#Marinette needs a vacation and a therapist | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

thecaptainhelm · 4 years

Text

Good Love

ayyy, ch.1 to a however long i say series, it’s daminette, it’s wet, and i’m raring to go babey. *sips hot tea from a champagne glass, like a classy mofo* imma bout to fuck y’all up

Enjoy!

Damian Wayne knew two things that morning.

He was sore.

Marinette took another one of his firsts.

His body was heavy, his eyes itched, his back hurt and his arms felt like lead. Everything without a doubt indicated his form bearing a dull pain. It was his own fault, though.

He didn’t want to break up with her. Marinette was one of the few good people he knew he could keep close without the threat of being stabbed in the back, both figuratively and literally. She was someone he could lean on wholeheartedly, through choking tears and bright, breathless laughter. Marinette loved to laugh, especially with him, it seemed.

All of that was the problem, surprisingly..

Looking back, it was never a problem, more of a false dilemma that wouldn’t leave him alone, whispering from the corners of his mind whenever things felt too good to be true.

You don’t deserve this.

What made you think you could be happy like this?

How dare you, after all you’ve done!

It was only a matter of time until he ruined her. So he made a choice. He ended it, rather mundanely too, considering the life he led.

So, while every fiber of his being was protesting, he headed home to Marinette, for the last time.

When he got to the apartment, his mood was somber. This was going to be rather sudden, an actual spur of the moment decision after all. Marinette would be devastated. His girlfriend was in the kitchen, pushing chopped vegetables into a pot next to the stove. She’d been excited to make soup for them tonight for the past two days. He was going to ruin that.

Better now than later, he’d felt.

“Marinette, we need to have a discussion.” She looked up from the counter as she stopped mixing the batter, and he gazed at her softly. He wouldn’t be able to do things like this with her anymore. Not ever.

“Yes, cheri? Oh, you don’t look so good,” she swiftly wiped her hands on the embroidered towel he bought for the apartment when they first moved in together and raised a hand to check the temperature of his neck and forehead. He slowly pulled away and she frowned.

“You don’t have a fever, is it something else, maybe? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this pale.”

“It’s not an illness, Marinette,” he grabbed her hand and pulled her to the loveseat they argued over getting. She wanted a love seat, while he would rather have a small armchair. He admitted grudging defeat when he saw that it fit the decor more, while allowing more intimate room for cuddling. He tried to stop thinking about the sudden memories, but they were everywhere. The furniture, the charcoal drawings on the wall, the throw blanket on the couch, the tapestry next to the balcony window, all of it.

Once, before he’d come to this decision, these things filled his chest with warmth, a soft and gentle happiness that he was growing more addicted to by the day. Now he didn’t want to look, not anymore, not ever.

“Marinette, I’m,” Damian choked, peering earnestly into her eyes. Under the fluorescent lighting, they pulled him in with their sweet and understanding look. He could say anything else. He could tell her that he used to be an assassin, that he used to be Robin, that he was going to become Batman, anything but this and she would never have to know that he had almost ended their relationship. He could marry her, instead of going through with this, but...

Not anymore, not ever.

She silently patted his hand, and he grabbed it, hating himself as he steeled his nerves.

“I’m,” he breathed. “I’m, my therapy is doing well. Going well, I meant to say, that is, I’ve--” The speech he prepared was all but useless, a mere guideline. Marinette gazed at him with patience.

“I’ve come to understand myself a bit more, and I decided that I needed to do some things,” he lamely stated.

“I need to go back home, to do that. Back to Gotham, where my family is, but I’m,” Here it was. Fuck.

“I’m not taking you with me, Marinette.”

Silence, then: “I understand, Damian. Whatever you need, I’ll support you, okay? I love you, so much.” She moved to hug him, but he painfully leaned away from her touch, letting go of her hand in the process. He would never be able to hold her again, not ever.

No, you don’t understand, he thought, and hopefully you never will.

“Marinette, I’m breaking up with you,” he swallowed harshly. “I’m sorry, but I can’t allow myself to use you like I have anymore.”

“...What, use me? Damian you aren’t making sense,” she reached for him again, but he scooted away to the other end of the loveseat.

“I had realized that, sometime ago, I began to use you as a crutch. You constantly support me, love me, and listen to me, to a fault, in fact,” he looked somberly at the floor before meeting her gaze again.

“I started to treat you like you were my therapist, not my girlfriend. I’m sorry, Marinette. I’m so, so sorry.”

She laughed wetly. “It’s fine, Damian, cheri, I promise it’s fine. As long as we know about it and address it together, then we can fix this, together. I promise, so, please…” She started to choke back tears.

He shook his head. “I’ve made my decision, Ha-- Marinette.”

“Well, what do I get to say in all this?!” She snapped. “I don’t want to break up with you, at all Damian Wayne, I,” she blinked hard.

“Damian, I want to be with you, for a long, long time. I want...” She stopped trying to get the words out, and started trying not to cry instead. She seemed to be resigning herself. Good, he thought as his chest twinged. This is for the best.

Once more, you’ve proven yourself a monster.

Even she, whom you claim to love, gets hurt in the end.

You really are a bastard.

“I’m sorry. I,” I never wanted to hurt you. It’s better this way, I promise. Please don’t cry. I’m so sorry. So, so very sorry. I love you. I’ll always love you, Habibti, Rabia. Ya Amar.

"Au Revoir, Marinette.”

It had gone as smoothly as a breakup could, in the end. He dreamed of turning back countless times, made himself sick from it even, as though his body knew that he couldn’t live without her..

Damian began to move his things out the next day, to be directly shipped back to the manor. He’d already sent the message to Alfred, though his reply gave the impression that he would have a lot of explaining to do. She was his first crush, his first girlfriend, and now his first ex.

The hardest part, unsurprisingly, was avoiding Marinette.

She was the only person he knew in New York, besides his therapist and his coworkers at a finance firm, but the part that made it impossible to avoid her was that she was a self-employed businesswoman. Quite successful in fact, successful enough to pull vacation days on his ass as she got a second wind to persuade him back into her arms.

That night, he’d slept on the couch, but he could hear her muffled crying, so he slept in his car for the rest of the week. During that time, she tried talking to him again, wanting an explanation. He gave her the same thing in different words each time, so she started to change her approach.

She came at him softly, gently, and lovingly, every time. They talked, they discussed. He would say the same things again, and she would come up with a new reason for him to stay. He would waver, and she would hold him like he could shatter at any moment. Then he would get mad and she would get mad, and they would start to argue and argue and argue, all while he packed his belongings, and she pleaded behind him like she was doing everything to keep him from leaving.

He wanted to turn back so many times, fall into her embrace like nothing ever happened. He wanted to be with her, be in love with her, and her to be in love with him. He wanted that for the rest of forever and far beyond that.

You’re undeserving of her love.

You don’t have emotions, you never have.

You can’t be like other people, not ever.

“Not ever,” he whispered.

He stood in the doorway, looking out into the hall. Marinette was behind him, leaning against the door.

“So, I really can’t change your mind?” He turned around. Her arms were wrapped around her waist, a defeatist smile on her lips.

He shook his head.

Marinette gazed up at him, and he was struck by the sudden fact that this was it. He would never see her again after this day, for the rest of his life. He burned her image into memory, the way her long skirt fell as she stepped up to him, the slight sound of her rustling turtleneck sweater, her scent lightly wafting around them as her hair fell from her shoulder, all as she moved towards him. For the last time.

I love you, his heart pleaded him to say, I was wrong, Rabia, I’m still in love with you! Please, take me back. I’ll never be so foolish again.

“I’m sorry.” He said.

“I know,” her lips pulled into something kinder, but she didn’t seem to have the strength to smile. Her arms made an aborted motion to hug him and he appreciated her restraint. He had to leave, before he crumpled.

“Damian,” she called as he was halfway down the hall. He stopped but didn’t turn back.

“You have nothing to be sorry for,” he heard her shuffle. Silence, then:

“And, I am so very proud of you, Damian. Thank you, for loving me. Thank you for allowing me to love you as long as you did. I’ll always cherish our time together.” This was…

"J't'aime et au revoir, Damian. Toujours, j’t’aime.” He whirled around as the door clicked shut.

Marinette had given him her blessings, as well as bid him farewell. It’s truly over.

He swallowed, and headed down the elevator, walked to the parking garage, unlocked his car. He sat in the passenger seat, unthinking, before closing the door and sliding behind the wheel. At some point he started driving, but halfway through he realized that he wasn’t on the way home to Gotham. He pulled over in the middle of nowhere and cut the engine. Nothing and no one was around. He started to feel a little lonely and heartbroken. He didn’t want this, not all.

He wanted Marinette. Damian tightly gripped the wheel, knuckles pale.

“Don’t you dare,” he hissed to himself. “Don’t even think about it. Just, go home.”

Home was in an apartment in uptown New York. Home was where Marinette was.

No! His vision went red.

He grabbed the penknife from under the dash and he viciously stabbed himself in the leg, over and over again, shouting and shrieking in accordance with his true nature.

“You’re going back to the manor! Habibti doesn’t deserve someone broken like you! She doesn’t need you, any of your problems, any of your burdens, any of your so called love!” He stopped, breathing frenzied.

“She needs someone human. That someone is not you, Tafrukh Shaytan.” He slumped, panting.

It would never be him. Not anymore. Not ever.

-----

no more me 2000 bc twinges in two thousand words or less. class of ‘06 (3006)

lmao i meant wet with tears, psh, you thought, have you seen my icon?

My ao3

#daminette #maribat #the projection of my mental health never looked so sexy #i <3 u 3000 ni no more me 2000 #fanfic #I'm Still in Love With Her #ch.1 #tw: self harm

49 notes · View notes

queen-of-the-trash-planet-tm · 5 years

Text

The Most Vibriant Color In the Rainbow (Jasonette)

Red. It was in your veins, it’s the color of fire and the setting sun. Red was the color of France’s superhero. A heroine that was wilting like a rose. She was hanging on by a thread and the Fates seemed so very tempted to snip it. There, in the shadow of the heroine’s mantel, lies a girl who is just fighting to not have her voice stolen from her again.

Marinette Dupain-Cheng was that same hero, but she was so much more than that. She was an artist, a daughter, a designer, a partner, and a friend. Marinette knew exactly how to fix any problem that came her way no matter how bad of odds there were. She came, she saw, and she conquered every challenge that dared come between her and her goals. All Marinette wanted to do was love. So the question is, what happened to the Marinette everyone knew?

Away with the firecracker that was Marinette, anew with a pale imitation of the beautiful girl. She moves mechanically, every step she takes she’s made a thousand times over. All of this because of the Antichrist herself, Lila Rossi, made good on her promise to herd the sheep into her flock. The sound of crocodile tears could be heard ringing through the classroom, “W-why are you s-so mean? I-I just w-wanted a dress f-for the dance!”

Marinette stared at the Italian woman with a glare that could kill, “And I told you, I cant. I have my responsibilities and you have your ‘responsibilities’ we’re both busy people. Your universe may revolve around Lila, but mine revolves around me. It’s sad that you think you can guilt trip me into doing something I don’t want to do when you and I aren’t friends. Call me mean all you want, but I won’t care. You and everyone else in this class mean absolutely nothing to me. I do what I have to do to survive and you are a shepherd to week sheep. It’s unfortunate for you that you would ever think I would fall in line for you.”

A hush fell over the room. No one expected Marinette to clap-back against Lila, but more so that she would speak with no emotion backing her. Lila, stunned silent, forgot to keep crying. Ladybug doesn’t let anyone treat her like a stepping stone, so why should Marinette? Marinette is Ladybug inside and outside of the mask. She just puts the mask’s responsibilities more important than Marinette’s happiness. An obnoxious girl with glasses broke the silence, “W-What d-did you say?”

“You heard me, Alya, we are not friends. You chose the shiny new toy over truth. I want nothing to do with unreliable sources,” The tone she used was deadly, “something you do a lot. It’s no wonder why Ladybug stopped endorsing your blog. It’s such a shame that you chose someone who Ladybug has publicly claimed has no connection to her over the one who got you your interviews. Or did you forget, that I’m the one who actually knows Ladybug and is friends with?”

Everything stopped. No one breathed, blinked, or moved. You don’t know fear until the wrath of the Cheng family befalls you. Though they might not have the resources, or so you think, (A/N: I headcannon that the Dupain Chengs are rich bc they are the best bakers in Paris, plus why would Gabriel or Aubrey let their children go into public school.) The Cheng family held themselves with a an air of respect without even trying. Marinette maybe wilting due to the weight of the world, but she would not crumble to the will of uneducated teenagers.

Red. That is the color of vengeance, anger, and blood. Red is the color of Gotham’s vigilante. A zombie of a man trying to rebuild what was once his life. Across an ocean there is a boy that just had his world turn upside down. He died an incredibly gruesome death and had he thought no one mourned his loss.

Jason Todd was Red Hood, the loose cannon of Gotham. Everyone thought the pit had taken him to the place of no return. That his mind was the problem. Yes, the pit madness made his angry, but it didn’t make him lose his mind entirely. Behind his anger, Jason was just a boy taken too soon and then mutilated for other people’s benefit. He craved physical affection. He pleaded for trust. He needs his father to tell him he loves him.

Red Hood stayed out during patrol to clear his head. He looked down on the city while perched on a high rise. It usually calmed the voices in his head, tonight they seemed restless. Jason wished for silence, he felt oppressed by the dreariness of the city. Something in his heart told him that this isn’t where he was meant to be. The voices told him to jump off the high rise and to the voices Jason responded with a kind, “Thanks Karen, but fuck right off.”

