#marinettte dupain-cheng

[sunfoxfic]

I finally get to tease my fic for the @mlbigbang! It's called Miraculous Academy and I'm very excited for it. The fic will be released probably weekly starting in January with artwork to accompany it. Also, it maybe has a couple spin-offs in the same AU in the works.

Alya unlocked their room and Marinette instinctively sat down at her desk.

"If I don't get the Mouse, then I want the Fox," she said.

"Girl, you have negative musical ability."

"I know, but I can't stand the thought of not rooming with you anymore."

That was the other thing. With being placed in streams, the students were being moved from dorm rooms to suite-style living. They'd have their own kitchens and living areas to share with other students on their stream, and a private bedroom to go to at night. Lots of people were anxious for the private bedroom, but Alya and Marinette had been rooming together for years; she didn't know what it would be like to fall asleep to silence instead of Alya's heavy breathing.

If Marinette couldn't get the Mouse, then at least she could stay with Alya.

She opened up the envelope, clumsily tearing the edge with so much less grace than she anticipated.

Marinette Dupain-Cheng,

As per the terms of the scholarship awarded to you which funds your full tuition to Miraculous Academy, you are required to choose the stream which we deem best suited to your skills and ability. Using several measures, including a personality test, intellectual placement test, and recommendation from the staff at Miraculous Academy, we've

"Holy shit," Alya muttered, and Marinette jumped. She'd been standing right behind the chair silently.

"What?" Marinette asked.

"Just... read."

She went back to the letter.

...we've come to the conclusion that you are best suited to succeed in the Ladybug stream.

Marinette's eyes went wide and she spun around, leaving the letter on her desk.

"No."

"Girl —"

"No. I am not getting put in the Ladybug stream. That's — That's so —"

"It makes total sense, though! The Ladybug is the leader of the group. Usually they're the one who coordinates the superhero and gives them assignments. You would be good with every Miraculous, which makes you perfect for the Ladybug!"

Marinette buried her face in her hands. Alya quieted down, and in a moment Marinette's chair was being pulled to Alya's bed until they were both sitting, facing one another.

"You know that the Ladybug stream always has the most students," Alya said. "And that they wouldn't make you use the scholarship on the Ladybug stream unless they thought you had a real chance of getting through it."

Marinette nodded. She knew that. Didn't make it true, and it certainly didn't mean that she wanted it to be true.

"You'd make a great Ladybug Miraculous holder. That's an awesome choice! Plus Tikki is so nice —"

"I just... I'm stressed, okay?" Marinette said. "Can you leave me alone and go to dinner without me?"

Alya nodded and stood, leaving Marinette in the room alone. Neither had turned any lights on, and the sun already set, so she felt surrounded by gray.

Good.

[ggomos-maribat]

7 | in which Marinette gets a new career: making Lex Luthor's life an absolute hell

Part 7 of No Mr. Wayne You Can't Adopt Me! | Masterlist

Sometimes, Bruce gave Marinette additional work that was stipulated nowhere in their contract.

Scratch that, he gave her a lot of work that wasn't part of the contract. Marinette wouldn't complain, obviously, since she was paid extra but occasionally, the additional chores became troublesome.

Nonetheless, there was also extra work that she absolutely enjoyed doing. The type of work that she would've done even if she wasn't compensated. Hell, she'd pay Bruce just to accomplish the task. One such assignment was set for the WE gala.

That night, Marinette Dupain-Cheng was the director, and her boss was the star of the show.

She was clad in a modest dress for the big night: gray, calf-length, minimal accessories, pointed heels. The most important part of her outfit, however, was the earpiece discreetly disguised with her hairpin, which put her in a direct line with Bruce.

She peered through the glass windows of the venue, seeing the gala in its grandeur. Fashionably late. That's what they called it. It worked when one wanted to draw attention, because with nearly everyone already present, a metaphorical spotlight would drop down from the sky.

