MLB Caline Bustier Salt Prompts/Fics Recommendation

Let Her Eat Cakeby@stormiclown

Theories began floating around that she was Mayura. The fact that she looked eerily similar to the peacock themed villain.

It was then that a dam burst. Students and teachers alike who had witnessed Bustier’s teaching methods revealed her tendency to gaslight or outright punish victims of bullying while letting the aggressors off scot free.

Happy Birthday, Miss Bustierby@unmaskedagain

“And why should I apologize,” Marinette asked. “I didn’t do anything wrong.”

“We talked about the Marinettes of the world, remember?” Caline smiled. “You have to be the bigger person; be an example for the other students. Show them the right way to act.”

“No.”

Attitude - [Bustier Salt] by @aliensunflower-fics

“This attitude of yours is getting out of control Mari-“

“What attitude?! Mme Bustier? The one where I sat quietly in class taking notes? Or the one where I calmly answered questions when asked? Or maybe the one where when the class got disruptive I didn’t do your job for you?” Anger filled Bustier’s eyes and her smile twisted into an ugly look.

“Don’t you think your going a bit far. Marinette.” Bustier’s voice was sickly sweet barely hiding the venom behind it.

Taste of your own medicineby@mcheang

Marinette reminded Ms Bustier, “Smile and forgive, Ms Bustier. Isn’t that what you told me? To be a better example.”

Caline had forgotten that mantra when she was a teenager, the teachers actually did their job so she wasn’t punished. The rule breakers were. It was easy to be on the high road when she wasn’t the one punished. Sure she wasn’t popular with her class, but it’s not like they would stay friends upon graduation.

And now here was, a teacher, while her bully was a socialite. It wasn’t fair.

Paycheckby@sturchling

This doesn’t actually have a title

Mrs. Bustier went to the school board the next day to ask about her pay. She didn’t expect to hear what she did. “Why haven’t I received my most recent pay checks? I haven’t received my last two checks, and I need to pay my rent. What is going on?” The board just looked at her with bored expressions. “You haven’t been paid, because you haven’t been doing your job.” Mrs. Bustier was shocked. “What do you mean? I show up everyday, and I teach my pupils all day. I am doing my job.” The head of the board just rolled their eyes.

Remember some chapters are longer than others (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*.✧

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MLB Class Salt Prompts/Fics Reccomendations 2

Part 1

A False Ladybugby@cornholio4

She looked and saw an open mouth Chat Noir and was surprised to see him there already but then saw everyone looking towards a nervous looking Lila and a girl she didn’t recognise. “Wait, you’re not Milady? Did you use the Mouse Miraculous to multiply yourself or something? Please tell me this wasn’t a lie!” Chat Noir demanded and Marinette demanded someone explain what was going on.

“The new student is Sara and she is Lila’s best friend; they had been telling us that she was you.” Sabrina spoke up and Marinette had her mouth wide open and was growing angry. This had gone far enough…

Not My Friendsby@lenacraft

This doesn’t actually have a title

“Then why won’t you help the class,” asked Adrien. Lately, he’d been on Lila’s heels. Her former crush was another name on a long list of betrayals.

“It’s simple, I’m always willing to help my friends. Now, please leave, I’m busy.”

They left the art room, her words sinking in. Oddly enough, it was Nathaniel who broke the news. Telling Alix, who told Kim, who told Max, and so on and so forth until it got to Alya.

Tattered Remains of Broken Dreams (Yours, not Mine)by@unmaskedagain

Marinette shook her head, “Fifteen thousand dollars of work you were going to get for free, gone.”

Most of her classmates’ faces had drained of color at the price, at realization of how big of a screw up they made. They had no idea just how much work Marinette did.

Lila was seething because it would be too hard to turn this around.

Marinettes Big Fallby@aliensunflower-fics

“What’s your best friends name? And can you describe them.”

Marinette froze and stayed silent. Tikki suddenly felt a strange twist in her tummy. Sabine and Tom looked at their daughter uncertainly. Finally after a long pause. Marinette spoke with a strained laugh.

“I uhh dont remember having one sir.” Sabine felt her stomach suddenly drop, hidden away behind a plant Tikki felt the same thing.

Nothing Left to Say Nowby@musicfeedsmysoul12

“I suppose there’s nothing left to say then.” She told them, before she turned away from them, heading to the back of the class. She sat down and refused to speak for the rest of the class despite the confused looks she got and the annoyed ones. Even a few hurt ones.

Like they had any fucking right to be hurt.

Remember some chapters are longer than others

(ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*.✧

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Beginning

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Ivan was never the smartest guy, he knew that, but what he lacked in brain he thought he more than made up in heart. That’s what his Mama always said and surprisingly that is what his former friend Marinette would also say to him when he was having a bad day. Contrary to popular belief, he and Mylène were not the perfect couple, they had their fights, they annoyed one another on occasion, they even took jokes too far. More often than he would care to admit it was because he put his foot in his mouth and said something stupid, or didn’t think things through and they would end up in a misunderstanding, but his mothers’ and Marinette were always there to help him cool down and think things through whenever he needed them. Before this whole Lila thing he used to be able to just call up Marinette whenever he needed help or just whenever he wanted to talk with her. 

She was his person and he liked to think he was hers, she would vent about her frustrations with Alya and the Girl Group, she would lament her failures and by failures Ivan meant little mistakes that Marinette was overthinking but that was okay, he knew she couldn’t help it. That was something he didn’t like that the girls and some of the guys in class teased her about, her tendency to spiral, they acted like it was just one of her quirks or it wasn’t a big deal. It was no secret that Marinette had anxiety, but he didn’t know if the others knew she had to take medication for it, but then even if they didn’t they still shouldn’t tease her for something she can’t control. Ivan had even said as much to said girl, he would never forget the smile she gave him as she told him he was a loyal friend.

Loyal. The memory made his stomach tie into a knot. No, he was not loyal, not at all, he was a coward, he was weak and he had tricked himself into believing he was strong. He didn’t know when it happened, but at some point Ivan got it in his head that if he just kept Mylène happy no matter what, everything would be okay. It didn’t matter if she didn’t want to go to a concert with him because she would rather they go and protest some issue she was passionate about (never you mind the fact that passion seemed to change every month or so), it didn’t matter that he couldn’t play some of his favorite songs around her because she thought they were too scary (she only listened to one verse), and it didn’t matter that she never wanted to hang out at his parent’s house (the décor was too intense she said). He couldn’t really remember when it started exactly but he knew it was after Lila returned from her trip or whatever.

Apparently Mylène had gone to the girl and expressed her concern to the Italian about how often they fight, which he thought was a small amount but apparently his girlfriend didn’t agree and it had begun to make her question their relationship. Ivan had been heartbroken and desperate and when Lila gave him the advice to just make sure Mylène was always happy he took to it like a duck to water. He liked Mylène a lot, she was the first girl he ever actually considered confessing too. He had crushes, but with Mylène it was just different. The crush didn’t fade away like the others, no, in fact it grew day by day to the point he just had to tell her how he felt. She was important to him and oh so special, and well, he’s a teenage boy and this is his first relationship, of course he didn’t want it to end. So he took Lila’s advice and it was like he could think of nothing else but Mylène.

Then time passed, his bottled emotions grew and he was finally able to take a step back when his older sister was home from university and pulled him aside for a talk. She noticed how different he had been and that’s when it hit him. He had always been proud to be him, sure he had insecurities, what teenager didn’t? But he loved rock and metal music, he loved horror films, his favorite color was black, and yeah he wore eyeliner. All that stuff made him happy and he believed it was what made him, well him. The point was, he had been raised to be proud of who you are, no matter if what you are going through is a phase or not (he fondly remembered his sister’s pastel phase, and so did his parents) because ultimately even that is you. It is just you trying to find what you are most comfortable in and in some cases broadening your tastes. It was that talk with his sister that made him realize he had not been himself in a long time, and that really upset him. 

