Chapter Text
Marinette rushed down the stairs, tripping slightly and catching herself on the wall.
“I’M NOT LATE!” She shouted, screeching to a halt in front of her mother.
Sabine smiled amusedly, glancing at the clock on the wall.
“You’re right, you have enough time to have breakfast before you go.” She said, smirking triumphantly at Marinette’s confusion.
“Wha-?” Marinette asked, following her line of sight to the clock.
She had 30 minutes before she needed to be at the school.
“But my clock- I mean, yep. On time. On purpose.” Marinette said hastily, planting a kiss to Sabine’s cheek as she headed to the kitchen.
Sabine laughed, setting the laundry basket down on the couch and following Marinette into the kitchen.
“I set your alarm back an hour last night, didn’t want you to be late for your first day this year.” Sabine told her, setting a bowl in front of her with a twinkle in her eyes.
Marinette flushed, setting to make herself something to eat.
She pretended she hadn’t just fumbled her cup, almost spilling juice everywhere.
“So, are you excited for the new year? New classes, new friends, new possibilities…” Sabine said encouragingly.
Marinette huffed a laugh, slouched in her chair as she ate.
“Let’s hope for a better year.” Marinette replied, humoring her mother.
Sabine smiled sadly, rounding the table to give Marinette a hug.
“Maybe this year will be a fresh start.” She said encouragingly. Right then, the arms that had been comforting became a trap. “You know what helps bring on fresh starts? A clean room.”
Marinette groaned.
“Either you clean your room, or I will. Who knows what I could find by accident? Dirty laundry, old homework, your diary-” Sabine singsonged, swaying them back and forth.
“Okay!” Mariette yelped, scrambling out of her seat and away from her mother. “I’ll clean it when I get home.”
Sabine let her go with a satisfied smile.
15 minutes, plenty of time to make it across the street.
“Wait-!” Tom called out, catching Marinette by her shoulder.
A box of macaroons was handed to her.
“For new friends.” He explained, kissing her on the cheek. “Have a good day, Sweetheart.”
Marinette smiled happily, accepting the box.
“Thanks, Papa. Gotta go-” Marinette replied, hugging him quickly before turning and sprinting for the door.
Marinette raced down the sidewalk, stopping just before the crosswalk as the light changed.
She hopped from foot to foot, anxiously waiting for it to change.
12 minutes.
A little old man wobbled in front of her, heading to the crosswalk.
Marinette figured he was just trying to get in front of everyone so he would be the first across when the light changed.
But he kept going.
Marinette’s heart dropped to her shoes as he made contact with the asphalt.
A horn was blaring somewhere, her heart was in her throat and her hands were closing around the little old man’s wrist and pulling.
They were back on the sidewalk.
They were back on the sidewalk and a car was flying past where they had just been standing and she was holding a mostly crushed box of macaroons in her hand.
The old man turned to her, looking up in her face and blinking.
“Oh, hello miss. Can I help you?” He asked, smiling kindly.
This man should not be walking around alone.
“No, sir. Can I ask where you’re going?” Marinette asked kindly, hoping that wherever he was heading wasn't far.
“Oh, just a little way down the street, and you miss?” He asked, putting more of his weight on the cane.
Marinette tried to hide her cringe behind a smile.
He had pointed the opposite way than she needed to get to school.
“What a coincidence! I’m heading the same way, would you like to go together?” Marinette asked.
She still had 10 minutes, if they were quick she could still be early.
The man agreed to her proposal happily, introducing himself as Wang Fu. Marinette introduced herself as well, following him as the light changed.
He told her about his business, a massage parlor, and about his favorite animal (A turtle), and his favorite types of teas and why they were his favorites.
He told a lot, not that Marinette minded! She just figured he was probably rather lonely, not many people take time out of their days to spend time with the elderly.
It made her feel a bit better about the time she was losing.
Eventually, they reached his destination. It was a small restaurant, he invited her to have breakfast with him, but Marinette turned him down, citing her need to get to school. She did offer him one of the good macaroons though, which he gladly tried.
He seemed slightly disappointed at her departing but understanding all the same. It didn’t make her feel much better though, she felt bad about leaving when he had seemed so happy to have someone to talk to.
Sharing a quick goodbye, Marinette checked the time and promptly started sprinting.
3 minutes.
Maybe if she was fast enough, she would at least be on time.
Please let her be on time.
Marinette reached the school in 2 minutes, sprinting through the courtyard, up the stairs, and sliding into her classroom just in time for the bell to ring.
Ms. Bustier wasn't even there yet.
She could have taken a little more time to get there.
With a sigh (pant considering she was slightly out of breath), Marinette moved to take her usual seat when she noticed Chloe there instead.
“Chloe? You’re in my seat.” Marinette said hesitantly.
“No, this is my seat.” Chloe said haughtily, nail file in hand.
“But I always sit there-” ”And now you don’t.” Chloe cut her off, staring her down.
“You’re so rude!” Someone called out, coming to stand beside Marinette. “You could have at least asked her if you could have her seat!”
Chloe scoffed, sitting up slightly at the challenge.
“Who do you think you are?! Why don’t you go mind your business, you wannabe hero.” Chloe sneered.
The new girl rolled her eyes at Chloe, taking Marinette by her arm.
“Come sit with me, that seat is tainted with her audacity and bad manners now anyway.” The new girl sneered back, steering Marinette to a new seat.
Marinette followed her blindly, shocked by how daring she was.
“Are you sure that was such a good idea? I mean, I appreciate it, but you shouldn't have made her mad like that-” Marinette said in a hushed whisper, taking her new seat.
The girl cut her off with a laugh.
“Please, she’s just a person. Who cares if she throws a hissy fit?” She said with a laugh.
“She’s the mayor’s daughter.” Marinette stressed.
The girl turned to her with an amused look.
“So? If she involves the mayor to get her way that is an abuse and overreach of power that could potentially have the mayor removed from office. Letting her run wild, like I suspect everyone has been, will only make her worse. Someone needs to check her, and I guess it’ll have to be me.” She said confidently.
Marinette stared at her slack jawed.
Whether this was bravery or just plain stupidity Marinette wasn’t sure.
She just knew she needed more of it.
“I’m Marinette.” She blurted, sticking out her hand dumbly.
“Alya.” She said smiling and shaking Marinette's hand.
“Um, macaroon?” Marinette asked, holding up the half-crushed box.
Alya accepted, taking one of the few whole ones left.
“Thanks!” She said before taking bite. “Oh, these are delicious!”
Marinette smiled at the compliment.
“Ah, thank you! My family owns the bakery across the street, my parents made these.” Marinette rambled, setting the box on the desk.
Alya nodded along, finishing the box.
“They’re really good,”
“-You can have the box if you want.” Marinette offered quickly, she had no hope of other new friends, plus, more than half had been crushed.
Alya gratefully accepted, pulling the box to rest in-between them.
“-I am curious though. What happened to the box?” She asked, taking another cookie.
Marinette felt her blush down to her shoulders.
She had hoped she wouldn’t say anything, her clumsiness was embarrassing enough as it was, people calling attention to her blunders was humiliating.
“Ah, that was me actually. I accidentally crushed it earlier, tried to grab someone but forgot I was holding the box. I ended up crushing it between my hand and their arm.” She admitted, grimacing as she recalled it.
Alya hummed in understanding, offering one of the macaroons to Marinette.
“Why’d you grab them?” She asked, smiling as Marinette started sharing the box with her.
“Ah, um, it was an old man. I guess he didn’t notice the light change and he walked into the street. A car was coming so I ran up and pulled him back to the sidewalk. Kinda impulsive I know; the macaroons were a casualty.” Marinette explained, trying to make light of her mistake.
Alya started at her blank face, setting the cookie down to grab her by the shoulders.
“Girl.” She said sternly. “Do you mean to tell me you squished the box saving an old man from oncoming traffic?”
“I mean, not really? I just pulled him back to the sidewalk-”
“Girl! You like, saved a life before school and are trying to play it off like an accident! You’re like, a hero!” Alya said excitedly. “That was so brave!”
Marinette’s face flamed.
“I-I mean, it was more impulsive than anything. I kinda moved before I thought about it, but what about you? You stood up to Chloe! You’re like, my actual hero.” Marinette said, trying to take the attention off of herself.
“Nuh uh, girl. You’re not getting me off track. You saved that man’s life, it wasn’t impulsive, it was downright heroic.” Alya emphasized, stopping Marinette before she could protest. “-Don’t even start, every real hero says their feet moved before their mind could catch up. It just proves my point. Plus, I know if it was me, I would have been riding that high all day. You didn't even say a word.”
“Is that why you ran in all out of breath?” She added as an afterthought.
Marinette latched onto the diversion.
“No, no, I was just almost late. I ended up sprinting down the block in two minutes to actually make it.” Marinette said with a laugh, glad to shift the topic.
She wasn’t sure she could blush anymore without popping a blood vessel or something.
“I thought you said you lived right across the street?” Alya asked confused.
“Well, yeah, but that old man didn’t seem very aware. I ended up walking him where he was going to make sure he didn’t get hurt. Didn’t really feel like he should be left alone.” Marinette explained.
Alya looked very soft all of a sudden.
“You are such a good person.” She said earnestly.
Marinette cleared her throat.
“Th-thanks, um. You’re a really good person too, I've never had anyone stand up for me like that before!” Marinette said.
Alya grimaced.
“Never?” She asked disbelievingly.
Marinette shook her head.
“Everyone’s too scared of Chloe. How did you stand up to her like that? It was impressive.”
Alya waved her off, accepting Marinette’s distraction with an amused smile.
“I live by two quotes. ‘Evil prospers when good people do nothing.’ and ‘When you see bad things happening, you can either do something or do nothing.’. I saw Chloe” Alya said with thinly veiled disdain. “*-*treating you like that, and everyone else seemed intent to do nothing. So, I did something.” She finished.
“Those are good quotes.” Marinette said, curled up in her seat.
“I agree.” Alya laughed. “Actually, now that i think about it. You followed those quotes yours4elf today!”
Marinette looked at her questioningly.
