Deaf!Marinette AU: New Meetings - Chapter III.
Despite being as exhausted as humanly possible the previous day, Marinette hadn't gotten any sleep. Too many questions filled her head and far too many lacked answers.
To make use of the night, she stayed up from sunrise to sunset questioning Tikki on anything she didn't understand - which was a lot.
Many of the information had to be left secret, Tikki told her, at least when it came to other kwamis ans their miraculous holders. Marinette understood this and didn't push, instead deciding to focus on her own miraculous.
Tikki had told her that every suit was unique, no one ladybug had the same costume as another since their inspired by the holders. Marinette nodded, sketching out a design of her hero suit and labelling which parts held different abilities.
"Tikki," Marinette signed, catching her kwami's attention, "when I landed on the roof at the stadium, I heard myself crash. When I touched my head, I felt something like antennas," Marinette glanced at the antennas on her kwami's head, "but later during the fight, I couldn't hear again. Do you know why?"
Tikki hummed to herself as she thought, "well, none of my previous holders have had antennas like that before so I imagine it's something individual to you."
Marinette nodded, "they reminded me of cochlear implants," she commented offhandedly.
Tikki seemed to perk up at this. "I don't know much about human technology, but I know most of your people's devices have an off and on switch. Do those devices you mentioned have them as well?"
Marinette blinked in surprise before nodding.
"Hm," Tikki squinted in thought, "perhaps that's how yours work then. The miraculous powers are all about control, so it would make sense if your antennae worked similarly." Marinette nodded, taking notes as Tikki spoke, asking her to slow down at some parts since her hearing aids weren't the best at picking up quick speech.
"Do you think I can transform again later today and try and study them? That way I can get a better understanding of how things work?" Marinette asked.
"Well, normally I'm not supposed to let you use your powers unless it's for hero duty," Marinette shoulders feel and Tikki hesitated, "but I suppose it'll be alright. At least this way you can know better in the case of an emergency."
Marinette grinned, promising to make Tikki a special batch of cookies later for being so understanding.
"Oh! You said you wanted to arrive to school early today, right? We should probably get going, Marinette!" Tikki reminded her and Marinette's eyes fell onto her clock, realizing she was right.
"Oh no," Marinette pouted to herself as she entered her school's courtyard, looking up at the sky, "it's looks like it's going to rain later and I forgot my umbrella."
"Marinette!" A voice shouted behind her and she felt a tug on her hand. She turned to see her best friend, blushing bright red as he quickly released his grip on her hand.
"I was so worried about you! I didn't see you leave the school yesterday and you weren't answering any of my messages." He looked at her with concern and Marinette felt like she'd been punched in the gut.
She was so worried about learning more about the miraculous yesterday that she completely forgot to charge her phone, leaving it to lay dead on her desk all night.
"Oh, my goodness! I am so sorry!" Marinette's hands moved frantically as she began to rant in Sign, "everything that happened yesterday just stole my attention away, I wasn't even aware that my phone had died! I am so sorry, Nathaniël-"
Two hands held her wrists in place, halting her apologies. "Slow down, Mari. I can't understand you when you sign so fast," Nathaniël signed after letting go of her, a soft smile on his face as he looked at her with shy amusement. Marinette smiled.
"I'm sorry," she began, signing more calmly this time. "I was pretty shocked after what happened yesterday, I didn't mean to make you worry, really."
It was true, Marinette was sorry for worrying her friend, even if she was more focused on the details than the chaos from yesterday. Nathaniël was her best friend, her first friend. He was there when other students mocked her for her disability, defending her when teachers labeled her to be a high-maintenance. She felt sad that she couldn't share this part of her life with him, but she knew it was the only choice. She couldn't risk putting him in danger.
Like always, Nathaniël waved off her apologies. "I know, just don't do it again. I know how clumsy you can be and we don't need you landing yourself in trouble."
Marinette let out a huff of amusement at his teasing, and Nathaniël blushed at her smile. She was about to respond with a snide remark of her own when another voice calling her name grabbed her attention.
"Marinette! There you are!" Alya bounded towards them and Nathaniël faltered, reverting back to his shy self as the unfamiliar presence joined them.
"You'll never believe it! My footage of the fight yesterday landed on the news! They even credited me and everything," Alya grinned and Marinette found herself doing the same unconsciously as she took in her friend's excitement.