He decided he needed to take a step back from everything and really take a moment for himself so he could reflect and just think. He maybe, sort of, forgot that the trip to Gotham had been coming up but it honestly was a blessing in disguise because it gave him time away from Mylène. Which was sad that he thought of that as a plus, but he needed time away from her because it was his time with her that had been what had changed him and not for the better. So yes, he was more than content to use this education trip as his own personal getaway from everything, even if it was only when they were back at the hotel since Mylène decided that this trip had to be some romantic thing for them. Ivan had already tried to tell her that this trip was an educational one and they should treat it as such and not mess around, more so because they were specifically in one of the most crime ridden cities in the world. 

Apparently what he said had been ‘totally mean’ and ‘inconsiderate’ so Mylène was giving him the silent treatment until he apologized. Another bonus, only if she remembered she was ignoring him, because sometimes she would be talking to the girls and come over and hang on his arm the way Lila did to Adrien and it took a lot out of him not to pry her fingers off him. He remained polite though, his mothers’ did not raise a rude son, they always made sure he was polite because they knew people would always judge their family for their looks and choices. His Mum said politeness was a weapon and he truly believed her. So he made sure to always be polite when he reminded Mylène about the silent treatment and why he didn’t believe he had to apologize and maybe they both needed to think about it. The boys were surprisingly on his side, especially Nino. What was a big shock to Ivan was that even Juleka, not one for talking Juleka, had even stood up for him and taken his side.

Distantly he hoped he hadn’t caused any problems for her and Rose. He really liked his bandmates but he was closer to Juleka he would admit. They both were people of few words and were more comfortable being in the background even if they were proud of who they were. He and Juleka could sit there in silence for hours without it going awkward because they both knew they were hanging out even if they didn’t say anything, they just appreciated each other’s presence. Nowadays though, the two hadn’t been able to just hang out with each other like they used to and Ivan hated to point the finger without proof but he blamed Lila. Everything changed after her lengthy return after her first day in the class. Ivan hadn’t noticed at first, he was admittedly not the most observant, but by the time he noticed it felt like there was nothing he could do. 

No. The feeling was true but he knew he could have done something, he could have stood up for Marinette when he finally saw just how horrible the class was being, he could have broken up with Mylène when he first noticed her change or even sat done with her and her dad and talked over with both of them how the girl had been changing and not for the good, he could have spoken up for Nino and Juleka when he noticed they had become the Italian’s latest “projects.” Everyone in the class that had sided with Lila had been changing, and it had not been for the better, not at all. That had become all the more clear when he had heard Alya say they had to teach Marinette a lesson. It was the way she said it, there was so much anger behind it and she said it out in the lobby of Wayne Tower with a bravado that told him she didn’t expect them to get in trouble. The sad truth was they wouldn’t, not with the blatant favoritism Mme Bustier gave Lila. 

That was all Ivan could think of throughout the rest of the tour, then the hostage situation had happened and everything happened all at once and much too fast and it had been utterly, devastatingly overwhelming. His heart had still been racing by the time they had made it back to the hotel and even then he didn’t remember getting back on the bus, he didn’t even remember getting out of the lobby. It had taken a much needed bath and a long time of blasting music from his headphones as he laid on his bed before he finally felt himself come back into focus enough to realize they had left Marinette behind. They had left a classmate behind in a fucking hostage situation, and it made his stomach drop so harshly he thought for a brief moment that gravity had ripped it out of him. It made him rush to the bathroom to puke up whatever he had eaten for lunch because for the life of him he could not remember. 

They really had left Marinette back there to an uncertain fate and Ivan had never been more grateful that he was the odd boy out with his own room considering Nathaniel had fallen ill before the trip. So no one was around when he broke down, he cried, he sobbed, he muffled his screams into his mountain of pillows and even then it hadn’t felt like enough. The grief he felt, the anger, the guilt, it was all too much and the string that had been precariously holding him together before the start of the trip snapped. He needed…well he wasn’t entirely sure what he needed, he knew what he wanted and that was to make sure Marinette was okay. He wanted the old Mylène back. He wanted Kitty Section together again and rehearsing and just planning out new performances. He wanted to be able to write songs with Rose once more without fear of her taking them to Lila for her “expert opinion.” Ivan wanted to hang out with a friend group that didn’t just stand around and listen to one person’s stories or opinions without getting to share their own. 

Yes, Ivan wanted a lot of things.

But first he had to get his nausea under control.

So with great reluctance he pushed himself out of bed and walked out of his room determined to go downstairs to the lobby in hopes the restaurant was still open, if it wasn’t then he would try and find a vending machine, and if that all failed he would ask an employee to go into the bar section of the hotel for him. He needed sparkling water or something with ginger in it, or even peppermint tea. Though he loathed the stuff, his Mama always told him those were the best for nausea. It was after their curfew but…well they didn’t exactly have a teacher or chaperone around to enforce said curfew and it’s not like Mme Bustier actually did anything if she caught you outside your room, or so Alya and Lila had said after they told everyone they had to go to the lobby after curfew the first night because Lila absolutely needed something, something dumb he was sure. The girls said the most they got was a gentle admonishment and made to promise they wouldn’t do it again. 

Yeah Ivan could see why Caline Bustier was being investigated and honestly he wished it had happened sooner. If it had, maybe Marinette wouldn’t have had to plan and prepare the trip for them all and do her best to make sure they were safe. You know, like the teacher should have done. Oh Ivan knew it was Marinette who had won them the trip and not Lila who had claimed it so. He had been so grateful to the pig-tailed girl, he had never left Europe before and he had been so excited to have the opportunity to do so. But that had been a childish dream, or that’s how it felt anyhow, because as soon as they got the trip started Caline Bustier continued to fail as a teacher. Once upon a time, Ivan would have claimed the woman was his favorite teacher but after all the shit she let slide and he had been witness to that shattered. Caline Bustier fell from her self made high-horse throne and Ivan didn’t care. 

He was glad that Mlle Mendeleiv would be her replacement for the trip, no matter what others said about the teacher, Ivan respected her no nonsense attitude when it came to rules and safety in her classroom and lab. He knew they would be in good hands, along with whatever chaperones would be coming. It was those thoughts that renewed a bit of hope in him that things would look up, a little voice in his head reassured him that things would get better. It suspiciously sounded like Marinette. Ivan huffed at that and willed the ache in his chest to go away as he reached the lobby and was about to head to the restaurant to see if it was open when he saw a familiar person sitting on one of the chairs in the lobby’s lounge. 

“Alya?”

Said girl jumped in her seat before turning her head and wiping her face, Ivan pretended not to notice. “Ivan. Hey.”

Ivan looked at someone he had once considered a friend, not a particularly close one, but a friend nonetheless and decided they needed to talk and just be there for one another. Even if both weren’t exactly that close. So he sat on the seat next to her, his quest for a carbonated drink or ginger one put on hold. “I’m not going to ask how you’re doing because that would be pretty dumb, but it is the polite thing to do. So how are you feeling, Alya?”

“I…” At first it looked like she was going to lie or laugh him off but after a minute the girl’s face scrunched up tight before it seemed like all the fight had left her as she sagged into the seat. “Not the best I admit.”

“Me too.”

“I just…I didn’t think. When we left, my mind was on Lila and I didn’t think…”

“Didn’t think of Marinette.” He didn’t pose it as a question because he knew.

