#bevvy writes

[bevvywrites]

A Moment of Insecurity - (Fatgum x Reader)

Description: Even Fatgum, the hero known for boosting the self esteem of almost anyone around him, struggles with his self worth from time to time.

Type: Reverse comfort

Notes: Gender-neutral reader

Reblogs are appreciated!

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It had been a long day for the BMI hero Fatgum. There had been an increase in petty crimes recently, and while each individual instance wasn’t all that difficult, it was starting to add up and wear him out. A long night stretched into a long week, which stretched into a long month. Days on end without proper sleep, and even less time to spend on himself.

The exhaustion was starting to get to him. He found it harder to be patient with those working with him at his agency, and while he knew well enough to keep his calm, people were starting to notice he wasn’t his usual self. This only served to make him feel worse. He was a pro hero for crying out loud. He knew what he was signing up for when he decided to pursue this career.

Y/n, Taishiro’s long term partner and closest confidant, watched his slow decline with concern. They knew that saying, “Everything is going to be okay,” wouldn’t solve his problems, even if he would appreciate the gesture. Knowing him, it would only make him bury the feelings down deeper so as not to worry them. Y/n was at a loss for what to do.

But when Taishiro came through the door that evening, his posture slumped and hero costume haphazardly thrown onto their couch, Y/n knew something had to be done.

“Another long day?” they asked gently, eyes searching his face and noting the ever-evident exhaustion.

“Unfortunately, yes,” Taishiro answered honestly, he refused to look Y/n in the eyes, knowing that their concerned expression might cause the last of his facade to crumble, “But I’m sure tomorrow will be better.”

“Hm,” Y/n hummed, not really agreeing but also not disagreeing, “Why don’t you sit down on the couch for a while, hon. Dinner is almost finished and I think it would be nice to watch a movie while we eat.” They moved to grab his large hero costume, folding it so it was easier to carry so they could put it aside to be washed.

Taishiro moved to stop them,“You don’t have to do that, sweets, I’ll take care of—“

“Taishiro you have been working all day, I can handle this,” Y/n said gently, yet forcefully. They silently pointed to the couch and Taishiro sat obediently. Y/n smiled, “Now pick a movie while I finish this up, love.”

It wasn’t long before the two were cuddled up together watching a movie while enjoying their dinner. As time passed, some of the tension had left Taishiro’s body. The presence of his partner at his side brought him great comfort. Y/n had long since finished eating and had curled up happily into his plush side, their eyes only somewhat paying attention to the screen.

Taishiro let out a small sigh of content, and Y/n looked up at him. Seeing that he was doing a little better, they turned down the volume on the television and looked at him, “Want to talk about what’s been getting you so down, Tai? It seems to be a little bit more than just working long nights.”

Taishiro wasn’t able to look away from the earnestness and concern displayed so prominently on Y/n’s face, and he let out another little sigh—this one being of resignation. His giant hand cupped their face gently, his thumb rubbing their cheek absentmindedly. “I just...feel like I should be doing more, ‘s all. That I shouldn’t be as tired as I am...” he started slowly. Y/n continued to look at him, giving him their undivided attention. “I’m a pro and yet I’m struggling so much. I feel so guilty for being so worn out when there are people who depend on me.”

Taishiro could feel himself beginning to tear up, and he tried to clench his jaw to stop it. Y/n noticed and reached up to cup his cheek with their hand.

“Tai, it’s okay to cry,” they whispered, “It’s okay, I promise.”

The dam burst, and large tears streamed silently down Taishro’s face. He sniffled and made quiet sobbing noises while Y/n wiped his face gently. Seeing Taishiro—Fatgum, the loud and bubbly hero—sobbing so softly and seeming so fragile despite his large stature, was heartbreaking. But he needed to understand that it was okay to not always be strong.

“Taishiro,” Y/n whispered softly, using their most soothing voice, “it’s okay to take time for yourself. I know you want to protect everyone, but how can you do that if you aren’t taking care of yourself? Your life is just as valuable as the lives of those you save.”

Taishiro looked at Y/n, his golden eyes watery, “I just—hic!—want to feel like I deserve to be called a hero.” His voice was wobbly and he hiccuped slightly.

Y/n smiled, and kissed his nose gently, “You know that if Red or Suneater were struggling with this, that you’d tell them that anyone who puts their life on the line to save others is worthy of being called a hero.”

Taishiro lifted Y/n up so they were now able to cuddle close to his chest, his large arms encircling them. “....Thank you,” he whispered softly. The tears had slowly stopped, and the uneasiness of his breathing began settling down.

Y/n smiled, “It’s the least I could do for my favorite hero.”

Taishiro blushed, but chuckled softly. He continued to hold Y/n close, enjoying their comforting presence and making a note to take some time off soon. Feeling a bit lighter than he did before (which usually only happened when he had taken a lot of damage, ironically) it wasn’t long before he fell asleep, knowing that no matter what happened that Y/n would be there to support him.

[bevvydraws]

“Inclined to Agree”

Chat Noir leaned against the railing of the little rooftop that had become their special meeting place. This time there were no candles, no roses, only the night sky and city lights. The blonde felt his lip quiver as he watched Ladybug approach him, able to see the scratches on her face and hear her slightly pained breathing. She reached out her arm and he pulled her closer to him carefully.

