I just want to say that I am super proud of my husband. He comes from a conservative family that only recently is becoming more liberal (or at least his mom is) and occasionally he just doesn’t understand things. You know because he’s a cis white hetero male.
Early in the year, I told him that I am genderfluid. He was like “what does that mean?” I told him that it means I have “boy days” and “girl days” and some vague “they/them days”. He was like *shrugs* okay.
Then the other day (maybe a week ago) I was looking at clothing online and said something about something looking very girly and that sometimes I want to look girly, and he said “Are you girly today?” And it made me smile because he’s been so supportive about it :) He helps me get ready for drag things, and picks out my music, and coaches me on more masculine mannerisms for when I’m performing, and it just makes me heart so happy to know that even if he doesn’t really get it, he’s trying 🥰
Just putting it out there that non-abusive/manipulative partners are real and out there. Partners who would never even consider hurting you or bending you to their will. They aren't impossible to find and no matter how fucked up you think you are they will fall in love you. The notion that you have to love yourself for someone else to do so is fucking bullshit.
Author’s Note: Thank you all so much for your patience again! I meant to have this up on Tuesday, but between school finally starting back up, and getting back into the habit of regular updates, it just didn't happen. I promise I wasn't disappearing again!
First | Last
Marinette sits up when she hears a notification from that app. She and Chat had found a messaging app that they could both use without revealing their identities, and had been using it to communicate without having to transform.
It was already hard enough to sneak away for attacks, they didn’t need to make it more complicated.
It’s just a quiet study hour in the library, and she’s alone, so she pulls out her phone.
Cat Boy: hey bug
Cat Boy: weird question
Cat Boy: do you
Cat Boy: do u think that i weigh 2 much
Little Lady: no!
Little Lady: not at all kitty
Little Lady: underneath all that armor and magic leather im pretty sure your waist is the same size as mine
Little Lady: if anything you dont weigh enough
Little Lady: im bringing snacks on patrol
Little Lady: this is non negotiable
Little Lady: text me ur favorites
Little Lady: but later. what brought this on
Cat Boy: just civilian stuff
Cat Boy: i know i’m not overweight
Cat Boy: but seeing the numbers andstuff all the time it can kind of stick in ur head you know
Cat Boy: and then u start thinking about it
Cat Boy: and it sticks around longer
Little Lady: and then it’s taken root
Cat Boy: yeah
Little Lady: then we have some weeding to do >:(
Cat Boy: :)
Cat Boy: thanks bug
Little Lady: not a problem
---
Little Lady: do i do enough
Little Lady: like
Little Lady: all of this
Little Lady: is it good enough
Little Lady: paris and the kwamis and the akumas and hakwmoth
Little Lady: shouln’t I have fixed all of this bu now
Little Lady: it’s what im here for
Little Lady: but theres sill so much wrong and i feel like im not enough right to cancel it all out
Little Lady: and i just
Little Lady: i feel so bad
Little Lady: but half the time i dont even kno what i fel bad about u kno
Little Lady: i jsut fell bad
Little Lady: abuto evryting
Little Lady: o goodenss it 3 am
Little Lady: sory
Little Lady: ignreo tihs
Cat Boy: bug
Cat Boy: breathe
Cat Boy: five things you see
Little Lady: pilwo phonoe tiki cieling um
Little Lady: blankt
Cat Boy: four things you feel
Little Lady: bed
Little Lady: pilow hair sheets
Cat Boy: three things you hear
Little Lady: cars wind and keyboadr clicks
Cat Boy: two things you smell
Little Lady: the candle i had burning and bread
Cat Boy: bread?
Little Lady: bakery nearby
Cat Boy: oh okay
Cat Boy: one thing you taste
Little Lady: cookies
Cat Boy: there we go
Little Lady: thank you
Cat Boy: no problem
Cat Boy: do u want to talk
Little Lady: later. maybe on patrol?
Little Lady: i’m tired. haven’t slept all weekend
Cat Boy: …
Cat Boy: bug it’s MONDAY
Cat Boy: wait no
Cat Boy: TUESDAY
Cat Boy: go to bed
Little Lady: goodnight kitty
Cat Boy: gn littlebug
Today 9:32 AM
Little Lady: hey! im not that much shorter than you!
Little Lady: >:(((
---
“Are you sure, Lila?” Adrien asks, a frown creasing his face. “That doesn’t sound like something Marinette would do.”
“Well I-”
“My dude’s right,” Nino agrees, “That doesn’t sound like Nette at all.”
Adrien watches Marinette brighten quietly as the rest of the class comes to her defense. They all believe Lila still, yes, he’s not going to let the liar turn them on their Everyday Ladybug. Not on his watch.
After class, the dark haired girl approaches him. She gives him a soft hug, whispering a quiet ‘thank you’.
---
“Adrien,” Marinette calls.
The blond stops, turning. “Hey, Marinette. Did you need something?”
She shakes her head, giving a small smile, holding out a paper bag. “You were gone all morning for that photoshoot. I thought you might be hungry.”
Adrien freezes, staring at her in shock.
After a moment, she cringes, looking away. “B-but um, if you aren’t-”
He shakes his head, realizing his mistake. “No! No! Thank you so much! I just- You surprised me.” He gives her a grateful smile, trying to keep himself from crying. “I- that- I wasn’t expecting this. You’re wonderful, Marinette, really.”
She blushes violently as he takes the bag, digging into the pastries with a smile.
