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.
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.
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.
“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.
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.
Princess Justice gripped at her hair in increasing frustration, somehow her fancy up-do still staying relatively neat, “What the hell just happened?!” the knights around her looked at her with concern, but not daring to step any closer to the volatile girl. Even Hawkmoth didn’t seem to dare try and reprimand her. Princess Justice felt her emotions fluctuate out of control, and she gripped the nearest railing and tried to calm herself.
Chat Noir knew her intentions, he wouldn’t actively work against her, and he’d explain everything to Luka--no, Harmonia. This was just a minor setback. Focusing her gaze on a random point in the distance, her mind raced with different strategies. It’s likely that she wouldn’t convince Hawkmoth of her ability to capture Chat Noir twice. She was lucky she got away with it the first time, especially since now Chat wouldn’t have reservations about using Cataclysm with another partner to cover in case he needed to detransform.
Harmonia had thrown a heavy wrench in her plans, but she couldn’t find it in herself to be angry about it anymore. He hadn’t known any better, and she almost found herself flattered that he would take on such a huge responsibility to save her. To actively work against her would be going against what he truly wanted to do, which would be joining her ranks. She gripped the rail tighter, forcing herself to focus on coming up with another strategy. However her thoughts trailed back to him wanting to join her ranks, something nagging her about it.
Her eyes widened in realization as a strategy popped into her head. The thought of using violence against the two boys she cared deeply for almost making her hesitate, but it was the only way she could think of. All she could do was hope that Harmonia and Chat Noir trusted her as much as she trusted them. With newfound determination, Princess Justice looked out over her knights who looked back at her with anticipation in their slightly glossed over eyes.
“My loyal knights,” she started, “We’ve hit a slight snag, but this will not delay what is inevitable for long! If we cannot gain the cooperation of these so-called heroes, who claim to fight for justice, then we will force their cooperation!” She held her hand out for Alya to hand her the staff she had tossed to the side absentmindedly. As soon as it was in her grasp she raised it high and continued, “We will not relent! We will not falter! We will not fail!”
The knights below shouted with excitement and agreement, moved by the words of their leader. Their formation became even tighter, if it were possible. Princess Justice could not help the grin on her face, feeling rejuvenated by the encouragement. Putting her arm down, Princess Justice revelled in the feeling for only a second longer before continuing, “Remember, our aim is not to hurt, only capture. While the false heroes are not on our side, they are better for us if they are unharmed than if they are hurt. Hawkmoth, the one gracious enough to grant me these abilities, will deal with their justice accordingly himself. He’s certainly earned at least that much.”
With a quick glance to the roof, she spotted the tips of what appeared to be leather cat ears. Fighting back the grin on her face, she looked over her knights once more, “Let the hunt begin.”
-------------------
Chat Noir looked at Harmonia, “My Lady is so smart,” he practically swooned.
Harmonia nodded, “At least now we don’t have to worry about our plans conflicting with each other.” His gaze was fixated on a point in the distance, “Now we just have to fight her enough to be convincing while letting ourselves be captured.”
“Do you think it would be more convincing if we both used our powers?” Chat Noir asked.
“I don’t really think it’s something that we should risk. We need to be able to use a lucky charm to fix everything after Hawkmoth is defeated. And we don’t know if our transformations will hold while under her control,” Harmonia frowned, “But not using them will really complicate things. Normally you and Ladybug wouldn’t have any hesitation to use your powers, regardless of who the akuma was.”
“You’re right,” Chat nodded in agreement, “We even had to go up against our best friends, multiple times, and we used our powers without hesitating.”
“So how are we going to manage to do this convincingly?”
Chat had a pensive expression on his face for a moment, then frowned, “Well, I have an idea, but it isn’t going to be easy.” Harmonia said nothing, and Chat took that as a cue to continue. “While it’s true that I’ve had to fight my best friend before, and did so without hesitation, I’ve never… I’ve never had to fight against someone I love as much as I love her.” Chat looked at Harmonia from the corner of his eye, but didn’t see any signs of agitation and continued, “The truth of the matter is, I could never use my power against her. Ever. Unless it was absolutely necessary. And I imagine it’s the same for you.”
Harmonia nodded, “You’re right. That’s why both of us are at a disadvantage, at least if we were trying to actively fight against her. But this could work to our advantage. The only thing is, Hawkmoth has no idea we both love her.”
Chat sighed, the frown still present on his face, “That’s why this isn’t going to be easy. We’re going to have to make sure Hawkmoth doesn’t question the love we have for her.” Harmonia still didn’t let his emotions show on his face, and Chat only frowned more.
“But is that fair to Marinette?” Harmonia asked.