“I know I might not have much,” the blonde hero said, tears streaming down his face as he looked at the spotted angel in front of him, “Right now I can’t even find the man who is putting your life in danger so often. But I have more love for you than I know what to do with.” His gloved hand cupped her face gently, his thumb brushing over the scratches on her cheek.

“Chat, I—“ Ladybug bit her lip, her own tears threatening to spill. She hated seeing him so torn up. The last akuma battle was far too close for comfort, and even she was still on edge about the whole thing.

“I want to give you everything you could ever dream of,” Chat Noir continued, pulling her even closer into a hug. His head nestled against the bend of her neck, and Ladybug swore she could feel his tears even through her suit. “I want to see you everyday without it having to be to put your life on the line. I want to be by your side and show everyone how amazing you are. I want to love you, and cherish you, and build a life better than either of us could imagine.”

He was sobbing between his words, and Ladybug tried to calm him by making shushing sounds and running her fingers through his hair. His grip on her tightened a little, and she stepped closer, allowing him to completely wrap his arms around her and hold her as close as possible. Ladybug pressed gentle kisses along the top of his head, allowing him all the time he needed to calm down. When his sobbing had settled into soft sniffles, Ladybug finally spoke up, “That sounded a lot like a proposal, Chaton.” Her voice was soft and warm, not mocking.

“And what if it was?” Chat Noir said as an automatic retort, still caught up in his emotions. His head was still rested comfortably against her and he was in no rush to move away from their embrace.

“If it was, I might be inclined to say yes.”

[bevvydraws]

The King of LBTwt

I’m so sorry it is almost 3 am and this is probably so bad. It isn’t proofread but I had to get this idea out there. 

Social Media AU Ladrien where Marinette is a VTuber It started off as a joke--mostly. One evening while mindlessly scrolling through her twitter, Marinette stumbled across something interesting someone she followed reblogged. It was a clip of a streamer, who was using a virtual avatar in place of where a face cam would be. Finding this odd, and a little funny, Marinette looked into it a little more. It turned out that this was something that was becoming more and more popular for video game streamers. There were a variety of different characters, with a bunch of unique characteristics. These characters were placeholders for the actual streamers, giving them the anonymity they wanted while giving viewers a face to match the voice to. Marinette had to admit it was a genius concept. 

So of course Marinette did the logical thing, she decided to mess around and create a virtual avatar for herself instead of working on any of the many assignments she had for her university courses. She wasn’t planning on streaming, it was just a fun side project to put her limited art skills to use. Using google and whatever free programs she could get her hands on, Marinette designed what would later be known as the first version of her new persona: Ladybug. 

Ladybug’s cartoon appearance matched up with Marinette’s slightly. Their hair color was the same, with Ladybug’s hair placed in two buns on the top of her head, with little red ribbons sticking out from beneath them. Her eyes were a little more blue, and the proportions were a lot more cartoony. Marinette modeled a mask over her eyes, just a simple spotted mask. She was inspired by one of the many other avatars she’d seen, and figured giving her own character a “schtick” would make designing her more fun--hence the name. 

The truth was, Marinette never intended to stream. She was just going to let the avatar files collect metaphorical dust in the corner of her computer storage, something to run into ever so often and smile fondly at. But, the more Marinette thought about it, the more it felt like an injustice. She spent so long on it, she wanted to be able to use Ladybug at least once. So, while on break between semesters, she decided that streaming ever so often wouldn’t be a big deal. It’s not like she’d have a following, or would have to worry about disturbing anyone. Thanks to the generous compensation she received from Jagged Stone for any and all “fashion emergencies”, she had more than enough money to live comfortably in a small apartment not far from her university.  So what was the harm in streaming her playing some Mecha Strike Online every once in a while? Apparently none. 

In fact, Marinette gained a following rather quickly. While she wasn’t one of the top streamers--not by a long shot--she had a little over a thousand people on her streams some nights. It didn’t matter what she was playing, whether it were Mecha Strike or Stardew Valley, people enjoyed her commentary and sarcasm. Before she knew it, she had to make separate social media accounts to avoid people pretending to be her. 

Marinette didn’t expect to enjoy streaming so much. She made sure to mention often that she was just a casual streamer, and that she wasn’t planning on making this her full time career--her passion was in designing after all--and even made a point to donate a majority of any money she made from streaming to charities. It was a good way to relax, though. And the community was nice enough.

In particular, Marinette enjoyed observing the twitter community. A group of people who enjoyed her content called themselves “LBTwt”. They clipped her streams, made fanart of her avatar, and would randomly tag her in memes. Some people sent her encouragement, and some would simply clown on her in a lighthearted manner. Marinette was amazed by the community, and interacted with them ever so often to show her appreciation. 

There was one user in particular though who seemed to be popping up the most. A twitter user who used the handle “@buggaboy” and had dubbed himself “King of LBTwt”. He tweeted at her more than anyone, commented under all of her posts, and even sent things to her DMs. While Marinette avoided her DMs like the plague, she couldn’t help but laugh at his other interactions with her. He never said things like “thanks bestie” like many others took to doing. Instead, he borderline waxes poetic about the clip of her reading out his “Ladybug my beloved” Super Chat during a YouTube stream.  His tweets were never creepy though, just admiration and respect in a dorky and overly grandeur way.

