#with the way he worries over nathalie

[wield-the-mighty-pen]

After watching what his mother, and now Nathalie went/is going through, can you imagine how traumatized Adrien must be. I mean, at this point, to hear that anyone he loves is sick or under the weather must make him feel completely panicked. 

I can only imagine if, when they’re older, anytime that Marinette or their kids so much as gets a cold, Adrien would be incredibly doting on and caring for them, bordering on smothering, All to ensure that they get well as soon as possible, that they recover. It just seems like a pattern he is all too familiar with and all too anxious to avoid...

[sebscore]

Hiii!!! I’m hoping that you can write a request for me! Gzd and other drivers during a red flag. She’d be like drinking some juice, inspecting cars with seb, trying to get the audience to do a wave with Daniel. Sitting in a corner and enjoying ice cream with Kimi, you get the gist!

You writing is always so comforting and fun to read! {if you aren’t down to write this request then please ignore this one! No hard feelings haha}

SLOW DOWN, RED FLAG

pairing: f1 grid x driver!reader 

warnings: sleeping? lol. 

author's note: I FINALLY GOT TO THIS ONE!!! also sprinkled some webber + button content in there cause why not x

masterlist

• • • • • • •

''The race still hasn't restarted so let's see what our drivers are up to.'' Martin's voice spoke over the commentary, informing the viewers of the current situation. 

The screen cut to Mick and Sebastian playing football in one of the empty hallways, keeping themselves energised for the race. ''Young Schumacher and Vettel playing some ball, trying to maintain their energy and not slump.'' 

''And here we have Charles Leclerc, the Monégasque writing some things down in his journal- a habit he picked up from his former teammate, Sebastian Vettel.'' Ted observed, describing how the young man scribbled some things down in the Ferrari garage. 

''Let's see what Y/N Y/L is up to. I'm sure the young woman is doing her best to keep herself high- is she sleeping?'' Martin interrupted himself, watching the screen with an open mouth as it cut to the driver laying on the floor in her garage while her team worked around her sleeping form. 

''Well, all the drivers have different ways of keeping their energy up.'' Ted chuckled, finding amusement in the woman's antics once again. 

Both men took a closer look at the screen as the camera kept lingering on her garage and what was happening inside of it. ''Is… is she sleeping- oh my goodness, her blanket has Kimi Raikkonen's face on it.'' 

As the screen zoomed out, the viewers could see the driver having a blanket draped over her- one that had a picture of a sleeping Kimi on it. 

''She keeps surprising me that one.'' Mark Webber joined in, laughing at the image of the young woman. ''I love the fact that her team just ignores it and works around her.'' He noted. 

''Yeah, this is probably not the first time this has happened.'' Martin said, coming to that conclusion because of the way the mechanics and others don't seem bothered by it. 

''This is a message for the crew that will be interviewing Miss Y/L later; Please ask her about this!'' Ted pleaded over the commentary, asking his colleagues that will be conducting the interviews to question the driver about her 'red flag habit'. 

''Now, Y/N- we were specifically told to ask you this by Ted Kravitz himself.'' Jenson started off, making her hesitantly nod her head. 

''Why were you sleeping during the red flag?'' 

''Oh,'' she laughed in relief, having expected a more controversial question that would have her press officer shit themselves, ''I was bored so I slept.'' 

''Aren't you supposed to keep yourself pumped for the race?'' Nathalie asked, a frown on her face. 

Y/N nodded. ''Yes and that's my way of doing that.'' She grinned. ''Please don't judge me.'' She quickly added upon seeing the confused expression everyone was wearing. 

''We're not! Don't worry, dear.'' Nathalie assured her, momentarily caressing her arm. 

''Is it something you do often, because your team seemed to be very nonchalant about it- especially your mechanics, since they were working on your car.'' Jenson asked, genuinely curious about the matter. 

The young driver pouted her lips in thought. ''Uh, I don't want to say it's a regular thing that I do, but I'm also not gonna say that it hasn't happened before.'' 

''Alright, and the Kimi blanket?'' 

''I got that for my birthday a few years ago, it's very cute, isn't it?'' She smiled from ear-to-ear, proud of her blanket of the World Champion. 

The reporters nodded, endeared by her authentic excitement. ''Has he seen it?'' 

''He has! I showed him a picture of it when I first got it and he smiled so I think he was a big fan of it.'' She answered, with the same smile on her face. 

''He didn't say anything?'' 

''Kimi asked where I got it from, but I didn't know the answer so that was the end of our conversation.'' She chuckled. 

Jenson laughed at her response. ''That's more than I ever got out of him.'' 

another author’s note lol: I have decided to get rid of my taglist since it was becoming unorganized and I can only tag an x-amount of people per post + I’m not a fan of reblogging my own work.

[ijustliketoreadstuff]

Gabriel does not like whats changing

The more we kept getting references to feathers and rings being close to Adrien and those in his family, who knew of the peacock miraculous, the more it became obvious that he was a sentimonster brought to life with the help of the peacock miraculous.

(Moments from "Miraculer" and "Gorizilla" subtly showing two rings and feathers being constantly close to the Agreste family and Nathalie)

And per the power of the peacock miraculous, Adrien's amok was attached to something, specifically two rings, the very ones his parents wore, a terrifying thing to learn because it meant that anyone who was in possession of Gabriel and Emelie's rings, could gain full control of Adrien and make him say and do whatever it is they wanted, which is what Gabriel has been doing a lot, each time worse than the last as he becomes more and more willing to ruin the happiness his son has built on his own.

(In "Adoration, Gabriel attempted to stop a moment that would've solidified Adrien and Marinette's relationship even further, by using one of the rings in his possession to take control of Adrien and stop him from kissing Marinette, forcing him to tell Marinette to leave. )

We don't know for how long Gabriel has been controlling Adrien throughout his life, but it doesn't seem like it was always this way, at least not when Adrien upheld his title as the "perfect son" to the Agreste family, but when he did, he would almost always start his command with the same words, "Adrien, I am your father...". Gabriel had his little moments in the past where he showed just how much he cherished his son, how worried he was over Adrien's safety if he was ever too close to danger, but the longer he let his obsession over defeating the heroes consume him, the more he lost sight of his moral boundaries, seeing no wrong in controlling Adrien through the ring during times he believed Adrien was showing defiance or was just plain not being the seemingly perfect well mannered son who took his parents word. 

("Megaleech" was one of many times when Gabriel had been shown clearly reaching for his ring to take control of Adrien. )

(In "Protection," Gabriel aimed to end the relationship between Marinette and Adrien, at first by trying to convince Adrien he shouldn't settle for dating Marinette, believing his own son deserved to be with someone who was considered to be as perfect as he was, like Kagami. When Adrien rejected Gabriel's advice to break up with Marinette, Gabriel used the ring to command Adrien to stop seeing Marinette, an order that was later removed, thanks to Nathalie, who was in possession of Emelie's ring.)

Unlike in previous seasons, Gabriel is shown to be more willing to use his ring to take control of Adrien during the most important moments of his life, because unlike before, too many things were changing.

Gabriel has always had this picture perfect image in his mind over what his family will be like once Emelie was brought back, and it for one would be exactly as he remembered and expected it to be. But now, everything Gabriel was hoping for his family and their future, is all gradually crashing down, and while he for one wants to believe it is the fault of Ladybug for preventing him from obtaining the miraculous that will restore his family, he also wants to believe it is the "bad influence" of Marinette, and others whom he views as imperfect, that's corrupting Adrien and ruining the perfect future that was made for him, but its not. Things are changing, because the people who are the closest to him are changing. Adrien is changing.

The fact of the matter is, the Agreste family could never go back to the way Gabriel remembered. Emelie had been gone for more than a year now, and while he still clings to the past, Adrien has tried the best he can to move on with his life, by learning to live it.

Adrien has made efforts to learn to live his life by gaining new experiences, meeting new people, building new friendships, forming his own independence by developing his own views and opinions, and has made his share of mistakes while simultaneously learning from them.

Adrien will always keep his mother's memory in his heart just like Gabriel said he should back in "Felix", but now that Gabriel is watching Adrien step farther and farther away from the son he remembers spent his days in the mansion, close to him and Emelie, it upsets him.

Gabriel has said before in "Passion" that everything he is doing is for Adrien's happiness, but his idea of what Adrien's happiness should be, does not align with what is making Adrien happy now. Adrien was most certainly not meant to find happiness without his mother in his life, he wasn't supposed to question his fathers judgment over what was truly right and wrong, and he was definitely not meant to find true love in a baker girl like Marinette. Gabriel has talked to Adrien about everything in his life that is falling a stray from the path that he believed was best for him, or rather, set for him, but for the majority of those times, Adrien chose to politely disagree with his father and stood up for what he wanted in life.

Adrien didn't want to start a relationship with Kagami again out of his fathers insistence, because they both realized on their own that they were not meant to be. Adrien didn't want to cast Marinette aside because having her in his life gave him that sense of love and happiness he never thought he could have. Marinette wasn't Gabriel's idea of perfect, but Adrien knew she was perfect for him. Gabriel and Adrien's relationship has always been a distant one, and although it was obvious to everyone else that their relationship was strained, Gabriel remained blind to the unhappiness Adrien was constantly facing over his lack of understanding and attention.

In season 5, after Gabriel realized he was dying from the power of Cat Noir's cataclysm, for a few brief moments, he became the understanding father Adrien always hoped for, and even though he never intended it, it was his willingness to allow Adrien the freedom to experience time away from the mansion, with friends, that gave him the chance to properly spend time with Marinette and start a relationship with her.

Gabriel had an agreement with Tomoe to wed Adrien to Kagami, and he made a promise to Emelie that he would bring her back and restore their family, restore their happiness, but that can’t happen if Adrien is making decisions that go against it all. Rather than accept that his son was living his own life, away from the one he wants to think is best for Adrien, he instead found it easier to use the ring that Adrien was bound to, and order him to do as his father told him.

Gabriel has had the advantage of taking control of Adrien at any given point in time, but the one time Gabriel realized he couldn't, was back in "Risk," when Felix took Adrien's place without him knowing. Felix, disguised as Adrien, talked back for Adrien about not wanting to go on the modeling trip, a trip that would last months. Gabriel had angrily disapproved of Adrien's(Felix) defiance and did not hesitate to reach for the ring that would allow him to put a stop to it, but for the first time in likely his entire life, Gabriel had to face Adrien without that sense of control over him conveniently within reach, and it must have been terrifying, because what he saw in Adrien's(Felix) eyes, was something he never thought he would have to actually experience facing alone, but is now forced to face regardless of possessing a means to control him, and that something, was Adrien's free will.

[ckneal]

So, when watching the Miraculous Ladybug season 5 finale, I assumed that the woman seen sunning herself next to Nathalie in the ending sequence was Emilie, and still think that was the case. This is mainly because I know that animators will often associate characters with specific color schemes so that they could use those colors as a shorthand for identifying characters in situations like this. Emilie and Amelie have matching suits, but the colors of Emilie’s are pink and black, just like the bathing suit that the woman next to Nathalie wears, whereas Amelie’s suit is black and gray.

Although, in the spirit of fairness, it is worth mentioning that there have been times when the gray parts of Amelie’s suit have appeared pink due to the lighting of the scene. And, realistically, there are plenty of reasons for Amelie to be there. Felix is there, and while we have seen him use his powers to get to France alone as Argos, he usually travels as a civilian in his mother’s company. And depending on what arrangements Gabriel made for Adrien’s care, Amelie might be his new legal guardian. What’s to say she didn’t just borrow one of her sister’s swimsuits for the party when she found the horde of old clothes Gabe probably had stashed away in a closet somewhere?

It's all fair game, and we’ll only really know for sure when season 6 arrives.

But that said. While I do believe that the woman next to Nathalie is Emilie, I have to admit that there would be so much more humor to mine from her being Amelie.

After all, Adrien has never had to deal with an actual caring parent while trying to be Chat Noir. Amelie appears to be an actual loving mother. She and Felix have such an open and supportive relationship with one another, that he seemingly made no attempts to hide his super identity from her. She’s even participated in his plans, going off the episode where she charged into the Diamond Ball and made a scene. There’s no reason to think that she would have a problem with Felix continuing to be Argos. She knows how capable her son is. And ignoring all the questions surrounding why she would suddenly upend her life in England and move to Paris to raise Adrien around all the friends he made during his one year of public school, imagine how annoying this could get for Adrien. Felix is just out as a superhero in their household. Amelie jokingly asks Felix to introducer her to all of his superhero friends over dinner. Meanwhile, Adrien's still keeping a secret identity, and dodging questions about how he spends his time.

Paris is under attack, and Amelie is waving her son off to join Ladybug and her team, while Adrien is trying to find some way to slip away before she activates the mansion’s defense system that we saw in season 2, only to find himself cornered by Amelie, wanting to know how he’s handling the news that someone has taken up the Hawkmoth mantle after Gabriel gave his life helping Ladybug defeat him. Adrien might even start trying to smooth down his hair and impersonate Felix in order to sneak out unnoticed, only to realize he’d drastically underestimated how in sync his aunt and cousin are when Amelie looks at him and says “What’s the codeword?”

Adrien, not wanting to risk any trace of surprise or frustration seeping into his voice and giving him away, just raises an eyebrow, while Amelie, who had been worried sick after Adrien disappeared during the last city-wide emergency, crosses her arms.

