#remember when marinette and nino went on a date

[rainbow-arrow]

can't believe this show thought 'know what this show needs? someone else in love with marinette dupain-cheng'

[literaphobe]

how insane do u guys think adrien felt when nino showed up to school the next day after The Zoo Incident and was like YEP guess alya’s my gf now! i know i used to have this huge crush on marinette but that’s like totally over and also like wow did i even like her at all?? haha. yeah dude i decided within the span of a few hours that i had to date alya or die. yeah man she also randomly went from seeing me as a bro to seeing me as a hot piece of ass. btw what if u started dating marinette. no yeah dude i think it’d be super cool. NOOOO DUDE nooo she didn’t say anything to me just thought it’d be um uh real convenient since she sits next to alya bro like haha come onnnn we all sit together in class it’d be like having double dates every day my man! oh. oh you’re in love with someone else? my bad my bad uh who is she? you can’t tell me? it would get you in trouble?? okay okay good luck with her dude but remember marinette’s super duper single and available!! -> and then from that day on every time he got rejected by ladybug he had to remember that his best friend got his gf under the span of a few hours with NO movies and ZERO roses

[rosie-b]

Your Lies (Tell the Truth)

Written for day 8 of @adrinetteapril - Soulmate Markers

Every child knew the legend. Many adults were lucky enough to have experienced the reality of soulmate marks for themselves. Even Alya and Nino had figured their bond out! This seemed like an open and shut case.

But as Marinette stopped to look closer at the black ink she didn’t remember putting on her skin, her mind raced as she tried to determine what else it could be, other than a soulmate mark. Because it just couldn’t be, right? She’d been the only one to confess her love. Adrien had rejected her.

(I promise it's not too angsty; there's some crack and fluff as well!)

You can read the fic below or on AO3!

It was here.

Marinette had spent months both dreaming of and fearing this moment; she’d tried both to finally reach and forever avoid it, but the time had finally come— today was the day she’d finally worked up the courage to tell Adrien she loved him. 

She’d imagined all the best outcomes, the ones where Adrien smiled and said he loved her too, where they went out to get ice cream and then started dating and got married and had two or three or four kids (and a hamster). She’d spent hours trapped in nightmares of the worst ways it could go, where Adrien laughed at her and had his father ban her from ever working in fashion or talking to his son again and Chloe found out and then Lila, and Alya and her parents, and….

Suffice it to say that she’d imagined a variety of ways this moment could have gone.

But now that it was here, none of those scenarios matched what was happening in the moment. None of them had captured the pain like heartbreak in Adrien’s eyes that followed the shock of her confession. None of them had prepared her for the unsure, gentle way he tried to turn her down.

She didn’t know how to react to it. What do you do when you tell the nicest boy in the world that you love him, and all he can do is say no, he has to say no, and the ground doesn’t even have the decency to swallow you up with your shame?

“I’m sorry, Marinette,” Adrien had finally said, his sad, green eyes hardly daring to meet hers, “I just don’t feel the same way. It wouldn’t be fair of me to date you while I’m still trying to move o— er, I don’t want to hurt you the way I hurt Kagami,” he stuttered out. “You’re an amazing girl, Marinette, and I like you a lot, but I don’t trust myself to be the partner you deserve to have. I don’t want to play with your feelings, or make you feel like a second choice. Besides,” he continued, rubbing the back of his neck, and looking at her tentatively, “Weren’t you and Luka…?”

Marinette tried to answer when Adrien’s voice trailed off, but she found that her throat had closed in on itself. She couldn’t speak through the lump sitting there. She just shook her head, looking up at Adrien bravely while she held back her tears. She’d known this was going to happen! She shouldn’t have bothered trying.

Adrien’s eyes widened as the silence grew longer. “Oh, no, please don’t cry, Marinette! I’m sorry, I didn’t want to hurt you, really, but I did, and I’m so sorry!”

“It’s okay,” she rasped out, hating how feeble, how broken her voice sounded. “You can’t help how you feel. I get it, Adrien. I, I’ll be—” I’ll be fine, she tried to say. But the words wouldn’t come out, and all she could do was be grateful she’d waited until the end of the school day for her confession. This way, she could offer Adrien a pitiful smile and wave and walk away from the scene of her heartbreak. This way, she could suffer in peace until she managed to put the shattered pieces of her heart back together. 

It’s okay, she told herself as she waved to her friends (only friends) and barely managed to not run, but walk to her home. You’ll be fine. So he doesn’t like you back. So what? You’ll be fine. You’re a big girl; you’re Ladybug; you’ve got this. 

She had trouble believing her own encouragement. And she still felt like something in her had died the moment Adrien’s smile had slipped off his face, the moment she knew he’d be turning her down.

Marinette started walking a bit faster.

__*__*__*__*__

Adrien watched Marinette turn away, feeling useless and helpless and more miserable than he could remember having been ever before. 

Why did I have to turn her down? Why couldn’t I have just said yes and gone on a few pleasant dates and then accepted the breakup when she eventually realized what I’m like and dumped me?

Adrien wondered if he could still do something to salvage the situation; if he could run after Marinette and beg her to come back, to not hate him, to give him a new chance.

Before he could do anything, though, Alya grabbed his arm and yanked on it, pulling him closer to her before he could leave. “You better not be serious right now, Agreste! What were you thinking?”

“I wasn’t,” he responded, wincing at the tight grip Alya had on him but knowing that he deserved this pain. 

“Yes, you were. That response you gave her sounded practiced. Now, what was your reason for doing it?”

Adrien’s eyes widened. “I, uh, it’s Marinette; I didn’t want to, but I didn’t want to hurt her, either, and— I’m in love with someone else, right now. She's just a friend. That’s all it is, honest!” 

Alya frowned. “Okay, then, tell me who the lucky one is. Make me understand this faulty brain of yours. Who could you possibly prefer over Marinette?”

Adrien’s mind went blank as he tried to think of what to say. “Ladybug,” he blurted out, and slapped his free hand over his mouth as his heart tried to beat its way out of his chest. 

Not the truth, not the truth, anything but the truth! Why didn’t I just lie?

Alya’s eyes narrowed. “You turned down Marinette for Ladybug?? Oh, no, sunshine, absolutely not. With an excuse like that, you’d better be Chat Noir,” she fumed. Her eyes, blazing red-hot with fury, added the silent warning, or else.

Adrien gulped. “I, no! I’m not Chat Noir! Why would you think that? I mean, no, I didn’t, I’m actually in love with–”

Alya scowled and let go of Adrien’s arm. “Forget it, Agreste. You have the evening to get this figured out. Don’t walk into school tomorrow unless you’re going to do it with a real excuse. I understand having celebrity crushes, but I can’t excuse turning down a real chance with a girl as sweet as Marinette for a woman who’s about a thousand percent unavailable! Get your act together, now.”

She stormed off, grabbing Nino’s hand and tugging him along after her as she went. Nino turned his head over his shoulder to shoot Adrien a glance, but he couldn’t tell if it was a sympathetic one or not. Adrien was pretty sure Nino didn’t know which type it was, either. But he, at least, was still willing to look at Adrien despite the rather large mistake he’d just made, and Adrien was very grateful for that. He wasn’t used to even that much affection.

Maybe that’s why he’d made his big mistake.

__*__*__*__*__

Marinette had never been more grateful for the comforting magic of warm showers. She let the water run hot, stepped into a cloud of warm steam, and let the water run over her face, washing away the last of the salty tears she’d cried into her pillow under Tikki’s watchful, caring gaze. She huddled under the shower head, shivered once as her body adjusted to the new temperature, and took a moment to just breathe and feel a little more alive.

After a while, Marinette moved on to the real part of the shower. As she reached out to grab the shampoo bottle, though, she noticed a large black squiggle on her forearm, and her heart stopped. Was it a spider?

No, it wasn’t. But it looked like writing… and Marinette knew she hadn’t gotten a tattoo or written on herself with a pen recently.

There was only one other explanation she could think of…

On the day when all bonded soulmates have confessed their love to each other, the lies they tell will show on the other’s body for twenty-four hours after the last confession.

Every child knew the legend. Many adults were lucky enough to have experienced the reality of soulmate marks for themselves. Even Alya and Nino had figured their bond out! This seemed like an open and shut case. 

But as Marinette stopped to look closer at the black ink she didn’t remember putting on her skin, her mind raced as she tried to determine what else it could be, other than a soulmate mark. Because it just couldn’t be, right? She’d been the only one to confess her love. Adrien had rejected her.

And yet, her skin must not have gotten the message, because there, in thick black letters on her left wrist, was the sentence “I just don’t feel the same way.”

Suddenly, the warm shower didn’t feel so magical anymore. The afternoon’s messy confrontation had followed her inside the pure white stall, and she didn’t feel safe there anymore. But even though there was a pit in her stomach, she knew that if this was truly Adrien’s soulmark on her, then she still had a chance.

There was more black ink twisting around Marinette’s elbow. Hesitant, broken, and hopeful despite the rejection, she read it out loud. 

“It wouldn’t be fair of me to date you…”

Marinette felt like either screaming or crying again. Maybe both. She and Adrien were soulmates, then? But how had his marks shown up on her skin, when she’d heard a rejection, not a confirmation of his love? Had he somehow confessed his love to her before today, and she’d either missed it or misheard it? Had he been disappointed and moved on and now, when she’d finally confessed, he wasn’t even in love with her anymore? 

Or worse, were they the kind of soulmates where one person loved the other romantically but the other person held a platonic kind of love, instead? Had his oh-so friendly rejection been enough to trigger their soulbond, like some twisted blessing-turned-curse?

Marinette didn’t know how she’d survive that. She couldn’t handle knowing she’d made a fool out of herself by confessing to an unrequited love; she couldn’t fathom ever falling out of love with Adrien Agreste, either. Was she doomed to a one-sided love forever?

There were three last lines of ink, with the first two being on her right forearm. Marinette turned it over to read them apprehensively. 

“She's just a friend." Ouch. "And... I’m in love with someone else, right now,” she mumbled aloud. Huh. She didn’t remember him saying that. It must have come out after she left. Okay, well his loving some other, more perfect girl was understandable, but it still stung. 

But wait! If this was something Adrien had said today, and it was on her skin in his writing, it was a soulmark. And if it was a soulmark, then it was a lie, because the only things you can say that will appear on your soulmate’s skin are lies! So, Adrien didn’t love someone else!

“I must be dreaming,” Marinette muttered to herself. “Tikki!” she called as loudly as she dared, stepping out of the shower and wrapping a towel around herself as she did so. “Tikki! Come look at this; help me out!”

Tikki zoomed over at high speed. “Marinette! What is it?”

“Tikki, look, look at the marks! We’re soulmates; Adrien and I are soulmates! How are we soulmates?? He said he doesn’t love me, but he was lying, but he still turned me down! So why are the marks here; how is this possible? Did he confess his love while I was walking away? Or why else do I have soulmarks now? I don’t remember him ever confessing to me in the past!”

Tikki stared at the marks for a moment while her holder panicked, and a slow grin spread across her face.

“Marinette, this is amazing! But I can’t actually tell you why your soulmarks showed up today,” she added with a twinkle in her eye.

Marinette paused. “Wait, but you do know why they’re there, then?”

Tikki nodded, unashamed and still smiling. “Yes, but telling you the reason would be a serious breach of Adrien’s privacy. The only way I can tell you is after you’ve figured it out, yourself.”

Marinette frowned. “Fine. But, hold on, there was one more soulmark I haven’t read yet.”

Tikki’s eyes widened. “Oh? Where is it?”

Marinette twisted her arm around, straining to see the mark. “It’s just past my right elbow. Here! Look, it says, ‘I’m not Cha….’”

Tikki and Marinette both stared at the soulmark for a minute and then slowly turned and stared at each other, instead.

“I’m not Chat Noir,” they said in unison.

Marinette fell backwards, catching herself on the wall just in time. She propped herself as her mind raced, piecing together black skintight suits and white overshirts; sly smirks and kind smiles. They all belonged to the same boy, the quiet one in her class and the boisterous one always proclaiming his undying love.

“Well, that explains it, then,” she said dazedly, as memories of a candlelit picnic lovingly set up on a rooftop surfaced in her mind. They really were soulmates! Now, the soulmarks’ sudden appearance made sense.

Even if the first soulmate confesses years before the last, once they have all confessed, the marks of their bond shall appear as proof of their love for one another. 

__*__*__*__*__

The next day, Adrien walked into school feeling more timid than a mouse and about as innocent as a flea during the Black Plague. Or maybe a certain cheese-loving cat.

His plan was to sneak into school, because Nathalie had given him a Look when he’d tentatively suggested that he was possibly not feeling all that well and asked what Father would think if he stayed home earlier that morning. So, he had to go to school, despite Alya’s warning yesterday. He’d sneak past Alya, sit in the back of the class, and only say something during roll call before falling silent for the rest of the day, so that Marinette (and Alya) could forget he existed. 

Adrien had had an absolutely miserable night and made no progress on finding a cover for why he’d turned down Marinette, but he was sure that however bad he was feeling, she’d be feeling ten times worse. The least he could do to help was stay out of her hair.

But that turned out to be unnecessary. When he saw Marinette waiting by the top of the stairs at the main entrance, bouncing on her heels and barely suppressing what seemed to be a huge grin, Adrien wondered if he’d somehow teleported to a different universe. Was Marinette… happy? Not that she couldn’t be happy, of course! It was only that he’d expected her to be much less bubbly and much more stutter-y and shy and, well, sad.

It was cool that she’d moved on so easily, he admitted! But for some reason, the thought of it made his chest ache. He should be happy for her, so why was he feeling hurt by her smile?

“Adrien!” Marinette called as soon as she saw him. Every nearby student heard her voice and fell silent or muttered quietly to each other in response to it. Had they all heard about what had happened yesterday? Was everyone in on what was going on now? Was this part of an elaborate plan by Marinette to get revenge? 

Was that why she was happy? Because she knew soon, she could get back at Adrien for breaking her heart?

That just couldn’t be it, though. Adrien might be stupid sometimes, but he knew Marinette well enough to know she’d never do something so cruel to him, or anyone else, for that matter.

He walked up to her, shyly raising one hand in a wave. “Hello, Marinette,” he said. “You look happy! Um, are you feeling better? I’m so sorry about yesterday, I don’t know what I was thinking! I was so rude and I hurt you and I understand if you never forgive me but—”

“It’s okay,” Marinette said, flippantly waving one hand in a dismissive gesture.Then she stepped forward, her eyes glinting determinedly as she spoke to  him in a very serious, confident manner. “I don’t love you. I’m in love with someone else right now. And one more thing: I’m not Ladybug,” she added, by now having stepped close enough that she whispered the last part into his ear while standing on her tip-toes.

Adrien’s heart plummeted all the way to the second circle of hell.

“What?” he gasped out, feeling unreasonably hurt, crushed, even, by the words Marinette had dropped on him like a heavy building he couldn’t crawl out from under. Was he this unloveable, that she’d moved on so easily? 

Then again, if he was going to be alone forever, maybe he deserved it after what he’d done to her.

“I don’t love you,” Marinette repeated, smirking, and he flinched. Then her gaze softened, and a smile took the place of her cruel smirk. “Give me your arm,” she told him.

Adrien stared at her. “Why?” he asked in a cracking voice, feeling fearful and a little bit trapped. “What are you going to do with it?”

Marinette giggled. “I need to show you something, before it’s too late,” she said. “It’s probably under your shirt.”

“Under my—?” Adrien hadn’t finished his sentence before someone was pushing him forward, right into Marinette’s arms, and she reached down for his shirt sleeve and folded it up past his elbow.

