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#but you don’t believe Lila is lying???
feelingtheaster99 · 5 months
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Marinette Dupain-Cheng deserves like an EPISODE LENGTH apology from the whole class for not believing her about Lila
Honestly especially Alya for constantly GASLIGHTING her about Marinette’s dislike and disbelief of Lila purely stemming from jealousy when the WRITING WAS ON THE WALL
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mcheang · 7 months
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Reality
As Nino lays out his plan for targeting Gabriel, Alya points out one thing. “Sure I know Ladybug can fix the mess an akuma causes. But Gabriel will still be mad. He already doesn’t like you, Nino. Don’t push it. For all we know, Gabriel might threaten to transfer Adrien to a different school. Remember, he totally lost it when Adrien lost his book?”
Nino: oh…right. I didn’t think of that. Then, who do we target?
Marinette grins sneakily. “I know someone who can get upset very easily.”
Adrien: really, who?
Marinette: i don’t want to spoil the surprise.
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Later, as the parent-teacher meeting commenced, Marinette bursts in, “Oh, I’m so sorry to barge in like this. But I forgot I needed Mrs Rossi’s signature for Lila’s trip to Achu.”
Caline: Marinette, can’t this wait?
Mrs Rossi: what trip to Achu?
Caline and Marinette look at her. “You know, the trip she’s taking to join Prince Ali in teaching children for free. It’s such a shame that she won’t be able to attend the school’s weeklong camping trip but it’s for a good cause.
Mrs Rossi stands up. “My daughter is doing what?”
Caline: why are you so surprised, Mrs Rossi? Lila went to Achu for months less than a week after she joined Dupont.
Mrs Rossi: she told me the school was shut down from akuma attacks!
Marinette pretended to look faint. “Oh no, was it because of her special lying disease?”
Mr Cesaire looked skeptical. “A lying disease…? Do you mean compulsive lying?”
Gabriel almost regretted not being able to akumatize Mrs Rossi, if only to make up for losing Lila Rossi as a spy since clearly Alliance can no longer use her. Oh well, there’s always the fallout when her sheep find out.
Alya and Nino were recording this with open mouths. Adrien wasn’t so bothered by this after seeing more of Lila’s hateful personality.
Needless to say, the parent-teacher conference was delayed as Sabine then angrily wanted justice for her daughter if she was indeed framed by a liar. Gabriel had to admit the teaching faculty here was lousy to fall for Lila’s reception, but that’s what makes this place so prime for his akumas! Why did he send Adrien here again? Oh right, it’s the most prestigious school and he’ll never hear the end of it from Andre because Chloe would never accept his perfect son being in another school away from her.
Later, after Marinette received an apology from Mrs Rossi, she agreed to bring Lila up. Alya and Nino looked apologetic. “We’re so sorry we didn’t believe you.”
Marinette looked behind her. “It’s ok. Keep recording. If Mrs Rossi isn’t angry enough to attract an akuma, her daughter will be. Nothing akumatizes Lila like being caught.”
Lila was immediately suspicious when Marinette of all people came to get her, however it was subdued by Marinette’s poorly hidden dislike and the fact that it was Gabriel who asked her to come.
Certain that Mr Agreste wanted her help against a stupid boy’s resistance team, she agreed.
Boy was Lila surprised to see Sabine and her mother standing in front of the classroom instead of Mr Agreste, who looked disappointed in her.
Uh oh. Now Lila could see Marinette’s triumphant face and could see what had happened. Her one consolation was that the team’s plan to anger a parent into akumatization had failed. Though she was also irked she couldn’t get akumatized and make that loser suffer for exposing her like this. This is worse than Ladybug’s exposing her in front of Adrien!
As Lila was dragged by her mother to the principal’s office, Caline tried to resume the parent-teacher conference though it was clear all now felt disheartened by her incompetence.
The resistance was confused. Angry Rossis and disappointed parents were around. Where was the akuma?
Eventually they had to give up. What a waste of free period.
Not entirely a waste though since Lila was now exposed. Alya sent the recording to the whole class as the parents left.
Outraged gasps were heard everywhere.
Nino: why didn’t you wait till class was about to start? Then we could prepare to record the akumatization.
Adrien: if Monarch didn’t come out for Mrs Rossi and Lila, I doubt he’ll come for-
Reverser promptly swooped by, ready to turn Lila nice and honest.
Adrien: never mind.
Marc was deakumatized and the class apologized to Marinette for not believing her.
Lila returned to class, sulky in her forced apology, not really bothered by their angry reactions now that she was expelled. Only Marinette’s smug attitude infuriated her. Having been forced honest by Reverser, she had confessed to having duped two other women into being her mothers and had initially planned on running away to join one of them. Her mother now has their numbers. It was a nightmare.
Alya: who else can we akumatize for the greater good? Mayor Bourgeois?
Marinette: I don’t think our plan works if we our expected target isn’t even akumatized. We’ll have to think of something else.
Monarch is disappointed he won’t get to akumatize the akuma class again for a while. Ah well, it can be a favor to Adrien.
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flightfoot · 3 months
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ML Fanfic Recs for 2023: 10K - 20K Words
So I’ve been going through and adding particularly good fics I’ve read throughout the year. Only Complete fics, of course. Enjoy!
Chat Noir and Marinette decide to fake date in order to get Buttercup jealous enough to confess. Why won’t that boy make a move on such a wonderful girl as Marinette? And why is he beginning to hope that Buttercup stays blind?
Adrien wakes up in Nino’s arms. Neither of them have any explanation for this, considering they were nowhere near each other the night before. 
Marinette and Zoe uncover a ring stashed away in a closet. Why does it have an unusual effect on Chloe?
Felix isn’t careful enough when he goes snooping around the Agreste Mansion. Gabriel decides that he can’t let him roam free.
Kim bets Alix that she won’t be able to attend all of her friends’ weddings in a row. She has never been one to turn down a challenge.
All this and more below the break!
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May I Introduce Myself, Your Highness? by @chocoluckchipz
Whether picking up a stray animal off the streets or saving a dying child at the market, Adrien had always strived to be the best version of himself. Truly, he would've been the perfect candidate to be snatched up by a kwami, were he an orphan, dying somewhere remote after a short life full of nothing but suffering and misery. Yet as it stood, the sole heir to the French throne had little to complain about. Apart from, perhaps, a complete absence of a love life. That is until a mysterious girl, wandering around his gardens at night, catches his attention.
I love Fantasy AUs. It’s a bit unclear what’s happening at first, but it all gets explained in the last chapter. Also don’t worry about the age gap between Marinette and Adrien at the start of the story, I promise it’s not a problem in the end.
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do you think I have forgotten about you? by @roseinaugust
Based on the song 'About You' by The 1975. Memory Loss. Told in alternating time lines, one leading up to and one dealing with the aftermath of Marinette relinquishing the Miracle Box and the guardianship. Marinette struggles with her life after losing her memory, though there is a persistent voice that calls to her that always seems just out of reach in her memory.
Beautiful memory loss fic here, with seeing Ladybug’s and Chat Noir’s relationship before she gave up the Miracle box, juxtaposed with the present day, when Adrien is only a stranger to her. I could really feel how Marinette was struggling with navigating these new circumstances, with her friends seeming to expect her to remember, to be who she was to them, to Adrien especially, before, and her just... not knowing whether she can do that. It’s got a happy ending though, for those who are concerned about that.
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Creative Lies and Destructive Truths by @azuriteartist
Alya and Lila are two sides of a never-ending fight. The fight between truth and lies, between honesty and deception, between justice and personal gain. And now they have the powers to elevate that fight to a city-wide level.
Can Alya stop the deception before it destroys the city? And can Lila stop the truth before it destroys her?
So everyone who’s been around my blog for awhile knows how much I love Alya getting the spotlight (I mean my sideblog alyaappreciation is dedicated to her, because frankly, she needs it), and azurite’s lovely fic here is no exception. Fu ended up giving Tikki to Lila and Plagg to Alya. There actually isn’t tension between them at first, they get along well to start with, but Plagg knows Lila’s lying about things and eventually pushes Alya to take action once they grow alarming, until the two of them are both accusing each other of being liars as superheroes, and the public doesn’t know what to believe. 
I’m betting there’s more of this AU to come. I hope so, I love the consideration and agency it gives to both Alya and Lila.
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How Marinette Learned to Stop Worrying And Love The Ball by @rosie-b
Hidden from the crowds thronging around the busy fairy portal in Paris's town square, a fae gate sits at the edge of the forest, locked, rusty, and full of ancient magic. Marinette thinks that this abandoned gate must not work anymore... but one day, a fairy disguised as a black cat steps through it.
Ah, Fantasy Soulmate AUs, my beloved XD. This ain’t the only one of this fic type I’m gonna be recommending. This is just a cute fluff fic without much strife. I love Marinette and Chat Noir being able to be childhood friends via his visits, even if he has to pretend to be her cat whenever he comes over, and I ESPECIALLY adore Alya being his chaperone and quickly becoming friends with Marinette in her own right. It ain’t a complicated plot, but it is a nice and warm fic.
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Vengeance Noire by @phiellydinyia
After a horrific argument with his father, Adrien escaped from the mansion with his heart in pieces. In hindsight, it made sense why an akuma was sent his way. He shouldn't have let his emotions get the better of him.
But he never expected Plagg to be even more upset than he was. He never expected his own kwami to be akumatized. To become the threat of a city he swore to protect. And what's worse is the fact that Chat Noir can't jump in to save this one.
But Ladybug can. And that's why he has to find her as quickly as possible, suit or no suit.
I love some good Adrien angst, especially with a delicious side order of Plagg and Adrien’s bond with each other. Even as Adrien’s barely functional, though, he’ll do everything in his power to save Plagg, even if Plagg wishes he wouldn’t go quite that far. 
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the best laid plans (of bugs and bakers) by @mexicancat-girl
Paris is buzzing with the appearance of a new ladybug-themed hero, Scarabella.
Alya decides to use her second hero identity to help her best friend Marinette. A bit of her flirting with Marinette is bound to make Marinette's crushes jealous and finally ask her out! Her plan is fool-proof…!
Except when it's not. Not enough people are talking about Scarabella flirting with Marinette. How can Alya properly help her best friend if the news can't be bothered to cover Marinette's budding romance with Scarabella and only posts things about Marinette with Chat Noir?! So Alya puts her all into her plan, upping up her flirting each time she appears as the newbie hero Scarabella.
This totally does not backfire in any way.
I adore fics that center on Alya, I haven’t exactly been shy about that fact. This is a nice one for some Alyanette adorableness! (And some Scarabella and Chat banter, I really enjoyed reading that as well). “Fake” flirting to make crushes jealous tends to turn real very quickly, and this is no exception. It’s hilarious, Alya’s the last one to figure out that her romantic relationship with Marinette is very much real XD.
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Control by @generalluxun
A fun and rebellious gesture by her friend Zoé leaves Marinette accidently in possession of something more precious than she ever expected to hold.
It's a blessing. It's a curse. It's life itself.
She has no idea what to do. There is so much wrapped up not only in WHAT, but also WHO. Her friends and partners can offer advice, consolation, and support, but in the end when you are both Ladybug and the Guardian you are the one in control.
This is a fantastic SentiChloe fic. Marinette ends up with Chloe’s amok and isn’t sure what to do with it, whether to try to give it to Chloe, whether to try and use it to make Chloe a better person, or whether to just hold onto it secretly. Along the way, she ends up getting into Chloe’s head, getting a better idea of Chloe’s mindset, what she thinks and feels when she does the things she does. I loved seeing her struggle with figuring out what to do, it ended up being a great character study for both Marinette and Chloe!
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Within Your Heart by Inkyibis
It's Valentine's Day and Ladybug just wants to her superhero partner to find his love.
And what she wants, the Lucky Charm will create.
If only she could remember what it is she did last night.
Adrino fic here! Marinette’s drunk and feeling awful that her superhero partner is alone on Valentine’s (she’s in a loving and committed relationship with Alya), so she creates a Lucky Charm to help Chat find love! In this universe, Ladybug’s Lucky Charms have the power to create new rules for the universe to follow, such as making one that demands that if you have any magic in you, you have to tell the truth or else you’ll freeze. Or in Adrien’s case, that he has to wake up in the arms of his true love every day XD. It’s very sweet and I love both Adrien’s and Nino’s relationship, and the relationship between the rest of the Miracuteam members as well, even though that’s not the focus.
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This Distance Between Us by @coffeebanana
After defeating Monarch, the search for the Peacock Miraculous brings Ladybug and Chat Noir to a hotel room in London. But it's hard to enjoy the victory when Ladybug can't figure out why Chat's been so quiet, why he seems so sad. How's she supposed to help if she has no idea what's wrong?
This is a great Sentiadrien fic, with Chat freaking out about it and feeling like he’s not worthy of Ladybug’s affections, but not telling her what’s actually wrong because he thinks she won’t want him anymore if she knows. Of course, he’s wrong about that.
Also there’s a pretty intense confrontation with Felix, pissing Chat Noir off is a bad idea.
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Auspicious by The_Rabbit42
Entry #6 for AU April 2023: Reverse-Crush Kwami-Swap
Adrien is quiet and reserved whenever he's not consumed by stress. And between extracurriculars and modeling and his responsibilities as Mister Bug, he's often stressed. He appreciates his kitten, but he loves his bright and outgoing classmate. Not that she knows that.
Marinette's parents have always allowed her a good deal of independence, but she's felt her confidence skyrocket since getting Plagg. Simply being Lady Noire allows her to be more flirty and free. She likes her friends, but she loves her stoic and heroic partner. Not that he knows that.
This is just a lovely fic that’s exactly what it says on the tin. I like how Rabbit goes into what Lady Noire’s and Mister Bug’s dynamic is like here especially.
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Of Crisp Days and Crispier Cakes by @scribeofrhapsody
Gabriel wants to not be sick. Adrien wants to make a cake. Nathalie wants a chill birthday. Maybe they can help each other. Maybe it'll be a disaster.
So this starts off as just the cute fluff fic of Adrien and Gabriel attempting to make Nathalie a birthday cake that the summary indicates, but soon evolves into a more action-filled drama fic when Gabriel makes the terrible decision to akumatize a cashier while sick... a cashier who happens to be in the same shop as Nathalie and Adrien. Who are willing to put their secret identities at risk in order to save each other.
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After Irritation Do Us Start by @scribeofrhapsody
It was the most difficult decision of his life, but Gabriel did it. He let go of Hawk Moth. He moved on from Emilie. Now, all he wants is to enjoy life with his son and new wife. Unfortunately, a certain nephew of his seems to be determined to unearth what Gabriel needs to remain buried.
I love this look at what could have happened if during the season 3 finale, Gabriel had decided enough was enough and given up on being a supervillain, moving on with Nathalie instead. How much better things could have been if he’d just decided to stop - though Adrien still wouldn’t be happy to discover why Hawk Moth had suddenly stopped attacking.
Oh yeah, there’s an OC here called Gerald who Adrien’s puzzled by, since he’d never heard of this guy before the past year. At the end of the story you find out why he’s included in the story. It’s not a major thing, but it is kind of funny and fits well with the rest of the story.
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Rocking the Cat-Eyes by @buggachat
“I like being a girl.”
“That’s the alcohol talking,” Marinette snorted.
“I’ve always been a li’l jealous,” Adrien admitted.
“... Of what?”
“That you get to be a girl,” Adrien murmured, “and I don’t.”
When Marinette and Adrien host Girls' Night at their apartment, Adrien is easily welcomed to attend as "one of the girls"... but has a bit too much to drink. Some drunken confessions are spilt, some assumptions are made, and most of all...
Adrien is confused.
This is a great Genderfluid!Adrien fic. Marinette actually figures out that Adrien’s not entirely cis before he does, and tries to let him know she’s supportive... but unfortunately Adrien comes to some incorrect conclusions...
Anyway it’s a lot of fun, and Adrien rocks a dress and makeup!
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Desperation by OuzoAthena11
Marinette is at the end of her rope. There seems to be no hope for defeating Monarch, not now that he has most of the Miraculous and has figured out how to transfer their abilities to others.
Tikki has an idea: Awaken the memories of who Marinette was in the past to see if any of their knowledge across time and the multiverse could help.
But this means that Marinette might forever be changed, and so will Chat Noir, if he should choose to do this.
Little did they know that they knew each other in their past lives, and how frequently they crossed paths and even were a couple... well, that meant that they are soulmates.
Star Wars crossover fic here, with Marinette as Obi-wan and Adrien as Quinlan. I like how the reincarnation aspect was handled here, with Obi-wan’s and Quinlan’s memories being prominent and them “waking up” in a way at first, but those settling back down after a bit and Marinette and Adrien going back to being mostly themselves, but with a lot more life experience under their belts and some cool new abilities - which comes in handy for taking down Monarch!
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Family by @unecoccinellenoire
“You know,” Nino grins, “if you need advice on being a big brother in a year or two I’m sure I could help.”
The bottom of Adrien’s stomach dropped out.
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Adrien struggles with the concept of his father and Nathalie having children.
So this is a world where Adrien and Marinette managed to defeat Gabriel, taking his Miraculous, with them giving him an ultimatum: they won’t out him as being Hawk Moth so long as he doesn’t cause any more trouble and does right by Adrien. Gabriel does, in fact, move on finally to Nathalie, giving Adrien a lot of mixed feelings to deal with. He still loves them both despite everything, but he’s also angry at them and he definitely does NOT want them to have children, both because he thinks they’d like any biological child they had more (he’s also harboring guilt from indirectly being the cause of his mom’s death), and because frankly, they screwed up too much with Adrien for him to want them to inflict that on another child.
And then there’s also Adrien dealing with the realization that he’s a Senti on top of that and wondering why he and Felix look the way they do, what Emilie’s reasons were.
It’s mostly just Adrien getting to talk things out, navigating this emotionally fraught situation he finds himself in now that the dust is settled.
