AU where Marinette is aromantic and oblivious to romance in general, but doesn't realize aeomantisism is a thing, just think she is waiting for the one.
Half of her classmates have had crushes on her at some point, and they think she is trying to let them down gently by pretending not to notice their almost flamboyant attempts to win her affections.
Nino? Same as canon, tries to ask her out to the zoo but stutters over his words. Marinette is concerned when their other friends don't show. She also thinks he is getting a fever due to the flush he has.
Chloe? She bullies Marinette because Mari was her first love in middle school. She asked Marinette out and was surprised to see half the class to show up at their first date.
Juleka and Rose? Neither are open to poly exactly, but they both admit to each other that if Marinette were to make a move, it might count as one of their 5 Free Passes. (Those are still a thing couples joke about right?)
Kim and Alix? Most of their bets and competitions are actually trying to see who has the right to ask her out first. They might both be into her, but they are also best friends and want to do it fairly.
Nath? He once gifted her a series of 5 full sheet drawings of their relationship and where he hoped it would go. The first was them meeting, then them holding hands, first date, first kiss, ending with a half drawn wedding. She thinks he is trying a new story style and is using her as a model for female characters because her short slight stature makes her easier to draw.
Alya knows about all these crushes and is torn between laughing her ass off, telling Mari that she is a serial heartbreaker, and letting the class know she genuinely has no idea how they feel.
It is Lila of all people who brings it all out in the open. She is making stories about her poor friend who is being bullied because of their sexuality. The rest of the class starts sharing stories that they have heard about from people in the community. Eventually:
"A friend of mine has this guy who keeps asking her out on dates, despite her saying to his face that she isn't interested and has told him she's aro, but he just doesn't get it." -Someone in class
"Aro? What's that?" -Marinette
"You don't know? An aromantic person is someone who just doesn't feel romantic love. No falling in love. Just interested in making friends." -Classmate
Marinette os sittingvwith wode eyes in silence for a second. Then she spins to Alya, huge grin on her face.
"Alya! I'm aromantic! I have a word!"
(Something like that)
Cue confusion and pandemonium as class realizes their potential romance was down the drain.
It was an observatory once. A circular room with a single ornate window of beautiful craftsmanship. With a few mechanisms, it could be positioned perfectly for viewing any part of the night sky. Anyone would say it was a work of art.
Such a shame what it ended up being used for, though.
A blond male stood within the empty room looking out the now open window to the bigger city. A city that even at that moment was undergoing some rather great changes. He had a role in the current state of things, and felt pride in that.
If things had been different—if none of this had happened, what would he be doing now? Still going about his days restricted and isolated? Still fighting a hopeless battle? Still wishing for things that would never be?
“Sir.”
Adrien was pulled from his musings by a familiar voice, though he barely gave her a glance.
“Nathalie.” He greeted verbally. It was unnecessary now to bother with her name now, but it was only polite, regardless of her current status. “Have you found him?”
“No, sir,” Nathalie replied monotonously. “He managed to escape the Trackers. The last reports are that he has been making his way out the city. Some have indicated he was in the company of a group.”
That man. Of course he could never quit. He felt rage and resentment starting to boil under his skin, but forced himself to keep calm. He didn’t need to start an alarm.
“I see. Keep searching. They haven’t left the city yet. And knowing him, it may be a ruse to circle back around.” Knowing him, he wouldn’t be content to simply let this go. For once, Adrien hoped that would be the case.
Oh, not out of any desire for the man’s pathetic excuse for “love”, no, but just so he could thank him for the one worthwhile gift Gabriel had ever bestowed unto him before using that very gift to remove the man from his life once and for all.
Conversion was too kind of a fate for the man who was Hawk Moth. After all the misery and torment he had caused, even the listless life of a Drone was more than he deserved. But the question was still what to do with him once they found him? Perhaps Adrien could present his head to his Lady as a gift?
No, she wouldn’t like that. What would she do with it, anyway? Other than let him keep it to bat around at every so often? He’d get bored soon enough. And honestly, despite the initial humor of it, he wouldn’t want any reminder of the man anyway.
Not to mention that it would simply make a mess everywhere and start to smell after a time. They were so much more sensitive to such things now. Apparently blood was more of an annoyance to get out of carpet than he’d thought and the smell of even a few drops remained despite attempts to remove or cover it.
Oh well, carpets could be replaced easily enough.
“What else?”
“We have also sought out the location you gave us of one ‘Wang Fu’ you requested to be taken into custody.” She said as if reading off a script. There was really little difference in her countenance now, only she really was as emotionless as she always pretended to be. “By the time it was found, the parlor was devoid of any life. It is possible he may be among the group of those attempting to flee the city.”
