#it's when he's chat noir when he lets himself be a little more petty

[xhanisai]

What the fandom thought an envious Adrien would look like:

What canon envious Adrien looks like:

[miraculouscontent]

Marinette was officially done with Hawk Moth interfering in her life. She could take him interrupting school, or her time out with friends (which had become increasingly awkward as of late anyway), or even her moments of being bogged down with projects.

But interrupting her one-on-one time with Luka? First their movie date and now their moment of getting ice cream together? Absolutely not.

As far as she was concerned, this meant war. If Hawk Moth wanted to shove himself into her life like a nosy busybody who couldn’t go five seconds without trying to take away her means of happiness, then fine.

Two could play at that game, and she was feeling petty enough to make the next move. She’d had to mull over the subject for a while to figure anything out, not to stop him for good exactly, but at least put an annoying dent in his plans, much like he always did with her.

She had an idea by evening, and got to put it into action right after school. She was saying good-bye to a few of her friends, and had hopped onto the back of Luka’s bike afterwards, her hands carefully on his waist while he rode off along the sidewalk.

A flicker of black and purple caught her eye, and instead of the usual dread or panic, she grinned to herself.

“Luka! Stop!”

He stiffened, but obeyed, putting full force on the brakes and screeching the bike to a sudden halt.

“What’s wrong?” he asked in concern.

Hurriedly getting off the bike, she took off her helmet and handed it to him. “I’m sorry, will you wait here for a few minutes? I promise I’ll be right back!”

Knowing she had to be quick, she didn’t wait for him to reply. She placed a hand on his shoulder, leaning in to place a long, meaningful kiss on his cheek.

If he had prepared a reply, the kiss stopped it, and she ran off to the nearest hiding place while he stared blankly ahead at nothing.

After ducking into an alley and taking a quick look around to ensure it was safe, Marinette opened her purse to let out Tikki, as well with the other kwami necessary for her plans: Kaalki.

“Let’s do this!”

— — — — —

Soon after Pegabug had entered the scene, giving chase to the akuma, Chat Noir wasn’t far behind. Part of her questioned how he’d gotten there so soon, but she squashed the thought just as quickly as it’d come so as to not dwell on the potential identity questions.

“Love the new look, m’lady. What’s the occasion?” he asked in his usual flirtatious tone. “Or did you dress up just for me?”

“Not now, Chat,” she replied shortly, adjusting her sunglasses as she neared the butterfly in question. “I need you to do something for me.”

“Of course! Anything.”

“When I give the command, grab the akuma.”

“I—” He blanked. “Grab it?”

“I’ll explain later,” she assured. Squinting at the butterfly, which seemed to be on a straight path, she felt the moment hit like the epiphany of her Lucky Charm. “Now!”

Slightly panicked, but not asking anything more, Chat Noir sped forward. He dropped to all fours to pick up speed, then leapt for the butterfly. In a swift motion, he trapped the akuma between his hands, and Pegabug reeled her hand back as she felt the charge of her power.

“Voyage!”

The portal launched from her hands, manifesting right in front of Chat Noir. He went through and she followed behind him.

On the side of the portal, she landed politely on her feet while he crashed onto the floor, though he managed to keep the akuma contained in his hands.

A startled Wang Cheng stood up from his chair, looking between the two in surprise, but he calmed himself soon after. “It is time?”

“Yes,” she confirmed, walking over and helping Chat up due to his inability to use his hands.

He shook himself of the impact, then glanced at Wang, Pegabug, and finally the night sky out the window. “M’lady, if he means time to explain why you catapulted us to China, then I’m all ears.” His fake cat ears twitched in emphasis.

“Not exactly, but we can do that too,” she assured. Closing her eyes, she whispered a quick, “Kaalki, divide,” to allow the horse part of her transformation to drop. Pulling out her yoyo to grab a treat, she offered it to Kaalki to let her recharge before addressing the issue properly.

“Chat, you remember Wang,” she stated, walking alongside Wang as they traversed the rooms of the house. Hearing Chat’s footsteps behind her, she continued, “We saved him after he was akumatized into Kung Food.”

“Yeah, I remember,” Chat confirmed, still just as puzzled as before.

“Well, he’s the only one I know who’s out of the country.” She grinned slyly. “And out of Hawk Moth’s radius.”

Chat tilted his head. “Radius?”

Ladybug waited to answer until she saw the little habitat that had been set up, exactly as she’d asked for. Wang opened it for her and stepped aside, then gestured to it, which gave Chat enough of a hint to approach and outstretch his arms so they were inside the mini enclosure.

He hesitated, but released the akuma and recoiled quick enough for Ladybug to snap the habitat shut, thus sealing the butterfly inside.

“The butterfly miraculous has limits,” she explained, pointing to the trapped akuma, “and this is one of them. Hawk Moth can’t sense or do anything with this akuma from this distance, and he’s only allowed one at a time.”

“Meaning...?”

“Meaning that he can’t make another until this one breathes its last breath.” She tossed a grateful smile Wang’s way. “So please take good care of it, sir.”

Wang bowed his head in respect. Chat, meanwhile, was gaping.

“Wait, so that means—?”

“It might not be long,” she admitted, “because we don’t know how old this butterfly is, but—” She raised a finger as she made her point. “—as long as it lives and kept in that habitat, he can’t akumatize anyone.”

With a confident walk, she made her way back to the room they’d originally come from.

Chat, still in a state of shock, followed after and kept pace with her. “What about sentimonsters?”

Ladybug shrugged. “Mayura can still send them if she wants, but it’ll go just as badly.”

“Why?”

“For one, sentimonsters follow the orders of the one with the object, and no akuma means that Hawk Moth doesn’t have any control. For two, if I can teleport the feather away before Mayura can de-power it herself, then she’s stuck with no sentimonster for even longer than the akuma. Feathers take a few months to wear out, and I think they know that. Once they realize the risks, I don’t think we’ll be seeing any sentimonsters all by themselves.”

Stopping at the spot where she’d made the portal originally, she tossed a smile Kaalki’s way and outstretched her hands accordingly, calling upon her transformation once again with, “Tikki, Kaalki, unify!”

Chat didn’t even flinch at the flash of light, staring at the floor instead as he scratched his head. “But—uh—” He paused, needing a moment to come up with more questions. “what if Mayura makes her own sentimonster again?”

“Then I’m sending it to the moon,” she answered nonchalantly. “If they want to waste my time like this, then I’m not messing around anymore. Either they come fight me themselves or I’m keeping every akuma and feather I can here, where they can’t do anything with them.”

He opened his mouth, perhaps to throw out another argument, but she’s stumped him. His lips pursed as he seemed deep in thought, which evolved into a pout as he asked, “So, I guess we won’t be spending as much time together?”

“What?” Pegabug raised a brow, thrown off by that being his concern.

“A-ah—” He seemed to catch himself, waving his hands in defense. “Nothing, m’lady! You’re a genius, as always, and we still have patrols!”

“...Thanks,” she said neutrally, her mind on anything but him even as he tried to flirt.

After all, there was someone waiting for her back in Paris.

— — — — —

“Luka!”

Marinette beamed in both gratefulness and relief as she saw Luka still in the same spot as before, and even in the same position as well. She ran up to him, grabbing his shoulder again with one hand while she took her helmet back with the other.

She kissed his cheek again, a little more lightly than before but with just as much affection. The contact seemed to bring him back to life, his smile returning to his face as he settled his hands back on the bike’s handles.

“Did everything work out alright?” he asked.

“Mhm. I was just—” She paused, a lie almost reflexively coming out of her mouth before she settled on the closest thing to the truth she could, deciding that he deserved as much. “—taking care of something. Hopefully it works out.”

“Knowing you, I bet it will,” he assured with a fond look.

She beamed at him and put her helmet back on, settling herself behind him on his bike so her hands could rest on his waist again. She heard the ‘clink’ of the kickstand as Luka nudged it up with his heel, and then they were off again.

Happy thoughts of Hawk Moth screaming in his lair as he discovered her plan slowly transitioned into blissful imaginings of all the uninterrupted dates she could go on now. Out of sight, out of mind, just as Hawk Moth deserved to be.

[marauderundercover]

Taking Chances Ch. 21: Apologies (Father’s Day)

AO3

Prev

Marinette purses her lips as she looks at the neatly wrapped package in her hand. She knew she should still give it to her dad, shouldn’t let her hurt over the Gala stop her from celebrating Father’s Day with him for the first time. She’d already gotten confirmation from her Maman that her present for her Papa had arrived. So that was taken care of. A small part of her, the petty part, wanted to use Kaalki and go back to Paris for Father’s Day. But she also didn’t want to hurt her dad, no matter how much he’d hurt her. She had to be better than that, she is Ladybug after all. Sighing, she drops the present onto her bed. Grabbing the rest of what she needed for a movie night at one of Jason’s safe houses, she rushes out of her room. She knew that her dad’s conversation with Superman in the Batcave wouldn’t last too long, and then he’d be looking for her and Damian to lecture the hell out of them. Unfortunately for him, neither of them planned to be around to listen to it. 

“Got everything Pixie Pop?” Jason asks as she rushes down the last of the steps, barely stopping herself from falling. She quickly balances herself and shoots her brother a small grin. 

“Yup. Let’s go before I can get grounded.” She says, rushing past him and out the door, grinning as she hears his loud cackles behind her. It will get better. She’d talk to her dad eventually, and shove the bad feelings away. But she was going to let herself mope for another day. After all, letting herself feel negative emotions was part of the reason her parents agreed to let her stay in Gotham for the summer. 

---

“What do you mean there’s an entire movie about you and Cat boy?” Jason asks, shoving another cookie in his mouth. Marinette shrugs. 

“I mean we have a movie. It’s not my favorite, it’s kind of ridiculous. None of it is accurate. Except, Adrien did voice Chat Noir for the movie...still not sure why he thought that was a good idea.” She says, thinking back to the original premiere of the movie and all of the drama that came with it. 

“Well shit. He’s not the brightest kid, is he?” Jason asks with a snort. Marinette opens her mouth to argue, then remembers some of Adrien’s….less brilliant moments. Okay, so maybe he’s not perfect.

“Ya know, we were once cast as Ladybug and Chat Noir in a music video.” She says, snorting at the look on Jason’s face. 

“You’ve gotta be kidding. Really? Kid, please tell me you didn’t go through with it.” He says, looking mildly distressed. Marinette just rolls her eyes. 

“No, we didn’t. The concept for the video changed and so no more hero costumes. I was terrified though. Kept losing the mask on purpose ‘cause I was convinced the mask would be what gave it away.” She admits with a small laugh. 

“Ya know, that’s almost as bad as the time that someone at WE thought it’d be a good idea to enter B in a Batman look alike contest. Sent in his photo and everything.” Jason says with a snort. Marinette’s jaw drops.

“Wait, really?” She asks. He nods. 

“Yup. But that’s not the best part.” He says. Her eyebrows furrowed together. What could possibly be better- Oh. No, oh my-

“He lost, didn’t he!” She cheers, laughing at Jason’s huge smile. 

“Of course he did! You didn’t really think Brucie Wayne could ever be THE Batman, did you?” He asks with a smirk. 

“Who entered him?” Marinette asks, kind of assuming that Jason did it with Tim’s computer. 

“No one could ever prove anything, but Lucius Fox couldn’t stop smiling for weeks after it happened.” Jason says. 

“No way, Lucius Fox? Oh my god!” She starts laughing again, the negative feelings from earlier almost completely gone. Disappeared. Times like these, she was beyond relieved that she wasn’t an only child anymore. She doesn’t know how she’d ever function again without her brothers and Cass. 

---

Bruce takes a deep breath before knocking on Marinette’s door. He’d spent some time talking to Clark in an attempt to calm down. He still couldn’t believe his two youngest children had gone to the Watchtower without permission...well, he could believe that Damian went. But not Marinette. And then there was her attitude towards him at the Tower. Her posture was very Damian, but her words and tone were very much Jason. He couldn’t decide if he was glad that they were bonding, or frustrated with the way his sons were corrupting his daughter. Not hearing an answer on the other side of the door, he knocks again. 

“If?” He says. Alfred nods. 

“Marinette, I know you’re angry, but shutting yourself away in your room is not the answer. I’ll give you ten more minutes, but then we need to talk about your behavior today.” He says, nodding to himself. That sounded good. That was right, right?

“I’m certain that wouldn’t work on Miss Marinette even if she was in her room, Master Bruce.” Alfred says, giving him an unimpressed look. Bruce’s eye twitches. 

“Indeed, sir. It seems that Miss Marinette will not be sleeping at the manor tonight.” He says, turning to walk away. 

“And I’m assuming you know where she is?” Bruce says, doubting that Alfred will actually give up her location. He’d definitely been picking the kids’ side the last two weeks or so. It was different, and he wasn’t fond of the change. 

“Of course I do, sir.” Alfred says, raising an eyebrow in a silent challenge. 

“Will you tell me where she is?” He asks, trying hard not to huff when Alfred shakes his head. 

“Of course not, sir.” He says before walking away. Right. So she wasn’t sleeping at the manor, but she was safe. If she wasn’t, Alfred would have told him where she was. He mentally runs through a list of possible places she could be. Dick’s apartment, one of Jason’s safe houses, the Siren’s apartment, Paris- He pales as he realizes that she could definitely be in Paris. Was she really so upset that she would go back to Paris? Would she ever come back if she left? He lets out an uneven breath. He messed up. He messed up and now she was going to go back to Paris and she’d never talk to him again. Unless- maybe she didn’t. Swallowing the guilt that appears at the thought, he pushes her door open. If she had left for Paris, she would’ve taken everything with her. The sight of her clothes and sewing supplies still scattered around the room makes him breathe a sigh of relief. She hadn’t left Not yet. He’s about to walk out when an envelope on her bed catches his eye. Frowning, he walks over and picks it up, ‘Dad’ written on it in neat cursive. Now standing by her bed, he realizes there’s also a neatly wrapped package (Batman wrapping paper) on it. He smiles, then glances back at the envelope. He opens it, smiling at the art on the cardstock. It was clearly Marinette’s art, but he was confused why it was addressed to him. 

‘Dad, I just wanted to let you know that I’m so happy you’re my Dad, and I’m so glad that I got to meet you. Finding out that I was adopted was a little scary, but you’ve made sure I’ve been okay through it all. Happy Father’s Day! Love, Marinette’

Bruce blinks. She was scared. If he had to guess, she was most likely scared that the family wouldn’t accept her. They’d been getting along so well, until the Gala mistake. Until he’d decided for her. Assumed she wouldn’t want to go to the Gala. And now she didn’t even want to stay at the manor tonight, and she was angry enough earlier to throw a chair at him. He pushes a hand through his hair, cursing lowly under his breath. He had to fix this. 

---

A sharp pounding at the door makes Jason leap off the couch. He holds up a finger and gestures for Marinette to hide. No one should be here. No one else knows which of his safe houses he was at today. Grabbing a gun, he walks over, glancing through the peephole. He scoffs. 

“Get the fuck outta here Bruce.” He calls through the door, watching Marinette as she immediately tenses as if she’s gonna run. He shakes his head at her. She didn’t have to run, he sure as hell wouldn’t open the door if she didn’t want him to. 

“Jason, open the door. I need to talk to Marinette.” Bruce calls, Jason snorts. 

“Yeah, not gonna happen B.” He says. 

“I would like to apologize to her.” Bruce says. Jason blinks. That’s new. Did the old man finally figure out that fuck ups warrant apologies? He glances over at Marinette, raising an eyebrow. It was her call. The unsure look on her face almost makes him decide for her. Almost. The kid’d had enough of people deciding shit for her. 

“Let him in.” She says. He opens the door, glaring at the man. 

“Is it okay if he comes in?” She whispers, and Jason nods.

“Up to you kiddo.” He whispers back. She stands taller, pushing her shoulders back before nodding. 

“She’s the one who let you in. Don’t fuck this up.” He warns before stepping aside and letting Bruce walk in.

“Marinette.” He says, nodding at her. Jason groans. Yeah, B was totally gonna fuck this up. 

“Father.” She says, shifting so that her arms are crossed, a neutral expression on her face. God, he really hopes her mimicking Demon Spawn is just a phase. 

“I would like to preface this conversation by letting you know I went into your room.” Bruce says. Marinette just raises an eyebrow. Yeah, Jason wasn’t seeing the connection either. “I apologize for invading your privacy like that, Damian has definitely reminded me several times that your personal rooms are not to be messed with. However, when Alfred let me know you weren’t sleeping at the manor tonight, I was worried that perhaps you had gone back to Paris.” 

“I wouldn’t have gone back without telling you. Well, other than akuma attacks. Do you really think I’d do something like that?” She asks, frowning. 

“I know that I’ve done things I’m not proud of when hurt. Things that I came to regret. And I saw earlier today how hurt you actually are. I didn’t realize-” He pauses. “I also read the card that was on your bed.”

“What! No, that was- that was for Father’s Day.” She says with a sigh. 

“I didn’t open the gift. I originally thought the envelope would have a note from you on where you had gone. Or that you never wanted to see me again. I thought the chances were pretty even.” He says and Jason snorts. 

“Oh, okay. Wait, why would you ever think that? Yes, I was hurt. I still am hurt, if I’m being honest. But I don’t want to cut you out of my life.” She says, shaking her head. 

“Nor do I want you out of ours.” Bruce says. Marinette blinks. “I realize now what it must have looked like, to you. Not informing you about the Gala, taking the rest of the family. It was, admittedly, not my best moment. I made a decision for you when I should’ve asked you what you wanted. You could have even come with us as MDC, but I took that option away from you. I am very sorry, Marinette. I am glad that you’re my daughter, sweetheart.” He says and Jason blinks. Well shit. The old man did have feelings. Too bad no one would ever believe him if he tried to say something about it. He watches as the tension in Marinette’s body drops almost instantly before she runs over and launches herself at Bruce. She wraps her arms around him and Jason can see the way her body shakes. Bruce just stands there, staring down at the top of her head in shock. 

“You wrap your arms around her.” Jason snarks. Bruce blinks before listening, returning Marinette’s hug. Well, they were still dysfunctional as hell, but at least now he’d be able to take Pixie Pop to the manor without feeling like an asshole brother. 

---

Marinette bounces nervously in her seat as she watches her brothers hand her dad presents. She’s shocked when Jason hands over a small gift, knowing that the two’s relationship wasn’t….great. She leans forward in anticipation, watching and waiting to see what he’d picked out. 

“Thank you, Jason. Clark will never let me live this down.” Her dad says, the fondness in his tone not matching the frown on his face. He turns the box around and the room erupts in laughter. Somehow, Jason had found a company that made customizable bobbleheads. The body was probably just a stock body, dressed in civilian clothes with a superman suit peaking through the shirt. And the head, the head was hilarious. It was very obviously crafted to look like their dad, specifically with his ‘Brucie Wayne’ smile. It was awful and amazing at the same time. 

“I think Jaybird wins best gift.” Dick says with a grin. 

“Tt. Unlikely. The new katana that Cass and I gave him is obviously superior.” Damian says, crossing his arms. 

“I don’t know Damian, I still haven’t given him my present.” She points out, grinning at the slight frown on Damian’s face. 

“While I doubt your present could be better than mine, there is no doubt it will be better received than Todd’s.” Damian says. Marinette snorts at the look on Jason’s face. 

“Listen Demon Spawn, there’s this thing called humor. That’s what my gift had. I know you wouldn’t know anything about humor, so let me explain it to you.” He starts, and Marinette jumps in to cut him off before they can start arguing. It was Father’s Day, the least they could do is avoid fighting with each other for a couple more hours. 

“And this one’s from me.” She says, passing him the present wrapped in Batman wrapping paper. She grins as Tim and Dick both laugh, not having seen it before now. 

“I think Mari might win just ‘cause of the paper.” Tim admits, taking a large drink of his iced coffee that Marinette had picked up for him. She’d had to fight an akuma right before they started presents, so she’d stopped and got Tim coffee from the shop that he’d tried when they’d all been in Paris. She watches in anticipation as her dad carefully unwraps the box, opening it and pulling out the black suit jacket. He smiles at her. 

“Did you make this? It’s amazing.” He says, and her brothers nod in agreement (though Damian does so reluctantly). 

“Look at the inside of it.” She says, gesturing for him to unfold it. His eyebrow twitches, but he does as she says. She watches his face for the moment he spots it, and grins when his face drops into a wide smile. On the inside of the left side of the jacket, she’d added a breast pocket. It wasn’t really for anything though. Instead, it was so that she could embroider all of his children’s names in a way so that it would rest above his heart. The jacket also had tiny bat logos embroidered at the cuffs of the jacket. The thread was shiny and very dark so that it would barely show up against the black of the jacket. It had to be lit just right to see it, but as he tilted the jacket again, she knew he saw it. It had taken longer than suit jackets normally do for her, but it was because she knew that it had to be perfect. It was, after all, the first piece of clothing she’d made for her dad. 

“It’s perfect, Marinette.” He says softly, running a hand over the names. She lets out a sigh of relief before smiling at him. Things were still a little rough, but they were so much better than they’d been the night of the Gala. She was glad that she had stayed, that she hadn’t ran like she had so badly wanted to.

Next

Tag list: @maribat-bdbwm @vixen-uchiha @stainedglassm @liquid-luck-00 @jayjayspixiepop @jjmjjktth @trippingovermyfeet @mizzy-pop @queenz-z @thepaceperson @iloontjeboontje @waiting247 @laurcad123 @toodaloo-kangaroo @ritacrow-blog @deathssilentapproach-blog @kittenmywaythrulife @nerd-nowandforever @tazanna-blythe @jaybird-and-co @jumpingjoy82 @lady-bee-fechin

[goldenlaurelleaveswrites]

Sabine’s Big Day

I’m sorry for the delay, things have been a bit crazy in my life. I hope you enjoy the next Part of The Big Day (AO3)

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

Sabine dabbed carefully at her teary eyes, she didn’t want to ruin her makeup, but she couldn’t help but cry. Even anxiously pacing around, Marinette was an absolute vision in her dress. And it didn’t help that Tom kept bursting into tears every time he looked at their daughter. 

But no matter how much the sight made her tear up, she couldn’t take her eyes off her daughter as she tried to calm her. 

“… And if Hawkmoth decides to akumatize someone?”

“Then Ladybug will handle it,” she said soothingly. “Chat Noir too,” she added as an afterthought. Unfortunately, her words didn’t seem to offer any comfort; instead, they just sent Marinette pacing in the opposite direction, wringing her hands. 

“Sweetheart, don’t you think there are other things to stress over today?” She shot Tom a look as he seemingly realized what he had just said.

“Not that there is anything to worry about, dear! It’s your wedding day; this will be one of the happiest days of your life…” she trailed off as she caught sight of Fang, who seemed to be admiring himself in the mirror. Her thoughts immediately jumped to the father of the groom and the surprise Gina and Anarka had planned for Marinette and Luka. 

 Maybe there were a few things to worry about.

Marinette didn’t seem to hear her though, as she continued on with her tirade. “But weddings always make people stressed! All it takes is one miscommunication between the florist and the venue, and poof! Suddenly there’s an akuma that turns people into topiaries!”

She remembered that akuma all too well. She and Tom had had the misfortune of delivering a cake to that wedding when the akuma occurred. While they had avoided being turned into shrubs, it had been a little too close for comfort.

The scratching of scales against the wood floor caught her attention, and then she felt a tail brush against her ankle. She watched as Fang laid his head on her daughter’s foot, stopping her midstep as he nuzzled her leg. 

Marinette froze, before her lips curled into a soft smile.“Thank you, Fang,” Marinette whispered as she knelt to scratch the flower girl's head.

“Honey…” she reached out to her daughter, gently clasping Marinette's hands in hers. “Are you sure it’s really an akuma that you’re worried about?”

“Marrying Luka is the easiest decision I'll ever make.” She began to tear up at her daughter’s words and the conviction with which she had said them. “I love him, mom. He makes me happy.” 

Marinette had always been indecisive and anxious, but Luka had always been able to soothe whatever storm was brewing in her daughter’s mind. 

“I know, darling.” She felt her husband’s hand settle on her shoulder. 

And then they were all hugging and crying.

“Mama, Papa! You’re making me ruin your makeup!”

“You look beautiful, darling,” she heard Tom say through his sniffles. 

“But let’s get you cleaned up! You have an aisle to walk down!”

                                                           *** 

She took her place at Marinette’s right, as Tom took his place on Marinette’s left. She forced back the tears that were threatening to well up in her eyes as Marinette looped her arms through theirs. Marinette had been adamant that either they both walk her down the aisle or no one would. 

She had always known Marinette would grow up one day, but it felt so soon. It felt like just yesterday she had been holding her baby in her arms for the first time. 

The moment almost didn’t feel real. 

Was this how her father had felt? Right before he walked her down the aisle?

She didn’t know if she was ready to let go of her little girl yet. She knew she wasn’t losing her daughter but rather gaining a son. But it was hard knowing her baby was all grown up with a life of her own. 

Her eyes met Tom’s over Marinette’s head. 

Tears were leaking out of the corner of his eyes, but he was smiling. She was too. 

Luka loved Marinette so much, and they had so much happiness ahead of them. 

But Marinette would always be her baby girl. 

The music from inside the ceremony room swelled, and she felt Marinette squeeze her arm. And then the doors opened, and they stepped towards Marinette’s future. 

                                                          *** 

She wasn’t sure if she should sink in her seat or leap to her feet and haul Adrien out by his ear. 

She had once thought of him as the dear boy, even after Marinette moved on from him. He had always seemed so sweet and polite. 

But just over a year ago, things changed. 

Suddenly he had seen Marinette as more than the friend he had always claimed she was, and he had begun hounding her to go out with him. She had no idea what had caused the change in his feelings, or seemingly his entire personality for that matter. 

All she knew was that even as Marinette planned her own wedding to someone else— Adrien had been relentless in his pursuit; and crossed many boundaries. He had sent flowers and expensive gifts to Marinette every day, even when her daughter begged him to stop. He had shown up at Marinette’s work to surprise her. The boy had even somehow managed to get himself onto Marinette’s balcony and set up a candlelit picnic. 

He was no longer the dear boy. He was simply a petulant child who didn’t understand the meaning of the word no. 

Truth be told, she wasn’t entirely sure why he was here in the first place. Perhaps foolishly, she had thought he would have had the grace and dignity to turn down the invitation he had received as a professional courtesy.

But it seemed Adrien had decided to use the opportunity to confess his love for Marinette one more time, even going so far as to call them soulmates. 

She hadn’t been sure if she should leap to her feet or sink into her seat when he stood, but she had to hold back a smile at the way he seemed to shrink under Marinette and Luka's glares. 

Was it petty? Maybe. But under the circumstances, she could forgive herself.

She did allow herself to smile when Adrien sat down, looking thoroughly cowed. 

She still couldn’t believe how much Marinette sometimes sounded like Ladybug. It was uncanny. 

                                                          *** 

She leaned into her husband’s side as they watched Luka and Marinette seemingly float across the dance floor. It still felt surreal, knowing her little girl was a married woman now. But it was the best kind of surreal, like that wonderful place between sleep and being awake, where all the best dreams happened. 

And looking at the two of them twirl around in each other’s arms, lost in each others’ eyes, tears gathered in the corner of her eyes again. 

“It feels like just yesterday that was us.” 

She nodded as Tom wrapped his arm around her, but her eyes never left her daughter and new son. 

                                                          *** 

Jagged’s toast had certainly been… something. 

As wonderful as Luka was at soothing Marinette’s anxieties, she had the distinct feeling having Anarka and Jagged Stone as in-laws was going to have the direct opposite effect on Tom. But it had all been fine in the end, and the croque-en-bouche had escaped Jagged’s toast mostly unscathed. 

She chuckled as she caught sight of the newlyweds, who seemed to be off in their own little world. They probably would have been fine if the croque-en-bouche hadn’t made it out in one piece. 

There was a good chance they might not have even noticed. 

                                                          *** 

She was still chuckling, hours later, at the bouquet toss. She knew she would get an earful from her cousin and her daughters the next morning. But it was worth it. And it had seemed no one was willing to argue the results of the bouquet toss, which made it even better. 

 “I’m glad te call her me daughter.” Anarka settled herself down in the chair beside her, eyes trained on Marinette and Luka as they danced to the last song of the night. 

“I couldn’t have asked for a better son,” she murmured in reply. 

They sat there as they watched their children glow with happiness. She really couldn’t have asked for a better son. 

He always knew how to soothe Marinette when she was plagued with stress and anxiety. He was the wind beneath her wings lifting her to fly even higher when she was at her best. 

He let Marinette shine bright without diminishing his own light. 

The music was coming to a close.  Even as the last notes of the song still played, the couple starting making their towards the doors, waving their goodbyes to those still present. 

Watching Marinette and Luka walk out the door, their fingers entwined, warm filled her chest. Even if today hadn’t gone exactly as planned, they were happy and that was all that mattered. 

There was nothing to worry about. 

“Ye think they’ll like the surprise?”

[kittinoir]

Phantoms Ch. 15

Read on Ao3

Adrien had thought he’d feel angry. He’d thought that all-consuming rage would devour him whole and he’d never find his way out of it. He’d thought he would come apart from the force of it all. 

But sitting there now, his father in a prison jumpsuit on the other side of the plexiglass, all he felt was numb. That rage had been snuffed out, and a desert had been left in its wake, devoid of any signs of life.

He’d lost his father a long time ago. The only thing that had changed was where Gabriel slept.

“How is she, Adrien?” Gabriel demanded. His hand was pressed against the glass, as though he might press through it and shake the answers out of his son. “Tell me she still lives.”

“I didn’t come here to discuss my mother with you,” Adrien said. His voice was so cold it might have frosted the pane between them. 

The truth, however, was yes - Emilie Agreste lived, if you could call breathing with the help of a ventilator in a private suite at Pitié-Salpêtrière living. She didn’t move. She didn’t speak. She didn’t wake. But she lived.

Adrien wasn’t about to tell his father any of it though. Maybe it was petty, maybe he wanted to punish Gabriel just a little bit more, but he didn’t care. His father had no right to any of them. Not anymore. 

“Then what did you come for?” Gabriel asked as he leaned back in his chair. “To finally have your say?”

As if he were worth the breath it would take.

That’s what Adrien keep telling himself, anyway. It’s what Marinette would have said, but it was harder to keep the tirade back than he’d thought it’d be.

“Who was using the peacock Miraculous?”

Gabriel just stared at him - and then laughed.

“That’s why you came here?” he asked, leaning on his side of the table.

“I have no other reason to be here,” Adrien said. 

But Gabriel just chuckled. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Adrien hid his frustration. He’d known it was a waste of time. At least, he thought he’d known that. But he was still here, wasn’t he? He didn’t know why he expected honesty. As far as he could tell, Gabriel hadn’t been honest with him a day in his life.

It didn’t matter. He’d said the last thing he needed to to the man who had raised him. He was ready to end this chapter.

“How could you?”

The words were out of Adrien’s mouth before he even really made the decision to say them. They hung in the dead air between them. Then Gabriel’s mouth became a hard line.

“There is nothing on this earth I wouldn’t have done to save her,” Gabriel said. “Nothing.”

Adrien shook his head. “She wouldn’t have wanted this. 

“That’s irrelevant,” Gabriel said. And that told Adrien everything he needed to know.

“Good bye.” Adrien hung up the phone. He saw his father say something else, lean back into the window, but Adrien stood and turned his back on him. 

“Thank you,” he said to the guards as he left. They nodded as he passed, their faces expressionless. If they’d overheard his conversation, they hadn’t cared. No doubt prison officials were already pouring over the recordings, but nothing had been said that would hold any weight. True, there hadn’t been a single akuma attack since Gabriel had been arrested, but circumstantial evidence wouldn’t be enough.

It would be a trial like no other, that was for sure. Would French law even apply where magic was involved? No one had died. No permanent damage had been done, at least to the average Parisian.

It was a headache Adrien wasn’t ready to deal with. At least not yet.

He flipped the hood of his sweater up and slipped on some sunglasses as he was led out the backdoor of the prison. Paparazzi had staked out the building, waiting for either him or Gabriel to be spotted - or one of Paris’s many heroes. At least his father’s fortune was good for covert comings and goings. It helped that he’d ditched the car. True, a sweater and sunglasses were hardly the disguise Chat Noir would be, but it was enough. 

Adrien paused halfway down the block from the prison as he came level with a billboard across the street. He was used to seeing his face everywhere he went, but this….

“The Girl Who Saved Paris”

The headline blared in bold, black lettering. Someone had gotten a hold of Marinette’s school picture and edited it side by side with one of Ladybug’s press shots. It was a great photo. They both were. He hated it.

They still weren’t sure how the leak had happened, though Adrien was sure he knew who was responsible. One last act of misery wrought by his father, one final shot at revenge - if he was to be unmasked, she would be, too. Now the entire world knew who Ladybug was.

“Are you sure I can’t cataclysm him?”

Plagg popped into the shadow of Adrien’s hood and hovered by his cheek.

“If you cataclysm him, then he won’t be held accountable,” Adrien explained for the thousandth time. “And the people of Paris deserve that. We deserve that.”

“At least let me do the billboards then,” Plagg whined, glaring at the one across the street as Adrien began walking again. 

“No use,” Adrien muttered. He’d tried. Three more had sprung up overnight, as if punishing him for even trying. Someone was certainly determined. “Claws out!”

And then he was running, first down the streets, then across the rooftops as he angled for the only place he felt normal anymore. 

The Dupain-Cheng bakery was busier than ever thanks to the billboards. He couldn’t blame the people that hoarded the doors, desperate for a glimpse of the girl who had saved them all. He knew that, but still, some part of him seethed. Hadn’t she given them enough?

He circled the block and approached her roof from the back, pausing to detransform behind a chimney, as if there would be anything less scandalous than the son of Ladybug’s arch enemy slipping into her room.

But no one saw him creep across the roof, and after a moment, Adrien dropped through the skylight onto the end of Marinette’s bed.

Despite being a model, despite years of fencing, there was just no getting around it: he wasn’t as graceful without the Miraculous. The jostle he created with his landing was enough to wake her up.

“Adrien?” she mumbled sleepily, squinting at him in the gloomy darkness of her room. 

“Sorry,” he murmured as he settled against the pillows she’d placed at the end of the bed for him. “I didn’t mean to wake you up.”

“I’d rather be awake than asleep if you’re here,” she said. She pushed herself up, and Adrien almost might have bought a speedy recovery, if he didn’t know her well enough to notice how she braced herself for the charade first. “Is everything ok?”

“He wouldn’t tell me,” he said. “Who had the peacock.”

Marinette sighed, her shoulders drooping. “It was worth a shot.”

She’d been the only one to think so, but Adrien suspected she was also the only one who knew how much he’d needed to face his father one last time. Confirming Gabriel’s accomplice would have only been an added bonus. The question itself truly was irrelevant; Adrien could guess at the answer. Why else would Nathalie have been named his guardian in the event anything happened to his father?

“How are you doing?” Adrien asked.

Marinette shrugged, doing a halfway decent impression of her usual bright smile. “Every day is an improvement.”