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Galaxy In Your Eyes by @liiinerle
Arriving in Paris, Kagami almost immediately finds herself assaulted by a dark, infectious butterfly. When she wakes up, a ladybug-themed superhero is standing over her, and her eyes are like holes into an empty, vast, and incredibly alluring universe...
An AU where the two main Miraculous function differently from the norm.
Nice Marigami fic here! Or should I say, Ladygami - technically Marinette doesn’t exist, only Ladybug, who’s an immortal creation goddess, or something like that. But she still fights to protect Paris from Hawk Moth alongside Chat Noir, who is still a normal, squishy human underneath the suit.
Anyway, there’s a but of inspiration from Nimona here, with a lot of people being scared of Ladybug because she’s a bit... out there, especially when she shapeshifts to have like, 6 extra arms and a lobster tail. Kagami’s into it though XD
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Stay Weird, Ladybug by @diadraws
Ladybug receives an invitation at the end of a patrol!
Contains some of my own headcanons, most notably: MIRACULOUS HOLDERS ARE CREATURES!!! They get actual animal traits when transformed instead of just a costume. My tumblr is diadraws where I elaborate some more on my headcanons which may add some additional context to this fic if you are interested!
CONTENT WARNINGS: *major* depictions of panic attacks, discussion of child neglect/abuse, and a minor emetophobia (vomiting) warning towards the end.
I’ve loved the comics and fanart I’ve seen dia create for this AU, with Ladybug’s and Chat Noir’s more animalistic designs, so reading a fic set in that AU was a real treat! It’s mostly just a Ladrien sleepover at Adrien’s house, but it’s very nice and cozy, with some good character development of Adrien helping Ladybug with panic attacks she keeps having.
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Trapped by @consistent-chaos-corporation
Felix asks to visit Adrien as soon as his father is gone. Gabriel catches him snooping, looking for Adrien's Amok.
Everything gets worse from there.
Damn, poor Felix. He came to try and help Adrien, but instead Gabriel stole his Amok, forcing him to obey his commands, holding him prisoner in his basement for months. If you want some quality Felix whump, this is the fic for you!
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When Secrets Come Undone by SortaArtsy
Ladybug promised not to tell Adrien... but she never promised not to confide in Cat Noir. What happens when Ladybug unintentionally vents to the one person who wasn't meant to know any of it?
****MAJOR SEASON 5 SPOILERS WARNING! ****
May not be season 6 compliant when it comes out.
This is a “Adrien finds out what everyone’s been keeping from him post-S5″ fic, and I think it’s handled really well! He feels very hurt, betrayed, and disbelieving initially about being a Senti and his father being Monarch (...mostly being a Senti, it ain’t that hard to believe that Gabriel was a supervillain), and is angry at everyone who kept it secret from him, but he still handles it well, going and talking to the people involved, getting their reasoning and perspective. 
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Wanted: Catnap by SortaArtsy
Adrien Agreste has barely been sleeping, trying to be everything expected of him. What happens when he spreads himself too thin? Sick!Adrien/ Cat Noir
Adrien’s just pushing himself so hard, trying to do his regular duties, until his illness forces him to rest. I love how concerned everyone is over him - even GABRIEL eventually relents and wants him to rest. It’s just cute and nice and fluffy.
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Felix is Fine by SortaArtsy
Felix wakes up sick, but is determined to keep it under wraps. Kagami refuses to be fooled. Feligami fluff. Implied past trauma/ abuse, though nothing explicit. Set post S5 so there are SOME SPOILERS!
If you want a Felix sick fic, this story’s the fic for you! I like how Felix and Kagami actually talk about why Felix is so determined to keep the extent of his illness hidden, what caused him to feel like he needs to do that, and Kagami’s understanding about it. Colt sucks.
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Our Tales Are Endless (That’s Why I Tell Them) by @joonapeach
Marinette lives a simple life - one surrounded by pretty dresses, fresh macaroons, and the calming view of Paris. It's a life she thinks she has always fit in.
And yet sometimes, when a certain boy comes by her shop with a flower and a new adventurous story, she can't help but wonder if there's something else she's missing.
This was a truly gorgeous story. It’s the classic “Marinette gives up the Miracle Box and loses her memories” storyline, exploring her life two years later. Even though she’s had time to heal and recover, she still feels like she’s missing something, something big. At least Adrien’s stopping by regularly to tell her stories about Ladybug and Chat Noir, even if she doesn’t understand why they resonate with her so well.
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a winter so warm by @rosekasa
winters were hard for even the best of vampires, but at least adrien had marinette to keep him warm with her cuddles.
december was going to suck without her. so it was only to be expected to get extra cuddles in before she left, right?
(well, not really, considering those heating supplements he was taking, but she didn't need to know about that).
This one’s mostly just cute cuddly adorableness! It’s basically like all those “Marinette gets the Ladybug trait of needing to cuddle up to someone for warmth”, but with Adrien instead. And of course featuring Marinette being a very talented witch who just wants to help Adrien stay warm when she isn’t there XD.
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The 8 Weddings of Alix Kubdel by The_Rabbit42
The bet is simple: with the Rabbit Miraculous, Alix will be speaking at all of her friends' weddings. No matter what age they tie the knot, she'll be there looking the same. From Alix's perspective, she's going to each ceremony and reception one right after another in a nonstop bender.
This fic’s a lot of fun! I loved seeing all the different weddings, as well as how Alix slowly felt more and more out of place, with going forwards in time. Some of the weddings could get, uh. Exciting as well XD. And while there’s been years in-between Alix’s appearances for her friends at the wedding, for Alix, it’s only been a few hours, if that...
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and I thought I heard you sing by @into-september
When Hawkmoth has been defeated and unmasked, Marinette is left with two problems and no solutions.
First, that Adrien is further out of her reach than ever before, and no-one can tell her how to get to him.
Second, that Cat Noir is far more troubled than she knew, and the only thing she can do is wait for him at the place they agreed to meet.
It’s your classic “Hawkmoth’s defeated and taken into custody but that means Adrien’s in for a rough time” sort of fic. Everyone’s worried about Adrien and wants to give him what comfort and support that they can, but he’s being hidden away from everyone (which I mean, honestly that’s a good move), so that’s not really possible. Plus, Ladybug’s noticed that Chat’s having a tough time in his civilian life, which worries her.
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Time Locked AU by PumpkinPatchworkQuilt
In Time Locked, instead of just fixing the damage it puts everything post akuma back to exactly how it was, people, buildings, memories, time. Since it’s more extreme than in canon it requires both The Cat and The Ladybug to complete the Cure,(and visually contains both as well). Because of this only those with a miraculous can recall the events and only those who cast the Cure will have any lasting effects from the fight and even then it’s limited to scars, phantom aches, getting a tad more muscle definition and of course spatial displacement in extreme cases.
Since technology is slightly resistant or incompatible with the miraculous magic, footage of right after the akuma attack will survive, on a technicality and as such only reappears when the time catches up the the recorded time, that could be minutes, hours, or days depending on how long it took to defeat the akuma.
First story: Alya’s Guide to Surviving a Magical Terrorist Which You Can’t Remember
In a world where the fight against Hawkmoth is kept secret from the public, one Alya Césaire sets out to bring the whole thing to light, (and possibly win a journalism award while she's at it)
This was an interesting AU, I loved the focus on Alya especially and her investigative abilities, figuring out that there was a battle between good and evil taking place in the background of everyone’s lives even though most signs of it are wiped clean after the battle’s over. And Adrien and Marinette pick up on her cleverness and want her to help! I love how much appreciation this fic shows for Alya.
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Stitched Together by @nedjsmlfavs
Stitch Witch Marinette was just supposed to be having a nice, terrifying outing with her best friends. She never expected to find a magically trapped kitten, but here we are! Whatever happened to this poor little guy?
Poor Adrien, being transformed and chained up for ages, having no idea that he was gonna be rescued. But at least he got to have fun at Marinette’s place as a cat! 
Most of this fic is adorable, though with some dark undertones lying in wait. After all, SOMEONE chained up that poor little kitty...
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Love Remains by @kasienda
Marinette stood in the center of her own room. The pink walls were adorned with sketches and photos, and other unfamiliar souvenirs of her life. Her eyes jumped curiously from a hand made purse to a bowler hat decorated with a feather to a cork board covered in pictures of her friends.
She loved her room. Which made sense, she supposed. She had theoretically been the one to decorate it, but she didn’t remember decorating it. And now, the room was like a cave filled with treasure.
Because each little piece of it held a secret - some part of herself that meant something to her, a clue to what her life had been like before…
Before she had woken up in the arms of a boy wearing a magic black catsuit. His heartbroken sobs had caused something in her chest to twist painfully. She hadn’t understood why then, but from that very first moment she knew she had wanted to make things better for him.
She had no idea how to do that now that she understood what she had lost.
Sixteen years worth of memories.
The echoes of which were papered onto the walls and notebooks of her room just waiting to be rediscovered.
No one else seemed to share her excitement.
Unlike most “Marinette loses her memories” fics, this one isn’t super angst for Marinette - she takes it in stride. Now, everyone else, not so much. It’s really interesting seeing her contrast who she appeared to be before with who she is now, particularly when it comes to her previous self being in love with Adrien and not Chat, while she’s in love with Chat and not Adrien. Of course eventually she finds out certain things that makes that make a lot more sense. She isn’t so different from how she was before after all...
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Betrayal by @jennagrinsoverml
MAJOR EPHEMERAL SPOILERS!!
Ladybug planned to use Viperion's power of Second Chance to get Chat's identity to Su-han without Chat knowing or agreeing.
Of course, then the world went crazy, and she didn't go through with it.
But when an akuma exposes Ladybug's plan to Chat, he doesn't know that. He just knows that his Lady betrayed him.
He deals with his feelings in the best, most mature way he can think of.
He disappears.
So I, like a lot of others, wanted more follow-up on Ephemeral, and particularly on the betrayal of trust it was for Marinette to try to trick Chat Noir into giving up his identity to a third party without his knowledge or consent (I wrote my own take on that at the time, called Transcient, that I’m proud of). This fic did a good job of exploring that, with Adrien reacting in a manner that made sense to me (repressing his negative feelings about the situation as much as possible and trying to justify it to himself, but still feeling terrible despite his own best efforts), and how Marinette realized that she messed up, since Luka keeping it secret that he knows hers and Chat’s secret identities caused her to be upset as well. It did a great job of exploring those negative feelings and letting everyone talk things out, explain their viewpoints, and rebuild their relationships afterwards, which is something I really value.
---
Swimming in Circles by @generalluxun
Life has moved on for Marinette Dupain-Cheng. She's not where she thought she would be seven years ago, but she's still in a good place. Classes, hobbies, friends, her life is full despite the lingering shades of her faded yet sweet middle-school romance. Then just as quick at the first time, someone drops into her life and turns her into an absolute mess once more.
Love and crushes might be her undoing, but she's got a little more experience this time to weather the storm. This fateful stranger stirs memories as well as emotions inside of her, and with a forthrightness her old self would be jealous of, Marinette takes the plunge.
So this is a Trans fic, with Marinette’s new crush being a trans version of a certain classmate who she doesn’t recognize, who’s changed a lot, for the better. I like how it deals with the baggage she has with that person, has her think that through.
---
Three’s company by @torvalvt
Kagami has been doing her best for years to ignore her feelings for her friends. It doesn't help that Adrien and Marinette insist on spending as much time as possible with her, even going so far as inviting her along on their dates together. If only the affection she felt for them wouldn't get in the way of their relationship. Because it is growing harder and harder to tamp down her feelings with how close they are getting to her.
This is adorable. Adrien and Marinette really want Kagami to join their relationship and she just doesn’t dare hope for it. If you want some adorable Adrigaminette from Kagami’s perspective, I recommend checking this fic out!
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comics-and-fanworks · 2 years
Text
ML Career Choice Part 2!
@marsrize 
Is this how you tag people I have no idea what I’m doing.
~~~~~~~~
Turns out when you yell at someone in a café demanding they fix a mess they didn’t cause people are likely to record it. Especially if you happen to be a model who just fell from grace and are yelling at a soon-to-be Mrs. Todd-Wayne. Gotham was a mix of emotions, mostly elated that their power couple would be getting married, surprise that the woman who’s helped redesign and rebuild major cities is a major force of fashion, and fury at just what she had to go through. Adrien made the mistake of messing with someone who Gothamites considered one of their own, and Gotham was determined to make sure Marinette would get a chance to tell her side of the story. Vicky Vale had her booked on her talk show that very night, under the guise of discussing a way for the city to reduce its smog levels. 
Marinette and Jason were sitting next to each other smiling as Marinette proudly discussed ways to make Gotham’s air cleaner, Vicky began her real interview. “Marinette, I hate to spring this on you so suddenly, but I’m sure you’ve seen the video of ex-model Adrien Agreste harassing you and your fiancé- congratulations by the way- He mentioned something about fashion?” Marinette sighed, and Jason squeezed her hand in comfort, “When I was younger, it was my dream to be a fashion designer. I had, and still have a few big name clients like Jagged Stone, Clara Nightingale, and the Wayne family now that I’m marrying into it. I had even caught the attention of some big names like Gabriel Agreste and the Style Queen, I thought everything was going so well, until Lila Rossi came along.” Jason leaned over and pulled Marinette into a side hug, gently rubbing her shoulder. Mari took a deep breath and continued, “She began lying about anything and everything, and I didn’t believe her, she somehow got into Gabriel’s good graces and began spreading all these lies about me. Saying I stole my designs, I had other people do the work for me, all kinds of things that didn’t really make sense. It was one of the many things she did to me. I don’t know how she convinced him, but she got Adrien to back her up. The worst part is, he knew all along that she was lying, but helped her ruin my reputation and get me blacklisted from something I loved!” 
At this point, Marinette was in tears, so Vicky cut to a commercial break while Jason tried to comfort his fiancee. Eventually they both agreed it would be best if Jason handled the rest of the interview. When the live feed returned, Vicky decided to lighten the mood by asking about his engagement, “So Jason, is there anything you can tell me about your upcoming wedding?”
“Well Vicky, can I start off with saying how excited I am? I met Marinette when she had just moved to Gotham. It sounds crazy, but we were actually in a hostage situation and I got to watch Little Ms. Magic macgyver her way out of it, and that was the moment I knew she was the one. I won’t say much about our wedding, the ceremony’s going to be a private affair, but the reception is going to be quite the party. Everyone who’s Anyone will be there, Mari did make a lot of connections through her work as an engineer. Name a country and I promise she knows someone there.”
Needless to say Marinette’s former tormenters were shocked when they did not recieve an invitation, mostly because Adrien had assured Lila and his father that Marinette would definitely invite them. Even though Lila still despised Marinette, but she admitted that her rival was well connected and with her reentry into the fashion world, her empire was only growing. If Lila could make a show of apologizing to Marinette, she could potentially save her career, and hopefully eventually worm her way into the multi-talented woman’s good graces. Gabriel wanted to attend in order to try and save his company’s reputation and smooth things over. It looked bad enough when he blacklisted a child, but now that it was exposed that he did so on lies and didn’t even attempt to confirm them it looked even worse. He hoped that by the end of the evening he could make a few new famous clients (who were fighting tooth and nail for the very limited commission spots Marinette opened) and announcing a partnership between himself and Marinette.
Adrien wanted to go because he was convinced he could convince Marinette to leave Gotham to return to France and restore the status quo. None of his old friends were speaking to him, after finding out that he knew Lila was lying and helped ruin Marinette’s future. Many of them reached out to her to apologize, and in the months leading up to the wedding were able to repair their bonds with her. Adrien was confused, why should they apologize when in his mind Marinette was in the wrong for attempting to expose Lila as a liar? It didn’t help that Ladybug was giving him the cold shoulder as well, he thought she would see it how he wanted her to, but apparently not. To add insult to injury, she got an invitation while Chat Noir did not. 
The three of them decided to crash the reception, mostly because they were confident that they wouldn’t get kicked out. They still remembered Marinette as a people-pleasing pushover, so they figured that even if they did get caught they’d be fine. What they didn’t know, is that the Wayne family runs a secret side business, in which they teach future family members confidence, raise their self-esteem, and other healthy life skills, and Marinette had happily taken those classes. When they arrive, Adrien darts off to find Marinette, Lila and Gabriel try to do damage control. It’s not long before they’re being thrown out by security and a VERY pissed preteen with a katana. The Wayne lawyers were truly in a different level of their own, because by the time the terrible trio got back to their hotel, they were served with restraining orders.
Life was going well for Marinette, it was great actually. She was head of Wayne Engineering and working on starting up Wayne Fashions. Marinette was even asked to join a board of engineers, architects, and designers on ways to further protect people and buildings from magical and nonmagical threats, when her phone began to ring.
“Mari! An earthquake just hit Gotham! The government is withdrawing all aid! They’re not going to rebuild the City. Little Ms. Magic I don’t know what-”
“I’m coming! Tell your dad he better be ready to reach deep into his pockets. They may have abandoned Gotham, but we haven’t, and we never will.”
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lolasimms · 1 year
Text
a lots gonna change pt.12
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Summary: Married life isn’t great, infidelity ensues, and things change.
next part
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The tips of your heels hit the floor as you rushed out of your office, bag in hand. You’d managed to avoid Abby all morning, afraid of facing her after the events of the night before. Sure you weren’t the one who went in for the kiss, but that didn’t t mean you didn’t lean in briefly. It was when you’d reached the ground floor of your office building, when you let out a sigh of relief. You were safe. After lying through your teeth to your boss, you managed to get sent home early because of a “headache.” In reality you just didn’t want to face your girlfriend and come clean.
Because you had taken an early leave from work, you were first in line at Lila’s school pickup. You had a few more minutes before she was done with school, so you had texted Ellie letting her know you’d be dropping Lila off in less than two hours. You knew it would be awkward to see your ex after last night but you’d much rather prefer dropping Lila at hers than having her come over to yours. Your phone started ringing and you reached into the cup holder to grab it.