“No, but at this point we don’t have another option.” Chat looked down at the roof they were sitting on. In the silence, they could hear the sound of the knights marching in formation and taking to the streets of Paris. If either of them leaned forward, they would likely see them, but neither hero moved from their spot. “Marinette would stop at nothing to save us, to help us, even if it wasn’t fair to herself or to us.”
Harmonia nodded again, “You’re right…”
The two would have to put their feelings out there for everyone, including Hawkmoth, to see. While neither were ashamed, it was a vulnerability that neither were prepared for. Especially when paired with the odd circumstances of fighting alongside their rival for her love.
“We also need to be prepared to face the effects of the macaroons,” Chat Noir warned, “It’s the only way we can convince Hawkmoth.”
Harmonia was silent for a moment, and below Princess Justice’s voice could be faintly heard. He looked at Chat Noir, “We can do this,” he said confidently.
Chat Noir managed a grin, which Harmonia reciprocated. With a quick fistbump, the two leapt off of the roof to wait further ahead of where the knights were marching.
-------------------------
Princess Justice sat on the makeshift throne that was now being carried by four knights. Her army marched ahead of her, some trailing behind in case of heroes attempting to “catch her by surprise”. She knew that they had heard her plan, or at least she hoped they’d heard enough of it to understand what she was going for. Now all she had to do was rely on their acting skills.
She kept her gaze fixated on the roof tops above, and wasn’t surprised in the slightest when a few minutes into their march, a red and black blur flashed in her vision before two figures crashed into the middle of her army. “They’re here!” she shouted, “Capture them immediately!”
The knights converged Chat Noir and Harmonia, who fought them off. The two seemed to work flawlessly together, which slightly surprised Princess Justice in the back of her mind. She was snapped out of her mini train of thought by shouting.
“Marinette!” Chat Noir called, “Give up! I don’t want to hurt you!” his voice sounded pained but determined, fighting off knights even as he looked her way. His baton twirled effortlessly in his hands as he fought.
“Please!” Harmonia chimed in as well, “I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself if something happened to you.” Using his yoyo he swung one knight in the swarm of knights, knocking some down like bowling pins. Even with the mask covering his mouth, his voice was clear.
Princess Justice was taken aback by the genuineness in their voice. She wasn’t quite sure they were acting, but knew that she had to trust them to follow her plan. “Try and stop me, heroes,” she said, her voice carrying over the din of the fighting, “No amount of Cataclysm or Lucky Charms will stop me. You’ve lost.”
Harmonia and Chat Noir shared a brief glance, their emotions unreadable but to Princess Justice it seemed like a look of agreement and understanding.
“You know there’s no way I could use Cataclysm against you, Marinette. Please, please just listen,” Chat Noir begged.
“And I don’t what the Lucky Charm will have me do, and I’m not going to risk hurting you. Just let us save you!” Harmonia pleaded.
“I don’t need to be saved!” Princess Justice slammed her fist against the armrest of her throne. “Your petty pleas mean nothing to me. You refusing to fight against me only makes you seem weak. Why should I listen to either of you?” She wasn’t sure where this was going, and fought back the uneasiness she felt in her gut.
“Because…” Chat Noir’s voice rang out, stopping his attempts to fend off the knights.
“Because…” Harmonia said at the same time, also stopping all attempts at defense.
“Because we can’t hurt the one we love!” they said together just as the knights overtook them. The two heroes were hidden from her sight, but their words still rang clear in her head. Her cheeks flushed, and it took all of her strength to keep from letting out a squeak. She had to remain composed.
For the second time a butterfly appeared before her face, and Hawkmoth’s voice almost managed to drown out the sound of their declaration of love bouncing around her thoughts. Almost.
“If I would have known it would have been this easy,” Hawkmoth’s disembodied voice mused, “I would have pursued you as an akuma even sooner…”
“Their emotions made them weak,” Princess Justice spoke, the words making her feel heavy as she spoke.
“Their weakness is our strength, Princess Justice,” Hawkmoth continued, “You’ll have no trouble turning them with your macarons. Then they’ll have no choice but to hand over their Miraculouses on a silver platter to me.”
“Just make sure there is no interference on our way to you, Hawkmoth. You’ll get your justice soon.”
With that, the butterfly faded from her vision just as the two heroes were brought before her and forced on their knees. Princess Justice hopped down gracefully from her throne, pulling out two macarons. Princess Justice tilted up Chat Noir’s head, his eyes meeting hers. His gaze was filled with love and adoration, but Princess Justice refused to get side tracked. She held a macaron up to his lips, almost unsure. And with a quick nod of reassurance, Chat Noir took the macaron in his mouth and ate it with no hesitation.