But Adrien’s eyes narrowed. “That sounds suspiciously like a half-truth.”

“It’s a whole truth,” she insisted, but a tremor rolled through her body. “It’s not exactly a great day.”

Another understatement.

The truth was, Marinette was incredibly lucky. It was as though her Miraculous had infused her life, blessing her with little charmed moments. That was the only way to explain how she’d survived the cave in at Hawk Moth’s lair. Some doctors would chalk it up to the volume of her dress protecting her from any real damage. Other would call it a fluke. One doctor said if the tables hadn’t been in the room, the piece that fell would have crushed her spine completely.

She’d been bleeding so much when he and Ryuuko had pulled her from the rubble that Adrien had thought for sure she hadn’t made it. It wasn’t until later, when he was patrolling on his own to take the edge off, that he realized he’d never reached for her earrings in that horrible moment. He’d never even thought to use the wish.

Seconds after they’d freed her, Marinette’s chest rose in a shallow breath. She’d coughed, choking on cement dust. An exhausted Plagg had swirled up into Adrien’s face.

“Only Chat Noir is going to get her to a hospital in time,” the kwami said.

“But you’re - ”

“Do it,” Plagg demanded. Adrien hadn’t wasted any more time.

He’d never run so fast in his life. It wasn’t until he’d cataclysmed his way through a billboard that was in his way that he realized the paw pad on his ring wasn’t counting down anymore. He hadn’t known it at the time, but it was the last time Marinette would be afforded anonymity. He’d  thought he’d have to convince the hospital staff to let Chat Noir visit her the next day, had come up with a plethora of lines to persuade them - only to have them part in hushed tones when he arrived, saying <em>of course</em> they’d let him see his partner.

He’d panicked as he’d approached her room. How was he going to tell her? How had it even happened?

But as he’d pushed open the door, Chat Noir had seen Marinette sitting up, alert, her face grim. She didn’t move as he entered the room, and it was then that he noticed she was staring at the tv in her room. It was the only story on any channel.

“Does it ever get easier?” she’d wondered as he’d stopped beside her bed. “Having your personal life on display?”

He’d thought for a moment. “No. But it helps having good people by you.”

And that was that. He’d learned that despite the blood, she’d only really suffered one major injury: a deep gash across her back that ran from her right shoulder to her left hip. The doctors had done everything they could, and spared no expense once they discovered who they were working on, but a scar was inevitable.

“Is there anything I can do?” Adrien asked now. Marinette fidgeted, and for a moment he thought she might say no, but then she blushed a deep scarlet.

“The bandages need to be changed,” she said. “But I don’t want you to have - ”

“I’ll do it,” Adrien said. “It’s the least I can do.”

Marinette dropped her gaze to the comforter, weariness heavy on her shoulders. “For the ‘girl who saved Paris’?”

“For the girl I love.”

Adrien held her gaze as her head shot back up. It was an offer, nothing more. She’d rejected him several times before. He could take it again, if that was what she wanted. If she needed some time. 

But he couldn’t help but feel that, as the world fell apart around them in so many ways, this was the one thing that was finally coming together.

Marinette released a shaky breath. “That’s going to take some getting used to.”

Adrien smiled softly. “I’m happy to practice. But first, bandages.”

“I’m going to need some help,” Marinette admitted as she regarded the loft stairs. “We tried staying down stairs, but some of the more ambitious fans managed to sneak up through the bakery. No one’s made it up here yet.”

“Partly due to Jagged’s security team I’d guess,” Adrien said as he carefully maneuvered to the stairs. He’d spotted them doing their best attempt at crows control on the way in. “It was nice of him to loan them out to you.”

“I think he would have done it even if I wasn’t Ladybug,” Marinette said with a small smile. 

“I think you’re right,” Adrien agreed. Jagged Stone might have been eccentric, but he had a heart of gold Adrien rarely saw in other celebrities. “Ready?” Marinette’s smile vanished as she regarded the descent. “I’ll be quick,” he promised.

She inhaled sharply as she leaned in and wrapped her arms around his neck. She squeezed as he slipped one arm under her knees and gingerly placed his other hand on her back. He could feel the raised scar through her shirt. He took a quick peek, then relaxed a little; she hadn’t bled through the bandages. 

“Where to?” Adrien asked.

“There’s a stool by the sink,” Marinette said. Pain laced her voice. 

“I love you,” he reminded her. 

“Love you, too,” she said.

And then she buried her face his shoulder with a muffled scream as he carried her down from the bed, across the room, and set her on the stool. She was panting when he leaned back. Her arms slipped off his shoulders to her lap as one, two tears escaped.

“I’m fine,” she said as Adrien brushed away her tears with the back of his knuckle. 

“I’m sorry,” he said, but she just caught his hand with her own where he’d cupped her cheek.

“I’m glad it’s you,” she said earnestly.

“I’m glad it’s me, too,” Adrien said with a small smile as he stood. He turned to the sink as she saw to the buttons of her night shirt, waiting til the water ran warm to fill the small bowl someone had left on the rim. He collected fresh bandages, clean towels, and the antiseptic ointment someone had laid out as well.

When he turned back, he saw that Marinette had finished with her shirt and slipped it off. The fabric had pooled on the floor around her stool. He’d known about the wound. He hadn’t even considered the bruising - at least, not until that moment, when he saw it flowering out from beneath the white bandages wrapped around her torso.

“Ready?” Adrien asked as he kneeled beside her. Marinette nodded. This would be almost as bad as the moving. Maybe not quite as painful, but it would go on for much longer. 

“I’m starting,” he said. He made quick work of the knot at the side, then began unwinding.

“I never did ask,” he said. “How did you end up with your Miraculous?”

Marinette shrugged, then hissed at the movement as it tugged at her wound. 

“Ran into Master Fu on the way to school one morning,” she explained. “The first day of school, actually. The day you started. He was having trouble crossing the street. The light was about to change.” She snorted. “An act, obviously. That man’s never been helpless a day in his life. I rushed out to help him. Dropped all the macarons Papa made for the first day of class that day in the process. He still took one when I offered. When I came home at lunch, the Miraculous was on my desk.”

Adrien laughed softly. “That sounds familiar.” He unwound the last of the bandages and dropped them into the trash. Thankfully there was very little bleeding where the bandages had pulled away some of the scabbing. “I’m going to clean this now,” he said. She nodded sharply.

“I almost blew my identity - that first - day,” Marinette said in fits and starts as Adrien gently cleaned away old medicine and a little blood. “When Tikki popped out of the earrings. I called - for my mom and dad.”

“What happened?” Adrien asked as he worked around the wiry black sutures.

“Tikki stopped me,” she said, relaxing as he finally finished cleaning. She reached her hand back for a clean cloth, and he dunked one in the warm water before handing it to her. “I’m lucky they didn’t hear me,” she said as she cleaned her front where the bandages would go back on. 

“Luck does seem to be your specialty,” Adrien agreed. But there was no denying as he looked at Marinette’s back that destruction was his. She’d only been hurt because of the damage he’d done to the room. Now she’d forever wear the scars of his weakness. 

“Does this hurt?” Adrien asked as he applied some of the medication.

Marinette shook her head. “Not badly. It’s actually a little soothing. What about you?”

Adrien frowned. “Am I hurt?” 

“No,” Marinette said with a short laugh. “How did you end up with your Miraculous?”

“Oh.” Pieces of the full picture crowded in on him as he thought back to the day, but he pushed them away. There would be time to make those connections later. “It’s a similar story. I was trying to get to school while evading Nathalie and my body guard. I was halfway up the stairs when I saw Master Fu fall on the side walk. I didn’t think about it, I just went to help him. That afternoon, the Miraculous was on my coffee table.”

“Is that why you were late that day?” Marinette wondered, straightening as Adrien began to wind the clean bandages around her torso. 

“I’m surprised you remember.”

Marinette rolled her eyes. “Hard to forget. It was all Chloe would talk about.”

“That sounds about right,” Adrien said with a half smile. He finished wrapping the bandages and tied them off. “By the time I turned back around, Nathalie and my bodyguard were blocking the stairs. They took me back home. It wasn’t until that afternoon that my father reconsidered my attendance.” At the time he’d thought he’d caught his father in a rare good mood. Now he couldn’t help but wonder if Gabriel had simply wanted him out of the way while he worked. “Where can I get a clean shirt?”

“Bottom drawer on the left,” Marinette said, pointing towards her dresser. “Do you remember that thing with the gum?”

Now Adrien did laugh. It felt wrong coming out, like he’d forgotten a little bit how it was supposed to work. “I can’t believe we almost didn’t like each other.”

“Me either,” Marinette admitted. “Could you imagine? Friends as heroes, enemies as ourselves?”

“Au contraire,” Adrien said as he pulled out a clean blue night shirt from Marinette’s dresser. “I think you would have fallen for ‘Chat Noir’ a long time ago if ‘Adrien’ hadn’t managed to win you over.”

To his delight, Marinette blushed a deep pink. “You may be right,” she said, but she didn’t look away. “Such a shame we’ll never know.”

“I think I can live with that,” Adrien said, grinning. He shook out the top and helped Marinette guide her arms through the soft cotton. “Back to bed?”

But Marinette shook her head. “I finally feel a little better. I don’t want to ruin that. Would you help me to the chaise?”

“Of course,” Adrien said. He came around to stand in front of her and took both her hands, helping her to her feet. It was slow going, but he got the sense that she liked being on her feet and more or less self-sufficient, so he was happy to take his time.

But when they got to the chaise, Marinette hesitated.

“Would you stay?”

“As long as you want, Marinette,” he promised. He sat down first and let her get comfortable on her own before guiding them both back. “Is this ok?”

“Yeah,” she sighed, her head on his chest. “This is…I must have imagined this a million times.”

“Yeah?” Adrien asked, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “How does it measure up?”

“The real thing is so much better.” She pressed closer, then giggled. “It’s purr-fect.”

Adrien groaned as she laughed, but he was smiling, too. “And you say my puns are bad.”

“They are bad,” she said, “But I love them anyway.”

“You’re too kind, m’lady,” Adrien said. “Now you need to rest. I have it on good authority healing takes a lot of sleep.”

“Mmm,” she mumbled, but then Adrien was running his fingers through her hair, and she was gone in seconds. He craned his neck to see her face, and after a few minutes, even the pain that lined her face faded. 

“That’s the most peaceful she’s been since she came home,” Tikki said, drifting down from the loft.

“Has it been bad?” Adrien murmured.

“She’s been worried about you,” Tikki said. “It keeps her awake.”

Adrien shook his head. “Typical Marinette. Worrying about everyone else when she should be worried about herself.”

“She loves you,” Tikki said. “She can’t help it.”

“Yeah, I know,” Adrien said. “I know. I love her, too.”

Which was why, after another twenty minutes, Adrien slowly slipped out from under Marinette and laid her as gently as he could back on the chaise. The corner of her mouth turned down, but he brushed it away with a kiss. 

“Leaving so soon?” Plagg asked.

“Something like that,” Adrien said, his mouth set in a grim line. “Plagg, claws out.”

Despite the bright light, Marinette didn’t even stir. 

“Adrien?” Tikki said as she drifted closer. He had time to wonder how something so small could look so suspicious. “What are you doing?”

“Giving her what she needs,” Chat Noir said with a glance at Marinette. “Some peace.”

“She already does,” Tikki said, following him to the hatch in the floor. 

“I won’t sacrifice her to win,” he said simply. He dimly recalled her saying the same thing to him - or at least, a version of him. Hawk Moth had whipped him up into such a frenzy that he’d barely heard the words, had barely considered them, but even as he’d reached for her earrings, a part of him had recoiled. He’d wanted to give up the anger then. It hadn’t been enough. 

But he could make it count now.

He straightened as he descended the stairs. Tikki chased him down to the main level where she finally hung back, falling silent. He could see the crowds of people through the window panes of the back door. Good. It was good. 

He didn’t balk as he pushed open the doors. Didn’t shrink or hide his face as every head in the room swivelled towards him. For a moment, there was silence. Then the chaos began.

He didn’t linger. He pushed back Tom and Sabine. He couldn’t read their faces. Wasn’t sure he wanted to. There would be nothing but outrage and disgust there in a few moments. 

For once, his heart was steady as he pushed through the doors and into the street outside the bakery, the crowd from inside close on his heels. It didn’t trip or stutter or race at the scrutiny. For the first time, he was completely sure.

“Chat Noir!” Nadja Chamuck had pushed to the front and now shoved a microphone under his nose. “Were you just visiting Marinette Dupain-Cheng, the girl Paris now knows has been saving them for the better part of two years? Sources say she was grievously wounded in the final battle with Hawk Moth - is that true? Will she recover?”

Beneath the mask of news anchor, he could see Nadja was genuinely worried. He remembered that Marinette wasn’t just some random high school girl; she was Nadja’s baby-sitter. 

He would have to reassure her another time.

“Parisians,” he began. His voice was strong, steady. It didn’t betray any emotions - possibly because for once he felt at peace. “Hawk Moth ensured Ladybug’s identity was revealed before he was captured. It was his final act of revenge. But as Ladybug’s partner, I can not, and will not let her weather this storm alone.You know me as Chat Noir, Ladybug’s parter, the boy that’s been saving you for the past two years. Now you will know me as I am. Plagg, claws in.”

Adrien counted down his last moments of peace as his transformation dissolved, finally revealing his true face to the city he and Marinette loved so much. 

’Does it ever get easier? Having your personal life on display?’

That’s what she’d asked him. He’d told her most of the truth. But the other part, the part he’d known she’d eventually discover on her own, was that you could get used to anything if you experienced it often enough. 

And he’d had years of practice. 

[feminaexlux]

Silence is Golden, Duct Tape is Silver

Re: title -- there's no bondage or being duct taped anywhere I just can't get the title out of my head 😂

For @verfound, happy birthday!!! This is based off of a MegaMind AU some of us at LBSC were shooting around for a long while. I decided to make some of it a reality, and of course I also decided it would be moderately fun to do it as smut.

Rated E, for reasons above lol

Find on AO3 here :)

(Okay so it's a day late)

Notes:

Adrien Agreste is Chat Blanc, hero of Paris (Metroman), sir not actually appearing in this fic

Luka Couffaine is Silencer, villain of Paris (MegaMind), working together with Sass (Minion). Sass is also not appearing in this fic but I thought I'd give it a mention

Marinette Dupain-Cheng is the intrepid special-news reporter (Roxanne)

Felix Graham de Vanily is the museum curator (Bernard)

Theo is (now) Chat Noir, new hero of Paris, formerly creepy cameraman (Hal/Titan), now creepy superhero stalker mentioned here and there

Also for all of you out there thorsty for Felinette I apologize 'cuz I will be serving up a gallon of POISON BREW, aka this was always Lukanette. Altho I appreciate your visit! This is an official apology for the bait and switch.

⁂

Felix looked nervously around the restaurant, taking in the families and other couples dining quietly at the fancy-ass place he reserved for his dinner date with Marinette Dupain-Cheng. She was running late… which wasn't hugely out of the ordinary for her, but still… this seemed later than usual? He adjusted his bracelet, re-checked that the flutes of champagne were perfectly topped off, centered the now burnt-out candle on the table. Taking a quick peek around and making sure no one noticed, he pulled out his raygun and fired it into the candle, re-lighting it. He tucked away the gun as fast as he could.

"Felix!"

"Marinette," Felix sighed in relief.

"Sorry I'm late," she breathed out a sigh, dropping down into her chair.

"Wow, your hair…" She didn't have it up in pigtails! It was flowing loose and was wind-swept. So wind-swept that her bangs were sticking straight up. She'd always been gorgeous but this took it up to another level, geez. "Looks... exciting?"

"Hmm, not the only exciting development of the night," she said, leaning in closer. "Silencer's created a new hero, and I know why!" There was a pop as another bottle of champagne was opened nearby and Felix jumped a little. "It all makes sense now!"

Felix choked. "Uh huh, yeah?" He shakily drew up his water glass to take a sip.

"He missed getting his ass kicked so he created a new hero to kick it for him," Marinette explained. Felix nearly spat out the water but luckily the glass was still in front of him so it sprayed back into it. "But why pick Theo? Theo is the worst possible person you could pick!"

"Wow," Felix said nervously. "That's a lot to take in."

"It boggles my mind," Marinette huffed, leaning back into her chair.

"I am extremely boggled. You know, I'm sure we'll get to the bottom of who's kicking whose ass, but in the meantime," Felix held up his champagne. "Let's enjoy each other's company."

"Ah, I'm sorry Felix, of course you're right," Marinette smiled. "You know I could use a breather," she sighed again, but raised her glass of champagne to toast. "To Felix, for being the only normal thing in my crazy, upside-down world."

Felix felt a pang of guilt but tried not to let it show on his face. "To… being normal," Felix said, clinking his glass with hers. "Marinette?"

"Yes, Felix?"

"Say I wasn't so normal… Let's say I had the complexion of a popular primary color, as a random, non specific example. Would you still enjoy my company?"

"Of course," she said easily. "You don't judge a book by its cover or a person from the outside--"

"Oh, that's a relief to hear," Felix chuckled, leaning in closer.

"You judge them based on their actions!" Marinette finished.

Felix blinked, sitting up straighter. "Well that seems kind of petty, don't you think?"

Marinette smiled pleasantly, but he could tell there was something she wasn't saying. "I am starving," she said, changing the subject. "But I see this is such a cute restaurant, I love the décor!"

"Oh yeah, I'd recommend their special entrée for tonight, it sounds delectable."

The dinner was actually very good and they enjoyed chatting about various subjects. They had just finished up dessert when Marinette sighed again, looking a little… spooked, maybe? Nervous? "Hey Felix?"

"Yeah?"

"I… I'm not sure I want to go home alone… Do you think it'd be okay if I… stayed with you tonight?" She looked up imploringly at Felix.

God her big blue eyes were so beautiful… wait, what did she just ask? Oh shit, Felix thought. He choked, coughing. "Uh w-wow, I…" Felix put a hand to his collar and loosened it a bit. "Th-that's uh… S-sure. I'll be… I'll be right back," he said awkwardly. "Promise I'll be back," he said belatedly when Marinette raised an eyebrow at him. "Just need to… take care of something," he kept talking. Just GO, dumbass, Felix thought at himself.

He practically ran to the bathroom. Oh fuck he had no idea where Felix actually lived. He pulled out a dehydrated cube from his jacket pocket, running the sink tap. He threw the cube into the sink and the real Felix popped back into being. "What the hell--" the real Felix started.

Silencer pulled back the serpent's head on his bracelet and detransformed. "Where do you live?" he asked Felix, pointing his raygun at the startled man in the sink. "Give me your keys."

"Wh-what?! OKAY, okay, okay I'm at--" Felix blabbed, panicking when Silencer shoved the raygun under his chin. Felix took out his apartment keys and handed it to Silencer.

"Cool, thanks," Silencer mumbled, firing the raygun and re-dehydrating Felix back into a cube. "Alright, Silencer, she just asked to spend the night with you," Silencer talked at himself in the mirror. His face was kept neutral but inside there were Code Red alarm klaxons ringing through his entire body and he was fucking ecstatic and goddamn petrified at the same time. "And you said yes. She's… spending the night. With you, you lucky asshole," Silencer chuckled a little disbelievingly.

Well, okay, she was spending the night with Felix, but… it was really him anyway? Silencer felt an even bigger pang of guilt run through his system after thinking that, but… he'd been so in love with her and she'd never give him a chance as the real him. He thumped his head into the mirror and sighed. "I should tell her," he thought despondently.

Maybe? She'd probably throw water at his face and walk out on him if he did admit he wasn't who she thought he was. And… and why did he care? He was Paris' Big Bad. He was bad to the bone. So what if he was lying to his most favorite person in the entire world (outside of Sass)? She was… she was just Marinette Dupain-Cheng, reporter for TVi, and he was a Supervillain.

Supervillains never got the girl. This was his only shot.

And he'd take it.

He fiddled with his bracelet again, re-disguising himself as Felix. He straightened his collar, necktie, and vest, combing back his hair with his fingers. He smiled back up at the mirror. "Let's do this," he said to no one in particular.

He went back to their table, feeling much less nervous about things. "Sorry about that," he chuckled. They went ahead and took care of the check and they walked out to his car. He'd been able to hold her waist while she leaned against his arm. His heart still thumped double time whenever she touched him and he was able to touch her. They'd been comfortable holding hands for a while, but this was all pretty new since it was basically the first time Silencer had ever been able to get that close with anyone.

"Wow," she giggled. "This is pretty… rockin'," she commented wryly. The normally-invisible-but-currently-visible car was black but still stood out against the rest because of its many spike ornamentations.

"Oh, uh, yeah, it's a classic," he laughed nervously. "Didn't want to change too much from the way I… I found it, you know?" He helped her into the passenger seat and got in the driver side. "Don't touch anything, by the way. The buttons are… just for show but they're very delicate."

"So strange," Marinette smiled as she looked at the console. "What is this, a jellyfish launcher?" She'd pointed at one of the buttons. "Is that a shark with a laser attachment?!" she yelled excitedly, looking at another button.

"Th-those darn people from the ol' days. They were… eccentric," Felix chuckled, shrugging. He started the engine and the car blasted Jagged Stone at them. "Oh shit, I'm sorry," he said, panicking as he turned down the volume.

Marinette laughed and it was beautiful to his ears. "I don't mind actually, I kinda love this music."

"Huh, really? Cool," he said, internally screaming a YESSSS SHE LIKES THE SAME MUSIC I DO. "He's my favorite musician."

"Mine too!" Marinette started singing along to the tune and Felix turned the volume back up to a comfortable level. "Oh, you know I actually designed one of his covers when I was still in Collège, the one for Rock Giant."

"No way," Felix gasped, driving out into the Parisian streets. Oddly enough Felix lived in the same direction his lair was in, which sort of stressed him out a little. "That's my favorite album. Very nice work on the cover," he said, distracting himself. They continued talking about Jagged Stone on the ride until they ended up in front of Felix's apartment and he parked, shutting off the engine. "Uh, we're… we're here." He felt a little on-edge now that they arrived.

"Huh, I thought it'd be more…" Marinette trailed off. "Lair-like."

His brain ground to a halt. "Excuse me?" Felix asked blankly.

"Ha, right. So here's the thing," Marinette started, turning to face Felix. "I was late tonight because, guess what? I got a visit from Chat Noir! He flew me off around the city and decided I needed to be rescued, so he dropped me from 1000 meters in the air into traffic and 'rescued' me! I nearly died about 3 times." Marinette grabbed Felix's lapels angrily and pulled him in. "I was trying to tell him that Silencer was planning something with the new hero, but Chat Noir got angry and he left me nearly stranded at the top of the Eiffel! And now I think Chat Noir has a vendetta against me and I'm scared as fuck and you need to help out and keep me safe because you created this mess, Silencer!"

Felix blanched, his mouth gaping wide open in horror as he searched for words. "I… I'm so sorry you had to go through all that b-but I don't know what you're talking about," he tried to laugh. "That sounds terrifying, though! I-I'm not--" Marinette heaved a sigh, rolling her eyes. She grabbed the bracelet on his left arm and moved the serpent-head, going through a series of disguises before it finally detransformed him entirely. "Okay, you got me," Silencer smiled nervously. "Su-surprise?" She didn't respond except to take her hands off him and glare. He lowered his head and thumped it against his steering wheel. "How'd you find out?"

Marinette folded her arms. "Remember when I broke my sunglasses?"

"Yeah."

"Well, turns out when you change the angle of the polarized lens filter you get to see things from a brand new perspective. Your disguise thing didn't work when I saw you through the lens at a different angle."

Silencer tilted his head toward her and frowned. "That… was a month ago."

"And?"

"Aaand you kept dating me even though you knew?" He tried to keep the hope out of his voice but he wasn't sure he was successful.

Marinette rolled her eyes again. "It's called putting up a front, Silencer. I needed to keep tabs on you." She stared forward, looking pretty angry.

Shit. Ouch. He'd been bruised and battered and broken being beaten up by Chat Blanc countless times, but for some reason this hurt more than anything. "Sorry," he breathed out, straightening himself back up into his seat. "Okay." He turned the engine on again, the music continuing to play a mix of Jagged Stone albums, but the two car occupants sat in silence on their way to his lair.

He drove toward the sewers, going through a secret entrance down a level into the garage of his lair. The huge, heavy metal doors shut close behind them in a booming metallic thud. He parked, turned off the engine, and got out first to open Marinette's door for her. She got out and folded her arms again, looking tired and sad but unafraid.

"My room's over there," Silencer pointed at a door heavily decorated with gothic elements. "You can have it, feel free to use whatever inside. Let me know if you need anything, I'll… be at my desk." The little brainbots hovered nearby, beeping and whirring anxiously. They somehow knew not to attack Marinette.

"Thank you," Marinette said softly, heading toward his room.

"You've got a surprising amount of trust in me," Silencer said offhandedly after she'd taken a few steps. "I could have -- might have just kidnapped you for nefarious reasons."

Marinette stopped but didn't turn around to face him. "No, you haven't. I made you come here. And besides," she glanced over her shoulder. "Between you and Chat Noir, at least you haven't ever hurt me." She had a sad smile on her face. "So, yes, I do trust you."

"I would never hurt you, Marinette," Silencer whispered to himself after she went into his room and closed the door.

⁂

Okay, Marinette, she thought at herself. You just willingly allowed a Supervillain to take you back to his lair and now you're in his room because you were being stalked by a brand new superhero creep calling himself Chat Noir and this was literally the safest place you could be. She took a look around his room and while it was all painted black or blue with lightning bolts everywhere, she saw a bunch of music posters and guitars hung up on the walls.

She smiled, remembering that Felix -- no, scratch that, Silencer -- had always been kind of a music nerd. She walked forward and flopped onto the bed in unexpected exhaustion, but God, she needed a shower. After that horrifying experience with Chat Noir and the… weird sense of guilt she felt for pushing Silencer to do this for her, she just wanted to wash herself of the grime and sleep it off. It was largely Silencer's fault anyway, even if he did look completely surprised and shocked when she said Chat Noir had paid her a nasty visit.

She went into the bathroom and turned on the lights. She opened the shower door and turned the faucet to hot, testing the water after a bit to make sure it was the right temperature. She stepped in after taking off her clothes and shoes, sighing in contentment as the hot water hit her skin.

But she wasn't relaxing as much as she hoped she would.

She couldn't forget the heartbroken expression on Silencer when she told him she'd been dating him as a front. Well, he had to be a Supervillain (even if he never actually did intentionally hurt anyone), if he'd just been a Hero instead she probably would have loved to -- Wow, fuck, where did that thought come from? Ugh.

So what if he was actually kind of cute, blue skin and all? And so what if, when he wasn't terrorizing the city and causing massive property damage, he'd been sweet and kind and thoughtful and she felt the happiest and safest she'd been in a long time when she spent time with him? "Ugh, stop it, Marinette," she groaned, slapping her palms against her face. "You're being stupid." So stupid it sounded like she was in love with a Supervillain. Yeah right, as if…

Fuck, she was.

She turned off the faucet and angrily stepped out, drying herself off. It hadn't ever been about superpowers. If she'd been interested in heroes she would have probably propositioned Chat Blanc, but she hadn't. Chat Noir was a definite no-go. Instead she'd flirted with Silencer and was now in his Lair, because she had trusted him.

She stepped out of the bathroom and rifled through his closet to find and put on a robe. It'd been embroidered with "The King" across the back and it made her laugh. King of what? Evil? Silencer was bad but he didn't have an evil bone in his body. Which was kinda weird to think about so she stopped thinking about it.

She crawled into bed. 30 minutes to an hour later she found that she couldn't sleep after tossing and turning. She sighed, sitting up and getting out from under the covers. She slipped on her flats and walked out of the room, finding Silencer looking through the exterior surveillance cameras in his chair, but he was facing away. She pushed on his chair and turned it around to face her. "So what did you--"

"Aah!" He nearly jumped straight out of the chair. "Ma-ma-ma-Marinette?!" He flushed, the tips of his ears were pinker and there'd been a red tinge to his cheeks.

She giggled. "Are you alright?" She left her arm on his chair, noticing that she was leaning over him a little bit, maaaybe showing a bit more skin than usual as the robe had separated slightly. He definitely noticed that too and was desperately looking away.

"Fine, fine. Why do you ask?" He was playing it cool but it was obvious he was trying his hardest to not look at her. "Did you need anything?"

Oh now this was precious. "Why, Silencer, are you scared of me?" she teased.

He started sputtering, finally looking back up at her. "Wh-what? Pfft no, nooo. S-scared? Of you? Nope. So what if you're unbelievably brave and amazingly intelligent and manage to outsmart even me sometimes? A-and so what if you're really, really ridiculously good looking?"

She smirked. "Are you trying to charm me, Silencer?"

"H-hey, you're the one trying to seduce me, you-you temptress," Silencer continued to stammer, his blush getting worse as she sat down across his lap and leaned against him.

"You know, Silencer, it's strange. For all the times you've kidnapped me, you've never treated me badly and you'd only kept me until Chat Blanc came to fight you. When we were dating and I found out that you were impersonating Felix, I thought you were trying to use me or control me or brainwash me, but you haven't. There were so many times, like now, where I'm clearly unarmed and helpless, and yet you've never done anything to make me think I need to be afraid of you. So what's the deal here? What do you want with me?"

He looked elsewhere (anywhere but at her) and she could see a slight grimace forming as he ran through his options. "Can't I just like spending time with you?"

"So you've been lying to me, pretending to be Felix, to spend time with me?"

He laughed a little despairingly. "That's the only thing I've lied about. Everything else I've told you was the truth. But you like me as Felix. You don't like me as Silencer. So yeah."

"Would you have slept with me still pretending to be Felix?" Marinette asked the question that had been plaguing her, preventing her from being able to sleep.

He looked ashamed. "Honestly?" he sighed. "No. I would have bailed."

She raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"I want you to be with me," he said quietly. They both went quiet, and outside of the occasional beeping of the brainbots hovering nearby the room was nearly silent.

"It's funny," Marinette said after a few moments, placing her hand along his cheek and guiding his gaze back down to her. "I've gotten to know you when you're not blowing up half the city, and you're pretty fun to be with. So maybe I do want to be with you. As you are, right here, right now."

"I-I thought you said you were just 'putting up a front,'" he said, sounding confused.

"Doesn't stop me from wanting to kiss you," she said. "And more, if you want that."

He choked. "M-more?"

"Even if your spandex suit doesn't leave much to the imagination," Marinette said, her voice sultry and low. She traced a finger from the tip of his jaw down his chest. "I'm still... curious about what you have underneath it." His gulp was audible. It was simply so fascinating to see his reactions and it made Marinette want to keep teasing him.

For a long moment he looked like the physical equivalent of a spinning loader icon. "Wait, you're not making fun of me, are you?" She pulled his face toward hers, pressing her lips against his. She kissed him again, harder the second time after he looked so deliciously surprised. She got back onto her feet standing up from his lap and he numbly followed his gaze after her, forgetting that he had the rest of his body in his chair. "Wh-what--"

She smiled and partially bit her bottom lip. "So, still think I'm joking?" She spun one end of the robe's tie as a little show of impatience. "Like I said, there's more if you want it."

"Uh, I..." he trailed off, the fingers of his hand touching his lips where hers had been just a few seconds ago. "Is this real?" he asked, still apparently dazed. She sighed but kept a smile, placing her hands on her hips, which had apparently been enough to bring him back to the present. He braced his weight on the armrests and got halfway up. "Hell yeah, I want--"

"Sit down," she commanded. He dropped back into his chair, surprised. She unfastened the robe and let it slip off and fall into a pool of fabric at her heels. She hadn't had anything on underneath. She sat back in his lap, straddling him, watching his expression grow ever more wide-eyed and mesmerized. There was a little whine that escaped him as she leaned his head back, running her fingers through his hair and kissing him again. She pulled back, raising his chin further to find the zipper at his neck, and pulled the tab down. There were some intriguing shimmery purple striations across his chest that seemed to define the valleys of his muscles...

"Oh shit," he murmured. She giggled and bit at her bottom lip, then thought of a better place to set her teeth, nipping lightly at his neck while she unzipped the shirt or whatever it was all the way and pulled it off. Soon after he wrapped her in his arms, pulling her in a tight hug while he let out a shuddering sigh as she was pressed up against his bare chest.

She froze in place. "… Do you want me to stop?"

"No! No. Just need…" he groaned a little. The brainbots hovering nearby chirped quizzically. "Privacy." Whoops. She forgot they had cameras.

"You're not recording this, are you?"

He cleared his throat nervously. "Not... intentionally." Shit. At least he was honest. Oh well.

She leaned in to nibble at his ear and tugged at the earring stud. "Then take me to bed," Marinette growled. She had felt a burgeoning warmth press up against her inner thigh before, but she felt it -- him -- flare a little more when she growled. He liked that, then? Oh god, he whimpered when she pressed herself into that warmth. She was going have so much fun torturing him and she'd just barely begun. She was already reveling in the way he was responding to everything...

Apparently he felt a little in over his head. "A-are you sure?" he asked, a little breathless, his voice strained. She saw him swallow again. "It's... it's me," he continued, as if she hadn't been well aware of that and was mostly naked on top of him anyway. "You know, the villain?"

It was equal parts endearing and frustrating that he wanted to check like that. "Yes, I know. Now do you want me to fuck your brains out or not, Silencer?"

Whatever he'd been worried about halted abruptly. He nodded emphatically and mouthed a yes even though no sound came out. He stood up from the chair, supporting her weight by gripping onto her ass, and she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. Yep, she could definitely feel the bulge in his pants. He groaned and shifted her so he could carry her in his arms bridal-style when she brushed up against it -- she was probably teasing him a little much. Thankfully it wasn't too long before they got to his room and he kicked the door closed behind him.

He didn't get a chance to go much further after that. Marinette pushed off from him and got back onto her feet, then pressed him up against the closed door. She brought him in for another kiss, one hand working its fingers through his hair and down his neck, the other hand causing him to jump a little when she cupped and squeezed his erection. "Mmm, too much?" she asked.

"N-no," he shook his head, half a shy smile on his face.

"Good." She pulled down both his pants and boxer briefs to mid thigh and got on her knees. He yelped in surprise but other than shivering he didn't move. He made little gasps as she kissed his inner thighs, then the delicate skin bridging his legs to his groin, deliberately putting her mouth anywhere but his penis, hearing him whine at the lack of attention to his most sensitive part.

Then she wrapped her fingers around the tip, running her tongue along the underside of his cock, marveling at the way it was so (thankfully) familiar but still uniquely his. His cock was oddly beautiful. There were... shimmering purple ridges and thick veins running across the length of his skin, accenting the normal coloring of blue at the base shifting to a lovely pink at the tip. She uncovered the head of his penis with her tongue, pushing his foreskin back gently, and then took him as far as she could into her mouth and squeezing the rest with a firm grip.

He groaned loudly at that, his hands reaching for anything to hold onto and ended up just bracing himself against the door as his entire body shook. It made her giddy that she was having this effect on him and she giggled with him still so full in her mouth. While he was already plenty hard and thick she felt him surge, making it harder to breathe, but all she was thinking about was how good it would feel when she would finally ride him.

