-"

"Oh, but I think-"

"I think my sleeve is getting wrinkled," Felix commented, trying to step away from Lila. "And if you don't let go, you're going to bruise my arm."

Lila scowled and finally released him. Felix readjusted his shirt- there were no wrinkles, of course, the lovely light fabric that the shirt was made out of wasn't the type to get creased up by a minute's clinging- and then slid easily into position.

"Good, Adrien, perfect!" Simon called. "Lila- no, not like that, I want your arms crossed- if you stand like that, it looks like you're trying to cop a feel, and no one wants that."

...Felix wasn't even surprised.

The next few shots went the same way. Lila was clingy, but not as incredibly forward as she had been at the end of the previous shoot. Maybe getting her off required several reprimands and comments about how she was messing up his outfit, but she did get off. Eventually.

And then they changed outfits again, and Simon consulted his shot sheet. His eyebrows raised, and then he glanced between Felix and Lila. "The top suggested theme for these outfits is, ah, summer romance."

Felix blinked. That... was not what he was expecting. It sounded like something that Lila would have suggested, not something that Adrien's stick-in-the-mud father or his secretary would come up with.

And then it hit him like a brick. He would bet anything that this was what Lila had been talking to Nathalie about at the previous photoshoot. She had been the one pushing and pushing for a 'Summer Romance" theme for an excuse to get close to him in the previous shoot, and now she had gotten it.

"Oh, that's lovely, isn't it, Adrien?" Lila trilled. She attached herself to his arm, plastering herself against his side. "There's so much to work with there! Hugs, kisses- we'll be so cute together!"

"I'm not comfortable with that," Felix said at once, looking to Simon. "You said that was a suggested theme. Would it be possible to go with another theme?"

Simon nodded, referencing his sheet. "Yes, of course. One of the other suggestions was-"

"Oh, I think we should at least try it!" Lila insisted. Her grip got tighter, and her nails dug in. "Here, let's just start now and not overthink it!"

With that, she bounced up on her toes and tried to press a kiss to Felix's cheek, aiming for close to his mouth. Felix leaned back as fast as he could, dodging her completely in one quick movement.

Maybe he had complained about taking gymnastics as a child, but sometimes it really did come in handy. Perhaps he should consider picking it back up again.

"I'm not comfortable with that," Felix told her clearly, ignoring Lila's scowl and the way her nails dug in even deeper. "And since I said no, we're not doing it."

"Well, I want to!" Lila insisted. "Come on, Adrien! We're friends, aren't we?"

There was that edge again. This time, Felix knew what it meant: by the time the photoshoot ended, she was probably going to start her attacks on Marinette's character. It was an attempt to bring Adrien back under her control.

Too bad she was dealing with Felix, not Adrien.

"That doesn't mean that I'm comfortable doing romantic shots," Felix said firmly. "Particularly if you're going to try to spring unwanted kisses on me. Now kindly let go of my arm. Your nails are digging in."

A scowl flashed across Lila's face before she pasted on her happy face again. "How can you know that you aren't comfortable with it until you've tried it? At least a few shots-"

"Remove your fingers from my arm or I will remove them for you."

Lila's grip only got tighter. "Stop complaining, I'm hardly-"

Felix didn't let her finish. Before she could break any more skin, he grabbed two of her fingers and bent them back sharply. They gave with a (satisfying, Felix had to admit) crack, and Lila snatched her hands back with a cry.

"My fingers!"

"I told you to let go," Felix told her tartly, stepping away and rolling up his shirt sleeve to reveal the dents and cuts from Lila's nails. "Simon, would you mind snapping a picture of this? I have a photo from when she did this during the last photoshoot, but this is far worse."

Simon nodded at once, getting in close and snapping photos from all angles. Across the way, Nathalie finally noticed the commotion and hustled over, glancing between Felix and the sobbing Lila.

For once, Felix was willing to bet that the tears weren't fake.

"He broke my fingers!" Lila sobbed, clutching her hand close to her chest. "Adrien, I can't believe that you would be so mean-"

"Nathalie, I think you should look at this," Simon told Nathalie, pulling her over next to Felix. "Adrien has commented numerous times during photoshoots that Lila is holding on to his arm too hard. He asked her to let go several times in a row before he pulled her off, and- well, I can't blame him, she's drawn blood."

Nathalie's lips pressed together in a thin line as she inspected the injury, and then she pulled out her phone. "I'm going to call Lila's mom, and then I'll call Mr. Agreste. I think it's safe to say that Lila will be fired. This is unacceptable."

Felix could barely hide his smile.

  Twelve minutes later, Mrs. Rossi rushed into the park, her wide eyes locking onto the still-sobbing Lila almost immediately. She rushed to her daughter's side at once, kneeling down beside her.

"Mio caro, what happened?" Mrs. Rossi asked, reaching for her daughter. "Ms. Sancoeur said that you got your fingers broken!"

"What happened is that Lila learned the consequences of sexual harassment," Felix cut in coolly before Lila could speak up, and Mrs. Rossi's head swung to the side, her eyes wide. "Some of the consequences, at least. I will be pressing charges, and she'll be lucky if I'm the only one."

"Se- sexual harassment?" Mrs. Rossi exclaimed, glancing between him and Lila. "Surely that's an exaggeration, Nathalie, how on earth would Lila do anything that could be considered sexual harassment to her boyfriend during a photoshoot? Surely this was just an overreaction to a lover's spat-"

"I was not aware that your daughter was dating anyone, least of all me," Felix told her, since- well, it was true. After all, Adrien wouldn't touch someone like Lila with a ten-foot pole. "Frankly, considering how often Lila lies, I'm surprised that you believed her at all. No one wants to be dating a liar, particularly a social-climbing liar with no respect for personal space."

Mrs. Rossi reeled back. "A- a liar? No, Lila's a sweet girl!"

"They're just trying to frame me, Mommy!" Lila sniffled, and Felix rolled his eyes. Of course she would pull out the mummy card now. "Adrien just a-attacked me out of nowhere, we were just modeling-"

Felix snorted. He had abandoned his Adrien act for good now, and from the looks he was getting from Nathalie, she had caught on to the switch. He held up his injured arm, deciding to ignore Lila completely. She clearly wasn't going to admit that she was in the wrong, so entertaining her at all was a lost cause. "A 'sweet girl', hmm? She's given both me and my cousin bruises from clinging so hard, and now she's broken my skin. And she's been threatening to destroy the reputation of one of my cousin's classmates, all because she's a petty brat who hasn't been properly contained."

Mrs. Rossi shook her head, her eyes wide as she took in the injuries. "No, that doesn't sound like her at all! Why- why would she want to destroy anyone's reputation, that makes no sense!"

"Because I haven't-"

"Because Marinette called her out on her lies," Felix told Mrs. Rossi tartly, raising his voice over Lila's whine. "The lies about knowing all sorts of famous people personally, because she 'saved their cat' or was personally helping them with songwriting or was running a million charities, or the lies about going on a- what was it, a three-month trip out of Paris during the school year, when she was actually here the entire time?"

Mrs. Rossi slumped on the ground. "No, no, I can't- I can't believe this-"

Lila shuffled closer to her mom, still clutching her hand to her chest as she made another effort to squirm out of the situation. "They're lying, mama, don't listen to them-"

"Well, you had better start believing it!" Amelie snapped, appearing out of the nearby trees and striding up to the group. She waved her phone. "I have pictures of your little hussy of a daughter trying to force a kiss on my son, and we have evidence of her refusing to let go of my son's arm. You should be ashamed, really! I don't know how I would be able to show my face in public if my son acted the same way that your daughter has! Lying and manipulation and sexual harassment and threats for months and months and months on end, and what have you done to stop it? Nothing, by the sounds of it!"

"I didn't know-" Mrs. Rossi started, but Amelie cut her off with a scoff.

"You didn't know? Oh, excuse me for not being very impressed there. I've been busy as anything quite often with my projects and modeling and films and charity and events, but you had better bet that I made the time to check in with Felix's teachers! If I didn't have the time to go in before or after school, I emailed them. I made sure that I met his friends. I knew the instant that he started acting out, and I could talk to him about it. Have you done any of that?"

"No, but-"

"And this whole business with Lila being 'out of the country' for months! How did you miss that she wasn't going to school?" Amelie demanded.

Mrs. Rossi flinched. "I- she said that the school was closed because of akuma attacks-"

"For three months? That's not even a good lie! Do you live under a rock? Sometimes the akuma attacks drag on for a bit, but it's just hours, not- not even days! All you would need to do to disprove her ridiculous lies would be to turn on a TV! Or do a Google search, that only takes seconds!"

"I-" Mrs. Rossi swallowed hard, and her voice got quiet, nearly inaudible. "I was busy at a new job, and I- I thought that I could trust her."

"Clearly not!"

"In any case, Lila is fired as a Gabriel model, and we will be plenty transparent with the media as to why should they ask," Nathalie told Mrs. Rossi, consulting her tablet. "Adrien has confirmed that he's been grabbed at just like Felix, and that is unacceptable. Mr. Agreste expects that his son be able to work without being sexually harassed by other models."

Mrs. Rossi only nodded, all of the fight drained out of her. Lila whipped her head back and forth between her mom and the rest of the group, panic starting to spread across her features.

"Mama, you don't believe them, do you-"

"Quiet, Lila," Mrs. Rossi snapped. "I've heard enough. I've seen the evidence. I know that you're lying now."

Lila's face screwed up, and then she suddenly lunged to her feet, right at Felix. "How dare you! I had everything going my way, and you've screwed it up! When- when I get akumatized, you'll regret this, Adrien!"

Felix stepped neatly out of the way, extending one foot just enough to send Lila sprawling back to the ground with a wail of pain but not enough that it would be obvious that it was completely on purpose. "Boo-hoo, cry me a river. Also still not Adrien. Try his stunt double instead."

Lila only sobbed on the ground, clutching at her fingers. Her mom hauled her up, looking completely ashamed as she hustled her daughter away.

"Well, I think that's the end of this photoshoot," Nathalie said as soon as the duo was out of sight. She sighed, massaging her forehead in clear exasperation. "Felix, can I ask that next time, Adrien actually shows up like he's supposed to?"

Felix raised an eyebrow at her. "Why? It's not like anyone will be able to tell the difference."

"Gabriel would be most unhappy-"

"Gabriel is unhappy about most things most of the time, so I don't see how it makes any difference," Amelie told her tartly. She looped her arm through Felix's. "Now, if you'll excuse us, I think that Felix and I have a lawsuit to go file. Good-bye."

As it turned out, Gabriel didn't even have to tell the press why its newest model had been abruptly dropped. An Adrien fan had been hidden nearby and watching the shoot, and had taken video of the entire Lila downfall. It had been uploaded at once, and spread across the internet by other fans.

Fortunately, it meant that- at least in Paris- no one would ever believe Lila Rossi again. The outrage over everything that she had done- and especially the attempt at a forced kiss and the clinging to Felix hard enough to break his skin- was enough that Felix was pretty sure that no one would even try to be her friend out of pity. There was no way that any of Adrien's classmates would miss the news, either, which was really what they were most interested in.

Unfortunately, Adrien's fans were over the moon at the idea of an Adrien stunt double, because it meant that there were two of them.

...and unfortunately for some particularly avid and over-eager fans, Amelie Graham de Vanily was none too thrilled about her son and her nephew getting chased around Paris and was still riding high on the success of her lawsuit against Lila. One dinner with the Bourgeois family later and it was officially against the law in Paris to chase after teen celebrities and to form what amounted to search mobs, and there was going to be further investigation and adjustment as needed to prevent other future harassment. Also- and on a completely unrelated topic- Audrey Bourgeois would be in charge of the wardrobe department on the next Graham Films production.

And as for Felix... well, all of a sudden, Adrien's friends all became a lot more receptive to the idea of inviting him to their get-togethers. Some were still a little wary of him, but that didn't bother Felix at all. After all, Felix was used to people regarding him with some trepidation at home, and he was hardly going to make himself comfortable by acting all warm and cuddly. But several of Adrien's friends were fine with that, or perhaps they just were accepting because they knew that it would make Adrien happy.

Felix didn't suppose that it really mattered either way. He wasn't trying to form lifelong friendships in Paris, just trying to enjoy his summer as well as he could. And with Lila firmly out of the picture- she had been shipped back to Italy to attend boarding school, mostly to keep her away from akumas- and with outwardly friendly company...

Well, the summer was looking bright.

#Miraculous Ladybug #My writing #adrien agreste #felix graham de vanily #the gremlin child returns

[iamdunn]

Miraculous Flash Forward part 2: Hei Mao

A Miraculous Fan-fic

Written By

AJ Dunn

Adrien went about his day grocery shopping and stocking his new home with personalized essentials. Something to make it more him and not as much Amelie, bless her heart fro trying. It had been nice having a mother even if it wasn’t his mother. Emelie remained in a coma in London. He had visited her everyday. It felt like he had finally healed from her loss only to have the wound ripped open again. The ache still seeped from his being as a dark shadow hung over him. Not only did he have to hide from the identity his father created for him, but also the bad publicity his father created as well. 

With groceries put away, and Plagg fed, Adrien set about finally unpacking his bags. He could hear the television turn on as Plagg scrolled through channels. News reports still talking about the capture of Hawk Moth even though it’s been two years. A report came on their air and he recognied Feliz’s voice. He hung his shirt and went downstairs to see. 

“I have been given full authority over the former Agreste Brand and we will be revitalizing this brand starting…” he stopped talking to the microphone at the podium to turn around. He was standing in front of the Agrest Building that Gabriel had built. Felix raised his hand as the blind covering the company name was removed and exposed the new name. 

“Graham De Vanily” 

“In honor of our beloved Emelie Graham De Vanily who was so terribly stolen away from us by the heinous villain Hawk Moth.” Felix’s fist clenched near his chest as he closed his eyes for a moment. Adrien was hurt hearing the words but Felix’s scheme was working. The crowd cheered. No one really knew exactly what happened to Adrien’s mother, but making her the face of this company’s new facelift, making her the victim in all of it, took the public's eye off of Adrien and showed the company’s sympathy for the victims rather than the villain. 

Camera flashed as Felix reopened his eyes. Reporters pushing forward with their demanding questions and microphones ready to accept his answers. 

“What about Adrien Agreste?”

“I’m sorry there is no Adrien Agreste.” Felix said sharply. It was what Adrien had asked him to do. 

“Then who was the model Gabriel used?” This was the part that Adrien knew Felix could handle. He watched as Felix threw on his best Adrien smile and scruffed his hair into the shaggy mane that was Adrien’s trade hair style. He was good. Adrien missed the antics of their childhood with his twin of a cousin. Adrien snorted a laugh then shook his head returning to his chores. 

“Is it dinner time yet?” Plagg complained. Adrien returned to the seating area. Plagg was still seated on his favorite armchair with a lump of cheese. It wasn’t Camembert but it seemed to satiate him enough. 

“You're right.” he smiled realizing how quickly the day went by. “Let’s go.” Adrien walked to the front door. Looking back at Plagg wondering why the little guy wasn’t moving. Plagg stared at him stupidly.

“You're not planning on taking the metro again,” Plagg complained. “When we can take the quicker route.”

“It’s still light outside, I can’t risk Cat Noir being seen by the public.” 

“He was seen last night by those guys?” 

“But who is going to believe a bunch of criminals?” Adrien realized he would have to think of something to maintain his own cover of darkness.

“But you're not even Cat Noir anymore.” Plagg reminded him. “Just change the appearance of your suit.”

“Wait,” Adrien walked back into the seating area. “I can do that?” 

“Kind of,” Plagg explained. “You will still be dressed in black, but you could… add a hoodie to cover your sunshine blond hair.” Plagg flew up and looked Adrien over. His tiny hand on his chin. “Maybe you could check out Marinettes’ website for some thoughts.” 

“But when I transform it automatically puts this design on me.” Adrien was confused. 

“It’s too basic,” Plagg complained. “Shadow Moth never wore a dress I can assure you but Mayura did. Polymouse looked nothing like Multimouse, and let’s face it, Luka was a way better holder for Sass than you.” Plagg was still sore about that one. Adrien thought about it. Sure a hoodie would help, but he didn’t want people to know there was A BLACK CAT superhero in Shanghai. 

“I’ll think about it. For now, we take the Metro.” He grabbed his coat and key then opened the door. 

Adrien got off the bus at the same stop as last night and went into the same store. This time he would grab something at random then head to the restaurant. He could smell something amazing coming from the restaurant down the street and it made him think of a seafood dish he had the last time they visited. Adrien found the seafood tanks in the back of the market and picked out 4 hairy crabs. 

“Cheng Sifu, I am here,” Adrien said as he entered the kitchen. He handed the bag with the four live crabs in it to Cheng. His eyes widened in excitement as if he had hoped for this.