“The codeword that we decided on this morning to keep Adrien from pretending to be you to go out and put himself in danger, sweetie. What is it?”

[sariahsue]

Wherefore Art Thou My(stery) Lady

When a failed attempt to let Chat Noir down easy ends with Ladybug learning his name, she does what any lovesick teenager would do: teases him mercilessly. Ch 1 Ch 2

Chapter Three

Adrien didn't remember falling asleep, but he jumped awake with a jolt, diving for his phone, before realizing with dismay that he'd forgotten to plug it in and it had died overnight. Had he imagined the whole thing? Had Ladybug really texted him and told him she loved him, or had he made that all up?

He fumbled for the plug, begged the startup screen to load faster, and frantically plunged into his messages. There was the final message she sent, as real in the morning as it had been the night before.

My Lady – And for the record, I love you too.

He read it over and over again. She loved him. She'd said so. He hadn't made it up! Ladybug LOVED him! LADYBUG loved him! Ladybug loved HIM! 

And she knew who he was! And she'd actually said yes to him when he asked her out! 

“I can tell from your face that you're not done being lovesick yet.”

“Nope,” Adrien said, staring at the message. He was stretched out on his stomach across the bed, chin propped up in one hand, dopey smile on his face. “This is my permanent state of being now. Get used to it.”

“Are you going to get me some breakfast?”

“No.”

Plagg left him, making gagging sounds the whole way to the cheese stash. 

Nathalie came in to get him for school a short time later, only to find Adrien still fully dressed in yesterday's clothes (not that she realized it) and looking happier than he’d ever been before. In his entire life. 

“Did something good happen?” she asked, hand resting on the doorknob. Her body and her attention were both already halfway out the door.

“Just got a really nice text,” he said, jumping off the bed. “I'll be ready in a moment.”

---

Adrien texted Ladybug several times while he was getting ready and riding to school. No responses. At first, he wondered if she was sleeping in. She had obviously been up just as late as he had, or even later. But when there were only ten minutes left before class started, he began to worry. Had she thought about what she'd said and decided to take it back? Was the prospect of dating her partner just too weird?

“Maybe her phone died,” he muttered to himself as he walked into the building. That was entirely plausible, considering what had happened to his phone. It was cool against his palm compared to the otherwise warm morning. It vibrated suddenly. A new text message.

My Lady – Urrgh. Why do mornings have to happen so early? Adrien – Have you been sleeping this whole time? You're going to be late! My Lady – Why are you so happy in the morning? It's terrible. Mornings are terrible. Why do I stay up so late? Adrien – Because you love spending time with me. Adrien – And thanks for the clue! My Lady – What? Adrien – Not a morning person. I should have guessed that already. I’m going to check the list of tardy students today. My Lady – I’m not going to be on it. So ha.

Who did he know that liked to sleep in? A plan to skip first period to watch the front doors for the late students popped into his mind, but he knew he'd get a call home and quickly scratched it out. 

She was someone from school, who he was probably friends with since she’d had his number, and hated mornings. What else could he piece together about her? He knew her physical description, and that she couldn't be in his class. He had the numbers of all of his classmates, and most of them had already been akumatized anyway. 

The most likely candidates were the other classes in his year, since Ladybug looked to be around his age. He'd start his search there, and then move to the other grades. It shouldn't be too difficult.

He walked all the way to his first class without another text from her. Nino was there, smiling at him smugly. 

“What happened?” Adrien asked him. 

“I got a text from a mutual friend of ours,” he said. “Just a few minutes ago.”

“Who?”

“I'm not allowed to say.” 

Adrien's stomach flipped. Ladybug had talked to Nino? What had she told him?

“She said she'd finally confessed to you. Anonymously.” He put extra emphasis on the last word, and shook his head, like he couldn’t believe she’d do something so crazy.

“Yeah, I got a text like that,” Adrien said, sliding into his seat and trying not to act too excited about it. It had been anonymous, after all. There was no easy way to explain to Nino he already knew it was from the love of his life. “Did she say anything else?”

“Just that I'm not allowed to give you hints. Is she really making you guess who she is?”

“Yeah. I have an idea of where to look.” The yearbook. Easy. If she had last year’s, he knew she would have to be in it.

Nino shot a look up at the table in front of them and looked quickly back. Alya smiled at him and turned around to the front. 

Ms. Bustier pulled open the classroom door just then. “Good morning!” she said, ever cheerful. The class collectively huffed out a quiet “hello” except for Adrien, who instead smiled broadly and waved. Sometimes he felt like the only awake one in their first period classes. Maybe not being a morning person wasn't such a good hint after all. Most of the class was trying to cover their yawns.

“Where's Marinette?” Ms. Bustier asked, counting her students. “Is she late again?”

“I'm here!” Marinette said as she dove through the door. “Sorry. Slept in.”

“Oh yeah? Why?” Alya called, in a tone that clearly said she already knew the answer. Marinette went pink but didn't duck her head. Instead she marched up to her seat, and said, “Good morning, Adrien” without a single stutter as she sat down. He waved to her too, then pretended to focus on the lesson. He was really just staring at the stack of books on the teacher’s desk, not taking in any of the words. 

His phone buzzed in his pocket. When Ms. Bustier turned her back on them to write on the board, he pulled his phone out to read the message. 

My Lady – Figure me out yet? Adrien – No, but I know where to start.

He felt bad. He didn't usually text in class, but this morning, he wasn't the only one. No sooner had he pocketed his phone than Marinette's notification alert went off, informing the whole class that someone had sent her a message. Ms. Bustier whipped around.

“Sorry!” Marinette said. “Sorry! I forgot to put it on silent.”

“Don't let me see it out again.”

“Good thing Bustier is so nice, girl,” he overheard Alya whispering to Marinette a few seconds later. Mendeleiev would have made you read that message out loud. Wouldn't that have been terrible?”

Marinette squeaked, and Alya laughed. 

Adrien barely heard them.

---

It was Wednesday night, and there wasn’t a patrol scheduled, but Adrien was willing to risk wasting his free time for a chance to see his Lady. Even if he didn’t run into her - and there was no reason why he would - it was nice to be out and seen by people. It gave the citizens of Paris a sense of security, a feeling that they were being watched over. (That was what he told Plagg when the kwami had griped at him for waking him up from his nap - oh, and also for using his powers for selfish reasons. Plagg had quit complaining when Adrien offered him double cheese for dinner.)

Chat Noir stopped at the Montparnasse Tower and looked over the city. It was just after dusk. Lights were twinkling on all around him, and from where he was, he could see the sun slipping over the distant horizon.

His cat ears twitched. Soft footsteps landed behind him, about 10 meters away. They crept forward three steps, stopped for a few seconds, then started up again, and he smiled. Ladybug was trying to sneak up again. His heart beat faster, but he pretended he hadn't noticed. 

He debated as she tiptoed closer, trying to decide if he'd turn around unexpectedly and scare her, but he held himself back. She knew who he was this time. There was no telling what she would do. 

Gentle hands reached around his head and covered his eyes. “Guess who,” she said, her breath so close it tickled his ear. Involuntarily, he leaned backward into her. 

“Probably Ladybug,” he said. She was warm and solid, able to hold him up even though he was putting what felt like more than half of his weight on her. She still had his eyes covered.

“I didn't surprise you at all, did I?”

“Sorry.” 

She lifted one hand away to tug on his cat ear, then slipped both hands around his waist, before she suddenly pulled away, leaving him unbalanced, literally and figuratively. 

“I forgot! I should probably explain,” she said quickly. “So last night, I figured out who you are, and I... like you. But I can't tell you who I am. We should probably not date as superheroes either. That's what I should have said first.” She wrung her hands in front of her. The light from the sunset reflected off of her face and made it glow slightly orange, clashing with her suit. 

“What about what you said in the text messages?” he asked, confused and more than a little hurt. From the sound of it, she was reconsidering everything.

“What text message?” She said it so sincerely, eyes wide with innocence, mouth set in a neutral line. She was perfectly non-responsive. Too perfectly. 

“The– the messages you sent me last night and this morning.”

“What are you talking about?” she asked. “I know who you are, but that doesn't mean that I automatically know your phone number.”

The corner of her mouth twitched. And that’s when it clicked. She was doing this on purpose. 

“Oh.” He fixed a frown over his face, which was difficult through the relief that he felt. “I just started talking to someone over text last night. I thought she was you.”

“That's unfortunate. I hope you didn't give away anything important.”

“I... I maybe mentioned that I'm Chat Noir.”

Her surprised reaction was too rehearsed to have been believable, even if he hadn't been expecting it. “You did?! Oh no! What if she tells someone!”

“It's okay, it's okay! Really! I can fix it!”

“How on earth are you going to fix this, Chat? You just admitted it to a complete stranger, and now they could tell anyone!”

“I'll just tell her tomorrow that I'm really Hawk Moth, and then she'll just think I'm crazy.” 

Her actual surprised reaction was very different from the fake one. She didn't shout, and her eyes didn't go wide. Instead, her face scrunched together as she thought about the new information. 

“You're not buying this at all, are you?” she asked.

“You looove me!” he said, drawing toward her. 

“I thought I was giving you a heart attack, and you were just playing along.”

“You’re in looove with me! Say it!” He wrapped his arms around her, and she didn't pull away. SHE DIDN'T PULL AWAY.

“I’m in love with you,” she replied, and the force of hearing her say it in person punched through him. Her slender arms wrapped around his waist again, hugging him back just as fiercely. 

He'd been so lucky lately that he decided to push it just a little further and dropped a kiss on the top of her head. She only hugged him tighter. 

“Once I figured out that you were, well, you, I couldn't believe how obvious it was. You two look so much alike!”

“I thought you said we'd been in the same place at the same time before.” 

“Volpina, but that had been an illusion,” she listed. “Simon Says, though I realized I hadn't actually seen you two together that day after all. The only one I'm still confused about is Gorizilla. How did you pull that off?”

“I had a helmet on hand that Marinette had given me,” he said. “I just gave it to someone who was dressed similarly. That's all.”

“So you could come and help me,” she said. “Smart.”

They stayed wrapped around each other until the sun was almost completely gone. Lights illuminated the darkening streets below them. 

Chat Noir was first to break the silence. “So you know Nino.”

“Here's another hint,” she mumbled into his shoulder. Even through his tough leather suit, he could feel the soft kiss that she placed there. His head started to spin. “I've known Nino for longer than you have.”

“No offense, but that's a terrible hint.” She kissed along his collarbone and he completely lost his train of thought. 

“That hint is terrible because?” she prompted.

“Uh.” There’d been a very good reason. He was sure of it. It was only when she’d rested her chin on his shoulder that he was able to have a coherent thought again and figure it out. “Almost everyone in school has known Nino longer than me.”

“I know him well, not just know about him.” She pulled away so she could frown at him properly. “Don't insult a perfectly good hint.”

“You'll need to give me a better one then.”

“Maybe later.”

“Come on!”

“Why don't you try asking me things?” She put her face back into his shoulder, her hands wandering up and down his back. 

The feeling of holding her was nice, but the feeling of being held by her was exquisite. 

“What did you tell him? He said you texted him this morning.”

“That's not much of a clue,” she said. “I don't know how that's going to help you.”

Truthfully, he was just curious. Nino hadn't given him much of an answer. 

“I told him, and my bestie, as close to the truth as I could. That I'd texted a confession to you, then remembered afterward that we hadn't actually exchanged numbers. I got it from one of our mutual friends.”

“When? Why?” 

“Oh, one of many failed attempts to ask you out ages ago. Super embarrassing.”

One of many? How many? “Do I get to hear that story?”

“Not today!”

“Why tell our friends, though? Nino taunted me about it all day.”

“Oh, good.” She peeked up at him and smiled. “I just thought it would be an easy way to explain later.”

“Explain what?”

She pecked his jaw. “Why I'm suddenly kissing you in public.”

The combined force of her words and her lips against his skin left him dizzy and clinging to her for support. Kissing, and kissing in public, were part of a reality that he fully supported living in. 

“Can I have another hint now, please?” His voice sounded raspy, and he tried to clear his throat.

“Hmm... I live close to you.”

“That's another terrible one.”

“No, it's not! These are all good hints!”

“We're in the same school district,” he said. “Of course we live close to each other. I deserve a better hint.”

Ladybug pulled back and pouted at him, then she stepped away. The vacuum she left behind was cold. “Civilian me has blue eyes.”

“Really? That's it?”

“There's less than eighty years' difference in our ages.”

“Now you're just being mean.”

“I eat food at least once this week.”

“Fine! I'll figure it out without any more hints!” 

“Okay, here's one that probably won't help you either.”

Chat Noir sighed, and she stepped up close to him again, though not as closely as he would have liked. There was still a few inches of space in between them. 

“I've had a gigantic crush on you for a long, long time. I probably wasn't subtle about it, but I don't think you noticed.” Her emphasis on “probably” made it sound more like “definitely.” He was a celebrity, though. He filtered out those types of signals from people daily to keep his sanity.

“If I didn't notice,” he said, “how is that a good hint? I think you should give me one last hint to make up for my shameful inattention to you.” 

Their faces were drifting closer together. He was acutely aware of when it started. She took another step toward him, looking like she wanted to say something more, but when her mouth opened to speak, he glanced away from her eyes and down at her lips. She took the hint and moved in even closer. He hesitated for only a second before lowering his face down to hers, slowly, slowly, until...