Not waiting to see the effects, Marinette moved to Harmonia. She was unsure if his mask would move down, unsure of what to do if it didn’t. But thankfully she didn’t have the problem. She assumed that since Harmonia was willing to let the mask slide down, she was able to slide it down his face. This allowed him to smile at her, the same smile he gave her when he professed his love for her the first time. She shook her head, put a macaron in his mouth, and slid the mask back up to cover his face.
Now all she had to do was wait, and hope they could overcome their injustices.
The soft click of her heels against the pavement was the only sound that registered to Princess Justice. Each click just one more step forward on her path to making things right. In the back of her mind, she was grateful for her decision to take her earrings off, but it was a fleeting thought because she wasn’t sure just how deep the connection to Hawkmoth was. Hawkmoth wasn’t yet aware of her plan to take him down, otherwise he wouldn’t have given her the knowledge of his lair. Of course, he didn’t explicitly tell her, but she knew. She could feel it. It almost made her sick, having that connection with him.
For all of the grand schemes and countless villains with potentially cataclysmic powers, Hawkmoth wasn’t particularly bright. His plans relied solely on his blind trust that those he bestowed powers to would be unwaveringly loyal to him. And that would be his downfall. Marching on with determination and grace, Princess Justice knew that by the end of the day, everything would be different.
As she came to the more crowded areas of Paris, she caught the attention of more than a few bystanders. Princess Justice barely spared them a second glance, the sight her mask gave her allowing her to see the injustices of those around her as well as the true intentions lying in their heart. If she were to describe it, it would be like a flame sitting in the middle of someone’s chest. Burning bright enough to shine through any facade someone might try and put up. The brighter and larger the flame, the more they had done to hurt those around them. The hotter the flame (showing up as blue rather than the more common orange) the more it showed their intent behind their actions.
The average person only had a tiny, red flame, as no one is perfect but very few intend to hurt those around them. That was what she saw most often. But occasionally, there would be someone she passed by that had a more alarming flame, bigger and hotter. Princess Justice would stop them, under the guise of someone simply passing out samples in costume for a nearby bakery, and give them a macaron. And then she would be off without waiting to see what came of them. Occasionally she felt the presence of a knight joining her ranks and she would smile. That meant that the macaron did as she intended, and helped the misguided find their way back to the light. Those who were determined to stay unjust got their punishment, and were rooted to their spot in stocks, their misdeeds displayed for the rest of Paris to see.
It took a surprisingly long time for people to realize that she was not a simple advertisement stunt, and was actually an akuma. But even when people put two and two together, no one ran from her. As she strolled throughout the streets of Paris, people simply made way. Once her cover was blown, she made no effort to stop any more to pass out her macarons. She couldn’t afford to be sidetracked. She needed to get to her school before any kittens could get in her way.
---
The school was still full and bustling with energy when Princess Justice arrived, and she wasted no time making her way up the stairs. To those who questioned her--while still recognizing her as Marinette--she simply smiled and gave them the excuse that she was just helping her parents while showing off her costume making prowess. The naivety of her fellow schoolmates allowed her to pass out many macarons without much problem. She gave and gave her macarons with nothing more than a smile, and no one questioned it at all.
Walking through the front doors of the school, Princess Justice felt a slight wave of emotion wash over her, causing her to purse her lips in disdain. The feeling only got worse as she glanced under the stairwell where she overheard Lila and Alya talking. With narrowed eyes and more determination than she had previously, she marched towards her classroom with renewed urgency. However, despite her rising emotions, Princess Justice could not bring herself to handle things with little tact.
She gently opened the classroom door, strolling in with elegance and a presence that demanded awe and respect. Mme. Bustier did not look up from her book, and only got a “Marinette, you’re late once again--” out of her mouth before the rest of the class broke out into chaos.
Questions of what she was wearing and why she was late, pleads to make a dress similar to the one she was wearing, and inquiries on how she managed to make her mask glow and if she was still able to see out of it. The noise grew louder and louder and was beginning to get overwhelming. She had to make it stop. Out of desperation she banged her scepter into the ground a few times, like a judge calling for order with their gavel. Silence fell over the classroom and Princess Justice smiled in relief. She scanned her eyes over her classmates, her heart breaking at the flames she saw. Some were relatively large, but they weren’t hot. Adrien was one of the first she looked at, and his was larger than she expected from him. Large, but not hot. She supposed that made sense, given his naivety. Even those with pure intentions could hurt others if they lacked the social know-how of most. Chloe’s was unsurprisingly large, and the orange flames had wisps of blue within them.