No stars could be seen due to the pollution of Gotham, but the moonlight shone on Red Hood. He stared at the moon, deep in thought, “Where would I even go?” He asked himself, “Who would want me?”

Not even the voices wanted to hear him talk about him, “Paris,” they whispered.

“Why Paris?” Paris? What’s so specials about Paris?

“Trust us,” the voices responded, “there’s something you won’t want to miss.”

Jason filed that under the folder titled ‘Another question for the therapist that I don’t have.’ He couldn’t deny the pull he felt towards Paris no matter how hard he tried. There was no reason to go though, but there was no reason to stay either. They were all fine without him before why would this time be different?

It was then Jason was reminded the coms were still on and that Tim was an insomniac, “Paris? What are you talking about?”

“Don’t worry about it Timmy. I’m just thinking about taking a vacation. Don’t tell B yet, I’m not sure I should even go,” He knew it wasn’t Tim’s fault, but he couldn’t help but feel that familiar tingle of resentment towards his brother. He shook the feeling away, “I just need a breath, Gotham seems to have me dying all over again.”

Tim reassured Jason that his secret was to be kept between the two of them. The feeling was still gnawing at his being on the way back to his apartment. Red Hood, the light hearted jokester, the one who needed to be restrained, a smiling pillar to the magnifying glass that was Bruce and Dick, was lonely. The question was: is he lonely enough to leave? The answer is yes. Jason is tried of being the second thought, he’s tired of having to report in, and he’s tired of the way the voices take up space in his mind when there’s no company to talk to.

Paris, be prepared. Red is coming to your city and it’s going to become a color of change. Red will paint the streets. Red is going to cause Hawkmoth to rethink if his antics are really worth the price tag that follows.

A/N: Marinette is 19 and Jason is only 20. This could be a series of this is something you all would want to read. I’m a sucker for Jasonette and I love the Maribat genre in general. Please let me know if you want to be tagged also! Thank you all for reading and supporting me!

Tags: @abrx2002 @amayakans @mystery-5-5 @normal-piece-of-shit @st0rmy-w1th1n @mysteriouslyswimmingfan-blo-blog @g-arya @smolplantmum @rayray384 @rosa97 @drarryismylife101 @kris-pines04 @black-streak @storyteller-d @weird-pale-blonde-person

#bruce wayne #damian wayne #dick grayson #jason todd #tim drake #marinette dupain cheng #miraculous ladybug #jasonette #dc x mlb #crossover #angst #class salt #adrien agrete salt #adrien agreste #anti lila #anti alya #cloe redemption

783 notes · View notes

seasonofthegeek · 5 years

Text

Not a Date

The next drabble on my list for the fanfic trope mash-ups was requested on ko-fi by @staylostinstereo for the prompts “not a date” and “first time” with Adrien and Marinette. Thanks so much for the request!

Adrien and Marinette have retired from their superhero lives and are reuniting in Paris for dinner.

___

“This isn’t a date,” Marinette said for the third time since she’d met Adrien outside the train station. They walked side by side along the warmly lit shop fronts as dusk settled around them.

“Not a date,” he agreed but there was a glint of amusement in his eyes. “Just two old friends seeing each other again after a few years apart.”

“Exactly.”

“And definitely not two retired superheroes reigniting the old flame.”

“Adrien,” she warned.

He flashed her a Chat Noir-worthy smile but held up his hands in surrender. “I said ‘not’.”

“Mmmm. Besides, there’s no old flame to reignite.”

“Maybe not for you, my Lady.” He meant it to be funny, but he saw the way her eyes tightened around the edges and quickly moved on with another topic. “Hey, were you able to get a spot in that fashion show you emailed me about a few months back? New York, right?” They stopped in front of the small cafe they’d agreed on earlier and Adrien held the door open for her.

“Ah, that. No, I didn’t get in. I think I’m actually going to take a break from the fashion scene for a while.” Marinette led them to a small table and didn’t make a fuss when Adrien pulled out her chair for her.

“That surprises me.”

“I’m just tired,” she admitted. “I work and work and work and don’t feel like I really get anywhere. It’s just...not what I was expecting, I think. I don’t know if it’s for me.” She frowned slightly as she looked down at her menu. “Does that sound as pathetic as it feels?”

His expression turned fond and understanding. “If anyone knows how hard you’ve worked, it’s me. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with wanting an easy life after everything we’ve been through.”

“Easy for you to say. Did I see that you spent a long vacation living it up on a yacht with Prince Ali?”

Adrien blushed but grinned in reply. “Who am I to deny a request from royalty?”

They both paused to give their orders to the server and Adrien chuckled uncomfortably once they were alone at their table again.

“Actually, that trip is part of why I reached out to you. I saw a few headlines calling me a rich playboy and, I don’t know, it just bothered me. I used to make a difference in people’s lives, help them, and now I just... get tan on the deck of a fancy boat and drink too much because one of my friends wanted me to join him on a trip.”

“Apparently it’s unhealthy to feel selfish to be doing something for ourselves now. We may both suffer from a hero complex,” Marinette replied dryly. “At least, that’s what my therapist says.”

He shook his head.“I still can’t believe Alix is licensed to help people work through their issues. It’s a little scary.”

“She’s actually pretty great at it if you need the tough love deal, which I do.” She tapped her fingers against the handles of the flatware laid out on a napkin. “It’s nice to hear you say that though. I’ve been feeling the same way, though I haven’t been tanning and drinking.” She winked to take the sting out of her jab and was relieved to see Adrien smile in return.

“I thought I should be taking some time for myself but it felt hollow.” His mouth twisted in irritation. “Which is frustrating because we fought for so long and it seems like we should enjoy getting to live our lives now without worrying about what’s around the next corner.”

“Not so easy though.”

“No,” he agreed. “It isn’t.”

“And you enjoyed being a hero.”

“So did you,” he countered. “Just for different reasons, I think.”

“Is that one of the reasons why you left the city?”

He smiled wryly. “Isn’t it why you did?”

Marinette sighed. “We could play this game all night. Yeah, I guess. It was hard to be in Paris and not be her, to not remember some of the things I should know.”

“I know what you mean.” He winced. “A bit, anyway.”

She let his comment pass without any addition. They each had their own burdens of the past to bear. “But I missed it here too. I’ve been visiting my parents for a few weeks and I’m tempted to stay.”

“I have to say I was glad you wanted to meet here. I haven’t been back since...” He paused and sipped on his water, glancing around the small cafe. It wasn’t overly crowded but there were a decent amount of tables filled.

Marinette didn’t press him to finish his thought. She knew he hadn’t been back since they took down Hawk Moth and Mayura. Losing two of the main adult figures in his life had been hard on Adrien and no one blamed him for disappearing after the trials. She missed him though. She didn’t realize just how much until now.

Deciding she wanted to banish the darkness edging into his eyes, she reached across the table to squeeze his hand. He blinked up in surprise. “Stay with me,” she said. She meant the words to be teasing and warm but her tone had been too soft.

“I would,” he replied as quietly.

Marinette felt an old panic rear up inside her and she snatched her hand back with a flustered laugh. “Oh! I meant, um, you know, like, mentally.”

His lashes swept downward to hide his eyes but a smile played at his lips. “I know what you meant, Marinette. Don’t worry.” He looked up at her with the not quite a smile. “This isn’t a date. I remember.”

She cleared her throat and awkwardness settled between them where warm comfort had been only moments before. “Are you seeing anyone?”

Adrien eyed her warily as if she was leading him into a trap. “Not exclusively, no.”

“But that means you are seeing someone, or someones?” She raised an eyebrow and tried to look nonchalant.

He shrugged and did another look around the room. “There are a few people I meet up with when I travel different places. There isn’t anyone serious though. What about you?”

“I stay too busy to date.” She brushed off the thoughts that bubbled up with the statement. “I tired a few times but I always ended up choosing work.”

“Shouldn’t be a problem now though, not if you stay here.” Adrien leaned away from the table when the server appeared and set their plates in front of them.

“I suppose not.” Marinette pursed her lips and found that she’d lost her appetite. Tonight was supposed to be easy and comfortable and the way it used to be, the way it felt when they were emailing, but it seemed her relationship with Adrien had gone the way of so many others. History could only do so much.

They began to eat in silence.

“Do you miss being up high?”

Marinette swallowed the bite she’d just taken and nodded. “Sometimes.”

“I really miss it. There’s just no other feeling like it.” Adrien cut into his chicken without looking up at her. “I’ve tried a few things like skydiving and extreme parkour but nothing feels the same. I guess it was part of the magic.”

“I doubt I’d be able to keep up these days.”

“You look like you could.” His cheeks darkened and he dropped his eyes as quickly as he lifted them. “I just mean...you look like you’re still in shape.”

“You’re a sweet liar.”

He chuckled and shook his head. “I’m not lying.”

“Mmm.” She liked the pink that was spreading across his cheeks. “You still look like you’re in shape too.”

“Oh, I know.” He flashed her a smug smile and she tossed a cherry tomato at him. “We’re in public! Show some respect,” he teased, lobbing it back to her plate.

“So rude.”

Their laughter quieted but the smiles remained.

“Have you ever been back to the Tower?”

“Since we gave them up?”

Adrien nodded and took a bite of chicken.

“Not up it. I went one day and thought I could go up, but it just didn’t feel right.”

“Do you think we could tonight? I know it won’t be the same and we’ll be tourists, but...”

She felt warmth fill her. “But it’d be as close to old times as we can get.”

“Yeah.”

“I’d love to.”

___

Marinette couldn’t ignore the sting of tears as she looked out over the city. They’d gone as high up as people were allowed to but it wasn’t nearly enough. Her knuckles mottled from her grip on the railing and she blinked against the wetness coating her eyelashes.

“I know,” Adrien whispered, and he covered her hand with his.

They stood beside each other until they were instructed to leave and they did so hand in hand.

“I don’t think I can say goodbye.” Marinette swallowed against the lump in her throat. “I knew it would be wonderful and agonizing to see you again and now I don’t want it to end.”

“I can stay in town,” he offered. “I don’t want to leave you either.”

“You can’t do that. We have different lives now.”

“We don’t have to.”

She closed her eyes and took in a shaky breath. “It wouldn’t work.”

“Only because you aren’t willing to give it a try.” Adrien stepped closer. “Marinette, for the first time in your life, just do this without overthinking it. Give us a chance.”

“I’m not the same person I was back then.”

He gave her half a smile. “Neither am I. We can learn each other all over again.”

“This seems too crazy.”

“Oh, it is.” He nodded. “We’re practically strangers but I still think you know me better than anyone else in the whole world.” He dared to reach up and brush his knuckles gently against her cheek. “And I think I know you just as well.”

So for the first time, without overthinking it or planning it or worrying herself about it, Marinette closed the space between them and kissed Adrien the way she wished she had all those years ago because for the first time, she really felt like she could.

And, of course, he kissed her back.

Buy me a cherry coke?

#adrinette #adrien agreste #marinette dupain-cheng #miraculous ladybug

573 notes · View notes

p-artsypants · 4 years

Text

Longest Night (42) Speaking

Ao3 | FF.net

“So, it’s been two weeks since Dr. Boucher removed your vocal nodules. Have you spoken to anyone yet?”

Adrien shook his head.

This was his first therapy session. Dr. Robin Zollar, a woman that exuded warmth and kindness. Her voice was sweet and a little silly, and she reminded him of the fairy godmother from Cinderella. That may have been why he was responding to her so well.

Besides speaking, of course.

“Does your throat still hurt?”

Shake.

“Have you actually tried speaking?”

Shake.

“And I’m guessing you really have no desire to either, right?”

Nod.

“Okay. Talking with Marinette, it seems like she’s been speaking a lot on your behalf. That’s fine and all, but you will need to develop a voice of your own. Do you feel like you have no need to speak?”

Nod.

“Because Marinette speaks for you?”

Shake.

“No? Well, that is a lot different than I expected. I would like to know a little bit more about that. Would you be willing to write down what it is that you’re feeling, if you won’t say it out loud?” She pushed a pen and pad of paper towards him.

He stared at it for a long while.

—

“You’re serious?” Marinette crossed her arms and frowned at him.

Gabriel held a tennis ball in his hand. “I mean, it wasn’t my idea. But my therapist said it might be a good way to connect with Adrien.”

“Catch. With his arm in a sling.”

“That’s why it’s a tennis ball.”

Marinette sighed and looked at Adrien. “What do you think, kitty?”

He sat at the end of his bed and shrugged.

“A little physical activity isn’t going to kill you.” Gabriel admonished.

“Yeah, but it could pull his stitches if he’s not careful.”

“Do I look stupid, Marinette? It’s not even catch, we’re just tossing it back and forth.”

Marinette frowned at the man, while Adrien gave a weak grunt.

Gabriel tossed him the ball, and Adrien caught it, throwing it back.

“Sleep alright last night?”

“The usual,” Said Marinette, on her phone while she sat on the couch.

“I was talking to Adrien.”

“Right.”

Marinette listened as the ball was tossed back and forth a few times. Before Gabriel repeated again, “Did you sleep alright last night?”

Adrien didn’t respond.

“I said, did you sleep well?”

There was a grunt.

“Shrugging and grunting mean nothing to me. The doctor gave the okay, you can use your voice now.”

“He doesn’t want to talk,” Marinette pressed. “Don’t force him.”

“Marinette, again, I’m talking to Adrien.”

She chuckled darkly, knowing his efforts were fruitless.

“I have someone who’s coming to visit soon. And your Aunt Amilie and Felix want to come and visit too. That will be fun, won’t it?”

Marinette closed her phone and sat up, looking over the back of the couch to watch this awkward one sided conversation.

“Felix himself emailed me and asked me about you. He wanted continual updates, since they didn’t get the same news broadcast over in London. He really cares about you.”