She pulled her head back to take a breath, then ran her tongue across the flared ridge of his head, licking up the sticky fluid dripping from the very tip. She went down on him again, squeezing tighter with her hand gripped around the base. His moans were getting more strained, getting louder every time she took him in as deep as she could and pulled away, all up until he slammed a fist against the door and exploded in her mouth with a stifled yell.

He put a hand on her shoulder and pulled away from her when she swallowed and kept on going. "S-sorry," he breathed out, sliding down against the door until he landed on his ass. "That was... too good..." He was sweaty and breathing hard. She just smirked, satisfied with herself, pulling off his boots and finally taking off all of his clothing with no resistance on his part. Then she wordlessly lead him back to bed.

He turned her around and kissed her, pressing his tongue up against hers, and kept kissing her as he laid her down on her back across the bed, just at the edge of the mattress. He was already hard again, now that was fun, and she reached out and stroked him but he jerked back slightly. "Not yet," he laughed softly, placing her hand back on the bed. He kissed down her neck, seemingly encouraged by the soft little gasps she made. He moved further down, hesitantly resting his fingers around her breast, then squeezed, flicking a tongue across her hardened nipple.

"Mmm, yesss," she moaned, weaving her fingers through his hair, scoring lightly down his scalp and neck with her nails, causing him to shiver. He kissed down her stomach, and went further down still until he was on his knees between her legs, which Marinette was only happy to encourage. He lifted her hips a little, bringing her thighs over his shoulders and decided to pay her back for teasing him in kind, his mouth pressed against her inner thigh and ghosting his lips across everything but her pussy. She laughed.

He stuck his tongue deep in her.

"Ah!" She raised herself up further to get his tongue in even deeper. "God, yes, Silen--" He pulled away after lapping her up. She... didn't actually realize how wet she was until she felt his breath against her. It was both hot and cold at the same time. "Silencer?"

"Luka," he said quietly, but she heard him clearly enough.

"H-huh?" she asked, a little dazed. He sucked on the sensitive little nub, flicking his tongue across it, and she cried out an "Oh god, yes, there!" He pulled away again, a little further this time.

"I want you screaming out my real name," he said, voice dangerously low.

"Luka?" Marinette repeated. She saw his eyes darken at the mention and he dove his tongue back into her, tasted more of her juices, drank in more of her until she was dizzy. "Luk-aah!"

"Just like that," he sighed. He went back to devouring her, switching to lavishing her clit with attention, drawing circles with his tongue around her most sensitive part, then back to going as deep as he could with his tongue until she felt her blood rush to her core and she was screaming.

"God yes, yes, aaah!" Her back arched and everything in her body was taut, her mind's focus on the heat and the slick and her nerves lighting up bright as she came. She felt him holding her down as her body nearly writhed in the ecstasy, and he continued, her muscles tense and vibrating, aching now for something more... "Luka, I need you," she moaned, heady and nearly delirious.

He groaned and pulled his head back again, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. He buried his face in her thigh, nipping and sucking at the delicate skin until it left a mark. Marinette was still breathing a little ragged but the sounds escaping her mouth set him to get off his knees and do it again on her stomach and breasts. He stopped there and Marinette felt him shudder, his eyebrows furrowed in a wince. "I am so hard it hurts," he breathed out in a soft chuckle. Her toes curled as she imagined feeling his length sliding in her, hard and hot and spreading her wide.

Why the hell was she waiting? She wrapped her arms around his torso, pulling him in and rolling them over so she was on her knees straddling him again. "I want you to watch me fuck you, Luka." She sat up on his thighs, gripping him upright and sliding along his underside until she reached the tip and sank down slowly on him, making sure his eyes were on her. He was most definitely watching and she saw the furrows in his eyebrows deepen as she sheathed him, fully seated. "Did you like that?" She felt him tense beneath her.

"I--" she wasn't sure how his voice could break in the middle of a single syllable but that happened. He cleared his throat. "I did, yeah." She couldn't keep it serious and started laughing, especially since he was trying so hard to sound smooth. She bit her lip when she couldn't keep the grin off her face. She leaned back, getting back into business and watching his frown quickly turn into wonder, supporting herself by putting her hands on his thighs as she moved, letting him reach out and hold onto her hips. She lifted herself up and came back down, feeling him fill her up so full as she inched down, savoring the sensation. It wasn't long before she moved faster, squeezing him as hard as she could on the way down to get him to moan as loudly as he did before.

It wasn't long before he had started losing control. He gripped her hips tight and she saw him swallow hard. There were beads of sweat at his forehead and she was half starting to wonder if he was...

He pulled her down on him suddenly, an arm wrapped tight across her shoulders, pushing her hips hard against his with his other hand gripping her ass, his fingernails leaving marks into her skin as they dug into her flesh. "God, fuck, I'm coming," he breathed out through gritted teeth, jaw clenched tight. She clenched her core harder in turn, setting her teeth at his neck and biting down, reveling in the way he groaned and spasmed inside of her. She could feel how hard and fast his pulse was on her lips. There was a deeply primal sort of satisfaction in all of this.

"Ugh," he groaned in a much less sexy way. "Shit." He brought his hand to his face to hide his embarrassment. She started giggling again before she could catch herself.

"Sorry, I'm not laughing at you, I swear." Actually she kinda was but it was over how powerful she felt bringing him to the brink that fast (honestly it was kind of flattering), and how stupidly cute he was being.

"I'm--we're not done." Before she could ask what that meant he rolled on top of her and kissed her, and to her surprise he was still hard inside of her. He pulled out slowly and sank into her deep, going a steady rhythm. She hooked her feet together behind him over his back, making sure he didn't dare pull out all the way. Their breathing grew rougher as they continued, tongues dancing together as they kissed. He dragged his lips from her mouth to her neck, to the sensitive spot behind her ear and she shivered and cried out beneath him. It felt so good with him inside her, his weight on top of her, his heart beating as fast as hers.

There it was, she could start to feel the tension down where they were joined, that hypersensitive tingle that told her that she was building up to something grand. She needed a bit more to push her to that peak... "Luka, harder, please -- I'm so close," she gasped out. He made a low, deep growl that left her tensing up in anticipation, then she held a hand above her head to brace against the headboard as she started to get driven into hard and fast. That was exactly what she needed. All of her senses rushed down her body to focus on his rock hard cock hitting her deep, stretching her open, so hot she was melting on him.

There it was, it was her turn to come hard, and she did. "Aah, Luka I'm coming--!" She was stretched so taut and he was so much bigger than what she was used to but she felt herself tighten and collapse into a singular point, squeezing him with so much pressure that he was gasping for air. He kept pounding his cock into her over and over while she kept screaming out his name.

He came again with a reverent murmur right before he kissed her. "God, Marinette, you're so amazing." She could feel his whole body turn rigid, felt his arms get threaded underneath her to hold her tight against him, and felt herself being flooded inside as he continued thrusting. But he was slowing down, falling back to his deep, languorous penetration.

God, they were both exhausted. She kissed up his neck, barely able to do anything else. She still had tiny little echos of her orgasm run through that made her shiver and him gasp as he was still inside her.

Maybe sometime in the morning they'd be able to figure out where to go from here. If she had the opportunity she would have heard him say she was the best thing to ever happen to him. She would have wondered about saying that she was his and had been for a while, and except for that whole villain business she was happy.

Except that Chat Noir had followed them. And was waiting outside.

And he was pissed.

⁂

Additional notes:

Jellyfish launcher :p

I'd been imagining a little bit of Divinity: Original Sins 2 elves for how Silencer/Luka's built?

DEFO NSFW but I was also sorta thinking BadDragon's Elliot >_>

I kinda love that I switched the chill levels of Marinette and Luka. Luka's the one with high anxiety around Marinette. Marinette just wants to kiss him (and more).

[mochegato]

Pixie Spy

Chapter 6

Chapter 1     Chapter 5

“What the fuck is this bullshit!  Are you sure?” Chat Noir exclaimed loudly from his perch across the street from the hotel.

“Just telling you what I see, dude.  There’s no Nightwing in that room.” Carapace reported with very little sympathy from his position across the street from the hotel on the other side from Ladybug and Chat Noir.  “And I’m only seeing four heat signatures so I don’t think I’m just missing him.  It looks like the big Bat, the little bat, and the middle bats.  Basically, all the bats that were in town except Nightwing.”

“Wow!  That is totally like a fuck you directly to Chat.” Rena Rouge laughed, turning to face toward Chat despite not having a direct line of sight to him.  

“That matches with what the front desk staff said.” Bee confirmed as she examined her nails.  The roof she was on, a few blocks from the hotel in a different direction, had very little light to help with the examination, but she was determined not to let such little details prevent her from making sure she looked immaculate. She had standards damn it.  “They only saw four men checking in.”

“And you’re just telling us this now why?” Rena Rouge inquired exasperated.  Even with the distance between her position a few blocks away in a separate direction from everyone else, the roll of her eyes could be felt by everyone.

“Uh, because they just reported it?  Plus, there is no way to know if that was accurate. They could have been trying to sneak the other one in to surprise us.” Bee responded as though anyone who didn’t understand that without her saying it was an utter idiot.

“Sorry, Chaton.  Guess there’s no kissing tonight for you.” Ladybug smirked at him.

Chat looked at her with a pout trying to hide the amused glint in his eyes.  “And what about your man?  How are you planning on kissing him anyway?  Even once you get past that atrocity of a mask, he’s like two of you on top of each other.”

“I am not that much shorter than him!” Ladybug declared indignantly, pouting her lips at him.

“He’s not too far off.  That man is huge and you are… compact.” Rena tried to offer kindly but the sardonic grin on her face was evident in her voice.

“Sounds like that puts her at the perfect height to make him really happy.” Bee smirked wickedly.

“Bee!!  That is absolutely not something I want to discuss right now… or ever.  We are never having that conversation.”  Ladybug exclaimed trying to cool down her burning cheeks.  She had a hard enough time focusing when just thinking about caressing his face or running her fingers through his hair or… or kissing his perfect, luscious, inviting lips… Where were they again?  “Can we please focus on the issue at hand before they scatter and announce their presence to Hawkmoth?”  She wasn’t sure if she was talking more to the team or to herself.

“Just trying to help,” Bee shrugged as though everyone listening didn’t know that was a complete lie.

“Right… so the first order of business before we attack them is you reacting to that mask, right?” Chat asked with a wide childlike grin, already anticipating the carnage.

“We’re not going to attack them.  We are going to politely inform them that their services are not required and kindly return to their own territory.” Ladybug corrected him, trying to get the team to focus on the mission.

“Yeah, yeah, ‘fuck off’ in the politest terms possible.” Chat dismissed her comment.

“No need to be polite about it,” Bee cut in.

“But, first order of business, right?” Chat continued barely restraining himself from bouncing back and forth on his toes.

“Can we focus on the task at hand, please?” Ladybug muttered.  “I want to be ready to stop them before Hawkmoth sees the Batfamily are in Paris and sends akumas for all of them.”

“So how are you planning on handling this?  Good cop, bad cop?” Rena asked.

“How about strict but polite cops?” Ladybug offered instead.

“Boo,” Carapace said over the coms.

“No,” Chat responded quickly and a bit louder than necessary.  “I want to be bad cop.  They left Nightwing at home.  They deserve it.”

“You just want an excuse to be a vindictive dick to someone.” Ladybug rolled her eyes at him.

“And?” Chat asked flatly.

“And we are fucking professionals and we will act like it.” She said.  Chat gave her kitty eyes.  She grunted and rolled her eyes, “Damn it.  Fine.  Bad cop, disappointed in your life choices cop.  But they haven’t done anything to deserve us being assholes to them yet so reign it in unless things get hostile.”

“No, don’t reign it in.  They need to know they are not welcome here.” Bee advised sharply.

“We can make that clear without creating enemies.  If we push too hard, they won’t back off, they’ll push back and although we can take them, I really do not want to deal with the international fallout of permanently injuring the bats.”

“You know, you wouldn’t have to permanently injure them.” Carapace pointed out.

“No, no, I’m going to permanently injure them.” Ladybug said overdramatically.  She turned toward the hotel and let out a sigh. “I’m trying to be strategic with this. So far, what they know of us is we worked with Constantine and we didn’t call them in to help.  That and breaking into their Batcave are the only things they know about us.  That’s it. It is natural to want more information. I’m going to give them the benefit of the doubt.  They might be assholes but I try not to be.”

“Since when?” Rena snarked.

“Fuck you,” Ladybug quipped back.

“Ugh, fine, but they are going to disguise their intentions behind innocuous questions and innuendos.  Don’t hold back once they go there.  Call that shit out.  They are trying to get enough information so they can take over and we are well aware. They’re not that smart and we’re not that dumb.  Just because we’re pretty doesn’t mean we’re stupid.  They need to know it is in Paris’ best interests if they leave and quickly.” Bee stated flatly.

“Aww.  You think we’re pretty?” Rena responded batting her eyes unseen.  

“No, but I’m pretty enough to bring up the average,” Bee responded with a smirk.

Before a snark war could start, Ladybug interceded.  “I’m aware Bee.  I won’t say anything more than is available on the Ladyblog.”

“Oh damn!” Carapace swore over the coms.  They could hear the wince in his voice.  “That had to hurt.”

“What happened?” Ladybug demanded settling into a defensive posture.

“Your man just proved Edna Mode right using Robin as an example.” Carapace chuckled.

“Trust issues.” Bee said like a gameshow host introducing a prize.

Ladybug grimaced thinking about Robin’s costume. “Speaking of flashy and attention seeking, Rena, have you figured out what your distraction is going to be?”

“I have a few ideas.  Any requests?  You want big and flashy or subtle?  Maybe mess with their heads and make them paranoid?”

“I want flashy.  You wouldn’t do it with that last akuma.  Give me this. Plus Batman is known for his dramatic entrances, but he’s on our turf now and I want to show them what dramatic really means.” Chat pouted at Ladybug’s unimpressed look.

“You were saying something about professionalism, Bug?” Bee’s voice came back.

“Are you suggesting petty grudges aren’t professional?” Carapace responded.  “Because, I’m pretty sure that is the business model for most major companies.”

Ladybug lowered her head and shook it letting out a long, strained breath before she reacted, “You heard the man, Rena.”

“Flashy with a hint of fuck you, it is.” Rena confirmed with a nod.

“Movement in the room.  It looks like they’re making their move.”  Carapace reported.

Ladybug straightened immediately.  The news rippled through the team like a flipped switch.  Their relaxed postures and jovial comments were left behind in favor of vigilance.  “Okay team, it’s starting.  Carapace get into position.  Rena, you got the distraction ready?”

“Know exactly what to do, Ladybug.” Rena confirmed.

“Perfect.  Everybody in position?” Ladybug asked.

Affirmatives rang out from the three.  “And remember LB, this isn’t about them, it’s about Paris.  They don’t need to be happy with the results, they just need to leave.” Chat reminded her.

“Right.  Understood.” She looked down and took a deep breath bracing herself for what was about to come.  She rolled her shoulders back and stretched her head from side to side. She knew she could make them leave easily but she needed to do more than that.  She needed to make them understand why they needed to stay away and agree to do so.  Barring understanding, she needed to make them fear coming back, which was not a direction she wanted to go, which meant she really needed to make them listen.  All while Jason was there, looking at her.  

She was not looking forward to seeing him again.  No, that was a lie.  She was very much looking forward to seeing him again, just not today, not like this.  She didn’t want to have to manipulate him.  She didn’t want to lie to him.  That’s how they got in this situation in the first place, because she had the stupid, overwhelming urge to be honest with him, to let him in.  But she wasn’t in a place where she got to do that. Letting people in meant making them a part of the fight.  It made them vulnerable and wrecked their lives.  She tried to contain the damage to mainly her and a bit to Adrien, but everyone who joined suffered.  And the thought of causing him that much pain or having to fight an akumatized Jason…

Ladybug looked back up toward the roof across the street with a renewed determination, her gaze steely and her lips set.  She waited until the last of the Bats had arrived on the roof before whispering into the coms, “Rena, you’re on.”  

<><><><><> 

Red Hood landed on the roof last, bringing up the rear for the group.  He looked out over the city willing himself to feel which direction he should go to find his Pixie Pop.  He was focused intently on nothing in particular when he felt someone slap his arm. He whipped his head around to see Red Robin staring across the roof dumbfounded.  He followed his line of sight and saw an odd looking fox sitting next to some pots on the other side of the roof.  After a few moments Red Robin finally got his voice back and decided to use it to make a brilliantly insightful observation.  “There’s a fox… on the roof.”

“How did a fox get up here?  What kind of irresponsible hotel is this?” Robin demanded.

The fox hissed at him like she was personally insulted and ran toward them, rounding the edge of the pool so closely, she just barely missed falling in. Robin’s breath caught and he automatically reached in the direction of the fox, ready to rescue her should she fall into the pool.  The fox continued on as though she hadn’t almost fallen in the water, increasing her speed as she ran between Robin and Red Robin toward the edge of the roof. Robin whirled around and jutted forward to grab the fox before she got hurt or fell off the roof.  But the fox seemed to have other ideas, speeding up even faster and racing toward the edge of the roof before jumping off.  

Robin ran to the edge to see if the fox might have landed on a balcony, but fell back, landing hard on the ground when a cloud of bats flew up into the sky at a breakneck speed from the same spot the fox had jumped.  Red Robin flinched back from the bats’ sudden appearance but Batman just narrowed his eyes at them.  Red Hood cocked his head to the side watching the bat-like things flying around above them before taking off away from the hotel.  “What the actual fucking fuck was that!” Red Hood exclaimed.

Ladybug and Chat landed on the roof behind the bats and watched them for a few moments.  They turned to each other with smug smiles.  No matter what else happened that night, they were always going to remember the chaos they had caused the bats.  They were counting that as their first win.  They turned back toward the bats and schooled their expressions.  Ladybug gave them a few moments to notice them before she stage whispered to Chat, “How long do you think it will take them to notice us?”

“Super unimpressed right now.” Chat shook his head in disappointment, leaning casually on his baton.

The bats whipped around in unison.  Batman and Robin refused to show the shock they felt.  Instead, Batman stared intently at them while Robin glared at them.  Red Robin looked back and forth between the Parisian heroes and the space where the bats had been flying, his face scrunching in confusion as if trying to figure something out.  Red Hood however focused entirely on Ladybug, squinting at her as if trying to piece something together that refused to fit, not that anyone could see it under the mask.

Ladybug and Chat jumped down off the ledge but stayed on their side of the roof, allowing the pool to mark the division between the two groups, acting as a buffer between them, easy enough to get around should they need to, but demarcating the sides.  Ladybug looked between the vigilantes, her gaze lingering a bit longer than it should on Red Hood.  That hurt more than she expected, to see him but not talk to him, not really, not be able to acknowledge him or see what he was thinking.  Because he couldn’t know it was her and even if he did, he couldn’t stay.  She moved her gaze back to Batman with a strained smile, trying to calm her erratic heart. “Hello.  Welcome to Paris.  My name is Ladybug.  This is Chat Noir.”  Ladybug introduced them politely but with an edge to her voice.

“Is there anything we can help you with before you leave?” Chat asked innocently.  Ladybug pressed her lips together in annoyance but kept her eyes on the bats. Not as bad as it could be.

“Good evening Ladybug, Chat Noir.  I’m Batman.  This is Robin, Red Robin, and Red Hood.  We would like to discuss the situation here in Paris with you.”

“You’re missing your whole team.  Where’s the other one?” Chat asked nonchalantly.  Ladybug fought rolling her eyes.  To be fair, Chat had warned her he was going to be a petty dick, she just was expecting a bit more of a focused dickishness.  They were going up against Batman.  They needed to focus, to project confidence and control.  

“Really, dude?” Carapace asked through the coms.

“Where’s your other one?  Where is the one that makes portals?” Red Hood asked not even attempting to mask the interest in his voice, and that hurt even more.

“And breaks into secret bases?” Red Robin grumbled loudly.

“She has been exposed thanks to you, Redwood.  And the rule of the miraculous is once your identity is exposed you can no longer wield a miraculous.” Ladybug responded.  It wasn’t a lie, not exactly.  It was longstanding rule.  It was heavily ignored, but it was still the rule.  It was the jaywalking of the miraculous rules; there but nobody ever acknowledged it unless the situation was really dangerous. She lowered her eyes in guilt.  He hadn’t made her tell him.  She had done that.  It wasn’t his fault she had divulged their secret.  She weighed letting him believe it was his fault so he would back off versus the guilt he would carry with him.  She couldn’t let him carry that with him because of her.  “She made her choice.”

“So you just, what? Kicked her to the curb?” Red Hood demanded indignant on behalf of the woman whose name he didn’t even know.  How dare they use her and throw her away like that! She had risked going into a potential enemy’s base for them and they just throw her out like she was nothing. She lifted her eyes to him and studied him closer.  His face was obscured tragically but his body was tense, angry.  Not a good condition for Paris.

“Forget about the scapegrace.” Robin growled breaking their link. “Let’s get this over with.”

Red Hood glared at him but Ladybug cocked her head to the side and narrowed her eyes in concentration, studying Robin, looking for something in his face.  When she didn’t see what she was looking for, she spoke up, “Chat, you speak English better than I do, was that an insult?  That sounded like an insult, but I can’t tell.”  Chat shrugged and gave her a non-committal grunt.  She hummed in response and flashed an overly wide model smile Adrien used on the red carpet with overly pushy reporters, “I’m going to take that a compliment.  Thank you for your kind words.  I will let her know you send your well wishes and admiration.”

Robin growled at her.  Red Robin looked down to hide the smirk that tried to push through and break his serious expression.  Looking back up at the heroes, he started firing off his questions to hide his smile, “So she was using a miraculous. Which one was she using?  Are you using a miraculous?  Is that what your villain is using as well?  How many miraculous are in play right now?  How many do you have?  How did you know we were here?”

“That’s a lot of questions for people who aren’t welcome here and won’t be here much longer.” Chat answered sharply.

“Chat…” Ladybug said warningly.  “Polite, remember?”

“That was polite.” Chat objected.  She gave him a warning look. “This is our territory they invaded and our villain they were just about to offer their services to.”

“Now you guys are concerned about boundaries?” Red Robin deadpanned.

“We came here to find out more about the situation here.” Batman stated loudly bringing the attention back to him.  “We were only recently made aware there was a situation and we would like to learn more about what is going on.”

“I’m sure you would, gothboy,” Bee growled over the coms.

Ladybug looked down to hide her smile.  Getting her focus back, she asked, “And you needed almost your entire team to ask a few questions?”

“We weren’t sure of your receptiveness to visitors.  We wanted to be able to protect ourselves in case you attacked.” Batman stated logically.

“Reasonable.” She nodded absentmindedly.  “Better to be prepared than caught unaware.  Although, it’s cute that you think you would stand a chance even with your whole team.” Ladybug said confidently.  She wasn’t inviting a discussion on this and she wasn’t threatening them.  She was stating a fact, one they should be aware of.  Okay, maybe she was a bit more condescending than she had to be.  But the bats had to know, they were not the power players in this group.  The miraculous team were.

“You presumptuous, little feist.  You have no idea what we are capable of, what we’ve done.” Robin growled. Batman’s hand on his shoulder cut his lecture short.

“Oh Sweetie, we are well aware of what you are capable, of what you have done.” She responded lowly, fixing him with a dark glare that had Robin faltering and Red Robin gulping.  “It’s why we’ve made a point of keeping you away from this situation.  You are the ones who don’t know of what we are capable.”  A thunderclap sounded in the sky as though to accentuate her point.

Chat pursed his lips so hard to keep himself from laughing that the pink could no longer be seen.  He was going to buy a drink for Alya after that.

A tense silence fell over the rooftop until Batman finally broke the tension.  “You are correct, we do not know what you are capable of or what the nature of the situation here is.  Could you give us a bit more information?  We just want to see if there is anything we could do to help.”

“And not to take over because you think you can do better?” Ladybug asked with a raised brow.

“Clearly we could do better.  You’ve been fighting the same villain for 5 years.” Robin scoffed at them.

“Robin!” Batman admonished him.

“Ignore him.  He’s being a jealous little prick.  He is physically incapable of being anything else.” Red Hood implored.

“When’s the last time you fought half a million enemies at the same time, little one?  And defeated all of them?”  Ladybug asked throwing out the comment on his age and size knowing he would take it as a slight.  “Because that was last week for us.  One million was the week before.  Not particularly impressive, I know, but it’s been a slow month.”

“Also, how’s the Penguin doing?  You’ve been fighting him for over a decade now, right?  You can’t even stop a fucking flightless, cold water bird.” Chat scoffed.

“You realize he isn’t an actual bird, right?” Red Robin asked wryly.

“Wait, What!?  I have been sorely misinformed.” Chat gasped dramatically and brought his hand to his chest. “I completely take it back.  It’s much less unimpressive that you’ve been fighting with billions of dollars of support and technology against a single person with no super powers for a decade.”  He said dryly.

“Honestly would have been more impressive if it had been an actual bird.  Significantly cooler too.” Carapace over the coms.

“We’re not here to fight.” Batman said calmly.

“Could have fooled me,” Chat grumbled.

“Probably, doesn’t seem like it’s too hard to do.” Robin scoffed.

“Oh, that little… next time I’m coming too.  Give me just 5 minutes with that little gremlin.” Bee growled through the coms.

Ladybug crooked her head to the side and narrowed her eyes, “Yeah, non-hostile is definitely the vibe we’re getting from you.”

Red Hood held out his hands trying to placate them, “We found out about the situation from the other woman and we want to help.  She said things were bad.  She said you needed help.”

“That seems highly unlikely,” Carapace scoffed.

“What the hell did you say back there?” Rena asked skeptically.

“She told you we needed help?  She said she wanted you to intervene, Redwood?” Ladybug questioned him incredulity in her voice.  

Red Hood furrowed his brows and huffed, “Red Hood.”

“What?”

“It’s Red Hood, not Red Wood.”

She furrowed her brows in confusion, “I meant Redwood like the tree?  You know, the… the tree…” she motioned indicating something tall.  “Is that not the word for those really big trees in America? Redwoods?” She asked Chat uncertain.

Chat looked at her wide-eyed, “Did you… did you make his name into a pun?”

She looked back at him horrified, “No!  Why would you… oh, yeah, I see it now.  Shit.”  She looked over to Chat with desperation in her eyes.  “That nickname never happened.  We all forget that happened and we never mention it again.”

“No, no.  That’s the only way we are referring to him from now on.  I’m spreading the word.” Chat grinned at her.

“Word is spread, dude.” Carapace responded back.  “He is now dubbed Red Wood the Dancer.”

“How’s that professionalism looking right about now, Bug?” Bee asked with amusement clear in her voice.

“I hate you,” the ‘all’ went unspoken but everyone on her team heard it.

“You know I’m still here, right?” Red Hood spoke up.

“Yeah, but your opinion of what we call you doesn’t matter.” Chat shrugged.

Ladybug let out a long suffering sigh, looking back to Red Hood to continue the conversation.  She immediately squeezed her eyes shut, “And could you not wear that thing while you are talking.  It’s extremely distracting.  Who designed that for you and what dishonor did you inflict upon them and their ancestors to cause them to punish you with it, and thereby the rest of us?”

“I… this helmet serves a purpose.” Red Hood defended himself.

“To terrorize your opponents?” She asked skeptically.

“That’s part of it.” Red Hood confirmed.

“Mission accomplished, but not the way you intended, I think.” She said narrowing her eyes at him.  “Seriously, it’s like looking at an elementary school play about Hellboy.”

Red Hood was left gaping, grasping for words. “Disappointed. You could have done better, Dudette.” Carapace said through the coms.

“I expect a follow up to that next time you see him,” Rena added.

“I changed my mind.  I think I’m warming up to them.” Red Robin grinned.

Red Hood glared at Red Robin, “Back to the original question, no.  She said Constantine was helping.  She said people were suffering, children were suffering.  I want to help end that.  We just want to help.”

Robin shot a condescending grin at them, “Of course if you want to keep allowing the people of Paris to suffer because you’re too proud to accept help you so desperately need, yet too incompetent to end it on your own…”

“Excuse me?  What!  Oh no, I was totally wrong about him.  Go for it.  Take him down, Dudette.” Carapace growled.

“So to be clear, she said she was already getting help and you heard her tell Constantine you weren’t supposed to know about the situation let alone welcome in Paris and you came anyway.” She stared them down, letting her words sink in.  “You need to leave now.  You can’t be here.  Leave in the morning or we will force you.”  Ladybug says grimly.  

Robin glowering at her.  “As if someone like you could”

“Without breaking a sweat, Sweetie.  The warning is purely an attempt to keep things friendly.  And with all due respect…”

“Which isn’t much,” rang out from all four members of team at the same time.

“…I assure you, if we have to remove you, things will be considerably less friendly and you won’t even know what hit you.”  Ladybug stated coldly.

“You contemptible, duplicitous, mendacious, cretinous, Jezebel!” Robin raged.

“Robin, if you do not shut your fucking mouth right now,” Red Hood growled as he stalked toward him only held back by Red Robin, “I will personally toss you right the fuck after that fucking fox without your grappling hook.”

“You might want to apologize, Robin, or my arm might give out and not be able to hold him back anymore.” Red Robin hissed.

“Boys!” Batman thundered.  “We are on a mission.”

Ladybug crooked her head to the side again, “I know you haven’t been doing this very long so a piece of advice for you; I understood very little of what you said.  As a result, I am not nearly as offended as you wanted me to be.  Look, I understand that Pompous Asshole is the only language you speak, but it may enhance your effectiveness if you were to work on bettering yourself in the communications area.  It’s hard to intimidate someone if they have no idea what you are saying.”

Robin turned red at the suggestion he was inferior in any area, especially intimidation.  He was to be feared not belittled.  He had been trained as such since he was born.  “See, I turned you redder than my suit solely using words you understood.”

Red Robin turned slightly toward Red hood with a huge grin and said quietly, “I’m definitely warming up to them.”

“Not to mention you are letting your anger undermine your stated purpose for being here.  To make it clearer to you, you are messing it up for your team because you are incapable of controlling your emotions, so interested in making us feel like failures that you are causing your entire team to become one.” Ladybug broke it down sternly but softly, like she was speaking to a child, which she was. Despite what he thought of himself, he was a child.

Robin tensed to jump at them, reaching for his sword but stopped when Batman placed his hand on his shoulder and squeezed hard giving him a hard stare.  “We are not suggesting you haven’t been doing a good job.” Batman stated.  Robin scoffed.  “We did not come to fight, I promise.”

“Wise move, but I think not everyone on your team got the memo.” Ladybug said coolly.

“It’s a shame he doesn’t have parents to teach him manners.” Chat stated casually as though he was thinking out loud.  “Or maybe they’re more like mine, too invested in their own interests to actually invest in parenting their kids.”  He turned a sharp gaze back to Batman, “Anyway, I digress, you were saying something?”

Red Robin grinned at the ground again as Red Hood interceded, attempting to change the topic.  “We are all here to get more information and if you aren’t willing to give that then… then that’s fine.  Can I just speak with the other woman, please?”

“Hood…” Batman warned.

“Ooo, LB.  He’s got it bad.”  Rena smiled.

“I assure you, you won’t get a different answer from her.” Ladybug responded plainly, forcing her eyes to stay sharp instead of softening like they wanted to do.  He was not playing fair and he didn’t even know it.  He was messing with her heart making it speed up and stop and skip beats all at the same time.  It wasn’t fair.

“That’s fine.  I just want to talk with her.”  Red Hood asked, a touch of desperation leaking through his words.

“I think she has said quite enough talking already.  She won’t be doing any more, not with you, not anytime soon.” Ladybug responded harshly.  She still felt guilty for letting herself expose them to him like she had and needed to remind herself.

“What did you do to her?” Red Hood asked warily.

“She’s fine.  We don’t harm our allies.” Ladybug said pointedly throwing a glare over toward Batman.  “She does not want you here right now either.”

“You don’t speak for her,” Red Hood growled at her.

“Right now I do.  She agrees the situation is too dangerous to have the Justice League here.  It’s too dangerous for her and for you to be here until we have ended the threat.”

Red Hood desperately looking for some way to recover this.  He couldn’t go back without getting some clue about her, without getting closer.  He needed a chance, just one chance to get closer.  “Cat guy, you going to let her speak for you?” Red Hood tried instead.

“Oooh, that was the wrong move.” Rena winced.

“Dude’s desperate give him a break.  He’s looking for anyone who’ll give him a different answer.” Carapace offered weakly.  He was rooting for him and willing to give him a break on one desperate, stupid attempt.

“Me? Yeah, that’s the way it works.  She does the talking, I do the destroying.” Chat glared back at him then whispered “Black Storm” causing a black ball of condensed misfortune to appear between his hands.  “Unless you’d really like me to take over…” he said rolling the ball between his hands like a magician’s floating ball.

“We are trying to help you dolt.  We have experience and training, which you are sorely in need of.” Robin shouted at them.

“And excellent control over your emotions clearly.  Tell me class why is that combination, NOT a benefit in this instance?  Anyone? Anyone at all?  Bueller? Bueller?” Chat taunted him.

“Listen here, you and your entire team, including that cat thieving hussy…” before Robin could finish the sentence Red Hood yelled, “Can you shut your trap for 3 seconds so we can have a conversation.  We have a mission here and you are blowing it.”

A realization suddenly hit Chat, he pointed at Robin and looked at Ladybug wide eyed, “Oh it was his cat.” He turned back to Robin, “it was your cat.  That explains the…” motions towards him and the hostility rolling off him in waves.

“You stole a cat?” Rena asked.  

“Can’t wait to hear that story.” Carapace grinned.

“Interesting,” Bee said thoughtfully.

“That’s it.  Taking the com out now.  If there is anything important, announce it.” Ladybug said quietly pulling out her com.

“Sorry about that.  Cats just really, really like her.” Chat motioned toward Ladybug, “I can attest.  But we returned him to you little man, so… all good, right?”  Robin glared at him and opened his mouth to speak but was cut off.

“Why don’t you tell us why it is a bad idea?” Batman interceded, attempting to bring the conversation back to the topic at hand.  It had not escaped his notice that they had been speaking for a while now and had yet to get any information on the situation in Paris.  “We would appreciate more information on the situation.”

Chat was done with this conversation, with the false promises, the hostilities, and the disrespect.  “Huh, where did all that confidence and bravado go?  Just a second ago I swear I heard something about knowing how to handle the situation better than us because we were so utterly, helplessly incompetent and yet here you are asking us what the situation is and for advice on how to handle it.  Well here’s the advice; Get Out.  Your interference will make Bialya look like a success.” Chat growled.  Ladybug put a hand on his arm again warning him to back down on the hostility.

“Bialya was… an unfortunate event.” Batman conceded.

“That is putting it mildly.  But the Justice League always knows better, right?” Chat hissed.

“Chat! Robin insinuated the incompetence not Batman.  Batman is asking why we think it is a bad idea for them to stay and we want them to understand that, remember?” Ladybug offered attempting to bring down the hostility and suspicion on both sides. She was still well aware of Batman’s true intentions and he needed to be called on it, but they were edging to pushing too hard.”