Alya looked like she was about to snap at him for even speaking the ‘forbidden name’, but she merely bit her lip and nodded. “We left but I didn’t…I knew we left Marinette there. And before you yell or lecture me or whatever, I know, I know that’s bad. The police had a grand ol’ time letting me know that. It’s just…I really didn’t think Ivan. I didn’t think she would…”

Ivan had to take a deep breath, but he did get what she was trying to say. “You didn’t think she would get hurt. Or taken off the trip. But Alya, before you yell at me, what did you think would happen? Honestly? Because from where I have been sitting and seeing, you haven’t cared what happened to Marinette the moment this trip started.”

He held his hand up when it looked like she was about to argue. “Alya. You asked me not to yell, I asked you the same, please. Look. You and Lila and Rose and…and Mylène have all been making this trip hell for her. Like it or not but Lila tried to leave her back in Paris. You may not believe that but that’s how it came across. You guys talked Bustier into leaving the hotel early our first official day to tour and you guys didn’t care that we left her here. You didn’t care when her friends argued or worried. You guys didn’t care. I should have spoken up. I know I should have when I noticed what you guys were doing. That’s my fault. But…but I don’t think I believe you when you say you didn’t think she would get hurt or be hurt.”

It was quiet. The silence grew and grew and it was wrapped around them both like hands pressed to their throats. Tears were gathered in both sets of eyes but they had yet to fall. “We left her behind in a hostage situation. She had a gun to her head Alya…we had no way of knowing if she was okay and we left and I hate myself for letting us leave.”

Both were crying. “Ivan…I…”

“You’re a good person Alya. But…you…you’re not acting like yourself anymore. You may jump into things without thinking, be a bit short tempered, but you always strived for information. For proof. For justice. This? This isn’t justice. When you…When you suggested teaching Marinette a lesson in the lobby…it sounded like you were suggesting…” Ivan never spoke this much but he wanted Alya to listen. He wanted her to see exactly what was wrong, or at the very least plant a seed of doubt of some kind.

Alya gasped and covered her mouth with her hand, she was unbelievably pale. “Ivan…please, please tell me you didn’t think I was suggesting…Mon Dieu…beating Marinette up!”

Ivan shrugged half-heartedly. “That’s what it sounded like but I know you’re not like that.”

“Ivan, I swear that’s not what I meant!” Alya denied. “I just…I was so mad at her because of what she did to Lila, but I didn’t mean hurting her. I swear it. I meant like…getting even. Playing pranks or something. Calling her parents! But never, never would I mean hurting her! I…look, we may not be friends any more but that doesn’t mean I want her to be hurt or to hurt her.”

“I want to believe that, and I think you want to believe that too. I think you need to take a step back from everything and just think about what’s happened. Not just here, back in Paris too.” He advised.

Alya licked her lips before looking him in the eyes sharply. “Like you did? Like with Mylène?”

“That’s!…Yeah…Yeah like me. Like that. It’s been an experience…Mylène has changed and so have I and I’m not convinced either change was for the better. So I took a step back. I had hoped she would understand and I’ve been trying to give her space…” He admitted.

A voice, a familiar heart-breaking voice, cut off whatever Alya was going to say next and it had Ivan stiffen in his seat. “Ivan? Why are you down here with Alya? Alone?” 

Mylène.

“Hey Mylène.”

Ivan tiredly watched as his girlfriend looked between him and Alya with a frown on her face, her hands on her hips and one foot tapping the floor impatiently. It would have brought him some amusement-she looked like a cartoon character-but he knew if he laughed it wouldn’t be appreciated. “You didn’t answer my question. Lila says-”

“Mylène.” Alya cut in as she stared at her friend in confusion and something else that Ivan could not identify but he was grateful that Mylène’s attention was not on him. “He…He wasn’t feeling well. I just wanted to see if he was alright.”

It wasn’t a complete lie, but it wasn’t the full truth but Ivan appreciated it all the same. “Yeah. I’m actually going to head to bed. Night girls.”

Without hearing their replies the boy got up and made his way to the elevators. He wasn’t one for many words, he didn’t really enjoy talking but this was one conversation he knew he would have to have many times over. For Marinette he would do it. For his friends he would do it. For himself…he would do it. So once he was on his level, Ivan squared his shoulders and passed his own room only to stop at another and knock. Once the door opened he stared down at a former friend, one he missed. He knew from experience that people found him intimidating given his size and his apparent ‘resting bitch face’ but Max just glared up at him with all his anger and determination. It made Ivan smile despite the situation.

“Can we talk please?” 

_______________________

Swanky Hank@iamsadlynotkingofahill

Guess who got fired! UnU

#imeanfair #butitsucks #butfair #imeanididgiveoutprivateinfo 

Ello@nahimjustawormRetweeted

That’s rough buddy

           Swanky Hank@iamsadlynotkingofahill

           Guess who got fired! UnU

           #imeanfair #butitsucks #butfair #imeanididgiveoutprivateinfo

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Summary: Marc was determined to find his redheaded friend and finally have a talk, whether said friend wanted to or not. They couldn’t ignore each other forever.

Marc never liked confrontation. He hated it in fact. It always made his heart jump in his throat and made his skin tingle uncomfortably like there were tiny hairs all over his body that you always mistook for bugs. It was a sensation he was very much not a fan of, but one he felt too often for his liking. But even though he hated confrontation and the feelings it brought along he knew he couldn’t put this off, nor did he want to. Nathaniel was his friend, his business partner, his crush, as much as he didn’t want to talk to Nath about the Lila thing and the Marinette thing, Marc deserved answers and Nathaniel had been avoiding him. Sure in the beginning he had been avoiding the redhead as well but he felt that was to be expected, Nath knew him, knew what he was like and really the whole situation was very overwhelming. One of his closest friends was turned into an akuma, the deadliest and smartest akumas to date, and she went missing. There was no trace of her. Then there was the fact that apparently her class had a big hand in her akumatization.

Now it was just speculation but all be damned if there wasn’t some circumstantial evidence that helped “prove” that theory. It was a theory that was not hard to believe, everyone in the school could see the change in Mlle Bustier’s class, and they could see it hadn’t been a good change. But it didn’t matter how many times Marc asked Nathaniel if everything was okay in his class, it didn’t matter how many times Marc asked Aurore to help him talk to Mme Mendeleiev about what was maybe going on in Mlle Bustier’s class, nothing was being done, and nothing he or his friends did seemed to make a dent in the infamous ‘Akuma Class’s’ walls. The class had a reputation of being close, but where once it was admired and seen as a good thing, it grew to be something intimidating and off putting. It seemed like no matter what you did, no matter how hard you tried, there was nothing you could do to get close to anyone in the class. There was no way to break through or be invited past the walls. 

Marc had been lucky, or it had seemed that way for a while. Marinette was always the anomaly in the ‘Akuma Class’, she would talk to kids outside her class, she would try and make other friends, and other kids tried to be friends with her too. Marinette just had this gravitational pull to her, she was a star and many wanted to be a part of her constellation, but her classmates always seemed to keep her just out of everyone else’s reach. When Marinette had started talking to him it was nothing short of feeling like he was speaking to a goddess and he wished he was joking, because that is exactly how he felt when she approached him. Of course there was his whole akumatization but that had been a stupid misunderstanding and he still felt bad for blaming her and even thinking she was malicious enough to want to embarrass him on purpose, even if it was for a brief moment. It was what happened after that made him feel like he had received a blessing, he met Nathaniel, someone he had always admired, whether it was his art or simply just his looks.

 Marc thought Nathaniel’s art was incredible and that the boy himself was cute, then Marinette happened and he soon found himself in a partnership with the artist and next thing he knew they were making a comic series together. A rather successful one at that. Marc couldn’t have been happier and really it was all thanks to Marinette, he had wanted to find some way to thank her ever since, but everything he thought up always seemed subpar. And yet he still kept thinking of ways to thank her but in the end he would never get a chance to, because Marinette was gone. No one knew where she was. She was still an akuma and it was more than likely her classmates that drove her to being possessed by said akuma. The boy huffed when he realized his thoughts had just done a complete circle yet again. That had been happening more and more recently. 

