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sizzleissues · 9 months

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Speak my language (1250 words.)

inspired by this post by @nervousbelieverstarfish

There was a girl behind M Damocles, her hands stuck awkwardly at her sides as she made herself appear small next to him. Adrien tilted his head to the side to get a proper look but the girl shuffled away. Adrien straightened and looked up at M Damocles. Why had he led this clearly frightened girl all the way to his shady spot in the school yard? M Damocles stepped aside, gesturing to the girl with a worried smile.

“This is Marinette Dupain-Cheng, she's a new student here.”

Marinette whispered something quiet that went ignored by M Damocles. There was a piece of pasta on her shoulder that she didn't seem to notice and a reddish stain on her black jacket that she definitely knew was there. Her entire face was pink as she watched him from behind her bangs.

He extended his hand — that was what you’re supposed to do when greeting new people? — and tried to make his smile warm. “Hi, I’m Adrien. You have pasta on your shoulder.”

Marinette blinked and M Damocles stepped in, clearing his throat.

“She’s just moved here from China. Very little French.”

Adrien retracted his hand. (He was glad she hadn’t understood him, why had he opened with ‘there’s pasta on your shoulder’? She looked mortified already, no need to kill her.)

“I know you’re only recently returning to regular schooling after your m-,” M Damocles clammed up, his voice trailing off.

“My maman died,” Adrien supplied, forcing M Damocles to look him in his eyes as he said it. He was sick of people treating him like he couldn’t bear to hear the words. Maybe it was more that they didn’t want to say it, that they didn't want to deal with the consequences if he did break with every mention of her. It was a good thing then that he’d put all that childish grief away — along with everything else that would only hurt him in the long run.

“Err- yes. That. Anyways, you’re here longer than Marinette and I read on your file you’re fluent in Chinese. You’re also in all advanced classes so you’d be the perfect fit to help Marinette get around and teach her French on the side. If you are willing to, of course.”

Adrien had half a mind to refuse M Damocles and go back to his quiet existence on the edges of the school. That was the way he liked it and nothing ever before had made him want to change that. Then he looked at Marinette and he couldn’t find it in him to refuse.

“Do you know what dialect she speaks?” Adrien asked.

“Pardon?”

“What dialect? I speak Mandarin but she could only speak Cantonese or another regional dialect I wouldn’t understand.”

M Damocles paused, his thick eyebrows weighed with confusion. It seemed the thought had never occurred to him.

“Marinette. Do - you - speak - Mandarin?” M Damocles asked her in broken French. Adrien saw something flick across her face that was different from her timid expression before. A flash of fire in her otherwise soft blue eyes. She silently nodded in response. Adrien saw it again as M Damocles turned back to Adrien to relay the answer though he’d already heard. He had to bite his lip to contain a snicker as he caught the sarcastic flick of her eyes.

“Well then, that’s all sorted. I’ll leave you to it,” M Damocles said with a note of relief in his voice, glad the translation problem was no longer his. He strode off, leaving Marinette behind. She watched him leave with a surprisingly reluctant expression, even though he’d proved utterly incompetent.

“So, you’re new here?” He asked in Mandarin. Marinette swung her head around, blue eyes wide and frightened again.

“Y-yes.”

“I’m A-.”

“Adrien Agreste. I know,” She interrupted.

“You do?”

Marinette seemed to realise what she’d done and turned bright red.

“I mean, you already said so. Earlier. I’m not the best at French but I know when someone’s introducing themselves.”

“Right…” It didn’t explain knowing his last name, he’d never given it, but he wouldn’t be surprised if the Agreste name had made it as far as China. He moved on to the side on his bench and held his hand out to offer the seat beside him. “Do you want to sit down?”

“Okay.”

She sat, bouncing her leg as she looked everywhere but at him. Had she understood him earlier with the pasta thing? He searched his head for something to say before the silence lingered too long and it became impossible to breach.

“You have pasta on your shoulder.”

Not that!

Marinette squeaked, shaking it off and then removing her jacket altogether. She groaned into her hands. Adrien scrambled desperately for something not related to pasta to ask.

“I- I noticed you have a French word in your name?”

“Oh, yeah. My Papa is French but we’ve lived in China my whole life. Never really tried to learn the language. Regretting that now.” She laughed dryly at her own expense. Adrien smiled at her when she looked up and she immediately went back to staring at the ground, furiously tapping her foot.

“Why did you move, if you don’t mind answering?”

“To go here. To learn art at this school and become a fashion designer. I applied ages ago, I didn’t think I got in. Didn’t think I would get in.” She leaned back from hunching over, her voice getting a little louder as she settled. “That's probably why I didn’t really try to learn French but now I’m here and I don’t know a word and it's going to screw everything up. I couldn’t find any of my classes and then this- this, bitch, threw her pasta all over me when I couldn’t understand her. She had a claim over the table I’d chosen, apparently. People had been warning me and I couldn’t understand them fully to realise. How am I supposed to become a famous fashion designer if I can’t even say it in French!”

Marinette clamped her mouth shut and turned to Adrien with an alarmed expression. His Mandarin wasn’t good enough to have kept up with everything but he got the gist. She was completely lost and alone.

“I’m so sorry. You don’t want to hear about that. You’re the one saddled with teaching me and now I’m dumping this all on you. You really don’t have to.”

Adrien looked across the school yard to where all the other students had gathered, talking amongst themselves. Groans about homework, whispers of gossip and cheers as one student presented a graded project. He’d never once bothered to join in. Now he was sitting with this girl who was on the outskirts like him and she couldn’t join in even if she wanted to. The voice that told him to shut everyone out could be ignored for now. She would be his exception.

His only exception.

(He didn’t know now but soon he’d make another. For a girl with fire in her soft blue eyes. He’d look into those eyes as her hand reached to save him and know he’d have to make another exception. But that would be the last one) (Until the next.)

“It’s alright. I’ll teach you French until it's better than your Mandarin. And you can help me improve my Mandarin in return. Does that sound like a deal?”

Marinette looked down at the hand he’d extended then up at him, her eyes flooding with relief. She shook his hand, grinning from ear to ear.

“Deal.”

OK OK OK OK. I hope you liked it, i hope it was good. Let me know or whatever. Please reblog blah blah blah and have a good day

I would write more but I have so many WIPS and I’m trying to overcome doubt in my writing so I can just write again. This is an AU to the movie’s canon but also can be applied to the show if you want. I’ve also added my own slight headcanon that Adrien was only homeschooled during the period of his mother’s sickness and ‘death’ as my interpretation of the canon given to us in the movie. Take it or leave it. So he was friends with Nino prior to everything but he’s since shut him out.

#miraculous ladybug #miraculous #ml fanfic #ml fic #adrienette #miraculous movie #miraculous awakening #adrien agreste #marinette dupain cheng #AND PEACE OUT #speak my language

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sweetmeatdale · 5 months

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Upon her introduction to the series Kagami’s main weapon of choice is a foil, a sort of light weight blunted fencing rapier. This is however possibly also intended as a pun, because her purpose in the narrative is also a foil.

A word repeated changes it’s meaning.

Kagami means “mirror” in Japanese and as is often the case in fiction, that name gives us some insight to what the writers intended when imagining her. In this case, she’s a mirror/foil to both our main protagonists. But since Marinette and Adrien are already a Yin Yang couple, built on complimenting and contrasting each other all the way down to having their color schemes be each other’s negatives. So how does she manage to mirror them both?

Well, where is the mirror between you and your reflection? Right in the middle. She shows each of them themselves, but with a little bit reversed.

A foil exists to provide contrast; When Marinette’s too afraid to make a move Kagami’s bold and rushes straight ahead, when Adrien struggles to disobey his father her strong and stubborn will stands firm, when Marinette’s trying to self sabotage her best friends day contest Kagami’s making an earnest effort with Adrien’s quirky friend who he suggested she might like, when Adrien and Luka are too stunned to help up Marinette she makes her move, when Ladybug has a plan for a stealthy escape Ryuuko boldly attempts to fight Ikari Gozen, when Marinette’s clumsy and disoriented Kagami’s athletic and skilled, and when Adrien is unable to effectively comment why he can’t always be present for her Kagami is able to express why that lack of honesty won’t work for her.

A silvery foil is what gives a mirror it’s reflective surface, the things reflected on the other side will still match.

The Cat and Ladybug miraculouses always find each other through fate? Well Adrien and Kagami were literally made for each other.

She high society like Adrien.

She struggles to communicate and express herself like Marinette.

Adrien’s an anime nerd? Kagami reads manga and bases relationship advice off of them.

Marinette hates liars? Kagami’s reason for breaking up with Adrien also led to her becoming an Akuma that embodies her hatred for dishonesty.

She revels in tiny bits of rebellion with Adrien.

She tries to capture the world around her through art and even sketches and paints in her spare time like Marinette, she even paints with Marinette.

She tries to wingman for Adrien with Marinette like how Marinette tried to help her back together with him

She’s burdened by familial expectations like Adrien

She had a helmet removal scene that was literally copied for Marinette, both even happen at the front of the school

Ryuuko’s fighting style matches Chat’s, her main color scheme matches Ladybug’s, and her civilian attire has a white overcoat with a black under shirt like Adrien’s that give a perfect white/black futatsutomoe (☯️) with Marinette’s black jacket over a white shirt.

She’s obviously visually inspired by Marinette’s overall design with her hair and even her freckles are more prominent on the opposite side of her face than where Marinette’s are(Kagami has more overall but her’s are mainly on the left side of her face while Marinette’s are on the right)

When Adrien’s only parent is his father she’s left with only her mother

When Marinette has several friends to fall back on Kagami feels alone and when Adrien feels isolated Kagami’s there alongside his other friends

When we start to get clues about who is a senti-being we get scenes of both Kagami and Adrien

Both Marinette and Kagami have arcs about setting their own feelings aside to support the other

Both Adrien and Kagami have their image co-opted by their parents for a soulless ai assistant copy of themselves.

She even counterbalances their heroics by having some of the most akuma forms and by being one of the fastest to reveal her own identity

A foil has many uses in a narrative, and by letting her be a counterpart to two protagonists at once it has allowed her to become one of the most dynamic and fleshed out characters in the show, even if a lot of that was in service of fleshing out other characters. Heck she even mirrors herself in ways, just look at how Ryuuko’s symbol flows counter to the Tsurugi family crest, she’s a break from tradition and what was intended for her.

I know I’m probably still forgetting things but I just wanted to have a little rant about how I love these themes.

Kagami is a mirror, she is a foil, a word repeated.

#miraculous ladybug #ml #miraculous #marinette dupain cheng #adrien agreste #miraculous tales of ladybug and cat noir #kagami tsurugi #kagami tsuguri #literary foils #adrigaminette

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ijustliketoreadstuff · 3 months

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They never blamed her

At the end of "Protection", Marinette finds out that Kagami had come into contact with Lila. This was huge news for Marinette because it finally answered the question of who gave Kagami that friendship test list back in "Perfection", the very list that made Kagami believe that Marinette never considered her a friend and was not good enough to be anyone's friend.

Marinette has previously dealt with Lila's attempts to ruin her friendships and reputation. Way back in "Ladybug", not only did Lila frame Marinette for various misdeeds but she also made sure to cover her tracks by making Marinette seem like the bad guy. As much as Marinette tried to defend herself, even she came to the cruel realization that her words would still fall on deaf ears even in her most dire moment, as she realized Lila was just too good at lying.

When Marinette tried to clear her name to Kagami in "Protection", she once again faced the same troubling situation as in "Ladybug", which was that she was not being taken seriously over Lila's words.

(Kagami believed Lila's lie that Marinette would lie her way out of trouble, she refused to listen to Marinette's attempts to clear her name.)

The only reason Marinette's name was cleared back in "Ladybug" was because Adrien demanded Lila come up with another lie that would prove her innocence, as even he knew he did not have the capability to expose Lila and could only threaten to end their friendship if she did not carry out his demands. And of course, Lila reluctantly agreed, not for the sake of friendship, but because she could not risk losing the privileges that came with such a friendship, including being able to stay close to Adrien amidst her (failed)plans to start a romantic relationship with him.

Near the end of "Protection", Adrien overheard the conversation between Marinette and Kagami and likely also understood that what happened in "Perfection" and "Protection" had all been the result of Lila once again having no regard for others as she now attempted to ruin the friendship between Marinette and Kagami.

Just like in "Ladybug", it was Adrien who stepped in at the end of "Protection" to try and help clear Marinette's name to Kagami, but unlike in "Ladybug", this was different. Ever since Adrien ended his friendship with Chloe back in "Derision", it was very likely that he also ended his friendship with the only other person who would willingly hurt Marinette, Lila. But while the two of them no longer being friends would end up being a good decision for Adrien, this also meant that Adrien no longer had any leverage over Lila.

Risking the friendship Lila had with him, was the only thing he had to make Lila listen as he knew she could not be reasoned with normally. However, by now, even he knew that friendship never really mattered to Lila as he learned she was still willing to make attempts to hurt the people he loved behind his back. The only chance he had at helping Kagami realize that Lila was wrong about Marinette being a liar and a manipulator, was by openly expressing his honest and heartfelt opinion about Marinette.

It was left to Kagami to decide for herself whether or not Marinette was really a bad person, Adrien could only hope that Kagami did not forget the time she shared with Marinette, what she saw Marinette do for her and for others that proved every day how much of a good person she truly was, and she didn't, but this hurt all the more as she realized that she misjudged the friends who cherished her and the love they had for each other (more here).