“We just came to find out what is going on.  Offer assistance if you needed it.  NOT take over.” Red Robin repeated, looking directly at Ladybug. Chat was looking for a fight, but Ladybug appeared willing to talk.  She was willing to work with them, at least a little.  She was the one they needed to focus on.

Chat scoffed but Ladybug tightened her grip on his arm stopping him from continuing, “We appreciate the offer but we will kindly have to decline it.  We have considered the options, researched the players, and we have decided at this point in time having members of the Justice League, or affiliated organizations, in Paris is too dangerous for us and for Paris.” Ladybug stated diplomatically, ignoring what she was sure were angry cries coming over the com in Chat’s ear about her being too nice.

“We would like to see if there is room for us to offer assistance.  We would be negligent if we just took your word for it.” Batman said sternly not giving an inch.

“Already doubting our word and trying to force your way into the situation I see.” Ladybug quirked a brow but kept her voice light.  “You can get the information you seek from any of the many online resources available.”

“Those aren’t available outside of Paris.” Red Robin pointed out.

“Well then I suggest you download the contents of the sites before you leave in the morning.  You could also call up business people here to discuss the situation under the guise of investigating whether adding a Paris branch to… a company,” she just stopped herself from exposing their identities.  Even if she was confident there were no cameras up here, it was still good practice. “…would be dangerous.  Not to mention the files in your possession that we copied.  They contain more than enough information to give you the insight you desire.” She suggested well aware of the fact that even with decryption software working full force, they would not be able to decipher the Grimoire texts.  “There are options other than being here and exposing yourself to our villain.

“The abridged version is we have a villain that takes advantage of people’s negative emotions to possess them.  It allows him to use that person’s knowledge, combined with his own against us.  As a result, having people in Paris who are experts in combat or people who would go to any length to find out our identities is extremely dangerous to us and could tip the balance in Hawkmoth’s favor. That’s a double strike for you.”

“We don’t need to know your identities.  We can help you without knowing them.” Red Robin assured them.

Ladybug cocked her head to the side, her voice dripping in skepticism.  “Can you honestly say none of you would try to figure out our identities and how to defeat us?  That you don’t have files on everyone you work with, on how to take them down, their weaknesses, where to hit to have the strongest impact, including discovering their identities with or without their permission?”  Thank you to Constantine for that little tidbit. “Our identities are secret by necessity. We don’t even know each other’s identities,” a small lie, but a necessary one.  It still made her uncomfortable to say it, she curled her fingers and straightened them back out in response to the uncomfortable feeling. “Imagine that information in the hands of Hawkmoth.”

“Like we would let someone take it.” Robin sneered at them.

“Like you could control it.” Chat sneered right back at him.

“Regardless of intent or actual physical possession of the files, as I mentioned before, our villain takes advantage of people’s emotions to turn them into supervillains with their own superpowers.  He takes over their minds.  Any negative emotion makes you susceptible.  Have you ever felt sad?  Mad? Frustrated?  Guilty? Desperate?  Then you’re susceptible.  Tell me who in the Justice League would be immune to that?”  Ladybug looked them in the eyes, refusing to back down or soften this blow.

“I’ve seen the moon destroyed and the world annihilated.  We’ve seen the city flooded and a super volcano half the size of the city bubbling away instead of our suburbs.  We’ve seen the very air turned into sulfer dioxide.  Have you ever heard children screeching in more pain than any human should ever have to experience? Have you heard hundreds at the same time?  Have you had to listen to the inhuman sounds they make?  We have and we relive it every single night.  Have you had to dig through your partners’ blood to find their miraculous after watching them die in front of you, get beheaded next to you, in order to finish the fight?  He has.” She said gesturing toward Chat.  “Those were people with newly acquired powers but no training.  Imagine what would happen if one of the Justice League became akumatized, familiarity with how to wield powers and strategic training with new and unlimited power…  It was not a risk we were willing to take.”

Red Hood stared in horror.  That was why his Pixie Pop was so angry at the gala when she thought Constantine was messing around and wasting time, because that is what she had to deal with and any delay meant the people of Paris had to deal with more of it.  That was what she was so desperate to stop, Hell on Earth, constant agony.  And every additional second they had to bear it was torture.

Red Robin stared dazed at her for a few moments but then narrowed his eyes realizing an inconsistency in her story, “The city looks amazingly unharmed, considering all you claim to have seen.”

“That’s my power.  I fix miraculous related damage.” Ladybug responded tiredly.

“Convenient” Robin quipped.

“Not nearly as convenient as preventing it from happening in the first place, I assure you.  The cure fixes the physical damage but it doesn’t fix the psychological damage done. It doesn’t take away the memories. Everyone remembers what happened to them and to the ones they love.”  She turned to Batman with soft eyes, “I understand that you want to get as much information as humanly possible so you can feel like you have some control over this situation but you don’t.  You won’t. You can’t.  The help that would be most valuable to the city of Paris is if you could convince Bruce Wayne to send fleets of therapists.  I understand you have a unique relationship with him.”

Batman stared silently, letting the description settle in.  If what they were saying was true, then the situation was worse than he had anticipated.  They were handling it but heroes had died.  She was right that therapists would also be advantageous, not only for the citizens of Paris but for the heroes as well.  It was a miracle they hadn’t had anyone break from the stress yet.  If anything, it solidified his resolve to get to know everything he could about the situation so they could step in when one of the heroes inevitably did succumb to the pressure.

“We could help in other ways.  We could offer support from a distance.  We could help, we just need to know more about the miraculous and how they work, what their strengths and weaknesses are.  We can work together.” Red Robin offered.

“Is that what you would do?  Made a deal with a group that has a history of betrayal and violence towards allies? We know Batman would and has. Would you?  And trust them to keep their word?  Give them all the secrets and insights on how to undermine us or neutralize us?  Trust them to stay out of Paris and not ‘know better than us how to handle it’?  Not get us to trust you so you could find out more about the miraculous and take it so you could keep it better protected?” Ladybug asked in a dubious tone.

Batman stayed silent in response to the obvious suggestion.  Not denying it.  Red Hood and Red Robin shot Batman glares from the corner of their eyes, not wanting to make it completely obvious that she had deduced the plan they had been arguing over earlier.

Ladybug took note of their silence and hummed in response.  “I thought so.  It sounds like we made the correct choice after all.”

“No, please.  It sounds like you have a lot of issues with B here.  That’s fine, I understand.  I do too. Let me stay and help.” Red Hood took off his mask revealing his face, no domino mask to preserve any semblance of secrecy.  He wanted to lay everything out in the open.  He moved closer to Ladybug and Chat until he was halfway between them and his family. He needed them to see how earnestly he meant his words.  Ladybug’s breath hitched looking into his eyes shining with sincerity as he plead with them.  She wanted to look over to his family to see how they were reacting but she couldn’t take her eyes off of Red Hood’s.  

“I can act as intermediary, support, nothing more.  B and his team stay out of the city. Justice League stays out of the city. And I help train you and help you track down your villain.  I’m a damn good detective.  I can help.” Red Robin stared at him incredulously and Robin glared at him. Batman’s look was indecipherable.

He started to say something but is interrupted by sound of “Akumas incoming, multiple” coming from the areas of Chat’s baton and Ladybug’s cord around her waist.

“Dammit,” Ladybug yelled. “5 minutes! 5 fucking minutes! And honestly it could probably be any of them.” She pulled a familiar set of glasses out of her yoyo and threw them to Chat. “It's time for you to leave.  Longg, Tikki, Unify.” She commanded as the necklace she was wearing glowed and she was washed in a golden light causing her suit, mask, and hair to change transforming into Dragon Bug.  

Chat grabbed the glasses out of the air without looking, keeping his glare settled on the Batfamily.  “Looks like you managed to endanger all of Paris in all of 5 minutes. Congratulations, you’ve surpassed our already low expectations for you.” Chat sneered at them putting the glasses on and yelling “Plaag, Kaalki, Unify!” allowing a teal light to wash over him and change his suit, mask, and hair as well transforming him into Cheval Noir.

“Wait, what is an akuma?” Red Robin asked in defensive stance ready to attack whatever it was coming at them.

“It’s what turns you into unstoppable monsters.  It’s why we didn’t want you here.” Ladybug snapped. “How long do we have?” Ladybug yelled searching the sky around them.  The sound of “Maybe two minutes, if you’re lucky.” came from her waist.  She nodded and focused on the pool.

There are many advantages to becoming an adult. Suddenly a person can participate in the government, vote, drink, buy a house, get married…  But for Marinette and Adrien, the most significant advantage was they could expand their existing powers and unlock new powers.  The moment they turned eighteen they were able to do new and exciting things with their miraculous.  Their time limit was now nonexistent, they could call on their powers multiple times without recharging, and they could access new powers, powers like Black Storm and Tidal Wave, assuming they had been trained on how to call on them, or had access to and knowledge on how to read the sacred texts that described them, which they now had thanks to the files they had pilfered from the bats.

“Tidal wave!” Dragon Bug yelled moving her arms slowly.  Everyone on the roof stared at Dragon Bug wondering what that command did.  Their eyes were drawn to the pool when they noticed the water begin to move, slowly at first, swirling like a lazy current under the surface.  The movement became faster as the water started to swirl around and rise above the edges of the pool.  The bat family and Chat watched in disbelieving awe as the water rose out of the pool in one solid mass, swirling and twirling around and back into itself, and heading straight toward the bat family.  

The bats on the other side of the pool moved back a few steps but didn’t move fast enough in their stupor to escape the water.  “What the hell?” Red Robin exclaimed quietly as he and Robin were swept up into the vortex that was now moving too fast for them to fight the current.  Batman had managed to fight against the water for a few moments, but Robin and Red Robin, whose bodies were much lither were swept up immediately.  The water carried them around again at a faster and faster velocity, on their second trip around the vortex, they collided with Batman, knocking him off his feet and forcing him to be at the mercy of the current.  

Chat was so mesmerized by the water show he forgot he was supposed to create a portal.  Staring instead in wonder at the new power Ladybug had somehow mastered in a few hours. He found out about Black Storm yesterday and still could only roll it around a bit.  He still had no idea what it would actually do if he used it.  “Chat!  Portal to the Batcave now” Dragon Bug screamed at him.

“Right!  On it!” Chat exclaimed waking up from his stupor.  “Voyage!” he called out motioning toward the water, creating a portal behind it.  Ladybug pushed the water through the portal.  She flicked her eyes over to Red Hood and hesitated.

“Got about 20 seconds at most, Bug.  If you’re going to do something, do it now!” Carapace yelled.

“Are you leaving on your own or do I need to make you?” She asked with pleading eyes.  She did not want to make him.  She needed him to understand and believe in her enough to do what she asked, even if he didn’t know it was her.

Red Hood looked between her and the portal.  He turned back to her, “Please just let me help.”

Dragon Bug looked at him with a conflicted look in her eyes. “It isn’t safe right now and we can’t deal with the akumas if I’m worrying about you too.  We just don’t have time to prepare.  I need you to go.”

Red Hood stared at her uncertain.  “Please, we don’t have time.” Dragon Bug begged him again.  He relented and walked backward toward the portal. She let out a grateful breath turned her attention toward the incoming akumas.

“There’s the first one,” Chat yelled.  Red Hood whipped his head to where Chat was looking just barely seeing a butterfly over his shoulder as he picked up his pace and started running toward the portal, jumping through just as it closed behind him.

 Chapter 7

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 Full Disclosure:  I came up with the Redwood nickname WEEKS before I realized it could be a pun.  I was just looking for names indicating very large things.  Chat has a much better ability to spot a pun than I do.

And it is my personal headcanon for this story is that Adrien is a bit like Dick. He likes to keep things light and jokey but if you want to go there, Bitch, he’ll go there with you.  His lightness is a self-defense mechanism. Without it, he will go to a dark and scary place and he will take you there with him.

And also, I’m pretty sure this is before Duke was brought into the Batfamily. I think Damian was older than he is in the story when Duke appeared.  Otherwise, clearly Duke would be the most rational person to send to Paris.

[amberwild420]

one step back, two steps forward (pt. 7)

masterlist

Dragon and snake and the chaos

Classes went on without a hitch, Lila didn’t returned after the first humiliation. Alya who was still glaring at Marinette despite all that went down, but Marinette ignored her.

 She realized a lot of things now. Like how if they were really her friends then they would never had just believed the liar and started bullying her. If they were really her friends they would have asked her permission and asked for help not demand her to be at their beck and call.

 She needed to talk with Tikki. And about Adrien being chat noir. She needed to take away his miraculous. There is nothing more problematic than her black cat being corrupted because he wasn’t the true cat. She needed to find one. The faster the better.

Lunch time came rather faster and both girls walked out, not before stepping on the foot that sticks out to trip them or rather Marinette. The howl of pain made Kaylan smirk, and wink at the pink haired skater who glared at them.

 Are you not worried that they may become an akuma?

 Marinette became worried when she saw anger on Alix’s face. It was enough to attract akuma.

 I would rather they become akuma when they are angry than to bottle up all the emotions before exploding and become the deadliest akuma.

 Kaylan said pulling the girl out before heading towards the bakery. Stopping in front of stairs, she turned towards the designer.

My mom is a psychiatrist. Well……….more like a freelancer. Um….. She saw all the videos of the recent akuma. That’s the conclusion we came to.

 Marinette nodded and both started towards the bakery.

 The first akuma we faced was so full of negativity that even my mom felt it. As a psychiatrist she know when someone is bottling up negative emotions and she can definitely feel it. It’s like a second nature to her.

 So she told you that the akuma would be weaker if a person was not bottling up the emotion?

 Not exactly but, yes. The nurse that got akumatized……..she came at some point the very same day. My mom gave her a coping mechanism where she can let go of all her emotions and not get akumatized.

 Wait that can happens?

 Kaylan smirked. She looked smug. Was that a valid trick?

 Marinette looked like she wanted to say something but they reached the bakery.

 Mari-hime! It’s good to see you here.

 Ma-ma-Marinette. Your song is rather clear.

Turning they looked at the pair. The girl was Asian descendent. She had short navy bob and sharp brown eyes, that soften up at the sight of the designer but when they turned to Kaylan they turned sharper. She was glaring at her.

 The boy looked older than them. The dye in his hair was more prominent. He looked like a musician with his punk rock style. He looked rather calmer than both of them.

 Kagami! Luka! You came!

 Marinette quickly hugged them before gesturing toward Kaylan.

 Meet Kaylan, she is new to our class and sits next to me. And she’s my friend. I wanted to introduce her to you guys.

 Of course Mari-hime. I’m Kagami Tsurugi and I challenge you to a duel.

 Kagami! No!

 Kaylan Fox and I would be pleased to dual. Having a challenge always excite me no matter physical or mental.

 Please don’t!

 Poor Marinette kept looking at the girls who shook each other’s hand with as much force they could exert. None of their expression flattered.

The musician looked rather amused at their antic, when they released each other, he introduced himself.

 Luka Couffaine. Normally I would do the intimidation but if you can survive Kagami than I’m sure you can live mine.

 There’s no way I’m hurting Marinette. I would rather hurt those who hurt her. Someone like a certain liar.

 That caught their attention and they looked at her and then at Marinette. The designer sighed and nodded. The smiles that passed between three of them were all the same. Sadistic.

 Marinette regretted introducing them. She heard Tikki sniggering quietly before leading them all up towards her room. She really prayed that Lila can live with these three teaming up. They are all vicious individually and together they will be unstoppable. Just thinking about the chaos they will cause in the future makes her head hurt.

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

 Kagami and Luka were head of MPS (Marinette protection squad). With Kaylan, their strategist for petty revenge, they felt that they can now work far better. Their stories of Liar turned to her becoming akumatized and lead to the conversation earlier.

 But seriously did that actually work?

 Marinette asked. While it might be a healthy mechanism to let go of the emotion for a limited time before composing themselves but with an emotional terrorist on lose it would be too good to be true.

 My mom and I do it every day.

 She giggled picturing how ridiculous they must have looked.

It’s more like letting all your stress, anger and frustration out in one big scream and then drink some water to cool down. It’s likely to attract akuma but once you have cool down it won’t be attracted to you.

 (yes. this works. letting out your frustration by screaming, loudly cursing and angrily punching the pillow, can help you cool down faster. I tried all of these. and I felt far lighter than before.)

They frowned, still not believing at her. She shook her head with a smile before taking out her phone and calling someone.

 Hey mom, do you have something on the schedule for today?

 The trio raised their eyebrows.

 ………………

 No I mean are you free or do you have an appointment or …….

……………………..

 Yes but number increased to three.

 ……………….

 I still need to ask if they are free, hold up. Hey, I know it’s on short notice but can you make time for dinner today?

 She looked at Marinette who stood up and ran to her parents. Kagami and Luka took out their phones to call their parent.

 I can make time!

Marinette came running before bending to catch her breath. Luka nodded too. Kagami was looking a little reluctant but when Kaylan gestured she passed the phone to her.

 Moshi, Moshi, Tsurugi-san!

 ………………..

 Kagami looked alarmed but focused at the girl talking to her mother.

 Kaylan Fox. Kagami o yūshoku ni shōtai shitakatta nodesuga, de~yuaru mo yakusoku shimashita. Kagami ga watashitachi no yūkō-tekina kyōsō no tame no jikan o tsukuru koto ga dekiru koto o hontōni nozonde imasu.

 (I don’t know a speck of Japanese, I’m just using google translate and if you find some thing wrong with the translation blame google, not me)

(Kaylan Fox. I wanted to invite Kagami for dinner and we even promised for a dual. I really hope Kagami can make time for our friendly competition.)

  ……………….

Tokuni arimasen. Shikashi, yori budō ni katamuite imasu.

(Not particularly. But more inclined towards martial arts. )

 …………………

 Mochiron chigaimasu. Watashinohaha wa seishinkai de, keganin ga inai koto o kakunin dekimasu.

 (Of course not. My mother is psychiatrist and can make sure no one is injured.)

 …………………

Mattaku chigaimasu, mama. Watashi wa machigainaku jibun no kachi o shōmei suru jikan o tsukuru koto ga dekimasu.

 (Not at all, mam. I can definitely make time to prove my worth.)

 ……………………

 Arigato, Tomoe-san.

The call ended and Kaylan turned to her own phone.

 Sorry for the wait but yeah all of them are coming.

 ………….

 Just dinner. Sleep over have to wait. Boundaries mama. Respect the boundaries.

 ……….

 Sure. Take care and don’t stress. The last thing I want for you is to become an akuma.

She turned to the trio, taking in their various level of surprise.

 What?

 You managed to persuade Tomoe-san/my mother?

 Both girls spoke at the same time but Kaylan still under stood.

  It wasn’t that hard. When I said I would come and prove my worth as her daughter’s friend and the mention of our competition, she was very much persuaded. By the way I got her number and she invited me for another match at your place.   Hope you don’t mind.

Kagami shook her head. The small twitch of her lips didn’t go unnoticed. True Tomoe-san is rather strict with her daughter but when it comes to good influence and worthy friends she lets her daughter keep the company.

 It’s good to have someone who can speak Japanese. They’re just learning.

 Kagami gestured at the other two.

 I speak a lot of languages. English isn’t my first one. We move a lot. So learning language is rather compulsory to make sure I don’t get ‘tricked’.

(language barrier can be a reason why tourists get scammed.)

She air quote tricked.

 Japanese was my third language, right before English. First it was Chinese because I was in Beijing at that time then it was Hindi because a few of my mother’s family member were in India and I learnt it while we had contact with them and I took French when we were in America. So yeah!

 She shrugged like it wasn’t a big deal, but turned her gaze towards Kagami, looking at her expectedly. The said girl smiled and started counting.

 I speak Japanese, French, English, Chinese and I’m learning Mandarin.

 I speak French, Chinese, I’m learning Mandarin and uncle Jagged and penny are teaching me English. Kagami is teaching me Japanese that’s for now.

 French, English, learning Japanese. If you count me swearing like my mother then the sailor language

.

Now that’s a language we have to be wary of.

 The amused chuckle that left her lips initiated the laughter session before they started to get to know each other before they return to school.

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

The classes after lunch were quick to pass with a few glare here and there but no ne dare to openly antagonize the young designer. Especially now that Lila wasn’t there to fan the flames.

 Seems like the morning humiliation was more than enough to keep her down.

  Kaylan mused before listening to the teacher.

 _______________________________________________________________

Okay she was wrong! Like really, really wrong!

 So let’s backup.

 The day without Lila was rather peaceful. I mean if there is no liar to fan the flames then there is no new rumor and no one glaring at them or rather at Marinette. Well the morning humiliation was something.

 Marinette sighed and relaxed when the last bell rang, with no Lila and fake friends around she had so much time.

  Marinette! How could you?!

Aaaaaand there goes the peaceful day she hoped. She must be really tired or angry because she scowled openly at her former best friend.

 What did I do this time Cesaire? Lila isn’t even in the class. What did I do to her this time?

 She isn’t here in the class that’s why you sent her nasty texts! She sent me the screen shots of all nasty things you have said!

 And yet she still doesn’t wants to file a cyber-bulling complaint.

 Ah! Maybe that’s why she talked back. Kaylan stood right behind her, putting her chin on Marinette’s shoulder smiling coldly at the class in front of them. They looked rather intimate.

Tension rose to the roof and the temperature dropped several degrees making several of them shiver. Alya gritted her teeth shoving the fear at the back of her mind.

 Well maybe because Lila is too nice for her own good and didn’t want Marinette to get in trouble.

 And yet, you the ever so poetic justice, still want to trouble Marinette.

 The bluenette giggled before covering it up with a cough. Kaylan had so many comebacks that she could never get tired of listening to them.

 Many of their classmates shuffled nervously. Sure Lila had said a lot of times that she didn’t want Marinette too be trouble but Marinette needs to know what it was like to be bullied. Before any of them could say anything, Kaylan lightly pushed Marinette towards the door.

Before they can make their way out, Kaylan said.

 Oh and Cesaire! Be a bigger person and a good example. I’m sure Marinette can be nice if you show her how to be a good example.

 They left the school halls before any of them could comprehend.

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[pearl-star]

Disappearing Act

Lila had done it and gotten everyone to turn on the bluenette. The class sneered and yelled at the girl, cursing her out and telling her to get lost. If only they realized that the girl would take their words to heart.

“How could you hurt her!”

Deep breathes.

“Are you really so shallow?”

Must stay calm.

“There’s no way I can be friends with a bitch like you.”

Don’t get akumatized.

“Maybe you should just leave for good. Save us from having to see someone as heartless as you ever again.”

Marinette rocked herself, arms latched around her knees, trying to block out the voices. It had happened so fast, she was still processing it. Within a week of her return, Lila had done well with her threats. Everyone who once loved the bluentte now loathed her. Her friends. Her teachers. Her parents. And even Adrien, who once stood by her side now stayed with Lila. False promises of getting him more freedom. False hopes of overall class peace. False love. Tikki was outside of the building, purifying any akumas that got sent her way. As Ladybug, she couldn’t let her self get akumatized. Of course, trying to push this aside had only caused a higher panic attack, and Tikki decided it was worth the risk of exposing her identity to let her have a few minutes of peace.

The other kwamis comforted their guardian. Trixx and Wayzz were silent, in disbelief and horror that their temporary holders could do such awful things to the girl. Tikki, on the other hand, wanted to have a moment with Adrien to slap some common sense into him. Plagg flew over to Marinette’s house and spoke to Tikki. “Kid’s officially lost all hope. Spots needs to take away his miraculous and now. He is planning to do work as Chat Noir to help Lila. He is still deciding if he should also expose himself to her.” Tikki was horrified. Adrien was a dumb, sheltered kid. However, he should know that secret identities were meant to be a secret. “I’ll tell Marinette the news. Just, give her a few more minutes.” The two kwamis sat in silence. Tikki did a growl as another purple butterfly approached. “Serious! Does Hawkmoth have nothing better to do? Like how tired is Nooroo at this point?” Tikki grumbled as she grabbed ahold of the akuma and purified it. She flew over to a plate of cookies and angrily bit into one.

After ten minutes and no approaching butterflies, Tikki and Plagg phrased into the room. Marinette had calmed down a great deal, and was working on tearing up every photo she had with her old ‘friends.’ Tikki and Plagg exchanged a look before approaching her. “Let me guess, Chat Noir has left me too.” It was a statement. One that Marinette had just assumed would happen. Plagg paused before nodding. “You need to take the ring away from him and stat.” Marinette sighed as she spun around her room, like she was in a daze. “I’m done here too. Let me pack up some stuff and then I’ll meet up with… him. I don’t want to come back here afterwards.” “I’ll have him meet you at the usual meeting spot in an hour.” Plagg promised as he flew off. Tikki had only growing concern for her chosen one. “Marinette?” Marinette turned to face her kwami. Her eyes were red from her tears and were dueled. Her hair was a mess and her clothes were still the ones from today. Ripped and stained from when the class attacked her. Marinette even spotted a few  scratches on her body as well as a faint mark on her face from when Alya slapped her.

“I’m fine. I’ve realized that I am no longer welcomed here, yet I am still needed. I will just have to adjust myself for that.” The girl began to move around her room, grabbing two different bags and stuffing them with some essentials. “I am the guardian, and with that comes some… perks. I can go anywhere outside of Paris and still will be able to help defend this place from Hawkmoth. I’ll find some way to survive.” She paused as she let a smile cross her lips. “And I can cry and scream as much as I want without fear of Hawkmoth getting to me. Ah, it will be wonderful Tikki. All day not having to worry about being optimistic when I don’t feel like it. Being able to be angry and sad without fear of Paris’s downfall. I can’t wait!” Marinette’s eyes lit up, and Tikki calmed down. She hated that it had to come to this, but there really was no other choice.

Marinette managed to gather her essentials in the two bags and packed a cooler of food that would suit all the kwamis needs. Then she transformed, keeping the bags on her other form. She took one last look around her room. It was a mess. Her parents had searched around earlier that day, looking for more reasons to hate their daughter. They even went so far as to rip a dress that Marinette was working on. It was going to be for her birthday, but there would have been no point to finish it anyways. She glances over to the trash and notices something hanging over the edge. It was the lucky charm that Adrien had made her for her birthday. She decided to grab it before leaving. She can leave it at his place tonight to let him know that she’s gone for good. Marinette arrived to the usual meeting spot. Chat Noir was already there. He smiled when he spotted her, unaware of everything happening. “Hey bugaboo, so glad we can meet. I need to talk to you about an important issue.” Weighing out the pros and cons, she nodded for him to continue. Perhaps he has gotten some common sense since Plagg had left.

“There’s this school, Collège Françoise Dupont, that is having some issues with this girl. Her name is Marientte.” Marinette controlled her anger, despite wanting to slap him. “That’s enough.” If he was gonna continue off of where her class and parents left off, then he can save his breath. “I’ve heard from your kwami that you plan to help out a girl for private reasons and possibly reveal your identity to her. Explain yourself. Now.” Chat looked taken back. “We’re superheroes. We’re supposed to help people.” “But for petty reasons? And besides, a secret identity is secret for a reason. What if the girl gets akumatized and exposes you to Hawkmoth? You would be targeted in your civilian form and get overwhelmed from trying to fight back.” Chat clenched his jaw. “No. I’m keeping her from getting akumatized. It’s Marinette who keeps getting her akumatized. As long as Lila stays happy then everyone else will be happy.” Marinette realized that Chat was a lost cause, as well as sounding a bit too familiar for her taste. She grabbed his hand and cupped his face, kissing his cheek as she pulled the ring off his finger.

He couldn’t even let out a gasp before his transformation came off. Plagg flew next to her. “My lady?! What are you doing?” She took a deep breath before speaking. “Adrien Agreste. You are no longer worthy of being Chat Noir. You will not tell anyone about the miraculouses and anything else relating back to this superhero identity. It is not a decision I like to make, but I cannot risk Paris falling to Hawkmoth because of your poor judgement.” She placed the ring into her yo-yo and held out the lucky charm he had gifted to her. “The Marinette you speak of is already gone. I noticed her leaving the city and asked her what was wrong. She said that she had been casted off by her family and friends. Swore at and told to get lost forever. I tried to stop her, but it was her decision to make. She requested that I would give this back to you and give you a heads up.” She dropped the charm into his hand and closed it. “I hope whatever you do in the future is better than what you’re doing now. Goodbye, Chat Noir.” Marinette turned and leaped off the rooftop, waiting until she was a mere ten feet off the ground before yo-yoing away. She hid behind a building before calling on Kaalki and teleporting away.

~

~

~

The class hated the bluenette. How could she be so rude to Lila? They never could have guessed how shallow and low that girl could swoop. They had all yelled their heads off earlier that day. Telling her that she should just leave. Of course, they didn’t expect that to actually happen. They assumed a few different things from the girl. First she would step up her atrocious behavior and continue to harm Lila. Another where she ignores them and acts petty. And a third of her coming in and begging for forgiveness. But they wouldn’t give her that. She would have to work much harder to earn back a spot in the class. Even their teacher hated the bluenette. So when the girl didn’t make it to school, they were happy. Currently they were comforting Lila, and ensuring her that the wannbe designer would never harm her again as long as they were with her. They were in such high spirits that they didn’t notice the blond model walk in late. However, Lila did, and she called out to him.

“Adrien! Come and sit with me. Alya can move to sit with her boyfriend today. Wouldn’t that be fun?” The girl hid her smirk the best she could. It took so little time to turn these students against their best bud, it was a new record. All she really wanted to do now is bask in the glory, date Adrien, and gain a following from modeling. Adrien had been on her side this time around, and was quick to push that brat down. She was shocked when she noticed his vacant look. “Hey dude? What happened?” Adrien had bags underneath his eyes. His eyes were red from tears. His body was hunch over as he slowly walked to his regular desk. He dropped into his chair and shakily dropped something from his hand onto the desk. Lila wanted to scoff when she saw it. It was some dumb string of beads. However she controlled her expression, making herself appear worried for the boy. “It’s Marinette… she’s gone. Forever.” Marinette gone? Now this was great news for her. She didn’t have to worry about Marinette ruining her new reputation. Alya laughed. “Servers her right! We don’t need to see that bitch around here anymore. What poor school is getting her?” The class murmured about how happy they were about this news, but Adrien shook his head.

“No.” Although quite, it left an impact and the class stopped. “No? What do you mean?” Rose questioned. “I mean she’s gone forever. No one will see her again.” They decided to not press the model for details, even as tears started to fall down his face once more. Miss Bustier came in to start class but she paid no mind to the students. After all, she stopped caring after everything that has happened. Adrien couldn’t believe everything that had happened. He had sided with Lila after promising Marinette he wouldn’t. He knew that the girl was lying, but decided to stick with her instead. She had some hold over his father, that much he was certain, and if she could help him get more freedom then he wanted to take it. Even if it meant making sacrifices elsewhere. Now he would never see the girl again. One of his first friends he had ever made. The girl who went out of her way for everyone else. The girl who just yesterday had admitted that she liked him before running off and crying from his words. He could never get the memory of her face out of his mind. How her soul seemed to shatter before him. Her eyes filling with tears. Body shaking from her shallow breathes. He should have stopped her. He should have. But ‘should have’ doesn’t do a whole lot now. Now he lost his friend and Plagg. He can never be Chat Noir again.

Marinette’s parents were the next to feel the effect. They had banged on the trap door, demanding that the girl came down to apologize for her before. When they came up to her room and noticed the torn up photos and the balcony trap door opened, they debated calling the police. Debated if they should care enough to find her or to just plan her punishment for when she comes crawling back home. It took three days until they began to worry more. A week after she left the police came to the bakery. Apparently a customer who was fawned of the girl overheard the couple complain about their missing daughter and called the police. They inspected the whole house and filed a missing person report. They also visited to the school. Mr. Damocles and Miss Bustier were fired that day. An investigation started up on exactly what had caused the girl to go missing. Adrien sung like a canary. He would be getting pulled out of school due to his shift in behavior and he decided that now it would be time to admit everything. Well, everything excluding the fact that he was Chat Noir.

He said how Lila threaten and pushed around Marinette. How she lied about her connections and trips. How she got the whole class to turn on her. Every single last thing that the class ever said or did to Marinette was told. A lot of people got in trouble that day. Parents were called, including Lila’s mom who was not thrilled at learning how her daughter had been acting. Cholé was actually the only one who got off relatively scot free, since she had been pushing for her dad to do something about Lila but never bothered to listen. Sabrina was even free since she tried to tel her father about the issues before, but listened to the rest of his class. Alya’s blog got taken down, everyone was grounded and forced to do community service. Lila was expelled and being transferred to a discipline school in Italy so she wouldn’t get akumatized. The students were told that if they got akumatized because they were getting punished for their acts that they would be fined.

Everyone wanted someone to blame because of this. The easiest scapegoat was Lila. After all, she had lied and promised everything to them. It was her fault that this got so far. Adrien slammed his hands down on his desk and looked back to his class once last time. “No.” He stated. “It’s not just Lila’s fault. It’s all our fault too. We shouldn’t have just believed her. And we shouldn’t have just hurt Marinette like that. We became just as bad as Lila made Marinette to be in her stories. We’re no different.” With that Adrien left the school forever. He would probably never go to a physical school again until college. The rest of the students discovered the void that the girl filled weeks later. Whenever they wanted some fresh baked goods. Whenever they wanted a new outfit made or a thing patched up. Whenever they just wanted someone to rant to or laugh with. Their trusted friend, their everyday ladybug was gone.

The real Ladybug was still showing up to battles. Each time alone. It took a few months before Ladybug showed up to a fight. She spoke three words that only a few understood. “Plagg. Tikki, Unify.” She became a stronger force than ever, and Hawkmoth and Mayura came out of hiding for a chance to capture the miraculouses. However, Noirbug was able to defeat them easily. She captured their miraculouses instead, revealing a tired Gabriel and Nathalie behind. She didn’t care less about who they were. Her job was done. When the reporters came after the fact, she informed them that she would be leaving Paris forever. “I was no longer welcomed here but still needed. Now that my job is done, I will finally leave you all in peace. To the people who loathed me. Hated me. Told me to leave. You’re welcome. I’ll finally be able to do just that. Goodbye forever.” With those words she shot off. Away from the confusion of Paris. Away from her past. As Marinette fed the kwamis in her little cabin and watched the news, she felt like laughing. Paris was confused where their hero ran off to. Oh, they would soon realize everything. Even if the rest of Paris won’t, they will. And she truly hopes that they would be happy at her actions. After all, she left just like they wanted.

[p-artsypants]

Integrity (Part 7)

“It’s just a one or two shot,” she said. “Nothing very long.” 

She lied. She lied lied lied.

This chapter goes fast because I didn’t want to write it.

FF.net | Ao3

—

“So, how was school today?” Asked Tom. The family was gathered around the little table in the kitchen, Adrien and Marinette sitting next to each other. Sabine had made quiche, remembering that Adrien had greatly enjoyed it. So far, they were sticking to small talk, trying to avoid the inevitable reveal. It had to be natural, of course. “Mom said it was a little rough. You’re still having trouble with that Lila girl?”