“I don’t usually remember lunch after shoots, so…”
She stares at him in horror. “That’s it,” she declares, “I’m bringing you lunch now. Everyday. No matter what.”
“How much? I’ll pay-”
“No, Adrien, we’re friends. You don’t need to pay me. Maman is always saying how she thinks you need to eat more anyways, so my parents would probably just give you free food if you so much as glanced in the window. I’m just making their dreams come true.”
He laughs, and she takes a moment to appreciate such a carefree look on the busy model’s face.
He’s happy.
That’s good.
---
Cat Boy: u okay bug
Cat Boy: u seemed upset today
Little Lady: im fine
Little Lady: just
Little Lady: tired
Little Lady: i should probably go now class will start soon
Cat Boy: okay
Cat Boy: if you say so
Adrien tries not to let his worry for his partner show as he slips his phone into his pocket and makes his way to Bustier’s class.
The battle was easy - Ladybug didn’t even need her Lucky Charm - but Cataclysm had been a requirement for this particular fight, so he hadn’t had time afterwards to check in with his friend.
He’s never good at focusing when he’s worried.
Nino slings an arm around him as they meet up on their way to class.
“Hey dude, um, I hope you don’t mind sitting with Nette today. She’s pretty wiped out - Al’s said she said somethin’ about a big commission? I dunno’, but we figure the less high up she is, the better, so I’m takin’ her seat today so she can go ground level.”
“Oh that’s fine! Is she okay?”
Nino gestures at the girl as they enter. She’s slumped forward, making her already small form even smaller, and while her sketchbook is out, the page is blank, and her pencil isn’t anywhere to be seen. There’s a to-go cup of coffee in the corner of the desk, and her head rests on her hand, her eyes staring blankly forward, unresponsive.
Adrien winces. “Goodness.”
“Yeah…” Nino shakes his head, then heads towards the girl’s usual seat. “You take care of her, alright?”
Adrien nods, sliding into his usual seat. “Hey, Mari,” he greets softly.
She straightens, blinking a few times before turning to face him with a weak smile. “Hey.”
“You feeling alright?”
She doesn’t get a chance to respond before Ms. Bustier walks in and class starts.
The lesson feels slow. Between Marinette and Ladybug, Adrien has the urge to hug someone and tell them that they’re okay, and that they’re good.
Both girls, at this point. The look in Marinette’s eyes is the same as Ladybug’s when she’s overworking herself to avoid thinking about something. The nights when he sees her patrolling even though she isn’t scheduled and he has to transform to go talk her into resting. The fights where she throws herself at akumas less thoughtfully, more brash. The post-battle interviews where her answers are slightly delayed, her eyes endlessly tired.
So when class is finally over, Adrien puts a gentle hand on her shoulder to keep her from going. Once everyone has filed out, he gives a small, worried smile.
“Are you feeling okay, Marinette?”
“I’m fine.”
“Marinette.”
She hesitates, her eyes straying from his to stare at nothing in particular. “I’m fine, Adrien, really. I’m just… just tired.”
“The coffee probably isn’t helping,” he teases.
“The coffee is my lifeblood.” She smirks, then sighs. “But I’m more than just sleep-tired.”
“Oh.”
She stands, gathering her things. “But thank you. For asking. And for caring.”
“Not a problem.” He hands her her sketchbook. “You deserve it.”
She looks at the sketchbook, then at his smile, and gives a genuine one of her own. “Yeah. Yeah I do.”
---
Author’s Note: Next (and final) chapter will be up sometime next week! I'll try to post weekly one-shots until I have A Shy 'Sparrow' fully written, and then I'll put that on a regular schedule.
Thank you all so much! Have a lovely day and stay safe! 💞
Author’s Note: Here we are! The final chapter! There was some delay, so thank you all for your patience!
First | Previous
Ladybug and Chat Noir stare at each other in frozen shock as their transformations time out. They’d both chosen the same alley, and there was no time to switch.
And suddenly it’s Marinette and Adrien in the alley, Tikki and Plagg watching silently.
“I-” Marinette chokes out. “I’m so sorry. I have to go.”
She rushes out without another word, her head down and shoulders drawn up as she brushes by Adrien. The blond lifts a hand toward her when she goes by, but pulls it back to his chest. He watches her go, then turns and walks the other way.
---
Tikki watches her Chosen sadly. The girl had rushed straight home and flopped onto her bed without another word. Not crying, but definitely shaking.
“Marinette, talk to me,” she prompts.
“What is there to talk about? He hates me now!”
“Why would he hate you?”
Marinette sits up, pushing herself off her pillow, then gestures at herself. “Because I’m me. Ladybug isn’t some hero! She’s just me.”
“You said the same to Chat Noir a while ago. What did he say then?”
She pauses, then looks away. “...he said we’re the same person.”
“And?”
“And he wants me to learn how to appreciate that.”
“So do you think he would hate you now? Just because he knows who you are?”
“Yeah, because I’m Marinette.”
“I disagree. How does Adrien feel about Marinette?”
She opens her mouth to say something about he probably couldn’t care less about her, then actually thinks.
And realizes, that at least in her mind, they’re actually friends. Adrien - socially deprived child that he is - probably would agree wholeheartedly with that statement.
She falls backwards onto her pillow, covering her face with her hands. “Oh nooooo, I’m an idiot.”
“You were overwhelmed by what happened. I don’t think that makes you an idiot, I think it makes you human.”
