#marinette could have one with like a rhinestone on hers too in pink | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

quickspinner · 3 years

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Month of Miracles - The Longest Night

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Luka played assistant while Marinette got the kids all garbed in their costumes, making little final adjustments and snipping hanging threads and acting for all the world as if this was just as serious as any fashion show she’d ever worked, instead of the dress rehearsal for a small town library Christmas pageant. He followed her around, holding things, handing her what she needed, and trying not to get caught mooning over her like the lovesick sap he was. The kids already had plenty of ammo to use against him, so he tried to keep a professional demeanor—but that really probably only made them snicker harder.

Mostly, though, they were too excited about their outfits to care. Marinette had found a way to interpret the costumes that felt true to who these kids were, and that was probably rarer than it should be.

The angels in particular were a masterpiece, especially given how little white there was in his rock star wardrobe. They glittered and shimmered with all of the hardware and rhinestones, and their wings were dangerous-looking concoctions made of wire and trailing fabric and dangling crystals and beads. They looked like the kinds of beings who would have to announce their presence with “Fear not!” and it was awesome.

The angels weren’t actually his favorite part, though. Marinette had gotten quickly flustered in the face of Rose’s eager excitement, and started making excuses to leave. She’d snatched his notebook out of his pocket, pulled the pen out of the coil and scribbled her phone number on the back, babbling only semi-coherently as she did so. Then she’d snatched up the lighted jacket, kissed him quickly, and fled. Luka had been too busy fending off Rose’s interrogation to even think to question why she had taken the jacket, until she brought out the costumes for Mary and Joseph. The holy family were now softly illuminated with cleverly concealed fiber optic lights in their hoods. Somehow Marinette had managed to turn off the flashing and camouflage the lights enough to give the children a soft glow, like a renaissance painting come to life (if renaissance madonnas had punk haircuts).

That wasn’t really why he liked it, though. Marinette had removed the lights so carefully, and repaired the jacket so cleverly, that it was now as good as new, if a bit smaller than it had been, and she had taken to wearing it all the time. Catching a glimpse of his jacket under her big pink puffy winter coat made him grin like a fool every time.

She was wearing it even now, and he felt his grin turn dopey and soft again as he watched Marinette get down on the floor without a second thought to fix a hem that had come loose. She was so amazing, and the last few days had been wonderful, whether they were just driving aimlessly around town and chatting while they admired the lights, or lost in tender looks and touches, or just sharing space while they worked on their own projects. Luka knew without doubt that he was utterly in love with her. It might shatter him when she left, but they had four precious days left and Luka planned to make the most of them. Besides, who knew what could happen? It was the modern age, and long distance relationships were a thing, and surely there was something they could work out—

Luka quashed those thoughts as quickly as he could. It wasn’t a good idea to be thinking that way, and he didn’t even know if Marinette would welcome anything of the kind from him. Better to stay in the moment. Something would work out; if she felt anything close to what he felt for her, she couldn’t leave him totally behind...and if she didn’t, then it was just as well for things to end now. He’d get over it. Somehow.

In the meantime, he’d enjoy every conversation, every soft look, every touch and kiss and sigh of his name from her lips.

Yep, he was absolutely basking in the knowledge of how completely hopeless he was.

Marinette stood up and backed away, looking at her handiwork with satisfaction as Rose began rounding up the kids to start the actual rehearsal. Luka sidled casually to Marinette’s side, letting his hand brush against hers. She wiggled her fingers in between his absently, and Luka grinned that stupid grin again, aiming it at the floor.

Teenage giggling suggested that he wasn’t at all successful in hiding it. He rolled his eyes, but the grin remained. Beat it , he mouthed at the kid who was snickering, raising his eyebrows threateningly, but instead the kid burst into outright laughter and a chorus of juvenile “ooooohs,” suddenly filled the air. Confused, they followed the pointing fingers and looked up to find one of the youngsters sitting on the bookshelf behind them, holding a piece of mistletoe out over their heads.

Luka rolled his eyes. “Oh, very funny, Rowan,” he scoffed, but then he turned and caught Marinette’s face in his hands and kissed her. Without lifting his lips from hers, he hooked one arm around her neck and the other around her waist and bent her backwards. The liplock itself wasn’t anything special—he wasn’t about to ravish her in front of a bunch of schoolkids, particularly since he knew all of their parents personally and did not need the earful they would give him—but it didn’t matter; the utterly cliche dip was as gross to them as a real kiss would have been.

“EW!” screamed the younger children, while the older ones either whooped or groaned, and Luka sent them a wicked grin as he set Marinette back up on her feet.

“Never bluff a Couffaine,” he told them, reaching out to ruffle Rowan’s multicolored head as he dropped down frm the bookshelf. Rose gave him a smug look as she came to retrieve the delinquents, and Luka couldn’t even make himself glare at her.

Marinette smacked his chest and he just winked at her, catching her hand and holding it to his heart. He got a little charge from the way her stern face twitched and then melted into a smile almost as silly as his own. He bent down as if drawn by a magnet and their lips met for a softer, more genuine kiss, and then she shoved his face away and turned back to watch the wise men start their parade to Bethlehem from the back of the library.

Luka looped his arms around Marinette’s waist and shook his head slightly as he watched the shepherds, decked in shredded leather and ripped denim and artistically mussed as though they really had been lounging around a field, cower before the rhinestone-studded angel glittering brilliantly in the light of the old spot Rose had bullied or begged from somewhere. “You’re a genius,” he murmured in her ear.

She tensed a little, but snuggled back in his arms. Luka sighed softly and nuzzled her temple, wishing he could help her, but whatever she was going through in her creative life, she was going to have to figure out for herself. He found her hand with his again and laced her slender, hard-working fingers through his own.

They both jumped when the library doors flew open with a bang. Everyone jumped or stiffened, and a room full of wide eyes turned to look at the tall, blond woman wearing an absurdly large hat and a fur stole stomp into the library like it was a fashion runway.

Luka felt Marinette gasp, and tightened his hold on her.

The woman looked around, and demanded in a voice that echoed off the walls. “Well, where is she? Marinette Dupain-Cheng, get out here this instant or you’re fired .”

Marinette pushed him away, and walked toward the tall woman, who spun on her heels to face her. “A-Audrey,” Marinette stammered. “What are you doing here?”

“My dear, the question is, what are you doing here?” Audrey replied with a sniff, looking around the little library. “No wonder you haven’t been able to get any work done in this dismal place.”

“Audrey, I’m on leave,” Marinette began, and Audrey flapped a hand dismissively.

“Leave, schmeave. We have deadlines , Marinette. Deadlines you are appallingly behind on.”

“B-behind?” Marinette stuttered, looking taken aback. “We were on schedule! I left very specific instructions!” Luka came up behind her and put a hand on her back in silent support.

“Those instructions were ridiculous ,” Audrey sneered. “The products were completely unacceptable. And since you didn’t deign to answer my calls, I came to fetch you myself. If you weren’t so talented I would have just fired you on the spot for abandoning things in such a state.”

He felt Marinette tense under his hand, and her fists clenched. “Unacceptable—Audrey, you approved those designs! If the production team—”

“ You are the designer,” Audrey accused, pointing an immaculately manicured finger in Marinette’s face. She flinched, and Luka had to fight every instinct in his body to keep still. “This is your failure. Now come along. You have a lot to make up for. Get in the car, we’ll stop and pick up your things on the way.” She turned and stalked to the door, clearly expecting Marinette to follow.

Marinette stared after her with her mouth open. Then she closed it, swallowed, and straightened her shoulders—and moved to follow Audrey.

Luka caught her hand without meaning to. “Marinette,” he said, and she turned her face to look up at him. For a moment they just stared at each other, and cold dread coiled in the pit of Luka’s stomach.

“I guess this is it,” she said softly. “I’m sorry, Luka. Goodbye.”

Luka stared at her as her hand slipped out of his. She picked up her pink coat as she passed the chair where he had placed it earlier. She dug in the pocket a moment, and took out a box, putting it on the table. She took one look back at him, and then followed Audrey out, catching the door so that it closed with a quiet click instead of a slam.

“Luka,” Rose whispered at his side, and he barely even felt her touch on his arm. He watched through the windows of the library door as Marinette, head down, shoulders bowed, got into Audrey’s limo.

Only when the car pulled away down the street could he move. He closed his mouth, and swallowed. Then he went quietly to his own coat, and put it on slowly, aware of the eyes on him the entire time.

He emerged into the sun and cold, fresh air, and looked around. The street was as it always was this time of year, with families and couples and individuals meandering through. Tinsel decorations sparkled on the streetlights, and the storefronts all had fake snow frosting the corners of their windows.

Luka blinked against the glare, so bright it brought tears to his eyes, put his hands in his pockets, and turned for home.

***

Marinette didn’t even hear most of Audrey’s chatter on the ride back to the city. She couldn’t stop thinking about that look on Luka’s face.

I should never have kissed him , she thought, staring out of the window. I knew better, and I let him make me believe .

She sighed—silently, so as not to draw Audrey’s notice. She wasn’t being fair. Of course it was a shock, what happened. Neither of them had been expecting it. There had been no bittersweet farewell, no moment of closure. No last kiss goodbye, no one last diamond moment to hold on to as the sands began to flow again.

He would get over it, once the shock passed, she thought mournfully, running an absent finger over the leather wrap on the door handle. He’d send her a text later, she was sure, something sweet and thoughtful, to let her know he was alright and that he was sorry things happened the way they had, but good luck and have a good life and oh, thanks for the present, that was really sweet.

And then he’d go back to his cozy life and forget her like he intended to all along.

She was so stupid , letting him talk her into living that little fantasy for even a day, let alone—

She shook her head slightly. This was better. It only would have been worse if she’d stayed longer.

...at least she had the memories to hold in her heart, though. He’d been right about that. She could remember what it was like to feel like he loved her, his affection and pride and unwavering support, his warm, sweet kisses, and the way that he looked at her…the way everyone giggled at them in the cafe. The quiet, private times when she’d curled in the hollow of his body as he held his guitar around her and played just for her, and she hadn’t had to do anything or be anything. The time he’d taken her up on the hill and they’d stood amongst the young trees, cuddled close against the chill as they looked up at the stars and for once she felt like the universe was big enough to let her breathe...

She fingered the lapel of his jacket beneath her own. Okay, maybe he’d been right too. Maybe the memories were worth having.

If only she could have stayed.

She gave another small shake of her head, blinking back tears, keeping her face averted from Audrey slightly.

“And the colors were atrocious —”

“I told you the color scheme was wrong,” Marinette said before she could think the better of it.

“It’s your job to make it work,” Audrey snapped. “ You sourced those fabrics.”

“According to your specifications,” Marinette shot back, her tone even but unyielding. “If you want to overrule me, that’s your prerogative, but don’t blame me for the outcome.”

Audrey pulled off her ever-present sunglasses and looked at Marinette with narrowed eyes. “If you don’t want this opportunity,” she said coldly, “then say so and stop wasting my time.”

Marinette shrank slightly. “Of course I do,” she sighed miserably, looking back out of the window. “It’s the opportunity of a lifetime.”

“And don’t you forget it,” Audrey sneered, sliding her sunglasses back on. “Or I’ll find someone else to clean up your mess.”

Marinette gritted her teeth and clenched her fists in her lap, willing herself to stay silent.

Speaking up wouldn’t do any good anyway.

***

He was still sitting at the kitchen table, staring blankly into space, when Rose got home. Luka didn’t even hear the door open, but he did hear Rose’s footsteps approaching over the wood floor.

“Luka,” Rose said softly, but he didn’t look at her. She set a small box on the table in front of him. “I’m pretty sure this was meant for you.” When he didn’t move, she slid it over until it touched his fingers. “You should open it.”

She waited a moment longer, and when he didn’t move, she sighed. “I’m sorry, Luka.” He listened to her retreat, leaving him alone again.

Sometime later he felt fingers slide through his hair, and the familiar song of his mother’s jangling jewelry was quickly followed by her scent surrounding him as she bent and pressed her lips to his forehead. “I’m proud of ye, son,” she told him. “Take as long as ye need.”

He sat there until it was dark outside, without really thinking about anything in particular. He just felt...numb.

Finally he looked at the box Rose had left him. He contemplated it for a moment, and then drew himself up with a sigh, and picked up the box. It was a nice box, lined in silver ribbon. Trust Marinette to pay attention to every detail. He fumbled it a little before he managed to slide the top off.

There was a pair of black leather gloves inside. Luka frowned slightly, picking them up. The leather was buttery soft, like it was already broken in, and...he slid one on his hand and flexed his fingers.

It fit perfectly, with none of the tightness or resistance that had always bothered him in the past. “You little sneak,” he murmured, tears stinging his eyes even as he smiled. “How’d you pull this off, hmm?”

Luka remembered suddenly how they’d been talking at Sally’s, and she had walked her little fingers over each finger of his hand, like it was something completely idle. He’d thought it was cute at the time. He’d thought she was just teasing him, since she pulled her hand away every time he tried to take it, but…

He’d be willing to put money on it that she had used some of the leather from his wardrobe to make these, and she’d chosen something he’d worn enough to take the stiffness out of the leather. And the accents around the cuffs and along the darts at the back of the hands...those were from the jacket she’d kept. The one she’d had to cut down when she took the lights out.The one she’d still been wearing, when she walked out today.

Luka swallowed a lump in his throat. All that work that she’d done, on the children’s costumes, and she’d found time to do this for him as well. Because she cared about him, and she loved his music, and she wanted him to take care of his hands.

“Marinette,” he sighed, letting his head fall on the table. “You’re killing me here.”

He didn’t know how long he’d been sitting there after that before Juleka’s hand rested lightly on his back. She didn’t say anything, just stayed there, and after a minute, he lifted his head and leaned it back on her. She stroked his hair just like his mother had.

“You need a ride to the bus station in the morning?” Juleka asked.

Luka closed his eyes. “Yeah.”

Fiction Master Post | Month of Miracles

#quickspins #monthofmiracles2020 #hallmark au #lukanette #endgame lukanette #lukanette endgame #luka couffaine #marinette dupain-cheng #miraculousladybug #miraculous ladybug

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kandoesfanfics-writes · 4 years

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Maribat Secret Santa 2019

@eve-valution, here’s your gift!!! I really hope you enjoy it! :)

Warning: There is a scene of physical assault later in the fic.

Marinette could feel her heart thudding against her chest as her anxiety began to claw at her throat. She knew that objectively that she looked perfect. Her dress had no noticeable flaws. Her makeup was on point, including her waterproof mascara and eyeliner. There wasn't a hair out of place. Her mask was flawless. Her hotel mirror didn’t lie. There wasn’t a single thing out of place with her outfit

So why did she feel so on edge?

It couldn't be because of her class.

While it was true that they would be attending the Wayne Christmas Gala, thanks to Bruce Wayne himself, Marinette wouldn’t be going with the class. She was going with Jagged Stone as his special guest and personal designer. No one in the class had seen her dress or her mask (as it was a masquerade theme with a midnight reveal) beforehand, so she should be unrecognizable. She would be able to enjoy the party without having to dodge her would-be tormentors.

"Calm down, Marinette! You look gorgeous. I'm sure you'll have fun at the gala. You're sure to turn heads!" a cheerful voice gently reminded her charge.

The little red and black Kwami was gently patting her cheek, trying not to smear her makeup. Tikki just knew Marinette would have an excellent time at the gala. She couldn't tell exactly why, but the Goddess of Creation learned a long time ago that she could trust her gut. Marinette would have a wonderful time with or without her class. Preferably without...

"Thanks, Tikki," Marinette sighed. "It’s just...tonight’s a big night. Uncle Jagged’s officially introducing me to the world. People will know I’m his designer...and it’s a lot.”

Tikki nodded sagely. She knew what her chosen meant. While Marinette felt very honored, and in Tikki’s opinion had rightfully earned everything, she still felt nervous about facing the rest of the world. Marinette knew there would be critics, there always were, but this was something entirely new. The unknown was frightening, and Tikki felt proud of Marinette for deciding to jump headfirst into this.

Marinette adjusted the silky black gloves on her arms again before looking at her heart. The little pink heart smiled at Marinette before floating over to sit on her shoulder. It was still cracked quite badly, but it had regained some color thanks to her platonic soulmates. She was nervous to have her heart come along with her, but she’d been reassured by Tikki several times that everything would be perfectly fine. Her little heart would be happier staying with Marinette rather than sitting back in the hotel room. Marinette would be happier too.

Tikki knew that humans could be separated from their hearts, but that it wasn’t healthy for them. Their hearts were the representation of their souls. To lock one’s heart away or be separated from it had potentially devastating consequences. While she knew Marinette would be okay away from her heart for a few hours, Marinette’s mood would surely tank the longer she was separated from her heart. Tikki wanted to make sure that Marinette had the best time at this gala.

Marinette looked at the clock before rushing to put on her black heels and grab her black clutch. Jagged and Penny would be there soon. Marinette looked at her phone to see Penny had texted her that they were almost at the hotel and to meet them in the lobby. Marinette’s class wouldn’t be leaving for another hour and were currently at dinner. There should be no one to see her sneak out.

There should have been no one to see her sneak out.

Unfortunately for her, there was one classmate that was not at dinner.

Adrien hadn’t felt like having Lila draped all over him during dinner, so he’d lied to Ms. Bustier. He told the redheaded woman that he wasn’t feeling well, and she’d let him go without a fight. The blond had seen Marinette leaving the hotel, eyes glued to her as long as she was in sight. He felt his heart pound as he wrestled internally.

“I don’t love Marinette! I love Ladybug, and only Ladybug...but Marinette sure looked amazing in that dress. Maybe Kagami was right though… maybe it's time I change my target.”

The blond knew their friendship had been rocky since the whole Lila thing, but if there was one thing Adrien knew, it was that Marinette was the most kind person he'd every ever met. She'd surely forgive him once he explained everything! And who knows… maybe she could be his soulmate. Ladybug was supposed to be his other half, but Adrien knew that there were more than one type of soulmate. Perhaps Ladybug wasn’t his romantic soulmate after all.

Adrien had never touched Marinette's heart before. He had been expressly forbidden by his father to touch other people's hearts because 'it could complicate or sour business relations'. Adrien had broken that rule only a few times.