“Maybe,” Marinette said as she finished her bite of quiche. “Miss Bustier had us air our grievances like adults. She said she wanted to avoid rumors and gossip, so Lila, Adrien, and I all got to state our sides of the story. And then Chloe and Nino backed us up.” 

“So, did it get solved?” Asked Sabine. 

“We don’t know,” Answered Adrien. “We didn’t stick around. There was a lot of shouting from the classroom, so…we’re just going to let our classmates decide for themselves.” 

Tom gave both of them a surprised glance. “That’s a bold move! Are you sure?”

“You can’t force someone to believe you,” said Marinette wisely. “I know from experience.” 

Sabine reached over and patted her hand. “Well, I’m proud of you. You’re learning this lesson very early in life. It does get better as you get older, but some people never outgrow petty behavior like lying. But the older you get, the more dangerous it is to lie. It has bigger consequences for those who it affects, and when you get caught.” She finished with a broad smile. “I’m glad I raised a daughter that’s above lying.”

Marinette smiled at her, before the look fell. She couldn’t have asked for a better opening, but she just wished it hadn’t made her feel so guilty. “Actually maman, papa…there’s something I need to tell you. Something we both need to tell you.”

This was it. The moment of truth. Of course, Marinette trusted her parents, and she knew they’d take it well, but she had just been hiding it for so long…

“I wanted to tell you from day one. It killed me that I couldn’t. It was for your safety, you know?”

“Honey, what are you talking about?” Sabine frowned, concern etching wrinkles around her eyes. 

“Just…don’t get mad?”

Tom and Sabine shared a look. “We’ll try.”

Marinette exhaled, and reached over to take Adrien’s hand. “Together?”

“Of course.” He smiled. 

“Okay…Tikki, spots on.”

“Plagg, Claws out.” 

The bright flash forced Tom and Sabine to look away, and when they looked back, their daughter and her classmate were replaced with the Heroes of Paris. 

Silence. It felt like minutes ticked by, as they just sat in silence. Both parents wracked their eyes over the teens, taking in every detail, making every piece fit in their minds. 

Marinette held her breath, as Adrien squeezed her hand. 

“All this time…? It was you…? Both of you?” Sabine looked absolutely horrified, as she remembered over and over, these two children taking fatal hits and falls, fighting on rooftops and cars, facing off with guns and swords. 

Her baby, on the front lines of a magical war. 

Marinette nodded, tears starting to form in her eyes. 

Suddenly, Tom was laughing. Not just a chuckle. A full on, rattle the windows, fist pounding on the table, absolute uncontrollable laugh attack. 

It startled everyone.

“What’s gotten into you, Tom?”

“When did you—“ more laughter. “When did you find out about each other? I have to know!” 

Confused, and a little unsettled, Marinette answered, “Um…he found out yesterday, and he told me today.” 

That just incited more laughter, as Tom actually fell out of his chair and landed on the floor. 

“Papa…?”

“I’m—I’m sorry, cupcake!” He tried to get a hold of himself as he kept giggling. “It’s not—It’s not that funny—!”

The other three just shared nervous glances. Did their reveal drive Tom to insanity? 

“Were—“ He wiped a tear from his eye. “Weredad! Breakfast!” He took a deep breath and tried to calm down. “I’m just thinking about that one time Marinette confessed to being in love with Chat Noir, and then he said he had to turn her down for Ladybug. But I knew Marinette had a crush on Adrien! And I got akumatized over that! That’s hilarious!”

Both of the heroes blushed. “Papa…” Said Ladybug. 

“No, no you’re right, that was an emotional day for everyone.” He held a straight face for about three seconds before he burst into giggles again.  

Although Adrien and Marinette were actually dating now, it didn’t ease the embarrassment for either of them, and they both blushed. 

But his laughter did break the tension in the room, and Marinette was able to take a steady breath. 

“Now Tom,” Sabine chastised. “Leave the kids alone. I’m sure they had a good reason for hiding their identities from each other.” 

“We did. We had to keep each other safe. If one of us fell under control of an Akuma, Hawkmoth could use that to get our identities.”

Tom’s laughter finally subsided as he got off the floor. “I’m sorry, cupcake. I didn’t mean to embarrass you. It was just—you got yourselves in such a pickle!” He retook his seat, and put his head in his hands. “Okay, now that that’s out in the open…is there a wedding in the future?”

Sabine smacked his arm. “Tom!”

“What! You know I’m a huge romantic! And an even bigger Ladynoir fan!”

“What happened to Marichat?” Asked Marinette with a wiry smile. 

“Old news. So…?”

“Well sir,” Chat began, a dusting of pink on his cheeks. “I’d like to formally ask you for permission to date your daughter—“ 

“Yes! Of course! Absolutely!” 

“—But,” Chat interrupted right back. “There’s something else we need to tell you before you make your decision.”

“We’re listening,” said Sabine, resting a hand on her overly excited husband. “Take your time.”

“Well,” began Ladybug carefully, “we’re revealing ourselves to you now because it’s safe. You’re the first civilians to know. And you’re the first civilians to know that Hawkmoth has been defeated. Chat took his and Mayura’s Miraculous.” 

Absolute joy and pride nearly burst out of both of the parents, as their smiles grew and their eyes sparkled. But before they could celebrate, Chat Noir elaborated, “It’s because of that that I’m here. My...my father is, or was, Hawkmoth. He was suspicious of me, so I had to leave.” 

All that joy was snuffed out in a second, and Marinette swore she could hear her parent’s hearts breaking. 

A clattering of chairs and Chat Noir was embraced with two pairs of arms. 

“You’re a part of our family, Adrien,” Sabine assured. “You will always have a place here with us. It’s going to be okay.” 

He didn’t cry when his father had revealed himself. He didn’t shed a single tear because of the shock. But all of the subsequent actions had built up, and now in the arms of the Dupain-Chengs, Adrien felt himself beginning to break down. 

“We got you, Kitty.” Marinette promised, the flash of light signaling her transformation. 

“Plagg, Claws In.” 

The suit faded, and all at once, Adrien let loose his tears of frustration and betrayal. Just a few tears being squeezed out of him by Marinette’s family. 

“Thank you.” He choked. “Thank you so much.”

“Of course, kiddo.” Sabine cupped his cheek. “You’re a great kid, and we owe Chat Noir a lot. We want you to be happy, and safe.” 

“Marinette is extremely lucky to have you as parents.” 

“Oh no,” Tom disagreed. “We’re horrendously annoying and nosy!” 

“Papa...” Marinette warned. 

“But cupcake! You knew when you got a boyfriend I was going to hound him relentlessly! Don’t act so surprised!” 

Sabine patted her husband. “Oh leave them alone Tom. I think we’ve all had a very stressful day. Let’s cool down with a movie, hmm?” 

“Actually...there’s still more.” 

“More?!” Both Tom and Sabine shouted. 

“It’s not as bad as the last bit,” Marinette waved her hands around. “Well...I guess that’s debatable. We need to go to Tibet.” 

“Tibet?” Parroted Sabine. “Why on earth would you need to go there?” 

“The Guardians of the Miraculous live there in a temple. Adrien and I...well, we learned why Gabriel did what he did.”

“My mother,” Adrien explained. “She’s still alive. She’s in a coma from using a broken Miraculous. He hoped that using our Miraculous would wake her up, but...” 

“It’s really risky.” Marinette continued. “We just want to see if the guardians have a better idea.” 

“I see.” Sabine breathed. “Where’s Gabriel now? Did you not call the police on him?” 

“No.” Adrien shook his head. “We took his Miraculous. He’s not able to hurt anyone anymore. And if we revive Mrs. Agreste, he won’t have a reason to either.” 

Tom and Sabine shared a skeptical look. “Are you sure? I know you’re Ladybug and Chat Noir, but...shouldn’t he face judgement for his crimes?” 

“I’m being selfish.” Adrien said softly. “I don’t want to lose my father. If I get back my mother, maybe he’ll be back to who he used to be, and we can be a family again.” 

“Oh honey,” Sabine cooed, wrapping her arms around him. “It might not happen that way.” 

“I know…but it’s worth a try, right?”

Sabine wrung her hands. “But Tibet is just so far! Plane tickets would be expensive—“

“We’re not flying. The Horse Miraculous allows the user to make a portal to any location. We’ll go and be back on Sunday night.” 

Sabine frowned. “It sounds like you’re telling, and not asking.” 

Marinette gave an uneasy smile. “This is official superhero business. I thought it would be better if we told you?”

Sabine sighed. “Yeah, I suppose it would be. If I can’t stop you, at least I can make sure you’re safe. When do you leave?”

“First thing in the morning. Tibet is six hours ahead of us, so it wouldn’t make sense to leave tonight.”

“Alright, then make sure to pack everything you need for an overnight bag. Papa and I will make sure you have plenty of snacks to take with.”

Marinette smiled. “Thanks maman! The trip is instantaneous though, we don’t need any snacks.” 

“Oh but you should offer your hosts some of our pastries! An offering of peace!”

Marinette smiled. “You’re right, of course. Thank you. Both of you. For being so cool.”

—

Later that night, Marinette was mostly asleep when Adrien’s voice pierced through the silence. “Are you still awake, My Lady?”

“Hmm-mmm.”

The floorboards groaned and then her mattress swayed as he climbed up onto her bed, leaning against the wall. “Sorry, I can’t sleep.”

She turned to face him. “I don’t blame you. Wanna talk about it?”

He laid down beside her, propping his head up on his arm. “I can’t really have my family back to normal, can I?”

“Do you want me to answer that honestly?”

“I want to be on the same page as you. You’re…you don’t have the same bias. You know what to do.” 

Marinette held her breath, knowing this would be the breaking point. The same question had come back to her over and over too. So what was the right thing to do? Hurt him? Or brush off her duty as Ladybug?”

“He needs to face justice, Adrien.” 

He hid his face in her shoulder and nodded. He knew what she would say. He knew what was right. He just didn’t want to believe it. It wasn’t fair.

It was fair, though. His father was a messed up, broken man who had done horrible things, no matter the reason, no matter how temporary. He had scars on his heart from that man that would take years to heal. 

“I don’t want you to do that alone, but I don’t know if I can be with you when you turn him in.” He breathed, sobs just at the edge of his voice. 

“Kitty, I would never expect you to turn in your own father.” 

“But I want to support you. You have so much responsibility to shoulder being the guardian and—“ 

“Adrien,” she pushed his shoulder so he would look at her. “You single-handedly defeated Hawkmoth. Please, let me take care of the clean up.” 

Hesitantly, Adrien nodded. 

“But first, let's worry about your mom, okay? One step at a time.” 

“Thank you, My Lady. I love you.” 

“I love you too, My Prince.”

—

At the break of dawn, Marinette dawned the Horse Miraculous, and along with Chat Noir, departed to Tibet. 

The temple was on top a mountain, and stepping from tepid France to frigid Tibet was a whiplash. The snow whipped around, and threatened to knock Marinette’s pastry box right out of her hands. 

But they waded through the snow to reach the massive doors of the temple, and knocked. 

The door slid open cautiously, a monk watching them with confusion.

“Hello,” Chat translated. “I’m Chat Noir, and this is my partner, Ladybug, or Pinto Rouge, we’re here to learn about the Miraculous.” 

Pinto Rouge held up the box. 

“We brought snacks!”

Still confused, the monk allowed them inside and instructed them to wait in a large lobby. The room was mostly bare, only decorated with the symbol of the Miraculous on the walls, and huge columns. 

“Welcome,” another monk finally greeted. “How can we assist you?”

Both Pinto Rouge and Chat Noir bowed in greeting, offering the pastry box to the man. 

“Tikki, Kalkki, divide.” Ladybug whispered, returning to her normal suit. 

Chat Noir translated for her, “Pardon our intrusion. My name is Ladybug, and this is my partner, Chat Noir. I don’t actually speak Mandarin, so he’ll be translating for me.” 

The monk nodded, indicating that he understood. 

“We were picked to be wielders by Wang Fu, who trained me in succession to be a guardian. He was once a student here.” 

The assembled guardians all reacted to the name, nodding, some chuckling. 

“How is Wang Fu?” One man asked. 

“They want to know about Master Fu.” Chat provided. Ladybug answered, and he translated. “He’s well. Unfortunately, he was compromised and named me as guardian, and then lost his memories. He lives with his wife in England now.” 

“He must be quite old.”

“186, last I checked.”

“Well, despite not being chosen for our order by the council, you are still a guardian of the Miraculous, and you should be trained as every one is. Where do you hail from?”

“Paris, France.” 

“All the way from Paris! Wang certainly fled as we asked. When can you start?”

“As much as I desire to start training as soon as possible, there is something we need help with first.” 

They were beckoned into a meeting hall, and sat down among the order. Tea was served, and the pastries were divided up. Then they began the story from the beginning. How Hawkmoth appeared one day, and how they were bestowed Miraculous. How they fought together for over a year against him and Mayura. And then the day of the reveal, how Adrien had come to discover his own father was behind the whole thing, and that his mother was in a magical coma from a broken Miraculous. How that night, he stole the Miraculous and returned them to the Miracle Box. 

“So you see, he doesn’t pose a threat to Paris anymore, but his wife, my mother, is still asleep. He wanted to use the Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculous together to wake her up.”

More nodding as their tale was considered, and then the conversed among themselves, speaking much too fast for Chat to translate completely. 

“What are they saying?”

“Some of them are doubtful she can be healed, others are doubtful they can trust us.” 

“Yikes.” 

“Drop your transformations, as a show of good intentions.” 

“They want us to de-transform, My Lady.” 

“Oh, okay. No harm in that. Tikki, Spots off.”

“Plagg, Claws in.”

The Guardians seemed much more at ease after they took off the suits. 

“I’m Marinette Dupain-Cheng.” She reintroduced. 

“And I’m Adrien Agreste.” 

“A pleasure.” The monk bowed. “Now, we have discussed what you have said. We will need to examine this woman, Emilie, and the broken Miraculous before knowing exactly what there is to do. Our last resort would be to use the Black Cat and Ladybug, but it is very risky, and works with equivalent exchange. If your father, Gabriel, really wishes to wake her up so badly, he must decide who he wants to give up in exchange. Whether it is another loved one, or himself. He will need to keep that thought in his mind.”

Adrien explained this all to Marinette, who frowned. “Would you be able to handle that? If he decided to take her place?”

Adrien was quiet for a moment, and then admitted, “I’d have to think about it…”

“You’ve both come so far, why don’t you stay the night? We can get in a little training tomorrow before you leave. Then you can return with Emilie when you can.”

“Thank you, Master. We’d love to stay.”

—

Sunday night came quickly with all the training that had taken place. Marinette was thankful she had brought a notebook, since the monks had taught her how to read the coded Grimoire. Adrien had, of course, been there to translate all of it, so he was also being trained as a guardian. 

But now it was time to return to Paris, and time to confront Gabriel Agreste. 

It could go either way. He could be responsive to help, or he could fight the whole time. It was absolutely unpredictable.

Chat Noir and Ladybug arrived at the mansion at sunset, waiting outside the gate, gathering courage.

“You still with me, kitty?”

“I feel like I’m going to puke.” 

“I don’t doubt that. Do you want to come back later?”

He shook his head. “No, the longer we wait, the worse it’s going to be for me. I just…”

“You don’t need to explain yourself to me.” She offered him a smile. “You remember a few days ago? When I had my melt down?”

“Sure.”

“It was this feeling of hopelessness, of everything being completely out of control and the whole world resting on my shoulders. But you gave me control back. You gave me peace of mind. Now I’m here to do everything I can for you. You and me against the world, and you and me against your father.”

He clenched and unclenched his fists a few times before hugging her. Just soaking in her warmth for a while and letting her strength flow into him. 

He could do this.

He had to do this.

“Let’s go.” 

She rang the doorbell.

The camera came out, spotted them, and the gate opened without a word. 

“Out of the frying pan, and into the fire.” Chat muttered to himself. 

“He doesn’t have a Miraculous, we’re stronger than him.” She reminded him gently. 

He scoffed. “I’m not afraid of him hurting me physically.” The rest went unsaid. 

Gabriel opened the door as they approached, then beckoned them inside. He was quiet, reserved, and looked tired. He had bags under his eyes, unkempt hair, and a shadow of a beard on his face.

“Ladybug, Chat Noir, please come in.” 

“Your secretary have the day off?” Ladybug asked conversationally. 

“Nathalie and the rest of my house staff will be taking an...extended vacation.” 

Chat tried to not let his disappointment show, but he had assumed Gabriel would fire anyone he was suspicious of. He just didn’t think that included Nathalie. 

“To what do I owe the pleasure?”

Ladybug smiled as pleasantly as she could, like she was talking to any other civilian. “We’re here to help.” 

“Ah, with what, exactly?” 

“Please show us your wife, Monsieur Agreste.” 

Gabriel’s almost pleasant attitude evaporated into something akin to anger. “He told you then? My son ran his mouth?” He sneered. 

“Something like that.” 

“You have Nooroo now?” 

“And Dusuu too, yes.” 

“So what now? Have you come to gloat? To beat me up anyways? I’ve already lost everything, what more could you take from me?” 

“We’re not here to take anything,” Chat said. “We want to give back.” 

“We might have a way to save your wife.” 

The tightness Gabriel held began to subside. His fists unclenched, his brow smoothed, and the deep set frown relaxed into open mouthed awe. “You...want to help me save her?” 

“Purely for selfish reasons on my end,” Ladybug explained. “If your reason for hurting others is removed, you’re not a threat anymore, right?” 

He inhaled, his breath shuddering as he did so. “I never wanted to hurt anyone. This went on for so long, and I kept telling myself that I would quit, that it wasn’t worth it...then I would see an opportunity, and get so close again. I was obsessed, Ladybug. Can’t you see?” 

“The powers of the Miraculous can be addicting. Knowing that you were so close to being with your wife again...I don’t blame you.” 

Then Gabriel did something they were not expecting. 

He started to cry. 

“I don’t deserve this. I don’t deserve your help.” 

“You don’t.” Chat confirmed. “But your wife and son do.” 

“My son hates me. He’ll never speak to me again. And I can’t blame him for it. And my wife...once she knows what I did...this wasn’t worth it. I ruined everything.” 

“Mr. Agreste,” Ladybug spoke calmly, as he started to spiral out of control. “Let me see your wife.” 

Gabriel collected himself and turned from them, heading to the office. 

Ladybug and Chat Noir shared a look. Villain or not, Gabriel Agreste was not well, and he severely needed help. Maybe not even help they could give him. 

They followed him into his office, and up to the painting Chat had seen the other night. He typed in the code, and then they were descending in an elevator into a huge cavern. 

At the end of a bridge, there was a garden, filled with flowers and swathes of butterflies. 

In the middle of it all, was a glass coffin. 

It might have been beautiful if it wasn’t so horrid. 

Ladybug reached out to take Chat’s hand, holding it in comfort as they walked down the bridge. 

“She was using the Peacock Miraculous,” Gabriel explained. “It’s broken. It hurt her, made her sick. By time we figured out what was wrong, it was too late. She had...she had fallen asleep.” 

Chat wanted to yell at him to shut up. He had heard the whole pitiful story before, but he just found himself as silent in shock as the first time. 

“I have the grimoire too. There was a page on combining the Ladybug and Black Cat miraculous to create an amazing power, capable of granting any wish. Nooroo confirmed that it worked.” 

“We talked to the guardians about it. Yes, it would work, but not without equivalent exchange. To wake up your wife, someone else would have to take her place, perhaps you, perhaps your son. There’s no way of knowing.” 

“I could have—“ his words got caught in his throat as he fell to sit on the grass. “I could have killed Adrien. I was so concerned with bringing her back, I didn’t even think…” He pulled on his tie, ripping it away from his neck. “What have I done? What have I done?”

“Will you let us take her to Tibet? To see the Guardians?”

“My poor Adrien…I could have lost him. What did I do? I tore apart his room! I hit him! I’d never—“ He moaned as he rocked back and forth. 

Ladybug looked at Chat. “Do you want to tell him?” She asked so softly. 

“Tell me what?” Asked Gabriel, looking up desperately. “What else is there? What do I have to do? Is Adrien safe? Did you talk to him? Will you talk to him?”

Chat took a calming breath, trying not to lose it at the sight of his insane father. Then he spoke, “Plagg, Claws in.” 

Gabriel looked away at the green flash, and when he turned, his tears started again in earnest. 

“I lied to you, Father.” Adrien began, before he lost courage. “I’m the one that betrayed you. I had my kwami take your miraculous while you slept. I do want to save mom, but I had a feeling combining the Miraculous wasn’t going to work. So I went to Ladybug. She’s smart and she always has an answer. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner, you just…you scared me. You’re still scaring me. I trust that you only had good things in mind but…you’ve changed. You need help, father.” 

Gabriel clamored to his feet, finding shaky steps towards his son. 

Ladybug stood at the ready, in case he became violent. 

Gabriel collapsed on Adrien, hugging him and crying and begging for forgiveness over and over. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry…” 

It wasn’t what he had in mind, but he’d take any affection he could get from the man. He hugged him back. 

“We’re going to find a way to save her. You don’t have to do this alone anymore.” 

“It’s all my fault. I ruin everything…I’ve hurt you so badly.” He pulled away from the hug to hold his face, squishing his cheeks slightly. “I’m so proud of you…” 

Pride. Adrien never thought he’d be worthy of his father’s pride. All his life, he had done everything right, and only now, after he had betrayed him and gone behind his back, at the reveal of fighting against him after all this time. Now he’s proud.

It was kind of a kick in the pants.

“Father…”

“You knew when to ask for help, when I didn’t. You knew I couldn’t handle this. You did the right thing…I told you before, that you were a good kid, and you’ll be a great man. I mean it. Adrien…”

And then Adrien understood what was happening. It wasn’t immediately apparent, but with his father’s face so close, he finally figured it out. 

“You’re drunk.” 

Gabriel started to sob again, grabbing hold of Adrien’s shirt and sliding to his knees. “I didn’t know what to do. I thought I had to say goodbye. I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” 

“Are you really? Or are you just drunk?”  

“Don’t leave me Adrien...please, son. I love you.” 

Adrien grabbed his hands and pulled, trying to wretch him free from where he was clamped. “Why did it take alcohol to get you to say it?”

“Because I’m awful...I’m worthless, I ruin everything I touch. Everything I did was a waste! I couldn’t save her! Hundreds and thousands and millions of people were hurt because of me! How can I live with that?” 

“Adrien,” Ladybug began. “I think we should continue this conversation when he’s sober.” 

“No!” Gabriel protested. “Take her! Take her to Tibet and save her! Give Adrien back his mother! Please I beg you!” 

“Then what will happen to you?” Adrien asked, looking down on the blubbering mess that was once his indomitable father. 

“I’m going to turn myself in. I’ll live with guilt the rest of my life, but let me have some relief! Let me face judgement.” He collapsed onto his hands and knees, bowing at the feet of his son. “Let me earn your trust. Let me earn your forgiveness. Please.” 

They spent a long time in silence, Adrien coming to terms with what had to happen. 

“My lady,” he finally said. “The Horse Miraculous?” 

She handed over the glasses. 

“Plagg, Claws out.” In a flash, Chat Noir stood there, and stepped away from Gabriel over to the glass coffin. “Plagg, Kalikki, unify.” Dawning both Miraculous, Belle Noir easily opened the coffin. 

“Be careful with her! Please, I beg you Adrien! She’s done nothing wrong.” 

“I will be careful,” he spoke calmly, as he reached his arms behind her shoulders and knees. 

“Ladybug. Please escort my father to the police. I’ll take care of my mother.” 

“Of course, Chat.” 

“I’ll find you when I’m ready.” 

“Stay safe.” 

He only offered a nod of agreement, before summoning his voyage and disappearing into nothing.

[agrestebug]

Marichat May 2020

Hey everyone! Here we go with another prompt! Please don’t repost to another site without my permission!

Day 14- Possessive Marinette

Marinette was about to lose it. She put up with a lot of things where Lila was concerned, but this, this was crossing a line. Everyone was in the park near her house, doing a 'team building' exercise Miss Bustier had suggested to make them all closer. Being that it was a Saturday, Adrien was the only one not allowed to come due to a photoshoot. Their 'team building' had turned into a small party instead now that the sun was starting to set. Marinette was sitting alone on the bench off to the side, trying to drown out the drabble of lies spilling from Lila's mouth.

Lila's sickly sweet voice turned Marinette's stomach as everyone hung on her every word, "It's really okay you guys. I really do understand. It's not easy for my Kitten to hide his feelings, but Ladybug is in charge. What she says goes."

Alya was patting Lila's arm, saying it a little worried, "I never imagined that Ladybug would go that far."

Max added it lightly, "When you think about it though, Ladybug has always been more concerned with keeping their identities a secret."

Mylene said it with a small frown, "Yeah, but I always figured it was to keep her and Chat Noir safe."

Alya instantly nodded, "Exactly, not because she was jealous of Chat falling in love with Lila!"

Marinette rolled her eyes to herself, thinking it hard, 'There's nothing to be jealous about. Chat's not in love with Lila.'

Lila shook her head, "I thought she was my friend, but when she forbade Chat from being with me, I knew that show she put on in front of everyone was just an act. She will never return his feelings, but she doesn't want anyone else to have him either." A crocodile tear fell from Lila's eye, "My poor Kitten, I hate that she has so much influence on him."

Rose hugged Lila tightly, "Don't worry Lila, we know the truth!"

"Yeah girl, Ladybug will come around eventually." Alya said, sounding unsure.

Lila smiled weakly, "Thanks you guys. You are the best." She looked around quickly, lowering her voice, "I know I can trust you guys not to let this get out," she started smiling, "but Chat Noir decided last week that he was tired of listening to Ladybug. He'll work with her to stop the akuma's because he loves Paris and its people, but he's done listening to her where I'm concerned."

Marinette felt the angry heat rush to her face as the words left Lila's mouth, "Unofficially, Chat Noir is MY Kitten. Not Ladybug's."

"You just don't know when to stop do you!?" Marinette said angrily, standing from the bench, "You don't even know him! He's not the kind of person who would be so easily impressed with all of your blatant lies! Suggesting that he's YOUR anything is completely outrageous!"

Lila let the tears fall easily, "What would I have to gain by lying about this? No one outside of our class can know!" Lila took a small step towards her, eyes shining in triumph despite the hurt in her voice, "It's not like you've ever even had a conversation with him. You really shouldn't be trying so hard to act like you know him. Enough people do that as it is."

Marinette huffed, "I've had plenty of conversations with him, more than you have without a doubt. I probably know him better than anyone because..." the comment died in her throat.

It had only been a couple of weeks, and she hadn't told anyone. She wasn't planning on telling anyone. It wasn't for her sake, it was for his. It was the only way to keep him safe, otherwise she would have screamed to the world how happy she was. How happy her Kitty made her the night they really kissed for the first time.

Lila pressed her, "Because?"

Marinette sat down, feeling defeated as she looked away, "It doesn't matter. It's not like anyone will believe me anyways."

Lila however, simply wouldn't let it go, "Lying to make yourself look better isn't going to help you Marinette. You don't have to try and lie just to get attention. We are all your friends, you don't have to try and impress us by making up stories."

Everyone instantly agreed with Lila, trying to tell her that she didn't have to lie or be jealous. Marinette stared between the faces of her classmates, wondering how they could have all changed so easily. She wished she knew what it was that made them so willing to believe everything that Lila said, no matter how ridiculous.

Marinette felt the sting in her eyes as everyone scolded her for acting that way. Telling her that she ought to know better, and that she shouldn't be trying to out-do Lila with made up stories because lying wasn't going to help her. Their words just echoed, sending painful stabs into her heart with each one.

"Purrincess there you are!"

Her neck snapped as she turned to look at the familiar voice. Her eyes widened as she took him in, standing there smiling at her in that loving way. He had a huge bouquet of at least two dozen pink and white roses, the stems tied with beautiful black and green silk ribbons.

Everyone went silent as they watched Chat Noir walk up to her, holding the bouquet out to her, saying it shyly, "I'm sorry I missed our date last night. Akuma."

She blushed, taking the beautiful roses and being overwhelmed by their scent, "No don't worry. I could hear it screeching from my balcony from all the way across the city." She buried her nose into the bouquet before telling him sincerely, "These are beautiful Kitty, thank you."

"My purrincess only deserves the best." He said happily, leaning down to give her a soft kiss that sent chills down her body. She smiled shyly, staring into his beautiful green eyes before they darted behind her, "Oh, uh, whoops. Purrincess," he pointed behind her, and she rolled her eyes with a small smirk before turning around. There was no way Chat Noir had missed that her ENTIRE class was here. He also knew how much she didn't care for big romantic gestures, like this giant bundle of roses that no doubt cost a fortune and she WAS going to get onto him for spending this kind of money on her later, unless it was a special occasion. He himself was a fan of sincere romance, of doing things that would uniquely touch the heart of someone he cared about. In his words, 'It's not the gesture that counts, it's the motive behind it.'

She wondered what his motive was for doing this. They had agreed the day they started dating that they wouldn't tell anyone, and now he was out in the open making a big romantic gesture?

Most of her class was wearing identical expressions of pure shock, but Lila was positively seething.

Alya was the first to break the silence, looking quickly back and forth between them, "How, how could you do that, how could you treat Lila this way Chat Noir?!"

Chat stayed at Marinette's side, asking innocently, "Lila?" He let his head fall to the side slightly, "I don't think I know anyone named Lila."

Lila stepped up instantly, her voice trembling in hate, "I can't believe you Chat Noir. It was a petty fight, I know that I shouldn't have broken up with you like that last night, but I knew we would work it out. I can't believe you are still so angry that you are really going to act like you have no idea who I am!"

Chat's expression didn’t hide his shock, and he knew that everyone could tell that he was uncomfortable, "I'm sorry, but I have no idea what you are talking about." He lifted his wrist, showing the class the black and green beaded bracelet fitted around his wrist so that it wouldn't fall off. There were three beads outside of the contrast of black and green that were his reminder of the girl who had his heart. One of the beads was white, one was pink, and the other was the same beautiful blue of her eyes.

"Ladyblogger, you asked me about this bracelet a few weeks ago. You were actually the first person to notice I was wearing it. Do you remember what I said about these three beads?" Chat asked, locking eyes with Alya whose expression went from angry to understanding, "You said they are there to remind you of, of your most important someone."

Chat nodded, looking over at Lila, "You are a very pretty girl, but you have green eyes, and wear red and black." He tapped the three beads at his wrist, "Pink and white to represent her signature look and favorite colors," he smiled innocently, motioning to the roses in her arms, "and blue for the eyes that say more than words ever could." Chat gave her a subtle wink, and she held the roses closer to her chest as her heart overflowed in joy.

This Chat.

There wasn't a doubt in her mind that he had probably been waiting for her to come back from the park, and happened to overhear Lila spewing her lies. He knew how tired she was of having to deal with Lila, and this was his way of showing them all in one move what kind of person Lila really was.

Nino asked a little shocked, "But dude, what about Ladybug?"

Chat smiled wider, "M'Lady is my best friend, and she's happy that I'm happy."

"She approved of you dating Marinette?" Kim asked, confused.

Chat snickered, "Approved? She was overjoyed. You didn't think she'd try to forbid me from dating anyone but her did you? We are partners, and I value her opinion, but whether she 'approved' or not wasn't going to stop me."

"Marinette doesn't wear a bracelet! How do you explain that?!" Lila asked angrily, stomping her foot in a very childish way.

Chat looked over and saw Marinette's bag leaning against the bench where he had seen her sitting before. He lifted it up with a claw and held it out for them to see, smiling as he lifted the little charm attached to the loop at the top, "May I purrincess?"

Marinette nodded and Chat unhooked the charm from her bag. He lifted her wrist and put her bracelet on where it belonged. He knew she hadn't been wearing it because they were trying not to be too obvious, but given how blind their class was when it came to Lila, it was time for a show of the obvious.

Marinette's bracelet had mostly pink and white beads, but there were five beads different on hers than the three on his. Two were black, two were green, and the one right in the middle of the other four was a little gold bell. Those five beads were her way of having a piece of Chat with her wherever she went.

Marinette reminded Alya gently, "I did tell you it was Chat Noir inspired."

There was only a few more seconds of silence, as one by one, her friends realized that they couldn't deny it anymore. They understood as Chat Noir stood at Marinette's side, that she wasn't the issue. Lila and her lies were.

She adjusted the roses so that she could hold them in one arm, holding Chat's hand firmly now that she had a hand free. Lila looked like she was ready to burst into flames at any moment, "How dare you, who do you think you are! You were cheating on me this entire time,"

"SHUT UP LILA!" All of the girls yelled at once, except Juleka who's soft voice was so stern that it scared everyone witless, "Don't even try it."

Marinette gave Chat's hand a gentle squeeze, and he smiled brightly as he looked over at her. She was staring down the lying girl who had been giving her grief for months with nothing but the confidence he saw in her every time she transformed into Ladybug.

"Next time you lie, choose a different target because this is MY Kitty," Marinette's voice turned threatening, heating Chat's cheeks under his mask, "understand? Mine."

[miraculouscontent]

Alright, so apparently certain love square shippers felt the need to go into the Lukanette tag to celebrate/mock that Lukanette is “over” (Marinette broke up with him to keep him safe but go off I guess) and that officially crosses all my lines of not dealing with the fandom’s garbage.

The sheer pettiness is astounding to me, to take joy in the end of what was a lot of people’s comfort ship (people don’t choose comfort ships, by the way) because of “toxic Luka/Lukanette stans,” essentially lumping chunks of the fandom together and letting the opinion of those fans shape their own opinion on a character/ship. The sheer sensitivity on display to have so much spite and disdain for a ship that appeared in less than 10% of all episodes in the show. The sheer vindictiveness to feel smug and self-righteous while also being panicked over a non-endgame ship that’s as temporary as their claim of positivity and condemning of salt until they’re presented with something they don’t like.

Goliath really be beating up on David over here because he's bigger and thinks his opinion is more valid. For the record, no, opinions are not more valid due to shipping an endgame ship or presenting oneself as a beacon of positivity.

And it just goes to show how ship-blind these people are, to care about nothing more than the fact that Lukanette has broken up. I’m not exaggerating when I say that I’ve seen people who openly admit to caring more about the love square’s security than Marinette’s happiness, which is just part of the issue here.

These people did not care how Lukanette broke up, only that it happened. Marinette’s crush backpedaling (because of the show feeling the need to cater to these exact people, who are so worried about their obviously endgame ship being “in danger”) and Marinette ending the episode in literal tears because she wanted to date Luka but couldn’t are both things that didn’t matter to them because it’s all about their ship in the end. Marinette’s life has been made more and more miserable due to her crush on Adrien while straining her relationships with various characters (see: Alya’s claim of jealousy as a reason for why Marinette “must be lying” about Lila), but so long as these people feel secure in their endgame ship, that’s all that matters.