Marinette enjoyed his antics, and one day found herself scrolling through his Twitter feed. Part of it felt a little egotistical, but she figured he wanted her to see it anyway, considering he tagged her in most of his posts. What posts weren’t dedicated to her were dedicated to his black cat. It was this black cat that led to Marinette’s life taking a wild turn for the second time. 

Because there was only one person who was dorky enough to name their black cat Plagg. And only one person who owned the expansive anime figurine collection in the photo she was staring at on her phone, the familiar black cat pawing at a Naruto figure that she distinctly remembers saving up for as a birthday present. 

The King of LBTwt was none other than Adrien Agreste.

[bevvywrites]

Scars to Show You've Lived - ( Deku x Reader )

Description: Y/n is insecure about the scars on their body that have come from training, as well as just life in general. Izuku offers them some comfort.

Type: Comfort

Notes: Gender-neutral reader, no specified quirk, could be read as platonic or romantic.

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The path to becoming a hero was long, exhausting, and physically arduous. There would be times where one couldn't help but collapse into their bed at the end of the day and wonder if the end of training was ever in sight. And it wasn't unusual to earn an injury or two in the process, especially if you were apart of Class 1-A.

Y/n never considered themselves to be vain. Sure, they wanted to look at least somewhat presentable to the general public, but appearance was never high on their priority list. But when looking in the mirror while getting dressed for class and seeing the scars littering their body, part of them cringed. Getting a few scars was unavoidable, they knew, given the line of work they had chosen. But they were still a student, not even a hero yet, and had already accumulated more scars than most of the students in their class.

They frowned and buttoned their grey uniform top, thankful that sleeves and the rest of their uniform hid their scars.

In class, the majority of 1-A noticed that Y/n’s energy was a little off. While they weren't as outgoing as Mina, Y/n wasn't as quiet as Shoto or Tokoyami, either. But today, they hardly spoke at all.

No one was sure how to approach the situation, and if asked if they were okay, Y/n would respond with a small, "It's just one of those days." They weren't going to lie and say they were fine, since that would only serve to confuse their classmates, but Y/n wasn't sure how to go about telling them about their insecurities.

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Izuku watched Y/n from the corner of his eye. It was obvious that something was bothering them, but he couldn't tell exactly what it was. It didn't look like they had been crying, which he considered a positive, but everything else about them just screamed that they would rather be anywhere else.

Their shoulders were slumped and their arms were drawn closer into themselves. Y/n's posture was an obvious attempt to appear smaller.

It was incredibly hard to focus on the lesson when all Izuku wanted to do was comfort Y/n. When lunch time rolled around, Izuku quickly followed behind them, gently reaching out to grab their wrist.

Y/n tensed and whipped their head to see who had grabbed them.

"Oh," Y/n said softly, their shoulders relaxing and expression softening once they recognized him, "Is something the matter, Izuku?"

“That’s what I wanted to ask you,” Izuku said tentatively, “I heard you telling the others that it’s just ‘one of those days’... but I was wondering if there’s something specific bothering you?”

“I...” Y/n turned slightly to face Izuku, their eyes focused on where his hand was wrapped gently around their wrist still, “It’s hard to explain.”

“It’s okay if you don’t feel comfortable explaining,” Izuku said, “I just want you to know that even if you think I won’t understand, I’ll do my best.”

Y/n bit their lip, their eyes now focusing on the scars on Izuku’s hands. If anyone were to understand their dilemma, it would be him. But then Y/n risked making Izuku feel insecure, too.

Izuku waited patiently for Y/n to respond and was almost going to back off of the topic and just try to cheer them up instead when they spoke up, “...I guess I just feel a little insecure about my scars.” Y/n met Izuku’s eyes, their lip pulled slightly between their teeth in nervousness. It looked like they had more to say, so Izuku waited.

“I know it sounds silly,” they said softly, “heroes are bound to get hurt. Scarring is bound to happen. But... it makes me feel weak. And sometimes looks are important for a hero, too, so...” Y/n couldn’t finish the sentence, their gaze quickly flicking back down.

Izuku waited a few moments before speaking up, “You know, I have a lot of scars too, Y/n.”

“But yours are from saving people! Mine are—“

“Not all of them are,” Izuku interrupted, “Most of them are from mistakes I made when I was learning to use my quirk. Being reckless, eager, and stupid.”

“But—“

“Y/n,” Izuku said, stepping closer and wrapping them in a hug, “your scars are a sign of you learning, and living, and experiencing things. I know that won’t magically make your insecurities go away, but I need you to know that having scars doesn’t make you less of a hero.”

Y/n gripped the back of Izuku’s uniform, their eyes watering as he rubbed their head. They couldn’t find the words to respond, and hoped that Izuku could tell how grateful they were for him and his support.

He could.

[bevvydraws]

Kwami Exchange Students

This might be a mini-fic, I’m not sure yet, but for now just consider anything I post for this AU connected one-shots.

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Marinette knew that the world was full of more odd and mysterious things than she had previously thought. She was a highschool super hero going after a butterfly themed maniac who wore a wrestler’s mask with a suit, after all. But somehow, despite the craziness she constantly experienced in her life, she still managed to get caught off guard.