But it was nothing compared to the blue inferno that was surrounding Lila, who had fixed her eyes on Princess Justice with a heated glare. The glare soon melted into a sweet smile as she walked up to Princess Justice with her arms open as if about to initiate a hug. The heat of her ill intentions would have made anyone else flinch if they had the power to feel it, but Princess Justice didn’t react as she began speaking,“Marinette! That costume is absolutely stunning! But isn’t it a bit late for costumes? And won’t it be a bit… distracting to others?” Blinking her eyes innocently at Mme. Bustier, Lila’s voice dripped with faux concern.
“Actually,” Princess Justice spoke calmly, “This is something I’m doing for my parent’s bakery. I spent my lunch break passing out macarons in this costume, and I would have gone home to change… but I decided to bring the rest of the samples here for you all.” As if to prove herself honest, Princess Justice reached into her purse and produced a box of macarons big enough to give one to each person in the class. No one seemed to question how illogical it was for a box that size to fit in such a small purse, but that only worked to her advantage.
With a cheer resonating throughout the room, her classmates happily took one a piece, and then expectantly looked at Lila who had yet to take one. Before Lila could rattle off an excuse as to why she didn’t want to take one, Princess Justice took a step closer to her. Putting on the sweetest smile she could, her voice dripping with sugar, she said, “I really wanted to apologize, Lila. I’ve been so cruel to you because I didn’t know you had such a rare disorder that caused you to lie. It isn’t your fault, and I shouldn’t have held it against you. I hope you take a macaron as a sign of good faith and I hope we can be friends moving forward.”
Princess Justice was so focused on Lila taking a macaron, she didn’t notice the blonde boy--who recognized the energy coming off of her as the energy of an akuma and chose to hide in the background--slip out of the classroom and sprint down the hall.
Lila, feeling the pressure of those around her, hesitantly took a macaron. Once she took a bite, everyone else in the room followed suit. As soon as she saw that everyone had bitten a macaron, Princess Justice cleared her throat.
“Forgive me for lying to you, my dearest friends,” she said gently as those around her stiffened, their eyes glazing over as the effect of her macarons took hold, “I’m afraid there was no other way for justice to be served.” She watched as tears began falling down the faces of her classmates, them likely witnessing the torment they had put Marinette, and occasionally others, through. Soft whimpers and occasional sobs broke free and bounced softly off of the walls of the room.
“Mari…” she heard Alya sniff, and Princess Justice moved to her friend in an instant, her hand gently wiping the tears from her face.
“It’s alright, Alya. I know that you are kind, and that your heart is good,” she whispered, “Please, fight with me once again. Help me take down the injustice in this city.”
As Alya nodded, the majority of those in the room began to change. Their school clothes were replaced with shining white armor of different kinds. Once again her friends were on her side, and feeling the magical connection she had with them all gave her peace. The peace was short lived though, as she heard an ear splitting screech from where Lila had been standing. Lila was still there, but she was now in tattered clothes, her head and arms stuck in magical stocks. From her stocks a flyer was hung, with her name and misdeeds displayed for all to see.
Lila Rossi:
Liar - Conspirator - Harasser - Villain
Lila struggled and cursed and threatened, jerking and thrashing as she tried to escape the confines of the stocks. Even under the influence of the magic macarons, the classmates and teachers looked at Lila with disappointment and pity. All they could do was shake their heads at the pitiful display in front of them before turning to look at Princess Justice. Getting down on one knee, those around her bowed their heads in respect.
“Rise, my dear knights,” she made a motion with her hand and in unison, everyone stood. “I need two of you to move this misguided soul to the front of the school, to let everyone know of her misdeeds so that her injustice is put on display and she can no longer hurt anyone with her lies,” Princess Justice chose to ignore Lila’s increased rage. The blue inferno that surrounded her only grew larger and hotter. “Everyone else, let us--”
There was the sound of glass breaking as a black streak tumbled into the room. It didn’t take long for it to be evident that it was Chat Noir who had crashed in. Princess Justice didn’t have time to think as his baton extended outward quickly in her direction, intent on knocking her down. With reflexes that came only from being Ladybug for so long, she knocked his attack away with her scepter and stepped to the side, a frown on her face.
“Chat Noir,” she spoke, her voice the same calm tone as before, only slightly laced with disappointment, “I was so excited to see you again, yet you attacked me before even saying hello? That’s not very charming of you.”
Chat Noir stood, his expression pained but determined, “Marinette, please,” he begged, “I don’t want to fight you. And I know Ladybug doesn’t want to either.”