No matter how guilty and ashamed Kagami felt for allowing her own emotions to cloud her judgment and believe Marinette was a bad person, Marinette never shunned her for it, because in many ways, Marinette knew all too well the position Kagami was in.

Back in season 2, when Kagami first arrived to Paris, Marinette had the rough impression that Kagami was not only cold, but a threat, someone who never hesitated and was capable of making secret plans in their shared love rivalry for Adrien. The thought of the two of them ever being friends never crossed her mind as she assumed Kagami viewed her as someone who was inferior and imperfect, someone who only ever hesitated at any given opportunity.

(In the past, Marinette believed Kagami was perfect in every way)

(In "Frozer", Marinette becomes intimidated by Kagami's willingness to not hesitate with Adrien, to not be afraid to take the next step with him and not be considered just a friend in his eyes)

In "Animaestro", Marinette really believed the idea that Kagami was determined to kidnap Adrien so she could take him to japan forever, and that Adrien was too nice a person to realize Kagami's "evil plan", all things which in reality, never happened. Back in "Ikari Gozen", Marinette really believed Kagami only entered the friendship day competition in a plan to receive all the credit for winning the game that Adrien was involved in, fully intending to use the game as a chance to make Adrien fall in love with her, something that in reality Kagami never did or intended to do, all she really wanted was to make a friend.

In "Protection", when Kagami believed Lila's words that Marinette was secretly pretending to be nice to her from the start as part of her secret plan to steal Adrien from her one day, she really believed in the idea that everything she did to help Marinette get that chance to get closer to Adrien, and help direct Adrien towards understanding his feelings for Marinette, was all part of Marinette's "evil plan" to act weak as a way to lie and manipulate others into feeling compelled to help her get what she wanted (more here), and Adrien for one was too blinded by Marinette's manipulation to see through her deception, all things that in reality Marinette never did or had the intention to do, all she really wanted was to be a good friend to Kagami.

Marinette's past views of Kagami were of course brought about by her overactive imagination conjuring and believing in situations that never happened (something she would later learn to admit to herself in "Glaciator 2"), that the only solution to stopping what she thought were Kagami's "diabolical plans" was by sabotaging her and even adhering to the word of someone like Chloe, who had a hatred for Kagami, a similar course of action Lila instilled in Kagami in "Protection" as she pushed Kagami into believing that she had every right to go against Marinette and fight to take back what she stole, Adrien(more here).

Although Marinette did eventually come to her senses and realized she completely misjudged Kagami, she never forgot that overwhelming sense of guilt and shame she felt over just how much she misjudged her, especially in regards to what she did during that time she believed Kagami was the evil one in a situation, when in reality she never was.

(In "Ikari Gozen", Marinette realizes Kagami was never the cold hearted perfect person she thought, and was simply a socially awkward girl desperate to learn how to be friendlier and make friends)

Over time, Marinette grew to learn the kind of person Kagami was, she was flawed just like anyone else, she was a girl who struggled to learn about herself, especially friendships, but was eager to learn, and befriend those who were willing to accept her. Kagami has always been very strong willed, and yet despite this, those who would actually take a chance to talk to her would learn that behind that strong will, was a fragile innocence.

Which is why when Marinette and Adrien learned that it was Lila whom Kagami had been listening to, they never blamed her for doing so, and how could they? They understood Kagami knew very little about friendships, and Lila was fully willing to take advantage of this.

To know that Kagami believed the friendship test back in "Perfection" and still stay with Lila even after the matter was resolved, was likely enough to reveal to them that Kagami had considered Lila a friend who cherished and listened to her, because that's how Lila would have presented herself from the start to draw Kagami towards her.

Adrien and Marinette knew they had to warn Kagami about Lila and they did, but being upfront about Lila had already proven to be of no use in the past, so they did what they could and told Kagami that Lila was one person whose actions didn't prove she is as good of a person as she claims to be.

However, no matter how much they would try to warn Kagami about Lila, even they must have understood that Kagami was now trapped in Lila's clutches. They have seen Lila lie her way out of trouble many times before, and as we all know, that's exactly what she did the moment Kagami confronted her about the lies she spoke about Marinette.

Without proof, they could only hope Kagami would adhere to their word over Lila's the next time she attempted to lie and manipulate her into another one of her scheme's.

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vera-deville · 1 year

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Hi! Could you please write Luka Couffaine x fem. reader who has trouble talking about their feelings? Writes him letters, love poems or plays the drums for him because it's easier for her to show her feelings like that? Sorry for my English it is not my first language.

02/28/2023 - 03/29/2023

Pairing: Luka Couffaine x Reader

Word Count: 867

Warnings: Nothing that I can think of!

Gender: AFAB

In which Luka has a significant other who has a hard time expressing her feelings.

Luka Couffaine absolutely adored Y/N. The girl had captured his heart, mind, and soul, and he had no trouble expressing it. However, the same could not be said the other way around.

Other people labeled Y/N as someone cold and uncaring, but only a select few knew of her true nature - she simply could not express herself in the ways others would. And Luka understood completely.

Y/N had a small group of friends (most of whom had never even met each other, but knew the existence of). She wasn't one to stick to one particular friend group after all. A good friend was a good friend. Nothing more, nothing less.

And two of her very good friends were Juleka and Rose. Originally, Y/N had only Juleka (since she went to the same school as Luka), but quickly became acquainted with Rose as well. And for that, Y/N thanked whatever lucky stars she had.

The whole process of confessing to Luka was already gut-wrenchingly terrifying, seeing as she had no idea how to go about it, whether Luka would return her affections (even though Juleka said he would), and if she was actually dateable material.

But after the confession, a lot of her worries were put to rest. Luka was the sweetest boyfriend she could have asked for, and she was extremely grateful for having met him.

Luka was someone who was fairly affectionate (not like some of the couples she's seen walking in Paris being overly lovey-dovey), but he also never shied away from letting her know what was on his mind.

If there was a particular moment where Y/N was caught up doing something and was quite focused on it (such as homework), Luka would find himself simply staring at the girl, absolutely in awe of the work of art he had the honor of calling his girlfriend. (Yes, he's tried sneaking some photos of her when she wasn't looking).

And when he was caught, Y/N would ask, "what're you staring at?"

Only to be met with, "just caught up in the ethereal masterpiece in front me."

To which Y/N would feel her face heat up and a warm sort of buzz envelope her whole being. She'd become a little flustered and brush off his oh so charming and teasing self, but looking at him once more, she realizes every time that Luka wasn't teasing at that moment. He meant every word.

So when others meet her and find out she's in a relationship with Luka, they wonder how on Earth the relationship works. Luka was pretty well known and well-liked. But Y/N wasn't like that. She stayed to herself for the most part, and she'd never initiate any sort of PDA with her boyfriend.

And some of these people would take to whispering about this behind (or so they thought) Y/N's back.

She'd feel bad about it, but not to the point where she'd find herself spiraling down a rabbit hole of self-hate and whatnot. But that didn't stop her from wanting to improve. And what better way to improve than by asking two of her best friends?

"Aww, it's so cute that you want to be more lovey-dovey with Luka!" Rose gushed. Juleka had a slight smile on her face, finding the situation slightly humorous. The involved parties were her brother and one of her closest friends. How could she not be entertained? Especially when said close friend was going on a tirade vaguely reminiscent of Marinette's tirades about Adrien.

Rose suggested making a perfume for Luka, and Y/N thought that it was such a good idea that she'd probably do that for his birthday. "What if you write him a letter?" Juleka asked. Pondering over the idea, Y/N decided that it indeed was a good idea.

But what to write?

And so some amount of days passed, and Y/N finally ended up finishing her letter to Luka. It wasn't anything elegant or pretty or anything of the sort. It was goofy, filled with her typical sarcasm, and most importantly, it was heartfelt. Now, the only thing left was to actually give the letter to Luka.

Which was still quite hard surprisingly.

Y/N assumed that once the letter was finished, she'd just hand it over to the turquoise-haired boy and bada-bing bada-boom, romance!

Apparently it doesn't work like that.

Apparently you pour your heart out into the letter, but then you feel nervous to actually give the letter to your oh so accepting boyfriend.

But somehow Y/N pushed down her anxiety and gave the letter to Luka when they sat down after getting their ice cream. Opening it, Luka's face gradually morphed into one of extreme joy (and if Y/N didn't know any better, smugness), before he pressed a chaste kiss onto Y/N's cheek.

And from that day onwards, Y/N would (every once in a while) gift Luka letters, love poems, and even play the drums for him as means of physically showing her affection for him. It was their own little dynamic and some may have found it odd, but to them, it was perfect.

Author's Note: Once again, I'm really sorry for taking so long to complete this fic. I hope you enjoy it (if not, feel free to request again, since I honestly don't feel like I did my very best with this one).

I'm still in the middle of trying to find a specific fic format to stick to. I've tried looking at a bunch of other fanfic writers' profiles and the format they use to write their fics, but I'm still not 100% sure if what I'm doing right now is what I want to continue doing.

#miraculous ladybug #mlb #miraculous ladybug oneshots #mlb oneshots #miraculous ladybug fluff #mlb fluff #fluff #romance #cute #love letters #luka couffaine #juleka couffaine #rose lavillant #luka couffaine x reader #luka x reader #reader #y/n #vera deville #the marchioness

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princess-sof-time · 10 months

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Hi Can I Request Felix, Adrien, Luka, Kyoko and Marinette With A Male S/O Who Has A Miraculous With Magic Concept And Can Cast Spells And Use The Powers.

Of Telepathy, telekinesis, Hypnosis. Intangibility, X-ray vision, and Invisibility In other words, it is practically impossible to have some kind of privacy with the S/O nearby.

How would they handle S/O always using her At-Will powers since it's a Miraculous From Another Box?

How would they deal with the fact that S/O has an extremely possessive Kwami and dislikes them and other Kwami?

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ──────

🄵🄴🄻🄸🅇 🄵🄰🅃🄷🄾🄼

• Felix would handle his Male S/O's magical abilities with patience and understanding. Though he might find it difficult to have privacy due to his powers, he would appreciate your uniqueness and respect your need to use the Miraculous.

• To deal with the constant use of the S/O's powers, Felix would establish open communication with them. He would express his feelings about needing some personal space at times and find compromises to find a balance between his presence and privacy. They would work together to create boundaries and guidelines for when and where the S/O can use their powers to avoid misunderstandings.

• Regarding the possessive Kwami, Felix would approach the situation diplomatically. He would understand that Kwami's protection comes from a place of care for his S/O and his Miraculouses. Felix strove to build a positive relationship with the Kwami, showing them respect, kindness and sincerity. With time and patience, he hopes to gain the Kwami's trust and prove that he truly cares for their S/O.

• Felix also tried to include the Kwami in his activities whenever possible, engaging them in conversation and making them feel valued as part of the team. He would show empathy for the Kwami's feelings and try to find common ground to improve their relationship.

• Overall, Felix would embrace the magical aspect of his S/O's life, understanding that he is an integral part of who they are. He would work to build a strong and sympathetic connection with them, appreciating the enchanting qualities that accompany their miraculous powers.

🄰🄳🅁🄸🄴🄽 🄰🄶🅁🄴🅂🅃🄴

• Adrien would handle the male S/O and his magical powers with patience and understanding. Even though it's difficult to have privacy with so many powers around, he would value the S/O's uniqueness and respect the need to use the Miraculous.

• To deal with the constant use of S/O's powers, Adrien would talk openly with him. He would express his feelings about the importance of having moments of privacy and seek solutions to balance the presence of the S/O and the necessary intimacy. Together they would create boundaries and rules for when and where the S/O could use their powers, preventing misunderstandings.

• Regarding the possessive Kwami, Adrien would approach the situation diplomatically. He would understand that Kwami's concern stems from his affection for S/O and the Miraculous. Adrien would make efforts to build a positive relationship with Kwami by showing respect, kindness and sincerity. With patience, he would hope to gain Kwami's trust and prove that he genuinely cares for S/O.

• Adrien would also try to include Kwami in his activities whenever possible, involving him in conversations and making sure he feels appreciated as part of the team. He would empathize with Kwami's feelings and seek common ground to improve their relationship.

• In short, Adrien would embrace the magical aspect of S/O's life, understanding that it's an important part of who he is. He would work to build a strong, supportive connection with the S/O, appreciating the enchanting qualities that accompany its miraculous powers.

🄻🅄🄺🄰 🄲🄾🅄🄵🄵🄰🄸🄽🄴

• With his serene and relaxed demeanor, Luka effortlessly adapted to the uniqueness of the situation, embracing the wonders of his partner's abilities with an open mind. He would take the time to learn more about the extent and nature of these powers, seeking to understand how they can positively impact their lives and the world around them.

• However, as with any significant advantage, Luka would be well aware of the potential challenges that constant use of these miraculous powers can bring, particularly in terms of privacy concerns. Understanding the importance of personal boundaries, he would initiate open and honest communication with his S/O, encouraging them to freely express their feelings and concerns.

• In their discussions, Luka would suggest finding creative ways to strike a balance between using these powers for practical purposes and preserving your privacy. Whether setting specific times to use the skills or creating safe environments for more sensitive conversations, he would be actively committed to supporting his partner's emotional well-being.