“You haven’t answered my calls all week, and I can see your car from over here” You check your rearview mirror and spot her car it was behind the car behind yours.
“Dina I‘ve been busy, plus I have a lot to catch you up on”
“Catch me up please, they don’t get out for another, 20 minutes”
“Alright well, last night Lila’s class did their play and Ellie and I both went and she kissed me” you mumble the last part, and you hear Dina let out a gasp.
“Hello?” She doesn’t respond to you.
“Dina?” You’re startled when the passenger door of your car opens and your friend sits inside.
“You kissed Ellie?” Her eyes are wide, and you hang up the call and turn to her.
“She kissed me okay, I pulled away” She’s still seated, mouth agape. “Dina say something” You whine as she continues staring at you.
“Have you told Abby?” Finally her facial expression relaxes and you shake your head no.
“I’m too scared to, I dodged her all day at work today. I even left early to avoid her” She winces, and shakes her head and you know you’re in for a scolding.
“Y/n. You need to communicate with her or else. You’re not going to just let Ellie come back and act like everything is peaches and cream. If she wants another shot she has to wait in line, she can just destroy what you’ve worked so hard to form” You sigh and nod at her wise words.
“I know, I’ll tell her eventually, I just need to figure out how.”
“You better, I happen to like her a lot, I just cant believe Ellie would do that”
“I know, I was surprised too”
“Anyways, we’ll talk more about this tomorrow at Pilates, I have to go before the other parens start whining” She leans over to kiss your cheek and then makes her way back to her car.
The sound of the school bell ringing alerts you, followed by an array of children in uniforms running out to the pickup area. You spot Lila in her navy blue polo skirt and top, her school bag hunched over her shoulder as she chats away with JJ. You wave at her, catching her attention, and she waves goodbye to him and the rest of her friends before running towards the car.
“Hi, mommy” She yells as she places her bag on the car floor and sits in her booster seat.
“Hi baby, how was your day” You see her buckle herself into the chair through the mirror and you take it as your cue to start driving.
“It was good, everyone was telling me I did great last night.” You hear the pride in her voice and smile, despite everything that had happened you were always so happy to know that you and Ellie had raised Lila so well. She was confident, kind and charismatic.
-
You had one hand on the banisters and the other holding Lila’s overnight bag as you descended the stairs. She was sat on the sofa playing one of those word scramble games on her iPad. You came into the living area, dropped her bag and took a seat next to her. You were watching her, as she focused on the game, mumbling quiet cheers each time she got the correct word. You were playing with her hair like you did when she was younger, it always put her to sleep when you heard the doorbell ring. She looked at you briefly and then returned to her game.
“I’m not getting the door” she mumbles and you roll you eyes.
“You’re not allowed to answer the door anyways smartypants” You get up and rush towards the door, opening it to find your girlfriend holding a grocery bag and a bouquet of flowers. You die of embarrassment when the first thing the flowers remind you of is your ex.
“Hi, feeling any better?” She leans down, leaving a kiss on your forehead.
“Come in, and yeah much better” You lie, as the two of you walk down the hallway.
“Hey Abby” Lila looks up from her game and runs over towards the two of you, hugging the blonde and then suspecting the flowers in her hands.
“Hey kiddo, your mommy told me you were in a play last night, these are yours” She hands her the red roses and Lila excitedly squeals about to make a run for it when you stop her.
“Lila, what do we say to Abby?”
“Thanks Abby” she hugs Abbys legs, due to the height difference and you can’t help but laugh.
“Okay go put those in water and leave them on the island” She nods and runs off to the kitchen, her ponytail bouncing as she does this.
“Whats in the bag?” You question as you lean over to try get a peek.
“Remember the soup my dad made us last month?”
You nod, it was a really good soup. The first time you had met her dad he had promised he’d cook for you one day, that day was last month on his birthday when he had the two of you over.
“Well, I have the ingredients in this bag, gonna make you some” You smile at her thoughtfulness.
“I’m about to go to Ellies, so do you mind staying here while I’m gone” Like clockwork, she tenses up at the mention of Ellies name.
“Sure, I can get started on the dinner, what are you doing at hers anyways?”
“Dropping off Lila, she’s over there Friday through Sunday remember?” She nods and walks over to the kitchen.
“Lila, let’s get going!”
-
The second you turn the car into park, Lila spots Ellie standing in the driveway and is bounding towards her. Ellie has her arms out and envelops her in a tight hug. You make your way out of the car, with Lila’s bag in hand and walk over to the two of them.
“Go ahead and settle in Lila, I’m going to talk to mommy for a second” Ellie looks down to her daughter who nods, hugs you and then runs inside.
“Hey” you awkwardly try and reach for a friendly hug but she grabs your face and plants a kiss on your mouth.
“Hey, how was your day” She tries playing it off like it was nothing but your eyes are wide and immediately you cross your arms defensively remembering Dina’s words.
“Really?” You shake your head and she smirks. Though Ellie and Lila weren’t biologically related you sometimes swore they were due to the array of mannerisms they shared. Both so stubborn and prideful.
“What, I can’t kiss my wife?” Your eyes shoot even wider than before and you scoff.
“Ex-wife” you retort, not believing the audacity she had to say these kinds of things.
“Soon to be wife again” She’s getting a kick out of pissing you off.
“You need to respect the fact that I’m in a relationship Ellie”
“Yeah you’re right, but you need to respect the fact that I’m trying to get my wife back”
“You’re insufferable” You hand her Lila’s bag and she pulls your hand placing a kiss on it and then turning around. A part of you was seething with anger while the other part deep down felt good. You didn’t know what to do with yourself.
-
“Thanks for dinner Abs, it was great” you say nuzzling into her as the both of you laid in bed. Your head rested on her shoulder as her arms wrapped around you.
“No problem honey, just wanted you to feel better”
“I have to tell you something” you brace yourself, afraid a fight would come out of the conversation.
“Whats up?” She turns to look at you and her scared face makes you crumble in guilt.
“Ellie kissed me, twice”
“Did you kiss her back?”
“Briefly, the first time. But then I pulled away”
“Do you want to be with her?”
“God no, Abby, I told her she needed to respect the fact that we’re together” You look her in the eyes and she nods.
“Well, I trust you. Thank you for telling me the truth” You’re shocked at her understanding, and a part of you feels guilty knowing that a part of you had thought about what it would be like to be with Ellie again. Just a tiny part of you.
taglist;
@moonlightdivine @maybe-cece @macaroni676 @sawaagyapong @katiemars @ellieseater @dakota-dream @joliettes @hebrokeimup @bratydoll @wakasaaa @catostrophiclesbian @dinas-a-bird @lazyunknownwerewolf f @h3sitant-alien @ceo-of-ellie-simps @mechetegirl109 @kashoot-me269 @lonelyfooryouonly @ellieswifee
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knifedancer · 7 months
Text
Not Dating
Day by day, one by one, Marinette’s classmates noticed that the young designer had gotten closer to Felix. Close enough to be considered dating. Finally, the entire class is convinced that the two ARE dating.
The only problem is that Felix nor Marinette seem to know about it.
Felix (PV) x Marinette, posted to AO3.
~~~~~~~
~~~SCENE 1: Lila~~~
Lila was walking down a shopping district when she caught sight of her favorite victim—er, classmate eating at a nearby café. Carefully maneuvering around the outdoor patio in a way so that she would not be seen, she noticed that Marinette was not alone… Across from her sat the snobbish cousin of Adrien’s: Felix Graham-Agreste. The Italian narrowed her eyes as she took in their chummy atmosphere. ‘When did they get so close?’
“Oh my gosh, Marinette! What a coincidence!” The liar called out as she exited her hiding spot.
The designer’s countenance darkened a bit as the liar approached, her voice dropping into a flat irritated tone. “Lila.” The snake’s eyes gleamed with a cruel light, her smile becoming a bit sharper.
“What do you want, Rossi?” Came the exasperated, blunt voice of her pale blond companion. Rude.
“What? Can’t I say hello to my classmates? I stop by this café all the time; the owner is like a father to me. I highly recommend the pasta!”
“It’s a boba café, they don’t sell pasta!” Cried the exasperated class president.
“Well, it’s on the secret men—”
“Hi, order number 42?” A waiter interrupted, pointing to the little plastic table number resting beside Felix’s elbow. “Who had the honeydew milk tea?” Marinette raised her hand and he set it before her. “And one matcha milk tea for the gentleman. Please enjoy.”
The two teens stared down Lila as the waiter left two straws and returned to his post inside to take orders. She scoffed as she sauntered away, pretending to look over the posted menu while spying on the pair. ‘Perhaps I can get something good to lie about at school tomorrow…’ she thought, watching them from the corner of her eye.
“Mm, this honeydew is delicious!” The bluenette remarked while sipping happily on her drink.
“Let me try,” Lila watched as Felix grabbed the drink right out of Marinette’s hands.
“Hey! Don’t steal all my tapioca pearls, jerk!”
The blond brought the same straw to his lips to take a sip. “Hmm, you’re right, not too sweet.” The designer’s scowl transformed into a smug smile as he set the glass back down in front of her, continuing to enjoy her drink without a second thought.
‘Did they just…indirectly kiss?! Oh my, talk about juicy gossip!’ Lila’s lips curled into a wicked smile; she couldn’t wait to twist this into a new story tomorrow!
~~~ The next day…
“You’ll never believe this, girls. Marinette was on a date with Felix!” Lila sobbed, “After I told her how much I liked him, too!”
“Aw, Lila…I’m sure that’s not what it was,” Mylene comforted the girl.
“I saw it! They were all lovey-dovey, sharing a drink—” The liar attempted.
“Girl, are you sure that your lying disease isn’t acting up again?” Alya asked skeptically as Lila tensed. “I mean…Marinette and Felix? Pfft, that’d never happen!”
“Does seem rather far-fetched,” murmured Juleka in agreement.
“But I really saw—" she tried again in vain.
“Shh, it’s okay. Why don’t you tell us more about your recent trip to Achu instead, Lila?” Rose begged the flabbergasted liar.
~~~SCENE 2: Adrien~~~
It was Saturday and the teen heartthrob of Paris had just finished a photoshoot early. Nathalie had even agreed to let him enjoy a little free time! ‘Too bad Nino is busy with Alya today,’ he thought glumly as he looked around the park. Spying his favorite designer’s balcony in the distance brought a smile to his face once again. ‘Maybe Marinette would want to play some UMS III!’ Destination set, Adrien began crossing the park at a leisurely pace, enjoying the sun and the breeze on such a pleasant day.
He watched as kids chased each other through the park, vendors sold balloons and treats, and friends picnicked on checkered blankets. The model smiled as his roaming eyes noted happy couples – like the two giggling college students holding hands as they walked, Marinette and Felix lounging under a tree, the young man chasing—WAIT. Marinette and Felix were what?
Adrien’s eyes locked back onto the pair beneath the tree in disbelief. Felix was sitting with his back against the trunk while reading the book he held in one hand. Sprawled out between his knees was a slumbering bluenette, her sketchpad forgotten on her lap while her fingers still twitched with the pencil between the digits. Her body was slumped slightly to the right, her head lazily resting against his cousin’s chest. Dumbstruck, he continued to stare as Felix brought his free hand up to turn the page before returning it back to its original place, his silver ring gleaming in a wayward sunbeam as his fingers idly played with one of Marinette’s pigtails.
They looked…comfortable. Closer than he remembered them being.
Marinette seemed to stir, her eyes squinting slightly against the sunlight before she began to shift. The blond’s hand extracted itself from her hair, his eyes falling away from those crisp white pages to gaze down at the girl in his lap. The bluenette resettled on her left side, half curled against his chest and readily fell back to sleep. With unbridled fascination, Adrien watched a soft smile spread across Felix’s face before his hand cupped around her cheek to gently play with the short hairs that curled in front of her ears. His smile never wavered as his eyes returned back to the book in his other hand as if the whole exchange had never happened.
Felix looked…happy and, perhaps, in love?
‘Are they…dating?’ The model’s brow scrunched in thought, considering the whole exchange as he quietly walked in the opposite direction. ‘Good for them. I should congratulate them at school tomorrow!’
‘Maybe Luka is available for a jam session,’ Adrien pulled out his phone to call the older boy.
~~~SCENE 3: Adrien and Alix~~~
After school the next day, while waiting for his ride, Adrien flagged down his cousin coming down the stairs. Felix gave his usual short greeting before expectantly looking at him. Noting they didn’t have much time to spare, he decided to cut to the chase.
“I noticed you and Marinette have gotten rather close recently,” Adrien smiled warmly.
“Yes, she’s been very welcoming and warm. She grows on you, much like a fungus,” the snobbish blond replied while his eyes drifted towards the entry way as if looking for someone.
“Come on, Fe! You don’t need to be so obtuse. She’s really special, isn’t she?” The model raised his eyebrows, attempting to put a heavier meaning behind his words. All he got was a distracted, affirmative hum in reply. Settling a hand on his cousin’s shoulder, his grey eyes shifted back to Adrien. The model looked directly into Felix’s eyes with a bright smile, “I just wanted to tell you that I’m really happy for you two!”
His cousin’s face scrunched up in confusion but, before he could question the green eye blond, his attention was captured by a shriek coming from the stairs behind them. Felix turned just in time to catch a flying bluenette against his chest with an “oof!” before she could hit the ground.
Alix jumped down from the top step and swooped around them in her skates, looking frantic. “Oh my gods, Mari! I’m so sorry, I thought you saw me coming. Are you okay?”
“Kubdel, what the hell were you thinking? You know Marinette has her head in the clouds 80% of the time!” Felix scolded the pink haired girl while setting the young designer down on her feet, keeping her in the protective ring of his arms. Turning to her, his tone became a tender and worried murmur, “Are you alright, princess?”
“I’m purrfectly fine, she didn’t mean to bump into me! Besides,” Alix and Adrien watched as her smile turned fond, “you caught me before I could get hurt. My hero.” She pretended to swoon and, although Felix scowled, his eyes remained soft. They watched as he took her bag from her shoulder and then grabbed her hand. Neither classmate missed how the grey eyed boy threaded his fingers through hers.
“You’re likely to fall over if I don’t hold onto you. Let’s get you home in one piece, shall we?” He nodded to the two as he led Marinette away, the unlikely duo murmuring to themselves – smiling and laughing as if in their own little world.
“Are those two dating?” Alix inquired with obvious confusion.
“Yup, I saw them cuddling in the park over the weekend. I was pretty surprised but I’m happy for them. I think she’s good for him,” Adrien grinned.
“Huh. I always thought she’d end up with you,” the pink haired girl shrugged and skated away from the now blushing blond.
“Wait, what?!”
~~~SCENE 4: Amelie~~~
The Graham-Agreste family didn’t travel outside of Paris much these days but, when they did, it was usually for a week at a time. Amelie had warned her son about the impending trip to visit a business contact in Greece and he seemed less than thrilled. She suspected it had something to do with the sweet classmate he had been spending so much free time with. She wasn’t blind but pretended to be whenever Felix’s face softened and an unconscious smile spread on his face when he would receive a text from her. She even had her own ringtone! And today? Why, Amelie was in for quite the treat because that very classmate appeared at their door just a few hours ago to help Felix pack for his trip.
She didn’t miss the chance to remind her teenage son to leave his door open as she didn’t wish to be a grandmother…yet. Nor did she miss both turning bright red at the implication of her words.
Amelie had checked a few times – while walking down the hallway, she didn’t want to cramp his style – and noted that he had left the door ajar as requested. This allowed her to catch snippets of their muffled conversation and laughter in passing. Not that she was trying to eavesdrop, but those joyful sounds made her so happy. It made her heart swell that Felix had finally found someone he could relax and be himself with! Her grumpy little man had made a friend – a girl friend no less – and Amelie was over the moon!
‘Come to think of it, it has been a while and they are awful quiet…’ she internally mused. ‘Better go check on them.’
The older blond set down her crossword and headed upstairs, approaching the bedroom door as quietly as she could. She heard nothing as she paused outside the door. Curiosity getting the better of her, she pushed the door open soundlessly. She had to bite her lip to stop from cooing over what she found!
Felix’s carryon was packed and set at the foot of the bed with care, a light jacket draped over the handle in preparation of their early flight. A single lamp on his nightstand was on, illuminating the scene before her in the dusk-colored room. In the middle of the duvet lay the two teens, about a foot apart but facing each other, unconsciously holding hands as they peacefully napped side-by-side. Tiptoeing to the end of the bed, Amelie pulled out her phone and snapped a few silent photos – noting with glee the tiny smile on her son’s face as he slept. With an airy sigh through her nose, she silently departed so the two could rest.
‘They make such a cute couple! I’ll have to frame these photos for when they get married…’
~~~SCENE 5: Juleka and Nathaniel~~~
A few weeks later, Madame Bustier had paired up students for an art history project. Juleka and Nathaniel had scheduled some time during lunch to study in the library, hoping to get the necessary books for their chosen historical figure: Marcel Duchamp. They greeted the librarian and headed towards the art history section, flipping through various books to find the most relevant information. Suddenly a giggle cut through the quiet and caught the attention of the two studious classmates. Peeking around the end of the row and looking toward the beanbag chairs in the reading nook, they spied two teens engaging in a tickle fight. Their eyes widened as they realized the grinning blond was none other than Felix and the snorting giggles were escaping a very pink, writhing Marinette.
“Is that…are they…” Nathaniel questioned under his breath, Juleka nodding vaguely to confirm that she was witnessing the same thing. This was not the work of an akuma.
They watched silently as the bluenette twisted and struggled to evade the blond boy’s nimble fingers, eventually ending up tangled and panting in an embrace that resembled a human Gordian Knot. Her legs were draped across his lap and an ankle hooked around one of his, her arms weaved and locked around his upper torso, her fingers driven into his hair. Felix’s head rested against her collar bone, his eyes shut, and lips curved into a smug smile. Their bodies were pressed so tightly together that not even a breeze could get between them. “You could have just told me you wanted to nap! Gods, you’re such a cat sometimes!” Marinette scolded softly with a huff of laughter, her fingers petting the skin and long hair at the base of his neck as the boy seemed to melt further against the young designer.
