#feat marinette

[devilsmenu]

“it’s sad when friends become enemies, but what’s even worse is when they become strangers.” marinette and buttercup

"It's true. Sometimes we back down because of time, work or even studies and you just lost contact with them but still have them in your heart. But when it comes to someone that close and you can't fix it and then you just don't know who they're anymore. Sometimes is just for good".

[apple--bombs]

Once last year me and @tevi-tevi concepted up a rewrite for miraculous ladybug which involved turning Lila and Felix into team rocket style buddy-antagonists, among other changes. It is my favorite

[lnc2]

sometimes i look at my posts and see them tagged as salt and i'm like... is it though? is it salt or just an accurate description of events?

[gloryseized]

leatherforhell asked:

🌺 for mari from chat 😌

Send me 🌺 to place a flower in my muse’s hair. -- @lalauyate

A smile curls Marinette's lips as she looks up into the green eyes of Chat Noir. It's a bit odd to think that she can see him so differently when she's not suited up as Ladybug compared to now when she's just--Marinette. Not that she minds being just Marinette, at least when it comes to interacting with Chat. She doesn't have to worry about leading him on now, she can actually appreciate his jokes (although she knows better than to compliment them too much), and she actually can see how sweet he is.

Then again, she's always known how sweet he is, maybe she just didn't allow herself to see it before. And as he sticks the rose into the bun at the top of her head, she tilts her head to the side, dimple appearing in one cheek. "What do you think?"

[disorganizedkitten]

I have like a chapter and a half of Marinette's Guide to Adopting the Local Vigilante written, they're just not posted because I skipped a prompt and I have to publish that one FIRST

Anyway highlights:

“Jason. Jason Jason Jason. Ce n'est pas forcément un secret. Cela doit juste être incompréhensible." "Ne sommes-nous pas déjà incomprensible?" Marinette opened her mouth, paused, and looked down, mouthing to herself. “Oui, d’accord, au moins à maman.” “Exactamente.”

Jason is pulled from the dangerous train of thought by Tim laying his hands flat on the table. This idiot. “Don’t leave your hands visible, that makes it harder to pull out tricks.” “That’s the point,” Tim says.

“You have Jane Austen novels.” What the actual- “What does that have to do with anything?”

Lulu: How’d it go? Sang Vert: All kids like sugar. Probably my saving grace. Lulu: No maiming? Sang Vert: You’re 9, you shouldn’t know that word. Lulu: I’m eleven, don’t be a cabbage.

[lc-holy]

Conférence Masterclass 808 (Translation)

I've taken the liberty of translating the conference that took place last year with the writing director of Miraculous (Sébastien Thibaudeau). It was only made public when someone posted a video of the conference a short while ago.

In this conference, Sébastien Thibaudeau will talk about the creation of Miraculous and his work on the series. He is joined by Chloé Paye, a new scriptwriter working on Miraculous season 6.

Sébastien talks a lot and repeats himself a bit, so the summary can be a bit confusing.

I strongly advise you to go and listen to the video if you understand French. There are a lot of details I'm going to leave out, and Sébastien is very funny.

Photo belongs to mlbfanfr on twitter.

Please be respectful in comments or tags. If you want to debate on things related to this conference, please make your own post. I apologize if there are any mistakes, I'm French and I'm not fluent in English.

-12 years ago, Sébastien arrived at Zagtoon, a studio that was just starting out and had yet to produce and broadcast any series. The producer (Jérémy Zag) and Sébastien hit it off and decided to start working together. Zag decides to give Sébastien total freedom over his projects. Sébastien then decides to put the spotlight on scriptwriters, because in this profession they are unfortunately poorly paid and never stay on the same projects.

So they produced a cartoon called Kobushi. A little-known series that did rather well, even if it didn't stay on the "Gulli" channel for long. The scriptwriters and producer were happy with the end result, as it was produced in a very short time.

Jeremy Zag then proposed another project, which he thought was quite good, but which he was unable to sell to broadcasters. At the time, the project was called "Ladybug". No one was interested, as the project was aimed more at an adult audience than a children's audience. Sébastien had to make sure that the project could be broadcast on Disney and TF1.

There was only a "trailer" also called "Ladybug" (but you'll find the video under the title Ladybug PV) animated by Toei animation. At the time, Sébastien had not yet been hired by Zagtoon. It was Jérémy Zag who convinced Toei animation to work with them (no mean feat, since Toei animation doesn't work with anyone).

So Sébastien started working with Thomas Astruc (the man who wrote and created the "Ladybug" project). At first, he didn't want to work on this project because he found it complicated. Thomas wanted to make a series for adults, but at the time, it was very complicated to make a cartoon for adults. What's more, they didn't have enough money to take on such a project. Sébastien finally agreed, but there were some changes to be made, which Thomas accepted.

-What Sébastien appreciated most in this project was the romantic comedy, the love square between the two main characters.

To meet the requirements of the cartoon industry, "Ladybug" had to be set in a neutral universe, in other words, in an imaginary country or the USA, but Zag, who loves Paris, declared that the cartoon had to be set in Paris.

In the end, Thomas Astruc's entire project was discarded, leaving only the love story between the two heroes and the city of Paris, where the story was to take place.

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

-Sébastien explains how he writes Marinette's first dialogues: He says he talks a lot in real life, so he writes Marinette like him. She says out loud whatever she's thinking.

For Chat noir, he makes him tell his father's jokes. Something TF1 doesn't accept. The TV channel went so far as to refuse to validate the Bible (a collection of information on the series and episodes) until it had removed the sentence: “Chat noir makes jokes”. Sebastien has therefore removed the sentence, but will continue to make Chat noir tell jokes.

-The writing director's job is to get the producer, creator and broadcaster to agree. The series broadcast on TF1 and Disney are very different. TF1 wants series whose story can be told in a single episode, unlike Disney, which wants series whose story spans several episodes.

Sébastien and TF1 agree that Miraculous will be a series with one story per episode, a "Formula Show".

He cites the example of Dora the Explorer episodes, where every episode is the same: Dora goes on an adventure from point A to point B, she has to find 3 clues, then she meets Swiper, she sings a song to make Swiper go away, she uses the talking map to get from one place to another, then Dora manages to get to point B and the episode ends.

This episode format is used for children, to give them a reassuring framework, as they build themselves up through repetition. That's why series like Dora work so well with young children.

So Sebastien sold the Miraculous series to broadcasters as a formula show. A person gets angry, is akumatized, then marinette transforms into Ladybug then frees the person from the akumatization and… The End.

It's also for this reason that Marinette tries to confess her love for Adrien in every episode, but is unable to do so.

But he tried to go against what he had planned with TF1, by slipping little extra stories into certain episodes. Audiences were receptive to these slightly hidden stories. The TV channel even asked Sébastien if there really were hidden things in the series, but he denied everything. Thanks to the positive reception from the public, TF1 agreed to develop the characters of Marinette and Adrien and flesh out the universe a little more.

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

-Once the bible is written, they have to write a script. But first Sébastien, as writing director, needs to know the mood of the series, and to do this he calls on Thomas Astruc, the series creator. Thomas is a great fan of classical painting. A single painting can tell a complex scene with lots of detail. He wants the episodes of miraculous to be like these paintings, there will be very few shots, but in a single shot a lot will happen.

-Sébastien explains that one of the things Thomas wanted to convey in the series was emotion. They didn't want to do what a lot of children's cartoons do, which is to beat the bad guys and win at the end of the episode. They wanted to tell kids that it's normal to have negative emotions. We can also become better people, learn from our mistakes and so on. It also reassures TV channels by setting up scenes that are repeated in every episode: people get angry, people akumatize then people deakumatize, end of episode...

Once the TV channels had been reassured, they set about writing a script.

-Sébastien asks Thomas to write the ending, as they're not sure the series will work. They also wondered what the aim of the series was, and what they wanted to say to the children. The two of them sat down in an office and wrote the ending, which turned out to be just the end of an arc. He even adds that now that they've written a lot more, it's important for them to write in advance so that everything is clear to them.

-The first season was written by 19 authors, from home. He found it interesting that the series was written by several different authors, even if some of them didn't quite understand the premise of the series. One episode that Sébastien particularly appreciated was written by two “autrices” (I think it's weird to say “two female authors”, so I'll use the French word): the refletkta episode, with the story of Juleka who couldn't get into the photos. (Note that all the episodes were proofread by Sébastien and Thomas).

After that, they kept a few people on to work together on the scripts for subsequent seasons.

Sébastien explains that he keeps a close eye on the production of the episodes, to make sure that everything that goes into the picture is as faithful as possible to what they've written in the script.

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

-The kwamis exist thanks to Toei, who wanted funny little animals to sell plush toys. So the scriptwriters had to find a way to integrate kwamis into the story.

-(Again, Sébastien advises people to check out the Kobushi series if they can still watch it somewhere, or ask the leaker who leaked the whole of season 5 to give them the episodes (that's a joke, of course)).

-Sébastien talks about the Ikari gozen episode, which could have been a total failure because the storyboarder didn't fully understand the scenario. Sébastien asks Zag to redo the storyboard, which will add 10 weeks to the episode's deadline. The storyboarder admits that he's always done storyboards mechanically, without worrying whether the episode is good or not, whether the jokes are funny or not. Eventually, the episode was redone by the same storyboarder, resulting in the episode we all know today.

- They still have a lot to tell with Miraculous, to the point where they're wondering if they'll have enough seasons to tell everything they want to tell. Sebastien says there will be a season 6 and 7, and probably a season 8 and 9.

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

- Chloé Paye met Sébastien when she was looking for an internship. She had never worked in animation, and knew nothing about Miraculous. She tells us how the scriptwriting team works. Each time, all the scriptwriters in the room have to be convinced of the script. They can sometimes spend hours on details to get everyone to agree.