“An idiot human,” she groans. Then her body goes rigid, and she flies up, scrambling for her phone. “Oh no! He thinks I hate him!”
Tikki sits back. For now, her job is done.
Marinette: oh my kwami im so sorry
Marinette: i shouldnt have run off like that
Marinette: im honestly really happy that its you
Marinette: it was just so much at once and i was worried you would hate me and didnt want to see that because youre really important to me and im so so sorry
Adrien: yeah it definitely stung
Adrien: but plagg reminded me about your feelings about your identity so i kind of figured it had to do with that
Adrien: still had me worried though
Marinette: i know i know im so so sorry
Marinette: um maybe we can meet up for patrol later to talk
Marinette: give us both some time to process
Adrien: sounds like a plan princess
---
When Chat Noir lands on the roof, he’s immediately tackled in a tight hug by Ladybug. He barely manages to keep from falling over.
“I’m so sorry, mon minou.”
He returns the hug with a smile. “It’s okay, I understand.”
She finally steps back, looking at him with teary eyes. “No it’s not. I hurt you, even if you understand what happened now…”
“You aren’t, um, upset that it’s me, are you?”
“No!” Ladybug grabs his hands. “Never! There’s no one else that I would want to be my partner!”
“Okay.” He smiles. “Then I’m okay. No more apologies, m’lady.”
She looks as though she’s about to argue, then lets out a deep breath. “Fine. If that’s really enough, I’ll stop apologizing.”
He sits down against a wall, patting the spot beside him.
She sits there, smiling for a moment before it fades. “And, um, you aren’t… disappointed it’s me?”
Despite knowing how she feels about herself, he’s still surprised at how she can’t see how amazing she is. “Absolutely not. You’re wonderful, Bugaboo, your being you only makes you doubly awesome. I purr-omise.”
She gives him a small, but bright smile at that, then smacks him gently on the shoulder. “That was an awful pun.”
“Claw-ful?”
She giggles. “No!”
“Won-fur-ful?”
“Absolutely not!”
“Hiss-terical?”
“Nope.”
“Claw-ver?”
“Nuh-uh.”
“Purr-fect?”
“Kitty, I am paw-sitive that that was far from your purr-fect pun.”
He gasps in delight. “You punned!!”
“I shouldn’t have. Now you’ll never stop bugging me about-”
He gasps again, and it clicks.
“Hey wait! That one wasn’t purposeful!”
“Purr-poseful,” he whispers. His eyes are shining, and there’s a wide smile on his face.
“I’m just going to stop talking.”
He hugs her tightly, and she returns it begrudgingly. After a moment, he finally says, “Hey, does this mean we should delete that app?”
She hums. “Maybe we can just use it for hero business now.”
“Sweet.”
“You just liked the dumb nicknames, didn’t you?”
“Purr-haps.”
“I’m ignoring that, but we can change each other’s names to some equally horrible nickname for normal texting.”
“Even better!!”
Ladybug leans her head against his shoulder and smiles. “I’m glad it was you,” she says softly.
He leans his head against hers and takes her hand. “I’m glad too. I couldn’t ask for a better partner.”
She fights the blush rising on her face. “Neither could I. Partners, with or without the masks?”
He pauses. “And.”
She furrows her eyebrows. “What?”
“Partners, with and without the masks.”
A smile breaks across the girl’s face. “I like it.”
---
Author’s Note: Well, what do you think? I'm pretty pleased with it, though maybe one day I'll rewrite this. I don't know.
Now that this is finished, I'm going to try and post a one-shot about once a week - though that's very loose (trying to go easy on myself). For now, A Shy 'Sparrow' is on hold. I want to finish writing it before I start posting it again.
It's been lovely to be back and see you guys again! 💕💕💕
Author’s Note: Ladybug finally has a talk with her former teammates, and Marinette gets around to finishing something she's been putting off.
Chapter Summary: Ladybug and Chat Noir's interactions in this chapter are very precious. Like, they're real cute. Prepare yourself.
No warnings! This is a calm chapter. It's so weird to say, but there's only three left after this one, and chapter 42 is just an epilogue, so this story is well and truly wrapping up.
Goodness.
First | Previous | Next
Adrien is doing better. Marinette smiles at him, happy to see him resting happily. He’s basically recovered at this point, but she’d insisted he rest a little more, and being the cat he is, he didn’t protest.
She glances out the window and sighs. It’s no longer light enough out that she can justify waiting. It’s most certainly dark enough that Ladybug could go out without issue.
“Tikki, spots on.”
As quietly as she can, she creeps past the model and heads out through the balcony.
Whizzing through the city on her yo-yo, she gets to her first destination.
The window opens when she knocks.
“L-Ladybug?” Nino looks surprised to see her.
“Hello. I’m… I’m here to apologize. Last time I visited, I dropped some very shocking news on you with no explanation. I’m willing to explain myself now, especially since I believe you’ll be more receptive to what I have to say.”
“Oh. Yeah, uh, Dudette, I definitely figured it out.” He looks away.
She forces a gentle smile. “I understand, but I feel like you still deserve to hear a proper explanation from me, and the opportunity to ask any questions you might have.”
He nods, still not meeting her eyes.