He would think about how Nathaniel was really not being subtle about avoiding him, then his thoughts would predictably turn towards Marinette and how kind and amazing she was. Then of course his thoughts would go to her disappearance and of course the fact that not only did she disappear, but she disappeared as an akuma. There had been no Miraculous Ladybug to cure and repair everything that had gone wrong, and boy had things gone wrong. It was like Paris as a whole had been the one to be akumatized rather than Marinette, everyone acted differently or just completely out of their minds. Marc couldn’t help but shiver at the thought of the overzealous-and that was putting it mildly-followers that The Protector had somehow garnered after her disappearance. He had never run into any of them thank goodness, but all the stories he had heard and read about from eyes-witnesses had him glad he was never one to go out much anyways. But it was those overzealous sycophants and the rowdy self-righteous kids in school that had him worried and wanting to find and speak to Nathaniel. 

He had checked all of Nathaniel’s old haunts, he had been very surprised that the redhead had not been in the art room but then he remembered the club’s attitude towards the ‘Akuma Class’ and he felt foolish for even checking there in the first place. So he basically just went on a blind hunt for Nathaniel and hoped he would be able to find the boy before lunch was over. Thankfully he knew Nathaniel always had lunch at school since his parents weren’t able to pick him up to take home for lunch and back to school after. So he continued looking for his friend, at least, he hoped they were still friends and if they weren’t then hopefully they could work towards being friends once more. Though he knew if he did manage to find Nathaniel, the talk they had to have wouldn’t be pleasant, he just hoped that both of them could manage not to blow anything out of proportion. 

Both of them were driven by their emotions, and they both tended to jump to conclusions, point and case being their individual akumatizations. Marc grumbled as he shut the locker room door as there was no redhead in sight. He hated having to be the rational one. He was just fine being the hot mess he was, he was content to be that and proudly made sure everyone knew it. Though he liked sharing the role with Marinette, the two of them bonded over the fact that they couldn’t go through one day without something happening because they were always in a tizzy. It was great to find someone he shared that with, they had even joked about making a club, but overall it was just great to have a friend that understood when he spiraled over something so little as misplacing his journal. Marinette made him feel seen, she helped him come out of his shell, she was the reason he was able to make friends. She would always deny it and say that was all him but he knew if she had never talked to him he probably would have been content to just stay in the shadows away from everyone. 

It was when he was getting frustrated and decided to just eat his lunch in Mme Mendeleiev’s homeroom class (he wouldn’t dare try and eat in her lab even if it was closer to him after the lecture she gave to one of his classmates that decided it was a good time to snack while in the lab) and try again tomorrow that he saw a familiar head of red hair sitting at a desk at the back. “So this is where you’ve been hiding.”

“Marc? What…what are you doing here?” Nathaniel asked, it was clear he had not been expecting anyone to walk in. To be fair, not many people had permission to eat their lunch in Mme Mendeleiev’s homeroom and not many of them ran into each other.

“I did just say, ‘So this is where you’ve been hiding,’ I think that is rather clear.”

“You were looking for me?” Nath asked cautiously and Marc had to restrain himself from rolling his eyes even if he was getting frustrated. He found himself getting frustrated easier and faster nowadays. Stupid hormones. 

“Well yeah. You’ve certainly haven’t made it easy. You’ve been avoiding me.” 

“I haven’t-”

“Don’t lie to me.” 

“Well what do you want me to say Marc?” 

“I-” Marc started but he realized it was a bit more heated than he wanted it to be, with a sigh it was like all his frustration and determination left him. “I didn’t come here to fight Nath.”

“I’m…Look. I’m sorry Marc. It’s just, that’s all anyone seems to want to do nowadays.” Nathaniel did look sorry so Marc didn’t hold it against him, and to be fair he himself came in a little hot headed so he just nodded his head as he walked closer. He didn’t sit at the desk with Nathaniel but since the boy was sitting on the edge anyway he decided to sit in the desk across from him. “I guess that’s why I’m…hiding. Everyone just wants to fight, or, or yell at me- at us, about how awful we are and how we let her down!”

“Well…” Marc began as he picked off lint from his fingerless gloves, it was a nervous habit. Thankfully he hadn’t accidentally picked a stray string and unraveled the gloves but he knew it was only a matter of when. “I didn’t track you down to yell at you.”

“Are-Aren’t you mad at me?”

“I was. I’m not going to lie. But I think you’re mad at yourself enough for the both of us.” Marc said as he gestured to Nath’s bandaged hands. He was one of the few people that knew how self-destructive Nath could be when upset, especially when he was upset at himself. He would force himself to work on a wood carving project, something he rarely did, but he wouldn’t put on the protective gloves, so if he got nicked by a tool he would feel it. Marc tried his best to get Nath to stop, and he thought he had succeeded. Looks like he in all actuality failed. “I wish you wouldn’t do that..”

“I know.” Nath admitted softly. 

“Have you been…working on a project recently?” Marc asked softly, still looking at Nathaniel’s bandaged hands. There were so many band aids he could barely see the boy’s pale skin.

Nathaniel shook his head, it was then that Marc noticed the red hair that was usually well kept was greasy and a mess. His heart clenched at the knowledge that his friend was neglecting his self-care. “No…I haven’t had the energy to really work on anything. I’ve thought about it…but no. No new projects, er, carving-wise.”

It was Marc’s turn to nod. There was a moment of silence and where once it would have been comfortable like all the silence shared between them was before, now it was long, it was uncomfortable and it was nerve wracking. “Nath? What happened?”

“I don’t even know what to say Marc. Or well, I do, I just don’t know where to start.”

“Start wherever you’re most comfortable.” 

“I…I didn’t really pay attention to Lila. I know that doesn’t give me any points. I know it doesn’t make me better than my classmates, but I genuinely didn’t really pay attention to her.” Nathaniel started with a far away look in his eyes. “Sure she had amazing stories and such but they just never hooked me. Like, I don’t know how to explain it, there were stories for everyone to hear, to relate to, but there was always a constant. Her.”

“Everything was about her.” Marc muttered, he remembered hearing her regale her posy with a tale of herself meeting some big name author and he had felt like her eyes had been on him but he had just kept walking to his table with his friends. 

“Yeah. Exactly. And well, we were so busy with our comic, I just never really paid attention to what was going on in class. You know how I can get.” Nath said as he ran a hand through his hair. 

Marc nodded, he did know how Nathaniel could get because he was the same way. When they were in the zone everything else was like a haze, if they didn’t set alarms in their phones they would definitely forget to eat or take breaks. The alarms had been Marinette’s doing. “We both get like that when it comes to the comic.”

“So when I get like that, I usually have Alix tell me what’s going on in class and with our friends so I’m in the loop.” Nath explained as he looked down at his hands as he clenched and unclenched them. “But…I should have known better. Alix, I love Alix, but Alix is stubborn and rash, and….but she’s loyal. So when she told me Marinette didn’t like Lila and she explained that Marinette was being a bully…I was confused because Marinette has never been like that but at the same time I wasn’t her friend till this year…”

“So you-”

“So I listened to Alix, but it wasn’t just Alix. Everyone was talking about it! How Marinette had changed and how she was being mean to Lila! I…I listened to them. I didn’t partake in anything but I knew they were pulling pranks on her.” Nathaniel’s words were choked out on a sob. 

“I didn’t want to get involved. I-I hate situations like that, and I didn’t want to get involved so I didn’t,” Nathaniel cried. “And I have never regretted anything more. I should have looked into things more, I shouldn’t have just taken things at face value, I should have done something!”