• Luka's caring and empathetic nature would extend not only to his S/O, but also to the possessive Kwami that accompanies the Miraculous. Recognizing the significance of this mystical being and his bond with his partner, he would approach the situation with patience and understanding.

• Taking the time to build a relationship with Kwami, Luka would strive to understand his perspective and motivations. By showing genuine interest and treating the Kwami with respect, he would seek to foster a harmonious relationship that considered everyone's needs and wants.

• As their relationship grows, Luka becomes a pillar of support and encouragement, celebrating his S/O's unique abilities while helping them navigate the challenges that come with possessing such extraordinary powers. He would be a constant source of reassurance, reminding his partner that they are not only defined by their abilities but by the person they are, and that their worth lies in their kindness, compassion and strength of character.

🄺🅈🄾🄺🄾 🅃🅂🅄🅁🅄🄶🄸

• Kyoko quickly realized that having a partner with such incredible abilities meant giving up some privacy.

• At first, her partner's constant use of powers could be overwhelming for Kyoko. As a private person, she felt exposed and vulnerable, but she understood that sacrifices were necessary for the good of the relationship. Rather than allow it to drive them apart, she chose to accept his uniqueness and learned to communicate openly about her feelings.

• Their relationship was put to the test further when Kyoko discovered that her S/O miraculous was from a different box, which raised questions about Kwami's origins. Together they rose to this challenge, delving into the mysteries behind their miraculous origins and the consequences of possessing them.

• However, one of the most challenging aspects was dealing with S/O's possessive Kwami, who seemed to dislike them and other Kwamis. Kyoko and her S/O had frank conversations to understand Kwami's perspective and find a solution. With patience and empathy, they gradually gained Kwami's trust, showing him that they had only good intentions.

• Over time, Kyoko and her S/O built a strong bond, acting as a close-knit team, using their unique abilities to protect Paris from any threat that came their way. The trials they went through brought them even closer, strengthening the love and understanding between them.

• Together they proved that love can overcome all challenging situations, even the most magical and possessive ones. With unwavering support for each other, they embraced their extraordinary lives and faced each day with courage, knowing that together they would be unstoppable.

🄼🄰🅁🄸🄽🄴🅃🅃🄴 🄳🅄🄿🄰🄸🄽-🄲🄷🄴🄽🄶

• Marinette realizes that her partner has a wide range of magical powers and understands the importance of establishing rules and talking openly to ensure their privacy. They understand that, even with the constant use of powers, it is essential to set clear boundaries to enjoy intimate moments.

• By openly talking about their feelings and needs, they find a balance between the excitement of being with someone with magical abilities and the desire to have personal moments alone. Mutual trust is supported by frank communication, which further strengthens the bond between them.

• Although Marinette finds her partner's powers fascinating, she also recognizes the importance of exercising caution to avoid accidental and potentially dangerous use of them. Understanding the potential risks and consequences not only contributes to the security of their relationship, but is also critical to protecting the city of Paris.

• The extra challenge comes in the form of the possessive Kwami who accompanies his partner. Dealing with the Kwami's reluctance towards others and his dislike of other Kwamis requires empathy and understanding. Together, Marinette and her partner tackle Kwami's concerns, delving into her past experiences and fears to ease her discomfort with others.

• On this journey, Marinette learns the importance of being patient and welcoming, seeking to understand Kwami's emotions and helping him overcome his insecurities. This kind and empathetic approach strengthens everyone's relationship, creating a more harmonious dynamic between them.

• As they explore life with magical powers and Kwami by their side, Marinette and her partner become an unstoppable team, facing challenges and dangers with confidence and togetherness. Living with the possessive Kwami teaches the importance of mutual respect and appreciation of the peculiarities of each being, making them an unlikely family, but full of love and understanding.

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ──────

#miraculous x reader #miraculous ladybug x reader #felix fathom x reader #adrien agreste x reader #luka couffaine x reader #marinette x reader

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sariahsue · 4 months

Text

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 Ch 3 Ch 4 Ch 5

Chapter Six

Two hours later, Adrien swept his phone off his pillow, certain for sure that this time he’d really heard it buzzing with an incoming message from Ladybug. There was still no message, and he flopped back onto the bed, despairing, one arm falling over his face.

It was evening, and long shadows were slowly stretching across his floor. Still, he couldn’t bring himself enough to care enough to get up and turn the light on. Maybe he should bribe Plagg to do it for him. Or he could just wallow in darkness some more. It was a metaphor for his life. Always being in the dark about Ladybug’s true name.

He’d taken Marinette’s advice and worded his questions perfectly. His Lady would have no way to know that he was fishing for hints. And yet, it had been 20 minutes, and she still hadn’t gotten back to him. Just left him on read.

As much as he tried to convince himself that she had gotten busy, or taken a sudden nap, or been called to help wash the dinner dishes, a part of him knew that he’d been discovered. Maybe she was mad at him, and this was the silent treatment. Want more information? Well, here’s none! How do you like that, Kitten?

Something knocked against his window. Adrien flopped his face to the side, only to bolt upright on the bed and fling himself toward the window when he saw who was there waiting for him, one hand hanging from her yoyo string, the other in a tight fist, holding something. Her expression was steely.

“Nice try,” she said as she dropped onto his floor, “but you were being too obvious.” Her light tone was at odds with the seriousness in her face. She retracted and hooked the yoyo around her waist, then put both hands behind her back.

“It was worth a shot,” he said with an apologetic smile.

“Let’s see if you still think it was worth it when I’m done with you. Pick a hand.”

“Uh.” He still wasn’t sure if he was in trouble or not. He pointed to the hand that had been holding the yoyo, the one he hoped was still empty.

She brought it forward, stretching out her fingers to show an empty palm, then took a step forward until they were nose to nose, and cupped his cheek with her hand.

“O-other one?” he asked, tripping over his own breath. He didn’t watch her movements, only stared at her face, her intense look, as she brought her hand forward and rested it on his other cheek. She hadn’t been holding anything.

“This,” she said, “is revenge. Remember, you’re not allowed to kiss me.” And she guided his face down to her level. His skin tingled where her fingertips pressed against him, turning his face so she could kiss her way across his forehead and up to his hairline, then again back down, between his eyes, the bridge of his nose, the tip.

Her lips traced their way across his face, around his mouth twice, down the center of his throat.

Not wanting to hinder the movement of her mouth over him, he didn’t cup her face the way he wanted to. Instead, his hands found their way to her waist, and he rubbed his thumbs in small circles over her hip bones in time with his breathing, trying to keep himself from panting under her onslaught.

“How is this revenge?” he asked. His voice was a wheeze, and he cleared his throat, ready to try again, but Ladybug was kissing her way back up his jaw, below his ear. His circling thumbs slowed, and his breathing completely stopped, when she pressed his earlobe in between her lips, held it there for just a second, before turning away, tracing her nose across his cheekbone, doubling back to follow the same path with a line of kisses.

“Don’t–” he gasped out. Swallowed. Remembered to breathe. Tried again. “Don’t you hate this? That I can’t kiss you back?” He definitely did.

Ladybug growled in annoyance, pulling the neck of his shirt down so she could place an open-mouthed kiss on his shoulder, but her grumbling ruined the effect, and the brush of air tickled. In spite of himself, Adrien laughed.

He swallowed it when she stepped backward. Not far enough to escape his arms, but far enough that her mouth couldn’t reach him. “Maybe I’m not very good at this kissing thing yet,” she said. “I’m still new at it.”

“No,” he said, dropping his arms and stepping back. “You’re very good at kissing.” He needed the distance from her before his face literally caught fire or he melted through the floor. (Or he did something stupid, like break her rule and kiss her back.) “Would you like to know how good at kissing I am? Because I’ve never done it before but I bet I’m phenomenal.”

She smiled and tilted her head. “Yes, I would very much like to find out about that, so you better figure me out quickly.”

“Ugh, I just wanna kiss my girlfriend.”

Ladybug, who’d been stepping closer, froze. Adrien felt his face going red. They’d only talked about it over text, what their relationship really was. Hearing it out in the open like that was different.

She crossed her arms. “Well, that’s your problem, not mine. Until then, you need to make it up to me.”

“How?”

“Compliment me.”

---

“I thought for sure that was going to work.” Adrien said. Marinette had made her idea sound so foolproof. As much as he hated to admit it, he didn't think there was a way for him to figure it out without more.

“My poor Kitten,” Ladybug said. Adrien was lying on his back on his couch, his Lady in his arms. One gloved hand had snuck under his shirt, and he was sliding one finger up and down her spine. It would take a long, long time for him to get used to this.

“Can I have another hint?” he said. “I feel like I'm missing something, but I don't know what it is.”

“One more hint,” she said. “But that's it.”

“Okay, what is it?”

“Your hint is that I've already given you a hint today.”

“You did?”

“A pretty heavy-handed one, actually. I was surprised you didn't… cat-ch it.” She cocked her head, resting her chin on his chest to look at him, one eyebrow quirked upward.

She was so beautiful, and it was so unfair that he wasn't allowed to kiss her just because he couldn't guess her name.

“Wait, did I talk to you today?”

“Purr-haps.”

That really narrowed it down. Who did he talk to today?

Ladybug snuggled closer to him, sliding her hand along his stomach. “Please figure it out soon, Adrien. I want you to kiss me.”

He could have asked her to change the rule again. He almost did. He could have asked her to explain what he’d done to deserve her onslaught when she’d arrived. Retribution for asking about the assembly didn’t make sense. He’d been much more direct just now and she hadn’t minded, just surrendered one without a second thought. But what else could it have been? What had he done to upset her?

He almost asked.

But Ladybug turned, humming into his neck, her lips vibrating against his skin, before peppering him with feather-light kisses.

And he kept his mouth shut.

---

That night, laid stretched on on his stomach under his sheets, he flipped through his contacts like Nino had suggested. The screen was blindingly bright, but he didn’t have the energy to change it. He just scrolled up and down, up and down.

Whose number should he have had that he didn't? He already knew he had everyone in class. Plus everyone from work, not that it mattered. None of his coworkers went to school with him.

He'd gone through the lists of the other homeroom classes in his grade. There wasn't anyone in there he felt comfortable giving his number to who didn’t already have it. Then through the other grades. He’d come up empty on each pass through the entire student body. Desperation started to flood him again.

Maybe he should just text Marinette and beg for another idea. She’d seemed eager to help him out that morning. She’d probably laugh at him, but there were worse fates than Marinette’s laughter.

Yeah, he should ask her. He couldn’t remember her phone number, or even the last time he'd texted her, so he started scrolling through his contacts with a purpose.

“Nathalie, Nino, Max,” he muttered, reading down the list. “My Lady, Mylene.”

He smiled at Ladybug’s entry. As much as he loved the pet name placeholder, it would be nice to have her real name there instead. He could imagine accidentally hitting Mylene's name and starting a conversation. That would be… interesting.

Distracted by the thought of trying to explain to Mylene why he’d sent her a bunch of heart-eyed cat emojis in the middle of the night, he didn’t immediately realize that Marinette's name wasn't there with the other M’s.

He hadn't set it to “Princess,” had he? That would have been embarrassing (and not to mention potentially secret-revealing) if anyone had gotten ahold of his phone. But there was no contact for Princess. There wasn't even one for “Purr-incess.” His breathing became uneven as he searched his entire contact list. He didn’t have any other nicknames for her. He ran through the whole list again anyway.

He didn't have her number.

Anywhere.

And he definitely should have had it.

Marinette was about the right height. She liked video games. Her hair was the same style, but that wasn't saying much. Lots of girls wore their hair in pigtails these days. His Lady was quite the trendsetter.

Marinette was confident and creative. And he had talked to her today. Had she given him a hint when she’d spoken to him? He couldn't put his finger on anything odd that she had said.

Could it be that civilian Ladybug got flustered and tongue-tied whenever she talked to him? But that would mean that Marinette had had a crush on him since his second day at school. That... would explain a lot actually.

Could Marinette be Ladybug?

Marinette was always ready to defend anyone that Chloe or another bully was pushing around, just like he'd expect from Ladybug. She definitely wasn't a morning person. There were just too many coincidences.

She was simultaneously silk and steel. Sweet vanilla and fiery pepper. She was cool under pressure and ready with a cheer for your successes or a shoulder to cry on.

Adrien wasn’t even sure which girl he was referring to anymore. They were already blending into one person.

Marinette’s eyes... he couldn't remember what they looked like.

“Hey, Plagg?”

The kwami grunted with a start. “I was having the cheese dream again, Adrien. This better be good.”

“What color are Marinette's eyes?”

“The princess?” Plagg stretched out, back arched, just like a real cat. “How should I know? I have to stay hidden all day.”

Adrien's gaze narrowed.

“Is Ladybug or isn't Ladybug really Marinette?”

“Maybe.”

“You know the answer.”

“Yes.”

“And now you're being deliberately unhelpful.”

“Yes.”

Adrien turned his phone screen off with a click and sent the entire room into darkness. “I bet Ladybug's kwami is nicer than you are.”

“Hmm,” Plagg said sleepily. “Debatable. Why don't you just text Ladybug about it?” He curled back up into a little ball, almost invisible in the darkness, and started snoring immediately.

Marinette. That would explain why she'd been so eager to help him that morning. Marinette. Had he really been in love with Marinette this whole time? Marinette, who was so willing to help out those around her, with her ready smile and fierce love for anyone lucky enough to be near her?

He really hoped so.