“This is a very fortunate fateful food, Adrien.” He dropped the four crabs into the already boiling pot. “I started this broth earlier for another crab dish but these are much fatter and tastier.” Cheng proceeded to show Adrien how to prepare the broth and they worked quickly as the crab's shells turned bright red before they used a wire scoop to lift them from the pot. Cheng strained the broth from the pot setting it aside as they rinsed the crab in ice-cold water so they could deshell them. Cheng flung droplets of water from his fingers as he worked so quickly. Splattering Adrien on the face. Adrien laughed like a little kid seeing the playful grin on Sifu's face. 

“I give you Adrien Soup.” Cheng set a bowl down in front of Adrien. 

“De Vanily Soup.” Adrien corrected him. The steam rolled off the bowl as chunks of crab bobbed in the bowl. The red broth with vegetables floating sent an aroma into Adrien's face. He was proud to be able to know how to make this. Cheng played the accordion as Adrien scooped the soup into his mouth. He lost himself somewhere in the memory as he looked to his side smiling expecting to see Marinette laughing at her uncle. She wasn’t there. The smile drained from Adrien’s face as he looked back at Cheng. 

“We could call her.” Cheng set the accordion down then took a seat across from Adrien. He let his face fall back to his bowl as he continued to eat trying to regain his composure. He felt the burning in his eyes as the tears tried to well up but he swallowed them down with another bite of soup. 

“Best not.” He said then looked at his watch. “You know, the time difference.” He shrugged then lifted his empty bowl. They returned to the kitchen to clean up but the kitchen staff took his bowl and there was nothing more to do. “See you tomorrow Cheng Sifu.” Adrien gave him a quick wave then headed for the alleyway. It was very dark now as clouds were rolling in. Adrien thought about what Plagg had said earlier and imagined what his suit would look like with a hood. 

“Plagg claws out.” He said. Sure enough, as his suit covered his body from toe to head, a leather hood sprouted off the neck covering his head, his cat ears protruded from the top. It came down far enough over his eyes that while he could still see, it would make seeing his face that much harder. It was much different from the suit he wore as Aspik which completely covered his head, this one instead felt more modern and airy. He made his way back to Chao. 

“It will rain tonight, Xuesheng,” Chao said as Mao landed on the ground before him. “We will start with a few small lessons, but you will need to rest your Kwami.” Mao had to take a minute to take in what Chao had said.

“Rest my…” his breath caught in his lungs. “Kwami?” 

“You think me a fool? That I do not know what powers your ability.” Chao turned and headed into a side room of the temple. Mao followed him. There were many drawings on the walls, various characters that depicted magical beings. “Many believe them to be folklore. And to those who are not trained, they are.” Adrien sees a black cat adorned character from an ancient Chinese battle. “Many are taught here and sent to the guardian temple to become guardians. I was one of them.” Chao said.  

“You were a guardian?” Mao asked. 

“I was there when the temple was gobbled up by a sentimonster.” Chao turned to look at him. “It was you, and your partner that defeated it, and restored the temple.” 

Mao was shocked as he stood before his Sifu. Chao turned and walked deeper into the temple down a flight of stone stairs to a large room filled with various weaponry, sparring dummies and in the middle of the room a large sparring mat. Mirror lined the four walls surrounding the mat. The torch-style electric lighting illuminated the room in an orange glow. There was a small table in the corner with a plate of cheese and crackers.

“I assume Plagg still eats human-sized portions of cheese?” Chao asked. Mao chuckled. He was still nervous at the prospect of exposing his identity to anyone but Master Fu. “I assure you, it is safe here.” 

“Claws in.” He whispered. Plagg zipped out. His eyes exposing his shock as he found himself in a strange place. Until his eyes fell on the Sifu.

“Chao Sifu?” Plagg asked in surprise. He flew up to the old man gripping his face in his tiny hands. Chao chuckled at the action, bringing his hands to cup the Kwami.

“You seem… friendly.” Adrien felt a bit jealous as he watched his best friend warm up to a stranger.

“Plagg and I encountered much mischief.” He stared at the Kwami now sitting in his hands. “I was but a child when I went to the temple. I felt caged in. I did not want to be there.” he set Plagg down by the plate then brought his hands back together in front of himself. “Sometimes at night, Plagg and I would escape the temple and bound free through the mountains.” Adrien's jaw dropped as he heard the Sifu talk about his rebellious side. 

“Sounds like someone I know,” Adrien said acting innocent. 

“Cat Noir had plenty of freedom, while Adrien was locked in the best bedroom any teenage boy could want.” Plagg scoffed as he gobbled some cheese. 

“Oh, is that so?” Chao asked. 

“It’s a long story.” Adrien swung his arms in anticipation of his first lesson. 

“We shall start with some basic steps.” Chao led him to the center of the sparring mat after they kicked off their shoes. 

Adrien hurt so bad as he rolled out of bed the next morning. Not sure if he would be able to move. In the bathroom, he stripped out of his pajamas tossing them on the floor. He caught sight of his body in the ever-present mirrors that encircled the room. The main thing he hated about the bathroom. He was his own constant reminder of his father. 

“Hmm…” he mused in the mirror. “At least now I know what father would have looked like after taking a beating.” he chuckled. Plagg droned on something about being awake so early and not having anywhere to go. 

After soaking in the steaming hot jet stream tub Adrien sat on the couch with nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist. He had to lower the eclectic blinds on the windows to prevent possible sighting of the mysterious floating creature even though they were up high enough that it was most likely not a concern. 

He opened his laptop and began searching through design pages looking for ideas for his Hei Mao suit. 

“Nothing,” Adrien said frustrated after a while. 

“What about Marinette. She could design something for you.” Plagg offered. Adrien shook his head, he wanted nothing more than to wear a Marinette design again. 

“I can’t talk to her Plagg.” Adrien groaned. 

“But Felix can, and if I remember right he is the CEO of a fashion company am I right?” Plagg was on to something. He picked up his cell phone and dialed up his cousin.

“Adrien to what do I owe the pleasure of your call?” He sounded upset. 

“What is it, Felix?” Adrien’s question could wait. 

“I just got out of a meeting with public relations and they’re screaming for something to boost the community morale.” Adrien smiled. This was purrfect he thought.

“I think I can solve your problem and you can solve mine.” Adrien started. “Initiate a community-wide design competition. The theme is aged-up versions of Ladybug and Cat Noir in more… fitting attire.”

“It’s a competition?” Felix asked. “What would the reward be?” 

“How about the winner gets to spend an entire day or week as a Graham De Vanily designer and their design is featured in the catalog, as say a costume.” Adrien grinned. “I’ll be the final judge, a silent Judge.”

“How,” Felix started, his voice sounding confused. “Does this benefit you?” 

“Remember that girl, Marinette?” Adrien asked him. 

“How could I forget,” Felix remember the beautiful girl from the video sent to Adrien.

“She’s a designer and well, I really want a costume designed by her.” Adrien wasn’t entirely lying. 

“Let me guess, you want the Ladybug costume.” Felix scoffed. 

“Exactly, well one of each. But the winner will be the one who designs the best of each costume, it’s a two for the win.” Adrien’s face beamed and he was glad that Plagg was the only one who could see it. 

“I’ll put the word out,” Felix said coldly before hanging up the phone. 

It had been nearly a month since the announcement for the costume design went out. He watched Marinette’s webpage and even found Alya’s blog. They definitely knew about it and even commented that Marinette would be entering her designs in as well. Adrien was so excited. His body was getting more accustomed to the beatings dished out by Chao Sifu, and his cooking skills got better with Cheng Sifu. During the day he often went past the temple to watch Chao Sifu teaching classes to groups of younger kids. They seemed to be far too young to learn martial arts but he was also forced to participate in far more activities by the time he was their age. 

He spoke a number of different languages and played the piano. Adrien hadn’t touched one since he left his in his old bedroom. Felix said he wanted to move into the Agreste manor but felt uncomfortable with that idea given the current state of the public opinion regarding it. So he agreed to ensure the mansion was being maintained for when Adrien was ready to return to it. 

Adrien felt a little stalkerish as he checked Marinette’s social media accounts daily, followed Alya’s blog, and even yes. The Lady blog. Marinette got more beautiful as she grew up. He had been watching his friends from afar. Nino seemed to be doing good. He even found Luka’s page. He wondered why Marinette hadn’t mentioned anything on her pages about her boyfriend or husband. Luka seemed happily married as he bragged about various things his twins were doing, never posting pictures of them though, or his wife. 

Something tugged at Adrien’s heart as he scrolled through her pages. Juleka now served as her primary female model for her designs and even Luka joined in on occasion. He used to be Marinette’s model. As the contest date closed in, Adrien had to fight the urge to return to Paris for it. He wanted to be there, to witness Marinette winning. He knew her designs were going to be the winners. The days dredged by as Adrien maintained his covert agenda. His evening meals with Cheng Sifu, and his training with Chao Sifu. Two people that maintained his secrets. Even the grocery clerk aided him in his endeavors as she would help him pick out his fateful food items each day. 

“So, are you planning on being here for the judging?” Felix asked. 

“You know I can’t.” Adrien felt like his father, he had always had Nathalie walk around with the tablet showing him each of the designs. He didn’t even want to be that present. 

“I have an idea,” Felix said. “I’ll call you right back.” A few minutes passed when Adrien’s phone chimed on his duo to pick up a video call. He saw Felix standing in a mirror wearing a pair of clear lens glasses. The image was coming from a micro camera in the frames. “This way, You can hear and see everything and no one will be the wiser.” 

“How, can you hear me?” he asked. Felix reached up to the earpieces over both ears. 

“The speakers are her like with earbuds only they don’t go in the ear. I can’t see you though unless I look at my phone.”

“This is purrfect.” Adrien beamed. He saw his cousin groan dropping his shoulders.

“Did you just make a cat pun?”

“Yep.”

“Are you blushing?”

“Pawsibly.” 

“You’re encourageable.” Felix turned away from the mirror. He was in his suit at the Bourgeois Hotel. It was just like the one Chloe used to live in. 

“I know.” Adrien fought back the urge to say something cattish. 

“Goodbye, Adrien.” Despite his cold tone, Felix really did seem to enjoy their dynamics. He was the straight-laced one and Adrien, fun and playful. 

“Could you imagine Plagg?” Adrien slumped back in his chair. “If Felix was given this miraculous,” he said holding up his hand. A look of terror crossed Plagg’s face as if he was threatened to never be given cheese again. Adrien laughed. 

It was the day of the competition and Adrien watched as Felix straightened his tie. A chill running down his spine as he recalled how his father used to do it. Felix really was the younger version of his father. Sometimes he forgot that they had different fathers. Even though he looked nothing like his father, rather they both looked like Gabriel and Amelie. 

Adrien shook the feeling off his shoulders as he watched his cousin leave the bathroom. The venue was set up at the Graham De Vanily building in the showroom. There were tons of people scattered about the room with various changing stalls set up using temporary wall structures. Felix walked through the halls slowly inspecting each station. Two models to each one in a Cat Noir suit, the other in a Ladybug suit. The gender specification had been an explicit requirement for the event. 

Felix stopped by each inspecting the details and scoffed moving on to the next. Most of them were near replicas of the original suits. 

“Is there just one person here who didn’t copy the original design?” Felix fumed. 

“There,” Adrien said through the screen. He had to mirror his phone to the TV so he could get a better look at everything. His heart dropped when he recognized the old familiar midnight hair. It was no longer pulled into two down ponytails, instead, it was long and flowing. There was a bit of curl to it as it swayed back and forth with her movements. She was preparing her model already in costume. “I hope she’s not married,” he said before he realized his cousin could hear everything. 

“Miss Dupain-Cheng,” Felix said stepping up behind her. “What have you got for us this time.” He at least sounded pleasant. She spun around to face him. Adrien watched her face as it lit up in a bright red hue. 

“A..A... Adrien?” Adrien could feel heat welling up in her heart even though she was, once again mistaking Felix for him. The fact that she was still thinking about him and tripping over her words at the thought she was in his presence made him wish he had gone. 

“Felix, actually.” he took both of her hands in his looking down at them as he placed a kiss on each knuckle. “Adrien was a fool for letting a gem such as yourself slip through his fingers. Adrien fumed as his cousins’ obvious attempt to annoy him. Marinette’s cheeks returned to their normal hue as her face melted into sadness. Adrien’s heart broke for a minute. 

“Do you need a tissue, Adrien?” Plagg asked. Adrien ignored him so as to not expose him to Felix who could hear everything except the Kwami. 

“Show us what you have made for us.” Felix said. No one knew he was televising this for Adrien. Marinette explained in detail the design of this new Lady Noir Suit. It wasn’t all red as Ladybugs had been instead there was more black around the waist with a light red tulle skirting around the waist allowing for movement while offering a bit more coverage to the more sensitive areas. Another Tulle adornment lay over the breasts. 

“Exquisite Marinette,” Felix said.

“Ask about the signature stitching.” Adrien chimed in quickly. He was nearly biting at the bit as he watched his cousin explore every detail of the suit.

“Ah-hem. Um, show me your signature stitching.” He looked up at Marinette who suddenly blushed.

“How do you know about that?” Marinette shrieked. 

“Tell her Gabriel had made reference to it after other designs she had done.” Adrien threw in.

“I am the CEO of a fashion company, it is my job to know about that,” Felix smirked. Marinette pulled out another suit, it was designed for a man but she held up the collar piece showing the distinct gold embossed threading signing her name through the stitch. 

“You did that with each of these designs?” he mused then moved on to the Cat Noir suit. Adrien swallowed hard when he saw Luka wearing the Cat Noir Suit. He almost didn’t recognize him with the hood pulled nearly over his face. The Ears protruding through the hood even seemed to have a little fluff to them. The hood flowed down the back with fine red lines detailing the changes in the material. The extra padding around the soft spots was highly more with the deep red. Felix walked around Luka slowly inspecting every detain including the attached belt that held a baton. The extra-long belt that also served as Cat’s tail dangled down to the floor. Adrien wondered if his belt was actually longer now than it was when he was a teenager, he was much taller now. “Why is this red and not Neon green as his ring?” 

“This design is meant more for stealth. The red.” Marinette blushed. 

“Ah, she’s so cute.” Adrien didn’t mean to say that out loud. Felix snorted. 

“Who is Cat Noir without his Ladybug?” she finished. “I added more black to her’s to signify him on her so I thought I’d give him a piece of her.” Adrien felt warm at the thought. “As for the hood, Cat Noir has such bright hair, so this would provide him more stealth.” She scooped up the tail belt holding the end out for Felix to inspect. In fine detail along the edge of the belt was the customary Marinette signature. 

“Very good Miss Dupain-Cheng,” Felix again took her hands. He flipped them over and even rubbed his fingers along the back of her hands. “Lovely, sure you didn’t make these by hands these hands are far too nice to have labored so.” Ooh, that smooth talker. Adrien was standing now anger fumed on his face. Felix turned away and began walking to another stall. 

“Wait.” Marinette’s voice was small through the receiver. Felix turned around. Luka was holding her shoulders as she stood in front of him face Felix. She nearly shook as Adrien swore he saw a teardrop from her chin. “Can you tell him, if you see him…”

“What that you love him? I saw that video message you sent him. Was that your attempt to confess your feelings or just console a friend.” Felix seemed a bit harsh but Adrien bit back his words wondering what it was Marinette had said in the video.

“Tell him we miss him.” Ah there it was the fire in her eyes she was angry. “We miss our friend.” She turned away from Felix in a huff. Felix laughed.

“What are you doing Felix?” Adrien barked.

“Congratulations Marinette, I think you might just be our winner.” He scoffed then turned around. 

“I just had to see her fire up, oh Adrien,” Felix whispered. “I can see why she means so much to you.” Felix tapped a button on his phone and disconnected the call. Adrien had recorded the entire video call. He replayed the video showing Cat Noir’s suit. He memorized every detail. Mulling it over in his head before setting his phone down and calling on his transformation. 

He ran to the bathroom to examine his new suit. Every detail mimicked Marinette’s design. He suddenly realized and reached for his belt tail. It was longer. He studied the red stitching design and found it. Her signature was embedded into the magic suit he now wore. 

#miraculous fandom #miraculous chat noir #adrienette #miraculous ladybug #miraculous world #felix graham de vanily #miraculous adrien #adrien agreste

[tsuki-chibi]

Blueberry Peach (Adrien AUGreste) Part 31: My Prince

Start from day one on AO3: Blueberry Peach

Or read the whole series on AO3: Fruitful verse

--------

"What do you think, son?" Tom asked, straightening the covers on the bed. He stood back and surveyed the room, then added, "I know it's probably a bit smaller than what you're used to, but -"

"It's perfect," Adrien said, a warm glow filling his chest. Tom had called him 'son'. Him.

