It's really annoying when people are so smug about how they're flooding the tags with their anti-bullshit. While it's okay and healthy to have an opinion, It's absolutelly rude to bash tags people use to enjoy content.
You hate your fave it's portrayed in the bad light? Well, excuse me. But nobody it's stopping you from write fluff about them. (I'm talking about you, Adrien stans. You could be in the Adrien sugar tag, but you refuse. )
You hate how Marinette salt is nearly inexistent? Then, writte your own fanfic about her if you please like 'Divergence' by DepressedTeacup/TwilightMaster15.
You think Chloe deserves a redemption? Then do It, but don't excuse her past actions as a bully.
You hate Lukanette, Adrigami, Daminette, Felinette, Lukadrien or Marigami? It's okay. But DON'T attack their shippers.
You want Lila Salt? Then be more creative... Nobody can get arrested for lying about some celebrity having a Kitten. But she can get in a lot of trouble if her lies are severe. Like Jagged Stone ped* allegations, or Prince Ali involved in charity fraud rumors, and Clara Nightingale's stealing dance routines from smaller creators, also Miss Rossi (Her mother) can be seen as an neglectful mother because of the Kitten lie. Those things can end their careers.
But also Lila can have a redemption as well as Alya, because yes, Alya is also salt worthy in her own way because of how she ignores boundaries, but again, she is a kid being manipulated and starstruck about super heroes.
We need more salt about Bustier, Gabriel Agreste, the Bourgeois, Damocles... Adults who should've known better.
With the press constantly stalking Adrien as well as Chat Noir and Ladybug, rumors do surface. Best friends Marinette and Adrien have already discovered the other’s identities and are together, but at times forget that one of them are in a costume and will do dorky things to each other. Unfortunately, those dorky things are caught on by the press who love to spread rumors like crazy!
A/N: The first Snapchat of Chat Noir looking at the photo is by Marinette’s mother, and the rest of them are taken by Alya
So I haven’t used tumblr in weeks and I was bored, so I decided to go on my favorite tag: Lila salt (bc she pisses me OFF) and omg the war going on in that tag (and most ml salt tags) is literally so toxic.
Like for example, you have Adrien stans fighting with Adrien salt-ers and its wild. Honestly, I enjoy both and it really just depends on how the writer does it. But seriously people on both sides need to CHILL. Adrien isn’t some perfect sunshine incarnate, but nor is he some demon who is pure evil. He definitely needs to be called out for Syren, fooling around too much during akuma fights, and pursuing Ladybug even after she rejected him, BUT he’s literally a child and was homeschooled his whole life. He has Gabriel-Gabage-Agreste as a father and just needs to understand social interactions more.
Similarly, for Alya, Nino, and the rest of the class. They are CHILDREN who need to grow up and learn from their mistakes. Honestly, I blame Bustier, Gabriel, and Principal Damocles for all this drama more. They are the ADULTS in the situation and the way they handled everything is terrible and made it even worse.