“Due to the high rate of akumas at your school, Chat and I keep tabs on it. We… became aware of a situation with Ms. Dupain-Cheng and Ms. Rossi. After a few months of you and Alya both only further bullying Ms. Dupain-Cheng, I came to the realization that if I couldn’t trust you two to treat your friends well, I couldn’t trust you to be a good member of the team. Nino, you wielded the miraculous of protection, and you not only failed to protect your friend, you went out of your way to harm her. I could not let you continue to be Carapace.”
Tears have welled up in his eyes. “Why didn’t you tell me? Why didn’t you let me know so I could fix things?”
She sighs, doing her best to keep herself together. “I had already spoken directly to Adrien, and soon learned Marinette had been a witness to that conversation. Two of your close friends told you that Lila was lying, and you dismissed them. You made no effort to track me down for confirmation. You also immediately turned on me the day after I informed you of Carapace’s retirement. You refused to accept that you could have done something wrong and blamed an innocent girl so that you had someone to take it out on. You were given chances, and it shouldn’t have been up to me to let you know you were in the wrong. You ignored the signs, and that’s on you.”
He removes his glasses, wiping at his eyes with his forearm. “Y-yeah. I know. A-after what I did to M-M-Marinette…”
“Is there anything else you want to know?”
He shakes his head, returning inside.
Ladybug takes a few breaths to steady herself. That was more emotionally exhausting than she thought it would be.
One down. One to go.
It’s barely night, and it’s already a long one.
She goes to the roof, intending to get on her way to Alya’s when a dark figure catches her eye.
Chat Noir stands on the roof, arms crossed and looking at her, eyebrows raised.
“Ladybug. You did not specifically wait until I was asleep to sneak out and confront your former bullies alone again, did you?”
“Uh, well, when you phrase it like that…”
He sags, approaching her, face softening. “Bug. I told you, you don’t need to need to do this alone. You can have support.”
“I just didn’t want to bother you, and you need rest anyways, and-”
“Bug. Look at me.” He walks up to her, taking both of her hands in his. He leans down, touching his forehead to hers. He looks at her eyes for a moment. “I will say this as many times as it takes, but no matter what it is, no matter who it is - no matter what, if it is important to you, it’s important to me. If something’s bothering you, you can tell me. If you aren’t feeling well, mentally or physically, you can tell me. You matter, you’re important, and you are not alone.”
Her breath hitches, and a few tears show up in her bright blue eyes.
“Do you understand me, Mari?”
She nods, separating their hands to wrap her arms around him, burying her face in his chest, squeezing him tightly.
He holds her, kissing her hair. “I love you, Bug, I just want you to realize how important you are.”
“I love you too,” she sobs, voice cracking slightly.
She lets a few tears fall, then regains her composure.
“Alya next?” Chat asks.
She nods, and he follows her to the ex-reporter’s house. He sits on the roof, waiting for her as she goes to Alya.
“Alya?”
The girl whips around at her hero’s voice. Her eyes well up immediately. “Ladybug. I- I’m so sorry.”
“So am I. I’m here to apologize for how I broke the news to you in November-”
Alya shakes her head. “I don’t deserve an apology. I shouldn’t have reacted the way I did.”
“No, Alya, it was perfectly understandable. You deserved an explanation and that’s what I’m here to give you, even if it’s a little late. You deserve to have your questions answered. Chat and I keep an eye on your school, because so many students and faculty members have been akumatized there. We became aware of the treatment of Marinette Dupain-Cheng, and the role you played in that. You and Nino needed to be heroes with and without the miraculouses, and you didn’t do that. If anything, you were villains. It wasn’t my job to point things out, especially after I’d already outed Lila to two of your close friends. As the Fox, you had the power of illusions. You should have been able to see through the very clear lies that Ms. Rossi was spewing, and as a friend, you should have stuck-” Ladybug stops. Alya is sniffling and tears are streaming down her face endlessly. Her face falls. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to rub salt in the wound-”
“N-no I-I-I d-d-de-deserve it.”
“No. No you don’t.” Ladybug puts a gentle hand on her shoulder. “You were a victim of Lila. That doesn’t excuse your actions, but you shouldn’t beat yourself up over it.”
Alya clearly isn’t having it, so Ladybug tries to change the topic. “Is there anything you want to ask me?”
After a minute or two, Alya calms enough to mumble, “W-wh-why d-didn’t y-you t-t-t-tell th-this me b-before? Wh-why w-w-wait to e-explain-n-n?”
Ladybug sighs, staring at the sky. “I… I wasn’t doing very well late last year. I’d… lost some people that were very important to me, and I was having a rough time. I didn’t want to lose Carapace and Rena Rouge too, but I knew I had to let you guys go. I put it off for a while, but I was starting to slow down from the cold and I knew I couldn’t put it off any longer. I’m sorry about how I went about that.”
“Oh,” She sobs, “and I yelled at you. I’m so so sorry!”
“I- It’s fine. I didn’t really do the best job at explaining it to you.”
“Still.” Alya hiccups a few more times, trying to get her emotions under control. “I-I think you sh-should go home. You should r-rest. You sh-shouldn’t have t-to be up l-late because of m-me.”
Ladybug smiles at her a little, then nods, wishing her a goodnight and heading to the roof. Chat is waiting for her with open arms, and she collapses against him, shaking.
“It’s okay Bugaboo, it’s okay.”
“I- I just- I th-thought I w-was o-over all- all of this.”
“It’ll take more time than this. No one is expecting you to be all healed by now.”
She doesn’t respond initially, then she whispers, “Ladybug is supposed to be strong.”