At this Marc himself was crying too so he stood up and pushed Nath more into the desk so he could sit beside him and hug his friend. He didn’t know how long they sat there like that, just crying for anyone to hear, but it felt good. It felt good to hug his friend again and to just cry with someone he trusted. Yes Nathaniel made a mistake, but at least the boy realized that himself and felt ashamed, there was no need for Marc to punish his friend more. He knew people wouldn’t understand him forgiving Nathaniel but he didn’t care, people are allowed to make mistakes, especially children. This was a mistake, a big mistake, but it wasn’t made intentionally and everyone was already suffering because of it. Marc didn’t see the point of continuing to place blame on Nathaniel, what happened was terrible and one of their friends was missing because of it, but there was no way to heal and move forward if he decided to continue to be mad and hateful. 

“You might think it’s too late…” Marc began softly, “but the fact that you recognize what you did was a problem and feel regretful, shows how sorry you are. Nath, I’m not going to lie and say I wasn’t mad at you, because I was. But you can’t keep punishing yourself for the past.”

“How can you forgive me?” Nath asked around his choked out sobs.

“Because you’re my friend.” Marc said firmly as he hugged Nathaniel tighter. “And…and because it’s what Marinette would do.”

The room was quiet as Marc had memory after memory of Marinette flooded his brain, he imagined the same could be said for Nathaniel who was still crying but had managed to calm down enough to stop his choked out sobs. Now all that could be heard from him was sniffling. They just sat there hugging each other, remembering their friend and hoping to muffle and forget everything going on outside for just a moment. One moment was all they needed, away from the chaos and the crushing weight of judgments and expectations, just one moment to be just them. A moment where no one would yell or laugh at their misery, or have people expect them to jump on the bandwagon and treat the class like social pariahs. In that empty classroom they could be just Marc and Nathaniel, two boys who desperately missed their friend. 

“She was always too forgiving.” Nathaniel mumbled with a sad chuckle. “Even when someone didn’t deserve it…she was always ready to forgive.”

“She really was. Marinette,” Marc tried to ignore the pain in his chest at her name, “Marinette was amazing, and kind, and selfless, and so so much more.”

“She was…” Nathaniel sighed as he gently pulled away from Marc and ran a hand through his hair. “And-and it hurts that people, well a majority, only see her as The Protector. That’s not Marinette, that will never be her. Marinette was many things, and I want to remember her as those rather than…than the akuma she left us as.”

“Sometimes…Sometimes people only want to see the akuma. They only want to see the bad in people or they only see what they want to see.” Marc supplied with a tilt of his head and shrug of his shoulders. It was depressing but it was the truth. 

“She’snot her akuma! We’re not our akumas!” Nathaniel said hotly.

Marc flinched even though he knew Nath wasn’t yelling at him, but he nodded all the same. “You know…people were still wary around me after the whole…Reverser incident. It was like they expected me to turn into…him at any moment. Some of my classmates even stopped talking to me altogether.” 

“Marc…That’s awful.”

“It is. But it stopped eventually.”

“How? W-Why?”

Marc gave Nathaniel a bright smile. “You happened. You suggested making my akuma a hero in the comic. Like how you turned Evillustrator into Mighty-Illustrator. And we paired up to make the comic which definitely helped, but really, it was the comic itself that helped me. People saw my akuma not as Reverser, they saw the hero you made it to be, they saw it as Contrary Wise.”

“You did that too, you know? You wrote your akuma as a hero fantastically. You write fantastically Marc. I don’t know where I’d be without you.” 

“My point is,” Marc laughed and bumped Nath with his shoulder to try and hide his blush, “you helped everyone separate me from Reverser.”

Marc watched as Nath smiled and rubbed the back of his neck before the boy stopped and sat up suddenly, no longer slouching. He turned to Marc with wide, excited eyes. “That’s what we need to do!”

“What?”

“We! I’ve been wanting to make something for her anyways but I didn’t think I could because I didn’t know if you still wanted to work with me. But you’re here now! It can happen! We can make it!” Nathaniel babbled as he gestured wildly with his hands. 

“Make what, Nath? I just want you to make sense!”

“We make another comic!” Nathaniel announced as he fumbled with his backpack before he yanked out his ‘Ideas’ journal. “Only this time it won’t feature Ladybug. Ladybug is gone. Marinette…well Mari as Ladybug promised to always protect us. She never realized she was a hero all the time. To all of us. Mask or no mask.”

Marc started getting excited and a bit sad when he realized what Nath wanted. “A comic dedicated to her but her as Marinette. The everyday hero. Our everyday hero. No mask.”

“We show everyone she’s not The Protector. Not just Ladybug. She’s human. Like all of us, we show Paris that we can be heroes too. Not…not like we, we.”

“I know what you mean, Nath. We show them that Paris…that we, the people, can be heroes like Marinette.” Marc beamed with pride at his friend. 

Nathaniel nodded and gave a more bittersweet smile. “Like Marinette.”

Next Chapter

Marinette was thankful for the quarantine.

Well, not that she was glad that the world was on lockdown. The pandemic and the overall situation that was happening all over the world, it was terrible.

Her parents‘ life hasn’t changed much. The only difference in their business was that they no were longer open to the public. As a bakery, a food-producing company, they distributed their baked goods to various shops every day.

For Marinette, she no longer had to go to school. Some took that as a negative thing, but not Marinette.

By being thankful for the quarantine, she meant only the part that her school moved to online classes. She no longer had to get up so soon and there was a smaller chance of her oversleeping, since she had her school precisely three feet away from her bed.

She was sad to not be able to go see her friends in her free time, but at least she still had her family. Her nona even came back from her travels and stayed in Paris, occasionally meeting up with them to pick up groceries. Her parents did not want to risk anything, so they insisted that they would buy her groceries along with their own. The same applied to Rolland, of course.

And also, she didn’t have to endure her classmates and Lila.

There was practically no chance for them to harass her, since the only time they would actually be able to talk to her would be during a lesson, when the teacher was giving a lecture. But interrupting the lesson would probably earn them another lecture from the various teachers about not interrupting the class and muting themselves. So, the only actual contact with them would be when they texted her. Which wasn’t that often, only when Lila said a slightly bigger lie about her or such.

The only thing she would have to endure, would be seeing Lila’s face throughout the whole lesson out of the corner of her eye, since the temporary school rules made for online classes stated that they had to have their webcams on at all times. No student could protest and say they didn’t have one, since the school provided tablets with built-in cameras. That was probably why Lila was actually present in each lesson. If she was allowed not to have her camera on, Marinette could bet the girl wouldn’t be paying attention unless the topic really got her interest.

She was content with the online lessons. To her, it seemed almost perfect, not having to deal with drama that always happened in her class. There was nothing that could possibly happen during her online school.

She didn’t take into account her boyfriend and his family.

The day started peacefully, Marinette woke up to her second alarm clock as usual, made herself look presentable and started up her computer for the long six hours of lessons that were about to come. Joining the zoom call, she muted her mic after greeting the teacher and turned her camera on. She never bothered to blur or change her background, because; why would she?

She should’ve blurred or changed her background.

She heard a commotion down down in the bakery, but she paid no mind to it, disregarding it as her parents playfully arguing about who was going to cook lunch or which flavor to add. Instead, she plugged in her headphones and listened to her teacher while she made notes.

She should’ve paid mind to it.

While the class was in session, she usually had the teacher on her speakers or had hear earphones with only one bud in her ear so that she could hear her parents if they came into her room.

She shouldn’t have plugged in the second earbud.

Among the many faces she saw in the zoom call, she only paid mind to her teacher. She didn’t bother to watch her own, since she saw no reason to do so.

She should’ve at least checked once in a while.