“You saw that that old man was going to get hit, so you pulled him out of the way. You saw something bad happening, and you did something.” Alya explained, nudging Marinette.
Marinette smiled to herself as Ms. Bustier finally made her entrance.
It was as simple as that, huh? See something, do something.
Marinette could do that.
Marinette and Alya had stuck together throughout the rest of the day.
Apparently, Alya and her family had moved so her father could stay with one of the animals he bonded with at the zoo. She promised to take Marinette to see it sometime.
In turn, Marinette offered to show her around the bakery and some of her favorite spots around Paris.
Alya also ran interference between Marinette and Chloe. Anytime Chloe came around to strike up trouble, Alya was quick to shut her down. She defended Marinette when no one else would, she encouraged Marinette to stand up for herself anymore.
Marinette could see herself being good friends with the girl, she hoped Alya saw the same thing in Marinette.
So, when Marinette saw Ivan, sitting alone and looking frustrated, she decided to take a chance.
Sticking up for herself was still hard, and she wasn't sure it would ever get easier for her. Helping others on the other hand, well that had always been easier.
So, Marinette decided to do the hard part, and reach out to him.
“Hey, Ivan. Um… Can I help you with anything?” Marinette asked hesitantly, shuffling in place.
Ivan snapped his head up, sneer in place as he glared at Marinette.
“Do I looked like I need your help?!” He snapped.
Marinette flinched.
He was upset, she had known that when she decided to come up to him.
Just try again, if he still doesn’t want her help, she’ll leave. No hard feelings.
“You just, uh, seemed frustrated? I was wondering if there was anything I could do to help.” Marinette tried again, doing her best to summon some steel to her spine.
Ivan glared at her for another long moment before sighing. He slouched down, head in his hands as all the fight started to bleed out of him.
“Sorry, Marinette. I shouldn’t have snapped at you.” Ivan apologized.
Marinette subtly let out a breath of relief.
Slowly, she took a seat next to Ivan on the floor. Watching to see if she were over stepping.
“So… What’s wrong?” She tried again.
Ivan sighed, leaning back so his head was against the wall. ”Just Kim. He keeps teasing me, making me mad on purpose.” Ivan answered, staring up at the clouds.
Marinette hummed, pulling her knees to her chest.
“What was he teasing you about? If you don’t mind me asking.” Marinette pressed slightly, wanting to get to the bottom of the problem.
Ivan turned back to her, staring her down intensely for a long moment.
“Swear you won’t tell anyone else or make fun of me.”
“I swear.” Marinette said without a second thought.
Ivan stared for a moment longer before relenting.
“I have a crush on Mylene.”
Oh.
Oh.
Oh, that was so sweet!
Marinette beamed up at him, before remembering why she had come over.
“I’m sorry, but what’s the problem with that?” She asked.
Ivan pursed his lips.
“I’m too nervous to tell her. She gets scared easily, and i know what I look like. I don’t want to scare her.” Ivan admitted defeatedly.
That was really sweet of him.
But also, a very valid concern. Mylene was very timid.
Marinette wracked her brain, trying to come up with a plan.
“You make music, right?” Marinette asked.
Music was basically poetry, and Marinette knew Mylene liked both.
Ivan nodded in response.
“Have you ever tried writing her a song? Sometimes, music explains things better than words. Or you could just write her a heartfelt letter too!” Marinette told him, trying to give him solutions that might work.
Ivan hummed, tapping his fingers against his knee as he thought it over.
“Do you think that’ll work?” He asked, softly.
Marinette smiled up at him.
“You’ll never know unless you try!” She answered.
Ivan smiled at her.
“I guess I’ll have to try.” He said standing up. He offered a hand down to Marinette as well.
Marinette accepted, stumbling slightly at how fast he pulled her up and thanking him when he caught her.
“…If you want, I could try talking to Kim about easing back on the teasing?” Marinette offered slightly.
Ivan paused looking down at her.
“…It’s because of that new girl, isn’t it?” He asked her intently.
Marinette shrugged sheepishly.
“She said something that really spoke to me. ‘When you see something happening, you can either do something or do nothing.’ I’ve been doing nothing for a long time, I figured I’d try doing something.” Marinette answered.
“Besides, Kim has a problem with taking things too far. Someone needs to tell him to stop.” Marinette finished confidentially.
Much more confidentially than she actually felt.
Ivan watched her for a long moment before patting her on the back.
“If you want to talk to him about it, go ahead. I’ll try not to let him get to me anymore too.” He told her. “If you need a hand, let me know… And thanks for the advice.”
Marinette beamed at him.
“No problem!”
Ivan walked away from her, muttering something about lyrics to himself as he went.
That went better than Marinette could have hoped.
“Look at you! Coming to his rescue like that, Paris’s very own hero strikes again!” Alya said from behind Marinette.
Marinette’s face flamed.
“I thought you were in the bathroom!” Marinette said, whipping around to face her. “Did you hear everything?” Marinette asked hesitantly, not wanting to have accidentally revealed Ivan’s secret.
Alya walked up to her, slinging an arm around her shoulders.
“Just the ending. So, are you gonna talk to this Kim guy?’ She asked, walking them towards the classroom.
Marinette winced.
“I really want to, put I’m still nervous.” Marinette admitted, trying to steel herself for the confrontation.
Alya grinned, squeezing Marinette’s shoulders.
“Rome wasn’t built in a day, girl. Don’t try to force yourself completely out of your shell all at once, take it one step at a time.” Alya reassured her. “Besides, if you still want to confront this Kim guy, no one said you had to do it alone.”
Marinette stopped walking.
“You’ll do it with me?”
Alya grinned.
“Of course I will! I’ll be the Robin to your Batman!” Alya said cheerily.
“Who?” Marinette asked, resuming her walk.
“Batman and Robin. They are heroes in Gotham. Batman is part of the Justice League, one of the founding members I believe!” Alya explained.
Marinette nodded; she didn’t know much about heroes.
“You like heroes then?”
“I love them! They’re so cool!” Alya started rambling.
Marinette smiled at her, listening as she explained the various heroes she knew about.
“Hey, Kim? Can I talk to you really quick?” Marinette asked, gesturing for him to follow her into the hallway.
Kim looked down at her, turning away from Alix to face her.
“Sure, shoot.” He said.
“Um, maybe out in the hallway?” Marinette tried; she didn’t want to have this conversation in front of everyone.
“Nah.” Kim said, waving her off. “Just say it here, it's fine.”
Marinette pressed her lips together.
Fine then. She would say it here.
“Do you think you could maybe, calm down with the teasing? The pranks and jokes in general really.” Marinette broached.
Kim laughed.
“What, did Ivan go crying to you? It was just a joke.” Kim scoffed.
“No, he didn’t. I just saw how upset he got earlier and figured I should say something. And Ivan isn’t the only one you’ve pushed like that Kim. You went too far; you’ve gone too far a lot actually.” Marinette responded, rubbing her arm.
“Geez, you guys need to learn how to take a joke.” Kim said, scowling down at Marinette.
Marinette took a deep breath, willing herself not to back down.
“Jokes,” Marinette started with emphasis. “Are supposed to be funny, Kim. What you do isn’t funny, it's just mean.”
Kim squawked, opening his mouth to reply when Alix, surprisingly, cut him off.
“I agree actually. You’re kind of a dick, Kim.” She said easily.
“What?!” Kim screeched, turning to her with a betrayed look.
Alix shrugged nonchalantly.
“Don’t get me wrong, I like our competitions, but you take your ‘jokes’ way too far most of the time. Back me up here, Max!” Alix called.
Marinette blanched; she hadn’t meant to get this many people involved.
“Alix and Marinette are right. Statistically, your jokes are more commonly past what is acceptable as ‘funny’ and more accurately categorized as ‘mean’. Even bordering on cruel sometimes.” Max said, glancing towards the back of the class where they were huddled together.
Vague sounds of agreement sounded out through their classmates, everyone seeming to agree with what was being said.
“All of you think I’m mean?!” Kim asked, seeming genuinely shocked.
Several people responded; the common answer simplified to ‘yes’.
Kim seemed dumbfounded.
“W-well now that you know, maybe you could try to be less mean?” Marinette rushed; she hadn’t wanted to hurt Kim. Just, make him stop hurting everyone else…
“I mean… I guess?” Kim said confusedly.
Alix grinned, roughly slapping Kim on the back.
“Don’t worry, Meat Head. I won’t let you be too mean anymore. Just listen to me.” Alix assured him.
“I could help as well, if you begin to border on ‘mean’ instead of ‘funny’ I will alert you.” Max promised.
Kim nodded, still seeming confused but accepting of the situation.
“Um, maybe you could start being better by apologizing to Ivan?” Marinette broached, not wanting to push too far but still wanting Kim to apologize.
Kim opened his mouth to respond but was cut off by a loud groan.
Everyone looked at each other, confusion coating everyone’s faces.
“What was that-?” Rose asked.
The room started shaking.
“Everyone get under a desk!” Marinette shouted as parts of the ceiling started to fall.
Everyone scrambled for cover, hiding under desks and covering their heads.
Marinette was searching the room, looking for any stragglers when someone reach out and yanked her under a desk.
“You too!” Alya said, tugging Marinette to hide with her.
Screeching, clanging, and groaning filled the air before the ceiling collapsed.
Several people screamed, trying to protect themselves as rubble came tumbling down.
Marinette blinked through the dust, trying to see if everyone was okay only to be confronted with something she was not expecting.
The ceiling hadn’t collapsed.
It had been ripped off.
Marinette’s blood turned to ice in her veins as she stared down the rock monster before her, watching it leave destruction in it’s path as it started walking away from the school.
“What is that?” Marinette asked, horrified.
Come Find Me In The Maribat Discord!<3
Chapter Text
Marinette was staring at the monster watching as it crashed through another building.
Marinette wasn’t sure where it was heading, but that didn’t matter.
It was heading away from them, which meant they had time to get away. Hopefully to somewhere safe.
Well, as safe as they could when there was a literal monster wandering the city.
Marinette heard a screech above her, looking up to spot a large hunk of rubble, slowly sliding off of its perch.