“Oh Princess. You are strong, I promise you that.” He holds her face, wiping away a tear with a thumb. “You just have a hard time appreciating yourself.”
The soft smile she gives him makes him wonder, not for the first time, why he’s the sunshine child. Everything about her is blinding in the best possible way.
“Kitty, what would I do without you?”
He scoops her up. “Well, fur one, you’d have to get home on your own.”
She kicks. “Hey! You’re sick, you shouldn’t be patrolling, let alone carrying me!”
“Paw-lease, I’m mostly recovered and we both know it. You’ve been keeping an eye on me, so it’s time for me to return the favor. Now I get to take care of you!”
“What do you call most of this school year then?”
“Being your friend. Obviously.” He rolls his eyes, as though it was ridiculous that she even had to ask.
Before she can protest further, he takes off across the rooftops. He lands on her terrace, and sets her down. He bows. “I do hope you enjoyed your cat-xi ride, mademoiselle.”
She gives him an odd look, and murmurs to herself, “...catzee…?” A look of realization dawns on her face, and she punches his arm. “That was really bad, Chaton. It’s not even a taxi ride, because I didn’t pay you.”
“Your prrr-sence is enough,” he says, kissing her hand.
She blushes, but pushes his forehead back with her index finger. “That’s enough from you.”
“Claws in. Guess it’s Adrien’s turn then.”
“No, no cheesy pick up lines from you.” She turns away, finally entering her room.
Pouting, he follows her. “But cheesy pick up lines are the best,” he whines, sitting on her chaise, across from where she sits at her desk chair.
She raises an eyebrow, then grows concerned at the cheshire grin on his face. Before she can ask what he’s up to, he starts to talk.
“I can make do without pick up lines, beautiful.”
She turns a little pink, and decides to pretend to focus on designing. He rolls around on the chaise, laying on his back but facing her.
“Hey. Hey. Marinette. Heyyyyy, Mariiiiiii! You’re really pretty, and you’re so nice, and you’re super smart, because, like, you always come up with the best plans all the time, and your eyes are absolutely stunning, and you are such a good person and-” He glances at her, and her face is about the same color as Tikki. “Maybe I should stop, I’m worried about all your blood going to your face.”
Adrien hangs off the lounge, looking at her upside-down. He waits until her face begins to cool off, then he adds, “Not that you don’t look good in red, of course.”
She squeaks, and her face goes crimson again.
---
Patisserie Princess: so um
Patisserie Princess: i think im gonna go through all my old stuff finally
Patisserie Princess: so if you guys want to come over and help then yeah
The Mom Friend: omw
Melodie: I’m close already, so I’ll be there quick.
Kid Mime: im on ur roof
Felix: I will head over.
Patisserie Princess: thanks
Patisserie Princess: wait wat
The Mom Friend: the roof roof or the balcony roof
The Mom Friend: coz 1 of those is v dangerous
Kid Mime: balcony roof
Melodie: Okay.
Patisserie Princess: how and why????
Hug This Boy: Because Claude.
Hug This Boy: There is no logic where there is Claude.
The Mom Friend: yep
Patisserie Princess: but on my roof???
Felix: I found them clinging to the outside of my window once.
Kid Mime: that was fun
Kid Mime: mari is it good for me to come in now
Kid Mime: ur flowers r pretty but ur prettierrrrrrrrr!!!
Patisserie Princess: yes u can come in
Once Marinette sends that, she hears her trapdoor open and turns to see Claude landing on her bed, smiling wide.
“You really were on my roof.”
They grin more. “That’s what I said, isn’t it?”
“Well yeah, but my roof? How did you even-”
“Mari!” Claude gasps. “You should know that a magician never reveals their secrets!”
Adrien comes up through the trapdoor, bearing a tray of cookies. “Hey Claude. Cookie?”
“Yes!”
Marinette just blinks, still trying to figure this out.
Kid Mime: haha
Kid Mime: i got the first cookie
Melodie: Because you were on the roof.
Melodie: For who knows what reasons.
The Mom Friend: 4 claude reasons obviously
Kid Mime: see? mom gets me
Felix: No one truly understands you, if we are all being honest.
Patisserie Princess: yea im still confused
Melodie: Honey, by now I would have thought you’d know not to dwell on the how.
Kid Mime: ive been told i cause headaches
The Mom Friend: and heart attacks
Felix: Marinette, it would be for the best if you did not spend an excessive amount of time attempting to comprehend him.
Felix: He is Claude, and that is the best explanation we will ever truly get.
Patisserie Princess: i suppose
Melodie: I’m here!
Kid Mime: thats great
Melodie: …
Melodie: Don’t let Claude finish off the cookies.
Kid Mime: wat wood make u think id do that
Patisserie Princess: he just stuffed three in his mouth
Patisserie Princess: u may want to hurry
---
When they’ve all arrived, Marinette retrieves the stuff from last time when they’d sorted. Marinette looks over the piles, trying to decide what to do. The others wait patiently.
“Okay, I think I’ll keep all the pictures. This is basically my entire childhood, and I’m not going to let what happened taint my past. Especially a lot of these early ones.” She looks over a few photos, finding some with especially young versions of the classmates. “I’m not going to blame four year old Nino for what present Nino did.”
“We can help you find a photo album for all these sometime then.”
She nods gratefully.