Chapter 6

---

Author's note: One chapter to go!

Tag: @eclipsesmoonshine14, @delectablycoolscientist, @mlbigbang

#ml #miraculous #miraculous ladybug #ladrien #kissing

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justsomewritingblog · 1 year

Text

Unrequited Love (Part 2)

Request: None

Requested By: Nobody

Pairing: Adrian/Cat Noir x reader (unreciprocated)

Summary: Y/n gets to know people.

Warnings: None? Jealousy?

A/N: Repost!

Word Count: 1K+

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was lunch period, and everyone had taken their seats. Y/n was sitting in the corner, with her empty lunch tray sitting on the table before her. She was sketching some more. Y/n let out a huff, drawing (wink wink) a blank.

She stared down at the page before her, hoping it held answers. She heard a throat clear.

“Mind if I sit here?”

She didn’t look up, figuring the voice was talking to someone else. The voice tried again.

“Y/n? Right?”

Her head shot up and her e/c orbs stared into green ones. She placed a hand on her chest in question. “You’re talking to me?”

The boy laughed. “Of course.”

Her face burned as she moved her things, making room for the friendly man. He took a seat, and began to eat as she stared at him in shock. His eyes darted to hers.

“I-I’m sorry.” She apologized. “It’s just that…..nobody wants to talk to me usually.”

The boy gave her a sad smile.

“Why’s that?”

“I don’t look very inviting….I guess.” She added with a shrug. The boy smiled.

“They’ll never know if they don’t give it a chance.” He advised. She smiled at his kind words. He stuck out his hand.

“I’m Adrien.”

Y/n smiled, taking his hand in hers.

“Yes, I know. I’m Y/n.”

Adrien smiled back as well. “I know.”

“Well, I know that you know. I was introduced in class.” She countered. Adrien smiled.

“Nice ring, by the way.” She complimented. His eyes widened a little bit.

“Thank you. Are you new around here?” He asked, trying to change the conversation.

“Kind of. I’ve been here a month or so, trying different schools.”

“That must suck.”

“It does. But it’s alright. Seeing as I don’t talk to people, I don’t get attached, so it doesn’t bother me.”

Adrien frowned, resisting the urge to say something. Y/n became nervous, and started fiddling with her pencil. Adrien’s eyes glanced down, seeing movement, and noticed the sketch she was working on. He smiled, seeing a conversation.

“You like to draw?”

Y/n looked up. “Yeah. There’s something bugging me about this piece, though.” She turned the sketchpad towards him, and he observed it.

There was a building, with a few in the backdrop. There was an open window with music notes floating into the air. A small tree sat in the small yard, enclosed with a gate.

“Okay, what’s bothering you?” He asked.

“Well, I can’t figure out what instrument I want being played, and by whom.” She clarified. Adrien nodded, understanding.

“What instruments do you like?” He inquired, trying to be helpful.

“I like the piano. It’s one of the nicest sounding ones.” She paused. “That’s how I feel, anyway.”

Adrien smiled. “I get it. I play the piano.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Do you play any instruments?”

Y/n shook her head. “No. I tried the piano for like, a month before quitting.”

“You quit?”

She nodded.

“Why?”

“To be perfectly honest, I can’t recall.” She confessed, pinching her eyebrows together. Adrien smiled.

“Well, I think you’re a very good artist.”

Y/n felt her cheeks burn as she bowed her head, hiding behind her curtain of hair.

“Thank you.” She mumbled. Adrien smiled at the shyness.

“If you want……I could try to teach you how to play the piano….if you’ll teach me how to draw.” He offered. Y/n’s head shot up, eyes wide, and a surprised expression on her face.

“Really? You’d do that? For me?”

He nodded.

“But why? You don’t know me.” She defended.

“I want to.” He countered, sticking out his hand.

“What do ya say, friend?”

Y/n had never smiled so wide in her entire life. She took his hand and gave it a firm shake.

“Friend.” She repeated.

~Meanwhile~

Marinette groaned.

“Marinette, chill out. He’s being friendly to the new girl. Isn’t that partly why you admire him so much?” Alya asked. Marinette groaned again.

“I hate it when you’re right.” She mumbled into her arms, folded onto the table. Alya smiled, shaking her head.

“But what if he falls in love with her? That means he won’t fall in love with me, which means I’ll be heartbroken. I’ll grow up all alone, with no three kids, no hamster, and probably become a crazy-cat-lady, or a hermit. I’ll die old, and alone, with no one there for me. I think I may faint!” Marinette managed to get out in a single breath.

“Girl, you have to relax. You remember that Miss Bustier told us to try to get to know her, right?”

“Yeah. So?”

“Soo. When Adrien leaves, go talk to her. Try to get some information, if you’re that worried. Although, frankly I don’t see the point.”

“Easy for you to say. At least you have Nino.” She looked back over at Adrien and Y/n. They were smiling, and chatting. Marinette buried her head in her arms.

“It’s over. I’m through.” She muttered, hopelessly. Alya rolled her eyes and shoved Marinette over. Marinette stumbled forward, nearly reaching the table. She would have made it, if not for the seating design. She tripped over a chair, falling to the ground in an uncomfortable position. Y/n and Adrien turned, upon hearing the ruckus. They quickly stood to their feet, rushing toward the clumsy girl. They both extended a hand, ready to help her stand. The girl looked up. Her eyes widened as they locked onto Adrien’s. Her eyes spaced out slightly, making her look like she was in a daze. Y/n noticed this and frowned, retracting her hand slightly.

“Marinette?” Adrien asked, trying to get her attention. Oh, he had it alright.

“Y-y-yes?” She answered.

“You okay?” He inquired. She nodded hastily, taking his hand and helping herself up. Y/n looked at her own ignored hand and retracted it, resting it down by her side. Marinette and Adrien looked at each other for a moment. Though to Y/n, it felt like an eternity. She quirked an eyebrow, sick of this already. Suddenly a girl jogged over. She wore glasses, and had dark brown hair, that turned red farther down.

“You alright, girl?” She asked Marinette. The girl in question made a noise that Y/n wasn’t even sure was English. The boy that sat next to Adrien this morning ran over as well.

“Dude, you alright?” He asked. Marinette seemed to have found her voice.

“Yes. Thanks, Nino.” She responded. Noticing that everything was under control, Y/n backed up a couple steps, stuffed her things into her bag, returned her empty tray, and left.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/n: Repost!

#MLB #ML #Miraculous Ladybug #OC #Adrien Agreste #Chat Noir #Cat Noir #My works #Mara's works #My Imagines #Mara's imagines

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lady-de-mon-coeur · 5 months

Text

(There's) A Cat in My Room

AO3 link

Rated G. Language: English. 1,091 words.

Summary:

Chat Noir was the last person Marinette expected to see in her room at this time. Yet here he was, clutching at her for dear life and telling her how much he loved her. What on earth was happening?

The Representation almost reveal reimagined.

Stretching her sore limbs, fatigued after sleeping on the classroom floor, and wiping her puffy tears-swollen eyes, Marinette tried to gather her thoughts.

Despite having been so devastated the night before, all Marinette felt right now was strong determination filling her up.

Now she knew everything she needed to defeat Monarch.

She can do it. Adrien will be free. His father won't hurt his son or any of the Parisians ever again. This nightmare was nearing its end.

The only thing that was left to do before that was to take care of the akuma Chat Noir had captured the night before while she was busy watching the play starring Félix and Kagami.

***

Just when she put her graduation party dress back into the wardrobe and was about to transform, her skylight suddenly clicked, and a familiar figure came into her view.

"Chat Noir?" She asked, her eyes wide.

Yes, it was him. The person she least expected to see in her room at this time.

Chat Noir stared at her for a moment, a very odd expression in his eyes she'd never seen on him before—as if he were terminally ill, and she was the only person who was able to heal him.

The next second, he took a step forward and grabbed her in a tight embrace.

"I love you to pieces, Marinette," he whispered into her hair, pressing her to his chest, and Marinette let out a muffled gasp upon sensing his erratic heartbeat through the leather superhero suit. "I missed you so badly."

Marinette was so overwhelmed that she let him do it, but her head was buzzing with questions.

What on earth was happening? It didn't make any sense.

Yes, she knew that Chat Noir used to have a thing for her civilian self, but she was sure he wasn't being serious. Besides, he seemed to get over her a while ago, dating another girl whom he seemed to adore so much.

Yet here he was, clutching at her for dear life and whispering words of love.

Why did he come here out of nowhere to preach his love to her?

"I thought you forgot me.".

"I'd never forgotten you, Marinette. I never gave up on you. You're always here in my heart." He whispered, squeezing his arms around her.

The flashbacks of the recent past started popping up in Marinette's memory.

Chat Noir handing her the magical charm for recently de-akumatized Kagami. That was their first encounter after that memorable night.

The way he was gazing devouringly at her. The way he avoided letting his hand linger in hers, as if it were a white-hot iron. The way he smiled languidly at her. The way his eyes flickered longingly down to her lips.

The meaning of all this was completely lost on her back then. But now the realisation struck her.

He didn’t get over her.

She should have understood. He wasn't being too subtle, after all.

Somehow, the whole situation reminded her of the nightmare she once had, with her partner showing up dressed in white and suggesting that they should tie the knot. Marinette did her best to push that memory to the farthest back of her mind.

"What about your g— Wait, what's that? Chat Noir, are you... crying?"

There were sniffing and gulping noises coming from her Chaton.

He sobbed.

Marinette felt her heart clench painfully.

Seeing him like that was outright scary. She'd recently witnessed the boy she loved crying his eyes out. And now it was happening again to the person she held so dear.

What could've happened to this usually cheerful and easy-going catboy to make him so distraught?

She took Chat Noir’s face with both hands to make him look at her.

The wet tracks shimmering in the dim light were clearly visible on his cheeks.

Marinette stared in horror. Then she rose on her tiptoes and started instinctively showering his face with kisses.

She remembered the series of kisses she gave him that memorable night, when she believed for a moment that things could work out between them and they could become a couple. Those were soft and slow kisses, meant to convey the overwhelming tenderness she felt for her Chaton.

But these were angsty, desperate kisses, meant to save his life. As if she were throwing him a lifeline.

She's been distributing angsty kisses generously lately.

She forgot about her own heartbreak. She couldn't care less for why he came to her of all people searching for comfort. The only thing that mattered right now was to show him her love and affection, to try and take the pain away from this heart of gold.

Who broke this precious boy's heart? She would like to have a word with whoever was responsible for such cruelty.

She started whispering sweet nothings in his cat ears, calling him Chaton, Minou and a hundred other pet names she literally just came up with, telling him how much she loved him. Literally each and every tender word she could remember she dedicated to him, like a poem.

"You're such a sweetheart, Marinette", Chat Noir murmured eventually, his voice still a little thick from all the tears he shed. "You're always there for me. You mean the world to me."

Marinette stared at him, dazed. But the look in his eyes was so soft. She could practically feel his love and tenderness pouring all over her. She had to believe that he really meant every single word he said.

"I still don't get it. Aren't you dating someone? What about your girlfriend?"

"How did you know that I ever had one?" Chat Noir asked with only a hint of surprise in his voice, as if he were totally out of spoons to be genuinely surprised. He went on without waiting for an answer: "Well, you know what, never mind. I have something super important to tell you."

He placed his hands on Marinette’s shoulders and started gravely, emphasising every word, looking her straight in the eyes:

"You're right, Marinette, I do have a girlfriend, and I love her so much that I can't bear to hide my true identity from her anymore."

Marinette waited wordlessly for him to continue, not knowing what he was getting at with all of this, her brain being completely and utterly short-circuited due to the lack of any coherent thought in it.

She didn't know what she was expecting Chat Noir to say next.

However, it definitely wasn't "My girlfriend is you, Marinette."

#miraculous ladybug #ml fanfiction #ml representation #marichat #hurt/comfort #identity reveal #my writing #ml season 5 spoilers

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logically-asexual · 7 months

Text

I’m losing by his side

summary:

Nathalie meets Betterfly! they have a long conversation and she deals with some conflicting emotions.

Title from I Bet on Losing Dogs by Mitski

word count: 4,510

Read on AO3

Nathalie wasn’t asleep yet, but she was still annoyed by the noise of her phone ringing. Whatever Gabriel wanted at this time of the night, or rather, morning, could wait until after the sun had come out, or he could forget about it. She hung up before resuming her reading. At least she tried to do so, but as much as she stared at the text on the pages, she couldn’t process any meaning from it.

Her last hope for enjoying the last few hours of the night by herself was soon vanished by the man himself barging into her bedroom. It was true that she wasn’t in the mood to see Gabriel, but the fact that it was Monarch standing now in her room wasn’t at all better. He must have been enraged to stomp through the house without even reversing the transformation. At least he didn’t forget to close the door of her bedroom and forced her to get up and stumble over there to do it herself. Hopefully Adrien didn’t see anything.

He interrupted before she could voice any question or complaint, demanding to know why she hadn’t answered his calls. So keeping this form was intentional, Nathalie thought. He wanted to scare her. Unfortunately for him she had never fallen for that, and now wouldn’t be any different.

“Sir, it’s the middle of the night. Why can’t you just let me rest?”

She knew he had been down with Emilie since earlier, after Nathalie had arrived home from the train and came upstairs. He had said he would see if he could get something useful out of the kwamis, but she could guess now by his apparent frustration that he didn’t.