Adrien just pitifully watched the ball, but did little else. It was obvious Gabriel was not happy with his body language, so he steeled himself into a neutral, professional posture.

Marinette hated it.

“Nathalie was helping with the company while I was busy with the investigation with you. Now that you’re safe, she’ll be taking a little vacation. But she assures me that she’ll be back soon, and that she can’t wait to see you.”

The ball was tossed, caught, tossed.

“Isn’t that nice? Nathalie missed you.”

Toss. Catch. Toss.

“I said, isn’t that nice?”

“He’s mute, not deaf.” Marinette drawled.

Gabriel turned and looked at her. “Look, if you keep talking for him, and encouraging this behavior, he’s never going to speak. It’s learned helplessness at this point, and someone has to train it out of him. So shut up.”

The tennis ball hit Gabriel in the head.

“Excuse me!?” Gabriel whirled at his son.

Adrien hissed at him, like a feral cat.

Gabriel scoffed in disgust. “You’re not an animal! If you are angry with me, I expect you to use your words in a level tone.”

“We were treated like animals for weeks.” Marinette bit. “Sorry, it’s hard to think otherwise.”

“Out,” Gabriel nearly shouted at her. “You’re not helping. Go bother your parents for a while.”

With tears in her eyes, Marinette stood and started from the room.

Adrien whined and tried to follow.

“No!” Gabriel ordered. “You stay here! We’re playing catch!”

Outside the room, Marinette started down the stairs, but got weak and had to sit.

“Yikes, cringe.” Said Plagg, coming up to her side.

“You saw that huh?”

“I’ve been trying to give you both space and privacy, but that doesn’t stop me from wanting to watch over Adrien like the little fairy godfather I am.”

“Was Gabriel right? Am I talking for Adrien too much?”

“Ehhhh, I tend to believe that that man is never right. Even when he’s right he’s wrong. But in this case, he’s wrong wrong. You guys are only two weeks out of the hospital. A month out of torture. I’m still trying to catch up with all the footage, and he’s trying to rush the recovery process. But when you do that, it makes everything worse.”

Marinette exhaled, feeling at least vindicated.

“Marinette, even if you do something ‘wrong’ right now, no one should blame you for it. Sure, we’ll reprimand you, but you’re dealing with a lot of shit, and your mind isn’t totally clear. Don’t feel guilty for trying to protect Adrien.”

“Thanks Plagg. That helps.” She glanced up at Adrien’s bedroom door. “I better get back in there.”

Marinette climbed the stairs again, coming up to the door.

As she opened it, she stared in horror as Gabriel stood over Adrien, a finger in his face, nearly spitting in anger.

Adrien’s expression was completely zoned out. A defense mechanism that he had adopted in their hellhole.

He was gone. And would probably continue to be so for a few hours. Did his mind go blank? Or did he retreat into a daydream? There was no way of knowing.

She shouldn’t have left the room.

“…not only is it disrespectful, it’s counterproductive. How are we supposed to help you if you won’t talk to us? You never had a problem speaking your mind before!”

Marinette slid onto the bed next to Adrien, grabbing him around the waist and pulling his head to her shoulder. “It’s okay. I’m here. I’m here.”

Adrien didn’t respond.

Plagg got between them and Gabriel. “You’re done.”

“I’m only trying to help.”

“You put him into shock. How does that help him? You’ve removed him from this plain of reality. Great job. Dad of the year.”

“Look, I just wanted to—“

“Are you still here?” Marinette snapped. “Get out. Now!”

“I’m not going anywhere! This is my house, and Adrien is my son!”

“He’s my husband!”

Gabriel clenched his fist. “That wedding was a sham. You’re as much of his wife as you are a ball and chain around his ankle. He’ll never get better with you dragging him back!”

The door swung open, banging against the wall. Marinette jumped at the noise and held onto Adrien.

Tom and Sabine entered, having been sent for by Tikki.

“Can you give us a moment?” Gabriel asked like he hadn’t just verbally punched Marinette in the gut. “We were having a discussion.”

Sabine said nothing, but slapped Gabriel across his face. “Be glad it was only a slap.” She bit.

“That’s assault!”

“And I bet the judge will be real sympathetic to you after what you said to our daughter and son-in-law.”

Gabriel just scowled at them. “I feel like we’ve had this discussion before.”

“We did, and last time, Adrien started crying. We can continue this discussion out in the lobby.”

“I’m not done talking to Adrien!”

Tom cracked his knuckles. “Oh, yes you are.” With one swift scoop, Tom had Gabriel draped over his shoulder like a sack of flour.

“Put me down! I can walk!”

“This is what I used to do with Marinette when she was a child and threw tantrums in a store. You’re going to act like a child, we’re going to treat you like a child.”

“I’m not a child!” Was the last thing Marinette heard before Sabine shut the door.

“Are you alright honey?” Sabine asked, sitting beside Adrien.

Marinette swallowed back tears. “I knew it…I want to help Adrien…but I’m making everything worse…”

Sabine looked to heaven. “Lord, I’m going to kick that man’s ass.” She shook her head. “No, no Marinette, Adrien needs you right now.” She delicately pet Adrien’s hair. “He feels safe around you, and you understand him the best. Gabriel is lost and frustrated right now. He has no idea how to act. And believe me, it’s hard for us too. I worry every day about what the right thing to do is.”

“But you don’t…you don’t yell at me.”

“Because yelling at you never helped in the past. We’ve talked sternly to you when you were in trouble, and we did groundings, and the occasional spanking when you were very very bad. But yelling only made you afraid and distrusting. I suspect that’s the attitude from Adrien he’s used to.”

Adrien didn’t respond in any way, just continued to bore a hole in the floor with his dull gaze.

“The doctor said that you being together was good. And what does Gabriel know about this kind of stuff? He designs clothes.”

Marinette cracked a smile.

“Your father and I will sit him down and have a good stern talking to him. He’s the one making things worse.”

Marinette breathed a calming breath. “Okay.” She let go of Adrien, only to take hold of his face and guide him to look at her. “Kitty?”

He blinked owlishly at her.

“You with me?”

Another slow blink.

“Is he alright?” Sabine asked.

“No, he’s—“ Marinette clenched her eyes shut. “He was like this back in…”

“That place.”

“Yeah, he…when things would get bad, he sort of…shut down. Salo said it was a sign of death. I think he’s trying to protect himself.” She pet his hair, and kissed his cheeks.

“What can I do to help?”

“Can we move him to the couch?”

Sabine nodded and stood, wrapping an arm around his waist.

Despite being mentally checked out, he was still respondent to movement. As they pulled him to his feet, he stood on his own, though still weakly. They guided him slowly over to the couch and had him sit down.

“Here’s a nice warm blanket. Do you want some tea?”

“Yes please, maman.”

Plagg spoke up from where he was silently watching. “I think Adrien would really enjoy a coke.”

“Are you sure?”

“He might only have a few sips, but it’s his favorite drink.” Then he whispered conspiratorially, “but his dad never lets him have it.”

“Okay, I think I’m following.”

“Marinette, you play video games, right?” Plagg asked.

“Uh, yeah?”

“Good. I’ll put in his favorite game, and you play it, and see if that rouses him.”

“Good thinking!”

Plagg floated over to the TV, and turned on the console while Sabine left to get them snacks.

Marinette leaned over and placed another kiss on his cheek.

The drum beats started up as the main menu came up.

Marinette groaned. “Skyrim...”

“What? Don’t like it?”

“I’ve never played it!”

“You’ve never played Skyrim?!” Plagg nearly shouted in mock offense. He didn’t actually care, but old Adrien would have.

“I know the memes, Sneak 100, ‘I took an arrow to the knee’ but I never actually sat down and played it. It’s so long!”

“Well, you got a lot of time on your hands now. Might as well start!”

“Yeah, might as well...”

She modeled her character to look like Ladybug, with red paint over the eyes to replicate a mask.

As she started playing, Sabine came back and left the snacks.

Marinette paused the game to help Adrien take a few sips of his drink. She placed the can in his good hand and brought it to his lips. Then she tilted the can slightly, watching as he drank on his own.

It didn’t rouse a response.

“If this goes on much longer, I’m going to call the doctor.” Said Sabine. “I’m worried.”

“Me too.” Said Marinette, sweeping the bangs from his forehead.

Sabine stayed and watched the game, wincing when Marinette sliced someone’s head off with a sword.

“This is pretty gory, are you doing okay?”

“Yeah, it’s almost cartoonish. I...I did much worse.”

Marinette continued to sneak glances at Adrien. He seemed to be watching the screen now, instead of looking through it. His eyes followed her character, and Sabine took it as a sign that he had mostly come back around.

“Feeling a little better, Adrien?” She asked.

He hummed.

So she left them alone.

Tikki sat on Marinette’s lap, while Plagg nuzzled into Adrien’s hair. The room was quiet, the volume on the game turned down, and only soft ambient music was heard.

“I love you.”

Marinette blinked. The voice was so soft, so rough, and wavering, she didn’t think she heard it at first. But she turned to look at Adrien, seeing that he was looking at her. Her breathing picked up, as she waited, begging him to speak again. She bit her lip to keep her from speaking and interrupting if he did say something.

“I didn’t know what else to say.”

She shook her head at him, and turned her body to face him. “Say whatever you want. You know I won’t judge.” She leaned in, staring deep into his eyes to prove he had her full attention.

Adrien rested a hand on hers, squeezing slightly. He met her gaze, holding it with his breath.

“You…” He began, only to pause.

“Yes?” She urged.

“You…are really bad at this game.”

Marinette nearly collapsed on him, she was laughing so hard.

—

Adrien recalled this very special moment with his lady after the therapist handed the notepad. So he had lied. He had spoken to someone. His other half, his partner, his soulmate. But it felt a lot less like ‘finally speaking’ then it did sharing a secret. He had confided as much in her then. He still didn’t want to talk, but with her it was different.

With her, he felt safe, free, and wanted. He could talk for hours, or say nothing. Either way, he was comfortable.

“Adrien?” The therapist asked delicately, as he hadn’t written anything. “If you prefer not to answer, that’s fine too. We have a half an hour left in this session.”

He was inclined to write out his feelings just as much as he was to speak. It was hard to find the words. Much less ones that were worthy of being spoken.

Finally, he admitted what he didn’t want to.

Why bother speaking if no one will listen?

—

It was evening when she arrived. The sun was just about to set, sending La Grande Paris into glittering gold and orange light.

Though it felt weird to be staying in a hotel when her home was just a block away.

Disguised with sunglasses and a handkerchief, Emilie was escorted upstairs to the nicest suite available.

And inside awaited her dearly beloved husband.

“Gabriel?” She asked softly.

She heard his breath caught in his throat. “Emilie…” In a few quick strides, he was on her, embracing her, kissing her, weeping on her. “I’ve missed you so much…”

“I’m here darling, I’m here…” She whispered, shedding tears of her own.

They stayed that way a long while, just in each other’s arms. Occasionally sharing kisses and words of love.

Finally, Gabriel pulled away to look her up and down. “You must be exhausted.”

“I’m actually not. I slept on the plane, and then I’ve been nervous ever since landing.”

“Nervous? About what?”

“About being gone, seeing you again, what I’m going to see…”

“Oh.” He huffed. “Well, did you want to shower? Are you hungry?”

“Yes to both.”

“I’ve packed some clothes for you. Why don’t we get you all settled in, and then I’ll tell you the whole sad story.”

“And Adrien?”

“He’s home.”

“When will I get to see him?”

Gabriel gnawed on his bottom lip. “Well…soon, I hope. But, he’s changed a lot.”

“So have you.” Emilie pet his hair. “You’ve gone gray.”

“I think I look distinguished.”

“You look old.”

“You haven’t aged a day, my love.”

Emilie smiled softly, leaning in to give him a small kiss. “Flatterer.”

“But about Adrien…you see, he’s not speaking to anyone. I’m hoping that seeing you again will give him that spark.”

“Does he know what happened?”

“…not quite.”

“What does he think happened to me? Does he think I’m dead? Would seeing me shock him?”

“I think it might be a little shocking, but he just thinks you disappeared. Makes things a little easier to explain.”

“Speaking of explaining…”

“Shower, dinner, then I’ll get to it.”

At 3 AM, Gabriel hustled out of La Grande Paris, having done far too much damage. Good thing it was dark, or half of Paris would have questioned why the Gabriel Agreste was leaving a hotel late at night while a mysterious woman screamed obscenities at him from a balcony.

#miraculous ladybug #longest night #ml #ladybug #chat noir #gabriel agreste #marinette dupain cheng #adrien agreste #adrienette

42 notes · View notes

thewritewolf · 4 years

Text

Two For Two Chapter 31: Home

Adrien returns home.

@ladynoirjuly2020

Enjoy!

...And that concludes not only Two For Two, but the Love Square months for this year! It has been a long journey, but we've finally made it to the other side. I hope that you enjoyed my piece for Ladynoir July even half as much as I enjoyed writing it.

As some of you may be aware, I had been intending to participate in Adrien Aug-reste to round out six months of daily prompts, but I've made the decision to not do the entire month. Instead, I'll be writing a single one shot for each week. The first one will likely come out next Friday, so keep an eye out for that!

Once again, thank you for reading!

First Chapter | Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

Read on Ao3

It was done. The last thing they’d ever have to do in their high school career was now behind them. Marinette and Adrien stepped outside their school for the last time, glancing back only briefly before turning to each other.

“I’m going to head home. Do you want to come with me?” Adrien adjusted his grip nervously on his satchel, bringing a smile to Marinette’s face. Even after a year of dating he got a little jittery taking her home with him. Although all they ever did was kiss or play video games.