Chloe and Nino were the only two people aside from his family whose hearts he'd come into contact with. Nino was silver, defining him as a platonic soulmate. Chloe's bond had been a metallic blue, signaling her as a sibling bond. Had because Adrien wasn't sure if it had remained the same. He hadn't touched Chloe's heart since Lila joined their class.

Who knows?

Maybe Marinette was destined to be his golden match.

If there was one thing Damian Wayne despised, it was these vapid charity galas his father forced him to attend.

There was nothing enjoyable about standing around while rich people faked basic social skills. It happened every year without fail. Bruce would show up with select members of his brood. Ladies would flaunt their jewelry, dresses, and wealth at them, trying to flirt. Women would surround Bruce, and he’d be lost until one of his investors or someone else came to speak with him. Women would also come and gather around the Wayne boys, and if Cass showed up, there would be some men too.

This year Jason and Cass were on patrol along with Stephanie and Kate. Red Hood, Black Bat, Spoiler, and Batwoman would be on the move throughout Gotham. This would leave Bruce, Dick, Tim, and Damian to attend the gala. Dick was going to be the only one safe from the clutches of the rich socialites. He was attending the gala with his wife and husband. No one would DARE hit on Dick while Kor’i and Wally were nearby…well so long as Kor'i was nearby.

Tim was flying solo for now. Time would only tell if Conner would show up to see him. However, Damian also knew that Tim would be more than preoccupied with the investors and other people inquiring about the company. Women would still throw themselves at Tim, but it wouldn’t be the same. Tim would easily be able to divert his attention to the business aspect while he would have to suffer like his father.

Since Damian was only sixteen, and had no real stake in the company just yet, there wasn’t much to talk about aside from his classes at Gotham Academy. The girls wouldn’t care about his schooling, so they would coo and clamor for his attention. They would tell him all about them and ask if he was dating anyone. It made Damian want to vomit.

He looked in irritation at his father before Damian demanded to know if he could go on patrol as well. Bruce shook his head before saying, “You know the deal, Damian. It’s your turn this year. Besides, you might have fun. Jared’s coming with his wife and his new designer. Apparently, his designer is a young lady your age.”

Damian rolled his eyes at that. Sure, he’d have a great time with some snooty designer. He wasn’t expecting her to be any different than the designers he’d met before. He was almost positive she would be full of herself, brag about her many accomplishments, and try to woo her way into the family. Just like all the others before her, this girl would get on Damian’s last nerve. He’d then be in trouble for insulting a lady’s sensitivities, and Bruce would pretend to apologize.

“I saw that, Damian. Jared, or as he’s now known Jagged, doesn’t hang around just anyone. He’s the only one allowed to be a primadonna, so the people around him are usually very down to earth,” Bruce said. “Give her a chance, please? Jagged said she’s never been to an event like this before. Besides, with masks on, no one should know who we are until midnight. Then you only have about an hour or two of the ladies trying to woo you.”

The youngest Wayne gave a deep sigh before telling his father he’d give the girl a chance. If she’d never been to one of these events before, perhaps there was still hope for her yet. Maybe if Damian kept her all to himself, she might be a bearable gala partner. He pulled on his overcoat before walking to the limo with his brothers, brother-in-law, and sister-in-law.

There was no getting around it, so Damian might as well try and have fun. Besides, Bruce had a point. Since this year’s theme was a masquerade, perhaps he could avoid the annoying ladies until the end of the party. He could walk around incognito to everyone but his family, and perhaps he could actually enjoy himself for once.

Well, Damian thought, what could it hurt to hope? ———————————————————————— The second Penny saw her, the pink haired woman cooed over Marinette.

“Oh, my little star! Look how gorgeous you are! I love the design! Jagged, isn’t she just the cutest thing you’ve ever seen?”

Jagged smiled widely at Marinette before giving her a thumbs up.

“Rockin’ outfit, Nettie! They’re sure to go wild for it!” Jagged said with a grin. “I’m lovin’ that mask.”

Marinette smiled before looking over Penny and Jagged.

“Everything fits, right? No one had any wardrobe malfunctions?” she asked, tense in her seat.

Penny laughed before telling her everything was perfect. Her mask was white with black around the eyes, decorated with pink lightning bolts made of rhinestones. Her dress was a mermaid style with ombre fabric. It started off at pink at the top that faded into black at the bottom. She was wearing the pink diamond necklace Jagged had gotten her as along with the pink diamond ring when he proposed to her. She had iridescent music notes sewn into her dress with translucent thread.

Jagged’s suit was an ombre as well except for instead of pink, it was purple that faded into black. His suit had similar music note designs. His mask was solid black with flames on it. Jagged wanted him and Penny to have similar designs as this would be the first event they would be attending as husband and wife. He was holding Penny close as he smiled brightly at Marinette.

“When we get there I’ll introduce you to my old pal, Bruce Wayne,” Jagged told her. “We went to school together when we were boys, and he was really the only one who thought me being a musician was a perfect fit for me. I’m positive he’ll commission you the second he sees your amazing work.”

“It’s really-”

“Now, little star,” Penny began, her tone warning. “We’ve talked about this; no more talking yourself down! You’re brilliant, Marinette. You’ve earned your place here with your amazing designs.”

Their hearts nodded eagerly from their spots on the couple’s shoulder. Jagged’s royal purple heart was holding onto Penny’s raspberry pink heart. Both were smiling at Marinette, reflecting their owners pride and affection for the young lady.

“Okay,” Marinette responded softly. “It is amazing...but do you really think Bruce Wayne will like it?”

“Of course, Nettie! Little star, that man can be surprisingly rock ‘n roll for a bigshot,” Jagged said with a grin. “Besides, you’re way too awesome for him not to like!”

The driver chose then to let them know they had arrived. Marinette looked out at the crowd as her anxiety skyrocketed. That was a lot of people...and a lot of cameras. She felt her heart burrow into the safety of her dress. She touched her face anxiously to make sure that her mask was still firmly in place. Reassured that it was, Marinette followed Jagged and Penny out of the car.

Only for her to be swept away by the lights and cameras. ——————————————————————— The press was there and were making a nuisance of themselves.

Fantastic.

Damian forgot how much he hated the press until there were cameras being shoved in his face. Even with his green cat shaped mask, most of the press immediately parted to let him through. He figured it was what Jason called his ‘murderous aura’ that made people move away from him, even though they had no way of knowing he was Damian Wayne. He had almost reached the door when his heart tugged his hair, making him look to his left. He spotted someone shaking in terror as microphones were shoved in her face.

She looked to be only about five foot, maybe five foot one in her heels. She was wearing a gorgeous sleeveless qipao that reached just above her ankles. It was black with the most intricate embroidery that Damian had ever seen. The bright red thread swirled into delicate flowers...and what appeared to be ladybugs on closer inspection. Her hair was in a bun with two delicate gold hair sticks as her accessory.

Damian could tell she was freezing, clearly not being prepared to be outside with the press for as long as she’d been. She had her arms crossed, rubbing her gloved hands against her bare skin. She was trying to answer one question until another reporter asked her something else, distracting and overwhelming her.

His jade green heart kept tugging aggressively on his hair, eventually flitting down to his sleeve. It tugged and tugged until Damian began walking towards her. His heart flew back under his suit coat the closer he got to the cameras. He took off his coat, strolling over casually to the young woman. He gently draped his coat over her shoulders, before smiling stiffly at the press.

“Enough with your rudeness,” Damian said as politely as possible. “Miss, why don’t I escort you inside? And please, keep the jacket until you warm up.”

The young lady looked up at him in shock, and Damian nearly felt his throat close. True, he couldn’t see half her face, but what he could see were two absolutely breathtaking blue eyes. Her mask was solid black, much like her dress, embroidered with the same red thread and design as her dress. She looked at him timidly as he gently guided her into the building.

“Are you all right, Miss? The press can be animals,” he said, arm wrapped protectively around her shoulders. “Are you here with anyone? Maybe I can help you find-”

Damian paused as his heart peeked out from behind his suit jacket. His green eyes widened as his cracked and bruised heart gently pressed against the young lady’s bare cheek. His throat went dry as his heart shimmered gold. He saw her blue eyes go wide as well as she reached up to cradle the heart in her silk covered hands.

“Oh..OH!” she said in clear shock.

Her heart peeked out from inside her clutch, still trembling. Damian figured her heart was probably still stressed from the previous situation with the press. He gently held out his hand and watched as the pale pink heart warily floated into his hand. The moment it touched Damian’s fingers, it shimmered gold as well.

“Hello there,” Damian said softly. “It’s very nice to meet you, my golden match.” —————————————————————— Marinette felt like she was going to panic.

Jagged and Penny were nowhere in sight. They’d gotten separated when the paparazzi started swarming around her. She had cameras shoved in her face as people asked her a million questions at once. She could feel her heart trembling in her clutch as she tried to navigate the cameras and questions.

She could barely hear what they were asking her over the pounding of her heart. How in Kwami’s name was this supposed to be fun?! Marinette was freezing now since she couldn’t get inside. The camera crews were blocking her path, and she was struggling to make her way through. Marinette started to shake as she became overwhelmed and nauseous.

Then she felt a weight on her shoulders and felt warmth surround her. She looked up just in time to watch a handsome young man tell the press off. He had dark black hair that was spiked up and beautiful jade eyes. His mask was a dark green color, cat shaped with pale gold thread making a beautiful looping design on it. He had a strong jaw, and gorgeously tanned skin. He was built, and Marinette felt much safer with his arm around her protectively. He led her into the building without hesitation, taking her away from the flashes of the cameras.

She felt her heartbeat in her throat as the man told her to keep the jacket until she was warm. Marinette couldn’t help but feel touched when the man asked her if she was okay. He genuinely seemed concerned for her and was about to offer his assistance until a gorgeous jade color heart popped out of his suit jacket. Marinette nearly bit the inside of her cheek as she looked at the heart.

It was badly cracked and bruised, much like her own heart. Marinette felt it press gently against her cheek and watched the young man’s green eyes widen. Why were his eyes widening? Unless...unless his heart was reacting to her? Was it? Could they be soulmates?!

Marinette’s eyes widened as she reached up to touch the heart. She looked down at the heart, still a brilliant gold color, resting in her hands.

“Oh...OH!” she said shocked.

She watched her own heart peek out from her clutch. The little pink heart was still trembling, though Marinette couldn’t blame it. She was still rather shaken up after the whole incident with the press. The only thing keeping her grounded was the golden heart in her hands, and the arm that anchored her to the present.

She watched as the man held out his free hand towards her heart. Marinette was surprised to see her heart actually float towards him. It was watching him warily, but the second it touched his fingers, it turned a brilliant gold. She looked up at him, only feel her knees go weak at the expression on his face.

Those green eyes were locked onto her with the gentlest expression Marinette had ever seen. He was smiling at her broadly before saying, “Hello there. It’s nice to meet you, my golden match.”

Marinette flushed a brilliant red color before looking down at her shoes. Why was he looking at her like that?! He didn’t know anything about her! So what if they were romantic soulmates? That didn’t mean she’d fall in love with a complete stranger just like that! She looked back up at him to see he was looking at her with concern.

“I-I-I’m not go-go-going to fal-fall for you just be-be-because we’re golden hearts!” Marinette stammered, her accent coming in thick. “I-I don’t kn-know you!”

She braced herself for the anger that would come with her response. Chat Noir had always gotten angry at Ladybug for telling him that she would not fall in love with him. He would scream at her that they were meant to be and that she did really love him. He would grab her wrists and shake her, telling her to stop being so stubborn and accept fate. Chat had also gotten very cross with her for not letting him see her heart.

She’d told him several times that if she showed him her heart, then he’d be able to figure out her civilian identity. Chat had told her he didn’t care. They were Ladybug and Chat Noir, two halves of a whole, destined to be together for the rest of their lives. Marinette had responded that she barely knew Chat, and she couldn’t fall in love with a stranger.

“...Miss! Miss! Are you okay? You’re shaking,” a voice broke through. “Do you want me to leave?”

Marinette’s world snapped back into focus. She noticed that know her golden heartmate’s hands were resting on her upper arms. He was leaning over to look her in the eye. The worry was clear in his expression. He smiled at her reassuringly before saying, “It’s okay. That’s perfectly understandable. I’m a complete stranger to you, soulmate or not. If you’d be comfortable, would you like to accompany me? We could talk during the party, but if you’re not comfortable, I’ll take my leave.”

Marinette couldn’t help the look of shock that appeared on her face. He...he didn’t mind? He didn’t mind that Marinette wasn’t in love with him on sight? He-he wanted to talk with her? He wanted to get to know her? He would leave if she asked? Was he really that concerned about her comfort?

“I...could...you really aren’t angry?”

She watched her heartmate’s expression shift into shock.

“Red...why would I be angry? We’re both complete strangers to one another. I wouldn’t blame you if you wanted me to leave, or at the very least, wanted me to take off my mask so you can see my face,” he said. “You’re my golden match, but if we aren’t meant to be together at this moment, than I can wait a little longer for you. Besides, not all golden soulmates end up together. Some choose to love others outside their bond...just because we’re golden doesn’t mean we’re trapped in a relationship.”

Marinette almost began to cry in relief. Her eyes watered as she realized this guy wasn’t going to be like Chat. He was giving her a choice. He didn’t look like he wanted to leave her, but he was giving her the chance to walk away. If she said she didn’t want to talk to him, he told her he’d leave. For whatever reason, Marinette believed him when he said it too. There was just a strong feeling in her gut that told her he wasn’t lying to her.

“...would...would you mind escorting me around?” Marinette asked timidly. “I lost the people I came with.”

“Of course, Red,” he replied, holding out his arm. “This way.” ———————————————————— Damian was very concerned about his golden heartmate.

She was terrified after telling him that she wasn’t going to fall in love with him just because they were golden heartmates. She had zoned out after that, her blue eyes staring off into empty space. She had gone extremely pale, and her eyes were haunted. She had even begun to tremble, leading him to grip her upper arms and try to get her attention.

She was clearly thinking of something extremely distressing or trapped in an unpleasant memory. He called to her until she came back to him, distress clear in her body language. He tried to smile reassuringly at her while comforting her. Damian reassured her that he didn’t expect her to fall in love with him on the spot, and that if she wanted him too, he’d leave her alone.

Damian really wanted to get to know his golden heartmate, but clearly she’d been badly hurt by someone. He wouldn’t push her to accompany him around the gala if it was going to hurt her further. He didn’t want to hurt her...not her. He was sorely tempted to grab his katana and run through whoever made her so terrified of establishing boundaries with people.

Just because she was his soulmate didn’t mean she owed him shit! She was her own woman. She was free to do what she wished, with or without him. Damian would very much like it to be with him, but once again, he didn’t own her. If she didn’t wish to, she didn’t have to be with him.

His heart looked sadly at the girl when she asked Damian if he was angry. Damian looked down at her heart, which was holding itself and looking up at him with such trepidation. It made him sad, and his heart reflected that, looking up at her with such sorrow.

Who had hurt her like this?

Damian told her exactly how he felt about everything. They were strangers. He wasn't expecting her to swoon upon seeing him. He'd wait for her. He'd be willing to give her up should that be what she desired. He didn't own her, soulmate or not, and Damian wanted his soulmate to make the choice to be with him.

He'd called her Red on instinct, feeling it would not be wise to ask her name at the present moment. If they decided to separate now, the odds of them knowing who the other was and finding them again would be slim. As much as it hurt, Damian was prepared to leave in order to show his respect for her feelings.

Then she asked if he would take her around, and Damian felt a spark of hope.

“Of course, Red,” he replied, holding out his arm. “This way.”

Red took his arm timidly, but had a firm grip on him. She was looking around anxiously until they stepped into the ballroom. Then Damian watched as Red's eyes went wide, a smile breaking out on her face. She almost immediately released his arm to pull a small sketchbook out of her clutch.

Damian watched as Red flipped to a blank page, noticing the book was full of clothing designs.

"The architecture is very beautiful," Damian said, looking around. "The Waynes have their Christmas Gala here every year. It was a tradition Bruce Wayne's parents started."

"I can see why!" Red said enthusiastically. "It's absolutely gorgeous."

"Getting any good ideas, Red?"

"Oh, I'm getting plenty, Green. I apologize, but if I don't at least write the details out, I'll completely forget what I was thinking."

Damian raised an eyebrow at the nickname. Green? Oh well, Damian figured there were worse things she could call him. At least she was talking to him without fear…

And what a beautiful sight it was.

Red was much more animated now. She was smiling brightly as she sketched away in her little book. She even started to talk about herself a little. She mentioned she was a designer here as someone's special guest. She told him that she'd designed their outfits as well as her own… though admitting that seemed to bring back some anxiety.

"You are very talented," Damian said with a gentle tone. "That qipao looks absolutely divine. You did the embroidery by yourself?"

Red flushed beautifully at his words. Her big blue eyes looked at him with surprise before responding that yes, she had done everything herself. She then asked how on earth he knew it was a qipao.

"My mother," Damian replied with a shrug. "I haven't quite found a passion like you have, Red. I will probably go into business like my father before me."

"Your father's a businessman?" Red asked, slowing her furious pencil strokes.

"Yes, and so is my one brother."

"What about your mother?"

"...we don't talk anymore. She wasn't… she tried, but she wasn't the best mother."

Red looked sad at that before quietly apologizing for asking.

"Red, don't apologize. Believe it or not, that's the nicest way anyone's ever asked about my mother," Damian tried to reassure her.

That seemed to set something off in Red.

"What do you mean? That's the nicest way?! Just what were these people asking?" she demanded, her adorable accent getting thicker.

Damian laughed before quickly trying to change the topic. Red seemed to dislike that until he told her if he gave her an answer, she would be able to figure out who he was easy. Damian pointed out that if she wanted to know the real him, Red would need to talk to him without knowing his name. She seemed confused, so Damian explained.

"Not everyone gets to be themselves in their day to day lives. Celebrities, for example, have an image they need to uphold at all times or it could ruin their careers and damage their reputation. Some people you hear their name and have an immediate idea of who they should be based off their media coverage. Just because that's how you think it should be doesn't make it right."

Red seemed to ponder that for a moment before saying, "No names, no identifying information, but everything else is fair game."

