#marinette is missing

[goggles-mcgee]

Too Late: Epilogue

The last chapter of this story for @miner249er

First Story in Series

Beginning Chapter         

Last Chapter

Summary: Wu Fei came back from training only to hear news that changed her whole world, meanwhile Nooroo's mind wanders while he watched over Marinette. 

Wu Fei was someone who liked to believe that she grew from her mistakes. She had faith she had in fact done so, but she knew she had not accomplished it alone. She owed thanks to her French-Chinese friend, Marinette. Oh, she knew a lot of it was herself but the other teen helped her realize the difference between Revenge and Justice when she had still been lost and hurt. Losing her adoptive father, Wu Shifu, had been a hurt that she believed nothing could soothe, but she lived as though it hadn’t hurt as badly as it had. But losing someone who loved you, cared for you, raised you, CHOSE you, was something she never wished upon anyone. Not even an enemy. Her bàba was her family, whether they shared blood or not, he could have taken her somewhere else like the CWI or a hatch house but he didn’t. He took her in and adopted her and he told her it was the best thing he had ever done as he believed she was a blessing. Thinking of him still hurt but it was more bittersweet than the blinding pain it used to be. Memories of them together were held near and dear to her heart and now she strived to be the woman he taught her to be.

That was the reason she left to train. Fei had strayed from the path she had been taught and wanted to remedy that immediately after she had acquired the Prodigious. The powers she had gained were exhilarating but she did not doubt the weight of their responsibility thus another reason to train. It wasn’t easy. Nothing worth it ever is, but she was proud to say all the training paid off. Her only regret was not being in contact with Marinette for so long but Mei Shi was a strict mentor when it came to her training for the Prodigious and for becoming another Guardian of the Sacred Cave and forbid outside distractions. Though the being was rather fond of Marinette whenever Fei and her called or messaged one another, Mei Shi usually asked Fei to send his well wishes to the French-Chinese girl. Now that training was done, Fei couldn’t wait to get back to their talks whether they were deep or meaningless, she missed her friend, her only friend. 

That was why, as soon as training was done, she immediately sent a message to let her friend know she was finished and they should find a day that worked for both of them so they could video chat. She didn’t get a response the first day. That was okay, Marinette was a busy individual and when she was busy she tended to neglect her phone much the same way that Fei herself did when she herself was in a creative zone and deep into her training with Mei Shu. But the days kept passing and messages went with no responses, let alone read and Fei grew more worried. She even called Marinette’s parents bakery but either the line was busy or no longer in use. Her worry increased to the point she was in an anxious frenzy and had no idea what to do short of finding a way to Paris to make sure her friend was okay. Then she remembered Cheng Wang and his open invitation to visit him and his restaurant whenever she wanted. Whether she needed a meal or simply needed someone to talk to. It was an offer that Fei really appreciated but rarely took up. 

It was time to take up that offer to make sure her friend was okay because Fei had a bad feeling and usually her bad feeling’s were always something worth fretting over. She was scared. This feeling wasn’t something like the time she had a bad feeling and realized she was missing an ingredient from a potion that Mei Shu had been instructing her to make, an important ingredient. The result had been…less than ideal but nothing life threatening. No, this feeling made her heart pound, her lungs squeeze, her body tense and her stomach sick. It only came when she thought of Marinette and she was about ready to use her dragon form to take her to Paris but she couldn’t be impulsive. Impulsivity caused mistakes, mistakes caused consequences you might not be ready nor willing to face. Fei had to be smart, she had to be calm, she had to be rational and going to Cheng Wang was what her rational thoughts were screaming and she was not going to deny them as they were the only good ideas she was having. 

One short yet long-feeling trip had Fei standing in front of The Thousand Delights restaurant and to her surprise it had a closed sign taped to the door and windows. Fei’s heart dropped when she read it was for an undetermined amount of time but that it was not forever. The restaurant was closing for a family emergency and a little voice inside Fei whispered, Marinette. Desperately wanting to be wrong, Fei ran up the stairs to Master Cheng’s apartment that was located above the restaurant, much like his niece and her husband. The door was ajar and though she knew it was incredibly rude not to knock or saw something to announce her presence, Fei’s heart was racing, something was wrong and she needed to help so she just entered the home in a rush. There was no thought of her shoes on the floors, only to see if Master Cheng was okay, to see the problem, to fix the problem. Except there was no problem, well, not one she could see besides Master Cheng packing a suitcase. He was leaving? Why was he leaving? 

Master Cheng blinked at her in confusion, he didn’t even reprimand her about her shoes, he was usually a stickler for rules. “Fei?”

“Master Cheng…what…what’s going on?” Maybe it was too broad a question but Fei didn’t know a lot of things at the moment and Master Cheng was the only one who could give her answers. 

The heart-broken, desperate look he gave her did not make things better. “Oh Little One,” He had taken to calling her that and Marinette Littler One, “You do not know.”

“No. Know what? I…I’ve been training.”

“Come. Sit. I will…I will make us some tea.” Master Cheng said after a moment as he moved away from his suitcase to lead Fei more into his apartment and close the door. 

“What? But-”

“Believe me. You will need the tea.”

Fei didn’t argue but she did toe off her shoes and set them by the door before she made her way to sit on one of the couches to wait. She didn’t want to wait but she knew she had to be patient. But how could she be patient when she knew the news she was about to receive was bad enough to warrant tea? The urge to bite her nails was strong but Mei Shu had been working really hard with her to break that particular habit. Though the more seconds that passed the more they felt like hours and the more impatience began to consume Fei. Restlessness crawled up her legs and seized her heart and she was almost about to just get up and go help despite how rude it might come across. Master Cheng was a kind person but she had no doubt he would be upset if she busted into the kitchen and interrupted him so she bounced a leg to try and occupy her and burn some of her restless energy. 

“Sorry for the wait, I forgot I had packed my favorite tea to go with me on my trip.” Master Cheng announced softly as he walked into the room with his teapot and two cups on a tray. Fei even spotted some cookies. 