Marinette felt her heart flutter. Maybe she wasn’t so above it all either.

“I’d like that. I’ve been meaning to stop in and say hi to you guys anyway.” She grabbed his hand and started walking in that direction. “No better time than the present, right?”

In the immediate aftermath of Hawkmoth’s reveal to the general public, Adrien had needed the Gorilla more than ever. Some people couldn’t keep their anger confined to just Gabriel, after all. Every day, the mountain of a man would be waiting for him after class or shadowing him every moment he spent outside.

But those days were passed and the Gorilla was enjoying a hard-earned vacation in the Swiss Alps. A brief image of the Gorilla wearing a yeti costume and scaring people skiing on the mountains brought a smile to Marinette’s face. If anyone deserved a chance to unwind, it would be him, whatever he chose to spend his vacation time doing.

All that to say that they needed to take the bus to get to Adrien’s home.

It wasn’t the mansion that he’d grown up in. There were too many painful memories for both of them to just keep living there. Which is why they got a smaller place, still nice as befits the last of the Agrestes, but more cozy. Warmer and kinder, something much more fitting for Adrien.

They opened the door and heard a soft humming coming from the living room.

“Mom?” Adrien called. “I’m home!”

Emilie wheeled into the entryway, pushed by her physical therapist. Her time in the stasis pod had kept her alive, however barely, but it came at the cost of severely weakened muscles. It would be a while yet before she could walk again, but judging from the brilliant smile on her face as she saw her son, she didn’t seem too worried about it.

“Hello, sweetheart.” She leaned up a bit to cradle her son’s face as she kissed his cheek. “How was your last day of classes?”

As Adrien filled her in, Marinette allowed herself to feel proud for her part in this. Maybe it was something more than luck that had helped her create the ladybug cure potion - after some slight modification to it, a regular dosage of the potion proved more than match for the corruption that had leached into the unfortunate wielders of the Peacock miraculous.

Now Emilie was given a second chance at life, after the mistakes of her youth.

Marinette still felt like there was something more to Emilie’s story than what she’d let on. From the way she’d told it, she and Gabriel had found the miraculous by chance. When they realized what they could do, they had the time of their lives essentially playing with them. Leaping across the city, running over rooftops - not much different from what Ladybug and Chat Noir did on their less productive patrols, Marinette would admit.

But then… they had discovered much too late that something was wrong with the Peacock.

“Any news about father?”

Marinette was pulled out of her head at the mention of Gabriel.

“His trial date has been set,” Emilie said, her face set into a mask of determination. “I’ve been talking with our lawyers and they suspect that both him and Nathalie will be getting over a hundred years each.”

“And what about-”

“The divorce is coming along fine too, dear.” Emilie sighed. “I wish it hadn’t come to this but… after all he’s done, I can’t forgive him. I’d rather he had let me pass than bring so much suffering on everyone.” She shook her head. “I can’t believe it. I’ve always known he was a single-minded man, but…”

“Well, no matter what, we’re glad to have you back, Emilie,” Marinette said with a small smile. “I’m glad to know Adrien has someone looking out for him now.”

“I could say the same to you, Marinette,” Emilie said, smirking. Her therapist cleared her throat behind Emilie. “Sorry, dears. I’ve been putting off my exercises until you two got home. Don’t let me keep you any longer.”

They said their goodbyes and headed upstairs to Adrien’s room.

Adrien set his bag on his bed, Plagg floating out of it to no doubt search for food.

“So what’s Nino’s plans now?”

“Well, he’s already got something lined up with Jagged Stone.” Adrien stretched before collapsing onto the couch. “Probably something like working with his record studio, plus some gigs around Paris.”

“I’m sure Wayzz will like the new perspective, at least.” Marinette sat on his legs and turned on the television.

“After all those years of hiding with Master Fu, I’m sure it’ll be a great change of pace.” He took her hand and ran his thumb across her knuckles. “What about Alya?”

“Well, there are a bunch of universities and news outlets clamoring for the Ladyblogger, so she’s kind of been drowning in options lately.”

“A great problem to have.”

“Oh definitely. Trixx has been loving the excitement - he was the most broken up about the separation, so now that they’re reunited he’s been over the moon.”

“Do you think we made the right call?” Adrien frowned, worry marring his face. “After all, Fu kept the miraculous out of circulation at all costs…”

“His need for secrecy meant that most of the kwami lost touch with the world they were meant to protect.” Marinette kept still as Adrien moved under her so he could sit up, keeping her on his lap all the while. “Besides, if another big threat comes up, we want experienced chosen.”

“Not to mention it makes everyone a little happier.”

Marinette smiled. “I think we all deserve a happy ending, don’t we?”

“True,” Adrien said, his arms wrapping around her waist. “But this is only just the beginning, isn’t it?”

She turned her head and looked behind her to give Adrien a kiss.

“You’re right about that, chaton. And I’m glad I get to have this beginning with you.”

#Miraculous Ladybug #Adrien Agreste #Marinette Dupain-Cheng #Adrienette #LadynoirJuly2020 #Emilie Agreste #The Gorilla #ml fanfiction #my writing #Two For Two

25 notes · View notes

purrincess-chat · 5 years

Text

Marinette Dupain-Cheng’s Spite Playlist: Original CH19

Previous First Next

Chapter 19: human

Adrien tapped his fingers on the table, leg bouncing as he glanced around the room. Several others mirrored his stance, anxiously awaiting for their visitors to arrive. He chewed his nails while he waited then, seeming to catch himself, clasped his hands together below the table, unsure of exactly when he’d picked up that habit. Did it help with his nerves? Not really, but it gave his hands something to do.

When the doors opened, his head snapped up, scanning each face as they entered. His heart pounded in his chest, wondering if perhaps she hadn’t come, but soon enough her big blue eyes walked in and met his. He cupped a hand over his mouth, eyes watering as she approached and sat down across from him.

“Hey, how are you holding up?” Marinette asked gently, placing her hand in his. He hadn’t even noticed he was reaching for her, but he was glad to feel her touch again.

She gave him several moments to process his emotions, gently brushing tears from his cheeks and holding tightly to his hand.

“Some days are better than others,” he answered finally with a shrug. “I’m better than I was two months ago. Therapy has helped a lot, but I don’t think they teach how to help a kid whose father was a super terrorist in medical school.”

“No, I don’t think they do,” Marinette said with a smile, and he let out a short laugh.

“I’m learning to…cope with what happened. To accept that it happened so that I can move on. I know that I should probably forgive him, but I just…” He shook his head.

“It’s only been a couple months. Give it time. No one is expecting you to heal all at once,” she said, smoothing his hand.

“I know, but he’s my dad,” he choked on the word, running a hand over his face as Marinette whispered reassurance. “I keep replaying how it all happened in my mind hoping that when that purple light fades it will be someone else kneeling there.”

“I wish I knew how to help you. That I knew what to say to make it better.” She lowered her gaze, and Adrien lifted a hand to cup her cheek.

“You do help me,” he said softly. “Part of my therapy is figuring out what I want to do now, who I want to be, and even if I don’t know the answers to those questions, I know that I want to be with you. So we work with that, and some days that’s all I have.”

Marinette searched his expression, broken but still warm as that tiny flame in him refused to go out, and she pulled him in for a tight hug. He didn’t fight it, instead leaning into her embrace, clinging to the one stable source of support in his life.

“You take as much time as you need, okay? And know that I love you, and that I will always be here for you,” she said against his shoulder.

“I know, love bug,” he murmured, a smile curling over his lips. “My ladybug was right by my side this whole time. I still found you in the end.”

“What are the odds?” She laughed, pulling back to look into his eyes. “I wasn’t sure how you’d feel about everything to do with the Miraculous, but I did bring someone to see you.”

“I know,” Adrien said, pulling open his jacket to reveal Plagg clinging to his chest. “He’s been there since you sat down.”

“I wasn’t sure if you were ready to deal with it since you gave it back,” she said, pursing her lips.

“I’m okay with that part of it. I think that if I hadn’t been…you-know-who through all of this, if I never got to experience that freedom and have a place to run all these years that I would probably be in much worse shape right now,” he said with a dry laugh. “I gave it to you to look after while I’m in here. They’re particular about what I can have, and I didn’t want it to fall into the wrong hands, that’s all.”

“I’m glad. I was worried that you’d resent it all,” she said, curling her shoulders, and he shook his head.

“For what it’s worth, I’m really glad that I was able to fight beside you all these years. It makes me feel like at least all of that bad wasn’t my doing,” he said. “I’m really glad that it was you in the end. My dad being Hawkmoth was such a bombshell, and I was just reeling. Seeing your face kept me grounded long enough to press through everything. It’s not exactly how I pictured learning our identities, but I know I can always trust you without a doubt.”

“It certainly wasn’t what I expected either,” she chuckled, biting her lip. “I’m glad that you don’t want to push me away. I was worried that because I was involved with everything that maybe you would want to get away from anything to do with it, and I wouldn’t have blamed you, but…”

“I’m sorry I didn’t let you come see me sooner to ease some of those fears. I just…wasn’t ready yet. It’s not that I didn’t want to see you, I did, but…I would have been a wreck.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Hearing that you came every week anyways always made me feel a bit better.”

“I figured you needed space,” she said, sitting back. “I always sat in the lobby through visitation anyway just in case. I wanted to be here for you whenever you needed me.”

“Thank you.” He smiled, kissing her hand.

“You were always there for me, so now it’s my turn to return the favor,” she said simply. “I’ve always got your back.”

“I know,” he breathed before his expression sank. “How is she? Any news?”

“Master Fu is still working on it. I bring fresh flowers to her hospital room every few days,” she said, pursing her lips, and he nodded.

“And how is you-know-who doing?” He asked, and Marinette bit back a smirk.

“According to Chloe, she’s suddenly run out of things to say. There was a lot of backlash at first when the truth came out. Everyone was rightfully angry, but now everyone has moved on, and she’s faded into the background,” she said with a shrug. “All of her friends left her, though with the way she treated them, friends is a bit of a stretch.”

“Have you talked to her yet?” He asked, and Marinette shifted in her seat with a sigh.

“No. Not yet. I’ve been dealing with the fallout from everything. Press, testifying, helping people move on. Ladybug and Marinette have both been incredibly busy…I do have some bad news for you though.” She winced. “Gabriel-brand stock has plummeted. You’re flat broke.”

He laughed at that, pinching the bridge of his nose then leaning against his fist. “Good,” he said with a smirk. “I can start over. Leave everything about him in the past.”

“No one blames you, ya know,” she assured him. “But the media is going to want your side of the story when you get out.”

“Yeah, I kind of figured,” he sighed. “If I stay in here a few more months, and we can just run away to New York.”

“About that…” She averted her gaze. “I wasn’t sure with everything if you still wanted to come, so I was preparing to stay here if you-”

“No.” He shook his head. “It’s your dream, and I’m not going to let him take that from you. There are therapists in America, and I think getting out of Paris for a while will be good for me.”

“It’s hard to believe that we’ll be graduating next summer,” she said, biting her lip. “I feel like we were just in college.”

“Putting my father being a raging sociopath aside, they were an amazing few years, and I wouldn’t trade them for anything,” he said, giving her hand a squeeze.

“Let’s hope that the future is less exciting,” she grunted. “I think we both deserve a vacation.”

“And then some,” he agreed, biting his lip. “I don’t know how long I’ll be in here. Could be another week, could be a few weeks, a few months…Can you let everyone know that I’m…getting better? Slowly.”

“Of course.” She smiled, and he nodded as the five-minute warning bell sounded.

“I love you,” he said, and she wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

“I love you too.” He leaned in to meet her lips, holding her tightly.

She was warm. She was safe. She was home, and no matter what, he knew that he would always have her.

“I’ll be back next week and every week until you’re ready, okay?” She said against his lips. “Take your time. Find your peace. I’ll be right here every step of the way.”

“Thank you, Marinette.”

***

His heart was pounding.

To his left Emerald Shell covered Bunny as the akuma struck, Queen Bee and Malin containing a sentimonster below while he and Ladybug grappled with Hawkmoth himself. It was Ladybug’s most complicated plan yet, but in a small moment, everything aligned. Emerald’s shelter, Bunny’s burrow, Queen Bee’s venom, and finally the moment they’d been waiting for all these years had arrived.

His pulse raced, and he could hear the blood pumping in his ears as Ladybug removed the brooch. They’d finally done it. They won. Hawkmoth would never make another akuma again, but the moment his transformation dropped, all of the adrenaline, the battle high, the satisfaction of their victory came to a grinding halt as he met those cold, gray eyes.

Adrien shot up in bed, clutching his chest with shaking hands. Nights like this had become common place to him, so it only took a few minutes to slow his heartrate again. Besides, the nightmare wasn’t the worst part. It was the hours he laid awake following it, recalling every detail of that day that truly ate at him, but he couldn’t stop if he wanted. The memory burned in his mind on loop no matter how much he wished it would stop. Because he couldn’t forget that moment when his world ended. The moment when he locked eyes with his father’s so filled with hatred and anger.

Adrien would never forget those eyes. He’d never forget watching his dad get handcuffed and dragged away. How he’d shouted that he was doing it for his wife and son…He couldn’t forget. Not ever.

“You okay, Chat Noir?” Ladybug asked as he slid down the wall, running a hand through his hair. “Kitty?”

“No,” he said as she crouched beside him. “I’m not okay.”

“What’s wro-”

“That’s my dad,” his voice broke as he flicked his gaze up to meet hers, realization setting into those big blue eyes.

He let his transformation fall, and Ladybug pulled him into her arms, crushing him with all of her might, but Adrien was too numb to feel anything. His world was spiraling down, and he couldn’t regain control. Everything was slipping, and for a moment, it felt as though he couldn’t breathe, but in a flash of pink light, he found a lifeline right in front of him.