“This is important, Nathalie. Some miraculous holders from a parallel universe crossed a portal here and they—“

Nathalie was convinced he was losing his mind. “I don’t want to hear about it, Gabriel!”

“Well you could at least answer your phone so I know you’re alive!”

Oh, so now he was pretending it was just concern for her health, but she knew the truth. She knew that if he really cared about her he would have fixed everything when he had the chance.

“I already told you I’m fine. I don’t need your help and I’m not helping you with this either.” She ignored the irony of her saying that while still reclined on the bed, too weak to stand up so she could at least face him closer to eye level.

“Nathalie, you have to understand—“

“No, you’re wrong. You betrayed me, Gabriel, you betrayed Emilie and all for—“

“How dare you.” Gone was the bargaining phase as rage overtook his expression again. “You know everything I’ve done is for her, you’ll take that back.”

“No.”

“No?” He raised an eyebrow and dropped the pitch of his voice even further. The calm but threatening tone admittedly made Nathalie more nervous than his explosive anger before, but she stayed firm.

“I said no.”

“It seems you have forgotten your place, Ms Sancoeur. I tell you what to do,” he grabbed her arm and pulled her closer to him, forcing her to keep eye contact, “and then you do it.” With his free hand, he slammed his fist into her bedside table, which caused the lamp and a vase to fall and shatter on the floor. “Do you understand?” he yelled.

The noise made her flinch, but she looked up again when another crash came from her window. A superhero she hadn’t seen before was standing in her room. He was dressed in a light purple suit with a matching cape and mask.

“Let go of her!” the man ordered and pointed at Monarch with his cane.

“I don’t have time for this,” Monarch groaned, but he pulled away. He turned his head at the door with the restlessness that characterized the recognition of a negative emotion somewhere.

Before Monarch could call the transformation for any of the other kwamis or otherwise make a move, the superhero moved quickly to kick him in the stomach. Then, while he gasped for air, the man took Nathalie in his arms and jumped with her back out the window.

Everything happened so fast, she was barely beginning to process it when he was helping her sit down on a bench. There was something familiar in the position of his hands around her and in the way he knelt in front of her afterwards.

“Sorry,” he said, “I was in the middle of something else when I heard a crash and I had to step in when I saw it was a villain. Are you ok?”

Nathalie heard the question, but her focus was elsewhere. “You have the butterfly miraculous.”

He seemed a little surprised that that was what had her attention. “I do.”

“But— But that’s impossible.”

“I should introduce myself,” his voice was impossibly calm, compared to her own uneasiness. “I am Betterfly. I am the holder of the butterfly miraculous in a different universe than yours. It’s a pleasure.”

He smiled at her, then he took Nathalie’s hand and kissed it the same way Gabriel did when he met a woman he respected. She felt embarrassed at the action, since she certainly didn’t consider herself on the same rank as them.

“I came here through a portal to seek help from your Ladybug and Cat Noir. We’re currently trying to track their iterations from my universe, who followed me here, but we seem to have lost them.”

He looked around, as if searching for clues, but the city was dead quiet. They were in a park, she only now noticed, and the only sound came from the leaves shifting with the wind.

Nathalie took a moment to take it all in. Apparently Monarch had been right about the parallel universe. After everything they had been through the past year, she guessed this wasn’t that unbelievable.

She looked closely at Betterfly. The resemblance to Hawk Moth’s costume was clear, but every edge was rounder and every color lighter. The smaller mask letting strands of silver hair move freely with the breeze also added to the gentleness of his appearance. And his eyes… Nathalie couldn’t hold his gaze for long because the look in them was just… overwhelming.

“You’re one of them? The heroes?” was all she could come up with.

Now he was the one who looked embarrassed. “I guess you could say that. I’m just one man trying to do what I think is best.” He smiled again.

She knew that smile, but she had never seen it so often. Not since Emilie… was gone.

If they were parallel universes, this one and wherever he came from, and both butterfly holders were already opposite in their roles, could they be similar in other ways?

Examining his face, she let her curiosity win and asked, “Gabriel?”

Betterfly’s eyes widened slightly before he turned away. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have gotten off topic. Are you sure you’re alright? Is there anything I can do?”

His reaction was confirmation enough that Nathalie was right, yet this just opened so many more questions.

“I’m fine,” she answered. “I just have some… communication issues.”

He moved to sit down on the bench next to her. She was thankful for that, but it still gave her the impression of some sort of therapy session starting.

“Was that Gabriel Agreste’s house, the designer?”

She would indulge his pretense that the disguise was still working, if it made conversing easier for him. She nodded and clarified that she was his executive assistant.

“And you live there?”

The arrangement looked weird to outsiders, she was aware of that, but it was necessary for her to be able to do everything her job involved, including the parts of it that weren’t public, which only made it sound worse. At least now she could blame it on her disability, that her life was easier without a daily commute. She should move out soon, now that she could walk by herself with the help of the device, but she couldn’t leave Adrien and, well, most of the memories of her adult life behind just like that.

“I do,” she simply stated. “Mr. Agreste’s workplace is there so that’s where I work as well.” Eager to shift the attention away from her living situation, she asked, “Is that not my job in your world?”

Betterfly looked down at the ground with what Nathalie could identify as remorse. “From what I can tell, Gabriel and you don’t really… talk much.”

Nathalie wondered what the story behind that could be. Had he also hurt Nathalie but at least had the decency to regret it? Her Gabriel only felt guilty about one thing, and he would probably betray her trust in him a hundred times over if he had to.

Her expression might have given away some of her anger, because the superhero now also seemed curious about her relationship with her boss.

“Do you, um…”

Before he could figure out how to formulate the question, she interrupted him. “We don’t talk much anymore either.”

A slight disappointment in his face somehow felt like a heavy weight pressing against her lungs. The way his open eyes were like invitations for her to look deep into his mind made her uncomfortable. She had gotten used to reading Gabriel’s thoughts through the subtlest movement of his wrinkles, not to have them exposed for anyone to see. It was a skill she had developed through the years, and yet her boss kept surprising her.

What if her own Gabriel did share this one’s emotions, and just didn’t show it? Was that too hopeful to think? It probably was. Either way it was clear that he was hurting now worse than ever before and still wished she could help him.

“Mr. Agreste has just been going through a lot since… well, ever since his wife…”

“Passed.”

“Disappeared,” she automatically corrected.

Now he was the one with a knowing look, trying to express that he could see through her denial.

Maybe he was right to accept it. During that phone call earlier, when Gabriel told her he lost the pocket watch, it felt not only like losing Emilie all over again, but like this time she was gone for real. It would be harder to keep up the pretense after that, no matter what Gabriel would say. However, Nathalie wasn’t sure she was ready to grieve, not all alone like this.

As she thought about Emilie the heavy sensation on her chest expanded upwards, now forming a knot on her throat. Liquid was also starting to gather in the corners of her eyes. Betterfly took a handkerchief out from his suit and offered it to her. She took it, but kept it in her fist while she tried to pull herself back together.

“What about Monarch?” Betterfly kindly attempted to change the topic. “Do you know him? I know that the holder of my miraculous here doesn’t have the best intentions. Are you sure you’re not in any kind of danger?”

Probably not any more than the fact that her days were already counted, but she didn’t want to worry this poor guy with that.

Normally Nathalie would be defensive with an interrogation like this, but after seeing what he saw, she understood that he could be concerned. It must be a shock to find that the same power that you wield could be used for completely different purposes, especially if they go against your own values.

Or maybe they didn’t. Nathalie didn’t know this Gabriel well yet, but were the same person, after all, only… shaped by different circumstances.

The question then pricked her brain. Did he know they were the same person? He had no reason to know, unless he assumed that was the case the same way Nathalie did. Would he even want to know?

“Monarch…” she sighed. “Like I said, he’s going through a lot.”

Her admission was clear enough, going by the way his eyes widened and his sharp intake of air. The reaction didn’t go further than that, and considering how expressive this man had been until now, she assumed his surprise wasn’t too strong. Maybe he had suspected it and just needed confirmation.

Nathalie didn’t want to get into Gabriel’s criminal actions and his motivations, or her own as his partner, so before Betterfly could ask any questions she spoke.

“You seem happy, though.”

He definitely smiles more. Still, earlier he couldn’t have just guessed Emilie was dead here out of nowhere. He must have known because she died there, too. If so, how were the circumstances different in order to produce such different results?

A shadow forming over his eyes contradicted her. “Not everything is great where I come from. In fact, I find your world to be quite lovely. Your heroes are strong and kind, and they have the support of the people. From what Ladybug told me, before they were stolen, the miraculous’ power was shared with others and used for the greater good!”

Very different results, indeed.

“Back home,” he continued, “there’s an entity that hoards all the power of the miraculous, which is kept secret from most of the population. I’m trying the best I can to stop him, but I’m all alone. I’ve also made a lot of mistakes which I’m not proud of, but I find peace knowing that I’m fighting for what I believe is right. All I have is the hope that we can build a better world for everyone. I have to hold on to it.”

“I wish I was strong enough to do the same,” she confessed. “It’s tough to maintain hope when all seems lost.”

“I didn’t say it was easy. I struggled a lot at first. I felt like I was drowning and nothing could bring me to the surface. Trying to swim would only make it worse. Then I realized that the only way out was through, and that if I wasn’t the one to step up then… no one else would.”

Ladybug and Cat Noir were already fighting Monarch. It was their job, not Nathalie’s, but… Despite not having yet lost their miraculous, they also hadn’t defeated Monarch. Recently Nathalie wondered sometimes if she should do something, if she would be the one to make a difference. But she couldn’t bring herself to do anything. She didn’t want Adrien to lose his father and a part of her didn’t want to lose Gabriel, either.

Besides, her lack of success with Hawk Moth showed that any attempt from her at supporting the other party would definitely end in disappointment.

“What if it’s not that simple? What if you just keep failing?”

“You know… It’s been a while but the Nathalie I knew never gave up. No task ever seemed impossible in her hands.”

Her cheeks felt suddenly too warm against the cold night air. His expression lightened back up at her blush. She would have liked to mirror him, but she still didn’t feel well enough.

“What if the task is fighting against the fabric of the universe?”

“Well, then… maybe it’s just as brave to know when to change targets.” He put his hand on top of hers, which was resting on her lap. “After losing my wife I realized that my motivation couldn’t be a desire for revenge or to bring her back. I needed to focus on what I really needed, and what would ultimately do good.”

Nathalie had thought at the beginning that what they were doing was for the best. Emilie was good for her family, for the world. She was kind and loving. She was an inspiration, not only for Nathalie and Gabriel but for anyone who met her. It would certainly have been good for Adrien if they had been able to stop the illness before… before it killed her.

“How can you know for sure what that is?”

“I can’t, but I know it’s not what The Supreme is doing; hoarding the miraculous, hiding them from the world, enslaving the kwamis, and forcing innocent people into a battle that isn’t theirs. People who do know about his abuse are too afraid to face him, but I have faith that with my power I can change their minds, so we can all build a better world together.”

Everything seemed a lot more intense in the other universe. Monarch did hoard miraculous and terrorize a city but it had started with a simple goal. The wish wasn’t supposed to directly affect anyone’s lives except from avoiding the ruin of his and his son’s. Now his goal was even more inconsequential, ridiculous even, since he was obsessed with a vendetta against two random teenagers. Of course stopping this whole fiasco would be good, but in the end all Nathalie wanted was to have a normal life again.

“I don’t have such big aspirations.” She had never been an outstanding person, after all. “I guess all I want is to be able to help the people around me be happy again, even if it’s not the most heroic thing to do.”

“I disagree.”

His hand above her tightened a little, reminding her of its presence. Hesitantly, she turned her hand around, so they could hold each other.

“I wish I was better at that.” His eyes were overcome by that sadness that Nathalie knew well enough. “While I do all this, I know I’ve been missing out on my son’s life. I mean, I do try to get close to him but I just don’t know how to. I can tell he’s struggling and I’m sure after all this is over things will be better for him. But in the meantime…”

He trailed off. Nathalie didn’t know how to fill the space, but she couldn’t stand to see him in pain. Adrien seemed to trust her, but she couldn’t figure out why. She had never been good with kids, not even when she was their age.

The only advice she could offer was, “Perhaps all he needs is to be sure that you’re there for him, that he can rely on your support whenever he needs it. If you make that clear then he’ll come to you on his own.”

His eyebrows lifted up along with his head and he said “You’re right!” in a way that was so identical to Adrien whenever she offered him her input that it was almost funny to watch. “It’s always nice to know there’s someone you can rely on.” Then, a little quieter, he added, “I assume that’s how Gabriel feels about you. I hope he knows how to appreciate it.”

Her face dropped again. “I don’t know. I’ve been wondering if it’s all really worth it. I didn’t mind helping him at first but now that he’s so… focused on his goal, he—“

The tears she thought had been gone returned to flood her eyes as she struggled with her words. He had hurt Nathalie. He lifted her hopes up only to then let her fall to greater depths. He accepted her affection only to push her away afterwards. He looked at her like she was the world and then pretended she was invisible. She had thought the contradictions were only due to the fact that she was her and not Emilie, which she could understand. But now he had betrayed Emilie, too. What did it all mean then? What was all this for? Most importantly, why did it still hurt?

Her hand was moved towards him, now enveloped in both of his. The soothing motion of his thumb over her skin didn’t distract her enough. In fact, it only seemed to encourage the need to cry further.