“No worries.” Fei replied even if the words tasted bitter like a lie. She watched as Master Cheng placed the tray gently on the little coffee table and arranged everything on the table for them to reach them comfortably. She watched as he poured them both a cup of his favorite Longjing Green Tea, it brought a small secretive smile to her face as she recalled its other name, Dragon Well. It was something so simple and yet it made her feel a little less frantic and stressed, that seemed to be the normal when it came to her visits with Master Cheng. He was such a calming presence to be around. “You, You mentioned a trip?” 

Master Cheng took a seat across from her and picked up his own cup of tea and blew at the steam and sighed. “Yes. I am taking a trip to Paris…You…You haven’t heard… anything?” 

The way he said it, much like before, like it was something that weighed on his mind, on his shoulders, on his very spirit. “I’m afraid not. As I mentioned earlier, I’ve been away training with a new mentor. He is…old fashioned and strict but kind, but while training he forbade outside distractions.”

“Ah, I had a great aunt like that. She had a thing about technology, I assume your mentor is much the same.”

“He is.”

Master Cheng nodded and stared off into his cup of tea for a moment before he brought it up to his lips and took a sip. “Much has happened back in Paris I’m afraid…”

Fei’s heart skipped a beat but she forced herself to shakily take a sip of her tea before she did anything rash. She swallowed the tea and then swallowed her lips before she asked, “Marinette? Is it…Does it have to do with Marinette?” 

The silence that followed was answer enough.

“What happened?” Fei asked after she had a sip of her tea and after the silence started to feel more than a little suffocating. 

Master Cheng took in a deep breath before he placed his cup on the saucer and back on the table between them. He stared down at his hands for a few seconds before he looked up at her. Eye contact had never felt so foreboding. “Marinette is…she is missing.”

Missing?

She couldn’t be.

Marinette couldn’t be missing, she just couldn’t. Please not Fei’s first friend. Not her best friend.

“It started with an akuma. I assume you are…familiar with them in the sense you have heard of them.”

All Fei could do was nod, her throat was too choked up. 

“The akuma was…She was…Marinette was the akuma.” Master Cheng admitted and when he did so it seemed like it tore a bit of himself away. He looked so pained by the admission that Fei knew without a doubt he had actually felt that odd flash of pain one felt squeeze their heart in times of true sadness and panic. 

And yet. She still wanted to doubt what he said despite her gut telling her he was being truthful. “No…Marinette would never…”

Master Cheng looked so bitterly resigned before he spoke again, “There is this American writer I am fond of. She has written many words, said probably many more but there is this one quote I can never forget. ‘The human capacity for burden is like bamboo – far more flexible than you’d ever believe at first sight.’ It is a thought provoking quote and an inspirational one, but like many things…bamboo can break with enough determination and the right tools.”

“Marinette…she’s the bamboo.”

“We all are, but in this case? Yes. I guess things were not going well in her class, quite the opposite in fact. It wasn’t one big thing that hit her, rather it was many things, some small, some not. It’s only human to break after that much pressure. The only thing is that Paris had a madman set out to use any strong negative emotion against everyone.” 

“Had. You…You said, ‘had’.” Fei pointed out.

It made Master Cheng chuckle, albeit weakly. “You are very smart, very intuitive. Marinette…as an akuma…this is rather hard to explain…”

It certainly seemed hard to explain. Fei couldn’t see how Marinette as an akuma connected to the past tense talk of Paris’ supervillain. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s no fault of yours.”

“Nor yours.”

“...True. It’s just…the circumstances make one feel like they could have done more. I could have done more,” Master Cheng insisted, his voice thick with tears and it was such a shock to Fei. She had never seen him cry. Never. “Marinette was not happy, I noticed this in our last call but she brushed aside my concern and thought it best to give her space. If I had done more, if I had pressed…maybe none of this would have happened. Maybe The Followers would have never happened.”

“Th-The Followers?”

“Even as an akuma, Marinette wanted to protect people, she called herself The Protector. Not much is known about what she did before but…the akuma because I know Marinette could never, the akuma supposedly beat Gabriel Agreste and his assistant to the point of immediate hospitalization. It’s not confirmed but it is heavily speculated that he and his assistant were in fact-”

“Hawkmoth and Mayura.” Fei gasped. It made sense. Too much sense and yet not enough at the same time. “She…she saved Paris…but how…how did she end up missing then?”

“No one knows. She saved everyone and then just disappeared. No heroes were seen that day. Marinette was never defeated as an akuma. Never-”

“Never purified!” Fei couldn’t help but finish, her mind was going a mile a minute. 

“Indeed. She disappeared as an akuma and…she left behind overzealous fans. Fans of her akuma form and those who believe she was Ladybug which it seems was the truth. These people became a group who basically became more of a cult, they, in her name, decided they too would ‘protect’ Paris. In doing so they have murdered a woman, maybe a man, they have put two young ladies in the hospital, one more injured than the other and they have taken it upon themselves to ‘protect’ the memory of their messiah.” Master Cheng explained with an obvious heavy heart.

“The Protector…”

Master Cheng nodded. “That’s why I am going to Paris. This cult has stolen many items that Marinette has made by hand for others. They have even gone as far as breaking into Sabine and Tom’s bakery and apartment. They have already taken objects but I’m going over to help pack the rest of Marinette’s things and bring them back here. We don’t want them getting their hands on anything else and I honestly don’t think Sabine would be able to handle anymore thefts.”

Fei felt an all too familiar feeling of loss hit her full force but she refused to buckle under its pressure like she had done before. Not when she knew there was still hope. Hope to find and see her friend again. “I’m coming with.”

_________________________

Nooroo did his best not to panic at the fact that Marinette was still unconscious but it was an old habit that was not so easy to break. Even if he could feel she was perfectly fine through their connection. A connection that comforted him yet confused him, it was like no connection he had ever made before. There was always some kind of connection between a Kwami and the Holder of their Miraculous, especially if they were a Harmony, a perfect match. Then there was the opposite of that which was a Dissonance, a very imperfect match one that could be destructive if a Holder still forced a transformation. If a Kwami was in a Dissonance for too long it would result in damage done to the Miraculous which is what happened to Duusuu unfortunately. The two souls would continue to clash within the transformation without the wearer being aware until they started being affected by it. The Holder would succumb to either the injuries or the illness they were cursed with and the Miraculous would break and infuse itself with that curse.