“Paper then… uh, if it’s just schoolwork, we can recycle it. Unless it’s some big project or you think I might want it, then I can look over it. Um. Designs can stay. I’ll look over cards…” She continues to list off what can happen to anything they might find in the mess. “Anything else, you can just leave to me.”
So they get started, and the pile of things getting thrown out or recycled grows and grows. It’s not nearly as tense or sad of an atmosphere as it had been last time, instead, they talk and joke as they would any normal day. Sometimes Marinette grows quiet, looking at something in her hands with an expression that doesn’t fall into any singular category.
Glee and anguish are usually considered opposites.
The mess of pining, fear, nostalgia, grief, and an unending amount of other emotions on her face is almost physically painful to see.
If she seems okay, they’ll keep talking, letting her feel in peace. Other times, she’s clearly struggling, so one of them will touch her softly, or hug her gently, pulling her from the past back to the present.
She laughs plenty too. This time around is clearly easier for her, and her progress is undeniable.
It’s good to see her good.
---
Author’s Note: I told you they were precious. I told you! How does it feel knowing that the angst in this story is basically over? You've got mostly fluff and sweetness until the end. Sure, I'll be getting those extra one-shots up eventually, so those will have salt, guilt, etc, but the next chapters? Smooth sailing, my friends.
Speaking of sailing, yes, our ships will be sailing by the time this is fully posted. No worries, we'll get a kiss, it's already written and everything.
I keep realizing I'm not really doing anything productive, and I'm like 'Oh! I'll just work on With Time!'. Nope! Can't do that anymore, so I'm finally getting around to those one-shots I've been promising. I'm sure some of you stalk the comments, do any of you remember anything I mentioned getting around to write that took place in the main story but didn't get into a chapter? If you don't that's fine. If you think of anything you want to see, regardless of if I've mentioned it before, just let me know. I'm finally starting a legitimate list. So far, I have Tikki and Plagg talking after the reveal (low priority), Alya and Nino's respective apologies to Adrien, and Gabriel and Nathalie realized they screwed up after the GoodFriends™ launched their whole thing last chapter. Anything else?
Thanks for reading! Feel free to leave any thoughts, theories, constructive criticism, or anything really in my ask box, in replies or through reblogs. I love seeing what you think!
Author’s Note: I thought the phrase 'I got you' could made for a good hurt/comfort prompt after seeing it out of context on my phone. I eventually decided to make Ladybug a child because children are adorable, and while plenty of people write akumas making these two into children, they aren't ~angsty~ enough. Really though, this devolved into fluff.
Chapter Summary: Ladybug is turned into a child by an Akuma, and kidnapped by Mayura.
“I am the Little Princess! Big kids and adults are meanies!! Little kids will run the world!”
Chat Noir and Ladybug sigh. Hawkmoth is truly vile, but it’s always awful to see a little kid akumatized.
“I swear, when I get my hands on that man…” Ladybug growls.
Chat just snarls in agreement.
With that, they jump into action, doing their best to avoid the attacks. From observation, they know it’ll turn them into a child, and the attacks are pretty good at hitting their marks.
It would be catastrophic if either of them got hit.
Then one of them does.
Chat doesn’t even see it happen. One moment he’s focused on the akuma, coming closer to grabbing her akumatized object than they’d ever come before, the next, there’s a horrible shriek.
He backs off, turning in the direction of the sound.
His heart sinks.
A toddler sized Ladybug is trapped in Mayura’s arms. She’s kicking and screaming, crying in undeniable fear. Through her tears, she’s reaching towards him desperately.
He growls, jumping towards the building the pair are on.
Before he can land, the villainess turns and takes off, disappearing into the city, taking his partner with her. Ladybug’s cries die down and his mind runs wild with what Mayura could have done to silence her.
The akuma had taken his distraction to move on to other parts of the city, ignoring him. He didn’t really care about Little Princess at the moment, because his princess had just been kidnapped by a villain, and he’s panicking, and he can’t focus, and he can’t breathe, and he messed up, and-
Plagg’s voice in his head tells him to go home so they can talk, because Chat needs to calm down.
Right. He won’t be any help if he’s freaking out.
Heading back to the flat he shares with Marinette-
Focus.
Entering through the balcony, he shuts the door behind him. “Claws out.”
Adrien stares at Plagg helplessly.
“Kid, it’ll be okay.”
“But they’re going to take her miraculous! They’ll know who she is! This is all my fault! I should have done a better job of watching her back!”
“It’s possible, yes. It seems like they wanted to distract you more than anything though. How many times have they had the chance to take a miraculous and didn’t, because they wanted to take both at once? Even if they did, I doubt they’d recognize your Baby Bug.” Plagg grows serious, narrowing his eyes at the blonde. “Don’t you dare blame yourself for this. You were doing your job. Mayura and Hawkmoth took advantage of that, and your partner doesn’t blame you either, I’m sure.”
Adrien is still shaking, looking uncertain.
“Just go find your lady. I’m sure you’ll feel better then.” Plagg rolls his eyes, but he’s more than a little edge too.
Adrien nods, transforming. Chat Noir takes out his baton, accessing the tracker on Ladybugs’ yo-yo.
He hurries outside, back to the rooftops.
Eventually, he finds a small red and black spotted yo-yo, abandoned in the streets. He picks it up and holds it like a treasure.
His tail lashes violently behind him.
He pulls up the Ladyblog, looking for any reported sightings of Mayura.
On his map, he marks where he found the yo-yo, then adds the sparse sightings of Hakwmoth’s right hand as well.