He looked around at the room, which admittedly was about a third of the size of what he was used to. It was laid out similarly to Marinette's, with a loft bed. A desk had been set underneath the bed for his computer and schoolwork. On the opposite wall was a large bookcase which held all of his books, his games, and his DVDs. Next to that was his television and gaming consoles. Then there was a large window which caught the sun in the early morning. Adrien had already checked - if he stuck his head out the window and twisted to the right, Marinette's balcony was just a hop away.

The closet was only about half full, mostly because Adrien had left a lot of his clothes behind. Amélie had looked like she wanted to spit nails when she realized that almost all of Adrien’s clothing was made by Gabriel. On the one hand, it made sense. On the other hand, it meant Adrien was constantly a walking, talking advertise for his father’s company. Amélie had promised that he could get some new clothing this coming weekend, and Adrien was looking forward to it.

It had only been two weeks since Amélie had given her official permission for Adrien to move in with the Dupain-Chengs. Things had moved very quickly since then. Émilie's second funeral had been held on a quiet Sunday morning. Gabriel, of course, had not been in attendance. Adrien hadn't spoken to his father since the day Hawkmoth had been arrested, and he was perfectly fine with that.

This past weekend had been spent moving all of his things into the Dupain-Cheng’s spare bedroom. For now, the mansion was going to remain empty. Amélie and Félix had returned to London because Félix couldn't stay out of school any longer. But Amélie had promised that they would both come up on the train next weekend, and the weekend after that Adrien and Marinette were going to go to London to stay with them. Adrien was looking forward to that, but of course he had to deal with this week first. He hadn't been back to school since his father's arrest.

In short, the room might have been smaller, and it was a tiny bit crowded because Adrien had way more stuff than he had ever realized he did, but it was the manifestation of Adrien's dreams because it had been prepared for him by people who cared. Not just by an interior designer who was only interested in collecting a considerable paycheck.

"Well, I don't know about that," Tom said, drawing Adien’s attention back to him, but he gave a pleased smile.

'Adrien, we're going to be late for school,' Marinette thought.

"I have to go; we're going to be late," Adrien said out loud.

Tom chuckled. "Marinette remind you? That's a new one. Usually she's running downstairs at the last minute."

The flush of indignation through the bond made Adrien smile. "She heard that."

"The truth hurts," Tom said, a twinkle in his eye as he picked up Adrien's backpack. He passed it to Adrien. "Are you kids coming right home after school?"

"I think we might go get ice cream with our friends," Adrien said, slightly uncertain.

"That's fine," Tom said. "Your curfew is the same as Marinette's."

"Uh... okay?" Adrien said. "I can just... go?"

Tom's smile faded, replaced by a more serious expression. "Adrien, we told you that you didn't have to keep doing all those lessons and being a model unless you wanted to. You said you didn't want to. Did you change your mind?"

Adrien shook his head. "No."

"Then yes, you can just go when you want. Within reason, of course. But Sabine and I didn't invite you to live here so that we could control your every move," Tom said, gently patting Adrien's shoulder. "Now I have to get back downstairs to the bakery, and you need to get going. We're both going to have annoyed soulmates on our hands otherwise."

"Thanks," Adrien said quietly, and Tom smiled again at him.

'I told you,' Marinette thought, but it was kindly.

'I know you did. It's just hard to wrap my head around,' Adrien thought, slinging his backpack over his shoulder. Not having every minute of the day scheduled was going to be an adjustment – but a nice one.

He followed Tom downstairs and found Marinette waiting for him. She greeted him with a smile, a kiss to his cheek, and a warm scone. As Adrien took a bite of the scone, she slipped a couple wedges of cheese into his pocket for Plagg.

'I love you,' Adrien thought, and she laughed.

'I love you too,' she thought. 'Now come on!'

They made it to class a few minutes before the bell rang. Madame Bustier wasn't there yet, and neither was Lila. Adrien found himself to be a little glad about that as he took a seat beside Chloé. She looked really good today, wearing a white sundress, black knee-high boots, and a cropped yellow cardigan. The Bee miraculous was a perfect accessory for her color-coordinated outfit.

"So how's the new place?" Chloé asked, propping her chin on her hand.

"It's really, really good," Adrien said, smiling. Chloé had also offered him a room at the hotel, which he appreciated. It was nice to know he had options. He also liked that she had accepted that he was going to stay at Marinette’s without argument. He thought that Chloé might have finally understood how important she was to him, but more than that she had finally accepted it.

"Whenever you need a break, you can come play video games with me," Nino said from across the aisle.

"A break from what, exactly?" Marinette said, leaning over her desk and narrowing her eyes.

"Uh," Nino said. He cleared his throat. "I mean, whenever you need some guy time."

"I'll keep that in mind," Adrien said, trying not to laugh.

The door slid open and Lila came in. Adrien sighed to himself as he watched Marinette catch Chloé's eye. Both girls had an identical expression of mischief on their faces.

'I never should have made the two of you friends,' he thought.

'You shush,' Marinette thought at him. 'Let us have our fun.'

"Don't be ridiculous," Chloé said loudly, her voice perfectly pitched to carry. "Adrien won't need a break from his soulmate."

Instant silence.

"Wait, what?" Rose said in surprise. "Soulmate? Adrien found his soulmate?"

Chloé swung around to face her. "Yeah. He moved in with his soulmate over the weekend."

"Who is it?" Mylène asked, pointedly not looking at Lila.

"It's me," Marinette said, and she deliberately looked at Lila.

Lila's jaw dropped.

The class exploded.

"What the hell?!"

"Are you serious?!"

"Oh my god!"

Marinette's delight in the shocked, embarrassed look on Lila's face was enough to make Adrien smile too, though he tried to hide it. Chloé’s smirk stretched from ear to ear. They really were terrible, but there was no downplaying it now.

"Yes, we're serious," Adrien said, turning to face their classmates.

"So you've been soulmates this whole time?" Alix said, eyes wide. She looked like she was rethinking a lot, like two plus two was suddenly adding up to four when all along they’d thought it was three.

"Yup. They kept it secret because Adrien's dad is a jerk," Chloé said, idly examining her nails. Then she looked up with an innocent expression. "I knew because I was there when it happened at Daddy's party. Marinette tripped and dumped macarons all over Adrien."

Marinette flushed as everyone laughed.

"Did you have to tell them that?" she complained. “It was just a couple macarons! Not a whole tray!”

“I’m not sure that helps, Marinette,” Alya said, still giggling.

Chloé grinned. "But either way it's still true. Right, Adrikins?"

Adrien nodded. "The 100% truth, but I thought it was adorable," he said, giving Marinette a soft look. Marinette’s ire faded and she smiled back.

Lila's face was getting steadily redder. She had clearly worked out that Marinette and Adrien had been soulmates all along, but all she said was, "Why didn't you say anything?"

"Why should I?" Adrien said coolly. "The people who needed to know already did."

Chloé snickered. "Yeah, so you basically spent like three weeks pretending you were a soulmate to a guy who already one," she told Lila. "And the rest of you thought Marinette and Adrien should break up!"

There were various guilty and uncomfortable looks, Alya included. Lila just looked even more embarrassed.

"Like Chloé said, we can tell people now because Adrien's dad isn't an issue," Marinette said, bringing the attention back to her. "He can't keep us apart. No one can." Her tone was challenging, and she looked Lila right in the eyes.

Lila looked away - and then, without a word, she slunk up the steps and sat down in the back row in what would normally be Nathaniel's place, but he was out sick today. Marinette looked satisfied as she lifted up her bag and set it on the empty seat beside her.

The rest of the class peppered Marinette and Adrien with questions until Madame Bustier arrived. She had already been told about this - Tom and Sabine had contacted the school to let them know last week - so she wasn't surprised to see it was the topic of conversation. She just smiled and gently urged the class to take out their books. No one heard a peep out of Lila for the rest of the day, and when classes let out, Lila grabbed her stuff, ran down the stairs, and out the door.

Adrien watched her go and didn’t feel bad. Lila had brought everything on herself. If she hadn’t made such a big deal of it, no one would have said a word to her about this. He didn’t think anyone would tease her too badly, but as word about him and Marinette spread, Lila was going to have to deal with the consequences of her lies. This might even lead to more and more people realizing she had been lying all along. It seemed like a fitting punishment.

‘Damn straight,’ Marinette thought, getting up. ‘Now, you and Chloé hurry up! I want ice cream.’

"Wanna come get ice cream?" Adrien said to Chloé, who seemed surprised by the invitation but nodded.

So it was that Adrien, Marinette, Chloé, Nino, and Alya made their way to André's little cart. André whipped up a concoction for Nino and Alya first, loudly proclaiming them to be an adorable couple who deserved a blend of coconut, pistachio and mango ice cream. Then he turned to Chloé. He looked at her for a moment, eyes narrowed in thought, then smiled and gave her two scoops: one of banana ice cream and one of chocolate. Chloé took her ice cream cone, looking pretty content, and stepped aside. Then it was Adrien's and Marinette's turn. They stepped up together.

"Ah, young love," André said, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "I will get you something special. Yellow passionfruit to match his hair, blackberry for her hair..." He quickly scooped two balls of ice cream onto a cone, then added a third. "And lastly, blueberry peach to match her sky-blue stare and his pink lips! A perfect combination indeed!" He offered Adrien the ice cream cone.

"Thank you," Adrien said, taking the cone carefully. The combination of flavors was unusual but sounded delicious.

André tipped his hat to them. "A good day to you, my friends!" And then he headed off, whistling.

'Would you like the first taste, My Lady?' Adrien thought, scooping up a bit with the spoon and offering it to Marinette.

'Thank you, My Prince,' she thought back, her eyes twinkling, and opened her mouth. A flow of contentment came through the bond, so Adrien quickly scooped up some for himself to try. It really was as good as it had sounded. The fresh fruit taste danced across his tongue: a perfect medley of tart and sweet.

"Marinette, Adrien! Come on! Let's go walk along the Seine!" Alya called.

Adrien looked over at them, realizing that their three friends had walked ahead without them. Alya and Nino were chowing down on their ice cream, while Chloé was furtively sneaking tiny spoonful’s into her pocket for Pollen when Alya and Nino weren't looking.

It was nice. Nice to enjoy the warm afternoon sunshine with his soulmate, his partner, and their friends. Nice to not have to worry about familial or work pressure or akumas. Nice to see Chloé smiling and laughing with Alya and Nino.

He didn’t know what would happen with his father. But frankly, right now he didn’t care. He’d deal with it, like he had dealt with everything else, with Marinette at his side. The knowledge that his partner would be there was more than enough. They could deal with anything that came their way, especially with the help of their friends and family. His father couldn’t control him or anyone else anymore, and that was strangely freeing.

"I didn't know it could be like this," he murmured, more to himself than to anyone else, but of course Marinette heard. She smiled and leaned her head against his shoulder.

"Aren't you glad I dropped those macarons on you now?" she asked playfully, and Adrien chuckled.

"I was glad for that from day one, but yeah. I really am," he said, pressing a quick kiss to her mouth. She tasted like fruity sugar.

But of course, the kiss only lasted for a moment before Alya called to them again. Adrien and Marinette ran to catch them. The five of them ended up finding a small spot on the banks of the Seine to sit and enjoy the sun. Adrien distracted Alya and Nino so that Marinette could sneak some ice cream to Tikki too. Even Plagg ate a little bit of it, though not before informing Marinette in a hissed whisper that cheese ice cream would've been a much better choice. Adrien would treasure Marinette's disgusted expression and feelings for the rest of his day.

For once, there was something right with the world, Adrien decided, when a fourteen-year-old boy could have this much fun with his friends on a lazy Monday afternoon. He smiled around at them all and wrapped his arm around Marinette's shoulders, contentedly breathing in the smell of her shampoo and basking in the contentment flowing through their bond. Chloé leaned against him on the other side, and Adrien wrapped an arm around her shoulders too. Nino, laughing, stole Alya's phone and leaned over to show them something on the screen, while Alya pouted and poked at him. Eventually Nino gave her phone back, and then gave her a kiss for good measure.

"Eww, no public displays of affection please!" Chloé said.

"Alya, stop kissing your boyfriend and show me that write-up you did of the new Fox and Turtle," Marinette said.

Nino sighed as Alya jerked away. "Rude, Mari."

"You'll survive," Marinette said with a grin.

"They were so cool!" Alya said gleefully, and Chloé gave a quiet, amused little snort. Marinette giggled too.

Adrien closed his eyes as their playful banter swirled around him, lifting his face to the sun like the cat that he was, and relaxed.

#miraculous ladybug #marinette dupain-cheng #adrien agreste #chloe bourgeois #adrienaugreste #alya cesaire #chat noir nino lahiffe #lila salt #blueberry peach #fruitful verse #IT'S FINALLY DONE

[c-is-for-circinate]

I’m so ready to be intrigued and fascinated by Raphael-as-Crowley headcanons, and I keep just not finding what I’m looking for--not because what’s out there isn’t perfectly lovely, but because none of it is quite the Crowley I want out of the story.

There’s an awful lot that focuses on all I ever did was ask questions, and I keep feeling like it loses some of the sauntered vaguely downwards.  The Crowley who didn’t fall all at once, in some great big argument or terrible trauma, but just...kept going along a certain path until it hit an inevitable conclusion he really should have seen coming and yet somehow assumed wouldn’t hit him until it did.

This is a Raphael!Crowley I’d believe:

He asks questions from the very Beginning.  Some of them, he asks to God, and They answer, or They don’t, as it suits their ineffable mood in the moment.  Some of them he asks to Michael or to Gabriel, and they have no answers, but it doesn’t bother them not to, and when Raphael goes they think on it no more.  Some of them he asks to his brightest, oldest brother, who tells him to love God and worry less, and when Raphael goes, he thinks about it all a great deal.

When the oldest, brightest archangel, the glittering Morning Star and his followers go to war against Michael and Gabriel and all the other angels, it doesn’t happen all at once.  Time doesn’t quite exist yet, not properly--things more or less happen one after the other, but how long it takes one thing to move on to the next is still very much a question.  It is both an instant and several billion years between Lucifer’s first shouted challenge and his blazing, plummeting fall to the Bottomless Pit below the depths of the Earth.

It is a war, yes, but there has never been a war before, and nobody quite knows what it means.  Raphael rolls his eyes, millions of them all fiery and blazing, and tends to every angel to cross his path injured from the spat, and invents waiting as he waits for it to be over.  He creates a handful of nebulas in an eyeblink or over the course of somebody else’s battle or in an eon.  He asks the various angels involved just what, exactly, they think they’re accomplishing here.  He asks God how long They intend for this mess to go on.  He asks Michael and Gabriel if they really think this whole invention of conflict was really The Ineffable’s best idea, really.  He asks his oldest brightest brother to come invent some new animals with him rather than sulking about the latest spat.  It’ll all blow over sooner or later.

The Morning Star Falls, but there has never been a Fall before, and still, with all the heavenly hosts assembled and all of creation poised on this moment, nobody knows what it means.

There is a Bottomless Pit in Creation now, and nobody can remember the first and brightest archangel’s name.  They know he was Lucifer the bright-shining one, but his true name, the divine one that held the Name of God within it, is lost from all time and space and knowledge.  He is not an angel any more.  He is a new thing now, a thing called a demon, that nobody has ever seen before and nobody entirely understands.  Just as he was the very first of all the angels, he is the first of these new demon-things.  He is not the last.

The angels that fought at Lucifer’s side plummet down one by one to join him, with grand dramatic declarations and enormous swan-dives into pain and fire.  The angels that fought against them watch in wonderment.  There aren’t exactly rules yet, about Heaven and Hell, with Hell only just starting to exist for the very first time ever.  The war might be over, or it might still be going on.  Heaven invents another brand new thing called a wall, and with it a gate, which is a way of passing through a wall, and angels and demons both use it with caution and confusion.

Raphael visits both sides, and tends to wounds, and asks questions.

He asks, when can Lucifer come back home?  He asks, why did you have to push Them so hard and bring this upon yourself, anyway?  He asks, why did you let all this business go on so long in the first place?  He asks, did you know what They would do to you?  He asks, did we really need to go through all this trouble just to invent this ‘wall’ thing?

He asks, If you didn’t want me going out there and coming back in, why did you invent a gate?

It isn’t entirely a surprise when the-thing-that-was-once-the-archangel-Raphael returns to the Gates of Heaven to find them locked and barred against him.  It is only mostly a surprise.  It is a feeling he couldn’t describe to any other angel, who stands on the entire Universe as their own solid ground, or any other demon, who has plummeted down the entire length of said Universe in one fast Fall.  A human sometime in the future might be able to relate to the sensation of tripping somewhere in the middle of a staircase, the sudden feeling of panic and vertigo and feeling all the wind rush out of them even without hitting the ground, but staircases haven’t been invented yet.

