Summary: Miraculous Enemies AU. Gabriel Agreste has the Black Cat Miraculous in his possession, so when his wife, Emilie, "disappears," he sends his son, Adrien, undercover to pose as Ladybug's partner. Two years later, the once famous duo are sworn enemies. Marinette might have loved Chat Noir once, but now she would stop at nothing to defeat him. Adrien will do whatever it takes to bring his mother back. Best friends in their civilian lives, Adrien and Marinette find obstacles and complications when they can no longer deny their love for each other. But will they be able to understand and forgive the mistakes of their past? Or will they be doomed to end as bitter rivals a second time?
It’s not like tormenting innocent Parisians was particularly high on Adrien Agreste’s list.
In fact, he rather disliked the whole ordeal. But what did it matter when he had the chance to bring his mother home? Why should he care about these inconsequential citizens when he could fix the mistake that has haunted him for two years? Yes, Adrien would do anything to bring his mother home—even if that meant working alongside his father to steal the Ladybug Miraculous.
They say, “time heals all wounds,” but the wound from his mother’s disappearance had scarred, leaving him rough, jagged, and in constant remembrance. Two years have passed since that restless morning when Adrien first slipped on the ring of the Black Cat. He was two years older, and she was still gone.
Adrien stood before the grand portrait of his once picture-perfect family. Presenting the Agrestes: world-renowned fashion designer Gabriel on the left, actress and philanthropist Emilie on the right, and their son, model and teen superstar Adrien, in the middle. He remembered the agonizing hours spent posing for the painter. Gabriel’s hands clutched both Emilie and Adrien’s shoulders, leashed like dogs with collars.
He felt the phantom touch of his father’s fingers digging into his collarbone as Adrien recalled the long hours trapped under Gabriel’s thumb. Internally, he had screamed. Adrien wanted to break free from his hold—wanted to ask for help—but all anyone saw was a handsome boy smiling with his picturesque family. If only they noticed how desperately Adrien had clung to his mother; her hand clasped tightly in his. Emilie was his beacon of courage; the bravest person he knew. Clinging to her hand, Adrien had hoped that one day they might break free from Gabriel's grasp. How foolish he had been.
Like the light from a candle snuffed out too quickly, his mother had vanished, leaving only the thin curls of smoke, promising a warm return. But that return would only come if he succeeded. He has already failed once, and he would not fail again.
As he stared at the ostentatious oil portrait, Adrien’s gaze lingered on his mother. Throughout his life, Adrien never understood how someone like her could ever love someone like his father. Now, two years after he lost the only person who ever truly loved him, he couldn’t help but wonder how she could have left Adrien behind.
Marinette was falling, again.
She silently wished Ladybug’s super agility carried over into her civilian life as she collided with the concrete outside Collège Françoise-Dupont. Her palms scraped against the gravel, breaking her fall. Marinette heard laughter—no doubt from Chloe and Sabrina. She was used to that duo delighting themselves at her displays of clumsiness. What a great start to a new school year.
“Are you okay, Marinette?” A concerned voice asked from above her. She raised her head slightly, to see Adrien Agreste’s outstretched hand. Her heart skipped as he helped her up. Instead of dropping her hand, Adrien squeezed her fingers lightly and turned it over, palm facing the sky. Her skin came alive as he rubbed his thumb over the rough skin.
Marinette pulled her hand from his grasp and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. She chided herself for the blush that spread over her face. Adrien was her best friend; she can't act like this around him. “Oh! I’m fine. Clumsy as always.” She was thankful her voice came out steady; better to trip over her feet than over her words. The corner of Adrien’s mouth quirked upward before he bent down to retrieve the textbooks Marinette discarded when she fell.
“You should be more careful,” He grinned, slinging the books in the crook of his arm. “You could get hurt one of these days.” Marinette held her arms aloft to receive her books, but Adrien ignored the gesture.
Marinette dropped her arms and scoffed. “With my track record, it’s bound to happen someday.” A shrill tone rang from the bell, warning the starting of class. Adrien moved the stack of textbooks into his opposite arm. He cocked an eyebrow and raised his newly vacated elbow towards Marinette.
