#hes supposed to be neither chat noir or adrien | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

frickingnerd · 1 year ago

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there's only one bed…

pairing: adrien agreste / chat noir x gn!reader

summary: after multiple attempts to kidnap you, chat noir decides to stay with you for the night to keep you safe. but the two of you quickly realize that there's only one bed…

“are you sure there isn't anyone you could ask to stay with you? if hawkmoth sends another akumatized villain after you, we might not make it in time…”

chat noir was walking up and down your room, the sun already setting outside. he had been here for the last few hours, after an akumatized villain had attempted to kidnap you – again. apparently, hawkmoth wanted to get his hands on you, though neither of you knew why. chat suspected that there was more to it than what you were telling him, but he decided not to push it.

“if i called any of my friends, they'd just be in danger as well…”

chat sighed, stopping for a moment and sitting down on your bed. he knew that he couldn't keep you safe like this. and yet, he worried too much about you to just leave you by yourself.

“what if… i stayed the night?” he thought out loud, looking up at you. “if anyone can keep you safe, it should be me!”

you wondered if he was joking, though chat stayed completely serious. he meant what he said.

“are you sure…? i mean… not that i'm against it, it's just– aren't there people waiting for you at home? i mean, your civilian home…”

chat averted his gaze and you could see the sadness in his eyes. apparently, he had nobody waiting for him at home. or rather, nobody that cared enough to notice he was gone.

“i can stay away from home for one night. besides, you need me the most right now!”

he wasn't wrong. hawkmoth would try to kidnap you again and again. with chat noir by your side, you knew you'd be safe.

“thank you, chat…” you smiled softly. “if you'd like, i can lend you some of my clothes to sleep in! oh and you can take the bed, i'll just sleep on the floor!”

chat quickly stopped you.

“wait, i can't– no, i couldn't possibly take the bed! you need to get some rest, you probably haven't gotten much sleep the last few nights with all that's been going on. please, take the bed”

chat had a point. you barely slept the last few nights. but still, the same goes for him! chat had been fighting off all those akumatized villains that were after you, so he hadn't gotten any sleep either.

“then… nobody gets the bed!”

you decide, to the surprise of chat.

“wait, where's this coming from? i thought–”

“or…” you interrupted chat, a faint blush on your cheeks. “we share it…”

chat's face turned red in record time, up to his ears. the wheels in his head began to turn and as soon as he realized he was still sitting on the aforementioned bed, he jumped up and shook his head.

“y-you shouldn't joke about something like this… please!” his voice cracked on the last word, causing him to quickly clear his throat. “as the gentleman, i'll sleep on the floor and you'll have the bed!”

a faint blush hushed over your cheeks as well. chat seemed to think you were just messing with him, which meant you could either double down on your proposal or play it off as a joke. and you chose the former.

“and what if… i don't mind to share with you?” slowly, you raised your head and locked eyes with chat, who's eyes were now glued to yours. “what if i told you i'd feel safer with you by my side…?”

chat noir stared at you, quietly. for a few moments, the room was completely empty, as nobody said a thing. you were almost thinking chat was trying to ignore what you just said, but then he spoke up again.

“i suppose… this is part of my duty as a hero then!”

he knew that sharing a bed with you wasn't a good idea. but he didn't have any plans to make a move on you, honestly! and he was sure you wouldn't either, so there wouldn't be a problem. at least, that's what chat wanted to believe.

“you… you mean it?”

your eyebrows rose and you studied his facial expression. but he didn't seem to be joking. slowly, a small smile crept onto your lips.

“i'll be getting ready for bed then…!”

you grabbed your pajamas that were laying on top of your pillow on the bed and left the room, but not before stopping by the door.

“you can put on one of my bigger shirts for tonight! if you'd like to, of course!”

chat nodded quietly and glanced towards your wardrobe. by the time he turned back to the door, you had already vanished and closed the door behind him, giving him some privacy.

when you returned roughly five minutes later, chat noir was wearing one of the biggest shirts he could find in your closet, while still wearing his suit. you hadn't expected him to detransform, but it was still an odd sight, that led you to wonder if he even needed that shirt.

“are you tired?” you asked, as you sat down on the bed, which chat quickly did as well, while nodding. “yeah, me too”

for a moment, the two of you sat in silence, before you made the first move and slipped under the blanket, before holding it up for chat, silently inviting him to join you. the hero hesitated, before eventually moving closer, until he was underneath the blanket with you.

“good night, y/n…”

chat noir whispered, his back facing yours, as the two of you refused to look at each other, while being this close.

“good night, kitty…”

you soon closed your eyes, trying to forget that the hero of paris was laying next to you and that your legs occasionally touched, whenever you even slightly shifted in bed. but eventually, the exhaustion got to you and you fell asleep.

and while you had tried your hardest to keep your distance from chat noir, by the time you'd wake up, you'd realize that while you were asleep, the two of you had cuddled up against one another, while sleeping soundly…

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miraculouslbcnreactions · 1 month ago

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Adrien this season wears the same wrinkled outfit his dad picked out for him, sleeps on a mattress on the floor, has no passion besides being with Marinette and being chat noir, learned how to make the only meal we ever saw him share with his dad, and despite his version being better claims his dad’s were perfect.

And ppl who claim to love him are watching him go thru this and no one is helping the guy out. Only Alya has been “hey! lying to the guy is wrong and is making him stagnate” but she would rather have her memory erased than say anything.

I stg if “the power of love” is Adrien finding the strength to forgive everyone when he finds out I am going to lose it.

Agreed. Season six is really showing what I mean when I say that Miraculous has terrible plot lines for an episodic formula show. Adrien being depressed and processing his father's death is not the kind of conflict that you can resolve in 20 minutes or less, but every episode is supposed to standalone, so we're getting this awkward back and forth where the issue is randomly acknowledged in one episode only to be ignored in the next one because it doesn't fit the tone of the episode and the quality of the episodes as singular entities is more important than the quality of the season as a whole.

The Alya thing was an especially glaring example of the issue. In Revelator, Alya learns the truth about Gabriel and her reaction isn't, "I have to tell Adrien" it's "I hate that I'm going to have to keep this secret, too!"

Rena Rouge: You don't get to decide what Adrien should or shouldn't know. Neither do I. Truth is essential for someone's personal growth, and now that I know I'm gonna have to lie! And you know I don't. like. Lying!

This statement is nonsensical. Alya starts by declaring that Adrien deserves the truth and ends lamenting the fact that she'll have to lie to him, too, as if lying is the only option. It's not, though. She could tell him the truth! Half the cast could!

At least, they could in a serialized show, but this is an episodic formula show where canon-changing reveals can only happen in the season finals, so Alya telling Adrien the truth was never on the table. That's why the episode's conflict wasn't "should we tell Adrien" it was "should Alya be in on the lie, too." You can see this clearly at the end of the episode where Alya actively wants her mind wiped so she doesn't tell Adrien:

Rena Rouge: Some secrets are heavier than others and I am afraid I won't be able to keep this one... Cat Noir: But isn't that wrong? Rena Rouge: No. Because it's meant to give people the ability to choose whether to share their secret or not. (She looks at Ladybug) And that's repairing things.

This is wildly inauthentic to Alya's character. She should be fighting to keep her memory so she can tell Adrien! But she can't do that because it's too upsetting for kids and the episode needs to feel like it has a satisfying conclusion so this is the only way the conflict could be played just like Adrien's depression can't be addressed in a way that calls characters to action.

Major changes can only happen at the start of a season, the end of a season, or in a special because that's how episodic formula shows work. Status quo is king so that episodes can air in any order. Miraculous is never going to give you a strong plot that plays out over the course of a season. The most you're ever going to get are undeveloped hints at the plot lines you desperately want to see. Teasers that keep you hooked while never paying off because they literally can't.

Will Adrien learn the truth and/or process his grief today? No. If that's going to happen, it will happen in the season finale and I would not be surprised if we don't even get it then. The show has a rule that there must always be a secret between Marinette and Adrien and I don't see how you undo the Gabriel secrets while keeping the identity stuff a secret. I'm still curious how they'll even do a proper reveal of the truth because it means addressing the fact that Gabriel was dying from a cataclysm Adrien inflicted on him.

This show is slated for at least two more seasons. It's entirely possible that Adrien will stay in the dark for several or even all of those. I'm not saying that's what they'll do, I'm just pointing out that it's a distinct possibility based on the way the show has been written in the past so I'd strongly encourage you to brace yourselves for the worst while hoping for the best.

Minor fun fact: while Adrien's depression feels like something you could possibly address in an episodic formula show, my bet is that they won't because addressing the depression means redoing his character model to a new outfit and his room to a new design. Those are noticeable changes that would confuse people who missed the episode where it happened and I would be shocked if the show took that risk. Because of the formula show issue, Adrien probably has to stay in his sad bedroom and dirty old clothes until a season finale or the start of a new season just like the sad bedroom was introduced at the start of the season. It's the same reason Ladybug's suit upgrade wasn't a total upgrade. She kept her classic look so that the episodes could air in any order without confusing viewers.

#anon ask #ml writing critical #ml writing salt #formula show problems #revelator salt #Alya deserves better #I don't think the lies are authentic to Marinette's character but at least the show is playing up her anxiety to make the lie work for her #The way Alya was played here was Lila-BS levels of insulting imo #It's not as glaring as the Lila lies but it's still Alya coming across like a massive hypocrite #I would have loved to see her say “either you tell Adrien or I will” none of this “now I have to lie too!” BS #Is she a warrior for truth or not???#Pick a lane writers #prediction

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purplecatghostposts · 2 months ago

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Felix/Argos 🖤 Chat Noir but also Felix 💚 Adrien and Felix/Argos 💙 Chat Noir (or Adrien/Chat Noir).

(Complicated Cousinsquare dynamics? I’ll give it my best shot! Took me a hot minute to come up with a good idea for it but I think I got something good!! LOTS of identity shenanigans here, also canon divergence/AU?? I’m figuring it out as I go. Limited POV my beloved. Thank you for the ask, enjoy <3)

— — —

Chat Noir can hear him chuckling as he peels himself off of the pavement, rubbing his jaw. Not his worst landing but the fact that Argos saw makes him groan internally.