It shouldn’t have been a surprise at all, not with all the questions he’s asked, not with the way the Walls of Heaven have been getting thicker and taller and the lines between angels and demons have been firming up and all of the cosmic uncertainties have been turning more and more certain.  And yet.  He hadn’t rebelled.  He hadn’t fought.  He’d thought, deep in his optimist’s soul, that sooner or later the whole thing would blow over and Lucifer and his lot would end up back where they belonged.  He’d thought, of course there’s a plan, I’d just like to see it.  Just to be ready.

(And perhaps he ignored the warning signs, and perhaps that was the sin: not optimism, but pride.  The sin of Lucifer’s fall.  The archangel vanity Michael and Gabriel still swear they do not possess.  He sauntered out of the gate and down, and sauntered back up to Heaven again, so very sure that of course it would be fine.  He was filled with God’s grace and love and blessing.  He was the Archangel Raphael.  He couldn’t do wrong.)

He thinks, now: of course there’s a plan, and probably this is part of it.  He thinks, Heaven is the place for those that follow every order without ever asking questions, so Hell must have been invented to test every order they can.  That’s his job now.  Hell is for doubt.  Hell is for questions.

It hurts, walking into Hell, feeling all his Divine grace and certainty burn away bit by bit.  It’s been hurting little by little for eons now, a growing ache that began as a throb and wracked his whole being when he stood in front of the closed gate and realized what it meant.  He really shouldn’t have been surprised to find himself at the bottom of a Fall.  He still isn’t clear on the purpose of suffering.

So: he remakes himself for doubt-sowing, for temptation to question and break divine orders, for this thing that must be his new purpose, probably.  He thinks, if this is the Ineffable Divine Plan, that it’s cruel and complicated in a way that does not feel either just or comprehensible from this end of it.  He’s got several more questions he’d like to have answered.   The rest of Hell remakes itself for cruelty and suffering, which must be their new purpose.  They have all suffered so much.  It must be what they’re for.  He thinks that if questions are what he’s for now, and if suffering leads to his asking questions, well, that’s tidily done then on the Ineffable’s side, isn’t it.

The Morning Star has begun calling himself The Adversary, turning Satan from a description into a name.  The demon that once called itself Raphael takes the shape of an animal he once built with his brother that likes to keep low to the ground, long and unseen by those above, and describes himself as The One Who Creeps.  English won’t be invented for another five thousand years, but one might translate the thing he’s calling himself into Crawly just the same.

He leaves Raphael up in Heaven with all things that belong directly to the angels.  He doesn’t miss it, exactly.  The name was his to use while he wore it, and now it’s Heaven’s to discard or reuse however they like.  There are other things he misses so much more.

There are gates in the wall around the Garden of Eden, the sort that were invented to let things pass through, but only in exactly the right way.  The angel guarding the one in the East is named a thing that would sound like Aziraphale if English had been invented yet, but because it hasn’t, Crawly hears Israfael.  Filling the gaps in the ranks, one way or another. 

Crawly wonders, but doesn’t ask, if the angel knows exactly what became of the archangel he was so clearly created to partially replace.  Time is firm, now, minutes moving past one after another, and he can only ask so many questions at once.

Right now, standing on the wall of the Garden overlooking a gate, he is wondering and he is asking: if it is a demon’s job to go against the will of God, but that job was given by God, then is doing that job in accordance with God’s will or not?  If God has given an order and a demon who was tasked by the ineffable design to countermand Them has convinced a pair of humans to go against that order, then has that demon in fact carried out a good deed under the auspices of God after all?  What happens to a demon if the other demons, who may also be doing jobs that were assigned by God but don’t believe that they are, decide that the first demon is acting too closely in line with God’s plans after all?

If an angel, who is explicitly tasked to follow the will of God, does a thing with a flaming sword that was very specifically not ordered by God, but they’re an angel and were tasked with a general sort of kindness to begin with, and were more or less attempting to act according to that general order by going against the spirit but not technically the letter of a more specific order vis-a-vis said sword, then just exactly how ineffable is the damned plan, anyway?

The angel who’s got the majority of Raphael’s name and no longer has a flaming sword clearly has a mind for loopholes.  Crawly wonders if that’s part of the job of being basically-Raphael, too.

Time passes.  Humans propagate.  Hell is cruel.  Humans are, too.  Crawly teaches them to be.  It’s his job, to make sure humans understand what cruelty is like, to make sure they have the whole picture.  He thinks maybe he’s got some of it figured out by now.  It’s something like a test.

The business with Noah is cruel, and it’s not Crawly’s doing at all.  Seeing it feels a little like an old echo of falling, the surprise-that-isn’t-a-surprise-at-all.

He does his job.  He asks the angel questions.  He tries to sow doubt.  He doesn’t save anybody, not even the unicorn.

(One of these things is wrong, is against everything that Crawly is supposed to be: that he stands by and lets them all suffer and drown, or that he regrets it.  He doesn’t know which it is, but he thinks he ought to.)

The business with Jesus is cruel, too.  He doesn’t flinch this time.  It’s too familiar by now, the miseries the Divine is so generous in handing out to sinners and innocent alike.

The boy comes back, because of course he does, and his followers spread, because of course they do, and the world--

It doesn’t change.  Not in any way that matters.  Crowley doesn’t know what he was expecting.

He puts on glasses, hides his eyes and his nature from Rome and everyone else, and doesn’t ask himself what he’d thought would happen, after all.  Doesn’t ask why he’d bothered hoping for anything.

He stops trying to lead the angel into asking unanswerable questions, after that.  They eat oysters.  Nobody talks about Christianity.

(One of these things would infuriate all the hosts of heaven if they ever knew: that he can’t bring himself to seriously tempt Aziraphale towards doubt any more, or that he ever really tried.  He thinks, perhaps, that it might be both.)

He thinks about being Raphael, sometimes, highest on high, welcomed into the presence of God Themself, crowned in grace and glory.  Usually he thinks about it right after humans have thought up something that’s sure to get him a commendation when he reports it down Below, right before he gets himself blind drunk enough to forget again.

The thing of it is, there was no getting blind drunk in Heaven to protect yourself from pain.  There wasn’t meant to be any suffering in Heaven to begin with.

Raphael was made to be a healer, and so he was, once, when Heaven needed a healer, before it invented the idea of a wall to keep all the newly-invented pain out.  It all seems more or less inevitable after that, really.

Aziraphale is a little bit Raphael’s replacement and Aziraphale is entirely himself, and the fact that he’s been both of those things at once has kept Crowley intrigued and unwillingly charmed ever since the Garden.  He’s not just a healer, but he’s good at healing miracles.  Crowley’s seen him at them, the happy grin that spreads across his face when he can relieve a random human of a little pain, so similar to the grin he gets over a good oyster.  It only makes sense that he’s down here on Earth, really.  Individuals belong in Heaven as much as healers do.

The thing of it is, there was no suffering in Heaven, and nor was there sin.  There was no gluttony or sloth or lust.  There was Grace and Blessing and capital-L Love, but Crowley doesn’t remember if Raphael ever loved anything the greedy, prideful, possessive, satisfying way he might just privately admit to loving his Bentley.

The thing of it is, Crowley has had this job for as long as time has been real, which is by definition both infinitesimally and infinitely longer than he was ever an archangel.  The thing of it is, Crowley is good at it.

(The thing of it is, tempting and sowing doubt and inspiring sin is no crueler than Heaven’s righteous wrath.  It might, sometimes, be kinder.  It might, sometimes, be Good.)

(The thing of it is that Crowley still believes, somewhere deep in the glowing core of himself, that this is all still according to the Ineffable Plan, and deep down, he’s never managed to forgive God for any of it.)

One of these things is unforgivable: that even now Crowley the demon, creator of Original Sin, tempter and exactly as the Almighty made him, for brief and passing moments, yearns desperately to be forgiven.  That even now Crowley the demon, who was once an archangel and gifted with the very highest blessings of God’s grace, would choose to reject any forgiveness he was offered and stay exactly as he is.  He doesn’t know which it is.

(He hopes--he fears--he thinks, deep in his soul, that it might be neither.  That it might be both.)

Here’s the truth: nowhere in Crowley’s six-thousand-plus-year existence as a demon does it really matter who he used to be.  Rank in Hell has nothing to do with rank in Heaven.  It never really did.

Satan, who was once Lucifer, who was once the brightest and most shining of them all, doesn’t love him in exactly the same way Satan doesn’t love any of his hordes of demons.  Satan once loved everyone and everything and God above all, and now doesn’t love anything, not even himself.

There’s nothing left in Crowley for Michael or Gabriel to recognize, and on the whole he prefers it that way.  They know, he presumes, that Raphael their brother is gone.  They grieve the Morning Star and they hate the Adversary with equal intensity, according to Aziraphale, and Crowley remembers both well enough.  Easy enough to extend the same to him.

Michael and Gabriel were always the worst of Heaven, anyway.  That’s the problem in standing with the surety of the entire Universe beneath your feet.  Stone statues don’t exactly take pleasure in being cruel, but that doesn’t make them any more forgiving.

And yet...

“I wonder sometimes,” Crowley says, on a sun-drenched afternoon in the South Downs, sitting on a porch next to Aziraphale, looking out over a garden with no walls.  

(It doesn’t need any.  No daring rabbit or unwary neighborhood child who’d venture too close would make that mistake twice.  Anyway, Crowley figured, any wall with a gate is just as easy to get through as not having a wall at all, and any wall without a gate is just a prison anyway.)

He stops himself, because he’d stopped trying to tempt the angel to doubt two thousand years ago, and there are some questions even he doesn’t quite know how to ask out loud.

“Wonder what, my dear?” Aziraphale asks.

“It never makes you furious, the idea that They planned it all like this from the beginning?” Crowley asks.  “That Satan and every last one of the rest of us demons was created already doomed to fall.  That humans were created to eat the apple and to be punished for it before they even existed.  That you were made--for me, or to replace me, or whatever the hel--the heaven they did or said about it, and they send you down here with me and me up here with you and six thousand years later there's us and the Antichrist, not a trumpet to blow between us, standing at the threshold of Armageddon and refusing to see it off.  It never bothers you, that all of this was part of the plan from the beginning, you and me and the house and the garden and all of it.”

“I find it deeply comforting, to be entirely honest,” Aziraphale admits.  “I do rather like where we’ve ended up, after all.  But what’s all this about replacing you?”

“Weeeeeeeell,” said Crowley.  He’d felt it was rather unfair at this point to go on having, if not precisely knowledge, then at least some well-supported hypotheses about the angel’s particular origins.  He still did not fancy having this conversation in the least.  “ ‘S not like you go creating an angel Israfael five minutes after a certain demon with the same basic name, you know, once upon a time, gets locked out of Heaven for asking too many questions without it being fairly obvious what you’re trying to do.  At least.  To the demon in question.”

Aziraphale gapes.  Crowley keeps his head very carefully inclined so he can keep looking casually out over the extremely lush back garden, and also not reveal his eyes in that gap between his sunglasses and his face.

“Raphael?” Aziraphale asks.  Crowley winces.

“Really, you did a much better job with the whole thing than I would’ve done,” he said.  “I mean, obviously.  If I’d been any good at the whole archangel thing, never would have ended up a demon to begin with, right?”

“Well, I--and I mean--the entire time?” he demands.  “Since the Garden?”

“Been a demon since well before the Garden, angel,” Crowley says, a bit of warning in the tone, six millennia of being forsaken behind him.

“But you knew about me,” Aziraphale says.  “And you.”

Crowley stretches his legs out ahead, and leans back on his elbows, long and lean and snake-like.  He doesn’t say, between the two of us, I think we’ve done the entire job Raphael was ever made to do, and I don’t think any archangel sitting up there in Heaven could’ve done it alone.  I think Raphael was always supposed to be just like this, and I’m so damned grateful, and I hate it.

“Not like this,” he says.  “Don’t think anyone without ‘ineffable’ in their title could’ve figured on it going like this.”

“Well,” says Aziraphale, who’s always been the other half of him after all, anyway.  “Considering all the other ways it could have gone...that is, if anyone was going to be an archangel and then vacate their post and need a replacement and then come back and dog my heels for six thousand years...oh, what I mean to say is, I’m glad it was you.”

“Yeah,” says Crowley, who figures that, at least, is a sentiment he can get behind.  “Me too.”

#C writes stuff #good omens #welp that happened #not-quite-fic as a list of bullet points #apparently I have been really wanting a very particular take on this story #go figure #crowley

[ineffably-good]

Prompt: Glorious

This is part two of my last prompt, which you can read here. 

Part of the Good Omens 30th Anniversary celebration prompts. You can read all of the ones I’ve completed over on AO3!

--------

Part two: Project Heavenly Slumber

Crowley was in Baghdad in the court of Mamun the Great, giving his best effort toward whatever it was demons did – foster discord, disrupt the rule of law, interfere with justice, Aziraphale wasn’t sure. He miracled himself into the outskirts of town, where he’d sensed Crowley’s presence. He found him haggling with a merchant over a pile of dates. The demon had always had a sweet tooth, although he’d deny it vociferously if cornered about it.

“Crowley!” Aziraphale said, touching him on the sleeve. “How lovely to run into you!”

“You didn’t run into me,” Crowley said, not missing a beat as he handed over his pile of coins and took the bag from the vendor. “I felt you appear just a second ago. You’re here on purpose. Come to oversee the translations, I suppose?”

Aziraphale blinked. “Translations?”

“Oh!” Crowley grinned. “All kinds of fantastic things are going on here – they’re building this thing called The House of Wisdom. Big building full of scrolls! Translating all the texts from Greece, Persia, Sumeria. Been wondering when you’d show up – right up your alley!”

“Oh dear,” Aziraphale fretted. “And here I am stuck in the courts of Charlemagne overseeing stupid wars and conquests! I’d much rather be here! If only we could switch assignments!”

The demon smiled rapaciously. “We could undoubtedly work something out, angel.”

“Oh now,” the angel replied, retreating into his prim default. “That won’t be possible and you know it. But I did come here to seek you out.”

“Oh? Missed my sparkling personality?”

“Hardly,” the angel said. “But I need your advice. I’ve gotten myself in rather a pickle. Is there somewhere we could go to talk?” 

 --

Crowley laughed so loudly and for so long that Aziraphale began to feel quite annoyed. He helped himself to another generous serving of Crowley’s precious date wine, drank it all in one gulp, and then sat back in his chair with his arms crossed over his chest.

Still the demon laughed.

“Oh – oh my –” Crowley moaned, wiping his eyes and beginning to calm down. “So sorry angel, but that one is a knee-slapper! Gabriel and his glorious presence overpowering the infant Yeshua into unconsciousness!”

Aziraphale giggled a little too at that one. It never got old.

“And – and now –” Crowley tried to regain breath control, but he was still half-laughing. “And now you’ve got to go teach a bunch of idiot angels how to sleep? Oh, for Satan’s sake. I wish I had your job sometimes. No one in Hell ever says anything funny.”

“Yes, well, that’s the problem you see,” Aziraphale said insistently. “I can barely sleep myself! Hardly ever do it. I was hoping you might have some pointers for me?”

Crowley noticed the low level of the wine jug and waved a hand to refill it to the top, then poured himself a mug of it. He took a sip while thinking carefully.

“I suppose I could teach you a few things,” he said. “Things I learned in China. Breathing techniques. Ways to calm the body and achieve other states. A little bit of hypnotic suggestion, perhaps?”

Aziraphale wrung his hands. “Oh dear, I would be so grateful. Anything you have, anything at all.”

Crowley nodded. “When do you have to report in?”

“Tomorrow!”

“Well then,” the demon said, “we’d better get started.”

 --  

Aziraphale left Baghdad armed with a sealed jug of date wine, several interesting new relaxation techniques designed to help ease anyone into a peaceful sleep, a scroll or two with some interesting guided incantations in them, and a small packet of a powder that Crowley promised would be safe but which he doubted he would ever feel brave enough to use. He still had his doubts about the demon’s intentions from time to time, and he certainly didn’t want to go down in infamy as the angel who got everyone in Heaven hooked on narcotic powders.

He made his way back home, left instructions with his secretary for things to be done in his absence, and then made a show of riding off on his best horse as if he were off on his travels. Once he was firmly out of sight of any and all of the humans, he set the horse free with a gentle command to find its way back to the stables and blend in, and miracle himself up to Heaven to begin his great and glorious work.

 --

Gabriel was in that irritatingly heightened state he got into when he had come up with another new idea for team building or motivating his underlings. If regular Gabriel was hard to deal with, excited Gabriel was almost unbearable. He all but vibrated with self-importance and celebration, bestowing smiles and hearty claps on the shoulder to anyone he met.