Alya's eyes glanced at Nathaniël, seeming to just now notice him. "Oh, hey! I'm Alya Césaire, I don't think we've had the chance to introduce ourselves yet," Alya stuck her hand out for him to shake, just as extroverted and welcoming as she had been with Marinette.
Nathaniël blinked in surprise, his face growing slightly red as he shook her hand, stumbling over his own introduction.
Marinette felt something bloom in her chest at the interaction. Alya was new, so it wasn't unlikely for her to struggle making friends. Nathaniël was extremely shy and somewhat socially awkward, so talking to people he was unfamiliar with was a bit challenging for him. However, that didn't stop Alya from sending a blinding smile his face, or from Nathaniël unsurely returning a much smaller one of his own.
Alya turned back to Marinette, a glint in her eyes. "I talked to my mom yesterday!" She said excitedly, almost shouting. "We managed to find a learning center near my house that offered language lessons and she signed my up for a FSL class!" She was practically jumping up and down in glee ans Marinette felt as though she could do the same.
"Really? That's amazing-" Marinette began to sign before pausing, realizing her mistake. Alya took note of this and began to dig through her backpack.
"My lessons start next week, so until then I bought a notebook just for us to talk in. Look, it's even ladybug themed after yesterday's hero!" Alya shoved a spiral notebook into her hands, and, just as promised, it was bright red with black spots decorating the cover.
"I stayed up a bit late looking for Sign introduction videos on Youtube, and I've already memorized the alphabet and how to introduce myself!" Alya declared before signing the phrase; "Hello, my name is Alya! Nice to meet you."
"I know it's not much, especially to someone like whose fluent, but I promise to do my best so I can learn as quickly as possible!"
Marinette was going to cry.
She was going to cry because here was Alya, saying that it was no big deal what she had learned, when it was actually the biggest deal in the world to Marinette right now. She had know this girl for less than a day and here she was, learning an entirely new language for her, and buying a notebook just for them to use to communicate.
Marinette threw her arms around Alya's shoulders, send them both stumbling back a bit. She felt Alya's chest shake with laughter before her arms wrapped around her as well. She pulled back after a few moments, thankful that she had been able to will away her tears.
"She said thank you," Nathaniël told Alya with a smile, translating for Marinette.
"Of course, girl! It's what friends are for. Now, c'mon you two, we don't wanna be late to class again," she sent a playful to look to Marinette as the three headed to Mm. Bustier's classroom.
Just as she entered the classroom, she felt the lighthearted mood she had going on with her friends drop as she eyes caught sight of a blond boy hunched over her seat, sticking gum to it.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Alya stormed up to him, grabbing him by the shoulder and shoving him away from Marinette's desk.
"What - no, wait! It's not what it looks like!"
"Oh, Adrikins, you don't have to explain anything to those freaks." Chloé giggled from her seat, resting her head on her palm as she watched on in amusement.
"Oh, so you're the Adrien Chloé was talking about, huh? Figures." Alya crossed her arms over her chest, glaring at him.
Adrien put his hands uo defensively, "I was just-"
"Putting gum on Marinette's seat." Nathaniël looked at Adrien with disgust ans Marinette found herself monetarily taken aback before she remembered that Chloé was just as cruel to him as she was to Marinette, and he is no doubt as sick of her and her friends' antics just as much as everyone else is.
Adrien opened his mouth again - probably to defend himself with a lie, Marinette assumed - but was promptly cut off by the sound of his new classmates.
"Whoah, they let him back here?" Someone said in a hushed voice just as Ivan entered the room.
Marinette couldn't make out what anyone was saying due to their hushed tones, and simply turned to send Ivan a friendly smile as usual.
He seemed surprised by this before his hardened expression returned and he made his way into the back row, whisperers and mumors following him as people flinched away when he passed by their desks.
"Good morning, class! I apologize for being late, but please take you seats." Alya shot Adrien one last glare before taking ahold of Marinette's hand and pulling her to their desks, and Marinette placed a tissue over the gum before sitting down. She didn't miss the sneer Nathaniël sent the new student as he walked to his seat.
"Everyone we have another new student joining us today. Adrien, would you care to introduce yourself to the class?" Mme. Bustier looked at Adrien, who practically shrank into his seat besides Nino.