"Sounds reasonable. What does your family do?" Damian asked.

"My parents are bakers. I think Papa was hoping I'd carry on the family business, and I do love baking, but fashion is where my heart is. I don't have any siblings."

"Want some of mine? I have four officially adopted siblings and a gaggle of people who might as well be my siblings. They're around our house often enough."

Red laughed before saying the house must be busy. Damian rolled his eyes and told her she had no idea. He nearly melted at her genuine laughter, finding her rather adorable when she was smiling.

They continued to ask each other questions, and Damian found himself utterly fascinated by the young lady beside him. She was Chinese-French. She was from Paris, and her class was here on a trip. She was sixteen, and in the French equivalent of high school. She had already won a fashion contest and designed for famous individuals. She was an only child, but babysat frequently. She wanted a hamster for a pet but loved other animals as well. She was very excited when Damian told her he had a pet cow.

He had also learned that she was being bullied. She admitted there was a girl in her class who was constantly lying, and despite that, everyone believed her and liked her. This girl had turned their entire class against Red. She’d almost gotten Red expelled, and that was merely the tip of the iceberg. Red continued to tell him about all the nasty things this girl had done to her, and how only one classmate knew the girl was lying and had done nothing to stop her. Red admitted that it was nice to finally be able to vent about the situation, since her class wouldn’t believe her and told him about Hawkmoth as well.

Damian quietly made a mental note to check the Justice League’s database to see if they’d been aware of the situation. If not, he would quickly rectify this mistake. After all, there was a super villain that needed to be stopped.

In return he told her that he wasn't originally from Gotham, but had been living there for the last six years with his father. He told her he was sixteen as well and attended high school. He told her about his pets, especially Batcow upon seeing her excitement. He told her about his day-to-day life, and they made their way over to the food spread.

Damian took turns eating with Red after asking the other a question. He found himself having fun with the young lady beside him. She was very sweet and funny. She took her time answering his question and asked him very thoughtful ones about himself. Red really seemed to want to get to know him, and she really paid attention to Damian’s answers. The fact she looked adorable in his coat didn’t hurt either. She still had it over her shoulders, occasionally pulling it closed like a security blanket.

Their hearts seemed to be content together as well. They had started the evening on one another’s shoulders, but eventually, Red’s pink heart decided to hold hands with Damian’s own jade heart. Damian secretly hoped that Red’s heart trusting his meant that Red was starting to trust him as well.

They were discussing what they’d like to do for college when someone screamed Red’s name. ———————————————————————— Marinette felt a chill creep down her spine as she heard her name.

"Marinette! Marinette! There you are! I've been looking everywhere for you. Why'd you leave so early?"

Adrien.

How did he know it was her? He shouldn't know. How did he know? He. Shouldn't. Know. She didn't show anyone else her gown or her mask. She was wearing Green’s coat! How in God’s name did he know it was her?!

Marinette turned around slowly, pulling Green’s coat closed as her heart darted underneath it. She took several deep breaths before turning to look at the blond boy coming up from behind her. He was wearing a mask similar to Green’s. It was a cat-like mask, but in black. The threading on it made a more geometric pattern and was made with silver threading. His green eyes swept over her body, narrowing once he spotted the coat. His expression at first had been friendly, but it quickly turned into something more sour.

Adrien was followed by the majority of their class. Some of them looked confused, as if they didn’t know she was here, while others looked at her with disdain and scorn. Alya, still recognizable even with her cheap looking orange mask, was the next person to come up to her.

“Funny, I thought we left your worthless ass back at the hotel,” Alya hissed. “You shouldn’t have come, Marinette. You’re just going to ruin this for everyone.”

Marinette’s eyes drifted up and down Alya’s form, taking in the cheap taffeta dress she was wearing. It was a formless dress that really didn’t do her any favors, in Marinette’ opinion, that was a shade of orange. Her hair was pulled up into a ponytail, and she was wearing orange flats.

“Funny, I thought your outfit would have ruined the night,” she said calmly. “It really doesn’t look like it belongs in such a fancy party as this.”

“That’s because you refused to make our dresses! You’ve always made our dresses! Just because you don’t like Lila, doesn’t mean you get to be a bitch about it!” Alya snapped.

Several of the other girls nodded, glaring at her. Now that Marinette could see her classmates, it appeared as if they’d all bought their dresses from the same store. They were all wearing cheap-looking taffeta dresses in different colors with matching flats. Their masks were all rather plain looking, clearly made at the last minute. Marinette almost burst out laughing at how terrible they all looked.

The boys faired only slightly better. Their suits were cheap-looking, but not as terrible as the dresses. They had ties and masks that matched their dates (if they had one), but at least all their shoes were black. They looked uncomfortable with everything, not even really looking at Marinette.

The only one that looked fine was Chloe, who wore a beautiful mermaid style dress that was a pastel yellow. She had her blonde hair down for once and was wearing a diamond necklace and bracelet. Her mask was a pale gold color with the gold becoming darker above her eyes. It was edged with intricate black lace. Clearly her father had given her the outfit (or she’d bought it with his money).

Lila looked downright livid upon seeing Marinette. She was wearing the same thing as Alya, just in a darker shade of orange. She tried to grab Adrien’s arm, but he pulled away from her. Her sickly green eyes glared daggers at Marinette as Adrien walked up to her.

“Marinette...who’s this?” he asked, his expression sour. “It’s not safe to hang around strangers. You should come be with your friends. I even wanted to ask you if you’d like to dance. There’s something I wanted to ask you.”

“This is my friend,” Marinette said flatly. “We were having a good time talking before you showed up. I do not want to dance.”

“As if! You’re just saying that!” Alya sneered. “You’ve been in love with Adrien for years. Tell him Marinette! Tell him how you’re the one who made him all those gifts, like the scarf he thought was from his dad! How it was always you who wanted him to go to stuff. How you were always trying to get together with him!”

Adrien looked shocked as he glanced at Marinette. She had made him that scarf? She was the one who was always trying to arrange things so he could go? She was the one remembering all these important dates? Had Marinette always done things like this, or had he been special? Did she really love him? Did he really have a chance-?

“Not anymore. I used to have a crush on Adrien. It’s true I did a lot for Adrien to get him to notice me. Then I realized that Adrien wasn’t worth it. He was never worth it.”

Marinette had a steely expression as she spoke, holding her head high.

“Lila’s a liar, and Adrien’s been hiding the truth from you. Adrien knows that she lies about things, but he told me not to rock the boat. He told me to ignore Lila in hopes that she’d just go away. When you all told me I was a terrible person, a bully, a freak...when you told me I should...I should just disappear, Adrien did nothing. True friends don’t stand by when their friends need them,” she sighed before holding her hand up to Adrien. “And don’t try to apologize. I won’t accept it. You can have fun with Lila. You two deserve each other.”

Marinette turned back towards Green, not noticing the darkening expression on Adrien’s face.

The boy couldn’t understand why she’d say such terrible things. Why wouldn’t Marinette let him apologize? He wanted to apologize! Adrien felt terrible that Marinette felt so neglected. If she’d just give him a chance, then he could prove himself! He could prove that he could be a good friend to Marinette. He just needed to touch her heart! Surely if he touched her heart, then Marinette would see that they were meant to be together in some way!

Adrien shook off Lila again, grabbing Marinette by the arm.

“Show me your heart!” Adrien demanded, his grip tight despite the coat adding extra cushion. “Show it to me, and I’ll prove to you that we’re meant to be at least friends! I can’t lose you, and Ladybug! Ladybug will never love me, but Marinette could, and I demand to have a chance!”

“No. Let me go!” she hissed. “Let go of my arm, Adrien!”

“Let her go!” Lila pretended to sob. “Adrien, she’s not worth it! Can’t you see that she was just a whore playing with your affections? Please, Adrien! I love you too much to let you go through with this!”

“Yeah, she’s nothing!” Alya joined in. “C’mon, Adrien. It’s almost midnight! That’s when all the masks come off, and Jagged Stone will be unveiling his new designer!”

“Don’t you want to see Jagged’s designer?” Lila said, still pretending to cry. “I worked so hard to help them get there! I need to go see Jagged unveil my creation to the world! Besides, that designer is one of my best friends! I promised I would be there to show my support!”

Adrien just gripped Marinette’s arm harder, causing the black haired girl to let out a whine of pain. Marinette tried freeing herself from his grasp, smacking his arm, and trying to pry his hand off of her. Adrien responded by gripping harder and began to shake her. As Marinette struggled to free herself, Adrien began shouting at her that she needed to let him apologize so they could start over.

When Marinette refused, Adrien swept his leg under hers, causing her to fall to the floor.

They were now drawing attention from the other party-goers, some who rushed to get security and others who watched the whole thing go down.

Adrien tried to get a hold on Marinette again, but got frustrated with her struggling and grabbed her by the hair, ripping her bun out. Marinette struggled to her feet before punching him in the gut. Adrien lashed out, catching Marinette across her right cheek with a loud thud.

Before any of the French teenagers could blink, Adrien was on the floor, his nose profusely bleeding. —————————————————————————————— The punch was the last straw.

Damian didn’t even hesitate before punching the annoying blond in the face, most likely breaking his nose. He had a bad feeling this was who had hurt his soulmate so deeply that she was afraid of Damian’s reaction to her saying she wasn’t in love with him. This pathetic boy had demanded his chance from his golden heartmate as if it was something he was owed! Not only that, but he had hurt Marinette!

Marinette, Damian thought, such a pretty name that fit such a pretty girl.

He thought he’d been pissed off before when the girl, Marinette had called her Alya, was insulting his golden heartmate. The only reason Damian hadn’t stepped in was simply because it appeared like Marinette had had it handled. He didn’t want to fight her battles for her, not when she was clearly able to do so herself. More than likely, Marinette would have just found that insulting as he’d gathered from their talks that she was rather independent.

So, he’d swallowed his rage and allowed her to defend herself. At least until the stupid boy— Adrien— had hit her. Once Adrien was on the floor, he put himself directly in front of Marinette. He glared at the other French teens, daring one of them to try and take him on.

“What the fuck was that for!” Alya screeched. “You broke his nose!”

“He hurt Marinette,” Damian replied, hearing Marinette gasp in shock.

She had probably thought Damian couldn’t understand French One look at her class told him that the others were of a similar mind. They looked at him with shock and fear. Adrien was the only one who didn’t look shocked, just pissed off. The blond got to his feet before snarling, “Who the fuck do you think you are!? Why are you getting in between me and my princess?!”

“Because you brain dead imbecile, Marinette doesn’t belong to you! She doesn’t belong to anyone! Marinette is her own person, and if she doesn’t want to hear your sorry apology, then she doesn’t need to hear it! She doesn’t need to do shit for you!” Damian snarled. “You put your hands on her. You assaulted her. You hurt her. I simply thought it was time for me to step in.”

“So you stepped in after I hit her?” Adrien questioned.

“I stepped in after it was clear that the situation was no longer under control,” Damian responded. “Marinette was handling herself just fine until you hit her. She’s not weak, and she’s most certainly not defenseless. I did not believe she wished for me to fight her battles, so I didn’t.”

Damian could hear security approaching as well as a woman shouting something in French. The red haired woman rushed over to Adrien and began looking over him. She also tried to get the others under control, as they’d all started screaming and yelling at one another. Damian responded to security by yanking his mask off, revealing who he was.

“The blond in the black cat mask with the bloody nose assaulted the young lady behind me,” he said curtly. “I’d like him removed from the gala, and I need to find my father. He’ll be barred from any future Wayne Galas as well.”

“You can’t do that!” Adrien hissed.

“I can,” Damian responded, turning to look at Marinette.

Marinette was shaking again, all the previous courage she had gone. Her mask was off now, having been knocked off during the struggle. Her blue eyes were wide, framed by beautiful black lashes. She had a cute button nose that was splashed with now visible freckles. Her right cheek was already bruising, and her hair was a mess.

Damian knelt down and gently picked up her gold hair sticks from the floor. He held them out to her slowly, not wanting to frighten her, as he stood back up.

“Marinette, do you need my help?” he asked gently.

He waited for the dark haired girl to decide patiently. He knew she probably wasn’t okay, but he also wasn’t sure if she’d want him to touch her. She’d just been assaulted, so perhaps he should find a woman that could be trusted to help Marinette fix herself up. He was relieved when Marinette took the golden sticks from his hands. He was even more relieved when she moved closer to him.

Marinette rested her left cheek on his right shoulder, trying to hide her face in his shoulder. Damian could hear her start to sniffle and wrapped his arms around her. He gently rubbed her back, allowing her to cry while shielding her face. Marinette shook in his arms, and he felt the rage come back...until he felt Marinette’s heart began to nuzzle against his neck and her face, searching for comfort. The rage faded, and Damian focused his thoughts on making sure Adrien couldn’t touch Marinette again.

Damian spotted his father walking towards him, followed by Dick, Kor’i, Wally, and two other people he hadn’t met yet. They were talking with the security guards, and Damian would bet that Tim was probably going over the security footage. His father walked up to him with a serious expression.

“Damian, could you please explain why you punched one of the students from the visiting French class?” he asked sternly.

“He assaulted his classmate,” he said. “He grabbed her and tried to get her to come with him. When she refused, he swept her legs out from under her. He tried to get a grip on her, but got mad and pulled her hair. She got up and punched him in the stomach so he’d let go. Then he punched her, and that’s when I punched him. Show him your face, Marinette.”

Damian gently touched Marinette’s head. She lifted her head up to look at him, and he watched his father’s expression darken. Bruce may have been mad at Damian for possibly starting an international incident, but he knew that his father wouldn’t hold it against him for defending someone else. He noted that several bystanders had come up to defend him, telling Bruce what had transpired before security arrived.

A strange man with black and purple hair rushed over to him, followed by a pink haired woman. Both looked horrified and concerned. The woman actually pulled Marinette from Damian’s hold, but seeing how Marinette immediately latched onto her, he swallowed his displeasure. The woman held Marinette tightly, rocking a little, as she asked what had happened and if Marinette was going to be alright.

Dick chose this time to come in, tapping the man with the purple and black hair on the shoulder.

“Jagged Stone, this is my youngest brother and Bruce’s only biological child, Damian Wayne. Damian, this is Jared “Jagged” Stone. He’s Bruce’s old friend. The woman with the pink hair is his wife, Penny Stone,” Dick said.

“While it’s nice to meet you, Damian, I want to know what the hell happened to Marinette!” Jagged said, glaring at Damian. “We got separated by the paparazzi when we arrived and weren’t able to find her since!”

“She was with me, though I didn’t know who she was,” Damian responded honestly. “I saw her getting harassed by the reporters and stepped in. We’ve spent the last few hours talking to one another until that Adrien boy found us. He tried getting Marinette to come with him, and he didn’t seem too pleased that I was here. He hurt her when she refused to go with him, so I punched him.”

“What?! That little bastard punched my niece! Where is he? I’ll take his damn head off!” Jagged growled, surprising both Dick and Damian with the ferocity behind it. “Penny, watch after our little star! I’ve got a boy to skin.”

“Follow Father. He’ll be the only one with the bloody nose,” Damian supplied helpfully.

Jagged stalked off with Dick behind him as Kor’i and Wally stepped up to the group. Kor’i immediately went to the other two women and asked if Marinette would like to clean up in the bathroom. Penny had looked towards Marinette, and the dark haired girl simply nodded. Kor’i led the way towards the ladies room while Wally stood beside Damian.

“Well this is a mess,” Wally tried to joke.

Damian nodded sullenly. Instead of continuing to try and talk to the boy, Wally settled for watching Bruce and Jagged rip into the boy, his teacher, and the class for trying to defend his actions. Damian felt his anger reach the boiling point when her classmates called her a liar and a bully. He also felt angry when the teacher tried to excuse it away as “teenager stuff”. He almost laughed out loud when Bruce responded that he had raised four teenage boys and that none of them would have thought this was acceptable behavior. Her teacher had almost wilted at that.

But nothing was quite as sweet as when Jagged brought the liar to her knees in front of the class that revered her.

“I can’t believe you people! You’re standing here trying to tell me that my favorite little designer, my little niece is a bully and a liar?! Not rock’n’roll at all! Marinette is the sweetest, most creative little star I’ve ever met. She gets my jagged style, and she’s an extremely hard worker. Marinette didn’t get to be my designer based on lies. She got to be my designer based on her own hard work and skills,” Jagged snapped at the class. “Besides, no one deserves to be assaulted!”

“That’s not true! Lila was the one who set Marinette up with you. If it hadn’t been for Lila, she wouldn’t be your designer at all,” Alya argued. “She was just being an ungrateful bitch!”

“...but Marinette doesn’t like Lila...and Lila said the designer was one of her best friends,” a red haired boy quietly pointed out. “How could Lila have done what she said if Jagged’s telling us that Marinette is his designer?”

“Marinette is my designer! And who is this Lila? Why is she telling lies about my little star?” Jagged demanded to know.

“But Lila saved your kitten! Remember? It was on the runway of the airport! You wrote a song about her too! It’s all over my blog!” Alya asked desperately, not wanting to believe Lila had been lying to her this whole time.

“One, I’ve never owned a cat. Fang’s been my only pet for twenty years. Two, I would never write a song about an underage girl. Three, the only girl I’ve ever written a song for is the superhero known as Ladybug. These are all things any competent reporter would know,” Jagged said.

Damian watched as Alya turned on the brunette with sausage hair and terrible dark orange ensemble. Alya started screaming at her, demanding to know if she was lying about everything else as well. This got Marinette’s whole class involved, as well as Jagged. The class was torn between yelling at Lila and being horrified to find out she was lying. Jagged was busy yelling about how Lila would be hearing from his lawyers for defamation of character.

The Lila girl began crying again, and Damian turned away from them. His instead chose to scan the crowd, waiting for Marinette to return. ————————————————————————————— Marinette was in shock to say the least.

She had expected Adrien to be angry with her. She had expected him to argue with her. She hadn’t been expecting Adrien to put his hands on her though. She honestly never thought that he would hit her like he did. She was frightened to know now that Adrien was not above using force to get what he wanted.

Penny had been fussing over her for since the agent got her hands on Marinette. The beautiful red-headed woman, who led them to the bathroom, stood silently next to the door. She had introduced herself as Kor’i Grayson, wife of Richard and Wally Grayson, and daughter-in-law of Bruce Wayne. She offered to stand guard by the door and ensure that no one else came in while Penny was helping Marinette clean up.