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

- The driving force behind the series is that there must always be a secret between Marinette and Adrien. The lovesquare can never be broken, otherwise there's no series. Sébastien knows that some people are worried about this. Will they continue the lovesquare for another 4 seasons or more? How will they evolve? Sébastien says not to worry, they know where they want to go.

-It takes them 14 to 16 months to produce an episode, but it's often much longer due to unforeseen circumstances. And they don't work on one episode at a time, but on several at the same time. One episode takes a long time because of the 3D animation.

One of the things that's complicated with Miraculous 3d animation is that they can only display 3 characters at a time on screen, whereas the series requires them to display many more characters. It's also very difficult to correct animation errors, as this takes a lot of time.

-The TV networks were very surprised by the success of miraculous. They didn't think adults and children alike would watch the series. The TV channels were a little confused because they usually make series for a specific age group, but since miraculous had people of all ages watching, they weren't sure what to do.

- Sébastien says he's very happy that miraculous inspires a lot of people to create things, like writing fanfiction, however he's not interested in it because he doesn't want to be influenced by certain fans who would love to see certain things in the series.

- Writing direction also means paying attention to how the characters speak. They all have their own way of speaking. For example, Adrien will never say "j’te parle", but rather "Je te parle".

- During the writing process, the writers sometimes act out scenes to make the dialogue more natural. This is what happened with the episode "Gang of secrets". They felt that, with the success of the show and the pressure it was generating, they needed to write something to relieve their stress. So they wrote about Marinette and the enormous pressure she was under to keep all her secrets. The final scene, in which Marinette tells Alya that she's Ladybug, came naturally when they performed it together.

[trashart00]

Less than 12 hours until the release of “The Tortured Poets Department”!

Hence, I present to you, “The Tortured Catboy Department”

Track List:

SIDE A: Deux Semaines (feat Ladybug) / The Tortured Catboy Department / My Lady Abandons Only Her Favourite Partners / Down Bad

SIDE B: So Long, London / But Daddy I Love Her / Fresh Out the Slammer / Akuma !!! (feat Monarch)

SIDE C: Guilty As Sin? / Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me / Even Ladybug Can’t Fix This / loml

SIDE D: I Can Do It With a Broken Heart / The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived / The Cataclysm / Adrien Agreste

Bonus Tracks: The Black Cat / Solitude / Doppelgänger / Tell-Tail Heart

(Love how so many of the original track names still work)

My takes of what each song is about/inspired by under cut (but, if you feel like it, tell me yours :D)

I’m picturing all of these to be from Adrien’s perspective so they reflect mostly his version of the situations rather than the objective reality (especially the Laybug centered ones)

Deux Semaines (feat Ladybug): This one would focus on the sequence in Multiplication where Monarch doesn’t attack and how LadyNoir’s relationship recovers from the events of Season 4.

TTCD: Kept the “Catboy” singular because while there are multiple Catboy identities, there is only one boy underneath them all. Hence while I think it would be about him just stating his issues with everything, it would also focus on loneliness and how his department is understaffed :(

MLAOHFP: All of the Season 4 LadyNoir separation arc angst, with the “Favourite” being a callback to Risk (and kinda a jab at Rena because he thinks that she’s really her favourite, but y’ know, she didn’t abandon her so Rena can’t be her actual favourite)

Down Bad: Mainly about how Chat’s love for LB makes him excuse her behaviors, but also makes him act out (maybe a reference to Elation).

SL,L: About the whole arc of Gabriel sending Adrien to London and all of the memories he would have surrounding this ordeal - key point, not “So Long, Paris” because he didn’t want to leave, and in the end he comes back to a changed world.

BDILH: This one’s either about the Chat Blanc breakup or Gabriel’s dislike of Marinette in Season 5 (or both, with maybe a line about how he feels like this has happened before)

FOTS: Adrien realizing his father is a Bad Person.

Akuma !!! (feat Monarch): This one would be like a song about his daily life and then the chorus would start with a shout of “Akuma!!!” and it would switch to him as Chat Noir. I feel like it would start out with normal life being boring/hero life being fun but as it goes on he grows exhausted. Monarch has a rap verse.

Guilty As Sin?: Chat Blanc centeric - would ask who is to blame for the destruction of the world, like is it Chat because he lost control or Hawkmoth because he took advantage of his son’s emotion?

WAoLOM: Chat Blanc centric at first (like a villain song) but ends with Adrien reflecting on the events of Evolution-Destruction-Multiplication-PS night

ELCFT: I think it would be about his relaction ship with his father and how he wishes there was something he could do to go back to how they were when Emilie was alive but there’s no easy fix and his father keeps on getting worse and worse after any attempt.

loml: A song for Marinette with a bittersweet air - she’s the love of his life but he can’t tell her everything, and she can’t tell him everything either

ICDIWaBH: CatWalker centric - him going back to Ladybug in Kuroneko.

TSMWEL: I actually have three for this one - 1. About Gabriel and his need to domineer because he feels small and powerless. 2. About Adrien feeling small and insignificant. 3.About Plagg because he’s a smol boi (it would be like a lighthearted, cheeky song, like when you sing to your pet about how adorable they are)

The Cataclysm: Literally about how he cataclysmed Monarch, but also about how the event impacted his perception of self.

Adrien Agreste: Ending the album with a song that’s his own name :o.

Now for the variants:

The Black Cat: This one has Chat on the cover and the song is mostly about his bad luck. ‘I Love You It’s Ruining My Life” works both directed at Ladybug and his father.

Solitude: With Chat Blanc on the cover, this one’s about his mother. I think the “You Don’t Get To Tell Me About Sad” is pretty self-explanatory.

Doppelgänger: CatWalker is on this one, his song would be about how he may literally be the same person but he doesn’t fully feel like himself. He had to repress a lot of himself to be CatWalker hence I thought “Am I Allowed To Cry?” fit him really well (especially with Plagg not giving him the time to fully recover before he had to jump back in). Please note the crossed out name (unlike Chat Blanc) because he’s reinventing himself.

Tell-Tail Heart: This one has Ladybug on the cover - wait she’s not a Catboy?? The song is titled “Tell-Tail Heart” as a reference to Edgar Allan Poe’s “Tell Tale Heart” and would explore Chat’s perspective of Ladybug’s guilt for keeping secrets, how any excuse she makes is ultimately unimportant because she would do it either way. The fact that this is the only song title with a pun references how Chat tries to lighten the mood and avoid serious conversations, and the “Tail” is supposed to refer to Rena Rouge. The flowers she’s holding are meant to be foxgloves which symbolise secrets and insincerity (they’re also poisonous and damage the heart :)). I also really liked the “Old Habits Die Screaming” for her as it could mean both Chat Noir’s love for her being an old habit that he cannot get rid of, but also her habit of keeping things from him (especially with how she does it again at the end of season 5) being something she can’t stop. It is also him being able to see that, despite what she tells him, her “Heart” is tells him otherwise.

(also would like to point out that he wouldn’t mention Rena by name, he’s upset, not evil)

[carpetbug]

welcome to the beginning of my ML Feline Blue AU!

in which Marinette is forced to become guardian before ever wielding a miraculous. Chaos ensues when she uses the black cat ring to become feline blue and through a silly little turn of events, Adrien gets his hands on the ladybug earrings and becomes beetle rouge

BIIIIIG thank you to my lovelies @isabugs and @thimbleb3rries for being so kind and encouraging, for their WONDERFUL ART OH MY GOD, and for beta-ing this!

The beginning: Becoming Guardian

1 • 2

“You’re not going to beat me like that, old man” The looming figure taunted.

Hunched in a ball before him, a much smaller elderly man struggled for breath. Blood trailed from his mouth, combining with his saliva to messily drip from his lips as he fought for air. Just by the effort he had to put into continuing breathing, he could tell this was not a fight he could win. Still, his fists clenched in defiance as he pushed himself from the floor and steadied himself upright on his feet. His spine screamed in protest and searing pain at the task, but he managed to remain standing.

“I know I can not beat you, old man” He coughed, hands trembling slightly. “But I must continue to fight”

The taller man scoffed before taking a step forward “I’ll make sure it's the last thing you ever do, you pathetic excuse of a guardian” He spat, tightening his grip on his cane as his rage boiled beneath his skin.

“I’d expect nothing less from a villain like you, Hawkmoth”

“No need to act like you’re so much better than me. After all, we've all made mistakes, haven’t we Master fu” Hawkmoth sneered.

“Leave my past out of this. I’ve worked to fix what I have broken, you only aim to destroy” Master fu panted, feeling his shoulders to check if his bag was still on his back, and letting out a small sigh of relief when he felt the thick material. Next his hands slowly traveled to support and feel the bottom and sides of the bag, searching for an object. He took another relieved breath when he felt the item's weight, and then he prepared himself for the worst. Bunching his muscles, he sprang into action and bolted away from Hawkmoth.

He focused only on moving forward, getting as far from this wretched evil as he could before time ran out. When he finally collapsed, legs giving out from under him in pure exhaustion, he found himself at the Pont de Arts, above the seine. Hawkmoth was nowhere to be seen, but master fu knew that was only a false sense of security. The villain would find him soon enough. He needed to find someone. Anyone.

“-ir? Are you okay?”

A voice. Master fu looked up, vision shaking just slightly. In Front of him stood a teenage girl, dark hair pulled back into pigtails and eyebrows pushed together with worry.

“Sir? Can you hear me?” She asked with a panicked look in her eyes. “How can I help?” She stepped closer and offered him a hand.

Master fu gathered his strength to pull his bag from his back and carefully draw open the zipper before reaching in to pull out the contents. The girl watched intensely, eyes following his pained movements. He pulled a large dark wooden box from the bag and held it close to his chest, then brought his eyes upwards to meet her face. “I’m sorry, young hero” He said sadly, then joined his hand to hers before she could respond.

An intense feeling washed over him, and he closed his eyes to take a deep breath. This girl was strong. He hoped she will forgive him for the burden he will make her bear.