“I’ve got you,” she said, cupping his cheek and pressing her forehead to his.

Marinette.

Looking back on it all now, he really couldn’t imagine Ladybug being anyone else. Of course it had been her. It was always her with or without the mask. Marinette was Ladybug through and through, and in that one moment, she saved him from crashing. Just for a little bit. Just long enough to get some answers.

“We should get this to Master Fu,” she said, turning the moth brooch over in her hands, but Adrien flicked his gaze out across the city as Plagg munched on cheese beside him.

“You go. I should check on things back home,” he said, and when she opened her mouth to protest, he shot her one of his boyish smiles. “I’ll be fine. I’ll meet you later, okay?”

“I’ll go with you,” she insisted, but Adrien shook his head.

“We should really return the Moth Miraculous to Master Fu. It’s been missing for far too long, and we can’t let anything happen to it,” Tikki piped up, and Adrien placed a hand on Marinette’s shoulder.

“Tikki is right. You have your mission, and I have mine,” he said, closing her fingers over the brooch. “Let’s save the world one last time, okay?”

Her eyes searched his, but after a moment, she pressed her lips together firmly and nodded.

“Okay.”

Coincidentally, he didn’t remember much from the trip home. He was on autopilot, leaping across rooftops while his mind raced because if he knew his father which given the circumstances at the time, he was starting to realize he didn’t, but if there was one thing he knew, it was that his father’s circle was very limited. If Mayura was his ally, she was likely someone close. Someone familiar.

“Nathalie!” He shouted, kicking open the door, and his father’s assistant crept out of his office, smoothing her blazer calmly.

“Adrien, are you-”

“Where is my mother?” He demanded, and when Nathalie averted her gaze, his eyes fixated on the brooch pinned to her jacket.

“This isn’t how we wanted you to find out,” she said, turning back to the door.

“So you did know,” he said, tilting his chin up. He was taller than her now, and she shrank a little under his glare. “Take me to her.”

The fact that his father had a secret evil lair hidden within the mansion should have come as a shock to him, but after everything he’d been through already that day, he couldn’t bring himself to be surprised. Even finding that his own mother had been beneath him this whole time barely stirred anything inside of him, even now. After all these years, was he supposed to be excited to see her? In a way, part of him just wished she were dead like he’d always thought. He wasn’t even sure he wanted to see her when he got out of treatment. Before he only had fond memories of her. Of the good times. But now all he could picture when he thought of her was that dark room, and her sleeping figure lying in a coffin.

“Your father has had her preserved here. Her condition isn’t naturally caused, you see,” Nathalie explained. “Try to understand him, Adrien. He was doing all of this so that you could be together again. So that you could all be happy.”

“Well, look how well that turned out for him, Nathalie,” Adrien said, voice raising in volume as he turned around and held out his arms. “Is this what he wanted? Is this what both of you wanted?”

“He was just trying to protect you. They both were, but then this happened, and-”

“See but that’s just it, Nathalie. I don’t need to be protected. I never have.” He shook his head, feeling cold metal slipping into his hand and the brush of Plagg’s whiskers. “All my life you’ve all coddled me, locked me up to ‘protect’ me from the outside world, never realizing that I can take care of myself.”

“He just wanted you to be happy,” Nathalie said.

“Well, I’m not happy now, am I?” He shouted. “Even if he had succeeded, I would have never been okay with all of this! He put the city in danger every single day. He put me in danger, the people I care about, and you knew about it!”

“I tried to stop him,” she insisted, but Adrien let out a short laugh.

“Oh, by sending sentimonsters to help him?” He quirked a brow, and her jaw dropped as he held up the peacock brooch. “You see this is the irony of it all, Nathalie, because you weren’t the only ones with secrets to hide. While you two were here terrorizing the city, guess who was out there fighting on the front line?”

“No-”

“Plagg, transform me!” He held out his arms as his suit materialized, and Nathalie sank to her knees in horror.

“You’re-”

“That’s right.” He nodded. “All this time, I’ve been fighting to stop you two.”

“Adrien, we can still save her if you just-”

“If I just what? Give you my Miraculous?” He grunted. “My mother has been dead to me for years, and as far as I’m concerned she still is.”

“Adrien-”

“Cataclysm!” He shouted, punching through the wall before disappearing into the sewers, leaving Nathalie huddled on the floor of his mother’s tomb alone.

The rest of the day was all kind of hazy to him. Hiding out for several hours as everything caught up to him before finding his way to Marinette’s balcony. He didn’t remember much after she found him because the moment he saw her, he’d just shut down because he knew that he was safe with her.

The last thing he really remembered was slipping the brooch and his ring into her hands before his panic overwhelmed him. After that it was just flashes. Her room, her parents, the police, the ambulance ride to the hospital where he now resided. Marinette’s scared eyes as she watched the doors close on him. But he knew at the time that everything would be alright because if he believed in anything, he believed in her.

And he was right to, as it turned out. After today, he knew that she was still out there doing what she did best: helping. His partner, his best friend, his Ladybug, his Marinette. Knowing that she was still with him gave him the push he needed every day. Even on the days where he couldn’t bring himself to get out of bed. On the days where he agonized over those painful memories, he held out hope that one day he would recover. That one day all of this would be in the past, and he would find his happiness again no matter how long it took.

So he took each step, no matter how painful, even if he could barely find his footing because his father had thrown him into darkness, but Marinette had shown him that there was still light left in the world. All of his life, his father had controlled him, but Adrien was finally going to set himself free.

***

Marinette hesitated with her hand on the door, staring down at the handle as she debated whether she truly wanted to open it or not. She should go seeing as she was the one who reached out and asked to meet up, but the moment she’d made it to the door, she just froze.

Maybe it was fear or nerves. What did one say to their ex-best friend who they hadn’t really spoken to in years? She wasn’t quite sure, but she knew that if she truly wanted to put the past behind her then she needed to go. Nevertheless, her legs refused to move.

“Are you going to stand there all day?” Plagg poked his head out of her coat.

“Plagg, shh!” Tikki scolded.

“What? She promised to pick up more Camembert on the way home, and she can’t do that if she never goes,” he said pointedly, and Tikki slapped her forehead.

“It’s fine, Tikki,” Marinette chuckled. “I’m fine. I’m…fine. I am. I just…okay, here we go.”

She pushed open the door and walked briskly down the stairs. Her moxie lasted until she reached the street curb then she paused again at the crosswalk, fiddling with Adrien’s ring on the chain around her neck. She couldn’t run from her problems forever.

Alya was sitting on a bench when she approached and sat down, and for a moment the two sat in silence, unable to look at each other. A lot had changed in three years. They both took different paths in life and as a result, had become different people, and they had both carried hurt feelings for far too long.

“The last time we sat on this bench together we were watching one of Adrien’s photoshoots and coming up with ways to make him notice me,” Marinette said after a while, gazing out at the children playing across the lawn.

“That was a long time ago,” Alya replied, pressing her lips together and shifting her gaze down to her lap. “How is he?”

“Healing. Slowly.” She bit her lip then turned to face Alya. “How are you?”

“I’m-” Alya paused before letting out a breath and shaking her head. “I don’t really know. Everything is really jumbled, and the more I think about it, the more I realize how long it has been without me realizing. How unfulfilling our relationship was all these years without me noticing.”

Marinette eyed her a moment before shifting to face forward again as Alya continued.

“It’s funny how one day you think you know someone, and then the next you discover that everything is a lie,” she said with a hint of bitterness, clicking her tongue against the roof of her mouth. “Then you start to realize a lot of things. A lot of mistakes. A lot of things that you overlooked and refused to believe because you wanted it all to be true. And you start to realize that you destroyed yourself for someone who didn’t even care in the end.”

She shook her head with a laugh.

“I used to think that you were crazy for getting out. That you were being petty, but now I see why you ran,” she said, pursing her lips and flicking her gaze to Marinette. “I know it doesn’t mean anything now, and I don’t expect you to forgive me, but I’m-”

Her words were cut short as Marinette pulled her in for a tight hug, and she felt her throat close as hot tears stung her eyes. Burying her face in Marinette’s shoulder, she felt the fragile bottle containing her emotions shatter at her feet, and she clung to her desperately, muffling her loud sobs in her coat.

“I’m sorry! I’m really, really sorry I didn’t believe you,” she hiccupped, and Marinette nuzzled into her neck, running her hands through her hair.

“I know,” Marinette said. “I only wish that I could have helped you realize sooner.”

“It was my fault. You tried to tell me, and I just didn’t listen,” she croaked. “Even after I turned my back on you and treated you so horribly, you still did all of that to stop her and set us all free.”

“It ate at me knowing that she was using everyone. I couldn’t stand it,” she said, pressing her lips together, and Alya let out a breathy laugh.

“You never were one to just walk away,” Alya said, leaning her head against Marinette’s briefly before pulling away. “Ever since this all went down I can’t help but wonder what things would have been like if I had been a better friend to you. Seeing you and your friends accomplish such amazing things, and here I got kicked off the superhero squad. Why was I so mesmerized by someone being friends with Ladybug? I was a superheroine, but I let the wrong people get in my head and lost sight of what being a hero really meant, and now, between the two of us on this bench, I think you’re more of a hero than I ever was.”

Marinette pursed her lips at that.

“I learned from the best, ya know,” she said, flicking her gaze up to meet hers. “’All that is necessary for the triumph of evil…”

“-is that good people do nothing,” they finished together, small smiles curling on their lips.

“Those words helped me a lot back then. Back when I was unsure of myself, but it was because of you that I became who I am. You lifted me up when I needed it, so I felt like I owed it to you to return the favor,” she said, shifting her gaze to her lap.

“You really are a hero, girl,” Alya said, leaning against her fist. “I’m happy that you got everything you deserve in life, and in a way, I realize that I got what I deserved too…I turned my back on my best friend and the superheroine that trusted me, and I blamed her for it. She must hate me.”

“I wouldn’t say that.” Marinette pursed her lips. “I’m sure it was hard for her to see you fall away.”

“I owe her like a million apologies.” She pinched the bridge of her nose. “I don’t suppose you have her number, Miss Famous Celebrity.”

“No, not her number.” Marinette shook her head with a smirk. “But if you want to talk to her, I’m sure I could arrange it.”

“I think I already owe you enough favors,” Alya laughed, but Marinette turned to her with a smile.

“Consider this one on me.” Marinette winked. “Tikki, transform me!”

Alya’s eyes widened as pink light engulfed her, and her face fell into her hands.

“It would be you,” she said after a while, glancing up as another tear trickled down her cheek. “All those lame excuses, and how you were always disappearing…And I let Lila convince me it was because you weren’t really my friend, but you were out here every day fighting to protect everyone including me and her.”

“It’s not easy keeping a secret identity,” Ladybug said, pursing her lips. “I wanted to tell you, but it was too dangerous, so I had to find another way.”

“Well, for what it’s worth, I’m really glad that Ladybug is someone like you under the mask. You’re a hero through and through,” Alya said with a smile before her face fell back to her lap. “I’m sorry I let you down. You were right not to trust me anymore. I really lost myself to Lila.”

“I almost did too,” Ladybug admitted. “I was lucky that I had amazing people by my side to remind me of who I was.”

“I had someone like that once, but I was too stubborn to listen,” she sighed, tapping her fingers on her thighs. “Now I don’t know who I am anymore. I used to be so sure, but now there’s just nothing.”

“I’m sure she’s still in there. She just needs to find her light again,” Ladybug assured her, placing a hand on her shoulder. “And, if she’s up for it, I have another mission for her if she’s ready to step back up to the mantle.”

“Oh?” Alya quirked a brow.

“I’m leaving for New York in a few months, and I need someone to help look after my organization. I have one person working there already, and I think you two would get along great. She’s also someone who needed a little help finding herself, so I’m sure she could help you too,” she said. “You’ll be working closely with some of the best and most supportive people in the world, and they can definitely show you what real friends look like…Whaddya say?”

“I dunno. I don’t really think that I’m worthy of something like that after everything,” Alya said, shifting her gaze to her lap, and Ladybug placed a hand on her shoulder.

“I never made you a hero, Alya. You already were one without the mask, and now I’m giving you the opportunity to be one again,” she said with a smile. “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good people do nothing. You taught me that, and now I extend those same words back to you. The world can always use more heroes, especially the ones who don’t wear masks.”

Alya searched her expression for a moment before biting her lip and nodding.

“Okay. I’ll do my best,” she said before Ladybug pulled her in for a hug. “I promise I won’t let you down this time.”

Ladybug pulled away before standing up and palming her yoyo, and Alya shifted as she tossed it across the park.

“Ladybug,” she said, reaching out, and Ladybug looked back over her shoulder. “Thank you.”

She smiled at that, giving a slight nod before tugging the slack and shooting off, leaving Alya alone on the bench. A smile curled on her lips as she sat back, watching those red spots disappear over the trees. For many years she’d lost sight of who she was and what she wanted, but today she felt a small spark reignite inside her, and she knew that everything was going to be okay.

#miraculous ladybug #mdcsp original #ml salt #marinette dupain-cheng #adrinette #adrien agreste #my writing #mdcsp #only one remains

279 notes · View notes

waltzofthewifi · 4 years

Text

Kota Chapter 39: Before The Storm

Table of Contents | Beginning

Ladybug called a meeting with Chat Noir and Rena Rouge to tell them what she had learned. They were back in the borrowed classroom, the three of them gathered around the teacher's desk - Rena Rouge and Chat Noir were both sitting on the desk, and Ladybug was in the (extremely comfy) chair.