Emilie Agreste had unfortunately learned of this curse first hand despite Duusuu’s continued warnings. At some point Nooroo stopped caring what would happen to the woman, Duusuu had warned her and pleaded for her so many times, it had to be pure stupidity or desperation to ignore them and though Nooroo shared a fascination of humanity with Tikki, he felt irritated in the face of their stupidity. Duusuu though, poor Duusuu was a bleeding heart and had a soft spot for the blonde woman and did her best to save her. Even if Duusuu hadn’t tried, their fate had been sealed the moment Emilie fell into a coma and Gabriel Agreste showed some of the worst humanity had to offer. Duusuu was spared for a good amount of time while Nooroo had been chained to power-hungry Holder once more. It had happened before but not like this. 

The sad part was that Gabriel could have been a good enough Holder for him, not a Harmony but close but his actions and the change he went through caused the connection between them to go askew, closer to a Dissonance but never reaching that level. The only reason it never did was because Gabriel at least had the brain to feed him, even if it wasn’t as often as it should have been and he let him rest though he never went out of his way to make sure Nooroo was okay or comfy. A good bond with a Kwami was essential to the growth of a connection thus the growth of power a Miraculous had. Being free of Gabriel was like plunging into cool waters after being in intense heat for an extended period of time, all the shackles of the commands he was given were broken and it was like he could finally feel.

Marinette had freed him, though not entirely herself. She possessed the power of a Champion, those who fought for the Butterfly Miraculous though Gabriel had twisted the magic so much that they couldn’t even be called Champions when he made them, much like past Holders who used the Butterfly Miraculous in such a way, the man gave the creatures he created new names. He dubbed them Akumas. From what Nooroo could recall of his time in Japan so many years ago, he recalled the different meanings: demon, devil, fire spirit, group of undefined beings that brought pain and suffering. It fit in a poetic way. Marinette was no Akuma, but to call her a Champion didn’t feel right either. She became something entirely different when she accepted the butterfly in the height of her hurt and anger, when she accepted all of them, when she felt for them, when she sympathized with them. 

Nooroo was as much Marinette’s as she was his and he knew he would be safe as long as he was with her. He would protect her too, as much as he could. “Don’t worry Little Caterpillar, we’ll get through this and out of it, you will blossom and transform.” He muttered softly as he ran a little hub through her hair. 

“Oh. Hello there! It’s not very often I see my kind here. Actually not often at all.” A voice startled Nooroo enough to nearly make him fall into Marinette’s hair. He flew up and turned every direction he could until his eyes focused on what was definitely a Kwami. One he did not recognize. 

“You…You are a Kwami, but not one I know…” 

The Kwami laughed, though not unkindly. “That’s not surprising. I was one of the younger ones and not many knew of me before my Miraculous went missing from the Box I was part of.”

That somewhat answered Nooroo’s question and yet didn’t and left him with more. “I am Nooroo. Kwami of Transmission and Hope.”

“Oooo formal greeting! Okay.” The Kwami cleared its throat before it introduced itself. “I am Frenze. Kwami of Strength and Friendship! It’s nice to meet you Nooroo, why did you come to this island? Was it with that human? Why is that human asleep? Where’s your boat? Did you even come on boat? Oh my goodness! Are you guys shipwrecked? Did you fall overboard?”

Yep. Definitely a Kwami of friendship.

CWI - Children's Welfare Institute is an orphanage located in Shanghai, China

hatch house or also known as a baby hatch - A baby hatch is a small home where parents drop off children, where they hopefully will be taken to an orphanage. The Ministry of Civil Affairs began the baby hatch program as a response to the increasing number of abandoned infants. Currently, there are 32 baby hatches across China, and each hatch only accepts children from within the same city.

[madmaxmon-art]

happy pride to my favorite dumdum miraculous sapphics

[buggachat]

Part 178 of my bakery “enemies” au!

baking montage!

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Kofi

[tizzymcwizzy]

a little adrinette ipad sketch i drew to cheer myself up :)

[celerydays]

🤍 Monster AU(?) Horror movie/actor AU(?) drawn for the Le Blanc zine in 2023 🤍

I thought it would be super fun to go for an old school, kitschy horror movie poster vibe with a werecat!Chat Blanc -also I may or may not have just come out of a huge monster romance reading binge at the time huhuhu

[wield-the-mighty-pen]

OKAY BUT--- THE PARALLELS HERE?!?!

[thel0llip0p]

save me marichat

[art-the-f-up]

"Standards" - A spidrien comic.

Get more information on the bds movement here.

Read The Spidrien Series on Webtoon!

[eona-art]

missing marichat hours

[bklily]

Baking a cookie of her boyfriend because she misses him :( he's only away for a week visiting family

(based on that one draw your ship format on twitter)

[rimeah]

Sunny study date ♡

[goggles-mcgee]

Too Late: Aurore & Mireille

Latest chapter in the story for @miner249er

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Summary: All Aurore wanted was a peaceful, stress-free day from all that was going on in the chaos that had become Paris. Just a day out with her best friend, thinking about nothing but of course life was never that easy and her day never got the chance to be peaceful. Though it did end interestingly.

__________

Aurore sighed as she twirled her parasol between her fingers. She could feel her best friend’s gaze on her but she really didn’t know how to put all the thoughts in head into words. Usually Mireille was the ‘quiet’ one out of the two but lately Aurore hadn’t felt up to talking much even with so much to talk about. Or maybe it was the fact she only wanted to talk about one thing and that one thing made the two of them depressed and caused Mireille to spiral more often than not. Though it would be a discredit to Mireille if Aurore believed her friend didn’t know exactly what, no who, was on her mind. It was just better for the both of them that Aurore did not voice it but that was her vicious cycle, it was all she wanted to talk about. Oh at first she tried to talk of other things, the weather, the hottest gossip at school (but that quickly fell into the category of the person she was avoiding bringing up), or whatever mundane thing she could think up. The problem was now instead of those things being the distractions they were meant to be, they were now reminders. 

Reminders of The Protector.

Of Marinette. 