She flashed an anxious smile “That’s okay, and I promise I’m no hero. Just a normal g-” He cut her off with a sharp tug, then slammed the box into her chest. She gasped as he knocked the air from her lungs, clearly not expecting such a feat of strength from the battered man. As she fought to breathe, Master fu gathered the last few remnants of his strength and lifted the girl from the ground. “I, Wang Fu, hereby relinquish the Miracle Box-”

“Stop! What are you doing!?”

“-and name Marinette Dupain-Cheng the guardian” His body lit up, skin glowing as the box between them lifted upward and burned like a star in the air.

“How do you know my na-?!” Before she could finish what she said, the box dropped back into her hold and the elderly man -still glowing like some sort of deity- held her over the railing and dropped her into the rushing water below. She hit the surface with a loud splash, getting thrown under but quickly resurfacing a few feet away, miracle box still in her arms.

The last thing she saw before being pulled away by the fast moving current was the man falling backwards to the ground in exhaustion as the light emitting from his skin dimmed.

Master fu slowly blinked his eyes open, carefully taking in his surroundings with an expression of pure shock and confusion on his face. He seemed so frail, all of a sudden. Like he had lost all his fight.

“What did you do?!” a booming voice hissed behind him. He started to turn his head to look, but something beat him to it. All of a sudden, a hand tightened around his throat and picked him off the ground, nails digging into the thin skin of his neck.

“What- what’s happening?” Master fus strangled voice hardly escaped his lips. He tried to thrash his legs, do anything to get free, but a fatigue he couldn’t explain had overcome his muscles. Weakly prying at his attackers hands, panic began to set in. There wouldn’t be any escape. “Who are you?” he managed out in a pained mumble.

“I am the next guardian of the miraculous” the seething voice responded as nails began to break through his skin. “I am the consequences of your greatest mistake” the words rang through his head as his vision went black, and sickeningly warm blood poured from his throat.

Marinette struggled to hold her head above the surface and keep the container in her grasp as the river pulled her this way and that. Her mind raced and her lungs screamed, everything inside her begging to let go of that weird old man’s weird old box and save herself instead. Still, her grip remained glued to the sodden wood, as if she would rather drown than set the box free to face the waters’ wrath. Nothing was making any sense. And despite the deafening chorus of the racing water that surrounded her, the only thing ringing in her ears was the man’s words.

He had called her a hero. He had entrusted her with something clearly important to him. He had thrown her into the seine. He had been badly wounded. He had been a complete and utter stranger. What did everything mean? Suddenly, her feet felt solid ground beneath her, and she hurriedly moved to follow it. She pushed forward, focusing on reaching the bank that lay on the other side. Eventually Marinette was able to pull herself and the box from the water onto an empty platform beneath a bridge.

As soon as she was safely out of the water, Marinette threw herself backwards in exhaustion. She laid against the cool pavement underneath her and passed through all the events that had just occurred. What the fuck was this ‘miracle’ box? And why was she the ‘guardian’? Ignoring the new aches in her body, she sat upward and brought the box closer to her.

There she sat for a few moments, toying with the lid and gently tracing the intricate pattern displayed. Taking a deep breath, she slowly opened it.

“HELLO YOUNG MASTER” A loud chorus of voices rang out as a beam of light emitted from the open container and what looked like small differently colored masses of stars flew all around her. Marinette fell back onto her elbows, overwhelmed at the sudden sensory overload. Her vision was a blur of nauseating colors accompanied by what she could only imagine to be auditory hallucinations.

Before she had a chance to speak, to catch her breath or try and scream for help, the almost magical colorful masses slowed until they were still, then began to morph into a solid form. Marinette watched, intrigued and terrified, as these small creatures took shape in front of her. They each seemed to be a different animal, though they all shared an alien-like anatomy. Some had tails, others long whiskers and a few antennas. Two of them caught her eye, a sleek black cat and what she thought to be a ladybug (though it looked much more like some sort of bug-mouse combo).

As if the creatures could read her mind -which they could, for all she knew-, they began to speak in sync. “WE ARE THE KWAMI, MAGICAL BEINGS THAT CAN BESTOW POWERS UPON OUR WIELDERS.” They said, in an almost sing-songy voice.

“AND YOU, MARINETTE, ARE OUR NEW GUARDIAN.”

[anna-scribbles]

hey anna! the wait for kwami’s choice part 2 truly is abysmal and it’s so hard to navigate through the tag with all the leaks about, do you have any fic recs to tide us over until gloob puts us out of our misery?

not only do I have fic recs, I also have way too much to do rn and therefore will spend an inordinate amount of time crafting a detailed rec list for you 😘 (we can also just consider this my 2022 ao3 wrapped lol)

goes without saying perhaps, but ANYTHING by @peachcitt is gold and also uniquely devastating, some of my particular favorites being:

metamorphosis - 97k, enemies, sleepovers, you get it. i'm normal

those benevolent stars - 23k, ladrien thief/prince/soulmates au. what more do I even need to say

chat noir's white french man hit list for feminist purposes - 7k, hilarious and devastating, this fic is a child to me

double dare - 32k, ladrien, absolutely everything. cemented my friendship w/ peach bc I had to scream at her everyday abt it

I thought the plane was going down - 11k, attuned to my tastes specifically, adrinette having a History while on airplanes

@carpisuns also puts out banger after banger like it's her dayjob, specializing in understanding the ridiculous nature of the lovesquare to such a degree and also being the funniest person alive. some of my faves from her are:

tell me something I don't know - 120k, the marichat fic EVER, mar's dissertation on lovesquare and guess what she's right

pink - 14k wip, adrien loves marinette, SOFT

two idiots and a hamster (collab with @botherkupo) - 24k, adrinette roommates, makes me cry laugh

@picayunearts is a goddess on earth. she bends word and image flawlessly to her will. recently she has enraptured me with

final girl - 41k, marichat, au where marinette succeeds in giving up her miraculous to alya in origins. INCREDIBLE marinette character study

@rosekasa invented ladynoir and i'm not afraid to say it. check out everything on her ao3 but just note the following

when things were good - 15k wip, breakup fic/post hawkmoth takedown, has been ruining me in a SPECIAL way

new marinette 12k, post-guardianship memory loss marinette, a classic

like poles of a magnet - 12k, enemies au, hurts my feelings

ya'aburnee - 13k, ladynoir, HURTS ME VERY MUCH. I'VE NOT RECOVERED

@buggachat's fics always feel like i'm attending a course on adrien and marinette's true characterizations explained to me by someone with a PhD in lovesquare and I walk away enlightened. she has an incredible gift for storytelling and just Getting It. anyway read

maintaining a professional distance - 43k, ladynoir hotel room shenanigans, god-tier characterization

when you're near 10k, ladynoir dating but adrinette have never met, a classic

@sha-nwa should honestly quit her career and write lovesquare fanfiction for me full time. proof:

the way I loved you - 68k, marichat break up fic, will be cemented into my mind forever

photograph - 1k, sweet adrinette, abby loves making me cry

things WOULD be amiss if I did not mention @officialratprince (carolinaa on ao3) bc their fics derailed my homework schedule on several occasions last semester, though I'll be honest that their fics are not for the faint of heart or those who wish adrien agreste to have a good time. my faves are

I will take it / it can't go wrong series - 3 fics at 16k, 25k, and 39k, adrien's journey through experiencing child abuse and his friends being there for him, culminating in gabriel's court trial

home sick - 14k wip, adrien gets pneumonia and Everything Is Really Bad

other various fics I love for various reasons:

how hawkmoth got his groove back series by @agrestenoir - 2 fics at 3k and 1k, one of my favorite crack fics i read last year. had me crying laughing

1 step forward, 3 steps back by agnes writes - 10k, breaks my heart every time I read it. also makes me legitimately angry at adrien while still keeping him in character which is a feat in and of itself

the last day on earth by reiaji - 10k, chat blanc keeps happening as marinette gets older, I am incapable of not recommending this fic

okay now go forth and don't do your work<3

[ledalasombra]

The Granddaughter

Chapter 1 - Reunion

The motorcycle cut through the city traffic passing through different scenarios from the fashion district to the noblest region, stopping in front of the big gates of the Wayne mansion. She rang the intercom looking at the mansion in front of her through the gate.

“How can I help you?” She was slightly startled by the sound of the intercom that didn't take long to be answered.

“Ahn... I'm here to see Alfred Pennyworth? Sorry, this was a little awkward” She took a deep breath, removing her helmet “My name is Marinette Pe… Marinette Dupain-Cheng, I am here to talk to Alfred Pennyworth.”

Marinette can hear the sound of something breaking on the other end of the line, frowning “Monsier, is everything alright?

“Marinette? When did you arrive in Gotham?” There was a pause and she sighed lightly “Enter and follow until a little after the main entrance. There is a place where you can stop the bike. I'll meet you there.”

“I'm on my way...”  she replied, giving a slight smile, knowing that she managed the feat of surprising him. She replaced the helmet quickly, redirecting the bike to the indicated place, looking with great admiration at the whole place. The front gardens and the mansion building were beautiful. She removed her helmet after getting off the bike, attaching it to the bike and grabbing her purse afterward.

“Grandpa!” She said, hugging him next with a wide smile on her face and her eyes full of tears “it's so good to finally be able to see you!”

Alfred smiled as he hugged the young woman in front of him. She was so much like her mother Julia that he felt as if he had been given a new lease on life.

“I didn't know you were coming to Gotham... Sabine and Tom didn't tell me anything. Let's go inside, I'll make us both some tea, and in the meantime we'll talk and I'll finish up dinner.”

“ Can I help you?” she smiled while holding his arm “ This place is amazing grandpa! So much to be inspired by... The architecture, the details and that garden! Wow, that place is beautiful!” She spoke with eyes shining like a child, as they walked through the halls of the mansion.