Ok so here’s the story featuring Puppet Queen and Marionette. I worked them into a request for my friend, @naruwitch, where Marinette and Luka get akumatized and Adrien learns his inaction and bad advice has serious consequences. I had a lot of fun writing this so yay me. Also I’m closing requests for these prompts for a little bit. I have a few I need to catch up on so I’ll reopen requests when I’m caught up but I’m not sure when that will be. Anyway hope you guys like this :)
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Tears rolled down Marinette’s face as she held onto the lucky charm Adrien had given her for her birthday. She was sat on her chaise lounge with a number of her handmade dolls near her. She had a Volpina one on the floor, along with the Bubbler and the Lady Wifi doll. She had been talking to them as if they were their real life counterparts. She was trying not to bottle up her hurt as she knew it wasn’t healthy. Normally, it worked but today she was finding it harder then usual. Today in class, Lila had claimed that Marinette had attacked her and had been bullying her. As a result, Alya and Nino had renounced their friendship with Marinette and turned their back on her. They completely believed Lila’s lies about her supposedly bullying her and told Marinette in front of the whole class, including Miss Bustier, that they would couldn’t be friends with a jealous bully like her, which in turn had caused the rest of the class to turn against her, expect for Juleka. She had been the only one who tried to point out that it wasn’t Marinette’s normal behavior. Sure, she had her moments when she got jealous of people but always got past it. As usual everyone ignored her but the real blow had came when Marinette tried to stick up for herself and tell them the truth. Hoping that Adrien would tell the truth, she turned to him and asked him to tell them. Adrien, however, didn’t. She wasn’t sure if he panicked or if he just didn’t want to call Lila out but he turned around and said that he didn’t know what she was talking about. As if that wasn’t bad enough, he then pulled her aside and told her to drop it, telling that ‘they were just lies’, that 'no one was getting hurt’ and long as they both knew, it didn’t matter if Lila was lying or not. She didn’t stay after that. Despite Miss Bustier calling for her, Marinette rushed home and straight into her room, where she cried for a few minutes before taking out her dolls. She tried to talk them, telling them about how she felt but the real string of betrayal had come from Adrien. Since she didn’t have a doll of him, she took out the lucky charm he had given her but instead of talking, she just began to cry again. In a simple act of trying to 'keep the peace’, he had broke her heart in two. She jumped a little as she heard a knock on her trapdoor.
“C-Come in?” The trap door opened and to her surprise, Luka climbed through. As soon as he fully in the room and the trap door closed, Marinette rushed over to him, throwing her arms around him. He caught her and held her close as she began to cry.
"Ssh, it’s ok, Melody,“ He whispered, leading her back over to her chaise longue. Marinette let him sit her down before he sat next to her and held her close to him. "Juleka messaged me and asked me to come by to check on you. She didn’t tell me what happened but mentioned that you ran out of the school in tears,”
Marinette nodded as she held onto him. He frowned a little as he held her, stroking the top of her head.
How much do you think Gabriel agreste is worth? Millions? Billions?
That is a really interesting question.
Considering he has the most billboards in Paris, we can assume he has a lot of marketing cash (also including the commercial.)
We know the brand is popular and that he not only does cologne, but also clothing. Since there was a fashion show and Marinette’s hat was featured.
We are also well aware that he has made deals in America, Japan, and European markets. So we can go under the assumption that Gabriel brand is an international brand.
The only problem is that we don't know the price tag on his products. But we can assume high end fashion considering that they had multiple Fashion shows. So I would say its comparable to Chanel. Which has a brand value of around 9 Billion dollars. Through Gabriel’s marketing its closer to the brand level recognition Gucci or Prada. That would put the value closer to 15 billion.
Though a companies brand value does not mean that is the amount that Gabriel’s net worth.
We also need to consider his mansion. Which not including the extra features. A mansion that is close or located in Paris is around 25 million USD. With the multiple rooms and levels, the garden. And that isn't including all of the items and valuables inside. For the sake of Simplicity, lets assume all of the secret additions and items inside the mansion double its value. So the mansion and everything in it is 50 million USD.
We can assume Gabriel is the CEO or at least has a dominant hold on the company since he makes all the business decisions. Now Gabriel seems like a private guy so lets assume that he doesn't have his company go public. (also because stock price means very little. since we don't have one in the show.) At the very least owns 51% of the company.
Now this doesn't even include all of the money he likely has because of Emilié, who we know was an actress, and whose family had a production studio. Lets assume that Emilie wasn't a big time actress, likely only being in movies for the studio. Now considering that Emilie’s sister, Amelie lives in England. And the fact that in Gorizilla the movie was only showing for a day only. likely means that this was an indie film, likely not a block buster hit. And considering that the only known sponsor for the film was the Graham de Vanily movie company. It was likely funded by them.
The average indie film cost in 2015 was estimated to be 750,000 usd. So taking this into account. And for a company to exclusively pay for that and get it to be broadcast. The film studio must have dropped at least a couple million on everything, even if they didn't pay Emilie. The amount of money Emilie must have been worth with her cut of the Graham de Vanily fortune was likely as low as 5 million to as high as 100 million. Assuming Emilie did receive a cut of the Vanily fortune.