She pressed a button on her earpiece, tucking her tablet close to her chest. "All ready to go, Mr. Wayne."

And of course, since he was Bruce Wayne, he delivered. Heads turned and skirts swished as he made his splendid entrance, just at the right level of 'fashionably late', Brucie-style. He grinned his shiniest grin and immediately greeted the elite guests of the gala he hosted.

Marinette slipped into the threshold herself. "May I remind you not to act too drunk tonight, you're too old for that and it's just going to look sleazy."

"Of course, Marinette, thank you." He replied just as stealthily. "I trust you'll take care of the rest?" 

Her lip curled upwards. "Oh, I intend to."

She took her position near the grand staircase, halfway blending in with the shadows. That amount of stealth would rival Alfred's or even Cassandra's. She just had to play another face in the crowd, someone barely noteworthy.

Then, she'll enjoy the show from her earpiece.

Target spotted. There was Lex Luthor in all his Mr. Clean glory, hanging out with other guests dressed fancily by the banquet table. At first, Marinette was quite surprised he accepted the invitation to a Wayne gala. But then she thought that Luthor would probably push his pride aside just to keep up appearances.

But it was amusing to see that a few of the people crowded around him left to flock to Bruce Wayne.

Her gaze turned towards her boss. He was dressed a bit differently than his usual gala outfit: a flashy golden suit with black markings on the fabric. They commissioned the design from M.D.C., but lent the production to WE's clothing department. Seeing the suit play its role proved that it truly helped Bruce steal the show.

Marinette waited until Luthor was closer to the table. Then she headed straight to it, swiping a mini fruit tart for herself to cover up the nimbleness of her fingers. Poor clueless Luthor, she thought when she successfully retreated back to the staircase.

The effects didn't take too long to see. As soon as Luthor moved to walk with the person he was chatting with, the tablecloth followed him, and so did the rest of the plates, utensils, bowls, and the gorgeous wine tower. The crash was like music to Marinettte's ears as heads turned and Luthor stared gobsmacked at the mess he'd accidentally caused.

The mess he undeniably caused, since the part of the tablecloth was still pinched between his belt and slacks.

The silence was deliciously deafening.

Until one jovial voice cut through.

"Lexie!" Bruce gently pushed past the group swarming around him. "Are you alright?"

Luthor's mouth opened. And closed again. Opened. Closed. "I didn't—how did . . ."

"My my, have you drunk too much wine?" Bruce's gaze swept over the ruined table which the staff were trying to clean up. "You've got to be a little careful, Lex."

Whispers rampaged within the crowd.

Luthor, seemingly trying to hold onto his composure, forced out a laugh. "That's funny, I barely drank tonight."

Bruce nodded sympathetically. "They say your tolerance does go down with old age. If you're feeling dizzy, you can rest upstairs—"

"No!" Luthor suddenly yelled. But immediately after, he cleared his throat and said in a softer tone, "No, thank you. Bruce. I'm feeling okay. I apologize for the mess I caused; I'll make sure to compensate for everything."

Marinette was nearly proud of the faux but extremely convincing smile that Bruce put on. "Very well. How about I help you get a new suit? It seems that some of the wine has stained yours."

***

Tim wasn't in the gala (he was both extremely sleep-deprived and unwilling to go), so Marinette took the liberty of sharing a video of Luthor's incident to him, which he would probably be sending to the family group chat. She conversed with the young CEO for a while, receiving praises on her skills as she waited for her target to come back.

It didn't take long for Luthor to return, all cleaned up like nothing happened. Although there were considerably fewer people who wanted to be near him. It was funny, to Marinette, how Luthor seemed to avoid the table as well.

Unfortunately for you, that doesn't make you safe. Unbeknownst to the general public, the gala venue was extremely dynamic since it was designed to cater almost any event. There were panels and advanced machinery controlling parts of the area, including the elevated stage that doubled as a gallery for the charity's exhibit.