“Look here,” she said authoritatively, presenting him with his own forearm.

What? Adrien thought, and he slowly processed what the sudden appearance of Marinette’s hurtful words on his arm in black ink meant.

“I don’t love you,” Marinette repeated, and the words appeared on his arm as she spoke them. “And I’m not Ladybug,” she whispered again, giving him just enough time to see the new words appear before she folded his sleeve down again to cover them.

“I— you— Marinette,” Adrien gasped out, feeling stunned and relieved and more than a little awestruck by this wonderful person that he already loved, who still returned his affection somehow, and who— “Oh, my goodness,” he breathed. “Marinette, we’re soulmates!”

Marinette grinned and nodded, doing her little wiggle-dance she always did when she was happy.

“Yes!” she agreed, cheering.

“Yes!” Adrien cheered right back, and picked her up and spun her around. “I love you! No, wait, I want to see your marks, too. I don’t love you,” he tried, and black ink peeked out of Marinette’s shirt and sprawled onto her wrist. “I don’t love you,” he repeated, and more ink appeared at her neck.

He knew what it meant, and Marinette knew, too, and that knowledge was temporarily theirs to play with. So they smiled at each other and stood marveling over the beautiful lies stamped on their skin.

“I don’t love you, either,” Marinette said with a giggle, and Adrien held his hand up in awe as more ink appeared there.

“I don’t love you,” he said one more time, loud and happy, and an ominous thud came from behind him.

“Adrien Agreste!” Alya boomed. “I told you not to come to school if you couldn’t do it without hurting Marinette!”

Marinette smirked. “It’s okay, Alya,” she said, holding up her left wrist, bare except for Adrien’s words. “I don’t love him.”

Adrien searched and searched for the words until Marinette pointed them out on his forehead.

Alya stared at the two of them, relieved and yet still visibly taught with nerves. “Well, I wasn’t expecting that,” she remarked, putting one hand on her hip. “Nino and I never did this. We just lied about favorite colors and future dreams. Like normal people. But, this is cute, too, once you get past how weird it is, I guess. You figured it out, then?” she asked, looking at Adrien.

He nodded, feeling one last guilty twinge that was wiped away by the black writing he could still see from the corner of his eye. “I’m sorry it took me this long. Wait,” she didn’t mean ‘did you find out each other’s identities,’ did she? “Wait, which part were you asking about?”

Alya smirked. “Well, the whole school knew you were in love with Marinette before you did, apparently. How does it feel to be the last to know?”

Marinette slipped her hand into his as Nino’s stifled laughs sounded from somewhere nearby. How long had he been watching them for?

“Be nice, Alya,” Marinette chided playfully. “It just took a while to get through his thick skull. I swear, his mind is a bag full of cats sometimes!”

Adrien stared down at Marinette with pink cheeks, feeling happily surprised by her pun.

“I love you so much,” he said seriously, and she giggled and leaned against his side.

“I love you, too,” she responded, and Alya nodded, smiling.

“Now that’s the way it’s done,” she said in a satisfied tone. “Agreste, you’re on my good side again. So, if you’ll let me do the honors, you may kiss the bride!”

Marinette shrieked as Alya grinned evilly and Nino laughed and cheered Adrien on.

So, he pulled Marinette into a quick, soft kiss. It wasn’t their first, he knew, but he was glad he’d finally be able to remember this one, so he dedicated the gentle brush of Marinette’s lips to his memory and grinned in what he knew was a dopey manner as he pulled away.

Then Marinette was yanking him back down for another kiss, and he could only imagine that this was the definition of bliss. Who cared about being on time to class? He had the best soulmate in the world, and he was content to just stay in her arms.

[timetravelassasin]

Married?

A/N: This was based off of this post check it out. I hope I did it justice and y'all enjoy it. I will do a Part with Damian after this one.

@taewinterbear95 I hope you like it. Sorry it took me a while to write this out.

@maanae Here you go. I hope I did it justice.

@swaggermcjagger hope you like it!

~⚔~🧵~⚔~🧵~⚔~🧵~⚔~🧵~⚔~🧵~⚔~🧵~⚔~🧵~⚔~🧵~⚔~🧵~⚔~

Summary: Everyone finds out that Damian and Marinette are married and freak out.

It had been close to a year since the marriage ceremony between the heir of the League of Assasins and the Grand Guardian of the Order. Marinette and Damian have so far met twice in the time given that they are both straight out of high school and entering University. After the marriage ceremony Marinette had gone back to her usual days. Damian as well went back to going by his usual schedule. It was only at certain times that the two would call each other up and update the other on their everyday life. Marinette would tell him of the new design she has drawn up as well as the clients she is currently working with. Damian would tell her about his pets as well as the new rescues he has hiding from his father.

"Marinette are you ready to go," Adrien asked from her living room.

"Yes, I just need my bag," she said, grabbing her purse.

After making sure that the kwamis were safe and had their snacks the two of the headed out to buy some new fabric Marinette needed. Adrien had volunteered to help her carry the rolls of fabric and other stuff she needed in exchange for some pastries. The two of them chatted basically updating the other on their daily stuff. Once at the fabric shop Marinette made quick work on searching for the fabric.

"Who is the commission for this time," Adrien asked, looking at the colorful material.

"Uncle Jagged, he needs a suite for a wedding his is going to be attending," she said, finding a green material.

"Oh, my husband likes this shade of green. Maybe I should make him something," she said, picking up an emerald green fabric.

"Your husband? Wait you're married since when," Adrien said, shocked.

He tried to remember when Marinette had even started dating and nothing came up. No one had even mentioned her dating someone.

"Yes, I got kidnapped a while back by some assassins and was forced into a magical blood-bound marriage contract with their heir. We meet every chance we get and spare with swords and needles. It's pretty fun," she said, a sigh escaping her lips.

"Wait are you serious how come you never told anyone," Adrien asked, confused.

"It never came up," she said, grabbing some other fabrics.

After getting everything she needed they headed back to her apartment and dropped off her stuff. Chloe had called earlier complaining that they don't see each other enough and wanted to meet for lunch. Chloe had managed to take over her father's hotel and became a well-known businesswoman.

"Adrikins, Mari, you made it," Chloe greeted as the two of them walked into the hotel restaurant.

"Chloe, it's nice to see you too," Marinette said.

"Is everyone else here," Adrien asked, searching for the others.

"Yes, you two are the last ones," Chloe said.

Kagami, Luka, Nino and Alya sat at a table chatting before the other three walked to the table.

"I see you two finally made it," Alya smirked.

"Hello you two," Luka and Kagami greeted.

"Yo, Dude, Dudette finally," Nino grinned.

Adrien and Marinette took their seats and ordered food before catching up. Halfway thru the meal Marinette's phone went off.

"Ah, It's my husband I should answer this," Marinette said, answering her phone.

"Wait, did she say husband," Alya said, shocked.

"HUSBAND," Chloe gasped.

"Hello, Oh I see well I should have time off next week if you wish to come visit. I do not mind. I do have a commission I need to finish for Uncle Jagged. Oh then I shall see you in two days. Yes, I as well," Marinette said before hanging up the phone.

She looked up at her friends all of them with shocked and confused looks on their faces.

"Is something wrong," Marinette asked, confused.

"Since when have you been married," Nino asked, confused.

"I believe today would mark ten months," Marinette answered, taking a sip of her tea.

"How," Alya asked.

"Oh, I got kidnapped a while back by some assassins and was forced into a magical blood-bound marriage contract with their heir. Would you like to see a picture of him," she answered, taking out her phone and pulling up a photo of him.

"This is him; he is planning to visit in two days but would rather spend his time with me than with other people," she said, showing them the picture.

"Wait, Mari that is Damian Wayne. He is Bruce Wayne's son one of the riches man in Gotham," Chloe said, shocked.

"Leave it to Mari-hime to attract the rich," Kagami chuckled.

"Oh, I didn't know that," Marinette said.

"Do we get to meet him when he visits," Adrien asked.

"Of course, you are all family and he has to meet you sooner or later. Mama and Papa already love him," she answered.

"Wait, your parents already met him and know you are married," Alya said, shocked.

"Of course, who do you think supplies the kwamis with their snacks," Marinette said.

"Well, Dudette you sure know how to keep us on our toes," Nino chuckled.

They spent the rest of their day talking about how Marinette and Damian got to where they were and every other little detail leading to it.

[gentil-minou]

okay but what if season 5 starts with adrien trying to get close enough to marinette to thank her for being his friend and also he tries to hold her hand cause they were so soft and he just wants to hold them again and see what makes them so soft. you know. for science.

and what if adrien is at a photo shoot and sees a boat go down the river and he thinks about that time marinette went on that date with the akuma and she got to ride a boat but the ride was cut off so maybe he should make it up to marinette and take her on a boat ride. you know. cause thats what friends do.

but for some reason its really hard to ask marinette and he keeps tripping over his words and it's so strange because he doesnt have this issue with nino or alya or anyone else but when he's around marinette his words twist and his mouth feels dry and he remembers hitting his head on his car after leaving the pool one day and how he felt embarassed by that and what if that happens but maybe it's not so bad because then marinette will laugh like she did that day. and marinette has a great laugh.

[sweetcloverheart]

You know what - Marinette should do what Gabriel asked and make sure Adrien only remembers “the good times” he had with his father. It’s only fair she honor the poor man’s last wish after everything he went through

And I want her to continue honoring them, as she and Adrien throw out all of Gabriel’s things from the manor - commissioned paintings, his suits, that godawful desk, everything.

I want her to do this as Adrien renames the company and does a complete rebrand of it. He has slides installed in the new break room and a moviehall and gives everyone full benefits. The employees love it.

I want her to do this as the alliance rings get destroyed and the materials recycled into other items like cars or computers.

I want her to do this as she takes down Lila/Chrysalis and finally frees Nooroo from this seemingly endless cycle of his holders being complete psychopaths. When he’s ready, she lets him pick his own holder (The choice of Chloe is...shocking to say the least, but they did say he could chose, and she’s been doing pretty well with the therapist her new foster family set up for her)

I want her to do this when Fei comes to visit and when they finish, Master Wu gets a statue honoring his death, and his school reopened to the public

I want her to do this as she and Adrien finally reveal their identities to each other and laugh themselves to tears over never figuring it out for so long.

I want her to do this when she finally discovers a way to sever Adrien, Kagami, and Felix from their amoks and let them obtain true freedom.

I want her to do this as they each walk down the aisle during their wedding, thanking all the people that brought them this far. (Adrien was hesitant to invite Nathalie after cutting contact for so long, even with his mother assuring him, but he decided enough time had past for letting old wounds linger)

I want her to do this as she breaks down in tears at Alya’s wedding, while Adrien congratulates his bro for finding his other half. They all laugh at the joke Nino makes at their toast about how grateful he is that the girl he almost dated locked him in a cage with his future wife.

I want her to do this at Kitty Section’s after party celebrating another success tour. Juleka proposes to Rose, Mylene announces her pregnancy, and they all congratulate Luka on his new solo album. (Jagged is there, but he makes his visit brief. He knows that this day isn’t about him)

I want her to do this when Felix finally officially changes his name to Graham De Vanily and rebrand his father’s old company, taking a page out of his cousin’s book (he doesn’t install any slides in the break room, much to Adrien’s disappointment)

I want her to do this at Kagami’s press-conference as she announces the new direction Tsurugi Tech plans on heading towards after the merger with her husband’s company. (She doesn’t even bother extending an invite to Tomoe. The pleabargin she made allowed her to remain on the board of directors but the position’s held in name-only mostly)

I want her to do this at their next class reunion, where they celebrate Kim’s recent gold medal and him finally realizing Ondine was proposing the last 4 months, and Bustier cries big wet tears at the bouquet they give her thanking her for the years of guidance.

I want her to do this at their anniversary, as their friends joke about how long it took them to get this far and congratulate her on her new fashion line and Adrien on the children’s charity he’s setting up with Mylene and Prince Ali’s help

I want her to do this when Alix returns to the timeline and she’s yelling herself horse because no I don’t care how cool you think it is, you can’t bring a T-Rex into Paris Alix did you learn nothing from Jurassic Park?! (She lets her keep the T-Rex. Max and Markov help create a nice little enrichment center for it)

I want her to do this when Marc and Nathaniel’s old comic receives an award and despite knowing how stupid it is, they all get wasted celebrating and end up hung over.

I want her to do this when Lila gets out of her court-mandated therapy and comes to her with an actual, sincere apology - oh and also the Kwami of Null (Don’t worry, they got therapy too. It was very helpful)

I want her to do this as Zoe finally gets her first acting award and calls her fiance up on stage to celebrate. She thanks the entire film crew and her directors, and her friends for encouraging her choice to continue acting even after everything that happened.

I want her to do this as Chloe celebrates her new job and tries to make a huge speech, only to have to toss the whole thing out because Zoe and Nooroo kept crying and interrupting her. Sabrina jokes it was a “very Chloe-like” speech and deserving of a toast. (Neither make reference to their parents at their individual events. Chloe cut contact with Audrey ages ago and Zoe refused to speak to Andre after he missed her graduation getting caught money laundering with one of his films, and only talks to her own father when unavoidable. Besides, these are their accomplishments to celebrate).

I want her to do this after the birth of her first child, and she and Adrien argue that yes, that is the middle name we want to give them. (Marinette asks again if this is what Adrien wants, and he says yes - because that name should be given to someone who will leave it a much kinder and better legacy)

I want her to do this during their 15th anniversary heroes day celebration, where she and everyone thank the city for their support and bravery during all the ups and downs they faced, and promises to never stop being their heroine.

I want her to do this at Fu’s funeral, where she thanks him for all the guidance he tried to give her, and apologizes for not keeping in touch more (Him and Marianne never officially wed, but they are buried next to each other with matching inscriptions. Su Han comes to pay his respects, and is surprisingly broken up over it, muttering about how he won’t miss “old chicken legs” while clearly crying)

I want her to do this when she brings her kids over to the bakery and Tom is more than eager to teach them proper kneading techniques so they can “properly inherit the store” while Sabine rolls her eyes.

I want her to do this when, while out with her oldest, Gabriel drags his boney ghost hide out from hell (because lets be honest, ain’t no way Gabriel earned a ticket to the pearly gates with his rapsheet) to scream at her because “What have you done? This isn’t what I asked for!”

I want her to do this when she replies “What ever do you mean? I did exactly what you ask.”

I want her to do this as he cries “You haven’t! Adrien was supposed to remember what a good father I tried to be! You were supposed to make sure that after the wish, he would only think of me as a hero - but instead, he’s completely forgotten about me, as has the rest of the city!”

I want her to do this as she look at him, eyes cold, and says “Right after you finished with your wish, I found Adrien as Ladybug. I told him about how I fought Monarch, and how I saw his father die after the battle. When he cried and asked what he should do now that his father was dead, I told him that he should try and remember all the good and fond memories you two had together.”

And I want her to pause, letting him stew in his rage before looking him straight in the eyes and saying “And when he did, we both realized there was nothing to remember. The reason Adrien’s “forgotten” you is because even in this new world you built, you still prioritized your own selfish wants over your own child, and failed to leave a single good memory for him. If you son doesn’t try to think about what a “good father” you were, then that’s your own fault. ”

I want her to lean in real close, unblinking, as she tells him - “After all, You can’t remember something if it doesn’t exist .”

I want her to step back and watch him seethe, completely unbothered as she gives him a polite smile “But don’t worry Gabriel - unlike you, I am a bug of my word. I’ll make sure Adrien continues to “remember” the good and kind man you were, just like you wanted.” and beam as her eyes sparkle with determination “And not just him - our children, and their children, and their children, and everyone afterward, they’ll only “remember” what a kind person Monsieur Agreste tried to be. Not a single person in the city - nay, the entire world, will ever even bother to think about the horrible villain you became in your last moments, because they’ll be too busy trying to remember when was the last time you tried being an actual human being.”