“Move. Move move move!” Marinette shrieked, grabbing Alya and pulling her out from under the desk.
Nino and Rose reached out, grabbing Marinette and Alya and pulling both girls out of the way quickly.
The rubble came crashing down, crushing the desk underneath it.
“Dude…” Nino whispered from behind Marinette, staring at the spot they had been seconds prior.
Marinette was breathing fast, her eyes darting around as she looked for any other falling debris.
Nothing looked immediately dangerous, but nothing looked safe either.
“We need to get out of here. Now.” Marinette said, springing up and out from under the desk.
Nino made a choked noise and Alya tightened her hold on Marinette.
“Everyone!” Marinette called out, “We need to get out of the building before it comes down on top of us!”
Kim was the first one to come out of hiding, followed by Alix and, after a very cautious look around, Max.
That seemed to break the ice, slowly everyone came out from under their desks, dusting themselves off and looking around for anything that might try and crush them.
Marinette slowly started to work her way through the rubble trying to find a safe path out.
“Follow me.” She said, waving her classmates after her.
“You can’t be serious!” Chloe shrieked, still hidden under her desk with Sabrina. “This is ridiculous! Absolutely ridiculous!”
Marinette grit her teeth, turning to Chloe with a glare.
This was not the time for this, they were in a genuine emergency. She didn’t have time to try and argue with Chloe.
She didn’t have the time to be scared of her either, not when there were real monsters walking around. Real danger hanging directly over their heads.
“Fine. If you think it's so ridiculous, you stay here and get turned into a pancake. I’m getting those of us who don’t want to die out of here.” Marinette hissed.
Marinette’s classmates circled around her, all of them staring at Chloe.
Chloe was pouting glaring at them and crossing her arms.
“Well than you can go-”
“Chloe!” Sabrina shouted. “Get out from under the desk! I am not going to watch you die in here because you can’t get over your stupid pride! We are leaving!”
Sabrina reached under the desk, grabbing Chloe by her arm and hauling her up.
Sabrina stormed them over to the rest of the group, keeping her bruising grip on Chloe’s arm despite how much she fought her.
As soon as the two girls reached the others a crack sounded out.
Everyone ducked, covering their heads as another piece of rubble came crashing down, right where Chloe had been sitting.
Chloe was pale and silent in Sabrina’s hold. She stopped fighting, instead clinging to Sabrina tightly as everyone turned to look at Marinette.
Suddenly, the pressure set in. Everyone was looking to her, they were scared and in danger and they were looking to her for what they should do.
Marinette was scared too.
But she had been the one to speak up first, she needed to follow through.
“Here’s the plan.” She started, leaning in. “Everyone is going to keep an eye out for weak spots and falling debris. See something, say something. If you see a clear path, alert the others. The priority is to get out unharmed.”
Everyone agreed and they started on their way, carefully making their way through the broken hallways.
For the most part, everyone seemed to have gotten out already, save for a few injured stragglers that joined the group.
Marinette was leading the group, her arm wrapped around a girl she didn’t know very well as they hobbled towards the bit of daylight Marinette could see.
They were close, so close, to getting out.
But Marinette heard crying.
Several people were crying behind a wall of rubble.
Marinette passed the girl she was supporting to Nino.
“I got you, dudette.” she faintly heard him saying.
Marinette creeped over to the rubble wall, cupping her hands around her mouth.
“Hello?! Is anyone there?!” She called.
She was answered almost immediately.
“Yes! Yes, we’re here!” A boy shouted back.
“Are you okay?!”
“We’re trapped! The teacher got hit by the rubble, she’s bleeding, and we can’t wake her up!”
Marinette bit her lip, mind racing as she thought about what to do.
She couldn’t leave the people she was guiding to themselves, but she also couldn’t abandon these people trapped in here.
“Alix?” Marinette called, turning to face the other girl.
“Yeah?” Alix asked, stepping forward.
“Do you think you can guide everyone else out? I need to help these people.” She said, looking at the rubble for any parts she could break free.
Alix would be a good guide; she’d found several different paths as they were walking. Marinette was sure she could guide everyone else out.
“I got them, but I’m coming back to help.” She swore.
“Okay, you guys go. I’ll help Mari get these guys out.” Alya said, coming up to glare at the rubble with Marinette.
Several people called similar sentiments, which warmed Marinette’s heart, but they couldn’t all stay, they already had injured to get out.
Marinette turned back to the group, observing everyone carefully.
“Okay, here’s what we’ll do. Nino, Alya, and Juleka will stay with me. I need everyone else to get the injured we already have out of the building. Rose, Nathaniel, and Mylene after you guys get out, I need you to stay out. These people need help and I’m sure others do as well, try to help them from outside. This is an emergency, people are going to be scared and looking for guidance, can I trust you guys to do that?” She asked, receiving determined nods.
“Everyone else, if you want to” Marinette said pointedly, making sure they knew she wasn’t expecting them to come back. “You can come back and help us get these people out of here.”
Marinette received nods and agreements and watched as they left.
“Okay, lets figure out how to get these people out without collapsing the building on us.” Marinette said turning a critical eye to the rubble and its surroundings.
Chapter Text
Marinette listened to Juleka shout instructions to the kids on the other side of the rubble, talking them through putting pressure on the wound on their teacher and making sure she was still breathing with a pulse.
Marinette would forever be grateful that Juleka’s mother had made her and her brother learn first aid.
Marinette turned her attention away from that issue, trusting Juleka to handle it while she focused on other things.
Namely figuring out how to clear this blockade without everything crumbling down.
A good portion of the roof seemed to be balanced on the pile making it near impossible to remove.
“Should we look for an opening somewhere else?” Nino asked, removing his cap to scratch his head.
Marinette pursed her lips, frowning.
“We may not be able to find one.” She admitted.
The boy had spoken to her through that opening, she was fairly certain it was the only one he had been able to find on her side.
“We have heroes!” Alya excitedly called, watching a live stream on her phone.
Alya had been placed in charge of tracking the monster, while getting everyone out was the priority, knowing where the monster was was just as important.
If they had all of their focus on getting people out only for the monster to show back up and cause more destruction they would be in trouble.
Which lead to her scouring the internet and keeping them updated on it’s whereabouts.
And apparently about the fact that heroes had shown up.
Marinette looked over to the phone, spotting a woman in red and black spots and a boy in black facing off against the monster.
She considered that to be handled then.
Marinette turned back to the problem at hand.
“If we can’t find an opening, maybe we could make one?” Marinette suggested, trying to spot a clear spot they could make a hole or something.
Then again, there was someone injured in there. They probably didn’t have the time to try and break through the wall.
Marinette hummed to herself, coming up with and tossing aside various plans in quick succession.
She marched back over to the opened Juleka was giving instructions through.
“Are you still there?” She called, trying to peer through the tiny hole.
“Yeah?” The boy called out in reply.
“Are there any windows in there? Ones that connect outside?” She asked.
“Um, yeah! There are, but it’s too high to jump!” He called back.
That was all she needed.
“Okay, listen to me carefully. Does anyone have a jacket or anything? Something bright preferably.” She asked.
A second voice spoke up hesitantly.
“Um, I do. My hoodie is red.” They called.
“Perfect! Okay, I need someone to break the window and hang your jacket outside so I know what window it is, okay?” She called.
Sounds of agreement sounded out, followed by the sound of shattered glass.
“Okay, now go back to listening to Juleka. I have a plan to get you guys out!” She called rushing back over to Nino and Alya.
“Okay, I need you two to comb the rest of the build. Please. If anyone is trapped, see if they have windows and tell them to do the same thing. Break a window and hang something out of it. If you need help, Alya, you have my number, call me.” She ordered, waiting for them to agree before turning and making her way out of the building.
The rest of her class had set up in the Courtyard, makeshift stretchers carrying people to and from places. Different areas were set up for different things and it looked like a lot more people had joined them.
She was honestly rather proud of what they had accomplished so far.
“Hey! Mar, over here!” Kim called, waving her over.
Marinette ran over to him, taking in the two little kids with him.
He waved her even closer, whispering in her ear.
“It’s bad. Like, really bad. What should I do with these kids?” He asked, sounding slightly panicked.
“Where are their parents?” Marinette asked, equally quiet.
Kim nodded over to a pile of rubble.
Marinette’s heart sank, her stomach turning at the little bit of red liquid seeping out from under the rocks.
She looked back to the kids, taking in their tear-stained, shell-shocked faces.
It felt cruel to pull them away from Kim, who they seemed to have attached themselves to. But she needed Kim’s help.
Marinette looked around, trying to spot someone she could leave them with. Someone she could trust to look after the kids for the time being.
Rose was busy, she was bouncing around, helping everywhere she could. Nathaniel was also running around taking supplies to and fro, handing out pieces of paper that she could only assume were supposed to be blueprints as people started making things while referencing the pieces of paper.
Sabrina was still here though. Chloe was with her but Marinette honestly didn’t care.
If she had a problem with frightened children she could cry about it later.
They were Marinette’s only option at this point.
Mylene was busy, similar to Rose and Nathaniel, and Marinette was going to need Alix, Max, and Kim for her plan.
And Marinette would not be leaving these kids with some stranger.
Marinette gestured for Kim, and subsequently the kids, to follow after her.
Sabrina was the first to notice them approaching, straightening up as Marinette neared.
“I need your help.” Was the first thing out of Marinette’s mouth.
Sabrina nodded immediately, Chloe was uncharacteristically silent.
“Do you think you can watch these kids for a little while? I need Kim, Alix and Max. You two are the only ones left.” She explained.
Sabrina immediately stooped down, opening her arms for the children.
They, with encouragement from Kim, slowly crept forward. Moving into Sabrina’s awaiting arms.
“We’ve got them.”
Marinette looked over, surprised to see Chloe being the one to answer.
Chloe looked up, away from the kids and into Marinette’s eyes.
There was something there, something Marinette couldn’t quite place. Something that, now that it was there, felt like it had been missing before.
“We’ve got them.” She reiterated.
Marinette nodded.
Chapter Text
Marinette rushed around the building, her group of people in tow as they loyally followed her. Marinette spotted the red jacket hanging out of the window and screeched to a stop, immediately looking around her for supplies.