The one who had guest access to the control was none other than Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

She just had to be patient. Luthor moved around a lot, likely because he didn't want to be caught off guard. He had stepped up onto the stage following an exec who was proud to show the gallery. At the time they came down, Marinette pressed a button on her tablet to make the steps move.

With a smack, Luthor's face met the polished floor.

Dramatic gasps echoed around. Faces of concern, some of indifference, others mocking. Like the hero he was, Bruce rushed to Luthor's side to offer a helping hand.

Luthor looked just about to slap his hand away, but he accepted it with a firm grip instead with an overly forced grin.

"Maybe you should lie down after all, Lexie," Bruce pouted. "You can't even walk straight."

The other man laughed a little too loudly. "No need to make it a big deal. It was just an accident."

Bruce clapped him on the back. "No need to be shy around me, hm? Tell me when you need to get some rest."

Whoa, that blood vessel is ready to pop on his head, Marinette observed when Luthor broke away from Bruce and stalked towards the drinks table near her in irritation. He poured out a drink for himself—

"Lexie, why did you run off? You should stay with me, you might cause another accident!" Bruce cried out.

Luthor whirled around. "That—that's a tempting offer, but I shouldn't trouble you," he said through gritted teeth.

"You look really red. I think you should step away from the wine . . ."

"I barely had a sip!"

Luthor turned back around to pick up his glass but it was gone. Meanwhile, Marinette brought the glass to her lips, savoring the expensive wine. She unintentionally locked eyes with Luthor, who looked like he realized who stole his drink. No one will ever believe you if you try to tell them, Marinette inwardly said. Giving him her most feral smile, she downed the drink in one go.

"That!" Luthor jabbed a finger in her direction. "Bruce! Isn't that your assistant?! She's the one causing trouble for me the whole night!"

"My assistant? Lexie, you must be seeing things! I gave her the night off—why would I need my assistant at a gala?"

At the moment Luthor forced him to look, Marinette had already slipped away somewhere else as if she'd vanished.

***

To other people who didn't know of Bruce's alter ego, it would be a mystery why he never had bodyguards with him. But to those in the know (exempli gratia, Marinette) it made sense, since Bruce had to slip in and out in times of emergencies and can defend himself pretty well. Marinette also had prior knowledge that Bruce sometimes let himself be captured to comply with the act. This kind of situation was one Marinette never wished to witness.

They were heading to a hotel for an investor and partnership meeting. Only Marinette, Bruce and the driver were in the limousine when the vehicle grinded to a halt. Peering towards the driver's seat, Marinette saw that the driver had slumped on top of the wheel.

"What the . . ."

The door was pulled open, and masked men armed with guns started pointing at them and telling them to get down. A couple pulled Bruce out of the limo, throwing him down on the pavement to be restrained.

"A kidnapping!" Airheaded 'Brucie' was on display, almost marveling at the situation they were in. "Haven't had those in a while. Careful now, don't be rough with my assistant."

Marinette stared at her boss in disbelief.

Is he . . . is he serious right now?!

Bruce was barely fighting back. No, he didn't fight back at all. You could've taken them all out and told me to keep quiet! Are we seriously doing this right now?! Are you secretly a masochist? Kwamis, we are going to be late for that meeting!

Marinette shut her mouth as she was also pulled out. The men were about to throw a gagged and bound Bruce into their (totally not suspicious) white van. We can't afford to miss this event, it's important for WE!

First, she disarmed them, kicking and knocking off the guns in their hands. One by one they fought back at her but she broke bones and pulled muscles flawlessly, not letting them land a single hit on her. Finally, she rounded them up in a neat circle with their own ropes and zip ties before dabbing the sweat on her forehead. Some of the men were unconscious, some were just disoriented.

Bruce was gawking at her. "Was that in your resumé?"

Marinette put her hands on her hips. "I didn't think it was relevant for the position. I took martial arts lessons in case . . . you know . . . I needed to kick an akuma's ass back in Paris."

"Oh."

