Just Another Class Trip :)
Part 1
No, no ignore the smily face i assure you it means nothing foreboding, nothing foreboding at all.
Next >
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“It’s suspicious,” Marinette glares as they leave customs.
“What would that be, Mari?” Chloe yawns, not bothering to dedicate her limited remaining brain power apparently.
“Lila,” She whispers back, “She’s been so quiet all the way here,”
“What about how she weaseled her way into first class?” Chloe yawns again, sleep mask resting on her head.
“Or tried to steal your bag,” Kagami says with venom, her having saved Marinette from that disaster.
“Accused you of giving her the wrong flight time,” Adrien adds, somehow being full awake even after their long flight.
“Slipped metal into your pocket so security would go off,” Chloe downright glares at Adrien, but would never admit to the bags under her eyes.
“Came by and woke you up every time you fell asleep,” Kagami looks at her pointedly, shadows under her eyes being her only give away.
“Too quite,” Marinette whispers, the list going largely ignored as they approach the security scan.
“Just relax Mari,” Adrien pats her shoulder, not enough to break her concentration, “Lila will be so distracted by being in Gotham she won't have time for you,”
Adrien was wrong.
Of course he was wrong.
This is Lila they're talking about.
“Oh Marinette!” Lila all but yells as Marinette is placing her bag in a tray, “I’m so glad you didn’t go through with it,”
Marinette cringes, the security guards all looking her way as Lila dances off. She just sighs as she is escorted away by the airport security, to the protest of her friends and not much else.
“No sir I am not holding any firearms or weapons,” Marinette answers as monotone as possible, the security guard didn’t deserve her ire not matter how tiresome this was getting.
“We interview the source,” Oh no “Apparently you were discussing terrorist activities,”
“I was not sir, Lila must be mistaken,” Yep big mistake, I’m sure that's all it is , “I’m simply here for a class trip,”
“You’re wearing a bulletproof vest,”
Yeah probably should have left that one at home
“My parents are protective, they know how dangerous Gotham can be,” They were not fans of the horror stories Aunt Selina used to tell her from this city, “They insisted I have it as protection,”
While they most certainly wanted her to be safe the vest was more her idea. It was also more for enabling trouble than avoiding it. At least she was trying to be safe about secret crime fighting.
“Makes sense,” He sighs from across the table, checking through some paperwork, “You’re seventeen, here on a class trip right?”
“Yes sir,”
“Well if you’re here on a Wayne funded trip they probably did and extensive background check,” He pauses for a minute looking deep in thought, “Alright then, you can go,”
That seems kind of lax
“Are you sure?”
“We literally have super villains walking through here every other day,” True that, “You’re holding no weapons and have been endorsed by the Wayne's that's better than most people that have been in here,”
“Well if you’re sure,” Marinette stands awkwardly walking to the door as he waves her off, “Is there anything I need to sign, or…”
“Unless I want to fill out extra paperwork, no,” He seems so tired, Marinette wished she could get back at Lila for making his job harder.
“Have a good day then!” She smiles brightly, getting a small one in return.
She leaves, the security guards handing back her bag, fortunately not mentioning the miracle box or her Kwamis. She smiles brightly, even with Lila trying to ruin her trip she could still enjoy her time here in Gotham- and her phone buzzes with an Akuma alert.
With a sigh, Marinette ducks into the nearest bathroom, locking a stall behind her.
“Kaalki,” The Kwami zips out of her bag, “Tikki, Combine,”
With a flash of light followed by another she appears in Paris dropping Kaalki’s transformation.
She looks over the city, some Akuma attacking the Eiffel tower. At least they didn't seem to be the brainwashing type, she didn’t have Chat Noir there to help with crowd control.
With a flip she jumps, planning to kick the Akuma on the way down. They dodge and she lands in front of them instead.
“Well, well if it isn’t the bug,” The Akuma, in a horrible patch work costume mocks, a purple mask appearing over their face, “Hand over your miraculous!”
How about you come and make me Hawkmoth? I promise to stick that cane up your ass
Oh how she wishes she could say just that, but it wouldn't be very Ladybug of her. Why did the younger her have to have a stick up her butt?
“Not today Hawkmoth,” She says instead, making sure to put the practiced amount of enthusiasm into it, “Or any other day for that matter,”
“How are you going to save Paris without your little kitty cat?”