“Do you think they’re dating?” Juleka whispered in amazement.
“Certainly seems like it,” the red head replied.
~~~SCENE 6: Mylene and Rose~~~
“…And the whole park just looks so lovely with all those new trees planted! Thank you for helping with my beautification project, Rose!” Mylene expressed happily to the strawberry blond beside her as they wandered into the cafeteria.
“I was so happy to help. The flowers are going to smell amazing when they begin to blossom!” Rose swooned softly before bumping into someone in her distracted state. “Oh, hey Marinette! What have you got there?”
“Hey guys! I made bento boxes today, want to see?” The bluenette opened the two boxes for their perusal. Inside were tiny hotdog octopi piled so close together that they seemed to be kissing, slices of fried chicken, rice balls with seaweed hearts stuck all over them, and a small salad filled with heart shaped veggies. The two girls cooed over each detail, noting the obvious theme…
“Did you make these for your crush, Marinette?” Rose chirped sweetly, “So romantic!”
“Wh-what?! N-no, no! I just made these because I wanted to…” the young designer blushed crimson at their words and nervously rubbed the back of her neck. “I kind of fell down a YouTube rabbit hole with Kagami the other day and became super obsessed with the idea. I’m not very good though, I still need a bunch of practice…”
The colorful dreadlocked girl smiled kindly, “I think it’s really sweet! You know, I bet Adrien would—”
“Oh shoot! Sorry, girls, I promised Felix we’d have lunch together to work on our project and I really want to eat before this gets cold,” interrupted a distracted Marinette as she packed up her bento, her face scrunched as she took in the grumpy blond at the far end of the cafeteria.
“Sure, see you later, Mari!” Rose and Mylene watched as their friend crossed the room to sit with Felix. “They’ve been spending a lot of time together lately, huh?”
The mousey girl nodded, watching in fascination as their class rep seemed to scold the pale blond for only eating an apple before spreading the two bento boxes between them on the table. Felix responded with an eyeroll from the other side of his book, but Marinette just gesticulated her hand brandishing chopsticks to wave off his arguments. They were taken aback a moment later when she scooped a mouthful from the box and blew away the steam, then offered it to the boy with a silent ‘say ah!’ The grump seemed to huff before dutifully taking the morsel into his mouth, not letting her feeding him interrupt his reading. Marinette smiled brightly and continued to feed them both in this fashion, completely oblivious of the two shocked girls watching from afar.
The petite bubbly girl squealed with joy! “Do you think she actually made the bento for Felix? Oh my goodness, she filled it with hearts!”
“And he accepted it! We’ve got to tell the girls!” Mylene gushed, thrilled to see their sweet friend find love and appreciation.
Looks like the Adrienette fan club needs to disband…
~~~SCENE 7: Kim~~~
It was date night with his girl, Ondine. He had lost their bet at swim practice, so she got to pick the movie – some American “classic” called Grease playing at a small, off-the-beaten-path theater. She seemed happy so Kim wasn’t about to complain. ‘I just hope it’s not a total chick flick! I’ll have to catch the latest John Wick with the guys next weekend…’ he internally sighed. It was early evening on a weeknight, a few bored employees manned the front, and very few patrons were in attendance. Most appeared to be couples out on their own dates. The two athletic teens settled into their seats near the back – prime make out territory for couples, oh yeah – just in time for the lights to dim.
Suddenly, about five minutes into the film, the entry door on the opposite side of the auditorium opened with a loud BANG and made everyone present jump. Kim heard a familiar voice call out a whispered “sorry!” before catching sight of a couple quietly making their way down the aisle and settling a few rows down from where he was. One tall, lanky, dour blond and a shorter, contrite looking bluenette… Wait, was that Felix and Marinette? As Ondine hummed and danced in her seat to ‘Summer Lovin,’ Kim curiously watched as the duo took their seats in the back half of the theater. Once seated, there was some sort of frantic movement from Marinette before Felix settled his arm over her shoulders and pulled her closer; the young designer’s head coming to rest against his chest. Kim’s eyebrows shot up to his hairline and his jaw dropped.
Were they on a DATE?
Distracted, Kim draped his arm around his girlfriend and stared off towards the screen unseeing for a few moments, the gears in his head slowly turning. They arrived together. They seemed cuddly with each other. His eyes widened. ‘Wait, they…’ He glanced over a few times to verify, ‘…they sat in the make out section!’ By the time the characters were dancing around the carnival to ‘We Go Together,’ the Vietnamese boy noticed out of the corner of his eye that Felix had long ago rested his head on top of Mari’s and had occasionally rubbed his cheek against her dark hair.
Maybe it wasn’t really them?
The credits rolled and the dim house lights came on, allowing him to get a better look at the couple as they got up to leave. Oh, yup, it was definitely Felix and Marinette. He nodded along as Ondine gushed about the film, watching his classmates ahead of them from his peripherals. Marinette was gesturing widely, her eyes lit up in a way that only happened when she spoke about fashion. The grouchy teen was gone, a warm smile on his face as he gazed down at the girl beside him. Once outside, he watched as the smile turned into a frown once again – this time only because the bluenette was shivering. He thought he heard the blond murmur “are you cold, Bug?” but he wasn’t sure. For the second time that night, Kim was shocked as Felix shrugged out of his coat and draped it around the dark-haired girl before pulling her close as they walked down the street.
Ondine looked between Kim and the couple, tilting her head a bit. “Isn’t that your friend, Marinette?”
“Yeah…” the taller boy replied hesitantly.
“Wow, she and her boyfriend make such a cute couple!”
~~~SCENE 8: Chloe & Nino~~~
Nino’s groan of frustration was so loud that it reverberated off the walls of the hallway, “Chloe! Look, I’m not thrilled about having to do this report with you either but I’m not going to let you just not do anything!”
The haughty blond girl huffed, crossing her arms with a pout. “I can’t believe you’re going to make me do…” She paused, her mouth opening and closing like she was attempting to spit out something foul tasting, “…homework, Lahiffe. I have far more interesting things to do – like my mani-pedi! These hands don’t just look perfect all on their own!”
“Just use your phone to search for some information on Louise Bourgeois. You insisted on picking her since you’re related but you have to do more than pick the topic!”
Chloe scoffed and turned towards the other blond that had wandered out of the classroom, “Felikins, tell Lahiffe here that a young woman like myself has important needs!”
Felix settled against the wall beside the classroom door and rolled his eyes. He opened his mouth to reply when a stumbling blur came through the doorway and seized his attention. Nino watched in fascination as Adrien’s cousin quickly spun – was he always that fast? – and caught the figure in his arms, his face scrunched up in confusion and concern. As he raised himself from a crouch, the DJ was able to see he now held a barely conscious Marinette.
“Dudette! She okay?” Nino stepped closer with an outstretched hand, worry evident in his tone. Sure, he hadn’t been able to hang out with her as much lately, but he knew her! His oldest friend tended to push herself too hard and take on too much, plus she had developed a sensitivity to cold recently… Made her susceptible to getting sick very easily.
Then something unexpected happened that stunned them to silence... The grey eyed boy leaned forward and pressed his lips to her forehead, his face transforming from worry to shock before effortlessly scooping the limp bluenette up bridal style. His voice softened, “Marinette, you have a fever! Did you go out without your jacket again?” He huffed as the girl whined weakly in his arms. Turning to the two of them, his tone became all business once more, “Excuse me, it seems I need to take her to the nurse.” The two shocked classmates stepped aside as a very fierce looking Felix hastened down the hall like a man on a mission. Nino could swear he heard Felix’s voice echoed a ‘what am I going to do with you, princess?’ as he turned the corner, but Felix surely wouldn’t say something like that… would he? Then again…
“Did Felix just…kiss Marinette? Do you think they’re dating?” Nino wondered aloud.
His words seemed to snap Chloe out of her stupor, she spun to face him and screeched in disbelief, “What?! Dating? Ridiculous, utterly ridiculous!”
~~~SCENE 9: Sabine & Tom~~~
Sabine was a patient, protective, intuitive woman. She watched her beautiful daughter trip over herself for a boy in her school – a model, no less – she just shook her head. Adrien seemed like a sweet boy but distracted and flighty. Tom thought he seemed like a good match for their sweet girl at first and welcomed him into their home like they would a future son-in-law; Sabine was unconvinced though. Not that she would treat the sweet teen model without her usual kindness – he was her little Bǎobèi‘s friend, after all. He just wasn’t the right one.
However, about half a year later Marinette came home with another blond boy that immediately caught her attention. The new boy, Felix, looked similar to Adrien but was entirely different. Sure, both boys were respectful, handsome, and polite… However, where Adrien was falling over himself for approval and acceptance, Felix walked with a gait that seemed to communicate he needed no one’s approval. She watched with interest as their friendship developed and noted with a smile that the grumpy boy balanced out their daughter’s overexuberance. She softened his hard edges; his quiet support allowed her self-confidence to blossom. He brought structure and order; she ruffled his feathers and introduced some spontaneity to his life. Sabine and Tom had friendly bets going that the two would become something more, but nothing had shown that that was happening. There had been an obvious change in their dynamic a few weeks ago and the bakers were thrilled! Perhaps this was the moment? No.
At this rate, her daughter was going to cost her $30 if they didn’t get together by the end of the month…
It had been a couple days since a worried Felix carried a feverish Marinette home from school. He made sure to come by each day with notes, assignments, and to inquire about her health. Sabine could tell by the way his eyes drifted to the back stairs during each visit that he wanted to see her – not that the taciturn blond would admit such a thing. The two teens were in the living room watching a movie now that she was feeling better. Sabine smiled softly as she washed a few dishes in the sink, ‘As if illness would keep that boy away from your side, Bǎobèi…’ The blond teen was sitting a respectful distance from her daughter on the couch as they chatted about the plot quietly, smiles on both of their faces.
Marinette began to shiver, her body not quite recovered, and whined about feeling cold. Sabine watched as Felix rolled his eyes before getting up, eliciting a louder whine from the girl on the couch. He passed the kitchen with a nod and wordlessly went up the stairs to the designer’s room, returning with a thick fluffy blanket as if he was used to fetching things in their house or for their daughter. Odd. The boy proceeded to drape the blanket over his blue-eyed classmate, carefully tucking it around her whole form before lifting her feet and encasing them as well. Marinette made happy noises as she began to settle in when a sudden movement made her squawk with indignation. Sabine turned in time to see Felix sit closer to her, Marinette’s feet on his lap as he began to unconsciously rub them through the cover of the blanket.
The older bluenette smiled, watching the two returning back to their bantering. Sabine quietly dried her hands and went back down to the bakery. Tom was going to want to hear all about this!
~~~Later…
Tom and his wife tiptoed up the stairs, hoping to catch a glimpse of the two teens without their notice. There, on the couch and basking in the glow of the DVD menu, lay two sleeping teens. Their daughter was cocooned in the blanket like a caterpillar going through metamorphosis, only her head was visible. However, laying slightly behind and draped over the blanket was the slumbering form of Felix. His arms unconsciously pulled her closer, causing their Bǎobèi to hum happily.
“Better be ready to pay up, honey,” whispered Sabine with a grin. “This boy is definitely our Nǚxù.”
Tom chuckled softly, pulling out his phone and opening the notes app. “Do you think he’ll like strawberry crème for their wedding cake?”
“Perhaps lemon, it would go very well with that cream cheese buttercream you’ve been testing out…”
The two adults retreated back to the bakery to continue their discussion, leaving the two teens blissfully unaware that the details of their anticipated nuptials would likely be hammered out by the end of the week.
~~~SCENE 10: Sabrina & Roger Raincomprix~~~
Lt. Roger Raincomprix returned home after his evening patrol, dropping his keys on the entryway table before letting out a long sigh. Tonight had been a long shift but he needed to speak to his daughter before she went to bed… He plodded down the hallway to her room and knocked when he saw the light still shining from beneath the door. “Sabrina? Are you still up, pumpkin?”
“Come on in, Dad!” Roger nervously pushed his way in, finding his smiling daughter dressed in her pajamas and sitting at her desk. “We have a big test tomorrow, so I was just getting in one last review before going to bed.”
“That’s good, honey. We need to have a talk,” the officer sat on the edge of his daughter’s bed and fidgeted with his hands. He wasn’t sure how to broach this topic with his teenage daughter but, some things had happened that evening that made Roger realize that he needed to make sure she was being safe.
“Something wrong, Dad? Did something happen on patrol tonight?” Sabrina’s tone became pensive, concerned for the serious look that her father was sporting.
He dropped his eyes to the floor, flexing his hands in and out of fists as he spoke haltingly. “Yes. Uh…well… Pumpkin, you’re a young woman now. Hormones are hard to deal with as a teen and you’re…going to meet someone special…and you’re going to have some urges—”
“DAD!” The scandalized cry brought his eyes up to meet her own wide, cyan-colored eyes. “Are you…trying to give me the ‘birds and the bees’ talk?”
He swallowed thickly, “Yes, sweetie. You’re sixteen now and—”
His daughter crossed her arms and gave him a flat look as she interrupted again, “I don’t even have a romantic interest right now, Dad. We already covered this in Sex Ed. What is this really about? What happened on patrol?”
Roger gave a long sigh and his brow furrowed. ‘I shouldn’t tell her what happened but… Sabrina wouldn’t tell anyone.’
He cleared his throat. “There was an incident with two of your classmates tonight in the park—”
“WHAT? Who?”
“Sabine’s daughter, Marinette, and that blond kid…what was his name again? Not the model.”
“Felix Graham-Agreste?”
He snapped his fingers, “That’s the one! Caught the two of them in the park canoodling…”
~~Earlier…
Lt. Raincomprix whistled softly as he walked past the hero statue in the park. It had been a quiet shift besides the akuma – not that he could assist with that! – which the heroes apparently wrapped up a few minutes ago, if the recent swarm of ladybugs was any indication. ‘I wonder what those two do after the fight? Chat Noir seems suave, he’s probably some playboy…’ Suddenly a crash and groans were heard. Roger pulled out his flashlight and rushed toward the bushes where the noise originated. There, he found two teens he recognized from his daughter’s class in a compromising position…
Felix Graham-Agreste was slouched back against the trunk of a tree and Marinette Dupain-Cheng was slumped forward between his knees, both staring towards the light with wide eyes. Their hair and clothes were in disarray, small twigs and leaves attached to the strands as if they had been rolling through the bushes. One of the bluenette’s hands was resting upon his thigh, while the other was gripping the front of his belt. The blond had a hand on the back of her head and the other pressed against her upper back, as if pulling her towards him. Felix’s shirt had been untucked and ridden up to expose his stomach; Marinette’s shirt gaped open in the front where a few buttons had popped off to reveal the lacy shoulder strap of her bra.
“What do you two think you’re doing? A park is no place for a lover’s tryst!” Lt. Raincomprix exclaimed.
The two looked each other over briefly before turning red in the face, the small girl squeaked in embarrassment as the boy pulled her close to cover her exposed décolletage and flaming face. He cleared his throat to try to regain some semblance of decorum. “Our apologies, Officer. We weren’t… this isn’t… this was an accident…”
“So are many babies that come from young teenage relationships, son. I understand, I was a young, hot-blooded man myself once.” Roger chuckled at the memory of his adolescent escapades. The two teens in front of him rose to their feet, a flustered Marinette clutched the front of her shirt closed as a more composed Felix kept an arm around her while he continued to shield her from view with his body. “Head on home. I don’t want to be finding you two in the bushes after dark again, you hear?”
The two teens nodded and started the trek back towards the bakery, Roger could hear the bluenette muttering about this being all the boy’s fault. Before they could escape the park, the officer called back out to them. “Oh! And remember to use protection!” He could see the pale blond stiffen and a new flush of red go up the back of his neck at the comment. He chuckled and murmured quietly, “Kids these days…”
~~~Present…
“…I know they’re in your class and you’re all about the same age. It’s totally natural to express your love that way. I just wanted to have a talk with you to make sure that you’ll be safe.” Roger smiled at his daughter and ruffled her hair. “Alright, pumpkin, thanks for hearing me out. Just wait to give me grandkids until you’re a bit older, hm?” He chuckled and walked from the room with a wave. “Sweet dreams and good luck on that test tomorrow!”
A gaping Sabrina stared at the door that her father closed behind him, trying to grasp the facts – Felix and Marinette were apparently caught in a park together.
Were they even dating? It was obviously serious!
Or was he just using her?
How had no one noticed?
She needed to talk to Chloe!
~~~SCENE 11: Max~~~
The cafeteria was busy when Max Kanté wandered in, almost every seat was taken, and a few students had even braved sitting on the notoriously filthy tabletops. Markov scanned the area and found an empty chair near the resident grumpy blond in the corner – was he saving it for someone? Or perhaps most were just too intimidated to ask? Based on various factors, the bespectacled teen calculated that he had a 64.8% chance of success approaching him verses someone else in their class. He’d take those odds.
Approaching the distant table, he noted that Felix Graham-Agreste was focused – leaned forward on elbows and brow furrowed – on a laptop screen in front of him and, once he was within two meters of his target, that it appeared he was playing a video game. Max’s curiosity was peaked. “Hello Felix, apologies, I noticed you were playing a game. I was unaware you were a gamer. Perhaps you would be interested in being a beta test—”
The blond winced slightly and sat back, looking up at the suspender-wearing boy with a wry smirk. “I’m not, Kante. I am attempting to try a game recommended to me by an acquaintance. I’m afraid this endeavor is likely fruitless.”
“Oh,” Max paused, unsure how to continue the conversation. “Well, if you change your mind, I wouldn’t mind a non-gamer perspective. My games should be user friendly to professionals and novices alike.” Felix hummed in response, his eyes returning to the screen where 32-bit sprites bounced in place while awaiting orders. ‘Likely an emulator game considering the archaic graphics,’ he thought to himself.