"What were you even thinking, Mr. Wayne?" She glowered. "I know you also had self defense lessons—you could've fought back!"

"But—"

"Don't tell me you did it on purpose!"

Bruce quickly avoided her gaze. "I know how to stall the kidnappers until the vigilantes arrive for rescue."

"So you just sit still and do nothing?" Marinette scolded. "Mr. Wayne, who will sign my paychecks if something happens to you?"

"I'm used to it."

She gave him an unimpressed look. We're going to be late for the meeting anyway. Not to mention I'd have to get him a new suit and send his current one for drycleaning.

"Fine. You pride yourself now as a professional captive?" She smiled humorlessly. "Give me one good reason not to sacrifice you to these kidnappers right now."

"Wait, no—"

Marinette didn't even wait. She ushered her boss into the kidnappers' van and practically skipped towards the astounded masked men to free them. Albeit confused and still disoriented, the kidnappers took Bruce away and Marinette bade them goodbye while waving.

***

Of course, Marinette wasn't going to just leave Bruce like that. She still had her paycheck to worry about after all. After calling an ambulance for the driver, she drove the limousine herself and raced through the streets of Gotham, following Bruce's location through her tablet.

She arrived in a typical warehouse near the docks, as expected from amateur kidnappers. It was getting dark, but she allowed herself to enjoy the sunset for a little while. From her guesses, the rest of the family members would've already been alerted of his situation, so she took her place beside the building's door.

Lo and behold, it was Batman who arrived. Dick-Batman.

"Wait," she said when he passed by her.

. . . And she pretended not to notice him leaping back in shock.

"Huh?" Dick-Batman sputtered out.  "What are you doing here? It's dangerous—"

"Don't rescue him yet."

"What? Why?"

Marinette examined her fingernails casually. "He's enjoying playing damsel in distress right now while learning a very important lesson. Give it around five to ten minutes."

"Uhh, okay?"

Dick-Batman just leaned on the wall beside her in an awkward stance, trying to inconspicuously talk through his comms. 

**

Taglist: @hammalammadamdam @animegirlweeb @fairlyfatale

@agentxx92

[i-like-anything-water]

AU where Lila likes Marinette (genuinely) but hates Ladybug (genuinely) and Chloe redeems herself out of spite because why is Dupain-Cheng not offended and horrified that she's friends with someone who hates Ladybug?! Nevermind the urges to slap Lila whenever she's too chummy and near Marinette and oh fuck it if Marinettte wants nice, then she'll be nice.

[seekinghelp-adhd]

Last Thing for this Prompt Poll!

Either Comment or Reblog with any other tags I should include. Romance, Identity Reveal, Aged-Up Characters, or basically anything else that's popular on ao3 is fair game.

If there's a tag or ship you want from a specific fandom - like "Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinettte Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug," "Jason Todd has PTSD," "Lila Rossi Bashing," or "Bruce Wayne is a good parent" - keep in mind that I can only include those if that specific fandom wins the poll.

[adriendeservesbetter]

I drew this the other day! I have the others already done lol

[bloodandpurpleink]

ayy i did another thing

based on this text post, but i swear to god this is canon.

[mari-cherri]

I really wanted to join the love square kiss party but I got home late so here it is :) happy valentines day aka love square kiss day

[lotus-duckies]

The lack of Nathanette love breaks my heart.

Like Nathanette is the cute little sailboat and is getting viciously shot by the other ships BUT THE PASSENGERS ARE STILL ON IT.

[maybemayura]

Doing some expressions practice with a meme and character requests. It’s amazing how nice my linework can be if I put my mind to it XD

[azapofinspiration]

After Glaciator 2.0

Press: *once more hounding them about their relationship*

Chat Noir: *smiling but dying inside* We aren’t together. Ladybug is just a really good friend.

Ladybug: *frowning* He’s right, but why do I feel so annoyed at that turn of phrase?

[ahavaillions]

recommendations please

anyone have any adrinette fanfic recommendations? like worthwhile reading and complete? Thanks!