How are you going to beat me with that terrible fashion sense
Besides Chat Noir deserved a break. At least she hoped he was taking a break, he couldn’t tell because of secret identity reasons. It wasn't like she had any right to stop him, she was having a vacation in Gotham right now, and she was out all the time for work. She could manage without Chat for a while, he deserved that much.
“I will do whatever it takes to protect the people of Paris,” Ladybug remembers to answer the question.
“Hand over your miraculous now!” The Akuma lunges at her
I should have chosen a different persona
She dodges the beam of light that can’t mean anything good. Jumping back to get some distance.
Chat Noir had the right idea
She bites back the cutting remark on the tip of her tongue. Instead throw out her yo to wrap around their arm. The Akuma pulls it forward, sending her through the air. She leans into it swinging around to get a better vantage point, studying the monologuing Akuma below.
Maybe I can for Starling
She has created Starling as a vigilante identity to use in Gotham, if the class was ever in trouble. No not if, when . With a sigh she summons her lucky charm getting a table tennis paddle.
Although I’m only meant to use that identity as a disguise to protect the class
The only thing that stood out was the Akuma's hand, she'd have to gather more information before striking.
Maybe Starling can have a word or two with Lila, that could be fun
She drops down in front of the Akuma. They seemed to like monologuing, maybe all she had to do was probe a little bit.
“Why would you want to side with Hawkmoth?”
“This is my family's greatest heirloom it has been passed from generation to generation for centuries, some fool broke it and I was crushed having disappointed all my ancestors!” The Akuma holds up a broach type jewel, “But Hawkmoth- Hawkmoth brought it back and now my greatest and dearest treasure will forever be-”
Ladybug smacks it to the ground, crushing it underfoot.
The Akuma looks at her shocked, letting out a long drawn out gasp. Marinette does not meet their eye as she catches the Akuma. She throws the paddle she used to smack it out of their hand into the air to cast the cure.
I must be really jet lagged, I’m usually at least a little more creative than that, but it worked
She pretends not to see the reporters coming in for interviews, seeing the victim and their broach in one piece. She makes a speedy exit, needing to transport back to Gotham before the class get too ancy.
“I’m sorry the rented bus left a long time ago,” The attendant informed her, looking sorry for the dishevelled teen.
Marinette groaned, so much for running around the airport for thirty minutes with a dead phone. Thanking the attendant she sulks off to collect her bag instead, she’d have to figure another way to the hotel.
She spends another hour hunting down her bag. Chasing after leads of people who might have mistook it. Checking again with Airport security, who again pulled her aside for having a suspicious missing bag. Luckily the security guard before defended her, she brought him a coffee and two for herself.
“Maybe someone will return it?” Tikki whispers, her and Kaalki hidden in the folds of her scarf.
“It’s fine Tikki,” Marinette sighs, halfway through her first cup in under a minute, “I have replicas of all of them anyway, I’ll just grab some samples from the MDC fashion show,”
She’d have to stop by later, the outfits should have been transported last week along with most of her recent catalogue. The only problem was all the other necessities she lost. But that wasn’t a problem, she carried the miracle box in her backpack and that's all that really matters.
“And some of my… special outfits when we go back home,”
She had altered her current outfit to transform into her vigilante disguise. Her scarf pulled up and could be turned inside out into a mask. Her skirt could be transformed into a cape and hood combo. A zip down the middle of the skirt to split it for the cape and a zip up hood that lay flat along her skirt. She simply turned it inside out and wore it around her shoulders. Combined with a bullet proof vest it wasn't half bad, her belt full of weapons could always be hid under her skirt which was a big plus.
She sighs waiting for a taxi in the cold Gotham air, hating it more than most. Although she supposed superhuman strength was a fair exchange for extra cold fingers. Marinette fought to stay awake, she had also been holding Kaalki for so long she was starting to develop the ability to sleep standing up and would doze off randomly. Certainly helpful at times, but not right now.
“Hello,” Marinette is startled out of her drowsiness.
She looks at the hesitant young man before her, looking just as tired as she is.
“Hello?”
“Is something the matter?” Something sparks at the back of her mind, a feeling she often gets from Chloe whenever she is helpful.