They didn’t care if it was a clean break where both sides came out satisfied (or at least content). If anything, they wanted Lukanette to end as shoddily/dirtily as possible with zero care into how it affected Marinette, whether because they just don’t like the ship or because they actively desire for the suffering of the people who found comfort/happiness in the ship. Adrien had literally nothing to do with the break-up itself and him being mentioned served nothing for the story, but it’ll be completely overlooked or outright praised because god forbid Marinette spend an episode not talking about Adrien since that would imply that her life doesn’t revolve around him and that would be an apparent detriment to the love square.

By the way, newsflash: Luka was not an obstacle to the love square. He sent Marinette away in “Frozer” to go talk to Adrien. He told her that there was no pressure and that he’d be happy for her no matter what. Had Luka not existed, the love square would still be as stagnant as it is now, and it’s pathetic to complain about Marinette liking/dating another boy when she’s not only allowed to do so, but when “Oblivio” and “Chat Blanc” both exist as little more than tools to hold the supposedly “starved” love square shippers over.

These are the same people who will say they dislike/hate Luka, then do a 180 and claim that they “just feel so bad for him” and how he “deserves better than Marinette” (the sudden sympathy of which conveniently serves to hate on a ship that interferes with their own, further proven by equally convenient and appreciation/liking of Luka when he’s not a “threat” to the love square) while simultaneously shipping her with their sunshine boy because Ladybug is who Adrien wants and what Adrien wants is what matters.

These are the same people who will say that Luka is unnecessary and unneeded, then use him as a prop and stepping stone for love square fanfics and fanart, or suggest that Kagami is fine because she makes Adrien feel good about himself (when Luka does the same for Marinette but sure).

These are the same people who say that “Marinette can’t date Luka because she’s busy with hero stuff” while making fics about the love square getting together mid-”hero stuff” and then giving complete radio silence during “Chat Blanc” outside of how good they thought the episode was.

These are the same people who will tell others not to denounce Adrien for “a few mistakes” and then preemptively denounce Luka’s behavior based on a written synopsis for an episode that hadn’t even come out yet (and also after complaining that Luka was “too perfect,” I might add).

These are the same people who will say that Luka/Lukanette makes them feel “uncomfortable” (usually without offering any tangible reasons or being vague about Luka giving off “bad vibes” when he’s done nothing less than support and respect Marinette's agency) while the show’s endgame ship features the “m’lady” hand kissing Chat Noir who Ladybug has pulled away from multiple times yet he keeps persisting (which is apparently considered okay because Adrien is Chat Noir as if that discredits her discomfort/disdain for the gestures).

These are the same people who will say that Luka is “barely there” or “hardly exists” and then complain about how much screentime is dedicated to Lukanette, the utter greed on display going right over their heads when they have the actual endgame ship.

These are the same people who will absolutely reach for anything about Luka to complain about (again, after saying that he’s “too perfect,” then claiming he “tricked” Marinette into kissing him, claiming that he tried to force her into telling him her secret, or criticizing him for teasing her for her stuttering despite him immediately apologizing) and then either defend or turn a blind eye to Chat Noir (who tried to kiss her mid-battle instead of helping, made Ladybug feel bad for keeping secrets that weren’t hers to tell plus threatening his kwami that he’d quit if he didn’t get let in on said secrets, and mocked her instead of apologizing when she told him to stop calling her by a nickname she doesn’t like and has told him before to stop calling her) at every opportunity.

These are the same people who will say that Lukanette is “forced,” then proceed to ship Luka (regardless of if they like him or not) with literally anyone else for the sake of taking him out of the romance equation (because he has to be taken out via already dating as they couldn’t come up with a legitimate reason for Marinette to not want him otherwise), and the only requirement for this person he’s shipped with is that they breathe and aren’t Marinette.

These are the same people who act bothered by Marinette “””treating Luka poorly””” because of her crush on Adrien (by the by, Adrien’s crush on Ladybug has hurt Kagami as well), inadvertently admitting that Marinette’s crush is a problem, then continue shipping her with Adrien in its canon form anyway.

These are the same people who will say that they hate salt fics (specifically ones that target Adrien) and how they “bash characters,” then write fanfics or draw fanart that intentionally make Luka out of character for the sake of having him look bad or giving Marinette an excuse to run to Adrien (because Luka apparently needs to be made worse so that Adrien can look good instead of Adrien being able to stand on his own merits as a good love interest for Marinette).

These are the same people who will slam Luka when he’s Marinette’s support, then go off and ship him with other characters so that he can support them instead (fun fact that this is usually either Adrien - thus leaving Marinette completely alone and miserable when Luka canonically likes her - or characters that Marinette is actively against, such as Chloe or Lila).

These are the same people who will complain about how salty the fandom is (even when the salt is for catharsis/getting out anger from an episode in a productive way) and then laugh when a simple side ship ends because they’ve been letting said ship live rent free in their heads and couldn’t stop anticipating the episode that declares them “over.”

These are the same people who tell or suggest that people should “just leave” if they don’t like the main ship, unapologetically implying that the main ship is either all the show is about, all that they personally care about (bringing us right back to that little “not caring how torn apart Marinette is about the break-up” thing), or that people aren’t allowed to watch/like the show for other reasons (like Marinette herself, the miraculouses, other characters who may appear intermittently but nevertheless bring them joy to see, etcetera).

These are the same people who get on other people’s case for being spiteful while they themselves ride their high horse into the sunset, playing victim when people call them out for intentionally provoking others or purposefully mistagging to avoid people’s blacklist (tagging is not for the comfort of the tagger so they can “””avoid the toxic stans,””” for the record; it’s for the comfort of the people who don’t want to see that content).

And these are the same people who will go on and on about the toxicity of the stans who ship something they don’t like and then either ignore or downplay the stans who ship what they do like because they personally don’t have to experience it. This isn’t even about ship wars, it’s about the hypocrisy and lack of self-awareness.

I don’t want to hear it. I don’t want to hear about how cruel the Luka fans or Lukanette shippers are when these people are celebrating Marinette’s misery because it means the end of a ship that they don’t like and certain people find comfort in. I don’t want to hear about people cross-tagging/mistagging when the Luka/Lukanette tag has been flooded with people who talk trash about the ship without any additional tags to filter it away, getting so bad to the point where some Luka/Lukanette fans had to find workarounds and/or avoid the tag entirely. I don’t want to hear about how certain shippers are worse because [x] [y] [z] when everyone has different experiences, showing a severe case of close-mindedness or at least ignorance on these people’s parts.

And, with how this season is heading, if something bad happens to the love square by the end of Season 4, I most definitely do not want to hear these same people decry the people who will do the exact thing that they’re doing now.

[sassyduckqueen]

Miraculous: Rise of Anatis 33

So I wasn't going to include the Dark Owl but I really love the scene where Ladybug and Chat Noir basically own him. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I think the next one will be Sandboy as it's coming up to Halloween and well... creepy Adrien is perfect for Halloween... maybe even a creepy luka too haha

Edit: I forgot to add this but my friend, @naruwitch​ made a tv tropes page for this story. Here’s the link if you guys want to check it out :D

https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Fanfic/RiseOfAnatis?__cf_chl_jschl_tk__=be721fb76b1432a698e46aa462d61073b4705567-1602716317-0-AThNvQ6RHrkR1d_p9c3BbHP3-gd4fnpISPslj-3RJQq44DLa0Xpdv9CT2D3z_GnOFOwGgbLfUmvxw-d3_g8ybdUmz_k92KhUKwVGa5P2x442DtDZU96YzHqMl-IsbGWt6d64twK7E6R0M0dgQKi_uxdKOAhQ8R3mCgFT4x64_gE7BpHLMCFPbZ2rNwiA5tyY1YkYj8mtKOgpQkhfPtaqNV8tSsugb4-Udk_utG7bqsVBy1hpf0ZnTHCHq0uRfYATiwofeWb5FuVx33pJsMfcwa8BRHQX34elWtN-C6J1eLLHBueGAcaK5m8k1OxgHMYef7Ism9X-aLJSKf4jGZYn7NChFjcG97v_OONxYASnqh-m-0gsIX_R_ncMO9z7qLs6wA

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Chapter Thirty-Three: The Dark Owl Returns

"I'm sorry that you can't come over to the Liberty tonight," Luka sighed as he walked out with Marinette. He glanced over to Mr Damocles, who was pushing the students to leave as quickly as they could. Luka let out a soft sigh. He was glad Mr Damocles was trying to be more heroic but his 'patrols' were making his life a lot harder. Mr Damocles seemed to have a talent for getting into a sticky situation. "I have quite a bit of homework to catch up on,"

 "Oh! It's not a problem. I mean I love hanging out on the liberty with you but I have to help my parents in the bakery tonight so it's cool," She smiled back, making him smile a little. "We can have a proper hangout on the weekend,"

 "Sounds good to me," He smiled, taking his helmet out of the basket and placing it on his head. He unlocked his bike and climbed on it before turning to her. "Have a good evening, Mari,"

"You too, Luka," She smiled, gently pecking his cheek before the two of them went their separate ways. Luka smiled as he cycled down to the Seine but then he remembered why he couldn't hang out with Marinette or anyone else. Thanks to Mr Damocles' out of school activities, he hadn't been able to go to band practice as often, hang out with Aurora, Jean or the others and was sleeping more. It was honestly getting ridiculous. He didn't mind that Mr Damocles was trying to be a better person. It was great in fact but what he did mind is that he was endangering himself and other people as well as taking up Anatis and Lady Noir's time. They hadn't done a proper patrol for about a week. Luckily, Hawkmoth hadn't been that active. They had only dealt with three akumas in this week. Naturally, Mr Ramier had been akumatized into Mr Pigeon again and Andre the ice cream man had been akumatized into Glaciator. He had gone after Marinette for not believing in his ice cream's magic. She had gone out with everyone to get ice cream but she had ended up dropping hers, which caused her to get upset. Knowing how Marinette was, Luka figured she wasn't actually upset over dropping her ice cream but was upset over Adrien as he had turned up with Kagami, whom he seemed to be growing closer to. She had dropped it when she saw the two of them together and he had seen her sad expression at the two of them laughing and sharing ice cream together. Not wanting to see her sad, he had offered to share his with her since he didn't have anyone with him. He was mildly annoyed that Alya had invited both of them, despite knowing that it was more a couple's activity then something friends do but he suspected it was a ploy to get Marinette to confess her feelings to Adrien. Of course, that backfired because Adrien brought Kagami but he didn't blame those two. He did have a word with Alya as Anatis later that night as he felt like her constant pressuring for Marinette to confess to Adrien was unfair and could cause Marinette to become an akuma again. That was something he did not want to face again. Luckily, Alya had realized what she had done and was wrecked with guilt but Anatis had calmed her down, explaining that he understood that she was trying to help her friend but she should take a different approach to it. Instead of pushing her into situations where she felt pressed to confess... he could think of several... she should encourage Marinette to gain the confidence she needed and not laugh at her when she failed. Something which he knew she had done in the past. While he was there, he also advised her to be careful during her filming. It seemed that she had taken his advice, both with Marinette and her blog. As Andre, well, after he had often to share his ice cream with Marinette, she told him that it was ok, that she was just going to go home and that she didn't really believe it anyway. Of course, Andre overhear her and got upset. Luka often to walk her home but she gently kissed his cheek and told him to enjoy himself then she left. He quickly made an excuse to leave and checked on her as Anatis but before they could work anything out, Andre, now Glaciator, attacked them. Luckily, he hid her and defeated him with Lady Noir's help. He later found out that Marinette had got to Andre and apologized to him. He personally didn't see why she was the one to apology. While he understood that Andre was upset at the fact that she didn't believe in his ice cream, she hadn't actually been mean about it or anything. She had only told Luka that she didn't really believe it but he suspected that's because she just wanted to go home. He personally thought that Andre turning into an akuma over her lack of belief was kind of petty. After all, all of Paris believed it so what difference would it make to have one person not believe in it? Sometimes, he just didn't understand people. As for the other akuma, that had been Adrien's bodyguard. He had literally gotten turned into a giant gorilla. He had then proceed to kidnap Adrien and Marinette, who was trying to help him escape his fans and see a film. Anatis had rescued them when Gorizilla had accidentally dropped them from a building. Once he had rescued them, he went back and defeated Gorizilla. He had almost been captured but luckily, Lady Noir turned up. It didn't take a lot to defeat the akuma after that. He sighed as he came to a stop at the Liberty. He locked up his bike and headed downstairs. Rose and Juleka were curled up in each other's arms as he walked through. He gave them a wave before heading to his room, failing to notice Juleka's raised eyebrow but she shrugged and when back to Rose. Once in his room, he locked the door as Tikki flew out.

 "Do you think Mr Damocles will go out again?" She asked, yawning. He guessed she had just woken up from a nap.

 "I suspect as much," He sighed, checking his phone. Nothing yet but he knew better then to leave it to chance. He may be lucky but the luck only affected him and no one else. He sighed before calling on his transformation, turning into Anatis. He climbed out of the port hole and swung off into the city, towards the school. He landed on the building opposite it and frowned as he saw Mr Damocles attempting to do up his 'owl' belt. He did it up and jumped back to his feet before leaving the office. Anatis sighed to himself before he took out his yoyo and dialed Lady Noir's number. She answered straight away as Mr Damocles rushed out of the building. "Hey, the Owl is on the move,"

 "Great," She groaned, sounding just frustrated as he felt. "Any idea where he's heading?"

 "Looks like he's going towards the park," He replied, rolling his eyes. "Meet you there, Kitten?"

 "Sure. I stopped by the bakery by the way and got some very much needed snacks," She smiled, making him smile as well. "We'll have them while we keep an eye on him,"

 "Sounds great," He smiled, standing up. "See you soon,"

 She waved and he hung up before following Mr Damocles. He swung across the roofs before landing next to Lady Noir, who pointed to Mr Damocles. He was attempting to rescue a kitten that was stuck up a tree but instead of trying to call for help or rescue it in a normal way, he was attempting to climb up the tree. Anatis sighed and shook his head before jumping down, along with Lady Noir. He threw his yoyo just as Mr Damocles fell from the tree and caught him as Lady Noir caught the cat. It purred and nuzzled into her chin as she held it. 

 "Mr Owl, this is the fifth time we've come to your rescue this week," Anatis gasped, clearly annoyed before he lowered the man. Mr Damocles stood up and dusted himself down. "You're really gonna get hurt one of these days,"

 "At least, wear a helmet," Lady Noir sighed as she gave the cat to it's owners before walking over to Anatis and Mr Damocles as a news van turned up.

 "But you don't wear helmets," He argued, making Anatis face palm.

 "Because we are real superheroes with real and magical costumes," He groaned, shaking his head. "We have explained this already, Mr Owl. You know it's different for us,"

 "Yeah but ever since I was a little boy, I've dreamt of been a super hero and you did tell me to try and be a better person," He pointed out, making Anatis roll his eyes. "Which I have been I might add,"

 "Which is great but Mr Dam- Owl, if you want to be a hero then do charity work or something other then... this..." Anatis gasped, gesturing to his outfit. Mr Damocles frowned a little as a brunette woman came over to them.

 "Got a few minutes?" She asked as a camera filled them. "Mr Owl, are you planning on any more daring rescues?"

 "Please don't encourage him," Anatis groaned as she held a microphone to Mr Damocles who talked to her as Anatis shook his head. Lady Noir looked just as embarrassed.

 "And what about this... attempt?"

 "Well, thanks to some sound advice from my good friends Anatis and Lady Noir, I am certain that I will do better next time," He answered, making both heroes face palm. "I will be reviewing my weaponry and engaging in more training because wherever there's injustice, there is the Owl!!"

 He dabbed, making both Lady Noir and Anatis cringe with embarrassment before he took something out of his belt and began to shake it, creating a sort of mist.

 "Owl mist!!" He declared before running off, making Owl Noises as he did. Anatis frowned deeply as the camera followed him before it turned back to him and Lady Noir.

 "Any comments? Anatis? Lady Noir?" Clara asked as they watched him leave before they turned to the camera, clearly unsure and embarrassed by the Owl's actions. Anatis rubbed the back of his neck while Lady Noir pressed her forefingers together before grinning a little at the camera.

 "Uh... look, he's trying to help but to the kids of Paris.. or anyone... don't copy him ok? It's very dangerous," Anatis warned as Lady Noir nodded.

 "Annie's right," She agreed, nodding. "So please don't try this at home... we better go make sure he's not causing anymore trouble,"

 "Yeah," Anatis agreed, taking out his yoyo and saluting the reporter before throwing and swinging off. Lady Noir did a dramatic bow and followed him, using her baton. The two of them ran off and tailed Mr Damocles until he finally decided to go home. Both letting out a sigh of relief, they found their way to a rooftop that a nice view of the Eiffel tower. Anatis sat down and stretched as Lady Noir took out the bag of snacks she had gotten from the bakery and handed him a croissant. He smiled and took it before biting into it. "Man, I swear Tom and Sabine's bakery is the best,"

 "Yup," She grinned, hiding her blush a little as she ate her own before yawning. "Man, I'm so tired!"

 "Hmm, me too, kitten," He sighed, finishing his croissant. "Don't get me wrong I'm glad Mr Damocles is trying to follow my advice but this is getting to be a full time job,"

 "Yeah, I'm just glad that Hawkmoth hasn't akumatized anyone," She purred before looking at him. "What do you mean trying to follow your advice?"

 "Uh... well, I kind of... um..." He mumbled, rubbing his neck nervously as she folded her arms and rose an eyebrow at him.

 "You called him out, didn't you?" She asked in a serious tone, causing Anatis to look down before she grinned and snapped her fingers. "Damn, I can't believe I missed that. Well, what did he do and what did you say?"

 "Well, I learnt that he was unfairly accusing and punishing students for things they weren't doing and then letting certain students off due to be threatened or bribed?" He mumbled as she listened. She casted her mind back and realized he must be talking about the events that led up to Despair Bear since Mr Damocles wrongly accused her of tripping the fire alarm without any proof, tried to punish her for it then proceeded to punish the whole school, apart from Chloe, for it. "As for what I said... well... I kind of told him that he was creating a breeding ground for akumas and that if I didn't see an improvement, I'd inform the school board,"

 For a second, Lady Noir was silent, causing Anatis to think that maybe he had gone too far until she burst out into laughter. Instantly, he relaxed and smiled as she cackled and held her stomach as she shook with laughter.

 "Oh, man! I wish I was there!!" She grinned, wiping the tears from her eyes. "I bet his expression was one of pure terror! I would pay anything to see it!!"

 "It was pretty funny," He mumbled, making her smile before he yawned again. "Urg! We need to find a way to get him to stop been the Owl!"

 "Hmm but we don't want to do what Ryuko and Aspik did," She mumbled, making him look at her with a confused expression. "Oh, Ryuko kind of revealed his identity straight away in front of almost everyone and well, she wasn't exactly kind about telling him off for endangering himself. Naturally that led to him becoming the Dark Owl but once he was back to normal, he didn't bring out his owl suit until you turned up. I'm afraid you re-inspired him,"

 "Oh dear but still Ryuko could have handled that better," He mused, shaking his head. "Maybe we could scare him,"

 "Or you could just rant at him," She grinned, making him laugh. "Well, hopefully he won't be active tomorrow,"

 "Yeah, we can only hope," He sighed, frowning. He had to be in the park tomorrow afternoon to help Nino with his latest filming project. Marinette would be there too as she was making the costumes as well as starring in it. Nino was making a film based on the exploits of himself and Lady Noir but he had decided to change a few things. For one, he was making the hero of the ladybug a female and instead of there been Lady Noir, there was Chat Noir, which Adrien had agreed to play. Alya was going to be the main villain. "Anyway, I think we can call it a night,"

 "Sounds like a plan to me," Lady Noir agreed as she yawned. "I'm knackered,"

 "Bedtime for the kitty I think," He smirked, stroking her chin. She began to purr and nuzzle his hand, making him chuckle before he pulled away and jumped up, walking over to the edge of the building as she got up. He turned to look at her as she stretched. "Good night, Kitten,"

 "Night, Bug a boo," She grinned, blowing him a kiss before she ran off into the night. Anatis shook his head and allowed him to drop from the edge before throwing his yoyo and swinging through the city til he came to the Liberty. He quietly landed on the roof and climbed down, slipping through the port hole that led to his room. He dropped the transformation and caught Tikki, handing her a cookie. She thanked him and began to eat it as he changed into his PJs and climbed into his bed, placing his hands behind his head as he yawned. Once she had finished her cookie, she flew over and landed on his pillow just abve his head, making him look up at her before he yawned. 

 "Been a long day huh?" Tikki asked as he nodded.

 "Mr Damocles is becoming a full time job," He mumbled before turning over and curling up on his pillow. "Good night, Tikki,"

 "Good night, Luka,"

 ~Next Morning~

 "Alya! You need to sound more realistic!!" Nino groaned as Luka sat on the bench, watching. Nino had convinced Marinette to take the role of 'Ladybug' as he insisted she would be perfect for the role of the hero of creativity. She wore a one piece suit that was red with black spots. Her boots blended in with it and her mask matched the suit. Her hair was still in her classic pigtail look and the only thing that remotely looked like anything Anatis had was the yoyo she had. Chat Noir on the other hand was interesting. Adrien was playing him and he had a full black outfit. He had gloves on that had claws worked into the fingers and black cat ears on top of his hair, which had been styled to be more wild and untamed. He had black boots on and a belt around his waist, that doubled up as a tail. He had a black mask over his face and he was wearing contact lens that made his eyes apart cat like. Both 'heroes' looked good and Alya looked awesome as Marinette had recreated her Lady Wifi costume. The problem was she wasn't very good at acting villainous. "You're meant to be an akuma and you've just taken Ladybug and Chat Noir's miraculous! You need to be victorious!"

 "Ok, ok, I get it," Alya replied before taking her place and holding a box. Nino counted down before he began filming. Alya did an evil laugh before turning to Marinette and Adrien. "Give up, Ladybug and Chat Noir! I, Lady Wifi, have your miraculous!! No one can save you now!!"

 "Oh no, my earrings!" Marinette gasped as she held her ears. 

 "Nooo!! We're doomed!!" Adrien howled as Alya laughed evilly but before anyone could do anything else, Mr Damocles ran towards them and jumped on the bench in his full owl costume. 

 "Oh, no," Luka gasped as he saw him. He jumped up to stop him but before he could, Mr Damocles jumped into action. "Mr Owl, it's not-"

 "Whoo whoo!!" He gasped, making everyone look at him before he pointed his grapple gun towards Alya. "Owl Talon! Whoo, whoo!"

 He fired it towards Alya but luckily, it missed her and bounced off several things before getting caught on a rubbish truck. Luka flinched as Mr Damocles was then dragged off by it and crashed into a bin. Instantly, Marinette and Adrien ran over to see if he was ok.

 "Mr Damocles! Are you ok?!" She gasped, kneeling down as she rested a hand on his arm. "You're not hurt, are you?!"

 "I'm not Mr Damocles! I'm the Owl!" He gasped, brushing her hand away and standing up. He blinked as he took them in before narrowing his eyes. "Who are you?! Why have you got Anatis' miraculous?!"

 "Uh... Mr Da- I mean... Mr Owl... we were just doing a film based on Anatis and Lady Noir," Adrien explained, taking off his mask as Marinette took off hers. "Nino wanted to make it for a film contest he's entering. He changed the roles a little so I'm playing Chat Noir instead of Lady Noir and Marinette's playing Ladybug instead of Anatis. We were just shooting the last scene,"

 "But... Lady Wifi..." He gasped as Alya walked over. She wiped off a bit of her make up. "You mean... it wasn't real? There was no danger?"

 "No, we're all ok," Marinette tried to reassure but Mr Damocles saw that everyone had seen his failure and before she could try and reassure him, he had rushed off, clearly embarrassed by his mistake. Luka frowned as he walked over. Marinette let out a sigh as Nino walked over as well. "I hope he'll be ok,"

 "Well, he ruined the shot so now we have to do it again," Nino sighed, pinching his nose before turning to Adrien and Marinette. "And could you two try to act more natural?!"

 ~Later That Evening~

 Luka hummed to himself as he re-tuned his guitar. He had to change it's strings and give it a dust down. He fiddled with the pegs, strumming the strings and listening carefully to make sure they were the right notes. He was tuning this model into a open E pitch but he usually used a standard E pitch or drop D. However, he just wanted to experiment with the different sound. Tikki was watching Clara Nightingale's latest single and was dancing to it, making him smile when he looked up to grab a drink. He took a swing before returning his attention to his guitar, gently strumming it as he began to play.

 "Civilians of Paris, listen to me very careful," A voice came through his computer, making him look up as that was definitely not Clara Nightingale. Tikki looked shocked as he looked at the TV, frowning. He instantly recognized him as the Dark Owl, meaning Mr Damocles had been akumatized again. The Dark Owl pointed to the remote in his hand, making Luka frown as he watched. "With one slight movement, I can release the rope holding up the city bus with all of these animals inside with come crushing down on my two hostages,"

 The camera switched to the Eiffel Tower, showing the animal bus and directly underneath it was Juleka, Adrien, Alya and Nino. They were tied to a pole and looked terrified. Luka instantly jumped up and grabbed his phone, ignoring the rest of the broadcast. He dialed Juleka's number but it went straight to voicemail. He frowned and hung up before phoning Rose, letting out a breathe of relief when she answered.

 "Rose, is-"

 "Luka! It's awful!" She gasped, sounding distressed. "He came and grabbed her!! I tried to stop him-"

 "Rose, listen to me. Take deep breathes and don't panic ok?" He reassured. "I'm going to contact Anatis and he'll save them,"

 "O-Ok," She sniffed before he hung up. He turned to Tikki but heard the sound of someone walking on the deck. He gestured for Tikki to hide in his pocket before he rushed up to the deck.

 "Mum?! Jule-" He shouted, thinking it was her but to his horror, he found the Dark Owl in front of him. For a second, he was sure Dark Owl had worked out he was Anatis but not even Marinette knew that or his family. He backed up as Dark Owl walked over to him.

 "Young man, I require you to join your friends. I'm aware that you are connected to the hero Anatis and I swear on my honor as a hero, if Anatis and Lady Noir, surrender their miraculous then no harm will come to you and your friends," He stated as if that would make Luka go with him or remain calm. Luka glanced around, looking for a way to escape. His luck vision lit up the fog machine they used for their concerns. His vision also lit up a basket ball. He grabbed it and threw it straight at the Dark Owl, hitting him in his face before he jumped over to the fog machine and turned it at full. Within seconds, the fog covered at the deck, obscuring the Dark Owl's vision. Luka jumped down into the cabin and ran straight for his mum's room, locking the door as he heard the Dark Owl following. He opened the port hole and climbed out of it before jumping and rolling onto the ground before bolting out of there as fast as he could.

 "Tikki, we need to save my friends,"

 "The rest of the broadcast warned that he rigged the Effiel Tower with Liquid Nitrogen bombs, if anyone tries to infer, they would trigger and freeze the tower which in turn would make it extremely fragile as glass and it will collapse-"

 "I get the idea. He's taken all the kids that were there when he was exposed... that explains why he wants to add me to the mix but that means he's proply gonna go after Marinette," He mumbled, jumping up and climbing over a wall. He looked around and frowned, not seeing him anywhere. "He appears not to be- never mind,"

 He could see the Dark Owl, gliding above before he ran as fast as he could, diving out the way when the Dark Owl tried to grab and running into one of the parks, disappearing into the green. The Dark Owl landed on the ground, making Luka hold his breathe as he hid in the bushes.

 "Mr Couffaine, come out. I only need you to lure Anatis and Lady Noir to me," He growled but stopped when he noticed the sun was going down. "Very well, Mr Couffaine. Your friends will still lure those heroes to me,"

 To his surprise, the Dark Owl left but he gave it a few minutes to be certain before letting out a sigh of relief as Tikki peeked out of his pocket. He quickly sent a warning to Marinette before turning to Tikki.

 "Ok, Tikki, time to rescue my friends," He muttered, swiping his earrings. "Tikki! Spots on!!"

 He transformed into Anatis before throwing his yoyo and pulling himself onto the roofs of Paris. He took his yoyo and saw Dark Owl was broadcasting again. He clicked on it and watched it.

 "Anatis, Lady Noir, the only way to save these children is for you to surrender your miraculous to me and you only have ten minutes!" He declared, pressing the button. Anatis frowned deeply. "Follow the Owl Signal,"

 He stopped playing the broadcast and called Lady Noir. Instantly, she answered. 

 "Dark Owl-"

 "Is back. I know and he has captured most of the kids that were making that film. Luckily he doesn't have Luka or Marinette but he could go after them,"

 "He already did with Luka but he got away and contacted me. I got him to hide in the underground and it seems Dark Owl is just going ahead with his plan without him," He declared as Lady Noir hummed in agreement.

 "I've already scoped out the tower and it's definitely rigged but it looks like Marinette isn't there either," She sighed, making him frown. He was relieved that Marinette was safe but there was no real way to save the others. "Think we can just find his akuma and free them that way,"

 "Chances are the akuma is in the same place as before but even with my speed, getting to it would take more then ten minutes and we only have about 8 minutes to stop the countdown," He sighed, frowning as the Owl Signal appeared in the sky. "Our best course of action for now is to get that remote and stop the countdown. Once the children are safe then we can go after his akuma,"

 "Makes sense," Lady Noir agreed. "The Owl Signal appears to be pointing towards the stadium. Meet you there?"

 "Yeah," He agreed before hanging up and swing over to there. He landed on a building nearby and narrowed his eyes as Lady Noir landed next to him. "It seems like Mr Damocles is holding a bit of a grudge,"

 "I get that he was humiliated but holding them captive is too far," She mumbled, getting a nod of him. "What's the plan?"

 "I'm going to distract him while you sneak up on him. Try and get the detonator," He replied, getting a nod of her.

 "Good plan," She grinned before pressing her baton. A small ear piece dropped out into her palm and she placed it in her ear. "Let's stay in touch,"

 "Good thinking, Kitten," He smiled, pressing one of the spots on his yoyo. It lifted, allowing him to pick it up and place it inside his ear. He nodded to her before they went off in their separate directions. Anatis landed on the grass and spun his yoyo around as he looked around the darkened arena. He was on high alert, ready to attack if he needed to. "Mr Damocles?"

 "I am not Mr Damocles!!" The Dark Own shouted as the light of the stadium turned on. Anatis frowned a little as he saw him stood on the edge. "I'm the Dark Owl,"

 "Ok, Ok, I get it," Anatis muttered, putting his yoyo down and holding up his hands. "Look, why don't we talk about this? I'm sure we can come to a peaceful conclusion without getting anyone hurt,"

 "Where's Lady Noir?" The Dark Owl asked, glancing to the side as Lady Noir spoke through the communication device.

 "Grapple Iron, Boomerangs, utility belt. Damn Annie he has everything," She gasped. "Maybe we're lucky and the akuma is in one of his weapons,"

 "The last time it was in his computer back at the school but I guess it could be different this time. Still, we need to focus on getting the detonator," Anatis replied before holding up his hands. "Lady Noir will be here soon, I'm sure of it,"

 "In that case then, you can be the first to place your miraculous in the box located in the middle of the stadium," He declared, making Anatis look over at the crate before he held up the detonator. "Or..."

 "Boom! Ok, I get it," He replied, walking over. "Try and get it off him,"

 "I'm on it," She replied, jumping up and throwing her baton at him, knocking the detonator out of the Dark Owl's hand. Anatis ran up and jumped, catching the detonator. He was about to hit the button to stop when he heard a yell. Looking up, he saw Lady Noir flying towards him. He held out his arms to catch her but she crashed into him, causing him to drop the detonator. The Dark Owl caught it and grinned as he looked it.

 "Oh, look. Time flies," He grinned before throwing it. "This is your last chance to save those poor helpless children!!"

 "Heroes don't take hostages!" Anatis growled, glaring at him as he helped Lady Noir up.

 "Then give me your miraculous. Otherwise you're too blame," He declared before firing his grapple hook at them. It wrapped around the two heroes, tying them together and causing them to fall over. Anatis rolled them to the side as the Dark Owl tried to punch them before Lady Noir used her cataclysm to break it. The two of them jumped up and took a fighting stance as Dark Owl glared at them. "It's the end of the line for you,"

 The two of them charged at him with Lady Noir diving at him with her baton. He blocked it with his arms but Anatis took the chance to wrap his yoyo around his ankle and slide underneath him. Dark Owl went to charge at Lady Noir but Anatis pulled him back and threw him. However, he landed on his feet and smirked.

 "There's no way for you to win, Anatis,"

 "We'll see about that," Anatis growled back before throwing his yoyo up in the air. "Lucky Charm!!"

 A fountain pen appeared, causing Anatis to frown as he caught it. Lady Noir jumped up on the crate and picked up the detonator as Anatis tried to look around yet nothing lit up. He gasped when he saw Dark Owl throwing boomerangs towards and jumped in front of her, using his yoyo to deflect them.

 "Activate the hatch, Albert," The Dark Owl ordered, causing Anatis to give him a confused look before they both suddenly fell into the crate. The trap door closed, sealing them inside as they heard him declaring himself as the guardian of Paris before laughing. Anatis got up and helped Lady Noir to her feet as she tried to push the button to stop the countdown.

 "No, no!" She gasped before looking at him. "Annie, it's not stopping!!"

 "What?!" He gasped, taking off her and pressing the button. It did nothing. "No, no... stop!! Come on!!"

 He repeatedly pressed the button as the room began to fill up with a thick liquid, making Lady Noir to frown as she took a bit on her finger and sniffed it before licking it. She gasped as she realized it was cream.

 "Oh no!" Anatis gasped, causing her attention to turn to him. He looked extremely worried as the TV inside with them switched on, showing the hostages and the bus.

 "Time's up! Albert, drop the bus!!" The Dark Owl declared, causing the bus to be released. Lady Noir covered her mouth in shock as Anatis looked on in horror. The bus plummeted towards the hostages, causing them to scream but then it disappeared in a blue light as the Dark Owl laughed evilly. "You knaves! It was a hologram all along... or at least the bus is. Really, do you think I'd hurt school children?"

 "Bastard!!" Anatis shouted, slamming his fist against the walls.

 "Temper, temper, Anatis. You really should save your breathe as this next trap is very real," The Dark Owl laughed, making Anatis notice the cream. "The room you're in is filling up with whipped cream, which is too thick to swim in but too thin to float on. You're going to drown softly but surely... unless you give me your miraculous that is,"

 Anatis frowned and began to look around as Lady Noir started to bang on the walls. The TV lit up, followed by the pen and then her miraculous. He unscrewed the pen and took out the ink cartridge as a slot opened for the miraculous to be put in before walking over to the camera and using the ink to black it out. Lady Noir turned to him as she hugged herself, looking small and frightened. Dark Owl shouted something about not seeing them didn't matter and basically taking the miraculous of their dead bodies but Anatis ignored that and moved over to Lady Noir.

 "He's right, Annie," She mumbled, looking close to tears. "We're done for,"

 "Not yet, Kitten," He smiled, gently placing a small kiss on her forehead before gently smiling at her. "You trust me right?"

 "More then anything else," She smiled but she still looked frightened, even as he winked at her.