“I can understand that,” he said. “Sometimes we hold on to people or ideas too strongly for our own good, and we lose sight of other chances.”

“Other chances?”

“Right.”

“Like what?”

She hadn’t realized that there were now tracks of tears on her face, until his gloved hand came up to wipe them away. As he did so, his face also moved closer to hers. While the unreserved affection in his eyes was still overwhelming, this close she found herself captured by it, unable to look away.

“Like what is right in front of you,” he whispered.

Almost unconsciously she was also leaning in, enjoying the warmth she could begin to feel coming from him. Their foreheads touched, and she closed her eyes to savor the moment.

Just as she felt ready to cross the remaining distance, the sudden ringing of her phone made both of them jump apart.

She blinked a couple times as she came back to herself, taking in her surroundings and trying to perceive more than just the drumming of her heart. She finally pulled the phone out of her pocket.

It was Gabriel.

Without thinking, she hung up, then put the device away again.

As she stared towards the trees, the significance of what just happened downed on her like a bucket of cold water being dropped over her head.

Nathalie was the one losing her mind, actually. She leaned down and hid her face between her hands. “What am I doing?” she muttered to herself, “This is a dream, or a hallucination. Emilie never mentioned those but they must be a symptom, or I’m simply losing it, I—“

The other Gabriel began reaching for her but she quickly stood up. The rush of adrenaline that allowed her to do so wouldn’t be enough to let her walk back to the house, though. But she would find a way.

“I have to go.”

“Wait.” He stood, too, and she took a step back away from him.

“I have to make sure Monarch doesn’t do anything stupid.” If she remembered the start of all this correctly, Monarch had to be out there not only with Ladybug and Cat Noir, but with the versions of the heroes from the other universe, too.

“You don’t have to go yet,” Betterfly insisted. “You don’t have to help Monarch, either.”

“No, I have to.”

The look on his face made Nathalie feel guilty about leaving him, but she had no choice. She had to remind herself that he wasn’t her boss. She had only just met him.

He and Gabriel had Emilie’s death in common, but according to what he had expressed Nathalie wasn’t in the other’s life. What if that had been what made the difference? What if this had all been Nathalie’s fault?

She offered her help to track the miraculous of creation and destruction as soon as they figured that the wish was Emilie’s only hope. She enabled Gabriel’s decisions even when she disagreed with them, even when she knew Emilie would disagree with them. She promised she would make Gabriel happy again, but now she had failed both of them. If she let Gabriel get caught or if she didn’t stop him from falling into madness, either way she would be failing them, and Adrien, too.

She couldn’t continue being an accomplice, but she still had to do something, if anything, to make up for all her mistakes.

“I owe it to him. I have part of the blame and I can’t just abandon him, I—“

Her hands tightened around the handkerchief and she noticed how Betterfly’s worried expression softened into some kind of understanding.

“You love him,” he completed for her.

Her body suddenly felt weak again, too weak to hold back the sobs she had been trying to avoid since the moment Gabriel had told her he lost the time miraculous, ever since the moment Emilie had said goodbye.

She didn’t even think of wiping off her makeup before letting herself be pulled into Betterfly’s arms. It was a magical suit, surely the stains wouldn’t be a problem.

His embrace protected her from the cold outside. His hands comforted her on her back and her head, their easing motions working against her shaking.

Despite everything, she still loved Gabriel Agreste. Her Gabriel Agreste, the one she had gone through everything with, the one who struggled to express his gratitude for her but still found ways to do it. The man who could both control chaos in a runway’s backstage as well as unleash it across Paris with the snap of his fingers, the one who had built an entire empire for his family and who would tear it down piece by piece for them, too.

He was misguided, he was in over his head, but he was still the man she owed everything to, the man she promised to stick with until the very end. That didn’t have to mean doing everything he wanted for him; she would find a way to bring him back to the right track.

After all, the owner of the shoulder she was weeping into was living proof that it was possible.

Still sniffling, she pulled away from him to look at his face, to seal it in her mind and convince herself that it was real. Even if she didn’t necessarily want her own Gabriel to become this one, she wanted to know that he could genuinely smile again.

“Nathalie.” He hadn’t let go of her yet, “you have to have hope. A better world is possible.”

She nodded, she believed him.

The ground shaking and the sound of an explosion brought their attention back to their surroundings.

“I should go,” the hero said.

Nathalie nodded again. She also had to make sure that Gabriel was alright, and that Monarch wouldn’t do anything too stupid. From a distance, of course.

Her knees buckled when she tried to take a step, but Betterfly caught her before she could fall. He looked at her with concern.

“It’s a long story, but I’ll be fine.”

He seemed to accept her lie. Without thinking twice he lifted her up once again and jumped across the city, until they were back in her bedroom. He entered through —and shattered— a second window, then helped her sit down at the end of her bed and stayed crouching to be at eye level.

“Goodbye, Gabriel,” she said.

He brushed a strand of hair away from her eyes. “Goodbye, Nathalie.”

The Gabriel she knew inopportunely slammed her doors open for the second time tonight. “Nathalie! You’re back.”

He locked eyes with Betterfly for a second, before the latter flew out of the house.

Gabriel rushed to occupy the same position his twin had been in. “Who was that? Are you alright? Did he hurt you?”

Maybe Nathalie was still shaken by her encounter, but as Gabriel looked at her with worry, she could spot a faint, though distinct, softness in his gaze. Through it she could see a future content version of him, one that had finally found peace.

It had to be possible, she had to have hope that it was. Eventually, she told herself, she would figure it out.

#nathalie sancoeur #gabriel agreste #gabenath #betterfly #hesperia #monarch #miraculous #miraculous ladybug #mlb #ml paris special #miraculous world #lunas writing

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heidi891 · 11 months

Text

How does Adrien react to Gabriel’s abuse?

In season 5 Gabriel’s abuse is escalating and it’s important to notice how Adrien reacts to it.

In the episode Illusion Plagg plays with Adrien’s Alliance ring, making the digital Adrien say silly things about cheese. But when Adrien hears it, he doesn’t find it funny, he’s angry.

After a short conversation with Plagg, when Adrien realises that anyone can make with his digital self whatever they want, he storms out of his room with angry expression and clenched fists. (Remember how later he clenches his fists when he’s angry at Kim for the prank at the swimming pool and then tries to Cataclysm him?) When he’s walking down the stairs, he’s loudly telling Nathalie he wants to speak to his father.

This is the same Adrien who couldn’t find the courage to ask his father if he could stop being a model. His digital self being used in the Alliance rings clearly violates his boundaries. And while parents have rights to decide if images of their children can be used by others, it is meant to protect children. Children’s wishes should be taken into account, especially when they’re old enough to understand the situation. Some adult children in Europe have already sued their parents for oversharing photos in social media as this is an infringement of children’s personal rights.

Adrien tells his father explicitly that he doesn’t like that his face is in the rings. We cannot defend Gabriel by saying that he doesn’t know. He knows and despite this continue doing it anyway. Gabriel twists the situation and makes it Adrien’s responsibility. He makes it look like Adrien chose it himself by quitting modelling. But these things are not related! And Adrien says that he wanted to quit modelling because he didn’t want to have his face everywhere, not because he wanted more time for his friends. What’s more, Gabriel manipulates Adrien with something he craves most: his father’s love and attention. He’s making his son breakfast! He pats him on the head! Adrien isn’t angry anymore, he’s an embodiment of the 🥺 emoji through the whole conversation. He keeps the Alliance ring not because he changed his mind, but because it’s a reminder of something that he thinks is his father’s love.

When Marinette asks Adrien if he’s OK with his digital self being in the rings, Adrien cheerfully repeats his father’s words that this is not really him and it’s no big deal. Did Gabriel convince him? Not really, Adrien removes the ring later and is still uncomfortable whenever it’s near, not to mention the whole “Perfect Alliance” propaganda. During his conversation with Marinette he avoids looking her in the eyes when he’s saying this. He pretends to be fine to protect his father and not to admit before Marinette and himself that his rights have been violated. He acts like physically abused children who explain their bruises by saying that they walked into the door or fell down the stairs.

He’s doing something similar during his last conversation with Marinette in the finale.

He was angry at his father before to the point that he beat him and told him off. But his father apparently fought the fight that Adrien was supposed to fight as Chat Noir and died doing so. So Adrien is again confused and reacts as usual: he pretends everything is fine and protects his father.

#miraculous ladybug #gabriel agreste #adrien agreste #ml season 5 #ml season 5 finale #ml spoilers #ml analysis

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anna-scribbles · 11 months

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was about to read chap 2 of call it even but ao3 decided to self destruct anna how will i go on

that is so tragic that i will just have to post a whole sneak peek of ch 2 for you here!!!!

Adrien loved Ladybug.

He loved the smooth timbre of her voice and the firm set of her eyes, the way her mouth would dig its way deeper into a scowl the more she tried not to laugh at one of the rare jokes he managed to pry beneath her red-and-black spotted armor. He loved the way she spoke of justice with such reverence, of peace with such passion. Adrien loved the idea of Ladybug, at least—the thought that there could be a person who embodied so much of what he cherished, the grace and goodness and compassion of his childhood. He loved what Ladybug stood for. What she pretended to stand for.

Sometimes, Adrien thought that he could have loved Ladybug if he didn’t hate her so much.

There were times, though—like now, her red fist redder with his blood, cold disdain smeared across her face—when Adrien thought that he’d have hated her regardless, this nameless thief who masqueraded around his city as a hero. There were times when Adrien was certain he could never have ended up anywhere but at the other end of her fist, if only so that no one else would have to bear the brunt of her brutality.

“Get up,” his father’s voice hissed into his earpiece. “Don’t just lie there like an invalid. Take her miraculous!”

“Me-ouch,” Adrien wiped some of the blood off his face and grimaced, rising to his feet. “I guess your pledge to protect the citizens of Paris from danger doesn’t extend to animal cruelty.”

Fury lit up across her face, instant and red. Of all her buttons he’d learned to press, none ever worked quite as well as calling her out on the hero facade. And today, now that he was getting a good look at her, she was more agitated than usual, all her movements impatient and sharp.

“Don’t you talk about danger and cruelty,” Ladybug spat, setting her yo-yo spinning in a razor-sharp circle of light. “That misunderstood-tragic-kitty act is as fake as your stupid smile. We all know you could put an end to the danger anytime you felt like it.”

“Then you have misunderstood me, my lady,” He watched the time-worn nickname worm its way beneath her skin, upheaving a vulnerable, messy sort of frustration. Adrien lengthened his baton and lowered his stance. “This can’t end until I have your miraculous.”

Ladybug let out a yell and swung her yo-yo in a blinding arc at his torso. Adrien intercepted it mid-air with his baton, pulling the staff loose from the wire and scampering past her to the other end of the rooftop. He would do almost anything to avoid getting entangled in that thing; it was near indestructible and Ladybug wasn’t usually very keen on treating her captives kindly. His father, also, was not very keen on his cataclysm being used outside of their specific battle strategies. Adrien, in general, was not very keen on making either of these people any more angry at him than they usually were.

“Eat up, my angels!” M. Pigeon yelled up from the sky, riding atop a massive cloud of pigeons. “Taste the delicious cuisine you were always meant to have! No longer will the pigeons of Paris be resigned to breadcrumbs and cat food!”

“Hey!” Adrien yelled indignantly. “Nothing wrong with cat food!”

Ladybug made a sound that could almost be taken as a snort, but when he looked back, her expression had schooled itself back into righteous anger. She lifted an eyebrow, challenging him, but pulled herself into more of a defensive stance. She always liked to take everything in before she made a move.

“It’s okay to laugh, you know,” Adrien grinned wide and assumed a jovial stance, taking stock of the angle of her feet, the aim of her gaze. She was smarter and stronger than him; he’d always known that. But he was quicker with words and knew where to aim them. “It must be an incredible drain on your energy to keep pretending you don’t find me funny.”

“You sure think a lot of yourself for someone who just admitted to eating kibble,” Ladybug scoffed, eyes trailing the flock of birds passing over their heads.

“Don’t knock it until you try it, my lady,” Adrien said. “For a hero, you’re incredibly quick to judge.”

“For a villain, you sure do love stupid small talk.”

“Well,” Adrien mused, “Maybe there’s more to both of us than meets the eye.”

“Doubt it,” Ladybug said lightly, and she spun out her yo-yo, knocking Adrien’s feet out from under him and leaping to the roof of a neighboring building.

Just then, a fleet of pigeons swooped down from the sky and descended onto a nearby outdoor restaurant, littering the rooftop with feathers in their wake. Pulling himself up, Adrien watched with a measure of horrified wonder as the pigeons devoured all the food on the tables in a matter of seconds like a pack of feathered piranhas.

“Are they supposed to be, like, carnivores?” Adrien yelled, the image of a pigeon tearing through a sausage burned into his mind. Ladybug, predictably, didn’t answer.

He vaulted after her, trailing her from rooftop to rooftop as they both dodged the swarms of pigeons terrorizing tourists and stealing every bit of food in sight. Sometimes, the akumas remembered that they were on Adrien’s side and actually tried to help him take Ladybug’s miraculous. But just as often, it seemed, they were more interested in general destruction and chaos, causing as many problems for Adrien as they did for Ladybug. The pigeons, Adrien tended to think, were more of a personal handicap than anything.