“And here I thought cats always landed on their feet.” Argos mocks. Chat Noir shoots him a glare but his body aches too much for him to want to initiate another fight over it.

“Since when do you glide?”

“Perks of having a bird-themed Miraculous, I assume.” Argos flicks his coat, which previously gave him a soft landing. He raises an eyebrow, paying no mind to the chaos in the distance. “Credit where credit is due, you’re giving me more trouble than I thought you would. Not just a pet cat, I see.”

“I don’t get it!” Chat Noir spits.

“I’m not surprised.” Argos replies. He ignores him.

“You don’t work for the new Hawkmoth but you want our Miraculouses anyway? What’s up with that?”

“I’m sure you’ll figure it out one day.” Argos pauses. “Or not at all. Either way, I’m not going to be the one to tell you.”

Before he can reply, a rush of magical ladybugs swirl around his bruises and Chat Noir lets out a soft breath of relief. Argos glances elsewhere and says, “That’s my cue. Too bad, I was just starting to have fun. Until next time then.”

Argos takes a running jump off the rooftop. Chat Noir considers following him but he knows it’ll do him no good. If Argos knows he’s being followed, he’ll just shake him. He’s done it before.

Chat Noir sprawls on the pavement below him, eyes shutting as he gives himself just a moment to rest in the quiet, temporary victory. He knows it won’t last but anything is better than nothing.

—

Félix stares at the bulletin board of all their current clues like something new is gonna pop out to him all of a sudden. Maybe it will but Adrien has had no such luck. He’s just glad the board came in handy after all— he wondered if it was too cliché before.

Adrien fiddles with his ring, knowing he’s asked a dozen times before but can’t help but press for answers. “You’re sure my father was Hawkmoth?”

“I showed you the garden. And the attic.” Félix says without taking his eyes off of the list of potential suspects. “If you have any faith in me, trust this. Your father was Hawkmoth and his assistant was Mayura. Both of their Miraculouses were stolen by separate people.”

Adrien sours at the thought. He makes no attempt to hide it. “You mean no-name and Argos.”

Félix takes a second longer to respond than he expects. “Right. And a very limited number of people knew about them having the Miraculouses in the first place, so we just need to figure out which one of them took the Butterfly from the list.”

“And the Peacock.” Adrien points out. “I mean, we know Argos has it but we don’t know who Argos is, right? So we should still be trying to solve that mystery too.”

“I suppose so.” Félix says, in his ‘I’m trying to be subtly placating’ tone. Adrien narrows his eyes.

“You don’t think we should be going after Argos.” He accuses.

“I don’t think Argos is our problem.” Félix counters. “The Butterfly is.”

“Argos is trying to take Ladybug and Chat Noir’s Miraculouses!”

“Well it’s a good thing we’re neither then, because it’s not our problem.” Félix narrows his eyes back at him. “Don’t get distracted by blue herrings, Adrien. Focus on the Butterfly.”

Adrien’s jaw tightens, one hand subconsciously covering his ring as he says, “Fine.” And pretends that’s the end of it.

—

Chat Noir knew he’d get a big reaction out of his cousin by dropping down unannounced. He didn’t think he’d almost get punched for it, but then again, Félix can be pretty jumpy.

“Relax, relax.” He holds his hands up in surrender with a grin. Félix is still tense but he’s not trying to hit him anymore so, progress. “Your cousin sent me. Long story, I kinda owe him a favor or three.”

Félix seems to pause at that, eyebrows furrowing like he’s trying to puzzle him out. It’s kinda funny to see when he’s wearing a mask. Chat Noir has to admit, having a secret identity has its perks.

“Adrien sent you.” Félix repeats, slightly skeptical. “Alright. What’s the password?”

“I think he said it was the current phase of the moon? So uh,” he makes a show of glancing up like he doesn’t already know, “That’s like, a Waxing Gibbous or something?”

Félix eases out of his stance, shaking his head. “He said he had a secret weapon to get in but I didn’t think he meant you.”

“I’m a cat of many talents.” Chat Noir places a hand on his chest, as if proud. “Are you always this jumpy and distrusting?”

Félix rolls his eyes. “I’m about to engage in breaking and entering, it’s not exactly a time I want to see a hero show up.”

“Well have no fear, Chat Noir is here and happens to make a great cat burglar.”

“Please, keep the puns to a minimum for tonight.”

“I’ll try but no purr-omises.” He winks, then gestures to their entrance. “Shall we?”

For a split second, he swears Félix’s eyes zero in on his ring. But then he smiles, hands folded behind his back, and says, “Follow my lead.”

(Send me two ML characters and a symbol from the list and I’ll talk/write about their potential dynamic!)

#miraculous ladybug #felix graham de vanily #felix fathom #adrien agreste #senticousins #SB Speaks #SB Writes #Ask #Miraculous Dynamics Ask Game #ohhhh enemy AU number 3000 you know it babyyyy #you know I love identity shenanigans used in enemy AUs

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jennrypan · 6 months ago

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For the rewrite I have this headcanon that since Tikki and Plagg are suppose to be the STRONGEST ones, the Ying and yang of the miraculous, if their holders aren't in tuned, neither are the other holders.

They can't use the full extent of their powers if Tikki and Plagg are at odds cuz they need to be balanced. And they haven't been balanced since idk season 2? Maybe. but it's gotten worse, all of the kwami are erratic and testy, cuz something isn't RIGHT.

But Plagg and Tikki know what's going on and Plagg brings it up with her..cuz her holder is the one keeping them imbalanced by keeping Chat Noir in the dark. He isn't her equal when he should be, and Master Fu only enforced this behavior by not trusting Chat Noir. The divide is only getting bigger between them cuz Marinette refuses to let Chat know about the most fundamental part of what's going on and if Tikki won't talk sense into her holder..he doesn't want to deal with their nonsense, splitting them even more.

Like don't say Tikki and Plagg are Ying and yang and show NO reprocussions for them not being treated equally cuz they ARENT and Plagg shouldn't be okay with that. He and Tikki are equals, always have been always will be..so why the fuck is his holder getting the short end of the stick consistently?? And not to mention..the kwami are being used for tiny stupid little tasks ?? Really?? Marinette handed out the miraculous like it's candy and its improved nothing, no one's finding the Butterfly any quicker.

Like..Plagg is tired of this bullshit. They've been around too long to have THIS be such a major issue and no one's ever allowed to question Marinette cuz shes the guardian now?? Insanity.

If no one will treat Adrien/Chat like a person, HE damn sure will.

#j.p speaks #miraculous ladybug #ml rewrite #ml writing salt #if youre gonna say her and chat are equals SHOW THAT!!!#dont have her constantly brushing him off and not sharing important information with him. its stupid and disrespectful idc.#and to make Alya her deputy?? not Chat..whos been here since day one?? fighting Hawkmoth with her???#..No. Plagg is done and TIRED.#if no one will treat Adrien like a person

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drtwit · 2 months ago

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Miraculous Ladybug - Miraculous Menaces AU: Yearning

Miraculous Menaces AU

Chapter Summary:

The Agreste Family cooldown after Heartbreaker's… Or heat up, depending on who you ask.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/58557754/chapters/170339770

An AU where Chat becomes Hawkmoth's partner in crime. "I'm Adrien Agreste. I thought I was a normal boy with a normal life, but my father has a secret that I must protect at all cost, because it just might save my family's future." At first, Adrien thought that the day he found out that his father was the supervillain terrorizing the people of Paris was the worst day of his life, but in retrospect, it might have been the one change needed to save his family. Because it was also the day that both of them realized that, when they don't need to be Adrien and Gabriel Agreste, they're both goofier than they realized. Follow the adventures of Hawkmoth, Chat Noir, and their reluctant assistant who doesn't get paid enough, Nathalie, as they try to navigate life as a supervillain family. And pray for Ladybug's, and her new partner's, sanity as she suffers their antics.

Preview:

This time, Hawkmoth was aware of Mayura landing before she got the drop on him, but he still let her creep closer, slightly curious how she’d approach him. He didn’t expect her to just settle down beside him, leaning over the railing, barely brushing her arm against his, sighing to herself without a quip to dispense.

The silence between them stretched on until Hawkmoth broke the ice.

“My mother was an alcoholic.”

“Huh?”

“My wife was too.” He fiddled with his fingers, face contorting into a flinch with every word, “I never liked who they were when they were drunk, even if my wife tried to protect me by taking her episodes outside. She thought I never noticed, but I did, I always did.”

Neither Gabriel nor Hawkmoth were good at saying thank you. He supposed this was a manner of compromise, offering her those crumbs of history that she valued for reasons he couldn’t understand, answering those incessant questions that felt so pointless to ask.

“That’s… that’s why I’m stingy about alcohol.”

He heard Mayura take a few steps back, a light gasp slipping from her lips, “I never knew-” she caught herself on something and cleared her throat, “I never thought about it like that. Forgive me, I was being insensitive the other night.”

He waved his hand, dismissing her apology, “I doubt I have any room to complain about another being ‘insensitive’ about information they don’t even have.”

The casual confession seemed to give her pause, pulling herself together before she slipped by his side once more, slotting in so perfectly, like she belonged there. “Heartbreaker must have really rattled you if you’re in a forgiving mood.”

His response was a non-committal grunt.

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blackcatsandlockets · 3 months ago

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My takes on the Miraculous civil war theory

In case any Miraculous fan got their phone taken by their parents, has been living under a rock or their computer broke down, Gabriel asked Marinette to lie about him being Monarch to Adrien before he died. Marinette kept the promise, lied to Adrien and the entire city that Gabriel died fighting Monarch, and that he was a hero.

Some fans have been speculating that when the lie is exposed (how exactly is still up for debate), it will lead to a civil war between a furious Chat Noir vs. Ladybug.

If this actually represents the sides in the civil war as many have speculated, here is a list of who would side with whom, and my opinion on whether they would.

Team Ladybug:

Alya Césaire/Rena Rouge: Rena's memory was erased in Revelator and Alya being Marinette/Ladybug's best friend would side with Ladybug.

Juleka Couffaine/Purple Tigress and Rose Lavillant/Pigella: Same reason as Alya, they're close friends with Marinette (but they don't know that she is Ladybug).