Even just thinking the teen’s name made her throat tighten. Before she had disappeared, Marinette had become a very close friend of Aurore and Mireille. Though she never wanted them to be public about it out of fear of the reactions of her former friends and the Liar. Aurore had always argued that her class would protect Marinette and nothing could break their friendship but the girl would merely give her a small smile and say things were enough for her. After a while they gave up arguing with her, they were just happy to have her friendship and Aurore wished that truly had been enough. Friendship was supposed to save the day. That’s what all those kids' shows told them, it’s what parents encouraged and it’s what Aurore had foolishly believed in even in the face of what Hawkmoth had turned Paris into. When reality hit her in the face, it hit her hard.

Aurore had been like a lot of Paris’s population that saw their heroes as this dynamic duo. Best friends out to fight the evil of the world! Then the group grew and so had the belief, because here was a friend group bestowed with powers beyond imagination and they fought for good, they fought the evil that tried to oppress the people of Paris. It wasn’t hard for Aurore to get caught up in it all, the magic, the heroism, the fights, the everything. It was like seeing her favorite shows come to life and she was constantly in awe. She remembered feeling as in awe of the group as she was envious. They were living out her childhood dream. Then she along with all of Paris found out the fantastic group of friends that defended them from Hawkmoth and Mayura wasn’t as tight-knit as they all had believed. It shouldn’t have been as world-shattering as it had been.

And yet it was.

If Hawkmoth had not been…stopped by The Protector, Aurore was sure she would have been akumatized. Actually she was willing to bet money that most of Paris would have been akumatized if the villain hadn’t been stopped. It was weird, being able to feel emotions properly once more and Aurore, like many, hadn’t known how to move forward when they realized that. She had become so used to forcing herself to only be happy and when she did get angry or something like it all she felt was fear. Mireille and she had spoken about it often as neither had been comfortable enough to go to their channel's newly hired therapist. The lady was nice enough, but Aurore just couldn’t bring herself to trust the woman. Mireille had just been afraid to have to talk to a stranger about personal things, so the two of them decided they would just talk to one another. It wasn’t healthy, they knew that, but it wasn’t an easy thing to stop. 

The one thing they avoided talking about though after a particularly bad panic attack from Mireille and a rather bad dip in Aurore’s depression was Marinette going missing. Again, they knew it wasn’t healthy, Aurore’s father pointed it out any time she brought it up tentatively, but it hurt too much to acknowledge beyond the basics. Though Aurore knew that only made her parents worry more and she was pretty sure they were looking at therapists outside of Paris to take her to. She knew she was getting bad so she knew they weren’t going to ask if it was something she wanted to do, it was going to be something she needed to do. Even if she understood that, it didn’t make the anger, betrayal, or anguish she felt lessen. Mireille was in the same boat though, apparently her parents were talking to Aurore’s and this was going to be a group thing. That’s why she asked her friend to take a walk today. To warn her. 

The problem was trying to bring it up without it ruining their day out, though Aurore was not confident that could be accomplished no matter what. She didn’t want to wait till the end of their outing, because she knew holding in that information would make her act unlike herself and Mireille would notice. While they ate was also out of the question because she knew that neither she nor Mireille would be up to eating if she did, but that was also why she feared the ‘ripping the band-aid off’ method. If she brought it up right now, at the beginning of their day she ran the risk of their day being ruined and them not even making it to the cute little bistro their coworker Eileen had suggested earlier that week. But she couldn’t not tell Mireille, her best friend deserved to know what their respective parents were planning!

“What’s going on between those pigtails of yours?” Mireille joked softly.

Aurore gulped, she knew Mireille would notice something. “A lot.” 

The girl beside her hummed, “Anything I can help with?”

“I don’t think this is something that will go away so easily…” Aurore muttered as she looked down at her shoes, she watched the way the sun shined off the material as they walked, she absolutely couldn’t handle looking at Mireille. 

“Well,” Mireille mused, “it might not go away easily, most things don’t, but talking certainly makes things a little better. Don’t you agree?”

“I agree…” She said a little hesitantly, but Aurore did actually agree. “It’s just…I don’t think my parents do. Well I mean they do but they don’t. They- It's complicated. Or maybe it’s not and I’m the one complicating everything! I don’t know.”

Mireille stopped walking and gently tugged on Aurore’s arm to get her to stop as well which made the blonde girl look up at her friend. Something she somewhat regretted as Mireille looked at her with her big doe-eyes and Aurore knew she would tell her everything despite the fear that seemed to have her heart in a grip. “Aurore. Whatever it is, I bet it’s not worth you making yourself stressed. You’ll make yourself sick like that.”

She huffed in reply, Mireille was definitely the Mom Friend, though Marc told her she could be as well, maybe they traded off the role. “I know Mir. It’s just…I overheard my parents talking and I don’t think I would be as upset if I knew it was just about me but they were talking to your parents too. Not there. At my house or anything, but like, over the phone on speaker. I had just put Pier down for a nap and was going to tell my parents that he was sleeping and grab a snack but I heard them talking and it sounded serious. And I just…I eavesdropped.” 

Aurore watched as Mireille bit her lip, a bad habit her friend had when she was nervous. “Is it…Is it bad? What they were talking about. Is it bad?”

“No?”

“You don’t sound positive.”

“It’s not bad. I mean it’s really not but…” Aurore bit her lip now. “They uh, my parents were telling yours that they are looking at therapists outside the city to take me too. They didn’t talk to me about it which I guess I can kind of understand. I have turned down all the ones here in Paris…”

“Me too.” Mireille admitted quietly.

Aurore gulped because she guessed as much. “My dad never really said anything, but when I mentioned we talk to each other…he didn’t look happy. I mean he also didn’t look upset or mad, but he definitely didn’t look happy. He and mom brought up talking to a professional after that and I said I’d think about it-”

“Which, in Aurore talk, means no.”

“Yes, well, I honestly thought they had forgotten about it. I don’t…I don’t want to talk to a stranger about myself or what I’m feeling…but my parents think I need to. They found out I had overheard and well…It turned into an argument but, in some ways I can see where they are coming from. I don’t…I don’t feel like myself a lot of the time anymore.”

Mireille was quiet, but it wasn’t her normal quiet and it scared Aurore. Sure they often spoke to one another about how they were feeling but she was pretty sure they both held back a lot too so they wouldn’t be a burden. Which is nonsense because Mireille could never be a bother. “I…I don’t think I’m okay.”