“Marinette, sweetheart, what happened?” Penny asked, gently wiping away the tears from Marinette’s eyes.

“The press...they surrounded me and started asking all these questions. I didn’t even notice you and Uncle Jagged were gone until I looked around. They kept pressing me for answers until Green— I mean Damian— stepped in. He gave me his coat because I was cold and led me inside. He offered to keep me company until I was able to find you and Uncle Jagged,” Marinette began.

“Green?” Kor’i asked with amusement.

“His mask was green. He called me Red first, and then said he wanted to talk to me without names and expectations. He was really nice to me, Penny. I was so scared, but he was nice about it. I didn’t even realize how close to midnight it was, I was having so much fun with him. We were eating when Adrien found us...I don’t know how he knew it was me, Penny. I didn’t show anyone my dress or my mask, so he shouldn’t have known it was me—”

“Breathe, Marinette. It’s okay. He won’t put another hand on you, I swear it!” Penny said, gently rubbing Marinette’s arm.

Marinette took a few deep breaths before continuing.

“Adrien wanted me to go with him. I think he wanted to apologize to me and ask me on a date,” she said, her voice cracking. “I told him no. I didn’t want to hear his apology, and I’m no longer in love with him. He didn’t like that answer. He grabbed my arm. I fought him. He swept my feet out from under me and grabbed my hair. I managed to get up and punched him in the stomach so he’d let go. That was when he punched me...and then Damian punched him back harder.”

Marinette took a few more deep breaths.

“I thought I had it under control. I thought I could handle him without help. Even when he knocked me over...I wasn’t expecting him to punch me. I’m glad Damian punched him...if Adrien had tried to hit me again, I don’t know if I would have been able to fight him off…”

What she didn’t want to admit was that she wasn’t sure she’d be able to shake off the shock quick enough. Marinette knew that she could fight Adrien. She was Ladybug after all, and Adrien hadn’t been akumatized. That was also the other thing she couldn’t admit— being Ladybug. She could have passed it off as self-defense lessons, but Marinette knew it still would have been suspicious.

Marinette chose to tune out Kor’i and Penny as she fixed her hair. She pulled it back into a bun before putting the golden sticks back into her hair. Marinette allowed Penny to fix her makeup, though not much could be done about the bruising on her cheek. At this point, she was just settling for looking like she hadn’t been crying after being assaulted.

Once she was cleaned up, Marinette hugged Penny tightly before asking if they could postpone her reveal. Penny told her that they would of course postpone her reveal. Kor’i promised not to tell anyone that Marinette was Jagged’s designer, but she did congratulate Marinette on her achievement. Marinette had smiled and thanked her in response.

Oddly enough...Marinette wanted to go back to Damian. He had been polite, kind, and absolutely fun to be around all night. He’d reassured her when she was scared. He’d waited for her to come to him after Adrien attacked. He’d held her while she cried until Penny showed up. Marinette didn’t want to label it as love, especially since they were golden heartmates, but she would admit that she wouldn’t mind going on a date with Damian. Perhaps she might follow fate’s lead and fall in love with Damian.

Only time would tell, and Marinette felt safer establishing boundaries with Damian than she did anyone else. He had not tried to push or argue with her about her boundaries. Instead he had respected them without question, something Marinette was immensely grateful for. Thinking about how he’d acted the whole night, Marinette didn’t think falling in love with him would be such a bad thing.

She was smiling as she left the bathroom with Kor’i and Penny. Marinette continued smiling when she noticed Damian looking for her in the crowd. She felt happy when Damian’s face lit up upon seeing her. She hugged him tightly once she was within reach before looking at the chaos that was her class. She raised an eyebrow before Jagged broke in, demanding to know if Marinette knew that the Lila girl was spreading all sorts of nasty lies about them.

“Cat’s out of the bag,” Damian said smugly. “Now they’re all trying to pick up what little dignity they have left.”

Marinette laughed at that, feeling joy in the fact that Lila had finally been revealed. However, she chose to ignore her classmates arguing and pleas for forgiveness to hold out her hand to Damian.

“Let’s try this again. Hi, my name’s Marinette Dupain-Cheng,” she said with a grin. “I had a lot of fun with you, and I would very much like to go on a date so I can get to know my golden heartmate better.”

A wide smile appeared across Damian’s face as he shook her hand.

“Hello, my name is Damian Wayne. I also had a very good time with you and would love to take you on a date,” he responded.

Marinette giggled as his heart darted out to nuzzle her cheek, just barely catching the gasps from the people around her as the heart flashed gold. Her own heart had zipped over to Damian and began nuzzling his cheek as well, also turning gold.

“Would you like to leave now, Marinette?” he asked. “I could have our driver drop you off at your hotel if you’d like. You probably should ice that bruise.”

Marinette looked at both Jagged and Penny to see what they thought. Both of them were smiling at her and nodding, so she turned back towards Damian.

“Thank you, that would be very nice,” she replied.

Damian held out his arm towards her again, and this time, Marinette took it without hesitation. Looking at the handsome, dark haired boy with kind green eyes, she decided there were worse people she could have as her golden heartmate. When he kissed her hand upon dropping her off at the hotel, Marinette made another decision.

She stood on her tiptoes, gently pressing a quick kiss to his lips. Marinette giggled as he flushed, his eyes wide and clearly surprised. Yes, she thought, perhaps having him as a romantic soulmate wouldn’t be the end of the world. Perhaps...perhaps loving him could be the best thing that happened to her.

Little did she know that Damian agreed.

#maribat secret santa #daminette #eve-valuation #maribat #marinette x damian #damian x marinette #im not nice to adrien here #so if you're not here for that don't read #there's some salt here #im not nice to the class either #tiny bit of alya bashing here #soulmate au #soulmate hearts au #i really hope you like it #im sorry it's so long #long post

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xhanisai · 4 years

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Disconsolate

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A/N: ...you bet your ass I'm back not too long later lel~ I recently hit 3000+ followers on tumblr surprisingly (smh bad decision making you lot s m h) so here is my first gift? . . . ~(x)~

Grey? Windy? Rainy? Perfect. Marinette thanked the higher deities for once as she trudged her way to school, adorned in a stylistic but waterproof black jacket and a cheap umbrella in one hand. The other hand crept into her clutch, feeling Tikki's hand wrap around a finger to provide comfort. "Everything will be okay, Marinette," The little Goddess whispered supportively, squeezing the lone finger when she didn't receive a reply in response. The kwami understood the girl's turmoil; it has been a mere week after... After that event. She never voiced it out loud but Tikki was more than aware that this is the first time that Marinette has actually looked at the sky. The teen didn't need words to express her disdain for its usual, baby blue colour. Tikki squeezed the finger one last time till they made it to the school building.

~(x)~

"Girl? Are you trying out a new trend or something?" Alya's question snapped the raven haired girl out of her daze, fist slipping away from its original place in supporting the side of her head as she leaned against it. Caramel coloured digits pinched the grey fabric of Marinette's turtleneck sweater and hazel eyes twinkled with curiousity. 'Heh- curious like a cat, he'd have appreciated that thought...' Mari almost smiled. "New trend?" She finally asked. Conveniently, Mme. Bustier popped out of the class for who knows what so the rest of the class decided to chatter in her absence. "Yeah, what's with the grey? You're usually a black, white and pink sort of girl, no?" Then, a sudden glint of mischievousness glittered in Alya's orbs as she leaned forward to mock whisper in Marinette's ear. "Or- is this another plan to impress Adrien? Hm~?" She cackled as Marinette used a finger to push her back by the forehead, an unimpressed pout on the smaller girl's lips. "Not this time," Marinette let out a little sigh, hoping that no one caught her exhaustiveness but she might as well have been wishing that pigs could fly. Her best friend and the two boys at front noted for the umpteenth time how knackered she was. "I just don't like wearing white anymore..." Adrien, the ever loving eavesdropper, cocked his head in confusion and then asked: "Is it because of how easily it can stain?" He was met with a surprised jolt from the baker girl instead. She blinked a few times before nodding along. Though, it seemed like she was using his question as an excuse instead... "Really? That didn't stop you before." Alya giggled. "You wore that pretty white blouse when we went paintballing, that white jacket at the trip to that muddy farm, that beautiful dress- which you need to teach me how to make- to the chocolate factory. I could go on!" The boys hummed in agreement. "Well...it's going to sound silly but- I- erm, I don't really like the colour anymore." Marinette's downcast eyes trailed to her fingers which was clutching the desk in an iron grip. The trio took that as a sign to drop the subject since it's clear that they've hit a nerve. Feeling her panic rise inside, Marinette excused herself to the restroom speedily with Alya hot at her heels. Adrien couldn't help but feel useless and shitty right now. "I wish she'd tell us what's going on so that we can help..." The model exhaled and dropped his upper half against his desk, itching to dart out of the room and bring Marinette back in his arms. "Maybe she's just going through an emo phase?" Nino's unhelpful quip was met with a slap behind the head from his baffled friend. "Okay! Sheesh- why'd ya gotta hit me so hard dude!?" ~(x)~ Having seen many strange things in her life, especially since the dawn of akumas, it was hard to surprise Sabine. Yet, something as simple as this grated on her maternal urges. The bin in Marinette's room was filled to the brim with content. Content that's not rubbish. Sabine spotted rolls and rolls of fabric, scattered rhinestones and faux gems, cluttered pens and pencils and many more things. What stood out was that they all ranged from different shades of blue to white. The woman narrowed her eyes in confusion before concluding that Marinette may have mistaken her rubbish bin as her fabric bin again, taking all the content out and arranged them as neatly as possible on the chaise. She'll have a talk with Marinette once she's back from school, hopefully. Sabine may be a busy woman but she can always tell whenever her daughter is feeling low or acting out of character. A couple of hours later, she and her husband was hastening through an emergency catering order for some event, much to Sabine's dismay. A few more hours after that, it was past midnight and her daughter was sound asleep. Just as Sabine was about to leave Marinette's bedroom after checking up on her and kissing her forehead, her eyes narrowed at the bin again. The blue and white fabric and stationary she fished out was back in there again. ~(x)~ "Eh!? Where did your beautiful blue eyes go, girl!?" Alya's squawks in the middle of the park interrupted Adrien's and Nino's conversation and they both shot their head forward to see the girl tugging along a shorter one whilst leaning into her face at the same time. Adrien jogged towards the girls, leaving Nino to look after the picnic. The model couldn't believe his eyes. The sweet, soft, baby blues in Marinette's orbs were replaced with a dark, brownish grey pair. Although it suited her naturally, it hid her face more rather than making them as striking as the blue. The first thing Adrien would see whenever he saw Marinette was her charming eyes; it feels like he's searching for her now instead. "I'm just trying out new contacts. They looked kinda cool, don't you think?" She gave a little twirl, the skirt of her dress flared modestly but prettily in colour that could rival buttercups. 'That outfit would have been complete if she wasn't hiding her real eyes...' Adrien mused to himself sadly. No matter how beautiful she looked, Marinette simply didn't look as fleshed out and vibrant with eyes like that. Or maybe it was the fake, polite smile she had plastered on her face. "Meh- I personally love the blue, you have the prettiest eye colour I've ever seen," Alya made way to Nino, not aware of the way Marinette's smile dropped. "I'd have liked to see you with golden brown, like Nino's! Or maybe green, like Adrien's," The blogger gave a sly wink and then chuckled along with her boyfriend when Marinette scoffed and Adrien scratched his head in confusion. "Is she indirectly trying to say that it doesn't suit me?" The designer directed her pout at Adrien. He would have happily fought a thousand warriors to make her smile or maybe kick Lila off the roof a few dozen times. He didn't want to lie however. "I think she just misses the usual colour, Marinette," The golden haired teen smiled, letting his fingers brush Marinette's fringe aside gently so that her eyes aren't as shadowed. "You do look more like your maman with grey eyes," His fingers now lingered on her cheekbone. Marinette's heart hammered against her chest and butterflies erupted in her stomach. She internally prayed that her cheeks didn't colour, unaware that Adrien was hoping the same for himself. "B-But?" Marinette tilted her head slightly till the boy was fully cupping her face. He unconsciously let his thumb stroke the soft, supple skin a few times. "I miss your blue eyes too, they remind me of the sky," Apparently that was the wrong thing to say. Marinette pulled out of his hold, biting her bottom lip with a dark, ugly emotion swimming through the contacts, glowering at the clear, azure sky. "Marinette? Are you okay?" Adrien reached forward again, hoping to catch her hand and apologise but the girl quickly nodded her head and forced a smile back on her face. He really can't stand that smile. "Yeah, I'm fine, just tired. Let's get to Alya and Nino before they abandon us to make out behind a tree or something again," She didn't wait for his answer and darted to their friends. She might as well have slapped him and that would have stung much less. Adrien's eyes shimmered sadly, making way to the trio. As he mingled and chatted with them, he kept a careful eye on Marinette. He noted her subdued actions. He noted her watered down expressions. He noted her fake smiles. He vowed to get to the bottom of it. He'll do anything to make her feel happy again. ~(x)~ Ladybug stared at her reflection with disgust. The moonless, pitch black sky made her figure seem sleeker and mysterious. The golden lights from nearby buildings and street lamps gave an illusion of glitter in her hair. The chill of the summer wind pinkened her sensitive lips into a plump, kissable colour. Yet all that Ladybug could do was grimace at her reflection at a nearby window on the roof she was perched on and claw at her cheek with one hand. White skin. Blue eyes. White skin. Blue eyes. White skin. Blue eyes- "Buginette?" The sound of Chat Noir's voice brought the heroine back to reality like gasp of fresh air. She immediately whisked her body around to face him, drinking in the sight of her beloved partner. Tan skin. Green eyes. Tan skin. Green eyes. Tan skin. Green eyes. "Why were you clawing at your face like that, My Lady?" He was suddenly close, grasping her hand away from her cheek which was reddened from all the scratching. He scowled at the marks, using his other hand to rub them away. A notion that reminded her of another green eyed, tan skinned boy. "I was just thinking..." She lied. Ladybug pretended to ignore the irritated twitch of Noir's cat ears and the snap of his tail slashing against the roof tiles. The teen clad in black squeezed her hand firmly; a body gesture she's come to recognise after so long. He's not letting her go. "I've been watching you for the past few minutes, Bug," Though his tone was smooth, his eyes were acidic. "Muttering about something alongside of 'disgusting'...?" He brought her hand to his lips, kissing the inside of her wrist but never leaving the appendage. His next few words were mumbled against the skin. "I hope you weren't talking about yourself..." Ladybug wanted to scream. She wanted to cry. She wanted to tell him everything. Of how a sole, childish mistake of hers... Cost them everything. Including him. Especially him. But she can't. "I wasn't, silly Chaton," This time, when she leaned into his touch and delivered a small smile, Chat Noir was reminded of his wonderful classmate. The two most important women in his life are suffering and they're not letting him in to help. It really pissed him off. "The truth, please," He breathed against her wrist, digging his other hand through her hair. One ribbon came undone and fluttered away with the breeze as his claws combed through the inky tendrils. The other ribbon joined its sister without much prompting- perhaps obeying the wishes of the miraculous holders and let the hair fall free. Chat Noir fell in love all over again. Ladybug never wanted to cry more now than ever. She couldn't stand seeing such affection in his eyes, knowing that it brought him to his doom at one point in a future. A future that she's prevented. A future that could still happen. "I just really, really hate the colour blue." Tears sprang out of her eyes without permission, forcing her to hide her face into Chat's chest and cry silently. The boy pushed away his disorientation and questions, arms encasing her against him as if he's protecting her. His chin rested on Ladybug's head as he squeezed her tight, hoping that it comforted her even if it was just a smidge. Because it's more help he's done today for the girls than he's done for the past week. That night, patrol was cancelled. Ladybug slipped away from his arms with a quiet goodbye, tracing the brow of his mask with her thumb and melancholy written all over her face. She swung away without another word. Chat Noir was left alone. Until, a familiar ribbon swept through the breeze and landed on his shoulder. With a gentleness that juxtaposed his deadly claws, the boy collected the magical fabric with his fingers, twirling it absentmindedly. Noir brought the ribbon to his lips, kissing it as lightly as if it's made out of glass. Suddenly, clarity hit him like a ton of bricks. His eyes dilated as every single puzzle piece finally clicked in his mind. Every interaction, every presence, every feeling, every smile, all made sense! "Marinette..." ~(x)~ She knew that this was wrong. That this was dangerous. She knew exactly what the consequences were in the future. Again, her dilemma was kicked away by another delectable kiss. God, she was so selfish! The cat didn't care though. Chat Noir parted her lips with his once more, relishing the taste of her bruised, swollen but sweet lips, tracing the rims with his tongue before slipping it inside. His gloved hands explored her torso modestly but lovingly, in a dance that they've tangoed too many times to count. Marinette's hair was loose and fanned against her pillow. The girl in question was clad in her pyjamas whilst the boy straddled her in his armour. His hands were clasping hers one more time as they parted for a brief moment and tilted their heads ever so slightly for a better angle before resuming back into their kiss. It was like every teen's deepest, darkest dreams. To have their loved one sneak into their bed and kiss them senseless till the early morning. To have sweet nothings whispered into their ear whilst surrounded by their arms. To have their necks marked with memories and promises and have it tingle throughout the rest of the day whilst hiding the evidence with a scarf. Marinette is not an ordinary teen. Neither is Chat Noir. Reality and logic came storming back into her mind, forcing Marinette to pull away from the kiss. Chat kissed his teeth in disapproval before deciding to target her shoulder as she lectures them about their duties for the millionth time. He was getting real sick of that crap. His annoyance was indisputable from the numerous love bites he's left on her body. "Chat...please...we shouldn't..." Marinette gasped out as the boy peppered her with kisses. "Why?" His lips were trailing the shell of her ear now. "Why do you always try and push me away, My Lady?" Her gasps were now more pronounced as Chat skimmed his teeth against the lobe gingerly. "I just want to make you happy..." His voice was barely above a whisper now. Clearing her throat and willing her heart to calm down, Marinette propped herself up on her elbows and flashed a look at Chat. Her 'Business means business' face which Chat has dubbed it as. The cat boy merely sat up, still having her pinned on the bed and had both her hands in his. This time, Tikki joined the duo from her hiding space, plopping herself on top of Marinette's shoulder. "It's bad enough that we're hiding all of this from Master Fu," Tikki began. She wasn't exactly reprimanding them but she also wasn't fond of the affair either. "But the fact that you know each others identities is unsafe-" "Tikki!" Marinette cut the Goddess off with a hiss. Chat Noir couldn't believe his ears and he leaned forward, hope bubbling in his eyes. "I knew it...I knew you found out," A broken laugh escaped him as he kissed her hands repeatedly. "You've been flashing those eyes at me...at civilian me, because you know! You've lingered closer to me...you, oh my God- I knew I wasn't going crazy," He babbled so happily that Marinette couldn't help the guilt that weighed heavier in her stomach. Were they this happy in the other future before the incident? She wondered what it was like to be ignorant of the ice cold horror that was waiting to engulf them all. "Tikki's right, Minou. It's too dangerous," Hurt and bewilderment flashed on Chat's face and his grip tightened on her hands. "I love you so much...I can't bear to see you hurt," Tears rolled down his cheeks and hers followed suit. "Are we not allowed to be happy?" He sniffed. Chat lowered his forehead on hers, eyes scrunched close to keep the tears away but it was no use. "This isn't fair..." "I know...I know," Tikki felt her heart shatter too, cursing Le Papillon for depriving two of the most beautiful souls of a future filled with happiness. It just wasn't fucking fair. "Say my name...please...please Marinette..." He uttered her name over and over again, like a prayer. Chat's hands cupped her cheeks, eyes begging for her to spill. She'd do anything to get rid of that sadness in his eyes. "Adrien," Marinette breathed and cried so beautifully when the boy detransformed immediately. The smooth, cool surface of his gloves was now warm flesh cradling her burning skin. The heat of his body on hers increased by a thousand and comforted her frame. His cat like eyes were naturally back to human but familiar green eyes. No more secrets. "One more night...please..." Adrien didn't dare to open his eyes now, wrapping his arms around her body and ducking his face into the crook of her neck. Marinette sent a pleading look to the kwamis, eyes shimmering with more tears to shed. Tikki and Plagg gave her a smile before making their way to the Goddess' hiding spot. "Watch over my kid," The being of destruction purred. Adrien took that as a sign to sit back up, gobsmacked that their last selfish wish was being granted. He let out another broken chuckle, matching Marinette's heartbroken smile. "I love you," He whispered and then connected his lips with hers. "I'll never stop loving you," He pushed her back down on the bed and kissed harder. "I'll wait for you forever, always," She believed him. ~(x)~ He's always believed that he's someone who wouldn't raise their voice, no matter what. After all, he did inherit his Father's threatening, ice chilling, tone which he only uses to manipulate someone into doing something (i.e. getting corrupted rich men off his back, scaring Lila away from tormenting his Marinette, etc). He's been wrong before. He's definitely wrong now. Seeing a doppelganger of himself pop out of the blue in a stark white uniform with unsettling blue eyes and an expressionless face was already a major shock to his system. Seeing the way Marinette froze up on the spot and then collapse on her knees at the sight of him was another. He had to get them out of here and transform! "I told you...we could fix it all if you'd just give me... . . . YOUR MIRACULOUS!" ~(x)~ It took them twenty-four hours to defeat this akuma. The akuma itself was just a poor, little child who was berated by his peers for being scared of something. So, he in turn brought out the scariest thing that everyone's seen to life so that they could understand his pain. Not only did they have to hire Rena Rouge, Carapace and Queen Bee (a risk that they had to take), they also had to bring out Viperion, Ryuuko, Pegasus, Roi Singh and nominate the rest of their classmates to pair with the zodiac miraculouses. The battle was gruesome and messy with everyone else's standard fears. Chat Blanc, his name learnt through Ladybug's petrified rambles, took the icing on the cake. The white cat was loaded with infinite destruction and managed to wipe out the whole team save for Chat Noir and Ladybug. Ladybug has never hesitated when it came to fighting akumas and sentients- Chat Blanc was the exception. Thus, it ruined the dynamic of the team and sent thousands of innocents to their demise as the wild cat killed everything in his sight. It took twenty detransformations, eighteen passionate yet desperate kisses after being separated so long from their break-up, ten begging prayers and three tear-streaked faces till Ladybug finally listened to Chat Noir and got her head sorted in the game. Playing herself as bait as her civilian form, Marinette managed to catch Chat Blanc's attention, making him an easy target to cataclysm before that monster could DARE to touch his Princess. One cleansing light later, everything was back to normal. ~(x)~ "I'm sorry, Marinette, Adrien," The old guardian's grave words felt like a punch into the duo's guts. This was it. They were going to lose their miraculouses. Marinette wasn't surprised- it was her fault after all. This doesn't mean that Adrien should be punished as well! He did nothing wrong- "I'm sorry for not preparing and training you both properly," Fu's self-deprecating tone clicked the boy and girl back into reality and they gaped when they saw that he didn't make a move to take back the miraculous boxes. "I-I thought...that you'd take them away..." Marinette spoke bravely. She was met with a kind smile from the old man instead who shook his head and beckoned her and Adrien to slip the jewellery on without hesitation. His brown eyes crinkled with delight as they rejoiced with their kwamis. "But...why?" Adrien whispered, tempting to pinch himself because he's never this lucky. "We've been hiding in secrecy for so long...you said you'd take our miraculous away if we...told each other..." "Yes, a terrible decision from a man who made terrible choices in the past." Fu sighed. "I've noticed when you've started to suspect, Adrien," The blonde in question froze in his seat. "I knew that a reveal was inevitable sooner or later considering how close you both are in and out of the mask...in all combinations," The guardian smirked at the way the two stiffened from his choice of words. Clearly they weren't as sneaky as they thought when Marinette and Chat Noir had their...moments. "I also noticed how off you were when Bunnix took you away, Marinette," Adrien instinctively clasped her hand with his, hoping he'd provide her with some warmth. It took a while but he managed to coax out of her of what happened and soon, everything made sense. With the help of their kwamis, he managed to get rid of the guilt out of her system because honestly, she did NOTHING wrong. "You two are the only ones fit of handling the mantle of the Ladybug and Black Cat. You've defeated a being capable of infinite destruction, twice in your case Marinette. You have both grown stronger with the knowledge of each others identities and have gained such strong loyalty from not only Tikki and Plagg but also all the other kwamis. I am so sorry for burdening you both with secrecy but believe me, I only had the best intentions. Will you forgive me?" Marinette and Adrien were crying with joy now, the latter blowing his nose into a handkerchief much to Plagg's disgust, causing everyone else in the room to laugh. Finally, their souls seemed lighter than ever. ~(x)~ "Oh? That's an interesting choice of colour today," Adrien laughed, not wasting any time to give Marinette a twirl so that the skirt of the dress flared like a blooming flower. The girl giggled before landing on his chest and brought him into an embrace. The model hummed happily, kissing the crown of her head with a blush. He'll never get enough of Marinette and the way she gets his heart racing. "I think it's about time I prove to Nino that I'm not going through an emo phase." Marinette pulled her head away from Adrien's chest to stick her tongue out at the DJ. The bespeckled boy let out a mock scoff and retorted with: "It's either that or a Chat Noir phase! Take your pick!" "Fine- emo phase it is." Marinette sighed dramatically, smirking at Adrien's protests as she bounced towards Nino and Alya. She didn't get far as her partner swept her away in his arms, bridal style, making way to their friends despite her shrieks. "Ew. They're gonna be THAT couple. Alya. Bleach my eyes," Nino received a flick on the nose instead from his girlfriend who was busy taking millions of photos for her 'adrinette' album. "After all that slow burning, months of pining, I expect nothing less of my children," Alya harrumphed and then sped towards Marinette to see her latest dress up close. Judging from the way she squealed and the next ten million pictures she took, Alya loved the garment. "I could make you one?" Marinette offered. She tried to get down to her feet but Adrien wouldn't budge, only clutching her closer to him as he whistled innocently. He could be so clingy sometimes! "Me? No way! I can never pull it off like you do! That cool gradient of blue and white and those blue ribbons and SHOES! Ugh Marinette- you're just so fucking pretty, marry me already!" Alya playfully clasped her hands with Marinette's, both girls enjoying the way Adrien's eyebrow twitched at their over-affectionate actions. "Haha- no. I'm not sharing my girl," "Haven't you heard, Adrien? It's hoes before bros." Marinette finally jumped out of his arms which loosened from bafflement and skipped away with Alya hooked in one arm. Nino cackled when Adrien finally came to, muttering about how girls will be the death of him as he made way to the trio. It feels like it's been years since they've had a picnic at this spot in the park. Marinette couldn't help but sigh blissfully. This whole month has been one heck of a rollercoaster. Now? She's got the love of her life and kick-ass but adorable partner lying on her lap with her fingers curling through his blonde locks. Master Fu has stepped up as a mentor for both her and Adrien (although going through numerous locations to ensure his safety was a pain and a half). "The sky's so pretty," Adrien murmured, bringing Marinette back out of her daydreams. She blinked owlishly at him a few times before raising a brow. "How can you see the sky if you're looking at me?" "No, I'm looking at the sky," His hand suddenly reached up, fondling the skin below her eye and his thumb stroked the smooth arch of her brow. "See?" He then leaned up, pulling her in for a soft kiss before lying back down with a content smile, regardless of the way Marinette's face exploded in red. "OH MY GOD THAT IS CHEESY! I BET YOU ALYA, THEY'LL RUN AWAY TO ENGLAND AND GET MARRIED AT SIXTEEN! I BET YOU FIFTY EUROS!" "Top ten reasons to why I should hit Nino has now been updated to top twenty, note that down please Cesaire?" The model growled whilst everyone else giggled. Marinette smiled at her love and then smiled at the sky. White and blue isn't so bad after all... . . . ~(x)~ A/N: It's almost six in the morning, I have to get to class in three hours. Fuck. I'll spellcheck and all that stuff tomorrow. Thank you for reading!