Do I look that bad?
“Just a mix up with transportation,” She smiles, he clearly knows it’s fake.
“Do you need a ride?”
“No I’m-” She sighs, what could go wrong getting in the car of a random person in Gotham, “Yes, I do thank you,”
“Over here, I’m Tim by the way” He stifles a yawn, leading her towards a limousine, the door being opened by a driver.
“Marinette, here,” She hands over the extra coffee, “You look like you need it just as much as me,”
Tim looks at her like a god sent, taking the coffee as they reach the limo.
“Good call Alfred,” Tim whispers to the driver, slipping into the car.
“Hello miss, I am Alfred Pennyworth,” She shakes his hand, something stronger fires at the back of her mind, a true holder perhaps? But Chloe was a true holder right?
“Marinette Dupain-Cheng,” She smiles, trying to assess what miraculous would suit him.
“Best get inside Miss Dupain-Cheng,” She climbs inside at Alfred's behest, “Gotham is awfully cold for a Lady,”
She gets the feeling that is not chivalry.
“Where to Miss Dupain-Cheng?” Alfred asks, already in the driver's seat.
“Wayne hotel please,” She pulls her backpack onto her lap, still regarding Alfred suspiciously.
“Traveling alone?” Tim asks absentmindedly, still nursing his coffee cup.
“I’m here with my class, they left without-” No that's no good , “I got held up they went ahead,”
“Class… staying at the Wayne hotel…” Tim mumbles to himself.
“I believe what Master Tim is trying to ask is if you are part of the Martha Wayne foundation trip,” Alfred informs from the front seat.
“Yeah that,” Tim takes another scalding gulp of coffee.
“Yes I sent in the submission, I’m still surprised we got it,” Marinette had been thrilled at a trip to Gotham, it is where her Aunt Selina lives after all.
“You seem very responsibility Miss Dupain-Cheng,” Alfred complements, “Almost as if you could shoulder the weight of Paris,”
“I didn’t say where I was from,” Marinette tenses getting more than a little unsettled, he seemed to know something more.
“Not to worry, I have close connections with the Wayne's and was aware this years class was from Paris is all,”
“I see,” Marinette nods along, the possible meaning behind the comment still being concerning.
“We forgot your bags!!!” Tim suddenly yells, jumping up and making Marinette jump, they both curse in sync as they spill coffee on themselves.
“It’s alright!” luckily the coffee landed on her black tights, so no noticeable stains, “My bags were stolen,”
“Oh…” Tim relaxes back, “Wait… that's not alright at all!”
“It’s fine, I already have a plan to get some spare clothes and I just need to run to the store,”
“Right… to the Wayne hotel was it?” Marinette nods and Tim starts tapping away at his phone.
She fishes out some wet wipes from her bag, passing them to Tim, who looks confused until she points out the growing coffee stain. With a smile and a few more taps at the phone he takes them off her.
“Left behind and bags stolen, doesn't sound like your Lucky day,” Alfred presses, and he needs to stop, it could be chance, surely its just chance.
“I guess not,”
You don’t know the half of it.
“Well I hope the rest of your day is much better,” Tim bids as they pull up to the hotel.
“Thank you, and thank you so much for the ride,” Alfred opens the door for her to get out.
“Not a problem,” She waves them off, watching them disappear down the street.
They’re nice, probably wont ever get to see them again, thats a shame
“Dick! Holy fuck!” Tim kicks down the door of his brothers room, “I just met the nicest girl who's had the shittest day on earth,”
“First of all welcome back, how was your trip?” Dick greets hanging from the ceiling as Tim takes his desk chair, “Second, what are you talking about?”
“Met a girl at the Airport who didn’t have a ride, she gave me coffee,”
“That's enough to buy your loyalty,” Dick grins, Tim flips him off.
“Listen, she's part of that Martha Wayne Foundation trip and her class left her at the Airport!”
“What?!” Dick drops from the ceiling onto his bed, “Thats so dangerous, especially in Gotham,”
“Right?! She even had her luggage stolen!” Tim pushes the chair over to Dick, “And she was still so nice, even after an eight hour flight!”
“You said she was part of the Wayne foundation trip?” Dick asks, getting a nod from Tim, “Yeah, we are definitely seeing her again,”