That was troubling news. Fu still had Plagg and the other Miraculous with him, and from what Adrien was told, a copy of the book as well. The old man was crafty and resourceful to have lasted as long as he had. If he wasn’t found, there was every likelihood that he would pass out more Miraculous to others in an attempt to ‘rescue’ the city. He may even have a way to undo their connection, much as Adrien shuddered to think of it. Master Fu was the Guardian for a reason, after all. The fact that he was the last of them was more of a boon than anything.
It only made Adrien all the more grateful that Marinette and Ladybug had been one and the same. He had been outright giddy when he discovered the truth. And it only made him love her more. Now not only did it mean he was not forced to harm his Lady, but it also meant all of Ladybug’s knowledge and abilities were now benefitting the collective. Including the Ladybug earrings as well as all the memories and interactions she had with the Guardian.
Adrien knew from Marinette’s knowledge of Fu and that he had made more than his share of mistakes over the years, including the destruction of his own monastery. It eased some of his worries to know the Guardian was not infallible, but still...he didn’t want to take any chances. Especially not now that Plagg was with him.
Better safe than sorry, after all.
There had to be some way to get to the old man. Adrien owed him so much. He would hate to have to continue as enemies. If only they had a way to convince him...or at least slow him down or startle him enough to give them an edge.
Adrien paused, considering for a moment before an idea struck him.
“See if you can’t find where Marianne Lenoir is among those to be processed.” He ordered with a smirk. Because if anyone could counter Fu, she would be the best option.
It was the least he could do for Fu, after all. And besides, who was he to keep two old loves from reuniting?
And bringing Marianne into the matter would help all the more to keep Gabriel from getting his greedy tainted grips into the other man, Adrien thought with a sneer. Gabriel would use anyone. And Fu wouldn’t refuse any assistance if he felt the circumstances were dire. He didn’t want Fu to feel he had to resort to working with his enemy out of some misguided desire to remove him from his new place in life and ‘save them from themselves’.
Better to end this quickly, he realized. Before anyone else realized what he was doing and attempted to alert the others.
“Notify those at the outskirts of the city to keep a look out. No one is to leave the city at this time. Detain anyone who is not recognized or unresponsive to the link.”
The Drone’s eyes flashed as she accepted the command.
“Yes, sir.”
With that, she was gone. And Adrien was alone. Alone in this dreary place that housed his father’s selfish short-sighted schemes. What had he been thinking? Wasting so much time and causing so much damage—all for what? A family he had as good as forgotten about for the past year? Even before?
Now that he had the memories of others to draw on and compare to, it only made his isolation and loneliness all the more bitter. Seeing what it was like to have actual loving families. Birthdays and Christmases and holidays spent together. Meals and games around a table. Parents that actually came to competitions and events.
He was just so jealous.
None of the others flaunted their good fortune. They showed him because they wanted to share it. They wanted him to see and experience what healthy and happy homes were like. And he appreciated that, he really did. He couldn’t help but feel grateful that they cared enough about him to want to share that warmth and include him.
But…
Those memories only made it all the more apparent what he was lacking. And he couldn’t help the grief and resentment he felt. For his life. For his loss. All because of his dear father, who was so caught up in a past he had been barely part of in the first place to appreciate the present that was still there.
Nostalgia truly did make fools out of people.
He would not be so blind.
When that fool of a man was finally found, Adrien wouldn’t waste words. Words were meaningless now, just as they always had been coming from him. Meaningless in the new home he found himself part of, where feelings were more real and said everything he needed. And meaningless to the man who was incapable of any feeling.
It still hurt, knowing that his own father had been behind the mask of his enemy. But it helped having his true family supporting him. His pain had been theirs. His sorrow was soothed by their support. And their anger at the revelation and his past mistreatment had spurred his own—even when he hadn’t known such dark feelings to exist.
If he still had been anything like he used to be, he would be horrified by all of this. By the current state of things. By what he had turned his friends into. By what he was doing to the city. By what he intended to do to his own father. By what he had helped to do to Lila.
But whatever bit of the old Adrien Agreste that remained was silent. He had been one of the ones to witness the liar being dragged off to her decided fate. No matter how she cried, pleaded, and struggled against them, it was futile. At one point, she managed to break away, rushing straight for him of all people once she saw him, sobbing and babbling. She had grabbed onto his shirt, begging for help. Begging for him to save her.
“Adrien, please! Don’t let them do this to me!”
And instead, he merely smiled in that way he knew people loved and Lila once adored.
“This is for the best, Lila.”
He watched as his words registered and her face twisted in horror at the realization. Of just how alone she truly was. That no one would be taken in by her again. That the end had come. And that all her lies and manipulations had been what led to this. At that point, he helped the others to take Lila to her judgement, though his assistance was no longer necessary. He had already seen the way the light left her eyes and she lost any sense of hope. Still, it was only polite to have a friend escort her to her end. Not that she was much of a friend to him, but Adrien could at least pretend for her in her final moments.