With all of this in mind, Low balling Gabriel Agreste’s net worth.
His lowest would be 6.1 billion. (Oddly making him tied with the 15th richest person in the fashion industry.)
Though if we High ball it, I would say
Gabriel Agreste’s highest net worth would be 16.6 Billion, making him match up with the (8th richest individual in the fashion industry) This is of course including his multimillion dollar deals across the globe, his private jet, self driving cars, cryogenic freezer for Emilie, the cost of construction and silencing of people involved, The hologram technology he owns. And also his own son’s net worth.
While there is still a lot of things that would need to be calculated, I think its safe to assume Gabriel is at the very least a Billionaire with a B.
So obviously, the Ladybug and Cat miraculous are the most dangerous. So obviously there’s gonna be some safety measures.
Whenever transformed, the two heroes forget about their civilian lives. This way, if there’s ever a truth-seeking akuma, or theyre ever captured, they can’t tell any information.
We’re gonna say it works like this:
If they’re suited up, they can’t remember details. Like Ladybug may remember that she had homework due that morning, but she can’t remember the class, teacher’s name, or what school she goes to. Chat may remember that he had something to do at 2pm, but he has no idea its a photo shoot. Things like that.
So during Stoneheart, Ladybug doesn’t feel sure of herself, but Chat is there to tell her she’s obviously a wonderful Ladybug, otherwise she would never have been chosen. And it’s not like she remembers anything, so she thinks “of course they had to chose me for a reason, I must be a good person,” and just like that, we have confident Ladybug.
Then the battle is over. And they detransform. And they remember everything.
Only, when Mari tries to text Alya about it, she suddenly forgets what she was talking about. Adrien goes to school and somebody talks about the new heroes, and suddenly his mind wanders and he can’t stay focused on the conversation.
Marinette goes home thinking that everything’s normal, but then her parents ask her about the attack, and her mouth says “what attack?” before her brain is able to catch up. Her parents tell her about the akuma battle, and she’s like “I wasn’t anywhere near that,” which she doesn’t panic about lying about because as far as she’s aware, she was in the school the entire time. And then, the conversation’s over, and her brain is like “you forgot about this” and she remembers again. But how did she forget in the first place? She goes to her room and asks Tikki, and then gets nervous because the kwami looks anxious.
And then Tikki tells her about the Ladybug and Chat Noir Fail-Safe.
Until they give up the earrings or ring, they will not be able to talk about the miraculous at all outside of the costume (excluding to their kwami’s), and they wont be able to remember their civilian lives in it.
This complicates things. Especially when Marinette just made friends with this superhero-obsessed girl. She has to make up something to keep Alya and the rest of the class (plus her parents) from getting suspicious. So she tells them that sometimes when her anxiety gets too high, her brain will make her forget what’s making her anxious.
They believe it, luckily.
And then the new kid goes “yeah me too” and her confidence wavers. Adrien just kind of used the excuse on a whim because that’s a great idea, but also he obviously didn’t think that one through.
Because Marinette looks over and sees this boy who has the same issue as her. Adrien looks over and sees this girl who has the same issue as him.
And they come to some conclusions.
Of course, when they try to talk about it with each other, suddenly it’s hard to focus. Eventually Alya comes along to grab Marinette and finds these two just staring at each other and Alya comes to her own conclusions.
When Mari gets back to her room later, she asks Tikki if Adrien is Chat Noir. Tikki just sighs but its not like Mari can tell anyone, so she confirms. Adrien has the same talk with Plagg.
Marinette picks up a pen and paper to write a note to Adrien, but can’t. Tikki tells her there is literally no way to talk about the miraculous unless its to another kwami.
So Adrien and Mari can’t talk to each other about what they know. But they can grow closer because of it. They share glances and inside jokes that just border the lines of the fail-safe, but they start to learn how to talk to each other. Even though they never directly talk about their miraculous, they are able to become better partners outside of the suits because they just flow together.