[hanaasbananas]

100 Ways to say I Love You Chapter 10

I'll help you study (Adrinette)

AO3

One week.

That was what they’d agreed on. One week to process everything, to process each other's identities so that they’d get used to the idea of who exactly was behind their partner’s mask.

Marinette had gone straight home and screamed into her pillow, ecstatic that the boy she’d begun to develop feelings for was the same boy she’d harboured a flame for all these years. She’d spent the week daydreaming about the two of them together, planning a picnic to take with her on their designated meeting day.

What she hadn’t accounted for, was Adrien not feeling the same way.

She’d waited all night, sitting silently, hardly daring to breathe, to even move , in case she missed the sound of his arrival. She’d watched as the picnic grew cold, pulling her legs up and wrapping her arms around them, her eyes burning from the effort of forcing back the tears that threatened to spill down her cheeks.

And still, he didn’t come.

When the first rays of sunlight began peeking over the horizon, Marinette packed up her things, and went home.

Alright then. Message received, loud and clear.

***

Which bought her to now.

Marinette let her head drop to her desk with a dull thunk.

“Long night?” Alya asked sympathetically and she groaned.

“More like a long week. ” she muttered, acutely aware of Adrien sitting in the desk in front of her. Marinette had underestimated how difficult it would be to avoid him. She couldn’t be obvious about it or Alya would have noticed, and then what would she say?

Instead, she simply turned and walked away whenever she saw him approaching, ducking into empty classrooms or the bathroom until he’d passed. She took rain checks on any group activities, citing commissions and the need to study, and so far she’d been successful at avoiding him, but it had only been a week of this and Marinette was exhausted.

It didn't help that Adrien seemed determined to try and talk to her, and she didn’t know how she’d be able to continue her avoidance techniques long term.

But she couldn’t tell Alya that. “I’ve just been trying to catch up on everything but that physics homework has been kicking my ass.”

“Oh that’s right!” Alya exclaimed. “Adrien helped us all with that homework but you couldn’t make it—hey sunshine!” she snapped her fingers to get Adrien’s attention, oblivous to Marinette watched in mounting horror. “You have a free period after lunch right?”

“Uh,” Adrien exchanged a bewildered look with Nino, who just shrugged. “Yeah, I’m free. Why?”

“Marinette needs some help with that homework—you know the one” Adrien's eyes shot up to his hairline, and Marinette cringed, hoping he’d decline kindly, say he was busy, but instead his face relaxed into an easy smile, and his eyes met hers.

“Sure thing, Marinette, I’ll help you study!”

***

“Is this seat taken?” Adrien’s voice startled her and her pen slid across the page, thankfully missing what she’d already written. “Oh shit, I’m sorry—”

“No, it’s nothing—” she interrupted him, clearing her things off the table so that he could sit beside her. “You didn’t have to come, you know. I get it.”

“Do you?” Adrien dragged her open textbook across the table to look at it. “It’s this part you’re stuck on right?” His finger stabbed a paragraph in the middle of the page and she blinked, looking down at where he pointed.

“Yeah, that’s the one. Listen, um—” she leaned forward, trying to meet his eyes. “Adrien, seriously you don’t need to do this.” She didn’t need to hear him give reasons for his rejection. She didn’t think she could take it.

“Actually, I wanted to come,” he interjected, looking up at last, meeting her gaze with a frightening intensity. “This problem is really easy to get the wrong answer to if you don’t have the right explanation”

Marinette blinked, telling her traitorous heart-which had begun to flutter in her chest- not to get it’s hopes up as she registered the double meaning behind Adriens words.

“It’s a fairly simple explanation, all things considered,” Adrien continued, pulling her notebook out from under her fingertips and scribbling the equations on the page. “So it won’t take long to finish, I don’t think.” He flashed her a grin, “you’re pretty smart after all. How about we go and get milkshakes after we’re done?”