He should have felt remorse. And yet, there was nothing. No guilt. No inner conscience telling him this was wrong. None of that moral righteousness crying about how ‘other people’ felt. It was just gone.
And he couldn’t be happier for it.
Before, he was ignorant to the injustices of his life and suppressed his own feelings in a desperate attempt to appease others.
Now, he suppressed those darker emotions, but for an entirely different reason.
His family. And of course, his Queen.
He could feel her in the back of his mind. Offering direction, reassurance, and affirmation as needed. Keeping lines of communication clear and all Workers orderly. She was so busy, especially as they were starting out. And yet, she still made sure to offer kindness and support to each of them. No matter how busy she was, she was never too busy for him.
Adrien sighed, trying to will the negative thoughts away. There was no need for that now that they were whole. But he still couldn’t help but feel the intense urge to rip that man apart.
There was no doubt in his mind that Gabriel was looking into every possibility to worm his way back and take away yet another piece of happiness Adrien had managed to make for himself. He half-wondered if the man wouldn’t find a way to piece himself back together if made a Drone. He certainly was stubborn enough. Still, it was all the more reason he needed to be dealt with before he could become any more of a threat. Just like Lila had been. Just like Chloe once was before Marinette decided to show mercy, even as she had to relive the cruelty the other girl put her through.
Chloe had been grateful for the opportunity to serve the Hive afterwards, and the collective did seem stronger for it. But he still remembered the pain and resentment from Marinette’s memories of the heiress. And it hurt that she had been forced to feel that, especially as she was offering this chance to her tormentor for what she thought was Adrien’s own sake.
That was why Adrien had taken it upon himself to deal with the man this time without allowing the others to be aware. It only seemed fitting. It was his father. His burden. And his gift to the collective for accepting him so readily.
Especially Marinette. After everything that had happened and everything he had not done for her, he still didn’t think he deserved her. Her love for him was more than he ever hoped it could be, even if it was too much for her own good. It was...beautiful. Overwhelming. A dedication that he had never experienced before and only made him want to return it all the more. She had done so much for him without him even knowing. And out of this love for him, she would no doubt try to rehabilitate his father and add him to the collective if she thought that was what Adrien wanted.
It really wasn’t. He didn’t need a father. Especially not such a sorry excuse for one as Gabriel Agreste. His collective was his family. They were his support. His lifelines. The only ones he needed. He no longer needed a parent’s guidance now that he had her to lead him. And he certainly didn’t need that man continuing to meddle in his life and desperately trying to remind him of years of emptiness he wanted to forget.
But he could hardly tell her that. It would only make her sad.
He wanted to spare her this. His Queen was still so kind-hearted. She didn’t need to deal with the mess of the transition or Adrien’s petty feelings or lingering issues with him.
But…she WAS kind-hearted. And though she didn’t need to and shouldn’t have to, she did care. Too much, perhaps, even now. He loved her for it, even as it frustrated him. He only wanted to keep her at peace, after all.
His attempts were in vain. Though he tried to suppress it, she sensed his ire and turned her focus on him, questioning. And he could never hide anything from her—could never want to so long as she was there and he was hers. Soon enough, he felt her searching and finding the source of his negative feelings. At that, her curiosity turned to concern and he almost collapsed at the pure sensation of comfort that enveloped him in response as she brushed those horrible thoughts away.
He felt it, like a hand petting through his hair, making him want to lean his head back into it and purr. It was bliss. She didn’t even need to soothe away his lingering resentment, simply having her affection was enough.
Of course, why settle for it through the link when he could have the real thing?
Within minutes, he left that dreary place to the much warmer and homey nest they had begun building of the mansion. He spared no notice to the Drones and Workers inside, and they all knew enough to stay out of his way as he was being called.
The Core group sensed his intent and responded with laughter and sensations. A noogie from Nino and a whisper of encouragement. A push from Alya and demand to not keep “her girl” waiting. Giggles and nudges urging him onward and to hurry up already!
Soon enough, he was at the Office. Where that man once resided and where she now took her rightful place in leading this new world they were making. She was every bit the Queen in grace and presentation for all the she maintained the appearance of a normal teenage girl. But she was humble. Even with everything at her disposal, she still preferred to use her own designs as before. Looking at her in her normal clothes and pig-tails, no one outside of the collective would think she was the leader. She didn’t need anything extravagant to show her position. And none of them needed any such thing to recognize her.
“Adrien!” Marinette exclaimed, smiling at him knowingly when he entered. She knew he was coming. He knew she did. But her face still lit up upon seeing him enter and it made him feel more at home than this place had ever been to him.
She wagged a finger at him. “You’ve been trying to be secretive again.”