Because one day, after weeks of Tikki making sad comments about wanting to experience life as a “modern human” (accompanied with longingly watching dancing videos), Marinette woke up to find Tikki missing. But more alarming than that, was that now there was a teenage girl curiously inspecting everything in her room. Thinking it may be an akuma, she looked around frantically for her tiny spotted friend in hopes of defeating it without waking her parents. She tried not to make any loud noises as she shuffled around in her bed.

It didn’t work, however, and the intruder turned to look at her with wide eyes that were somehow familiar, “Oh, Marinette! You’re awake!” The voice was even more familiar, soft and gentle while slightly squeaky.

“Wh-who are you?” Marinette tried to ask calmly, although the stutter betrayed her.

The girl gasped, her hands quickly flying to cover her mouth, “Oh gosh that’s right!! You’ve never seen me like this before.”

Marinette did a once-over of the girl. Her hair was long and bright red, with black roots. She was wearing a long white dress that looked more like a sheet and no shoes. Her eyes, somehow even wider, were bright blue, and held a wisdom that wasn’t normal for someone who looked so young. Then again, nothing was normal about this teenager who radiated energy and power even while looking like she had just been caught in the cookie jar. Wait... cookie jar?

“Tikki!?” Marinette asked, “Is that you?!”

Tikki nodded quickly, “Yes!! I’m so sorry I didn’t mean to startle you!”

“But you— You’re so small but now— huh?!” Marinette couldn’t find the words to express her confusion as to how the little creature that could fit in her purse was now the same height she was.

“Well, you see...” Tikki fidgeted with her fingers, “It’s been a while since I’ve walked among humans, and I thought it would help better understanding modern society if I could experience first hand...” She looked to the side, then her eyes widened as if coming to a conclusion and looked back at Marinette, “...that way I could help track down Hawkmoth easier. Mmhm, yep!”

Marinette didn’t bother questioning Tikki’s logic, since she had more pressing questions on her mind. “How are you able to turn human?”

“I’m a god, Marinette,” Tikki said matter-of-factly, “I existed far before ladybugs were even a concept. I can take many forms, just like the other kwamis.”

“So why stay so little?”

Tikki smiled, although it seemed sad, “Easier to help, easier to hide, and it’s an easier form to hold. Especially since our energy is so heavily changed to the miraculous stones now.”

“Oh...” Marinette whispered. “But wait how are you gonna blend in?”

“The same way you and Chat Noir have all this time,” Tikki grins, “Hiding in plain sight!”

“It’s one thing hiding you as a kwami from my parents, but I can’t hide a whole human!”

“You won’t have to, silly.” Tikki smiles, “I have it all under control. We kwami are very good at convincing others that typically abnormal things are something completely normal. It’s how so few know of our existence.” 

“Okay…” Marinette said, unsure, “But it doesn’t matter how convincing you are, no one is going to think walking around in a bedsheet is normal.” 

Tikki blushed, looking down at her dress, “It’s not a bedsheet, Marinette. It’s a dress. It’s just something simple so I don’t stand out.” 

“You’re going to stand out if you go anywhere like that.”

“Well you’re the fashion designer,” Tikki huffs, cheek still blazing red in embarrassment, “What should I wear?” 

Marinette grinned wickedly and dashed to her closet. 

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An hour later, Marinette stepped back to admire her work. She was very glad that she had been working on some clothing she had kept under wraps from everyone, it would be a little too suspicious if Tikki showed up in some of her very-Marinette clothing. Tikki was now fitted with a white tank-top, the words “Lucky” embroidered across it, and light-washed blue shorts. Her hair was tied up to the side and decorated with a black ribbon. Because Marinette didn’t have time to teach her how to tie shoes with fingers, she was wearing simple black flats. 

“Oh, Tikki, you look so cute!” Marinette fawned as the cherry-red-head tugged at her clothes self consciously. 

“I feel so… exposed,” she frowned, looking at herself in the mirror. 

“Tikki,” Marinette said, deadpanned, “you don’t normally wear clothes at all.” 

“You know what I mean,” Tikki huffed, “I’m less comfortable in this form… and it’s so cold.” 

Marinette smiled sympathetically and went to her closet, pulling out an old generic black sweater, “Here, maybe this will help.” 

Tikki slipped it on, and a smile stretched across her face, “This is perfect! Thank you so much, Marinette!” 

“I’m just thankful that we’re similar sizes,” Marinette laughed, “otherwise this would have been a lot harder. Now, how are we going to explain you to my parents?” 

Tikki grinned, “I’ll take care of that! Just be down in the bakery in a few minutes.” She playfully winked at Marinette before snapping, shrinking in a flash of light before revealing a little ladybug. Marinette shook her head, convinced she had seen everything at this point, and opened the window and watched as Tikki zipped out of the window. 

Marinette quickly finished getting ready, grabbing her book bag before running downstairs to the bakery. 

Sabine and Tom barely had time to give their daughter a warm greeting before their bakery door swung open and Tikki shyly stepped in, looking very lost. 

“Good morning!” Tom greeted heartily, “What can we get for you?” 