Luka Couffaine/Viperion: I think he would be the peacekeeper and side with neither since he's good friends with both Marinette and Adrien and know both of their identities.

Sabrina Raincomprix/Miss Hound and Lê Chiến Kim/King Monkey: Marinette forgived both of them even after they wronged her badly, although they don't know that she is Ladybug.

Zoé Lee/Vesperia: She is (was?) in love with Marinette.

Max Kanté/Pegasus: He might've decided that the cost of telling Adrien that his father was Monarch was bigger than the cost of lying to him.

random black cat

Team Chat Noir:

Félix Fathom/Argos: Because he hated Gabriel/Monarch and Adrien is his cousin? But it also seems like Félix really trusts Marinette/Ladybug too so I'm not sure if he would side with only Chat Noir (I know he doesn't know that Adrien is Chat Noir yet, but I honestly think he would find out in the sixth season. I'm surprised he hasn't already).

Kagami Tsurugi/Ryuko: She was mad at Marinette/Ladybug for lying to Adrien and comforted him.

Ivan Bruel/Minotaurox and Mylène Haprèle/Polymouse: Even though Mylène doesn't know that Marinette is Ladybug yet, she's been friends with Marinette for a while like Rose and Juleka. I doubt she and Ivan would side with Chat Noir, if they even join the civil war at all.

Nathaniel Kurtzberg/Caprikid and Marc Anciel/Rooster Bold: The fact that Marc and Nathaniel revealed their identities to each other means that they're more loyal to each other than Ladybug/the Miraculers so they might not side with either actually. Or maybe they might be upset with Ladybug for hiding things from Chat Noir.

Alix Kubdel/Bunnyx: Alix/Bunnyx isn't supposed to interfere with events at all, I believe, so I doubt she would take any action if a civil war does occur. If Bunnyx intervenes at all, she would be helping Ladybug, especially if Chat Noir gets akumatised.

Nino Lahiffe/Carapace: Nino is Adrien's best friend (even if he doesn't know that Adrien is Chat Noir) so he would side with him, even if everyone else sided with Ladybug.

Based on these takes, here's how I would fix the teams:

Team Ladybug:

Alya Césaire/Rena Rouge

Juleka Couffaine/Purple Tigress

Rose Lavillant/Pigella

Sabrina Raincomprix/Miss Hound

Lê Chiến Kim/King Monkey

Zoé Lee/Vesperia

Max Kanté/Pegasus

Alix Kubdel/Bunnyx

Team Chat Noir:

Kagami Tsurugi/Ryuko

Nino Lahiffe/Carapace

Neutrals:

Luka Couffaine/Viperion

Félix Fathom/Argos

Ivan Bruel/Minotaurox

Mylène Haprèle/Polymouse

Nathaniel Kurtzberg/Caprikid

Marc Anciel/Rooster Bold

As for me, I'm Team Chat Noir.

#miraculous ladybug #miraculoustalesofladybugandcatnoir #miraculous lb #miraculous fandom #miraculous #miraculousladybug #miraculous ladybug season 6 #bianca chats

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flightfoot · 9 months ago

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Hi Keyseeker! Just wondering if you could recommend any reveal fics that have the LS talking it out afterwards? Or just, don't end immediately? So many fics include a great build up, full of misunderstandings and shenanigans, do the reveal, and then just...end. And the tension is never really addressed! And I just feel...left hanging. I don't know, is this just me? In any case, no pressure but was just wondering if you've come across any that linger around after the reveal. Not necessarily prpr, which is kind of its own category IMO. Am I making sense? Thanks either way in advance!

I'm guessing you're looking for longer fics then? I'll see what I can do.

---

Perfectly Platonic (Unless...) by @frostedpuffs

After accidentally revealing their identities in less than ideal circumstances, Adrien and Marinette must navigate their newfound relationship as both partners and friends. Becoming best friends was a quick process, but when romantic feelings begin to bleed into what's supposed to be a platonic connection, their friendship starts to change in more ways than one. Surely it can't be that hard to hide their feelings from their best friend? (A post-reveal, pre-relationship fic full of romantic crushes, best friend shenanigans, and a whole lot of dumbassery.)

If you just want a straight-up romance slowburn with these two just somehow being convinced their relationship is platonic (or that the other person wants it to be platonic at least), you'll find little better to scratch that itch than "Perfectly Platonic (Unless...)". It's a little smutty and definitely earns its M rating because of that. If you want mutual pining, there's a ton of that here!

---

The Adventures of Babybug and Kitten Noir by @unecoccinellenoire

When Chat Noir gets turned into a baby all seems lost to Ladybug....or is it?

So despite what the name and the summary makes it sound like, this fic is less about Chat Noir and Ladybug, and more about their parents, with Gabriel and Nathalie discovering that baby!Chat Noir is Adrien, and Tom and Sabine finding out that baby!Ladybug is Marinette. Needless to say, neither group are happy about their discovery.

I loved seeing the parents work things out here. While most ML fics are about Adrien and Marinette driving the plot and ultimately, the resolution (for obvious reasons), in this case, we get to see the adults being reasonable and competent, and doing their best with this new situation they've been thrown into.

---

A Child's Love by jaron5

This takes place post-Hack-San. Ladybug hands Chat Noir a potion she brewed which accidentally turns him into a kid without any of his memories. How is she going to keep an eye on a miniature Chat Noir while trying to keep their secret identities intact? Or the more pressing concern- how will she preserve her sanity when faced with the overwhelming cuteness and innocence that is her now de-aged partner?

I loved this fic, it's adorable and heart-wrenching. Adrien doesn't understand what's going on, but he still enjoys being around Marinette and the rest of his friends, and they just keep on hearing more and more little things that make them increasingly worried about Chat Noir's childhood.

---

The Parable of the Caller by @nemaliwrites

A week after Hawk Moth’s identity has been revealed, Adrien finds himself with nowhere to go, nothing he can do, and worst of all, strange gaps in his memory he can’t explain. In a stroke of luck, he stumbles upon a burner phone filled with voicemails from one of the Saviors of Paris: Chat Noir himself, who disappeared following Hawk Moth’s arrest.

But with each new voicemail Adrien listens to, he’s forced to confront the fact that there might be some kind of connection between himself and Chat Noir — and discovering it might leave him more broken than before.

I absolutely adore this fic, it’s a fantastic character study for Adrien! Basically in this universe, Ladybug and Chat Noir talked about who should be Guardian, with Chat eventually convincing her that he should be the one to take it on, primarily due to the whole “the Guardian gets amnesia about Miraculous-related matters” situation, and wanting to protect Ladybug from that. Then he finds out Gabriel is Hawk Moth, they take him down, and he relinquishes the Miracle Box and his guardianship to Su Han - all without having a Reveal with Ladybug, since well, he’s not in the greatest shape mentally at the time.

It’s a real treat to see Adrien’s thoughts and feelings about one of the Heroes of Paris leaving him all these voicemails, treating him like this close friend for reasons he doesn’t understand, and just seeing Chat Noir as this outside person. He’s got a very different viewpoint on Chat when looking from the outside than he would from the inside, with being able to see his heroic and good qualities far more easily when he doesn’t know that he is Chat.

Also Marinette’s struggling in the background of the fic with the loss of her partner and guilt over sending Adrien’s father to prison. It gets touched on at various points, and you can tell that she’s having her own story off to the side that we’re just not entirely privy to, what with this tale being told entirely from Adrien’s perspective.

---

call it even by @anna-scribbles and @sha-nwa

After a year of dating, there is one thing Marinette knows for certain: it's her and Adrien against the world. Through it all, Adrien is kind, patient, and endlessly understanding—even as she tries her best to keep her secret superhero identity hidden from him along with the rest of the world.

Nothing could ruin it, not even the supervillains of Paris: Hawkmoth and Chat Noir.

(adrinette dating // ladynoir enemies au)

This is one of those fics where Adrien and Marinette are REALLY going through it emotionally, with them starting off with wildly different perceptions of each other when untransformed, and then reckoning with the person they love the most being someone they think of as a villain, with all the betrayal and doubt that involves. Especially with Adrien having been lied to extensively by his father, and not knowing who or what to believe.

---

team is a four letter word by @ladyofthenoodle

Alya didn’t want to come between Ladybug and Chat Noir. But she didn’t want to stop being Rena Rouge either. And if Chat Noir didn’t want to talk to her, then she’d need to find a different way to prove all three of them could be a team. Her plan unintentionally brings a few secrets to light, which leads to even more secrets coming to light, which leads to... well, Alya is sure it'll all work out eventually.

This is a season 4 fic, with a heavy emphasis on repairing the relationships that were damaged, or could have been damaged, during that season. I love how everyone gets to really feel and react, be hurt and then gain understanding, with a happy ending to cap it off!

---

I hope that these satisfy you!

#ask #ml fanfic rec #miraculous ladybug #adrien agreste #marinette dupain cheng

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the-delta-42 · 1 year ago

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Damn

A/N: Had to repost because I forgot to do a few things.

Damn

Marinette exhaled quietly as the last customer left the Bakery, three hours non-stop, which was preceded by another three hours before she was forced to take a break. The usual help hadn’t shown up that morning and both Marinette and her mother had been swapping over at set intervals, while her father kept an eye on the oven.

Marinette had recalled hearing her parents complain about Jonathan before, but this was the first time he hadn’t shown up for work. Marinette heard the bell over the door go, before putting on her ‘customer service’ face, which quickly broke when she spotted her grandfather.

“You look dead.” Came his blunt statement.

“Jon didn’t show up this morning.” Said Marinette, “Normally, we’d contact his wife, but neither are picking up.”

Rolland was quiet, “He’s the one that’s older than me.”

“Yeah, I think he’s supposed to be retired.” Remarked Marinette, “Papa and Maman are in the back, I think I heard them arguing about the consistency of some icing for a cake.”

Rolland shook his head, before walking into the back. Marinette sighed, before the bell over the door rang again. Marinette took a deep breath in and looked ahead.

“Welcome to Tom and Sabine’s Bakery, how may I help?” Said Marinette in her ‘customer service’ voice.

“You didn’t turn up for Orange Juice.” Said Kagami, making Marinette slump forwards.