“Nope,” Ladybug said, bopping a finger on his nose and breaking the spell. “There's no way you're tricking me into kissing you before you figure it out.”

“You never said that was part of the deal!”

“I'm saying it now. Haha!”

“I was right. You are just being mean.”

“It's for your own good. It'll motivate you to find me faster.”

“Oh,” he said. “I'm very motivated.”

She giggled, then stood up on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. “Actually, I’ve changed my mind already.” 

“I wouldn’t expect anything else from a true temptress like you.” He tilted his head, ready to kiss her back this time.

She put a finger on his lips to stop him. “You can't kiss me,” a kiss on his other cheek, “but I can kiss you,” and another on his nose. 

His lips felt hot where she pressed on them, and when he tried to kiss her fingertip, she pulled away fast, like she’d been burned. 

“Not allowed, Kitten.”

“That shouldn’t count. It was barely a kiss.”

“Do you want to try again?” she asked, smiling widely. “Or should I just go home?” 

“You’re having too much fun with this.” He held his arms stiffly at his sides to signal that he was willing to behave himself. (He had no intention of keeping his hands to himself, though.)

She reached up, lifting herself on her tiptoes to reach his forehead and left a small peck there. “And having fun while kissing you is bad because…?”

“Teasing me is.”

“My poor Chaton,” she crooned. She left the lightest hint of a kiss on his neck, right above the collar of his suit, before dropping back to his shoulder. “Maybe I should just stop?” 

His response was a garbled choke. No, he wanted to say. Never. But he couldn’t force the words out. Not when she was standing so close to him, mouth level with his, mischievous eyes pinning him in place. 

She reached for his hand - he hadn’t even thought to move it yet, he realized vaguely - and pressed a kiss to his knuckles. “See you around?”

Chat Noir collapsed into a puddle as soon as she was gone.

Ch 4

---

Author note: I forgot to update last week, sorry! But you’re getting two this weekend to make up for it!

Tag list: @eclipsesmoonshine14, @alittlewolf2

[ashintheairlikesnow]

I Can't Cross O'er: An Interlude

CW: Captivity, child of whumper POV, blood, referenced whipping, magical whumpee, siren whump. For @amonthofwhump Tropeathon Day 4: Monster! Monster!

Bones in the Ocean Masterlist

-

Six years ago

A door shut, clicking into place, just down the hall. Carefully hidden inside one of the seven bedrooms in this wing of the house, Ford and his sister Nathalie waited, listening, as the man in the hallway took a deep breath. “By God,” The man muttered. “What a voice he has.”

Nathalie tried to peek around Ford's arm. “Is he-”

“Sssshhh.” Ford swatted at Nathalie without looking at her, and she swatted back.

“Like an angel…” The man continued, not realizing he had an audience - if currently a distracted one. “An absolute angel. The way he sings..."

Nathalie poked Ford right in his ticklish side with one finger, jabbing roughly. "Ford-"

"I said sssshh!"

"Don’t you dare tell me to shush, Guilford,” Nathalie hissed.

Ford looked at her, and whatever she saw on his face made the momentary triumph of mocking him with his hated full first name drain from hers. She laid a hand on his arm, then, awkwardly patting, whispering, “I’m sorry. I'm so sorry, Ford, I didn't mean it-"

“Don’t ever call me his name,” Ford said, but his voice was weak. Like always since his mother died, he felt tears rise unbidden and had to fight them back below. “Please, please don’t.”

“I didn’t mean it,” Nathalie whispered. Her eyes were huge and sad in the light that filtered in through the gauzy curtains across the room. “I really didn’t. I’m sorry, Ford. You’re not like him at all. I promise you're not."

He found a smile for her, just to watch the way her shoulders, which had hunched up, relaxed again. “It’s… it’s all right.” There was another sound, and Ford turned back, trying to peek through a crack in the door they were hidden just behind again. He couldn’t quite see the man, but he could hear him still muttering to himself. Thankfully, the Lord Fellswooth spoke to himself loudly enough that he hadn’t overheard them and realized he was being spied on by two of Lord Wentworth’s children. 

Or grandchildren.

Or... prisoners.

Whoever they really were to him.

Seconds passed, and Ford could see in his mind the way the tall, strikingly thin Lord Fellswooth must be patting down his shirt, checking for wrinkles or any detail out of place. He’d been a fussy one at supper earlier, the sort to surreptitiously check the tines of his fork over before taking a single bite, as if checking for a smudge or a bit of tarnish he might make a barbed comment about. He was probably running quick fingers through his hair to get the little curl of salt-and-pepper over his forehead just so - he’d done that over and over since he’d come to meet with Lord Wentworth, as if it were some sort of compulsion rather than simple vanity. 

Ford’s teeth worried at his lower lip as he listened to Fellswooth take a deep breath, murmur it was only a business call, of course, Theresa, that’s all, as if he were rehearsing his lines for a play, before he turned to leave. The two children eased back and away so no hint of them might be seen as he went past them - Ford's eyebrows knitted in confusion at a spot of bright red he saw on the Lord's cheek, smeared like he'd rubbed open a wound. The Lord's steps were nearly soundless thanks to the plush gold-threaded rug that ran the length of the hall all the way to the grand staircase that would take him right out the front door.

The butler met him there. 

Mr. Keller was chilly sometimes but Ford mostly found him kind. His voice filtered up the stairs as he let Lord Fellswooth know his horse was saddled and waiting for him just outside. Mr. Keller had been around forever, he was very old and soon to retire, Father- the man who made them call him Father, anyway - said. He’d made mistakes, sometimes… more often lately.

There had been some sort of trouble with Mr. Keller writing letters that made no sense, begging for rescue from employment, that had led to some distant relations coming to the door last month, worried for his health. 

Father had assured them all was well, and after speaking to Mr. Keller over a few days, the cousins or whoever had gone away again. Mr. Keller had been... different, ever since, but still mostly kind to the children.

Ford’s father read all Mr. Keller’s letters now before he sent them, and he’d put out an advert and told his very important friends he was looking for a new butler, that Mr. Keller was ready to step down and have a well-earned rest. 

If he didn't just get thrown in the pond with the monster, like Ford's real father had been. 

Once Fellswooth was safely gone, Ford eased out into the hall, the well-oiled hinges moving in perfect silence as he swung open the door. Nathalie was on his heels, creeping just behind him. They made their silent way towards the door that the fussy Lord had just come out of.

Ford paused just a foot away and turned to look at his sister over his shoulder, putting a finger to his lips.

Nathalie nodded, solemnly. Like Ford, she still wore a black armband, the sign of mourning after their mother’s death the year before. At ten, her face was losing the child’s roundness and thinning out. She looked like their mother had, more every year, and sometimes it hurt Ford to look at her at all. It would be six more years before their father would want to start looking into marrying her off, which meant only four years until marriage might happen for Ford.

The thought terrified him.

Ford had become a part of his father’s grasping ambitions only a month after Mother died, when she could no longer protect her children from Lord Wentworth’s plans for his family. Ever since, he’d been subjected to endless lectures on business ventures he didn’t care about overseas, tutored for hours every day on how to convince other nobles to speak to his father about those business ventures, or selling land, or… whatever it was that Guilford Wentworth wanted from them. All those lessons, in the end, centered around learning how to lie - or how to bring the aristocrats and royalty to meet with his father and his father’s awful creature.

Alongside all that unwanted education had been a rise in the careless, constant violence that had already dogged him all his life. He was not good enough at the skills Lord Wentworth wanted him to learn. He did not lie so easily, he did not care about colonies and copper mines a thousand miles across the sea. And he paid for not caring with bruises like the ones he wore even now, always and only in places that his clothing might hide.

Nathalie, though, wore no bruises, and neither did the twins. He’d done what he could to protect them all the way his mother had once tried to protect him. If he were married, though, especially if he were married to someone with more money or land and he had to go live with her family, he couldn’t keep Guilford’s anger on him any longer. 

It would turn on his sister, until she was found a husband - and then it would finally turn on the twins, who had never known violence and would have no one to keep them safe any longer

What if whoever was picked for his sister’s husband was cruel, too? What if his own wife turned out to be some terrible witch, like Guilford Wentworth, just with hair ribbons? He’d rather die than be married, but he knew enough about his father’s monster by now to know that it wouldn’t matter what he wanted, when the time came.

He’d want whatever he was told to want, once the monster sang its hideous song. He'd be a dutiful, loving husband, or he'd be a dutiful loving son, or he'd have his throat torn open and turn to bones in the bottom of the pond in the garden, just like his real father.

Ford closed his fingers slowly around the doorknob, turning it as quietly as he could before he gently pushed the door open so he and Nathalie could peek inside.

They had come to peek at the monster. 

The awful thing looked handsome and harmless. It perched along the edge of a heavy mahogany desk, leaning against it and looking away, towards the window, one hand over its mouth. Jet-black hair fell wavy, as if it had only just dried after a swim in the ocean, over beautiful eyes and curled around its ears. Its hair was all mussed up, as if it’d been grabbed at and pulled on, but the creature didn’t seem to notice. 

It looked, with the last of the sunset’s yellowed light shining on its warm brown skin, like a sort of perfectly sculptured mockery of a human man, the most beautiful one Ford had ever seen in his life. It was only a trick, of course - it was more of a demon.

Ford had seen its real face when it killed his real father, a mouth that opened too wide and was full of hideous sharp teeth.

It wore some sort of loose robe that fell off one shoulder. It was covered in embroidered flowers in white against the shining pale blue fabric and tied at the waist. Its arms were crossed in front of itself and it hunched over, just slightly. The markings like tattoos that began just under his jaw on one side disappeared into the neckline where it lay over the thing’s collarbone and then reappeared along one delicately formed wrist, running all the way into its palm and over its long, elegant fingers. One of its legs was marked, too. When Ford looked at the monster’s feet, he could see one was covered in the same markings all the way to the very end of its toes. 

“It's done, for now,” The monster said to no one, its voice soft. It spoke like a melody, a rumbling bass that could just as easily soar to tenor. Ford had taken singing lessons, for a while. He was hopelessly rubbish at it. 

The twins, though, were good. And the monster sang like heaven. 

There was a pause. 

“Done,” It repeated, dropping to a whisper. Its voice cracked and broke this time, rasping. There was a horrible sorrow and anger in the lines of its beautiful face. “For now." Its voice rasped, suddenly, went rough-edged like it was talking around something blocking its throat. "Until the next, and the next, and the next…” 

When it looked to the window, towards the sunset, the light glimmered along trails of shimmering wetness that ran down its cheek. Its body shook, and it dropped its head into its hands, letting out a wretched, shuddering sob.

He’d seen this thing murder his real father, sing him into the pond in the garden and then rip out his throat and stain the water red while Ford had watched, unseen, his own hands clamped tight over his mouth beneath his wide, nearly bulging eyes. He had been screaming, desperately muffling the sound, until he’d run for his mother, and discovered that she… she wasn’t the same either, anymore.

She hadn't died for years after, but really she had been mostly dead already, as soon as his real father was. 

Once the monster sang to you, he took whatever he wanted of you away, and only left what was useful for the family. Which just meant useful for Lord Wentworth, which Ford’s real father hadn't been any longer.

The monster had taken from Ford’s mother even the memory of his true father. No one had cared enough to bother to take it from Ford, or Nathalie. No one listened when they insisted their father was someone else, someone no one in the house even knew had ever existed any longer. The twins had only been babies, and they wouldn’t remember anyway.

Weeping or not, it wasn’t a person, and Ford steeled himself against how much it hurt to watch the thing cry. It might weep like a man, and look like one, but Ford had seen it kill on command.

The creature turned away toward the window, its back now to the children spying on it from the doorway. Ford and Nathalie both inhaled sharply as the robe it wore slipped a little, dipping low enough to show that it was bleeding.

Ford felt something cold and shivery-sick dip in his stomach as he saw stripes of torn-open skin smeared in a horrible too-bright red just above its shoulder blades and down its back, disappearing beneath the shining black satin, only to still show through in spots here and there that seemed to stick to its skin. The blue robe turned the blood soaking through it purple, a sickly color that made Ford think he might be sick all over the floor.

There was-

There was so much blood.

Ford’s throat suddenly felt like it might close all on its own, and he jerked in a hissed breath. He felt sick just looking at it, too bright and too red. His stomach flipped and twisted, his heart racing its way up his throat as if it might come flying out his mouth. 

There was blood on the floor, spattered on the wall by the window. It looked like a murder had been done, and yet Lord Fellswooth and the monster had been alone, and only the monster wore wounds.

What had Lord Fellswooth done to it? 

Fellswooth had lifted his upper lip in a sneer just looking at how dusty Ford had been when he’d returned from the afternoon ride on his favorite horse. He’d run fingers over the washbasin stand checking for specks of dust Mr. Keller and the other servants might have missed. He’d shuddered just walking in the front door when the stable boy’s wolfhound had tried to lick at his palm.

What sort of man who could be so fussy as all that could tear the monster’s back to shreds and simply leave his blood running down his body to drip to the floor as he stood by the window?

How badly must all those wounds hurt? 