He cleared his throat and rested his hand on the back of the open chair. “I actually came here to ask if I could take the chair or are you saving it?”
Felix’s eyes flickered over the item before he waved dismissively, “Take it. I’m not saving it.”
“Many thanks. Enjoy your game.” The blond teen snorted in reply and turned back towards his computer.
Max moved to a table nearby, settling in to eat with a few members of the AV club to discuss the latest technology released at the recent Consumer Electronics Show (CES). While one boy animatedly spoke of the newest VR technologies, the bespectacled boy noticed Marinette swerving between the tables; he raised his hand to greet her, but she only gave a wave in passing before stopping beside Felix. Unusual. The distance between them was not great and, though he did not mean to, he could not help eavesdropping inadvertently.
“Hey Felix! Are you…playing a game?” The bluenette leaned over his shoulder, tilting her head at what was displayed.
“Yes, although not very well.” He chuckled softly.
“…But you don’t like video games,” he hummed as she paused in thought. “What brought on the change of heart?”
Felix roughly cleared his throat and preoccupied himself with brushing nonexistent dust from the keyboard keys rather than meeting her eyes. When he finally spoke, Max could barely hear his voice over the general din. “…You enjoy it.” Were his ears red? That had to be a trick of the light!
Marinette whipped her head towards him, blinking a few times as she absorbed his words. Max could see the instant they sunk in: her cheeks took on a rosy glow, her eyes softened, and a sweet smile spread across her face. Were they…flirting? Max was unsure. She leaned in a bit closer, “So…what are we playing?”
Felix seemed to recover some of his normal composure at her reply, “Final Fantasy 7, unfortunately.”
“Wait, the original 1997 release? I love that game!” Marinette glanced around for a chair, frowning when she didn’t see one available. She contemplated the tabletop with a quick swipe of her hand, grimacing at finding something sticky. She wiped her hand lightly on her dark wash jeans and mumbled something that made the boy scoff. They seemed to exchange a look before he sat back and made a gesture in front of him.
Wait! Was Felix Graham-Agreste offering what Max thought he was offering?
No! Couldn’t be! There was only a 13.7% chance that…
Max stared with wide eyes as the blue-eyed designer smiled graciously before casually taking a seat on the blond’s lap – as if this was an everyday occurrence! – before proceeding into a detailed breakdown of the game mechanics and basic strategy. Felix loosely looped an arm around her waist to hold her steady while her hands fluttered about to emphasize her words. The pale blond rested his chin on her shoulder, his eyes attentive and focused on the screen once more, nodding along while his body language communicated contentment. Lifting the sleeve of his green polo shirt, Max pinched himself to make sure he was not imagining this strange manifestation, then glanced around for an akuma for good measure. Nope, this was real.
‘Looks like I need to adjust my calculations…’ he thought, baffled.
~~~SCENE 12: The Whole Class~~~
After a few long days of presentations and exams (and multiple late-night stress-induced akumas – midterms, amirite?), students were rewarded with a school board mandated half day as a “stress relief” measure. Dupont’s was scheduled on Wednesday and teachers had doubled up on homework assignments, but Madam Bustier’s class wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth! The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and they had time off from school! They quickly arranged for a potluck styled picnic in the park and most of their group had arrived by the allotted time…
“Hey, where’s Marinette and Felix?” Max questioned.
“Don’t know about Felix but you know my girl, she’s always running late,” Alya chuckled.
“They’re probably coming together!” Rose chirped from beside a nodding Mylene. Juleka seemed to be murmuring something about a Felinette fan club to a perplexed Ivan.
The Ladyblogger scoffed, “Yeah right. They can barely stand each other at school.” Alix seemed to be quietly chuckling at something Nathaniel was muttering about from the shade of a nearby tree.
Nino and Adrien shared a look beside a smug Kim. “They seemed pretty chummy to me,” the jock shrugged while the other two boys nodded emphatically.
Lila crossed her arms with a huff, “I tried to tell you, Aly—”
“Pardon our tardiness, someone couldn’t pick what flavor juice they wanted…” interrupted Felix with an annoyed tone.
Everyone turned to see the grumpy blond, who had suddenly appeared and was setting down a few boxes of pastries from the boulangerie. He was dressed in a crisp white linen button up, the long sleeves belying the warmth in the air, with his typical grey vest and slacks. Trailing behind was a contrite looking Marinette carrying a large jug of grape juice, her flirty grey skirt and short-sleeved white blouse with white embroidery seeming to match Felix in a casual way. Most present would agree that that was the best way to describe the pair: formal vs. casual, yet somehow complimentary. Well, most people anyway – Alya called it a coincidence!
“There were too many options,” she protested with a scoff, “rich people apparently like to have a bazillion different kinds of juice!”
“It’s called ‘having a selection’ and that’s not even a number!” The boy snarked back, wandering closer to Adrien with an eyeroll. The designer grumbled as she poured herself a cup of juice.
“Now that everyone’s here, let’s get this party started!” Nino cried while pumping a fist in the air, cueing Max to start up the tunes while the group mingled over snacks and students settled into a rough circle on a collection of picnic blankets.
Everyone was laughing and having a good time, although many were stealing glances at the bluenette and pale blond as they seemed to coordinate or maneuver around each other like some kind of elaborate dance. His hand steadying her elbow as she wobbled while getting up, her wordlessly placing a few extra cheese squares onto his plate, a tap or a smile or a shoulder bump somehow communicating each other’s needs without words. The food began to dwindle after a couple amicable – if scrutinizing – hours passed. All that remained was a handful of badly bruised fruit and the dwindling drink supply. It was during a moment when Marinette was refilling her cup with juice at the nearby table and Felix turned a certain way that it happened…
“Uh, Fe… You have something on your collar.” Adrien pointed towards his own neck to indicate the general location. “Did you spill something on yourself?”
“No,” puzzled the teen in question, popping open the top button, pulling the collar away from his neck and into the edges of his field of vision.
“Yeah, dude, it kinda looks like lipstick?” Nino helpfully contributed.
Felix face morphed into a flat look of irritation before leaning back to call over his shoulder, “You got lipstick on me again?”
‘AGAIN?’ The class thought simultaneously, shocked speechless.
Oblivious to the turmoil he had created in their classmates, the grumpy blond turned to speak directly to the approaching bluenette. “What is it with you and always leaving marks on me, hm?”
Jaws slackened, unsure what to make of such a bold statement. However, Alya’s eyes had zeroed in on the exposed skin around Felix’s collar bones and shoulder… which were covered in light scratches. Scratches that were obviously made by human fingernails rather than by an animal. ‘As if given in the heat of passion…’ The thought caused her to choke on a bite of food and left her coughing roughly to clear her windpipe.
“It’s not like I meant to—AH!” Marinette’s toe caught on a rock, lurching her forward and causing the grape juice to go airborne. As if in slow motion, everyone watched in silent fascination as the purple stream crashed down on Felix. With a bland look and soft growl, the now wet teen dragged a hand down his face and looked into the bluebell eyes staring at him in horror. A silent conversation seemed to pass between the two as everyone held their breath – Adrien’s cousin was not known for being forgiving, especially when it came to his clothes. After a couple seconds, the young designer scrambled up and began to blot his face and neck with a few wrinkled napkins that she had crushed in her hand when she fell.
“Oh gods… I’m so, so sorry, Felix!” They watched as his brow furrowed and he captured the wrist of one fussing hand in his. Just as he was about to open his mouth to give a – likely scathing – retort, she suddenly perked up with a determined glint in her eye. In one fluid motion she reversed his hold and yanked them both to their feet. “I know! Let’s go back to my house so you can change, I have one of your shirts from last time!”
With a quick tug and a brusque ‘see ya’ over her shoulder, the two were off! The drenched blond stumbling after the exuberant bluenette bounding gracefully across the grass, moving so fast that they were quickly out of earshot. Leaving behind the cacophony of vocalized reactions of their friends and classmates to such a proclamation…
“Wait—”
“WHAT DO YOU MEAN—”
“…Last time?”
“Do you think that means they…”
“DUDE!”
“…my ship…”
“Damn, get it, bro!”
“Did you see…”
“I told you so!”
“What just happened?!”
“Ridiculous! If you hadn’t already told me, Sabrina, I would not have believed it.” Chloe’s muttered words, although not loud, cut through the din and silenced all present. Twelve sets of eyes landed on the duo as if seeking answers or insider gossip.
“Wait! What do you know, Sabrina?” Alya questioned with narrowed eyes.
“Well…” she hesitated, looking around nervously before dropping her eyes to the checkered pattern of the blanket she sat on. “My dad said, the other night…”
~~~SCENE 13: The Confrontation~~~
No one was really sure how it started but the newest ‘golden couple’ was in the middle of an argument during their free period. Madam Bustier had left to gather more materials for later coursework. Everyone watched with silent interest as Marinette and Felix seemed to forget that the rest of the room existed, teasing smirks and flashing eyes only for each other.
“Oh really?”
“Yeah!”
“You and what army?”
“I don’t need an army, I can best you all by myself.”
“I’d like to see you try.”
The class collectively held their breath as the two edged closer and closer. The space between them on their shared bench disappeared as they leaned in, eyes locked together as grey gazed deeply into blue, nose to nose and humid breaths mingling as they continued to banter. Marinette’s bangs brushed Felix’s forehead as he tilted his head and his features adopted a more cocksure appearance, as if he was challenging her. She leaned ever closer, their lips only a whisper apart as their voices dropped in timbre. Time seemed to slow to a stop in the classroom. The anticipation was so thick that it was choking every ambient sound into silence…
“JUST KISS ALREADY!”
In an instant the spell was broken. Everyone jumped at the screeched words and searched for the source. There stood a panting, flushed Juleka. Her hands planted on her desk as she leaned aggressively forward, a fierce fire burning in her eyes as they bored into Marinette and Felix – as if the strength of her will alone would make it happen. A few groans were heard as the couple leaned away with widened eyes, only now realizing they had an audience.
“What did you say?” questioned the pale blond, his lips turning down into a frown.
“We’re saying you don’t need to hide your relationship anymore,” Ivan smiled softly.
“Guys, what…” the young designer chuckled incredulously.
“We know you two are dating,” answered Kim plainly.
Marinette and Felix’s ruddy complexions mirrored each other, their eyes looking like they might pop from their sockets. The two tripped over their words to contradict but neither were able to get more than a “we’re not—“/”that’s not—” as their tongues tumbled about uselessly in their mouths.
“Don’t even try to deny it, we’ve all seen you two. It’s not like you’re very subtle, Dupain-Cheng!” Chloe crossed her arms and stared down her nose at them.
The tall blond boy was the first to recover, his brow furrowing. “Wait, what do you mean you saw us?”
“I saw you cuddling in the park,” Adrien offered softly.
“And in the library,” Nathaniel contributed while Juleka got herself under control.
“All of you know that Marinette is very physically affectionate, especially when she’s cold.” Felix defended.
Alix scoffed, “What about holding hands and carrying her bags?”
“She’s also incredibly clumsy and regularly hurts herself. I do that to keep her from faceplanting every three meters,” he argued while Mari chuckled softly.
“You two regularly share drinks,” Lila rolled her eyes at the gasped “sorry for not believing you, girl!” coming from Alya beside her.
“And made him bento lunches!” squealed a lovesick Rose.
“Hey! I told you I made those on a whim!” the young designer cried.
“Then why were there so many hearts?” Mylene innocently questioned.
The bluenette blushed, “They were supposed to be flowers…I’m not very good at cutting shapes with a knife.”
“Well, Ondine and I saw you all lovey-dovey at the movies,” presented Kim with an eyebrow waggle.
She crossed her arms and huffed, “I was researching 1950’s American fashion for a design!”
“Uh…dudette…we saw him kiss you,” Nino nervously murmured. Although, by the way the whole class gasped, they had heard him. The Moroccan boy quickly added, “it was on the head!”
Marinette squeaked and looked at the slightly pink boy beside her. Felix turned to meet Nino’s eye, “…she was ill with a fever and I had my hands full, if you will recall.”
Lila’s tone turned salacious, “That doesn’t even cover the scandalous moments…”
“You did seem awfully cuddly playing video games at lunch the other day,” Max stated while adjusting his glasses.
“B-but th-that was…” the designer stuttered weakly before being interrupted.
“Sabrina’s father caught you hooking up in the park,” Kim smirked and winked towards Felix, who showed the telltale signs of a flush spreading up his neck and ears.
“Not to mention the lipstick and scratches!” Alya leaned towards Marinette and whisper shouted, “I didn’t know you had it in you, girl!”
“And he has clothes at your place from last time,” purred the Italian.
“That’s…” the bluenette swallowed hard, “I-I-I was tr-trying to save a k-kit-kitten from the tr-tree in the p-park. F-Felix ca-caught me when I s-slipped, damaged hi-his clothes… He left his sh-shirt for m-me to repair it and he for-forgot to p-pick it up.”
The blond kept his eyes down, his voice was quiet but still carried in the small classroom, “I recently discovered a new allergy to a certain laundry detergent that makes me very itchy and I’ve been scratching myself…”
“Um…what about the lipstick?” a bashful Adrien murmured.
“I hav-haven’t gotten m-m-much sleep lately…” began the designer, pressing her palms together in her lap nervously.
“…She has a tendency to fall asleep on me if I carry her,” Felix finished quietly, his grey eyes holding unreadable emotions.
“We’re just friends,” they flatly replied, their expressions reflecting some internal conflict while unable to meet the other’s eye.
Most of the students collectively groaned again as they hunkered back down into their seats, unable to stand that phrase. Fourteen sets of eyes exchanged looks as the information sank in. The couple’s explanation made a lot of sense in hindsight… Nino and Kim had known Mari for years and she was overly physically affectionate. ‘Plus Alya knows the girl was even more so with cold weather,’ the Moroccan boy thought. He and Kim shrugged it off, who were they to judge? Many others are willing to brush it off as a misunderstanding now that the excitement had passed.
On the other hand, Adrien seemed to grow more flustered since the declaration of friendship, shooting furtive glances towards Marinette – his imagination running wild with the idea of cuddling with the soft, sweet-smelling baker girl. ‘Maybe she and I…’ He was jolted from his daydreams by a tap from Nino’s pen on his arm. The model’s ears and cheeks felt like they would permanently sport a pink coloration. A few Adrienette fan club members squealed quietly as they observed his reactions. However, there were a few classmates that were still suspicious – such as Chloe and Sabrina – that quickly found home with the handful of Felinette shippers as they charted their theories. Some things just felt too convenient and damn, if they didn’t make an adorable couple…
REET! REET! REET!
The akuma alert popped up on every phone in the class, everyone opened it to see the location— BOOM!
RIIIIIING!
A plume of dust rose above the rooftops from a few blocks away and the school’s evacuation bell blared overhead. The students quickly grabbed their things and calmly evacuated away from the action. They all failed to notice a still pink Felix Graham-Agreste grab the hand of a flustered Marinette Dupain-Cheng before running furiously in the opposite direction…
~~~ BONUS SCENE~~~
The akuma took longer than usual. They were both off their game. First, the heroes had been distracted and submerged in the thoughts contained within their own minds. Their communication suddenly became stilted and awkward, filled with embarrassed laughter that would die out like a sputtering engine running out of fuel. Then it was as if they were hyperaware of each other – every touch, glance, and proximity – causing them to jerk away at the most inopportune times.
The worst part?
It wasn’t caused by the akuma.
The issues were not resolved by the Miraculous Cure. So, after recharging – and getting a peptalk from – their kwamis, they rendezvoused on the top of a tall building where they would not be overheard. Feet dangling over the edge, they decided to clear the air.
“I just can’t believe they thought we were dating!” Ladybug cried, her hands fluttering anxiously around her head.
"That cover story about the kitten in the park was genius though." Chat Noir chuckled, “I’m honestly not as surprised. You did suddenly act much closer to me after you revealed your identity.”
“Excuse moi? I was NOT the one that revealed to you! I seem to recall saving your leather-clad butt from being revealed to all of Paris.” The spotted heroine poked him in the shoulder.
“Yeah, yeah…” the black-cloaked hero rolled his eyes, “and you happened to drop your transformation right as we barreled headlong into that broom closet. You landed right on top of me!”
“Fine, I saved both of our asses, Alley Cat!” she grinned teasingly.
Chat threw his head back with a joyous laugh, a more natural grin spreading across his face as he flirtatiously waggled his eyebrows. “Alley Cat who? Our classmates seem to think I’m a House Cat now, Bugaboo.”
Ladybug’s cheeks pinked under her mask at the implication of his joke, her eyes breaking away from his to refocus on another point on the skyline pensively. Had he said something wrong? The lines of Chat’s mouth tugged down at her reaction, leaning closer in an attempt to meet her eyes again when her whisper froze him in place.
“…is the idea of being MY kitty so ridiculous…?”
His eyes widened. Chat swallowed thickly, his mind supplying the same sweet moments their classmates had witnessed and more as his face burned up. Perhaps even a bassinet, family dinners, and kisses. Gods, that sounded…purrfect. A wide grin blossomed from the ashes of his frown and he leaned into her peripherals to catch her eye with a flirty wink.
“Does that mean my princess would like to become my queen?”
The bug-heroine’s eyes snapped to meet his, filled with enough warmth and love to knock the air from his lungs. Within seconds, a playful sparkle and a bright smile broke across her face as she leaned right into his personal space to peck his cheek. His face grew hot, smile lopsided, and he could swear his spine melted a little.
“If you can catch me, Kitty,” launching herself from the building with a laugh as she swung away.
Shaking himself from his stupor, he pulled out his baton and plunged off the side. Challenge accepted. He had a bug to catch!
‘Looks like our classmates will have more to talk about tomorrow…’
**Note: I plan to write a sequel eventually!
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m3nt4llyr4v3d · 2 months
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Gabriel vs Chloe/Lila
I used to frequent the Miraculous subreddit (biggest mistake of my life) to see others opinions on Seasons 4 and 5. One question I would see pop up usually is as follows:
Why do people think Chloe/Lila is worse than Gabriel?