I want her to tell him goodbye and call for an exorcist to properly send him back to the underworld (One of the friends Fei made during her travels was visiting if she recalls. Apparently, they’re used to dealing with the undead on the regular) as he rages, trying to bargain and manipulate her again. I want her to watch happily as he’s banished back down below and tells him to call in advance next time he wants to make a surprise visit. I want her to take her child back home and call Adrien, telling him that she’s feeling like pizza tonight.

I want her child (Emma Gabriel Dupain-Cheng) to look up at her and ask who that strange transparent man she was talking to earlier was.

I want her to look down on her with a smile and say “No one worth remembering dear.”

And I want none of them to ever forget this.

[mariharem-trash-heap]

Five Times Lila Lied to Marinette’s Family...

... And the One Time They Decided to Do Something About It.

(Request) Marinette was beginning to lose hope that anyone would believe her about her classmate’s lying habit... until her grandmother turned to her one day and said, “Jagged Stone is in England. What is this child talking about?” And, as they say, it was all downhill from there.

Notes:

I don’t usually do 5+1 fics anymore, but I had a good time reversing the trope that Mari’s family believes a literal stranger over their own blood.

1) Gina Dupain

Despite Grandparents’ Day being squarely during summer break, Dupont decided to hold a party to celebrate. Every student, current and upcoming, was invited along with their grandparents.

As it happened, this year Marinette’s grandma happened to be in town for the week, and when Tom mentioned the party at dinner, she was delighted.

“Oh, Marinette, why don’t we go?” She asked, turning to the teenager with sparkling eyes. “It will be fun! I haven’t gotten to properly meet your friends, either...”

Marinette paused in sipping her water, before setting the cup back down and nodding with a smile. “Sure, why not?”

-0-0-0-0-

The party was going smoothly, or as smooth as it could be, by the time the two walked over from the bakery. Gina had dressed up in her best pantsuit, and Marinette went in a nice blouse and capris.

Almost immediately, Marinette’s face brightened and she made to hurry away, but at the last second remembered her guest and tugged at her arm. “I see Alya. Let’s go.”

“Oh, Alya,” Gina murmured. “That’s your friend, right?”

“Yep, we’re best friends.”

“I see.” A smile spread across the older woman’s face.

“Mari!” Alya seemed to have spotted them too, as her own grin appeared and she reached to hug the noirette.

The two squeezed each other tight for a few seconds before they pulled away. Marinette looked to Nino with a smile, one that he returned.

“Alya, this is my grandma,” she introduced. “Nonna, this is my friend Alya, and her boyfriend, Nino.”

“It’s good to actually meet you properly this time!” Gina chuckled, nodding to the kids. “Dating already, are you? Goodness, you kids grow up too fast.”

“We just started dating this year, actually.” Alya smiled, locking her arm into Nino’s. “It’s nice to meet you, Marinette’s grandma!”

“Oh, please, call me Nonna.” Gina shook her head, eyes twinkling.

Marinette looked around with a slight frown. “Let me guess, Adrien couldn’t make it?”

“You know how his dad is,” Nino lamented with a huff, stuffing his hand in his pocket. “I doubt he even has grandparents to come, anyway, so he would’ve felt weird about it.”

“I suppose.” With a sigh, the girl wilted a little.

“Hey, cheer up.” Alya bumped her with her elbow, a secretive look on her face. “I know something that’ll cheer you up - Jagged Stone is coming to Paris again!”

The girl’s eyes widened as she searched her face. “Wait... really? When?”

“It’s supposed to be a secret, but since you’re my bestie I have it on good authority that he’s scheduling a trip next week.” With a wink, her friend added, “You can thank Lila for that info!”

Gina watched as her granddaughter’s demeanor changed. In an instant her surprise wilted into suspicion, only for a moment, before she schooled her face into a more neutral expression. “Oh, is that so?”

“Yeah, she’s here if you wanna get it straight from her if you want!”

Exchanging a look with her grandma, Marinette forced a smile. “You know what? Sure. Let me hear it from the source.”

She almost felt bad at the way Alya brightened up. Turning to her boyfriend with a murmur, she rushed off, pulling him in tow.

“What was that about, Marinette?” She questioned.

“Oh, just a girl in my class.” She answered halfheartedly with a shrug. “She has all these impossible stories she likes to tell. I’m not sure a lot of them are real, but everyone else seems to buy them.”

With a frown, the woman hummed in thought. Glancing down the hallway to where the girl and boy had run off to, she mused, “Jagged Stone is in England. What is this child talking about?”

Marinette froze, out of the corner of her eye.

“I’ve been meaning to keep it a secret, but for your birthday I’ve been speaking with your parents to take you to a concert of his.” She smiled in amusement at her granddaughter’s surprise. “Unfortunately, he’s going to be in England for another few weeks, so we would have to go out of the country for it.”

“Oh, Grandma,” Marinette breathed, wrapping her arms around her in a tight hug.

“It’s not the surprise gift I wanted it to be, but-- Marinette?” Gina paused, concerned, when she felt wetness gathering on the front of her blouse. “Are you alright?”

“I’m-- I’m just fine,” came a little sniffle from below. “I’m perfect, actually.”

2) Roland Dupain

“Marinette!” Roland greeted happily, opening his arms so that his granddaughter could throw herself in for a hug. “So good to see you. How have you been?”

“I’ve been well, Grandpa,” she answered happily as she squeezed the old man tight before pulling away. “How are you?”

“Much better now!” He stepped out of the doorway, allowing her in. “Apparently Paris is trying a new youth program, calls it the Senior Outreach Program.” He snorted. “I’m far from senior, I’m still in my prime. But anyway, they sent the most charming little girl - she’s been helping me get used to all this confounded new technology.”

“That’s great, Grandpa,” Marinette answered, hanging her coat up by the door as he shut it.

“Yes, I think she goes to your school,” he said next, and it sent a pang of dread through her body. “Lila Rossi, is it? She’s had a lot to say about how welcoming your friends are.”

And there it was.

Marinette tried her best to smile at him, though it came out looking almost constipated. “Oh, really? How nice.”

“I admit, I was a little skeptical at first, but apparently she grew up in the same exact region of Italy that I lived in for a time!” He chuckled. “Very small world, isn’t it? We had a wonderful time talking about our families’ traditions and recipes. Turns out she’s related to the Marianis! Isn’t that neat?”

“She is?” Well, that would be news to her. Marinette gently said, “Grandpa, she’s been telling all of us that she’s related to the current president of Italy. There’s been no mention of the Mariani family or anything - not even when I mentioned having Italian ancestors.”

“Eh? Really?” He squinted. “Marinette, ancestry doesn’t just go one way, you know.”

“Believe me, if she was related to one of the oldest restaurant-owning families in Italy, she would have mentioned it, especially after Alya told her my parents own a bakery.” She insisted with a frown. “Especially since she’s apparently gluten-intolerant.”

This got Roland’s attention. “Gluten intolerance?! She helped me bake a loaf of bread just yesterday! She didn’t mention anything about any gluten intolerance, or whatever you kids are making up these days!”

“She’s a liar, Grandpa,” She answered.

“Well!” He scoffed with a scowl, turning to head for the landline. “I’ll be having words about this with her supervisor! Sending me a child with a supposed ‘gluten allergy’... of all the nerve...!”

All Marinette could do was sigh as he grumbled to himself while dialing, hoping that her time with her grandfather hadn’t been spoiled.

3) Wang Cheng

"Uncle Wang?” Marinette startled in surprise as her great-uncle walked into the room with a smile. “What are you doing here? Where’s Papa?”

“I’m going to be the one giving the cooking lesson today,” he replied, patting her on the head as he passed. Setting down the giant pot he’d brought with him, he asked, “Has your mother taught you how to make xiaolongbao yet?”

“Ah, no, not yet,” she sheepishly rubbed the back of her neck. “We’ve both been too busy to try. The bakery got a huge order this week, and I’m trying to plan a picnic day for the class...”

The man seemed a little disappointed, but he shrugged. “Well, that’s alright. Perhaps I can stop in and we can make them together, all three of us.”

“That would be great!” His little great-niece smiled up at him, and it warmed his heart.

-0-0-0-0-

The cooking lesson went on without a hitch - someone had spoken to Chloe, he surmised, because the blonde teenager didn’t so much as look at him the whole time and allowed Sabrina to mix the ingredients into the soup for her.

There was someone new here this time, however - a brunette with long hair and a tanned complexion, one who was chatting amiably with a couple of other girls as they mixed their soup together. Or rather, she was not; her partners were mixing it for her, as she claimed she’d sprained her wrist. Marinette had just rolled her eyes, surprising the man. That was not like his great-niece, or so he’d thought.

Indeed, the girl spent much of her time waving her wrist about, this way and that - but whenever he walked over to inspect their progress, suddenly it was still and limp again on the table, a doe-eyed, innocent look on her face. It was all too suspicious.

By the end of class, he leaned in to Marinette’s ear and whispered, Marinette, who is that girl with the sprained wrist?”

“That’s Lila,” she responded dismissively. “She’s lying about her wrist being sprained. She just doesn’t want to make soup today.”

Oh. Well that was troubling information. “Does she not like soup?”

“I don’t know, but if she’s in a group she’ll find any way to get out of doing work that she can.” She spared a sympathetic glance to the two girls with her. “I feel bad for Juleka and Rose, honestly. Rose is so kind that she can’t bear it if she can’t help someone in need, and Juleka seems to believe her wild stories...”

Most troubling indeed.

“I see,” said the man, gathering up his supplies. “Well. Have a good day, Marinette. I’m coming over for dinner - perhaps then I can help you and Sabine.”

Her answering smile made the troubling clouds over his mind dissipate somewhat.

4) Tom Dupain

Tom hadn’t expecting the volume of middle-schoolers walking into his bakery one afternoon. But the happy chatter and smiling faces of his daughter’s classmates were no unwelcome sight as he fixed a smile on his face and leaned forward. “Welcome! What can I get for you today?”

“We wanted to bring Lila to check out your bakery,” Adrien explained with a winning smile as the girl in question shuffled behind him. “She’s never had proper French pastries before and was curious to try some.”

“Oh, of course! Lila, is it? You’re my daughter’s new classmate.” He nodded politely to the brunette. “What would you like? We’ve got a large arrangement.”

“Oh, I don’t know,” the girl seemed timid, like a fawn, her large eyes looking back and forth across the display case. “I hate having so many choices...”

“Well, might I recommend an éclair?” He gestured to the little plate of custard-filled dough. “We’ve got chocolate, raspberry, and orange as our specialties today.”

“That sounds marvelous, I’ll take orange, please.” The girl flashed a pleasant expression.

“Orange it is!” He turned to pluck one of the pastries carefully, placing it in a liner and setting it on the counter. “Since you’re one of Marinette’s classmates, I’ll give you a discount - just €2.75.”

“O- oh,” here came a disappointed frown. “I, ah, this is embarrassing. I forgot my wallet today.”

“Oh, it’s no problem!” Alya spoke up, raising her own. “I’ll cover for you.”

“You really don’t have to,” she simpered.

“You’re our friend,” she reassured with a wink. “I’ll pay for it, Mr. Dupain.”

“Alright, is there anything else I can get you kids?” He accepted the notes and gave her change before handing the éclair to the brunette.

One by one the other kids spoke up, happily asking for this or that, until Adrien said, “I’d like a gougere, please.”

Tom chuckled, winking at the blond. “Cheese bread? I thought the day would never come. No problem.” As soon as he walked a few steps away to grab it, he heard it.

“Oh...” A tiny murmur from the brunette girl, Lila, he’d noted.

“What’s wrong?” Alya was asking quietly.

“I... I forgot I’m lactose intolerant,” she sheepishly answered. “I didn’t bring my medicine with me. And this is kind of stale...”

“Oh, girl, why didn’t you say something? Why’d you choose the éclair?”

“I didn’t want to cause trouble...”

As he turned back around, Alya straightened up and Lila paused her squirming.

“Is there a problem?” He asked kindly.

“Lila’s éclair is stale,” she stated. “And she’s lactose intolerant.”

“Stale? Already?” His brows raised to his hairline. “I just made them this morning. Are you certain?”

“This is why I didn’t want to say anything,” the girl muttered as she covered her face with one hand. “This is so embarrassing, Alya...”

“Forgive me, but I make my pastries at most a day in advance, and that’s for more complicated things like mille-feuille,” he explained. “Why didn’t you speak up? I’d have gotten you something lactose-free from the back. We always try to cater to customers with food allergies.”

“I forgot,” she said quietly.

“Well,” Tom sighed, “Are you feeling alright? Do you need some Lactaid?”

“I’ll be fine,” Lila insisted, though a troubled expression came over her face.

“If you don’t want it, I’ll eat it,” Nino volunteered.

“A free éclair? Heck no, I’ll eat it,” Kim retorted.

Tom stood there, brow furrowed in thought, as he handed Adrien his bread. The boy looked uncomfortable and apologetic, even as he paid for it.

He would have to speak with Marinette about this development.

5) Sabine Cheng

“Marinette?” Sabine gently knocked on her daughter’s door after dinner with a plate of cut strawberries and whipped cream in hand, brow knit in concern despite the frustration still smoldering in her chest. “Baozi?”

A shuffling from inside, and her daughter’s emotion-choked voice cracked, “What?”

Sabine hesitated. What could she say to make things better? She hated fighting with her - she hated fighting with anyone, at that - and while her head was screaming one thing, her heart was pleading another.

“Are you... are you alright?” She tried instead, her voice dropping into a more worried tone at how desolate she sounded.

There was another pause, before Marinette’s voice answered again, sounding much worse. “No.”

Sabine gave a quiet sigh. “Can I come in?”

Don’t be like your mother, her heart whispered. Talk to her. Be understanding.

At a noncommittal noise, she took a chance. Opening the door a crack, she peeked in to see no Marinette in sight; but when she looked up at the girl’s bed, a head poked up to look.

“I brought you dessert, since you missed it,” she explained as gently as she could, a grimacing smile on her face. “Why don’t you come down so we can talk it out?”

For a moment, the girl didn’t move.

Then, finally, after ducking her head back down and something akin to soft murmuring from above, she slowly slid out of bed, covers retracting to show her mussed hair and blotchy face.

Sabine’s latent anger finally began to flicker out, and her eyes softened as Marinette slowly came down.

“Oh, bǎobèi,” she murmured, setting the plate down on the chaise and opening her arms.

Without a word, her daughter flung herself into them and squeezed her tight, hiccupping as the tears began to flow again.

“I’m sorry,” she whimpered. “I’m sorry I yelled at you.”

“I’m sorry for yelling too, Marinette,” Sabine soothed, brushing back her hair and holding her tight. Her heart ached for her teenage daughter as she began to cry, soaking the front of her shirt. “I would like to understand what’s going on instead of fight you about it. Will you tell me, so I can make things better?”

Marinette shakily nodded and hummed a response. As she pulled back, her face red from her tears, she answered, “There’s-- there’s this girl. In my class.”

“Go on,” the mother encouraged, brow knit in concern.

“And- and she lies, like all the time, and I’m the only one that knows she’s lying.” She sniffled, brushing away strands of hair that stuck to her face. “None of my friends believe me about anything she says, and-- and Adrien--”

“Breathe, sweetheart,” Sabine gently ordered, brushing a thumb across her cheek. “What about Adrien? Doesn’t he stand up for you?”