Not that Ford cared, or anything. It was a murderous monster creature his false father used to enthrall and get what he wanted out of everyone who came near him. It wasn’t even human, it spent almost all its time in water hiding under the surface, coming out only when Lord Wentworth summoned it. Ford didn’t care about it at all.

But…

But that didn’t mean he thought it should bleed like that.

Even monstrous animals were only animals, after all, and this might be a creature of murder but did it need to suffer for that? For someone else's fun?

The monster, standing before the window staring out at the setting sun, began to sing to itself. Unlike the song they’d heard before when it was alone with Lord Fellswooth, this song was neither strident nor even very loud - it was a private song, one it sang only for itself. Its perfect voice did not swell or even rise much. Instead, each note seemed like a sidestep to the last, a winding staircase of melody that it wrapped around itself like a kind of blanket. 

Ford caught his breath, listening. He could almost hear where a harmony should be, if there had been more of those… things… singing at once. Maybe this had been a song it sang with its own family, if it had had one. 

Did monsters have mothers, like men did? They must. Everything living had a mother at one point or another, didn’t it? 

The song was his pain, Ford realized. Winding and circling itself, neverending, a river even monsters would drown in when they never found shore. It was the creature's way of crying, beyond human tears. It wept, by the window, in a way that stole Ford's breath and made him want to weep alongside it.

“He’s so pretty,” Nathalie breathed, just beside him, her own wide eyes shining with tears. Her voice was too loud but his own felt too caught in his throat to shush her again. “He’s so pretty, Ford, isn’t he?”

The monster’s voice cut off all at once.

It spun around to see the two children who had - without realizing it - leaned further and slid the door a little more open. Ford’s heart dropped to his knees as those fathomless dark eyes locked on his. He and Nathalie both gasped as they fell under the thing's direct regard.

“Oh, no,” He whispered. "Nathalie-"

The monster opened its mouth in a snarl as it pulled its robe so tightly around itself nearly none of its skin could be seen any longer. Ford and Nathalie both froze at the sight of row after row of razor-sharp pointed teeth as it bared them.

“Go!” It snapped, in a voice that was not human, that spoke the human tongue in a roar and with a mouth not made for it. “Go away from me! Now!"

Ford's heart was in his throat "We're-... w-we're sorry-"

"Fear the monster your father keeps more than death itself and get away from me!”

The last was a shrieking command, not a song but a singular deafening note. Ford felt himself turning before he could even breathe. The command took effortless hold and he grabbed Nathalie's hand.

Get away from me.

The children could never have done anything but obey.

They fled shouting their fear of the monster, half-falling down the stairs and racing outside until Mr. Keller, who had seen Fellswooth off, caught them in his arms. Both of them burst into tears, there, while the stableboy and the groomsman stared surreptitiously in confusion. Mr. Keller held them, and shushed them, and finally took them to the stables in the hopes that he could calm their tears before Lord Wentworth overheard.

Inside, Guilford Wentworth’s monster sagged and then sank to the floor, his knees simply giving way until they touched the rug beneath him. He bent over until his forehead brushed the fibrous cloth, and he wept again.

This time, he wept in silence. 

-

Taglist: @grizzlie70 @burtlederp @finder-of-rings @theelvishcowgirl @whump-for-all-and-all-for-whump @bloodinkandashes @squishablesunbeam @mj-or-say10 @apokolyps @wildfaewhump @shrimpwritings @there-will-always-be-blood @latenightcupsofcoffee@angelsproject

[gale-gentlepenguin]

So I know Representation came out today. And any good fan would wait a week before reviewing it as we still have episode 23 to watch.

GOOD THING IM A DEGENERATE

Gale Reviews: ML Season 5 episode 24 Representation

spoilers below

-So as expected, Chloé didnt stay mayor long. But Apparently Ms.Bustier is running for Mayor and might win

-Oh its the Fencing teacher/ guy who was Darkblade. Well clearly Ms.Bustier is going to win

-And Adrien and Kagami are a power couple? But Adrien is watching the news report while they are in London. Something seems VERY off

-Ah, Gabriel is behind it. And Adrien HATES it.

-"By letting your father decide your life and selling your story through a fake narrative as usual." DAMN Plagg holds no punches

-Plagg appologized though.

-Kagami is also pissed about it

-HEY ITS FELIX/ARGOS

-Wait ... is that really my chaotic son? HEARTS ON WINDOWS.

-Thats adorable, WTF

-Okay so THEY got some development.

-Adrien deciding to just say f*** it. He is heading to paris and Telling Marinette he's chat noir!

-Marinette back in paris looks miserable. Poor baby girl. Also its a lovely dress.

-Marinette has been crying. I am going to kill Gabriel

-Marinette being strong for her friends to enjoy this dance. Thats really big of her.

-Unfortunately, Spotlight.

-Wait, how did Argos and Kagami get to Paris BEFORE Astrochat? Unless they left much earlier but even then. My bet is Argos made a sentimonster that would warp them places... but that seems like BS.

-KAGAMI KNOWS MARINETTE IS LADYBUG?! Since perfection. Damn.

-KAGAMI TOLD FELIX!?!?!?! FELIX?!?!?! Okay I am a bit salty about that

-OH S***! THEY KISSED. The Feligami stans are Eating today.

-Felix is dressed like Adrien? Oh I do not like where this seems to be going.

-And Marinette thought she saw Adrien and wants to go after him while her friends are thanking her for everything she's done. Way to ruin a good moment FELIX you ass!

-Side note, WHY is Marinette the only one in a dress? Like its a dance? Why couldnt everyone Have dressed up? Seriously, I know outfit renders are expensive. DID THE KITCHEN COST THAT MUCH?

-Marinette avoiding the Lesbian bee and accidentally interrupting the Bi artist and writer. Sure is Pride month in Paris.

-Okay this is just cruel. Marinette thinks she is having a break down over this. Side note. WHY ISNT ADRIEN ACTUALLY HERE YET? HE IS ASTROCHAT!

-Alya and Nino trying to comfort her. But she aint listening.

-Adrien and Kagami escaped and the parents are pissed

-Oh no Nathalie looks really bad right now. Poor thing. All she can do is watch videos of her true love Emilie

-He took the ring back, guess now that Nathalie is too weak to fight him. Which really brings up the question, WHAT HAPPENED in the last episode that Nathalie took such a turn.

-Gabriel is being a d*** as usual

-Nightormentor sounds like a cool name. And while I thought the color scheme is weird... its probably the best akumatized form Gabriel has taken. Sad but true

-AND OF COURSE RIGHT AS SHE LEAVES ASTROCAT ARRIVES. I know its plot convenience but thats bull s***

-"His father CANT have that much control of him" Oh if only you knew Nino

-And BOOM! Gabriel the bitch agreste arrives

-I am liking Rose so much recently. She is calling out EVERYONE

-So he basically has the powers of Sandboy mixed with Darkerowl

-the guy has the power to make you experience VERY intrusive thoughts. That is evil

-Chat noir is like "Hey ladybug gonna go beat up my father text me later"

-Dude Felix must be an Olympic speed walker

-Marinette is basically being nightormented without that bastard even being here. Felix, Kagami this is just a jerk move.

Duusu: "This is so sad" Felix: "Dont worry its for Our happy ending" Duusu: F*** yea lets keep it up

-Oh he made a sentimonster... wait. I know its not human but like a sentimonster MAKING sentimonsters. Feels even more f***ed up

-THEY ARE DOING A F***ING PLAY FOR HER!?

-OH MY GOSH! ITS THE STORY OF EMILIE AND AMELIE!

-Meanwhile, Chat noir is working through his daddy issues.

-Back to the play

-Oh this is interesting.

-Oh and we find out Felix's dad was a rich Cowboy. But also an asshole. (Oh right, this is a French Cartoon, thats why American's suck in this)

-Back to Adrien fighting his father

-This is Cathartic watching Chat noir beat Gabriel's ASS

-HE WAS GOING TO CATACLYSM HIS DAD! Adrien, my boy. Patricide adrien? Well Monarch is still alive, so I guess you think it wouldnt kill him. BTW, Monarch should have had ptsd from that.

-And Chat noir got hit, so his worst fear is... and cuts back to the play

-Oh the twins were infertile. Emilie returned to try and get medical help but still nothing.

-The peacock, that was the sentimonster reference

-Oh so THATS how Gabriel got Gorilla to guard adrien.

-Also yea, any doubt that they arent sentimonsters is dead now.

-ITS CHAT BLANC WITH BLUE HAIR!?

-Oh s*** that is f***ed up.

-"It will end if you give me your miraculous"

-"Take it." ADRIEN NO!

-Oh so thats why Felix's dad was an a**hole. Okay I will give this credit. That is something.

-Welp this explains why Felix might be a sociopath

-Felix revealing why he did what he did

-THE RESISTANCE! COMING IN CLUTCH

-THE TRAY!

-ALYA JUMPED ON HIS BACK.

-They got the akuma in a jar.

-Wait, Chat noir defeated an akuma without Ladybug. (sure he had outside help, but Ladybug has done that too). Good on him

-WELL S*** THAT WAS TRIPPY.

-Felix and Kagami asked for Marinette's help. so was that all the sentimonster doing so? I am lost

-Okay so, I may not LIKE exactly how they went about it. But I cant really hate them for what they did. They are just kids that want to pick someone they trust.

-Oh s***, Ladybug never cast miraculous cure. So Adrien has some perminant trauma from the fight with Nightormentor. He still sees the antichat visions (its not chat blanc, and its just reverse color pallet)

-Chat noir left. before he could tell her. Cause the nightmare messed with him

-WAIT DID TOMOE AND GABRIEL JUST LOCK THEIR CHILDREN IN STERILE ROOMS? WTF!

_________________________________________________________

Okay! This episode was A LOT.

Well there is no denying Sentimonster theory. Its confirmed. Its done. 100% GUARANTEE NO MONEY BACK.

It did explain a LOT about Felix and Adrien.

So I am still iffy on how it was handled.

Now this DOES NOT justify Felix's Actions. He was still an a**hole. And Kagami shouldnt have told Felix. Marinette is Ladybug. That was NOT her secret to tell.

BUT the play that explained what happened was very well done. It explained a LOT about the Graham de Vanily family and Felix's a**hole father.

I will say that I hated how tortured Marinette was during this. Felix and Kagami could have done something less cruel to lure her there.

I also greatly enjoyed Chat noir vs Nightormentor. very good catharsis and we have Adrien going through some additional mental trauma, inflicted by his father (I wouldnt call it Ironic, more of EXPECTED)

I give it 7.5/10

I will say its the most I have enjoyed the second half of this season since Emotion.

[mcheang]

Revelation AU

What if Felix took Adrien’s place again the day Lila tried to take over class rep duties.

Let’s just say thanks to his stalking, Felix knows Lila is a liar who makes Adrien uncomfortable and Marinette unhappy. He warns Kagami about it, who in turn wishes to expose Lila after being manipulated by her.

Knowing Lila has had too much time to sway the school to her side, Felix proposes an idea but needs Kagami’s help. Like Lila, Felix is a master at deception, at least when pretending to be Adrien.

When Gabriel fires Lila Rossi, Felix suspected Lila would want revenge on Adrien to hurt Gabriel. As such, he insisted that he take Adrien’s place for that day in school. Kagami lured Adrien and knocked him unconscious, allowing Felix to take his place while Kagami stayed with Adrien to keep him from interrupting their plan.

When Marinette tried to argue that Chloe should be punished for cheating, and how Caline suggested that Chloe was going to need a lot of work, Lila suggested she take over Marinette’s duties since Marinette is too busy with her love life.

Felix: I’m sorry, Lila. It’s just what you said. The reason you were not around to vote for Marinette is because you were on one of your MANY trips for charity. I know you’ve had more time for us now, except last I heard, you said you were going overseas. I know you’ll try to be there for us, but we all know how you can’t help answering the call for help from your many other friends overseas, even changing your plans at the last minute because you told us how much you cherish bonds overseas, knowing you can’t dismiss friendship that easily.

And just like that, Lila is also unreliable for being class president.

Lila: I will try to be there for the rest of the school year, even my mother put her foot down about that.

Felix quickly interrupts: Oh no! Are you that exhausted? We shouldn’t put more pressure on her.

Lila: But I have more free time on my hands.

Felix: Um, I heard you refuse to join Mylene’s cause to help Ramier’s cause to build pigeon shelters next week. And Marinette is not even going to be there! Not to mention I’m worried that Chloe might take advantage of you like she’s taking advantage of Sabrina, she’s already trying to take back power, but we all know that Chloe will dump her deputy duties on Sabrina, again. You’re too nice, Lila.

No matter what Lila says, Felix is ready to counter her.

And then comes the killing blow

Felix: I know you mean well, but my father also told about your special disease

He looked at Miss Caline Bustier, who now recalls Lila’s lying disorder

Felix: It’s embarrassing but my father does do background checking, Principal Damocles told him about your uncontrollable lying disease. I know Miss Bustier wanted to keep this a secret so we would not worry over you like we do over Rose, but we’re your friends Lila, you don’t have to hide this from us.

Alya is unsure if Adrien is telling the truth or he really wants to defend Marinette

Caline: I think you’re right Adrien. Lila needs all the support she can get, and she can only get that if we help her be honest

She just confirmed what “Adrien“ said.

The class is stunned. Lila really was a liar. And Ms Bustier did not even tell them. It was hard to tell whether their feelings of betrayal were directed more towards their naive teacher or Lila.