She might’ve noticed the group of people enter her room if she did.

While she was busy learning stuff in school, her parents were busy downstairs talking to the very special guests that just arrived.

“Not that we aren’t glad to see you, but what are you doing here?” Sabine asked with a smile the taller man in front of her.

“We are very sorry, Ms. Cheng. I would’ve stopped them from going but somebody-” Dick glared at his brothers, each baring a different emotion on their faces. “-insisted we deliver the message in person.”

“Hey! Don’t look at us like we are the only ones who are glad to be here! It didn’t take as much as two sentences to get you on board!” Jason retorted playfully, playfully pushing his brother’s side. Dick looked at him in disbelief, putting a hand on his chest.

“You dare accuse me? I am the responsible one out of all of you!” Drama queen “In times like this, it was totally inappropriate for you to insist on person-to-person contact!”

“Speaking of which, how did you all manage to get here? The borders are closed.” It brought a little bit of panic to the boys’ faces at Tom’s question. They couldn’t just tell them they used a zeta tube.

“As a company having multiple headquarters around the planet, we were able to travel via our private jet for work purposes. There were small problems, but we managed to get permission to cross the border and take care of the business.” The youngest of them spoke, much to their surprise, but they quickly recovered from their shocked states and nodded along to the story, confirming it with further information and assure that of course Bruce knows about this, Ms. Cheng.

“Alright boys, but at least call us next time before you suddenly show up in the middle of a pandemic.” At which she received sheepish smiles. “Marinette is in her room and probably in the middle of her online lesson right now, so please wait a while if you can.” With quick ‘thank you’s and ‘will do’s, the group of brothers disappeared from the bakery.

Sabine sighed and returned into the kitchen with her husband.

“Marinette is in for a big surprise.” Tom nodded in agreement before pausing slightly, furrowing his eyebrows in thought.

“Wait, what did they mean by ‘deliver a message’?” The pair stared at each other for a second, before both shrugged and returned to their work.

“That was some quick thinking there, Demon.” Jason nudged his youngest adoptive brother teasingly. “Or did you plan ahead so that nothing was going to interrupt your chance of meeting your girlfriend in these times?” He got a glare in return, but not the cold one Damian usually gave off.

Probably because he was right, nothing was going to prevent him from seeing his girlfriend after all those months. They already had to be apart from each other before because of school and they were excited to finally spend some time together through spring and summer holidays. Sadly, those plans got cancelled because of the pandemic.

Sure, it might’ve been slightly irresponsible for them to travel to see his girlfriend in the time of quarantine, but they all got tested and they came out negative, so they figured it wouldn’t be that much of a risk.

“Alright, let’s go see our future sister-in-law.” Jason made a move to go up the stairs and into Marinette’s room, but was stopped by Dick’s hand reaching out and grabbing him by his hoodie.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, did you not hear her mom? She might be in an online class right now.” Thankfully for Damian, they all missed the blush on his cheeks after the words sister-in-law left his brother’s mouth. Jason raised an eyebrow at Dick.

“Yea? So we’re just going to wait here for- what, like five to six hours, maybe?” He pulled the hand that was holding his hoodie away and straightened his cloths. “I’d say just surprise her. Or if you really want to just sit here and wait for Damian to glare us into oblivion out of anticipation, then by all means let’s go sit on the couch.”

Dick pondered over his words for a second, both Tim and Damian just watching everything from the sidelines. He noticed their presence and both of them sweat-dropped.

“What about you guys? You wanna surprise Mari like Jason said?”

The immediate “Sure” they simultaneously let out made Jason grin triumphally at him. Dick sighed and shrugged.

“Alright,” He smirked suddenly and made a beeline for the stairs, “But you bet I’m going to be the first one to greet her!” The rest of the brothers all started running after Dick and into Marinette’s bedroom.

“I will put the presentation into the study materials folder so you can go over the lesson before the test on Friday. Now, the assignment-”

“MARINETTE!”

Shrieking, Marinette fell off her chair with a thud as the hatch door swung open and collided with her floor so strongly it might’ve made a hole in it. The chair rolled away as the four familiar figures stepped further into her room. Damian was by her side as soon as he fully stepped inside, asking her if she was alright.

It took a while for Marinette to register what just happened. Her eyes widened and she jumped at Damian, knocking him down in a hug.

“Oh my god, you’re here!” Damian chuckled (which made his brothers stare at him, they still weren’t used to hearing such foreign sound coming from Damian), and hugged his girlfriend back even tighter. After a second or two, Marinette paused “Wait,” She pushed herself away from Damian and looked at the rest of the brothers “why are you here?” pausing again, her eyebrows furrowed in the same way her father’s did not a long time ago “and how?”

The boys laughed at the girl while Damian helped her stand up.

“Hey, and where are our hugs?” Dick chimed in, putting on the best puppy eyes he could manage and opened his arms. Marinette rolled her eyes and came over to the oldest of the brothers, hugging him tightly. Jason scoffed from beside them.

“Look at him acting all sappy. And he didn’t even want to surprise her at first.”

After hugging everybody, Marinette stood in front of the boys and repeated her questions from before. The boys looked at each other sheepishly.

“We used the zeta tubes. The borders are closed so we obviously wouldn’t be able to get here otherwise. We made sure nobody saw us here, though, so it’s fine. Nobody’s gonna ask questions.”

“Isn’t that dangerous right now, though?” Jason waved his hand in a dismissing manner.

“Don’t worry, Pixie, we all got tested and we’re all negative. The air around us is completely safe.” Marinette’s eyebrow furrowed again, displaying worry across her features.

“Does Bruce know you’re here?” Pausing for a bit, Marinette rubbed her eyes “Of course he doesn’t, why did I even ask that in the first place.”

“Hey! We sent him a text that we were coming here.” Jason defended.

“Besides, we had to ask you something.” Tim added, his brothers nodding along. At that, Marinette perked up.  

“Which is?” Jason nudged Damian closer to Mari.

“Go ahead, you ask her. It was your idea, after all.” Marinette’s curiosity was peaked by then, contemplating what her boyfriend could have in mind. After glaring at his brother for the push, he switched his attention to the beauty in front of him, his features immediately softening.

“Our family decided to switch our residence to our private island for a while so that we could move freely outside without the risk of getting sick… We haven’t seen each other for a long time, and the quarantine completely ruined our plans for the holidays, so I figured… Would you like to come with us?” Marinette processed the information for a while, before her eyes widened.

“You guys… Are seriously inviting me to your private island… In a time like this… To stay there with you?”

“Exactly.” They all simultaneously responded. Marinette took a while to calm down, that was a lot to take in – she wasn’t prepared to be suddenly offered to stay with her boyfriend’s family on their private island. And in a time like that, no less.

On one hand, she wanted to scream out that yes, she would love to stay with them. But on the other, was she really going to leave her family in Paris? In such time? What if something happened to them? What if they got sick? Would they even let her? Should she even be considering accepting the offer? It was certainly tempting, but…

“I… But what about my family? I can’t possibly leave them… ” The boys smiled at her.

“They could come with us if they want. Bruce is also going to be staying with us for the majority of the time, only leaving if something important in work comes up.”

“But… I don’t want to intrude into your family like that.” Damian looked at the girl lovingly as his brothers all looked at each other and smiled.

“I don’t know what you mean, Angel. You’re a part of the family, too, after all. Which means we all are a family.” Marinette’s eyes widened before they filled with tears as she embraced Damian in a hug once more. She planted a kiss to his cheek as his brothers cooed at the two of them.

“Who would’ve guessed that Demon Spawn could be so sappy if he wanted to.” Jason laughed, earning him a glare from the mentioned brother. “But as he said. You are a part of our family, Pixie. Even if not by law yet.” He winked, causing the two of them to blush.