“No!” Marinette burst, fresh hot tears spilling down her cheeks. “All he said was that she isn’t hurting anyone with her lies, but-- but she’s hurting me! She’s hurting everyone because they believe her about all these things she promises, and-- and I don’t want them to be disappointed and upset when she doesn’t pull through!”

Sabine’s eyes hardened and she nodded, painful memories of her husband’s akumatization fresh in their memories. Tom had been so distraught, worrying about Marinette falling prey to that horrible butterfly-toting villain tonight.

“I’m trying so hard not to say anything about it, but-- but now she’s lying to you, and I can’t stand it!” Marinette sobbed, hiding her face in her mother’s chest. “I’m not bullying anyone, I swear! I’m not like Chloe!”

“I believe you, bǎobèi,” her mother soothed, running her fingers through her hair. “I was shocked, and upset, but I believe you. We’ve raised you better than that.”

“I’m just so tired of being singled out all the time,” she sniffled. “The very first day she came back to school, she threatened to steal all of my friends. And it’s working. I don’t want her lying to my family too!”

Sabine continued to murmur to her, holding her tight. It broke her heart to see her daughter so broken over this, and as she sat with her, listening to her talk about everything that had happened in the past month, the fiery anger in her gut rekindled itself - though not at Marinette.

She had to do something about this. But first, she thought, offering a cream-covered strawberry slice to her sniffling teenager, to comfort Marinette.

+1) They Do Something About It

The next morning, Tom and Sabine, along with Tom’s parents and Sabine’s uncle, marched over to the school, box of pastries in hand. After talking about it for much of the night previously, they had come to the conclusion that something needed to be done about their daughter’s new bully.

Principal Damocles spluttered in surprise as they entered his office. “Oh, well- well hello, Mr. Dupain, Mrs. Cheng, ah - Dupains, and...”

“Wang Cheng,” the man offered. “I’m Marinette’s great-uncle.”

Damocles squinted for a moment, before adding, “Chengs. What, ah, what brings you here this morning? Classes have only just begun.”

“We need to discuss something very important with you, Principal,” Tom answered, extending the box. “But first, would you like a pastry? Freshly baked.”

The bearded man’s eyes lit up in delight. “Don’t mind if I do, thank you.”

Roland and Gina sat down before his desk, the rest standing, as he picked out a croissant with butter glistening along its still-steaming surface, watching as he carefully ate it above the napkin provided.

“Now,” said Sabine pleasantly, “We’ve had some concerns over behavior coming from our daughter’s classroom lately. Perhaps you could lend your thoughts about the situation?”

“Miss Bustier’s classroom?” He questioned, wiping his beard free of crumbs. “Ah, yes, yes, I’ve heard some concerns from her about some developing behavioral problems between a couple of her students. Your daughter has been... acting rather bizarre, as of late.”

“Bizarre how?” Tom questioned. “Bizarre as in being rude and bullying her friends, or bizarre as in coming to class early?”

“Bizarre as in, oh, how to put this gently...” Damocles cleared his throat and threaded his fingers together. “Dupain, Cheng, your daughter has been unfairly targeting another student for perceived wrongs and causing distress on her part.”

Sabine’s eyes darkened for a second, before Tom spoke up. “Principal Damocles, I’m afraid we’ve heard another thing entirely - and it’s not just us, but her grandparents and great-uncle as well.”

“That’s right!” Roland added, a grumpy frown on his face.

“My great-niece would never bully someone,” Wang’s face was pinched with disappointment. “Are you sure you’ve heard correctly?”

“Unfortunately so.” Damocles pressed a button on the intercom. “Madame Bustier, would you please make your way to the principal’s office?”

“The stories we’ve heard at home have been quite different,” Sabine said as soon as his finger left the button. “My daughter was distraught when we told her about the girl she’d supposedly been bullying. She doesn’t have a mean bone in her body!”

“I have had evidence of the girl lying, myself,” Gina supplied, folding her arms across her chest. “This past July, in fact. However long this has been going on, I’m disappointed that it’s gone as long as it has.”

“W- well,” the principal cleared his throat, “surely her teacher will have more to add that I cannot.”

As if on cue, there was a polite knock at the door and he called, “Come in, please.”

Caline Bustier stopped short as she stepped into the office, brow knit in confusion and concern when she saw the group. “Um, you called for me, principal Damocles?”

“Yes, yes, please, come in,” he answered. “I’m sorry for pulling you away from your instructions, but I would like your input on a discussion.”

“Of course,” said the redhead, and as she closed the door and walked in, she smiled at Tom and Sabine. “Hello, Mr. Dupain, Mrs. Cheng.”

“Madame Bustier, it’s come to our attention that our daughter is being bullied right under your nose,” Sabine said bluntly, causing the teacher to startle. “Yet the story we’re hearing from school is that she’s the one doing the bullying?”

“Oh, well- bullying is a strong term,” she answered hesitantly, clasping her hands together. “But yes, there have been some disagreements going on in the classroom recently, involving Marinette and another student.”

“I do hope you aren’t about to tell me my own daughter would cry and lie to me about a girl promising to make her school life terrible.” The woman’s eyes narrowed.

“She- she said that?” Caline stopped short, a shocked pull to her expression. “Who on earth would tell her that?”

“The very girl she’s supposedly bullying,” Tom answered for her, folding his arms across his chest. “A girl named Lila. And nothing is being done to keep her safe from bully behavior? I have to say I’m very disappointed in Dupont. Marinette has been being bullied by Chloe Bourgeois for years now, and not once has anything been done to remedy that. Now another student is bullying my daughter and the report from school is that she’s the one being a bully? Not my Marinette.”

“That’s right,” added Gina with a frown. “My granddaughter is not the type to be a bully.”

“I understand that you may have some contrary opinions, being that it is your daughter, but unfortunately this issue has been going on for quite a while now.” Caline had the audacity to look disappointedly at them. “Marinette is supposed to be a representative for our classroom, but has fallen quite short in being an example.”

“Give me examples of her bullying,” Sabine ordered. Behind her, Wang placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.

“Well,” said the younger woman, “there was an incident on Lila’s first day of school. She was happily making friends, but Marinette tried to dissuade them and paint her in a bad light. I, personally, thought she was jealous, and I tried to stand up for the new student.”

“Jealous, perhaps, but Marinette would never warn others away just because of that. We’ve raised her to be truthful and justice-minded.” Tom retorted. “What else?”

“Well, there is the fact that she continues to be obstinate and stubbornly refuses to accept Lila’s ailments.” Ticking them off on her fingers, “she has admitted to a number of allergies and injuries that Marinette has mocked and called her a liar for, she has refused to help her out when she needs it, and has led a bad example for the other students when it comes to accepting someone different.”

“Well?” Roland demanded next. “Have you verified those allergies and injuries? Because she never told me about any gluten allergy, and I made bread with her! She didn’t look sick to me!”

“Not all allergies and ailments manifest themselves the same,” Damocles reminded.

“She should’ve at least looked sick!” The old man retorted. “Tom told me all about gluten intolerance - not once did she even look it! And now you’re telling me my granddaughter is dismissive of something like that? Not on your life, she isn’t!”

“Marinette goes above and beyond in trying to help others, even when it negatively affects her,” Wang added. “In fact, I distinctly remember hearing that she was a star student in your classroom at the beginning of this year. She’s never once gotten in trouble for bullying, and it’s not like her to suddenly become nasty.”

“W- well,” Caline shifted from foot to foot, unsure, “there is a matter of personal drama between girls, but...”

“Are you telling me my daughter would bully someone else just because they like the same boy?” Sabine’s voice was deadly quiet.

“I’m not saying so, but I am saying--”

“You’re saying that my daughter is so flighty and possessive that she would emulate Chloe Bourgeois just because a new girl happens to have a crush.” Tom flatly accused. “Believe me, Madame Bustier, I’ve been on the receiving end of many, many discussions about this boy she likes, and not once has she ever shown signs of being this person you’re telling me she’s becoming.”

“You haven’t had to teach her for several hours a day almost every day of the week.” The redhead’s face was pinched.

“So allow me to sit in one day, just so I can see what kind of situation my daughter is in,” Sabine pressured. “Let me see what’s happening with my own eyes.”

“That wouldn’t be a very good way of diagnosing the issue, Mrs. Cheng,” Damocles patiently explained. “If Marinette knew her mother was going to be in class with her, she would be on her best behavior.”

“But would the other students?” She pressured, leaning in. “What reason do they have to care about my approval? My daughter’s bully certainly doesn’t - do you remember the time she tried to frame my daughter for pulling the fire alarm and stealing her bracelet? Because Tom and I certainly do. Do you remember when she showed blatantly racist behavior towards my uncle and ruined his soup, getting him akumatized? Because we certainly do. You have done nothing to curtail the treatment she has been getting for years now, and we are sick and tired of having to watch our daughter become this anxious, beaten dog of a person because you don’t feel like doing your job.”

“If we stir up trouble with her father, our school’s good standing would suffer tremendously,” the principal defended.

“You would look the other way on a deviant’s behavior just because of who her father is? You disgust me, Damocles. I thought this school had more integrity than that, but I suppose I was wrong.” Anger finally flashed in the father’s eyes, and he leaned in, towering over the balding man. “If you cannot get your affairs in order and start cracking down on this misbehavior, then we are pulling Marinette out - and you can say goodbye to the extra services we’ve been offering the school. No student discounts on baked goods, no baking lessons, no catering - no nothing!”

Caline and Damocles watched helplessly as the family stood, angry and disappointed with them.

“For a school named after a famous hero of France, you sure are showing how villainous you can be,” Sabine bit out, hands clenched. “We’re taking Marinette home early today, at lunchtime. If I hear one more ill word from her about this bullying situation, we’re reporting you to the Ministry of National Education. And don’t you even think about strong-arming her into staying silent about this - Marinette knows she can trust us, and I will not stand for anyone blackmailing my daughter into suffering in silence.”

“You need to investigate this girl,” Wang scolded. “More than once my great-niece has told me she fakes her injuries to get out of doing her fair share of work. She faked a sprained wrist when I helped your class with their cooking lesson - where is her mother? Does she know her daughter is getting hurt all the time with nobody else to help her but her classmates and friends?”

“At the very least, you need to discipline her,” Tom emphasized. “If she truly isn’t acting maliciously, you need to help her understand what behavior is and is not acceptable at school. You are educators. You need to act like it instead of kowtowing to every last little whim of your children; today’s youth needs guidance, not friends.”

“Of- of course, Mr. Dupain, Mrs. Cheng,” Damocles stammered. “Is- is that all?”

“We’ve said our piece. The rest is up to you.” With a cold smile, the parents added, “Good day to you both, Principal, Madame.”

[mlwritersguild]

translate, lost, poetic, 💐

Not a Date, by @hanaasbananas

AO3; fluff and humor, romance, friendship, chance meetings, post break-up, getting back together, aged-up

Summary:

Nine years after Adrien and Marinette went their separate ways, they find their paths crossing again as adults. Deciding to catch up for old times sake, both are firm in their belief that it is not a date.

Or is it?

---

It was a miracle that she heard him at all.

Once, long ago, Marinette might have called it destiny. She might have gushed about how the universe had conspired to perfectly time a lull in the music blaring through her headphones with a turn down into a quieter side street, away from the bustling town centre. 

She had outgrown such fantasies now, of course. But whatever it was–fate, luck or even just sheer coincidence–the result was that Marinette turned when her name was called…

…and promptly dropped her phone.

Adrien caught it before it could hit the ground. Handing it back to her, he rocked back on his heels, laughing delightedly as she gaped at him. “It is you!” he exclaimed “I knew it! How have you been?”

Marinette blinked. “ Adrien?” 

He looked…gorgeous, as he always had, but somehow her ex-boyfriend had managed to become even more devastatingly handsome with age. Gone was the perfectly styled hair and the spotless designer clothes that had been such a staple of their teenage years. In their place, was a well worn cable knit jumper, and hair so unruly Marinette had to clench her hands into fists by her side, resisting the urge to run her fingers through it. 

More than that though, Adrien looked comfortable in his skin, his eyes bright and smile genuine. The sight was enough to make her heart flutter in her chest and Marinette was suddenly very glad for the cold air that masked the reason for her flushed cheeks. 

As she watched, mesmerised, Adrien impatiently pushed up the glasses that were sliding down the bridge of his nose, his lips moving even though…

Marinette frowned, realising belatedly that he was still talking.

“–ong are you in town? We should get coffee or lunch sometime, really catch up properly.”

“Oh!” Marinette’s voice was high and almost breathless. “Yes! Definitely! I’m actually moving back to Paris so I’m staying with Maman and Papa right now. You should totally swing by, they’d love to see you as well–” Stopping abruptly, she forced herself to stop babbling, inhaling deeply before continuing at a much more sedate pace.

“I’m free this weekend if you are? We can go to…go to–” she hesitated, remembering the café   where they had spent so much of their time when they were younger. Would he think that it was strange that she suggested the place? That she was still hung up on a relationship that ended almost a decade ago? Would he change his mind about catching up or–

“Our old place, right?” Adrien interjected, cutting through her spiralling thoughts as if he knew exactly what she was thinking. At her hesitant nod, he grinned, almost blinding her with its brightness.

 “That sounds great!”

---

“It’s not a date.” Adrien exclaimed. Glaring at Plagg in the mirror, he continued. “We’re just old friends, meeting for lunch. Friends do that all the time. I had lunch with Nino the other day too, and that wasn’t a date either. Just like this isn’t.”

“Sure,” Plagg drawled, rolling over on the bed of toilet paper he’d made for himself and eyeing Adrien derisively. “but Nino isn’t your ex. And you only spent about five minutes getting ready to see him. How long did it take you to choose your shirt today?”

“Right, that’s it–” 

Plagg cackled as Adrien shooed him out of the bathroom and slammed the door behind him. “You know I’m right!” 

Rolling his eyes fondly at his kwami, Adrien picked up his razor to carry on shaving–this time in blessed silence. Really it was no surprise that Plagg was going on and on about him meeting Marinette for lunch. He’d never understood why they’d broken up in the first place, no matter how many times Adrien had explained to him that it had been for the best. 

Maybe he might have felt differently if the relationship had imploded. If it had ended in devastation, with anger and shouting and resentment to taint all the happiness they had once shared. Instead, it had ended quietly, with no one to blame but circumstances beyond their control. 

For that, he would be forever grateful, because while unfortunate, it had given him warm memories to look back on on the days that he had felt particularly lost in London. In fact…taking out his wallet from his pocket, Adrien flipped it open and pulled out the small strip of photos he kept hidden behind a family photo with his cousin and aunt.

The strip was creased through the middle from where it had been folded and unfolded many times, the once sharp corners curling and peeling back with age. In the photos, they were in a photobooth that Marinette had dragged him into–one they’d found in a clothes shop–and she was laughing delightedly, her arms wrapped around his shoulders as he kissed her neck, her cheek and finally her mouth. Their cheeks were flushed as they beamed at the camera in the last photo, and Adrien couldn’t help the smile that tugged at his lips before he put the photo strip away once more. 

It wasn’t a date, no. But he couldn’t wait to see Marinette anyway.

He really had missed her.

---

“It’s not a date.”

Behind her, Tikki rifled through the box of mementos on Marinette’s desk. “Then why have you got all this old stuff out?” she asked innocently, doing a terrible job of hiding the laughter in her voice.

“I was just…” Marinette paused with her mascara wand halfway to her eye. “Reminiscing.”

“Reminiscing on your relationship. I still don’t know why you broke up, you know.”

“We grew up.” Marinette huffed exasperatedly. “Long distance was never going to work so we figured it was better to end things when it was still good, remember. Before we had the chance to grow apart, you know? Anyway I’ve always been sentimental. You know that.” 