"That narrows it down a lot," Ladybug said. "Rena, I know you're involved with the class, and I don't know if you are Chat, but we're going to have be completely unbiased for this."

"That's going to be hard," Rena Rouge said.

"Yeah," Chat Noir said.

"So this is a list of the all the adults close enough to the students for the attraction to work," Ladybug said, unfolding the list. "Only cross out the ones that had been definitely seen in a place outside of Paris during an akuma attack. Hawkmoth might throw us off his scent by faking a vacation."

"We can cross off Ms Kante," Rena Rouge said. "She's been away training as an astronaut, I have civilian identity-related proof."

Ladybug crossed her off the list.

"Why are we considering woman anyways?" Chat Noir asked.

"Because we don't know how far Hawkmoth will go to hide his identity," Ladybug replied. "Okay, I know for identity-related reasons that-"

In the end, the list consisted of:

Both of Marinette's parents (Ladybug didn't want to think about it, but she was trying to be unbiased)

Gabriel Agreste and Nathalie Sancoeur (Carapace would love that)

Both of Nino's parents (please don't let it be a friend's parent)

Alya's parents (Nora was too young - she would have a timer)

Ivan's dad

Nathaniel's parents

Chloe's dad (yeah right, Mayor Bourgeois was not that competent)

Sabrina's dad (see above) and mom

Jalil (strangely, that was one of Marinette's top choices. His akumatization was the right timing, not to mention weird.)

Kim's mom

Max's dad and granddad

Rose's parents and grandparents and aunt and uncle (all were just as bubbly as Rose though so doubtful)

Juleka's mom (Ladybug really wanted an excuse to punch her dad, but she knew he wasn't close enough to his kids to explain the attraction)

That was a total of what, 25 people? Hopefully, that wouldn't be too much for Lacy to handle.

Lacy was more than a little scared of Ladybug's plan.

It wasn't what she was asked to do, just the idea that Ladybug was staking so much on her. Could Lacy even do that?

"You look scared," Ladybug noted.

"It's a lot of responsibility," Lacy replied. "I don't know if I can do it."

Ladybug placed her hand on Lacy's shoulder. "I believe in you."

Lacy could almost feel her confidence, and part of her thought, maybe she could. Besides, what's the worse that could happen? Ladybug had said - and Orikko confirmed - that Lacy's identity would be safe during the akumatization. Theoretically. And even if it wasn't, it was just her identity. As Kota. It wouldn't even prevent her from never being a superhero again.

"Okay, I'll do it," Lacy agreed.

"Good," Ladybug said. "I think we should tell the rest of the team of the plan - and your identity."

That was even scarier, but Lacy nodded. "Okay."

Ladybug decided to leave Queen Bee out of the plan, mostly because she still didn't trust her secret-keeping abilities.

They met in the classroom, but only after Ladybug had Markov do multiple security sweeps. There was a lot of questions about the sudden need for this meeting, but Ladybug promised an explanation at the meeting.

"Nothing said here leaves this room," Ladybug started. "I have a plan to beat Hawkmoth."

"You know his identity?" Ryuko questioned.

"No," Ladybug said. "I have narrowed the list down to 25 suspects, and I have a plan. You all are aware that there's other magic beyond just the miraculous, right?"

"No," Ryuko said. "I was not."

"Well, there is," Ladybug said. "And some of your teammates have their own little bits of magic." She turned to Kota. "Would you like to explain?"

"Sure." The word came out more as a squeak than a statement, but Kota came up next to Ladybug.

"So, um, I have this ability to read people's facial expressions and vocal expressions," Kota started. "And everyone's is unique to themselves, so if these powers were boosted, I would be able to recognize someone based off of their voice."

"But how would you boost your powers?" Pegasus asked.

"Ladybug thinks, and I agree, that if I was akumatized, the effects of the akuma would amplify my powers."

"While also giving you access to Hawkmoth's voice," Pegasus finished. "A brilliant idea, if you can think clear enough while akumatized."

"I've been akumatized several times," Ryuko said. "It's not easy to think through."

"I know," Kota said. "But I have pretty good control over my emotions. I think I can manage. If not, well, then we'll just come up with another plan."

"For this to work, we need a way for her to communicate Hawkmoth's identity while akumatized," Ladybug said. "The first person she names that's on the list will be him. For this to work, we all need to know her identity so we recognize her when she's akumatized. Ready?"

Kota nodded. "Orikko, sun down."

The detransformation washed over her, leaving Lacy in her place.

"Hi," she said with an awkward wave. "I don't know if I know any of you in real life, but I'm Lacy. Hi."

Everyone was able to keep a poker face, though Ladybug knew that most of them knew Lacy well.

"You're American," Ryuko noted.

"Yeah," Lacy replied.

"A lot of people thought you were from Greece," Pegasus said. "Because of your name."

"My family's Greek," Lacy explained.

She shifted her weight nervously between her feet.

"So, we all know the plan?" Ladybug asked.

"How is Lacy going to be akumatized?" Pegasus asked. "She hasn't shown any inclination to being akumatized yet."

"My dad's a therapist," Lacy said. "I can handle my emotions, but I might be able to just, not do that. For a few days."

"Without hurting your mental health," Ladybug stressed.

"Yes," Lacy agreed. "Don't worry, I'll be fine."

"I hope this works," Ryuko said. "Hawkmoth needs to be taken down."

"It will," Ladybug said. "And if it doesn't, we just come up with another plan. We will win this."

Ladybug switched the miraculouses around. With her planning to be akumatized, Lacy couldn't keep hers. Instead, Ladybug let Rena Rouge, Carapace, Ryuko, Pegasus, and Viperion keep theirs.

Rena Rouge and Pegasus were tasked with training Lacy to recognize the 25 suspects. It wasn't fun - both of them had relatives on the list, though neither could say so.

(Lacy had figured that out anyways).

A week later, and still nothing had happened.

Marinette found herself constantly checking up on Lacy, making sure she wasn't self-sabotaging herself, especially during class. But Lacy seemed fine - even arriving in class earlier than Marinette.

"Do you think she's going to sprout another head or something?"

Marinette turned her attention from Lacy to the person in front of her - Chloe.

"Um?"

"You keep watching Lacy," Chloe said. "But nothing about her has changed. It's freaking us out on the other side of the classroom."

"Oh, sorry," Marinette replied.

"You know what? Nevermind. I had something more important to say."

"Okay."

But Chloe didn't say anything else. She just stood there, looking like she was trying to hold a frog in her mouth.

"I'm sorry!" She eventually blurted. "I'm sorry. I know I've been unfair and mean to you, so I'm sorry."

"Oh."

Marinette had no clue what to say. Chloe had been trying so hard to do better recently - but could she just forgive her?

"You don't have to forgive me," Chloe said. "Or like me, or even be nice to me. I'm not expecting your forgiveness. Not after everything."

"Thank you," Marinette replied. "I know you're trying to do better, but it may take some time to reach that part." She hesitated. "But, I have to ask - why me?"

"Because," Chloe answered. "You were happy. You weren't rich - not back then - or that pretty. I thought that those were the key to being happy, but you. You just were. So, I made you miserable. Because I was, for a lot of that time."

"Oh," Marinette replied.

"So. Sorry. I hope I didn't - I hope I never - just, sorry. You deserved better than putting up with me."

It was, in the end, Alix's doing.

Her dad had bluntly told her not to do a skating trick. She wasn't prepared, wasn't skilled enough, and normally Alix would listen - especially when Ondine, Lacy, and Kim all told her the same thing. Especially when Kim was advocating restraint.

But the trick had been cool, and Alix had been bored. And then she had been in the hospital.

Lacy and Nathaniel were almost instantly there, though they couldn't visit her until she was discharged.

The end injury was a nasty broken ankle and a light concussion. It could have been much, much worse.

Lacy didn't lecture her. That wasn't what she needed.

Instead, she and Nathaniel pitched in to bring snacks and movies when they visited.

"You two are great," Alix said. It was her first day back from the hospital, and they were sitting in her room binge-watching action movies.

"We love you," Lacy replied.

"You worried us," Nathaniel added.

"I know," Alix said. "It was a stupid thing to do. I don't know what I was thinking."

Lacy sympathetically rubbed her shoulder. "It's okay. You learned your lesson, and you're fine now. You'll be back to skating in no time!"

"Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that."

Alix's dad stood in the doorway, startling Lacy off the bed. She fell right on top of her bag, which hurt.

"Right now? We're in the middle of a movie," Alix replied.

"I think your friends need to hear this," he explained. "So they know what you're not allowed to do."

Lacy frowned. "You're not keeping her from skating, are you?"

He didn't deny it.

Alix gasped. "You are! You can't do that!"

"I can," Her dad snapped. "You could have seriously hurt yourself! I thought you were responsible enough to handle yourself, but clearly you're not. So, until I can trust you, no. More. Skating."

"But dad!"

"That's final!"

"You can't do that!" Nathaniel argued.

"I can and I will."

"Dad! Seriously?"

"It's final."

Her dad turned and left, leaving the three in shocked silence.

"He - he can't do that!" Alix said. "It was one mistake. He - he can't just do that."

Lacy clenched her fists. Alix loved skating.

It was bad enough seeing her friend in physical pain, but now her dad had just added to it-

"Alix!"

Alix and Lacy both turned at Nathaniel's call to see an akuma come through the window.

Lacy reacted without thinking, and her bag went sailing. It's contents spilled out, and her sunglasses case smacked right into the akuma.

Next Chapter

#kota #Percy Jackson and the Olympians #miraculous ladybug

0 notes

jetbootcollection · 7 years

Text

A Hero’s Vacation

Fandom: Miraculous Ladybug

Characters: Marinette/Ladybug, Adrien/Chat Noir, Alya, OC(s)

Summary: A hero from another city comes to Paris.

Tags: Fluff, Self-Indulgent Fluff, No Romance (for canon characters), Gratuitous use of OCs, Headcanons abound

Words: 6575

Chapters: 1/?

Chapter 2>>

Marinette was lucky to live right next to the school she attended. Not because it was across the street, but because it was selective. Every student there had a passion and the potential to excel. And while the school was not picky when it came to the subject, they made it clear that the degree of commitment to each student’s chosen career was paramount. ‘The road to success can lead anywhere’ was engraved into a gold plaque that hung on the wall of the headmaster’s office, and would be printed on banners that were put up during exam weeks.

Which is why, far from the first time, Marinette thanked her lucky stars that she had managed to hold it together long enough to present her design portfolio at the end of a lengthy application process. Looking around the courtyard, she saw musicians, programmers, painters, even mechanics. Not to mention the hottest teen model in France and longtime crush, Adrien. Her best friend Alya had gotten in with her passion for journalism. Chloe, as insufferable as she may be, had her sights set on parliament and had the skills to make it there. Even Lila the pathological liar was a published author, though few of her classmates believed her until she brought forth a sizable sample of her work to prove it.

So when Marinette walked into class and saw an unfamiliar face standing at the front of the room, she knew he had to be good at whatever it was he did.

“Has he introduced himself yet?” she asked Alya as she sat down.

“Not yet. But he’s been watching everyone come in, in perfect silence. Kinda creepy if you ask me.” Alya was the kind of girl that weighted a person based on what they said and how they said it. People that didn’t talk must be hiding something. Some secret she would have to dig up.

Marinette turned forward to see the boy and jumped a little when he was looking right at her. He gave a forgiving smile, lifting his hand to make a gesture to say he had not been offended before turning his attention elsewhere.

“Alya! That was rude.”

“I thought I was being quiet! Not even Nino should have been able to hear that!” Alya defended with a hint of panic. If there was a skill she was proud of, it was her ability to talk to her best friend in class or livestream breaking Ladybug news from an active battle without being heard.

“Hear what?” Nino asked, spinning around on his bench in front of the girls.

“Nothing!” the two said in unison.

Marinette looked back to the silent boy. What was this guy’s talent? His simple collared shirt and slacks suggested a more intellectual field of study. He wore a sleek metal pin that looked like a feather on his collar but had no other accessories. Nothing really stood out about him physically except for a pair of slightly oversized eyes. Miss Bustier pulled her attention away before she could formulate a guess.

“Good morning, class. Today we have a new student joining us. Amoux, would you please tell us about yourself?”

The boy stepped forward without a hint of nervousness.

“I am Amoux Grégoire. I was born in France but have been overseas for years many…um, many years, I mean. With my talents of observation, I wish to be a therapist someday. Patience with me as I relearning French.” He was clearly out of practice, speaking in fluent but disjointed sentences.

Out of the corner of her eye Marinette could see Alya shrink into her seat as she realized just how rude she had been. Chloe took it upon herself to surpass her.

“What good’s a therapist that can’t speak French?” She said in that snide tone she takes whenever she wants to get a rise out of someone. Adrien was about to come Amoux’s aid when the boy defended himself with surprising grace.

“A good listener.” He said simply, calmly walking past Chloe without even looking her in the face on his way to the empty seat next to Ivan. Miss Bustier gave him a proud smile for not taking the bait and turned to begin writing the day’s assignment on the board.

“I wish I could shut Chloe down like that.” Marinette whispered. Chloe had her eyes closed and nose turned up as if still waiting for a response.

“Well I’m going to apologize at lunch, so you should come with me and get some pointers.”

“Now remember, your homework for tonight is question four on page sixty. I want a full explanation of the triple point of water, why or why not it exists, and a hand drawn graph of temperature versus concentration to justify your reasoning.” Ms. Mendeleiev bookended her lecture.

As the bell rang to let them out of Chemistry, Alya walked after Amoux with Marinette in tow, catching up to him at the base of the stairs that led down to the courtyard. He looked confused as to where to go next.