For the first time since she had become Princess Justice, she felt a brief flash of rage. How dare someone assume what she would have wanted? That was all anyone ever did, pretend that they knew her and her intentions. Her voice was laced with malice, despite still remaining an even tone, “I’m not worried about Ladybug stopping me, she can’t. Not anymore.”
The conflicted look on Chat’s face only got worse at those words, not sure what to think or how to feel. Princess Justice found herself confused by that. Sure Chat had helped her occasionally, and did know her civilian name, but there was no reason for him to be so conflicted. He’d never seemed so serious before. There had to be something more to this. That’s when she noticed the flame at his chest. She was surprised by the slightly larger than average flame, but it wasn’t hot. A flame of one who had hurt others unknowingly. A flame she had just seen a moment ago in a classmate. With a glance around the room she realized that classmate was not among her ranks and it all clicked together.
This train of thought took only a second or two, and Princess Justice felt her rage disappear as quickly as it had come. She felt her gaze soften, which only confused the feline hero in front of her even further.
“What did you do to Ladybug?!” Chat Noir cried, desperately trying to stay focused on the fact that Marinette was now a villain and he would undoubtedly have to defeat her.
“Oh kitty,” Princess Justice whispered, stepping slowly towards Chat while the knights around her remained on guard, ready to attack at a moment’s notice. Chat stepped back, baton at the ready but obviously not intent on using it. She stopped a little bit in front of him, leaning forwards slightly and smiling gently. She dropped her voice to a whisper so no one else could hear, and said three words that nearly brought Chat Noir to his knees:
I know i’m missing someone for the taglist but i’m to worst and lost the message to be added :( so if you want to be added in future updates, just comment and i’ll be happy to add you!
Chat Noir’s baton clattered to the floor, the metallic noise cutting through the palpable silence. His eyes glazed over as he looked not at her, but through her. His mind likely racing a mile a minute. Using his distracted state against him, Princess Justice turned to face her knights once more.
“Tie this kitty up so he can’t get in our way,” she demanded, and looked at where Lila was still stuck in her stocks, “and quickly take her away.” With those orders she left the classroom, trusting that her knights would do as they were told. Outside the classroom she could see some of the other students who had graciously accepted her macarons had either turned into knights, or were rooted in place as punishment. She looked around thoughtfully, trying to determine the next best move when she felt a tug in the back of her mind. A butterfly appeared in front of her face and Hawkmoth spoke.
“So, you were Ladybug?” he questioned, sounding oddly pleased. Princess Justice felt herself tense, realizing her lapse in judgement when telling Chat Noir such sensitive information. She would have to think quickly.
“No of course not,” Princess Justice scoffed, “I only lied so he wouldn’t get in my way. Ladybug is bound to come for her lost kitten at any moment.”
“You should take his ring while you have the chance!” Hawkmoth shouted.
“Oh yes because your grand plans so far have worked out wonderfully, sir,” Princess Justice said with an even tone. Before Hawkmoth could say anything else, she continued, “Don’t worry Hawkmoth, you will get your justice. That much I can promise.”
With that, the butterfly faded from in front of her eyes. Acting quickly, Princess Justice went to her old locker and wrote down some information in a spare notebook. She carefully tore the page out of her notebook and folded the paper neatly. She passed it off to a nearby knight and instructed them to bring the note to Chat Noir and to only let his eyes read it. With that done, she was off to garner herself a larger army for what she was about to attempt.
---------
From the balcony of Marinette’s home, Tikki watched as Princess Justice strolled out of the school’s front entrance. The tiny being began to panic, easily recognizing her dear holder. “Oh no, Marinette…” she whimpered before zipping down to where the earrings had been left. Tikki knew that she had no choice but to get the earrings to someone who could substitute as Ladybug. The miraculous wouldn’t be safe if she did nothing. Tikki carefully thought of all the people who had weld a miraculous before, before choosing who she thought would be the best replacement.
Now all Tikki could do was hope she could find him in time.
---------
Princess Justice strolled throughout Paris, handing macarons out left and right, and even giving boxes to some of her knights to pass around as well. The larger the army she had, the better. Her plan was going to be incredibly dangerous, and she would only have one shot at it. Although she did have a backup plan in place, if she was to somehow lose her powers before being able to complete her mission.
As she carefully considered her next step in her plan, she almost didn’t notice the person sneaking up behind her. Almost. Quickly turning and leaping backwards, Princess Justice aimed her staff at the culprit. Her eyes widened as she recognized the familiar blue hair and matching eyes.
“Luka,” she breathed out. Out of pure instinct--and curiosity, if she were being truthful to herself--she looked at the flame nestled in the middle of his chest. She wasn’t shocked at how small it was, but was shocked that the flame was white. Whatever injustice he had committed, it was intentional and likely repetitive. But Princess Justice couldn’t think of a single person that Luka had lashed out against minus Bob Roth and XY, and that was in defense of others.