Alfred gave a slight smile at the enthusiasm of the granddaughter he hadn't seen in almost a year. And despite the long time without seeing each other, the bond between them was strong. They constantly spoke through voice and video calls, she sent constant photos about everything that happened in her life and Alfred was happy about that. Everything he lacked with Julia, all the closeness and trust he would have liked with his late daughter, he gained with his granddaughter. Not even the distance allowed them to be separated or absent from each other's lives. Though only Bruce knew of her existence, they shared a unique family bond. He would have liked to be physically present in Marinette's life, but he knew it wasn't fair to make a 4-year-old child live in the chaos that was Gotham, the chaos that was the Wayne family.

When they reached the kitchen, Alfred indicated a chair for her to sit on, immediately putting the water on to heat, then bringing all the material to prepare tea for both of them.

“And then, mademoiselle, to what do I owe the honor of your visit? Why didn't you say you were coming to Gotham? I would have picked you up at the airport” he asked sitting down opposite her, she immediately took his hand. Alfred smiled at the gesture, knowing how much she liked and asked for physical contact.

"If I had, it wouldn't have been a surprise." her smile fell quickly, becoming slightly anxious “shouldn't I have come? Oh, I'm interfering with your work, aren't I? Oh my god I should have warned you and not just knocked on your employer's door...”

“It's okay my dear, I'm sure Master Bruce won't mind. He will certainly want to meet you” she said patting her hand lightly, seeing her expression calm down.

“I came to see how you were doing and to give you the news that I've moved on to the University of Gotham” she said extremely excited about the matter “and I start classes next month! I arrived in the city two days ago and it's been so busy. Everything is so different around here...”

“I thought you liked living with Sabine and Tom? I thought you were going to do Esmond, as you commented several times…”

"Paris has been my home for years, but I can't stay there after everything that's happened... With the whole Hawkmorth affair and I don't have that many friends to lock me up there..." Marinette looked at her grandfather with sad and tired eyes, taking a deep breath. She had already told him everything she could and what had happened to her from the beginning. Alfred was her only blood family, all she had that was related to her mother. For years, even apart, she formed a relationship of trust and friendship with her grandfather, telling him practically everything. She trusted him as much as she trusted Tikki and hoped that one day she would be able to open up to him the only part of her life he wasn't yet aware of.

The young woman took a deep breath, hearing the noise coming from the kettle and getting up “let me prepare it. I brought an herbal preparation that my old Mandarin teacher taught me. I know you don't like just any tea, but for some reason whenever Master Fu made it for me I was reminded of you.” she said as she walked over to the stove, bringing the kettle over to the table, failing to notice how her grandfather made her back stiff and tense with the comment.

Alfred watched his granddaughter take a can from inside her bag, opening it carefully, giving a slight sad smile with the memory that came through the aroma of tea. She put a little of the mixture on the porcelain, adding the water next, looking at the clock so that she wouldn't waste the preparation time. He was intrigued by the name quoted by his granddaughter. It couldn't just be coincidence, but he saved that information for now.

“And what happened to him?” he asked seeing her give a sad smile.

“He passed away in London together with his wife 2 years ago. I visited them from time to time, they were quite old.” she sighed looking at the clock again. “According to him, the secret of a well-made tea is not only the herbs used, but also the time for it not to become bitter and, above all, the energy we put into it when we prepare it. He helped me a lot when Hawkmorth came along, especially with my anxiety attacks. He helped me with some self-defense classes as well. In return I helped him with the massage shop schedule and some shopping.”

Alfred drank some of his tea and smiled. It tasted great and took him back to a past he hadn't told anyone about. He looked at the can that was on the table, smelling the herbs, realizing in his memory the same preparation he hadn't seen since his youth. He took a deep breath looking at his granddaughter weighing what he should say or not, taking her hand he saw her eyes go towards him.

“When I was in the war many years ago, before I met your grandmother Marie, I met a man named Wang Fu.” He paused, watching his granddaughter hold her breath, “he made that same tea and said that, like everything else in life, nature requires balance. For a good tea, we need good leaves, which require time and patience, the latter being a virtue. I confess that this was a quality I lacked at the time” he smiled slightly at the memory “We met a few times, until one day he found me seriously injured. He took care of me for 3 days until I was able to recover.” she paused, adjusting her posture, “Fu was a rather peculiar man, you might say. He followed the war from afar, although he tried not to intervene. In those three days that we were together, I met his fiancée, Marianne. She was part of the French resistance, just like her grandmother.” He paused with a sad look on his face, patting his granddaughter's hand lightly, "He gave me a second chance, which completely changed the course of the war."

Marinette took a quick breath at the two words spoken by Alfred and he couldn't help but show his surprise when he heard what her granddaughter mumbled. “Sass?” she spoke Kwami's name almost instinctively, bringing her hand to her mouth right after. She saw Alfred smile slightly, placing her hand between his two.

“Certainly he was very agreeable company for several months, until the war was over. Wang Fu said it was too dangerous to remain where he was and left a few days later with our mutual friend.” he smiled slightly patting the hand he was holding “We kept in touch after many years. It was Fu who told me about the existence of his mother, Julia, who until that moment was unknown to me. He was a great friend and is an irreparable loss.” Alfred make a pause, looking Marinette in the eyes “But what intrigues me at the moment my dear is how you met him and know that name.” he said letting go of her hand, hearing a faint alarm coming from the direction of the oven. He got up then to check on dinner.

Marinette was speechless upon hearing her grandfather's story. She held her teacup in both hands, trying to center herself and think of what to say. At least that explains the protective aura coming from Alfred that she always felt when she was with him. She takes a sip from her tea, and close her eyes quickly, sucking in air and concentrating. When she opened it she could see Sass's aura around her grandfather, letting a tear flow. Alfred, like Luka, was one of the true holders of Sass, which explained so much on her mind. She got up going to the island in the middle of the kitchen and pulling the bench to sit down, seeing the door open then, turning her attention to the person who entered.

"Alfred, I'm going to need..." Bruce stopped talking as soon as he saw that Alfred wasn't alone. He adjusted his posture giving his charismatic smile, watching the young woman who was sitting, apparently talking to the butler. "I didn't know I was interrupting, sorry Alfred."

Alfred finished removing the dinner that was almost complete from the oven, seeing the door open and hearing Bruce come in, he sighed deeply, shaking his head, and approaching his granddaughter, putting his hand on her shoulder.

“Master Bruce, let me introduce you to my granddaughter Marinette Pennyworth Dupain-Cheng. Mari, this is Bruce Wayne. Every male in our family has worked here at some point.”

Bruce flashed a wide smile that Marinette found forced, but ignored in favor of Alfred. However, what bothered her was the aura that emanated from him. She closed her eyes briefly, taking his hand towards the man in front of him, giving a slight smile.

“It is a pleasure to meet you Mr Wayne. My grandfather spoke a few times about you.” she said squeezing his hand.

“The pleasure is all mine, Miss Dupain-Cheng. Alfred told me about you, although he is very secretive about his own family.” Bruce responded with great enthusiasm, which made Marinette tilt her head slightly and Bruce slightly raise his eyebrow.

"Marinette, please behave yourself..." Alfred caught her attention with a slightly raised eyebrow, looking at her and then at Bruce. His granddaughter just sighed, looking at him.

“I'll ignore it this time. I have to go, I have dinner with Uncle Jagged tonight and if I don't make it on time, I'm sure I'll get several calls from him coming to the restaurant.” She saw Alfred nod, realizing he recognized the name from conversations they'd had earlier. She went to the table, picking up her bag and stopping again in front of Bruce who looked at her intrigued. “It was a pleasure to finally meet you. I hope we can talk more properly next time” She gave a slight smile and turned her attention to Alfred. “I need to use the restroom before I go.”

“As soon as you leave the kitchen, it's the second door on the left.” He watched her leave, turning his attention back to Bruce, “Master Bruce, I'm going to ask you two important things: the first is that you be original with her, Marinette can see right through all this media act. Second and most important, my granddaughter has had some very difficult things in her life and I would like you to make a big effort not to start an investigation into her life. She is a strong and very sensitive person, you will realize that over time...”

[toxinellebug]

Shadybug/ClawNoir and the Resistance headcanons

Obviously Adrien is the type who knows how to put on the smooth model persona for his fans… but in front of the girl he legit has feelings for, he becomes a blushing mess who is at a loss for words because what if he says the wrong thing and she thinks he’s an idiot?!

Reformed Ladybug taking reformed Paw Noir by the hand as they went through the portal back to their universe turned his brain to mush just like when Adrien took Marinette’s hand during the protest in the Mega Leech episode of s4 and her brain went bye-bye.

Marienette remains Oblivious to Adrien’s crush because he is so awkward and quiet around her out of the mask, and in the mask he’s an idiot who switches between a guy trying and failing not to fall into his old habits of mocking her and calling her Cockroach, then smacking himself for it, and some weirdo flirting with cat-puns and the cheesiest one-liners she’s ever heard, while inwardly he curses himself for being stupid because that is no way to impress a girl! (Daring feats of heroism is!)

She wants to try and work with him but this bi-polar personality of his really grates on her nerves sometimes.

suddenly being treated like a damsel in distress is also annoying… But at the same time, having a partner who cares for her safety and goes out of his stupid way to try to keep her from harm actually feels kinda nice and maybe makes her feel a little special and she can’t hate him for that.

And okay yeah, blood red roses with thorny stems ARE her favorite flower, but she can’t let it go to that cat’s head!

The first time that she genuinely praises him for doing something right/not screwing up, he actually purrs and she can’t help it- she bursts out laughing and secretly admits to herself that ok; this blonde dork is lowkey adorable.

Any awkward tackling out of danger, rolling on the ground and then ending up on top of the other moments lead to him blushing because oh-crap-we’re-touching-this-is-both-awesome-and-terrifying, and her glaring at him with murderous rage.