That wasn’t technically a lie. Marinette was very sentimental, keeping ticket stubs and receipts and anything with a good memory attached to it. Adrien had always teased her about it back in the day–until the scrapbook of their relationship had become hefty enough to hurt when she swatted him with it. 

Truthfully, she hadn’t thought about the scrapbook for a long time. But after seeing Adrien again, the first thing Marinette had done when she got home was dig the old box out. She’d spent hours poring over the pages, trying to translate her old illegible handwriting and allowing old memories to wash over her like a familiar blanket. 

That’s all they were though. Memories. 

“I guess…” Tikki said doubtfully. “So it really is just a friend thing?”

Marinette nodded firmly. “ Yes.”   It didn’t matter that her heart fluttered every time she thought about seeing Adrien again, he hadn’t said anything to suggest that it was anything else, and she certainly wasn’t going to. “Now come on,” she said, turning to grab the box “let’s put that away.”

Picking the box up in one hand, and attempting to put the lid back on with the other, Marinette swore under her breath when it tipped out of her grasp, scattering the contents all over the floor. 

“Damn it!” glancing at the clock, she swore again, staring down at the mess in dismay. There was no time to tidy it all up, not if she wanted to be on time. 

Decision made, Marinette opened her purse for Tikki to slip inside and then stepped gingerly over the small bits of paper littering the floor, making sure to watch her every step. It would just be her luck to slip and fall now and she wasn’t taking any chances whatsoever.

She was halfway out the door when something bright caught her eye. Bending down to pick it up, Marinette laughed out loud as she looked at the crumpled red packet in her hand,  jelly rings emblazoned across the front telling her what the packet had once contained. 

They had been so innocent back then, thinking that ‘always’ wasn’t just a word but something to believe .

Unbidden, the memory of that day came to her.  She thought of Adrien kneeling in front of her and presenting her with a jelly ring, his eyes glittering with mirth. It had been a cloudy day, she remembered, the sun breaking through the clouds at just the right moment to make Adrien’s hair look like shimmering gold. His proposal had been filled with sweet puns, neither of them able to hold back their laughter even as he’d slid the jelly ring onto her finger and declared them engaged.

Marinette shook her head, dispelling the memory, though she wasn’t able to get rid of the warm feeling blooming in her chest. That was all in the past. A memory to look back on fondly and nothing more.

Unless…

No. Marinette dismissed the thought. She was just going to meet a friend. There was nothing romantic about it.

---

Plagg was never going to let him hear the end of this. 

He’d felt his kwami sniggering in his pocket the entire time that he was in the supermarket trying to find the right flowers, so when Adrien knocked him with his wallet when it was time to pay, it was only slightly unintentional. 

It was worth it though, to see the smile on Marinette’s face as he presented her with the bouquet of pink lilies. 

“You remembered?” she asked.

“How could I forget?” Adrien countered. Bumping her shoulder as they entered the café   together, he resisted the urge to take her hand, shoving his hand in his pocket instead. “Of course I remembered.” 

Marinette blinked. “..oh.” 

Tone it down, Agreste, Adrien chided himself mentally when Marinette turned around abruptly, her cheeks red. It’s not a date. Still, he found his eyes lingering a little on Marinette’s face, taking in her flushed cheeks and windswept hair. It was longer than it had ever been when they were together, cascading past her shoulders in a dark waterfall and as he watched, she pushed a strand out of her eyes impatiently, scanning the café for somewhere they could sit.

In the days leading up to their meeting, Adrien’s biggest worry had been that their conversation would be awkward and full of silences. That the ease they’d had around each other in the past was just that–a thing of the past. 

He needn’t have worried.

They talked for hours, slipping so effortlessly back into their old dynamic that Adrien almost wondered if the last nine years had been a strange dream. 

Eventually, when they couldn’t justify any more refills– when Adrien’s cheeks hurt from smiling for so long and Marinette couldn’t speak without dissolving into fits of giggles–they got up to leave, too wrapped up in each other to care about the irritated looks other patrons shot their way.

Outside, the cool evening air was a welcome relief from the warmth inside the café, though as the wind ruffled his hair Adrien noticed that the sky was heavy with clouds threatening rain. Beside him, Marinette shivered slightly and zipped up her coat. 

For a long moment, they simply gazed at each other, neither willing to look away or be the first to move in a different direction, to let their time together end. Adrien had thought it would be easy to say goodbye again, but before he could stop himself, he found himself asking-

“You’re at the bakery right? I’ll walk you home.”

“Oh!” Marinette said. “No, you don’t have t–”

“Marinette,” Adrien interrupted her, stifling a laugh at the way her mouth clicked shut. “I want to. C’mon.” Holding out his arm, he raised an eyebrow expectantly until Marinette–hesitantly–threaded her arm through his. A thrill ran through him at the contact and he bit his lip to hide his smile. “Let’s go.”

---

They were much more subdued as they walked, their conversation quieter. Between them, the knowledge that their time together was coming to an end weighed heavily on them the closer they got to the bakery.

It was strange, Marinette thought. How many times had they made this exact walk–shyly at first after their first date, and then more confidently as they learned to navigate the change from friendship to relationship . They’d both been so nervous –stealing glances at each other and blushing when they were caught but carrying on anyway. 

Marinette almost felt the same way now, as if she were a teenage girl again, giddy with joy at being on a date with her crush.

Adrien, on the other hand, didn’t seem nervous at all. But then, he’d always been good at hiding things. She remembered what an incorrigible flirt he’d been–especially when he was Chat Noir, but that had been a facade more often than not; a fragile mask put up to keep his distance from others. It had been a long, slow process to peel away the mask and expose the boy behind it, but Marinette would never regret it.

Not that she had reason to.

Because now… Adrien was so much more self assured. He carried himself with a confidence that only came with age, no longer afraid to hide his sincerity but embracing it instead.

As if sensing her gaze, Adrien looked down at her.  “Penny for your thoughts?” he asked.

Marinette shook her head. “Don’t waste your money, they aren’t as interesting as you’d think.”

“Oh I think I’ll be the judge of that .” Adrien grinned and her breath caught at the teasing glint in his eye. 

It seemed like some things never changed. 

“Wellll…” Marinette drew out the word, looking down at the ground. Scuffing the toe of her boot on the ground she shrugged. “I was just thinking about how much we’ve changed.”

“For the better, I assume?”

“Well I know I have,” Marinette said jokingly, “but I’ve been trying to come up with a way to bring it up nicely all evening and there isn’t a way, really– you’ve become quite insufferable since we last saw each other.”

“Ah,” Adrien sighed. “That’ll be Félix’s influence, I’m afraid.”

She sniffed in mock derision. “Yes, I thought so. I–” Marinette’s lip wobbled when she looked up at Adrien, struggling to hold back her laughter at the sight of his solemn expression. “I–”

Adrien was snickering to himself now too, and Marinette clapped a hand over her mouth just as a loud guffaw escaped her mouth and echoed around them in the quiet street.

“Oh my god.” 

“What?”

“ Oh my god.” Marinette marched ahead of Adrien, her cheeks burning with mortification. Hearing him catch up behind her she sped up, calling over her shoulder. “You didn’t hear that. You did not hear that.”

“I totally did,” Adrien’s voice rumbled with laughter. “ Stop,” he grasped her by the wrist. “ It was cute!”

Marinette whirled around, incredulous. “It was not!”  

Adrien was grinning at her. “It was adorable.”

“Shut up.”

“Not until you admit it.”

“I will admit nothing.” Marinette snapped, though she felt her embarrassment fade a little–replaced by a warmth in her chest– at the fondness in his expression,  “change the subject.”

“Alright.” Adrien pretended to think for a moment. “Tell me what you were really thinking earlier.”

“Wh–I did!”

Adrien shot her a look that said come on, now , his eyebrows raised. Well. She did ask for it.

“I’d just been thinking, you know,” she began slowly, as they carried on walking side by side again.  “I know we didn’t want to break up, back then before you went to London, but…I’m glad we did. It did you good, I think.” Seeing his surprised expression, Marinette hurried on, practically tripping over her words. “Unless living with your aunt and cousin really sucked and  was a terrible experience and–”

“No,” Adrien cut in before she could spiral into a tangent. “You’re right. It was the right thing to do…at the time.”

At the time . Marinette’s breath caught at the words. What could he mean, at the time ? Without really meaning to, Marinette found herself turning to him and asking, almost in a whisper:

“And now?”

“And now…” Adrien echoed her. Scratching behind his ear nervously he stepped forward and reached out to her, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear. Adrien’s fingers lingered for a split second–just enough for her to feel the warmth against her skin–before dropping to his side. “Let’s just uh…” he hesitated. “Let's just say I’m glad to be back.”

“I–” 

“We’re here,” Adrien said softly, nodding to something behind her,  and with a start Marinette realised that they were standing at her doorstep. Warm light from the bakery spilled out into the street, illuminating Adrien's face and Marinette was reminded once again of the countless other times he had walked her home before. 

And what had come after.

“Oh.” Marinette exhaled the word. “Well, um…thanks for walking me,” glancing up at the overcast sky she said just as a fat raindrop landed on her forehead, she laughed. “I was gonna say you should hurry before it starts raining but…do you want to come inside and wait it out instead?”

“No, it’s fine,” Adrien shook his head quickly. “I should be able to make it back before it really gets going.”

“Okay!” Marinette tried to hide her disappointment “yeah okay if you’re sure. Um.” Before she could stop herself, she strode forwards, enveloping Adrien in a hug.  She had to reach up on her tiptoes to wrap her arms around his shoulder as he held her around the waist.

It wasn’t a date. She knew now that a part of her had wanted it to be, but she would content herself with this hug instead, and the time they had spent together. It was more than enough.

Pulling away, Marinette smiled up at Adrien who looked down at her, his green eyes blown wide with surprise. “I’ll see you soon.” She smiled ruefully, pecking him on the cheek. “Let’s not leave it as long this time.”

---

Adrien made it halfway down the street before he turned around.

What am I doing? He asked himself. His cheek was still tingling from Marinette’s kiss, and he could feel her gaze, watching him still from the front step of the bakery. 

What am I doing? The voice in his head repeated, louder this time and Adrien had no answer for it except to turn on his heel and walk–no, run back down the street.

The rain was coming down in earnest now, soaking him through in seconds, plastering his hair onto his face. Adrien squinted as he ran, struggling to see through the rain lashing down. Twice, he stepped in an unexpectedly large puddle and found himself with trousers plastered uncomfortably to his legs.

As he approached, he saw Marinette turn to enter the bakery and went faster, ignoring the squelch of his shoes.

“Marinette!” Adrien called out loudly, just as she began to close the door behind her. She turned in surprise.

“Adrien! Wh–”

He came to a stop in front of her, breathing heavily. “Marinette,” he said again, quietly. “I’m going to kiss you now. Is that okay?”

Marinette’s eyes widened. “Yes,” she whispered.

Adrien grinned. Surging forward to cup her face in his hands, he captured her mouth in a kiss. It was familiar and unfamiliar all at once as her hands flew to his neck, pulling him closer and Adrien felt her lips curve in a smile against his. He hadn’t realised just how much he’d missed this, how much he’d forgotten until he was forcibly reminded–what a fool, to think that this could have ever been anything but a date!

As the rain poured down on them, she set his body ablaze with her touch, fingers tugging at his hair as they kissed and kissed and kissed as if making up for lost time.

How poetic, he thought, distantly, in the part of his brain that was still capable of it. Our first kiss was in the rain too.

[princess-of-the-corner]

I always wonder how an ML civil war would go because I feel like most everyone would be inclined to side with Ladybug? They don't really have any particular connection to Chat Noir, aside from Felix who would do it both out of loyalty to Adrien and distrust of Maribug. Alya would pick Marinette, Nino hates Chat Noir. Kagami MIGHT go with Chat if she knew it was Adrien but given her whole "I love Marinette I trust Ladybug with my life and ALSO Felix's and Adrien's" thing idk; Luka and Alix are both toss-ups who'd try to stay out of it- Luka because he wants to look for a peaceful resolution and Alix because she probably literally can't intervene. Everyone else is kind of just there

Honestly I think that, given what's happening at the end of Season 5 with Ladybug keeping everything all secret, we could have a better reason for some of the team to go against her.

Because if all this comes out, if they find out how much she kept from them, how much she kept from Chat, how badly she handled certain situations like everything the day of Miracle Queen.... I could see it.

I could see it happening with that. Remember we mentioned the idea of Mari tells Alya and Alya tells Nino and Nino goes 'oh hell no' and tells Adrien? That could kick it off.

Nino finds out about the whole 'Adrien is a Sentimonster, Gabriel was Monarch, we're not telling Adrien' thing and, well, tells Adrien. Adrien has a breakdown about That™, spills the beans that he's Chat Noir because he's trying to say that Nino's lying because 'surely Ladybug wouldn't lie to Chat? Surely she'd tell me of all people?!' but whoops she didn't.

And he's hurt and pissed and confronts Ladybug on the whole thing because he can understand somewhat lying to 'Adrien' but lying to 'Chat'? (And telling Rena).

They have a big blowup fight which starts the fracturing of the whole thing.

Nino is on Adrien's side because the boy should've been told shit. Alya stays on Mari's because like. She gets why she hid that shit and how she was under so much stress and the full scope of the whole 'she thinks telling Chat will fuck things up because it has in other timelines'.

Toss in both Chloé and Zoé for Chat's side. Because maybe they have a blowup fight too at first when Chloé finds out that Zoé replaced her, but the fight turns into telling Zoé what happened during Miracle Queen in its entirety (the threats, the betrayal, etc.). Zoé realized that Maribug REALLY fumbled that whole situation and blamed Chloé for it in the aftermath after basically sabotaging her attempts in the first place(not to mention the double standard of Mari telling Chloé that she should do her best to imitate Audrey and earn her love while telling Zoé that she shouldn't have to appease Audrey to earn love)

So they both hop on over to Team Chat and switch off the Bee.

Kagami and Felix are leaning more Team Chat because they agree that Adrien should've been told about the fuckery of his existence and Felix in particular is kinda pissed about Gabriel being remembered as a Hero instead of a bastard. Kagami I think the tipping point would also be learning the full scope of the Miracle Queen incident because she learns how Maribug broke the 'if your identity is known you're benched' rule so that she could interrupt Kagami and Adrien's date(like yeah it didn't work out with Adrien but DICK MOVE GIRL)

Luka and Alix are probably the most sensible in the 'she made some bad calls, but for the most part she was trying to do the right thing. It's okay to be hurt by that anyway. But we're friends, we're a team, we need to work this out'.

The rest of the Team could go either way because like. No offense but they don't have the most fleshed out personalities. This could flesh them out more with how they react to hearing what all went down.

[olivia-anderson-fanfic]

And if this world won't write me an ending

How can I write love into reality?

(read tags for tws)

【┘】⩇:⩇⩇【┘】

Marinette woke up, and she was a normal girl, with a normal life.

She got ready like every other normal girl. She would tumble out of bed, eat a banana, brush her teeth, do her homework minutes before she had to leave for class, do her hair…

She hummed to herself as she brushed her hair, forcing it into her signature pigtails, tying little ribbons around them and smiling at the way the bows bounced, at the way they stuck up like miniature antennae.

She turned her head to the side, her mouth opening, ready to ask for another opinion…

But there was no one there.

Of course there was no one there. Why would there be someone in her room?

She shook her head to herself, frowning, feeling lonely for a reason she couldn’t quite place.

Her phone buzzed. She pulled it out, expecting a text, and a tiny gasp left her when she realized that it was her alarm going off.