“ACHOO!” Adrien sneezed, his still-broken nose sending an unexpected jolt of pain through his system. “Ow,” he groaned.

“Ha!” Ladybug spun around and kicked him in the chest, flinging him several meters back and over the edge of the rooftop. Slamming into the side of the building, Adrien dug his claws into the brick to slow his fall, pulling himself back up. When he finally made it over the ledge, Ladybug had her feet planted firmly and was throwing her yo-yo into the sky.

“Lucky charm!” she yelled.

In a shower of luminescent pink and white light, a polka-dotted Easy-Bake Oven landed primly in Ladybug’s hands. The way the hope sort of died on her face was almost enough to make Adrien burst into laughter, and it was really only years of media training that kept his expression schooled.

“Happy… ninth birthday?” Adrien offered, and the glare that Ladybug shot him honestly made the whole thing worth it.

“Shut up,” Ladybug snarled, and then she turned her gaze back to the battery-powered confectionery oven as if it might start speaking to her. “How the—”

“On your right!” Adrien yelled, and Ladybug glanced in his direction as a swarm of pigeons slammed into her from the left, knocking the lucky charm out of her hands. Adrien quickly scooped it up and vaulted to the next building.

“You menace!” Ladybug growled, swinging behind him in swift pursuit.

“Name-calling!” Adrien tutted over his shoulder. “Not very heroic of you, I have to say.”

“I’ll show you heroic,” Ladybug muttered, and then Adrien felt a sharp tug on his left ankle. He’d only just looked down to see her yo-yo line wrapped around his leg when she sent him flying backward through the air, the toy oven flung from his hands as he braced for impact.

Adrien slammed into the pavement, pain rocketing through his shoulder. His baton clattered down next to him, and he blinked the black away enough to see Ladybug standing up on the roof again, staring at her lucky charm like it was a math problem she was trying to solve.

“I, for one, am loving this game of kitty-in-the-middle we’ve got going,” Adrien called up at her. He extended his baton and vaulted back up to the roof where she stood, ignoring the splintering pain in his muscles. “My turn next?”

Ladybug groaned, shoving the oven under one arm and setting her yo-yo spinning with the other. She swung it out at him and he jumped, almost stumbling when he landed on his throbbing ankle. He could try using his cataclysm to disintegrate the roof and make her lose her balance, but he wasn’t supposed to activate it until she had three minutes or less left on her timer.

“Get it?” Adrien asked, swiping his baton at her legs. Ladybug jumped deftly away. “Because we’re throwing the lucky charm back and forth? Like, monkey-in-the—”

“I get it!” Ladybug snarled, wrapping her yo-yo line around a nearby balcony and tugging, hard. Adrien had only seconds to lift his baton up in a makeshift shield when the bricks all came clattering down on him, along with a few tables and chairs and plates of food.

Suddenly a swarm of pigeons separated from the huge flock in the sky and descended upon them, devouring the sandwiches and chips at alarming speeds. Adrien’s stomach panged with hunger—while the rest of him panged with pain—as he remembered that he hadn’t actually gotten to eat lunch.

“Hm,” Ladybug said decisively, like the feeding pigeons had imparted some sort of divine wisdom upon her. “Yeah, okay.”

She was gone before Adrien could dig himself out of the rubble, swinging away with her magic Easy-Bake in tow and leaving him to deal with her mess.

“What are you doing?” Father yelled into his ear. “Follow her! Don’t let her out of your sight!”

“Of course,” Adrien muttered, unearthing an arm from the mess of rubble and feathers. “Resident bug-catcher, on it.”

Loud-mouthed and brightly colored as she was, Ladybug could disappear when she wanted to. And, though he’d spent the better part of his teenage years committing her habits to memory, Adrien could swear that tracking her never got easier.

Sometimes, when she’d do this—try and shake him off while she figured out her lucky charm—Adrien would spend the whole five minutes looking for her, tearing through the city until a wave of light flooded the world and let him know that he’d lost without even putting up a fight. Those were the times he’d be punished the worst for losing. The punishments had only gotten worse as he’d gotten older; Adrien had a lot more to lose these days.

After the seventh or eighth building or alleyway Adrien had ducked into, he started to feel the familiar tug of dread in his gut, mud in his veins. There couldn’t be that much time left, now—he’d been stupid, and reckless, and now it would all have been for nothing. His father’s silence in his earpiece was deafening, ice-cold and heavy. He was doing it again. And especially now, especially today, he couldn’t—he swallowed down his panic.

On a whim, Adrien landed on the roof of a pavilion near the park, circled with concrete pillars and backed up to the brick wall of a building. He ducked his head in and bit down a gasp when he saw a flash of red inside. She was—she was here.

He waited, breath frozen in his lungs, but the attack didn’t come. Ladybug was murmuring to herself, fussing over what he presumed to be the lucky charm. Ladybug was here. And she hadn’t seen him yet.

“Cataclysm,” Adrien whispered, setting his palm alight with inky destruction. And then he charged.

In one swift motion, Adrien used his baton to knock both the yo-yo and the lucky charm from Ladybug’s hands, sending them clattering across the pavement as he slammed her body into the wall. She growled and pummeled her fists into his face and gut, sending stars of pain shooting through his vision.

Adrien extended his baton and smashed one end into the pavement at their feet and the other diagonally into a concrete pillar of the pavilion. He shoved the length of it as hard as he could acoss Ladybug’s torso, pinning her against the wall. She coughed and spluttered, ripping at the baton and hurling expletives his way.

It wouldn’t hold her for long, but maybe for long enough that he could—

Adrien lunged for the lucky charm—that stupid, polka-dotted Easy Bake oven—and scooped it up with his left hand, hovering his right palm in the air just centimeters above it.

“Careful,” Adrien warned, and Ladybug’s eyes widened.

“You evil, idiotic, worthless waste of breath—”

“Yes, fine.” Adrien waved her off. “I’m not interested in that. I don’t want to fight. I think we should talk.”

“What are you doing?” Father snarled in his ear, and Adrien winced. “End this and take her miraculous!”

Ladybug looked like she agreed; the glare she leveled at him sent ice down his spine.

“Talk,” Ladybug laughed humorlessly, fists still tight around the baton. “Right. You always want to talk.”

“I want to talk,” Adrien agreed, keeping his composure level despite the anxiety in his bloodstream and Father’s voice in his ear. He even threw in a smile for good measure. “Obviously we both know how this”—Adrien gestured to Ladybug and himself, and then to the greater generally-in-shambles city—“goes. And I imagine that it involves many more people than we’d both prefer.”

Ladybug looked at him with some intense combination of anger and bewilderment.

“Are you… trying to apologize right now?” Ladybug asked. “For being a terrorist? The thing you’re currently doing?”

“No,” Adrien said, taking a great deal of effort to keep the frustration out of his voice. “I’m not apologizing. I’m just recognizing that you seem to care about the safety of civilians, and so do I, and so I think we should be able to find some common ground and settle this in some way that doesn’t involve them.”

“The only reason they’re involved at all is because you keep attacking their city!” Ladybug shouted, her voice a lit flame. Her earrings beeped—two out of five. “What are you talking about?”

“Adrien,” Father growled dangerously in his ear, “stop this immediately.”

“Don’t play dumb, Ladybug. We both know you’re smarter than that,” Adrien pressed on. “There’s no one here to fool. If you give back what you stole, this can all end—”

“Adrien, stop!” Father yelled.

“You’re insane!” Ladybug shouted. “I never stole anything, and—and the very last person I’d ever trust to talk things through with is you.”

Adrien’s temper rose hot beneath his skin, his ears flat against his head. A rumbling began to shake the ground beneath their feet.

“And this is what you want instead?” Adrien shouted. “The whole city in danger? Us fighting like this, forever?

“Adrien!” Father seethed.

Something shifted in Ladybug’s gaze, her eyes set with an infuriating self-righteous zeal that dropped a rock in Adrien’s gut.

“I think forever is a gross overestimation,” she said. “In fact, I believe you’re already out of time.”

Ladybug smirked, and a high-pitched ding sounded in Adrien’s arms.

The Easy-Bake Oven exploded with popcorn all over the pavilion, and a torrent of pigeons descended on the microwaved feast, choking the air in beaks and feathers until cracks splintered through the pillars. Ladybug wrenched the baton from the pavement and jousted it into Adrien’s stomach, sending him gasping to the floor, but not before he kicked at her legs and took her down with him.

They tousled for a few seconds before a feather sauntered down through the air to brush right up against Adrien’s nose—he could swear his nose was like a magnet to the godforsaken things or something, seriously—and Adrien, with all his might, could not stop the earth-shattering, full-body sneeze that followed.

The sneeze—understandably—loosened his grip on Ladybug, who—also understandably—used the opportunity to pull her knee up to her chest and kick him in the stomach, sending him flying several meters into a pile of pigeons.

Adrien blinked, Ladybug’s red form hazy in his watery eyes. Why did the allergies have to happen, like, instantly? Why did it always have to be M. Pigeon?

“A ‘bless you’ would’ve been fine,” Adrien remarked, feeling around for his baton with his non-actively-cataclysming hand.

“Hmm. I’m not really in the mood to bless you, I think,” Ladybug said. Adrien blinked again, and she was closer than before, yo-yo spinning triumphantly at her side. “I’m thinking you could bless me instead.”

In a swift motion, she lassoed him by the waist and hurled him through the air, several seconds of freefall before he made contact with something warm and firm. He felt the moment his cataclysm was released and panicked for a second, thinking that he might have accidentally touched a person. But, no, when Adrien opened his eyes, he only found the ashy remnants of M. Ramier’s pigeon-feed bag in his palm. Despite himself, Adrien sighed with relief. Awful as she was, Ladybug was reliable. She’d never manipulated his cataclysm to hurt another person, only to deakumatize people. Though he knew Ladybug wasn’t above hurting innocents, she’d always seemed to care about her public image.

“Chat Noir!” M. Ramier screeched, now that all the black bubbles were gone. “What are you doing here?! Help! Ladybug!”

“Hey, I’m not gonna hurt you!” Adrien put his hands up, placating. M. Ramier’s eyes were still wide with fear. “Let’s get you down from here, okay?”

“You’re safe now, M. Ramier,” Ladybug landed firmly on the rooftop, polka-dotted Easy-Bake in tow. She snapped her yo-yo around the black butterfly and gave Adrien a pointed look. “He won’t hurt you anymore. Stray cats know when to scram.”

“I’m harmless as a declawed kitten,” Adrien told M. Ramier, pointedly ignoring Ladybug. “I wish you well.”

read the rest on ao3 (when it comes back up)

#call it even #asks #ch 3 tomorrow!!!!!#(if ao3 permits)#ty ao3 workers u are the strongest people on earth #ml #miraculous ladybug #mlb

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wackus-bonkus-maximus · 9 months

Note

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love ❤��

pick between 5 of my babies? 🥺 GLADLY

(these aren't necessarily my favorites btw. just the ones that i wanna boost!)

lies of attrition

my priority atm, and also a super fun collab with me and @ladyofthenoodle! if you want some post-s5 angst, action, pining, and ladynoir enemies, this is the place to be!

summary: The trust between Ladybug and Chat Noir is stretched to breaking point when a new butterfly holder emerges in the wake of Monarque's defeat. Chat Noir doesn't know who to trust until Chrysalis confronts him with a truth Ladybug had tried to bury: Monarque made the Wish—and she wants Chat Noir’s help to undo it. excerpt: “Chat,” Ladybug said, her voice coated with worry. “Did something happen?” He could tell her, now. He had come here to tell her, to show her his face after three years of partnership, to let her see why so much was suddenly wrong. If only he knew what she would say when he pulled off his mask. If only he knew whether she would stay or go. “I could tell you,” he ventured, turning to look directly at her. “But… it’s easier if I show you.” He saw the moment she realized; the way her blue eyes widened, her pink lips parting in a tiny “o.” They stared at each other, unmoving, the sounds of the parade fading into the night. A single firework burst overhead, shattering the standstill. Red blazed over her face, the fall of sparks raining down behind her. Then her features pinched, and in that moment, every hidden place within him was painted red too. “Oh, Chat Noir,” Ladybug whispered, her expression growing more pained by the second. “I… I don’t know.”