“I knew I forgot something.” Groaned Marinette, “First Jon didn’t turn up and now I forgot about our drink, what’s next, Adrien telling me I forgot some project?”

There was a stiff silence, before Kagami looked to the side. Marinette groaned and dropped her head against the counter.

“Kill me now.” Groaned Marinette, “Of course things are going to shit, Jon doesn’t turn up, then I forget about our drink date and the class project and Luka saying that we ‘need to talk’ tomorrow.”

Kagami frowned, her head tilting slightly, “Is wanting to talk a bad thing?”

“Kagami,” Said Marinette, through her hands, “when one party in a relationship says, ‘we need to talk’ nothing good is going to come from it.”

Kagami was silent.

“Whenever Adrien says we need to talk, he shows me cat pictures.” Said Kagami, Marinette stared at her friend.

“Either Adrien is adorably naïve, or he doesn’t know what that phrase is used for.” Said Marinette, after a second.

Sabine poked her head out of the kitchen, “Marinette, go upstairs, you’ve done enough for today.”

Marinette smiled, until she decided to stand up, when her legs couldn’t take her weight and promptly collapsed onto the ground.

“Are you okay?” Asked Kagami, as Marinette hauled herself back up.

“I’m. Fine.” Grunted Marinette, as she made her way to the stairs.

Kagami watched her fall three more times before walking over, picking her up and carrying up the stairs.

“Can I have a kitty, Maman, pleeease?” Pleaded Manon, giving her mother the puppy’s eyes

“No, Manon,” Sighed Nadja, looking away from her computer, “having a pet is a big responsibility, and you can’t have one until you’re older.”

“B-b-but,” Manon whimpered, getting a sigh from Nadja.

“Manon,” Said Nadja, firmly, “I’ve said no.”

Manon burst into tears and ran off, getting a dejected sigh from her mother.

‘Stupid Maman,’ Thought Manon, not noticing the Akuma, ‘I am old enough.’

“Grown Up, I am Monarch. Your Mere believes you are too young for any responsibility, if you bring me Ladybug’s and Chat Noir’s Miraculous and you’ll get what you want.”

“Okay.”

Marinette stretched as she stood up, carefully adjusting the table. Kagami glanced at the clock.

“I have to go, Mother is expecting me home soon.” Said Kagami, getting up, “Same time next week?”

Marinette nodded, “Want a lift? I’ve told Maman I’d deal with some of the deliveries today.”

“That would be nice.”

Five minutes later Marinette was driving her moped with Kagami and some deliveries.

“Why’d you retry things with Luka?” Asked Kagami, as they rounded a corner.

“I thought I needed to work on me,” Called Marinette, “I thought if I became a better version of myself, things would be easier with Luka.”

“Are they?”

“Nope.” Answered Marinette, as they stopped at Kagami’s home. Frowning, Marinette looked at her phone, “Hold on, did your Maman order from my parents?”

“She tried one of your family’s pastries and enjoyed them.” Answered Kagami, as Marinette pulled a bag from the case on her moped.

“Right, give me a moment.” Marinette hopped off the vehicle, and walking up to the door with the bakery bag.

“I’ll take it, Mother’s going to be in a meeting.” Said Kagami, taking the bag from Marinette, “See you next week.”

Marinette sighed, rolling her shoulders as she remounted her moped. She’d just finished her deliveries and was about to head home, part of her wondered why it was so quiet, before she shook her head and drove home.

Meanwhile, Grown Up ran across the rooftops, revelling in her freedom.

Yawning, Marinette looked around, before crossing the road. She smiled as Alya waved at her, before she heard someone shout.

“I AM GROWN UP, I WANT THE MIRACULOUS!” Alya and Marinette were hit by a beam of light, before Grown Up ran away.

“What the hell?” Asked Alya, before looking at Marinette and gasped, “Girl, look at you.”

“Look at me?” Marinette pointed at Alya, “Look at you!”

Both girls were at least ten years older, Alya was wearing a suit like the one Nadja Chamack wore when she was working, while Marinette was wearing a dark blue pant suit.

“Whoa.” Said both girls.

Adrien gulped as he looked at Marinette, thanks to the Akuma that aged anyone hit by their ray, Marinette and Alya had been hit and aged up to at least 25.

Adrien was quick to notice that Marinette looked 'smoking hot', as Kim put it, and had certainly gotten bigger in the chest and hips. He didn’t look at Alya, but he felt Nino was thinking the same thing.

It certainly didn't help when Adrien suddenly blurted out,

"Please step on me." Blurted Adrien, before he clapped his hands over his mouth. Adrien just wanted to die. He decided he would do it himself if he had to.

“Please do it. I wanna see what happens.” Said Kim, laughing as Adrien and Marinette’s faces went red.

“Shut up, Kim.” Said Alya, taking control of the situation. She removed her blazer and dropped it on top of Marinette’s, “We need to focus on more important things.”

Adrien thought he saw Nino covering his nose, while Marinette folded her arms across her chest.

“Yeah,” Said Alix, pointing at Nathaniel, “Like why does Nath look homeless?”

They glanced at him, Nathaniel was hit by Grown Up as well, but while Marinette and Alya looked healthy and well dressed, Nathaniel was filthy and unnaturally skinny.

“I don’t know.” Rasped Nathaniel, before he hacked up a cough.

“Hold on.” Lila, who’d also been hit by Grown Up, grabbed a torch from her pocket, she had a doctor’s coat on and a hospital ID, she crouched in front of Nathaniel, “Open up.”

Nathaniel grimaced, but slowly opened his mouth, Lila visibly recoiled and nearly dropped her torch.

“Well, that’s something you don’t see that every day.” Muttered Lila, as Marinette crouched next to her.

“Is that a…” Marinette tilted her head to the side.

“There are a couple of masses, one at the back of your throat and another on your gums along your molars.” Said Lila, frowning, “But…maybe you should cut back on the cigarettes.”

“How can you tell he smokes?” Asked Marinette, as Alya joined them.

“Staining on his fingers, his cough and the state of his teeth and gums.” Answered Lila, before stiffening, “How the hell do I know that?”

“I’ve got some news headlines on my mind and Marinette’s got some meetings on hers.” Said Alya, before glancing at Nathaniel.

Marinette groaned, “We’re getting off subject, sorry Nath, but I think we can focus on our future problems when they actually happen.”

“Right.” The others nodded, as Nathaniel reached into his pocket for a pencil, before he frowned and pulled out a syringe.

Lila quickly took the syringe from him and put it on Bustier’s desk.

“We need to find the Akuma, get all this fixed and go back to hating each other.” Marinette glanced at Lila and Chloé, who’d also been hit by the beam, “So, what do we know?”

“She calls herself ‘Grown Up’.” Said Lila, “So, it’s likely that she’s a small child that’s been told she’s too young for something.”

“Okay, so if we can figure out what she wants, we could distract her with it.” Said Alya, shifting.

“But, to do that we’d need to know who she is.” Said Marinette, getting a scoff from Chloé.

“Out of everyone in the city, the first two she targets are you two.” Said Chloé, “Most people target people they know, so, do any of the brats you baby sit want something they can’t have?”

The class watched as Marinette frowned, before her jaw dropped, “Oh my god.”

Marinette ran out the room, leaving everyone at a loss.

Marinette carefully put the box on the table, getting frowns from everyone.

“What’s that?” Asked Alix, as Marinette reached into the box and pulled out a kitten.

“Someone dumped an entire litter in my family’s bin.” Said Marinette, as the other kittens started mewing, “I showed them to Manon and she’s been besotted with Tiny since she met her.”

Alya raised an eyebrow, “Tiny?”

“Because she’s small.” Answered Marinette, before heading towards the door, “Hopefully, finding Manon will be easy.

Grown Up was running around the park, despite her name, she looked more or less the same, with ‘grown up’ make up on her face. Marinette wanted to coo at how adorable it was, while another part of her wanted to roll around laughing at how ridiculous Manon looked.

“Manon.” Said Marinette, getting the Akuma’s attention, “Come here.”

“Marinette!” Grinned Grown Up, running toward Marinette, “Have you got Kitty?”

Marinette nodded, “But, if you want her, you need to give me the Akuma object.”

Manon rapidly nodded, all but throwing a sheet of paper at Marinette. She handed the kitten to Manon, prompting the animal to start purring. The sound of someone skidding got Marinette’s attention, turning, she found Chat Noir. She smiled and held the piece of paper out to him.

“You might want to get this to Ladybug.” Said Marinette, before heading off, “Could you watch her for me, please? I need to do something.”

Chat absently nodded, allowing Marinette to slip into an alley way, she saw a guy sitting amongst some bins, but quickly noted that he was asleep.

“Tikki,” The Kwami appeared out of Marinette’s pocket, “Spots on!”

A flash of light woke the man from his sleep, seeing an Adult Ladybug swing out of the Alley, he looked down at the bottle of whiskey and started to pour it away.

Ladybug landed next to Chat and took the piece of paper from him, “Thank you.”

Chat stared at her dumbstruck, as Ladybug tore the piece of paper and purified the Akuma. Pulling up a lucky charm and casting the cure, Ladybug found herself back at her normal height. Chat almost looked disappointed.

“We better get going,” Said Ladybug, drawing her arm back, “I’ll make sure to point Marinette back this way.”

“Okay.” Said Chat, quietly as Ladybug left, “I’ll see you in a minute.”

Marinette skidded to a stop in front of Chat, “Sorry, I had to move my moped.”

“Okay, M’Lady.” Marinette’s eyes got impossibly wides.

“Wha-” “Marinette!”

Marinette looked at Nadja, who was running up to her, “I can’t find Manon! Her father thought she was with me and I thought she was her and…”

“She was Akumatized.” Said Chat, pointing toward Manon and Kitty, “It was dealt with.”

“I should’ve said,” Said Marinette, “we had some low-life dump a litter of kittens in our bin. I’ve been cleaning them up and nursing them until we can rehome them. Manon saw Tiny and, well, fell in love with her.”

Nadja gnawed at her bottom lip, watching Manon play with the kitten.

“She’s helped me with feeding them and playing with them.” Continued Marinette, “She’s also calmed down easier when the kitten’s with her.”