“Marinette,” Luka responded, his hands raised defensively and eyes full of hurt and confusion, “What happened…?”
“I’m not Marinette,” Princess Justice responded, not letting her eyes leave him, “My name is Princess Justice. And what happened was something inevitable.”
Luka shook his head sadly, “You’re better than this, Marinette.” Luka stepped closer to her, and Princess Justice found herself unable to move. He gently put his hands on her shoulders, “You are so, so much better than this.”
“That’s hypocritical, Luka,” Princess Justice said scowling slightly, “You got akumatized to get justice for Kitty Section.” Her gaze softened, “You got akumatized to get justice for me.” The last sentence she said softly.
Luka then pulled her into a hug, and she could feel the white hot flame burning her, but she didn’t pull away.
“I’d always put you first, Marinette,” Luka whispered, “There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you.” He pulled away, and held out a hand, “Give me a macaron, Marinette.”
Suddenly, everything made sense.
“Your injustice,” Princess Justice said, stepping away from him, her eyes wide.
“Pardon?” Luka said, obviously confused.
“Your injustice,” she repeated, “Is never caring about yourself. You always, always put your feelings on the backburner,” she swallowed, “Especially when it comes to me.”
“That’s my choice, Marinette,” Luka frowned, “Because I--”
“It’s not good for you, Luka!” Princess Justice screamed, “It’s okay to be selfish! It’s okay to not put yourself in second place all the time!” Her eyes shifted briefly from blue to red in rage before returning to normal as she looked at him sadly. “Leave, Luka. I’m not going to give you a macaron. Because you wouldn’t become a knight, and I couldn’t stand seeing you in stocks.”
“I’m not leaving, Marinette!”
“I’m not giving you a choice!” Princess Justice yelled. Snapping her fingers, knights seemingly appeared out of nowhere and grabbed Luka from both sides, not letting go no matter how much he thrashed. “Take him back to the Liberty, and make sure he stays.” And with that, she turned and walked away, ignoring Luka’s calls.
-----------
Tikki searched desperately along the Seine for the Liberty, trying very hard to stay hidden and also keep a tight grip on the earrings. When she finally spotted the colorful ship, she sighed in relief. Quickly flying down to look around the ship, she was confused when she found it completely empty. Was she too late? Would she have to find another temporary Ladybug?
Before Tikki could panic too much, she heard a commotion on the deck. The sound of a yelling and cursing could be heard and Tikki cautiously flew up to see what was going on. Two knights were dragging Luka on board, all while he was desperately trying to get away. As they dragged him below the deck, Tikki hid. Once he was locked in his room, the two knights stood guard outside of the door.
Tikki frowned, and flew around to the porthole window only to see it open and Luka already trying to escape out of it. “Luka!” Tikki whisper-shouted, which caused him to look up in surprise. At seeing the tiny red creature, Luka tumbled backwards in shock and landed on the floor of his room with an ungraceful thud. Tikki flew in through the porthole window and hovered over him. “I’m so glad I found you!”
“Y-you’re a kwami…” Luka said in surprise, “Are you… Ladybug’s kwami? Did something happen to her? Did… did Marinette do something to her?” The fear on his face was evident, but Tikki could also tell he was conflicted in his feelings.
“Ladybug is in trouble, Luka,” Tikki said softly, “Marinette is--or rather, was--Ladybug. Something happened at school today and… and I wasn’t able to comfort her…” Tikki looked down sadly, knowing that just the fact that she was able to say Marinette’s name to another person was sign enough that the bond between them had been broken for now.
“Marinette is Ladybug…?” Luka asked breathlessly, “No, wait, that makes sense. It’s so like her. But…what are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be finding someone to help save her?” The panic was back in his tone, “Marinette needs help!”
“That’s why I’m here, Luka,” Tikki smiled at him, “Please, for now, don the earrings and help save Marinette. We can’t save her completely if we don’t purify the akuma residing somewhere on her.”
“You want me to be Ladybug?” Luka looked floored.
“Only until Marinette is safe again. Then we can give the earrings back to her.”
“Why did you come to me?”
“Because I know Marinette trusts you. And I know you love her, just like Chat Noir does. So I know you’ll both do everything in your power to take care of her and bring her back.”
There was a lot of information for Luka to process. Marinette being Ladybug, Marinette giving up her earrings, being pushed to the point of being akumatized, Chat Noir also being in love with Marinette, everything was too much. Luka shook his head to clear his mind. Now wasn’t the time for his feelings for Marinette. Now wasn’t the time to worry about any romantic rivals. Now was time to focus on saving Marinette.