“Well, let’s make sure that day isn’t today.”
Marinette's cheeks flared for a second time as they linked arms. She was thankful for his stability as he led her up the stairs. Surely she would have fallen again without him. She released him at the top of the stairs and ducked her head, letting her hair shield her face. They entered Mlle. Bustier’s class and took their seats in the second row. Adrien slid Marinette's books across the desk they shared, stopping only when they were in front of her.
“Thanks.”
“Anything for you, Mari,” He gave her one last smile before returning his attention to the front of the classroom. Marinette tried to steel her expression. Why was it that every time she started to feel normal around Adrien again, he would smile and knock her back down to the sputtering fool that love always made her?
Marinette attempted to concentrate on the lesson, but her eyes slipped more than once to the boy that sat on her left. She didn't want to be in love with him. She didn't want to be in love with anyone—not again—but she especially didn't want to be in love with Adrien Agreste. He was charming, funny, and vulnerable when he was with her. He was everything she could ever want. But she knew another boy that fit that description, and he ruined everything.
No, it was better this way. Marinette could keep her feelings down. It was better than putting her trust in another too-perfect boy and getting her heart broken. Adrien shifted next to her. His knee gently brushed against hers underneath the table. She averted her gaze in attempt to look nonchalant.
Marinette turned her attention towards the window just in time to see a small purple butterfly fluttering past. She stood up suddenly, interrupting her teacher, "Mlle. Bustier? Can I go to the restroom?" Marinette didn't wait for permission. She raced out of the classroom and ducked into the vacant bathroom. She didn't bother locking the stall as she called on her transformation, "Spots on!" The black and red spotted jumpsuit spread around Marinette. With a wave of her hand, the magical mask appeared, covering her eyes. She was Ladybug: defender of Paris.
She leapt through the bathroom window, tossing her yo-yo to swing across the busy Parisian street. She had to reach the akuma before it found its victim—or even worse, before Chat Noir found her. Hawkmoth’s akumatized villains had been getting more and more powerful. She wasn’t sure how much longer she would be able to fight them and fend off Chat Noir at the same time.
A figure fell from the sky, landing in front of Ladybug, and cut off her path to the akuma. She halted, stopping a mere inches away from her enemy. She was face-to-face with the boy she once loved, before he destroyed everything. There was a time where Ladybug thought she knew him inside and out, the only exception being his identity. Now, he stands before her with a stranger’s heart. The Chat Noir she knew and loved was gone. Perhaps he never existed.
“Chat Noir, what an unpleasant surprise.” She said, grimacing, and twirled her yo-yo to form a shield. Over his shoulder, Ladybug saw that she was too late. The akuma found its victim, M. Ramier. He was a quiet man, often unfairly criticized for his interest in pigeons and a frequent victim of Hawkmoth’s akumitizations. M. Pigeon, his akumatized form, was more of a nuisance than an actual threat. If she could incapacitate Chat Noir long enough, Ladybug could defeat M. Pigeon with plenty of time to be back before her science class began.
“Yes, because I am so delighted to see you, Bug.” Chat Noir’s eyes narrowed, menacingly. “This is exactly how I like to spend my time.” He pounced, swinging his retractable metal staff towards her. Ladybug deflected, observing her surroundings to form a plan. Ladybug could defeat them—if only Chat Noir would stop talking.
“You know,” she said throwing her yo-yo as a grappling hook towards a lamp post, “You are more then welcome to stop working for Hawkmoth. Just give up your Miraculous, then you can do whatever you like.” She swung around the lamp post and kicked Chat Noir in the chest, sending him flying towards the opposite end of the block. “Though I can’t imagine you liking anything,” she said, more to herself than to her enemy.
Chat Noir wouldn’t stay down for long. She darted towards the akumatized man flying around the park on the back of hundreds of pigeons. He circled Officer Roger. It was time for a little luck.
“Lucky Charm!” Ladybug called up her magical power. A red and black spotted slingshot fell from the sky into Ladybug’s hands. She inspected her environment, connecting the invisible dots that formed her plan. She took note of crumpled tickets scattered on the ground by Officer Roger and M. Pigeon’s position above a lamppost.