Nadja walked up to Manon and looked at the cat, before looking at Marinette, “She is house trained, right?”

Marinette nodded, “They know to use a litter tray or to go outside. I’ve actually had to go on my balcony wearing gloves because of them.”

“What does she eat?”

“Normal cat food, but she is partial to a piece of salmon every so often.” Answered Marinette, “Of course, she still needs to be chipped and spayed.”

“I’ll handle that.” Dismissed Nadja, as she picked Manon up, “I’ll drop around later to hash things out.”

Marinette smiled and waved Nadja, Manon and Kitty off, before whirling around on Chat, “How do you know?!”

“Both you and Ladybug were older.” Answered Chat, as Marinette gaped at him.

“So was Alya!”

D */Ten Years Later/*

Marinette quietly hummed to herself as Felix and Noir rolled around the room, she heard Hugo and Louis fighting over a toy and Emma gurgling up at Adrien.

“How’re things turning out with Nath?” Asked Adrien, looking up from their daughter.

“Lila’s managed to get him the medical care he needs,” Answered Marinette, as she flipped through her designs, “I think Alix is trying to get in contact with Marc, and Chloé and Sabrina are trying to get access to his home.”

“What about his problems?” Asked Adrien, as Noir barrelled into his leg.

“They’ve confiscated all the drugs he had on him,” Marinette sighed, “but he might have to be admitted to a Rehab facility.”

Adrien sighed through his nose, looking down at the cat clawing his way up his leg, “Plagg, a little help?”

“I keep telling ya, Kid, I don’t speak Cat.”

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everyfandomismine · 4 days ago

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Is this a safe space to talk about how marichat is the best and leat unhealthy relationship on that godforsaken show?? Let's look at the facts:

In Ladynoir, Ladybug is in love with someone else, and therefore, the relationship is immediately uneven: Chat Noir is head-over-heels in love with a girl who feels the same for a different person, and it just. Doesn't. Work. The feelings might be there for her, but he will always love her more, it's unhealthy, it's toxic. He's in love with a perfect person, who makes mistakes but will always fix it like magic; who holds the weight of the world on her shoulders and would never be able to truly prioritise him; who is just never going to feel as free as he does, because her civilian identity is just as real to her as Ladybug, if not more. He wants her to be perfect, and even though he accepts she isn't, there's always the expectation of doing the right thing no matter what, or fixing what's wrong whatever it takes and she's just... Not that. She tries to do good, but Marinette fails more than ladybug succeeds, and no matter how often she fixes her wrongs he doesn't want that. He wants the confidence of ladybug more than he wants her ugly sides. Her jealousy, her insecurities, her doubts. He loves a mask, and she can't love him back because she believes he's the same.

In Adrianette, it's literally the same thing, but somehow worst?? She's so insecure she does things that no unreasonable amount of alcohol could even justify, and she does it all while sober. She tries again and again to confess her feelings, only for everything to blow up on her face. The worst part is that she tries. She tries so much it hurts. Ladybug knows about Chat Noir's feelings, and lets him down as gently as she can, but Adrien?? He has no. idea. Not a clue, not a hint of understanding. He genuinely thinks she's a great friend, and it's saaad! Even if he does have feelings for her, he's in so much denial he can't see what's right there, what everyone else does. So she keeps trying, and she keeps failing, and he keeps not knowing any better. For a relationship between the two to even be possible, someone has to say something, and it would be. So. Uncomfortable. He would know how long she's loved him. He would think (or maybe know) she loves the idea of him more than who he is, because no matter how close they are, that's not him. That's a facade, a well crafted lie to keep the world away from his weaknesses, to keep his father from disappointment, to keep himself with the little control he's allowed. He's Chat Noir just as much as he's Adrien, and he would inevitably find out that Marinette doesn't like Chat like that. She loves him, but she's in denial about that, and regardless, no one knows how close they are so she just... Overcompensates. She says he's reckless, he's not funny, he's this, he's that and it would just break him to know it's a lie, and a fascination and idealisation more than love. He's Adrien, but he's also Chat Noir. He feels free as his hero persona, like he doesn't have to pretend, to have a mask of perfection. He's still kind, but now he cracks unfunny jokes while making her feel special. He allows himself to be mad, immature, unreasonable even, and she says she doesn't like that, because she wants him to know she loves him, but he knows that's not him so it just... Doesn't work.

For Ladrien, it should be perfect. He loves her, she loves him, but like I said. They're both masks. She likes the model, he likes the hero. They don't know each other, not really, and anything that breaks their carefully curated image could break them just as quickly. They aren't real, and neither wants to believe it. They make themselves perfect for the other, and it kills who they truly are in the process.

Now, marichat isn't the healthiest, I'll admit. He knows her as his civilian self but can't tell her just as she knows him as her superhero persona but can't tell him. But Marinette is not supposed to know Chat Noir, and Chat Noite is not supposed to know Marinette, so they just allow themselves to meets each other in a different light. He meets her outside of her crush, learns that she's capable of having a regular conversation without blushing or staggering over her own words. He learns she's stressed, and how hard she tries and how truly good she is without having to wear a mask around her. So he tells her he feels lonely, because no matter how close he gets to people (I imagine Nino to be the only person who gets to see more of him), he still feels the need to lie, or his identity could be at risk. Or his friends could be at risk. He talks about feeling trapped, and not having a choice, and wishing ladybug felt as free as he does and trusted him as he does her and Marinette just... Listens. She feels like she can't help him as ladybug, there's too much on the line, but Marinette? She can help. She can listen, and validate him, and say how important he is to ladybug and how much everyone trusts him, because her best friend runs a blog dedicated to the superheros, so of course she can tell how important he is to ladybug. She doesn't judge him for crying, or for deflecting, she doesn't act like she's in love whenever he smiles or flirts, because she loves him after already knowing who he is. And in return, so does he. Adrien falls for Marinette just as Ladybug falls for Chat Noir, but they can't say that. Admitting how they really feel would raise questions, questions they can't answer, so they just talk, and they just listen. She listens to him explaining that his feelings for ladybug go beyond the mask, but she also ends up making him see that without the mask, she's a stranger. He listens to her frustrations about the boy she likes, and can't help but make her see the facade. She loves Adrien, and he loves Ladybug, but they don't know the real person, not really. So they fall for each other. Two broken hearts, learning to grow and helping each other realise they don't need perfect. Hell, they don't even want perfect, they just want to feel in control, and that's just not the way love works, is it? They learn to let go, to lose the control and to actually fall. To fall in love without a rope to hold them back, without a parachute to offer resistance. They fall headfirst, with their eyes wide open and the trust that the other will be there to fall with, to make sure it doesn't hurt. It's not perfect, but they see everything. They can't have each other, but they can know the truth. They know that no matter what, someone understands them. Someone knows who they truly are. And it's real, and it's impossible. So they fall, but they know it can't be, so they let it be. They are friends who are in love with each other, because they would rather fight those feelings than lose what they have. Chat Noir loves Marinette, and she knows that. Marinette loves Chat Noir, and he knows that. But they can't be a thing, and they know that. They accept it. It's hard, and it hurts, but they are the only real thing they've even known, so as long as they don't have to leave, they're okay. It's tragic, but they wouldn't trade it for the world.

there is a world where they'll start dating as ladrien, or as marichat, but on this one? They know the risks. They understand why it's wrong, and why they can't, and why they're better off as friends. So they stay like that. Pretending like the live is purely platonic, when thy both know better. Pretending like their other personas don't know the other like they do, and living like that until it comes the time they'll be able to stop pretending. It's a dream, but it's possible and it keeps them going.

#miraculoustalesofladybugandcatnoir #marichat #can you tell I've been hiperfixating?#worst of all can u tell I never went past season 3??#don't look at me like that #they're besties your honor #but just because they can't be lovers #and Adrien having to pretend like he doesn't know Marinette like that is another think entirely #because Ladybug also has to pretend like she doesn't know Chat Noir #so it's just two idiots in love who can't be together because they know too much #so when Marinette stops being weird with Adrien and he has to pretend not to know why?? absolutely no chill #and than Chat Noir starts flirting and confessing less and Ladybug is like #FUCK I LOST HIM #and than there's a reveal and they feel like idiots #because of course they fell in love with the same person twice #WHY WOULDN'T THEY??#and now there's nothing stopping them from being together except #HOW DO WE EXPLAIN THIS TO EVERYONE ELSE??#yeah I've been in love with ladybug but HEY #Marinette imma right?#or #yeah I stalked Adrien and though he was perfect and wanted 3 kids and a hamster but like #he's a fucking moron and a dork and I love him even more for it even tho I kinda hate him half the time #I've got ADHD and nothing else to do #also I'm not good at explaining my opinions #BUT I'M RIGHT AND YOU KNOW IT #so yeah I need help and a cup of coffe #and I absolutely refuse to watch another second of this show when the fanfics slap as hard as they do #thanks for coming to my ted talk #I swear I'll learn how to do this eventually

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aidanchaser · 10 months ago

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Read Chapter 5 on Ao3

Though Marinette greeted the Lucky Lady’s patrons and took their orders with her usual grace and charm, she worked automatically. Her mind and her heart instead took up residence in Max’s office. As she seated a pair of young ladies, she wondered if Adrien was okay. As she poured a bottle of wine for a young veteran, she wondered if Adrien had fallen asleep. As she made her way out of the kitchen laden with plates, she wondered if he might have run away.

But despite her worry, she did not dare go up and check, and neither did anyone else.

The very first guests through the Lucky Lady’s doors were two burly men with white lilies pinned to their suits. They were polite, turned in weapons without complaint, and insisted on a corner table where they had a decent view of the entire floor. They ordered a single bottle of wine that they nursed all evening.

Though the staff regularly dropped money, information, or just pleasant conversation off in Max’s office, tonight it was as if the Lucky Lady had been built with a single floor. No one had any interest in drawing their guests’ attention to the stairs. Instead, Max made himself comfortable in the boys’ dressing room, and if he did need anything from his office, he used the rooftop entrance to slip in and out unseen.

Marinette, in her bright red dress, brilliant lipstick, and iconic mask did not have the luxury of slipping away unseen. She felt Gabriel’s men watching her specifically, so she was careful to give them no signs of distress. Her lipstick was freshly applied and her mask securely in place. She served her tables and made rounds to the others as well, engaging in polite chatter and keeping spirits high among the guests. That was her job as the face of the Lucky Lady.