Marinette laughed and then pulled the other brothers into the hug, loudly thanking all of them. They stayed in the group hug for a while (Damian tried to get out of his brothers’ hold, but their combined strength was too strong), before Marinette released them all and took a step back from them, smiling widely the whole time.

“I would really love to go with you. I will have to ask my parents first, though.”

“Well, what are we waiting for? Shall we go ask them now?” Damian asked, his expression as happy as ever. Marinette shook her head.

“Not right now, I have-“ She froze, only now realizing that she was actually in an online class right now, a class that she completely forgot about. “-A LESSON!” She ran over to her computer and left the call as quickly as she could. After she did, she hovered over the call in progress, only to see that the whole class, apart from the teacher, was present.

“Goddamn it.”

[masterlist]

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The ceremony, and the things that come after.

Also, I should probably mention I’ve never been to a wedding before

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Marinette crossed paths with the groom on her way to the bride’s room. She noticed his nervousness and silently prayed that Nadja was doing better that him. But as much as she hoped, she knew that was in no way the case.

And truly, the first thing her eyes fell upon was Nadja pacing around the room, fully clothed in her wedding gown. Her makeup had been done amazingly, the lipstick matching perfectly with the undertone of the dress. Her eyeshadow just barely visible but still having the effect of making her eyes pop out. She was surprised at how much her new hairstyle changed her complexion. Even though there were not many options on hairstyles since her hair were simply too short for them, the hairstylist managed to make the best out of it.

Instead of the usual gelled-back hair, they were let down to frame her face. They have been curled and brushed, creating a wavy effect to them. Her fringe had also been let down and curled and was now slightly covering her left eye. She had yet to put her veil on.

Her mother’s eyes fell to hers the moment she closed the door and she saw plead coming from them.

Of course, her mother knew that Marinette had been practicing ways to calm oneself down. It was a must for her, seeing as the toxic behavior from many people that were in her life would take it’s toll on her in the form of an akuma. Even one time of being almost akumatized was unacceptable for the young heroine. And, seeing as it happened more than three times, she knew she had to find a way to steady her emotions.

“Nadja? I need you to breathe with me for a while, okay?” Stopping the pacing woman by her arm, she grabbed her by her forearms and faced her.

“Now, in…. And out…. In…. And out…” The woman did as instructed, and although the nerves were still present on her face, she did have a slightly clearer mind. “Close your eyes and imagine…” She said the words she remembered from her very first meditation. It led the person through a wave of calmness that was their mind. It made Marinette forget for a while about everything around her and just breathe with a clear mind. And she hoped it would be the same case for Nadja.

She wasn’t able to proceed with the full version of the meditation, seeing as they had about 5 to 10 minutes to get Nadja and the other bridesmaids in front of the door. She led her through the most important parts she remembered from the video.

It did help a little, and they were able to put the veil on Nadja and lead her to the door without her shaking and worrying out loud.

As they went to their places, Marinette saw who she guessed was Nadja’s father carrying Manon, who was wearing a white dress and carrying a basket with flower petals – fitting the role of a flower girl, over to her mother. She saw them talk for a while and she guessed that he was trying to relieve her stress. She switched her gaze and saw her mom giving her thumbs up from behind the other bridesmaids.

She smiled at her mom and her eyes scanned the Best man the groom chose, before looking over that the groomsman escorting her. She was glad that the boy at least seemed to be of her age. She could tell the boy was nice, at least deep inside. Otherwise, he seemed to be cold and brash. He had been forced into this by his father, he told her. But that’s not saying that he wasn’t a gentleman, no. It was apparent he knew proper etiquette and acted politely to her.

She decided not to push the black-haired boy out of his comfort zone, seeing as he was not the most socializing person out there and was only forced into this by his father. She ended the conversation and focused on the path ahead.

The usual wedding themed song “Here comes the bride” echoed through the walls and the doors began to open. She subconsciously tightened her hold on the groomsman’s arm and put on a smile. Her nerves began to rise as she walked through the doors, seeing all the eyes in the room scanning them.

She took a few deep breaths to calm herself until they reached the altar and stood on their rightful places. A while later, Nadja walked down and she watched the groom’s eyes widen as his mouth slightly opened in awe. Marinette’s heart warmed at seeing the love in his eyes as Nadja and her father made their way to the altar.

She sighed and wondered, would there ever be somebody looking at her that way?

–

“You may now kiss the bride.” As soon as the newlywed couple kissed, cheers erupted from the crowd. The ceremony reached it’s end and it was time for the cocktail hour. While the bride and groom had their pictures taken by the photographer, the guests were free to roam the castle and chat once more with others. The only restriction being the area where the groom and the bride were being photographed. Unless the photographer allowed their presence, nobody was to interfere with the photos.

Nobody wanted to fuck with the photographer and face their wrath.

Thankfully, there was more than just one photographer at the wedding, for the guests to be able to request photos of their own from the wedding. A few of them did so and headed over to the small portable studio right after the newlyweds disappeared around the corner.

One of those guests, was Marinette with her family.

It wasn’t everyday that they were invited to a wedding. That the whole family was invited, that is, and could actually enjoy the fun of it all. Orders and working there was one thing, family and memories another.

The parents stood behind the young girl, posing as they were instructed by the photographer. They already took their photos with the bride and the groom before they were taken away for private photos, so they were only going to take family photos now.

Marinette decided to go take a look at the kitty while her parents took the photos into their room to put them away before the annual wedding entertainment started. She arrived and found the kitty sleeping in between the bushes. She would’ve worried if it was alive, had it not been for the rising of it’s chest indicating peaceful sleep. She headed back to finally start finding somebody who might be up for taking care of it.

As she walked back, she spotted Felix standing by the photographer, probably waiting for his turn for the photos. He stood alone, though, which seemed weird to Marinette. She shrugged it off and approached him. He noticed her approaching figure right away and turned around to face her.

“Sorry for intruding, but have you found somebody willing to take care of the kitten?” He shook his head. He probably didn’t have time, since the ceremony ended just a few minutes ago, but it was better to ask.

“Alright, I’m going to ask some people I know around here. If you find anybody, let me know so we don’t accidentally promise it to two people at the same time.”

He nodded and the conversation seemed to stop there. Marinette turned around and walked away, asking a few people standing by about the little guy.

Marinette did not find anybody by the time the first wedding game started, which kind of saddened her, but she would continue with her search later. It was game time.

Only a small group of people participated, mainly those slightly closer to the couple. Quite a few people has left the wedding due to personal reasons, so the overall number of guests was also decreased drastically. Those who remained seemed to be the ones closer to the family, not just acquaintances.

The first was a game for the newlyweds, the shoe game. The Bride and the Groom sit back to back and exchange a shoe. One of the bridesmaids then begins asking various questions like “Who would let the other turn them into a zombie if they got infected?” and the couple raises a hand with the shoe of the one who would be more likely to do so.

It was a fun game, seeing the two couples playfully banter when both of them had different answers.

A couple more games occurred, and Marinette was thankful that she only had to participate in three of them. They were then invited for dinner while the couple takes some photos outside illuminated by the various lights in the night.

Her family ended up sitting at the table next to the newlyweds and their families. They played one last game before dinner was served; but it was more of a quick entertainment before food. A mere sheet of paper hid underneath every plate, each having different trivia questions about the couple. The table that had the most answers right would be given a gift of sorts; a wine, a trip, who knows.

Her family didn’t participate, instead choosing to talk about how the night went so far and overall about any topic that came to mind. They didn’t chat long before the close guests of the bride and groom stood up to bid their toasts for the couple.