As they grow closer, the class notices how these two always seem to know what the other is thinking, even when it’s never said out loud, and of course this is taken out of context so the entire class thinks Adrien and Marinette are in some secret relationship, but with Adrien’s dad and Marinette’s anxiety, they don’t say anything. And technically they’re not wrong, but they’re also not entirely correct because until Hawkmoth is taken down, the two can never entirely 100% be truthful with each other, so they are only friends.
I know that you said that it was an one shot, but I really love the idea of marinette stay in Paris with Luka and kagami and avoid all the NY drama! If you can, can you share more of it? Even if just a few little ideas it would be great! (I love your ideas!)
(the one-shot this anon is referring to)
Aw, thank you so much!
And sure, after some thought, I did really want to write a little more with them!
—————
While throwing away their now juice-less cups, Marinette made the realization of how different things seemed with Luka and Kagami. She had already experienced hanging out with both of them separately, but she'd never imagined having both of them with her at once. It wasn't as if she'd always dismissed or despised the idea, but the only time they'd interacted as a group had been with Adrien around, which had probably soured the whole thing and thus involuntarily caused her to never think about it.
With her friends, everything was typically high-energy. Juleka and Mylene weren't very involved in creating such an atmosphere, but Marinette herself, Rose, Alya, and kept things energized. It wasn't a bad thing in general, but it made Marinette wonder if maybe surrounding herself with people who only encouraged her excitable habits wasn't a good thing.
Meanwhile, Luka and Kagami were completely different, both from her and her friends. Neither were particularly loud - though both could be when they wanted to - and they weren't really the kind to tease or mess with her either. Luka wasn't quiet in the way Juleka was, just seeming to absorb the world around him, whereas Kagami only spoke when she felt that there was something of value to say. Marinette had worried briefly that she might've been too different from the both of them, or that she'd overwhelm them due to speaking up the most, but instead, there was a sense of balance. Luka smiled or chuckled reassuringly whenever she caught herself rambling, whereas Kagami would cut in with her own views that were often direct but nevertheless good in their intentions. Perhaps her personality rubbed off on them in a way she couldn't fully understand?
Still, it was nice.
As the three were deciding what to do next, Marinette's phone suddenly went off. Marinette looked at her purse and pulled out her phone, half-expecting a text from one of her classmates about her missing the bus, but it was actually a notification about where Andre the ice cream man was.
Kagami glanced over after noticing the look on Marinette's face. "You want to get ice cream?"
Marinette frowned, Kagami's voice reminding her of the day the two of them had gone for ice cream with Adrien. She still remembered talking to Andre, hoping beyond hope that maybe the man wouldn't make them pick between the three different flavors. His words still stung a little, not because of Adrien, but because of what the words meant.
"Too many flavors mixed together may throw off the delicate balance."
It implied that one of them would always be the third wheel if they were together, no matter what, and it was a hollow feeling that she'd only recently started to accept.
"Marinette?"
Feeling a comforting hand on her shoulder, she looked over and noted Luka offering her a concerned expression. It grounded her, serving as a reminders that things were different now and that Adrien wasn't there which, in a strange way, brought her an immense sense of comfort.
"I'm fine," she assured. Turning her attention back to her phone, she deleted the notification and then made sure that she wouldn't be getting another one. "Ice cream sounds good, if you want it too, but... I think I've got a better idea than Andre's."
Luka and Kagami exchanged curious glances.
—————
"Here's to Neapolitan ice cream!" Marinette declared dramatically, raising her spoon up with flair before shoving it and the ice cream on it right into her mouth.
Luka snorted in amusement while Kagami gave an acknowledging nod, probably remembering the exact phrase from Andre that Marinette had recalled earlier.
They'd picked up the carton of ice cream on the way to Marinette's place, with Marinette insisting on paying in order to spoil them, and while they seemed confused on the specifics of her insistence, they gave in soon enough. Marinette could understand why she'd be the expected person to be comforted, but giving to others made her happy on its own and she felt they deserved it. After all, Luka had tried his hardest to catch up to the bus and Kagami was still dealing with Adrien wanting to leave for New York despite her being in Paris.