“Principality!” he boomed jovially. “Glad you made it on time. Let me show you to where you’ll be working.”

He led the way through a winding series of corridors, each nearly indistinguishable from the next, past the library and on into an area Aziraphale had only rarely visited before – some kind of large, empty conference room, all white and chrome like the rest of Heaven, barely furnished except for a large stack of pillows and blankets someone had thrown in the middle of the room. Sitting in a half circle on the floor around the pile of bedding were eight nervous looking angels, low ranking guardians and office workers, obviously pulled from other duties and deposited here.

“Interns,” Gabriel announced. “This is Principality Aziraphale, former Guardian of the Eastern Gate, and our premiere expert on humanity. He’s here to introduce you to a human concept called sleep. Please give him your full attention and cooperate with everything he asks of you on this glorious new work. Questions?”

The angels jittered nervously and one fearfully shook her head. Aziraphale thought wryly that this was nearly the nicest thing Gabriel had ever said about him.

“Good then!” Gabriel said, whapping Aziraphale on the shoulder rather painfully. “I’ll check in on you later.”

He strode out of the room and the door sealed behind him.

“Good morning,” Aziraphale said nervously. “Shall we go around and introduce ourselves?”

 --

As the day went by, the gathered angels got less and less fearful. Most of them hadn’t met a Principality before, Aziraphale realized, and they were naturally deferential and timid. Over the course of a few hours, though, they began to loosen up and to realize that this angel, in particular, welcomed questions and comments.

After a few stretching and breathing exercises, one of them raised her hand and waited patiently to be noticed.

“Yes, Anielle is it?” Aziraphale said.

“I’m terribly sorry, Principality Aziraphale,” she said quietly, “but I don’t understand. What is sleep FOR? And why are we supposed to learn how to do it?”

Terribly good question, Aziraphale thought. He tried to remain professional, despite his doubts about the entire project. “No one really knows what purpose sleep serves, but without it humans sicken and die. Also, many of them seem to enjoy it immensely,” he said. “I believe the archangels think we might be able to influence the dreams of sleeping humans, to – well, to guide them towards goodness and help counter demonic influences.”

Another angel raised his hand.

“You don’t really need to raise your hands,” Aziraphale objected. All eight pairs of eyes stared at him uncomprehendingly. “Or for Heaven’s sake. Yes? Plavian?”

“Could we perhaps use it to frighten them back into the path of righteousness, as well?” the angel asked. “In extreme cases of course. Using the nightmares you mentioned earlier?”

About half of the other angels tittered approvingly. Anielle, to her credit, looked upset.

This Plavian, Aziraphale thought, had a bit of Gabriel in him. He was undoubtedly going to be moving up in the chain of command. He could smell the wanker gene on him from here.

“Humans can react very poorly to nightmares,” Aziraphale said crisply, “and providing and worsening them is really more of a demonic tactic than an angelic approach. We’ll focus on methods that don’t actively damage anyone’s psyche. Our Heavenly Mother wouldn’t want us to harm them.”

He stood up. “Now,” he said, “everyone take a blanket and a pillow and find a space to lie down. We’re going to try some relaxation exercises and see if we can get any of you to fall asleep.”

 --

Nothing worked. Nothing. They tried breathing exercises. They tried guided relaxation. They tried tensing and releasing each muscle in their bodies, starting with their feet and working their way up to their eyebrows. They tried calisthenics. They tried music. Finally, in desperation, Aziraphale magically dimmed the lights and read them all a story. He tried to pick a soothing one. A Tale of Two Cities should do, he thought.  

The room was quiet and there was deep, even breathing all around when Aziraphale finished chapter two. He softly closed the book and stood up as quietly as possible, peeking around in the dim light. All eight of the angels were still, their hands folded on their chests, their eyes closed.

Were they – were they doing it?

As he leaned closer to the angel nearest him, he noted that she opened one eye just a crack and grinned up at him.

“I think I’m doing it!” she stage-whispered to him. “It feels really good!”

“It does!” someone else echoed from a far corner of the room. “I think I’m sleeping!”

“Me too!” said a third.

Aziraphale tried not to tear his hair out.

“Class dismissed for today,” he said. “Go home and try some of those relaxation exercises in the peace and quiet of your own abodes. We’ll try something new tomorrow.”

 --

“You want to do what?” Gabriel said.

“I want to bring in a meal for them,” Aziraphale said patiently. “Food makes humans tired, so maybe it will help get them into the proper state.”

Gabriel frowned. “This is highly irregular,” he said, “corrupting them with gross matter.”

“You did want me to be thorough,” Aziraphale said primly.

Gabriel waved his permission, and Aziraphale got to work.

 --

“Welcome back!” he said the next afternoon. “Today we’re going to expand our horizons a bit and try a meal.”

The angels filed in, looking curiously at the table Aziraphale had set up and its contents.

“What’s a meal?” one of the angels asked.

“It’s food! Humans consume it for sustenance.”

“So, it’s like the word of God?”

Aziraphale frowned. “Not exactly. Anyway, please take a seat around the table and let’s get started.”

He walked them through consuming a variety of dishes, taking a nibble here and there himself – fruits and vegetables, savory pies, cheeses and breads in various forms, sweets. The angels gamely tried everything, most of them looking somewhat unimpressed and trying to hide their distaste for the experience. One or two of them, though, took to the meal with slightly more gusto, taking seconds of some dishes and seeming to enjoy themselves. Aziraphale took note of these ones; they were potential future allies in his endeavors, he thought, and unlikely to be appreciated here in Heaven.

After they’d finished, they did some stretching and then he lowered the lights, had them all lay down, and he led them through the relaxation program from the prior day. He hoped that being warm, comfortable, and full would ease a few of them into sleep.

Aziraphale found himself fighting off a yawn. He really had been working frightfully hard the last few days.

 --

The principality woke up some indeterminate amount of time later with the most terrible sensation of being watched. He opened his eyes in a panic and found himself ringed by his students, with eight pairs of eyes staring down at him in complete fascination.

Aziraphale pushed himself up to seated.

“Oh, for Heaven’s sake,” he said. “Did anyone besides me sleep?”

“No,” said one of the students. “But you did it very well, sir!”

“You were making the most curious noise,” another one added. “Kind of like this.” The student opened their mouth and started to make a rumbling noise that sounded a bit like an earthquake.

“No, I think it was more like this,” the original student one said, emitting a noise like a kitten purring, but loud.

“And you seem to have created a liquid,” added a third student. “It dripped out of your mouth onto your pillow. Is this part of the process?”

“We tried to touch your dreams,” Plavian said, “but it didn’t work.”

“NO ONE TOUCHES MY DREAMS,” Aziraphale said, leaping to his feet. The students backed away nervously; they had heard what a principality was capable of, in the general sense, and even more, they had all heard strange stories about Principality Aziraphale and his flaming sword. No one really wanted to see him angry.

“Oh, very well,” he said, pulling a leather pouch out of his robes. “Let’s try a little chemistry, shall we?”

--

“So in total,” Michael said sternly, “you’ve taken eight of our most promising young angels, sullied their corporations with cheese and bread, led several of them to believe that food is equivalent to the word of God, taught them heretical chanting techniques from the Eastern empires of Earth, and gotten several of them severely addicted to opium powder. Is that correct?”

Aziraphale looked at his feet and tried to appear repentant while inside he focused on one thought and one thought alone. He was going to murder the demon the next time he saw him. This was all his fault.  

#goc2020 #good omens #good omens fanfiction #Aziraphale x crowley #heavenly projects #angel interns #hijinks ensue

[nathalie-sancoeur-assistant]

Chat Blanc

I’m finally ready to post my Chat Blanc analysis now that I’ve my thoughts sorted out. Beware, there are going to be spoilers below and probably a lot of speculation on the Agreste family (and when I say “Agreste Family” that includes Nathalie and possibly Gorilla). I’m going to be using screenshots from youtube w/ english subs. 

First off we have this

This further cements the idea that I’ve said before- that Gabriel doesn’t just want to bring Emilie back, but fix something that happened. Granted the mistake they made is likely the exact thing that sent Emilie comatose, but the fact still stands that he’s not just looking to wake her up. He’s looking to change the past so that she never fell ill to begin with.

Now we have that cute scene with the girls hyping up Marinette, Nathalie denying Marinette’s present, and Ladybug busting in. Which....idk that just seems really stupid. I get it, she’s 14 but she’s also proven she has critical thinking skills. She could have waited till the next day, or outside the Agreste gates until the car came up (Adrien would have rolled down his window for her), there were other solutions but I guess Marinette hasn’t always gotten an A+ for patience. But this girl, she takes it to far and all I can do is shake my head 

The only reason you get a pass for this is cause you’re still learning what’s appropriate and not.

And I don’t think I have to explain why this is sad. He just wants his dad to be even a little proud, but he never gets to see his reaction or receive the praise he needs because his dad is “busy”. Can’t even spare a solid thirty seconds for Adrien to pop his head in and say “Father I won!” “That’s great son!”

Then cut to Marinette stuffing her face in Adrien’s pillow and I just I can’t. Sigh. 

And props to Adrien for being smarter than we gave him credit for. And then we get to this scene...

Where we first see Chat Blanc and you can tell....he’s clearly unstable. You can just tell, from the moment he’s on screen singing to himself that there is something off and Adrien Agreste has left the building. I think that speaks numbers about the psychological trauma he’s been through regarding what went down in this episode. They displayed it perfectly in the most gut-wrenching way. You’re already fearful for Chat/Adrien just due to how he’s acting because you can tell by that alone, akuma or no, that something went terribly awry.

And now he wants her miraculous

Not because of his dad’s influence, though the initial goal of the akuma is probably terribly overwhelming. How long has he actually been there in this wasteland by himself? It’s practically clad in white and almost looks frozen. You can tell Chat Blanc brought on all of this from the beginning (obviously) but my point is that it even has a signature mark on it by the color scheme being off. It genuinely feels like an altered version of reality, or a separate universe (which it can’t be can it? Since Chat Blanc was going to destroy the whole universe, making Bunnyx panic. Does that mean there really is only one universe? Because I feel like in a world with multiple timelines that could occur that there would be more of a multiverse. Anyway...

This poor child...

He’s being torn between two different worlds in every way. And he doesn’t deserve it. We get to see glimpses of Adrien in between Chat Blanc. THIS is Adrien asking her to save him. But then Chat Blanc is back in the next scene.

I genuinely thought that perhaps Hawkmoth had sent his akuma into Chat/Adrien’s heart.  But it was more symbolically than literally. Imagine how messed up that could be, if he could akumatize someone by the heart. How would they get the akuma out then? It would be a matter of actually being able to convince the person to let the akuma go. But Chat/Adrien has had so much happen that his emotions were already so high and intense, imagine how intense it must be now? It’s literally pushed him to the brink of insanity! Thinking about it though,.insanity at this point is likely the only survival tactic he has. How else could be handle being alone, completely and utterly alone? And for how long? How long would he had to have had to mull this over from where he started out as Chat Blanc, being able to fight against the akuma even a bit so that he didn’t directly harm Ladybug/Marinette. How long would he have needed to come up with “This is Chat Blanc. Chat Blanc did this, not me, Adrien, Chat Noir- it was Chat Blanc using my hands to destroy Paris” and develop this outlook so that he didn’t just completely give up. How long has he been fighting? The torture that came with that akuma likely isn’t going to go away once he forgets it. It’s just...this poor kid. He’s trying his best. 

And here I think I appreciated Marinette’s hair being down just as much as the next person but I’m kinda curious as to why? It was in pigtails just moments before so why is it suddenly down- what prompted her to take it down and just keep it down? I feel like it represents the change in the timelines. Especially since we don’t see her with pigtails again in that universe.

“I finally understand that you’re not just a friend. I always felt that there was something more...” so in other words- he loves both sides of Ladybug completely. He would love Marinette without Ladybug. He has always had this underlying affection for Marinette that is completely unlike the feelings he has for his other friends but he’s suppressing it in order to not feel unfaithful or something in regards to his feelings for Ladybug. He wants to be genuine, and now that he knows that his feelings aren’t going to cause him any kind of discourse (when it comes to Marinette VS Ladybug) he can openly express and acknowledge his feelings for Marinette and Ladybug alike.

Please appriciate that Marinette has to stand on her tiptoes because her boyfriend is a tol smol. 

And THAT is why Chat Blanc wants her miraculous. He isn’t thinking straight- he’s not able to think “if I give up the akuma Ladybug can use her Lucky Charm to fix everything” because he’s still swallowed up with the akuma, the command from his father to get her miraculous. And at this point he’s to tired to resist fighting her. 

Yikes, someone’s getting jealous. Also, appriciate the fact that Marinette, in that scene, literally leaps into his arms. How long have they been dating at this point? This is likely only a few days after, once enough time has gone by for word to spread. 

Luka says “Adrinette rights”. 

I feel like some more time has been passing between these scenes. Not a ton, but a significant amount. After all, Adrien would hardly have enough to go on an icecream date and dance with his girlfriend at a friend’s place in the same week, wouldn’t he?

“It was so amazing, until Hawkmoth found out everything”- really. They seem euphoric. And Adrien finally has something that is making him genuinely happy and helping him get through everything he’s already had to go through. Then we get hit with this...

Side note- Nathalie is tol, Sabine is smol. Back on track- what the actual- are you actually serious? Gabriel is....he’s actually doing that? Perhaps it wouldn’t be QUITE so bad if it was him simply being an over protective dad, if Marinette weren’t a well-behaved aspiring fashion designer that could benefit both him and her in the future, you know, something bad was actually going on but no...Gabriel is just making her end the relationship....for an akuma. He is bullying and forcing a 14 year old girl totally head-over-heels and love-struck with his son m, someone who is actually giving Adrien a happy place....does he not already know what it’s like to be forcibly separated from the person you hold dear? He lost his wife so now Adrien has to lose his girlfriend because “it’ll save your mother” or some ish- no! There are other ways to get powerful akumas!!! You don’t have to be so selfish as to put your own son through something similar to your own heartbreak (I mean Marinette is up and healthy and everything but it’s still forcibly removing them from each other’s grasp and selfishly taking away his son’s love interest to revive his own). You want to manufacture an akuma? Fine. Get Lila. Or target literally anyone else besides your son’s girlfriend and her family. Your son has found a way to be happy and move on without his mother being by his side every day. Either you learn how to do that too or you don’t uproot the happiness he has found to “replace” it . Because you CAN’T replace what he’s found You can add to it, if his mother really can come back without harming him or someone else he loves. But not at the expense of what he’s made for himself. That is cruel, and I genuinely thought better of you. I’m deeply disappointed. Again, if this was because Adrien’s judgement was actually questionable and Marinette had a bad record, I could understand it more. But it isn’t because hes looking out for him, it’s purely for an akuma, no regard for Adrien. And I dunno exactly how willing Nathalie was in this situation but that’s a whole other post I made a day or so ago. We can’t judge her based on the few clips we’ve seen of the future, but we can judge Gabriel because there is no good excuse for it. 

She sounds so heartbroken when he tells her to break up with him too. Because she really hasn’t done anything wrong. If this is the case, then she never actually had a real chance with Adrien because his father wouldn’t have allowed it regardless of how much they liked each other. And once again he used the threat of taking him out of school, something incredibly important to Adrien, to manipulate someone who genuinely cares about him to be selfless enough to comply with him. He’s counting on other people caring about Adrien more than him to get his way. This is not only emotionally abusing Adrien, but Marinette as well. And there’s nothing anyone can do about it outside of Gabriel himself.

And this heartbreak is so different from that act when Chat rejected her. That probably adds fuel to the fire with her parent’s. They can tell from her reaction that Chat was probably just a phase she was having but with Adrien, she genuinely loves and cares for him. She just wants to be with him and make him happy. You can tell that she already knows what she’s going to do simply because of how heartbroken and hopeless her cry sounds. There is NO justifiable reason for this. 

And this is part of the reason why I want to know how long they’ve been together at this point. I can see current Gabriel doing this, but if he hadn’t done what he does later on (which feels very out of character as I’ve addressed in a previous post I believe) then something else would have happened to tell him that maybe perhaps he did go to far and needs to apologize. If only he hadn’t taken it to the extent further down, this could have all been resolved. (Also, you can’t tell me that the news reporting that Gabriel made Adrien and Marinette break up after having reported about how star-struck they were wouldn’t put more damage on the company than Marinette leaping into Adrien’s arms in public...)

Nathalie and the Gorilla aren’t much help in this scenario either. I mean, think about it. 

They both very obviously care about Adrien, and they have both done things for Adrien to make his life easier, help him be happy. They both seem to see him as a son to themselves as well. But they both get to see how Adrien is treated day in and day out. There are cameras all over that house, I can only assume- so there would be plenty of evidence of the neglect going down. 