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coffeecomicsgalore · 4 years

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A Night to Remember

Fight, Fight, Akuma

Ao3

Chapter 20 – The Battle to Remember

Lila ran her fingers through her loose locks, a smug look crossed her face as she pulled out her compact to relish in her beauty. She touched up her lipstick with the tips of her fingers and snapped the little mirror shut before waving at the driver and stepping out of the car. Just like she had planned, she arrived about 15 minutes early just so she could see how the brat and her friends were faring after seeing the disaster she left behind.

She could already see it, visions of what the space would look like clouded her brain. The mural would have to be taken down and the wall of mats would be in its place. It would make the room look cold and gross. There would be no candles to light up the area so the gymnasium lights would have to be used. No flowers or balloons to decorate the place would make the gym feel sparse and uninviting. Then to top it all off, there would be no music, no way for the partygoers to dance and have the time of their lives. Marinette would be a laughing stock of the entire school. An incompetent brat who couldn’t decorate a simple space and give the classmates something to remember their last year of lycee before graduating. Marinette would probably be crying in the corner somewhere with that foolish model boyfriend trying to cheer her up. All of her hard work gone in a matter of an afternoon.

It will definitely be a night to remember, the night that Marinette Dupain-Cheng loses making Lila the winner in the end. Nothing could damper this mood. Nothing at all.

She chuckled quietly to herself before composing her features of feigned innocence as she walked through the courtyard. She could hardly wait.

Lila saw students walking hand in hand as they enjoyed some quiet conversations. Some were laughing, others had a soft look of happiness, but none had the look she was hoping to see. Maybe they haven’t seen the room yet? Surely that had to be it.

As she walked within meters of the gymnasium doors, the sound of upbeat music emanated from the space. A bubble of anger started to grow in her belly and a slight growl left her lips. Her plans should have worked. Everything was done when the brat left. How is this happening?

No.

Her feet picked up quicker movements as she made her way towards the doors. She didn’t notice the looks of disgust on the students faces as she slammed open the doors, heavy panting from the anger that had now ravaged her being. She was too focused on what she was about to witness to even care.

Soon the room that was once filled with laughter started to die down to quiet murmurs. Her eyes quickly scanned the room. The mural was still there but had been updated into something more edgy. The candles were back in its lanterns and were lit up. The vases were filled with the flowers she destroyed. But in the corner of her eye, she saw something that wasn’t there earlier. She turned around, jaw clenched and hands balled up into fists before the ear-piercing screech filled the space.

If people weren’t looking, they were looking now.

Large photos upon photos lined the walls of what Lila had done earlier. There was no way to deny the photos. One of her smirking as she walked out was staring right at her, mocking her in disgust.

“You no-good fucking brat!” She yelled as she stomped her feet in anger.

----

Marinette had paused from her conversation when she heard Lila’s screech. She was staring intently at the brunette, watching Lila’s eyes flit from one picture to another. There was a moment of realization that she was caught and that her plan had failed miserably. Adrien’s hand moved to her back; a small gesture that helped her feel stronger over the impending storm that was about to hit.

“You no-good fucking brat!” She yelled as she stomped her feet in anger. Each stomp brought her closer and closer, waves of dancers separating as she made her way through. Adrien squeezed Marinette’s hand but then his protective instincts took over and he moved his way in front of her.

“Get away from her!” Lila screamed at Adrien before turning to the raven-haired girl. “You!” She launched herself towards Marinette. Adrien held her back, narrowly missing her erratic movements in her attempt to attack. “You ruined everything!”

A crowd of students surrounded the three teens in awe over the situation. Students that were close the Marinette knew of the hatred Lila had towards her, but watching the situation in action was nothing short of interesting. The adults had made their way through and tried to intervene, but their words fell on deaf ears. Lila knew she wasn’t going to get away with this now that her destruction was posted against the walls, but she would die trying anyways.

Marinette was seething. She maintained her position behind Adrien as she calmly made her case just like she did all those years ago during Stoneheart. “The only one who ruined anything, Lila, is you. I’m only showing everyone what you truly are. A lying, conniving bitch that twists everything to get what you want not caring who you trample over and hurt in the meantime. You believe you deserve the world? Well, guess what? It’s time to wake up and realize that your lies do nothing, not even for you. Just look around you. All you care about is trying to get ahead in the world. But all you’ve done is make enemies.”

Lila stopped her flailing. Her teeth were still tightly clenched and her eyes were ablaze in rage. Adrien continued to shield Marinette and refused to move from his spot. The last thing he needed was for Lila to take an open moment and attack his girlfriend.

Lila growled instead. “You will never see the last of me, Marinette. Just you wait. One day, everything you love will be gone. You will lose your precious,” she eyed Adrien up and down before turning back to Marinette, “toy, and you will lose all your friends. You’ll never make a name for yourself. You will just be a gold-digger in the face of the press. You are nothing and will be noth-”

Whack!

Lila stopped and slowly lifted her hand to the tingling sensation on her cheek. She looked to her left to see who was bold enough and close enough to have slapped her across the face. “Ro- Rose?” She choked out. She was surprised to see the overly-sweet, bubbly blonde in stilettos be so brash in her movements.

“Listen here, Lila. I’ve stood back and watched you tear down my friends one by one. You even went as far as getting me akumatized! But no more. No more will I let you talk down and threaten my friends! This ends today.” Rose shouted in a high-pitched yell. “None of us will let you harm Marinette if it’s the last thing we do.”

One by one, students from their class walked through the thick crowd and stood on either side of Adrien, making a human barrier to protect Marinette from Lila. Adrien, who had been standing in his defensive stance this entire time, finally stood up straight and grabbed onto Marinette’s hand in assurance.

Lila backed up slowly, her hands raised in surrender as she eyed the wall of students. The adults started making their way towards her, no doubt to remove her from the premises. In the corner of her eye, she spotted the one thing that she had been waiting for weeks, her only way out in order to destroy those around her. Laughing maniacally, she clenched her fists and waited until the black butterfly merged with the rhinestone pin in her hair.

Students watched in horror as the pink butterfly masked Lila’s face and engulfed her in the purple foam. But she did not stay her size. Continuing in her manic laughter, students started to flee as the adults ushered them out. Adrien and Marinette held their position with determination as they watched her form take shape.

She increased in size until she was close to five meters tall. She looked like a medusa looking goddess with her long, black, fitted dress ripped into eight lengthy tentacles that curled and moved around her. Her anger and emotions controlled the tentacles erratic movements, each step causing them to whip wildly against her grand frame. Her hair pin turned into a pointy crown adorned with the same rhinestone facets. In a way, she looked like Ursula from The Little Mermaid and her demeanor matched her ugly figure.

“Lila, stop this! Give me your crown and we can settle this the old fashion way.” Marinette shouted.

“I’m not Lila, you disgusting snake. I am Tentecala and I will destroy you all! Ha-ha-ha-ha!” Her tentacles acted like legs, moving her upwards and helped her soar through the air.

Screams of students echoed throughout the gymnasium, tables overturned in the panic. There were still students making their way through the dance floor, taking any exits that were not clogged in the chaos.

Marinette and Adrien held each other’s hands tighter as they inched their way backwards. “Adrien, we need to watch from the sidelines until we see what she does. Her anger is going to make this battle hard. No puns, got it?”

“Oh, come on, my lady. You know my puns are purrdy awesome mid-battle.” Marinette groaned. “Alright, alright. I got my head in the game, don’t you worry. You tell me where to go and I’ll be-”

Adrien saw a tentacle reach out to grab Marinette, but his instincts kicked in, pushing her out of the way. Tentecala’s limbs narrowly missed Marinette by a hair and the missed capture elicited a murderous growl from deep within the akuma’s chest.

Marinette had been thrown to her side but instantly rolled to her feet, watching for a moment where she could sneak away and transform. As soon as she found it, she bolted transforming underneath a table one room over.

Ladybug ran back into the gym and watched as Adrien was being squeezed by the akuma, his face scrunched up in pain as he tried to wiggle himself free. Tentecala taunted the model, trying to break down his stamina until there was nothing left. “I told you your girlfriend was nothing. She left you here to fend for yourself. Some girlfriend she is.”

Adrien grunted. “She will always – ugh – be better – ahh – than you.”