They'd ultimately decided on splitting the entire carton between the three of them, with each of them getting a majority of the one of the flavors and then the rest of that flavor going to the other two. Marinette had gone with chocolate, Kagami had gone with vanilla, and Luka had gone with strawberry. It might've seemed like a weird choice to go with since they'd just had orange juice, but it hadn't been much and it wasn't exactly a "treat."
Marinette may have considered suggesting ice skating instead if her first thought of it wasn't her slipping and bringing Luka and Kagami down to the ice with her. Ice cream was the safer alternative to "cold fun."
"Luka," she called thoughtfully, taking another bite before asking, "you're not feeling sore or anything, are you?"
He met her gaze, smiling at the concern but waving his hand dismissively. "I'm alright, Marinette. I'm used to biking around for hours because of my job, so it wasn't a big deal."
Kagami halted, spoon halfway in her mouth while her brows rose noticeably. She finished the scoop, then turned to look at Luka. "You have a job?"
He nodded. "Yeah. I deliver pizza." He grinned, clearly amused by her reaction. "Are you surprised?"
Kagami's expression didn't shift, but Marinette had known her long enough to see that she was embarrassed. "Oh, no. It's... I don't have one."
"There's nothing wrong with that." Luka shrugged. "I just have the time to do it."
"Mm." Kagami looked back at her ice cream, poking at the surface with her spoon. "I suppose it would be too difficult with my fencing lessons."
Marinette giggled sheepishly, happy to join in on the conversation. "I probably wouldn't be able to either. There's all my fashion work with my website, and then there's the unexpected babysitting, the bakery, and I'm also the class representative." She hurriedly added an, "I know it doesn't sound like much, but I'm bad at planning," when she felt that it seemed like such little things. She was Ladybug and the new guardian too, of course, but she couldn't be blurting that out, so she could only hope that it didn't seem like she was whining over nothing.
She averted her gaze, scooping up a self-conscious bite of her ice cream and shoving it into her mouth. She was partway through savoring it when she realized that neither Luka nor Kagami had responded to her. Daring a look back, she saw them staring at her with varying gazes.
Kagami seemed stunned, commenting, "That is... well, much, actually," referring to what Marinette had just tried to brush off.
Was it? Marinette had never really thought about it. In fact, she distinctly remembered back in the day where people might've thought she was just scatterbrained and didn't really do anything. Back when she was hesitant to be class representative and claimed that she was busy, Alya had asked her with a hint of snark what she was busy with, like she expected her to have a free schedule.
Even beyond her role of Ladybug at the time, she still had random babysitting to do and still frequently worked on her fashion projects. Thinking back, it stung just a little.
As Marinette glanced at Luka, she at first felt that the amount of sympathy he was directing at her was excessive, but then she remembered how she had cried in front of him to the point where he'd dropped his bike and guitar in order to comfort her. She blushed, both in shame and from the memory of him holding her so closely.
"Ah—well—it's okay!" she said hurriedly, "Anyway, forget about me! This day is about... um, this ice cream, and ice cream doesn't have problems that you should worry about!"
She nearly gave herself brainfreeze from how quickly she scooped up and ate the next bite, but figured it'd be worth it if they dropped the subject.
It wasn't worth it.
"You should be more careful," Kagami commented critically, an edge to her voice that Marinette knew wasn't meant to be anger at her. "You're my friend, so don't overwork yourself."
Marinette grinned nervously, still trying to lighten the mood. "A-are you saying it'd be alright to overwork myself if I wasn't your friend?"
Kagami's gaze didn't waver, and Marinette slowly tried to sink into her seat.
Luka set his spoon down on the bowl, then chimed in, "I don't know anything about fashion, Marinette, but if you ever need any help with anything—"
Kagami clicked her own spoon against her bowl to interrupt him, as if she felt personally slighted that he'd gotten to say it first. "We're here for you."
Luka nodded to confirm.
"Oh." Marinette blushed deeper, touched by the gesture from both of them. She thought about trying to reassure them again, but their gazes were firm and showed no room for argument, so she settled for a soft, "Thanks."