“Good morning,” Tikki responded, a kind but shy smile on her face, “I’m looking for a Mme. Sabine Cheng and M. Tom Dupain.” 

“That would be us,” Sabine smiles, “What can we help you with?” 

“Um, I’m the exchange student from the program through Francoise Dupont,” she says, producing a flyer Marinette had never seen before as well as some paperwork out of her back pocket. 

Tom and Sabine shared a confused look before Sabine read over the paperwork and flyer.

“I’m sorry…” Sabine says, reading the paperwork to find Tikki’s name, “Mlle. Tikki, but we never signed up for a program like that.” 

With acting skills Marinette had no clue Tikki possessed, tears began welling up in Tikki’s eyes, “Oh, I see… today has been quite trying,” she dabbed at her eyes lightly with her sweater sleeve, “first, my luggage went missing, and now there’s been a mixup with the paperwork. I have no idea what to do..” 

Marinette stepped forward quickly, wrapping an arm around Tikki’s shoulder. “Mom, Dad, I have plenty of room upstairs. The paperwork all checks out, right? Maybe you signed up on accident or don’t remember, but we can’t turn her away.” 

Marinette and Tikki both gave Sabine and Tom their best kicked puppy looks. 

And that was how Tikki became a temporary member of the Dupain-Cheng household. 

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Convincing the school apparently wasn’t necessary, as Tikki had already handled all of that the night before without Marinette’s knowledge. A few forged emails and “Kwami magic”--as Tikki worded it--and all Tikki had to do was stop by the principal's office to get her necessary books and materials. Marinette wasn’t sure whether she was thankful or concerned that everyone was so easily influenced and convinced by Tikki, but decided not to think about it too much. 

“Oh, I should mention…” Tikki said softly to Marinette as they walked to class, “I’m not the only new student.” 

“What do you mean…?” Marinette had a bad feeling in her gut at the guilty expression on Tikki’s face. 

“Well, I talked about my idea with Plagg,” Tikki said softly, “And he ‘didn’t want me to have all the fun’.” Tikki made air quotes, rolling her eyes. 

“But Plagg needs to stay with Chat Noir,” Marinette hissed. 

“That’s the thing…” Tikki said, wincing slightly as she walked into the classroom with Marinette. 

Marinette wasn’t sure what she was expecting, but it certainly wasn’t seeing a guy she’d never seen before bickering silently with Adrien Agreste. 

The bickering stopped when both caught sight of Marinette and Tikki. 

The new guy, with wild black hair and even wilder green eyes, lit up and a catty grin spread across his face, “Sugar cube!” he said excitedly, zipping away from Adrien at inhuman speed to drape an arm around Tikki’s shoulders, “Didja miss me? It’s been far too long.” 

Tikki grimaced, “It hasn’t been that long, Plagg,” she said, “We were on the plane together just this morning.” The undertone of scolding in her voice made it clear that who Marinette was seeing was, in fact, Chat Noir’s kwami. 

Marinette looked back at Adrien, who was looking at her with wide eyes. Well, more specifically, he was looking at her earrings. Marinette’s eyes went to the ring he was wearing, before looking back up at him. 

Oh.

[bevvydraws]

“The First Move”

If Luka were to give himself credit for anything, it’d be the fact that he’s observant. He had to be when it came to navigating the waters of his home life. His unpredictable mother and soft spoken sister kept him on his toes. So he learned at a young age to pick up on cues to how those around him are feeling. And he thought he was pretty good at it.

But something about Marinette confused him. It wasn’t her stuttering, or her sometimes erratic behavior whenever she got flustered, those were predictable. He had learned what moves to take in order to keep her comfortable around him, and she seemed grateful for it. It wasn’t even the sneaking suspicion that she was Ladybug. No, what had Luka utterly baffled was Marinette’s sudden aversion of him.

He wondered if it was because of her feelings for Adrien, mixed with guilt. Although that didn’t make much sense. Marinette couldn’t help who she did or did not have feelings for, and just because Luka made it clear how he felt long ago, she didn’t owe him anything. And he had expressly stated that he supported them if that is what would make her happy, and she had seemed relieved. So why was it that she was avoiding him now?

Whenever Luka was around, Marinette seemed to shrink in on herself. She would get quiet, her cheeks flushing pink and her eyes anywhere but where he was. It didn’t matter what he did to try and make her more comfortable, she always shied away.

Luka tried hard to think back to anything that could have lead to this. The last time things had been normal between the two of them was at the last group sleepover that had been on the boat. He had left that night to go sleep over at one of his own friends’ place and when he came back the next morning, she had apparently been the first one to leave.

Something must have happened that night to make Marinette suddenly change her attitude towards him. He decided to gently pry Juleka for answers. If something had happened to make Marinette dislike him, he wanted to apologize. Maybe he couldn’t change how she felt, but he wouldn’t be able to rest easy feeling like he had somehow offended her.

The evening after Luka decided to try and get some answers, he waited until Juleka was brushing her hair out at her vanity to ask. “Hey Jules,” he said, attempting to sound casual. He heard the brush stop moving through her hair, and he knew she was listening, “did I somehow make Marinette mad at me?”

“What?” Juleka turned to look at him, confused.