Tentecala growled. “You will pay for saying that.” She squeezed him harder in her grasp, his face turning shades of red to purple and finally to blue as she waited for her next move.

Ladybug froze in shock. She had to figure out what to do and she needed to do it fast. Adrien needed to be saved first and she didn’t want to defeat Tentecala without him. As she tried to formulate her plan, Ladybug witnessed the alarming moment of Adrien’s body going limp in Tentecala’s grasp. The akuma chuckled like it was part of her plan and then threw him across the length of the gym without a care in the world.

“Adrien!”

#a night to remember #miraculous ladybug fanfic #ml fanfiction #akuma #final battle

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bunnielyse-blog1 · 6 years

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Sneak a Peek CHAPTER 5

Sneak a Peek: Sometimes you have to break the rules

*Author’s note* *Waves arms* I’m here! I’m here!

Sorry it’s been so long since I updated! This is my longest chapter yet (just at 10 pages!) so I hope you don’t mind the wait!

I hope you enjoy!

Xoxo, Bunnie

Chapter 5

The way Adrien had been scoping his fellow classmates was almost comical. He was sure he looked crazy and paranoid.

That morning before classes he loitered in the locker room and carefully watched his classmates file in, meet up with their friends, and head to their respective classes. He took careful note of every girl that came in. He watched not only his classmates, but girls from other classes and grades as well. So far he had counted nearly fifty girls that were all wearing those simple pink ballet flats by Gabriel.

This wasn’t going to be easy.

Sure, he knew he could analyze their hairstyle, eye color, or body type, but if his own Miraculous transformation altered his appearance, he couldn’t rule out the possibility that hers would be changed in some way too. He didn’t want to take any chances by eliminating girls he thought may not fit simply because they didn’t look the part. Furthermore, a new beauty crazy had taken hold of Parisian teenagers, inspired by Ladybug herself. It wasn’t unusual to find someone sporting a pigtail hairstyle or wearing red and black polka dot leggings. Some even went so far as to wear blue contact lenses.

Similarly, a new health craze called Miraculously Fit had swept the city, helping people to stay healthy through sports like martial arts and gymnastics. Adrien found this to be especially vexing. Now, most teenagers would openly flaunt their “moves”, which were exact copies of moves him and Ladybug had used against villains.

Instead of finding a girl who should have stood out from everyone else, he was finding hundreds of facsimiles.

Even now, as he sat against a courtyard wall with Nino, Alya, and Marinette during their free period, he watched as a couple of younger students practiced their martial arts, all flaunting the latest in Ladybug fashion. They were loud and distracting as they laughed and posed for selfies, mimicking his Lady.

He contemplated other methods in which to distinguish copycats from the real Ladybug. If he couldn’t rely on looks, physique, or talent then he’d have to take a deeper look into what made Ladybug, Ladybug.

She was kind, funny, quick on her feet, dedicated, fearless, unrelenting, and full of determination. She never gave up and she always spoke her mind. Most of all, she was forgiving. At times, Adrien had found himself angry or disappointed in the people who had been akumatized, but not her. She put herself on their level and comforted them when they were confused and most needed it.

She was selfless.

She was perfect.

‘Where am I going to find someone like that?’ he thought, perplexed.

“I know!”

Adrien was shocked out of his thoughts by Alya’s loud squeal. He looked at his friends, instinctively sculpting his mouth into a smile to try and hide that he hadn’t been paying attention.

“I cannot believe that Jagged Stone is creating his own clothing line!” Alya continued. Her phone was in her hand and her fingers flew over the screen as she browsed through the online store, shoving her phone into Nino and Marinette’s faces whenever she found a particularly exciting item.

“Oh,” Adrien said thoughtfully. “I remember hearing about this awhile ago. My father’s company tried to make a contract with Jagged to design the clothing, but Jagged turned him down.”

Marinette looked surprised. “Oh really? But Gabriel Fashion is one of the biggest companies in Paris!”

Adrien shrugged and flashed a small smile. “I don’t know the details,” he said unenthusiastically. “Jagged probably didn’t want to get caught up with someone as uptight as my father.”

“I don’t blame him!” Nino said loudly, balling his hands into fists. “No offense, dude, but your dad has a huge stick up his a-”

“Anyway!” Alya interrupted. Nino and Adrien laughed. “Aren’t you excited, Marinette?”

“Y-yeah!” Marinette mumbled, a bit flustered. “It’s way cool, I just wish I could afford it.”

Alya lifted a hand as if to brush Marinette’s comments out of the air. “What about when you work at the bakery?”

Marinette laughed, “It’s not a big deal. I’ll just make my own Jagged Stone clothes. It won’t be that hard; he’s all about edginess, spikes, rips-”

Nino’s eyes widened, “Really, Marinette? You make it sound like creating clothing from scratch is easy.”

Alya hugged her friend with pride. “Are you kidding, Nino? Everything Marinette wears is something she made! Right, girl?”

Marinette giggled and rubbed her arm in embarrased pride. “Yeah, totally. All my parent’s money goes into the bakery, so instead of buying clothes, I just make them.”

Adrien raised his eyebrows in surprise. He knew Marinette designed fashion and had made a few pieces in the past, but he thought it was just a hobby. He had no idea that she was an actual, experienced, seamstress.

Without warning, he realized he felt some disappointment. He knew that his Lady had been wearing Gabriel ballet flats; the butterfly insignia had been unmistakable through the pool of whipped cream. If Marinette wore clothing only she made, then it just further proved that his initial belief that she was Ladybug was wrong.

‘I don’t get it,’ he thought.

He had never looked at Marinette in the same way he looked at Ladybug, so why did he feel disappointment course through him? Was he disappointed that Marinette couldn’t be her? Was it just because he had been close to finding out her identity? Was it because she had potentially been by his side all along?

Or was it something more; was he wrong about his feelings? In the last few weeks since he mistakenly assumed she was Ladybug, Marinette had crept into his thoughts. Even though he had crumpled up that theory and thrown it in the proverbial trash, thoughts of his raven-haired friend ensnared his brain. She had certainly entered his thoughts, but had she snuck into his heart?

“What about your shoes?” he asked suddenly.

Marinette’s head swiveled quickly to look at him. “W-what?” she asked timidly.

He saw his father’s logo on her shoes. “Aren’t your shoes Gabriel brand? They have the butterfly.”

“O-oh!” Marinette said with a nervous laugh. “Y-yeah! I really love your dad. Father! I love your father! I mean! I love Gabriel. The brand!”

“What she means is,” Alya interrupted. “Those shoes are her pride and joy. That’s why she wears them all the time.”

‘In other words, she didn’t make those…’

“R-right!” Marinette shouted. She took a deep breath, as if recognizing that her voice had gone up a decibel. “I really look up to Gabriel as a fashion designer and so my parents got me these shoes for my birthday when I entered collège.”

“Y’know,” Alya said thoughtfully, looking at Marinette’s shoes. “Yours do look different than the ones I’ve seen. Were they special edition or something?”

Adrien followed her gaze and noticed that tiny rhinestones adorned the toe and heel of each shoe. He squinted in thought, trying to remember if his Lady’s had the same details, but the whipped cream must have covered such delicate designs.

He realized he still had his eyes trained on her shoes and hurriedly looked up, directly into Marinette’s curious blue ones. He was mildly embarrassed to see that she had caught him staring.

“Yeah,” he added to cover his discomfort. “I don’t recall seeing any designs with these stones.”

Marinette quickly shook her head and smiled. “No, I put these on myself!”

“Really?” Nino asked in surprise, his mouth full of cheeseburger. “All of those? That had to have taken forever!”

“No, not really!” Marinette smiled. “Even though they’re Gabriel brand, I felt like I still needed to make them my own, you know? So my mom and I glued them on with fabric glue.”

Alya and Nino continued to eat their lunch and talk about the Jagged Stone clothing line. They each suggested that Marinette should create something for them, to which she eagerly agreed.

“Can you put some rhinestones on mine too?” Alya asked excitedly. She was already flipping through her phone for some edgy fashion inspiration.

Adrien couldn’t help but notice how Marinette’s face lit up and felt the unmistakable tingling of his heartstrings; a sensation that he only ever felt around Ladybug.

Maybe his feelings had begun to change.

“Sure!” she said enthusiastically. “But I’ll have to find a new type of glue to use.” She ran her fingers along the stones on her shoes. “Some of mine have fallen off, so I want to make sure yours stay on.”

Alya squealed again, hugging her friend. “Girl, I am so excited! You’re the best!”

Adrien smiled at his friends, his eyes hovering on Marinette a little longer than usual. Nino was a welcome distraction from his malstrom of thoughts - now even more confused than before - as they discussed Jagged Stone’s clothing and plans for the weekend.

The rest of the day was a whirlwind to Adrien, thanks to his muddled thoughts of Marinette and Ladybug. He couldn’t get his friend out of his mind. As if a seed had been planted and was taking root, he began connecting what he knew about Marinette and what he knew about his Lady. The puzzle pieces were fitting together to form a bigger picture of who his Lady might really be and his imagination was running wild.

He imagined himself as Chat Noir fighting alongside Ladybug.

Then he was Chat Noir flying high across the city with Marinette in his arms.

Him and Marinette sunbathing on a beach in the south.

Sipping coffee together.

Cuddling next to a fire.

Saving their city.

Smiling.

Laughing.

“It has to be her, Plagg.” Adrien said quietly as he watched the sun begin to set.

Plagg twitched his whiskers, “Maybe it is and maybe it isn’t.”

Adrien rolled his eyes, but smirked at his friend in semi-annoyance. “Don’t you know how to say anything else?”

“Can’t you do anything else besides roll your eyes?” Plagg shot back with a smug flick of his tail.

Adrien grimaced inwardly when he realized he was about to roll his eyes. “Touché.”

“Well, Lover Boy,” Plagg teased as he floated over to Adrien and leaned against the window pane. “Do you want to go clear your mind, or what?”

“You read my mind,” he smiled. “Plagg, claws out!”

Soon they were flying through the air and Chat’s smile grew into a huge, toothy grin as the wind pleasantly whipped his hair off his forehead.

He ran across rooftops and vaulted from building to building. He enjoyed hearing gasps from the Parisians as he passed and waved when they held up their phones for a quick picture.

The sun was nearly set as he settled onto a sloping rooftop near Marinette’s balcony.

He hadn’t planned on visiting her when he first set out, but the words, ‘What if…’ buzzed around his consciousness like an annoying fly.

What if…

He was right?

What if…

He talked to her as Chat Noir? Would she act differently? Would she give herself away?

What if…

There was was an Akuma attack tonight? He could watch her as she heard the news. He would see her Kwami. He would see her transformation.

‘What if…’

Those thoughts were still fluttering around his subconscious as he debated whether or not to make the jump to her balcony.

His mind was made up for him, however, when he heard Alya’s familiar shrill float up from the open balcony door. Chat vaulted onto one of the patisserie’s many chimneys - careful to land silently - so as to listen to their conversation with ease.

“Girl!” Alya gasped. “He asked you what? How long have you even been talking to him?”

Chat’s ears perked up even further. ‘Him? Him who?’

Marinette giggled and Chat recognized that she sounded a little uncomfortable. “Since the music festival.”

There was a long whistle - ‘Probably from Alya,’ he thought - followed by a short silence.

“How’d he even get your number?” Alya asked.

“I think Juleka gave it to him.”

Silence again.

“Oh stop, Alya!” Marinette sounded annoyed, a tone Chat had rarely heard from her, except when she spoke with Chloe.

“What?” Alya asked defensively.

“I just think you’re getting a little too protective.”

“Bu-”

“I mean, thank you for caring and making sure I’m okay-”

“Girl-”

“But you don’t have to be my caretaker either.”

Marinette had said everything in a rush and let out a long sigh after she finished. Chat assumed she had been holding that in for a while. It must have taken a lot of courage for her to say that to her friend. He smiled slightly at the thought.

Alya sighed and Chat could imagine she was her rubbing her eyes. “Marinette, I know you don’t need me to fight your battles. But do you even really know this guy? I mean, he’s like what, three years older than us? Isn’t that a little weird?”

“Two years,” Marinette corrected.

‘Two years?’ Chat thought, his jealousy growing. That practically made this guy an adult. What’s an adult doing chatting up a teenager?

“It’s not weird,” Marinette added. “He’s still in school. And he’s a nice guy! It’s not like he’s some weirdo off the street.”

“Okay, okay, fine!” Alya acquiesced. “I mean, if he’s Juleka’s brother, he can’t be that bad.”

“Thank you!” Marinette said happily.

‘Luka?’ Chat thought back to that day on Juleka’s boat and the music festival. Since the festival, him and Luka had met up occasionally to play keyboard and guitar. Luka was a talented musician and Adrien found that it was easy to keep up with him as they improvised songs.

What was he doing talking to Marinette?

“Hey!” Marinette said suddenly. “I thought you were all for me chasing after Luka?”

Her friend scoffed. “I’m all for you chasing after someone else!”

Chat’s eyes narrowed in thought. ‘Someone else?’

Marinette’s accompanying sigh was full of frustration and unhappiness. “That’ll never happen.”

“Adrien’s blind, Marinette.”

Chat shot up at full attention. He had to physically slap a hand to his mouth to muffle the yelp that escaped his lips.

“You’ll have to make the first move on him, girl,” she continued.

Marinette squealed in embarrassment. “I can’t!” she whined.

Alya was speaking in between her laughter, but it sounded like another language to Chat’s shocked mind. Until Marinette began speaking again and his heart felt like it was on a rollercoaster.

“No, Alya,” she said soberly. “I can’t. I’m trying to move on.”

“I don’t believe you!” Alya said sarcastically. “As long as I’ve known you, you’ve been in love with that boy.”

‘In love…?’ Chat’s heart was beating out of his chest. Marinette loves him? Was that why she was always so ditsy and flustered around him? It wasn’t because he was a celebrity? It was because she had a crush on him?

He had been wrong about her this entire time and he felt terrible. He was so used to being gawked at and asked for autographs and selfies from equally flustered and ditsy fans, that he had immediately placed her in the “crazed fan” category.

But she had never asked for his autograph.

All of their selfies were with their friends and not for fansites.

He felt a large weight rest in his gut as the guilt settled in. He had always put her at arm’s length all because he had jumped to conclusions and had the wrong impression of her. He had never given her a chance to get to know her outside of class or social gatherings. He lamented his distance from her as realization hit him that she truly cared about him as a friend. She was always kind to him, even giving him her unique lucky bracelet. She was always encouraging in his pursuits, like the music video. She was funny and quick witted and he admired how often she would jump in to defend a classmate against Chloe.

He just wished she was comfortable around him, crush or no crush. He had begun to appreciate her true personality, but was quickly disappointed when she shied away from him.

He just wanted her to treat him like she treated Alya.

To talk to him and joke with him.

In his recent memory, the only time Marinette talked to him without fumbling over her words was when he visited her as Chat Noir. He considered for a minute that maybe he should continue to visit her in his disguise, but he quickly shook the thought out of his head.

‘No,’ he thought. ‘If I want to get the real Marinette, I need to be the real Adrien.’

Sitting on the rooftop, the warm breeze tickling the hair at the nape of his neck, Chat finally accepted his feelings for Marinette. They didn’t measure up to his feelings toward Ladybug, but he couldn’t ignore the warm feeling in his heart either. He didn’t necessarily reciprocate her feelings of love, but he couldn’t deny the crush he was forming for her.

A small smile began to grow on his lips as he made up his mind to get to know the real Marinette. He was determined to make her comfortable around him, enough so that her Adrien-induced stutter would stop and they could speak freely. He found that he wanted to know more about her.

He hadn’t noticed that the girl’s voices had faded and was jolted back to reality when he heard the bakery’s front door open and close. He carefully crawled along the roof so he could peek down to the street below. Alya and Marinette were standing just beyond the entrance to her home, saying their goodbyes.

“Marinette, I know Adrien’s a sensitive topic and I’m sorry I brought it up.” Alya hugged her friend and Marinette nodded in understanding. “I think a date with Luka sounds great. How about we all go. Like a double date!”

Marinette clapped her hands together and jumped a little. “That’s a great idea! Are you sure? I mean, would Nino mind?”

Alya waved her off. “Not at all! It’ll be fun. Granted, he’ll probably be just as confused as me that you’re getting over Adrien-”

‘Getting… over?’

“But he likes Luka, musician to musician. So it’ll be fun!”

Marinette smiled and hugged her friend again. “Thanks so much! You’re the best!”

The two friends separated and Chat heard Alya call out, “Keep me posted!” before she disappeared around the corner and Marinette made her way back inside.

Chat sat in mild shock. It seemed too ironic that the moment he realized his feelings for her, the moment he decided to gain the courage to possibly date her, she was over him and dating someone else.

First Ladybug turns him down on the roof and now Marinette decides he’s not worth chasing after.

He couldn’t win.

‘What does Luka have that I don’t have?’ he thought in frustration. But his own argument was quickly snuffed when he remembered that he could only blame himself. She had been smitten with him for over two years, but his disregard for her feelings had pushed her away.

Feeling dejected and full of self-loathing, along with a large dose of Luka-aimed jealousy, Chat stood to his full height and vaulted into the night and away from bakery’s aroma.

To be continued…

*Endnote*

Ah!! I hope you liked it!!!

I was going to continue this chapter, but I think it just makes more sense to continue into a new chapter.

Adrinette & MariChat was SO CLOSE!!!!!! (I ship MariChat hard, btw) >.>

Anyway, I really mixed up my writing style in this chapter, but I hope you guys liked it. I felt like Adrien’s thoughts were so all over the place and jumping from one thing to another that I began writing his thoughts in an unstructured/structured/poetic form. Sort of like how I think all of our thoughts are stream of consciousness; one thought comes from another thought that comes from another thought and so on.

What do you think?

Next up:

Possibly the last chapter! Plagg continues to not-so-helpfully help Adrien find Ladybug’s true identity. Amidst the confusion of teenage love and moonlighting as one of Paris’s superheros, Adrien is brought back to reality when someone from his past resurfaces

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#miraculous ladybug fanfiction #marichat #adrinette #LadyNoir #Chat Noir #miraculous ladybug fandom #fanfiction #fanart #miraculous ladybug #Marinette Dupein-Cheng #Adrien Agreste #Plagg #Tikki

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fawndlymade · 6 years

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The Higher You Go Ch. 4

Adrienne's friends hold a special place in her heart, as broken as it might be. Sure, she might not have many friends -she can count them all on one hand- but they're hers and she cares for them all deeply.