They resumed eating their ice cream from there, the topic officially concluded. Though the atmosphere felt noticeably different, Marinette was surprised to realize that it wasn't exactly in a bad way. She feared that she'd ruined the mood, but instead felt like she was supported, with Kagami and Luka looking satisfied with their choice in offering help to her.
It was like she was Ladybug, and they were the partners standing at her side, each with their own form of support. It made her smile, allowing her to happily eat away at her ice cream without thinking about anything stressful.
The idea of going to New York was suddenly very unappetizing in comparison to having ice cream with Luka and Kagami.
—————
All things considered, Ladybug wasn't concerned about telling Chat Noir that her plans had changed and she wasn't going anywhere after all. She imagined that Chat would be overjoyed and wouldn't even ask questions about it, just happy to have her back. She found his affection eyeroll-worthy, but he was still her teammate, so she just steeled herself up for whatever ramble he was about to give her.
However, as she waited near the top of the Eiffel Tower, sitting on the guardrail and looking around for Chat Noir, she realized that she couldn't even see him. Checking the time on her yoyo, she confirmed that it was indeed time for their usual patrol, but Chat Noir was completely absent. Even though it was nighttime, which made the black cat's suit blend in with the sky, he still had the blond hair and light skin that should've made him noticeable.
Ladybug got up and paced around the area a few times, constantly peeking down at the city as she wondered if maybe she just wasn't looking in the right spot. When she still saw nothing, she concluded that Chat Noir must just be running late and she'd simply have to wait a little longer. Things happened, after all, she knew that better than anyone, so she began idling on her yoyo, searching for something to keep her occupied while she waited.
They were a team. While their identities had to remain a secret, Chat Noir had always hated it and prioritized openness in their relationship, so he would've told her if something had come up. He was also active in going on patrols, always seeming eager to join her for their runs across the rooftops, and given that he didn't even know that she'd still be in Paris, patrols were even more crucial.
Perfect 1 shot idea (i read though your previous posts and agree with everything~) Marinette doesn't go to NY hangs with Luka and Kagami. I bet being with them will give her the clarity she needs! Idk about you but if i need clarity about something i like to be away from whatever it is. Then I'm not distracted or conflicted and can figure out how i FEEL and just dissect everything.
Sitting on the sidewalk and resting against a wall, Luka panted, thoroughly out of breath. Marinette, meanwhile, returned from her brief trip to the store, a bottle of cold water in hand that she promptly handed to him. He glanced up at her, then let out a soft, “Thanks,” unscrewing the cap and downing roughly half the bottle in one go. She could only nod at the gratitude, sitting next to him to wait out his exhaustion.
Luka exhaled in relief at the cold liquid going down his throat, then cast a regretful gaze to his bike, which was parked nearby. Sighing, he murmured, “I...I’m sorry, Marinette. I--” He choked briefly on nothing. “--I couldn’t... catch up to the bus.”
“No, it’s okay!” Marinette assured. “You did your best! Um--”
She turned, pulling her luggage to her and digging inside. She pouted at the lack of content that fit the current situation, but ultimately settled on a portable fan that fit comfortably in her hand and was full on power.
Zipping her luggage back up, she slid closer to Luka, turning the fan on and directing it towards his face. He looked briefly surprised at the sudden cool air, then chuckled at the fan and offered her a grateful smile.
She smiled back, though her eyes drifted away to where the bus had previously been. She’d be lying if she said she wasn’t disappointed; after all, even regardless of Adrien, she’d very much wanted to go on the trip.
She dropped her gaze to her lap, her free hand gripping at the fabric of her capris. The memory of the bus getting away from her hurt, but not quite as much as the questions in her head.
Was this how it was always going to be? Her chasing after Adrien, friendship or otherwise, just to fail over and over again? Was it even worth it? She’d worked so hard to get Adrien on the bus just for none of her friends to work to get her onto it.
Well... none, except for one.
Marinette turned to Luka, who was eyeing her with concern. She smiled at him, briefly setting the fan aside so she could throw her arms around his waist and press herself against his chest..