“Okay, what’s the plan, Mar?” Kim asked, coming to a stop beside her.
Marinette whirled around, realizing she had yet to fill the others in on her plan.
“Right, sorry. There are people trapped on the top floor of the school building, some of which are injured. We are going to use the rubble to build a ramp, push the ramp against the windows, and let people crawl out and slide down to safety.” Marinette explained, watching her group nod along.
“Kim, grab that sheet!” Max ordered, immediately focusing on the task at hand.
Believing the ramp to be in good hands, Marinette turned her attention to the window.
More specifically, the people inside.
“Hey!” She called, waiting for someone to lean out and look.
“Marinette!” Marc called leaning out the window and waving.
Marinette was struck with the realization that they had sacrificed their jacket as the signal. Which she should have already known considering she knew Marc was in that class already.
“We are building you guys a ramp! We are going to try and get it as close to the window and have you all climb out, okay?” She called, Marc nodded giving a thumbs up before disappearing back inside.
Marinette assumed they were updating the rest of their classmates on what the plan was and turned her attention back to the ramp in the process of being built.
“Remember! They need to be able to slide down it. Try to find something smooth to put on top.” Marinette called, checking the progress on the structure.
Honestly, she wasn’t even surprised with how quickly they had managed to put it together.
With Max over seeing them and the sheer amount of material they could build with, it was understandable that they were already almost done setting up the ramp.
It was a really simple structure too.
That didn’t change how impressed Marinette was.
Max’s mind worked fast, picking out pieces of rubble to build with and a general idea of how it should all go. That combined with Kim and Alix’s physical prowess made for a team of incredibly fast workers.
They had even remembered to put something on the bottom so they could roll the structure around the remains of the building.
She was proud of her little ragtag team.
Soon enough, they had the ramp built, pushed up against the building, and had a few of the braver students sliding down to safety.
They worked methodically, going class to class and slowly evacuating people.
Several others had joined them as well, people who had come off the street and wanted to help how they could. Some people even went so far as to try and make their own ramp, moving to the opposite side of the school to cut the work load down some.
It was a slow process, getting everyone out of the building, welcoming and sorting new people through small entry station Rose had set up on the school steps. More and more people had arrived, some helping, some seeking help.
No one was turned away.
Some tried to fight Marinette’s ‘authority’ but it never really went anywhere. She was more than happy to accept other plans for evacuation.
There wasn’t much for them to try challenging.
It wasn’t her fault people kept turning to her for answers. She didn’t even want the responsibility of it.
But she understood.
In a rushing flood, you seek out what is stable.
Marinette had made herself stable, first for her classmates, then for her other peers. Now she was a rock for the strangers who surrounded her, looking for anyone who looked like they had it together. For someone to tell them what they needed to do.
Marinette wished it wasn’t her but there was nothing she could do about it now.
The school was stable. Almost everyone evacuated from the building, genuine areas set up for different purposes littered what was left of the courtyard and spilling out into the street.
People had taken up different tasks, some providing medical treatment, some comforting people, some gather supplies.
Marinette was fairly certain the school was stable enough to function without her.
Which meant it was time to move on.
Collège Françoise Dupont had become a safe heaven for people, a place to go in the chaos of the outside world.
With the amount of people there, Marinette could only imagine how bad it was out there.
She hoped she could help.
Which was why she was announcing her departure.
“Okay! I think you guys have this here, I’m going to head towards the Eiffel Tower and see who I can help along the way. If you need me, I’ll try to stick to a direct path to the Tower, call out and if I hear you I will come back immediately I promise!” Marinette called, turning towards the rubble that was once the school doors.
“Wait-! Wait hold on! Sophie! You’re in charge of Medical! George, you can handle crafting!” Rose shouted, running up to join Marinette.
Before Marinette could protest, several shouts sounded out. All of her classmates appointing different people to different jobs as they all rushed to join her before she left.
Marinette was honestly touched. She was going straight into a potentially dangerous situation and all of her friends were intent to follow her.
Honestly, with their help, setting up new areas like they had the school would probably go a lot smoother than if she were to try and do the same stuff all alone.
Everyone’s responsibilities had shifted, some of the newcomers had decided to join the soon to be exploring group while others assured them they would hold down the fort.
Marinette lead the charge, heading outside of the school courtyard, past the entry station and out into the street.
Marinette turned, facing the Eiffel Tower, the destination of her journey.
She made it a single step when a bright flash exploded across Paris.
Marinette ducked, covering her head and preparing for… Whatever was supposed to happen.
Marinette’s leg stopped hurting.
She hadn’t noticed she’d gotten hurt to begin with.
Marinette looked up, her eyes widening at the sight of what she could only assume was magic.
Bright light swirled around, covering people and revealing them completely healed.
Pieces of rubble were covered, once the light moved on those pieces would be fixed.
Marinette ran back inside the school doors (that had also been repaired).
People who had been in the urgent medical care section were now standing, completely fine compared to when she had first stepped outside the door.
A final burst of light and everything was how it should have been.
Not a thing out of place.
No shattered windows, injured people, broken doors.
Nothing.
It was like nothing had happened at all.
“Mom!”
Marinette turned numbly at the sound.
The children from earlier, the ones Marinette had left with Chloe and Sabrina, were running to a pair of adults.
Their parents, she assumed.
The parents who had been crushed under the rubble.
The parents who were dead.
The parents that weren’t dead anymore.
Marinette raised a shaky hand to her mouth, not understanding, not computing what she was seeing with what she knew.
Dead people don’t just come back to life.
Something red caught Marinette’s attention.
It was on her wrist.
Marinette almost prayed it was a drop of blood.
A piece of evidence of what they had just been through.
What they had just survived.
It wasn’t blood.
Just a little bug.
A little Ladybug.
Chapter Text
School had been ended early after what everyone had dubbed as “The Battle”. Thousands had died. No one had an exact estimate yet.
Everyone who had died had come back. Everything had been reset, as if the destruction hadn’t even happened.
This had been explained as one of the hero’s abilities. Something about what gave them their powers could reverse the destruction caused by these… creatures.
It didn’t feel right to call it a monster, even a creature felt wrong, but Marinette didn’t know what else to call it.
The giant stone being, the one that had caused all of that destruction. Had been Ivan.
Ivan had transformed into a stone giant and destroyed most of Paris. According to the news, he didn’t even remember what he had done.
When he had been… contained, Piáo Chóng had done something, no one had gotten close enough to see what but soon after, Ivan transformed back into himself.
Piáo Chóng had been adamant that what had happened wasn’t his fault, that he had been possessed.
Chat Noir, her partner, had agreed with her wholeheartedly. They both stressed that Ivan should not be held responsible for what had happened, that an outside force was at work.
On an official level, this had saved Ivan from any repercussions. It had not stopped the prejudices from other people.
Marinette had heard the whispers, seen the glares and how people would shy away from him.
School had barely been resumed and the weight of the isolation was bearing down on Marinette. She could only imagine how Ivan felt.
Which was why she was searching him out.
“Are you sure we should be doing this?” Alya asked, creeping down the hallway with Marinette.
“If you don’t want to see him, you can leave.” Marinette snipped back. Honestly she had expected more from Alya, she wouldn’t have guessed her new friend to be one of the people who were against Ivan.
“Not what I meant. Rephrase, are you sure he will want to see us?” Alya corrected.
Which, with the little Marinette knew about Alya, did make more sense for her to say.
Marinette paused, contemplating Alya’s words before resuming her search.
“Someone needs to remind him he’s not a monster. He may not want to see us, but he’s going to. I’m not and never will be scared of him and I’m going to let him know that.” Marinette replied determined.
“Atta girl!” Alya cheered. “Lets go force this boy into feeling our acceptance.”
Marinette huffed a laugh, peering around a corner. The locker rooms were one of the only places she had yet to check. She hoped he was inside.
Marinette creeped forward, cracking the door open and looking around. Marinette spotted a large form huddled in a corner, obviously trying to hide.
What from was up for debate.
Regardless, he wasn’t going to succeed if he was trying to hide from her.
Marinette walked into the room, Alya close behind her as she approached Ivan.
Ivan flinched as Marinette’s shoes came into his view, but beyond that he didn’t acknowledge her.
Marinette sat down beside him, content to just sit and offer silent support. Maybe a little too close considering she was literally sitting with her leg pressed up against his, but still.
She had something to prove.
Alya sat down across from her, not as close as Marinette but still closer then normal.
“I’m thinking about making a blog, should I?” Alya asked, Marinette her phone in hand.
Marinette hummed leaning back against the wall and settling in.
“What about?”
“The heroes.”
Ivan flinched again.
“That could be cool. Do you think they’ll stick around?” Marinette asked.
“I hope so. They said it was some ‘Outside Force’. You think we have a super villain?” Alya asked, not once looking over to Ivan.
“Ew.”
“Ew?”
“Ew. Super villain sounds way too cool for whatever happened. They don’t deserve a cool name.” Marinette said adamantly.
Alya snorted.
“What are you doing?” Ivan asked, calling Marinette’s attention to him.
“What do you mean?” Marinette asked.
“You guys know what I did-”
“You didn’t do anything.” Marinette said, cutting him off.
Ivan sighed.
“Marinette, I destroyed-”
“You didn’t do anything. End of story. The heroes said you were possessed. It wasn’t your fault.”
“You don’t know that.” Ivan hissed.
“Then describe it to me.” Marinette said.
Alya perked up, eyes lighting in curiosity.
“Yeah! Tell us what it was like, from your point of view. We know what happened on the outside. No one knows what it was like on the inside.” She said, scooting a little closer to Ivan, eager to get the scoop.
Ivan pressed his lips together, his arms pulling his knees up to his chest.
He was silent for so long that Marinette wasn’t sue he was going to say anything.
“It was dark.”
Both girls dropped their playful demeanor.
“And it was cold. He just kept… Talking. Telling me what to do, where to go. I was upset when he first started. He just made it worse. He kept… feeding into it, I guess. Making everything worse than it was.”
“It was fuzzy too. I remember that. He talked to me, and then I was in the stadium. Everything was broken and crumbling down and people were looking at me like I was a ticking time bomb.”