 "Alright, Dark Owl, you win!!" He shouted before leaning closer to her. "Close your eyes and no peeking,"

 "Annie, no... we can't do this," She gasped but he gently took her hand.

 "Trust me," He smiled, causing her to nod then she closed her eyes. Anatis closed his and took a deep breathe. "Spots off,"

 "Claws in," She whispered at the same time. The two of them powered down, causing their kwamis to appear. Plagg gasped in surprise as Tikki stared at Marinette in shock. Marinette carefully took of her ring and held out her hand. She gasped softly as she felt Luka touch her hand, expecting him to take her ring but to her surprise, he closed her palm before he leaned in.

 "The lucky charm lit up your miraculous but not because we're surrendering but because I think we needed your civilian form. You must have something on you that could help," He whispered in her ear, making her blush before her mind flicked back to the film she was making with Nino. She still had the fake miraculous on her. 

 "Of course!" She gasped, reaching into her purse. "Annie, I have just the thing,"

 "Excellent," He replied as she pulled the box out. She took the fake miraculous out and placed them into his hand. He carefully moved over to the slot and placed them in. He heard it close before he made his way back over to Lady Noir. He heard the Dark Owl declare himself as the only hero in Paris and then heard the cream been drained. He smirked a little before taking out a cookie for Tikki. "Tikki? You good?"

 "Yes, Plagg is too," She replied, making Anatis smile before both him and Lady Noir called on their transformations quietly. Lady Noir smirked and summoned her cataclysm, slamming her hand on the crate and turning it to dust as Dark Owl stared at them in surprise.

 "What?!" He gasped before glaring at them. "But that's impossible! How did you do it?!"

 "What did you expect?" Anatis asked, making Dark Owl glare at him. "A superhero never reveals his secret. I thought you'd know better,"

 "Yeah, you see Annie here thought of everything," Lady Noir grinned as she rested her arm against Anatis's shoulder as he stood there with his arms close. "He has a plan A, a plan B and all the alphabet to Z. I mean did you really think we would give you our miraculous, Dark Owl?"

 "We're superheroes after all. We never surrender," Anatis grinned, taking out his yoyo as Lady Noir took out her baton. "After all, we're Anatis-"

 "And Lady Noir!" She grinned before taking a bow before she looked up and winked at him. "I hope Hawkmoth liked his new toys,"

 "Why you?!" He growled, taking out his boomerangs before throwing them. "Boomerang trajectory control, Albert!"

 "Who is he talking to?!" Lady Noir gasped as they blocked them.

 "I'm guessing his computer. It's where the akuma was last time," Anatis replied, knocking back a few. "Cover me! Even if I know where his akuma is, I'm still gonna need a... Lucky Charm!"

 He threw up his yoyo as Lady Noir went toe to toe with Dark Owl. He caught the comic as she was knocked back.

 "Are you certain it's in his computer?" She asked as he examined it before looking around, trying to figure out how to use it. He even flicked through the pages to see if anything stood out. 

 "Yes," He replied, tapping one of the pages. "Even in the comic, Knightowl doesn't work alone. He has Sparrow but also his butler, Albert,"

 Lady Noir pinned him down as Anatis rolled up the comic and tucked it into his belt.

 "Lady Noir, keep him busy. I'm gonna go and destroy his akumatized object," He declared, throwing his yoyo and swinging off. He ran as fast as he could across the roofs before jumping down and throwing his yoyo. He heard the Dark Owl behind him as Lady Noir tried to slow him down but he threw her off and dived towards him. Anatis jumped towards the school and landed on the window, opening it. As soon as he did, an alarm glared as he took out the comic. The Dark Owl landed behind him, grabbing him as his luck vision lit up certain objects. He dropped the comic book and kicked it into the statue of Knightowl as the Dark Owl took off his earring. His outfit began to disappear as the statue wobbled before it fell, creating a chain reaction that caused the lamp to smash into the computer, knocking it off the desk. The Dark Owl let go of Anatis, allowing him to catch his earring and put it back on as the computer crashed to the floor, breaking and freeing the akuma. He opened his yoyo and captured the butterfly before releasing the purified version. He picked up the comic book and threw it up in the air. "Miraculous Ladybugs!!"

 The comic burst into the magical swarm and spreaded around the room, restoring it before it flew out the window around the Eiffel Tower. Anatis smiled as Lady Noir landed next to him before the two of them pressed their fists together as Dark Owl turned back into Mr Damocles.

 "Lady Noir? Anatis? What are you doing in my office?" He asked, confused before realization crept on his face. "I was akumatized again wasn't I?"

 "Yes... look, Mr Damocles, I get you want to be a hero but been a hero doesn't necessarily mean that you have to what we do," Anatis stated, sighing as Mr Damocles frowned. "I am really glad you followed my advice but maybe you could try and help people in a less dangerous way,"

 "Like helping the homeless?" Lady Noir suggested, making Anatis nod. "We're not saying don't help people... it's great that you want to help but we have enough on our plate... we can't keep rescuing you, Mr Owl,"

 "I know... I just really want to do good..." He sighed, looking down. "I want to be a hero,"

 "Heroes come in all shapes and sizes, Mr Damocles," Anatis stated, placing his hand on the man's shoulder. "You don't have to be like me to be a hero,"

 "You're right as usual, Anatis," He smiled, shaking his hand. "I will be my own hero,"

 (***)

 "Hey, Annie," Lady Noir grinned, joining Anatis as he sat on the roof, keeping an eye on Mr Damocles. He was currently taking a selfie with Kim, Alix and Max. "Babysitting huh?"

 "Nope," He grinned. "I was on patrol and happened to see him. Thought I'd see how he's doing. You know he's been tending gardens, volunteering at soup kitchens, feeding animals... he's ready spread his wings,"

 "I'm glad," She grinned. "He's his own hero,"

 "Exactly," Anatis grinned. "And it means we have more free time,"

 "Yeah... sooo wanna go to the movies?" She grinned playfully. Anatis laughed and got up.

 "Sorry," He mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck. "I promised a friend I'd hang out with her as soon as I could,"

 "No worries," She grinned, stretching. "See ya later?"

 "Of course, Kitten," He grinned before swinging off. He found an alleyway and called off his transformation, catching Tikki and giving her a cookie before walking towards the bakery. He took out his phone as it buzzed, making him smile as he saw it was Marinette. He pushed open the door to the bakery and greeted Sabine, who smiled softly at him.

 "Hello, Luka," She smiled. "Marinette's upstairs,"

 "Thank you, Mrs Cheng," He smiled back before going upstairs and to her room. He knocked on the trapdoor before he climbed inside. Marinette was setting up a game before she handed him a controller. "You know I'm not brilliant at these,"

 "No worries," She grinned, making him sit down before she sat next to him. "The point isn't to be good, Lu. It's meant to be fun,"

 "Lu?" He asked, making her look at him with worry.

 "Y-Yeah... do you mind?" She asked, making him smile.

 "Nope," He grinned. "I like it... Melody..."

 "Melody?" She questioned, blushing as Tikki joined Plagg, who was happily chomping on cheese.

 "I can't believe Marinette is your holder, Plagg," She muttered, making him look at her.

 "What's the big deal, Sugar cube?" He asked, making her shake her head before she looked at Luka and Marinette as they played the game. Naturally, Marinette won and happily called out, making Luka laugh. Plagg followed her line of sight before his eyes went wide. "No..."

 "Yes,"

 "Seriously?" He sniggered, making Tikki roll his eyes. "Boat kid is in love with Doll face eh? I wonder if they realize they are in a love square,"

 "Wait? What do you mean a love square?" Tikki asked, making Plagg gulp. "Is Marinette in love with him?"

 "Uhhh...."

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

Next Chapter: https://ultra-sassyduck.tumblr.com/post/634367165279223808/miraculous-rise-of-anatis-34

[kelelamentia]

Dogs are a Ladybug’s best friend

Dogs are a Ladybug’s best friend

@ozmav

This came from @thebookwormfairy idea “What if Marinette had a Retired Police Dog as a Pet”

@realrandomposts and I discussed which Miraculous would be used and, while my initial thought was turtle, @realrandomposts was the one who came with the idea for the fox, and just fit better for this fic (And I want to tick Alya off), because Trixx would NEVER miss a chance to cause chaos via having a dog as a holder.

As for Trixx’s gender, the site basically told me it varied from translation to translation, so I flipped a coin; literally.

 At a Gotham hotel:

Marinette couldn’t believe Captain snuck himself on to the plane!  Actually, she could, he’s such a smart boy.  But, how did he get past all that security?  Never mind Trixx probably helped with that, he likes to cause chaos like that.

“Trixx, did you have a hand in getting Captain on the plane?” Marinette asked.

“Noooooooooo.” Trixx dragged out, trying and failing to look innocent.

Marinette sighed, running her hands through Captains fur.

“Besides he was going to miss you terribly so.” Trixx continued.

“And you would have missed him as well Marinette.” Tikki added.

“True…” Marinette agreed.

“And I know Captain never wants to leave his partner alone unless he has to.” Trixx said.

Marinette smiled, still petting Captain and him loving it, the Fox Miraculous; hidden by dog tags and a bandana, catching her eye.  Marinette remembered how this came to be.

*Flash back*

Marinette was having an awful week; Lila spread rumors around the school about her, her classmates have shown to be more like sheep than classmates, Adrien wanted her to continue being a doormat, and Chat could NOT take the hint at the last Akuma attack and left her alone to fight so he could throw a tantrum.

Thankfully, Captain has proven to be the best and most loyal friend she could ever hope for. Marinette knows he would never leave her in danger just because he didn’t like what she said, he never believe she was petty and jealous of a person with such FAKE tales, and he would never ask her not to stand just for justice; being a former police dog.

That’s when an idea hit Marinette.

“Tikki, I have an idea.”

Tikki tilted her head in confusion, watching Marinette look over at her dog.

“Come on Captain, I’m going to introduce you to Master Fu.” Marinette said.

The worst the Master could do was say no, right.

 With Master Fu:

“Greetings Marinette, Tikki” Fu welcomed.

“Hello Master Fu.” Tikki greeted.

“Hello Master, I hope you don’t mind but I brought my dog; Captain.” Marinette returned.

“I don’t mind Marinette; animals can be the best of companions and partners.” Fu smiled, holding out his hand for Captain to sniff.

Captain gave a cautious sniff, but accepted Fu; allowing him to give a single head pat.

“Why don’t we sit down, I feel we have much to discuss.” Fu offered.

“Thank you Master.”

Once they were seated at Fu’s low table, Fu began talking.

“What would you like to discuss Marinette?”

“Can a Miraculous be given to an animal?” Marinette asked.

Fu raised an eyebrow.

“May I ask what brought this on?”

Marinette steeled herself.

“First Chat Noir; he’s late or doesn’t show to battles, when he does he’s pretty much out of the fight immediately, he flirts at the worst times even though I’ve told him I’m not interested in him, he throws hissy hits on a regular basis, and he doesn’t see being a hero as a responsibility but as a game.”

“What of the other heroes?”

“The other heroes have proven that they see being a hero as game as well, they don’t look to see the truth went given no evidence, they like pretty words and offers of connections than working for it themselves and are unwilling to listen to reason when it’s something they don’t want to hear.”

Marinette looked Fu in the eye.

“I’m tired of fighting alone Master Fu.”

The last sentence bore a lot of weight behind it; and Fu heard it.

“I understand Marinette.”

Fu got up to retrieve the box, once he sat down again he started talking.

“You wish for Captain to stand beside you.”

“Yes Master.”

“Do you think he will be able to handle it?”

“Yes Master, he’s a former police dog, he probably has more training and experience than I do.” Marinette giggled.

Captain gave a small tail wag; he loved hearing his girl laugh.

Fu smile and nodded.

“Now it is possible for an animal to use a Miraculous, but the process is different.”

“How so Master?”

“Normally the Guardian would choose the hold, but in the case of animals; the Kwamii’s get to choose if they want to work with them or not, so I cannot guaranty anything Marinette.”

“I understand Master.” Marinette nodded.

“Good, first we must…”

Fu was cut off by a box shaking and jumping around until Trixx popped out.  Once he was out he grabbed Marinette’s hand and began to beg.

“Please, please, PLEASE let me team up with you and your dog! This looks like it’s going to cause chaos and so much confusion!  Please let me, I know how to speak canine, so I know when to transform and stuff, I get along really well with Tikki, my Miraculous can hang with his tags, and my charge up food is really easy.  Please, please, PLEASEEEEEEE!”

Marinette couldn’t help but laugh.

“I have no problem working with you Trixx, but let’s see what Captain thinks.”

Marinette turned to her dog, he liked Tikki, but that doesn’t mean he’d like Trixx.

Trixx flew over to Captain; Captain gave him a sniff.

“Hi Captain, do you want to team up with me to protect your girl?” Trixx asked.

Captain was quiet for a moment, but eventually gave a gentle woof in agreement.

“Yes!” Trixx cheered.

Marinette, Fu and Tikki laughed as Marinette clipped the Miraculous on Captain’s collar; behind the tags, but that laughter was cut short by screaming and crashing outside.

“AKUMA!!!!”

Fu turned to Marinette.

“Go.”

Marinette nodded her head.

“Alright Tikki; Spots on!”

Captain gave a stern bark.

Once the transformation light died down Marinette could see what Captain looked like.

Captain wore an orange, black and white vest that was modeled after a normal police dogs vest; it had the fox tail symbol, in white, on the back and a ladybug symbol on the front where a police badge would be.  Captain also had arm guards on his front legs that covered the top of his paws; they faded from orange to white, but Marinette’s favorite part was his mask.  It was just a normal orange, black and white mask, but just looked so cute.

“Well, I can’t call you Captain, no matter how common that name might be.” Marinette said, looking at her dog. “How about…Hunter?”

The newly christened Hunter gave a soft woof in agreement.

“Come on Hunter, we have an Akuma to fight.”

And then they were off.

“Good luck.” Fu said as they left.

 Where the Akuma was:

The fight with the Akuma, which Chat did not show up to, went smoothly. Hunter cast his illusion by howling and apparently, he could also sniff out the akumatized item, this made things so much easier.  Ladybug didn’t even need to cast Lucky charm! They even did a ‘Pound it’ where Hunter bumped his nose against her fist.

But once everything was fixed by the cure, Chat showed up.

“Hey Bug-a-boo.”

“You missed everything Chat.” Her voice was hard, causing Hunter to tense up.

“Aww, don’t be like that Love bug, it couldn’t have been bad.”

Chat reached out to grab Ladybug only to be blocked by a snarling Hunter.

“What the heck is that?!” Chat exclaimed, back away from the costumed dog.

Ladybug smiled sickly sweet smile at Chat.

“This is Hunter the new, and permanent, fox holder and my new partner.”

“But what about Rena Rouge?! And I’M your partner” Chat demanded.

“She has been retired, and don’t worry about the Guardian; he’s already agreed to this.  As for being my partner; tell me Chat when was the last time you showed up on time for a fight, didn’t get turned against me, or thrown a hissy fit and leave just because you didn’t get what you want?” Ladybug asked.

Chat couldn’t answer her, his mouth flapping uselessly.

“That’s what I thought.” Ladybug then turned to Hunter. “Come Hunter we should leave before your time runs out.”

Hunter gave a woof in return and jumped away with his girl, not before giving one last hard look at Chat.

*End flashback*

Trixx had been appalled by Chat’s attitude and was steaming while he ate his marshmallows, Tikki doing the same while eating cookies.  

Marinette smile as she remembered Alya’s outrage at being replaced, and by a dog at that.  But Hunter proved to the people of Paris how good he was and how great of a partner he was for Ladybug; Their ‘Pound it’ was all the rage in the internet and is now the most popular trick to teach your pet.

So here she was in Gotham with her super hero dog, which snuck aboard a plane, and two powerful little gods.

What was her life?

“Well, sulking around this hotel won’t do us any good; how about we go for a walk guys?” Marinette suggested.

Captain, Tikki and Trixx agreed; Tikki flying into Marinette’s bag and Trixx flew under Captain Bandana.

 At a nearby Park:

Marinette felt so much freer at the park, the only thing people would see was a girl and her dog.

She was just throwing the ball she got for Captain when another dog, a Great Dane, came up and began sniffing Captain.  Captain held still, ball in mouth, and let the other sniff; eventually Captain seemed to like the other dog and began leading them over to Marinette.

“Did you make a friend Captain?” Marinette asked, petting her dog.

Captain gave a slight wag of his tail and Great Dane’s tail was going so fast in was a blur. Marinette reached out her hand for the Dane, so they could get her scent; she was rewarded with a lick on her hand.

“Well aren’t you a sweet heart!  Let’s find out your name.” Marinette laughed, before reaching for the Dane’s tags. “Titus? Well it’s nice to meet you Titus!”

Titus barked his hello, trying to get closer to Marinette’s hands for petting.

“Alright buddy, you want to play fetch with me and Captain while you wait for your owner?”

Titus barked again, this time jumping around in excitement.

“Okay, okay,” Marinette laughed before winding up the ball. “FETCH!”

Marinette let the ball go and both dogs shot after it; tussling a bit to be the one to bring it back. This went on for a while before Marinette heard a voice shouting.

“TITUS!”

Titus responded to the call and ran over to a boy about her age, a very handsome boy.  Titus circled around the boy a couple times before running back to Marinette.  Marinette could only guess that this was Titus’ owner.  He made his way over to her.

“Hello Miss, I’m sorry if Titus caused you any trouble.” He greeted.

“Titus was no trouble at all; he was a real sweet heart.” Marinette assured. “My name is Marinette, and this is my dog Captain.”

“It’s lovely to meet you Marinette; my name is Damian, you’ve already met Titus.” Damian greeted, gently taking her hand and placing a kiss on the back; Marinette couldn’t help but blush.

Watching his girl blush at the new person caused Captain to step between the two, making both of blink.

“I’m sorry Damian; Captain doesn’t like strangers getting too close to me.”

“It’s fine Marinette; I should have introduced myself to your dog before invading your space. It’s understandable that he takes me as threat.” Damian said, slowly reaching out his hand for Captain.

Captain investigated the offered hand and gave Damian a hard stare.  There was a tense moment before Captain gave a snort and walked to Marinette’s side.

“I think you’ve been approved of Damian.” Marinette said surprised. “He usually doesn’t like a lot of people; really it’s just me and my parents.”

“A high honor then, I will do my best not to waste it.” Damian stated. “I would hate to ruin my chance at talking to a beautiful lady such as you.”

The blush returned to Marinette’s face.

“T-Thank you, but I’m not much.”

Damian just smirked at her, making her blush more.  Damian was going to say something when he noticed Titus sniffing at Captain’s Bandana. Marinette knew he was smelling Trixx.

“That is a very well made, where did you get this Marinette?” Damian asked.

“I made it myself; I couldn’t find anything in the stores that I liked.”

“Really?  Might I commission you to make one for Titus?”

“You can, but I don’t have a lot of my sewing supplies with me in Gotham, so it could take some time.”

“Where are visiting from Marinette?”

“I’m visiting with my class from Paris; we’re here mainly to see Wayne Enterprise.”  Marinette clarified.

“And they let you bring your dog?” Damian asked.

“They didn’t ‘Let me’.” Marinette looked over at Captain with a mock serious look. “Somehow, someone managed to trick the entire airport and sneak himself onto the plane.”

Damian gave a snort in amusement.

“Really?!”

“I know it sounds fake, but…”

Damian cut Marinette off.

“No, I believe you; I’ve seen animals be smarter than people before, but this very impressive.  Your classmates must have thought it funny.”

Marinette wilted a bit when Damian mentioned her classmates; he noticed.

“What’s wrong Marinette?”

“You won’t believe me…”

“I’ve been told I very good at telling who’s lying, so please tell me.”

“There’s a girl in my class who doesn’t like me, and she made it sound like I snuck Captain aboard the plane on purpose just to get attention.  I wouldn’t even know where to start on that!”

“It sounds like she’s done more than that Marinette.”

“She has…” Marinette sighed, she then gave a brief explanation to Damian about what was going on; he was not pleased.

“Your classmates are morons; large ones.”

“Yeah, they are.  Hey Damian, do you know much about Wayne Enterprise?” Marinette asked.

“I know enough.”

“Do you think they let Captain in?  I’d hate to leave him at the hotel tell all day.”

“I’m positive they will Marinette, the Wayne family is a very open-minded family.”

“Thank you, Damian,” Marinette smiled, before asking another question. “Do you know any nearby dog friendly restaurants are?”

“Of course, I’d be happy to show you.  Perhaps you would let me join you as well.”

“I’d like that Damian; it would be nice to talk to someone with common sense that isn’t Captain.”

Damian chuckled and held out his arm; which Marinette took, and began to guide her to the closest café their dogs trotting along with them.

While at the café Damian got Marinette to open up a bit more about her classmates; Marinette didn’t know why she did that, she was just comfortable with him.  And if Damian thought her classmates to be morons before, he though them to be outright imbeciles now.

“These people clearly have no brain cells Marinette.”

Marinette smiled at Damian, it was nice to have someone who can listen to reason.

Eventually Marinette and Captain did have to go back to the hotel, not before they exchanged number though.

“Can we do this again tomorrow; my class won’t be spending all day at Wayne Enterprise.” Marinette asked just before she left; surprising herself at her boldness.

Damian didn’t seem to have an issue with her request though.

“You took the request right out of my mouth Angel.”

“A-Angel?” Marinette stuttered.

“Certainly, you’ve shown your class kindness and patience when they don’t deserve it or you, so yes Angel; unless it makes you uncomfortable Marinette.”

“It’s fine Damian, just please; never call me Princess.” Marinette pleaded.

Damian clearly wanted to ask why but left it alone.

“Of course, Marinette; I will respect your wishes.” Damian nodded his head. “Now will you allow myself and Titus to walk yourself and Captain back to your hotel?”

“Sure Damian.”

The walk was made up of Marinette asking what Damian wanted the Bandana for Titus to look like.  Once they reached the hotel they said their goodbyes.

“It was wonderful meeting Damian, you too Titus.”  Marinette said.

“You as well Marinette, Captain.” Damian waved goodbye.

 The next morning:

Marinette, Captain and the class set off for Wayne Enterprise, Lila being Lie-le the entire time on the bus.

“The Wayne family just loves me; they always try and make sure I’m alright.” Lila boasted.

“Wow Lila, do you think you could introduce me?  I’d love to have an interview!” Alya questioned.

“Maybe Alya, they are a very busy family after all; we probably won’t even see them.” Lila redirected.

“Aww, that’s too bad.” Alya was disappointed.

Marinette, keeping a hand on Captain, resisted the urge to roll her eyes.  Last night before going to sleep, Marinette looked up the Wayne family; ignoring all the pictures she didn’t care about those and found many things. Like, if Alya wanted an interview she could just request one, yeah there would be some restrictions but Alya doesn’t care for doing her own research.

Adrien just kept quiet, just as always.

The class reached Wayne Enterprise; Marinette and Captain at the back of the group and were greeted by a surprise in the lobby.

“Hi everyone, I’m Dick Grayson and I’ll be the one giving you the tour around the building.”

The entire air shifted; Alya was ecstatic, Lila could get her an interview right away!  Lila was terrified, because this could go very south on her and she had no back up plans on being called out by one of the people she bragged about.  Marinette was confused, why were people getting excited?

Marinette was never good with icons outside fashion and music, so she didn’t know the Damian she spent time with the day before was the Damian Wayne.   So, when Damian got home he spoke with his family, telling them of a girl in the French tour would likely be using their names for gain.  Nobody liked the idea of being used, so if the topic came up they would shut it down; Damian figured out from Marinette’s descriptions that the topic would come up from one person or another.

Damian theory proved true when Alya; the pushy, rude, ‘always right’, Alya raised her hand.

“Go ahead.” Dick called on her.

“Hi, I’m Alya; I’m friends with your friend Lila Rossi!”

Lila froze at Alya’s exclamation; going very pale.

Dick frowned, now knowing who the liar in the group was; but was inwardly smirking at the chance to call them out.

“I’m sorry, but I’ve NEVER met a ‘Lila Rossi’ in my life; whoever that is lied to you.”

Alya looked like her world shattered with that one phrase.

Marinette realized Dick must be an important person Lila lied about; which one Marinette wasn’t sure they all sound the same after a point. Marinette looked over at Alya and saw the devastation on her face; Marinette really hoped her former friend would learn from this and start fact checking.

Marinette started running one her hands through Captain’s fur, the motion keeping her calm; watching more horror appear on her classmate’s faces as Dick continued.

"I hope she didn’t use our name to take advantage of people and she continues like this she will be hit with a lawsuit.”

Lila blanched, a lawsuit would really be bad, but she didn’t know how to backtrack from this lie; she didn’t think a Wayne would be the one conducting the tour.

“Well, now that that’s cleared up we can begin the tour.” Dick said, clapping his hands together.

But in a desperate attempt to get the negative focus off her Lila tried to get Marinette in trouble.

“Look Marinette brought her dog!  He can’t be here!”

Everyone turned to look at Marinette; Ms. Bustier was quick to say something.

“Marinette why in the world did you bring your dog?!”

“I didn’t want to leave Captain alone in hotel ALL day, what kind of pet owner would I be if I did that Ms. Bustier?  And how did you not see me bring him onto the bus?!”

Ms. Bustier opened her mouth to try and reprimand Marinette more but was cut off by Dick.

“This is perfectly fine Ms. Bustier; we were warned ahead of time that due to some strange events, there would be a dog in the group today.”

Ms. Bustier could only nod, not being able to argue with Dick, But Lila was outraged by this turn of events.

“Who could have possibly warned you about her dog?!”

Marinette; as much as she didn’t like Lila had to admit, that was a good question.

“I did.” Came a voice off from the side.

“Hey, Damian.” Dick greeted.

“Hello Grayson,” Damian nodded, before approaching Marinette; Titus at his side. “Hello again Marinette, Captain.”

“Damian! Titus!  I hadn’t thought you might work here!” Marinette said, “Which is silly looking back now, because you knew if Captain would allowed or not.”

“It’s fine Marinette.” Damian smiled at the sweet girl.

“Oh, hold on!  I was going to give this to you later, but since you’re here now.” Marinette said as she rummaged through her bag, pulling out a yellow piece of cloth.  “I managed to find some cloth and made Titus a Bandana, it’s nothing fancy but I wanted to see if he even liked it first.”

The Bandana was yellow with black thread spelling out ‘Titus’ in cursive.

“Its wonderful Marinette.”

“Thank you, Damian, can I put it on Titus now to see if he likes it?”

“Certainly.”

Marinette bent down to carefully tie it to Titus; who was holding still for her.

“There.” Marinette stood up.

Titus was then bouncing around her and Captain, braking and wagging his tail in happiness.  Making Damian and Marinette laugh, as Titus did his best to get Captain to play with him.

While they were in their own little world the people around them watched in awe; Damian Wayne could smile, he could laugh!

Dick was grinning ear to ear, being very thankful the lobby had cameras or else there would be no proof of this happening.  

Alya could decide between being hurt or confused; hurt by Lila’s lies or confused by the fact Marinette knew THE Damian Wayne.

Adrien was concerned; this was just going to cause more problems, why couldn’t Marinette just stay low?

Lila was seething, how is it that when she finally won over the class of idiots and turns them against Marinette, Marinette goes and somehow charms one of the riches and coldest people in the world!  This could not continue.  Lila slipped away; unknowingly catching Dick’s eye.

The rest of the class was just in awe of the sweet atmosphere around the two.

That atmosphere was broken when the sound of screaming and breaking began, a giant form comes busting into the lobby.

“Hello everyone, I am Arachnae and with no Ladybug or Chat Noir around, you all will be nothing but flies in my beautiful web.”

Arachnae was a human torso on a spider’s body, her entire form was covered in bright orange fuzz; head to the tip of each spidery leg.  The form was also very clearly Lila; she had her face and hair and the necklace she always wore, but the one thing different about Lila’s is that she now had 8 eyes.

Dick was the first to react.

“What the %&$@!”

Arachnae let out a hiss and shot webs from her hands; the strands aimed mostly at the class and Marinette.  The people that got hit were turned into little soulless puppets for Arachnae to play with and amuse herself.

Marinette jumped to dodge the web, hitting the ground running; looking for a place to hide, Captain at her side.

“Marinette!”

When Marinette dodged she threw herself away from Damian, causing him to worry, but his yell brought Arachnae’s attention to them.

“Ah yes Marinette, when I catch you I’m going to make you miserable!  And your little dog too!”

Arachnae charged at Marinette.

“Damian run!  She’s focused on me, go get help!” Marinette yelled, before she and Captain took off.

The chase began, with Arachnae destroying anything that got in her path.  As she ran Marinette began looking for a place to transform, counting on Captain to guild her around Arachnae’s attacks.  Eventually Arachnae ends up bringing the ceiling down and blocked herself from Marinette and Captain.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” Arachnae screamed in rage. “FINE, I’LL JUST PLAY WITH MY NEW TOYS UNTIL YOU COME BACK! I KNOW YOU WILL YOU USELESS GIRL!”

Marinette looked around for a place without cameras and spotted a closet.

“This will have to do Captain.” Marinette said to Captain, as she closed them both inside. “Tikki? Trixx?”

“Ready!” They chimed together, flying from their hiding spots.

“Alright, now; Tikki Spots On!”

*Bark!*

With a flash of light Ladybug and Hunter were ready.  Looking around she saw some vents she and Hunter could crawl though, so the cameras didn’t see her.

 In the Lobby:

Arachnae had gotten most of the people in the lobby, except for three; Dick Grayson, Damian Wayne, and Adrien, her biggest targets outside Marinette.

“Just surrender to me, it would make this all so much easier!” Arachnae hissed at the boys, sending more webs and puppet people at them.

Dick and Damian had managed to dodge webs, puppets and Arachnae; Adrien was hiding behind a plant behind Arachnae, but they were also trapped in the lobby and running out of options.  Titus was running around, unable to get to Damian and Dick.

*Bark, Bark, Bark*

“Shut up, you dumb mutt!” Arachnae hissed, raising one spider leg bring it down on Titus.

“Titus!” Damian yelled.

Just as the Arachnae’s leg was about to hit a string from a ceiling vent wrapped around it and pulled. Arachnae was pulled with such force she toppled over, and two figures fell out of the vents.

“I don’t know how you got Akumatized outside of Paris, but that doesn’t mean you’ll win.”

“Ladybug.” Arachnae snarled.

“What?  Not happy to see me?”

Arachnae gave a war cry and launch herself at the duo.  Ladybug and Hunter jumped out of the way, Ladybug in the opposite direction of the people, Hunter grabbing Titus and bring him over to Damian and Dick. After dropping Titus off Hunter went back to Ladybug’s side; who was dodging Arachnae’s webs and people puppets, and bit one of Arachnae’s spider legs.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH” Arachnae let loose a scream of pain, she turned to Hunter. “You God awful waste of space!”

While facing Hunter, Arachnae left herself for a hit; but the hit wasn’t from Ladybug.  A small black blur cut Arachnae across the arm.

Arachnae hissed at the contact, as Batman dropped down from another vent in the ceiling.

“Batman?!  What are you doing here!” Arachnae growled.

“Really Lila?!  We’re I Gotham, you’re causing trouble and you expect Batman not to show up?” Ladybug’s exasperated voice came.

“Shut-up! And it’s Arachnae!” Arachnae snarled, clearly humiliated.

Batman threw a few more baterangs that exploded into smoke bombs and ran over to Ladybug and Hunter.

“What’s going on?” Batman asked.

“That is Lila, she has been akumatized,” Ladybug started. “Not sure how outside Paris, but that’s worry for later, but we need to find the akumatized object and break it.  That will make her lose any power she has.”

“What’s the object?”

“The only thing it could be is the necklace, everything else is just orange fuzz, but getting close to her is dangerous.  If you get hit by her web, you’ll become her puppet and I rather not fight you Batman.”

“What are your names?”

“I’m Ladybug and this is my partner Hunter.”

*Woof*

The smoke was beginning to clear from Arachnae’s face.

“We better hurry before she…”

Ladybug was cut off by a voice.

“Don’t worry Milady I’ll help you!” Chat yelled, while trying to jump in, only to get hit by on of Arachnae’s webs.

“Not again Chat!” Ladybug cried.

“Does that happen often?” Batman asked, disappointed.

“More than I’ll ever truly admit to” Muttered Ladybug.

“Oh, this perfect! Or should I say purrfect?” Arachnae jeered, as Chat puppet now dangled at the end of her web.

Batman tried to cut the web by throwing some baterangs at it, but they just bounced off.  Arachnae then sent a swarm of people puppets at them. Ladybug then had an idea.

“Batman, I need you to throw more smoke bombs.”

He did as he was instructed.

“Hunter!” Ladybug called out.

Hunter let loose a howl.

Once Hunter’s howl was done Ladybug grabbed Batman and ran behind a pillar.  Once the smoke was cleared Batman carefully looked around the pillar and was stunned when he saw the figures of himself, Ladybug and hunter were still there; Moving, talking and just outright distracting Arachnae.

“How?” Batman was blunt in his question.

“Hunter can cast an illusion, but he can only cast it once before he’s on a time limit.” Ladybug explained.

“And you?”

“This; Lucky Charm!” Ladybug through her Yo-yo in the air and what came down was a bottle of peppermint extract.

Batman gave Ladybug a confused look.

“Lucky Charm only gives me what I need, not what I want.” Ladybug clarified looking around and spotted the sprinklers in the ceiling. “I have an idea; do you think you can cut the necklace off of her neck?”

“Yes.” Batman replied, catching on to her idea.

Arachnae just managed to destroy the illusion; disappearing in a puff of smoke, when Hunter and Batman dropped in front of her.

“Why won’t you do things MY way!” Arachnae screamed.

“Because your way is wrong.” Batman stated, throwing baterangs at her.

Hunter jumped at her spidery legs, barking and biting at them; because he was under her she couldn’t shoot webs at him, but his biting allowed enough distraction for Batman to try and target the necklace.

As the three battled, Ladybug made her way up to the sprinkler system; carefully hooking up the bottle.  Once it was secured Ladybug dropped to the floor and pulled the nearest fire alarm; causing the sprinkler system to go off.

Since Lila was currently part spider, and spiders don’t like peppermint, she started to scream and curl herself into a ball.

Batman saw the opening and accomplished cutting off the necklace; which Hunter caught and brought over to Ladybug.  

Ladybug broke the necklace and release the akuma, catching it with her Yo-yo and cleansing it.

“Bye, Bye butterfly.”

After she was done cleansing the butterfly, Ladybug turned to Hunter and held out her fist.

“Pound it.”

Hunter bumped his nose against her fist

As Lady was cleansing the akuma, and ‘Pounding it’ with Hunter, Batman turned off the sprinklers a brought back the Luck Charm.

“I’m sorry for the trouble.” Ladybug said taking the charm. “I really don’t understand how she did this.”

“Gotham’s use to damage.”

“It doesn’t make it okay, but don’t worry I have something for it.” Ladybug smiled, “Miraculous Ladybug!” Ladybug tossed the bottle in the air and it exploded into thousands of little sparkly pink ladybugs.