He only hesitated for a moment before standing up, a nervous but friendly smile on his face. "Hi everyone, I'm Adrien Agreste. I hope we can all become friends this year."
Marinette didn't miss the way he glanced at her as he said the end of his speech, merely looking down at her hands as Chloé clapped and cooed over her friend.
It was going to be a long year.
Marinette sighed as passing period began, taking the time to sit on the lockeroom bench and remove her hearing aids. They weren't necessarily painful, but wearing the for long periods of time while still getting used to them was a bit unconformable at times. She also wasn't a fan of all the noise.
There were some sounds she rather liked. The sound of her mother's voice, her father's morning humming, the new Jagged Stone album. They were all great to listen to - in moderation. Sometimes, she preferred it to just be her and her thoughts, a comforting silence surrounding her.
Marinette's phone began vibrating so hard it almost fell off the bench. She frowned at it, turning it over as an emergency message flashed across the screen.
Another akuma attack.
Great.
Marinette wasted no time taking off towards the nearest bathroom, locking the door behind her and making sure she was alone.
Tikki flew out from her coin purse and Marinette waited for her nod of consent before transforming. Even if she was the miraculous holder, she was certain Tikki knew much better than her, and refused to act without her permission.
A flash of red light clouded Marinette's vision before quickly dissipating. She glanced at the bathroom mirror, taking in her hero suit once again, before fleeing through the bathroom window and taking off towards the Effiel Tower where the akuma had been spotted.
Marinette tapped at her head, reaching for her antennae. She sucked in a sharp breath as they seemed to - turn on?
Trying not to let the sudden noise distract her, she continued swinging across Paris, stopping when she spotted her partner on the rooftop of a nearby building.
His cat ears perked up and he swiveled around at the sound of her landing behind him. "Hey partner," he called, an excited grin on his face. "didn't expect for us to meet up again so soon," he made his way towards her, a playfull bounce in his step.
Marinette nodded.
The Black Cat holder seemed to falter slightly at her lack of a verbal response, but quickly regained his composure. "Alright! Well now that you're here, how about we get started on taking care of him?" He winked and nodded his head in the direction of the akuma, Marinette's eyes instantly latching onto them.
Cameraman was what they were calling themself. Their costume was much more unsettling that Stoneheart's. A pitch black figure, tall and lanky, with a large camera in place of their head. It didn’t help that they were repeatedly calling for both her and her partner to face them.
"Black Cat, Ladybug, come face me at once!" The voice screamed.
Her partner acted before she had, taking off towards the bottom of the Effiel Tower, and she found herself following him close behind.
She landed next to him near the edges of the crowd, well aware of the whispers that broke out as they appeared. She couldn’t help but look about, some looking at them in eagerness, others in relief, though others showed nothing but worry. Her partner pushed forward without pause though, the crowd parting for him as he made his way towards the front where the police were holding everyone back.
“Do you know what’s going on?” One of the officers asked as they approached.
“It’s the same phenomenon as yesterday,” Crimson replied. “We got this.”
“That's my husband!” Someone from one of the news crew shouted, and Marinette watched as a woman forced her way to the front. “He's never been like this before! Please, you have to do something!” She cries, tears streaming down her face.
Marinette approached the sobbing woman, signaling for her to continue, blocking out the calls from behind her.
“What’s happening to our city?”
“What are they? Who are you?”
"H-he was fine yesterday!" The woman stuttered. "It wasn't until earlier tha-that it happened," she stumbled over her words, seeming unsure of what that even was. "Our boss had fired him for not getting footage of the scene yesterday and he just - he became like that!"
Marinette nodded, hearing all she needed to know. She looked at her partner and the two shared a look, gettibg ready to take off and scale the building.
“Oh no you don’t,” a voice growled, and she turned to see it was Officer Raincomprix that had stopped her partner. “We don’t need you going anywhere near the Eiffel Tower." He glared at her partner, “I saw what you did to the stadium yesterday,” he grunted, a firm grasp on her shoulder. “You’re not getting near this city’s monument.”
“Oh, look - the heroes have arrived!” A loud voice declared, and all eyes turned up towards the Eiffel Tower, where Cameraman proudly stood. “I’m glad you made it – just in time for the show!”