The admission wasn’t surprising but it still made tears well in Aurore’s eyes. “Me too…”

“My parents…my parents are looking for a therapist for me too aren’t they?” Mireille asked in a small voice.  

Aurore nodded.

“I’m…I don’t want to but I know they’ve been worried…” The shy girl sighed. 

“Mine too. I feel bad…” Aurore admitted as she took one of Mireille’s hands in her own and continued their walk. “But…there’s really nothing we can do to stop them. I just wanted you to know. I’m sure your parents wouldn’t ambush you with this but…you needed to know and I couldn’t keep it from you.”

Mireille squeezed her hand. “I appreciate that.”

The two stayed quiet as they walked, occasionally they swung their hands but overall they didn’t speak. Aurore wanted to give Mireille time to digest everything she had told her and she had no doubt it was a lot to digest and sort through feelings wise. Aurore herself had been furious when she first overheard her parent’s conversation. She didn’t think she needed to see a complete stranger and talk about her life. Her life was fine, it wasn’t great but it wasn’t awful and that was something right? She was happy sometimes, though more often than not, if she wasn’t with Mireille, Marc, or her younger brother Pier, she felt numb. Like she was going through the motions as if she had gone through each day a hundred times despite knowing she hadn’t. She tried to keep her grades up but she knew they had been slipping, it wasn’t like she was failing but she could no longer say she was doing her best to achieve high grades. She did what was necessary or whatever she felt she had enough energy to do. Sometimes just staring at her homework overwhelmed her to tears.

So maybe, yeah, she could see why her parents finally had enough of her behavior and just straight up told her she was going to see someone to talk to instead of asking her. Though to be fair to Aurore, she had tried to talk to a therapist here in Paris but the first session ended up with the therapist themselves breaking down as apparently Aurore was the first client they had had post-Hawkmoth’s defeat. She had sat there through the most heartbreaking breakdown she had ever witnessed and she had seen a lot seeing as she worked in show-biz. The therapist went on about how he was scared he would become akumatized again-and boy hadn’t that been a sad eye-opener; even their therapists weren’t safe-he was terrified of feeling even the slightest bit of emotion during a session even if he knew that Hawkmoth posed no threat anymore. Aurore didn’t blame him. No in the least. But she did not return after that session and told her parents that they should email him and maybe suggest he go see a therapist, preferably outside Paris.

Maybe it was that, her suggestion there, that had given her parents the idea of seeking a therapist for their daughter in Reims. If anything she guessed they were going to tell her they were visiting her grandparents who lived in said city and would ambush her with the appointment. Sadly, it would have been effective as she felt like all she wanted to do was run given she now knew about said appointment, or future appointment. She didn’t actually know if they had booked anything but let it not be said that they did not know their daughter. They knew she would have protested or done something dramatic like run to her cousin CiCi’s place which was still a plan that lingered in the back of her mind. But…there was a voice in her head that sounded too similar to Marinette than she was comfortable with, shouting at her to not run away. To not back down. You got this Aurore! 

“You’re not thinking of running to CiCi’s are you?” Mireille really did know her better than most. 

Aurore chuckled weakly. “The thought has crossed my mind more times than I can count Mir…It’s always my back-up…but-but I know in this case I shouldn’t. Or well, more like there’s a voice telling me not to and giving me a right scolding if I even briefly think about CiCi.”

Mireille nodded before she bit her lip, she looked a little apprehensive which made Aurore feel apprehensive in return. “Scolding, huh? That little voice wouldn’t happen to sound like…like Mar…like Mari…like her would it?”

Another chuckle, though this one was remarkably wetter than the last. “You know I can’t lie to you Mir. Yeah…it, uh, it sounds like Marinette.”

Her name hung in the air like a noose but Aurore trooped on, she wanted to say her friend’s name. She wanted to hear her name. Her real name, not the idolized name people referred to her by, not the akuma name others called her in reverence, her actual name, her normal name. A name she introduced herself with with pride. “It sounds so much like her Mir…”

“I think I have a voice like that too…” Mireille confessed on a cry. “She scolds me when I’m being ‘silly’ or she comforts me when everything just gets too much. I miss her Aurore! I really miss her!”

The sound of her friend crying made Aurore cry and soon they were just standing on the sidewalk hugging each other like the other might disappear too and they just cried. As sad as it was to say, this was not an unusual sight for the people of Paris as of late, random bursts of emotion were as commonplace as a sneeze nowadays. The news said something about delayed reactions, others said something about repressed emotions, all Aurore could see and understand was the damage. These bursts were a good thing yes but they were also the ugly damage left behind by an unremorseful terrorist. Normal was a thing of the past and yet it was something Aurore ached for day by day. She yearned to not wake up and stare in her mirror and tell herself to be happy no matter how she actually felt, to wear a smile despite her facial muscles protesting. It was what she had done every morning when Hawkmoth and Mayura were still a thing and it was a habit she still couldn’t shake. It was like how her mother would play Vanina* every morning because it was her favorite song and would give her a little extra cheer, or how her father started his days wearing his fathers old Dog Tag because his father had been such a positive person, or so he said. Aurore never got to meet the man. 

The damage stayed like a persistent stain. Faded but never gone. 

The two gave each other one final squeeze before they let go and gave each other a strained smile. Aurore giggled sadly and shook her head. “You still hungry?”

“Mireille tiredly chuckled back and shook her head, “No. You?”

Aurore gave a wry smile. “Nope.”

“Want to just take a walk? I don’t feel like going home just yet.” 

“Mir, that sounds like an excellent idea.” Aurore declared as she looped one arm through Mireille’s and picked up her forgotten parasol, she hadn’t even noticed when it had fallen. 

They hadn’t even moved more than two steps when they heard footsteps rapidly approaching them and all of a sudden Aurore felt the breath knocked out of her and she was on the ground in a tangle of limbs. She heard Mireille shriek and all she could do was groan back. She thought she even heard a snap and prayed that it hadn’t been her parasol. She didn’t need another thing to add to the already big list of things she was feeling crummy about. Before she could shout at whoever decided to bulldoze her and her friend she was unceremoniously pulled up on her feet. She felt hands brushing off her shoulders and heard someone frantically apologizing and that’s when she finally noticed that the person-no-people who had knocked them over were Luka and Kagami. Both of whom looked pale, shaken, and just a tad frustrated. “I’m so so sorry Aurore! We didn’t mean to run you guys’ over!”