Ivan gripped his shirt’s fabric so hard Marinette saw his knuckles turn white.
“Mind control.” Alya said, pulling Marinette’s attention to her. “That is like, textbook mind control.”
Alya looked furious. Marinette wasn’t sure she was doing much better at hiding her emotions.
“It wasn’t your fault, Ivan. No one knows what it was like for you and now that we do,” Marinette said, gesturing between her and Alya. “-we can tell you that it wasn’t your fault. You are a victim, just like the rest of us.”
Ivan ducked his head down, not saying a word.
It wasn’t until his shoulders started shaking that Marinette realized he was crying.
Marinette was on her feet in an instant, leaning over him in an attempt to wrap him in a hug.
“I feel like a monster.” Ivan gasped out.
“The only monster is the one who took advantage of you and made you do something you didn’t want to do.” Marinette whispered.
Chapter Text
Two class periods had passed since Marinette had found Ivan and she had not intention to leave him before he was ready.
So when the lunch bell rang she had teamed up with Alya to try and convince him to go get lunch with them at the bakery.
Something sweet to lift his spirits.
Besides, Marinette knew if anyone treated Ivan badly in the bakery her Maman and Papa would kick them out.
It was the perfect place to go.
The only problem was the crowd of angry protesters stationed outside of the school.
“THAT MONSTER SHOULD NOT BE AROUND CHILDREN.”
“HE NEEDS TO BE PUNISHED FOR WHAT HE DID.”
“HOW MANY PEOPLE DID YOU KILL, YOU MONSTER?”
Every insult, every scream of rage aimed at Ivan made him cower back a little further.
Every insult, every scream of rage aimed at Ivan made Marinette’s blood burn a little hotter.
Screams and shouts surrounded them, swirling round and round in Marinette’s mind before she finally reached her breaking point, her rage boiling over to push against the crowd’s.
“SHUT UP! JUST SHUT UP! HOW DARE YOU?!” She screamed, her own voice echoing out across the street, drowning out the voices of the crowd.
The protesters went silent, staring at Marinette in shock.
“HOW DARE YOU BLAME HIM FOR THIS! HAVE YOU NO SHAME?! HOW COULD YOU DEMAND TO GET HIM AWAY FROM ‘THE CHILDREN’ WHEN HE HIMSELF IS A CHILD?!” She screamed marching down the steps to the picket line that had formed.
“I know you all heard what Piáo Chóng said!” Marinette hissed, standing basically chest-to-chest with who she assumed was the leader of this protest. “He was controlled. An outside force, a different person took control of his mind and body and made him do things he never would have done otherwise.”
She turned to the crowd as a whole, her arms out wide in disbelief.
“Someone out there took control of someone, made them do horrible, despicable things. Turned them into a puppet, and here you stand. Blaming the victim. We are all victims in this. Ivan most of all, and you do this?” She hissed in disgust.
“You should be ashamed of yourselves. YOU SHOULD ALL BE ASHAMED OF WHAT YOU ARE DOING!”
The protesters were quiet.
Some stunned, some seemed genuinely ashamed.
Some weren’t even looking at her, staring past her in confusion.
Marinette turned, spotting a small black butterfly flying towards her.
She’d never seen that type before, but was it really unique enough to warrant so many people watching it as she scolded them?
Marinette’s blood boiled, she turned back to the crowd, ready to continue with her scathing reviews of their character when Ivan’s panicked voice reached her.
“MARINETTE-!”
Solid hands collided with Marinette, shoving her to the ground.
Gasps sounded out as Marinette righted herself, propping herself up on elbows to see who had pushed her.
It was Ivan…
Ivan was on his knees, gripping his head in pain.
“Ivan?” Marinette asked, moving to touch his shoulder.
Ivan jerked away from her, looking up to meet her eyes.
“RUN! GET OUT OF HERE- NO! LEAVE ME ALONE!” Ivan screamed.
There was a glowing symbol surrounding his eyes.
This must have been the outside force Piáo Chóng was talking about.
Which could only mean one thing.
Ivan was about to get possessed again.
Ivan had saved Marinette from being possessed.
Marinette scrambled to her feet.
“EVERYBODY RUN!”
Chapter Text
The crowd that had been screaming in rage was now screaming in fear. Traffic had stopped, people rushing out into the street to get away. People exiting their cars to follow the crowd.
Marinette turned looking over her shoulder as Ivan screamed in pain.
He was clutching his head, shaking as he tried to fight back against the monster who wanted to use him.
Mylene came out of the school, rushing to Ivan’s side with a worried look on her face.
Marinette couldn’t hear what she was saying.
“Mylene!” Marinette yelled, running back to them. “Mylene we need to run!”
“He’s hurt!” Mylene cried, a comforting hand on his shoulder. “We need to help him!”
“We can’t! There is nothing we can do for him, Piáo Chóng and Chat Noir are the only ones who can stop this. We need to leave.” Marinette reminded her, trying to separate her from Ivan.
Mylene was crying, shaking from fear and still trying to help. Marinette pulled her gently, letting her duck into Marinette’s side as she tried to corral them both to safety.
They didn’t get far though…
They didn’t even make it all the way down the steps before purple and black bubbles coated Ivan entirely, vanishing seconds later to reveal the stone monster from before.
Marinette started sprinting, dragging Mylene after her.
“Mari! In here!”
Marinette turned, spotting Alya trying to flag her down from inside a building.
Marinette changed directions running to the relative safety that Alya had found for them.
And then she wasn’t running.
She was rising.
A large fist clasped around her, holding her in a tight grip.
“Mari!” Alya screamed from down below her.
Marinette looked down spotting Alya, frantically trying to get Ivan to put her down. Trying to help in any way she could.
A cursory glance told her that Mylene was in Ivan’s other fist.
Ivan started to walk.
“NO! STOP!” Alya screamed.
Marinette watched as Alya looked around, spotting a discarded bike and giving chase.
Fear had long since seized Marinette. Her lungs were full of ice and her heart was pumping spikes of fear as opposed to blood.
She couldn’t think.
She knew she needed to. That she had to find some way out of this.
But she couldn’t.
Marinette was scared.
“S-smelly wolf, smelly wol-lf…”
Marinette looked over, dully remembering that Mylene was still with her.
Mylene, who was one of the most softhearted people Marinette had ever met.
She was trying so hard to be brave, to keep her head, and there Marinette was. Letting her fear cloud her mind.
Marinette took some deep breaths, envisioning her mother’s meditation steps to try and calm herself down. To clear her mind.
Deep breath in. Deep breath out.
“IVAN!” Marinette screamed, hoping she had been loud enough for him to hear her.
Ivan paused in his steps, looking down at Marinette.
“Not… Ivan.” He ground out.
Not Ivan? Was it the mind control?
Regardless, she needed to keep him distracted.
The longer he stayed still, the less destruction he would wreck.
“Then- What should I call you?!”
“Stone…Heart.”
“Stoneheart?” She asked back.
“Yesssss….”
“Who named you?!” Maybe she could get some information about that outside force Piáo Chóng had mentioned.
“Hawk…Moth.”
Hawkmoth? What kind of name was that?
“Is Hawkmoth telling you what to do?”
Ivan- Stoneheart nodded.
“What does he want?”
“The Miraculousssss. Ladybug, Black Cat. Earringssss. Ring.”
Okay, that was some decent information. She assumed the Ladybug and Black Cat were Piáo Chóng and Chat Noir. Maybe they could figure out the rest of what he meant.
“What does he want to do with them?”
“Don’t knnnnnnow.”
Okay, that was enough information. Time to switch tactics.
“What do you want?” She asked, hoping to get through to Ivan.
“What… I want?”
Marinette nodded encouragingly.
“What do you want? Not Hawkmoth, you.”
Stoneheart paused, seeming to think it over.
“I-”
A bright purple outline covered Stoneheart’s face. The same one that had appeared when he had first been possessed.
Stoneheart winced, seeming like he was in pain.
“Don’t listen to him!” Marinette called, hoping to cover up whatever was happening. “What you do is your choice! Don’t let him control you!”
Stoneheart groaned, falling to one knee as he fought back against Hawkmoth’s control.
“Hhhhuurrtssss.”
“You got this Ivan!” Mylene shouted.
“Come on! Don’t give up!” Marinette tried to encourage him.
One second, Marinette was held relatively safe in Ivan’s grasp, the next she was free falling through the air. Watching Ivan reach up with his empty hand to clutch his head.
“Marinette!” Mylene screamed.
Marinette reached out, grabbing nothing in her desperation not to fall.
Something slammed into her, wrapping around her and sending her back up into the air.
Chat Noir deposited her on a rooftop, standing just before her with a nervous smile.
“Just in time! Good think this knight in shinning armor was quick enough to catch the princess.” He said with a wink for good measure. “So, are you alright, Princess?”
Marinette grabbed him by the collar of his leather suit, point one hand towards Ivan.
“Get. Me. Back. Up. There.” She demanded.
Chat Noir’s ears pinned back to his head, his tail curling around him nervously.
“Yes, Ma’am.”
Chapter Text
“Chat! Get ready to catch them!” Piáo Chóng shouted from behind Chat Noir.
She was soaring through the air, diving for what looked like a piece of paper.
She caught hold of it, tearing it cleanly in two as Chat Noir bolted away from Marinette.
Ivan was covered in purple bubbles again, but this time, instead of growing, he was shrinking.
Mylene fell from his grasp.
Chat Noir caught her.
Ivan shrunk all the way back to his normal size on the ground, shaking his head to clear it.
Chat Noir deposited Mylene beside him. She immediately hugged him.
Ladybug grabbed her lucky charm, it was small. Too small for her to tell what it was.
Chat Noir zipped back up to Marinette, just as the cure went off.
“Um, do you still want me to bring you to him?” He asked nervously.
Marinette took a deep breath, feeling vaguely guilty for how she had talked to him. He was looking at her like a kicked puppy now.
Or kitten, she guessed.
“Yes, please.”
He took a step forward, carefully wrapping an arm around her and lowering them both to the ground.