She yelped and started scooping everything from her desk into her backpack, not even bothering to try and keep the papers unwrinkled, and rushed out the door, zipping it closed as she went.

She was late, of course, how could you expect anything different? She was always late, she always seemed to get caught up doing other things. Or, at least, that was what she claimed, terrible excuses spilling out of her mouth with reckless abandon so she wouldn’t have to admit the truth. Not because it was bad, just embarassing. In reality, she often found that time slipped by her for no reason at all. Sometimes, she wondered just how long she could go on, sitting and doing nothing, letting time pass her by.

The doorknob to the classroom clicked, and she was jolted back into her body at the unexpected sound. The door was new, or at least it was supposed to be, it had been destroyed recently, though she couldn’t exactly remember how. It shouldn’t have clicked – never had before – and she took this as a sign to pay more attention to her surroundings.

What was she thinking?

She shook her head to herself. There she went again, always thinking about something else.

She slipped into the class, sending her teacher a halfhearted excuse about her alarm that was only met with an exasperated smile, and then headed to her seat. She sent Nino a wave, and he glanced up from where he was totally not playing on his phone in the back of the class briefly to send her a smile.

She took her usual spot by Alya, and pulled out her things. Her eyes flicked to see what page of the textbook they were on, and it didn’t take long before she was dragged into the monotony of a normal school day.

Her fingers tugged on her earlobe as she listened to her teacher explain Shakespeare book #61255, playing with the place where she had had her ears pierced as a toddler, wondering why she was bothered by the fact that she hadn’t opted to wear any earrings that morning.

A boy with blue hair made his way into the room, and she swore for a moment that her heart might just beat out of her chest.

She had been dating Luka for ages now, but he still gave her butterflies.

How could he not, when he smiled at her so dopily? When he took the time to give her a quick kiss before taking his usual seat in front of her? When he made bunny ears behind his sister’s head just to make Marinette smile?

Of course, he could definitely try putting in the effort to get to school on time, but she didn’t mind. She, of all people, could not judge him.

Not for that, at least.

She watched him, a smile playing across her lips. He was much more interesting than her literature lecture. She rested her head in her hand.

Alya punched her in the shoulder, and Marinette looked over to see her making a gagging gesture.

Marinette snorted. “It’s payback.”

Alya grinned. “Oh, yeah? For what?”

… for what?

Marinette looked at the seat in front of Alya for a second. It was just Juleka.

As always.

Except… Juleka hated sitting up front. Almost as much as Nino did.

Why was she sitting there? Because of Luka? Luka could have been convinced to sit in the back, he shouldn’t have cared…

She was starting to feel a little sick.

“For being evil, of course,” Marinette decided.

Alya laughed a little, rolling her eyes with a fond smile tugging at her lips. “You need to work on your comebacks.”

She searched through her pencil bag, in search of that singular red pen that she had to use for corrections, only to pause. Because it had a strange set of lines written into the inside of the canvas. And that, on its own, didn’t mean much. If you leave pencils in your pencil bag, it is pretty much inevitable that you will get some marks on it… but these lines were too dark, too deliberate.

They spelled something:

WRONG.

A minute shiver ran through her.

It was undeniably her own handwriting, though it looked rushed, frantic. Like that time she had realized ten minutes before class had started that an essay was due and had spent the next several minutes frantically scribbling down anything she could think of. But why would she have done this?

Why was that in her pencil bag? Had she gotten too sleep-deprived one day and, in a fit of rage over getting a bad score on something, scratched it in there? She didn’t think she would do that, but what other explanation was there?

What was wrong?

She could agree that something was off. She had felt strange all morning. But what was it?

A hand wrapped itself around her wrist in a vice grip, and she suddenly became all too aware of Luka’s face, so close to her own. He was her boyfriend – was he? since when? – she should be happy about this, but she couldn’t bring herself to be anything but utterly terrified. Her stomach twisted, bile rising in her throat.

Blue eyes were just a smidge too sharp as he stared at the word. His gaze cut to hers, and for just a second she realized that his face looked wrong. That his eyes were pupilless, yellow things, and if she really concentrated she could see two tiny clocks dancing in the irises, ticking down time she didn’t have.

“I have to give it to you, Marinette,” Luka said, his lips curling into a wry little smile that made her feel like ants were crawling up the back of her shirt. “You really are… smart.”

She tried to pull away from him, but his hand held tight.

She screamed, but no one seemed to hear, and she was left to try and wrestle away from him. But her body didn’t feel like her own, and she felt weaker than normal, and everything was wrong, and she knew, somewhere, somehow, that it was all for naught, anyway.

【┘】⩇:⩇⩇【┘】

Marinette woke up, and she was a normal girl, with a normal life.

She got ready like every other normal girl. She would tumble out of bed, eat a banana, brush her teeth, do her homework minutes before she had to leave for class, do her hair…

She tilted her head this way and that in the mirror, looking for a hair out of place. She couldn’t see the back of her head, so she wasn’t sure how that looked, but the back of her head was the epitome of ‘out of sight out of mind’ in her not-so-humble opinion.

She nodded once to herself, deeming herself ready for the day.

And then glossy lips pulled into a frown.

When had she put on her clothes?

She squinted down at her usual outfit. She swore she hadn’t yet changed, she certainly wouldn’t fall asleep in jeans no matter how tired she was, she should not be in her clothes yet.

She… must have forgotten. Done it without thinking, as one normally does with things you do habitually. Like putting on clothes.

Except, Marinette put a lot of thought into her outfits. She was a future fashion designer, of course she put time and effort into looking good. It only made sense.

This… didn’t.

She ran a hand through her hair, pushing her bangs up and out of her eyes.

And then she headed to school. The traffic she sprinted past wasn’t quite as congested as it usually was. Despite all of the slowed cars, she didn’t spot a single wreck to cause them. The tardy bell didn’t sound quite as needlessly loud and annoying as she rushed to class. The doorknob clicked more than it was supposed to when she finally managed to fumble her way into turning it, her sweaty hands sliding right off. Nino was in the back, and Juleka was in the front.

Everything was wrong. Just ever so slightly off.

She wanted to go home, but even her home wasn’t safe, because her parents hadn’t been behind the counter, serving customers, when she’d left. Instead, they were having a ‘lazy day’, the sign in the bakery window declaring them ‘closed’. Not a single person paid the sign any mind, nor were any of the other bakeries in the surrounding area more full than usual.

Her hands gripped her hair, pulling, almost tearing it out at the roots. Alya was trying to talk to her, asking what was wrong in that concerned tone she always used, but was this actually Alya? Everything else was wrong, why should she believe any of it was real? Maybe this was just more of an accurate ruse than everything else.

The door opened, and Luka strolled in, heading towards his – it wasn’t his – seat.

Their eyes locked.

Her heart thudded in her chest, beating against the bars of her ribcage, as if trying to escape.

Luka tipped his head back in a groan.

【┘】⩇:⩇⩇【┘】

Marinette woke up and she was a normal girl, with a normal life.

One who smiled when she saw that a contact in her phone, labeled ‘bf<3’, had sent her a good morning text.

Only to find that the text didn’t have the usual paw print beside the words.

【┘】⩇:⩇⩇【┘】

Marinette woke up.

And.

She.

Was.

A.

Normal.

Girl.

With.

A.

Normal.

Life.

【┘】⩇:⩇⩇【┘】

Marinette woke up and hissed out a curse when she saw her alarm hadn’t gone off. She glanced out the window to check the time.

There was nothing to see out the window. Just a pure white expanse.

【┘】⩇:⩇⩇【┘】

Marinette woke up and laid there, not wanting to get up, dread unlike any she had ever felt before clinging to her, dragging her back into her too-plush bed. She didn’t know why she felt this way, but she did, and she wanted it gone.

What she wanted didn’t matter.

【┘】⩇:⩇⩇【┘】

And she woke up.

She always woke up.

【┘】⩇:⩇⩇【┘】

Marinette woke up and she was a normal girl with a normal life. Her head was buried in her arms, trying to ward off the hot sun and the even more scalding metal of the table she was leaning against. If she wasn’t careful burns would form even through her long sleeves.

Not that this was the biggest of her problems.

Her problem was –.

A finger poking her shoulder relentlessly. She lifted her head just enough to glower at the offender.

It was Alya, grinning widely at her. “Hey, sleeping beauty, we were gone for ten minutes.”

We? Marinette thought, her mind sluggish thanks to a bone-deep exhaustion that was less than normal, looking around to find Nino and… Luka?

No. It shouldn’t have been Luka. Who was it supposed to be?

Who was he replacing?

Either way, he was – he was wrong, and dangerous, and she needed to run.

The world whirled out of color before she had even gotten out of her chair. The last thing she saw was his frustrated expression.

【┘】⩇:⩇⩇【┘】

Marinette woke up to something touching her cheek.

She peeked an eye open and found Luka standing over her, offering a bowl. She rolled her eyes just slightly at the offered food, taking the silverware. She shouldn’t be handling the hot plate with her bare hands, but it wasn’t like it mattered.

Because she was a baker’s daughter, and her hands were already hopelessly covered in callouses. A few more wouldn’t hurt her… or, well, they would, but she didn’t care enough to prevent this.

And the burns would be gone by the next reset, anyway.

She pulled it into her lap and smiled when he took a seat beside her with his own meal. If it could even be called that.

“Oh, wow, thanks for the gourmet meal,” she joked, twirling the ramen around her fork.

She hadn’t eaten in so long. Even this looked like heaven.

She didn’t need to eat at all.

He took a seat beside her, chuckling lightly, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and dragging her into his side.

She sunk her knife into his eye.

Her last thought before his soft expression fell away, disappearing with the rest of the world, was wondering why he had even given her the stupid knife in the first place.

【┘】⩇:⩇⩇【┘】

【┘】⩇:⩇⩇【┘】

Marinette woke up and –.

【┘】⩇:⩇⩇【┘】

Marinette woke up.

【┘】⩇:⩇⩇【┘】

【┘】⩇:⩇⩇【┘】

【┘】⩇:⩇⩇【┘】

【┘】⩇:⩇⩇【┘】

Marinette was –.

What was Marinette again?

【H】⩇:⩇⩇【E】

【L】⩇:⩇⩇【P】

【M】⩇:⩇⩇【E】

Did it really matter if she woke up again?

She would always wake up again.

【┘】⩇:⩇⩇【┘】

“Why?” Luka hissed, his fingers digging into her shirt, his nose so close to her own that she could feel his breath wash over her face. Despite the fact that he was practically panting in his rage, it was cold. “Why do you insist on making things difficult?”

She thought it over for a long moment.

And then she spat on his face.

“Spite.”

He lifted a hand to rub it away, scowling.

“We can keep doing this forever, you know. No one is coming to save you – they couldn’t even if they tried. Everything you do, every breath you take, that all belongs to me, and I can take it away.”

“Do it, then,” she said, and she couldn’t help the way her voice cracked just slightly when she said it. Not because she was scared, but because she was only a step above begging. “Just… kill me, if it’s so difficult.”

He set his jaw.

And then he sighed, his forehead coming to rest against hers.

“I just want us to be together. And happy. Don’t you want to be happy?”

“I… I want to go home. That will make me happy.”

He closed his eyes, and he looked much more human like this. With the clocks in his irises hidden by long lashes.

It didn’t last long. He opened them again, a steely look on his face.

“We will be happy, I promise.”

【┘】⩇:⩇⩇【┘】

【H】⩇:⩇⩇【E】

【L】⩇:⩇⩇【P】

【H】⩇:⩇⩇【E】

【L】⩇:⩇⩇【P】

【H】⩇:⩇⩇【E】

【L】⩇:⩇⩇【P】

【H】⩇:⩇⩇【E】

【L】HELP【P】

��H】HELP【E】

【L】HELP【P】

【H】HELP【E】

【L】HELP【P】

【H】HELP【E】

【L】HELP【P】

【H】HELP【E】

【L】HELP【P】

【HELP】HELP【HELP】

【HELP】HELP【HELP】

【HELP】HELP【HELP】

【HELP】HELP【HELP】

【HELP】HELP【HELP】

【HELP】HELP【HELP】

【HELP】HELP【HELP】

【HELP】HELP【HELP】

【PLEASE】PLEASE【PLEASE】

【┘】⩇:⩇⩇【┘】

Marinette woke up, and she was a normal girl, with a normal life.

Well, she wasn’t, but there was no point in saying otherwise, anyway.

[adrinoir]

Lesbian Headcanons pt.3: Alya

OKAY. So - to SOME of you - this might sound like a strange character to make a lesbian headcanon about. BUT I have to because I seriously thought she was before she got with Nino, plus this is my blog anyways 😂

So enjoy this one, fellow Alyanette shippers!

She's definitely had girl crushes

Alya fangirls hardcore over a few of the show's superheroes - Ladybug and Majestia (if I’m remembering her name correctly?) Like, c’mon. She created an entire blog dedicated to Ladybug! Sure, it focuses on Cat Noir too, but it’s the LADYblog and it’s obvious she’s always been more enthralled with Ladybug. Also recently, she straight up just went with Kitty Noire’s flirty behavior towards her?? Like ALYA.

Also, you can’t tell me she doesn’t have some hidden romantic feelings for Marinette (tbf most people in the show have crushes on Marinette). She likes Ladybug = she likes Marinette. She’s constantly there for her, even more than she is for Nino a good portion of the time - I’ll talk about that more in the next section. She knows Marinette like the back of her hand. For instance, in Gang of Secrets, she was the only one who was able to see through Marinette’s bullshit when she tried playing off her mistake of pushing her friends away as just her being heartbroken. Was she heartbroken? Yes, of course, BUT Alya knew there was more to it than just that. So with that being said….(look at the title of the next section)

She’s closer with Marinette than she is with Nino

So, I’m personally all about friendships and romantic relationships being just as important as one another - this is something important my partner taught me and something that’s easy for me to understand as someone on the aromantic spectrum. However, I’ve noticed it’s not commonly understood or taught to a lot of people. Often times the significant other is placed on a higher pedestal. I believe it’s a heteronormative stereotype that a lot of people follow.

(Also just as a disclaimer: it’s fine if you feel comfortable being closer with your SO than your friends. I’m not saying it isn’t! I’m just pointing out this is a common thing I’ve noticed about hetero relationships and that I personally value my friendships just as much as my SO’s.)

So, if Alya grew up being indirectly taught/shown “the significant other is higher and closer than your friends,” then she either 1) doesn’t follow this or 2) likes Marinette more than Nino but doesn’t realize (or doesn’t want to believe it).

Because hear me out. There’s no denying her and Marinette have this special bond that’s unlike any other in the show. It’s such a close one that - need I remind you - Marinette entrusted Alya first above everyone else to reveal her secret identity to. And Alya never once risked telling anyone this secret, not even to Nino who she says she could never lie to.

She didn’t even once consider dating Nino until talking with him one-on-one

Okay, so don’t get me wrong, I love good ol DJ-Wifi, and the way they ended up getting together was hilarious. But, also consider, Alya had no romantic interest in Nino prior to being thrown into a zoo cage with him. In fact, she put him in the “I see him as a brother” box.

When he had the failed attempt of confessing to Marinette and said “your best friend Alya” instead, Alya got annoyed, and that’s when she had said to Marinette that she sees him like a brother.

I also feel they got together really quickly. Like, there was no build up over time. They got put alone together once and then BOOM now they’re dating. Seems a bit strange, right?

I feel like her behavior mirrors Kagami’s in a way; there’s those bits of comphet behavior. Like I had mentioned in Kagami’s part of my lesbian headcanons, common comphet behavior can be mistaking a friendship with a kind guy as romantic connection. There’s that possibility that Alya made that same mistake.