And it was an exhausting job.

When she took her mid-evening break and turned in the evening’s first set of profits, she did not dare go outside for a smoke. She slumped onto the floor of the boys’ dressing room and looked up at Max, who had commandeered the boys’ table with stacks of ledgers.

“Do we have a plan?” she asked.

“For which part?” Max said, without pausing his careful count of the cash Marinette had handed him.

“Any of it.”

“Marc suggested firebombing Gabriel’s warehouse.”

Marinette wrinkled her nose. If Max was making jokes, they truly were in trouble. “Have you asked Chat Noir? He might have some… insight after his investigation today.”

Max picked up an envelope from the desk and dropped the cash inside. “You can ask him when you deliver these profits to the safe.”

“I’m not going up there. That’s exactly what they’re waiting for.”

“Cover up your dress, take off your mask, and don’t be seen.”

“But I’m on a break.”

“You’re supposed to deliver cash to the office before your break.”

She snatched the envelope from his hands and slunk across the hall to get her coat. Arguing with Max was no better than arguing with Alya. They were in charge because somehow they always managed to be right. Marinette, for all her luck, could not compete.

Though she readily pulled her coat over her dress, Marinette hesitated to take her mask off. She knew it would incite suspicion if Gabriel’s men caught sight of Ladybug sneaking onto the roof, but she was not about to go into that office bare-faced. Adrien could not know who Ladybug truly was; the very notion twisted her stomach into knots. As long as she wasn’t seen, wearing the mask shouldn’t matter.

So in her mask and the high red heels she wore as she worked work the floor of the Lucky Lady, she scaled the wall. She crouched low to avoid being seen, but a shadow behind one of the chimney walls moved as she approached. Marinette froze. In the dim evening light, she could see the shape of someone’s shoulder, shrouded in a dark coat. She thought longingly of her yo-yo, still tucked in the dressing table drawer.

Marinette crept closer, one hand ready to turn her belt into a weapon—but as she rounded the corner, she saw it was only Luka, without his mask and, like her, wearing a coat both to protect himself from the cold and to protect his fine, extravagant suit from wandering eyes

She groaned softly and slumped down beside him. “I thought you were one of Agreste’s men,” she sighed.

“Sorry. I didn’t think the alley was a safe place to get some fresh air tonight—are you still wearing your mask?”

Though she knew the answer, Marinette snapped, “Why shouldn’t I?”

“Because if Agreste’s men see Ladybug up here, they’ll know something’s wrong.”

Marinette hummed in irritation and reached into her pocket for a cigarette. She offered one to Luka, but he shook his head.

As she put the paper to flame, Luka gestured to the street below. “See the man reading the newspaper?”

Marinette squinted down to look at the line of cabbies, ready to transport the evening crowd between dinner, shows, and their homes. She saw the one Luka was referring to, the only one who had a newspaper out as he leaned against the door of his car.

“Can’t imagine he can read well in this lighting.”

“Don’t give him any excuses to be suspicious.” Luka snatched Marinette’s mask from her face. The string caught in her hair as he pulled and she winced as she tried to grab it back, but his lanky arms were no match for her. Even as he used one hand to untangle her hair, he used his other to keep the mask out of her reach.

Marinette blinked as the evening chill sank its teeth into her cheekbones. “Come on,” she hissed. “Max is sending me in there and Chat—Chat doesn’t know who I am.”

“Does it matter?” Luka asked.

It mattered more than anything, but she couldn’t tell him that. Irritably, she pulled a cigarette and lighter from her coat pocket. “Do you know who he is?”

Luka shrugged. “I don’t know his name, but I think I know his measure.”

“He said he stayed with you?”

“He’s given you that stray line, hasn’t he?”

Marinette nodded as she pressed the paper to flame.

“I’m sure I’m not the only person he stayed with, but I always kept a place for him. He came in and out like any good cat would. Why do you ask?”

“I just—” She paused to take a drag of her cigarette and collect her thoughts. She felt fragmented, burned out by the truth of who Chat Noir was and what he had been to her—what he had always been to her. “What you said about his family, I thought… I thought maybe you knew him.”

“He doesn’t open up so easily. But he told me some things. If half of what he told me is true, his father could give Gabriel Agreste a run for his money.”

Marinette choked on the smoke in her lungs. “What do you mean?”

Luka tipped his head back and looked up at the stars. “He let it slip once that he had family in Paris. When I asked why he couldn’t stay with them, he told me that he’d grown up feeling like a prisoner in his own home. Always watched, alway under guard. War breaking out gave him an opportunity to escape, at least for a while. Said his family would be preoccupied with profit and he could get away in the meantime. I don’t know why he was so insistent on keeping his face hidden even from me, though. Honestly, I wondered if Mayor Bourgeois had a bastard son for a while.”

Belatedly Marinette realized that Luka was trying to make a joke, and she grunted a laugh but it was too late and too awkward.

Luka pulled his gaze down from the sky and looked at Marinette. His pale eyes looked almost silver in the moonlight. “I’m sure you’re worried about Adrien, but I believe Chat Noir when he says he didn't hurt him. I don’t think he could.”

Marinette said nothing, unsure how to respond without spilling Adrien’s secret. So instead, she merely held the cigarette out to Luka. He hadn’t smoked in years, but tonight felt like the sort of night to lean on old habits. Luka, as he always did, showed more resilience than Marinette could dream of. He waved her offer away and pulled himself up, though he did not fully straighten out of a crouch, lest his height give them away.

“I’d better get back. I’ll leave your mask in the girl’s dressing room.”

“No, wait, Luka—” she hissed at him, but he was already slinking over the edge of the rooftop and out of her reach.

She laid herself out on the concrete helplessly, one hand still outstretched to where Luka had vanished and the other clinging to her cigarette. In desperation, she mussed her hair and tried to pull it low over her face, but the bob refused to comply. With a low groan, she put the cigarette out against the chimney wall and crawled to the hidden panel that led down into Max’s office. A large, non-working light hid the seams of the trapdoor, and Marinette shifted it as slowly as possible. The last thing she needed was someone to look up and notice fixtures moving.

Once she had the trapdoor up, there was a second catch for the panel of Max’s office. Marinette tried not to think about Chat Noir fumbling with the catch, hands slick with blood, struggling to stay on his feet after being shot by his own father.

Marinette also tried not to think about what would happen when she dropped down into that office without her mask. She pulled her coat tighter against her throat. Could she pretend she was just Marinette, dropping by? Maybe if she took off her gloves, smudged her makeup again…

But as she lifted the second panel, she was met with nothing but darkness.

Her heart raced, but she dropped into the pitchblack regardless. The carpet muffled her fall and she hesitated, ears on alert for any unseen dangers. When none came, she called tentatively, “Chat?”

“I’m here,” a voice to her left whispered.

She turned to see his silhouette against the window, only his edges haloed by the streetlights outside.

“That is you, isn’t it, Ladybug?”

“It’s me,” she answered, then bit down on her tongue. If he decided to turn on a light, she would have no excuse or explanation for what he saw. She fumbled for Max’s desk and considered knocking his lamp to the floor and hoping it broke. “Why are you in the dark?”

“They’re watching.”

Marinette slid the envelope through the deposit drop on top of the safe and joined Adrien by the window. “‘They?’”

He lifted his chin a vaguely westward direction and Marinette turned to look. She found the cab driver Luka had pointed out to her.

“One of my father’s men.”

“So close the curtains.”

There was a hesitation, something caught in his throat, and then he managed, “I’d rather keep an eye on him.”

Marinette recalled what Luka had said about Adrien feeling like a prisoner in his own home. It was not hard to draw the line between Luka’s brief story, the Chat Noir she knew who always had his eye on exits, and the Adrien who had taken risk after risk just to escape his bodyguards during their one summer together.

“No one wants to keep you here against your will,” she said.

He snorted. “I think Rena has a different opinion.”

“She’s just looking out for your safety—”

“I’ve heard that before.”

“You were shot.”

“I’ve been shot before, too.”

Marinette leaned against the wall on the other side of the window and tried to make out his expression in the darkness. It was hard to see much more than a line of silver where his hair met the window and the tiniest bit of white on the edge of his nose and chin. Even the blood stains against his stomach were little more than black spots bleeding into a blurry gray.

Though it was a risk to add more light, she reached into her coat and pulled out two fresh cigarettes. She held one out to him.

He hesitated only briefly before reaching for it. He took her lighter, too, and was careful to hide the flame behind his hand so no one watching would see it. She did the same as she lit her own.

Even in the dark, she could see his shoulders sag as he let out a breath of smoke. She could tell by the light caught in his lashes that he had his eyes closed.

“Can I ask you a question?” she whispered.

“Isn’t that a question?”

It was exactly the sort of joke Adrien might’ve made, grinning in the late summer sunset. It was the same quip Chat Noir would have given her on her balcony with a quirked eyebrow beneath his mask. But she could see no sign of a smile now, no quirk of his lips even as the amber glow of his cigarette illuminated them.

She pressed ahead regardless. “When you told me to investigate your father last night, how much did you already know?”

“Everything I told you was everything I knew at the time. I didn’t exactly have Chloé as my date last night for fun. I knew you would be listening. I only stayed behind after she left because… well, I wanted to see you alone.”

Marinette bit down on her tongue to keep herself from choking on it. That wasn’t especially fair of him, not when he had turned away when Ladybug had tried to kiss him. “Why not show up as Chat Noir?”

“My freedom’s been… well, I don’t have much of it, any rate. My father’s gotten worse and he keeps getting worse. Besides, how could I have explained what I knew?”

“You still managed to show up at the warehouse.”

“My father locked the windows on my bedroom so I couldn’t get out. He did not, however, lock the windows in his office. My new role managing his money meant I had access to the office. Last night, I was worried I hadn’t given you enough to go on, or that you wouldn’t trust my word as Adrien, so once everyone was asleep, I snuck out through his office. I thought if I could find out what he was smuggling and tell you, you could stop him. That’s also what I tried to do tonight, though it didn’t go nearly so well.”