But the first time she actually hugs him out of relief/concern, his brain decides he could die at that moment with no regrets and she has to yank on his cat ears to get that goofy grin off his face because they have a job to do, darn it! (Stop being cute! She refuses to catch feelings so stop making things difficult!)

The new “only use powers once then you have a time limit” thing sucks, but at least their bodies no longer hurt.

They are on the run immediately because it becomes obvious they have switched sides due to her use of her Miraculous cure that Shadybug never used because the Supreme always warned them about discretion and things don’t magically get fixed by a loveliness of ladybugs.

Because remember, the Supreme does not want the world to know of the existence of magic.

BUT IT ALSO BRINGS ATTENTION TO A NEW ALY!

Someone who KNOWS The Supreme’s true identity and about all the powers of the Miraculous. Someone who lost hope and went into hiding a long time ago.

Someone who, upon seeing not only Miracles happening in Paris, but the healing power of the Ladybug as well, realizes it is time to return to France and dare to hope to regain the freedom that had been lost to the world since the war.

Marrianne.

Fu’s old love.

She returns to Paris and seeks out others who wish to join a resistance to fight against the control of The Supreme.

People like Mylene, a man who dreamed of going by the name of Jagged Stone, Mr. Ramier, Alex, and she finds Nino and Alya, who introduce her to Betterfly, Ladybug, and Paw Noir.

[subacctformaribat]

A Challange Worth Takeing On!

It has been four years since Hawkmoth’s defeat (Chat gave up his Miraculous after the defeat and then disappeared) and Marinette traveled to Gotham to get away from her past. After Hawkmoth’s defeat Marinette, being the guardian of the miraculous, decided to take the miraculous elsewhere(and also get away from Lila and her old friends). Where she found herself was in Gotham where she met a tall dark haired boy that she now calls her Husband, his name is Damian Wayne. Now after three years of marriage (even though Damian’s brothers still don’t believe that their younger brother could find love and keep a girl long enough to marry) Marinette and Damian now have another challenge ahead of them.

This is one challenge that they both are new too but won’t be as hard as fighting a villain and one that will bring much joy to them both and the family. 

Marinette is four months pregnant and the only person who knows that are the Kawmis and Damian the challenge they have is that they have still yet to tell either of their families and still live in the Wayne manor which was quite a feat to keep the news from Alfred and Bruce for as long as they have. Damian and Marinette found out in the first month of her being pregnant and have kept it a secret for three months ,and now they have to tell their families before they find out for themselves and have to deal with another mess. The reason they have kept it a secret is because they wanted a chance to prepare for the smothering of the family once they found out about the soon to be new addition to the family.

Which brings us to now where they have gathered the family in the dining room full of shenanigans and two expecting parents wondering if they should keep their secret or not.  

XXXXX

“Hey little D why does pixie pop look like she is about to run away , did you finally scare her off.”Jason teased 

“No Todd, if anything would deter my Angel it would be you being rambunctious ” Damian glared at Jason.

Tim decided to pop up in the conversation a little intrigued by Damian’s response “Why would us being rambunctious be the cause when she has never been bothered by it before unless you are hiding something from us?”

“Yeah baby bird , ‘Nette has been avoiding seeing anyone besides Sabine, Alfred , or Bruce for about three months now!” Dick exclaimed   

Marinette decided now was a good time to speak up and give a glare to her three brother-in-laws  “ I have not been avoiding anyone Dick , I was simply protecting myself from being in a crushing hug or someone crashing into me”

From that the room went silent as everyones’ worries began to grow as this was an unusual statement from the girl.

Everyone was worried about their favorite little designer and demon tamer wondering if she was  injured somehow or if something bad happened.

Sabine was the first to speak “ are you okay honey why are you avoiding crushing hugs?”

Her mother was properly worried because she knew her daughter was never one to shy away from hugging a family member.

“Well mamma the reason why Dami and I have stayed after the monthly dinner and joined everyone in the living room this time around is because we have big news for everyone.”Mari said 

***Damian’s family and Marinette’s family have a monthly dinner to catch up and whatnot with each other , then they usually gather in the living room after to play games or to try and embarrass one another ,which it was usually the latter so Marinette and Damian did not hang around after dinner often.*****

Jason popped up and said “ You're not finally leaving demon spawn are you?”

Damian was about to retort to Jason when Marinette jumped up and yelled at Jason, surprising and worrying Damian due to how fast she got up ,and the others worried due to her actually yelling at all.  

“No, Jay, I will not be leaving Dami as I am four months pregnant and don’t enjoy you calling the father of my unborn child demon spawn!”  (that nickname always hit a cord with Marinette and she has not corrected it but she is hormonal due to being pregnant and just sort of lashed out at Jason) 

“Angel! You should not get up so fast! You could hurt yourself and our baby!”,Damian scolded 

Mari for her rashness and that did not go unnoticed by the family and put it away to tease him about it later for when he was not around Marinette. Which was wise on their part as they did not want to aggravate the pregnant Mari more.

After they got over the shock of Mari yelling at Jason and Damian scolding her they finally let what was yelled at Jason to sink in!

[thinkithinktoomuch]

Headcanon that Adrien puts Alya and Nino in charge of hiring the media team (photographer and videographer) for the wedding. His one requirement is that he and Marinette own all the rights to all of the photos and videos that were taken, whatever extra they have to pay to get the photographer to agree to that.

Of course, Alya and Nino take full advantage of this, so when Marinette opens the hard drive of wedding media it’s just like

ADRIENETTE CINEMATIC UNIVERSE

🎥 Official Wedding Video (this is the one you put on social media).mp4

🎥 Reception Slideshow.mp4

🎥 First Dance.mp4

🎥 Toasts.mp4

🎥 Roasts.mp4

🎥 LoveSquare.mp4

🎥 Umbrella feat Adrien Agreste as Tom Holland.mp4

🎥 LoveSquare (Extended Edition).mp4

🎥 LoveSquare (The Césaire Cut).mp4

🎥 MDC Has No Chill.mp4

🎥 LoveSquare 2: Love Squarer.mp4

🎥 LadyNoir: A Miraculous Marriage.mp4

🎥 That Darn Chat.mp4

🎥 Ladybug: The Musical.mp4

🎥 The Adrienette Story: A Film by Ken Burns.mp4

🎥 Unofficial Wedding Video.mp4

🎥 Unofficial Wedding Video (Carapace Remix).mp4

🎥 Unofficial Wedding Video (Kitty Section Remix).mp4

🎥 mari_fancam.mp4

🎥 Adrien ~ The Fragrance.mp4

📕 ADRIENの傘.pdf

📁 SEND THIS FOLDER TO THE MEDIA OUTLETS

📁 Raw Media

|->📁 Photos

| |-> 📁Best Photos

| |-> 📁 DONT LISTEN TO NINO THESE ARE ACTUALLY THE BEST PHOTOS

| |-> 📁 For Mari’s Inspiration Board

| |-> 📁 ADRIEN LOOK AT THESE

| |-> 📁 Adrien your Chat is showing

| |-> 📁 MARI YOUR PARENTS ARE TOO CUTE

| |-> 📁 BTS (Not that BTS)

| |-> 📁 Miracuclass

| |-> 📁 The rest of the photos

|-> 📁 Video

|-> 📁 ALYA’S AMAZING ADRIENETTE ARCHIVE

[mochegato]

Made You Look

Marinette could proudly say she managed to stumble into the manor’s breakfast room without bumping into any walls on her journey.  Just barely.  There were several close calls, several stunted stops just before collision, but the important point is that there were no actual collisions along the long path from the bedroom wing.  Even at that ungodly hour of the morning, she was deft enough to avoid large, sedentary objects, a feat she often had issues with when she was fully awake.

She rubbed her arms vigorously, or as vigorously as she could manage so early.  Her tank top and sleep shorts were perfect for her apartment with a terrible AC that barely managed to keep the heat of the day away, but was nowhere near enough for the mansion.  She definitely should have prepared better.  She was going to have to keep a few warmer changes of clothing in the manor for her sporadic sleepovers after long missions.  None of which helped her at that particular moment she grumbled to herself as she rubbed her arms harder before pushing her hair, still total disarray from sleep, out of her eyes.

She searched around for any evidence of something to wake her up; breakfast, tea, coffee, so focused on her mission, she missed Jason sauntering into the room and tripping on the rug as his eyes fell upon her.  He snickered and moved further into the room had to fumble to keep the coffee in his cup from spilling over the sides.  He stared at her for a few long seconds, letting his gaze take in her movements and atrocious bed head before he grinned at her.  “Morning, Pixie.”  ven before continuing.  “You look like a disgruntled kitten who got their fur brushed the wrong way.”

She glowered at him; the sharpness of her normally cutting glare dulled from exhaustion.  “At least you’re looking,” she finally yawned with a shrug as she collapsed into a seat at the table.  The empty table.  It was official, they were awake even before Alfred.  It truly was a cursed hour.

“You’re pretty hard to miss,” he admitted a bit too quietly for her to hear.  “Come on, Pixie!  The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and we get to screw over a rich asshole who’s hurting kids tonight.  It’s a great day.”

She stared at him incredulously, her eyes finally focusing just to allow it.  “Who on Earth pictured you as a morning person.  How did that happen?  What is wrong with you?  You’re supposed to be a creature of the night.  Night.  Look at that,” she motioned toward the light streaming in through the open windows on the other side of the room.  “It’s not night, you abomination of nature,” she snapped before dropping her head onto her folded arms on the table.

He snorted and grinned at her scowl with a shake of his head as he removed his hoodie.  “You’re just moody because it’s drafty as fuck in here.  You spend the night at the manor, you gotta come prepared.”  He dropped his hoodie around her shoulders and messed up her hair further before retrieving his coffee.  She opened her mouth but before she could get out the scathing reaming he deserved, he presented the coffee immediately in front of her face.  “And you need caffeine.”