So...why, pray tell, have neither of them done anything? Oh Nathalie we know why, but what’s stopping the Gorilla? Don’t tell me he actually thinks that Adrien is better off in this environment? He sees what happens every day- if he’s mute, does he not know sign language? Or how to write? If he actually can’t talk then he could still write out a letter to the authorities. Is it because he doesn’t want Adrien to go into some kind of foster care system, be taken away from him, or have to go live with Felix? Tell me there’s something more going on preventing the Gorilla/Nathalie from actually taking action and doing something besides their jobs and not wanting to separate Adrien and Gabriel.

She doesn’t even question her feelings for him even after finding out he’s Chat. And she probably knows that he knows that what she just said about not loving him was bogus, but I don’t think he ever figured out why she did it.

And look at this. 

Here, Nathalie looks sad, heartbroken and almost shocked, while Gabriel is harshly calling for her from the phone. 

And here her expression changes, only slightly. The first one, she saw Chat Noir and Adrien as one and was shocked that he that they were one in the same, and sad likely about the fact that he was fighting against his father. This one, is the moment of realization. Her eyes got wider, that look of dread really set in. This is where she realizes that not only is he fighting against his own father, but realizing what he’s fighting against, how many times he almost got killed because of it all (outside of the times Adrien has been the direct target of an akuma) and how she herself has fought against him in hand-to-hand combat and tried to hurt him. That is a look of pure regret. It’s all in her eyes. 

And even here, her eyes shift ever so slightly, and she looks like she’s not even looking at anything anymore and trying to process that she has been actively hurting Adrien in her attempt to bring his family back together. Physically. 

Then when she really tells Gabriel, she doesn’t seem quite hesitant per se, but she sounds like she has to actually say it to believe it and thinks that if Gabriel knows, something might change. I doubt she actually thinks he’ll totally stop trying to get the miraculous (because we don’t know how much time has passed here and it seems he gets more and more desperate and with each passing day and less likely to quit as time goes on) but I do definitely think that her intentions with telling Gabriel this, like all others, were good. She wasn’t trying to hurt Adrien further. She was doing what she thought was best because I think that she thought that if Gabriel knew he was fighting his own son he’d question himself again, stop fighting him and actively physically hurting him, just do something other than what he actually does. She sees good in Gabriel otherwise she wouldn’t be in love with him. Heck I’m not in love with him and I saw good in him. Never in my wildest dreams did I actually suspect he would have reacted the way he did- especially with how he acted in Gorizilla! Sure in that episode he was still pretty awful, I mean who tosses their son off a building, but at least he actually seemed to care, he seemed like he’d be emotionally torn if Adrien had actually transformed- which is why I think that Gabriel isn’t necessarily entirely there anymore. I mean...look at this. Really look at it.

There is a shock factor there, for a moment it actually seems as if Gabriel might be about to reconsider...

What the frick happened

I don’t recall seeing him smile quite like that previously. His reaction is “Chat is my son? Well then I’ll take his miraculous!” and it’s nothing like what we see in Gorizilla. Something here has changed- something changed in Gabriel, the household. It just doesn’t seem right. Where is the Gabriel from before? Where are the nose holes for his mask? Why does he not have any nose holes, does he mouth-breath? Man Hawkmoth really is evil if he mouth breaths. I’m getting off topic- but this is why I want to know how long Marinette and Adrien were together before this. Something had to have happened to make him unstable didn’t it? I just can’t see how that is Gabriel. I can’t see how that would be his true reaction. Perhaps my perception of him is just severely muddled. Maybe I had more faith in him than I should have. 

...wow. He really did accidentally kill them. Two people he loves, obliterated because one doesn’t know when to stop.

Now here is an interesting scene. They fell directly from above, which tells me that Hawkmoth’s lair is directly above Emilie’s coffin room. Which must then mean that his office is above both on them? How very interesting. Now- how did they know where to find Hawkmoth. Watch that entire scene, you are given no hints....

Unless we are. 

Mayura/Nathalie isn’t there. It’s very out of character for her to not help Gabriel, isn’t it? How much later is this from when Hawkmoth found Chat’s identity? I’ll say a week? A few days? I can’t see how Nathalie would be able to actively fight against Ladybug and Chat Noir knowing who Chat was. Her and Gabriel definitely spoke about it if it is a day or so after. After being told he was going to continue, I don’t think she reacted very happily. She isn’t fighting against Adrien. 

That being said they’re also in the Agreste house. They already ruled Gabriel out of being Hawkmoth long ago, so why would they suspect him again? What could have given it away? Sure. she’s calling him Hawkmoth, but why would she respectfully call him “Mr. Agreste” or awkwardly call him “Gabriel”? Hawkmoth is much easier considering that’s who he is. If he wasn’t willing to stop or at least tone it all down for Adrien’s sake, then he was obviously doing all this for his own selfish purposes and was never out to help his family. No good could come of it, so I think it’s just barely possible that perhaps Nathalie decided it wasn’t worth it and found some way to contact Ladybug or tell Chat Noir/Adrien where Hawkmoth could be found. If it isn’t a few days after, then Nathalie hearing how Gabriel reacted, maybe she ran out through the front doors to tell them. All I know here is that there is a time skip of undetermined length and Mayura isn’t present in this episode at all. 

This look of utter delight....if Nathalie did tell them where Hawkmoth was, she obviously said nothing about him knowing Chat’s identity or why Gabriel was doing it. Perhaps she knew that would make it harder to stop him for Adrien, if he knew what was going on? She can’t predict the future- But it comes as such a shock. I do believe they know that Gabriel is Hawkmoth and who they’re fighting against in this scene simply because how could you be inside the house of a world-famous fashion designer and not recognize that while you’re going in? How would they have found him otherwise? There has been no evidence to my knowledge that would have backed up them going after him and suspecting him again to the point they actually go inside his house. Why were we not told how they found out? Was the puzzle just to long or are we supposed to continue seeing a certain character in a grey light? We were NEVER told how they found out who he is or where his lair is! He’s able to use his knowledge of who Chat is though, to shock him long enough to press the “reveal my wife” button. When he says “Dear Adrien”, Chat doesn’t ask “Father?!” he asks “How did you know?!”. then he sees his mom  

He doesn’t ask if Hawkmoth is Gabriel. He makes no move to seem to try to figure out “Why does Hawkmoth have my mom in his basement”. Sure, it’d be pretty obvious to anyone but he doesn’t even hardly have time to think “If my mom is here then this must be my father”. No, he just never suspected that his mother would be so close. 

“I’m doing this all for her Adrien”

And Adrien then proceeds not to ask anything about his dad. He knows that’s him. He just asks “Why” over and over. He’s in so much emotional turmoil from this alone that he almost seems to cataclysm his dad, but I don’t think he even actually had that intention. 

what

WHAT

WHAT THE HECK?!

HOW IS THAT ALLOWED IN A TV-Y7 SHOW?! 

deep breaths, deep breaths, calm yourself, Self.

Then the next scene, Chat is fearfully crawling away from his own father. In actual fear. Gabriel is actually completely okay with what he’s doing, justifying it by saying “this is for us” but it isn’t. Not once he’s gone that far. If you have to beat your child into submission, it’s not for their own good. I hope it never actually goes that far, but let’s continue.  

What he’s saying is basically telling Adrien that he’s been fighting against bringing his own mother back, he doesn’t want to hear that him and his lady are capable, have BEEN capable, of bringing his mother back to him. This goes to prove that IF Emilie is bad, Adrien wouldn’t be able to handle it. It would put a similar psychological torture on him as this did and idk about you but I don’t think Gabenath is worth Adrien’s mental health (I still very much ship Gabenath don’t get me wrong but if Adrien is going to suffer like that to make it happen then I’m not so sure it’s worth it.). The amount of emotional manipulation in these couple of minutes is too disgusting to put into words. 

“If she loved you as much as she says she’d save your mother”- does that mean he’s now also aware that Marinette is Ladybug? Seriously, what happened during this time skip?? Did Ladybug and Chat Noir start openly dating so they could still be together as heroes even if they weren’t together as civilians?

It gets to the point where the boy can’t stand it. He needs to be left alone. He needs to process everything- how is he supposed to know what’s right and wrong when he has two people he loves dearly telling him to do two very different things? Does he save his mother and join his father? Does he listen to ladybug, spare someone else the price of Emilie and follow her into their future?

The delight on Gabriel’s face as he sends his akuma into Chat is just....it’s unthinkable. How can he be enjoying this when it seemed to hurt him so much to toss him from a roof? I don’t understand. It doesn’t make sense! The only way I can make any sense of it would be if Gabriel had just completely lost his mind! He feels so OOC! Something had to have happened to make him go this far. He has to be severely emotionally unwell and distanced from Adrien if he’s actually okay with this- and if he doesn’t have the critical thinking skills to think “Hey, maybe someone who’s this traumatized shouldn’t have the power of unlimited destruction. Maybe just be able to use his power multiple times.” then idk he’s a complete fool. At least this version is anyway. I can’t believe him. 

This is not okay.

How can he stand there and watch his own son, in pain, struggling because he doesn’t understand what he needs to do anymore and just grin??

“Obey me!”

I’ve had my parents tell me to listen to them, to do as they say, quote the 5th commandment at me and things like that, but obey? In such a harsh tone? To obey could almost be interpreted as having to listen because they are your master. Slaves obey. 

How they do the facial expressions so well...is just artful, I must admit. Even if they do tear my heart out piece by piece. 

And perhaps Chat Blanc taking the blow for himself did something to damage his psyche even more than it already was. Perhaps that helped to paint the unstable Chat Blanc we’re introduced to. 

“It wasn’t my fault”

That’s right baby, it wasn’t. You’re a victim of cruel circumstance. You’re completely innocent and I hope you genuinely believe that. 

But seriously, Hawkmoth’s lack of understanding of what emotional turmoil can do and giving a distressed child the power of total destruction...yeah. Imagine being single-handedly the reason the entire freaking universe got wiped out. 

---

What makes everything even worse is that now Marinette thinks she can’t trust Adrien with her secret. She thinks he blabbed and Chat found out her identity (still not piecing together that Chat is Adrien). That must be a rather hard potential truth to take. When in reality, he never said anything and she could trust him completely. And her erasing the signature 

means the Chat Blanc Timeline never happened. Which puts everything back at square one. All that abuse...it never actually happened. It was a potential outcome of the future and it never actually occurred because it was fixed. We got to see a potential result of the identity reveal, we got to see the way Future Hawkmoth would have reacted- but what about current Gabriel? It feels like all that happened a decent way into the future, at least long enough for something to happen for Gabriel to go further down his rabbit hole. How different are the potential versions of Gabriel and the current Gabriel? I still want to hold out hope that he can change for the better. Adrien has been through enough as it is, he doesn’t need his father to hit him, emotionally manipulate and traumatize him. 

This episode i feel like simultaneously showed a worst case scenario, why a reveal would be dangerous, why Adrinette probably wouldn’t happen even if Adrien liked Marinette like that, and how far things could go downhill if the reveal happened in the wrong place, at the wrong time. In this case it just absolutely obliterated the chances of Adrien having a loving family again, unless part of Gabriel’s wish erased what he had just done to Adrien. With the erasure of the Chat Blanc future, there is potential for Gabriel, I think, since Chat Blanc never happened. Since he never actually did it, I don’t know how to feel. On one hand he never did it and therefore could have potential to turn around, but on the other, that timeline showed what he could be capable of in the right situation. 

I’m walking a thin line on a lonely road when it comes to Gabriel Agreste. I’m skipping rope with the line. And one last thing...

Alix is going to do something to prove herself in the future. You can tell by this scene. I wonder what it is?

#miraculous #miraculous ladybug #chat blanc #chat blanc spoilers #ml spoilers #mlb spoilers #analyzing #analysis #chat blanc analysis #theory #mlb theories #gabriel #gabriel agreste #nathalie #nathalie sancoeur #ladybug #chat noir #adrien #adrien agreste #bunnyx #bunnix #mlb #ml #hawkmoth #emilie #emilie agreste #this took me like 2 hours #marinette #marinette dupain cheng

[eyesupmarksman]

Aziraphale/Crowley - Like Real People Do

Maybe, somewhere in Heaven, there exist two separate lists. That’s what Aziraphale likes to imagine. Two lists, both very aptly named; Things That Angels Do Not Need To Do, and Things That Angels Should Definitely Not Do.

Or, Aziraphale Wakes Up Having A Crisis About Sleeping With Crowley

[Gif Not Mine] Originally posted on my AO3

Maybe, somewhere in Heaven, there exist two separate lists. That’s what Aziraphale likes to imagine. Two lists, both very aptly named; Things That Angels Do Not Need To Do, and Things That Angels Should Definitely Not Do.

For example, angels don’t have to eat. Or drink. Or sleep. In his time on Earth, he’s watched Father’s pets seem bound to do these sorts of things. If they didn’t eat enough, they would grow thin and frail. Then they would die. If they don’t drink enough, they wither. And die. He hasn’t encountered a death by the lack of sleep, but he’s sure that it must follow the same path as the others.

A design flaw if ever he saw one.

And, although Aziraphale doesn’t need food or drink or sleep to continue living, it’s something he does partake in. Assimilating into human life he once told Gabriel during one of his routine check-ups. If I am to remain on Earth, shouldn’t I behave just like they do? To blend in?

He eats in nice restaurants and drinks nice water and wine. Every so often, he’ll sleep in nice beds.

As for Things That Angels Should Definitely Not Do, well, he can imagine a great deal of things.

One in particular sticks out in his mind.

No romantic or sexual liaisons with a demon.

So that’s why Aziraphale, the morning after the Almost-Apocalypse and his first romp with Crowley, he finds himself wide awake, staring up at the ceiling, wondering why someone from either of their departments hasn’t burst through the door to smite them both.

His fiddles with the fabric of the bedsheets. He did something that he Should Not Have Done. And, if he was going to be completely honest with himself – because angels should Always do that – he liked it.

No shred of remorse floats around inside of his body. He should know; he spent the entire night looking for it.

As for his bedmate, Aziraphale is pretty sure that demons don’t need to eat, drink, or sleep either. But Crowley is peacefully snoozing beside him; one arm pillowed under his head, while the other is lightly slung over the angel’s waist. He is, for lack of a better term, sprawled across his own bed. You can stay at my place, if you like. The words still drift around in the angel’s head. Warmth floods over him.

Aziraphale wonders vaguely if Crowley’s kind has a list like the angels must have. But he can only imagine that having a romantic or sexual liaison with an angel couldn’t be seen as an entirely bad thing. That kind of temptation would be gladly celebrated. That’s how upstairs loses many of its fledgelings.

“I can practically hear you thinking,” a voice mumbles.

Aziraphale lets his head roll to one side. Crowley stares back at the angel with serpent eyes. It’s like sleep has never touched him at all. There’s no trace of it either in his face or eyes.

The angel quirks his lip. “Yes, well. I apologise for that.” He says, glancing down to his hands clasped over his chest. Their clothes are in different regions of the room. His own suit jacket, shirt, and trousers are somewhat-neatly laid over the back of a nearby chair. Crowley’s jacket and pants are strung near the door. His shirt is still hanging on to the edge of the bed, escaping being kicked off at some point during the night.

One of Aziraphale’s hands is snatched by his bedmate. Their fingers curl and coil together. “Something’s churning around in there,” Crowley mumbles, shuffling over slightly towards the angel’s side. “Not something entirely pleasant either. And we can’t have that, can we?”

Something happens. Aziraphale’s heart – or where a human would have a heart, anyway – seemingly swells. Warmth floods through his bones and veins.

“It’s nothing,” Aziraphale tries to wave off, turning on to his side to face Crowley directly. “I’m sorry to have woken you up.”

The demon’s lip lifts into a ghost of a smile. “You’ll tell me eventually,” he declares, tugging Aziraphale’s hand, and arm, closer towards him. Aziraphale’s body is helpless but to follow. As soon as the angel’s bared chest touches that of his bedmate, Crowley looses a terrible but disarming smirk. “Not now, maybe, but later. I’ll get it out of you eventually.”

Aziraphale blinks as a chaste kiss is pressed to his temple. “Are you alright, angel?”

A hum is what Crowley gets as a reply. “Yes, I’m wonderful.”

“Glad to hear it.”

A quiet moment passes between them. Aziraphale takes it as a moment to mould his body to Crowley’s, lying against the demon’s side. Crowley plays with Aziraphale’s fingers on one side, while his other hand goes to the angel’s back. Long fingers trace along the knobs of Aziraphale’s spine. It’s all so...calm. Even though he faces the other side of the room now, where a blank grey wall is all that he can look at, he wants to glance over his shoulder towards the window. He wants to check; how could both of their departments just leave them be? Surely they’re devising something. They’ve lain together for Heave—

“And there you go again.”