Marinette watched the embers at the end of his cigarette drift to the wound in his side.

“You found what you were looking for, didn’t you?”

His laugh was soft and dry. “I suppose I did.”

Marinette rolled her cigarette between her thumb and her forefinger. “Can I ask one more question?”

He took in another lungful of smoke before sighing, “If you’re going to ask how long I’ve known about my father’s work, I’ve known since my mother died.”

“That wasn’t what I wanted to ask.”

But when he did not give her permission to press, she stayed silent. She reached over to Max’s desk and fumbled along its surface for the ash tray. Once she found it, she tapped her cigarette against its edge, then passed the tray to Adrien.

He obliged and tapped his cigarette against the crystal bowl before she placed it precariously on the window ledge. Finally, he gestured for her to continue.

“I just want to know why you went back to your father.”

Even in the thin threads of street light, she could see every muscle in his body go taut.

“I know that after your mother died—I mean, I can imagine how hard it was after your mother passed, but you obviously have had some freedom for a while. You didn’t have to go back after the war—You had us, Adrien.” It was the first time she had used his name as Ladybug, and the first time she had used it so tenderly in years. As it fell from her lips, the rest of her voice seemed to fall with it. She had more she wanted to say to prove to him that he had always been where he belonged, but the words could not come. Instead, his name hung between them, a weighted, bulky thing. She wondered if he could hear the heartbreak in her voice, if he knew just how much he mattered to her.

Because, in the end, Marinette did love him. She may not have been willing to admit it until he turned up with blood on his hands, and she might hate herself for that, but she did love him. And she wanted him to know it.

The glow of his cigarette flared as he took in a long draw of smoke. He let it out in a slow, steady stream from his mouth and nose that curled around his hand. When he did speak, his voice was soft and distant, like he was speaking to her from a different room, and like he was answering a fully different question.

“When my mother died, I knew it was because of my dad’s work. I thought she was a victim, a piece on a chess board that had been leveraged against him by a rival. I thought he was so careful with me because he didn’t want me to become that victim, either. But after an… incident around the time Germany invaded, I learned the truth. My mother was his accomplice. I didn’t believe it until I saw the books written in her hand. She kept all of his accounts, suggested deals and business opportunities—I wasn’t thrilled to be shipped off to England, but I was plenty eager to get out of my father’s house.”

He paused to take another lungful of smoke. The crescents of his cuticles caught the orange glow of his cigarette as the embers encroached on the end of the paper. Still, he did not put it out.

“I wasn’t in London long. My cousin’s family was already making plans to head to the country. But within a week, I was sick of all my news being filtered through my father’s right hand woman—and I’m sure she wasn’t particularly pleased about being demoted to nanny for his adult son—so my cousin and I hatched a plan. His father had been insisting that he join the military, and I wanted out. We’d always looked alike, so he pretended to be me and stayed, while I left and pretended to his parents that I was him, and that I would ship out with the British Infantry.”

Marinette no longer remembered the question she had originally asked. She was too enraptured by his tale. “And it worked?”

“His mother found out, but she didn’t say anything. She didn’t want her son going to war, but she didn’t know how to stand up to her husband. Our lie made everyone happy, so she let it slide. I came right back to Paris, found you raiding one of my father’s warehouses, and jumped right in. I suppose you know the rest.” He put his cigarette out in the ash tray and left the end of it there on the windowsill. The streetlight glinted off of the silver ring around his finger and Marinette’s heart leapt into her throat.

His mother’s wedding ring. She’d seen Adrien wear it, had held it, slid her fingers against it, but had never known it existed beneath Chat Noir’s gloves.

“After the war, I couldn’t very well pretend my cousin was still fighting on the frontlines, so I went back to London. My plan was to return to Paris under my own name, gather what money I could, and run. Maybe to you—I didn’t know—I didn’t expect to be put under lock and key when I returned.”

In lieu of a cigarette to hold, he twisted the ring around his finger. Marinette offered him what was left of hers, and he took it gratefully. He took in two lungfuls, drinking the smoke like it was the end of a bottle of whiskey.

“Two weeks,” he said, voice raw and cracked from the smoke, “two weeks of nothing but the four walls of my bedroom and my mother’s diaries. I think my father thought she’d do more to convince me than he could. But it wasn’t… it wasn’t what I wanted it to be. I think I had imagined she was torn, or she felt compelled or, or—” The glimmering end of the cigarette dragged across his face as he buried his failing words in his palm.

She wished desperately for some light, some glimpse of his face, but to know him was to allow herself to be known, and she wasn’t ready for that. But she did reach her hand out to him, only for him to lean away. He vanished from what little light there was from the window and fell into the corner.

Marinette swallowed down a surge of hurt. She had known Adrien through such intense swells of grief, had sat with Chat Noir through a dozen melancholy evenings, and at no point had he shied away from her hand like it might worsen his wound. She knew what Marinette had done to hurt him, but she did not know why he refused Ladybug in this way. “Chaton…”

“Please, don’t—”

“I’m sorry—”

He took in a sudden gulp of air, ragged and desperate, louder than any words they had exchanged so far, and Marinette realized with a shock that he was trying not to cry. When he spoke again, his voice was barely a whisper. “She loved it. She loved the thrill, the excitement, the danger—she loved it until it got her killed and I—when I read her journals I saw—I saw you in her excitement, her creativity, her planning—and I couldn't—” He lost his words to another burst of tears, a ragged and desperate gasp. “I didn’t want that, I couldn’t want that.”

As if this explanation undid his rejection, Marinette crossed the window to reach him. She was no longer concerned with who might see her nor how the thin light might hit her bare face. As Adrien sank to the floor, she followed him, even as he tried to curl in on himself. She plucked the cigarette from his fingers before he could singe his hair as he buried his head in his arms. She sat beside him, her body pressed against his, the way they had used to hide in the back of her parents’ delivery truck. She slid her fingers through his the way she had the first time he had spoken to her about his mother in a voice almost as broken. She pressed her lips to his arm, the only part of him she could reach.

“You don’t have to tell me the rest,” she whispered.

With that small permission, he shifted his arms and his weight, enough that she had an opening to truly and properly hold him. This time, when she reached out for him, he fell against her chest and buried his face into her coat.

Marinette had never held Adrien quite like this. There had been tears, for during that summer his grief had been fresh in a different way. And even Chat Noir had had moments touched by melancholy. But these muffled sobs against her chest were new. He gripped her hand with the desperation of a man drowning. She ran her other hand through his hair and down his neck, the way her mother had always done for her.

This was how she had cried when her letters to Adrien had gone unanswered. She recognized the loneliness, knew what it was to be abandoned by someone you loved and trusted.

Just hours ago, Marinette had denied him her love just as his parents had. It was no wonder he felt so alone, no wonder he had gone after his father in a state of recklessness. Hadn’t Marinette done the same after Adrien had left her when she had taken on the job of defending Paris in the middle of a war?

So she held him the way she had been held, the way she had wanted to be cared for. She held him until his tears dried out and his breathing slowed. She rubbed circles into his spine until he relaxed enough to let go of her hand, until enough of his sense returned and his cheeks suddenly burned hot against hers.

“I’m sorry,” he mumbled, but she shushed him and pressed her lips to his temple.

“You have nothing to apologize for.”

She was the one who had failed him, who had failed to see just how much he was struggling. She lashed out in her hurt; he’d turned his inward.

He pulled away from her and she let him go. He fell back into the wall with a heavy thud. “I need you to know—I—I never told my father this was what I wanted. I swear.”

“I believe you,” she said, with an earnestness she might not have felt an hour before.

“He didn’t even ask me to take my mother’s place so much as told me to. He put her ledgers and her gun in my hands and I—I told him I wouldn’t, I swore to him I wouldn’t, and he—”

“I believe you,” she repeated more forcefully. She reached her hand out into the darkness and found the bump of his knee.

“I’m not him. I’m not him and I’m not her either.” His words bled together like the notes of a drunken soldier’s song. “I’m not him,” he repeated a third time as Marinette searched through the darkness for his hand. When she found it, she squeezed it.

He squeezed back, albeit half-heartedly. When his grip loosened, she leaned forward and anxiously pressed the back of her hand to his nose and mouth. He murmured something unintelligible, but did not stir as his breath fell hot and warm against her skin. Still unsatisfied, she traced her fingers across his jaw until she found his pulse. Though it was faint, like music from an adjacent room, it was steady. She did not think he was going to die on her tonight.

“Adrien?” she whispered.

He stirred beneath her hand, but said nothing, as if he was fighting sleep and losing quickly. She reached into her coat pocket and removed her penlight. She was careful to shield the light from his face, but she used her small flashlight to hunt for the pillow Luka had retrieved. She placed it carefully behind Adrien’s head, hoping it might alleviate some stiffness when he awoke.

She was quiet as she used a chair to climb up and out of the office. She could only imagine how much he needed this rest. His physical wounds aside, and even dismissing the emotional stress he had just shared with her, she knew how long he had been awake because he had spent much of the last twenty-four hours with her.

As she hugged the rooftop to avoid being seen by anyone on the street below, she considered her unfortunate position. He had rejected Ladybug for she reminded him too much of his mother, particularly the part of her he feared or perhaps even resented. She could understand that. Marinette, however, had rejected Adrien outright for his ties to his father. His tired and worn insistence that he was not his father seemed meant for Marinette as much as for Ladybug. How many more times was she going to hurt him?

At least once more, she thought, when he finds out the truth.

It was harder getting down the building than up in her heels, but she managed it with some effort. The door to the back hallway of the Lucky Lady pulled open easily, and Marinette slid back into the world of laughing guests, loud music, and thick smoke.

But before she could return her coat to the ladies’ dressing room, a burly pair of shoulders, nearly as wide as the hallway itself, appeared at the end of the hallway, broader even than Ivan.

Marinette froze as she took in the man’s face—and the white lily pinned to his suit.

His eyes looked her up and down and she knew at once that he recognized her as the girl in the bakery, for she recognized him as Adrien’s bodyguard. Her fingers twitched, but she did not need to feel her face and check for her mask. She knew it was gone. There was no helping it; she had been spotted.