He’s left with an area that is far, far, bigger than he’d want, but it’ll have to work for his search.
---
It’s been over an hour since Ladybug was taken, and he’s only made it through about half of the area he’s been searching. The next building up is abandoned, and should be empty.
Instead, when he draws near, he hears movement inside.
The swish of a long skirt, and the quiet whimper of a child.
He’s got them.
Chat moves so that he can see inside without giving himself away. Ladybug is sleeping uneasily, and he gets the feeling there may have been a sentimonster involved in getting her to sleep. Though, it’s gone now, likely for the sake of drawing less attention.
Mayura isn’t even watching her victim, pacing on the other side of the room, possibly talking with Hawkmoth.
As much as he wants to get revenge for what she did, she’s not his priority.
Creeping around to the window right behind Ladybug (seriously, do these guys think anything through?), he opens it silently. Reaching inside, he scoops up the small heroine and holds her securely against his chest.
Sending a glare at the villainess who isn’t even looking in this direction, he jumps away.
Ladybug needs to go home.
---
Ladybug was whimpering the whole trip back home, shaking quietly in his arms.
The farther they get from where she was held, the weaker whatever spell was on her seems to get. She’s fully conscious by the time they get back to their home, and he sets her down carefully.
She still hasn’t opened up her eyes, curled up tightly against herself. She’s visibly shaking and still whimpering.
Oh dear Kwami, what did they do to her?
He crouches next to her, putting a hand on her shoulder.
Her eyes crack open, and grow wide in fear when she sees him. She scrambles backward, sniffling and tearing up.
“N-no. N-not ‘g-gain.”
“Ladybug?”
She holds her hands above her head in a defensive position. “Y-you n-not m-m-my kit-t-t-tty. Y-you f-fake.”
There’s a pit in his stomach. She’s terrified of him.
“I’m real, I promise,” he says gently, careful not to go any closer.
“Nuh-uh. S-said that las’ t-time, th-then you- you-” her voice cracks and she sobs lowly, trying her best to stay quiet.
He silently wills away his transformation, the green light draws her attention to him.
Seeing Adrien there, with Plagg floating nearby, she sobs again, this time in relief, “You is r-real.”
She crawls over to him, hugging him hesitantly, as though he might disappear.
In response, he picks her up entirely, holding her tightly. Littlebug cuddles closer to him.
Petting her hair, he whispers, “Shhh, shhh. It’s okay, I got you. I got you.”
Plagg sits on her head, purring loudly.
“You’re safe now, I got you. Nothing is going to happen.”
He’s not sure if she or Tikki ends the transformation, but there’s a soft pink flash, and soon he’s holding a child sized Marinette, Tikki on her shoulder.
After a few more minutes, Marinette grows tired. She blinks at him groggily.
“Do you want to take a nap?”
She shakes her head. “Scary.”
If he ever gets his hands on Mayura-
Right now is for Mari, though.
She needs him.
He tilts her head to make her look at him properly. “Hey, Baby Bug, you’re safe, it’s okay if you’re tired.”
She hugs him tighter, sniffling. “Got da’ real one now, I don’ wan’ t’ lose you aga’n…”
“I won’t leave you, I promise. You won’t lose me. Those copycats can’t beat the real thing!”
She smiles a little at that. “No leave?”
“Never. I promise.”
She accepts this with a nod, giving in to her exhaustion and slumping against him. Her drowsiness slowing her breathing and pulling her into a light doze. She’s not sleeping yet, but the fact that she’s finally letting herself rest relieves him.
He hums softly, standing to move to the couch. He pulls a soft blanket over the girl, resting against the couch while she naps.
After a moment, he hears the shutter of a camera going off, and turns to see Tikki giggling and Plagg cackling while they both take pictures on their chosens’ phones.
He glares half-heartedly, whispering, “Don’t you have anything better to do? Shouldn’t Tikki have been de-aged too?”
The Ladybug Kwami just giggles some more. “No, it didn’t affect me. The hit simply reverts the victim to a more juvenile form and state of mind. Memories remain intact, and Kwamis don’t ‘grow up’ as so many life forms here do, there’s nothing for it to have changed me to.”
“Alright. But keep quiet would you?”
“Aww, is the kitten grumpy?” Plagg teases, “Can’t swat at the Kwamis with Littlebug on you, huh?”
Adrien glowers.
---
Marinette blinks a few times, trying to figure out what’s going on. She shifts a little, eventually sitting up, tiny hands resting on whatever she’d been sleeping on.
She yawns widely, then hears a camera click. She turns, still rubbing at her eyes with one hand squinting. Red-blob and Black-blob seem to be holding phone-blobs.
The Kwamis are taking pictures then.
Okay.
She waves at them sleepily, closing her eyes for a moment, still rubbing at her face with a fist.
Tikki and Plagg seem to be enjoying themselves, at least. She leans back, realizing something is supporting her back, likely to keep her from falling.
Huh.
She turns, seeing that there’s an arm around her side, someone’s hand holding up her back. She follows the arm to a face.
She gasps delightedly.
“Kitty!!”
Adrien smiles at her. “Hi, Princess.”
She stands, trying to get at his eye level. Squishing his face with her hands, she giggles happily at the funny face. He holds onto her side gently, not wanting to test her balance.
She releases her hold, booping his nose cheerfully. “Hi!!!”
“Hi.”
“You already said that, silly!”