Alya's outfit

Do I even need to say this? She not only has the butch lez stereotypical plaid flannel-type of shirt but it's also ALL of the colors of the lesbian pride flag.

It's reddish orange, orange, white, pinkish purple, and fuschia. It's like what I had mentioned in Chloe's part of the lesbian headcanons about Zoe having all the same colors as the pansexual pride flag.

Conclusion

There’s a lot of signs Alya is lesbian despite the fact that she’s dating Nino. Just because she’s dating Nino doesn’t necessarily even mean she’s straight or into guys. It certainly didn’t stop me from writing this headcanon. I also totally ship Alyanette and Kittybella/Scaranoire.

[esperinkdraws]

paper rings

I've been obsessed with Ninette lately, so here's a fic!

Marinette was in the kitchen when she heard them.

“So, are you and Marinette ever going to tie the knot?” Alya’s voice.

There was a delay in Nino’s answer. “That’s a…. that’s a question for sure.”

Alya laughed. There was a short silence. “So?” she prompted.

Nino blew out a breath. “I don’t know, man,” he said. “I want to, of course I want to marry Marinette. But I have a hard time coming up with anything good enough to propose.” His chair creaked, and when Marinette peeked out from behind the door to the kitchen he was sitting up now. “When I was younger I never really… put much thought into the idea of getting married. I always thought I would have something simple.”

“Well, you know Marinette,” Alya said. “She’s anything but simple.”

Marinette would have felt offended if not for NIno’s response. “Yeah,” he agreed, but there was no annoyance in his voice, only fondness.

“Breakfast!” Marinette called out, bringing some of the plates out. “Nino, help me, could you?”

Nino got up and went to grab the rest of the food. Their weekly breakfasts were always so fruitful, foodwise at least. 

As Nino set the rest of the food down and sat next to Marinette, Marinette was already formulating a plan in her head. She didn’t want Nino to be intimidated about proposing to her. She’d take care of it.

Marinette appeared to be hard at work at something, sitting at her desk. NIno brought her a cup of water with the intent to peer over her shoulder, but when Nino set the cup down she slammed the laptop screen down and splayed her hands over the desk to cover something.

Nino raised an eyebrow.

Marinette smiled sheepishly. “Thanks for the water, Nino,” she said.

“You’re welcome?” he replied, more in a question. She didn’t move until he stepped away.

As he walked back to the living room, he wondered what she was doing that he wasn’t allowed to see. She hadn’t been that secretive since he found out she was Ladybug.

He found her later in their room, trying on his rings. 

“What’re you up to?” he asked, curious.

“Oh, I was just checking these out,” Marinette said, sliding another ring on her finger and then holding her hand out in front of her, seeing how they looked. “I’d look nice with a ring, wouldn’t i?”

Nino wasn’t sure if that had a double meaning, if she was talking about a proposal. Had she heard Alya and him talking the other day?

“You don’t need jewelry to be beautiful, Nette,” he said honestly, which was the first thing that came to mind.

Marinette blushed and smiled. “Aw, Nino,” she said, placing a hand on his shoulder to be able to kiss his cheek. She walked away, rings still on her fingers. 

Marinette asked if he was going to be working late. He told her he was thinking about it, why? She asked if he would mind coming home on time.

He was confused and a little concerned. He’d asked why, but he didn’t get an answer.

He came home to a homemade dinner, despite the fact that Wednesdays were usually takeout night.

“Nette?” he said.

“Be right there!” Marinette called from the kitchen. 

NIno heard the sink run for a moment, and then after another few moments Marinette came out to the dining room. She was wearing one of her simple but homemade dresses. Nino felt underdressed, but he didn’t even know what for.

Her eyes sparkled at his clear confusion. “Hungry?” she asked.

“Yeah just… let me put my stuff in our room,” he said, gesturing with his laptop case.

Marinette just nodded, going back into the kitchen.

Nino went and put his laptop case where it belonged, but he also changed into a nicer shirt. He went to the bathroom and splashed his face with water. Had he forgotten a special occasion? Their anniversary wasn’t for another month, wasn’t it?

He checked his phone’s calendar for any reminders, checking the date in case he remembered anything date-specific.

Nothing.

After making sure he looked okay, he went back to the dining room. Marinette was sitting in her chair, and she smiled at him, making him feel a little more at ease.

Nino sat down, and they had dinner. 

Nothing was particularly different. They talked like they always did, Marinette asking how Nino’s work day was, and NIno asking about Marinette’s commissions. 

After a while, Nino forgot what he had been worried about.

About an hour into dinner, Marinette set her fork down with a sense of seriousness. Nino looked up, confused. “Everything okay, Nette?”

She beamed at him, but she did look nervous. “I’m peachy, but thank you for asking.”

“Stay peachy,” he murmured reflexively.

Marinette laughed at the reminder of their past. She stood up. “I just need a minute,” she said. She left the dining room.

Nino waited, feeling a bit nervous himself. Marinette liked her schedules and planning; for her to change their usual dinner plans must mean something. 

After a few minutes of Nino wondering, Marinette came back. But she didn’t go sit in her seat. She stood next to Nino’s, hesitating for a moment. He tilted his head at her, but his gesture apparently made her smile and feel better.

“Nino,” Marinette started. She took a deep breath to calm herself. “We’ve known each other since we were kids, and I want to keep knowing you.”

Was this happening?

“In fact,” Marinette continued, looking a little shy, “I want to know you for as long as possible.” 

This was happening. 

Marinette smiled. “I know I’m a complicated person, but I don’t mind the simple things as long as I’m with you.” She took a small box out of her pocket – when she made the dress she had exclaimed, “It has pockets!” – and opened it. Inside was a paper ring with a heart.

Marinette hated origami, so it warmed Nino’s heart to see she had learned something just for him.

“I’ll take a life with you over anything else,” Marinette said. “So, Nino… will you marry me?”

For a moment, Nino was at a loss for words. He eventually got his vocal cords working enough to say, “Yes!” He shot out of his chair to tackle her for a hug. She managed to close the box in time so the ring wouldn’t get knocked out, and she laughed when he spun her around. 

“Marinette, I’d love to be your husband,” he told her, putting her down. 

She giggled. “Will you settle for being my fiance first?” she said

“Of course I will,” he said, the biggest grin on his face.

[hanaasbananas]

Not a Date

Summary:

nine years after Adrien and Marinette went their separate ways, they find their paths crossing again as adults. Deciding to catch up for old times sake, both are firm in their belief that it is not a date.

Or is it?

written for the @mlwritersguild February 2023 event. Prompts: "lost", "translate", "poetic", and the bouquet emoji 💐

AO3

It was a miracle that she heard him at all.

Once, long ago, Marinette might have called it destiny. She might have gushed about how the universe had conspired to perfectly time a lull in the music blaring through her headphones with a turn down into a quieter side street, away from the bustling town centre. 

She had outgrown such fantasies now, of course. But whatever it was–fate, luck or even just sheer coincidence–the result was that Marinette turned when her name was called…

…and promptly dropped her phone.

Adrien caught it before it could hit the ground. Handing it back to her, he rocked back on his heels, laughing delightedly as she gaped at him. “It is you!” he exclaimed “I knew it! How have you been?”

Marinette blinked. “ Adrien?” 

He looked…gorgeous, as he always had, but somehow her ex-boyfriend had managed to become even more devastatingly handsome with age. Gone was the perfectly styled hair and the spotless designer clothes that had been such a staple of their teenage years. In their place, was a well worn cable knit jumper, and hair so unruly Marinette had to clench her hands into fists by her side, resisting the urge to run her fingers through it. 

More than that though, Adrien looked comfortable in his skin, his eyes bright and smile genuine. The sight was enough to make her heart flutter in her chest and Marinette was suddenly very glad for the cold air that masked the reason for her flushed cheeks. 

As she watched, mesmerised, Adrien impatiently pushed up the glasses that were sliding down the bridge of his nose, his lips moving even though…

Marinette frowned, realising belatedly that he was still talking.

“–ong are you in town? We should get coffee or lunch sometime, really catch up properly.”

“Oh!” Marinette’s voice was high and almost breathless. “Yes! Definitely! I’m actually moving back to Paris so I’m staying with Maman and Papa right now. You should totally swing by, they’d love to see you as well–” Stopping abruptly, she forced herself to stop babbling, inhaling deeply before continuing at a much more sedate pace.

“I’m free this weekend if you are? We can go to…go to–” she hesitated, remembering the café   where they had spent so much of their time when they were younger. Would he think that it was strange that she suggested the place? That she was still hung up on a relationship that ended almost a decade ago? Would he change his mind about catching up or–

“Our old place, right?” Adrien interjected, cutting through her spiralling thoughts as if he knew exactly what she was thinking. At her hesitant nod, he grinned, almost blinding her with its brightness.

 “That sounds great!”

*

“It’s not a date.” Adrien exclaimed. Glaring at Plagg in the mirror, he continued. “We’re just old friends, meeting for lunch. Friends do that all the time. I had lunch with Nino the other day too, and that wasn’t a date either. Just like this isn’t.”

“Sure,” Plagg drawled, rolling over on the bed of toilet paper he’d made for himself and eyeing Adrien derisively. “but Nino isn’t your ex. And you only spent about five minutes getting ready to see him. How long did it take you to choose your shirt today?”

“Right, that’s it–” 

Plagg cackled as Adrien shooed him out of the bathroom and slammed the door behind him. “You know I’m right!” 

Rolling his eyes fondly at his kwami, Adrien picked up his razor to carry on shaving–this time in blessed silence. Really it was no surprise that Plagg was going on and on about him meeting Marinette for lunch. He’d never understood why they’d broken up in the first place, no matter how many times Adrien had explained to him that it had been for the best. 

Maybe he might have felt differently if the relationship had imploded. If it had ended in devastation, with anger and shouting and resentment to taint all the happiness they had once shared. Instead, it had ended quietly, with no one to blame but circumstances beyond their control. 

For that, he would be forever grateful, because while unfortunate, it had given him warm memories to look back on on the days that he had felt particularly lost in London. In fact…taking out his wallet from his pocket, Adrien flipped it open and pulled out the small strip of photos he kept hidden behind a family photo with his cousin and aunt.

The strip was creased through the middle from where it had been folded and unfolded many times, the once sharp corners curling and peeling back with age. In the photos, they were in a photobooth that Marinette had dragged him into–one they’d found in a clothes shop–and she was laughing delightedly, her arms wrapped around his shoulders as he kissed her neck, her cheek and finally her mouth. Their cheeks were flushed as they beamed at the camera in the last photo, and Adrien couldn’t help the smile that tugged at his lips before he put the photo strip away once more. 

It wasn’t a date, no. But he couldn’t wait to see Marinette anyway.

He really had missed her.

*

“It’s not a date.”

Behind her, Tikki rifled through the box of mementos on Marinette’s desk. “Then why have you got all this old stuff out?” she asked innocently, doing a terrible job of hiding the laughter in her voice.

“I was just…” Marinette paused with her mascara wand halfway to her eye. “Reminiscing.”

“Reminiscing on your relationship. I still don’t know why you broke up, you know.”

“We grew up.” Marinette huffed exasperatedly. “Long distance was never going to work so we figured it was better to end things when it was still good, remember. Before we had the chance to grow apart, you know? Anyway I’ve always been sentimental. You know that.” 

That wasn’t technically a lie. Marinette was very sentimental, keeping ticket stubs and receipts and anything with a good memory attached to it. Adrien had always teased her about it back in the day–until the scrapbook of their relationship had become hefty enough to hurt when she swatted him with it. 

Truthfully, she hadn’t thought about the scrapbook for a long time. But after seeing Adrien again, the first thing Marinette had done when she got home was dig the old box out. She’d spent hours poring over the pages, trying to translate her old illegible handwriting and allowing old memories to wash over her like a familiar blanket. 

That’s all they were though. Memories. 

“I guess…” Tikki said doubtfully. “So it really is just a friend thing?”

Marinette nodded firmly. “ Yes.”   It didn’t matter that her heart fluttered every time she thought about seeing Adrien again, he hadn’t said anything to suggest that it was anything else, and she certainly wasn’t going to. “Now come on,” she said, turning to grab the box “let’s put that away.”

Picking the box up in one hand, and attempting to put the lid back on with the other, Marinette swore under her breath when it tipped out of her grasp, scattering the contents all over the floor. 

“Damn it!” glancing at the clock, she swore again, staring down at the mess in dismay. There was no time to tidy it all up, not if she wanted to be on time. 

Decision made, Marinette opened her purse for Tikki to slip inside and then stepped gingerly over the small bits of paper littering the floor, making sure to watch her every step. It would just be her luck to slip and fall now and she wasn’t taking any chances whatsoever.

She was halfway out the door when something bright caught her eye. Bending down to pick it up, Marinette laughed out loud as she looked at the crumpled red packet in her hand,  jelly rings emblazoned across the front telling her what the packet had once contained. 

They had been so innocent back then, thinking that ‘always’ wasn’t just a word but something to believe .

Unbidden, the memory of that day came to her.  She thought of Adrien kneeling in front of her and presenting her with a jelly ring, his eyes glittering with mirth. It had been a cloudy day, she remembered, the sun breaking through the clouds at just the right moment to make Adrien’s hair look like shimmering gold. His proposal had been filled with sweet puns, neither of them able to hold back their laughter even as he’d slid the jelly ring onto her finger and declared them engaged.

Marinette shook her head, dispelling the memory, though she wasn’t able to get rid of the warm feeling blooming in her chest. That was all in the past. A memory to look back on fondly and nothing more.

Unless…

No. Marinette dismissed the thought. She was just going to meet a friend. There was nothing romantic about it.

*

Plagg was never going to let him hear the end of this. 

He’d felt his kwami sniggering in his pocket the entire time that he was in the supermarket trying to find the right flowers, so when Adrien knocked him with his wallet when it was time to pay, it was only slightly unintentional. 

It was worth it though, to see the smile on Marinette’s face as he presented her with the bouquet of pink lilies. 

“You remembered?” she asked.

“How could I forget?” Adrien countered. Bumping her shoulder as they entered the café   together, he resisted the urge to take her hand, shoving his hand in his pocket instead. “Of course I remembered.” 

Marinette blinked. “..oh.” 

Tone it down, Agreste, Adrien chided himself mentally when Marinette turned around abruptly, her cheeks red. It’s not a date. Still, he found his eyes lingering a little on Marinette’s face, taking in her flushed cheeks and windswept hair. It was longer than it had ever been when they were together, cascading past her shoulders in a dark waterfall and as he watched, she pushed a strand out of her eyes impatiently, scanning the café for somewhere they could sit.

In the days leading up to their meeting, Adrien’s biggest worry had been that their conversation would be awkward and full of silences. That the ease they’d had around each other in the past was just that–a thing of the past. 

He needn’t have worried.

They talked for hours, slipping so effortlessly back into their old dynamic that Adrien almost wondered if the last nine years had been a strange dream. 

Eventually, when they couldn’t justify any more refills– when Adrien’s cheeks hurt from smiling for so long and Marinette couldn’t speak without dissolving into fits of giggles–they got up to leave, too wrapped up in each other to care about the irritated looks other patrons shot their way.

Outside, the cool evening air was a welcome relief from the warmth inside the café, though as the wind ruffled his hair Adrien noticed that the sky was heavy with clouds threatening rain. Beside him, Marinette shivered slightly and zipped up her coat. 

For a long moment, they simply gazed at each other, neither willing to look away or be the first to move in a different direction, to let their time together end. Adrien had thought it would be easy to say goodbye again, but before he could stop himself, he found himself asking-

“You’re at the bakery right? I’ll walk you home.”