“M-marinette?” he called, stiffening at the motion.
“Thanks, Luka,” she whispered. “Thanks for always looking out for me.”
He didn’t respond at first, but before she could worry that the hug was excessive, his hand came to rest on her back, returning the hug.
“You’re welcome, Marinette. You deserve it,” he whispered in return. His fingers briefly twitched against her back, followed by him asking, “What are you going to do about New York?”
She faked a scoff. “I don’t need New York! I can still have fun here, with you!” She paused, pushing off his chest as she realized, “Oh! And Kagami! It’s been forever since we’ve hung out! I should go call her!”
She was about to get up to retrieve her phone, but stopped as she glanced back at Luka, his breathing still noticeable. Her gaze wandered to her hands on his chest, after which she plopped back down, returning to their former hug.
“But... I’ll worry about it later, once you rest up,” she assured, “Your heart’s still beating fast from biking so hard.”
She heard a weak hum of acknowledgment from above her. “...Yeah.”
Had she looked up, she would’ve seen him blushing.
~~~~~
Marinette shifted uncomfortably at the entrance to the park, looking left and right in anticipation. “Do you think she’ll really show up?”
Luka placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Did she say she would?”
“Yeah, but she sounded... off? I don’t really know. She just didn’t seem that happy, which--I-I mean, she kind of already has this kind of monotone so I don’t think anyone can tell normally but--” She stopped herself, then nudged him. “Maybe you’re just rubbing off on me.”
He grinned. “I don’t think she has any reason to be mad at you, Marinette. Adrien wanted to go, didn’t he?”
“Yeah, but I’m sure she wanted Adrien to stay.” She slumped. “And it’s not like I can blame her or anything, since she would’ve been all alone if I’d made it to the bus. It was just, Adrien seemed so sad about his father, and--”
“No, you’re right,” a voice interrupted.
Marinette jerked her head up, gaping as she saw Kagami standing a small distance away. She looked around, noticing how unsurprised Luka seemed - had he stayed quiet on purpose? - then turned her attention back to Kagami. “U-um, what?”
Though her gaze was firm and serious as it always was, there was a sadness in her voice. “Adrien had no interest in staying with me. I couldn’t even get him to smile like he usually would.” Her head dropped to face the ground as she continued, “It’s for the best. Had he stayed behind, he likely would’ve kept thinking about how badly he wanted to go. I didn’t want that for him.”
Marinette fidgeted, unable to help feeling bad regardless of how right Kagami would’ve been. She glanced at Luka for a quick boost of reassurance, his eyes giving her an encouraging look.
She took a breath, steeling herself up, then turned her attention back to Kagami and walked towards her.
“Well... I’m glad you’re here,” she exclaimed, “because it means we can hang out!”
Kagami glanced up at her, a brow raising in confusion. Marinette could tell that things were awkward, but forged on nonetheless.
“We can have fun without Adrien! And then--” She paused to wrack her brain for possibilities, then spread her arms out. “... and then you can tell Adrien about everything we did! Yeah, and he’ll regret ever leaving you to go to New York!”
She wasn’t sure exactly how convincing she looked, but she knew it wasn’t much, not helped by the fact that she was surrounded by the two most observant people she knew. She could only stand there, looking as confident as possible while Kagami gave her the blankest stare imaginable.
Then, suddenly, Kagami brought a hand to her mouth, stifling a hint of what may’ve been a chuckle. She stood straight, tilting her head to the side in mild amusement. “Very well. We’ll try your idea.”
Marinette blinked, somewhere between excited and surprised. “R-really?”
Kagami nodded. She then cast her gaze over to Luka, who approached and offered her a polite nod as a greeting.
“I don’t think we’ve ever talked before,” Luka observed.
Kagami confirmed, “We haven’t.”
“It’s nice to meet you.”
She looked him up and down, then squinted slightly. “I don’t know you well enough to say that yet.”
He didn’t look at all offended by the comment, merely shrugging as if to say, “that’s fair.”