The black mass above the tower churned, causing the crowd behind them to let out frightened gasps and cries. Her partner pulled himself free from the officer’s grip, hurrying to stand next to her as they watched something take form above them. The black energy then rippled, an image appearing within it.
It appeared to be a closeup of the tower, of the man Cameraman had at his side. His wrists were bound with what appeared to be electrical cords. It seemed to be a live feed of the camera that made up Cameraman’s head, and she was now able to make out the item in his hand was a boom mic.
“My dear boss fired me yesterday for being unable to capture footage related to the rampaging Stoneheart,” Cameraman declared, jabbing the boom mic under his chin, forcing him to look into the camera. “But today he’ll get a front row seat to the most news-worthy footage, captured by yours truly. Ladies and gentlemen, children and heroes, allow me to introduce yourself to the new top story of the hour– Papillon!”
The black mass rippled once more, shifting away from what Cameraman’s lens was capturing, to the image of an eerie dark room, a figure standing in the center. Whispering broke out around them as the masked man looked straight at them, a faint smile pulling at his lips.
“People of Paris,” Papillon's voice held an air of charisma as he spoke, though it still demanded their attention as it echoed out from the tower. “I am Papillon, and I have come to personally apologize for what you have been put through in these last twenty-four hours, but I am afraid I had no choice.”
“The Butterfly?” Her partner whispered softly and Marinette nodded in reply.
It was hard to make out Papillon completely, as the room he appeared to be in was draped in shadows. Small white butterflies fluttered past him, the same creature she had released yesterday after purifying it. Pinned to his suit was a purple brooch, strips of lavender material flared out from it, resembling butterfly wings. A mask of a similar style rested across his face, and clasped in his hands was a cane.
“My dear heroes, this battle was not one that was meant to begin,” Papillon said. “And you do not have to let it go on. If you hand over your Miraculouses to me right now then this will all be over. I will send out no more akumas, nor force anyone else to do my bidding. The choice is simple, either let Paris have its peace, or let this city become a battleground. Do not let this city suffer more than it has to.”
Silence filled the plaza, and Marinette watched her partner take a step forward.
“Don’t you dare!” He shouted. “Don’t you dare try to pin this on us – not when you’re the one transforming these people! Making them attack the innocent!”
Papillon let out a small chuckle. “And are you talking about yourself when you say innocent, little kitty? I saw what you did yesterday – impressive power, though it makes me wonder why a hero can’t even control their Destruction.” He tilted his head. “It’s only a matter of time before someone gets hurt from such influence.”
Her partber fell silent, taking in a sharp breath. He felt a hand on his shoulder, and looked up into Marinette's concerned eyes.
“He’s right,” he whispered, voice wavering slightly, and Marinette had to strain herself to hear it. “I had no control over it, I didn't even know the limitations. People could’ve been hurt, or worse! I shouldn't be–”
Marinette grabbed his shoulders, steadying him. She looked into his eyes and pursed her lips, wishing she could say something to comfort him.
Rather, she simply shook her head firmly. Releasing her hold on him, she turned to look at the real villain.
Her partner needed her.
Her uneasiness was still there, but so was her focus, instead of spiraling away into her panic like she so often did. All eyes were on them, but the two heroes only fixed their gazes up at the tower, drawing their weapons.
“A real shame. I had hoped to settle this peacefully.” Papillon sighed. Monarch’s eyes narrowed. A purple mask highlighted his face, and a glowing one of the same color fell over Cameraman’s. “My little akuma, they’re all yours. Claim what I asked of, and your story will be making headlines for weeks to come.”
If Cameraman had a mouth, he would probably be grinning. “Of course, Papillon.”
He then slammed the tip of his boom mic down against the beam he was on, and the writhing dark mass that made up the hologram of Papillon vanished in a flash of light. The man bound at Cameraman’s side writhed, turning the attention of the so-called ‘akuma’ away for a moment.
“The butterfly has to be in the boom mic,” Marinette reasoned, wishing she had a way to alert her partner of her realization.
Marinette looked at her partner and signaled upwards. He seemed to of gotten the message and the two of them made their way up the building, far too aware that the entire city - two million people - were currently watching them.