“Luka is correct, it was not our intention but you see we are running from some…rather persistent people and..” Kagami said with a wince as she tapped her foot. Adrenaline obviously still coursing through her veins and with the way he kept glancing over his shoulder, the same could be said about Luka.

“Wait, you guys are being chased?” Mireille cried out in shock. Aurore didn’t really think twice about grabbing at Luka and Kagami and running in the direction of the Seine. Mireille was startled if the noise she let out was anything to go by but she caught on quick and then all of them were running. There was no plan really, but Aurore knew Luka, ish, and she knew his family lived on that houseboat on the Seine, it was hard to miss. So she figured if they ran towards the body of water, they would see the boat sooner or later and that would be their safe haven. She voiced as much and left them all to discuss whatever they wanted but Aurore could only think about getting these two to safety. 

She had seen how crazed some people were getting over any information they could get about Marinette in any of her identities or forms. It was maddening. It was frightening. Like everyone else, she had seen the news about Madame Bustier’s murder, and had heard through the grapevine about what happened to Lila. It might not be The Followers who were after Luka and Kagami but there was no way that Aurore was going to risk it. So they ran and ran until they caught sight of the house boat. Thankfully it was docked and even though she was out of breath, Aurore pointed to it and they all clumsily made their way over but before they could even think of boarding they ran by an elderly couple who had been crossing the street at the same time as them but were doing so slowly. Aurore desperately wanted to just run on the boat, to get to safety but as the echoes of distant footsteps rang in her ears she shook her head and let go of Luka and Kagami. She felt the stop but she just continued to make her way to the couple even as her heart thumped in her chest violently. 

“Aurore?” Mireille wanted.

“They’ll get trampled Mir. You can hear them. They’re not going to stop even if they see them.” 

“They might.” Kagami said reluctantly.

“But they might not.” Luka said back.

Mireille bit her lip but nodded and all four of them ran to the couple and helped them across the street, trying not to rush them even as the footsteps got closer, got louder. The closer and louder they got, the more Aurore’s hands shook but she would absolutely not abandon these poor old folks. 

“You children are very kind.” The woman said with a kind smile, one Aurore couldn’t help but return. The woman reminded her of her grandmère.

“Yes, but I do believe you are in a rush. Do not let us keep you any longer.” The man said with an equally kind smile, though his was tinged with a sadness Aurore didn’t understand but somehow felt all the same. 

“Be safe.” Luka said firmly but with his own smile before they all waved at the couple and ran as fast as they could because they heard the footsteps come out of the alley they had come from shortly before and they didn’t want to waste any time. There were some shouts of recognition from the small crowd and Aurore had been tempted to look back but she did trust herself not to trip if she did so, so she just ran. She ran and swore to herself she would wear more comfortable shoes from now on because her undoubtedly cute Mary-Janes were pretty but her feet were killing her. 

They all clumsily ran on deck and promptly fell into a pile once more as it seemed their bodies had run out of adrenaline once they deemed they were in safe territory. The noise made Madame Couffaine come barreling out of nowhere with a sword of all things but when she saw the gaggle of children slumped on the deck and from the sounds Aurore heard and the way the woman’s neck snapped to shore, she was pretty sure she also saw a crowd chasing said kids. Without any help from the exhausted children, Aurore watched as the woman swiftly undocked the boat and before she knew it they were sailing and it was anything but smooth but she was grateful to get away. In time, the ride and they calmed down and Madame Couffaine-Anarka, as she asked to be called-led them down into the living room-esque room to let them calm down further as she got them somewhere safe and quiet. She recommended they tell their parents which Kagami, Mireille and Aurore did swiftly. 

For a moment they all just sat there until Luka made a face when he plopped down face first on the couch and sat up. “Ow.”

“What is wrong?” Kagami asked in concern.

“Something in my pocket poked me.” He mumbled as he reached into his sweater pocket. 

“Now that you mention it, it feels like there is something in my jacket pocket too. It feels heavier.” Mireille said as she furrowed her brows and stood up so she could rummage in her jacket pockets since said jacket was wrapped around her waist. 

Aurore watched in mild interest as the two dug in their pockets only to pull out two identical boxes. Mireille looked confused, Luka looked like he had seen a ghost. That’s what had Aurore sit up straight. “Gami…” His voice shook when he spoke too.

Kagami too stood up and started going through her own pockets before she took her mini backpack off her shoulders and saw the big pocket open. With shaking hands she opened it further and reached in. It was a surprise to Aurore when she pulled out a third identical box, but to Kagami and Luka it looked like they expected it and were still somewhat in shock. “What…?”

“Aurore. I promise we’ll explain in a minute but can you please check yourself to see if you got a box as well.” Luka pleaded and well, Aurore really couldn’t say no to his desperation. So she checked her small clutch and found nothing but remembered her skirt had pockets and she was wearing a petticoat so if something was in there she probably wouldn’t feel it. So with a deep breath taken in she reached into her own pockets and when her hand met wood her eyes widened. Out she brought the fourth identical box and heard Luka laugh a little hysterically, a little breathlessly while Kagami slowly lowered herself back onto the couch. 

Mireille and Aurore shared a look before Mireille frowned at the two other teens, “What’s going on?”

Next Chapter

[hurryglow]

"The Supreme & Apis" Emo Au

Some character sheets, headcanons, details of the story

Etc.

[deppartesuoh]

the brainworms got me 😋

[tizzymcwizzy]

i can't stop thinking about my son and his awful awful hair

[nobodyfamousposts]

Coffeenette

For the record, they blame Alya. All of them do. No question. They will never NOT blame Alya for this.

Even Nino, who is her boyfriend and supposed to support her. He’s agreed with her about almost everything. But not about this.

Even Rose, who is the sweetest girl in their class. She’ll apologize and be really nice about it, but she still blames Alya.