Dazed, Marinette could only nod.

[french-fry-gallery]

🏹Little Matchmaking Devils Cupids💘

They weren’t too happy about the events that took place during Miracle Queen, aka new baby sitter (they just want Mari back).

thanks!

[funny-mlb-screenshots]

This still remains the purest thing I have ever seen

[astrangetypeofchemistry]

Shall I Stay

@chatchevalier Your turn, buddy

@breeeliss I waited so long to read Feed Your Focus, Misdial, and The Sexual Awakening of Chloe Bourgeois, but now my brain is happily stuck shipping Chlonette and will accept nothing else from me.

Based on this

Find this on AO3

Queen Bee perched onto the end of Marinette’s chaise, her mouth quirking up just slightly. “What’s this?”

Marinette, in turn, turns around, blushes, and throws her bouncy ball at the bee superhero, who catches it with a wink. “Not a word,” she threatens, a bright blush coloring her cheeks.

“My my,” the hero continued, attention solely focused on the photos plastered over her classmate’s walls. “Do you happen to have a crush?”

There, covering ceiling to floor, Chloé Bourgeois’s face was plastered all over Marinette’s room. And Queen Bee is more than just gleeful about teasing her.

(So what if it’s only because Marinette doesn’t know it’s her? It’s not like Chloé can just walk out without compromising her identity, and she’d rather not put someone else in danger and then have to rescue them)

(Besides, she didn’t really know this was how Marinette felt)

“No,” Marinette stammers out, her face painting into a tight mask. “I don’t.”

(But Chloé’s not dumb, and she sees the blush is still there, maybe getting brighter by the second and she has to think about why she never sees that same blush when they’re butting heads as just Marinette and Chloé-)

“Is it because she’s rich?”

(Sue Chloé, but she doesn’t want to get hurt by someone she might actually have respect for-)

“NO!” Marinette’s cry is indignant, breath heaving as she glared at Queen Bee. The superheroine only stared back. “Who do you think I am?”

So… “It’s because she’s the mayor’s daughter?”

Marinete cries out in frustration, grabs a pillow, and begins whacking the bee hero. “NO! I’m not some shallow schoolgirl.”

Bee, unaffected, grabs the pillow out of her hands, wagging a finger in front of her. “No harming the heroes.” A moment of silence passes, of stillness, before she asks “So why do you?”

Marinette’s stare has transcended the room, her body moving back to sit in her chair. “She’s…”

“Nice?” Bee suggests, getting a snort in response.

“Of course not,” Marinette giggles. “She’s caused more akumas than anyone else.”

Bee pouts, not knowing what to say without giving herself away, but still resentful.

“But,” Marinette sighs, head resting on her palms, elbows propped onto her knees. “She’s trying. She’s rude, and obnoxious, but she… She knows it, you know? She’s learning her own faults.” Blue eyes lock, and one of the most adoring looks ever crosses Marinette’s face.

(And, well, fuck, because she’s definitely never felt her own heart pumping like this, has never felt this warm or loved or at home-)

“I’m going to hold her to her faults,” Marinette continues, unaware of the steadily rising lub-dub in Queen Bee’s chest- “But as long as she’s willing to try, and willing to listen, in her own way,” Marinette shrugs,-

(and there’s this really adorable little grin on her face-)

“-then I’ll continue challenging her.”

Chloé.exe has stopped working.

“Queen Bee?” Marinette asks, concern lacing her tone and morphing it such genuine worry that-

“I’m fine!” Bee yells, a little too loudly, judging by the way Marinette cringes, and stands up a little too fast. A little too noisily. “I just have to-.. Patrol.”

Then she leaves without a word, without acknowledging Marinette, or the furrow of her eyebrows, or even the knotting on her forehead-

(And hey, if Chloé can’t even meet her eyes the next day, can’t even formulate a word to Marinette, that means nothing, okay?)

(It means everything)

[solunia]

Happy birthday!!

Yo thanks