The common answer I’ve seen is that bullying and isolation are issues that the audience can relate to, something that’s more down to earth and closer to a viewer’s potential issues. Gabriel, meanwhile, is a supervillain who makes other ridiculously costumed supervillains when they feel bad, his situation was farther out, less relatable, so hammed up at times (cartoon and all) that people would take it less seriously.
And honestly? I completely understood this answer: many viewers’ overwhelming hatred of Chloe and Lila, from what I’ve seen, stemmed from personal relation to their victims, and their own experiences with bullies. It’s completely understandable why people would feel this way.
But then I thought about it for a second, and while I still understand that reasoning, I don’t understand it in any other context.
I mean, I’ve seen people on there genuinely say that Gabriel had more redeeming qualities than them, which confuses me. Lila I kind of understand, I mean we know literally nothing about this character, and the fandom reason of “she lies for attention because her mother is barely home”, which would give her sympathy, was a little… muddled, when it’s revealed she has 3 moms that she’s somehow lying to about being their daughter (what on earth) and has multiple identities. But Chloe? Season 2-3 was showing that she did have redeeming qualities, that she cared about people (few but regardless), she was even able to suck up her own pride when being a hero! Gabriel… He’s an odd case in which the story goes back and forth on whether he’s an awful irredeemable monster, or flawed but sympathetic dad trying his best, while also flip flopping on when exactly they want you to believe as much. Right now? He’s horrible, but the narrative want you to believe he’s just “trying his best” and thinks that he somehow has the room to ask Marinette to “tell Adrien to remember all the times I was a good father” (Marinette should’ve spat on his statue ngl)
Also, Gabriel is a neglectful, dare I say abusive father! Literally mind controls his son and is trying to control him to have the “destiny” that HE wants, not caring about his son at all. He literally pretends to bond with him at one point in Season 5 just so he could give him an alliance ring and walk off smirking, planning on akumatizing him (never brought up again btw). Like, I get that Hawkmoth is more of a hammy cartoon villain, and a lot of those aspect spill into Gabriel (I mean he had a silly stupid number near the beginning of season 5 that I hate to love). But the Gabriel half is genuinely horrible, and those aspects spill into Hawkmoth. Akumatizing, physically abusing your son, and ruining his relationship to akumatize his girlfriend in Chat Blanc, emotionally manipulating him with his dead mother in both Chat Blanc and Ephemeral, literally any time he causes an akuma on purpose by ruining the life of someone he used to be close with or personally knows (the comedian, Andre, anyone working under him), emotionally manipulating his son AGAIN just so he could plan to akumatize him later, locking him up in a white room and emotionally depriving him of everything, literally everything he does in season 5 actually. I understand that some of his more atrocious actions are supervillain things, and that could be more difficult to relate to real life problems. But come on, “neglectful, abusive, controlling parent” is absolutely a real life issue that people have, and it’s a bit strange I haven’t seen that brought up more often
I’m not saying that Chloe and Lila are saints by any means at all! But I am just saying that’s it’s kind of funny that people will say, with their whole chest, that vindictive bullying is actually worse than terrorism and abusing your child, and the idea that the narrative could agree with this scares me
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sariahsue · 6 months
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Let Me Count the Ways
Chapter Nineteen - Epilogue
[Ch 1] [Ch 2] [Ch 3] [Ch 4] [Ch 5] [Ch 6] [Ch 7] [Ch 8] [Ch 9] [Ch 10] [Ch 11] [Ch 12] [Ch 13] [Ch 14] [Ch 15] [Ch 16] [Ch 17] [Ch 18]
“So who was he? The boy you loved so much.”
It was evening at the Eiffel Tower, and Chat Noir sat and leaned against a beam. The weather was clear, the sunset was golden, and Ladybug was curled up in his lap, lazing against his chest as he traced his claws across her stomach. 
They’d gone on several dates in the last few weeks, and he thought it might be safe enough to finally satisfy his curiosity.
She didn’t answer immediately, just hummed absently while she considered. “I finally got over him enough to see what was right in front of me this whole time.” 
Chat Noir felt his face flush. It might have embarrassed him a few weeks ago to display how easily she made him swoon, but he didn’t bother to hide it now.
“It would compromise my identity,” she said, “but I don’t really care anymore.”
He nodded, and his hold on her tightened. That was so much more than he had ever expected and wished for.
Ladybug launched into an explanation. “Okay, so do you remember that first year we fought together? How Chloe’s class got akumatized a lot?”
“Almost everyone in the class got it at least once.”
“Right. I was in that class. And so was the boy I was crushing on.”
Chat was intensely interested, leaning forward and shifting her in his lap. 
“I’m explaining this to you,” she continued, “so you don’t make fun of me.” 
“Why would I?”
“Because.” She let go of him to hug herself. “I’m not like all the other thousands of girls who had a crush on Adrien Agreste. I personally knew him. We were close friends back then.”
His breath caught at his own name, and it took several seconds for it to return to a normal pace. He wasn’t sure his heart would ever calm down. Not only did she love him now, but she had loved him the entire time.
That also narrowed down the list of people she could be. It had been several years, but he still remembered the roster. Chloe, Lila, Alya, Rose… all those girls he knew couldn’t have been Ladybug. They’d been heroes and villains he and Ladybug had fought either with or against. Their looks were didn’t match, their personalities were too different, and he ruled them all out one by one, until–
“I hate to give you bad news,” he said after several seconds of recovery, “but I know who you are.” 
She shrugged, leaning against him again. “I figured you would. You got to know my class well after a year of fighting them.”
“More bad news.” He swallowed around the heart beating in his throat. “You didn’t get over Adrien.”
“I did!” she said, jerking backward. “I love you! More than anything.” Her eyes were wide and insistent, begging him to believe. “I love you with my whole heart. You’re the only person for me. I love only you, I mean it. Why– Why are you smiling?”
“Because you’re lying.” 
Her face flooded red, like she’d just cast her Miraculous Cure. And just like the real Cure, Chat Noir was left with the feeling that everything was right where it should be, and safe, and whole. When he cupped her face, she grabbed his wrists to steady herself.
“You love Adrien,” he said, a smile coloring his words. “More than anything.”
She opened her mouth to protest, but he cut her off with a kiss to the cheek. When he pulled away, her face was scrunched in confusion.
“You love Adrien with your whole heart.” A kiss on the opposite cheek. 
Her expression was unwinding, growing loose with what he hoped was comprehension. He waited, holding her. This time, he was the one silently begging the other to believe.
“Adrien is the only person for you.” He kissed her on the nose. 
Ladybug - Marinette - didn’t let him get far, holding onto his neck to keep him in place. Are you serious? her expression asked him. You’re not making fun of me right now?
He let his wide smile answer, and one more repeated line. “You love only Adrien, I mean it.”
Chat Noir leaned in one more time, kissing her smiling lips. When he pulled away, he found himself wrapped tightly around her and encircled in her arms. Just where he’d always wanted to be. 
“That’s what I said,” she replied. “I love you, Adrien.” 
THE END
----
Tag list: @clawsout83 @trippingovermyfeet @tbehartoo @yoonjae20 @random-cartoon-fangirl
Author’s note: Thank you for reading! I loved working on this story. When I started, I literally asked myself the question, “How obvious can I make it before he catches on?” and it was so fun to write him being super dumb about everything! 
Special thanks to my betas, @jennagrinsoverml, @h-sunnywet-d, and @ladyofthenoodle. You made the story stronger, and I’m grateful!
(Self promo warning) Click here to see my other stories. (Lots of one-shots and a handful of longer stories.) Be on the lookout for my Square Dance fic in Nov. and my Big Bang in Jan. I’ve also got a ton of drabbles that I have ideas for, plus a few one-shots and longer fics that I’m excited to work on!
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mochinek0 · 1 year
Text
Daminette December 2022: 16-Chaos
Alya smiled and fixed Adrien's hair.
"There she is, just like I told you she would be." she smiled.
"Are you sure, Alya?" Adrien asked, nervously, "She looks busy."
Adrien looked back into the park and saw Marinette sketching by a picnic basket.
"Look, the date is all planned out." Alya spoke, "She has a picnic basket and is just waiting for you. I'm sure she brought things you are allowed to eat. You don't want to keep her waiting, right?"
"R-Right." he answered, unsure of himself.
Adrien took a deep breath and made his way into the park.
Marinette smiled as she sketched out a new dress.
'I can't wait for him to get here. I'm sure he'll like the surprise.'
Marinette watched as a shadow began to lengthen on her sketchbook.
"Hey." she spoke, but as she turned, a flash of yellow was all she saw.
Marinette turned quickly, panicked, and reached into her purse. She quickly used sprayed the pepper spray Damian had given her. At the sound of a scream, Marinette took off and ran past the trees. She quickly pulled out her phone and called the police.
"Help! Someone approached me in the park. I had to use pepper spray." Marinette explained, rapidly.
"How old are you?" they asked.
"Seventeen." she sniffled.
The dispatch could hear how panicked she was and said, "We're sending someone to you."
Marinette quickly texted Damian.
Angel: Hurry, plz!!!!
People passing by came up to her and asked her if she was okay.
"Are you okay, Sweetie?"
"Do I need to call anyone for you?"
"You were very brave."
"You were on the phone. Did you call your mom or dad?"
"Did you call the police?"
Marinette nodded. When they realized she wasn't in complete control of her breathing, one lady helped steady her and lowed her to the floor. Alya quickly rushed over and grabbed her by her shoulders.
"What the hell were you thinking, Marinette?" she shouted, "Do you even realize what you have done? Who you have hurt?"
Marinette didn't get a chance to answer. The strangers were quick to shove Alya away. They didn't let her get close to Mari again. One was trying to help her regulate her breathing. The rest had formed a barrier Marinette having a panic attack and the new girl on the scene yelling at her.
Damian got to the park and saw the park was divided by cops and people standing around another one, with someone yelling. Damian walked towards the police, but saw them pouring water onto the face of a boy his age.
'Not Marinette.'
He quickened his pace to the crowd and the shouting.
"I can't believe you did that!" the girl was shouting.
The Wayne heir peered though the crowd and saw his angel on the ground, hyperventilating.
"Marinette!" he shouted, shoving his way through the crowd.
Marinette turned at the sound of Damian's voice and launched herself into his arms.
"I-I was so scared." she began to sob, "I was waiting for you and someone got close to me. I saw yellow. You don't wear yellow."
"Shh, Haibibiti." Damian whispered, "I'm here."
The crowd noticed that whoever this guy was, could calm her down much better than they could. Alya stared, puzzled at the scene before her.
'Who is this guy and why is Mari hugging him?'
Officer Raincomprix walked towards the crowd, with Adrien Agreste in handcuffs. His hair was dripping wet and a mess, resembling more of a drowned cat then a model. His clothes were covered in grass stains and the area around his eyes were red. Natalie quickly rushed out of the car once she saw the situation Adrien was in.
"He says you know him." Roger announced, "That he was here for a planned date with you."
'A date? Damian is holding onto me. Who thought I would date them?'
Marinette could feel Damian tense up and ready to fight. She peeled her face out of Damian's chest and spotted Adrien Agreste.
"Adrien?" she questioned, "I-I know him, but I don't know anything about a date. I-"
"Why are you lying?" Alya shouted, pushing her way to the front of the crowd, "This is just like you bullying Lila! You make excuses! I sent you the plan weeks ago! Do you just like the attention? You had the whole picnic set up and-"
"Silence!" Damian growled, glaring at Alya.
"Alya, you don't have my number." Mari spoke.
"Yes, I do." she sneered, showing her phone, "It says MariBFF."
"It may say that, but we're not friends." Mari replied, "I changed my number, last year."
Alya stammered, "Bu-but the picnic!"
"It's for me and my boyfriend." Marinette answered, "It's our two year anniversary."
Damian immediately pulled Marinette closer to his side. He turned and glared at Adrien. Adrien shifted nervously under the glare. It didn't help that he had been publicly rejected and humiliated for going after someone else's girlfriend.
"Will you be pressing charges on him, Ma'am?" Roger asked.
"Yes." Damian answered.
"No, Dami. It's okay." Mari replied.
"Angel." he growled.
"If people use enough colorful and pretty words on him, he'll be convinced of anything." she stated.
"That's not true." Adrien cried.
"The high road." Mari hissed, glaring at him.
Adrien flinched. Alya looked between them confused.
"But you have such a giant crush on him!" she exclaimed, noting to go back to the subject another time..
"I did; when I was fourteen." Marinette stated, "I haven't had feelings for him for a long time."
"You would have told me!" Alya shouted.
"I told you before, but you laughed at me. You told me I'd have feelings for him again in a week. Later, you asked about my feelings and I told you-I told you 'No'. You rolled your eyes at me and told me 'Suuuure'. You're still the same stubborn bitch who won't listen to anyone, but the sound of your own voice. You only listen to those you believe are right!" Marinette declared.
Alya and Adrien looked at her in disbelief.
'She doesn't like me, anymore!'
'No! After all the perfect planning; I had this! Adrien finally likes her!'
"How many times have you screamed in my face, after listening to a liar?" Marinette asked, "How many times over the last three years have you told me that we're not friends? How many times have you texted me, at night, to kill myself and told me how I deserved to die for what I have supposedly done to your best friend? Why do you think I changed my number?"
Adrien looked at Alya in horror.
"What?" he whispered, in shock.
"This is what your high road has done, Adrien." Marinette shouted.
"But I-" he began.
"What is the high road?" Alya interrupted.
"Adrien told me to let Lila lie and everything would be revealed, eventually. You would all figure out how much of a liar she is, we'll laugh about it, and go about our merry way as friends." Marinette smiled, "This isn't a Disney movie, Adiren. It's bullshit and what made me lose my feelings for you. You told me you would have my back, but the lies kept coming. I lost my friends. I got bullied by them and you did nothing. You're not my friend and I don't see us ever being friends again!"
"But Mari-" he tried to speak.
"I don't know why you would think I have feelings for you!" Marinette continued to rant, "We don't talk anymore. We don't even hang out. Maybe this was some cooked up plan by Lila to see me humiliated and laughed at because she has feelings for you. That's why she threatened me, anyways, because I was in her way. Too bad, she didn't know about Kagami at the time. Kagami told me about smacking her with a kendo stick when she didn't let go of you. It's still funny to think about, but I guess that was too much for you; you broke up with her a week later. Or did your father make you because his muse was injured and it was your fault for not stopping it? You're too weak when it comes to conflict."
"Well said, Habibiti." Damian declared, "Very well, we won't press charges, at the moment. If either of you continue to harass my girlfriend, I won't hesitate to sue you. From the sounds of it, you'll be spending a long time in prison, if they pull your phone records."
Alya paled.
Adrien was released from the handcuffs and released into the custody of Natalie. She grabbed his shoulder and glared at him.
"We're heading home, Adrien." Natalie insisted.
"Oh!" quickly spoke up Marinette.
"Yes, Miss Dupain-Cheng?" Natalie questioned.
Marinette smiled, "I'd look into reaching out to Lila's mother. Lila has a tendency to lie and forge signatures. No one has actually ever seen her relatives."
Natalie tensed up and nodded, quickly guiding Adrien to the car.
"Why don't we take the food you prepared to the hotel?" Damian suggested, "I'd rather you feel comfortable and safe. I can put up with my father and Todd's prattling."
"Are you sure?" Mari asked.
Damian nodded. Marinette smiled at her boyfriend. He took her hand and guided her to the picnic area. Damian picked up the blanket, as Marinette grabbed the basket.
People began to walk away from the scene. Alya stood there in disbelief. She felt a hand on her shoulder and jumped. Alya turned and the lady noticed the tears in the corner of her eyes.
"Perhaps, you should listen to her." the lady spoke, "It's never too late to change."
"B-But if she's right, I-I did so much." Alya sobbed, "I hurt her."
"Have you ever heard the legend of the phoenix?" the lady asked.
Alya nodded.
"Then, be a phoenix." she stated, "Rise from the ashes. Show her you can change. She still might not be your friend, but at least, you'll know the truth." and with that, she was gone.
Alya bit her lip and rushed home. She set her mind on looking up all of Lila Rossi's achievements. She'd find out if she really lost her best friend for no reason.
TAG LIST: @maribat-calendar-events @animeweebgirl @a-star-with-a-human-name @meme991001 @vixen-uchiha @abrx2002 @alysrose-starchild @fandom-trapped-03 @dood-space @moonlightstar64 @saltymiraculer @marveldcedits20 @09shell-sea09 @icerosecrystal @animegirlweeb @insane-fangirl-of-everything @blueblossombliss @nickristus-dreamer @megawhitleycalderonpaganus
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azukanacrown · 7 months
Text
Okay I know I’m late to the party, but I’ve just gotta get this outta my system. I’ve been watching Miraculous Ladybug Season 5 and I just finished the episode where Lila tries to frame Marionette for foraging all the class’ portfolios (or whatever they’re called) and it’s just a reminder of how shit of character Lila is. Not necessarily because she’s an awful person, but because she’s horribly written.
I understand that Miraculous is a kid’s show but that doesn’t mean everyone constantly has to be a moron. Like, every time Lila spins a lie the writing surrounding her just completely dumbs down. She isn’t even that necessary as a character. I think the only reason she’s kept around is so she can become the next Hawkmoth (if this is revealed in the last few episodes, don’t tell me), given Bunnix & that one-time traveling villain talking about the Hawkmoth of the future.
Anyways, it’s just annoying how everyone believes her for no good reason. Like, for example, that episode where she’s calling from the Middle East because she’s visiting Prince Ali. Nobody questions the fact that nothing is moving in the background, like no birds no clouds, lighting, people, nothing, nor the lack of visual depth. Because human eyes can tell when something is flat or not (usually). Also, an orange lamp? Really? What is this, a Hollywood movie of the Middle East or any “desert” place?