With a shaky breath, Luka stood up and took the earrings from Tikki.
“Alright Tikki, I’ll do it.”
Tikki smiled, “I knew I could count on you, Luka! You and Chat Noir will save her for sure!”
Luka bit his lip, still unsure, but determined to do anything he could to help Marinette. Even if he would have to be against her for now, he knew in the end it would help her. He looked at the earrings in his palm and carefully put them in, taking his normal studs and slipping them in his pocket. Immediately he felt a power and warmth radiate from the earrings. It was almost overwhelming
“What do I do now?” Luka asked.
“Just say ‘Tikki, spots on!’,” Tikki instructed gently. Luka nodded and took a deep breath.
Princess Justice looked up at the roof just in time to see a spotted figure swing down and land in front of her. The ladybug-themed outfit made it clear to her that this was, in fact, someone who had taken her old earrings. But that didn’t make sense. Her earrings were left in her room, the only way someone would have gotten them was if Tikki herself gave them to another. But who would she trust enough to do that?
The white flame that seemed to erupt from the ladybug symbol from his chest gave her the answer. But she almost didn’t believe it. He looked so different. Luka didn’t have red hair, and he certainly didn’t have red hair with pink tips. She couldn’t clearly see his face because the bottom half was covered in a mask. His eyes didn’t have a mask, only what looked like red makeup surrounding them.
Red makeup that made the blue stand out. Blue that she certainly recognized and found comfort in.
It was Luka. Luka had her earrings.
“Who are you?!” Chat Noir sounded frantic, “How did you get those earrings?!”
Princess Justice was frozen, her eyes still locked with Luka’s.
“I’m Harmonia,” Luka answered, not breaking eye contact with Princess Justice, “I’m here to help since Ladybug is away for a bit. She… needed a break, and she’s never been good at asking for help.”
Realizing that this would throw a wrench in her plans, Princess Justice quickly composed herself. “Oh dear,” she cooed, sounding much more amused than she felt, “Poor little Ladybug is such a pitiful hero she needed to ask a civilian for help? How pathetic.”
“I’m not here to argue about Ladybug,” Harmonia said, voice soft, “I’m here to save you. Before you do something you’ll regret.”
Princess Justice felt herself bristle slightly with rage, “You don’t get to decide anything for me! No one decides what is best for me anymore! You have no clue what I will or will not regret,” Part of her yelling was theatrical, but even she could recognize the true anger behind her words. She was sick of people claiming to know her. And she wasn’t going to let anyone get in the way of what she had planned. She was so close to making everything right. “Alya, Nino, tie that bug up and make sure he doesn’t cause any trouble!”
Alya and Nino moved in tandem, diving straight for Harmonia who barely managed to evade the two. His reflexes obviously weren’t as good as hers were, but he still looked determined. Evading and dodging the knights, Harmonia seemed to be lost in thought as he tried to plan his next course of action.
Before Princess Justice could stop him, he had made a running start, grabbing and lifting Chat Noir over his shoulder before swinging away with him.
“No!!” Princess Justice cried out, “Bring him back! Bring him back right now!”
Chat Noir seemed to be reaching out for her, shouting something she couldn’t hear as he was already too far away. Harmonia only glanced over his shoulder and looked at her sadly before he quickly maneuvered them out of sight.
All of the knights in Princess Justice’s army felt their hearts break as their princess screamed in frustration and agony.
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The two heroes had barely landed on the rooftop when Chat Noir got in Harmonia’s face.
“Just what the hell was that?!” Chat Noir practically growled.
“Look,” Harmonia said, not flinching at his threatening aura, “We need to come up with a plan to rescue her, and you were tied up.” He gestured to the ropes still tying his arms to his sides and his wrists together.
Chat Noir only scoffed and effortlessly broke free of the restraints, “I was playing prisoner. I’ve been captured by much worse than simple rope before.”
Harmonia frowned, “So why were you playing prisoner? That doesn’t make any sense.”
“I was helping Lady--” Chat Noir slapped a hand over his mouth, “I was helping Marinette.”
“Chat, I know who Ladybug is. But that doesn’t change the fact that it doesn’t make sense why you would help her help Hawkmoth.”
“She wasn’t helping Hawkmoth!” Chat yelled, “Marinette would never!” His hands were balled into fists, and he almost looked ready to swing in order to defend Marinette’s honor. Harmonia looked over him, a thoughtful look on his face.
“I believe you,” Harmonia said, “and I would never intentionally work against Marinette.”
“You just did.”
“I’m not a mind reader, Chat Noir,” Harmonia sighed, “And Marinette was very convincing. But that was the point, I’m assuming.”