Chloe was her first (and only) friend for the longest time. Sure, she's spoiled, and pretentious, and rather... self centered, but Adrienne knows that she's a good person deep down.

Very, very deep down.

It shows in how Chloe always saves a seat for her at school. How Chloe brings extra food in her lunch for her sometimes (or gets Sabrina to offer hers, which Adrienne always politely declines). It shows in the way Chloe would stay on the phone with her for hours after Adrienne's mother died, and how Chloe held her after that and let her cry into expensive cashmere and silk without complaining even once.

So yes, Chloe can be spoiled and self centered and downright awful most of the time, but Adrienne knows that she has a softer side that shows, even if it's only rarely.

Besides Chloe, there's Nino. Her best friend. Her 'bro friend' as he likes to call himself, much to her exasperation and Nino's amusement. She couldn't ask for a better best friend. He gets her, cares about her enough that he's stood up to her father more than once on her behalf. Cares about her enough to ask her what's wrong and how her day's going and hey man, would you like to listen to this mix I just made?

Speaking of his music... It makes her happy knowing that she's the one who gets to hear it first, before anyone else does. Like he's sharing a piece of his soul with her, because she's special to him. She knows that she's not the greatest friend -she disappears on him routinely thanks to akumas ruining the day- but he never holds it against her. Just gives her a grin and a thumbs up when she appears again, holding out his headphones for her to put on. He's her best friend, her platonic soulmate, her... brother from another mother, as Nino put it.

Nathalie asked Adrienne once if she was dating Nino. The look of horror on her face was rather telling.

While not as close to her, Adrienne considers Alya to be a friend. One that she's interested in getting to know better. Alya's smart and funny, and takes nothing from anyone. She's seen Alya stand up to Chloe before, more than once, and if that doesn't show true courage, she's not sure what does. It helps too that Alya doesn't see her as 'Adrienne Agreste, fashion model' or 'Adrienne Agreste, heiress to the Gabriel company' but as Adrienne Agreste, person.

Plus, she's pretty sure Nino has a giant crush on Alya, so there's that.

Finally, there's Marinette. Adrienne can't help but wonder some days how someone as cheerful and bubbly as Marinette can exist.

Or as clumsy.

She finds it rather cute, actually, even if it is a bit worrying. Marinette is so sweet and shy and awkward around her, always tripping over her words and blushing. Adrienne gets it though; as Paris' up and coming model, as well as being heiress to one of the world's biggest fashion companies, she can be rather intimidating to talk to. She doesn't mean to be, but she doesn't fault Marinette for being nervous around her. Especially considering who her father is and Marinette's dreams of being a fashion designer.

Lately though, she's been getting to know Marinette a lot better. Not as Adrienne, but as Chat Noire. After the whole Dessinateur fiasco, when their classmate had turned into an artistic akuma who wanted to woo Marinette, she had been assigned to protect the blue haired girl by Ladybug. And during that time, had gotten to talk to Marinette without her reputation getting in the way.

They'd gotten along swimmingly. So much so in fact, that Chat had taken to dropping by Marinette's roof every so often to talk to her, just as friends.

Well, and some flirting, because Chat really can't help herself around cute girls and Marinette is definitely cute -even if Ladybug is cuter- and she can see why Nino liked her at one point. Adrienne can still recall the day they all went to the zoo, where she hid in the bushes like a weirdo to coach Nino into talking to Marinette... Definitely not her finest moment.

Honestly, the things she does for that boy.

She's still not certain why Nino dropped his quest to woo Marinette in favor of Alya, but figures it has something to do with him and Alya being trapped in a cage for a few hours together while she and Ladybug took care of an akumatized zookeeper. What else is there to do in that situation besides getting to know each other?

Besides Ladybug though, Marinette is the only person that she could definitively call Chat Noire's friend, a title that even Nino didn't share. She has plenty of admirers and fans, but she's pretty certain Marinette is the only person that she's actually talked to more than once about things other than hero business (she's also rather surprised at how much she's come to rely on Marinette for advice and keeping her mood afloat when things were looking down).

So it's for these reasons that Chat finds herself hoping -praying- for Marinette to come out onto her roof for some fresh air. While she's technically still in the middle of her vacation (Paris seems to be in the middle of a meltdown, she's seen several headlines ranging from her and Ladybug having a fight, to her fleeing the country, to her dying in combat) she can't help but go out and enjoy the freedom that being Chat brings.

Especially when there's no freedom to be had as Adrienne.

Lady luck is on her side for once, as Marinette's head pops up from her room. Pleased, Chat jumps over from the rooftop she was standing on, coming to rest on the railing around Marinette's balcony with nary a sound, as silent as her namesake. A smirk plays on her lips as she waits for her friend to notice her, mentally counting down the seconds until-

“Chat!”

“That's my name, princess.”

Marinette's clutching her chest, a scowl on her face that quickly morphs into a warm smile. “I'm glad to see you. I heard you had... disappeared. One of the newspapers said that you had turned into an actual cat during the full moon and run off into the night.”

Chat stares. Blinks. “I can neither confirm nor deny the accuracy of that statement.”

She gets a light shove for that response, something that has her smiling the slightest bit. It's hard to smile nowadays, what with everything that's happened. The wound is still fresh, barely scabbed over, and every thought of Ladybug brings a twinge of pain with it. Chat wonders if it will ever heal fully.

She doubts it.

“Chat?”

Broken from her thoughts, Chat looks up. Marinette's standing there awkwardly, thumbs twiddling. “Did you... want to come inside? I could use some help on a project I'm working on.”

That's another nice thing about coming to visit. Marinette always has something going on, whether it's sewing a dress or knitting a scarf or gluing rhinestones onto fabric. Chat loves coming by to help and just... be useful without having to think.

Slipping down from her perch, Chat follows the other girl inside, ducking under the pane of glass as she does so. The first time she had visited, she hadn't noticed it and received a bump on the head as payment. Still, it had been worth it to hear Marinette's laughter.

Speaking of, Marinette is laughing now. Sending a quizzical look at her friend, Chat's perplexed to see her covering her face, shoulders shaking. “What's so funny, princess?”

“The look on your face! You're acting like the window beat you up, you're glaring so hard!”

“It did beat me up!”

“That was your own fault!”

“Yeah, well... shut up.”

Slinking over to the couch, Chat sprawls on her back and tilts her head over the edge, looking around the room. While it's far too pink for her taste, she can't help but admire just how nice it is here. It's lived in and warm and just so very Marinette. Fabrics and clothes litter the floor and desk, and she can see little nicks and scratches on the floor and walls.

And even from here, Chat can smell sugar and baked goods wafting up from the trapdoor. From what little she's seen of the rest of the house, every bit of it is just as warm and lived in. It's not just a house, but a home as well.

She loves it.

It's a stark contrast from her place, where every part of her house except her room is cold and unwelcoming. Picture perfect, home to no one but the ghosts from her past. If she's being honest with herself, she can't stand it, because what use is a mansion with only two people to live in it? And, more often than not, it's only one.

Her.

Some days Chat's not even certain her father is home. He could be, for all she knows, but she never sees him. Family meals are no longer a thing, haven't been for years, really. She eats alone or with Nathalie or the Gorilla, overseeing wardens that keep watch over her on her father's behalf, while he eats alone in his study. Or out at restaurants with businessmen.

But never with his daughter.

She jolts in place when the couch dips down beside her, nearly rolling off in her panic. Marinette's looking at her, teeth worrying her lower lip and eyes shining with some emotion that Chat can't quite put her finger on.

Rolling onto her side, she quirks an eyebrow. “What's wrong, princess?”

“I feel like I should be asking you that, Chat Noire. You seem... sad.” Marinette's voice is soft and gentle. She wants an answer but won't push for one, and for that, Chat is grateful.

So she laughs, waving off Marinette's words as she hops to her feet. “I'm fine. What are we working on today?”

Marinette obviously doesn't believe her, but doesn't press any further, instead leading her over to her desk and patting a chair. Chat sits and waits, watching as her friend bustles around the room, gathering materials before instructing Chat to “hold out your hands.” She does so, watching with amusement as Marinette starts to wind green yarn around them, around and around and around until Chat can't see her fingers anymore. It's a pretty green, not so bright as to be obnoxious, but not too dark either.

Wiggling her eyebrows, Chat looks from Marinette to the yarn and back again. “If you wanted to tie me up, there were easier ways to do it you know.”

“Chat Noire!”

Giggles echo through the room as Marinette's face turns bright red, spluttering denials. Chat waits a beat, then goes in for the kill. “I prefer handcuffs, personally.”

“Chat!”

Leaning back in her chair, Chat finally can't help but smile for real. It's hard to stay upset when she has Marinette to talk to and tease. Eventually Marinette comes back over, a pair of knitting needles in hand. She settles down in the chair beside Chat's, and without saying anything Chat offers her yarn bound hands. Whatever she's working on has already been started, but Chat can't quite tell what it is yet.

Hours go by in silence, the only sounds coming from a small radio set to low and the clacking of Marinette's knitting needles.

It's not awkward though, not the painful kind of silence that she's so familiar with at her house. This silence has no expectation to be filled, and she knows she could break it at any time if she wanted to. This silence is warm and comfortable just like everything about Marinette and her home and Chat likes it, being able to come over and just... be. Without any expectation placed on her to do or say anything. As she watches, the fruits of Marinette's labor soon become recognizable.

A hat.

She wonders who it's for, but can't bring herself to ask. Instead, she focuses on the way Marinette's fingers are working the yarn, over and under and around in a blur of motion. Chat can't help but be impressed at the speed she's going -she tried knitting once, but it wound up a tangled mess when she discovered she didn't have the patience for it- but guesses that Marinette's probably been doing this for years and has mastered the art of knitting by now.

She came here for a reason though.

To talk.

But... Chat can't find it in herself to do so. She doesn't want to ruin the peace or bring the mood down or burden Marinette with her problems. So instead of talking, she finds herself drifting, not quite asleep and not quite awake. A peaceful state of tranquility that she can never quite manage when she's alone.

It's only when she can no longer hear the sounds of knitting needles that she blinks her eyes open. Marinette has stopped, hands resting in her lap as she looks at Chat with...

She's looking at her like...

Chat's heart lurches.

The moment passes. Marinette turns her head and discreetly wipes her eyes, and Chat does her best pretending not to notice. “Did you know that you purr in your sleep, kitty?”

“I do not.” She's not sure what put such sadness in Marinette's eyes. What could have possibly brought her friend such pain in that moment, because it's not like Marinette has much to worry about other than school and family and friends.

(Well, maybe she does. Chat shouldn't make assumptions like that, she doesn't know Marinette's life.)

She's just not sure why it came up now.

“You do, it's cute.” Marinette stands, stretching her arms above her head. The amount of yarn around Chat's hands is considerably less than when they started, and she holds them out to Marinette with a pout. She's pretty sure Marinette goes slower then she has to because of it, but she won't complain.

Finally, when she's free, Chat stands up as well and rolls her shoulders. A glance at the clock indicates she's been at Marinette's for a little more than three hours, not bad. “Well princess, this cat should hit the road.”

“Wait!”

Already turned to leave, she's surprised when she hears a crash behind her and spins around quickly. Marinette is slumped over the couch, hand outstretched and face pink. Green yarn is tangled around her ankles, and Chat honestly can't quite figure out how she managed that.

Snickering, Chat kneels beside Marinette and takes one leg in her hand, unwrapping the yarn from around her feet with nimble fingers. Above her, as Marinette settles to sit on the couch, Chat can feel her gaze. It's heavy on her shoulders and she doesn't know why, but suddenly she feels nervous and can't look up to meet Marinette's eyes.

“You really ought to be more careful...” she mumbles instead. The last of the yarn is wound up into a neat compact ball, and without looking up, she holds it out to Marinette. It's stupid. She doesn't know why she suddenly feels scared because it's Marinette for god's sake, she's harmless and it's not like she bears Chat any ill will, but the need to run is almost overwhelming, choking her with delicate hands and too blue eyes and-

The small, shaking weight of the yarn is plucked from her palm and replaced with something else.

The hat.

Confused, she looks up.

Marinette's looking back at her with that... look again. The one that makes Chat want to punch whatever put it there because Marinette should never be sad. It only lasts a few seconds before Marinette blinks and it's gone, replaced with a soft smile.

And then even that's gone, because Chat's vision is obscured by fluffy green fabric. Not expecting it, she flails, squawking a little bit much to her chagrin. “Princess, why would you betray me like this!”

Though it's muffled by the hat, she can hear Marinette laugh. The hat is righted on head, Marinette's fingers gently probing underneath it to push her cat ears through openings Chat hadn't even noticed were there, until it's laying flat and covering every inch of blonde hair. “I don't think you can call it a betrayal, Chat. I made it for you.”

Oh.

“You... made it for me?” she repeats dumbly.

“Yeah, it's getting chilly and, well... I thought you could use something to cheer you up. It's not every day one of Paris' own superheroes goes missing. Something big must have happened to... make you go away.” Marinette's voice falters. Chokes up. Chat can see her eyes glisten. “I'm sorry.”

It's fine, is what she wants to say, but what comes out instead is a whispered “it wasn't your fault.” Because it's not Marinette's fault she's feeling like this. And lying to Marinette feels wrong, like kicking a puppy. “I'll be right as rain soon enough, I promise.”

Well... she was never fond of puppies.

White teeth bite into pink flesh as Marinette stands there, worrying her bottom lip and looking as conflicted as Chat's ever seen her. Then she nods slowly. “I hope so... Will you drop by again soon?”

“Of course.”

Leaning forward, she wraps her arms around Marinette in a loose hug. The position is awkward, what with her kneeling and Marinette on the couch, but she makes it work. A hand comes up to cradle the back of her head, petting over the hat. “So... you like it?”

Chat grins wide enough to hurt. “I love it. Thank you. I've never had anyone make me something before.” Which is true. Everything she's ever gotten from anyone has always been bought. She's fairly certain the only exceptions were the birthday cakes made by the cooks at home... Not that she's complaining. She's not. She's grateful for every present received, store bought or not. It's just... different, knowing that Marinette put time and effort into making something for her, and it makes her feel giddy inside.

“I'm glad.”

A beep rings out, making her pull back slightly to glance at her hand. Her ring is blinking, one toe gone. “My time's almost up, I really need to go.”

There's a final squeeze before Marinette's arms loosen, dropping to her sides, and Chat stands up. The smile refuses to leave her face. “Thank you again. Really.”

“Any time, Chat. Take care.”

Chat winks. Blows a kiss. And then she's slipping out of Marinette's room, out onto the balcony, and out into the night.

Ch. 1, Ch. 2, Ch. 3

#My writing #miraculous ladybug #chat noir #fem!chat noir #ladybug #chat noire

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cocoarosalia · 7 years

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Rocking The Cradle Chapter 15: Truce

She was so pretty dressed up like that. Big, fluffy dress. Shoes glittering with rhinestones. A crown that hung on her head crookedly from being one size too big…

She looked as she always did

Like mama’s precious little princess

But...why couldn’t she reached her?

Everytime she got close her hand would start to burn

“Mama…” she called out

She tried again and again but it was like touching iron fresh out of the flame

The realization made her stomach twist

Her princess was locked up in some golden cage like a pet canary

Her voice rang out frantically this time “Mama, I need you! Please, I don’t want to be with her!”

She gripped the bars with all her might but the heat was too much. Her hands were covered in burns and scars.

Not even her own tears could quench the pain.

“Mama, why won’t you save me!”

“I-i’m trying! The bars are too hot!”

“I don’t care! I don’t want to go back with her! She’ll kill me!”

“I know baby. Please, don’t cry-”

“WHY DON’T YOU LOVE ME MAMA!?”

Marinette shot up screaming in guilt

But the aching in her body forced her down, yelping in pain

“JESUS FUCK” Alya exclaimed, nearly dropping a bucket of water on the floor “If you’re gonna get up from a coma, you could at least do it without scaring the piss outta me.”

Marinette looked down at her arms. They were bandaged all over with cuts and bruises. Looking over at the mirror hanging on her wall, she saw a hello kitty band-aid on right cheek and a fantastic four one on her left.

“Courtesy of the twins” Alya joked “They were so determined to help they just stuck them on when I wasn’t looking”

She stared up at the ceiling, pictures of Elly’s crying face flashing across her mind. “How did I get here? The last thing I remember is looking for Elly”

Alya nodded knowingly, wringing out a cool cloth and patting it all over Marinette’s forehead “Yea, you also remember the fight with Mère de la mort, don’t you?”

Marinette’s voice got caught in her throat as her eyes looked everywhere except into her best friend’s Hazel ones

“Whaaat I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She doged “I don’t know how I got these. Must’ve been from a pretty nasty fall hahaha” She laughed nervously

She could feel the unimpressed look she was getting seep into the back of her skull

She squeaked in pain as Alya pinched at some bandages wrapped snugly around her chest “If you’re gonna attempt to lie to me, please get a little better at it. For your own safety”

Marinette relaxed once the sharp pain in her side relaxed

“I ran out looking for Eloise shortly after you left, ended up stumbling across your fight with her ‘mother’ and helped Adrien take you home to get you patched up”

Her eyes softened, if she had known that Alya would be so accepting of her being Ladybug she would’ve told her long ago. Oh, who was she kidding? This was the girl that ran into potential danger just to help her. She should’ve told her forever ago.

...hold on

“You left the kids just to save me? Why the hell would you do that!?”

Alya’s eyes narrowed in annoyance “The fact that you think I left my kids alone, without their father watching them, makes me wanna pinch you again...please don’t make me do that”

She dropped that subject like a bag of hot rocks

Her mind started to wander though. ‘The fight was going so well’ she thought. She had La Mère on the ropes, Chat was handling her cronies…

Oh no! Chat!