“She’s been avoiding me for a while now, so I wondered if I’d done something to upset her,” he sighed, “Normally I’d just ask her, but every time I get near her she looks so uncomfortable I can’t bring myself to.”

Juleka set her brush down and moved to sit next to him on his bed, “Look,” she started, “normally I wouldn’t say anything, because I don’t like telling people’s business. But I know for a fact Mari doesn’t hate you.”

Luka let out a sigh of relief, and Juleka chuckled quietly. “Then why is she avoiding me? She has been since the last time you all hung out.”

“Probably because she told everyone that night that she wanted to stop pursuing Adrien.”

“What does that have to do with me?” Luka tried not to sound too happy at the news, but anyone would be happy to learn that they had a chance with the one they’re interested in.

Juleka rolled her eyes, “Obviously it’s because of you. And as soon as Alya found out she started hatching plans for Marinette to confess to you.”

Luka couldn’t help the blush that spread across his face. “Oh?” he managed to choke out.

“Yeah,” Juleka sighed, “And Marinette seemed to shut down right after that. Honestly? I think the thought of more grandiose plans blowing up in her face scared her. From what Alya tells us, almost every time Marinette tried with Adrien she ended up mortified.”

Luka looked down at his hands thoughtfully, “Okay then,” he said with finality, grabbing his phone and pulling up his text message conversation with Marinette.

“What are you doing?” Juleka asked.

“Making the first move,” Luka smiled, typing up a message to send.

He’d start slow, but he’d take the lead for now. Marinette was more than capable of doing it herself, but it seemed she needed to rebuild her confidence a bit. Luka was more than happy to be the one to help her get it back.

Starting with coffee.

[bevvydraws]

Sweet Justice

Just a quick note: This is not a ship fic. This will be focused primarily on Marinette bringing about justice and recognizing feelings within herself and seeing the true feelings of others. There will be mentions of Adrien and Luka’s feelings for her, but the fic will not lean more towards one or the other. Just a heads up! 

Chapter 1

There are a lot of things that could be said about Marinette Dupain-Cheng. She is caring, determined, talented, and all around a force to be reckoned with when she had her mind set on something. She even seemed to have her entire life figured out. She had connections, she had skill, and she was dependable. Sure, she seemed to have a bit of a problem showing up on time occasionally, but what did that matter when she always pulled through anyways? But even the most amazing, seemingly invincible people have their weak spots. Even people who seem to have their life together struggle. And for Marinette, her weakness was not what anyone would expect (or likely believe). 

Marinette had a lot on her plate, more so than what most people thought. Yeah, she was class representative as well as the designer for not only Kitty Section, but occasionally Jagged Stone as well, but she was also one of the two saviors of Paris. School can be difficult enough on its own, but with the added responsibility and her lack of being able to say no, she often found herself burnt out. But Marinette, despite that, would never dream of complaining about it. Those responsibilities gave her a sense of purpose, showed her that she had the ability to do for those she cares about the most. She didn’t think anyone would be able to take that from her, or shake her from the happy life she had built for herself. 

That was until Lila came along. 

In all honesty, dealing with Lila shouldn’t have been that difficult. She should have been able to just ignore her and move on. But unlike most bullies, Lila didn’t stop when she was ignored. No, she only got worse. Worse and worse until Marinette felt like she was drowning in a sea of deceit and betrayal. Marinette felt like there was nothing she could do, no one she could turn to. She was so used to dealing with everything on her own that now she didn’t know how to ask for help. Not from anyone who could actually help her in her civilian life. The only one that Marinette had ever depended on to help her was Chat Noir. And she couldn’t very well ask Chat for help with such an unimportant matter like dealing with a manipulating bully. 

No, Marinette had no idea how to even begin asking for help from anyone. Instead she decided to keep her mouth shut, and pray to the kwamis that eventually Lila would get bored and move on. But for all of her Ladybug luck, that didn’t work. No, if anything it made Lila attack her harder. The lies got more grandiose as Marinette became more isolated. And everything came to a head the moment she decided to get Marinette expelled. And despite Marinette’s clean school record, and everyone knowing that she would never do the things Lila claimed, she ended up being kicked out anyways. And when that happened Marinette felt like her world was crashing down around her. Lila had won. 

But then Marinette was welcomed back because for some reason Lila told them that everything was a lie. Of course, Lila still somehow managed to make herself seem like the victim by blaming a fictitious disease, but regardless. Marinette was back and she wasn’t quite sure why. She also wasn’t sure why the day she came back, Adrien seemed oddly protective of her. 

Marinette didn’t want to waste this second chance she had. She didn’t want to just ignore Lila and let her take her friends away from her one by one. No, Marinette decided she would try and make amends with Alya. While she might not be able to convince Alya of Lila’s manipulative nature just yet, she still cared for her and missed her best friend. And it was with that thought, that Marinette decided to put a small apology gift together. 

Marinette looked down at the miniature box of macarons that she had put together. The same flavor macaron that her and Alya had split at the beginning of their friendship that seemed like so long ago. She smiled softly to herself, grateful for the words Alya had given her that had encouraged her to finally stand up to Chloe after years of torment. Alya’s friendship meant the world to Marinette, and she truly hoped that these macarons would be the first stitch of many to mend their friendship. 