#ml fic #ml 1920s au #miraculous ladybug #miraculous ladybug fanfic

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miraculouslbcnreactions · 1 year ago

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Perhaps it's just me being salty for the whole s4 and s5, Kuro Neko and Ephemeral in particular. But I couldn't see a possibility of Adrienette break up because, say, Adrien know she's hiding a major thing about his life and feeling betrayed by it, without Adrien realizing that Marinette was hurt by his "outburst" and then then say sorry for being so "emotional" that he hurt her, just like what happened in Kuro neko.

This show is really, really bad at letting Adrien express himself in healthy ways. I've mentioned before that I think Chat Noir is in the wrong in Kuro Neko and it's not because he's not allowed to be hurt or quit. He had legitimate feelings and concerns! It's his handling of those feelings and concerns that was deeply unhealthy and unreasonable. He kept those things bottled up inside, never talking to Ladybug about what was wrong even though the writers chose to actively have her ask if he was okay, meaning he was straight up prompted to express himself, but didn't. Since he didn't, Ladybug had no idea until he took drastic measures, which is a good example of unhealthy relationships and a real life issue that many of us have probably experienced or seen.

Someone does something that upsets another person, but the injured party says nothing because they think the offensive is obvious even though it's super not obvious. At least, it's not obvious to the person causing the offense. So they keep doing the offensive thing and the other person keeps feeling hurt until there's a massive blowup where both parties end up feeling hurt.

This is just a thing that humans do. We build up stories in our heads based on our own perceptions of events, personal wants, and personal beliefs, but those stories are often unrealistic or at least warped versions of reality.

"My friends never call me, so they don't love me," said by someone with a large social battery who would happily do things every night of the week. Meanwhile their friend is over here thinking everything is fine because, in their world, it's perfectly normal to go months without talking. The two friends' different perceptions, wants, and beliefs about what a good friendship looks like is leading to a conflict that would be easily solved if the upset person just asked the hard question.

youtube

I don't think the above really applies to the secrets Marinette is currently keeping. At least, they don't on Adrien's side. Breakups don't need a logical reason, but if they did, Adrien would more than enough logical reasoning behind dumping the girl who hid massive, life-changing secrets from him. Getting angry and yelling at her would be perfectly valid reactions. But I also agree with your worry about the show turning it into Adrien somehow being in the wrong because the show hasn't handled a single complex conflict well.

A lot of that is due to the asinine "every episode must stand alone" rule, which is a terrible rule for a show with an actual overarching plot. Sitcoms mostly stick to petty drama for a reason. There are very few serious topics that you can introduce and handle in 20 minutes. Add in the rule that every episode has to have some sort of fight, eating up even more of your run time? And it's no wonder the show is such a total disaster.

I would not be surprised if season six ends up being a sort of inverted version of season four's conflict or even a straight rehash, which is straight up obnoxious because what was the point of season four if neither of these characters learned how to communicate? Marinette is still keeping secrets and I have no doubt that Adrien will continue to fail at expressing his very valid needs if he's even allowed to have them. Add in the fact that Lila is the new villain and is it any wonder so many of us have hit a breaking point where we no longer want to watch this painful mess?

Can you tell that poor communication as a plot point is a major pet peeve of mine? About the only time it really works is in literary fiction that's supposed to be a character study. In plot driven narratives it's just obnoxious. The fact that this is a show for little kids makes me even more annoyed because this is not suited to a kids show. I've said it before and I'll say it again: they're writing teen drama complexity in a Y7 show and of course that leads to a terrible final product!

#ml writing critical #ml writing salt #adrien deserves better #marinette deserves better

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starsfic · 2 years ago

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Imagine when Lilia comes to the boiling isles, it's cause she's running from a bus supposed to correct her while Marinette and Adrien are trying to get her on there

(Vee will still pose as Luz, Camilia's finance are stable again but she's deeply troubled by Lilia's self-centered personality

The battle against Shadowmoth had been long and hard.

But, at the end, good triumphed over evil.

Gabriel Agreste was arrested with his accomplices Nathalie Sancoeur, Chloé Bourgeois, and Lila Rossi. The latter was why Ladybug and Chat Noir found themselves in the police station with Gina Rossi, an Italian diplomat, and Alya. (Ladybug wasn’t sure how the latter got in here (based on her face, neither did she) but she was willing to let Alya get a look.)

“Based on her records, this seems…” Roger hissed through his teeth as he flipped through the file. “Not a surprise.” he finally settled on.

Gina looked ready to faint. “This isn’t new behavior?”

Roger looked up from the file with a raised brow. “Ma’am, did you not look at the record of the girl you were adopting?” Ladybug opened her mouth, only barely managing to get ahold of herself to clap her hands over Chat and Alya’s mouths before the questions could come out. She had no idea Lila had even been adopted. Poor Mrs. Rossi looked ready to faint already. “According to her file, starting at a young age, Lila has shown a history of lying.”

“That can’t- I didn’t-” Gina snatched the file and started scanning it, her face slowly getting more and more pale. “...this can’t…” Ladybug released her partner and her best friend’s mouths so they could step closer and peek over. Alya whistled.

Lila’s file was long.

The first recorded incident was when Lila was five. She accused a daycare worker of giving her food she was allergic to. The new manager had fired the poor girl on the spot, not even giving her a chance to explain until Lila’s bio mom, one Ms. Camila Noceda, had come to pick the twins up from daycare.

“Lila doesn’t have allergies.”

The daycare worker, as it turned out, had said no to Lila taking a doll from Luz. She had been restated with much higher pay soon after. The Nocedas had given her money for the lost wages.

The second had been aimed at a family friend of the Nocedas. Six-year-old Lila, with a new black eye, had accused the boy of hitting her at a party. The entire family had been outraged until they learned the boy wasn’t there…by him returning from his part time job. As it turned out, Lila had just tripped.

The pattern continued. Lila would lie, only to have her lie revealed. As time continued, the lies grew bigger and closer together. Soon, Lila was lying all the time. In the notes that Gina flipped through, Ladybug made a note.

Most of the lies were revealed by Lila’s twin, Luz, or the girl’s bio parents. Distance began to appear. The last incident happened…

Her blood ran cold.

There had been an accident on a family boating trip. Luz Noceda had fallen overboard while apparently not wearing her life vest. Lila had never been solidly accused, but it was noted that she was the last one to see Luz alive. The little girl’s body had never been found.

Now, Marinette knew Lila was bad. Who got a kick out of lying to people? But she was starting to learn, more and more, how evil she was.

Luz had been like her. A weird girl who still spoke the truth and disrupted Lila’s lies. Unlike her, she had been listened to. And for that, Lila had possibly killed her.

(For a second, she felt smug. Adrien could take the high road and shove it.)

“We actually called Camila Noceda in to ask her questions,” Roger said, wreaking the silence. “She’s on her way in now.”

“Does she need someone to pick her up?” Chat Noir asked.

Roger shook his head. “You misunderstand. She’s walking into the building now.”

The door opened. “Right this way, madame,” an officer said in English. “Camila Noceda is here, sir.”

Camila Noceda was a woman with dark bags under her eyes and a soft frown. She wore a yellow sweater that seemed to have been hastily pulled over a medical uniform. She was a pretty older woman with grey starting to soften the dark curls in her hair. Ladybug couldn’t see any resemblance to Lila from just one look.

“What did she do?”

Roger blinked. “What?”

“Lila. What did she do this time?” Chat and Alya both winced at the harshness. Camila sighed and rubbed her eyes. “Sorry. It’s a surprise to get a call about your biological daughter so late in the evening.”

“It’s nothing to be offended about, madame,” Ladybug couldn’t help but take a step forward and grip Camila’s hand. Exhaustion lined the poor woman’s voice, and this whole experience, based on the last incident, must’ve been making her flashback. “I’m sorry to have to drag you in like this. We just have some questions about Lila Rossi’s lying habit.”

A warm smile bloomed to life. “Thank you, sweetheart,” Camila reached up and patted her cheek. Maternal warmth seemed to seep off her now. Ladybug couldn’t help but lean into the warm touch, suddenly reminded of her own mother. “I’m happy to answer any questions, but what did Lila do?”

Oh boy. Ladybug glanced around. Roger, Chat, and Alya didn’t meet her eyes. It seemed like-

“It was my fault.” Gina stood up straight, shoulders clenched. “I’m Gina Rossi, Lila’s m…” She paused and shook her head. “Lila’s adoptive mother. I think we spoke on the phone when I adopted her.”

Camila nodded. “We did. You were so excited to welcome Lila into your family.” Her smile turned sadder. “I hated giving up on Lila, but I couldn’t…” She sighed. “I couldn’t give her the help she needed.”

Gina nodded. “Neither could I,” she whispered. Camila cocked her head. “I didn’t look at her file closely. I didn’t read about all the incidents, the lying, everything. I let her manipulate me.” Gina reached up and rubbed her forehead. “She helped a terrorist attack Paris because I enabled her.”

Camila’s eyes went wide. “She did what?!”

“She also skipped over a year of school!” Gina’s voice choked into a sob. “She’s getting me in trouble with the embassy because she made up stories about traveling everywhere, she’s getting into legal trouble, and she almost ruined one poor girl’s life!”

Camila clearly flinched. “She did?”

“Yes!” Alya stepped forward. “My best friend, Marinette Dupain-Cheng.” Ladybug blinked. “I…I also helped enable her. Without knowing! But I still helped her.” She presented the phone to Camila, who looked ready to faint. “I’m really sorry, Mrs. Noceda.”

Camila took the phone, allowing Ladybug to see that Alya had pulled up the Ladyblog. Specifically, on the video of Volpina helping Shadowmoth.

The woman was eerily quiet, staring at the screen. Her eyes were wide as the video first played. They narrowed as the video replayed a second time. A third time.

“...I…I can’t believe this.” Camila passed the phone back to Alya. Her hands were shaking, as though she was ready to throw the phone. “No. You know what? I can believe Lila would do that.”

Roger stepped forward. “Your answers will help us make sure, madame.”

“Ask away,” Camila said, taking a deep breath in and letting it out. “And then I want to talk to her. Luz has some questions of her own.”

The door opened, revealing a girl. She was pretty, with golden hairclips pushing back hair to reveal golden eyes.

“Where’s my sister?”

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