The ladybugs swarmed over everything, reversing all the damage, turning people back to normal and healing any injuries.

The barricade Dick, Damian and Titus were behind was cleaned up and put away, leaving two stunned people and a very happy dog; Titus bounced over to Hunter to say Hi.

“Holy Sh*t! How!?” Dick asked looking around.

“Magic!” Ladybug chirped.

A groan caught Ladybug’s attention; it was Lila.  Ladybug made her way over to her.

“So, here we are again Lila.” Ladybug said in a scolding tone.

Lila tried desperately to come up with an excuse.

“It wasn’t my Fault Ladybug! Hawkmoth…”

Ladybug cut her off.

“Hawkmoth doesn’t have the power to akumatize someone in another country, let alone one across an ocean, or he would have been doing it from the start.  Now how did you get akumatized Lila.”

“You can’t prove anything!” Lila tried.

“I can.” Batman said, pulling up some security feed on his computer gauntlet, he projected it for all to see.

The video was of Lila slipping into a hallway, clearly trying not to be seen by people, and when she was done double checking her surroundings; she pulled a little glass jar out of her bag.  That jar contained a purple butterfly.  Lila then opened the jar and let the akuma to fuse with her necklace; creating Arachnae.

The people from Paris gasped.

“I-it isn’t what it looks like…” Lila began.

“Really, because to me this looks like you are either helping a known terrorist or wanted the destructive power at your disposal for whenever you felt necessary.” Ladybug was disgusted, turned to Batman. “Gotham, America in general, are not my territory; how do you want to handle this?”

“The young lady is clearly a threat to people and has purposely tried to harm them; she will be facing justice.” Batman said pulling out a pair of hand cuffs.

“What?...No!  YOU CAN’T!  I’M THE DAUGHTER OF A DIPLOMAT! TWO OF THEM!” Lila tried to fight Batman off, but without the power of the akuma she had no chance.

Around this time the GPD showed up, Batman gave them a quick run down about what happened, and they took Lila away; Batman would be dropping by later with the evidence.  A few stayed behind to take statements.

A frantic beeping was heard.

“I’m sorry Batman; Hunter and I have to return to Paris, out time is almost up.”

“Before you go can you tell how you got here?”

“The horse miraculous can teleport,” Even more beeping, “Thank you for your help Batman, come on Hunter.”

*Bark*

With that Ladybug and Hunter were gone through the vent they entered, leaving Batman and a disoriented Chat behind.  Batman made his way over to Chat.

“How did you get here?” Batman asked, Chat clearly hadn’t come with Ladybug, so he needed to know.

“Uhhh…Got to go!” Chat just ran off.

Batman knew he was just going revert to civilian state somewhere in the building, he’ll look at the security feed later.

“Damian!” Marinette busted into the new repaired lobby with Captain right beside her.

“Marinette!” Damian yelled running over to her “Are you alright?”

“I should be asking you that!  You were the one trapped with her!”

Batman was shocked to see Damian be sweet with a girl, with anyone really, and subtlety glance at Dick. Dick smiled and mouthed ‘Future girlfriend’ to him.

As Damian and Marinette were connecting, Batman noticed a blond boy run into the lobby; from the same hallway Chat ran down.

“Marinette, what were you thinking?” the blond asked running over to her and Damian, interrupting them.

Just as Adrien was about to reach her Captain stepped in front of her in a protective stance; Titus joined him, causing him to stop short.

“Adrien, what are you talking about?” Marinatte asked, standing behind her furry guards.  Damian wrapping his arm around her for comfort.

“You caused Lila to be akumatized!”

“What!  No, I/she didn’t!” Marinette and Damian yelled.

“Yes, she did, if Marinette has just stayed low none of this would have happened.” Adrien insisted.

Batman intervened before Damian could break the boys jaw.

“Young man we have proof that Lila Rossi voluntarily did the ‘akumatization’ to herself.  This young lady had nothing to do with it.”

“B-But Batman; if Marinette hadn’t exposed Lila…” Adrien began, only to be cut off by Dick.

“Hey kid, I’m the one who called out that liar and are you insinuating that you KNEW that she was lying to her classmates?”

“W-Well she wasn’t hurting anyone.”

“Kid you need a lesson on toxic people; BADLY.” Dick shook his head at Adrien.

Adrien was about to say something when he felt a hand on his shoulder; he turned, it was Batman.

“Please return to your class, the police will take your statement.”

“What about Marinette?” Adrien tried, wanting the girl to came back with him and away from Damian and his dog; not that Captain would let him get close.

“I’ll be the one taking her statement, now please return to your class.” Batman stood firm in this.

“I’ll take him back Batman.” Dick offered, grabbing Adrien’s shoulder.

So Adrien shuffled away; being lead by Dick, continuedly glancing over his should at the group.

“Is this normal behaviour for him Angel?” Damian asked.

“When I don’t do what he wants, yes.” Marinette confirmed.

Damian made a face at her answer, but before they could farther into that talk Batman had a question.

“Miss can you tell me more about these ‘Akuma’ and what happened with Ms. Rossi.”

“Sure.” Marinette sighed, “But you’re going to need some back story as well.”

Batman nodded his assent and Marinette gave the entire rundown about what is happening in Paris and the amount of rolls Lila played as an Akuma.  When she was done Marinette was out of breath but looked like the world had been removed from her shoulders.  Damian had pulled her closer as she spoke, and Captain and Titus were trying to cuddle up to her.

There was a beat of silence before Batman spoke.

“I’m sorry, I don’t know how the League missed what was happening.”

“It’s fine Batman, I know the League would never let us flounder if they knew what was going on.” Marinette assured, “Honestly I think magic had something to do with that, but I’m not sure WHY the mayor didn’t contact you.”

“It will be investigated, thank you for your time.” Batman then walked off to talk to an officer.

Once he was gone Damian turned to Marinette; who was still in his arms.

“Are you sure you’re alright Angel?”

“I’m fine Damian, I promise, Captain and I hid in a closet.  Thank you for staying with me though, talking about akums and Lila just takes a lot out of me.”

“Consider what you told me yesterday and what you just told Batman, I think it’s a miracle that you were akumatized yourself.”

“I work hard not to be, but I should be allowed to feel bad without Hawkmoth trying to take advantage of me.” Marinette sighed.

A commotion of noise grabbed their attention, it was Marinette’s class; they were arguing amongst themselves.

“I really don’t wat to go back over there; that looks like pure drama.” Marinette groaned.

“Drama that could have been avoided if they had any common sense.” Damian commented, “Since you don’t wish to rejoin your class, and you’ve already given you statement, would you and Captain like to join Titus and I for lunch again?  We’ll still be in the building and I’ll let Grayson know what’s going on.”

“That sounds wonderful Damian.”

Captain gave a small tail wag and Titus was just happy to spend more time with Marinette and Captain.

“Then it is agreed.” Damian said, sending off a text to Dick and then holding out his arm to Marinette. “Shall we?”

Marinette giggled and took the arm.

“We shall.”

Damian began to lead Marinette and the dogs to the cafeteria.

“I hope the Wayne family isn’t too mad at the problems my class caused.” Marinette commented, making Damian freeze in his tracks.

“Damian?”

“Angel I should let you know; because I would hate you to think I lied to you, but I am Damian WAYNE son of Bruce Wayne.”

“Oh.” Marinette blinked, “Well I hope you and your family aren’t too mad at my class.”

Damian’s was stunned, Marinette saw the look.

“Damian, clearly your family is important, but that doesn’t matter to me; what matters is that you are a good person.  I’ve met other kids from important families, but they were terrible, and I wanted nothing to do with them.  You’ve already proven to be a great person and that’s all I need.”

Damian gave a soft smile.

“Thank you, Angel, you truly are treasure.”

“So, your family won’t be mad?” Marinette asked.

“Nope, Gotham sees more damage than any other place in America, so the problems Rossi caused wouldn’t raise any more attention.” Damian explained. “The fact is was repaired by a hero from Paris will actually draw more attention.”

“Oh.”

“Indeed, now shall we continue to lunch Angel?”

“Definitely.”

So, arm in arm Damian and Marinette went to lunch; Captain and Titus trotting along with them.

 End.

That was Dogs are a Ladybug’s best friend.

 Also

 Extra:

The Day after the Akuma attack:

Wayne Enterprise Employee - *Crying*

Bruce - *Very concerned* What’s wrong?!

WEE - *Still crying* N-Nothing.

Bruce – But you’re crying.

WEE- *Crying* I’m happy!

Bruce – Happy?

WEE - *Crying* Ladybug fixed everything!

Bruce - *Warry* Yes…

WEE - *Crying harder* We don’t need to redo all the paper work!  Or do the added paper work for the repairs!

Other Employees nearby - *Start crying in happiness as well* No extra paper work!

Bruce - *Has no idea how to respond*…

 Extra 2:

Before the trip to Gotham:

Alya – *On her phone* Ooooo a new interview with Ladybug

Alya clicks on the link

Interviewer – So Ladybug who is the new fox?

Alya - *Screaming* NEW FOX!

Ladybug – This is Hunter, he is the new and permanent fox.

Alya – PERMANENT?!

Interviewer – May ask what happen to the old fox?

Ladybug – You can ask, but I won’t give you an answer; I won’t let you take what happened and turn it into a hot topic.

Interviewer – I see…What can you tell us.

Ladybug – Hunter is my trusted partner, don’t be afraid he’s here to help you and me.  Please give him the same respect you would gave me.

Interviewer – Of course!  There has also been a talk about you and Hunter doing a ‘Pound it’ is it true?

Ladybug – This is true, would you like to see?

Interviewer – Yes!

Ladybug – Hunter!

Hunter - *Bark*

Alya – A DOG!!!!! I’VE BEEN REPLACED BY A DOG!!!!!

Ladybug - *Holding out her fist* Pound it!

Hunter - *Bumps nose against Ladybug’s fist*

Interviewer – Awwwwwwwwwww.

Ladybug - *Smiling* I’m sorry, but hunter and I have to go.

Interviewer - *Nodding their head* Thank you for your time Ladybug, Hunter.

Ladybug and Hunter leave.

Interviewer - *Facing the camera* Well there you have folks, we have a new fox!

Alya couldn’t watch the rest of the interview.

Alya – AAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG

 Extra 3:

Wayne House hold:

They were sitting down to dinner.

Bruce – So, Damian.

Damian – Yes Father.

Bruce – When will you be bringing Marinette over for dinner?

Damian - *Chokes on food* F-Father?!

Dick – Yeah little D, we need to meet your girlfriend properly!

Damian – Grayson!

Jason/Tim – GIRLFRIEND?????

Damian - *Turning red* She’s not my girlfriend!

Bruce - *Smiling* But you called her ‘Angel’.

Damian – FATHER!!!

Tim – When did this happen?!

Jason – What the h*ll did we miss?!

 Extra 4:

Batcave:

Bruce - *Looking at the security footage*

Damian – Father, what are you looking at?

Bruce – Take a look.

Damian sees the blonde boy (Adrien, if he recalled) hiding behind a plant arguing with the air, before he was surrounded by a green light and reappeared as Chat.

Damian - *Not impressed* So he’s a failure on all fronts.

Bruce – So it seems.

 Extra 5:

Adrien Hiding behind the plant when the Attack was going on:

Adrien – *Whispering* Plagg we need to do something!

Plagg – How do you plain on explaining how ‘Chat’ got here?

Adrien – No ones going to ask that.

Plagg – Yes, they will!

Adrien – No, they won’t.

Plagg – Your class may not, but there are others here that have more than one brain cell!

Adrien – Plagg! That was rude!

Ladybug and Hunter show up.

Adrien – *Dreamy sigh* Ladybug…

Plagg – And her PARTNER Hunter.

Adrien - *Not paying attention* Plagg I need to transform.

Plagg – Are you nuts! You can’t transform here!  People will see!

Adrien - *Still paying more attention to Ladybug* Alright Plagg let’s do this…

Plagg - *Beyond frustrated* Kid!

Adrien – Plagg; Claws out!

Plagg - *Is done and wants a new holder*

[nobodyfamousposts]

Miraculous Death Note

Now before I begin, the only real thing carrying over from Death Note is the Death Note itself.

Oh. And it’s going to be kind of dark. Which is a given, considering it DOES involve a Death Note.

DARKNESS LIES BEYOND THIS POINT!

It turns out that at some point shortly before the whole “Hawk Moth” conflict, Plagg got a little petty at one point. Maybe he was jealous of all the attention Tikki was getting. Maybe he was annoyed with her attitude? Maybe they got into an argument and someone threw out an off-handed comment that Plagg can’t actually create anything except chaos and destruction?

To which Plagg replies: “WATCH ME!”

And thus Plagg, the kwami of destruction and bad luck managed to actually create something.

His creation just happened to be a Death Note. Which is naturally a source of chaos and destruction.

“Oops.”

He would never hear the end of it from Tikki or the others if they found out, so Plagg took it upon himself to quietly get rid of the cursed item.

But it’s Plagg, so he just sort of looks around briefly for anything that stands out before seeing a nearby river. He figures that’s about as good a place as any to ditch it. After all, the book is useless if it gets wet, right?

Now to be fair, it was a good idea. In theory. There were just a few minor details Plagg failed to take into account.

For one, they are already in Paris by this point, so the “river” in question happens to be the Seine. Which is a fairly popular and thus populated area.

For another, Plagg just dropped the Death Note from a height and flew off without checking to see where exactly the book landed.

In any other universe, the Death Note WOULD have landed in the Seine so this would all be a non-issue and thus much less interesting. But in THIS particular universe, a rather unlucky burst of wind hit at the right time and from the right direction just enough to send the Death Note landing on concrete instead of water.

“What’s this?”

And in front of an as of yet unaware soon to be owner of what might very well be the most dangerous artifact the world may never know.

Luka Couffaine was a normal teen. And an all around good guy. Certainly not someone with a god complex like another certain someone we could mention. Or two. Or three, if you count Kira.

As such, given that he is most certainly NOT a complete monster, when Luka found the Death Note and read through the rules, he did the relatively smart thing and promptly decided he was NOT messing with that. Nope. Not even going to test it “just to be sure”.

Of course, the word “relatively” is used because he doesn’t outright throw it in the Seine. To be fair, he wasn’t sure it could be destroyed and he was rather worried about what might happen if he should try. All the same, he wasn’t about to see it be used and possibly cause harm, even if by accident.

So instead, he put the thing in a box and hid it in his room, fully intent on ignoring its existence until he could find a more permanent place to hide it where it would never be used.

...that wasn’t to say he wasn’t tempted at times, though.

Like say, finding out his sister had been locked in a bathroom and cheated out of her place in her class picture because of a certain bully.

Or learning that said bully stole a Miraculous and almost crashed a train in order to show off.

Or dealing with his father in a more permanent fashion in case he ever tries to show his sorry face again.

Then there was this new girl who appeared. Lila Rossi.

He knew she was lying. Manipulating and enthralling everyone around her, including his own sister.

But every time, he held back. Always reminding himself of what was right or wrong. And in each instance, he always felt he made the right choice not to act, regardless of whether or not the Death Note would actually work.

The closest he had ever come to fully WANTING to use it was during the whole scandal with Bob Roth. Seeing XY taking credit for his music was bad enough. Seeing them also steal Marinette’s designs was somehow worse. But it was threatening her that made him see red and changed the melodies in his life into a discordant screech.

It was fortunate, perhaps, that he had been akumatized at that time. And it had all worked out, with everyone safe and the truth made known. He had even been able to confess his feelings to Marinette, something he had been wanting to do.

And he told himself that this was proof that things could work out. It was a sign that no Death Note was necessary. And furthermore that it should never be used.

...Then Miracle Queen happened.

That brat of a mayor’s daughter betrayed everyone. She agreed to help the madman terrorizing their city and willingly took on an akuma. She took control of everyone in the city, including himself. He only hoped Marinette had been spared, as what Miracle Queen had inflicted on him was not something he ever wanted her to have to experience.

But the worst part? Despite the chances Ladybug had given her, she had turned her back on the hero for her own selfish gain. And furthermore, she revealed every single Miraculous user Ladybug had ever called on for aid, forced them to fight for her, and had nearly gotten people killed. All for the sake of her own ego.

And not once had she shown any remorse.

He was angry, certainly.

He was tempted, yes.

And given how things turned out all right with Ladybug and Chat Noir winning in the end, he could very well have let it go just as he had with every other instance.

Except...

There was Marinette, breaking down in front of him. Looking lost and oh so pained by burdens she couldn’t share.

Except...

There was Marinette, sad and grieving after the events of that day, but unable to talk to him or anyone else about it.

Except...

There was Marinette, who right before his eyes disappeared in a burst of pink light only to be replaced with none other than Ladybug.

The hero of Paris who had put herself on the line for them all.

Who was so burdened by her role and responsibilities.

Who had lost what little support she’d had and now felt truly alone.

Marinette. Who was Ladybug. Who was Marinette. Who he loved.

Who was suffering because of that damn brat!

It was enough to break even the greatest of patience.

She betrayed everyone, he thought as he went to his room.

She stole the Miraculous twice, he thought as he reached his bed.

She’d created more akumas than any other person, he thought as he pulled out a simple-looking shoebox.

She willingly let herself be akumatized and tried to do it again, he thought as he opened the box.

She agreed to work with the one terrorizing the city, he thought as he took out the precious artifact inside.

She revealed the other Miraculous users and forced them to do her bidding, he thought as he took the book to his desk.

She had been tormenting everyone for years, he thought as he opened the book.

She hurt his sister, he thought as he grabbed a pen.

She hurt Marinette, he thought as he placed the pen to paper, marring the once clear and pristine page.

Honestly, he would be doing the world a favor.

She deserved this. If there was any justice...if ever he needed justification, surely this was more than enough.

And it would be for the best...it would be better for everyone...

...wouldn’t it?

He paused.

Could he really do this?

Real or not...could he live with himself if he actually tried this?

...

A single thought formed.

She made him hurt Marinette.

Within seconds, the first name was written in the book.

CHLOE BOURGEOIS

Little bumble bee, little bumble bee

Buzzing around, causing such a buzz

Let's see you be crushed by your dreams

He releases a breath, feeling a strange sense of relief.

Of course nothing happens.

Of course it was just a normal book.

Of course it doesn’t actually kill people.

Of course...

But at the very least, Luka no longer felt the rage.

He was still upset with Chloe, certainly. She was a vile person who had done horrible things. Hurt the city. Hurt Marinette. Time and time again. And despite all the second chances she had been offered and all the people who truly tried to help her, even defend her...even as she only hurt them in return.

It was such a waste.

At the very least, he’d gotten the feelings out and avoided being made into an akuma himself. It was too dangerous, especially with Hawk Moth being aware of his identity and even moreso with what he now knew about Ladybug.

About Marinette...

It was just a normal book. Nothing more. His writing a name and method of death hadn’t done anything. It just allowed him to vent and work out the stress. That was all, and that was even enough. But perhaps he should stick to music from here on out though.

Because a book couldn’t kill people. That was just silly.

And when Luka learned a few days later that Chloe Bourgeois suddenly died when that stupid bee signal of hers was to be replaced with a fancier version by her demand, and that new one accidentally fell on her?

Surely it was just coincidence.

[rosethornewrites]

Fic: Catch a Falling Star

Relationship: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug

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

Tags: Mentioned Alya Césaire and Nino Lahiffe, Mentioned Lila Rossi, Crushes, loss of friendship, Balcony Trope, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, ml salt, Mentioned Juleka Couffaine, Naive Adrien Agreste, Lila Rossi salt, Crying, Revelations, Marinette Dupain-Cheng Needs a Hug, Hugs

Summary: Adrien has been worried about Marinette, as she slowly walls herself off at school. He decides to pay her a visit as Chat to find out what's wrong, and learns more than he's bargained for. Set the night before the events of the s3 episode Ladybug. Spoilers for that and Kwamibuster.

Notes: This was my first Miraculous Ladybug fic, written back in October. Might be a bit derivative but I couldn’t get it out of my head. The song “Catch a Falling Star” was stuck in my head while writing and had an impact on the fic. I don't normally write in third person present tense, but I kept lapsing into it and gave up.

AO3 link

Part of the Catch a Falling Star series

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Chat is always a bit torn on how he feels on nights he patrols alone. On the one hand, he is bereft of Ladybug. On the other, it gives him time to visit a certain bakers’ daughter for talking and treats—which he desperately needs given he is burning off far more calories than he is taking in; model diets are awful. He likes their discussions, how open she is with him as Chat rather than Adrien.

Tonight, though, he’s a little worried, which is another reason he's stopping by. Adrien has noticed Marinette isn’t her bubbly self lately. She seems to go through the day almost slouched, too subdued. The warmth she usually shares with the world is just… gone. It had slowly leeched away.

She’s curled on a lawn chaise, wrapped in a blanket with her head against her knees when he lands. And when she looks up at the sound, he realizes she’s crying. Not just a little, either, her face red, eyes puffy, their light dull.

“Princess...?”

Chat is too shocked to move. He’s never seen her like this, or anywhere close to this. She has always been so strong, someone who carries everyone around her when they need a hand. He hadn’t thought she could break like this.

Marinette wipes at her eyes with a sleeve and attempts a smile that’s barely a shade of her usual brightness. Even that fades too quickly.

“I’m s-sorry, Chat… I…” She’s silent for a moment, her lower lip quivering. “I’m not g-good company tonight.”

The despair in her voice unfreezes him, and he quickly settles beside her.

“What’s wrong, Princess?” He settles an arm around her, pulling her close.

She lets out a hiccuping sob, hiding her face against her knees again. “I c-can’t do it anymore. I can’t k-keep being strong.”

Chat rubs her back in slow circles, hoping to soothe her. “What happened?”

Marinette shakes her head. “I d-don’t want to b-bother you with stupid collège drama, kitty.”

Collège drama, meaning something at school. What has Adrien missed? He tries to think of how he might get her to share, then remembers her genius as the adorable Mouse Miraculous holder.

“It’s hurting Multimouse. Superhero business.”

She peers up at him, not looking too impressed. “Former. Remember? I messed that up, too.”

“But you were amazing, and you deserve better than what’s making you cry.” Chat’s brain takes a moment to catch up with her sentence. “What do you mean, ‘too’? Don’t people call you their everyday Ladybug?”

“Not anymore.” It’s barely a whisper. “I’m jealous, petty, and a bully.”

Chat cups her cheek gently, careful with his claws, tilting her face until she’s looking at him. “You? Never.”

She avoids his gaze.

“Princess, if I hadn’t seen you as Multimouse, I’d be convinced you were my Lady!”

Marinette actually huffs at that. “Not likely. I’m just boring old Marinette.”

“You are anything but boring.”

She just shrugs, despondent. It’s as though all the fight has gone out of her. She’s gone from Marinette to a marionette, and he has to find out why.

“Who made you feel this way?” Chat wants to yeet whoever it was into the next decade.

A ghost of determination crosses her face, and she leans away. “It’s not important, kitty. It’s not like it’s an Akuma.”

Chat leans with her. “But you could be Akumatized. And honestly, Princess, that’s terrifying. I think you could beat Ladybug and me--you’re creative and smart enough to. And I don’t want to fight you.”

“I’ve fought them off,” she murmurs.

His jaw drops. “You’ve… They’ve come for you?”

Aside from himself, Marinette is the only one in their class who hadn’t been Akumatized. He expected her to laugh at the idea, but… he’s absolutely serious about the idea being terrifying.

She pulls her limbs around her tighter, making herself smaller. “A few times.”

Few meant more than once, more than twice. He draws in a sharp breath, horrified. “Princess…”

“They go away if you remember you’re not helpless.” She looks up at him suddenly, her eyes wide. “Ladybug told me.”

“I don’t want them coming for you at all,” Chat tells her firmly.

Marinette looks away again. “I’m sorry. I’m not as good as you think I am, Chat.”

He pulls her closer as she starts crying again. “You are, but you’re also human. M’Lady is also human, and I’m sure she’s had the same thing.”

Chat immediately hopes she won’t ask if he’s faced it, but what she does say is worse.

“It’s… getting harder to remember I’m not alone. That there are options. I d-don’t know if I can keep—” She breaks off with a sob. “It’s t-too much.”

It might not be the best move, pulling her in his lap and letting her sob against his chest. It might be inappropriate. But if he was as upset as her, he would want the contact, so he risks it, murmuring soft nonsense to her until her sobs turn to soft tears again. It reminds him of holding Ladybug, the few times she’s ever been upset, and he doesn’t want to think about that—he so wished Marinette was her.

“Tell me?” he asks softly. “Letting it out to a friendly ear can help sometimes.”

Chat can feel in her body language when she relents, and he waits for her to gather her thoughts.

“I’m really not a good person,” she starts, and he has to stop himself from interrupting. “A while back, a new girl came to school, and was getting really friendly with someone… someone I liked. I followed them, because I really was jealous.”

Marinette is too kind to give him Lila’s name, but of course he knows it anyway. She sniffles, leaning her head against Chat’s chest, and he winds up learning how his father’s book disappeared—Lila had stolen it and thrown it in the trash—and Marinette had fished it out and even taken the blame when returning it to his father. She had even seen Ladybug confront the liar.

He hadn’t known she had done that for him, or that she had seen Ladybug yell at Lila for lying. Chat rubs her shoulder. “Why didn’t you tell him the truth?”

Marinette snorts. “That convoluted mess? He probably wouldn’t’ve believed me, and then A— that boy would be stuck at home instead of in school. He’s stuck like that enough already.” She shakes her head. “I just wanted him to be happy.”

He learns she knows about Lila’s Volpina Akumazation—and that she heard it happened again on Heroes Day. And her relief at the girl’s disappearance, even if it meant occasionally she Skyped and lied about where she was.

When Marinette falls silent, Chat pulls away slightly. “Princess?”

She curls in on herself again. “When she came back, she pretended to have disabilities. So Nino—another friend—gave her his seat at the front. But then he took my seat, and so everyone changed seats. But I guess no one wanted to sit next to me, no one cared where I’d want to sit. I wound up in the back. Away from my friends. Like I wasn’t important.”

Her voice is steadily getting softer, and Chat’s glad for his enhanced hearing. She tells him of the class turning on her when she asked why she was in the back, like she doubted Lila’s disability, her best friend accusing her of jealousy over a boy. He had the uncomfortable feeling it was over him—his civilian self, at least—regardless of what she had said at the wax museum.

Adrien doesn’t know what to do with that information. He adores Marinette; if not for Ladybug, he knows he would return her crush.

And then she tells him about being threatened in the bathroom. Chat stiffens—she didn’t tell him that before. He recalls his words to her at school, and knows now how wrong they were.

“That’s when I saw the Akuma, and I fought it off, and she became Chameleon.”

She falls silent again, and Chat feels he needs to say something. “So this is that Lila Rossi girl who keeps getting Akumatized.”

Marinette nods. “I don’t know why the Akuma would go after her—she wasn’t upset. She had me where she wanted me. But A— that boy I liked… he said I shouldn’t say anything about her lies anymore. That I should just let her lies reveal her eventually. Otherwise she might get Akumatized.”

“But what about you?” slips from his mouth before he can stop himself. He feels like a heel for giving her that advice without knowing the whole story.

Her lips twist in the sort of bitter smile that he’s used to seeing on Chloé. Not on her. It’s wrong on her.

“That’s what I wondered. I stopped saying anything, though. Because I’m an idiot and I liked him and I thought he had my back. But I wasn’t going to pretend to be friends with her or to believe her. I wind up lying enough—I’m not going to be an accessory to her lies.”

Chat blinks. Is that what he’s been doing? Being Lila’s accessory. “Are you angry with him?”

Marinette seems startled by the question and frowns. He can tell she’s weighing how she feels, considering carefully before she answers.

“I want to be,” she whispers. “It’d be easy. But he’s… naïve about how to deal with bullies. They don’t go away if you ignore them. They just get worse. But how would he know? He’s been homeschooled most his life and his only friend was Chloé Bourgeois, and she’s Queen Bully. And it took me years to stand up to her, so he… I guess he’s kind of the doormat I used to be.”

She falls silent again, and Chat waits for her to continue, considering her words as he does. She’s not wrong—he doesn’t know how to stand up to bullies. He’s only just learned to stand up to Chloé. A little, anyway. The “doormat” comment hurts, though, more than he expected.

“I can tell Lila makes him uncomfortable, touching and hanging on him like she does. Like he’s a possession. His smile is fake when that happens, but he doesn’t stop her.”

“He’s a boy, though. Aren’t guys supposed to like girls touching them?” Chat asks.

Marinette frowns up at him. “Kitty, it’s sexual harassment, any gender. Unwanted touching is actually sexual assault, too, even if it’s a girl doing it to a boy.”

She’s worried about him, he realizes. More than that, he’s never thought he has other options beyond grin and bear it with Lila and other girls. He’s never been told that’s not normal or acceptable behavior. He really is naïve.

Chat is also well aware that he pulled Marinette in his lap without asking. He shifts away from her a bit. “Is this okay, Princess? I didn’t ask, and—”

“Oh, kitty!” Marinette flushes and interrupts him. “You— I mean, you’re not— This isn’t—” She takes a deep breath. “You’re trying to comfort me, as a friend. Not trying to possess me. It’s not… not, um, sexual.”

Chat can feel his face heating, and knows he’s blushing himself.

“There’s a difference. I don’t think he knows that he can say no. He’s so sheltered, Chat. And I can barely talk to him so it’s not like I can help.” She sighs. “And Lila would make it a big thing if I did and I’d look like the bad guy again. I can’t help him when I can’t even help myself.”

Chat winces. He’s been completely unaware of her isolation, and he has no excuse for that. “Does he know that’s happening?”

Marinette shrugs. “I thought he had my back, that all that mattered was that we knew. But Lila started telling lies about me, making me look petty and heartless and cruel, and he hasn’t said anything. My best friend thinks I’m unreasonable and mean because I don’t want to be around Lila. I barely see my friends outside of school anymore.”

Chat is unprepared when her tears start again.

“So I guess she followed through on her threat. Maybe they weren’t really friends in the first place. Maybe they were just using me. Or they only want me when they need me. And only if I’m doing what they want. Only when I’m positive.”

He hugs her close, not sure what to say. He can’t understand why the class would treat her like this; Marinette has bent over backwards for them, always working to help. All Lila’s done is give them pretty stories.

“I wonder if he was ever a friend, or if he was just being polite.”

Chat goes still, horrified that he’s given her that impression as Adrien. But he’s never realized how much self-doubt she has; she hides it from everyone, and no wonder given what’s been happening. And he hasn’t stood up for her. He’s failed her.

“Maybe he thinks I’m annoying and mean and p-petty, too.” A sob breaks through, but she forces herself to keep going. “Maybe I never really saw him at all, just thought his smiles at me were real because I was infatuated with him. M-maybe he thinks I deserve this. Maybe I do.”

“You don’t deserve any of it.” Chat can’t stop the growl in his voice, and he takes a few breaths to calm himself. He’s made her feel this way, and he hates that. “Princess, you deserve so much better.”

She hugs him tightly, sobbing, and he holds her, resolving to change. To work to protect her. To be the friend she deserves but apparently doesn’t have. He let everyone abandon his everyday Ladybug, and now she’s full of self-doubt, a fallen star, because Adrien is inept.

Chat runs his clawed fingers through her hair, something he himself loves, something that comforts him, gently pulling loose the bands that keep it in pigtails, brushing through it. It takes a while, but she slowly calms. The way she’s relaxed against him, she’s close to sleep, but there’s more he wants to ask.

“Have you told your parents all this, Princess?” He’s limited in power, but he imagines her mom on the warpath could get things done.

Marinette shakes her head. “If things get worse, I might ask about… changing schools. Starting fresh.”

The idea chills him—school without Marinette, the very first friend he’d made on his own. He’d already felt the loss with her pulling away and into herself, staying distant and losing her shine. It’s what led to him coming here as Chat.

“You shouldn’t have to do that, Princess.” He realizes his hands have stopped, and he moves them closer to her scalp, brushing the skin.

“I know. But… it’s an option. Something that means I’m not helpless.” Her voice is a sleepy murmur. “Helps me against Akuma, maybe.”

He doesn’t like it, not at all, but it’s better than her being helpless to Hawkmoth. He never imagined she would be at risk of being Akumatized, but maybe he’d placed her on the same pedestal as he had Ladybug.

“What if you talked to that boy you like? Maybe he can help.”

She shakes her head, sinking more deeply against him. It occurs to him that their position together is almost… intimate. But he’s her friend, comforting her. Nothing more.

“I can’t… If he doesn’t believe me, I don’t think I could handle it.”

He wishes he could reassure her, but it runs the risk of revealing his identity. “I could talk to him? Make him see sense? Help him see you?”

“Kitty, don’t worry about it. It’s not worth it.” She sighs again as his hand grazes her ear and moves to the nape of her neck. “I don’t think I feel that way about him anymore. I wasn’t really healthy about it, anyway. I obsessed, I guess. I needed to stop. Maybe this was a wake up call. I’ve had a lot of time to think these past few weeks.”

She’s given up, he realizes. On him—or his civilian self, anyway. He doesn’t expect the tightness in his chest, the sense of loss that creeps through his body like the remnants of waves on a beach. Chat knows he should feel guilty that he’s cheated on his feelings for Ladybug, but he doesn’t. Rather, he’s amazed at the revelation that it’s possible to love more than one person like that at once.

Marinette is nearly asleep in his arms, and though he wants to keep holding her, she’s moved on. It isn’t fair to her for him to cling now just because he’s had a revelation.

“Let’s get you to bed, Princess. Wouldn’t want you to catch cold.”

He picks her up like the princess he sees her as, smiling as she loops her arms around his neck. He’s careful descending into her room, but once he’s fully in, he can’t move.

The pictures that once covered her walls are gone. All the ones of their friends, all the ones of him. The only two remaining are one picture of him in the pigeon hat, and another of him and Juleka modeling her designs. Replacing the rest are sketches of future designs. There’s nothing of Alya or Nino anymore.

“Kitty?”

“Just noticed you redecorated.”

He walks the few feet to her platform bed, gently easing her into it and pulling her sheets and blankets over her.

She manages a sleepy smile. “Treats on the desk under me. Take them.”

“I will.”

“Chat… Thank you. Talking did help.”

He reaches forward, burying his fingers in her hair again. She looks so different with it down.

“I’m glad,” he says finally. “Sweet dreams, Princess.”

He takes the plate of treats up with him, shutting the trapdoor behind him. Even after the treats are eaten, he finds himself still on her roof, engrossed in his thoughts. Only the distant chime of church bells indicating the late hour rouses him from his reverie, the tolls chasing him home.

Plagg is unusually quiet when he detransforms, letting him think uninterrupted.

He’ll change his behavior, starting tomorrow. Adrien will become the ally and friend she deserves. Not because it might rekindle anything—he doesn’t deserve it—but because he should have been one the whole time.

He doesn’t know it’s too late, that Lila’s plans will culminate in the morning with Marinette’s expulsion. That all he’ll be able to do is damage control after letting the liar’s claws dig into the school unchallenged for so long.

All he can do is try to help Marinette shine again, and never let her fade away.