Heck, even Chloe did, which was a surprise. She was a bully sure, but as such, anyone would have thought this sort of thing would be beneath her. Though it could simply be that she just liked having any excuse to make fun of someone.

…Or so they thought until they saw Chloe scramble away to hide as soon as she saw it happen.

But none of them blamed Alya more for this situation than Marinette, who could only swear all unholy vengeance and glare daggers at her soon to be ex-best friend as she took her sole reason for living in this cold and terrible world and threw it in the garbage!

“Marinette, come on. It’s not that big of a deal!”

“It was innocent…”

“It was a cup of coffee!”

“The perfect cup of coffee. The coffee to end all coffees. Brewed to perfection and at just the right temperature. I could have died happily with that coffee. No other cup of coffee will ever compare. Ambrosia was in that cup and you threw it away!”

“Are you serious?!”

“Shh. Shh…I must mourn.”

“Get off the floor!”

“Mourn, I say!”

Oh sure, some had shrugged it off at the time. Alya had just rolled her eyes and dragged Marinette to class—coffeeless. Others had simply laughed a little at the dramatic display before moving on.

But those who knew better were panicking.

Some were already looking up therapists. Two were immediately calling their parents to ask about a school transfer. A few had given up on life and were writing up their wills.

It should be made clear: Marinette Dupain-Cheng was a kind girl. Sweet. Dedicated. Dependable. If you needed help, she was there. She was the one to look to for a solution to any problem. She was the first to put forth an effort and offer an olive branch, even if you hurt her. And of course the last thing she ever wanted to do was upset anyone. And if she did, she would be the first to apologize and try to make up for it.

…the problem was that this was all when Marinette was in a good space. And while her good days exceeded her bad days, that was not to say that there were not bad days. And when she had her bad days, they were…bad.

The thing that few knew about Marinette Dupain-Cheng was that there were…times, you could say, when she was not her normal friendly self. Times when she was…

…Grumpy.

Kind of mean.

Downright brutal, actually.

It only happened when she was either very angry or very stressed.

Which, unfortunately for everyone, has been increasing quite a bit since Hawk Moth made his grand entrance into the world of supervillainy.

Marinette had been stressed for a while and it showed. She’d been losing sleep. And they could tell she’s been more groggy given how frequently she’s been walking into walls and doors. They had thought this was cute at first. They had even laughed about it.

They hadn’t realized that this was actually only the first stage. Not until she started coming in with coffee—something she hadn’t done in years.

Marinette struggled when she was tired.

Thanks to Hawk Moth, she had lately been very tired.

And with her consistent lack of sleep, coffee had been her best friend. Or at least her best consumable friend. The sort of friend that brought her relief and made living bearable.

…until Alya took it away.

It turned out that Marinette’s parents had become…”concerned” about Marinette’s caffeine intake and had forbidden her from the beverage. Normally, they could only keep it away from her at home by either keeping her from the coffee pot or when necessary, switching to decaf. But Marinette had found ways around that by getting her bitter bitter life-saving paint stripper juice outside, usually on the way to school.

Or at least, she used to. But this was a new year and THIS time, Marinette had a new friend—and a BEST FRIEND at that in the form of Alya Cesaire, whom Tom and Sabine had chosen to enlist in their plot to protect their daughter from things that weren’t good for her.

Like coffee. Her precious life-preserving coffee.

And next to the Ladyblog and her secondary role as Rena Rouge, Alya had never jumped on anything faster.

Marinette’s morning coffee run? Done. A thing of the past as Alya would walk her to school and ensure they made no other stops along the way.

Marinette’s stash of coffee and energy drinks? Ransacked. Alya searched her locker, her desk, her bags. And being Marinette’s best friend, she knew ALL of her potential hiding spots.

Marinette’s emergency chocolate-covered espresso beans? Taken. Alya practically treated it like it was radioactive given the gloves and goggles she wore as she removed them. And in her defense, they very well may have been. Marinette was very tight-lipped over just where she had gotten them. She had tried to hide the fact that they WERE espresso beans, but Alya still wasn’t fooled.

Alya was on the hunt and there was NOTHING that could stop her. For her best friend’s “greater good”.

…as far as Marinette was concerned, the “greater good” could shove it.

She saved Paris on a daily basis! This was the LEAST it could give her in return!

Sadly, it appeared that Alya—and by extension Paris, cared not for Marinette’s sacrifice. Thus she was left to stew in her growing rage…stew like the precious brew she was being deprived of.

Up until that point it was clear that Marinette had been surviving on coffee and sheer spite. And now she only had one of those two things left.

But it would be fine! Really!

…so long as no one earned her ire.

Chloe had been one such unfortunate recipient of that ire some time ago in her younger days. Though Marinette had profusely apologized to her afterwards, Chloe never forgot and has held it against her ever since.

...well, after her several month sabbatical from school, at any rate.

So the fact that Chloe was suddenly trying to convince her father to let her take a vacation in the middle of the school year should have been a major red flag.

…or the way Marinette slammed her bag on her desk to get the class’s attention when they started getting off task and too loud in class.

……or the death glare she gave Kim the instant he tried to poke fun at her state with a literal poke to her cheek to try to wake her…and the injured finger he received for his trouble when she grabbed the offending object and bent it back.

…………or how most of the teachers were conveniently refraining from giving them any homework assignments they knew they should have been getting. Or not acknowledging Marinette’s grumpy behavior and sleeping in class. Or avoiding even looking in Marinette’s general direction.

The point was that it was evident that not all was right in the classroom and especially with their normally kind and happy Everyday Ladybug.

To their credit, the classmates had tried to bring Marinette coffee in order to help restore her to her usual state...or at least avoid her wrath.

But all their attempts were for naught, as Alya herself had become something of a bloodhound for caffeine. And having appointed herself as enforcer of the coffee ban, she would confiscate any form of the substance they tried to bring in and dispose of it in short order—much to the classmates’ horror and Marinette’s growing displeasure.

As far as the class could figure, it seemed that coffee was either simply useful in keeping Marinette awake and aware, or it was a comfort to her when she was feeling stressed.

Probably both.