Aziraphale peers up. He’s greeted by a lopsided grin and glinting eyes. Crowley brings one hand up to card his fingers through the angel’s curls. “Where did you go, just then? What’s so important to think about that you don’t stay here with me?”

“You know me,” Aziraphale tries to smile. Whether or not it will stick to his face, he’s not sure. “A worrywart through and through.”

Crowley cocks his head. “Which begs the question; what has you so worried?”

At that, something tries to lodge itself within the angel’s throat. A lump, choking off and drowning words that tries to float to the surface.

Crowley lifts his chin. “You don’t regret it, do you?” His voice is different. Not laced with the usual assurance it usually has. Something all too akin to doubt is starting to bubble up.

Aziraphale reaches out, cupping the demon’s cheek. His thumb runs along Crowley’s cheekbone. “No, no! I very much enjoyed it!” he rushes out. “I just...I’m fearful as to...What will happen,  after.”

Crowley cocks his head. “After? What are you talking about?”

Aziraphale opens his mouth, but all that comes out is a choked-out sort of noise in the place of words. He isn’t like his siblings. Swords and other weapons haven’t really been his thing. Ever since giving away that flaming sword, Aziraphale has relied on his words. He’ll always have words, at the end of the day.

But right now, none are coming to him.

“They made it pretty clear, angel,” Crowley suddenly mumbles. His long fingers are still in the angel’s hair, combing it through and occasionally twirling around curls. “No one from up or downstairs will be bothering us any time soon.”

Crowley is warm. There’s a certain type of heat radiating off of his skin as Aziraphale lies against him. Even with only a light silk sheet slung low over their hips, the bed feels just a tad too warm. But, as Aziraphale considers it, it’s not that unpleasant.

Trailing his fingers down the demon’s chest, Aziraphale thinks. “When you said, at the park, that neither of us has a side anymore...”

Crowley hums. A gentle encouragement to continue on with whatever trail of thought the angel is heading down.

Aziraphale chews his lip. “Well, what did you mean by that, exactly?”

“That you and I are evermore Earth-bound, I imagine. Not in a felled way, but that Gabriel and Beelzebub won’t be bothering us any time soon.”

The angel lifts his head from the demon’s chest. “Yes, but...we are still what we are, aren’t we?” Crowley blinks. “You are still a demon, and I an angel. We just...don't have anyone to report back to anymore.”

Fingers trail lightly up and down Aziraphale’s back. That would be the essence of it, yeah,” Crowley hums. He reaches out and catches the angel’s chin between his fingers. “Tell me, angel; what has brought all of this on? Did us finally falling into the same bed together give you a crisis?”

A blush starts along the angel’s cheeks.

Crowley tilts his head. His eyes narrow slightly. “If you’re worried about Gabriel, or Michael, or whoever else bursting through that window and smiting you for lying with me, know that I wouldn’t let any of those feathered bastards lay a hand on you.”

The angel blinks. “And I would do the same for you, if any of your lot rose up through the floorboards.”

The city outside awakens. Almost all at once, chatter from people moving about outside floats up through the window. Cars and buses zoom past, occasionally honking at each other. There’s a certain type of relief that suddenly floods over Aziraphale. The world was meant to end yesterday; and nothing happened. Time still ticked by and life continued. Aziraphale’s ears twitch at the noise floating up from those below. A reminder that the world is still there.

“It’s...peculiar, isn’t it?” Aziraphale says, laying his head back down. He fits his head just beneath Crowley’s chin. Every breath that the demon takes puffs across the top of Aziraphale’s head. Crowley hums. Another prompt for the angel to keep talking. Looking to some other part of Crowley’s room, one of the other undecorated grey – almost chrome – walls, Aziraphale continues. “If one were to think about it, is there anything such as good or bad?”

Crowley turns his head just enough for his lips to brush along the angel’s cheek. He breathes a gentle sigh. “Are you always this philosophical with your pillow talk?”

The angel presses on. “I mean, what is good and what is bad? I know that your lot are inherently ad. They do bad things. I don’t know if I can say the same about Gabriel and our siblings.” The angel peers up at the other. “I know that we’re known to be good, but for someone like Gabriel to actively want a war? I don’t know if that’s good at all.”

“And then there’s us,” he continues. Crowley tilts his head back. His eyelids have already fluttered shut. At some point, he wonders, Aziraphale will just fall back asleep. Or Crowley will, and he won’t have to listen to these ramblings anymore. “You may be the nicest demon that I know-”

“-What did I say about calling me nice?-”

“You are,” the angel prods, tightening his hold on his partner. “You are nice, and good, beneath all of that bad.” Even with Crowley’s eyes shut, he can practically hear the angel smiling. It’s infuriating.

He huffs. “And you, angel?” he opens one eyelid, peering down at his partner. “Is there any bad in you?”

The angel almost seems to balk at the idea.

“There is,” Crowley hums, closing his eyes again, and lying further back against the mound of pillows pushed up to the headboard of the bed. “You do things that you don’t need to do. You eat because you enjoy it. You drink because that’s fun too. Angels are a stuffy sort; not having an ounce of fun or enjoyment in the millennia that they’re alive. And then there’s you,” Crowley chuckles, “doing things just for the sake of it. One could see that as being bad.”

Aziraphale doesn’t say anything else. If anything, Crowley has to open his eyes again to check that the angel hasn’t fallen back asleep because of how long the silence stretches on for.

“Is that what you’re thinking about, hmm?” he says, shuffling slightly to draw the angel even closer to him. If they were any closer, they would be sharing the one body. “Not being as good as you once thought?”

Something that vaguely resembles a frown creases Aziraphale’s brow. Or, as much as a frown as he is able to manage. “Yes, I rather think you’re right.”

Crowley turns his head just enough to press a light kiss on Aziraphale’s nose. “Here’s my question to you, angel: is being purely good a good thing? Or being purely bad a bad thing? You said it yourself, when we were with Adam. Maybe being human – a mixture of good and bad – is exactly what we need to be.”

At the mention of the boy’s name, Aziraphale vaguely wonders how he’s feeling today. He didn’t know exactly what to make of the Antichrist; but was pleasantly surprised to find out that he’s just an ordinary child, who is probably under a firm grounding by his father.

His thoughts are interrupted by a deep and long sigh. Crowley’s fingers continue to trail lightly up and down the angel’s spine. “We’re not doing anything today,” he decides firmly, tightening his hold on his partner.

Aziraphale’s arm coils over Crowley’s waist. Holding himself firmly against the demon’s side, he buries his face into Crowley’s neck. The demon carries a scent; nothing like any of the other demons that stench of pure sulphur. But this is of warmth, like a burning hearth, mixed with spices. It’s a scent he’s carried for years; something that he left behind during all of their previous meetings through history. Aziraphale breathes in a lungful of it. Warmth washes over him, loosing muscles and making his body practically melt into the mattress.

“Go back to sleep, angel,” Crowley hums. He sounds just on the cusp of sleep himself, teetering over the edge and about to tumble over. “We can discuss all of this later on.”

#good omens #good omens spoilers #terry pratchett #neil gaiman #crowley #aziraphale #michael sheen #david tennant #ineffable husbands #yourqueenforayear

[seasonofthegeek]

Ko-Fi Contributor Appreciation Piece #2: When We Meet Again

This is the second piece to say thank you to my Ko-Fi contributors. “When We Meet Again” is dedicated to @lahiffed. <3 If you would like a one-shot and piece of art, donate here and then send me an ask with your request (be sure to mention Ko-Fi in it so I know it isn’t a random drabble request. :)

Read it on AO3 here.

“This isn’t goodbye,” Ladybug sniffed, running her hand through Jaguar’s black hair. “This is just until we see each other again, my love.”

His brown skin had cooled in the time she sat on the hard ground, cradling his head in her lap. They had taken down Zanrinian, but she couldn’t say it was worth the cost. Jaguar had protected her, taken the blast meant for her, just as he always did. He was alive one moment, smiling and winking, and then he was…

Green light washed up his body and Ladybug studied the face she had never fully known.

“His name was Malcolm,” the cat kwami said, dropping into her lap.

“Malcolm,” she echoed.

“A good man,” Plagg sighed. “He loved you.”

“I know. I love him too.” Ladybug leaned down and pressed her lips to his forehead. 

“You need to go now, Bug. There are things I have to do.”

She nodded, gently shifting Malcolm’s head to rest on the ground. They’d done this before too many times; she’d had to endure this too many times. She stood up on shaky legs and began to walk away.

“He’ll find you again,” Plagg promised.

 Ladybug turned, eyes sad. “Malcolm won’t.”

“No, not Malcolm,” he replied.

“I don’t know how many more times I can do this, Plagg. I can’t keep watching them die.” Her voice broke as she looked back down at Malcolm’s broken form. “I love him. He was supposed to be mine. How…this shouldn’t have happened.” Tears spilled over her mask and down her face.

“Tikki always claimed you two are the lucky ones, but I’m not so sure which side has it worse.”

“That makes both of us.” She wiped at her eyes and straightened, refusing to look down at Malcolm again. “See you in the next life, Kitty.”

“Stay safe, Bug.”

__________________________________________

Marinette woke up the morning of her fifteenth birthday with the knowledge of every life she had lived before. She suddenly simply remembered every battle, every former name and face, every scar and pain that had no place on her current body. The small box containing the Ladybug earrings sat on her nightstand, appearing like magic just as they always had.

Marinette Dupain-Cheng took on the mantle of Ladybug for the first time and also for the seventh time. It hurt her head to think about it too much.

She went through the usual motions of bringing Ladybug into the public light, and it wasn’t long before she met him.

Her newest partner called himself Chat Noir. He was cheeky and sweet and just as self-sacrificing as the others had been. Plagg certainly had a type.

“How are you on this fine evening, my Lady?” he asked, dipping into an exaggerated bow. He swept up her hand in his and pressed his lips to her knuckles and then another to her pinky finger.

“I’m well, Chat, and yourself?” she asked primly, pulling her hand away with a frown.

Unfazed, he straightened with a grin. “Much better now that you’re here.”

“Shall we then?”

“We shall,” he chuckled, extending his baton and taking off on their normal patrol route.

Ladybug watched him for a few moments, chewing on her bottom lip, before swinging out after him.

__________________________________________

“It’s a silly rule, Marinette,” Tikki said, nibbling on a cookie. “I see no reason why you keep doing this to yourself.”

“I don’t want another Black Cat’s blood on my hands, Tikki. I would think you could understand that.”

“Chat’s not going to die just because you show him a little attention.”

“That’s how it always starts.”

Tikki sighed and floated down to Marinette’s lap. “I’m sorry this burden has been placed on you again and again. If I could take it away, I would.”

“I know,” she whispered. She looked up at the stars. It was funny. No matter how many lives she lived, the stars never changed. They, and Tikki, were her constant. The kwami suddenly zipped under the lounger.

“Good evening, Princess,” Chat Noir smiled, dropping down from her balcony railing.

Marinette sat up. “Chat Noir? Is there an akuma?” She looked around in alarm.

He held up both hands. “No akuma. I just wanted to drop in and say hello.”

“Oh, um, hello,” she said, giving him a little wave. “Do you usually drop in on random citizens?”

“Only the cutest ones,” he winked. She raised an eyebrow and he cleared his throat. “Okay, confession: this is the first time I’ve ever socially visited anyone in costume.”

Marinette couldn’t hold back a small smile. “And why did I receive such an honor?”

“I enjoyed working with you a few months ago with that artist akuma guy and well, I thought it would be nice to see you again.”

“I see.”

He shifted uneasily. “If you don’t want me here, I could go.”

“You can stay.”

He beamed at her. “Thanks.”

“So, what do you like to do when you aren’t saving Paris as Chat Noir?”

Chat Noir frowned. “I don’t really get to do a whole lot actually. My father is a bit overprotective. I’m homeschooled so…maybe we shouldn’t talk about that. Secret identity and all.”

“Right,” Marinette nodded, “Sorry.”

“It’s all a little new to me too,” he admitted. “Ladybug’s much better at this hero stuff than I am. I guess it comes a little more naturally to her.”

“I’m sure you’re doing just fine.”

“Maybe.”

“Are you hungry? I have some—“

“Yes.”

Marinette laughed and Chat Noir flushed a bit. “Stay right here. I’ll bring us up some snacks.”

__________________________________________

“He’s so cute,” Marinette sighed as Nino walked across the courtyard, grinning at something Kim was doing.

“He looks a lot like Malcolm,” Tikki commented, poking her head out of the purse. “I can see why you like him.”

“He’s cool too…and sweet.” She looked down at her kwami. “Do you think it’s possible he’s…”

Tikki shook her head sadly. “Plagg doesn’t usually change appearance that much, Marinette. Nino isn’t Chat Noir.”

“I guess I knew that.”

“That’s no reason you can’t be with him though.”

Marinette watched Alya sneak up behind Nino and put her hands over his eyes. He smiled widely, covering her hands with his own, his mouth forming her name. Alya laughed and circled him, kissing his cheek. “That’s not the only reason it wouldn’t work,” she finally said. “Come on, I’m going to be late for class.”

__________________________________________

“Sorry!” Marinette apologized, stooping down to pick up the scattered fabric samples she dropped in surprise.

“No, I’m sorry,” the stranger exclaimed, joining her. “I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going.” He gathered the few around him and stacked them together. “These are some really nice patterns.”

“Thanks, I’m working on…” Marinette looked up and her throat went dry.

The stranger looked back at her with an expectant expression. “You’re working on?” he prodded.

“You’re Adrien Agreste.”

A stiff smile locked into place on his face as they both stood. “I am. And you are?”

“Marinette,” she blinked. “Uh, Marinette Dupain-Cheng.”

“Dupain-Cheng,” he repeated. “I like the way that sounds.”

“I honestly don’t know how to respond to that,” she replied with a blush. “Um, thanks?”

“You’re welcome,” he grinned and something about it felt more real than the previous smile. “So are you going to tell me what you’re working on?”

“It’s just a little design project,” she muttered. “I doubt…it’s nothing you’ll be seeing at Gabriel any time soon, I can assure you.”

He leaned in. “You probably don’t know this, but I happen to be an expert in design projects.”

She giggled. “And here I thought you were just a pretty face.”

His eyes widened for a moment and Marinette feared her teasing had gone terribly wrong. Suddenly Adrien let out a loud laugh. “I think I like you, Marinette Dupain-Cheng.”

“Always good to be liked,” she murmured, embarrassment coloring her face.

A loud clearing of a throat made Adrien drop his head and then looked to the side. A large gorilla of a man stood in front of a town car with his arms crossed.

“Looks like I’ve been found,” Adrien sighed, turning towards the car. “It was nice to meet you, Marinette. Maybe I’ll get to see that project when you finish it.”

“Sure,” she said softly, watching him walk away.

__________________________________________

“Have you ever told anyone your identity?” Chat Noir asked, swinging his legs, heels knocking against the brick of the ledge they sat on.

“Once.”

“So someone knows?”

Ladybug shook her head. “Not anymore.”

“What’s that mean?”

“They died.”

“They died?! Who died? When? We’ve only been doing this gig for a year or so. Bugaboo, you should’ve said something!”

Ladybug sighed. “Calm down, will you? It’s a long story. No one has died in this life.”

“Want to run that by me one more time?”

“You’re just full of questions tonight, Chaton.”

He looked at her with an expectant expression on his face. Ladybug felt the strangest sense of déjà vu. “I wasn’t sure if I was ever going to tell you, but I suppose I may as well now.”

“I’m listening.”

“I’ve been Ladybug for roughly around one hundred and thirty years.”

Chat Noir snorted. “Wait, are you serious?”

She nodded. “Not this me, I suppose. I guess you could say I’m reincarnated, maybe? Every life I get the Ladybug Miraculous on my fifteenth birthday and then I can just remember all my previous lives.”

“Over the past one hundred and thirty years?”

“Give or take.”

“Oh,” he breathed. “You aren’t lying to me, are you?”

“It would be a pretty elaborate lie, and I can’t imagine the reasoning I would have.”

“Maybe you just want to tease me.”

She tapped his bell. “I can do that without lying, Kitty.”

He frowned then. “Is that the way it’s supposed to happen? I don’t remember anything from another life.”

“As far as I can tell, it only happens with me. I’ve worked with other Miraculous holders in the past but none of them seem to come back.”

“So you knew other Black Cats?”

Ladybug nodded. “I’ve always had a Black Cat for a partner.”

“Oh. What happens to them?”

“Different things.”

“Bad things?” Chat Noir asked. She looked at him sadly and he nodded. “Thought so. Is that why you’re so distant sometimes?”

“I didn’t think you noticed.”

“I notice everything about you.”

“You shouldn’t say things like that,” she replied in a quiet voice.