Chat only scoffed, crouching down and ruffling his own hair with his hands as he racked his brain for what to do now.
“Look,” Harmonia started, “I may have messed up, and I apologize for that. But it isn’t too late to help her. But we need to work together.”
“It’s weird, having a partner that isn’t Ladybug,” Chat Noir admitted softly, looking down at the ground. “I failed her. Of course, she doesn’t blame me. Marinette never blames anyone except herself.”
“You didn’t know,” Harmonia told him. He offered a hand to help Chat stand and he hesitantly took it, “Look, Marinette wouldn’t want you beating yourself up. I… also feel like I failed her, and I got quite the earful from her earlier today.” Harmonia sighed, and looked Chat in the eyes, “I know it’s weird for you to have a partner that isn’t her, but she needs us right now.”
“Yeah, she does,” Chat Noir nodded.
“Besides, we’re both fighting for the same thing, so I’m not worried about anything,” Harmonia smiled wistfully, his voice almost humorous.
“What do you mean?” Chat Noir looked at him skeptically.
“We’re both fighting for the girl we love,” Harmonia said, as if it were the most casual thing in the world. Chat Noir looked like he was about to say something, but Harmonia kept talking, “and right now the girl we love is counting on us to help her, yeah? So we need a plan.”
Harmonia extended his hand out to Luka to shake, “Partners for now?”
Chat Noir hesitated for only a second before he reached out to shake Luka’s hand, “Partners for now.”
The two both knew the true implication behind the “for now” but both decided to focus on the more pressing issue at hand. Chat Noir looked at the note Princess Justice had handed him before Harmonia had crashed her speech.
“Marinette knows how to get to Hawkmoth,” Chat explained while Harmonia listened intently, “he’s hidden somewhere in the Agreste mansion most likely. She told me Hawkmoth was Gabriel Agreste.”
“How does she know?”
“Maybe through their mental link? I mean it would make sense, because when we fought Dark Owl, the fake miraculouses that Ladybug tricked Dark Owl with were sent directly to him. That must mean those under his influence know his general location.”
Harmonia seemed to consider this for a moment before nodding, “Okay that makes sense. But wouldn’t it be easier to just tell you that and you go take care of it alone when he isn’t expecting it?”
Chat Noir shook his head, “No, because the mansion is heavily secured, and it’s very likely that his assistant Nathalie is Mayura,” Harmonia noticed Chat Noir seemed increasingly sad as he said that, “there’s no way I’d be able to handle all of it on my own. She was going to take me directly to him under the guise of me being a hostage and bring her army with her as backup.”
“Would Hawkmoth really fall for that?”
Chat Noir laughed bitterly, “This is the same man who has akumatized babies more than once. I think he’d delude himself into just about anything to get his hands on these miraculouses.”
Harmonia nodded, “Alright, so now we just need to figure out how to let both of us get captured without it being suspicious.”
“Yeah but how are we going to do that? If Hawkmoth suspects anything, he’ll get rid of Marinette’s powers.”
“While I don’t think that would entirely be a bad thing, because that means she’d be back to normal, I actually think this is something she really needs,” Harmonia sighed, “Getting justice for herself rather than getting justice for everyone else.”
Chat nodded in agreement, “So we have to find a way to help her get that justice without being obvious to Hawkmoth.”
“What if we ate one of her macarons?” Harmonia thought out loud.
“What do you mean?”
“What if we ate one of her macarons? Hawkmoth would have no reason to doubt we’d do whatever she said.”
“I suppose that could work… but you don’t automatically turn into a knight just because you eat one,” Chat Noir frowned, “Lila was put in some magical stocks.”
“Hmm.. Marinette mentioned something like that to me, too,” Harmonia frowned, “When I asked her to give me a macaron before I got these earrings, she told me I’d just be put in stocks.”
“What? Why?” Chat Noir looked at him incredulously.
“It probably has something to do with a ‘justice’ system in her macarons.She also mentioned something about seeing injustices in people, I think.”
“Oh! That would make sense!” Chat Noir said, “I remember seeing people who ended up becoming knights crying and begging for forgiveness before they transformed.”
“So that means they need to be truly willing to face their injustices and be willing to change themselves, otherwise they end up in stocks…”
Chat Noir and Harmonia looked at each other nervously, both realizing that this would probably be the best course of action for them to convince Hawkmoth. Taking a deep breath, they both nodded at each other in silent understanding before launching off the roof in search of Princess Justice once again.
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reminder: this is not a ship fic. there is no endgame pairing. this is just taking note of everyone’s feelings and how it effects their relationship with Marinette and each other.