She stared at the cup for a moment as if uncertain it was real.  She looked between it and him a few times to make sure she was reading the situation correctly and it wasn’t just her hopes making her think he was giving it to her.  She grabbed it before he changed his mind, wrapping both hands around it and inhaling the scent.  “You are a miracle.  The gods’ gift to mankind.”

“Or pixiekind at least,” he chuckled.

She took a large drink and let out a relieved sigh.  Her face relaxed into a contented soft expression.  “My hero.  You are invited to be around all my mornings.  This is why you’re my favorite.”

He raised an eyebrow with a bemused smile.  “I beat Steph?”

Marinette’s eyes grew wide and after a beat she looked around for her best friend.  “My male favorite,” she added quickly.

He snorted but quickly schooled his expression to mock consideration.  “So… I beat Adrien,” he nodded.

She grinned and took another long sip.  It was perfect.  Exactly the blend she would have gotten for herself.  It was like he got it specifically for her.  It was like heaven.  “Yes.  You can take that title… as long as you continue to provide sustenance and he isn’t around.”

Jason huffed out a laugh and shook his head.  “I’m just impressed you actually got up and you beat everyone else.  That has to be some kind of sign of the apocalypse or something.”

She scowled with a huff.  “Unnatural time to be up,” she glowered into her coffee.  “I refuse to believe Mr. “I am the Night” is up at this hour of the…”

“Good you’re up,” Bruce boomed as he strutted in.  “We have a lot to go over before tonight.”

“Oh, come on!” she exclaimed.  Her arms were thrown out in disbelief before she even realized it, almost spilling her coffee.  She carefully set down her coffee and eyed Bruce analytically, taking note that as soon as he entered the room, Alfred magically appeared with a tray of food.  “I refuse to believe this is normal.”

“It’s not,” Alfred assured her.  “Waking him before the crack of eleven is a dangerous endeavor for anyone.”  He set down the tray and served the food as he continued.  “I believe that speaks to the import of tonight’s mission that he awoke so early.”

“Thank you, Alfred,” Bruce acknowledged through pursed lips.  “We’re just missing Tim and Stephanie.  Marinette, do you know where Stephanie is?”

“Still sleeping,” she grumbled, jealousy clear in her voice if not in the way she aggressively speared her eggs.

“Bitch,” Tim managed to grumble through a yawn as he stumbled into the room.  He stopped to stare at the cup in front of Marinette and quickly searched the room for more.  He managed to keep his panic in check to ask, “Where’d you get the coffee?”

She looked around and noticed Alfred had brought in food and orange juice but no coffee.  “Jason,” she shrugged.

Tim looked at Jason expectantly.  He rolled his eyes and looked away.  “I only brought the one cup,” he grumbled.

Tim blinked.  His eyes slid over to Marinette happily sipping her coffee and back to Jason.  “You only bought one cup?” he asked, a knowing, taunting edge to his voice.

“Yes,” Jason gritted out through clenched teeth.

The shoulder check he delivered on his way to sit next to Marinette only caused Tim’s smile to widen, all evidence of drowsiness in his eyes eradicated in favor of a delighted glint.  “No, no.  I’m just trying to figure out if you bought that planning to give it to her or if it was supposed to be for you, but you took one look at her and gave it up instantly.”

“Shut it duck boy,” he hissed just loud enough for Tim to hear.

Tim tutted at him, his smile wider than when Damian accidentally smacked himself in the head with an escrima stick during practice.  “Stealing Harley’s lines now, wow, you’re really in deep, huh?”

Jason turned on him with a warning glare but before he could whisper any threats, Bruce interrupted.  “Okay, let’s get started without Stephanie.  Jason, you can catch her up.  She’ll be on guard on the opposite side of the building from you.  Okay…”

><><><><><><><>< 

“I have control of the security feed and alarms, but they have a man stationed at the top of the stairs, blocking the way.  He isn’t paying close attention, but enough we can’t get in,” Red Robin reported over the coms.

“We need a distraction,” Bruce said quietly, moving his lips as little as possible in case anyone was watching.  “Anyone got a plan?”

“Oh God, I might blind myself if I have to witness Brucie tonight,” Red Hood groaned.

“I believe that’s my cue,” Marinette chimed in.

“Let me know if you need help with that,” Red Hood offered.  He was already searching for things he could blow up or set on fire.

“You think I don't know how to make a scene?” she asked carefully.  There was a sharp edge to her voice, a warning as much as an inquiry.

“We need people to look at you instead of the office,” Red Hood elaborated, like explaining why you wash the dishes to a toddler. 

Marinette froze and lifted her eyes up to where Jason was positioned, willing him to appear at the skylight so she could appropriately glare at him.  “You think I don’t know how to make people look at me?”

“Ooooohhhh,” Spoiler jeered.  She shook her head and took her eyes from her post just enough to toss a pebble, the only projectile available other than her com, at Hood for his stupidity.

Hood whipped his head toward the source of the impact against his helmet and pointed threateningly at Spoiler.  “I’m just saying a cute, sweet, little smile isn’t exactly scene inducing,” he defended.

“Oh,” Spoiler let out, unsure how to respond to that patronizing admission of interest.

“Awww, you think my smile is cute?” Marinette cooed condescendingly.  The blasé, gala-ready smile morphing into a strained, determined uptick of her lips.

“Hood, Marinette…” Bruce started in a warning tone.

“Calm down boys, because I know at least Spoiler has my back here,” Marinette cut in.

“Damn right,” Spoiler agreed.

“Despite what Hood thinks, I know how to make people look at me when I want to.”  She continued slightly louder when Hood tried to cut in.  “…and sweet was the furthest thing from the plan.”  She looked around the room for the necessary ingredients to her plan, her eyes settling on a figure in the distance, his arm resting comfortably on a woman’s waist.  She grinned as all the pieces slotted themselves into place.

“You don’t wear Versace to not get noticed.”  She moved toward the couple with quick, determined steps, and more than a slight sway in her hips as she moved.  Her eyes focused intently on her target, not allowing her to notice the way heads around her turned as she passed by.  Hood, however, just barely stopped the growl that threatened to escape upon seeing the lecherous looks she was receiving from Gotham’s ‘elite’.  “Get ready, Red, I’m about to make a scene.  Four minutes to Go Time,” she spoke lowly but clearly into the coms.

Spoiler followed her line of sight and cackled loudly into the com.  “This is going to be good.  I should have brought popcorn.”

She stopped just behind the man, but in clear sight of the woman and firmly tapped the shoulder of the arm around the woman’s waist.  “Excuse me, sir, I’m such a huge fan of yours.  Your music makes me feel things I can’t describe.”  Her voice was breathy and deep in a way the bat boys had heard from many a woman at galas and events, but never from her.  “Would you care to dance?”

“Oh my God,” Red Robin whispered in horror when the man turned around.

The man looked her up and down and raised an eyebrow at her.  He looked around as if considering his response, his eyes only flicking up to the skylight for a moment before returning to Marinette.  His face split into a dangerous smile as he removed his arm from the woman who dropped her jaw in a way more characteristic of a soap opera than a high society gala.  The man offered his hand to Marinette.  “I would love to dance with someone as lovely as yourself.”

He took her hand and led her to the floor with little more than a huff and glare from the woman.  “Ooohhh, sorry Pixie, not the scene you were looking for,” Hood cooed in mock sympathy.

“Um… this is going to be a waltz,” Red Robin cut in uncertainly.  “Do you even know how to dance a waltz?”

“Luckily, that wasn’t the scene I was planning.  Even luckier for me, waltz is the only ballroom dance I know,” Marinette hissed under her breath.

“You’re going to distract them… with a waltz,” Hood asked.  “I never learned ballroom dancing but isn’t that like the most boring of all of them?”

“Yes,” Red Robin answered instantly.  “And even if you know it, how do you know he does?”

“Is the plan to bore them to death?” Hood snickered.  “Bold approach there, Pixie.”

“Are you sure about this, Marinette?” Bruce asked quietly.

“Maybe you boys need to shut the fuck up and have a bit of faith,” Spoiler cut in, her voice harsh and cold.  “You focus on your jobs and let Marinette focus on hers.”  After a beat she groaned.  “And now I’m the responsible one.  This is all your guys’ fault.”

Marinette chuckled and the hostility that had caused her frame to tense eased slightly at her best friend’s words.  “Maybe you boys are just doing it wrong,” Marinette singsonged quietly.  “Or maybe I’m just that good.”  She waited until she and the man had taken position at the middle of the floor before getting into proper waltz frame and turning her head from the man, the picture of the highly trained ballroom dancer she wasn’t.  “Get ready Red.  Count down to 90 seconds until I’ve distracted them,” she said in barely more than a whisper.

Tim set his watch and watched her out of the corner of his eye for the right moment, still uncertain of her plan.  Whatever Stephanie and Marinette said, he had nightmares of learning the waltz and watching it performed at functions throughout his childhood.  It was by far one of the worst and most grating parts of his childhood.  From what he could see, Marinette was not deviating from his memories.  The dance was stiff, structured, and suffocating.

“You call this a scene?” Hood scoffed after thirty seconds.

“You call this a dance?” Marinette taunted at almost the same moment.

“Marinette, you cannot just insult Luka freaking Couffaine!” Tim chastised.  If she ruined his chance of ever meeting Jagged Stone, his favorite artist and… Marinette’s friend.  He narrowed his eyes at the two for a few seconds then rolled them in realization.  He’d been too focused on the mission and up too early that morning to have put the pieces together earlier.

Spoiler chuckled.  “She already tried breaking up his engagement.  What’s a little… provocation?”

“Oh, you want to dance,” Luka smirked.  A devilish glint shown in his eyes, a look Jason did not appreciate at all.

Marinette grinned fiendishly in response, the glint in her eyes matching his.  “I believe that’s what I asked for,” she agreed.

He slid his hand to the small of her back, splaying his fingers as he moved and jerked her against him.  His arms were still rigid and in position, but now wrapped around her.  His legs interlaced with hers, their movements almost synced to just miss each other by millimeters.  They moved around the floor, twisting and turning quickly and with purpose.  The audience split to give them more room both to see them better and to avoid getting hit when she spun.