Carefully tying a bow around the box, she looked at the little red kwami that was floating beside her and chuckled nervously. Tikki gave her an encouraging nod, as well as a soft, “She’s going to love them, Marinette!” And with that, Marinette gently slid the small box into her purse and began making her way towards the school. Marinette used her lunch break to put everything together, and hoped she had enough time before class started again to find Alya and give her the apology present. Repeating encouraging mantras in her head, Marinette walked up the steps to her school and began her search for her best friend. 

Her first thought was to look in the classroom, so she made her way up the steps. However, she heard Alya’s voice underneath the stairs and stopped in her tracks. Before she could descend the stairs, she realized that it wasn’t just Alya’s voice she heard. No, it was Alya and Lila. And the conversation was not a pleasant one. Lila was not-so-quietly sobbing and telling Alya that she--Marinette--had threatened Lila after the expulsion incident. Marinette expected Alya to at least try and defend her, to say that maybe Lila just misunderstood (even though that conversation never happened in the first place), but instead Alya insisted that she would have a word with Marinette. Alya had the same tone of defensiveness and aggression that she did when she first stood up for Marinette against Chloe. 

Only now she was standing up for Lila. 

Against Marinette.

Marinette felt her blood run cold, and without a second thought she ran out of the school, back to her house, and up to the safety of her room. Her head was spinning and her chest felt tight. Her body temperature couldn’t decide whether it wanted to be cold or blazing hot. Tears stung her eyes as she tried with all of her might to fight them back. It was too much. Everything was too much. What was Marinette supposed to do? How could she not figure it out? She was Ladybug for crying out loud! Ladybug could fight villains on a near weekly basis and yet Marinette couldn’t take down a single bully? 

In the back of her mind she could faintly hear Tikki trying to calm her down. Words of positivity and encouragement that in the moment felt hollow and patronizing and not what she needed right now. Collapsing onto her chaise, Marinette curled into as tight of a ball as she could, as if by squeezing herself into a ball she could squeeze her slowly chipping pieces back together. Her fingers dug into her arms as her mouth opened and let out a heart wrenching sob. 

Now to some, this might have seemed like an over reaction. But this was the drop of water that broke the dam of her backlogged emotions. The feather that broke the back of the camel that was carrying the weight of her feelings. It was the last straw. 

Suddenly everything felt too tight. Her room too small. Filled with photos of her friends that would no doubt all abandon her one by one. She needed to escape, to flee, to run and run until her lungs burned and her legs ached. Marinette shot up, about to do just that, when Tikki flew in front of her face. 

“Marinette, please! You need to calm down!” Tikki said softly, desperately flitting about in front of Marinette’s face. Marinette could only look at Tikki with wide, glossy eyes that were wet with tears. “If you get too worked up, you could get akumatized!” Marinette felt her breath hitch.

“Is that all you’re worried about Tikki?” Marinette’s voice was alarmingly calm. “Me being akumatized? Not the fact that I’m in pain? Not the fact that my life is falling apart and I have no one I can rely on. I can’t even call on Chat Noir because of the stupid miraculouses and the rules that go along with them!” 

“Marinette getting upset won’t fix anything!” Tikki tried to reason, meaning well but not well versed in the ways of complex human emotions. Of course Tikki only wanted the best for Marinette, but Tikki wasn’t human. She was ancient and not human and it had never been something she truly needed to know before. And she wasn’t what Marinette needed right now. 

“I’m leaving, Tikki,” Marinette said, taking her earrings off and setting them on her desk. She knew that Tikki wouldn’t follow her if it meant abandoning the earrings. “I’ll be back.” 

Before Tikki could protest, Marinette was climbing down the ladder and exiting the bakery for a second time, only now walking in the opposite direction of the school. She walked until the school and bakery were both out of sight and then she broke out in a sprint. Not sure exactly where she was running, she could only weave around pedestrians walking along the sidewalk as she moved throughout the streets of Paris. 

She only stopped when her body refused to run a second longer. She fell less than gracefully onto a bench, her chest heaving and heart pounding in her ears. Her muscles were aching but that did little to distract her from the ache in her heart. Even running to the point of collapse did nothing to quell the hurt and betrayal she felt. Forcing herself to sit up on the bench, she peeked into her purse and eyed the macarons with disdain. She was sure if she opened the box she would find the macarons inside crushed, a visual representation of the state of her friendship with Alya. 

As Marinette spiraled, the tears threatening to spill from her eyes once again, she did not notice the little purple butterfly lazily fluttering towards her. It wasn’t until it landed on her purse gently-- it’s wings flapping twice before melting into her purse--and she heard the sickeningly caring voice of Hawkmoth in her head did Marinette realize what was about to happen. But despite her knowing better, she didn’t fight against it. What was the point, anyways? Nothing mattered right now. So when Hawkmoth said: “Princess Justice, so many people have hurt you. Hurt you in ways you didn’t deserve. Allow me to give you the power to bring them to their senses, yes?” 

Marinette didn’t hesitate to agree. 