And Alya, in all her misguided concern for the girl’s health, had taken it upon herself to remove the one thing keeping Marinette stable. Stable and happy and not inclined to traumatize anyone unfortunate enough to get in her way.

So yes, everyone in the class did blame her. They didn’t do anything about that resentment, of course, but they did still blame her.

Not that Alya seemed to care.

“Alya.” Nino knelt—literally knelt before her, his hands clasped as if in prayer. “Please. I’m begging you! Just let the girl have her coffee!”

She only rolled her eyes before throwing away yet another cup Marinette had managed to procure from the teacher’s lounge—somehow completely ignoring the daggers the other girl was glaring at them all with from the window of the classroom.

Alya was unmoved.

And seemingly oblivious to the scratch marks on the window left in the wake of Marinette’s pawing.

“It’s for her own good.” Alya insisted, much to the growing horror and frustration of those around her.

“What about our good?“

“You’ll be fine.“ She said dismissively.

“She made Kim cry!” Nino exclaimed, gripping his hat. 

“You’re exaggerating.“

“She brought out the Vial. Do I need to tell you about the Vial?“

“The what now?“

“Marinette has a special Vial she carries during…these times.” Max explained as he helped the despondent Nino to his feet.

Alya blinked.

“Okay?”

“She uses that Vial to collect the tears of anyone who so much as annoys her while she’s in this state!”

“That’s a little weird, but—”

Nino cut her off.

“She uses those tears to flavor her coffee.”

Alya stared.

“What?”

“She flavors her coffee with tears, Alya!” He continued, gripping her shoulders. “Not cream! Not sugar! Not cinnamon or chocolate or pumpkin spice like normal people and Americans! TEARS! OUR TEARS! What does that tell you?!”

“That tells me you’re exaggerating.“ She replied, looking decidedly unimpressed. And thus cruelly ignored his whimpering as she tossed the rest of the coffee into the trash bin.

She shot them a look as she slammed the bin lid closed, as if daring them to challenge her.

Nino looked on the verge of a breakdown.

Max sighed and texted the others.

To everyone else, the slamming of that bin lid was akin to a signal…one that indicated the sealing of their fates.

Some cried. Some prayed.

Most chose to stay out of the way.

…that was likely all they could do.

Other than blame Alya, of course. Which they did.

As Marinette’s antics changed from funny “walking into walls isn’t she cute” to less funny “eviscerate your soul with words”.

As whispers from the rest of the school followed the classmates, offering them sympathy and prayers.

As the very atmosphere changed from a sense of melancholy to ever growing unease and outright paranoia. As if her presence itself brought with it something seemingly eldritch in nature.

And through it all, Alya ignored the warnings and insisted this was for the best.

To be fair, it was perhaps her friendship with Marinette that offered her some protection from the worst of it.

…others were not spared.

Timothy—everyone remember Timothy? Prominent student and good friend to the rest of the class. Top of his class. Fellow swimmer and athlete to Kim and Odine. Was one of the few people Chloe would listen to. Tried to help Nino throw the party during Bubbler and the only one to notice Sabrina hadn’t appeared in a while in Antibug. Remember? That Timothy. Had totally been there all along and was well liked by everyone. Possibly as much as Adrien.

…until he admonished Marinette for bumping into him and not looking where she was going.

And.

Marinette.

Snapped.

It was the moment Marinette finally had enough. Both of the lack of coffee and of holding back her frustration about the situation.

It was also the last time Timothy was seen at school. Or anywhere for that matter. Given how abrupt it was and how people actively avoid mentioning him again, some question if he had ever really existed…

Eh, probably not. It was likely just a rumor.

What wasn’t a rumor was how Chloe (after being denied being allowed to ditch school) presumed that a new year and being Queen Bee meant she was stronger than she had been before and thus strong enough to put the caffeine-deprived version of Marinette in her place. She would prove to Marinette, to herself, and to everyone that SHE was the head bitch in charge.

Marinette was abruptly woken out of a nice daydream that either involved Adrien or coffee or Adrien AND coffee to find herself being yelled at. And find herself face to face with Chloe.

Oh wait, Chloe was the one yelling at her.

She had a hard time making out what Chloe was saying, but the fact remained that it WAS Chloe. Which was never a pleasant place to begin any realization.

It would help if she had coffee.

Was there coffee?

Marinette looked at her depressingly empty hands.

No.

"Well?! Do you hear me?!" Chloe shouted.

Marinette looked up at the blonde and took a slow breath before opening her mouth to speak.

...

…thirty minutes later, Sabrina found Chloe catatonic under her desk and took her home early.

To be fair, she had brought it on herself. After all, she really should have learned her lesson from the last time. But still, it was hard to forget the scene as Sabrina gently guide her out of the building as Chloe mumbled to herself, her face pale, her mascara running, and her eyes wide and haunted.

She was out for the rest of the week.

Bustier was...no help. In her ever rose-tinted fashion, she attempted to speak with Marinette early on what had been a particularly bad morning.

“Marinette, I heard you’ve been having some trouble with your classmates.”

It took a minute for Marinette to realize Bustier was there, much less that she was trying to have a conversation.

“—argument with Chloe the other day. It seems like whatever you had said really hurt Chloe’s feelings.”

Marinette blinked, trying to comprehend what was being said to her.

“—was uncalled for. Chloe didn’t deserve that.”

Bustier. Something about Chloe? She hadn’t seen her in a while. She thought things had been quieter lately…

“—you know how Chloe is and that she needs help. Surely whatever she said couldn’t have been that bad, and—”

These were clearly words, but they weren’t making sense.

“—remember what I said before about the Marinette’s of the world? It’s important to show love to people, even if they aren’t nice. So they can learn from your good example and—”

Marinette.exe needed coffee to continue this conversation.

“I think the two of you can talk this out. You can apologize to Chloe and model the right behaviors.”

Was there coffee to continue?

“—and who knows? Maybe the two of you will even become the best of friends!”

No.

“—what do you think?”

Marinette frowned at Bustier and opened her mouth to speak.

...

...it would be the first and only time Bustier would make such an attempt to speak to coffee-deprived Marinette. Nobody knows exactly what happened, as the students had come in when class started only to find Bustier in the aftermath, sobbing over her desk and completely inconsolable.

No class was had that day.