He spun her out and pulled her back to him, pressing her tight against his body and continuing to spin her with him, moving and contorting as one as they did, but never allowing her space.  He spun her within his embrace just enough for her back to be against his chest.  They moved slowly as his hands traced her arms lightly but sensually. 

“That’s not proper waltz form.  You’re supposed to leave room for Jesus,” Hood growled loudly.

Marinette smirked just slightly before turning back to Luka.  She wrapped an arm around his neck and lifted her leg to wrap it over his hip, her dress splitting along the slit to reveal her shapely leg almost up to her hip, allowing him to drag her with him as he walked backwards.  His intense gaze never leaving hers as they moved.

Even from the roof, Jason could see the way his hands fisted into her hips and his eyes hungrily soaked her in.  “How’s your helmet doing, Hood,” Spoiler taunted.

He had to shake his head to remember where he was before he could respond.  “Fine.  Why?”

“Thought it might be steaming up,” she shrugged.  Her voice dripping with perverse pleasure.

“Mission accomplished,” Red Robin reported just as the music finished.  “I’m out.”

“Wrap this up,” Bruce said quietly.  “Let’s get out of here before they discover they’ve been robbed.  Hood, Spoiler, follow us out.”  He made a show of spilling his drink on himself and made excuses to leave.

Marinette let her arms slowly drop to her sides but didn’t take a step back from Luka.  “Thank you, M. Couffaine,” she said sweetly.  “I appreciate the… personal attention.”

He nodded and traced her jaw lightly.  “Always glad to appease a… fan,” he responded.  His voice was thick and sinful.

Marinette brushed a long strand of hair over her shoulder, tapping off the com as she moved so he could see.  He leaned closer setting his lips just short of her ear.  “See you at the wedding?” He whispered.

Marinette’s smile turned genuine as she pulled away just enough to meet his eyes.  “Well before, I’m sure.  I still need to do some fittings and plan Zoe’s bachelorette party.”

He sighed in defeat but made a show of grazing her side with his free hand.  “Not too wild, please,” he begged.

She slid her hand up his chest slowly just openly enough to appear like she was trying to be secretive without actually being so.  “Come on, I’m not Alya,” she teased.

“And don’t think I don’t appreciate that,” he answered seriously.

“But fair warning, Steph is helping me plan,” she added with a teasing tone.

He groaned loudly and dropped his forehead to hers.  “Well, thanks for the warning anyway.”

She giggled and straightened his tie before meeting his eyes through her lashes.  “Of course.  And thank Zoe for playing the offended fiancé.  Brilliant as always.”

“Oh, I guarantee she’ll be laughing all night,” he snickered.  “I think this made our month.”

Marinette nodded slightly and brushed her hair behind her ear again to tap on her com.  “Later, M. Couffaine,” she said seductively but loudly enough to be heard by evesdroppers.

He nodded lightly before turning and disappearing into the crowd.  “Exiting now,” she said quietly.  “Oh, and Hood?  Bet, I made you look,” she crowed before turning her com off.

Hood sputtered a few times, unable to find words for a retort until she had already left the building.  “I was looking before,” he grumbled to himself.  “And I was definitely lied to about the waltz.”

><><><><><><><>< 

Marinette made her way through the manor, freshly washed and back in her street clothes, which was ridiculous really since she was just going to go home and climb into bed after her extremely long day.  Maybe not even change, because she’d added Jason’s hoodie before heading out the bedroom door and it was comfortable enough that she could happily sleep in it.  The scent and warmth would actually help her sleep better than her regular pajamas, certainly better than she had the night before.

She almost screamed when a door opened just as she was passing it, but smiled when she met Jason’s wide eyes.  They stared at each other for a moment before chuckling awkwardly and continuing down the hallway.  He fell in step with her, hands casually slung in his pockets.  They had passed several more doors before he finally spoke up.  “Not staying over tonight?”

“No.  Not tonight,” she shrugged.  “I’m ready to get out of here.”

Jason nodded absently.  “Right.”  He walked silently with her for a few steps before speaking up again, as casually as he could manage.  “Need to get to your meeting?”

“Meeting?” she asked, her head quirked to the side and an eyebrow raised.

“With M. Couffaine,” he elaborated.  He tried to keep the bitterness out of his tone when he said that man’s name, but he wasn’t entirely sure he was successful based on the side eye Marinette was giving him.

Both eyebrows raised almost to her hairline at his question.  She had to fight desperately with herself not to fall on the floor cackling at his expression.  She managed to limit it to just an amused smirk.  “With Luka?  No, not tonight.  I don’t meet him until next week…” she paused to let that set in.  She knew she shouldn’t get as much enjoyment out of his dejected reaction as she did, but… she did.  If he wasn’t going to make a move, he really had no justification for being upset if someone else did.  She let herself enjoy it for a moment before putting him out of his misery.  Afterall, she hadn’t made a move either.  She met his eyes for just a moment when he glanced over at her and straight ahead again.  “… for his fitting,” she finished.

Jason whipped his head back to look at her so hard, she was surprised he didn’t pop any joints in his neck.  “His… fitting?” he asked, all bitterness gone from his tone and a bit of hope edging in.

“For his wedding suit,” she smirked.  “How’s your neck?”

He rubbed his neck, his eyes still glued to hers.  “Fine.  You know him?”

“Oh, good.  Thought it might have gotten hurt doing that double take,” she nodded indulgently and continued making her way toward the exit, looking as innocent as she could with a devilish smile.  “For almost a decade actually.  We met when we were like 14.  Both of them, him and Zoe, his fiancé.  I’m maid of honor at the wedding.  I introduced them.”

He fell out of step with her, frozen in shock.  She had played him, the entire room, like a master.  She had made it almost out of the hallway before he finally barked out a laugh.  He jogged to catch up with her and slung his arm over her shoulder.  “Come on, Pixie.  I’ll drive you home.  Unless your buddy is giving you a ride.”

“It was Steph, actually,” she corrected.

“Steph, really?  That’s not safe,” he scoffed dramatically.  “I’ll take you,” he offered in seeming nonchalance.  He preened when he noticed she had nuzzled further into his embrace seemingly without even noticing.

Marinette snorted.  “It won’t be safe for you when I tell her you said that,” she warned, but didn’t make a move to head toward the kitchen to meet Stephanie like they’d planned.

He gazed at her out of the side of his eye and tightened his grip on her.  “Or maybe it isn’t about your safety,” he admitted quietly.  “Maybe you were right.  Maybe I want to look a bit longer and you just make me want to look.”

Her heart rate jumped and her breath stuttered.  This was quickly moving into uncharted territory.  They flirted.  They skirted the edges of serious, but they’d never breeched the boundaries.  She needed to get back into their normal territory before her heart imploded from anxiety.  “Even with my ratty old hoodie on?” she quipped.

“My hoodie,” he corrected.  “And it’s worn in, not ‘ratty’.”

Marinette was barely able to raise her eyes to meet his to tease him.  “Agree to disagree.”

“I can take it back if…” he started to reach for the zipper.

Marinette dodged his hands and wrapped her arms around her waist to secure the hoodie to her body.  “Ratty but warm.”  She met his eyes as she walked backward, not noticing she was headed toward a wall until she hit it.

“Uh huh.”  He stalked slowly toward her.  “For the record, you always made me look; whether you’re dressed up in a dress that costs more than the entire Narrows combined, or in sweats working out, or taking out a rogue in one of your magic suits, or jeans and a tee sketching on the couch when you’re totally lost to everyone and everything, your eyes twinkling with inspiration.”

 He stopped a step away from her, so close she had to crane her neck to continue eye contact.  “Or even when you’re in my hoodie.”  He smoothed the fabric over her shoulders and down her arms and back up, his hands lingering at her hood, right by her neck, no longer pretending they were only there to adjust the hoodie.   “Actually, especially in my hoodie.  And you in my hoodie in the morning when your hair’s a mess and you’re completely unguarded?  It’s the hottest thing I’ve ever se…”

His sentence was cut off by her soft lips colliding with his.  He froze for less than a millisecond before his body reacted, acting before his mind caught up with what was happening.  One hand wound around her neck to hold her lips in place while the other worked their way down to her hip and pulled her tight against him.  His mind caught up just in time to hear her whimper quietly, driving his mind into hyperdrive and heightening every sensation.

He tightened his grip on her to feel more of her against him at the same time she pushed up to deepen the kiss, causing him to groan this time, which seemed to encourage her to let her hands roam his neck and chest, causing him to groan louder.  The groan almost turned into a growl when she lowered down and broke contact, both breathing hard.

She took a moment to catch her breath before looking up to meet his eyes through her lashes.  “I wasn’t sure you were actually looking,” she said breathlessly.  “I hoped, but…”

“Oh, Pixie,” he cupped her face and gently stroked her cheek, “I’ve been watching since you stormed into the Justice League meeting room in the middle of one of B’s speeches and started yelling at him to back the fuck off and stick to his own narrow-minded lane.”

Marinette buried a snort in his chest.  “I don’t think that’s exactly what I said,” she muttered against his pectoral, not quite ready to show her face.

“No, I’m pretty sure it was,” he snickered.  He pulled back from her and ducked slightly to meet her eyes.  “Haven’t been able to stop looking since.  I’m too afraid to look away, because everything with you is too important to miss.”

She grinned up at him.  “Then maybe you should take a closer look,” she murmured as she guided his lips back to hers.

[fabseg-reader]

Cerisette: Ballet Dance (Full Color version)

I've colorized my previous Cerisette post.

It happens in debut of Representation: After Marinette has backfired Chloé in a phonecall, she has been joined by Cerise in the escalator. They introduce each other, they discuss about their love lives and about Adrien's departure to London. Cerise invites Marinette for a dance. The blue-haired girl has said to her: "Yes I accept/Oui j'accepte".