Lila herself was feeling quite furious with Adrien.

Naturally Hawkmoth was attracted to the akuma class…again.

He sensed Lila Rossi’s hatred to Adrien. Not a good idea. (Sure Lila tried to direct some hatred Marinette’s way but the latter was clearly surprised by Adrien’s move). Nathalie was already breathing down his neck on his treatment of Adrien.

Someone else in the class will have to do.

There was obviously a divide.

Some actually thought Lila had a lying disorder and could not control it.

Others like Alya Cesaire were immediately apologetic for not believing Marinette, cursing their own gullibility, and angry at Ms Bustier for keeping it from them.

Yes, Alya’s guilt was prime for akumatization.

Except…what is this? Her resistance to the akuma…it was so similar to…Viperion/Luka. Alya knows Ladybug’s secret identity.

True, Alya rejected the akuma and Hawkmoth summoned it back, but the idea that two friends of his son knew Ladybug suggested the possibility that the heroine herself was within Adrien’s social circle.

But who? He had akumatized most of them. All except…Marientte Dupain-Cheng!

Oh wait. If Alya is aware that Marinette is Ladybug, how could she actually believe that Ladybug is best friends with Lila?

No one is that stupid.

He discusses this with Nathalie.

Nathalie: but Alya is that gullible. Didn’t she believe Chloe of all people was Ladybug? Despite witnessing Ladybug saving Chloe from Stoneheart?

A pause.

Gabriel: it’s time we invited Marinette to our home again. It will be a chance for Adrien to tell her about his trip to London. (Aka akumatize and see if she really is Ladybug)

Meanwhile, Alya confessed Monarch discovered she knows Ladybug and has to leave town. She joins Luka with his dad and Penny.

Marinette feels guilty for telling Alya the truth. Tikki reminds her that Alya knowing has helped her before.

Before Alya left with Luka, the latter warned Marinette to be careful with her secret identity. “Monarch might decide to investigate our common friends. And you’re the one of the few he hasn’t akumatized.”

Marinette: few…Adrien! Wait, what am I saying, Adrien can’t be confused for Ladybug.

At the invitation for brunch, Gabriel knew Marinette was still oblivious to Adrien’s impending departure (he would have akumatized her otherwise).

Gabriel: I wouldn’t want to keep two lovebirds apart in these precious moments Adrien has in Paris.

Adrien dropped his fork. “Father!”

Marinette looked at her boyfriend in concern. “Adrien, what’s wrong?”

Gabriel: you didn’t tell her?

Adrien shut his eyes. “I’m moving to London at the end of the school year.”

Gabriel: as soon as the school day is over, he’ll be packing his bags.

Adrien: but I’ll miss the dance!

Gabriel: so is Kagami but I don’t hear her complaining to her mother.

Marinette understood immediately. Gabriel disapproved of her so much, he was willing to send Adrien away, take him away from his friends. “You can’t do that! It’s not right!”

“Oh, and what would you know of right, Ms Dupain Cheng. My own surveillance cameras have caught you spying on my house. Your male friends threw a wild party under my very roof while I was absent, draining even my back up power reserves. I’ve already shown my generosity by not suing them for the power disruption or demanding a restraining order on your presence. Do not test my patience.”

Marinette and Adrien were horrified, for different reasons. Adrien knew about Marinette’s stalker habits already but to hear that his father was capable of using the law to punish his friends…he knew he needed to tread carefully. Marinette was horrified to see her own flaws turned against her.

Gabriel settled down, forcing a smile on his face as he civilly asked, “And what do you think of my pancakes now, Marinette. Do you think my new recipe is better than before?”

Both knew they could not insult him and make their own situation worse, not when Gabriel has already proven himself of capable of following up his own threats.

“It’s certainly efficient,” Marinette finally managed.

They finished the breakfast in silence. Gabriel happily eating his pancakes. Marinette and Adrien holding hands tightly under the table.

Nathalie came in. “Adrien, your piano teacher is here.”

Gabriel: it’s been nice having you here again, Marinette. But good times never last long.

It took all Marinette’s willpower not to run or call Gabriel out for his cruelty. As soon as the coast was clear, she sank down against the wall and cried.

Her despair just begging Monarch to akumatize her.

Unfortunately for him, Tikki was also on alert should Marinette be depressed enough for an akuma. (Being in an akumatized purse was not fun!)

Tikki: Marinette, an akuma!

Marinette freaked and ran, worried that Ladybug’s immediate purification would give her identity away.

Rather than let the butterfly go rogue and cause another startrain, Monarch summoned the butterfly back. He can be patient. Sooner or later, Marinette has to break down and he will be ready.

Knowing she had to stay positive, Marinette devotes her energy to try to be optimistic, thinking of how she can get Gabriel to change his mind, or ways to make a long distance relationship work.

This was enough to make Gabriel give up and instead wait for Adrien to leave for London.

By that time, Marinette had already tried several plans to convince Gabriel to stay. She got Wayhem to organize Adrien’s fans to strike about Adrien’s departure but was countered by Gabriel saying Paris was too dangerous for Adrien. She threaten to call child care services except Adrien (influenced by the Graham wedding rings) vetoes this plan. She considered using Cosmobug to visit Adrien except Marinette doesn’t have the money or time to make such frequent visits plausible.

Eventually Marinette came to accept Adrien’s departure and both agree to work out a long distance relationship.

Gabriel is extremely disappointed that Marinette isn’t more unhappy when Adrien leaves. Oh well, it doesn’t matter. project Alliance will continue as plan.

[the-true-noodles]

incorrect miraculous ladybug quotes 2! (because we need more of them)

part 1

Nathalie: Now, the recipe calls for 2 shots of vodka.

Nathalie: *upends the bottle*

--

*Marinette's second day of interning for Gabriel*

Gabriel: Hand me the people opener.

Marinette: ...

Marinette: Pardon?

Gabriel, annoyed: The people opener! Just hand it to me!

Marinette, stressed: WHAT THE FUCK IS A PEOPLE OPENER?

Gabriel: How do you not know what a people opener is? Its pointy- you know? With a handle?

Marinette: Knife. It's called a knife.

--

Adrien: *walks to cabinet, removes oreo box, takes half a sleeve, throws empty box out* Hi!

Nathalie: Hey- what are you doing-?

Adrien, shoving an oreo into their mouth: I am saving space :D

--

Gabriel: Would it be discrimination to only hire employees at my doughnut shop who have the same name?

Nathalie: Legally, I don't believe that breaches any discrimination laws. Morally though... I don't know.

Gabriel: I believe god is on my side when it comes to Duncans' Doughnuts.

--

Chat Noir: honk.

Gabriel: WHAT.

Chat Noir: HONK.

Gabriel: WHAT DOES HONK MEAN THIS TIME YOU WHIMSICAL PIECE OF SHIT?????

--

Ladybug: So, what's it like living with Hawkmoth?

Mayura: They once referred to sand as "heterosexual glitter."

Ladybug: ...

Mayura: I love him so much.

--

Mayura: Where's Chat Noir?

Hawkmoth: Don't worry, I'll find them.

Hawkmoth, shouting: Ladybug sucks!

Chat Noir, distantly: Ladybug is the best person ever! Fuck you!

Hawkmoth: Found them.

--

Nathalie: I just heard Gabriel call the dog a “fucking liar” because he barked like someone was at the door and no one was there.

--

Chat Noir: You know, Hawkmoth, when you generalize, you tell general... lies.

Hawkmoth: ...

Hawkmoth: Are you trying to teach me moral lessons through puns.

--

Nathalie: How are you gonna carve a gigantic pumpkin?

Gabriel: The same way I make onion rings!

Gabriel: *grabs a chainsaw*

--

Nino: Hey, you want a tarot reading?

Gabriel: Those are Pokemon cards.

Nino You got a magikarp.

Gabriel: ...

Nino: It means 'fuck you'.

--

Hawkmoth: Here's two facts about me.

Hawkmoth: 1. I hate hot people.

Hawkmoth: 2. I'm a hypocrite.

--

*the day this man goes out of the house by himself*

Gabriel: Keep it running. *Tosses keys over shoulder into empty parking lot.*

--

Ladybug: You ever see something that changes your life and you're just like "huh.."

Chat Noir: I saw you.

Ladybug: Honestly that's so cute and sweet but it kinda makes this awkward because I was gonna show you a picture of Hawkmoth in a turkey costume.

--

Marinette: My hands are cold.

Adrien: Here, let me hold them.

Marinette: My lips are cold too.

Adrien: *covers Marinette's mouth with their hand*

--

Gabriel: If we lose, you’re out of the will.

Nathalie: I was in the will?

--

Nathalie: Are you having another depressive episode?

Gabriel: A depressive episode?

Gabriel: I'm having a depressive series and we're just on season one.

--

Gabriel, entering the room: *Sees Adrien and leaves*

Adrien, watching Gabriel leave: There’s my monthly dose of my dad…

--

*Marinette and Nathalie are planning to break in somewhere to save Adrien without Gabriel knowing he was missing*

Marinette: We need to distract the guards.

Nathalie: Right.

Marinette: What are we gonna do?

Nathalie: I'm gonna break their elbows while you poke their eyes.

Marinette:

Nathalie:

Marinette: Deal.

--

Hawkmoth You’d be stupid to lay a hand on me.

Chat Noir: Oh, you’d be surprised how much stupid shit I do.

--

Adrien: *Gasp*

Marinette: wHAT??

Adrien: What if soy milk is just milk introducing itself in Spanish?

Marinette: *inhales*

Gabriel, in another room with Nathalie: Why can I hear screeching?

--

*during a temporary ceasefire because reasons??*

Ladybug: Hawkmoth learned how to fold origami penguins from Chat Noir the other day. I told them, “I feel a little bad for the penguins, it’s hot here”, and the next day they put them in the fridge.

--

Gabriel: Where did you get that tomato soup?

Adrien: It’s actually a bowl of ketchup I just microwaved.

--

Gabriel: Christmas is cancelled.

Adrien: You can't cancel a holiday.

Gabriel: Keep it up, Adrien, and you'll lose New Year's too.

Adrien: What does that mean?

Gabriel: Nathalie, take New Year's away from Adrien.

--

Hawkmoth: Arson? Oh, you mean "crime brûlée".

--

Gabriel, digging their grave: Long story short, this is my grave.......Want me to make you one too?

--

*marinette's internship is something i want to think would be really funny*

Marinette: Hey, wanna help me commit arson?

Gabriel: What the hell!?

Marinette: Oh, sorry, my bad.

Marinette, whispering: Wanna help me commit arson?

Gabriel, whispering: Of course. What do you need?

--

Marinette: So, are you two friends?

Gabriel: Yes.

Natalie: No.

--

Chat Noir: You use emoji’s like a straight person.

Hawkmoth: That’s literally the worst thing anyone has ever said about me.

--

Gabriel: I’ve been here in jail so long I think I’ve lost my mind.

Gabriel: The days turn into weeks, weeks turn into months.

Gabriel: How long have I been in here now? Almost a year?

Nathalie: This is Monopoly.

--

Hawkmoth: Well, well, well, if it isn’t the consequences of my actions.

--

Gabriel, putting their hands over Nathalie's eyes: Guess who!

Nathalie: It's either Gabriel or the cold, clammy hands of death.

Gabriel, putting their hands away: It's Gabriel!

Nathalie: Dammit.

--

Ladybug: We need to open this locked door. Nathalie, give me your credit card.

Nathalie: Here.

Ladybug, pocketing it: Thanks. Chat, cataclysm the door.

--

Nathalie: When was the last time you cried?

Adrien: Uh 15 minutes ago, why??

Nathalie: really? That recent?

Adrien: Yeah *voice crack* is that a issue? *starts crying again*

--

Ladybug: Why are you always trying to aggravate me?

Hawkmoth: To relax.

--

*Something crashes*

Adrien: Shoot-

Gabriel: *running into the room in a panic* WHAT FELL?!

Nathalie: *walking by the room calmly* What died?

--

(sorry for taking so long)

[rayraygo1267]

Gabenath Incorrect Quotes because I’m in denial

Note: Those who’ve seen the season 5 final you know what I mean

Spoiler Warning for the Miraculous Awakening Movie and the Season 5 Final

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Movie!Nathalie: I’m so happy Gabriel isn’t terrorizing children anymore! Maybe now he can get closer to Adrien and rebuild his family

Show!Nathalie: Pfft, yeah if only

Movie!Nathalie: What are you talking about?

Show!Nathalie: *Sighs* okay so, Gabriel basically ends up terrorizing the entirety of Paris for over a year and pretty much goes insane. Long story short his pancakes suck, he basically kidnaps Adrien at one point and leaves me for dead and then like a dumbass he makes his wish which results in him dying

Movie!Nathalie:…

Show!Nathalie: Anyway, you were saying?

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Adrien: Mayura and Hawkmoth are dating

Gabriel: *dramatically spitting out water* WHAT?! WHERE DID YOU GET THAT IDEA?

Adrien: *shows picture of Hawkmoth holding Mayura in his arms and caressing her cheek* Just look at the way he looks at her, he’s totally smitten — it’s almost like how you look at Nathalie

Gabriel: *Blushing* I—I don’t know what you’re talking about but regardless I can assure you that Hawkmoth and Mayura Are. Not. Dating.