Cameraman sneered at them as they approached, then waved his boom mic. Thick wires began to coil at his feet, before rushing down at the Black Cat wielder. He let out a small yelp, taking off running as they chased after him.
A single toss of her yoyo snatched her partner away from the cords’ grasp, and with a snarl Cameraman summoned more to carry him towards the two of them.
“Remind me never to do that again,” he muttered, shaking his hand. “We need to get that boom mic.”
She didn’t get a chance to respond - not that she would have - as the two of them were forced to jump apart as another wave of electrical cords were sent flying at them. They stared up at Cameraman, whose platform of wires writhed under his feet like hundreds of angry snakes. He swung his boom mic to the side, causing them to carry him down towards Marinette. She swiftly swung over them, heart pounding.
It was now or never.
"Creation!" She signed, never taking her eyes off her opponent as she felt her palm grow hot.
She slashed through the cords coming towards them, the end of her metal staff gleaming in the sunlight.
Cameraman let out a hiss, summoning more coils below his feet to raise him up higher into the air. She swung the scythe about like it was a sword a few times, and with a jab of his boom mic Cameraman sent the cords rushing down at them. She lowered herself into a charging position, slashing with her scythe, cutting through them with ease.
A well timed slice slashed through the base of the cords that supported Cameraman, the wires crumbling as they were severed from his control, the akuma falling towards the streets alongside the wires. More of them burst up from the street, cement cracking as he tried to break his own fall, but she was ready for this.
She sprang forward, her focus no longer on fighting the akuma head on – but keeping him from gaining the advantage once more as she destroyed the cords. She was much more confident with a weapon she could customize than she was with her yoyo, she noted as the Cameraman let out a cry as he hit the ground.
The two pounced on him at once, Marinette ripping the boom mic from his grasp as she wrestled him to the ground. The forming wires sagged with the boom mic no longer in his grasp, and the akuma lashing out against her.
Marinette grunted, scythe abandoned as she forced Cameraman to the ground. She managed to kick the mic towards her partner, beckoning him to break it.
He rushed forward towards the fallen boom mic, leaping over the thick electric cords that littered the ground. The item felt much lighter in his hands than it should have, and he stared down at his ring as he scooped it up. Much like the cords, he knew he could destroy it with a single word, but he couldn’t bring himself to speak.
So instead he brought the boom mic down over his knee, snapping it half, a small black butterfly fluttering out from within.
Black bubbling energy appeared around Cameraman, fading away to reveal a young man kneeling on the ground, and Marinette loosening her grip on him. He blinked slowly, looking out in confusion at the crowd that had gathered around the tower.
Marinette watched as his eyes grew wide at the many thick cords that had sprouted up from the ground, cracks in the sidewalk, and the police that had gathered pressing close.
There was silence for a moment, only broken as Marinette's yoyo zipped out, snagging the butterfly as it fluttered away. It seemed the whole city was holding its breath as he released it from the yoyo, a pure white butterfly soaring up into the air.
She was panting as he drew closer to her partner, her scythe was clutched tightly in her hands, before she tossed it up into the air. The man that had once been Cameraman flinched at the action, red light pouring from the Lucky Charm as Marinette signed; “Miraculous Ladybug!”
The Lucky Charm burst into a wave of energy just as it had yesterday, sweeping out across the tower and the crowd. Though Alya had caught the healing light on video yesterday, people still stepped back as it washed over them, gasping slightly.
The wires vanished under the touch, the cracks in the cement sealing up as if nothing had been there. The bonds on the producer melted away into nothing – the red light spiralling about them, looking as if time was turning back with each thing it touched. Murmurs echoed out across the crowd, all eyes falling back to her as the Miraculous Ladybugs faded.
The boom mic in her partner’s hand mended itself, morphing into a pink slip. He frowned down at it, eyes scanning the words that declared the man fired. He glanced over at the man, who was shivering on the ground, clearly having no idea what had happened. He slowly made his way towards him, placing the paper in his hand.
“Are you okay?” He asked softly, his words barely heard over the cheer that suddenly rang out around them.
“What happened?” The man whispered, accepting the hand as he was pulled to his feet.
“You were... akumatized,” he said after a moment of thought. “Controlled by someone abusing their powers, but it’s over now.”
He didn’t reply, just breathing heavily.