He smiled, reaching forward to take her hand in his own and bestow it with a kiss. “I only wanted to spare you the irritation, My Queen.” His issues were minor compared to the chaos she had been managing so far. The least he wanted to do was try to deal with some of the potential stressors to her new rule before they could interfere and get out of hand.
“You are never an irritation.” She assured him. Her words were beautiful to hear but the pure love that emitted from her with them was all the assurance he could have hoped for. Sensing his desire, she giggled and opened her arms, happy to indulge him.
Well, with an offer like that, who was he to refuse? And soon enough, he was where he belonged at his Queen’s side. She laughed, petting him physically as well as mentally. With but a touch, she soothed away the irritations and concerns burdening his mind. Basking in that much affection, he didn’t even bother to hide the purrs.
“You are still such a cat.” She chided, playfully.
“I can’t help my nature, M’lady.” He said, sighing happily as he pushed his head into her lap and nuzzled her gently.
He couldn’t. And he didn’t want to. Now, he never needed to. He could be as he wished and with full support of his family.
This was everything he could have wished for.
And as the Queen and her Knight basked in each other’s presence and planned for their new future, neither took note of the red kwami curled up in the corner of a shelf in the room and dreading what was to come.
It was Alya who approached Marinette’s mother about teaching a class at the college. Alya had been at the college for a couple years, teaching journalism courses. And after Luka broke up with Mari, her mother felt the class would be the best way to lift her daughter’s spirits.
Alya and Sabine Dupain-Cheng visited on a Wednesday, after she’d called in to work for the third time that week. They found her curled up on the couch in a blanket, cuddling with what Alya cold only assume was a shirt left behind by the now ex-boyfriend. Sabine focused in on the mess that was surrounding her, while Alya pried the t-shirt away from Marinette. She didn’t protest too much as she was tugged up and toward the bathroom.
“Take a shower. Put on clean clothes. Come back out to the living room.”
When Mari reappeared, she was still in pajama pants and a sweat shirt. She didn’t even notice that they cleared away the trash, vacuumed, and lit a fire. Mari sat back down on the couch crisscross, then pulled the newly folded blanket on to her shoulders. The two anxious women shared a look before settling across from her on the ottoman.
“Marinette, honey,” Sabine began, leaning toward her daughter, “Alya and I have become worried about how much work you’re missing.” Alya nodded. “We understand what you’re going through, but your work shouldn’t be tossed aside over it.”
“However,” Aly interjected, “we don’t want to push you too fast. So, we think we’ve come up with the perfect solution.”
Both women stared at Mari expectantly. No response from her but a slow blink.
Alya cleared her throat quietly. “We think you should take a couple weeks off work, so that you can have a bit more time during the day, to focus on yourself.” She looked over at Sabine, who gave an encouraging nod. “The college I teach at recently began offering a couple night classes to help adults who want to learn to do certain adult things, like budgeting, or scrapbooking, or cooking.”
“Originally, Alya came to me about teaching a baking class, but the more we talked about it, the more we agreed that it would be a great opportunity for you to get out of your funk—”
“Yeah!” Alya sat up straighter, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose. “Meet new people, get a couple hours away from home, but not have to put too much pressure on yourself.”
Mari silently looked between the two of them. Neither could tell what she thought of the idea.
“It would be two nights a week, two hours a night. And I promised my boss that I could find the perfect person. If I can’t provide someone, I know I won’t get that “Heroes of Paris” course next quarter.” She wasn’t exactly comfortable manipulating her friend into feeling guilty, but she didn’t have a better idea on how to get her to agree.
The two women waited patiently as Marinette stared into the fire. After several moments, a small, raspy voice said, “I guess I don’t really have much of a choice.”
“What? You’ll do it?” Sabine looked giddy at hearing her daughter speak.
Mari shook her head, bright blue catching onto Alya’s concerned frown. “I know how much Alya wants that class. I’d be a terrible friend if I let my breakup stand in the way of helping her.”
Sabine jumped up in excitement, clapping her small hands together. “Oh, good! I’m so happy, girls. I’m going to make cookies!” She bounced toward the kitchen, humming a happy tune.
The girls looked at each other silently, neither moving from their spots. Then Mari patted the space next to her. Happy to oblige her friend, Alya crawled onto the couch and wrapped her up in a hug.
“Everything is going to be okay, Mari. I know it hurts now, but it will get better, I promise.” She felt warm tears on her arm.
Mari’s voice was in her throat. “Will you go with me to the office in the morning? I have to talk to my boss, but,” she took a big, shaky breath, “I need to clean out some things too.”
“Of course.” Alya patted her head, the usually soft, jet-black tendrils falling limply across Marinette’s face.
“Girls! Come help me with these cookies!”
Alya laughed and dragged a smiling Marinette into the kitchen.