Nathalie: *coming up from behind him* They’re not?

Gabriel: *Surprised pikachu face*

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Gabriel: *Puts his plan on hold to take care of Nathalie and put her first*

Also Gabriel: *Leaves Nathalie to die*

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Nathalie: I would do anything for Gabriel Agreste no matter the cost

Also Nathalie: *Attempts to shoot him with a crossbow*

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Gabriel: Nathalie sometimes gets dizzy spells but you don’t need to worry about her

Adrien: Okay

Nathalie: *faints literally five seconds later*

Adrien:…

Gabriel:…

[logically-asexual]

Love like you

summary:

Betterfly finds himself in a confrontation with Shadybug and Claw Noir inside the Agreste Mansion of the alternate universe they traveled to. Nathalie is in her bedroom processing the fact that Gabriel has finally lost it. Their journeys unexpectedly cross when Betterfly akumatizes Nathalie by accident.

This work is complete!

Title from Love Like You from Steven Universe

Read on AO3

Chapter 1

| Next |

word count: 1,694

Gabriel usually did his best to stay focused on a task when he was Betterfly. He had learned the hard way that the powers of the miraculous had to be used for the greater good only, and not for personal reasons. 

The situation he was in right now, however, was more than extraordinary. He had almost been captured, and then he found himself in an alternate reality, where the physical aspects of Paris were the same but everything else was foreign to him. He was working with different versions of the same kids that were chasing him, rushing across the city after these heroic Ladybug and Black Cat showed him that a beautiful world full of hope was possible. He hoped they could do the same for Shadybug and Claw Noir, once they found them. 

He usually tried his best to stay focused, but as he passed by the Agreste mansion, curiosity proved to be an invincible opponent. 

He only wanted to see how Adrien was doing. 

Once he made sure the coast was clear, Betterfly jumped over the wall on the back of the house and made it to the window that led to Adrien’s bedroom. Careful to not be seen, he leaned in slowly. 

The bedroom looked just like how he imagined it when he and Emilie found out they would have a son. He remembered wanting the boy to have everything he could wish for, which he thought would be covered with enough space to run, jump and climb, and to store any game he wanted to have. His own Adrien now had… something else in mind, when it came to interior design. Gabriel had thought Adrien would be as energetic as Emilie, but he turned out to be an artist, more like his father. It made him happy anyway, even if he didn’t quite understand his son’s ways of self-expression yet. 

Gabriel frowned when he noticed the bed was still made. He couldn’t find any sign of Adrien in the room. It was around three in the morning. Where could that boy be at this hour?

A crash not too far away startled him. Ladybug and Cat Noir must have found the others. He should go help, but his worry wasn’t allowing him to move. After another noise he spotted Shadybug and Claw Noir on the roof of a house nearby. They were alone, fighting each other. Betterfly stared at them for a second too long because soon he realized they were turning around. Before they could make eye contact, he hurried through the open window into the house and closed it behind him. 

He stood in a corner of the dark room and tried to keep his breathing under control. A minute later he looked back outside and saw the teenagers were no longer there. He let out a sigh of relief. 

He was taking one last look at the bedroom before leaving when the glass behind him shattered and he was kicked to the floor. He turned around, feeling shards under his hands that luckily wouldn’t cut him thanks to his suit. Shadybug and Claw Noir stood over him smirking. He made a mistake. He made a terrible mistake. 

Nathalie didn’t want to be back at the mansion after what happened. She didn’t want to see Gabriel. To follow her original plan for tonight and leave for a country far away and forget about everything sounded much more appealing, but she had things to do. First she had to take Lila back home and then she had to make sure Adrien was fine. He probably stayed in the house after letting Felix take the train in his place, as Gabriel told her, but she had to make sure.  

A little over an hour later she was back in her bedroom, the door locked, her phone off, and earplugs on in case Gabriel decided to come knock. 

Despite these efforts, Nathalie wasn’t able to relax. Her heart was still pounding and every time she closed her eyes all she could see was Emilie in her last moments awake, looking up at Nathalie, full of trust and convinced that she would do the right thing. She forced her eyes open again, but the present she found wasn’t any better. 

Gabriel lost the time miraculous. He lost his only chance to fix everything. He lost Emilie. All for an obsession that Nathalie had done nothing about except blindly encourage it until it was too late. She was supposed to do the right thing. She should have stopped him, but there was no hope now. She was going to die along with Emilie and Gabriel had finally lost his mind. 

A pain in her chest had her turning around, sitting up and laying down, over and over. It wasn’t the one, frequent with her illness, that came before coughing or throwing up. There was nothing to do to relieve this one. It felt like a deep emptiness in the center of her chest was trying to suck the rest of her body from inside. It hurt and it persisted. Her limbs were too tense to lay comfortably in any position. Her head just felt tired of the race her mind was running against her own thoughts, desperate to not dwell on how everything was wrong and would only get worse. 

She tried the best she could to picture herself somewhere else. Somewhere calm. 

Outside Nathalie’s bedroom, downstairs in the foyer, Betterfly was battling the villains of his world, together with the heroes of this one, who luckily arrived to support him. They didn’t start out too aggressive, but the violence and the size of the lucky charms being thrown at them was increasing. 

Nooroo had explained to him how, when the power of the miraculous was used for evil, it was also used without limitations that existed to ensure the safety of their holder, especially when they were still young. Therefore there was a clear imbalance in the sides of the fight, an imbalance about which Betterfly should do something if he didn’t want to be turned in to The Supreme today. 

He brought his fingertips to the jewel on his chest. Ladybug was currently focused on the technical aspects of the fight and figuring out strategies. There wasn’t much room for strong emotions to latch on to. Cat Noir, on the other hand, seemed excited and he even appeared to be having fun jumping around. Betterfly could work with that.

He stepped away for a moment near the entrance to the building, vigilant of the other four people in the room, and aimed his cane toward the boy. As soon as he stayed still for a second, he let a kamiko fly out of the knob-shaped handle. However, the white butterfly didn’t move in the direction he wished.

As soon as it was free, the creature turned right and flew upward. Betterfly didn’t have time to follow its trajectory because a net fell over him; its red and black handle was being held by Shadybug on the other end. Ladybug and Cat Noir came to his rescue and he once again was enveloped in the confrontation, blocking attacks from Claw Noir’s staff with his cane, evading projectiles from Shadybug, staying out of the way of either yoyo flying across, generally just… doing the best he could to stay in sync with the kids on his side and turn the situation around. 

Then, a familiar sensation made Betterfly gasp before his breathing slowed down. To his right, Cat Noir’s stick and a red sword with polka dots were moving towards each other, cutting the air millimeter by millimeter. Both kids held on tightly to their weapons. On the opposite side, Ladybug was drawing her arm back with the yoyo in hand, gaining momentum to throw it as far as she could in the direction of Claw Noir, who was on the banister at the top of the stairs, getting into position to pounce. 

Betterfly’s heart ached for the teens around him, who all had in common having been thrown into a war with bigger responsibilities than any kid should have. He was the adult in this situation, he should have prevented this. He should have done the right thing and not collaborated with The Supreme, and instead should have tried to protect everyone else, but he had been lost in his own ambitions and when he finally realized that his goals were wrong and hopeless it was too late. 

Guilt crept with a shiver up his spine. He felt a deep emptiness in the center of his chest that was trying to suck the rest of his body from inside. His limbs were too tense to stand comfortably in any position. His head just felt tired of the race his mind was running against his own thoughts, desperate to not dwell on how everything was wrong and would only get worse.

There was a ringing in his ear and when he tried to find the source of the noise, he realized that his eyes had been shut. Now, when opening them, he found himself in a warmly lit bedroom, looking up from the bed covered in books at curtains that gracefully flowed away from the windows. They seemed to be dancing on their own, until the soft breeze that had moved them reached his cheeks. The breeze was almost imperceptible, though, resembling more a small shift in the air molecules around him. 

He blinked. His arm moved by an automatic reflex and managed to block the hand with claws about to cataclysm his face.

No, Betterfly wasn’t the one in that bedroom. It was the kamiko. 

Once he grabbed the cat by the wrist and pulled him away, he focused on the connection with his lost butterfly. It was in a room in the same house, upstairs. He could see the door that led to it on the right wall. That was where the guilt and despair he was feeling came from. 

His kamikos had never latched onto an emotion like that. Who could—? 

Then he figured it out. 

“Nathalie,” he gasped. 

| Next |

[yabagofmilfs]

30 for the gesture prompts 💛

I think maybe you meant 20 since that's as far as they go! Hope you're okay with Sid/Mario and some vaguely implied Sid/Mario/Nathalie.

20. Running fingers through their hair.

It was hot after practice, almost stifling in the locker room and Sid wondered if the aircon had gone out again. 

“Hot in here, eh?” he said to Colby, who gave him a weird look. 

“You go too hard on the bike, buddy? You’re looking a little pink.”

Sid shrugged. He’d forgotten to do his cool down now that the thought about it, too distracted getting his gear off as quickly as possible. Something hadn’t been sitting right, and even his base layers still felt a little weird–kind of constricting and itchy, like maybe Nathalie had switched detergents or accidentally shrank them in the wash. He shrugged his shoulders, trying to stretch out the fabric and get comfortable. He wanted to strip down, but it felt a little weird with all the guys milling around. Instead, he wedged himself further into his stall and took a long drink of gatorade, waiting for his heart rate to go down. 

Bugsy sauntered back to his stall beside Sid’s, still dripping from his shower. “Hey kid,” he said amiably, glancing down at him. “You good?”

“Yeah,” Sid said, and frowned. He could tell it hadn’t come out right, almost a whisper or like he was still out of breath. But Bugsy just smiled at him, and that made Sid smile too. It felt good to sit quiet and still next to him and track the water dripping from Bugsy’s wet curls down the side of his neck. A drop landed on Sid’s knee with a soft plop when Bugsy turned his head, a tiny bead of warmth that made Sid shiver. 

“Are you gonna hit the showers or just marinate in your own stink all day?” Bugsy said.

Sid grinned up at him, feeling loose and easy. Bugsy was so tall, even for an alpha, and Sid had to lean his head all the way back against the wall to look up at him. “You showered and you still stink.” Sid giggled. 

He didn’t, though. Bugsy smelled good. Like clean salt and something else that was a little sour and made Sid’s mouth wet. 

He didn’t realize he’d begun to lean forward until his nose bumped against the damp skin of Bugsy’s hip, and all that good scent intensified.

“Shit, are you–”

Sid hummed, and slipped to his knees. It seemed suddenly urgent that he get closer, get more of it, and he rooted around until he found the gap in Bugsy’s towel and could press his nose into the humid crease of his thigh where the scent was the strongest. Sid sighed and opened his mouth to pull in more of it, letting it fill up his head and drown out the growing buzz of voices all around him. 

When he pressed his tongue to the alpha’s skin, the taste pushed a noise he’d never made before out of his throat, high and breathless. It cracked something open inside him, like a corner of himself he’d kept clenched up tight had stretched open for the first time and spilled slow and hot into the center of him. It felt like relief at first, and then intensified into something more–something bigger, that he didn’t understand. His breath was coming fast now, and even pulling in all that good scent didn’t help. 

A big hand clasped firm and warm over the back of Sid’s neck, and he felt each individual muscle in his body go loose. The hand drew him back, and when Sid blinked his eyes open, Mario was crouched in front of him. 

“Sidney,” Mario said gently. “Are you okay?” He looked serious, but not worried. When Mario was worried his mouth was a straight, tense line. But it looked soft and easy now, faintly curved like he was holding a smile in his back pocket just in case. 

“I don’t feel good,” Sid slurred. His tongue felt big and clumsy in his mouth. “Can we go home?”

*

The drive home was quiet. Sid curled up in the front seat as small as he could make himself, huddling under the warmth of Mario’s wool coat. He was drenched in sweat, but the weight of the fabric felt good, and it felt right to be covered in the strong scent of Mario’s body. He smelled good, like Bugsy had but different. Safer. 

His stomach was cramping, a tight burning clench that hurt, but the release was worse, leaving behind a feeling of aching emptiness that made Sid feel like crying. Embarrassingly, it made him whine, high and plaintive like a pup. 

Mario made a soothing noise. “You’re okay,” he murmured, and reached over to pet his fingers through Sid’s hair. Sid pressed himself into his hand, hungry and trembling for it like every nerve in his body was straining toward the alpha’s touch. 

“We’re almost home, and then we’ll take care of you, don’t worry.”

*

“Oh, mon pitou,” Nathalie said sympathetically when Mario shuffled Sid into the house. 

She cupped his face, running her thumbs along his blazing cheeks. He couldn’t help but turn into her touch and she hummed at him soothingly, drawing him in to rest his head on her shoulder and running her fingers through his hair, just as Mario had. Sid sighed and nuzzled closer. Mated omegas didn’t usually smell like much of anything to him, but this close he could detect Mario’s scent on her skin. He licked at it and she shivered against him.

“Remind you of anyone?” Mario asked. There was a teasing note in his voice that made Nathalie swat at him. 

“Don’t you dare. This one’s much sweeter.” 

Mario pressed up close along Sid’s back, his laugh reverberating through Sid’s ribcage. “Comme une pêche mûre,” he murmured, and pressed his teeth to Sid’s neck.