“Oh of course, my mistake.” He boops her nose, and she voices the motion, cheerfully announcing the ‘boop!’.
He mimes taking her nose. “Got your nose!”
She gasps, hands flying to her face. She keeps her hand over where her nose used to be, and pouts. In retaliation, she reaches out and takes his nose.
“Ha! Take that!”
“Oh no! You got me!”
She holds her hand out to him, opening it. “You can have it back. Kitty cats need their noseseses.”
“Why thank you,” he pretends to put his nose back on. “In that case, you may have your nose-es-es back as well.” He holds out his hand. She snatches her ‘nose’ back immediately, fixing it back on her face and sticking her tongue out at him.
“Now dat we bo-vf have ow-r noses, we gotta’ go get the ‘kuma!”
“You can rest for a little longer,” Adrien argues.
She shakes her head. Tikki sighs and sets the phone down, just in time for Littlenette to cry, “Tikki! Spots on pw-ease!!”
Littlebug stand before him, in a red and black spotted play dress, her arms and legs protected by black fabric, her usual mask on her face and red flats with a buckle strap on her feet.
“Kitty!” she whines, “We gotta’ gooo!!”
“Alright, alright.”
He turns to Plagg.
“Maybe you should take a tip from Pigtails, kid. What’s the magic word?”
Littlebug raises her hand eagerly, jumping slightly. “Ooh!! Ooh!! ‘Pw-ease’! It’s ‘pw-ease’!!! ‘Pw-ease’ and ‘thank you’ are the magic words!!!!”
“Thank you. Nice to see some respect around here.”
Adrien rolls his eyes. “Plagg, claws out, please.”
His partner beams at him, then she hurries out to the balcony. When she can’t reach the edge, she climbs onto a chair, then a table, then balances precariously on the edge of the railing.
Chat Noir takes that as his cue, hurrying over and sweeping her off the railing quickly and easily. He holds her against his side instead.
She pouts. “I’m a hero too!!”
“I know, but I’d like to carry you this time, okay? Teamwork.”
She ponders this, before deciding she agrees and nodding. “Kay.”
So Chat takes out his baton, using it to propel himself to the rooftops while keeping one hand around his partner. It’s only a matter of following the trail of confused children to track down the akuma.
That sentence would not make sense out of context, but this is his life.
Once they’re on the same rooftop as the victim, Littlebug squirms to be put down. He sighs, complying hesitantly.
She hurries over to Little Princess, and he just about has a heart attack.
Before he can shout to her, she’s tugging on the akuma’s skirt.
“Hey!!! Your dress is w-eally pw-etty!!”
Chat takes out his baton, swinging it out to grow in size, ready for anything it might do to her.
Instead, the girl drops her wand in surprise and smiles.
“W-eally??! Thank you!!!” She blushes a little. “Your dw-ess is w-eally p-ity too!!!”
Suddenly the heroine and akuma victim are babbling to each other about each of their outfits, compliments flying back and forth.
Chat shakes off his surprise, giving the pair a wide berth as he goes behind her to grab the forgotten wand. He snaps it, releasing the butterfly.
Ladybug stares in wonder for a moment, then points excitedly to it to the dazed little girl beside her.
“Bu-dderfw-y!!”
She takes out her child sized yo-yo, capturing and cleansing it just as easily as she always does.
“Miracu-wus W-adybug!!!”
As the beetles sweep across the city, Ladybug is reverted back to her usual height.
“Hey, Bugaboo. Nice to be back?”
“Yeah. That was… weird.”
There’s a gentle tug on her leg, and she looks down to see the little girl who had been akumatized looking up at her.
“Hi sweetheart!”
“D-do you still f-ink dat my dress is pw-itty?”
“Oh of course!! It’s very nice!” Chat watches his partner scoop up the child and holds her comfortably. “In fact, it’s even prettier since you’re wearing it! I love your hair, did you do that yourself or did someone help you?”
“I chose it, and Mommy did it.”
“Well she did a great job, and you made a wonderful choice!” The girl giggles, and Ladybug smiles with her. “What do you say, should Chat and I take you back to your Mommy?”
She nods eagerly.
---
Ladybug sighs, watching the little girl walk away with her mother. “I hate when he gets the children.”
“I know. We both do,” he puts a hand on her shoulder, squeezing her comfortingly.
Taking out her yo-yo, she looks at him curiously. “So what did I do? My memories are kind of foggy.”
“You were adorable.”
She rolls her eyes, ignoring him as she moves to the roof. He follows, keeping up teasing commentary the whole way. Landing on their balcony behind her, he adds, “Either way, Tikki and Plagg made sure there was plenty of documentation.”
“Oh they didn’t.”
“Pictures and videos.”
“It’d be too much to hope that it’d be as simple as just deleting them, huh?”
“They’re Gods, there’s no way that you’d be able to get rid of anything they wanted to keep.”
She flops on the couch. “Fair enough. Tikki, spots off.” The Ladybug Kwami giggles as she flies out into the air.
“What? No ‘please’ this time?”
“Just what did I do?”
He doesn’t bother to explain, simply releasing his Kwami. “Claws in.”
Plagg flies over to her, sitting on her head. “You were our entertainment, that’s what.”
Marinette groans, sinking into the couch further.
---
Author’s Note: Thanks for reading! Feel free to leave any thoughts, theories, constructive criticism, or anything really in my ask box, in replies or through reblogs. I love seeing what you think!