If Cerise comes at the event, it's because the End School Year Dance concerns all middle schools/collèges. She is already the class representative from another school and she works at this school by distancing.

She will hack the Tsurugi laptop in a next time.

A dance between class representatives is so beautiful.

The original sketch here:

Cerisette posts

Playlist be like:

[seas-of-silver]

Adrien had definitely expected a lot of new experiences when he started working at Tom and Sabine's bakery, but accidentally setting the bakery on fire was not one of them.

Adrien had definitely expected a lot of new experiences when he started working at Tom and Sabine's bakery, but accidentally setting the bakery on fire was not one of them.

In the wake of his career as a teen model ending - a decision he was all too happy he made - Adrien quickly realised that he was free to do whatever he liked... problem was, he had no idea what interested him. Sure, fencing was fun, piano was enjoyable when he wasn't forced to perfect pieces that no one would hear, and being a superhero was grand, but... that was it. He wasn't an elite fencer like Kagami. He didn't have aspirations to make music his whole world like Luka. He couldn't be a superhero full-time, or he supposed he could, but he knew how isolating a life like that could potentially be - especially with all the identity rules and secrecy. So, Adrien was stumped.

His lack of direction left him feeling melancholy, and on one such day when his mood had taken a plunge, he ambled over to Marinette's. Marinette was an amazing friend, who somehow always managed to cheer him up, as though she was his personal lucky charm.

He entered through the bakery door and was greeted by the heavenly aroma of baked goods. He took a deep breath, inhaling the inviting aroma, relishing in the way it felt like a warm hug welcoming him home. Mrs Cheng, from behind the counter, smiled and greeted him kindly before calling out for Marinette. Marinette burst out from the room behind the bakery in a chaotic rush, flour dusting her forehead and apron, the latter also decorated with smears of coloured icing.

'Adrien!' she said, surprised, before smiling at him. 'H-how are you? Are you getting some pastries?'

It was mind-blowing how a simple greeting instantly made him feel better. He returned her smile.

'Hey Marinette, I was just wondering if I could talk to you, but you seem busy, so-'

'Not at all! I mean, we're going to be quiet until the lunch rush hour hits, so we can talk!' Marinette reassured. 'Maman-'

'Go on, dear, your father and I can hold down the fort,' Mrs Cheng said.

They hadn't made it beyond the bakery kitchen. As Marinette was leading him through the kitchen towards the staircase leading to the family home, Adrien halted. His gaze had been caught by the tray of gorgeous looking cinnamon scrolls Mr Dupain was glazing. He couldn't help but ask Marinette and her father some questions about the pastries, which led to an impromptu baking lesson, which led to him helping out until they shut for the day, which led him being invited to dinner as a "thank you", and only then did Adrien finally have his conversation with Marinette.

'I just feel so lost,' he told her. 'I've always been told what to do, having everything dictated by others that now that I've got this freedom, I'm just... drifting aimlessly.'

'Why not just try new things?' Marinette suggested. 'Don't put pressure on yourself to commit, or to be the very best at it, but take the time to explore things that you like, that your interested in, and if it works out, then great! If not, then that's okay, just move on to the next thing.'

Her words made him feel calm, and her proposed plan sounded simple, achievable. But he was at a loss for where to start, and told her as much.

'How about baking?' she asked. 'You did amazing today, and you looked like you were really enjoying it. Plus, Papa was telling me that you took to it like a natural!'

He had enjoyed himself, though he wondered whether it was the baking itself or the bakers he was surrounded by. After some more discussion with Marinette and her parents, he was brought on as an apprentice.

Being a baker wasn't an easy feat, but he did like a challenge. The first time he helped unload a delivery of flour made his admiration for a baker's strength grow immensely - he struggled with the big, heavy sack that threatened to make his knees buckle and elbows give way, causing Marinette to rush over and scoop the bag effortlessly out of his arms with a gentle smile and walk it inside the bakery, calling out a promise to help him with the next bag; his knees did buckle after that. He made mistakes time and time again, but instead of being berated, he was kindly taught what should have happened instead. He had many baking sessions with Tom (as he was told to call him) and Marinette, and occasionally Sabine tutored him in cooking meals.

It was hard work, but it was rewarding. Even Nathalie had commented on how happy he seemed lately. It also helped that he was growing closer with Marinette, their friendship improving with every visit to the bakery.

He had been working at the bakery for about a month when he went in for his Saturday shift. He had been filled with an excited, nervous energy since he had woken up, eager to get the bakery as soon as possible - he had decided today was the day he'd ask Marinette on a date, and he was anxious for her answer. It was only when he arrived that he remembered she said she would be spending the day working on her design for the competition his father had just announced that week. His spirits dampened slightly, but resolved to ask her after his shift - he could hold out for a few hours.

He had just finished making a loaf of sourdough, and was prepping it for the oven when he heard his name.

'Adrien?' Marinette's head was poking through the doorframe, cutely hiding the rest of herself behind the wall. 'Are you busy?'

'Uh, no,' he answered, pausing in his prep to give her his full attention. 'What's up?'

'I was just wondering if you could give me some feedback on my design for your father's competition,' she said. 'I need to know what you think of it so I can figure out how well it meets the criteria.'

'Sure!' he agreed with a smile. Marinette's designs were always awe-inspiring, and he was eager to see what she had created this time.

'Okay! Let me just grab this real quick!' She ducked behind the wall, and Adrien moved speedily. He quickly ripped a sheet of paper off its roll to cover the metal tray, dumped the loaf on it and shoved it into the oven, closed the oven door, washed his hands and rapidly turned to face her. She emerged from the doorway, and Adrien's breath hitched.

She was in a Grecian-style dress of a pretty pale pink. The fabric was being held at the shoulders by lovely floral clips, her hair was beautifully done in a decorative up-do, and while the design was simple, she looked ethereal.

'Marinette, you look- you're a goddess,' he said, all the strength gone from his voice, so the words came out in breathy tones. Her cheeks became as pink as her dress as she looked down, smiling shyly.

'Th-thanks, Adrien,' she stammered, before meeting his gaze again with a sparkle in her eyes. 'In fact, "goddess" is exactly what I was looking for! The theme of the competition is to connect the past to the present, and so I took inspiration from the Ancient Greek goddess, Thesis - the goddess of creation. And even though the Miraculous are rumoured to be ancient, they are a massive part of Modern Paris and current events. And considering Ladybug's powers are that of creation- uh, according to Alya! Um, so I thought I'd combine Thesis and Ladybug and create an outfit based on the powers of creation!'

He was blown away by her ingenuity. His heart fluttered.

'That's amazing, Marinette!' he exclaimed. 'So is this the final product?'

'Not even close!' she responded excitedly. 'This is a peplos - an Ancient Greek style dress, and typically the material was patterned and colourful, so I'm debating between hand-painting or embroidering floral and ladybug motifs onto the fabric to further the references to Thesis and Ladybug. And these clips here are prototypes I've made, and I'm tossing up whether to keep these or make new-'

Marinette cut herself off, eyes wide before yelping, 'Adrien! The oven!'

Adrien turned around to see an inferno blazing inside the oven. He made some kind of panicked noise before rushing to the oven door, opening it- only for Marinette's hands to push the door closed again.

'Don't!' she cried.

'But the oven's on fire!' he squeaked, trying to open it despite her efforts otherwise. 'We have to do something! We have to put it out!'

'We can't open it!' she retorted. 'Keep it closed and it'll run out of oxygen and die out. Open it, and everything burns down.'

Adrien froze, still gripping the oven door handle, but not making a move to open it. Marinette was right. It was simple science - remove one of the three components a fire needs, and the fire will stop.

'I heard a commotion, everything alright?'

As Adrien turned to Tom, who had just entered the kitchen, he accidentally pulled the door open with him, and flames jumped out of the opening. He hastily shut the door again and rapidly backed away from the oven, not willing to repeat his mistake.

'I just put the sourdough in the oven and I was just- I only looked away for a moment! And suddenly it was on fire-' Adrien babbled, flustered and overwhelmed as the reality of what could have happened sunk in.

Tom's gaze shifted between him, Marinette and the oven, and after a moment, he gave Adrien a soft smile.

'No harm, no foul, but let's be more careful next time, okay?' Tom said calmly, and Adrien nodded stiffly. The man approached the oven and peered through the door at the flaming mess inside.

'What paper did you use on the tray, son?' he asked, and Adrien's mind drew a blank.

'Uh... I can't remember, sir, I... got distracted,' Adrien admitted, helplessly glancing quickly at Marinette. Tom followed his glance, and his smile grew wider.

'I see,' he commented, seemingly amused. 'Well, I reckon you used the wax paper instead of the baking parchment - wax paper, while useful, isn't good with heat, so it never goes into the oven. Baking parchment is far more suited to heat, and while it may brown at times, it won't go up in flames. Understand?'

Adrien nodded numbly. 'What about the sourdough?' he asked weakly.

'An unfortunate victim of learning,' Tom answered with a shrug. 'Make sure its sacrifice wasn't in vain by remembering this lesson, alright?'

'Yes, sir,' Adrien replied, abashed.

'I thought we broke that habit, son,' the man chuckled. 'It's Tom, remember?'

'Yes, sorry, Tom,' replied Adrien, the light tease bringing a small smile to his face.

'Much better.' Tom then turned to Marinette. 'Now, cupcake, I know you were excited, but save distracting Adrien until shift is over, hmm? I need his eyes in his head and jaw off the floor while he's in the bakery, okay?'

Marinette's face bloomed into a bright pink in embarrassed confusion as Adrien groaned and buried his face in his hands. He almost burned down her family's bakery because he was completely and utterly distracted by her like the romantic fool he was, and now Tom and possibly Marinette knew the real cause of the whole kerfuffle. How was he supposed to ask her out now?

~/~

Ask game: Give me the first sentence and I'll write a short piece for it!