Then you have Alya refusing to believe Marionette about Lila. Like yes, you shouldn’t just take people’s word for things but once it gets to the point where someone else is also agreeing, aka Adrien and you still refuse to believe them that’s on you. Not to mention, conveniently, Adrien just doesn’t talk about the time when he talked to Lila to ensure she unspins her lies about Marionette pushing her down the stairs. On top of that, she literally said she has a disorder that makes her lie. SHE LITERALLY ADMITTED TO RANDOMLY LYING (even if though that was a lie too other people don’t know that). So even if she “doesn’t mean to” that at least means she compulsively lies and can’t control it.
I also just hate how Alya says it’s cute that Adrien is standing up for his girl instead of considering the fact that he’s just telling the truth. Adrien is someone who tried to see good in even Chloe and now he’s speaking ill of another person, for love or not, that is not in his nature to do and yet they still don’t take either of them seriously (he was in love with Ladybug and she made it pretty clear she didn’t like Chloe and yet he still defended her). It was also very infantilizing towards Marionette. (Also the fact that she just conveniently forgot about the fact that Lila lied about being friends with Ladybug even though she knows Marionette hates her is just pathetic)
Then there’s the fact that, even though Marionette is apparently so busy with her love life and other things, she has the time to not only rewrite but take the time to learn the handwriting of about 16 students. And do it in like a day or two, given she was doing it out of spite for not being picked to be the class rep. Unlike Lila, Marionette has plenty of history to prove her good nature. None of them actually know Lila other than for the things she tells them she does. Like sure, maybe she convinces some of the class but the ENTIRE class. Many of which have always believed in Marionette’s good nature (namely Rose & Mylene).
It pisses me off how Ms. Bustier also tried to send Chloe & Lila to go comfort Sabrina after all of them watched her have a literal breakdown saying it was those exact two that made her do it. And it’s obvious it was just so they could catch their conversation in the bathroom (which, not to mention, is strange it has a two sided mirror into the girls bathroom. I get it was to get proof, but that’s still weird). But then there’s the fact no one turned on those two when they not only watched Sabrina breakdown and turn against Chloe, her literal best-friend and master, but also watch Lila not try to comfort her at ALL, only continuing to try and turn it against Marionette in this honeyed tone. Like it’s just ridiculous (utterly) how much they twist the writing to make sure Lila gets away with her lying even though if they took like two seconds to add Adrien telling his story or someone else having common sense they never would’ve believed her.
I know I am overthinking a kid’s show, you do not have to tell me 💀 trust me I am fully aware.
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litcrazh · 2 years
Text
if mlb was a more… mature show and realistic AND THE CHARACTERS WERE OF AGE! it would be sooo much better
like here are some headcannons
ladynoir??? hooked up 100%
marichat??? SNEAKY LINK!!
ladrien… don’t get me started. HOOKED UP
adrienette but u alr know they go ham imagine new york scenes and they like sneak into each other rooms and stuff but i’m not talking about the devils tango!! no no no!
and like more realistic parts
like fucking gaberial being a little less controlling, marinette ACTUSLLY being able to speak to adrien without dying, THE FRIEND GROUP and high school parties bc adrien and nino are 100% a dynamic duo that drinks so much that alya and marinette think they are going to have to get there stomach pumped but then they are back at it again next friday
also there group dynamic?????? immaculate
nino and marinette have been friends since diapers so they have a platonic- sibling like relationship i’m just going to pretend that nino tried to go on a date to make alya and adrien jealous
alya is a sworn #adrienagrestehater but ofc they are best friends, so much so thst in interviews adrien will praise alya for her work ethic and in the same breath say how he hates her more than hawkmoth. adrien just loves how alya is so real with him bc he’s so used to being worshiped.
alya and nino are obviously “so grossly in love i want to jump off a cliff” - marinette and adrien at some point- while adrien and mari and low key FWB
adrien specifically is low key a douche, playboy chat noiry but in the best way possible. like he flirts RELENTLESSLY with marinette after they become close, but MARINETTE FLIRTS BACK LIKE THE LEGEND SHE IS. she finds out what makes him blush and become bashful and stuff and goes OFF. they both are complétive so sometimes you would just walk into this type of conversation.
“- i thought you said you wouldn’t fall in love mari, but this blush of yours is telling me different,”
“maybe i’m just thinking of last night, hot stuff”
“what did you do? dream about us?”
“wouldn’t you like to know,”
“cmon baby, you know curiosity killed the cat. i know that i was dreaming about us,”
“who did i do, sunny. asking the wrong questions, but don’t worry! a blond head of hair was always in my mind”
“blond hair? what hot guys have hot hair?? oh? didn’t know you had a thing for chat noir,”
“you have said on national television how much you like ladybug, but ive always had a thing for lea-“
“guys we aRE RIGHT HERE”
also, the FRIEND GROUP all hate LIELA. like guys… CMON. alya is a investigation journalist and nino is the bestest friend like ever. but no one, and i mean NO ONE hates lila as much as adrien, especially if she fucks with mari.
*before class, adrian and mari and joking about something sitting rather close!! and lila walks in, seeing this, and wants to ruin it”
“wow marinette! i’m suprised adrien would be so close to you after last night”
adrien and marinette look at each other in confusion, and adrien tries (and fails) he best not to laugh at her
“what happ- PSHH- what happened- mari i rea- what happened last night lila,”
(marichat was in full effect last night)
“i saw marinette with chat noir last night on her balcony, doing less than appropriate things on the balcony”
at this point both of there cheeks burst red- because oh shit she’s not lying, well some parts at least- and people are gathering around, and some are believing her, meanwhile our two superheroes are trying to figure out if it was ACC true
adrien in his head, no doubt: did i kiss her last night? we watched that american movie and i kissed her forehead, but not mari also in her head- I WISH HE DID GIRL.
but some people in the class are dumb so they are like
“wow mari that’s low”
“didn’t know you were such a player”
“like she could pull him, ridiculous, utterly ridiculous”
mari starts to get a little stressed, her breathing picks up and adrien being adrien notices and causally slings his arm around her, a smug smile on his face
“trust me” he whispers in her ear.
“not possible”
“and how would you know?” lila has no longer trying to woo adrien, because tbh he’s so loyal it was too hard
“because i was with mari last night”
“well- well uh i was really late at night, like 2 am,”
“no no no lila, all night”
she scoffs
“and what were you doing last night,?”
“what do you think two tennagers who are very attractive and hot would be doing at 2 in the morning lila”
and that shuts everyone up real fast, and no one dares question it because his smug face with mari hiding in his chest beat red tell the whole story
“way to really tone down the situation,”
“my specialty darling,”
sarcastically she adds “nice ‘hot’ addition, btw”
he just laughs
imagine ms bustiers suprised walking into that class a minute later
also, tik tok love THE GROUP and lb and cn themselves. i imagine adrien having 10.2 mil on insta, alya 2.4 but the ladyblog 8 mil (she LOVED THAT SHE HAS MORE THEN ADRIEN combined “pucker up and kiss my ass buttercup”) nino’s producer acc has like 15 mil bc he collars with top artists like kanye, frank ocean, tyler and kendrick lamar and mari having 6.8 mil.
everyone thinks mari and adrien are ducking and post edits/ proof videos as to why.
adrien does in fact post thirst traps
mari had them all saved and downloaded.
adrien has some of maris too
they all have secret accounts where they post the funniest shit ever and comment on tiktok’s about them like “adrien i didn’t know you and mari have a child???? why didn’t you tell me!!”
don’t get me started on lb and cn on tik tok
*edit of chat being hot*
@ chatnoirfanpage : omg wow he’s so hot @ ladybugoffical you should definitely see this and marry him and have his kids
— @ ladybugoffical : omg chat get off your phone your late for patrol
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stormiclown · 2 years
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The selfishness and destructive jealousy of Cat Noir never stops surprising me. He literally spent the second half of the season four finale being passive aggressive and jealous that Ladybug brought in a new hero (Flairmidable).
The reason this is all so bad is because when Ladybug comes back to collect the miraculous from Adrien, when in reality she handed it the Felix, he immediately responds with, ”You gave it to Felix,” without missing a single beat.
I don’t believe that Ladybug is to blame for losing all the miraculous and I never will. Because the blame falls on Adrien’s shoulders. His spontaneous response to Ladybug’s inquiry proves that he knew Felix was the new dog hero the entire time and didn’t warn Ladybug that he may be dangerous. He instead spent the entire time being a dumbass and bitter that he wasn’t Ladybug’s sole support system.
Adrien stans: But how was he supposed to know that Felix would betray them! It’s not like he knew he’d be after the miraculous!
He definitely knew how cunning and dangerous Felix was. Need I bring up the episode Felix, where he witnessed his cousin trying to get into contact with Hawkmoth and wagering the Ladybug and Cat miraculous? Not to mention, Felix offered to dress up as Adrien to go on the trip with Lila in Adrien’s place. He should have been able to put two and two to together and realized that Ladybug gave the dog miraculous to Felix believing that it was Adrien, which wouldn’t that far of a stretch, seeing as Ladybug entrusted him with the snake miraculous (which failed in using it miserably in typical Adrien style) in Desperada.
And you can make the argument that he couldn’t devolve such information with Ladybug with out putting his own identity at risk, but at the very least, he could have told his worries to Ladybug and advise her to keep her eyes open and ready for anything. But he doesn’t do any of that.
The red flags were literally laid in front of him on a silver platter (like everything is) and he ignored them in the worst way possible. This is one of the many times where Cat Noir has failed to deliver or refused to either warn Ladybug of something crucial that may put her in danger or didn’t have the mental capacity or competence to piece together bright and shinny red flags being waved in his face to at least take initiative and investigate on his own. Let’s not forget that Ladybug is the one who has to pay the price for his stupid ass.
Examples include but are not limited to:
-Chat Blanc: He found out that Marinette was Ladybug and jumped at the opportunity to date her as a civilian to satisfy his obsession with love for her, not even bothering to tell his beloved “partner” that she was compromised, which Ladybug had to fix and gained bucket loads of trauma and the blame for the world being destroyed.
-Oni-chan: After witnessing that Lila had lied to him about her ankle after teaming up with an akuma to end Ladybug, he doesn’t tell his partner that a civilian had tried to get her murdered by a volatile monster and only chastised her lightly, as if that would stop a budding serial killer. And he suddenly loses his brain cells after Lila (a person who he knows is dangerous) targets Marinette, his response to to encourage Lila to continue lying to get Marinette back in school.
-The Collector: Adrien finds a book his father keeps in a safe with designs that look glaring like miraculous super heroes, yet he never questions why a supposedly normal civilain like his father would have a book on such topics, or broaches the subject with Ladybug. Again losing a crucial lead that could have led them to discovering who Hawkmoth was.
-New York Special: He failed to inform Ladybug that he was leaving Paris, going against her trust, and thus left Paris without any protection or the power for her to fix any damage that an akuma may cause in their absence.
-Kuro Neko: He left his ring on a random rooftop, completely unbothered by the fact that anyone could have found the ring (including Hawkmoth) and use it for their own gain. There was no guarantee that Ladybug would have found it in time.
So, not only have his childish and outright disgusting antics have led to countless people being hurt in and out of the mask, but his careless disregard for things that aren’t his feelings for Ladybug and his failure to warn his partner about a dangerous wild card that could’ve changed the outcome of what may be the most important battle in the series led to him being directly responsible for the loss of the miraculous.
And no, Ladybug doesn’t get any flack for giving Felix the miraculous because she was under the effects of an akuma, which clouded her judgement and sense of reason. Plus she was acting on information that she had, which was the fact that Adrien was scheduled to leave Paris and jumped at the opportunity to make a powerful ally in a clearly desperate battle. Like, this behavior has been a constant with his character for the entire show, but his awful personality is highlighted more during season four where he refuses to communicate his feelings to Ladybug and then acts out when she doesn’t comfort him.
But that clearly doesn’t matter, because he is rewarded for his irrational jealousy by finally being the only option for Ladybug to rely on. And then has the gall, has the acrimony to claim that he was on her side, nevermind the fact that he had been insensitive to her problems, expecting her to drop her very important guardian duties just to soothe his protagonist complex, and smashing property (the infamous chimney scene) and nearly murdering Ladybug’s stand in in Hack San and basically being a massive dick that he wasn’t in the center of Ladybug’s universe.
With his blatant hatred of sharing Ladybug with anyone, including the temporary heroes (who he knows are his friends. you can pry this fact from my cold dead hands), I would be less than shocked if he did this on purpose, and used Felix’s sly personality to do the dirty work for him, so he could swoop in and play the part of Ladybug’s savior.
In conclusion, Cat Noir is a liar and a traitor who is willing to stay silent and ignorant of the world around him while forcibly cultivating his own rose tinted version and simultaneously defending his feelings from anyone and anything he feels threatened by viciously. And as usual, Ladybug/Marinette and everyone else has to pay the price.
To anyone stating that Marinette has jealousy issues, you’re right. But Cat Noir and by extension Adrien crank up the jealousy meter to eleven. It’s to the point where his inability to put aside his own feelings and desires have led to consequences that have quite literally blown up in everyone’s face.
TL;DR I rewatched Risk and Strike back and realized that Ladybug was being unjustly blamed for something that wasn’t even her fault while Cat Noir was being praised for "always being by her side" and "pushing aside his feelings for her to comfort her even though he's had the short end of the stick". Frankly, I got sick of people usong the season four finale as anti-marinette fuel without all the facts. So I made this post to prove her innocence while criticizing (read: dragging through the mud and back) the real perpetrator of the disaster that is season four.
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mcheang · 6 months
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The stone among diamonds
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Yeah, Lila has an overinflated ego if she thinks she’s going to be invited to an upper class party because she’s a model. Only those born in prominent families are invited and Mrs Rossi clearly wasn’t. She overestimated herself and got too pushy.
When Kagami told Lila about the diamond dance and the latter expressed surprise at not being invited, Kagami’s answer was blunt.
“Of course not. You may be a model for Gabriel, Lila, but this dance is for those with connections, not for every model. Adrien is coming because he’s Gabriel’s heir. My family is ancient Japanese nobility. Chloe’s father is the mayor. If you do want to come, you should ask your mother. She’s the ambassador right? She should be invited. I know a few political diplomats who were.”
Lila feigned a smile, knowing full well her mother’s job was nowhere near prestigious enough for an invitation. “She did receive it but she rejected it. She’s never been one for parties. And it was just one invite.”
Kagami: oh, then I’m not sure what you can do. You can ask Gabriel if you may attend in your mother’s place.
Lila: I’ll be sure to do that. Besides, as the face of the Gabriel brand, I’m sure I’ll merit my own invitation
Kagami: don’t hold your breath on that count. You also have to have a rich background.
Lila: are you saying I look poor?
Kagami: no, but my mother trained me to watch for those who have money
Lila is annoyed. She calls Gabriel to get her invitation but he ignores her. Ugh! One way or another she is getting to that party.
But wait, wasn’t Zoe going to the movies with Marinette? As the daughter of style queen, she is sure to have an invitation.
Sure enough, Zoe doesn’t mind giving her invitation to Lila, who says she lost her own and Gabriel is too busy to bother.
At the party, Lila is all for schmoozing with the guests. She would have preferred the adults but the party was clearly divided between adults and kids.
To Lila’s dismay, her own introduction as the face of Gabriel and the daughter of an ambassador wasn’t impressive enough for these people. It wasn’t until she spun her usual lies of knowing Jagged Stone and Prince Ali that she actually got anywhere. (And even then the snobs were not impressed with her charity work, just her connections)
Another guest overheard and walked over. “Excuse me, is it true you worked with Prince Ali? I’m a fan of his work. Might I know your name, please?”
Lila smirked. “Lila Rossi. I worked with Ali on multiple projects and parties.”
The stranger unmasked himself. “I am Prince Ali of Achu, and I have never met you before in my life.” He paged his chaperone.
Soraya walked over. “What is going on here?”
Ali gestured to Lila. “I believe we do have a party crasher.”
Another guest called for security in a loud voice, drawing attention from the rest of the room.
The security drones analysed Lila’s mask and announced it belonged to Zoe Lee.
Chloe pushed her way over and gaped. “Lilo, what are you doing here?” (This is not a typo. Chloe actually called Lila Lilo during Confrontation)
Lila gritted her teeth. “Your sister lent me her invitation when I lost mine. As for this lying accusation, I wasn’t referring to Prince Ali, but another one from Egypt.”
Except the guests she had been trying to impress called her out on her lies.
Guest: isn’t she the alliance Lila?
Lila exhaled in relief. Perhaps her fame could still save her.
Soraya scowled at Gabriel. “You have made a disappointing choice, Gabriel.”
Guest: what a wannabe. I am so changing my alliance avatar.
Seeing the crowd murmuring in front and the adults whispering behind, Gabriel addressed the situation at hand. “I am aware of Lila’s behavior, that was why I had planned to announce at my diamond dance that Kagami would be taking her place.” Tomoe subtly activated the screens showing the new changes, simultaneously having all alliance rings updated.
Lila’s jaw dropped. Her fame gone, just like that. She was tempted to expose Gabriel for hiring her to spy on his son but she doubt it would change much in the face of all these snobs.
Soraya glared at Lila. “Whatever other claims you have made about Prince Ali, we will find out. Prepare yourself for a lawsuit.”
Surrounded by hostile faces, Lila looked for friendly faces.
Chloe wasn’t going to stand up for her.
Kagami was shocked at Lila’s appearance and the revelation that she was a liar.
Felix already knew Lila was a spy and was fine with her current predicament.
Gabriel just fired her. “Escort the Miss wearing Zoe Lee’s mask out of my party.”
Lila was practically boxed in by 4 drones. Chloe snapped a photo because it was kind of funny
Meanwhile as Kagami protested having their avatars be in a romantic relationship, Felix revealed himself.