[aalissy]

Shower

Here's a short bit of Ladrien fluff bc they're my fave hehe. Lemme know what you think of this chapter <3. I'll see you tomorrow.

AO3

Taking a deep breath, Marinette paced her bedroom, fingers tangling nervously in her hair. Adrien hadn’t been in class that day, and she knew he wasn’t feeling well. Her gaze landed on the small basket of freshly baked macaroons she’d prepared for him. After a few more moments of pacing, she made up her mind, scooping up the basket with determination. Steeling herself with another deep breath, Marinette called on her transformation, “Tikki, spots on!”

The magical energy washed over her, and she felt a rush of power and exhilaration. As Ladybug, she quickly climbed through her trapdoor and swung her yo-yo, latching it onto a nearby rooftop. Swiftly, she made her way to Adrien’s mansion, her heart pounding in her chest.

Pausing by Adrien’s window, she glanced at the basket in her hand, unable to stop herself from debating if she should just leave it with Nathalie instead. But when she peered through Adrien’s window, she didn’t see him resting. Gathering her courage, she pushed through the open window, landing silently on the floor of his room.

Tiptoeing into his room, Ladybug moved toward his bed, pen in hand to leave a note. Suddenly, she heard the telltale sound of water being turned off. Freezing, her eyes widened as the bathroom door began to creak open. Instinctively, she reached for her yo-yo, fruitlessly hoping that she might be able to use her Lucky Charm to escape. However, when the door fully opened, her breath hitched. Adrien emerged, fresh from a shower, with only a towel around his waist. His blonde hair was damp, and he used another towel to dry it off.

Spotting her, Adrien’s brow furrowed in confusion. “Ladybug, what are you doing here?”

Her face flushed, and she quickly averted her gaze. “I-I came to drop off some macaroons,” she stammered, holding up the basket. “Y-your friend mentioned you were sick today.”

Adrien’s surprised expression turned into a bright smile. “Thank you, Ladybug! That’s so kind of you!”

Ladybug giggled nervously, her heart fluttering as she handed him the basket, trying not to look at his bare chest. Adrien took the basket with a grateful smile but then realized his state of undress. Blushing, he said, “Give me a second, I’ll be right back.”

“A-alright,” she replied, embarrassment tinging her voice. She watched him disappear back into the bathroom, letting out a quiet sigh. Why does he have to be so cute? she thought, feeling her cheeks burn.

Ladybug took the moment to look around Adrien’s room, which was elegantly decorated with shades of blue and white. The large windows let in the soft afternoon light, casting a warm glow over everything. She could see his desk cluttered with books and papers, and a few framed photos of him with his friends and family. One particular photo caught her eye: it was of Adrien and his mother, both smiling warmly at the camera. She felt a strong pang of sympathy for him, knowing how much he missed her.

When Adrien reemerged, fully dressed, he gave her a sheepish smile. “Sorry about that, Ladybug.”

“D-don’t worry about it,” she managed to say, feeling her heart skip a beat. “It was my fault for just barging in.”

“No, it’s fine,” he assured her, his eyes warm. “It’s not every day you find a superhero in your room.” He flashed her a teasing grin.

Ladybug blushed, her cheeks turning pink. “Thanks, Adrien. Are you feeling any better?”

“Yeah, I feel a lot better. It was just a cold and some exhaustion from fencing,” he explained.

“Well, I hope the macaroons help,” she said with a smile, feeling a bit more at ease.

“I’m sure they will,” he replied softly, looking down at the basket. “Who made these, by the way?”

Ladybug hesitated. Should she say? Fidgeting nervously with her fingers, she chewed on her lip. “Um, I think her name was Marinette. Do you know her?”

Adrien’s smile grew fonder. “Yeah, I know her. She’s one of my best friends and an amazing baker. I’ll have to thank her tomorrow.”

Her heart soared at his praise. “I’m sure she’d love that.”

He scratched the back of his neck. “I just don’t know what to give her in return.”

Quickly, she shook her head. “No need for a gift. Just knowing you liked the macaroons will be enough.”

He smiled. “Well, I’m sure I’ll love them. Marinette’s baking is always incredible.”

“T-thank you,” Ladybug breathed out, then quickly corrected herself. “I mean, d-don’t forget t-to thank her. She’ll appreciate that.”

“I will,” Adrien promised, his eyes twinkling with sincerity.

She sighed, moving toward the window. “I need to go deliver more presents,” she said with a playful smile, trying to mask her lingering embarrassment.

Adrien laughed. “Good luck, Ladybug. And thank you.”

She gave him a final salute before slipping out of the window, her heart light as she swung back toward home, eager to share her excitement with Tikki.

As she made her way back across the rooftops of Paris, Ladybug’s mind wandered back to the look on Adrien’s face when he saw her. The surprise, the gratitude, and the warmth in his eyes. It made her heart race just thinking about it. She had always admired Adrien from afar, and moments like these made her realize just how much she cared for him.

Finally reaching her home, Ladybug detransformed back into Marinette. Tikki floated beside her, a knowing smile on her face. “You did great, Marinette. Adrien looked really happy.”

Marinette blushed, setting the empty basket on her desk. “Thanks, Tikki. I just wanted to make him feel better.”

“Well, you definitely succeeded,” Tikki said, nuzzling against Marinette’s cheek. “You’re a great friend, and I’m sure Adrien appreciates everything you do for him.”

She smiled, feeling a warmth spread through her chest. “I hope so, Tikki. I really hope so.”

As she got ready for bed, her thoughts kept drifting back to Adrien. She wondered what he would say to her tomorrow in class when he thanked her for the macaroons. Could it be at all possible for him to suspect that Ladybug and Marinette were the same person? The thought both excited and terrified her.

Climbing into bed, Marinette pulled the covers up to her chin, staring up at the ceiling. Her mind was a whirlwind of emotions, but one thing was clear: she would do anything to make Adrien happy. Whether as Marinette or Ladybug, she would always be there for him.

With that comforting thought, she closed her eyes, a soft smile on her lips as she drifted off to sleep, dreaming of a bright future where she and Adrien could share more moments like the one they had today.

[ririchanva]

//Ask and you shall receive :3 Actually, a lot of you seemed to enjoy this one so I'mma continue to add some more of this :D LEZZGO~

This one will include: Middle School Drama, mentions of bullying, Happy&Healthy!Inko, Alive!Emelie, Humbled!Felix, Chloe Sugar, Kim Salt, Max Salt, Marinette still being Marinette, snippets of Derision, teensy bits of Chloe crushing on Izuku, A MAJOR BUTTLOAD of everyone crushing on Izuku, Adrien growing up into a little shit, and more~! Lemme know if I should make a part three~?

✲ || Part Un || ✲

So...previously, we've stopped on Izuku, Marinette and Chloe as little children being an inseparable trio. That is, until we get to the Agreste and Graham de Vanily family.

Canon-wise, Chloe knew of Adrien and Felix as kids. So if I'm doing my math right, this is before Emilie's "disappearance" and Felix's dad didn't get offed just yet.

In short, Chloe one day invites Izuku and Marinette to visit Adrien since her parents and his are friends.

Adrien is always happy to make new friends besides Chloe.

And it was honestly friendship at first sight when meeting both Izuku and Marinette. (It was like fate~ *gets smacked*)

Adrien immediately locks into Izuku's energy about heroes.

The two clicked much more than Izuku did with Marinette and Chloe, it sort of made the girls a little jealous.

Marinette doesn't fall for Adrien this time around

Gabriel and Emelie are introduced to Izuku and Marinette by Adrien, and honestly it surprised both the Agreste on how well behaved children they were. Especially when they were dreading they would be another Chloe.

But EVEN MORE SURPRISING was how Chloe was also well behaved around them. Where was the usually spoilt brat that loved to boss their son (and sometimes Felix) around?

Emilie wanted to meet the infamous nanny of Chloe's.

And she did...and she adored the woman too.

Emelie begged for Gabriel to hire her as Adrien's nanny too. Why, if Inko Midoriya managed to tame a brat like Chloe, Adrien could perhaps grow into a happy child as well. As much as Emilie and Gabriel wish they could spend more time with their son...their careers are at their peak. Someone had to watch over their son (Nathalie and Gorilla were already having their hands full).

Thanks to Inko's rep of being a full-time babysitter for rich kids like Chloe and Adrien, this meant that Inko's life is set.

Her mental state is at peace, no guilt about raising Izuku and worrying over their next meal and bills. This meant Inko maintained her physical body and kept herself healthy, not to mention Emelie and Sabine made sure the woman was surrounded by a good circle of friends to go out for walks, shopping and pretty much having a life. Not to mention Emelie trying to set Inko up on dates.

Meanwhile, Izuku got to be around his new friends more.

This also caused Chloe to accidentally call Inko, Mom.

"Thank you for mending my dress, Mommy!"

Inko paused from tidying her sewing kit and looked over at the seven year old girl for a moment, blinking her surprised green eyes. All she did was just fix the princess dress that Chloe had accidentally ripped when running around with Izuku, Marinette and Adrien playing pretend Knights and Dragons.

"Ah...y-you're welcome, Chloe-chan. "

Inko didn't know how to process this at first. Perhaps Chloe said it by accident. It was a one time thing...right?

Alas, Chloe continued to call her Mom , to the point that one day Chloe asks innocently:

"I want Mlle. Inko to be my Mommy."

"You can't, Chloe-chan. Because she's my Mom." - Izuku

"Well, what if Chloe and you get married? That way, Chloe could be part of the family :D" - Adrien.

"....Izuku, let's get married." "EHHHHHH?!"

Meeting Felix Graham de Vanily (as if he would keep his father's last name of Fathom) was...confusing, at first.

Izuku and Marinette, like Chloe, mistaken him for Adrien.

When Amelie meets the children, she was cooing on how adorable Izuku and Marinette were.

However, Felix wasn't impressed.

Although that all changed when Izuku played chess against him.

"You...you beat me?" - Felix

"Er, was I not supposed to" - Izuku

Either way, this impressed Adrien and Marinette, and Chloe had to gloat and laugh at Felix's defeat.

Needless to say, this sort of humbled Felix, and both he and his mother visited from time to time. And in turn, Izuku gets invited to London to visit them along with Adrien, Marinette and Chloe.

Fast forward in time, to the start of collège.

Chloe may not be Marinette's tormentor anymore, didn't mean she stayed nice to everyone.

It had to take Adrien and Izuku to stop her tirade at times.

Speaking of, Adrien manages to go to normal public school with them this time around too.

It took a lot of convincing, but it was mostly Inko talking with Emilie about how Adrien should be surrounded by other kids his age. Thus, it made Emelie also persuade Gabriel to send Adrien to school. Although that didn't stop the modelling gigs, advance fencing, language and business classes after school.

But with Chloe no longer being the school bully...someone else takes her place.

Enter Lê Chiến Kim, and his lackey, Max Kanté.

Typical jock behavior, Kim looked to his bullying as pranks. And in no way does he think what he does is wrong.

And his main target?

"Heeeyyyyyy Green Beans~"

Izuku felt the dread each time he encounters Kim, reminding him of his days with Kacchan and his little gang.

It didn't help that Marinette had a stupid crush on Kim FOR SOME REASON.

"He makes me laugh." - Marinette

Note, she doesn't know Kim bullies Izuku. Or is oblivious to it.

Then again, the bullying doesn't look like it's harming Izuku on surface level. As said before, it looked like small playful pranks.

But Chloe knew better.

And had to step in to defend Izuku, The Audrey Bourgeois way.

This caused a ripple effect of students now thinking Chloe was someone not to mess with and stay away from, but rumours of Chloe and Izuku being a couple spread like wild fire (thanks to Kim and Max). Chloe doesn't care...but Izuku did.

"We're just friends!" (Oh boy, here we go again)

Despite the rumours, Izuku managed to become popular.

He was dubbed as the "Chloe Bourgeois Tamer" considering he tends to stop Chloe from going too far on things.

The first one to extend a hand of friendship was Alix Kubdel.

"Kim's a jerk. And respect on pulling the reigns on Queen Bee over there. Wanna hang out with me and my friends?"

Izuku tries to correct that Chloe was not all that bad, but he gives up when he knew Alix wasn't listening to him

This is where Izuku meets Nathaniel and Sabrina.

Izuku notices Nathaniel drawing in his book, and his eyes shine when seeing sketches of various heroes.

"Is that All Might in his silver prime?"

Nathaniel Kurtzberg is surprised to say the least. He was expecting to be mocked or teased by his obsession with drawing heroes. He was used to being called an art nerd by Kim on the daily.

So imagine to his shock that Izuku asks for a commision from him to draw All Might.

They become close friends after that.

Sabrina Raincomprix was someone that just hung with Nathaniel and Alix quietly because she didn't know where she fits in with the class. (With Chloe not being a bully and always around Adrien, Izuku and Marinette, the two never really interacted.)

Izuku tried to befriend her, even saying he admired that her father was Chief of Police. And soon talked about things that apparently had in common such as academics and dreams of the future.

Sabrina crushes hard after the interactions, to the point that she immediately follows him around, just as she did with Chloe in canon.

"Did you want me to help you with your homework? Should I carry your bag for you? Oh! I could get your lunch for you--"

Izuku felt guilty of Sabrina practically trying to do things for him, and he tried to dissuade her from doing so.

Izuku sees Sabrina almost about to cry, not like being rejected. He could never handle girls crying.