“I’m sorry for yelling at you, I was- am pretty stressed out with the whole… Everything.” She explained.
Chat Noir smiled, painfully awkward but genuine.
“No problem, really wasn’t the best time to be joking around, huh?”
Marinette shrugged.
“I’m sure it helps some people and situations, having someone to break the tension like that. Just the wrong time this time.”
Chat Noir smiled again, letting her go as her feet touched the ground.
“Got it, work on my timing and observation skills.” He joked.
Marinette chuckled that time.
“Chat.”
Chat Noir whipped around, rushing to Piáo Chóng’s side.
“Yes ma’am?” He asked, his shoulders hunched up by his ears.
“You did very good, I’m proud of how quick you were today.” She said calmly, smiling at him as she patted his head.
Chat Noir lit up, grinning ear-to-ear as he leaned into the touch.
Marinette turned away from them focusing on Ivan and Mylene.
She rushed forward, joining Mylene in the now group-hug.
“You okay, Ivan?” She asked, squeezing him the best she could.
He nodded, bringing one of his arms up to hug her too.
“Did I hurt you?”
“No.”
“Are you telling the truth?”
“Yes.”
He nodded.
They didn’t say much else.
He didn’t need to know the specifics of what had happened. Marinette knew he felt guilty as was.
“Thank you for saving me, Ivan.” Marinette mumbled.
“Better me than you.” He muttered back.
“You were very brave.” Mylene chimed in, rubbing his back.
Marinette pretended not to notice the red tint to his ears.
“Stoneheart!”
Marinette was immediately filled with dread.
She looked up, a swarm of reporters was closing in on them, mics and cameras at the ready.
“Stoneheart! Do you have time for some questions?!”
Marinette pulled away from Ivan, her previously buried fury reignited.
She stood between him and the reporters, using herself as a shield.
“Stoneheart!”
“Stoneheart, over here!”
“Sto-”
“Shut up!” Marinette shouted, chest heaving. “His name is Ivan, not stoneheart. If you wanna talk, talk to me. Leave him alone!”
A hush fell over the crowd, shock, curiosity, indignation.
Marinette wasn’t sure what it was.
“Who are you?”
“None of your business, next question.”
“How do you know Ston-” Marinette sent them an icy glare. “-Ivan?”
“None of your business, next question.”
“Are you actually going to answer our questions?”
“Are you going to ask questions worth answering?” She returned.
She heard who she could only assume was Chat Noir, snort behind her.
Chapter Text
Marinette had been subjected to more paparazzi than she’d ever thought she would. Even if her dreams of being a world-renowned designer ever came true.
It started big, right after the second Stoneheart attack. It slowly petered off as time moved on, less and less people running up to her after she’d made it abundantly clear she had no interest in speaking about it.
And then Orzo struck.
Some poor man had gotten irritated after receiving the wrong dinner order after an already bad day. He was possessed by the same monster who’d possessed Ivan.
The streets were filled will all kinds of different pastas and sauces, which sounded silly. It sounded like it wouldn’t be anything truly harmful.
Until people were impaled by uncooked spaghetti noodles as strong as steel pipes.
Until the rain started boiling, the scalding water leaving those unfortunate enough to not find cover in time with third degree burns.
Until steam filled the streets so potently, people physically started to choke. To drown in the boiling humidity.
It seemed silly until it started to kill.
No one escaped unharmed.
Plastic umbrellas were useless, they would simply melt away.
Fabric helped until it was soaked through.
Marinette ended up making metal umbrellas, large enough to fit entire families underneath. The handles were wrapped in fabric to help with the heat.
Several handles were added to each umbrella, needing several people to hold them up from how heavy they were.
Just like the first attacks, people caught on quickly.
Marinette made something, people saw it working, they made their own.
First the umbrellas, then the boots.
Really just bent metal, shaped vaguely leg-like and stuffed with fabric and paper to help the heat.
With the constant boiling rain making boiling puddles, the boots were necessary.
The brave ones took to the streets, getting the people trapped and escorting them to safety.
The kind ones opened their homes, welcoming any and everyone who needed shelter into their midst.
Marinette was one of the brave ones.
It wasn’t until much later that she’d learned her father was one of the kind ones.
Naturally, they made the news.
Blurred videos, eyewitness accounts, and sketchy photos took the online world by storm.
Marinette was hailed as a hero, accused of being reckless or even the very person who was causing these attacks.
How else would she always know what to do when it happened.
The former drowned out the latter.
Nadia Chamack had been trying to get her to do an interview, but Marinette had politely turned her down numerous times.
Marinette didn’t want to be a celebrity. Not for this.
She wanted fame for her designs, not her actions.
She wanted to be known for her creativity, not her ‘bravery’.
Nothing was going how she wanted.
“Think of it this way, girl. You’re still being praised for your mind at least! Your designs are saving lives! Maybe they’re not clothes, but they are still your designs, your ideas.” Alya tried, trying to encourage her.
“Thanks Als, but I know it's not really those things I’m known for. It’s not what I made but what I did. It’s just… Different.” Marinette mumbled.
“How so?”
“Anyone could have done what I did. Many people did do what I did. I don’t feel like I should be praised for that-”
“That’s not it, Nette.” Nino said, cutting Marinette off. “It’s the fact that you did it. Everyone watched, everyone was capable, as we all saw after the fact. The difference is that you did it. Before anyone else. Everyone else froze and watched and you moved. You did something while everyone else was fine doing nothing. That’s why you're the hero.”
Marinette blinked, shocked by the stern look on his face.
She didn’t think she’d ever seen him so… Frustrated? Angry?
“He’s right, Mar.” Kim called from the other side of the room. “Honestly, and I’m being totally serious right now, no joke. I probably would have died if you hadn’t found me under that overhang. I hadn’t even realized it was melting. You’re literally my hero.”
“You’re the one who gave me the courage to help out with the people who got hurt! You trusted me to take care of people last time, I didn’t want that trust to be misplaced!” Rose said firmly.
“I copied your design of the umbrellas on some papers so we could spread them out.” Nathaniel said shyly, raising his hand.
“You running around out in that rain convinced me that I had nothing to be scared of, my skates helped me get around those puddles too! Max attached some metal wheels and helped tweak your design so we could make me a smaller version of the umbrella. It helped get the plan out faster.” Alix cheered with a thumbs up.
“You inspired everyone here to take action. Myself included.” Chloe said, looking down as she filed her nails. “A lot of kids in the hotel were terrified, the parents didn’t know how to help.” She looked up at Marinette. “I never would have stepped in if you hadn’t made me.”
Marinette swallowed hard looking around the room, all of her friends were rallied behind her. Quite literally ready to go to war for her, to stand with her in times of trouble even when they were so far apart.
Being put up on that pedestal Paris seemed so inclined to put her on had been lonely and frightening.
She’d been so high up, so separated from everyone else and held frozen in place by expectations she couldn’t possibly live up to.
But they’d been right there. Just out of sight.
Looking to her for their courage.
Marinette just needed to look back to them to find her own.
Chapter Text
“Holy shit it’s her…”
Marinette pretended not to notice the new kid’s whisper as Nino nudged him in the side.
“Yes. It’s her, the her you’re thinking of. Her name is Marinette.” Nino whispered to the blond boy.
From the moment Adrien, the new kid in their class, had stepped into the classroom; Nino had made it his personal mission to integrate him into the class.
Adrien was…
Painfully awkward.
But it was endearing in its own way.
He desperately seemed to want to make friends, did not seem to know how and from the sneak peek she had gotten in his book bag, most of his social cues were coming from Manga and anime.
“I want to be her friend. How do I do that? Should I give her a flower or something? Girls like flowers right?” Adrien hissed to Nino seriously.
Nino sighed, pulling his hat down over his face.
“We have got to get you out more, dude.” He groaned into his hat before composing himself. “Hey, Mar?” Nino called turning back to her.
“Yes?” Marinette asked, pretending she hadn’t been eavesdropping the entire time.
“Cool if Adrien joins us for lunch?” He asked halfheartedly, knowing the answer was already yes.
“Of course!” Marinette said with a smile.
Adrien seemed like a good person, if a bit awkward. He could do with some more friends.
“We can go to the bakery!” Marinette added, sparing a glance to Alya to make sure she was on board.
Alya gave her a thumbs up, sliding her a note as she did so.
He’s cute, right?
Marinette smiled at the boys, hiding an eye roll as she wrote a note back.
Like a lost puppy, not happening.
“Sounds like a plan, dudette!” Nino cheered with two thumbs up before turning back to Adrien. “That’s how you make friends- drop the manga, the real world doesn’t work like that.”
Adrien looked decidedly disappointed that he would not be receiving the school experience he’d seen in his manga.
What happened to my nervous and flustered bestie? :(
Marinette barely looked at the paper before she answered.
She was stabbed by a spaghetti noodle in the Orzo attack :\
Alya choked, coughing into her arm as she swatted at Marinette with her free hand.
Marinette giggled, dodging the attacks and almost falling out of her seat in the process.
Lunch dawned on them soon enough and Marinette was guiding her group to the bakery.
It was not a long walk, literally just across the street, but Adrien seemed enthralled by everything around him.
Alya leaned in to whisper in her ear.
“Nino was right, he really does need to get out more.”
Marinette nodded once in agreement.
“Mon chou! Welcome home, sweetheart! You brought friends too!” Sabine called, waving happily as Marinette entered the building.
“Hi Maman!” Marinette called, running up to give her a hug.
“Alya, Nino, lovely to see you two. And a new face! I’m Sabine Cheng, Marinette’s mother.” Sabine introduced herself to Adrien happily.
“Ah, hello! Lovely to meet you, Madam. My name is Adrien, Adrien Agreste.” Adrien replied, nearly dipping into a bow only to pause halfway and rethink himself, sticking out his hand to shake.
Sabine smiled kindly, grabbing Adrien’s hand and using it to pull him into a hug.
“Such a sweet boy. Now, I assume you’re all here for lunch?” She asked as she released Adrien.
“Yes, Maman. We were planning to head upstairs.” Marinette answered, noting how flustered Adrien was by her mother’s affection. Affection that did not seem unwelcome, mind you.