“What should we do with him?” A deep voice said, and the heroes looked up to see several police officers approaching, several more keeping reporters at bay who were attempting to move forward.
Marinette came to her partner's side. “I think that’s easy – get him home.”
One of the officers looked at him. “But he just–”
“Any action he made was Papillon's fault,” he said, cutting them off with a glare. “He had no control over himself, he doesn’t even remember what happened.”
“That doesn’t change the fact that he caused damage to a monument, and attacked the both of you–”
“I believe I said that this wasn’t his fault,” he repeated, a slight growl in his voice. “The only one who did such was Papillon – as if he didn’t make that clear with the message he gave today.”
The officers looked among themselves for a moment, hesitating, then one held out a hand towards the victim. “Come on, sir. We have a few questions we need to ask you, then we’ll get you home.”
He hesitated, but made his way forward to the police. They led the man away, circling about him as the gathered crowd began shouting – questions, demands – but it was all drowned together in their cries. And with the police escorting the former akuma away, there was no one standing between the heroes and the reporters.
Marinette felt the world sway around her, the sound overwhelming and the crowd suffocating.
She felt a hand weigh on her shoulder, green eyes looking at her with concern. He opened his mouth, about to question if she was alright, but a voice demanded their attention.
"Can I please have your autographs?"
Marinette didn't miss the way her partner stilled beside her, but she felt herself relax as she met eyes with Alya, who was holding out - their notebook.
"This is my friend and I's notebook. She couldn't make it today, so I was hoping you two could sign it so I could show her!"
To Marinette's credit, she only hesitated for a second before taking hold of the pen and writing her new signature across the inner cover, before offering the pen to her partner.
He took it from her, slowly, before signing the notebook as well. She smiled at him in return, and he seemed to relax.
Suddenly becoming aware of the crowd once again, Marinette placed on hand on her yo-yo, the other coming to wrap around the middle of her partner, who was rather taken aback by this - but she knew the two of them had too much to discuss.
Marinette held him tight against her as they swung away from the crowd, slanding on a rooftop of a building about a block away from where they previously stood.
"Couldn't wait to get alone, could 'ya?" Her partner winked and Marinette blinked in surprised at his fowardness.
"You don't talk much, do you?" He questioned, tilting his head curiously. Marinette shrunk into herself, her arms coming to wrap around herself out of habit.
Her partner seemed even more confused before something seemingly dawned on him and his face took up an expression of horror.
"Oh, my God! I'm so sorry!" His hands flew up in a panic, "I should have noticed you were mute earlier! I didn't mean to hurt your feelings oe make you feel bad, I swear!"
Oh.
Well.
He was close.
Marinette paused, unsure of what to do. He wasn't necessarily wrong, but he wasn't exactly right. She could talk, she just - didn't. It was better this way, less painful than people mocking her voice.
She could tell him the truth, but...
Marinette bit her lip, remembering what Tikki had said about the importance of keeping their identities a secret. Only 5% of people in the world were deaf, and slightly less percentage of them were mute as well - not to mention the small amount in Paris alone.
Marinette nodded, going along with the misconception. With her antennae, she could technically hear - even if it felt like a radio tower was blasting out of her head.
"I'm so sorry," Marinette could feel herself jolt in surprise. He apologized. He apologized in Sign.
"You...you know Sign Language?" She questioned, hands removing themselves from her body to form the words.
A shy smile came across her partner's face, "yeah, I know a few languages. I felt this was an important one to learn, and I guess it was."
Maybe being a hero wouldn't be too bad after all, Marinette realized as she returned his shy smile with one of her own.
"We never got the chance to introduce ourselves," he started, "Chat Noir, nice to meet you, partner," he stuck his hand out for her to shake.
Marinette stood a little taller as she introduced herself, repeating the name she wrote to Alya, "Yùnqi." She signed before shaking his hand.
She nearly let out a squeak as he brought her hand to his lips, "the Chinese word for lucky? Well, it seems I'm the lucky one here to have a partner like you," Chat Noir winked at her ans Marinette willed her face to stop burning.
"Until next time, m'lady."
A long chapter for today! Adrien and Marinette have met, Hawkmoth has made an appearance, and Ladybug has a new name! Next chapter will be from Adrien's point of view ;)
Previous chapter.
First chapter.