And so, he just lets Sabrina do as she pleases.

Marinette finds this cute, and even tries to find ways to set Izuku and Sabrina up as a couple.

Which, in turn, makes Adrien also participate. Not because he thinks Izuku and Sabrina are a cute couple. But it was fun to tease Izuku's misfortune of having a girl crushing on him.

Adrien, please, your Chat is showing TOO EARLY.

Chloe, on the other hand, was furious.

"Who does this nobody think she is?!"

Unlike in canon...Sabrina actually has a backbone.

She actually gains more confidence since interacting with Izuku, especially with his pep talk on his dreams of wanting to be a hero and how his optimism rubbed off on her.

To the point that she bravely declares Chloe as her love rival.

And Chloe accepts this, because Izuku was hers.

Adrien, once more, can't help but tease.

"Wow, you're so popular..." "Be silent, Agreste..."

Bonus: For the lols, Adrien anonymously created a "Izuku Midoriya Fan Club" and it surprised both him and Izuku on how many girls joined it. It has even reached outside of Francis Dupont----

Part 3?

[immaturityofthomasastruc]

Something I dislike about Miraculous since season 3 is how all kinds of evil are carried by Gabriel which could sound good cool but that ultimately destroys he’s character

He was the basic:I’m your father,I hurt you because i love you and your mother

But then he kinda stopped caring for Adrien safety,then it came the “end the world”, Not even rewriting it but straight up destroying it

And now he has the sicko kind of villain having a obsession for defeating ladybug which doesn’t fit he’s character since unlike other villains like Eggman from sonic, he’s main characteristic isn’t a ego which got destroyed over and over again by a teen. That development from “I’ll conquer the world to make everyone gaze upon my brilliance” to “I’ll drown you,I’ll drown you like a basket of dumb puppy’s” or “that’s stupid,you’re stupid!!! STOP BEING STUPID!!!” or “now that you are this super thingy you think you’re better than me Dr.Ivo Robotnik? WELL YOURE NOT! I own you,I OWN YOUR PLANET, I own this planet! In fact F*CK THIS PLANET”. Since he’s character was about a EgoMegalomaniac which was defeated by a sassy Ego maniac but Gabriel goal was never for he’s Ego or to conquer or for revenge. So he’s later actions are kinda… out of character which is now he’s character which is sad

That’s because they tried to turn Gabriel into every kind of villain since he’s the only Maniac of the series. You know why Spider-Man has many enemies? Because each one does a thing Gabriel does but perfected it

Green goblin-insane megalomaniac with a giant ego trip which killed the man he once was replacing it with a monster which became obsessed with defeating the child who defeated him over and over again for years

Rhino-a maniac who does this for power and money, he nothing more than a criminal which is capable to getting he’s hands dirty

Mr Negative-a victim of someone else with a single yet selfish plan of revenge but he’s ultimately stopped by the third party of Spider-Man

The lizard-a victim of he’s recklessness but is nothing more than a man trapped inside a monster

Venom-someone selfish blaming someone else for he’s misery manipulated by a sinister creature with the same mentality

Carnage-a unstoppable maniac, abomination, MONSTER who lacks any care for human life and the monster covering he’s body is nothing but a fitting look for he’s interior.

Yet all those traits,all those ideas and arcs are molten into a character which ultimately does not work for how contradictory he ultimately is. If they want to do those arcs then fine but they’ll need more than Gabriel since he’s not the right villain for that history

I talked about this briefly in my analysis of him as a character, but the problem with Gabriel is that the writers seem to be divided on whether to make him a more sympathetic villain like Mr. Freeze or an unapologetically evil villain like Lex Luthor.

Both are amazing characters in their own right, but just because you put aspects of both of them in one character, it doesn't make the result a good one. Gabriel clearly has the charisma to be an irredeemable monster, but more often than not, the show goes out of its way to make you feel bad for him, even when he's shown to abuse his son emotionally and physically. You could have easily fixed the issue with Gabriel by revealing that Nathalie is the one who wants to recreate the world in her own image. Either that, or have her be the one who is more willing to hurt people than Gabriel is, while he cares more about the well-being of people like his son.

Like you said, Spider-Man's rogues gallery works because of how large it is, opening the door for all kinds of stories without needing to worry about ruining any previously established motivations, and instead focusing on how people who fell into similar circumstances as Peter Parker went down a different path than he did. They don't try to cram different character traits into a single villain and have Spider-Man fight them every week. They simply let each villain tell their own story, and that's why it works more.

[goofygoldengirl]

How I Would Reorganize The Agreste Plotline If Miraculous Ladybug Were For An Older Audience

NOTE: Contains Season 5 Spoilers, Leak References, and Discussion of Mature Topics

I say reorganize instead of rewrite since I’m working with canon and embellish only on a few plot points that haven’t fully been touched upon yet. If you want to see how I reorganize the agreste plot for the show as is check out this post.

Season 1

Show in universe that everyone is aware of Emilie’s disappearance. In Origins, passing news blurb that it has been X amount of days and there are no leads into the Agreste case. This in turn, affects how his peers at school treat him, with some fawning over him like we see in the show, and the more sensitive ones reluctant to approach him due to his situation.

Ladybug is Adrien’s first ever crush. Show instead of implying on twitter that he takes romance hints from anime.

Plagg is aware of Adrien’s situation with wanting more independence and about mom’s disappearance. While he displays a lazy, go lucky attitude, he worries over Adrien. He encourages him to find himself as Chat Noir.

Show that even before Gabriel starts using the butterfly miraculous to get his wife back, he has unhealthy coping mechanisms. In the first few weeks after Emilie falls into a coma, he turns to drinking. Nathalie frequently joins him on his binges since she harbors guilt about Emilie’s illness. One night, they both get drunk and share a heated kiss.

Due to the kiss, and the stress of losing Emilie, there is a heavy tension between them. One day Nathalie snaps.

“What else could we have done? Emilie is gone! There’s no way we can bring her back! And if there was a possibly that we could, she’d hate us for it! Especially if she found out---I’m sorry I should have never brought that up. I’ll be on my way sir.”

Show that both Nathalie and The Gorilla care about Adrien despite their cold exteriors. With the next couple of seasons, he begins to open up to them, and they in turn.

Have Hawkmoth’s reveal that he is Gabriel take place at end of season 1 instead of beginning of season 2 in ML proper 

Flashback 1: It is 2014 and Adrien is six years old. He asks his mother why he can’t go out and play with other kids and go to school like his cousin Felix and Chloe. Emile smiles, cradles his face, and tells him that he can’t because he is a very special boy.

Season 2

Introduce Kagami and Adrien’s crush on her. Tease Ms. Tusguri and Gabriel Agreste’s connection earlier than presented in ML Proper with a business call.

The in universe news about Emilie’s disappearance dies down due to a lack of leads.

Show how Adrien is still naive when it comes to interacting with the world, and why he may not pick up on the fact that Marinette has a crush on him due to the fact that everyone fawns over him.

Show one of Master Fu’s tutoring sessions with Adrien post Syren. Master Fu plants a seed of doubt in Adrien’s head that all is well with his family.

Highlight early on that while Gabriel does love his son, he loves the idea of Adrien the perfect, obedient child more than Adrien the trying adolescent. Make it clear that Adrien is Emilie’s child and that Gabriel found it difficult to connect to Adrien even before Emilie’s disappearance.

Start of Gabriel’s slippery slope into madness due to the constant losses.

Nathalie’s infatuation with Gabriel is teased early on in season 2, then confirmed with the events of Style Queen. She becomes more bold with her feelings. At the end of season 2, they almost kiss but Gabriel hesitates.

The events of Heroes Day play out like in ML proper . However, have Gabriel explicitly mention that it was the peacock miraculous that made Emilie ill. 

Flashback 2: Takes place post Emilie’s “disappearance” but prior to season 1. Amelie and Felix visit. Amelie asks Gabriel for the Graham de Vanilly ring. Adrien and Felix interact. Felix has a mean streak. He asks how Adrien can deal “with such insufferable people.”

Season 3

Adrien and Kagami get together earlier. As a result their break up plays out a season earlier.

Nathalie takes up her role as Mayura. Her health worsens. Gabriel worries, and their relationship deepens to the point where they begin an affair. Gabriel is shown to feel guilty at first, but as he becomes more hellbent on being Hawkmoth, that guilt subsides.

Introduce sentimonsters like in ML proper. Place a hint that Adrien could be one.

Adrien mentions to Plagg that his mother used to have dizzy spells/ coughing fits like Nathalie. Plagg asks what disease she had. Adrien doesn’t know. He then asks Gabriel what type of illness Emilie had. Gabriel tells Adrien to mind his own business.

People drop hints that Marinette likes Adrien. Show that Adrien is in denial of his own feelings for her because of his feelings for Ladybug.

Show how Adrien gets stressed because of his modeling job. He is exposed to the underbelly of the fashion industry where his modeling peers have eating disorders, have drug/alcohol addictions, or are sexually preyed upon or exploited by their managers. Adrien wants out. He pleads with his father to stop modeling but is denied.

Introduce Felix like in ML proper. Show that Felix is knowledgeable about the miraculouses. Have him eye Gabriel’s brooch before leaving.

Have Chat Blanc and Ephemeral take place in this season. Keep plot and outcomes the same.

Gabriel starts to act more like Hawkmoth in real life and less like himself.

Flashback 3: Takes place when Gabriel, Emilie, and Nathalie are twenty years old. In the summer of 2000, they travel the world, in search of adventures and the miraculouses. The three of them have a close but complicated relationship due to the fact that Gabriel and Emilie are dating, Nathalie has feelings for him, and that she is friends with them both. This tension accumulates one night where they engage in a menage a tois. It is an event they vow to never speak of again. At the end of the summer, they have not found any miraculouses. Gabriel reaffirms his feelings for Emilie and rejects Nathalie completely.

Season 4

Love Square reversal. Adrien falls for Marinette. Slowly, they become closer and start dating. Gabriel finds out about Adrien’s feelings for Marinette. He forbids them to date, but they defy him. Gabriel tries to push Kagami onto Adrien.

Keep Felix’s discovery of Emlie’s body in Gabriel Agreste and trade with Gabriel at end of season 4 the same as ML proper.

Have Gabriel’s moral horizon event take place here along with Evolution in ML season 5 proper.

Nathalie and Gabriel’s relationship begins to crumble as he dives headfirst into madness and when she begins to question his decisions. The breaking point is when he does not leave the USB drive in the past like in ML Evolution. Nathalie declares that she will no longer help him, and states that she did everything for him because she loved him.

Adrien starts to look into his mother’s disappearance with Plagg and Ladybug’s encouragement. He discovers that his mother knew about the miraculouses.

The hints that Adrien could be a sentimonster intensify.

At the end of the season the alias rings are introduced.

Gabriel allows Adrien to stop modeling.

Flashback 4: Flashback of Gabriel and Emilie falling in love. Amelie and Colton’s rocky marriage. Same as the leaks. In 2006, Nathalie and Gabriel meet again. He says that he wants to try to find the miraculouses again, in particular the peacock miraculous. When Nathalie asks why, Gabriel answers “because it can create life”.

Season 5 

The cataclysm happens. Gabriel’s subsequent illness is explicitly shown. He loses weight due a loss of appetite and vomiting. His skin becomes pale and gangrened sores on his arm weeps black pus. By the end of the season, he has to rely on IV fluids to keep him alive.

Nathalie actively goes against Gabriel and helps Adrien in any way she can.

Felix is Argos. Events of Emotion take place. It is made clear that he is a sentimonster. It is only hinted that Kagami is one too. In addition, he leads Adrien to Emilie’s body.

Adrien find out his father is Hawkmoth,that his mother is dead, then the final truth that he himself is not human. He wrestles with the guilt of catacylsming his father. However, he does not fall into despair as predicted in Chat Blanc and Ephemeral.

Adrien makes his stand against Gabriel. Gabriel is forced to confront the fact that Adrien is no longer his perfect child.

The final battle and the reveal happens. During the final battle, Adrien pleads with his father to see reason. Gabriel is too far gone and tries to kill Adrien. Gabriel uses the miraculouses to make his wish. As mentioned in the leaks, Nathalie is sacrificed. Gabriel is shocked. This forces him to come to terms that due to his selfishness, he has lost the two most important women in his life. He makes one final wish: to sacrifice himself to bring back balance. He dies. Emilie is still dead, but Nathalie lives.

Adrien obtains his amok. Completely orphaned, he faces an uncertain future.

Flashback 5: It is 2007, Emilie has gone through three years of fertility treatments that have brought nothing but disappointment. Clinging onto her last hope, she, Gabriel, and Nathalie travel to Tibet to find the miraculouses one last time. They find the peacock and butterfly miraculous and find out that in order to create a fully functional human sentimonster, a piece of the wearer’s DNA must be bound to the amok. Emilie allows Amelie to test out the peacock miraculous first with Colt. Their son, Felix, is born healthy. Emilie binds a piece of her hair to a photograph of herself as a baby for the amok, and creates the sentibryo that will become Adrien. She magically implants it in herself to carry out a natural pregnancy. However not long after, she begins to miscarry. Desperate, she dons the peacock miraculous. The power she uses saves the pregnancy, but causes the miraculous to become damaged. Adrien is born in 2008. As the years pass, Emilie grows ill and falls into a coma.