Cue Canon ending
Now, Rose received word from Ali asking what she knew about Lila. She was shocked that her friend was a liar and that Marinette was telling the truth. Did this mean that Marinette was indeed framed?
Rose calls Marinette to apologize and suggest that they tell Miss Bustier. However Marinette tells Rose that both teacher and principal know the truth. However Lila used the same reason Rose kept her illness a secret to keep them from telling the class.
Rose: this can’t be how it ends. Ali will expose Lila in public, it will be on the news, she can’t hide it then.
Indeed, Lila knew she couldn’t. So it was time to become Cerise once again and abandon Lila.
But Monarch has not seen the last of her. Neither has Prince Ali.
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wordsofrowan · 10 months
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The Shadow Court
Chapter 1 - Shadowed Accusations
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The class was silent as everyone waited for Ms. Bustier to show up. The door slammed open as Lila came running in crying, she quickly bypassed everyone as she made it to her seat, and folding her arms on the desk she began to cry into her elbow. Alya was the first to break out of her reprieve as she looked at the crying girl next to her. 
Rubbing the girl's back Alya asked “Girl what’s wrong? Are you okay?” 
Lila gave a few sniffles as she looked up at Alya. “No, no it’s okay,” She said shaking her head and wiping her tears on her sleeve, “I don’t want to get anyone in any trouble, or more trouble I should say.” 
“Come on Lila tell us who did this?” Alya said urging the crying girl to tell her what had happened.  
“It was… It was,” She paused a few times as if choking back sobs, “it was Marinette, she threatened me again saying she would make you all leave me and then she hit me!” Lila broke down in sobs again. The rest of the class turned their gaze towards Marinette, who was sitting in the back of the class just looking out the window. Adrien let out a weary sigh. He knew Lila was lying, but he also knew that keeping the peace was more important. If Marinette would stop trying to expose Lila then Lila would back off it was as simple as that. He couldn’t understand why she didn’t understand it. 
“Marinette! Why can’t you just leave Lila alone she’s done nothing to you! I can’t believe we use to be friends!” Alya shouted at the blunette in the back of the room.
Marinette just continued absentmindedly drawing in her sketchbook, seeming completely unfazed by the accusations thrown her way. “Whatever,” she said, not bothering to look at them. 
“Really ‘whatever’ That's all you have to say for yourself?”
“It doesn’t matter to me what you say or think,” Marinette said matter-of-factly as if it was the simplest concept in the world. Adrien just shook his head, why could she just go along with it, there would be far less drama if she gave up this little crusade of hers.
Class started and Adrien was left observing Marinette, there was something different about her behavior that he couldn’t quite place, sure she was still going against Lila but something about her calmness irritated him. He couldn’t help but wonder if there was more to the situation than what Marinette was leading on. He quickly decided that he would approach her during lunch break hoping that talking to her could shed some light on the situation. 
As the bell rang, signaling the end of class, Adrien quickly packed his bag and tried to catch up to Marinette who all but darted out of the room. He called out her name as he finally reached the courtyard, causing her to turn around, a look of surprise was etched on her face confusing Adrien. They were friends weren’t they, so why is she surprised he would want to talk with her? 
Shaking the thought out of his head Adrien finally reached Marinette. “Adrien?” She asked adjusting the straps of her bookbag as she looked at him fidgeting slightly, “What’s up?”
Adrien hesitated before responding, “I just wanted to talk to you about what happened back there. You seemed… different… is everything okay?”
Marinette gave a half smile, “Thank you for asking Adrien, but really, I’m fine. I’ve just learned that sometimes it is better to not give power to false accusations. I know the truth and that's all that matters to me.”
Adrien couldn’t help the frown that appeared on his face. “But.. don’t you care about what the others will think? It’s important to maintain peace and harmony within the class isn’t it?” 
Marinette closed her eyes for a moment, pausing to collect her thoughts, “Adrien I use to worry, so, so much about what everyone else thought of me. I was consumed by the need to please everyone else. I was stretching myself thin and hurting myself. But I’ve come to realize, with some help that is, that I can’t control how others perceive me or what they choose to believe. All I can do is stay true to myself and not let anyone else define who I am.”
Adrien took in Marinette’s words, for some reason he couldn’t place her words resonated with him, making him feel as if he should be doing more for himself instead of just living for his father or others. He once again shook the thought from his head. “But what about Lila?” He asked, referring to the way Lila had it out for Marinette “She’s determined to tarnish your reputation.”
Marinette smiles once again, “Lila may spread lies, but I won’t let her bring me down, I believe in the power of truth. And in time people will see through her deceptions. Until then I will continue to focus on my passion, and my friends, and not let negativity consume me.” 
“But don’t you see you're isolating yourself from your friends? If you would just drop all this then things can go back to normal!” 
Marinette just shook her head and walked to the bakery to have a small snack for the rest of her lunch period. Alya and Nino came up to Adrien as they sat and had lunch together in the courtyard. 
The rest of the day passed by in a blur and before anyone knew it it was the end of the day. As everyone was leaving Adrien couldn’t help but notice that once again Marinette was being picked up in a black sleek car with dark-tinted windows. Adrien watched with a tinge of jealousy as he watched her open the passenger and slide into the car. It had appeared only a month ago, and Adrien couldn't help but feel a sense of unease. Who could be inside that car? Why was Marinette hanging out with this mysterious person? Who were they that they could make Marinette smile and laugh like that? Was it someone the rest of the class or he knew, but the tinted windows prevented Adrien from seeing inside? He worried about Marinette and the possibility of her being taken advantage of. Quickly, he got into his own car parked behind the mysterious black one.
The following day unfolded like any other, Lila launching yet another attack on Marinette’s character driving the wedge between the class and her even further. Marinette seemed even less bothered by it. However, she announced that she was stepping down as class president, and the class quickly voted Lila as class president with Alya as her deputy. Alya, jealous of Marinette’s new freedom said she must’ve brided the teachers to give her easier work with Chloe’s help seeing as Chloe was the only person in the class who would even look at Marinette now. Adrien knew it was simply because Marinette was that brilliant and intelligent, he just wish she would apply that intelligence to other parts of her life, such as with the Lila situation. 
The final bell rang as Adrien looked at his phone to see a message from his Father that his bodyguard would be arriving late. The black car, on the other hand, was punctual as always. 
“You guys,” Lila said, as they all watched as Marinette climbed into the car's passenger seat, “I know Marinette and I have not always been the best of friends, but I’m worried about who might be driving that car. What if they’re doing something bad to her? No one deserves that.”
“She doesn’t even deserve your sympathy girl, but if you're really worried about her we can look into it to make sure that no one else ends up getting hurt,” Alya said to the girl. Adrien's mind raced as he thought about it, someone taking advantage of his princess he couldn’t let that happen, but if someone was abusing her or taking advantage of her it would explain her strange behavior.
“I’m just worried about her, I mean if they're driving a car they have to be older than us right? So what if they’re grooming her? I know how hard it is to go through something like that and no one deserves that
Suddenly Adrien felt a nudge on his shoulder, “Hey dude you with us?” Adrien broke out of his thoughts and looked at Nino.
“Huh? What?” Adrien asked, momentarily confused. 
“Are you gonna help us fix out the identity of the driver?” 
Adrien nodded his head, “Yeah, of course, anything to get our everyday Ladybug back.”  “Well, then Operation Save Mari is a go!” Adrien let out a smile, this was the perfect opportunity, finally, things could go back to normal and he could get his princess back and everything would be right in life.
XoXo Rowan
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comics-and-fanworks · 2 years
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ML Career Choice AU
Disclaimer: My problem with ML is with the writers and their decisions, not really any one specific character. Am I salty towards some characters? Yes, but it’s mostly due to how they’re written. Also I am not an Engineer, I don’t know all of the proper terms.
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Marinette is prepared for almost everything, but she was not expecting this. Lila had decided to rub salt into the wound and began lying about her to Gabriel. Adrien (who was frustrated with Marinette’s refusal to take his “high road” advice and upset she’s discovered her backbone) was easily convinced to back up Lila’s claims. He thought that once Marinette learned her lesson, he could convince his father that it was all just a big misunderstanding. What he did not account for was that Gabriel would blacklist Marinette from the fashion industry! Lila of course, bragged to anyone who would listen, but Adrien was going through some mixed emotions. On one hand he was horrified at his father’s over reaction, on the other hand he thought this was surely the thing that would finally convince Marinette to listen to him and go back to being a doormat! He couldn’t understand why Plagg was so upset at him though, everything would work out in the end. 
Needless to say Marinette was devastated, and ended up missing a few days of school. Everything she had worked for was gone, and there was nothing she could do to get it back. Her parents tried everything to comfort their daughter, and one day while bringing her something to eat, Tom stepped into one of the traps she’d rigged to protect the Miracle Box. Instead of being angry, Tom and Sabine were amazed. They assumed the trap was meant to keep her classmates out of her room (who had been rejoicing over their daughter’s misery. They saw texts between the kids suggesting they were going to destroy her work), and praised Marinette’s skill and creativity. Tom made a comment as he was being removed from the trap, “You know Mari, you could be an engineer. With your creativity, the sky’s the limit!”
Turns out those were the magic words. Tom and Sabine saw the fire slowly begin to ignite in their daughter’s eyes again, and made a silent promise to do everything they could to make sure at least one of her dreams came true. As time went on they happily bought her books, sent her to talks, and did everything they could to help her learn as much as she could. Coincidentally Ladybug happened to reach out to her about finding ways to akuma-proof structures. Marinette was determined to succeed, and her classmates, Lila, and Adrien would not stop her.
Many years had passed, and Marinette was a highly sought after engineer. She was 25 and had practically redesigned all of Paris by now. She was credited with creating the first akuma-proof buildings, which made dealing with Hawkmoth and his akumas much easier to deal with. Considering Chat Noir would only show up to flirt, and most of the time he didn’t show up at all. Occasionally she still had to deal with Adrien trying to convince her to apologize to Lila for being such a ‘cruel bully.’ He promised that if she did he’d convince his father to either remove her from the blacklist, or secretly hire her. While she still designed for a few loyal clients (like Jagged and Clara) she had no desire to enter fashion. If they’d believe she was the devil based on lies from Adrien, Gabriel, and Lila, then they weren’t worth her time.
One day she gets an angry text from Adrien’s newest number of the week accusing her of exposing Lila. She asks, “What do you mean? I’m in America helping design a new Wayne Enterprises building.” Turns out someone else put two and two together and called out Lila, and everything spiraled from there. What Lila, Adrien, and Gabriel did to her was exposed too, and Gabriel quickly sent Adrien to America to smooth things over with Marinette (he was banking on the fact she used to have a crush on his son). Adrien arrives in Gotham and barges into a café Marinette was spotted at, shouting something along the lines of “Come back Mari I know you love me! Surely you’ll forgive us and come back and help save the company. Engineering isn’t what you’re supposed to do, fashion is!” 
What he was not expecting was the confused looks he got from Marinette and the man she was with. While the various Gothamites were recording the drama and announcing to the world that their talented engineer could also design clothes, Marinette just sighed and said, 
“Used to love you Adrien. Past tense. I’ve moved onto bigger and better things. I rebuilt most of Paris, I invented akuma-proof materials for building. Gabriel, the man and the company, are the least of my concerns. I won’t forgive you, because I don’t have to, and you’re actions prove to me that I shouldn’t because it shows you haven’t changed.”
The man sitting with her got up to approach Adrien, who proceeded to try and intimidate the dark haired stranger. “Who the hell do you think you are and what have you been telling her?” Adrien yelled at the man. The man with the midnight black hair and blue eyes just smirked at the disgraced model.
“I didn’t tell Little Ms. Magic anything, she’s got a brilliant mind and enough confidence to last two lifetimes, I’m just here to keep her company. Oh by the way, my name’s Jason, Jason Todd Wayne, and I’m her Fiancé.”
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Let me know if there are any problems and feel free use this if you’d like!
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lilasbutterflygarden · 6 months
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"Date" Night
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It was the perfect day for Marinette. She was on a date with Adrien. It was great till Chrysalis kidnapped her.
Chrysalis is carrying a struggling Marinette.
Adrien: “Let her go!”
Chrysalis: “No! But don’t worry I won’t hurt the cute little ladybug!”
Adrien(shock): “Ladybug?”
Chrysalis(laughs): “She didn’t tell you?”
Adrien: “You’re crazy. There’s no way that Marinette could be Ladybug.”
Chrysalis: “I’m guessing she also didn’t tell you that your father was Hawk Moth too.”
Chrysalis looks at Marinette.
Chrysalis: “So it’s ok when you lie.”
Adrien: “You’re lying!”
Chrysalis: “Believe what you want to believe. We’re leaving!”
Chrysalis(still carrying Marinette) jumps onto a nearby building.
Chrysalis: “I know the perfect place for our date.”
Chrysalis jumps from rooftop to rooftop until she finally jumps onto the top of the Eiffel Tower. She gently puts down Marinette.
Chrysalis: “We’re here! I thought this would be the perfect place for our date.”
Marinette: “This is not a date, and there’s no us Lila or Cerise or whatever you’re calling yourself these days!”
Chrysalis(sad): “What about that ice cream date we had a few months ago?”
Marinette(blushes): “That was a mistake, also you blackmailed me.”
Chrysalis: “We can debate this later. Right now you need to transform, and fight me!”
Marinette: “Gladly. Tikki spots on!”
Tikki comes flying out of Marinette’s handbag and is sucked into Marinette’s earrings. Marinette transforms into Ladybug.
Chrysalis smiles.
Chrysalis: “Now fight me!”
Ladybug: “You kidnapped me just so you could fight me?”
Chrysalis: “Yes. I’m only alive when I’m fighting you! If there’s any meaning in life, then you’re the meaning in my life!”
Chrysalis charges at Ladybug who dodges all of Chrysalis attacks.
Ladybug, and Chrysalis attack each other, with neither able to hit the other.
Cat Noir: “Can I join in?”
Ladybug and Chrysalis: “NO!”
Cat Noir(serious): “Sorry Ladybug, but I want to ask Chrysalis something, and I want an honest answer.”
Chrysalis(evil smirk): “You can ask me anything.”
Cat Noir: “Was Gabriel Agreste Hawk Moth?”
Ladybug(shocked look on face): “Who told you that?”
Chrysalis: “Yes where did you hear that? The other people are me, her(points at Ladybug), and…”
Chrysalis smiles.
Chrysalis: “You’re Adrien. I can feel all of your negative emotions. If I wanted to I could probably akumtize you right now.
Ladybug(in complete shock): “Adrien!”
Cat Noir: “Cataclysm!”
Ladybug: “No! Don’t do it Adrien!”
Chrysalis: “Do it! Kill me with your cataclysm! I’m already dying due to your stupid dad’s wish, plus I’m a sentimonster!”
Ladybug: “You’re a sentimonster?”
Chrysalis starts crying.
Chrysalis: “Sadly I’m not human. I’m nothing. I’m just a broken thing that everyone hates.”
Ladybug: “That’s not true.”
Chrysalis: “Don’t make me laugh Marinette. You’ve hated me since the day we first met. You thought that I was going to steal Adrien away from you. But I don’t want Adrien! I want you, Marinette! I LOVE YOU!”
Cat Noir: “I certainly didn’t see that coming.”
Cat Noir turns to look at Ladybug.
Cat Noir: “Did you know about her feelings for you?”
Ladybug(sad look on face): “Yes.”
Chrysalis: “We went on a date!”
Ladybug: “It was just ice cream Lila, or Cerise, or Iris, or Lilith!”
Chrysalis: “Don’t call me that!”
Cat Noir: “You knew who she was this whole time?”
Ladybug: “I can explain!”
Cat Noir(mad): “You really don’t trust me, do you?”
Chrysalis laughs.
Chrysalis: “See we’re perfect for each other Marinette! We’re two different sides of the same coin! We can be together just give me your miraculous so I can make my wish!”
Cat Noir: “Do you know what she wants?”
Before Ladybug can answer Cat Noir’s question Chrysalis starts coughing up blood.
Chrysalis: “I want to create a world without death!”
Ladybug: “Chrysalis you know that we can’t do that.”
Chrysalis: “Stop being so selfish! Why won’t you help me? You’re supposed to be a hero!”
Ladybug: “Please Lila, surrender, and turn yourself into the police. I’m sure that we can think of something.”
Chrysalis: “No, I’m not going to prison for the rest of my life!”
Chrysalis coughing gets worse.
Chrysalis: “If you won’t save me, then please kill me!”
Ladybug and Cat Noir(shock): “What!??”
Chrysalis: “Be honest, does my life have any value in this state?”
Ladybug: “Lila please don’t talk like that.”
Chrysalis: “Don’t pretend to care about me! I’m not a person! I’m a sentimonster! No one could ever care about me! My dead mother couldn’t even love me, and my father disowned me once she died!”
Ladybug(looking at Cat Noir): “It doesn’t matter how you came into this world. You’re just as human to me as all my friends, and loved ones.”
Chrysalis(angry): “We’re not friends!”
Ladybug: “Maybe we could be if you did the right thing.”
Chrysalis turns away from Ladybug, and Cat Noir, and walks towards the edge of the  Eiffel Tower.
Ladybug: “Wait…”
Chrysalis jumps off of the tower.
Ladybug, and Cat Noir run to try and stop her, but they are too late to stop her.
Ladybug: “She’s gone.”
Cat Noir: “We need to talk.”
Ladybug: “Adrien I…”
Cat Noir: “We’re not friends. We’re never be friends. Friends trust each other, but you never let me in.”
Cat Noir walks away from Ladybug.
Cat Noir: “Goodbye Marinette.”
Cerise’s lair
Chrysalis: “Dark wings fall.”
Nooroo: “Mistress are you…”
Cerise: “No, I’m not ok.”
Cerise starts sobbing.
A ball of energy appears behind Cerise.
Voice: “Is it ready?"
Cerise: “Yes Supreme I’m ready to destroy everything.”
16 notes · View notes