“I can’t help it.” Chat Noir swallowed thickly. “I know who you are.”

Ladybug’s head shot up. “What?”

“I, uh, I know?” He held up a clawed hand. “See?”

“See what?”

Chat Noir looked down at his hand. “The red line tied around my pinky finger. You can’t see it?”

Ladybug stood up. “Is this some kind of joke?”

“No!” he promised, standing with her. “I don’t know why you can’t see it, but I promise it’s there. It’s our line, our connection.”

Ladybug took a few steps away from Chat Noir, horrified by the abrupt parallel of past and present that rocked through her.

“It’s our line, our connection,” Jaguar said, voice soft as he cradled her gloved hand in his. “It’s how I found you, Sophie.”

Ladybug smiled softly at him. “You’ll always find me, won’t you, my sweet cat?”

“Always.”

“You’re not him,” she whispered, coming back to the present.

Chat Noir frowned. “Not who?”

“Malcolm. You’re not Malcolm.”

“I don’t know who that is.” He reached out a hand. “Please don’t go, Marinette. Please.”

“I can’t…” she shook her head, covering her mouth with her hand. Tears glistened in her eyes. “Don’t follow me,” she warned before she lashed out her yo-yo and swung away.

__________________________________________

“She hates me,” Adrien sighed. “She hates me and she never wants to see me again.”

“Good grief, you’re overdramatic,” Plagg complained, pulling out a chunk of Camembert. “Bug just needs some time. The last Black Cat with your ability did a bit of a number on her.”

“What happened?”

“He could see their soulmate line, like you can. He had already fallen head over heels for her at that point so when he found her outside the mask, he was a lost cause.”

“He died obviously,” Adrien said flatly.

Plagg nodded. “Protecting her. She never knew who he really was until afterwards. She came from an important family, and he was afraid…well, times were different back then. Malcolm and Sophie never truly got the chance to be together. I think that’s always haunted her.”

“But Marinette isn’t this Sophie person.”

“She is and she isn’t.”

Adrien dropped his head in his hands. “I don’t understand.”

“It’s a headache, Kid, believe me. In the simplest terms, Marinette is her own person, yes, but she’s got the memories of every former life she’s ever had. So while Marinette never technically met Malcolm, her heart still remembers him.”

“But if she’s the same soul essentially that keeps moving on to other lives, how is it possible that she’s my mate if she was also Malcolm’s? Shouldn’t I remember him too then?”

“That’s the part I don’t understand, Kid. Black Cats don’t reincarnate. We just don’t. I have to find a new holder every time.”

“What am I supposed to do?”

“I wish I knew,” the kwami answered miserably.

__________________________________________

“You have to get out of bed at some point,” Tikki said softly.

“No, I don’t.”

“Marinette.”

She huffed and pulled the blankets over her head. “He’s not Malcolm.”

“Well, I’ve got news for you; you’re not Sophie.”

Marinette poked her head out. “What?”

Tikki’s face softened. “Marinette, you were Sophie in another life, that’s true, but you’re you now. You can’t keep letting the past dictate your present.”

“Easy for you to say. You don’t have seven different people in your head.”

“But I’ve lived through more Ladybugs than history could ever remember. I’ve been watching over Ladybugs long before your soul became entangled with it.”

“Is Chat Noir lying about the soulmate line?”

“I can’t imagine why he would be. He’s obviously been smitten with you from Day One. And this explains why he’s been visiting you as Marinette for so long now.”

Marinette frowned. “I don’t love him.”

“That’s okay.”

Her brows knitted together. “I guess I do love him, but just not in that way. He’s my friend, my partner.”

“That’s okay too.”

“It’s not that I couldn’t love him,” she reasoned. “He’s…well, he’s kind of amazing, isn’t he?”

Tikki tried to hide her smile. “Chat Noir is something else, that’s for sure.”

“He’s cute and sweet and…”

“Charming and smart,” Tikki added.

“Yeah, and if I’m being honest, he’s ridiculously hot,” Marinette nodded. “He’s actually…Tikki, I think I do like him…when I take away all the guilt about Malcolm and just think about Chat…is that wrong?”

“Why would it be?”

“I don’t want to replace Malcolm. I know you said I’m not Sophie and I do get that, but it doesn’t change how I feel.”

Tikki paused thoughtfully. “I don’t think that’s a bad thing. You aren’t replacing Malcolm, Marinette. You’re making extra room in your heart for Chat.”

“And you think he’d be okay with that?”

Tikki glanced over her shoulder. “You should probably ask him.”

Marinette turned to see Chat Noir peeking into her skylight. He gave a sheepish wave and brought a bouquet of flowers in front of him in peace offering. “Did I mention sweet?” Marinette asked, moving towards the ladder.

“You did actually,” Tikki giggled.

“Hi,” Chat Noir said softly, slipping through the skylight.

“Hi, Kitty,” Marinette replied, scooting back on her bed.

“Uh, these are for you,” he offered, handing her the flowers.

She lifted them to her nose. “I love daisies. How did you know?”

He shrugged helplessly and something red caught Marinette’s attention. She set the flowers down and grabbed his hand. A thick red line was tied in a bow on his pinky finger. She gently lifted the string and startled as a similar bow appeared on the pinky of her left hand. “I can see it,” she whispered.

Chat Noir straightened. “The line?”

She looked up at him in wonder. “I want to see your face.”

“Plagg, claws in,” he said immediately.

“Adrien Agreste?!”

“Surprise?”

“You bumped into me on purpose,” she accused.

“Guilty,” he grinned. “I’ve actually tried to a few more times, but I kept getting caught before I could make it to you.”

She stared at him incredulously.

“I’m still me,” he said self-consciously. “I’m still Chat.”

“I know…you’re just…wow.”

“Wow good or wow bad?”

She tilted her head and smiled. “You’re my Chat.”

“Your Chat?”

Marinette blushed. “If you want.”

“Then you’re my Bug.”

“I think that sounds really nice,” she said, leaning against him. “Almost perfect actually.”

#ko-fi contributor appreciation #soulmate au #reincarnation au #marinette dupain-cheng #adrien agreste #marichat #ladynoir #adrinette

[la-voce-to-me]

My silly take on a Kwami Swap Au. Hope you enjoy! On AO3

This was not supposed to happen. She was not supposed to be on a roof at two in the morning with a cat hot on her heels, and she was most definitely not thinking of letting him catch her, just to see what would happen.

Ladybug and Chat regularly played games on their patrols to make them more interesting. Sometimes they were word games like one line stories, but most times they were variations of tag. This was the latter. It wasn’t a typical variation, not like games where someone had to only take the streets, or a hide and go seek combo, oh no. This was a bet.

See, after having their powers for several years, it had become a common thought experiment between them to talk about switching powers. Would they be as effective? Would Chat know how to use his lucky charm objects? Would Ladybug know how to use his baton? Could Chat actually swing as fast on her yo-yo? They were harmless little questions that led to a lot of fun banter and some truly terrible puns, but today it led to this.

Their patrol had started a little later than normal due to a civilian arrangement of Chat’s, which usually meant a shorter run through the city. That was what was supposed to happen. Marinette was going to be in bed at a normal hour after staying up late designing for a week, taking advantage of how tired she would feel after patrol. Unfortunately, her ridiculous partner had other plans.

“So my lady, I have a proposition for you.”

“For the last time Kitty, I’m not dating you if we beat the next akuma. We always win.”

“Okay, one- rude. Two, that’s not what this is. I’ve been stuck at the most boring occasion of my entire life for the past several hours, and I’ve decided on a bet.” He said smugly, watching Ladybug’s demeanor change at the mention of a challenge.

“I’m listening…” She said, a slow smile creeping across her face.

“A simple race. If you win, no puns for an entire akuma. If I win… we switch kwami the next patrol.” He finished, a toothy grin gleaming through the slight fog of the night.

Ladybug considered this for a moment. She knew what a race meant. It was her job to get to the object either before him, or before he caught her. He never had much of a chance at winning in a race on nights like this where mist had slicked the roofs and streets, which is why they had added the tag element. She would do a lot to have an entire akuma battle without puns. It wasn’t that she hated them per say, it was that they were distracting. A pun could worm its way through her thoughts and cause her to spend more time wondering how on earth he produced puns like air than figuring out how to beat an akuma. During patrols she could properly rebut them, but battle didn’t give her the luxury. Also, if she lost…

She had to admit, a good portion of her wanted to see what forms their suits would take. She knew they altered depending on who wore them, and the potential for cool design elements excited her. It also never hurt to compete in new ways, and she was interested in seeing Chat use her yoyo.

“Okay, one exception. When I win, if the next akuma is easy to beat, it extends to one patrol.” Chat’s tail twitched with excitement. Part of why tag fit them so well was that he couldn’t escape the compulsion to hunt that Plagg infected him with, and any prospect of a chase was thrilling.

“Well then… accepted. It’s nice to know you’re so confident, but know I am determined to never be silenced. The buzz of a good pun is too good to pass up.” Ladybug groaned. He laughed. “The usual, my lady?”

“Sure thing kitty. See you there!” And she leapt off the building

*****

“I can’t believe this. You!! You had this! I can’t-” Ladybug glared down at her laughing partner. She had long ago confessed to being a fan of Adrien Agreste, and it seemed that Chat had information she did not, because right in the middle of their route was a giant, new billboard of Adrien’s newest shoot. An advertisement for Gabriel’s men’s line, featuring his son in a blazer and slacks, but absolutely no shirt. His face was tilted down in a little laugh, a small smile that was surprisingly genuine and melted Marinette right to her core. Chat seemed to have known this would be up for their little game, and tackled her right as she hesitated to get a better look.

“Bugaboo, I can’t help your little celebrity crush! You have to be able to work past distractions!” He teased from his spot wound around her feet. He laughed as she blushed and spluttered, a side of her he so rarely got to see.

“Okay, okay! Fine! I regret telling you though. It’s been years and you never seem to let up about it.” She smiled through her exasperated scolding to let him know she wasn’t actually mad. “So. How are we gonna do this swap thing? We obviously can’t meet up as civilians, and I don’t know about you, but meeting up as us and then switching sounds like a good way to get caught…”

“Hm, you know, I hadn’t gotten that far in my plan…” Ladybug scoffed at this, knowing full well he had just hoped they could meet up outside of the masks. “We could have our kwamis deliver the miraculous to each other? Plagg is saying he knows how to find you.”

Tikki agreed with her tinkling presence in the back of Marinette’s mind as she did when she was transformed. With a resigned sigh, she nodded.

“Okay, but… only for one patrol. Wednesday, okay? I’ll send Tikki a few minutes before patrol. Also…” she said as she stood and readied her yoyo. “Don’t feel too bad when I look better than you in the suit.” With a wink, she was off.

***

“Sup bakery girl.” Plagg said as he flew up next to the fidgeting Marinette. She jumped slightly at his greeting and flashed him a smile.

“Hi there! You’re awfully cute. Tikki told me you would be. She- ah- here, she also told me you liked cheese? I hope this is okay…” Marinette passed him one of her dad’s cheese danishes, and Plagg grinned at her.

“I bet you two get along so well,” he said around the danish. Marinette cocked her head.

“Us two?”

“You and Tikki. You’re both… sweet. Sickly sweet if you ask me… not as bad as lover boy though,” he grumbled, licking the crumbs off his paws. “Anyway. You say “claws out” when you wanna transform. I saw Spots on my way here, so I bet A- uh, Chat is on his way.”

“Alright! Plagg, claws out!” Marinette grinned as the familiar warmth of transformation trailed over her skin. She closed her eyes and felt a small weight twitch on the top of her head. Opening her eyes, she found her hair blocking some of her vision. “Uh, Plagg? You… you messed up my hair?” She felt him laughing at the back of her consciousness, making her sigh. “Okay, okay fine, let me fix this mess and I’ll go.”

***

“Kitty! I have a bone to pick with you!” Marinette exclaimed as she landed next to her partner. “I-oh.” Her words faltered as she looked at her open mouthed partner. His hair was neat and was obviously the result of a lot of time, and she wondered if that was how his hair looked de-transformed. It was lighter than it was when he was Chat, just as Marinette’s hair became more blue when she was Ladybug. The pale strands seemed locked in place by a careful application of gel, and if she was honest, it was infuriatingly familiar.

His continued silence gave her time to take in the rest of his outfit, which had- “POCKETS? Tikki are you fucking joking? Why don’t I get pockets?” This seemed to startle something in Chat, as he proceeded to burst out laughing.

“She- oh my- she said! She knew you’d be mad!” He managed between giggles. Ladybug continued to frown, only spurring on his laughter. He slowed his chuckles as if remembering something, and struck a pose. “By the way, my Lady, what else do you think? I think I wear it better..”

“Oh don’t you even start! I had to go back and put my hair in this stupid bun because your kwami messed up my hair! It’s not fair!” She threw back, letting a small smile slip at his continued preening. She struck a pose of her own, hands on her hips with one leg slightly forward, and her head held high. “I happen to think that even with this disadvantage, I rock your suit better than you do. You’re just jealous.” He coughed a laugh, delighted at the confident banter.

“Well Bug, you certainly look good,” he purred, leaning close to her. Ladybug stood her ground, accepting his game. “But... I have to say… the bun is my favorite part.” She tilted her chin higher, and he took another step forward, nearly making their noses touch. He blinked, realizing how close this actually made them. “Wow. When did you get so short? I’m bending down a little and still tower over you.”

“I’m sorry not all of us can be giants! My mom is like 150cm! You only like the bun because it makes me look taller!” She stomped her foot which started Chat’s giggles again. Determined to bring back their challenge, she ducked under him and sashayed away, making sure to throw a ridiculous model face over her shoulder at her partner when she checked to make sure he was looking. He was, and was obviously trying hard to not show how hooked he was on her little show. “Still Chat, what do you think? I love the way the black makes my eyes pop in the mask, and the pockets have new little paw print charms on the end. Plus, these boots!” She accentuated the word with a little twirl. “They’re so...macho. I bet I can kick so much better now!” Ladybug’s teasing glance met Chat’s slightly dreamy look. She raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to return the show. It was a competition, after all.

“Well, I have to say, I think the red is a beautiful contrast with my own eyes, has there ever been a more classic combination of colors? And... the… do you hear that?” Chat asked as Marinette felt the ears on her head twitch, and she turned in the direction of the noise. With her newly acquired night vision, she could clearly see Alya down below, frantically taking pictures. A small grin flashed on her face as she turned to the squinting Chat. “Well kitty, it appears we can have a judge for our little contest, shall we?” He looked slightly bewildered as she took out her baton and swooped down near Alya, but followed nonetheless.

As it turned out, neither one of them were particularly talented at each other's weapons, and both ended up in a tangled heap in front of the dazed reporter.

“Oh my gosh, Ladybug? Chat Noir? Have you changed suits? Is this the result of an Akuma? What sort of power does it have to cause this? Can you not use each other’s powers?” She asked in a flurry.

Chat was the first to rise, and offered a hand to Ladybug. They looked at each other and then Alya, deciding how to phrase the situation without alluding that their kwami had been flying freely around the city.

“There is no Akuma, this is the result of a... training exercise. Anyway, we have a question for our most dedicated reporter.” Ladybug cleared her throat and struck a pose, hoping dearly that Chat was also making a fool of himself. A slight flush of embarrassment came over her face as she realized how silly they probably looked. “Who wears it better?” She held her breath as she waited for Alya’s reaction.

The girl slowly circled, examining the duo while struggling to keep a straight face. As Alya came back around to the front, a small blush appeared on her face as Ladybug winked at her.

“Ladybug! I-I mean, like you both look adorable in each other’s outfits, but like Ladybug, you- you look… as strong as you are, really. I love those boots, especially. But Chat! You just... You look like you’re playing dress up. You actually kinda remind me of a classmate with your hair like that…” Alya’s blush had gone from fire truck to nonexistent as she reexamined Chat, and he faltered.

“WELL we need to finish up patrol! Gotta practice! To learn how each other's weapons work! Yup! Gotta go! Good one my Lady, I must agree that you are the bugs knees in my suit!” he exclaimed as he wound up the yoyo to escape any further investigation. Before Ladybug could shout a warning, Chat was yanked by the magical toy and thrown across the Parisian sky. Ladybug shook her head and turned to Alya with a smile.

“Thanks for judging! I’d better go make sure that cat doesn't injure himself, so I’ll be off! It’s pretty late, will you be able to make it home safe?”

“Yeah! I’m actually going to the store...” Alya trailed off looking at Ladybug like she had appraised Chat moments earlier.

“Midnight ice cream cravings?” Ladybug giggled, oblivious to the questioning on Alya’s face.  “Yeah, my friend gets them a lot. Have fun with your chunky monkey, and goodnight!” And with that she haphazardly followed Chat’s trajectory, leaving an awed Alya in her wake.