Still determining her next move, Ladybug sensed motion behind her and dropped to the ground as Chat Noir attacked. He stumbled briefly from her sudden movement. Crouching, Ladybug swung her leg out and knocked him to the ground. She stood, ready to end this unpleasant affair, when Chat Noir locked his legs around hers. His momentum forced their positions to flip. She was on the ground, grimacing at Chat Noir who kneeled above her
“Face it, Bug, you’re just not as good without me.” He leaned over to take her earrings.
“I might not be as good,” Ladybug grunted through bared teeth, “but I’m still better than you.” She pushed up, shifting his balance enough to free her arms and elbowed him in the face. His objective forgotten as his hands reached instinctively for his nose. She kicked him back, giving herself room to scramble to her feet. While Chat Noir was still distracted, she reached for her yo-yo. It wrapped around Chat Noir’s wrist seconds after it left her hand. She flung Chat Noir as far into the Parisian sky as she could before releasing him. “Bye-Bye, Kitty.” She said smugly.
Ladybug didn’t have much time before she transformed back into Marinette. She ran to the pile of discarded tickets and placed one in her slingshot. The ball arced through the air, not unlike Chat Noir, and hit the congregated pigeons keeping the akumatized villain aloft. The birds scattered slightly at the ticket’s disturbance. Ladybug shot off a few more crushed citations in quick succession. It caused enough disruption for the birds to scatter, dropping M. Pigeon. She threw her yo-yo, catching him by the ankle, and hoisted him upside down from the lamppost. The bird call fell from around his neck. Ladybug crushed it under her foot as she lowered the deakumatized M. Ramier so the ground.
"Time to de-evilize!" Ladybug shouted as she captured the akuma. A purified white butterfly flew peacefully into the morning sky.
“Thank you Mlle. Ladybug,” M. Ramier said, picking up the tickets from Officer Roger.
“Of course, M. Ramier!” She smiled politely at the man before throwing her Lucky Charm into the sky. “Miraculous Ladybug!” Swarms of the magical insects cleared the damage caused by the akumatized villain. “Wish I could stay and chat, but I gotta go. Bug out!” She waved and swung through the streets, trying to find a secluded place to detransform.
She landed in an abandoned alley behind Collège Françoise-Dupont. “Spots off,” she said, swapping her magical suit for the pink skirt and white polka dot blouse she chose for the start of school.
“Pound it,” she whispered dejectedly to herself before crawling in through the bathroom window.
i feel like, while gabriel gives adrien orders in an obvious way, just clearly telling him what to do, emilie would give him instructions through compliments-- you're a good son, you're such an obedient boy-- and reassurances-- you're going to love this, you won't mess up your photoshoot-- and it seems harmless, she's being nice, but if you watch she always touches her ring when she says something like this. and she's never wrong about adrien.
Just after sunset during the Minneapolis memorial for Liam, someone released five red heart balloons. As they rose up together, one balloon rose higher and faster while the other four seemed to hang back sending it off. To me, the moment felt like these lyrics
You will find me
In places that we've never been
For reasons we don't understand
Walking in the wind
Liam may be gone, but we will continue to find him in many ways as we carry on his memory.
This moment in Elation when Chat Noir’s face falls because Marinette told Andre the ice cream man that she isn’t interested in Adrien Agreste is so funny to me. Because I’ll give Marinette a pass, since she has seen Chat Noir casually flirt with other people before, and might have just assumed their little outing was more the same, but for Adrien it's like he forgot that he's the only one who knows he and Chat Noir are the same person.
I mean, I get that this look is supposed to be about him hearing that Marinette was actually in love with him at one point, and fell out of it before he even knew, but at the same time. . . Adrien, baby, sweetheart, precious cinnamon roll of Paris. She is literally on a date with someone else right now.
emilie agreste lives in my head in a much cooler and more ethical way than she lives in gabriel’s head. the stories i tell myself about what she was like are way better than his. no yeah constructing the idea of a person out of a well-preserved corpse is fine when i do it