Marinette glanced back and forth between the two, then brightened. Grabbing one of Kagami’s hands and one of Luka’s, she stood proudly in the middle and exclaimed, “Okay! Who’s up for orange juice?” She peeked over at Luka specifically. “Luka, when me and Kagami became friends, we stopped at a place for orange juice and it was so good! Did I ever tell you?”
He shook his head, but smiled, and Kagami’s expression assured that the new topic was welcome.
With that, the conversation became casual, and Marinette led the two along the sidewalk to the place she was speaking of.
Maybe not going to New York would be a blessing in disguise after all.
She hated the way her voice wavered, but she couldn’t stop it.
Adrien looked up from his textbook, and smiled beatifically. “Hi, Sabrina!” he said happily, like they were friends. Next to him, Nino leaned forward and gave her a little wave.
“Hey, dude!”
“Hi, Nino. Um–” She hesitated. “Sorry, can I talk to Adrien alone for a second? I’m sorry, I just–”
He waved a hand to dismiss her excuse, “Sure, sure, no problem! I wanted to talk to Marinette anyways, so you can have my spot. Here you go.” He grabbed his backpack and slid off the bench on the far side, then headed up the stairs towards the back of the classroom to where Marinette sat these days.
Sabrina wasn’t even sure she wanted to sit down. She didn’t really want to be that close to Adrien for that long. They weren’t friends, he didn’t like her, she didn’t like him, and they both knew it, and they both knew why.
So she stayed standing in the aisle, while he continued to watch her, still smiling, still acting, since there were other people around to witness.
“So, what’d you want to talk to me about?” He asked innocently, cheerfully, closing his textbook and turning to face her so that it would look like he was giving her his undivided and enthusiastic attention.
AU where Marinette broke the mirror in her room while trying to capture / get away from Tikki, and so rushes out after transforming without getting a chance to see her reflection.
The battle is terrifying and fast-paced, and she’s running so high on adrenalin it’s not until and hour after she gets back to her house that she’s finally calmed down enough to check the internet to see what people are saying, and sees for the first time exactly what “Ladybug” looked like.
Hey guys!!! Finally got around to making a masterlist (I recently changed my url so all my tags and in-fic links were messed up :P) Please enjoy these works!
[note: the list is under the Keep Reading due to length]
Wow, I think you sent three requests anon, sorry I couldn’t answer sooner
Three Times Marinette and Damian Almost Kissed by @kceedraws
Kitty's Daminette December 2019, Kan's Daminette December- Cursed Year Edition, A Song Your Soul(mate) Sings, Maribat Secret Santa 2019 by @kandoesfanfics-writes
Rockin’ the House, Dogs are a Ladybug’s best friend by @kelelamentia
#SunshineOfGotham by @sixtyeightdays
Fate Goes Both Ways by TheFairMaidenofFandom
Can we always be this close? Series by dontyoublink
Note: The only reason I’m using the DC/MLB tags is because of the confusion about Maribat. Per the agreement made when this crossover was first created, Maribat fans do not use these tags, but I found this case to be an exception.
Welcome
Welcome fans, antis, and new people alike! In this Guide to Maribat, we’ll delve into the history of Maribat, dissect common arguments, discuss the hate, and analyze why this community has grown so large. This is just a short crash course, so if there’s anything else you’d like me to talk about (a certain ship, a trope, etc.) feel free to request!
Introduction: What is Maribat?
Maribat is a crossover between the Miraculous Ladybug and DC fandom. It originated from the user @ozmav on Tumblr, who posted the first Maribat fic with the pairing between Marinette Dupain-Cheng and Damian Wayne.
For clarification, “Maribat” encompasses the entire DC universe, not just the Batman part of it. The moniker is a bit misleading, which is why some prefer to label using “ML x DC” instead.
Common Accusations & Misunderstandings
Before we get any further, I’d like to start off by debunking a few common accusations. Many antis have a tendency to paint Maribat using a false narrative, either deliberately misconstrued or created through a lack of research. Rather than resort to using logical fallacies, let’s have a discussion.
izzy806
theartofmadeline
ellievsbear
kaledo-art
romaincrisis
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