“Something wrong, Amoux?” Alya asked.

“Is there no lunchroom?” He asked in return, puzzled by the students leaving through the front entrance.

“Lunchroom? No, no. Students go home to eat during the lunch break.” Alya said, trying to her hardest to not sound condescending. She had flubbed her first impression and didn’t want to make it worse by answering what she thought was an obvious question.

“Oh…I had not planned this. I live far.” He said with a worried look, a hand absently resting on his stomach.

“Why not join us at my bakery? Wouldn’t want you to go hungry over an honest mistake.” Marinette offered.

Amoux lit up and could not find the words to thank her, so he nodded with a thankful smile instead.

A quick walk across the street, an apology from Alya for calling Amoux creepy that was accepted readily, and pushing through the lunch rush later, Marinette led them up to her living room with a basket of bread under her arm. The three of them sat down to the muffled noises of the busy bakery below them.

Over the first bite of her roll, Alya checked the Ladyblog out of habit. She scrolled the news feeds for a few seconds before putting her phone down.

“Been awhile since the last akuma attack. You think Hawkmoth finally ran out of butterflies?”

Amoux slowly turned to face Alya with a look of confusion written on his face. What she had just said sounded insane to him.

“A-Akuma? What is this? And butterflies?”

“OH, right.” Alya quickly flipped through her phone to find an artist’s rendition of an akuma butterfly and some pictures of their victims.

“There is a supervillain here in Paris named Hawkmoth that sends out these dark butterflies to take advantage of people’s negative emotions to turn them into his minions. But don’t worry. We’ve got superheroes to take care of it, and everything gets fixed in the end.” She explained, showing before and after photos of various monuments going from rubble to pristine.

When Alya’s impromptu slideshow came to pictures of Chat Noir and Ladybug, Amoux seemed to recognize them.

“They look of heroes in Seattle. Expect ours are a… salmon and… deer? No, moose! We had an eagle hero, but he left.” Remembering the names of animals was difficult, though some were easier than others.

Alya nearly exploded at the news.

“THERE ARE MORE SUPERHEROES! EEEEEEEHEHEHE!” She couldn’t help herself, needing to run around the room a bit to calm down.

“What happened to the Eagle?” Marinette asked, trying to be heard over the bakery noise and her friend’s fangirling without yelling. It was not an easy balance to strike.

“He said he was needed elsewhere. In a new sky, he said.” Amoux seemed almost saddened by his own words, as if describing a lost friend. Before Marinette could even think of asking more, Alya all but threw herself between them.

“WOULDN’T IT BE COOL IF HE CAME TO PARIS!? THIS EAGLE GUY COULD TEAM UP WITH LADYBUG AND KICK MAJOR-“

“ALYA! Calm down.”

It was a few nights later when the next akuma showed up. Marinette had a custom text alert on her phone for when an akuma was spotted, and when it went off in the middle of doing her homework she bookmarked her text book and put her spots on as soon as she stood up. Four more steps and she was already out the window in one fluid motion. A quick toss of her yo-yo to her favorite chimney and she was off.

Running along a roof top to quickly check exactly where she was going on her communicator, Chat Noir jumped to her side out of the night.

“I’ll save you the search, bugaboo. It’s in the river.”

“Thanks, kitty.” She relied a little dryer than she wanted.

“You wound me, My Lady. ‘Hello Chat, it’s been a while. I’ve missed you so much.’ Nothing?” The boy’s impression of her was superb, if a little mocking. Ladybug rolled her eyes as she jumped to the next roof.

“Alright, I might have missed you a little. It’s only been…” She had honestly lost track.

“Three weeks.” Chat finished for her, extending his staff to vault across a large plaza.

Arriving at the bridge that led to the base of the Eifel Tower, the pair have no trouble finding the giant mass of green slime oozing up the river. Garbage of all kinds could be seen floating inside the transparent goo.

“Maybe we should stretch first. Wouldn’t want to pull a muscle just because we’ve been on vacation.”

“Nothing’s working! The akuma could be in anything!” Ladybug called to Chat after coming back from her third transformation of the night.

She had used Lucky Charm twice now, and both times the item produced had gotten stuck in the slime without doing anything useful. How was a pie plate or a water bottle supposed to help in the first place?

“Could we freeze it?” Chat called back, swatting away a slimy tentacle with his staff. He had tried Cataclysm during his first transformation, but the slime was not solid enough for the effect to spread.

“Something that big would take days to-“

Ladybug was interrupted by a sharp whistling sound flying past her. Whatever it was imbedded itself in the slime creature just deep enough to skewer an oddly purple banana peel. The slime dissolved in a wave of light, leaving behind a black butterfly. Never one to look a gift horse in the mouth, Ladybug captured and purified the akuma.

Chat went off to fish an apologetic janitor out of the river. Ladybug set to retrieving the two failed Charms from the garbage that was still raining down, finding the arrow that had saved the day along the way. She repaired the broken bridge and the damage caused by the flooding, but couldn’t help but wonder who or what had helped them.

“How did you do that?” Chat asked, looking at the totally not red and black polka dot arrow while ringing the water out of his tail.

“It wasn’t me.” Ladybug looked off into the distance where the arrow must have come from. There were no buildings to be seen in that direction, only the river and the night sky.

Convinced they were not going to find the answer tonight, the two were just about to leave when they heard a voice overhead.

“Well aren’t you fancy, patchin’ all that up.”

Looking up they saw a young man with wings for arms, flapping to slow his descent to them. He wore a white mask much like theirs, but with a yellow piece that covered his nose and kept going to form a beak. His costume resembled a wrestler’s outfit colored with simple bands of red, white, and blue. A bow was slung on his back and a quiver on his hip. But what stood out the most was that anywhere there should have been skin, he was covered with short fluffy feathers.

“Sorry it took so long to get over here. Shot that from two miles out, and I couldn’t find a good thermal to ride. Name’s Eagle, by the way.” He looked and sounded American but spoke perfect French.

The two of them were not sure what to make of him. Of what they knew of the Miraculous from Master Fu, all of them should be in France, if not Paris itself. How did a foreigner get his hands on one? Speaking of hands, his transformation was so complete that he didn’t have them.

Not wanting to be rude or jump to conclusions about this new Miraculous holder, Ladybug introduced herself and her partner.

“I’m Ladybug, and this is Chat Noir. What brings you to Paris?”

“Um. Hmm…” Eagle stalled for time, trying to come up with an answer. He had jumped into the fight without really thinking, and was so impressed by the red girl’s ability to repair the damaged city that he just had to say hello.

“No reason, really. Just wanted to stretch my wings, see the world. But it looks to me like you rookies could use the help. I might just stick around to lend a talon.” Eagle continued to flap his wings to hover about a meter off the ground, extending a yellow claw-like foot. Chat Noir was the first to recognize the strange gesture, taking the talon in his hand to awkwardly shake it.

“I wouldn’t say we’re rookies anymore. We’ve been at this since late 2015, and my partner is a quick learner.” He said, motioning to Ladybug with his free hand.

“This fight might not have been the best measure of skill. We’ve had better.” Ladybug said with confidence.

“That was a great shot, by the way. How do you even aim from that far away?” It was more of a compliment than a question.

Eagle preened a bit at the praise, but a realization sank in and he started looking left and right for something.

“I’m happy to talk. But I need a perch.” He said with a pant. The bridge they were speaking on had wide stone banisters that where just as bad to land on at the road. Finding a railing on the nearby riverbank, he glided over to rest. His new acquaintances joined him shortly.

“Much better. Big birds like me are better suited for soarin’ than stayin’ in one spot. Talons aren’t great for standin’ around either. Now, you mind tell me what on Earth I just shot?”

The three heroes talked for a few minutes, discussing the nature of the local supervillain and how to fight his victims, when they were interrupted by the sound skidding bike tires. Looking over, they saw Alya all but rip off her helmet as she jogged over to them.

“I was wondering when our favorite junior reporter would show up.” Chat said to no one in particular. He then turned to his feathered friend and added, “I don’t know what I was like where you come from, but we stay in character for interviews here.”

“Gotcha.” Eagle said, articulating a feather near the end of his wing to give a make shift thumbs up. Alya descended upon him a second later while demanding an interview.

Adrien walked into class the next morning to find Alya snoring quietly on her desk. He knew exactly what had kept her up last night, but he needed to act natural. So he did what he would do naturally and let the girl sleep by asking Nino instead.

“I’m used to seeing Marinette tired in the morning, but not Alya. Something happen?”

“Dude, you didn’t hear? She snagged an exclusive interview with the new hero in town. Couldn’t sleep at all, she was so stoked.”

Alya awoke suddenly at the words, startling everyone in the classroom.

“Eagle was so nice, he’s great at interviews. And his powers are so cool! Perfect vision all the way to the horizon and he can shoot anything he can see and fly and…” Alya lost steam mid-sentence and fell back asleep.

Marinette had heard her friend’s outburst from the hall and giggled as she walked in. She, too, knew exactly why Alya was so tired. What she didn’t know was why Amoux looked completely drained as well. The boy was mumbling something in his sleep that she could not quite understand.

“Little guy’s been sleep talking in English all morning. Something about fish, I think.” Ivan answered Marinette’s question before she could even ask. The large boy may not be the best at expressing himself verbally, but he could be downright poetic when he wrote. Just last month he had won a writing competition, yet could barely speak two words in front of the class without getting tongue tied.

“The jetlag must have finally caught up with him. I’ll make sure to take good notes for him.” Ivan and Amoux had made quick friends, bonding over their shared difficulties with French. Sharing a desk meant Amoux had someone to turn to whenever he was at a loss for words in class, and he returned the favor the best he could when Ivan couldn’t think of what to say.

Adrien overheard all this and couldn’t help but wonder just how far Amoux had moved to come to Paris.

8000 kilometers away, a young woman flops on the couch after a long night. She loves her job, but her hours are ridiculous. Flipping on the tv, she starts the recording of the news from that morning right as her roommate gets her key in the door.

“[One of these nights I’m gonna beat you home.]” Comes the voice from the entry way.

“[Fat chance, babe. You know I can outrun lightning.]”

She was about to formulate another brag when she was distracted from there friendly competition by the first headline.

“[Alex! Get in here!]”

“[Sophia, what’s wrong? Did we miss something?]” Said Alex, dropping her purse as her roommate rewound the recorded new cast. The two of them got most of their info from the news but were too busy to watch it in the morning. It was not uncommon for them to hear the news of some important event happening in the next town over a day late.

“[Breaking news this morning, local superhero Eagle has resurfaced in Paris after going into an unofficial retirement last fall.]” The broadcast cuts to a surprisingly professional cellphone interview with Eagle, speaking in subtitled French with the Eifel Tower serving as a backdrop. A pause symbol appears on the screen, covering the hero’s face.

Alex was speechless, fiddling with her damp hair out of habit. She looks down at her roommate on the couch and finds a growing grin on her face. But it was not just a happy-to-know-he’s-alive grin. It was much more than that.

“[Sophia, I know that look.]” She said with some hesitation.

“[Hey. How long do you think it would take you to swim to Europe?]” She asked, hopping up to her knees to better speak with her roommate behind the couch. There was no hypothetical tone to be had.

Accustomed to interviewers and bystanders asking similar questions, Alex gave a canned response without thinking.

“[Well if we’re smart and go through Canada, Greenland, Iceland, and the UK so I can rest, it would be about as fast as flying if you…Wait, you don’t really mean-]”

“[HELL YEAH! Grab your passports and the Red Visas! We’re going to Paris!]” Sophia shouted loud enough to earn a thump of a broom handle through the floor from an annoyed neighbor.

“[I want to see our little fledgling as much as you do but we can’t just…]” Alex started, but found herself disarmed by the puppy dog pout on Sophia’s face. How can this woman can go from ecstatic to puppy pout so fast?

“[Fiiiiiine. I’ll call the mayor. You handle the border crossings. And let me sleep in, please?]” Alex said, preemptively covering Sophia’s mouth to keep her from screaming again. Moving her hand away once the excitement had cooled a bit, her roommate gave her a quick peck on the check.

“[Babe, I’ll make you French Toast when you wake up. We should compare with the real French Toast when we get there.]”

“[I look forward to it. Let’s just hope Phoenix can cover for us while we are gone.]” Alex mused. Phoenix didn’t have any powers, but manages to defuse the situation well enough when only civilians are involved. A buff stranger in a spandex suit showing up out of nowhere is enough to make most people reconsider their actions.

“[Relax. Phoenix and the police can handle the petty crime, and the National Guard is more than ready for any natural disasters. We just need to give them the heads up before we go.]”

Alex sighed. Once her roommate got an idea going she charged right on through to the end, sometimes literally. The only thing that could stop her was the ground giving out. Resigning herself to the inevitable, Alex turned her thoughts to the logistics of the trip.

“[Better head down to the store then. We’re gonna need a lot of almonds and chocolate.]”

By the lunch break, Marinette’s sleepy friends had more or less recovered. Amoux had promised to repay her kindness by bring her lunch once his family had unpacked the kitchen enough to make a proper dish, and Alya had brought her own lunch to join them. They went to the park to sit in the grass.

Marinette had been expecting a stereotypical American dish, so she was surprised when she was presented with something shiny.

“This is honey-molasses chicken. It’s baked in a sweet and sticky sauce and can be enjoyed cold or hot.” He handed her a container that unfolded into a plate, as well as a cloth napkin.

“I prefer it cold because it is easier to picnic.” He then picked up his own piece of chicken with both hands and began eating. The girls were taken aback by his lack of table manners. Sensing this, Amoux continued.

“It’s meant to be eaten in hand. Just use your thumb and two fingers on each hand for better control and you won’t make a mess of yourself.” He said with a smile, as if finding it laughable to use silverware when fingers were the superior utensil.