Her world was covered in a dark purple for a brief moment, before once again everything had changed. She felt power thrumming throughout her, and a strange sense of calm that she hadn’t felt mere moments before. Looking at her reflection in a nearby window met her with an unfamiliar sight. A rococo styled dress, layered with blue and pink and white. Frilled sleeves and a miniature apron. She certainly looked like a princess, especially with her hair pulled up partially with a crown of what looked like frosting and strawberries. On her waist was a purse of sorts, and somehow she knew that it held macarons that would bring about peace. One of her eyes was covered with a mask, a mask that ironically allowed her to see through the masks other’s wore. In her hand she held a scepter that would let her lead an army. 

“All I need you to do now is get me the Ladybug and Cat miraculouses,” Hawkmoth said through their mental link, but he got no response from Marinette--no, Princess Justice. 

Princess Justice wasn’t worried about the miraculouses, and she wouldn’t be doing any favors for Hawkmoth. She wouldn’t be doing favors for anyone ever again. The only thing on her mind was bringing those who were unjust to their knees. 

Including Hawkmoth. 

-------

taglist: @fandom-trapped-03 , @justafanwarrior , @ultimatetornshipper

[bevvydraws]

“A Tentative Step” (pt. 2 of this)

Marinette looked down at the text message on her screen, the letters floating around in her mind but not clicking. The text message might as well have been in Latin. But no, there it was, in plain French:

“Hey Marinette, would you like to go get coffee with me tomorrow? As a date.”

She backed out of the messages, her other conversations with other friends appearing as a list. Group chats for her girl friends, Kitty Section, and even one with Jagged and Penny, as well as other separate conversations. But at the top of the list now was her conversation with Luka. She tapped the conversation again and the entire message stream pulled up, the text the same as it was before.

So she wasn’t hallucinating. Or at least, if she was it was really convincing. She continued to stare down at her phone. Tikki, who had been chatting away happily about how much she liked the cookies Marinette let her try, stopped her excited babbling and looked at Marinette with concern, “Marinette? What’s wrong?”

Marinette only held up her phone screen for Tikki to see, and Tikki only spent a second reading before she lit up, “Oh that’s wonderful! Isn’t it?”

“I don’t know...” Marinette said softly. She set her phone to the side, knowing Luka won’t mind if she doesn’t respond right away. He never rushed her, and was always so careful to make sure she was comfortable. She tucked her knees up to her chest and rested her head on her knees, the movement making her spin slowly in her rolling chair.

“But you like him, Marinette!” Tikki said, still trying to keep her enthusiasm but also sounding confused.

“I do,” Marinette agreed, nodding, “I like him a lot. But it feels... too easy?”

“What do you mean?”

“I spent so long chasing after Adrien,” she sighed, “and every attempt I made crashed and burned and ended with me being so embarrassed. At the end of the day I was never any closer to telling him how I felt.” Marinette bit her lip, “And it isn’t Adrien’s fault, or my fault, or anyone’s fault really. I still think Adrien is a great guy, and I really hope we can be close friends someday, but I just don’t think we were meant to be any more than that. It got to the point where I was almost afraid to be around him because I knew I was somehow going to make a fool of myself.”

Tikki listened and hummed thoughtfully, “You know,” she started, “Complex human emotions aren’t something I fully comprehend. And it seems like this situation would classify as complex.”

Marinette laughed bitterly at that, “No kidding.”

Tikki flew closer to her face, and looked at Marinette with kind eyes that held wisdom only a godly being like the Kwami can possess, “So why don’t you make it simple?”

Marinette frowned, “Nothing about my life is simple, Tikki.”

Tikki giggled, “While it’s true your situation is unique compared to most, there are ways you can make it simple.”

“How?”

“By taking things one step at a time, of course,” Tikki lightly lectured, “As Ladybug you have to think a few steps ahead in order to save the day. But you aren’t always Ladybug. You don’t have to think multiple steps ahead to outsmart and enemy that isn’t even there. Think about the first step you want to take towards what will make you happy, and go on from there.”

“But—“

“You don’t have to have all the answers, Marinette. Even I don’t have answers to many things and I’ve been around much longer than you have,” suddenly Tikki’s eyes seemed tired, almost pained, but she still smiled, “I’ve learned that the only thing I can do is take things one step at a time.”

Marinette sat up, extending one hand out and moving so she could snuggle Tikki close to her face. She knew Tikki was right, but it was hard for her to do anything she felt unsure of, especially when it came to her own feelings. Tikki had shared something that obviously came from a place of vulnerability though, and Marinette would never ignore such heartfelt advice.

“Besides,” Tikki giggled after a moment of silence, “it’s about time someone made the first move that wasn’t you!”

Marinette blushed, the reality of the situation now clicking fully, “Oh my god he IS making the first move,” she scrambled for her phone, almost falling out of her chair, “and he actually called it a date!!!”

She held the phone triumphantly up in the air, spinning around and giggling ecstatically. When she brought it back down she gasped in horror as she realized she had sent him a rather eloquent keysmash in her excited movements.

Blushing even darker and typing quickly she sends, “Sorry! I dropped my phone. I would love to!”

She stared at the phone, tense as she watched the dots indicating his typing moved at the bottom. She let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding when a, “Great! I can’t wait. See you after school?” popped up at the bottom.

“See you after school,” Marinette typed out, hesitating only for a second before adding a little pink heart emoji at the end. She hit send and bit her lip to fight back her smile.

Baby steps.