“Of course dear, I’ll bring up some snacks shortly. Alya, Nino, do you still like Eclairs and Palmiers?” Sabine asked, grabbing a to-go box.
“Can never get enough.” Alya replied, leaning over the glass as Sabine packed her an Eclair.
“I would never say no to a Palmier.” Nino agreed.
“Wonderful, Adrien? Do you have a favorite?”
Adrien seemed to freeze for a moment, his hand coming up to rub his neck.
“Ah, I’ve actually never really had anything like this? I’m not really allowed to eat sweets.” He grimaced.
Everyone in the bakery stared at him for a long, quiet moment.
“Is it… For health reasons?” Nino asked hesitantly.
“Not really? I mean, I can have sweet stuff, but Father doesn’t like when I do. Models need to maintain strict diets y’know.” Adrien explained.
More awkward silence.
“You are a teenage boy.” Sabine said slowly.
“Yes.”
“A teenage boy who is still growing and most likely had a pretty high metabolism because of it.”
“Maybe?” Adrien asked.
“Okay. Let me ask you this. Are you hungry?”
“A little.”
“Do you want to even try any of these? If not we can get something else upstairs, they don’t need to be sweets.” Marinette cut in, reassuring him that he didn’t have to eat something sweet.
He pursed his lips together for a long moment.
“…I want to try them.”
Marinette nodded, waving over Nino and Alya.
“Perfect, you guys head upstairs. I’ll be up in a sec.” She said, walking behind the counter as Adrien was corralled upstairs.
She grabbed various items for him to taste test, Macaroons, Pain au Chocolate, and a croissant.
She’d also doubled up on the Eclairs, Palmiers, and two cheese Danishes, just in case he wanted to try their personal picks.
She rushed up the stairs, intent on feeding her new friend.
Gabriel Agreste was dead to her.
She would be ripping up and burning everything she’d ever bought from his company.
Purely on principle.
Chapter Text
Another akuma, this time, her classmate Nathaniel.
School had been dismissed, Marinette had gone home and that was where she was staying.
She’d promised her Papa that she wouldn’t go out this time, that she would let Piáo Chóng and Chat Noir handle things.
So she would not be going out to find any sort of trouble.
Unfortunately for her, she never tried to find trouble, it always found her.
So there she was, sitting at her desk, listening to music and designing, and boom, her wall is gone.
“Marinette!” The akuma called out, beaming at the sight of her. “I wasn’t sure if you’d be here or not!”
Marinette blinked blankly.
“Where’s my wall?” She asked dumbly.
“Oh! I erased it. I’ll redraw it in a minute, I needed a way in.” The akuma told her.
“There’s… There’s a door-”
“Anyway! I’m here with an invitation.” He said, quickly sketching something on his drawing pad. It quickly materialized in thin air, taking the shape of a small card.
He handed it to her with a flourish.
“It’s my birthday today, I was hoping you’d come? I- I really admire you.” The akuma told her nervously.
Marinette took the card numbly.
The akuma beamed at her, giving her a bow before racing out of her room and down the street.
“My wall-” Marinette complained.
Chat Noir rushed into her room, looking incredibly frantic.
“Are you okay?! What did he want?! Where did he go?!” He shouted all in one breath, physically turning Marinette in circles to check her for injuries.
When she didn’t answer fast enough, he satisfied himself with his look over before scrambling out of her room, chasing after the akuma.
Marinette’s eyes immediately zeroed in on the claw marks he’d left in his wake.
“My wallpaper-"
Chapter Text
Marinette was going to strangle Chat Noir.
She’d had a plan and he’d ruined it.
Now they were trapped in a glass box with the ship rapidly sinking.
“WHY DID YOU DO THAT?!” Marinette screeched, banging against the glass in an attempt to break it.
“DO WHAT?!” Chat Noir screeched back. “Try to save you?! Oh! I am so sorry your royal highness, I should have just let the akuma attack you!”
“There was a plan! You ruined the plan!”
“HOW WAS I SUPPOSED TO KNOW THERE WAS A PLAN?!”
“THERE IS ALWAYS A PLAN- I ALWAYS HAVE A PLAN WHEN HAVE I NOT HAD A PLAN?!”
“HOW ABOUT WHEN I HAD TO-”
“Chat Noir! Marinette!” A new voice called out to them, catching their attention.
Both looked over spotting Piáo Chóng looking at them with an exasperated smile.
“Are you two done bickering yet?” She asked softly.
“Yes Ma’am.” Marinette winced.
“Sorry Ma’am.” Chat Noir replied sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.
“Good, now hold still.” She said, before swinging her rope dart out to wrap around the box.
One solid tug and it was flying up and off of them.
There had been no bottom to it.
They could have very easily escaped.
“Now Chat Noir, I would like you to take Marinette home to her father and rejoin me once she’s safe. Marinette, please stay at home when you get there.” Piáo Chóng asked them.
“Why do I have to-?”
“Why does he have to-?”
“Children, please. Marinette, while I normally trust you to get home on your own, trouble always seems to find you one way or another, especially considering this akuma is specifically targeting you. Chat Noir, you are one of the only people I trust to make sure she gets home safely. Now, please. Do as I say?” She asked.
Marinette was not pouting.
Chat was though-
“Yes Ma’am, I’ll bring her to Mr. Dupain.” Chat Noir begrudgingly agreed.
“I’ll stay home when I get there.” Marinette promised.
“Thank you. I’m trusting you both!” Piáo Chóng called as she tossed her rope dart, soaring through the night to find the akuma.
Marinette and Chat watched Piáo Chóng fly away before turning to each other.
“Let’s get you home, Princess.” Chat called mockingly, holding out his arms to her.
Marinette scowled, walking up and twisting one of his cat ears as she climbing into his arms.
“Watch it, Alley Cat.”
“Ow!” Chat Noir hissed.
“You can’t even feel those ears!”
“Its the principle of it.”
Chapter Text
“Fact or Fake: Marinette Dupain-Cheng is in a secrecy relationship with Chat Noir?” Alya asked, looking at Marinette.
Marinette couldn’t hide her disgust at the idea.
“Okay, fake then.” Alya said, writing down the answer.
“Yeah no, fake. Mari’s gross.” Chat Noir commented, sprawled out on her bed.
“Out. Get out of my house.” Marinette commanded, trying to shoo him out through her skylight.
Chat clung to her sheets, trying to tangle himself in her bed so she couldn’t pull him away.
“No, I don’t wanna go.” Chat Noir said staunchly, refusing to look at her.
“This is breaking and entering.”
“Your mom said I could stay.”
“Because she pities you, you mangy alley cat!”
“She still said I can stay!”
“Then go hang out with her!”
“I can’t! She’s working, so I have to bother you now. I have no choice.”
“Hello viewers! Today I bring you the ultra rare footage of Marinette Dupain-Cheng and Chat Noir in their natural environment!” Alya jeered, pointing the camera at Marinette, who was currently beating Chat with a pillow.
“Get. Out. Of. My. Room.”
“Make me!”
Apparently Chat Noir squeals like a girl when tickled.
“Stop stop stop!” He squealed between laughs, desperately batting Marinette’s hands away from his sides. “Sabine! Sabine help!”
“Snitch!” Marinette hissed, bolting away from Chat as she heard her mother’s footsteps nearing her room.
“Well that was fast.” Alya commented as Sabine’s head peeked through the trap door.
“What was, Dear?” Sabine asked, carrying up a tray of snacks for the trio.
“Nothing, ma’am.” Chat called, untangling himself from Marinette’s bed to help her carry the tray. “It was just a joke I made earlier.” He huffed, trying not to show how winded he was.
Sabine smiled, handing off the tray.
“I’m glad to see you all getting along so well.” She grinned, patting Chat’s hair. “Will you be staying for dinner, Honey?”
Chat shook his head with a sheepish smile.
“Not tonight, Father said we’d be eating together tonight.” He answered.
Sabine hummed, brushing some dust off his shoulder.
“Well, if he backs out you are more than free to drop in. I’ll fix you a plate just in case.” She murmured, signaling him to lean down.
Chat bowed at the waist, his tail flickering behind him as she pressed a kiss to his hair.
"Sweetboy.” Sabine smiled, patting his cheek. “Nino called, he said he’ll be a little late but he’s on his way. And you-” She said, reaching over to pinch Marinette’s cheek. “-stop picking on this poor boy. Be nice.”
“Wha- I’m always nice!” Marinette squawked, subtly trying to flip Chat Noir off as he made faces behind her mother’s back.
“Don’t act like I didn’t hear him calling for help.” She teased, tweaking Marinette’s nose before she turned to leave. “You three behave yourselves. Don’t end up on the news please.”
“Bye, Sabine!” Alya called, waving as she tried not to snicker from the comments the chat was making.
It would seem the dating rumor had been thoroughly squashed.
“Bye, Alya!” Sabine called back.
There was a beat of silence before Chat spoke up again.
“Nino’s coming over?!”
“Don’t sound so excited.” Alya said, narrowing her eyes at him.
“He’s my friend!”
“He’s my boyfriend!”
“That wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t locked you two in that cage!”
“If we hadn’t locked them in that cage.” Marinette corrected.
“Right, if me and Mari hadn’t locked you two in that cage you’d still be pretending you didn’t like each other!”
“Well were dating now, stop trying to steal my boyfriend! It’s bad enough that I need to fight Adrien for him, don’t make me fight you too!”
“But the bromance!”
Chapter Text
Chat had fallen, face first, onto the pavement outside.
He refused to look up, staying face down on the sidewalk.
There had been so many people around.
“I thought cats always landed on their feet?” A giggling voice called, grabbing hold of his arm and forcing him up right.
“You think you’re so funny.” Chat griped, scowling as Marinette’s all too pleased face met his.
“I am so funny. Thank you for noticing.”
Chat didn’t answer her brushing the dirt off his suit instead.
“Aw, are you embarrassed?” She teased.
“No!” Chat shouted all too quickly.
Marinette snorted, grabbing hold of his arm and pulling him towards the bakery.