Marinette did her best to copy his technique and took a dainty bite. Then another. Soon she didn’t care how barbaric any passerby thought her eating was. This chicken was unlike anything she had tasted before and she needed the recipe.

As she was cleaning her lips, she felt two familiar presences behind her. She wasn’t sure which would be worse seeing her like this, Adrien or Chloe, so with uncommon bravery she turned to face both.

“Adrien! Hi.” She said as sweetly as she could to cover up her internal screaming. If anything, her crush seemed amused with the tiny amounts of sauce on the corners of her mouth. He raised his hand in greeting but was cut short by Chloe, waving her phone at her target.

“Marinette, you absolute slob. Go clean yourself up before you make the whole park dirty.” Marinette had half a mind to use Chloe herself as a napkin. But a calm voice to her side stopped her, and Chloe.

“Miss? Are you not terribly late?”

Chloe froze and her eyes went wide. Scrambling for the phone already in her hand to check the time, she unsilenced it and was immediately inundated with text messages. She gave a panicked yelp and ran off towards the school. The stunned silence that followed lasted until Chloe was out of sight.

“How did you do that?” Marinette and Alya asked breathlessly.

“Simple. She was receiving texts nonstop but was too distracted to notice. The…um…small yellow faces? They looked urgent.”

“You knew she was late from emojis?” Adrien asked in disbelief. He had seen his classmates do amazing things as if it was nothing, but this took the cake.

“Phones are built to be read. People are what is hard to read.”

That was all the explanation they were likely going to get. Yet another cryptic, figurative wave of the hand to shed a little light on his skills.

“The mean yellow girl was partially right. We do need to clean ourselves.” Amoux said while getting to his feet. He offered a napkin covered hand to assist Marinette, and they were off to the bakery to wash their hands in peace.

Alex woke up at noon to the smell of French Toast and practically floated down the hall to the kitchen.

“[Morning, babe. Better eat quick. We need to head out by one if we want to be in France at a reasonable hour.]” Sophia greeted her roommate. She set down a plate of eight slices of French Toast, a full bottle of syrup, a two sliced bananas, and a fork.

“[You’re the best.]” Alex said with only a hint of sleep, hugging her roommate and nuzzling her ear before sitting down to breakfast. As she ate, Sophia went to the phone to make some last-minute calls.

“[You think I should call the Mariners to cancel my appearance next Saturday?]” She asked from the hall, just out of sight of the kitchen.

“[If we’re not back by then we have bigger problems.]” Alex replied, already cutting up her second slice. Her roommate nodded in agreement. Sophia instead dialed the non-emergency number for the Emergency Dispatch Center and cleared her throat. A small voice came over the phone once it connected.

“[Hi Paula, good to hear you back in the call center after that ferry accident…]”

Alex tuned her out as she ate the rest of her breakfast. She was not usually the kind of girl to lick her plate, but she knew she would need the calories today. Walking over to the pantry, she pushed aside the five-pound bag of chocolate chips to retrieve an unopened jar of almonds. Eating a few and setting the open jar on the counter, she checked the calendar on the refrigerator. The only thing of note she would be missing in her civilian life was the start of Copper River season. It was a guilty pleasure to say the least, but she was searching for an old friend and sacrifices needed to be made.

“[I could only get a hold of the KOMO news network, but they said they would get the word out to the other stations.]” Sophia said, popping her head back into the kitchen.

“[Cool. Let’s make sure we have everything ready.]” Alex picked up the large bags of almonds and chocolate chips and walked to the bedroom, passing the now empty jar on the counter. The tiny grey mermaid lying next to it was rubbing its belly.

“[Pack ‘em in the best you can, Oncoor. You’ll need it.]” All she got as a response was a tiny wave of a hand and an equally tiny burp.

The two young women spread everything they would need for the trip out on the bed. Alex read off the check list for her roommate, while Sophia made a show of holding up whatever item was called.

“[Snacks?]” “[Totally.]” “[Cell phones?]” “[With water proof cases and roaming plan.]” “[GPS?]” “[Military grade.]” “[Passports?]” “[Two for you, Two for me.]” “[Visas?]” “[Full diplomatic immunity.]” “[Jewelry?]” “[Like we ever take those off.]” “[Money?]” “[1346 Euros in cash.]”

Alex looked up from the list to give Sophia a questioning look.

“[What? I know you have a big wad to Canadian money in the sock drawer.]”

“[It’s not the money I’m worried about. Do you really not take that off to wash your hair?]”

Sophia gave a nervous laugh and set to packing. Behind her on the nightstand sat a small elk-like creature trying and failing to stifle a laugh.

“[Itippa would get lonely if I did.]”

Ladybug crotched on a high ledge of Notre Dame. She had been forced to give up patrolling on a regular basis because of school and fashion projects. Some weeks she barely had time to fight an akuma when one appeared, let alone actively searching for one. Chat assured her that he could patrol the city well enough and would put the word out if he found anything too serious. And he had been a cat of his word.

Tonight, she wasn’t looking for crime or akumas. Ladybug was looking for the hero she had met the night before. They had talked shop, but she next to nothing about him. Sure, she had rewatched the interview on the Ladyblog and knew what his powers were, but she needed to know if Eagle could be trusted. While it seemed to be a rule that only one akuma could exist at a time, the resent dip in activity might be an omen of that no longer being the case. One akuma to be the monster and another to be the hero. Volpina had pretended to be a hero and turned out evil, so who could say it wouldn’t happen again. The fact that Eagle had some uncanny similarities with Dark Cupid only deepened her worries.

“You seem pensive, My Lady.” Chat Noir said a few paces away. Ladybug had gotten used to Chat sneaking up on her, so she didn’t jump. She stood to meet him at eye level.

“I just want to talk with Eagle again. To make sure we are all on the same page. Superhero culture is different in America, so I wanted to lay some ground rules before something goes wrong.” She said, condensing her thoughts from the last half hour.

“Well if yer looking for a bird of prey, you need to look up.” Came a familiar voice from above. Looking up the two saw Eagle holding onto a spire with both talons, holding himself vertical with a curled wingtip. He dismounted and glided silently down to them, finding the head of a gargoyle the perfect size to perch on.

“Look out Chat. Might have some competition for stealthiest hero.”

“That’s unfair, My Lady! He has no footsteps to speak of.” He defended dramatically. He knew Ladybug was joking. Eagle certainly found it funny and had a hearty chuckle at their banter.

“Now, what are these ground rule you want me to know?”

Ladybug took a moment to collect her talking points before speaking.

“Well first of all, you should know we have the government’s cooperation, not their support. We’ve on our own for the most part, and we certainly are not paid to do this. Don’t start giving orders to law enforcement unless you have to.” This seemed to take Eagle by surprise, but he did not interrupt.

“Second, we keep our identities secret, even from each other. The fewer people know, the better. Might as well keep that number at zero.” At this Eagle looked a little shocked, as if it was useful information being locked away from the people that could use it most.

“And lately, we prioritize saving civilians over preventing property damage. As you have seen, I can repair any physical damage. But I can’t fix the phycological damage from people getting hurt.” This seemed to stir up some bad memories in Eagle.

“Wait, American heroes get paid? Not that I need the money but…whoa, hey, you okay buddy?” Chat read Eagle’s ashamed look and knew right away that late rule had struck a chord. Ladybug noticed once her partner mentioned it and was already mentally backpedaling to come up with something to make him feel better.

“I’m fine. Just remembering what led up to me leaving Seattle. Saved ten lives at the cost of a corporate headquarters burning down. Whole lot of investors threatened to pull their companies out of the superhero program. It…was a bad week for all of us.” He said with empty eyes. It seemed like a small miracle to hold his composure, but that accent of his had fallen completely.

Ladybug reached up to run her hand along his wing in what she hoped was a soothing manner. Chat empathized with his distaste of money focused authority figures.

“Do your partners know? Why you left?” Ladybug asked quietly. Now it was Eagle’s turn to collect his thoughts.

“They do. They came to my defense anytime I spoke out against the program, even if they would not speak themselves. But…I kinda fell off the face of the Earth when I left. They’ve done well enough on their own, from what I’ve heard.”

The three heroes stood in silence for a few moments, not sure how to move on from such weighty revelations in the presence of those they did not know well. Eagle was the first to speak again.

“If those were the ground rules you wanted, then I accept. Now, if you will excuse me, I think I have a letter to write.” With that, he spread his wings and disappeared into the night.

Chat and Ladybug lingered, still processing. Without speaking they mutually agreed to start their patrol, if only to clear their heads.

A few blocks away, two damp young women climbed the stairs up the river bank to an open plaza. One woman had an arm slung across the shoulders of the other for support.

“[You really didn’t have to swim that last leg. It was my turn.]” Sophia said to an exhausted Alex.

“[Oh, no. I’m not having you running at a thousand miles an hour on a sprained wrist. Besides, you ran out of chocolate to feed your kwami back in Oxford.]”

“[Possibly sprained wrist. And I would have been faster. The Seine was super bendy.]”

Years of experience had taught them that they could openly talk about their powers in public and people would either think they were massive nerds, drunk, or both. The fact that only tourists spoke English here helped too.

Alex was about to point out that her partner still wouldn’t have been able to run across northern France on account of a lack of chocolate. But a realization made her stop walking, bringing Sophia to a stop with her. It was a moment before she was able to admit to the problem, having made the checklist.

“[We forgot to get a hotel, didn’t we?]”

Sophia went from curious as to why they stopped to concern for where they were going. With all the chaos of putting together the trip on such short notice they had both focused on the journey, with no thought of what to do once they got there other than tracking down Eagle and get some solid answers.

Both women looked up and down the streets that came to the plaza, but everything just looked residential to them. Would it kill them to put up some hotel-looking signs?

“You ladies look a little lost.” Came an unnaturally clear male voice from a nearby rooftop. The two sighed in relief as they recognized the standard Hero Voice that they themselves used when they were on the clock. Too bad they didn’t understand a word he said.

A second later they were joined by a boy in black leather with cat ears and a girl in red and black polka dot seamless spandex. Both wore familiar shaped masks.

Sophia acted fast and pulled the English to French dictionary out of her backpack while reciting the French version of ‘we don’t speak your language’ she had memorized. Fortunately, she had been to Canada enough times to know where in the dictionary to look for what she needed.

“Our travel plans failed. We need a hotel.” She managed to say without much delay.

“I got this, Chat. [You sound like you are from America. I speak some English, so you can put the dictionary away.]” Little miss red said in academic English. The cat boy seemed impressed that his partner had the ability.

“[Oh thank god. We just need some directions to a place we can stay until morning. Then we can figure out how to handle the rest of our trip.]” Said Alex, who could feel her feet throbbing from all the swimming she had done. Powered up, she might have been able to swim another ten miles. But the thought of going even a city block on dry land felt like torture.

As Chat Noir and Ladybug leapt away from the lost travelers they had helped, they both found it easier to talk. The weight to their discussion with Eagle no longer bogged them down.

“It’s nice to just help out civilians in need for a change. Feels like all we ever do is fight akumas and muggers.” Ladybug said brightly. She liked the feeling of being a good Samaritan.

“You need to come out on patrol more often, then. It’s not all about catching crooks.” Chat said with a smirk. Ladybug could only sigh at the pun. She wouldn’t admit it, at least not tonight, that she did enjoy his puns. It was a shame that he seemed to be off him game from not seeing her during the break in akuma activity.

“Speaking of civilians, did you notice anything odd about those tourists?” Chat asked with a semi-serious tone, prompting Ladybug to give it some semi-serious thought.

“Now that you mention it, their hair was soaked but their clothes were dry. They looked exhausted and were by the river…You don’t think…”

Chat Noir paused his rooftop running and Ladybug followed suit. They exchanged a long look of contemplation, wordlessly going over the facts. Surely they had not been swimming this late at night.

“Nah!” The two heroes said in unison, both stretching out an arm and flicking their wrists downward as if to swat the ridiculous idea out of the air. They laughed at the thought of the two of them coming to the same conclusion on such flimsy evidence.

“But did you see her red pearl earrings? I should have asked where she got them.” Ladybug said while flipping her hair to flash her own earrings.

“I was too distracted by the other woman’s jewelry. It looked like she had little antlers wrapped around her ear.”

“It was a pretty nice ear cuff. Too bad it’s not really my style.”

The duo went back to their patrol, lightheartedly discussing what accessory they would pick to hold their Miraculous if they had to choose a new one.

Amoux sat down to his writing desk in a bedroom that was still new to him. Call him old fashioned, but he wanted to write this letter by hand. He had neglected to tell his friends back in Seattle that he was moving to Paris, and they deserved an explanation. Two friends in particular deserved the whole truth.

He briefly considered writing two letters, but they shared an address. Reading such an important message would best be done together.

As he wrote, he started over many times until he was sure he had included everything. Signing his name, he added a drawing of a sleek black feather to match the pin on his collar. It was only when the envelope was sealed that he remembered he would need international postage stamps.

“[If only I could hand deliver this.]”

Author’s Notes:

-This was very much a test fic when it started, to see if I could write in this universe. It just spiraled out of control with all the headcanons I wanted to throw in.

-As long as this fic was, it doesn’t contain the scene I day dreamed that inspired the rest of the fic. Expect at least one more chapter.

-At first I wanted to sprinkle in some French like I see in other author’s fics, but with the whole [brackets for English] business going on it didn’t make sense.

Chapter 2>>

#Miraculous Ladybug #ladybug #chat noir #alya cesaire #marinette dupain-cheng #adrien agreste #fan fic #OCs #OC heroes #A Hero's Vacation

4 notes · View notes