Like Smoke from a Furnace

one of my personal favorites! this was an experiment for me in present tense and internal conflict, and i really like how it turned out!

summary: Marinette and Adrien give up their Miraculous. Ladybug and Chat Noir never meet again. excerpt: Giving up the Ladybug Miraculous was supposed to unshackle them both. If she had done so earlier, it could have been different. If Adrien had spoken up later, it would have been different. But Ladybug knew nothing about Chat Noir except the heart he had always laid bare, and that was of her own doing. If Marinette passes him in the street, they will both keep going, none the wiser, the culmination of all their self-imposed secrets. She has nothing to go on. No name, no circumstance, no poorly-disguised hint, as she suspects he has tried to leave before. Chat Noir had become better at following her rules than she, and Marinette had so recently been simultaneously proud of him for it—and resented him too. It doesn’t sink in until several quiet nights later, when she and Adrien are tucked together on his couch, the soft blues and grays of his chosen film flashing across his screen. She is never going to see Chat Noir again.

rest your head (upon my shoulder)

i love this one so much. sometimes i go back and read it to myself because it gives me the exact toe-curling pining i always crave. i like to think of it as one of those "so close but so far away" stories - one of my favorite brands of angst.

summary: Ladybug can save Chat Noir from anything, except what he doesn't tell her. excerpt: “I don’t think there will be any Akuma attacks for a while.” She frowned, but he leaned back, staring up at the starless sky through the leaves of the tree hanging overhead. Something was wrong. She could feel it lingering over him, heavy like suspended rain. “Chaton?” “I had this dream the other night,” he said, gazing over the roof of the Musée. “We grew wings without needing anything—no macarons, no magic words, no Miraculous. And then we just…took off. I don’t really remember where we went, but it was beautiful.” His eyes slid to hers once more, unnaturally bright. Her blood rushed with unbidden heat and she reminded herself why she had stopped sitting in dark, quiet places alone with Chat Noir.

borealis green

a feligami oneshot! this covers the time between "pretension" and "representation" and is probably one of my only canon-compliant au's. i really like writing kagami's pov so this was super fun!

summary: Getting to know Felix is easier than Kagami anticipated, especially as he keeps following her. excerpt: “Goodnight, Félix,” she whispers, though she does not need to. Nobody is around to hear them. No one is watching them. It is only a taste of the freedom he promised her, and yet it sinks into her with the softness of the street lights and the prickle of the night air. “Can I see you again?” he asks, just as softly. She has exactly nine minutes to walk back to the ikebana studio where Tatsu will be waiting to transport her home. She can make it if she walks fast. She can linger a few moments longer if she runs. The vertigo crescendos as she remains in place, watching the gleam of headlights flash in his eyes as cars speed past. “You should go home,” Kagami tells him, holding his gaze. “It’s not safe for you in Paris.” Félix tilts his head in acknowledgement, but the corners of his mouth turn up. “No,” he agrees. “It isn’t.”

mirror image

another post-s5 fic centered on adrien & felix, but with a twin telepathy twist. it's kind of like my r&r time for fic, easy and cathartic and a fun break for me between other projects!

summary: The voice in Adrien’s head is strangely familiar. It also tells him the truth (when no one else will). excerpt: You are hearing things, the voice said as though in answer. Doesn’t mean I’m not real. Adrien reached for the silver chain around his neck, his fist closing around the two rings resting warm against his sternum. “As real as me?” Yes, idiot, the voice replied with a bite. As real as you. “That’s not what some people would say,” Adrien replied, not caring if the voice was annoyed. It was his head, after all. Well, what would you rather be? The voice plowed on, unbothered by Adrien’s ire. Born of magic, or born of Gabriel Agreste?

ty for the ask kayla 💛 love me some self-promotion. hope y'all enjoy!

#ml fanfic #ml fic recs #self-promo #ladynoir #adrinette #feligami #ml season 5 #ml post-s5 #senti-adrien #senti-felix #senti-kagami #love square

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kitchatt · 1 month

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Felix gripped the steering wheel as tightly as he wished he could grip his uncles neck. He had a tension headache brewing near his temples and he knew the inside of his cheek was bleeding from biting it. He felt like a live wire, ripples of energy running through his body, making him shake like a branch in the wind.

He knew he couldn’t keep driving in the current state he was in, it just wasn’t safe, so he forced himself to inhale deeply and unclench his jaw. The last remnants of tension and adrenaline only dropped away after he spared a glance at his cousin in the rear view mirror.

Adrien slept soundly, despite the uncomfortable angle his neck rested in against the window of the car door. His left eye was swollen and bruised, and blood had dried into his eyebrow. His left arm was ringed in similar colors, bands of bruises in the shape of his uncles hands. Felix tried to avoid thinking of the way his cousin’s (brother, really. In all the ways that mattered at least) breath rattled in his beaten lungs. What he couldn’t ignore though, was the short, neon green cast wrapped around Adrien’s right ankle and lower leg. The kind words and jokes scrawled in black sharpie did nothing to distract Felix from the knowledge that the damage that lied underneath was likely permanent.

“He’s alright.” Plagg whispered, slowly pulling himself away from where he was tucked up against Adrien’s neck. He floated towards the passenger seat of the car, “He’s tough.”

Felix heaved a sigh, “Tough enough for this?”.

Plagg glanced at his holder, his expression resembled a storm cloud. “…yeah.”

“I suppose you would know, you were there for some of it after all.”

“Yeah.”

Exhaustedly, Felix raised one hand to rub at his eyes and winced when he accidentally brushed one of the small cuts on his cheekbone. Cuts caused by the twin rings that now swung softly on a chain around his and his cousin’s necks, cuts that were caused by his uncle. Cuts that were caused by Adrien’s father.

It didn’t matter now though. Colt Fathom and Gabriel Agreste were now bunk mates in hell. Felix, Marinette, Tikki, and Plagg had made sure of that.

He didn’t know how long it had all been going on, the abuse. It must have started sometime after Emilie’s disappearance, but sometime before Chat Noir. And isn’t that a horrible timeline? There was only a 10 month gap between the two events. Not that Gabriel wasn’t cruel before Emilie disappeared, just better about keeping his cruelty subtle.

His uncle must have been waiting for something to push him over that edge.

For an excuse.

Colt was similar. If you hand a cruel man a ring with the ability to fully control a person, it’s only a matter of time until that power consumes him, sickens him.

Not Adrien, though. Not Felix, either. Because how could they ever imagine controlling someone else when it was only in the past 3 years that they could even begin entertaining the idea of controlling themselves?

The silence broke with a low gurgling sound.

Plagg blushed, “Uhhh, any camembert per-“

“In the glove box. Don’t stink up the car.”

#felix graham de vanily #felix fathom #marinette dupain cheng #adrien agreste #miraculous ladybug #mlb au #mlb fic #miraculous ladybug fanfic #Wip excerpt #let me know if this is any good!#miraculous plagg #plagg

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rayraygo1267 · 9 months

Text

A Gabenath Fanfiction: Admiration in Disguise Chapter Two

Rated: T

Warnings: Minor Languge

Word count: 1,468

Link to Chapter One

Chapter Two

“Nooroo dark wings fall,” Gabriel intoned with a sigh, falling to his knees, his breaths coming out in labored heaves.

He had been kidding himself, for it was impractical to attempt an akumatization without Mayura by his side. Her skillset and ability to strategize was the sole component in their fight for the miraculous — without her agile mind he’d be lost.

That being said, he could not pursue his conquest with Mayura any longer. Her use of the damaged peacock miraculous was ailing her immensely and Gabriel would not have that. It pained him to watch her diminish down to a weaker and weaker state as the days strung on.

Sometimes he could make himself forget — forget that Nathalie’s days were numbered. He had to admit he often took all those moments for granted. Like all those mornings in which he could open his eyes to the warming sun, knowing Nathalie was there just as she always was, with his morning coffee in hand.

Though the dark shadows under her eyes, no matter how much she tried to obscure them with makeup or creams, blatantly stood out like a sore thumb. Gabriel wasn’t unknowing to the fact that the light in her was burning out. She was ebbing ever so slowly, like a dying star, resulting in her being frail and unnaturally thin — bones jutting out from under her flesh. Her movements alone were unsteady and her distress seemed just as tainted as the peacock miraculous itself.

Gabriel used to think he’d put nothing above Emilie — that he’d bring her back no matter the cost. And in his mind that still rang true, though where Nathalie was concerned he couldn’t fully say that applied.

“Master?” Nooroo’s small voice chirped at his side. The kwami of transmission observed his holder, his expression worried.

“Master, you should turn in for the night. It’s getting late.”

On any other given day, Gabriel would berate the kwami for attempting to divert his attention away from his goal but his exhaustion was taking over. There was no point in akumatizing another random citizen just for Ladybug and Chat Noir to foil his plan once more. Also, to be honest, he couldn’t handle another failure — not tonight.

“I will Nooroo. I just…I thought…” he didn’t need to finish, as his voice faded. He pulled himself to his feet, his knees buckling out from under him.

“Master, I’m sure Miss Nathalie and Adrien are already in bed by now and you should be too.”

Gabriel sighed. He was fairly certain that Nathalie was nowhere near even half asleep — probably staying up working on random documents that weren’t due until weeks in advance.

“Nooroo?” Gabriel breathed, his eyes drawn to the bright orb of the moon looming outside the circular pane. “Do you ever wonder if we are doing the right thing?”

Nooroo paused, his eyes shifting, “Well…do you think you are doing the right thing Master?”

Gabriel grimaced … considering — his mouth curving into a firm line. He wasn’t one to carry doubts. When he made a decision he was committed to all its aspects and consequences.

Even so, his goal came with a damning price — a price he was not willing to pay. Nathalie had to endure the same circumstances as Emilie once had, which in turn meant she was destined to suffer the same fate as well.

Just the mere notion of such a thing made his heart pick up. He couldn’t sacrifice one dearest person for another. Emilie was his wife, his love for her was infinite, but Nathalie kindled something inside him — something that held familiarity and yet made his middle foil with an ever present sense of vulnerability.

He thought it foolish to call it love, for such a term seemed outdated and inadequate compared to the emotions that uprooted in his chest — emotions that had been so dormant in his life, yet he had managed to find them rekindling again with his very own assistant. They were frightening sentiments, sure but they were just as real as any other.

Nathalie had stood by him through his highs and lows and even through all the madness that he himself created. She indulged it all, without a second thought.

“I don’t know what to think anymore Nooroo. Things have become…complicated.”

Nooroo whimpered, disheartened, his little wings flapping at a fast patter behind him. Gabriel didn’t pay the kwami any mind, still lost in his own musings, until Nooroo spoke up again.

“Is that because of Miss Nathalie?”

Gabriel pursed his lips, looking as though he’d bit straight into the center of a lemon. He scowled at Nooroo, his gaze sour.

“What are you trying to get at, Nooroo?” Gabriel questioned stiffly. Nooroo bowed his head, as if flustered, his gaze unfocused. Gabriel felt a fiery warmth sear down his front at Nooroo’s superstitious attitude. He deepened his scowl, his eyes piercing through Nooroo’s small frame.

Nooroo began murmuring plaintively, mumbling incoherently. Gabriel huffed, “Speak up!” he demanded, his tone like gravel.

“I–I just mean…you seem to care a lot for her, Master—”

Gabriel scoffed, “of course I do!” he snapped.

Nooroo flinched, “I just…I just feel she cares for you too, Master. Deeply.”

Gabriel’s muscles loosened as he bit his lip in contemplation. Nathalie’s willingness to aid him was enough to show that he did in fact matter to her. Although, he figured her devotion was due only to their long term history of friendship rather than anything conspicuous. Nathalie’s boundaries with him were firmily set, if her use of traditional formalities such as, “sir,” or “Mr. Agreste,” were anything to go off of.

“You fear losing her, don’t you Master?”

Gabriel tensed, Nooroo’s words like shards of glass stinging at his heart.

“Yes,” he admitted thickly.

He’d never be able to blank out those sleepless nights — his mind replaying those sparse moments in which he truly believed he had lost Nathalie forever. It had been a Monday, like any other — she had brought him his morning coffee, took Adrien to school and assisted him in whatever tasks he had needed her to attend to. All was as it had always been.

That is until the instant in which she had collapsed to the floor of his office, a shallow echo of what had happened to Emilie. Nathalie had been unresponsive and had color draining from her face, her body had been cooling at a rapid pace, as her eyelids drooped to a close.

Since that day Gabriel had forbidden her from any use of the miraculous, for he never wanted to feel the agony of nearly losing her again. That fear of loss made him realize that Nathalie took up a much bigger part of him — more than he had ever bargained for.

Nooroo rose up to meet Gabriel’s eye, his demeanor carrying a more hopeful tinge.

“You love her, Master. Right?” He teetered.

Gabriel felt a vise tighten around his middle at Nooroo’s words. Hearing another say the sentiment aloud made his mind turn to a complicated sludge. He could feel the launch of a scolding on the tip of his tongue but he fought to refrain because for once he couldn’t disagree. His feelings for Nathalie were more than what they appeared.

But he digressed because even if he couldn’t do anything with his feelings, other than repress them. Nathalie’s feelings still were unknown to him and he did not dare try to unearth them, despite the circumstances.

“I do,” Gabriel affirmed with a nod.

He’d only said those words once before, the time he’d spoken those two syllables to his wife at the altar. He never thought he’d ever utter them again.

Gabriel sighed, his lungs saturating with air, “It does not matter my feelings Nooroo. She does not share the same sentiments.”

Nooroo squeaked, piping up, “That might not be the case Master!” He began, his little body practically emanating enthusiasm, “Miss Nathalie has very deep complex emotions that she’s been—”

Gabriel snapped his fingers and Nooroo was again silent. He didn’t need to hear the kwami’s foolish ideals. Sure, Nooroo could sniff out intricate emotions that were buried deep in the depths of people, however that did not guarantee that such emotions rang true in Nathalie’s heart and he did not need the pointless mirage of hope.

Unspoken emotions and silent glances were not going to change the nature of their relationship. Their dynamic was a waltz he’d grown accustomed to, no matter how many more steps he’d like to add.

At least he was able to come to acceptance, embracing all that Nathalie had to offer would be enough, Even if that only entailed friendship, loyalty and professionalism.

But most of all, the least he could do for her was put her first.

A/N: Thanks for reading! I hope you all enjoyed the second installment of Admiration in Disguise! Chapter Three is already in the works, so stay tuned! Also if you have any more Gabenath fanfic requests let me know and I'll get to them as soon as possible!

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