“C’mon, I was looking for you. We have a present for you.” She said, pulling him towards the bakery and though the crowd of well meaning civilians trying not to laugh at him.
They all saw it.
He knew they did.
Chat trailed after Marinette, his ears pinned back against his hair as they walked.
“…What did you mean by present?” He asked.
“I mean we got you a present! Me, Maman, and Papa pooled together for it.” Marinette explained, pushing open the doors to the bakery. They’d closed early for the day, apparently.
“What’s the present for?” Chat asked, fishing for information.
Marinette paused, turning to face Chat with an ‘are you serious?’ expression.
“Your birthday?” She said like it was obvious. “I ended up cutting Adrien’s birthday celebration short to go find you! Not that I had much choice anyway, Gabriel wouldn’t let us in. I had to leave my present with Nathalie!” Marinette griped.
Chat blinked dumbly.
He hadn’t even known she’d come to visit, much less that she’d brought a gift.
“…What did you get him?” Chat asked, hoping what he believed had happened truly hadn’t.
It was cruel.
Too cruel, even for his father.
“I made him a scarf, it’s such a pretty blue too.” She said, smiling back at him as she guided him through the bakery and towards the family residence.
Chat’s blood ran cold.
His father had stolen Marinette’s gift to him. He hadn’t prepared one himself and took his friend’s instead.
He hadn’t even tried.
“Okay!” Marinette called, spinning around to face Chat, excitement brimming in her eyes. “Put this on.” She said, holding out a black sleep mask.
“Why are you blindfolding me?” He asked, praying the tears forming at the backs of his eyes weren’t obvious in his face and voice.
“Because it’s a surprise! Hurry up! We’ve been working on this forever.” Marinette complained, waving the mask at him.
Chat took it from her, the fabric hanging limply in his hands before he slid the smooth fabric over his eyes. The world went dark in an instant, the shadows closing in on him like solid walls.
Oddly enough, he wasn’t frightened by them. Not like he would be at the mansion. With it’s tall imposing walls, keeping him trapped and contained.
The bakery was different.
It’s walls were safe, comforting even when he could only feel them. He’d never once felt trapped with the Dupain-Cheng family. Only welcomed.
He wondered if he would have ended up different, less jumpy and insecure, if he had been born into this family. Surrounded by mischief, joy and so much love. Unfiltered, unending love.
Had they been a different family, Chat might have even felt jealous of Marinette. To have been so lucky to be born to this family.
He couldn’t bring himself to.
Not when Marinette herself gave him love and affection as easily as she did breathing, scooting her chair over to make space for Chat when his Father would flake out on their occasional dinners.
Not when she would drag him onto the couch, setting up a new profile for him and him specifically on their family gaming console.
They gave him so much already, it was only selfish of him to yearn for more.
“Okay!” Marinette cheered, he could feel her happy, hyper hops next to him. Her excitement at whatever gift they had prepared for him.
“On three!” Tom called, his strong, sturdy hands falling on Chat’s shoulders.
“One!” Sabine called.
“Two!” Marinette followed.“Three!” Tom cheered, removing Chat’s blindfold.
It was the guest room.
Chat had seen it a hundred times by now, having been over to their house so often.
It had been renovated, and there were some clothes on the bed.
“What do you think?” Marinette asked, grinning happily.
He stepped into the room, grabbing the clothes off the bed carefully.
“I made them! You can detransform when you’re over and not have to worry about revealing your identity, each outfit has a matching mask.” Marinette explained, following him into the room.
Chat’s lower lip trembled ever so slightly.
They’d made him comfy clothes. To wear at their house.
When he wasn’t being a hero.
They wanted him there.
“I love them. Thank you.” He whispered, staring at the outfits reverently.
“And what about the rest?” Tom asked, a hearty laugh present in his voice.
Chat looked up, confused.
“The rest…?” He asked.
“The room, sweetheart. It’s yours. We renovated it to try and make it more cozy for you, of course you can add your own belongings when and where ever you want.” Sabine explained, moving to stand by Chat’s side. Her hand rubbing his back soothingly.
Chat’s tail curled around him, his ears pinning back against his head as tears pushed their way forward.
“…It’s mine?” He asked, his voice choked.
Tom came into the room fully at that, crowding into the space and wrapping Chat in a hug.
“Of course it is!” He cheered jovially. “Why are you so surprised? You’re our boy after all.”
Chat was crying now.
Fully and uncontrollably.
His shoulders shook with sobs as the family- as his family surrounded him. Because they were his family, more than his father ever had been.
“We know you still have to go back to keep up appearances,” Sabine started. “But now you know you always have your own room at home. Whenever you want to use it; we’ll leave the window cracked for you.”
Chat let out another sob at that.
Home.
She’d called it home, his home.
Chat didn’t stop crying for a long time, huddled and surrounded by the arms and safety of his chosen family.
He shifted, trying to gather his wits about him.
Crying was exhausting.
“Sorry.” He muttered, wiping his cheeks with a wet laugh. “I didn’t know it was possible to cry so hard you soak the carpet.”
“Nonsense honey. You cry as much as you need.” Sabine comforted him.
“I’ll get you some wat-” Marinette started, turning to walk away when she paused, a squelching sound filling the air. “Wha…?”
Chat blinked, looking at the ground fully. He’d been half joking, he knew the carpet had been wet, but he’d assumed they’d shampooed it before he’d arrived.
It was steadily getting worse.
Chat looked around, noting the water steadily pouring in from the bottom of the door.
He narrowed his eyes, abandoning the door and walking to the window. Praying he was wrong.
Paris was flooding, the water rising at an abnormal pace.
“Akuma.” He sighed in resignation.
Chapter Text
“Okay, okay I got it.” Chat said, stepping away from the window and towards the door. “Get to the roof and I’ll take you to higher ground.”
“No.” Marinette argued, opening Chat’s door and stepping out into the hallway. “We can handle that ourselves. Paris needs you, who knows how many people are trapped.”
Chat followed after Marinette, obviously anxious and annoyed at her refusal.
“Marinette! Just let me get you guys clear first, I can jump in after.” He argued, moving to stand in front of her.
“Chat no, go help the others. You have a duty to Paris-”
“Mari please.” Chat begged, tears welling in his eyes. “I- you guys are the closest thing I have to an actual family now. How am I supposed to abandon you to help people I don’t even know? What if you-”
Marinette paused turning around and hugging Chat tightly.
“It’ll be okay.” She promised. “Even if something happens, Piáo Chóng can bring me back.”
Chat’s arms closed around her like a vice, squeezing her tightly as his voice wavered.
“And what if she can’t? What if Piáo Chóng goes down? Without her no one can bring anyone back. I can’t lose you, Mari.” Chat whispered into her hair, his head tucked down as he hid his face.
“Someone will just have to take her place then. If Piáo Chóng goes down, if you go down. Someone will come in your stead, someone will take up the mantel and bring you back. Have some faith, Chat.” Marinette whispered, ducking down and forcing Chat to meet her equally tear-filled eyes. “Human’s are stubborn creatures. We always find a way.”
“She’s right, Sweetheart.” Sabine called, coming up to stand next to the two emotional teenagers.
She placed a hand on each of their shoulders. Pulling their attention towards her as Tom stood at her side, a silent support that was desperately needed.
“Good people will always rise to challenge that which is wrong.” Sabine started looking between the two of them. “When one person falls, a dozen more rise to help them back on their feet and push forward. So long as there is hope, there is a chance.”
Sabine smiled fondly, moving her hands to cup each of their cheeks.
“I wish that the world hadn’t been so cruel as to force the two of you to step in, but I am so proud that you did. Both of you saw what was happening to our beloved city, and you both decided to do something about it. I know it’s scary, and I know none of this is fair. I wish I could tell you both to stop. I wish I could simply take the two of you away from all of this.” Sabine sighed, her smile turning sad as tears welled in her own eyes.
“But I know better than that. You’re hearts are too big for that. If I, if we-” She said, nodding to Tom, who’s sniffles had escaped no one’s notice. “Were to take you two away from this, before it’s been resolved, you would never be able to forgive yourselves for leaving.”
Sabine squared her shoulders, straightening her spine and leveling them with a look that was far more confident than she felt.
“Now, I think we’ve spent far more time here than we should have. Chat, Sweetie, you are the protector of Paris. You are strong, you are smart and you are desperately needed right now.” She said, pulling him in with both arms and planting a kiss on his cheek. “Go protect Paris, we’ll see you when you get back home.” She promised.
Chat hesitated for a moment, looking between the group with a tense expression before finally nodding.
“Please just get to the roof.” He begged, giving all of them one last hug before wading back through the water to the still open window.
“I’ll be back soon!” He called before leaping out.
“Alright, Chat was right we need to get to the roof. Both of you come here.” Tom demanded, reaching out for Marinette and Sabine, lifting the both of them up and into his arms in an attempt to keep them out of the water.
“When did it get so high?!” Marinette shrieked, not having noticed the steadily rising water in the emotionally charged moment.
“Oh dear, I think I should work on my spacial awareness.” Sabine commented, noting how alarmingly high the water had risen and she clung to her husband.
Her shirt was soaking wet all the way up to the middle of her torso. It was a startling phenomena that she hadn’t noticed.
“It’s not you two.” Tom commented, trudging through the water. “There’s something wrong with the water. You can’t feel it unless your out of it, you don’t notice you’re getting wet.” He pushed open the trap door to Marinette’s room with his back, pushing through as he marched towards the skylight. “And it’s silent. Not quiet, silent. Running water typically makes noise, this water doesn’t.”
“That’s…” Marinette trailed off, staring out at the rooftops as she was pushed up through the skylight.
There were other people on the rooftops, standing around, trying to climb higher and escape the water.
But there were far too few people on the rooftops.
Far too few people, far too high water, far too many bodies she could see, floating lifelessly just beneath the surface.
“…Deadly.” Sabine finished for her, staring in horror at the city around them.
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P10ter25 on Chapter 5 Thu 27 Jun 2024 12:04AM UTC
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VibrantDays on Chapter 5 Sun 02 Feb 2025 03:37AM UTC
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Njistar on Chapter 6 Tue 02 Jul 2024 09:39AM UTC
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