“Hey Alya” She hummed in acknowledgement “When you took me home...was Chat Noir with me? I know he risked himself to save me...I just wanna make sure he’s ok”

She helped Mari sit upright and nodded over to the end of the bed “Why not ask him yourself”

Mari was thoroughly confused. All she saw was adrien, propped up against her wall, dead asleep and deeply scarred all over his bared chest

“Even injured he’s hot as fuck” she muttered to herself. She slapped her hands over her mouth “oh i’m sorry are the twins here”

Alya scoffed “If you think they’d be traumatized by that, you might wanna stop leaving Elly at our house”

“Wait,” Marinette stopped and thought for a moment “You said ask Chat Noir, but it’s only Adrien here”

Alya sucked in a breath “oooo my sweet, summer child.” She patted her cheek patronizingly “I’m gonna need you to think this one out”

But what was there to think out? Chat Noir saved her from the blast, Adrien brought her home. It was simple. No thought needed

Marinette scooted in a little closer for a better look. Hmmm. Blonde fluffy hair, golden tanned skin, fit but not beefy.

She got in even closer. They had the same strong but gentle hands, and even the same pouty lips

Their noses were basically touching now

“May I assist you with something my lady?”

‘Damn even the same green eyes’

“Not now kitty I’m trying to figure out why you and Adrien are so similar”

“Perhaps because we’re the same person”

“Hmmm maybe. But I’m not convinced”

“Well, while normally I’d swoon over this kind of intimacy, there one too many people here for anything interesting to happen”

“Oh please, don’t mind me in the least” Alya chimed in, the sound of a flashing camera ricocheting around the room

…….

Marinette suddenly became alarmingly aware of her position.

Making the cutest “Eep” sound he’s ever heard in his entire existence, she rushed quickly to the other side of the bed, shooting a sharp pain down her back.

She collapsed back onto her pillow, but not because of the back pain

But because the truth was becoming far worse than fiction

She hoisted herself up again, slowly this time, and faced facts

“You’re Chat Noir aren’t you”

“Yes ma’am”

“And you are fully aware that I’m Ladybug”

“Correct”

“And now the whole world knows who we are”

“Not true” Alya corrected

The heroine turned to her best friend with an upturned brow

“Currently only we, Nino, your parents, and the twins know”

She breathed a sigh of relief….

And then immediately buried her face in her hands, letting out a groan of disbelief

“So this means that all those nights I spent with you in my room, rattling off at the mouth about how much I liked this ‘big name model’ and how ‘oh he’ll never be into a girl as frumpy as me’ I was actually telling it all to…”

“Me, the big name model, yes”

The groan grew way louder

“If it’s any consolation I am still in love with ladybug, who just so happens to be another ‘frumpy girl’ that has a pretty comfy seat in my heart”

He was suddenly, once again, getting a very in depth look into her eyes

She couldn’t even feel the pain that time since the shock of potential returned feelings was enough for her

“Do you actually mean that!?”

He face flushed pink as he wasn’t quite ready to face this part yet. His eyes faced everywhere but her own to try and find an excuse out of this

Unfortunately he looked down though

He really shouldn’t have done that

Not even 8 inches away from his face was the skin of Marinette’s very creamy cleavage. He knows the bandages were there to help her heal. He KNEW that, that’s why HE had them! But they left just enough to the imagination to leave him wondering.

His mind was trailing off ‘Just one minor slip and they’d just fall away...’

The click of a camera brought him back to reality. He snatched up his white button up and shoved into her hands

She caught on a little too quickly for his tastes, scooted her way onto the far side of the bed and covered herself up with his shirt.

He scratched the hairs on the back of his neck and tried to lighten the mood “Well thank god Elly wasn’t here to see that. Don’t need her learning anything odd, ha ha ha”

Marinette whipped her head toward him, panicked

‘Did not lighten, I repeat, DID NOT LIGHTEN’

“Adrien...Where’s Eloise”

He bit his bottom lip and played with loose thread on the comforter

She fell back against the wall and fiddled with her ear to destress

“Where are my earrings!”

You could practically see Adrien shrink as transferred to twisting a ring that also wasn’t there

The tension was ungodly thick and the silence was putting both heros extremely on edge

They nearly jumped a foot in the air at alya giving a solid clap

“Well since you’re now both awake I’m gonna go check on the kids and bring back something for you two to eat”

She made it a point to look both of them in the eye

“It should only take ABOUT AN HOUR AND A HALF. I WILL BE BACK BY THEN”

“Thank you Alya. Could you bring the twins when you get back? I want to thank them for their help.”

Alya cut her eyes at her bestie. She knew it takes her at least 30 minutes to get those two anywhere.

She was buying time...a lot of it

“Mmmm, If they’re up at this time I’ll think about it” She left the room with her Hazel colored eyes being the last thing she made sure they saw.

Adrien flopped over on the bed, thinking he might’ve been safe from harm.

Who knows why he would ever think that

“You are not off the hook Adrien” He visibly flinched at the looseness in which she used his real name “Start talking. Fast.”

He rubbed his face vigorously to psych himself out. He sucked in a deep breath and prepared himself for whatever came next.

“We lost. Mère de la mort has Eloise and the Miraculous”

She felt like a knife was being dragged into her

“How?”

He pretended like he didn’t hear the question

She slammed her fist onto the nightstand and commanded his attention

“HOW DID SHE GET THEM?”

“BECAUSE I GAVE THEM TO HER OK!?” He blurted

He clammed up quick and got off the bed to go to the other side of the room

She couldn’t understand what he was telling her “Y-you did what?”

Adrien ran his fingers through his hair in frustration “I handed her the miraculous and she ran off with Eloise in tow”

Her voice was so small it was barely over a whisper “why would you ever hand over the only thing we had to protect our daughter”

He crossed his arms over his chest “Because the same things that protected her were the same things that were gonna get all of us killed, her included. I had to make a choice.”

“AND SO YOU MADE THAT CHOICE WITHOUT ME!?” She was so unbelievably pissed that if it weren’t for the tears running down her cheeks she was pretty sure she’d kill something, most likely him.

“What option did I have Marinette?!” He snapped back “You were fucking unconcious. I thought you were dead! We. Were. Beat. The only I could think to do that might’ve saved everyone was to just give her what she wanted”

The sound of thunder crashed outside

“And look where we are now huh?” she challenged “Left with no powers, no clue as to where they are, and so damn broken that these scars will probably last forever!”

They were in each others face now. Screaming and hollering about what would’ve been the right choice.

Marinette surprisingly broke first “Look i’m sorry ok!?”

Her heart wretched in every way as she had to face the horrid reality “I know you wanted to save her. Obviously, you’re her dad. But without ladybug, without those powers I. am. Nothing. I can’t save her. Shit, I can’t even save myself”

The sound of her sobbing was too much for him to bear. His heart just broke. He fell onto his knees before her and begged for forgiveness

“I am so sorry Mari. You were just right there. In my arms, silent, barely breathing. I couldn’t even think straight. And when I had to see Elly’s face just standing there, begging for me to make it all better. I broke. And I broke because I’m weak and now she’s gone-”

Marinette flew right into his arms. The force was so strong it toppled them right over onto the floor

“Don’t you ever say that” She sobbed “You have never been weak since the day I met you. Both sides of you. I’m sorry I wasn’t there I’m so so sorry for leaving you alone to make that decision”

Outside the rain was pouring down harder and harder. People were receding into their homes one by one with their loved ones happily in tow. But there were Marinette and Adrien, lying on her plush pink rug and crying their eyes out over the one they miss most.

“We suck as parents” Marinette hiccuped into Adrien’s chest

He rubbed her back soothingly and stared up at the ceiling “I know”

“Perhaps I can assist you in atoning for your ineptness”

There he stood. Hawkmoth, their most hated enemy, stood in her room with an umbrella in hand as if he just walked in from the rain on her balcony.

He smirked smugly as he thought he had caught them speechless

That smile was almost instantly pelted off his face from a stuffed Ladybug plushie (the bug not her)

“How did you find us!” She snarled

“Well if you mu-”

This time baby blue seal plush

“How do you know who we are!” Adrien growled

“I don’t think doing this wi-”

Now a strawberry cream puff toy

“I swear to god, you say anything stupid and I will start throwing sharper objects”

“I’ve seen her desk, she’s not kidding”

“I’d be happy to tell you if you’d just sto-”

They didn’t even bother letting him finish as they threw plushie after plushie and pillow after pillow at him.

He quickly got tired of that shtick and batting them away with the umbrella

“ALRIGHT NOW GOD DAMMIT, ENOUGH OF THIS!”

Marinette refused to face him “hah, you’re just lucky we ran out of things to throw”

“Yes, I am fortunate and you might be too if you just shut up and listen for a moment”

She had no interest in hearing what he had to say but then again Adrien was usually the more forgiving one out of the pair. He lifted himself off the floor and sat them both on her mattress, Marinette pressed flush against his chest and pouting.

“You have about an hour and a half to make your case. Her best friend is coming back and I can assure you, she’s not as nice as we are”

“Duly noted” he replied “Firstly, how I found you was simple. I was there at the fight”

Marinette clicked her tongue “Figures, you would be”

He suppressed a snarky comment coming forth as he continued “I saw your friend help you here and I followed you. Not the most elegant way to find out your arch enemies secret identity but there you go.”

He took a seat on Marinette’s swivel chair “As for why I am here…”

Hawkmoth, again, the same man that was at the second place of their shit list right now, then did something that made their heads spin

“I’m sorry” he said, eyes and head lowered “I did not intend for any of this to happen”

“Bullshit” Adrien harshly stated “She gave you what you wanted. What do you have to be remorseful about?”

“Yes, I did want your miraculous. I will not sit here and lie about that. However, I in no way expected her to use children as leverage. Besides, I still don’t even have your miraculous.”

Marinette watched his expressions closely “What are you talking about? Why wouldn’t she just hand them over? Don’t you, like, have control of her mind or something?”

Hawkmoth sighed resentfully “Typically, yes, I do. But, since she willingly offered herself to be akumatized, there was no mind control present. We only worked together over a deal.”

“Which would be?”

“That as long as I get the miraculous she could obtain them however she saw fit. Had I known that she would resort to child kidnapping I would not have, under any circumstances, used her as an akuma”

“Oh yea because akumatizing children yourself is so much cleaner”

He had no answer for that so he held his tongue

“Just answer this.” She said “You said earlier that you would help us. What’s in it for you and how?”

He cleared his throat “What’s in it for me is simple, revenge. As I stated prior, she is holding the miraculous hostage from me so that she can reassure her comfy space in my lair. On top of that she is deliberately withholding her end of the bargain so at this point I’d rather get back at her than have the miraculous.”

“And as for the how” Adrien questioned

Hawkmoth chuckled smugly “If you can lure her out of hiding, I’ll give you your miraculous back. On top of that, I will personally hand deliver them and your daughter”

He just barely ducked a book aimed at his head

‘Tweety you so better be worth all this’ he fumed in his head

“La Mère told me that she was just gonna off Elly as soon as they got home. Why would she change her mind now?”

“Hell if I know! Probably to drag out the fun in terrorizing her. She twisted in the head in case you haven’t caught on”

Adrien, who had been fairly quiet during their back and forth, finally spoke up

“Fine, let’s say she changed her mind. Let’s say you can’t control her. And hell, let’s say you are sorry. What proof do you have that our daughter is alive?”

Hawkmoth straightened his posture and held a stoic expression. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a smartphone. Turning it on and entering a code, he handed it over.

The footage gave them hope, but not without its dread

It was live surveillance feed of his hideout. Noémie was, of course, drunk off her ass and smoking like a chimney.

But she wasn’t alone

Eloise was trapped high up in a golden like cage

‘like a pet canary’ Marinette mournfully reminded herself

Noémie looked positively sickening. She could barely keep herself upright as she downed another swig of vodka with no chaser. She lumbered up to the cage and banged the bottle against the bars.

“Why don’t you sing for mommy, El? Since you’re in that pretty little cage I made for you and everything”

Eloise didn’t say a word, she simply sat on the furthest corner of her prison.

Noémie banged louder, almost breaking the bottle into a million pieces

“Don’t fucking ignore me! I am your mother! You’re supposed to follow my every fucking word!”

Eloise tucked her head between her knees. She blocked out her mother’s hateful words by reminiscing about how much fun she’d had with her mama and papa, the real people who loved her.

“Why isn’t this working?” Noémie slurred, violently waving the clear bottle around and splashing Elly with the foul smelling liquid “You’re supposed to be on your knees, crying, and begging for me to let you go! So go ahead! Beg for your life so I can just burn it all down in front of you”

It was quiet for moment. It was the type of silence that Noémie had grown terribly accustomed to; the kind that felt like no one but her was in the room.

Eloise lifted her head. There were no puffy red eyes, no snotty nose, nothing.

All she did was smile

“I can’t cry yet, mommy.” She beamed “My papa said that I had to wait till he came for me. So until then I won’t cry a single tear!”

She was dumbstruck. What could she even say to that? She was too drunk to come up with any real threats so she settled with kicking the cage a few more times, staggering off to a closeby bed and passing out cold.

Eloise breathed a sigh of relief and let out a real smile. She picked up a piece of bar that had broken off and busied herself, drawing pictures on the floor and humming a silly tune

Marinette could hardly see past her teary eyes but she could feel Adrien’s smile against her back.

“That’s our girl” he hummed “Sunny since the day we brought her home”

He handed the phone back and faced hawkmoth with a very stern expression

“So you’re telling the truth. Congratulations.”

“Christ, it takes a lot to impress you teen parents”

“BUT, despite you even helping us we still have no powers. Even if we wanted to face her again, we’d have nothing to face her with”

He snorted rather mockingly “Paris’s finest heroes and you can’t even survive without your little spandex”

“Says the man in a purple butterfly suit” Marinette retorted

He turned away as adrien snickered at him

“Also, on the off chance that your monitoring skills are as weak as your fashion sense,-”

‘I am the forerunner of parisian fashion!’

“Every time I use my ace in the hole ‘Lucky Charm’ I get dumb stuff like this…”

She tossed the almost narrowly burned map from their fight onto her desk. He picked it up and looked it over.

“...a treasure map?”

“Yes a treasure…”

She snatched it out of his hand and opened it up big for a closer look

Red X marks were littered all over the map, 8 in total, all seeming to lead to some building circled all in red with dramatic arrows surrounding it.

Her eyes looked liked they were trying to burn a hole through the paper “I...I have no idea what this could possibly mean”

“They’re alleyways and hide-away hang out spots” Adrien casually noted, chewing on a twizzler “And that big red circle is where their building a new hotel”

“D-did you find my candy stash?”

“Yea, why?”

“Dammit Adrien, Alya’s bringing us food you’ll spoil your dinner”

“You say spoil, I say prepare”

Hawkmoth cleared his throat, calling back their attention

“And how do you know this, but she doesn’t”

Adrien bit off another piece of the red rope “Ever since Mari started missing patrol to take care of Elly, I’ve been using the alone time to hang out with the late night locals. They’re actually pretty fun”

‘So that’s why you’ve been exhausted during all your shoots’ hawkmoth grumbled to himself

“And the construction site?” Marinette inquired

“Oh I’ve just been using that place to ‘Hang around’.”

*Poof* black pawprint plush to the face, courtesy of hawkmoth

Marinette returned to the map to think

‘Even if I know all this, I still don’t know what to do with it! Ugh, this whole thing is insane! And on top of that, her mother is just treating it all like some sick game!”

…….

“A GAME!”

She jolted out of bed, accidentally knocking Adrien’s head back into the wall

She apologized and soothed his aching skull “Adrien you said all these little spots were in alleyways and hide-out bars right?”

“Yea?”

“What is now Elly’s favorite game?”

“Uuuuh hide and go seek?”

“Yes! And since this whole stupid endeavor is just one big game to her bitch of a mother, why not play for some real stakes”

Marinette cut her eyes at Hawkmoth and gave a look that translated to ‘You better not say one wrong thing out of your face’

“If we can get Mort de la Mère out of your hideout can you swear to uphold your end of the deal?”

“I am many terrible things ladybug. But I am nothing if not a man of my word”

“Um Mari” Adrien interjected “I’m all for...whatever this plan might be. But there’s a slight problem. We don’t have anything she wants. No booze, no high end cigarettes, nothing”

Marinette furrowed her brow. He had a point, she had her ultimate prize. So what would draw her out long enough to go along with the plan?

She got so lost in her thought that she hadn’t even noticed herself absentmindedly scratching along adrien’s scalp where his cat ears would be. She did it so often during their late night patrols that it became second nature to her.

He most definitely didn’t mind though as he took to his own habit. He laid himself out onto her lap and reveled in the satisfying sensation. He was, of course, her self proclaimed ‘pet’.

Now that they were finally at a moment of peace, Marinette took the time to give her partner a decent once over.

‘He really is quite the attractive kitty’ She thought, moving her hand to cover the back of his neck ‘Perfect skin, broad shoulders, and muscles in just the right places to make any female’s heart swoon’

She chuckled to herself ‘Any woman would kill to take him home with them’

He poked at her cheek “Uh princess? You’re most definitely staring again”

She blinked herself to reality and took instant notice to the flushed red tint that spread down to his aforementioned ‘broad shoulders’

She snatched her hands away as if he were made of fire

“IIIIIII am so sorry” she babbled out

“No no! It’s fine! it’s just-” he leaned in close to her ear “There’s still one too many people here for anything interesting to happen”

“I can hear you!”

He made a shooing motion with his hand “And that’s a problem right now.”

Marinette was utterly horrified. She must look like a complete creep!

She cracked open her fingers to sneak a peek at him. She breathed a sigh of relief. He was just sitting there crossed leg atop her comforter, a stupid grin plastered across his handsome face (you could practically see his tail happily swaying behind him)

She was gonna have to get used to the fact that her well mannered dreamboy was also her pun addicted partner

She felt a warm smile creeping onto her lips ‘Yea...anyone would want a cutie like him’

“Sooo any ideas what we could lure her out with?”

Marinette looked him up and down

And it came to her

She didn’t want it to, but it came to her

“Yea, I have an idea or two...you might not like it though”

Ok so this is basically my only shot of asking this since I missed the chance over on Ao3 BUT...WHAT DID YOU THINK OF THE ARGUMENT THEY HAD. Did you side more with Adrien in that he had no choice and had to make a decision or more with Marinette in that the miraculous was their only weapon against her. I so so SO would appreciate some feed back and THANKS AGAIN FOR READING!

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