“Oh!” Marinette said. “No, you don’t have t–”

“Marinette,” Adrien interrupted her, stifling a laugh at the way her mouth clicked shut. “I want to. C’mon.” Holding out his arm, he raised an eyebrow expectantly until Marinette–hesitantly–threaded her arm through his. A thrill ran through him at the contact and he bit his lip to hide his smile. “Let’s go.”

*

They were much more subdued as they walked, their conversation quieter. Between them, the knowledge that their time together was coming to an end weighed heavily on them the closer they got to the bakery.

It was strange, Marinette thought. How many times had they made this exact walk–shyly at first after their first date, and then more confidently as they learned to navigate the change from friendship to relationship . They’d both been so nervous –stealing glances at each other and blushing when they were caught but carrying on anyway. 

Marinette almost felt the same way now, as if she were a teenage girl again, giddy with joy at being on a date with her crush.

Adrien, on the other hand, didn’t seem nervous at all. But then, he’d always been good at hiding things. She remembered what an incorrigible flirt he’d been–especially when he was Chat Noir, but that had been a facade more often than not; a fragile mask put up to keep his distance from others. It had been a long, slow process to peel away the mask and expose the boy behind it, but Marinette would never regret it.

Not that she had reason to.

Because now… Adrien was so much more self assured. He carried himself with a confidence that only came with age, no longer afraid to hide his sincerity but embracing it instead.

As if sensing her gaze, Adrien looked down at her.  “Penny for your thoughts?” he asked.

Marinette shook her head. “Don’t waste your money, they aren’t as interesting as you’d think.”

“Oh I think I’ll be the judge of that .” Adrien grinned and her breath caught at the teasing glint in his eye. 

It seemed like some things never changed. 

“Wellll…” Marinette drew out the word, looking down at the ground. Scuffing the toe of her boot on the ground she shrugged. “I was just thinking about how much we’ve changed.”

“For the better, I assume?”

“Well I know I have,” Marinette said jokingly, “but I’ve been trying to come up with a way to bring it up nicely all evening and there isn’t a way, really– you’ve become quite insufferable since we last saw each other.”

“Ah,” Adrien sighed. “That’ll be Félix’s influence, I’m afraid.”

She sniffed in mock derision. “Yes, I thought so. I–” Marinette’s lip wobbled when she looked up at Adrien, struggling to hold back her laughter at the sight of his solemn expression. “I–”

Adrien was snickering to himself now too, and Marinette clapped a hand over her mouth just as a loud guffaw escaped her mouth and echoed around them in the quiet street.

“Oh my god.” 

“What?”

“ Oh my god.” Marinette marched ahead of Adrien, her cheeks burning with mortification. Hearing him catch up behind her she sped up, calling over her shoulder. “You didn’t hear that. You did not hear that.”

“I totally did,” Adrien’s voice rumbled with laughter. “ Stop,” he grasped her by the wrist. “ It was cute!”

Marinette whirled around, incredulous. “It was not!”  

Adrien was grinning at her. “It was adorable.”

“Shut up.”

“Not until you admit it.”

“I will admit nothing.” Marinette snapped, though she felt her embarrassment fade a little–replaced by a warmth in her chest– at the fondness in his expression,  “change the subject.”

“Alright.” Adrien pretended to think for a moment. “Tell me what you were really thinking earlier.”

“Wh–I did!”

Adrien shot her a look that said come on, now , his eyebrows raised. Well. She did ask for it.

“I’d just been thinking, you know,” she began slowly, as they carried on walking side by side again.  “I know we didn’t want to break up, back then before you went to London, but…I’m glad we did. It did you good, I think.” Seeing his surprised expression, Marinette hurried on, practically tripping over her words. “Unless living with your aunt and cousin really sucked and  was a terrible experience and–”

“No,” Adrien cut in before she could spiral into a tangent. “You’re right. It was the right thing to do…at the time.”

At the time . Marinette’s breath caught at the words. What could he mean, at the time ? Without really meaning to, Marinette found herself turning to him and asking, almost in a whisper:

“And now?”

“And now…” Adrien echoed her. Scratching behind his ear nervously he stepped forward and reached out to her, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear. Adrien’s fingers lingered for a split second–just enough for her to feel the warmth against her skin–before dropping to his side. “Let’s just uh…” he hesitated. “Let's just say I’m glad to be back.”

“I–” 

“We’re here,” Adrien said softly, nodding to something behind her,  and with a start Marinette realised that they were standing at her doorstep. Warm light from the bakery spilled out into the street, illuminating Adrien's face and Marinette was reminded once again of the countless other times he had walked her home before. 

And what had come after.

“Oh.” Marinette exhaled the word. “Well, um…thanks for walking me,” glancing up at the overcast sky she said just as a fat raindrop landed on her forehead, she laughed. “I was gonna say you should hurry before it starts raining but…do you want to come inside and wait it out instead?”

“No, it’s fine,” Adrien shook his head quickly. “I should be able to make it back before it really gets going.”

“Okay!” Marinette tried to hide her disappointment “yeah okay if you’re sure. Um.” Before she could stop herself, she strode forwards, enveloping Adrien in a hug.  She had to reach up on her tiptoes to wrap her arms around his shoulder as he held her around the waist.

It wasn’t a date. She knew now that a part of her had wanted it to be, but she would content herself with this hug instead, and the time they had spent together. It was more than enough.

Pulling away, Marinette smiled up at Adrien who looked down at her, his green eyes blown wide with surprise. “I’ll see you soon.” She smiled ruefully, pecking him on the cheek. “Let’s not leave it as long this time.”

*

Adrien made it halfway down the street before he turned around.

What am I doing? He asked himself. His cheek was still tingling from Marinette’s kiss, and he could feel her gaze, watching him still from the front step of the bakery. 

What am I doing? The voice in his head repeated, louder this time and Adrien had no answer for it except to turn on his heel and walk–no, run back down the street.

The rain was coming down in earnest now, soaking him through in seconds, plastering his hair onto his face. Adrien squinted as he ran, struggling to see through the rain lashing down. Twice, he stepped in an unexpectedly large puddle and found himself with trousers plastered uncomfortably to his legs.

As he approached, he saw Marinette turn to enter the bakery and went faster, ignoring the squelch of his shoes.

“Marinette!” Adrien called out loudly, just as she began to close the door behind her. She turned in surprise.

“Adrien! Wh–”

He came to a stop in front of her, breathing heavily. “Marinette,” he said again, quietly. “I’m going to kiss you now. Is that okay?”

Marinette’s eyes widened. “Yes,” she whispered.

Adrien grinned. Surging forward to cup her face in his hands, he captured her mouth in a kiss. It was familiar and unfamiliar all at once as her hands flew to his neck, pulling him closer and Adrien felt her lips curve in a smile against his. He hadn’t realised just how much he’d missed this, how much he’d forgotten until he was forcibly reminded–what a fool, to think that this could have ever been anything but a date!

As the rain poured down on them, she set his body ablaze with her touch, fingers tugging at his hair as they kissed and kissed and kissed as if making up for lost time.

How poetic, he thought, distantly, in the part of his brain that was still capable of it. Our first kiss was in the rain too.

[seas-of-silver]

WIP - His Princess and Her Knight (Pt.2)

I am so excited that @jjuuppiter liked the last snippet that I'm posting a second one (I would post one other that I really like but idk if I wanna save it as a surprise or not hahaha, so we'll see on that). This snippet directly follows on from my last post.

______________________________________________________________

The emphasis she had on his name relieved him somewhat - she was just as thrown, just as curious, just as frustrated by the lack of memory as he was. So they searched through the notebook, only to find photos and dates with Adrien present for the space of a week before he vanished from the photos. Even more baffled than before, they scoured the entries that followed his “disappearance”. There were mentions of Marinette asking where “her Adrien” or “her knight” was, and when he’d be coming back in the numerous entries that followed until the inquiries faded away. Adrien’s heart clenched painfully for baby Mari.

They decided to go back to the first entry “post-Adrien era”, and found a photo of baby Mari, sitting on the ground, leaning up against a large tree, tiny hands clutching something desperately as her gaze is concentrated on some point beyond the photo’s borders.

Marinette was keenly missing Adrien today, not taking any interest in any of the activities or learning experiences the educators had set up for the children. Regardless as to whether she was inside or outside, she refused to play until Adrien arrived, and instead intently watched the gates and doors, waiting for him to come. She held a beaded trinket in her hand the entire day, never letting anyone else - including the educators - touch it, not bearing to part with it for even a second, saying, “This is a special present for my knight, my prince - no one else can touch it.”

Adrien’s eyes felt a little misty reading the story of baby Mari’s first heartbreak; there was something so innocent, so pure about that moment, and it deeply resonated with him. As Nino stood to get something, Adrien’s eyes returned to the photo and to the trinket in her hands. Its vibrant colours stood out against her hands, its pinks, reds and greens comforting and…strangely…familiar…

He pulled his Marinette Lucky Charm out of his pocket and compared it to the trinket in the image, his eyes moving between the two repeatedly. Marinette gasped beside him and Alya sucked in a breath as they both clearly reached the same conclusion he did.

‘What is it?’ Nino asked as he settled back down on the couch, depositing a tissue box on the coffee table next to the shoe box. He leaned forward and looked at the charm and the photo. ‘Is that the same one? Why do you have it?’

‘Marinette gave it to me for luck when we were training for that UMS tournament for school, remember? Didn’t I tell you that story?’ Adrien asked dazedly.

‘Yeah, you did, it’s just- it’s crazy, you know?’ Nino replied. ‘Marinette has this trinket she wanted to give to this Adrien kid who I’m like 90% sure is you, and then, what? A decade later she gives it to you?’ Nino turned to Marinette. ‘What made you give it to him?’

Marinette shrugged, a look of confusion passing over her. ‘It felt right.’

‘Hey kids, how’s it going?’

They all turned to see Madam Cheng come through the front door, carrying a bundle to the kitchen. Too stunned by their discoveries to answer her, she looked up and seemed to spot the lucky charm in Adrien’s hand.

‘Oh, I haven’t seen that charm of yours in ages!’ she said brightly. ‘Did you know that Marinette made that almost completely all by herself? All I had to do was help her with the knots, and as soon as she was done, she didn’t let anyone touch it - not even me! She never went anywhere without it for the longest time, saying that it was for her prince and her prince only.’ She chuckled at the memory, oblivious to the stunned silence of the teens. ‘It was supposed to bring him good luck and fortune, if I remember correctly. Wasn’t that right, dear?’

‘Uhm, uh, yeah,’ Marinette agreed shakily, her gaze returning to the charm.

‘You swore you were going to marry him, remember? Your little prince,’ Madam Cheng said, and Marinette’s face flush bright red. ‘Anyway, I’ll be downstairs if you need me.’

She closed the door behind her and the room fell silent; not that it made any difference to Adrien as his thoughts went wild. Could it really be him? If so, why was he only there for a week? What happened? Why didn’t he get to say goodbye to Marinette? Was there a reason he had nicknamed her “Princess” that day she met him as Chat Noir? What else didn’t he know? ______________________________________________________________ Part 1 << >>Part 3

[thecapturedafrique]

Something that's always bugged me about the whole "Is Alya a good friend to Marinette?" discourse, is that it's never asked the other way around, with "Is Marinette a good friend to Alya?" . And I don't mean in a "oh Marinette is so terrible to Alya" way, but well... there's definitely a double-standard among the saltdom, in what constitutes an unforgivable sin and being a toxic friend.

I still remember the discourse that was going around about how Alya totally, definitely, pressured Marinette into babysitting for Ella, Etta, and Chris while she and Nino went off on dates, without the knowledge of her parents and without paying Marinette. Became the premise of a few fanfics too, unsurprisingly. Despite that really not being held up in canon, with there only being two instances at the time of Marinette helping Alya or Nino with babysitting, with taking care of Chris while Alya and Nino went on a date in Chrismaster (and she very much was NOT busy that day, she spent the next few hours working on Adrien's 35th birthday present) and then being scheduled to babysit Ella, Etta, and Chris while DJWifi dated in Timetagger, only to cancel at the last minute because she was too busy, which Alya was totally cool with. And there's no evidence or much reason to believe this was done without parental permission at all.

It got frustrating when that line of Alya-bashing started to rear its ugly head again with the Simple Man preview, with Alya and Nino getting accused of taking advantage of Marinette once again. Thankfully that pretty much died out once the episode came out, since both Alya and Nino were very clear that they'd cancel their date and help Marinette with babysitting if she needed it, and Marinette ended up being the one to shove babysitting off on someone else in order to hang out with the person she loved anyway, but it was still frustrating to see again.

I actually ended up writing a Prime Queen canon divergence AU one-shot because of that discourse restarting, where Alya discovered that Marinette had lied about talking to parents and had called her over in order to trick Alya into babysitting for her, since dammit, I wanted to use something that actually HAD definitely happened in the show to have Alya be justifiably upset at Marinette, get to work through it, and set some boundaries. To just... really focus on Alya's thoughts and emotions and perspectives. I get why Marinette thought that tricking Alya into babysitting for her was the best option - she couldn't just tell everyone she double-booked herself since it involved her secret identity, and if everything went right with her plan, everyone would be happy and no one would be upset or disappointed with her - but I still thought it was a good opportunity to ALLOW Alya to be hurt and to feel that hurt, to see things from her perspective.

Just... I love putting myself in different characters' shoes, understanding what they're thinking and feeling to make them do what they do, even when it's not always the best decision. To think of them as being people who have their own perspectives, insecurities, emotions, and ways of seeing the world in general.

Which means that when a character's demonized and treated as deserving to be hurt or suffer for relatively minor grievances that no one would give a second thought to if a character they cared about, who they empathized with and related to did that thing, it hurts. A lot.

Just gonna leave this ask as is because hard same to all of the above 😔

(But also I read your fic and it was amazing and everyone else should read it too!)

[tasteofheaven135]

Proof that Adrien has liked Marinette since before season 5.

First of all : It's not like it was null and void development. If you compare season 1 to season 4, there are big differences between the two.

In season 1 Adrien barely knew Marinette, she was just another classmate. But as the seasons went on, they grew closer, to the point where he considers her one of his closest friends.

Also the way he looks at her, at first he looked at her just strangely, but now he looks at her with affection. I know a lot were saying "he even looks at his bodyguard like that" they forgot something important. The bodyguard is a man who took care of Adrien since he was a child, he appreciates him very much and is closer to him than to his own father.

Also Adrien has a special way with Marinette, and I'm not just talking to make her feel comfortable. There are many times he invades her personal space and flirts with her (something he rarely does in his civilian form).

Second place: He called her his "everyday Ladybug" I have to explain why it's weird that he compares his good friend to his crush.

Third place: I know many say, "if he was attracted to Marinette, he would have dated her instead of Kagami." Kagami had initiative, she went straight to what she wanted,which Marinette couldn't do. Plus Marinette told Adrien that she didn't see him romantically, what was the guy going to think. 🙄😒

Fourthly: the reason Adrien is going to fall in love with her is because he feels he can count on her in time of need. More than once she has helped him or listened to him when he needed her. (So says the Miraculous bible.).

Also, since Alya and Nino's relationship came about after they kissed when Nino still liked Marinette.... Relationships at that age don't have to have that much explanation. And it's the truth. In real life one can like someone for no reason or for asshole reasons. But adrinette DOES have an explanation.

In Stormy Weather 2, Adrien briefly thinks Marinette likes him and gets excited, but when he remembers that she likes Luka, he just puts on a sad smile.

Adrien has always wanted someone he can share everything with (like Alya and Nino's relationship) and well seeing that apparently Marinette will finally throw away his photos, and he will notice her. Eventually they will have a more normal relationship.