Marinette had a few tears in her eyes when all was said, especially once her mother stood to congratulate and do her speech. All the things the people said were so touching. The bride and the groom were obviously touched the most. Marinette saw Nadja wipe her tears many times, while her husband tried to fight them off (He nearly lost).

Cake was cut, dinner was served and everybody was happy.

The dinner was over by the time 19 o’clock rolled around, and it was time for the newlyweds’ first dance. Marinette awed at how cute the pair looked, with Manon joining them a little after. The three dancing together as a family, that was truly beautiful. She was happy for them. She saw her father and who she guessed was Nadja’s mother nod at each other, courtesy and join the couple on the dance floor. The song ended and the pair switched and danced with their parents. Marinette saw that both parties were conversing and it seemed to be an extension of their speeches, if their touched looks were anything to go by.

After another song change, the pairs were back together. Nadja with her husband, and their parents with their own significant others. Soon, more people began to fill the dance floor, including her own parents. She watched the lovely pairs dance and her heart swelled with warmth.

Places like these, filled with love, were the very things that made Marinette think about her own life. Her thoughts wandered off towards her own future again. She couldn’t help but imagine herself with her own significant other one day, dancing together while their families and friends are watching. The face of her significant other might’ve been blank in her fantasy, but so what. Hopefully, one day, she would have a face to fill in.

Her thought wandered all the way back into her mind. So far back, that she thought about Adrien. She once imagined him to be the one to fill the blank face. But she knew now that that was never going to happen.

Even if he somehow decided that he liked her or something.

Although, she thought, would I be standing here, thinking the same, if Lila hadn’t come around and played with their minds? Thinking about it, it was because of Lila that she figured out her friends didn’t actually trust her. It was because of Lila that she realized how she was being used for having connections and making free things. It was because of Lila that she saw them all in a completely new light.

It was because of her she had to toughen up and face the real world.

No, she shook her head, getting rid of the emotions that were starting to rise up, enough of that. You’re not going to think about them today. Taking a deep breath, she cleared her mind of the previous inner monologue and headed over to her table with the intend to do the trivia questions and drink some champagne (non-alcoholic, of course) since she had nothing else to do. Halfway through the room, though, she noticed a flock of blond hair. Switching her direction, she made her way over to one of the pillars that held the second floor and, coincidentally, also held the body of the blonde that was leaning against it.

“Any luck finding an adopter?” His gaze switched over to her before going back to scanning the dance floor and the people around.

“Sadly, none of the people my mother and I associate with wish to be caretakers. Any luck on your side?” The girl only shook her head and joined the boy in scanning the crowd.

“Sooo…” Felix raised an eyebrow at her. “Enjoying the wedding so far?” He stared at her questioningly for while before deciding to speak.

“It’s not terrible. I’ve been to a few before and just like this one, they were merely out of business purposes.” Marinette was the one to raise an eyebrow now.

“I though you said your mother was a coworker of hers.”

“Indeed. But I do not know Madame Chamack personally. My mother has been taking me to various formal events to get me acquainted with the proper etiquette and to socialize.” Marinette nodded. She had to agree with his mother, etiquette was better learnt through experience rather than just taught out of the book.

“I must ask, though. Why did you choose to spend your time talking to me rather than spending it with your friends and family?” She didn’t like the way he was looking at her. He seemed somehow on edge, suspicious even. Why, she did not know.

“My parents are dancing right now and other than them and the bride, I don’t really know anybody here.” He stared at her for a while before his shoulders slightly relaxed and his glare changed to a look of indifference.

“Very well, then.”

The two stood in silence once again, silence that felt uncomfortable for Marinette.

“Do you like going to social events like these?” It was a desperate attempt at a conversation, but Marinette would take what her mind could come up with. He seemed to not want to talk about his private life, so she didn’t want to intrude his privacy. He would probably not answer her anyway.

“Not particularly. But they do occasionally provide me with useful connections. If I could choose, though, I would rather stay home.”

“Yeah, these kinds of things aren’t fun when you don’t know anybody.”

“Rather, I could be doing much more productive things at home than here.”

“Right.”

The conversation paused there, much to Marinette’s dismay. She could either try to continue the conversation that so far seemed to be one-wayed, or just continue with her previous plans and sit at her table filling out the trivia questions.

She was about to head out, when she heard him sigh. Glancing his way, she saw him rubbing his temples.

“Something wrong?”

“…No, not at all… “ She raised an eyebrow, silently telling him to continue “You should leave.” Marinette’s eyes widened, before saddening. Although a stranger, his words hurt. Was she this bad at making friends? If so, how the hell was she supposed to make friends at her new school? She certainly didn’t want it to be the same as in Dupont, where she was a loner until… No. No more thinking like that.

“Oh… Alright.” She shot him a small smile, at which he sighed again.

“Look, I didn’t mean to sound harsh. But if you don’t leave now, you’re gonna have to deal with my mother. And trust me, you don’t want the headache from her interrogation.” The slight ping in her chest from before vanished with her understanding.

“Oh.” So, he didn’t actually want her to leave because she was bothering him.

…Hopefully.

Well, might as well take the risk now.

“Well, wanna spare yourself the headache?” He raised an eyebrow, while glancing in the direction he was looking before. His mother was probably really close. She gestured to the dance floor with her eyes, hoping to get the message across.

“That would only bring me an even bigger headache afterwards.”

“Probably, but you will be prepared, at least. And you might even come up with an excuse”

He smirked.

“Well, you do present a convincing case.” Pushing himself from the pillar, he came to stand face to face with Marinette. She watched him reach his arm out to her.

“So, care to dance?”

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——————————–

Marinette is embarrassed and I’m ashamed of myself

——————————–

“I… think that’s everything?” Marinette questioned quietly after checking that she had all the items on her ‘bring with me’ list… For the third time. After she got back from her meetup with Kagami the day before, she made the list of all the things she would need to pack. She wasn’t stressed about bringing clothing or something like that, but rather about an emergency sewing kit and such.

But wait, wasn’t the wedding supposed to be two days from the meetup? Marinette said so herself!

Yes, indeed she did. But she forgot about one thing.

You see, since her parents were asked to cater for the buffet of the wedding, they had to arrive earlier than all of the guests, including the groom and the bride. While the wedding itself was going to be on December 14^th, it was going to start early in the morning – which meant a ton of things to prepare the day prior. Along with being asked to cater, the Dupain-Chengs also held the positions of a bridesmaid and a maid of honor, so they were going to oversee the preparations and make sure everything goes according to plan.

“Marinette! We’re leaving in 15 minutes! Make sure you have everything!”

“Yes, maman!” Closing the suitcase, she sighed in relief. Looking over at the bridesmaid dress, currently laid on her chaise in a garment bag, she started bringing her luggage downstairs. She struggled a little bit, more because of the maneuvering than the weight; She had been working out, after all.

She brought her luggage to the van they borrowed and placed it in the appropriate place and went around to the back to potentially help her parents with loading the cake into the van.

Why ‘Borrowed’, you ask? No? Well, I’m gonna tell you anyway.

The bakery they bought a long time ago wasn’t originally a bakery. Her parents built the bakery from scratch and were happy with the results. At the time, it didn’t even matter to them if the place was small; they were just starting out and were barely known. Even as they became well-known, their customers commented that the bakery was warm and welcoming. The downside was that the building had no garage, which was becoming a problem with their rising number of orders. Thankfully, her parents were grateful for a friend of theirs that provided delivery services. They cooperated on big deliveries and often shared a part of the income. Thus, their problem was solved.

After helping her parents move the cake and many, many pastries, desserts and many more heavenly sweets for the buffet, the family got into the van and begun their two hours long way to the wedding venue.

When they arrived, it was already 10 AM and the workers there were already hard at work. Even though they were present for probably about 3 hours, the venue was barely decorated – but that was acceptable, given the space they were working with. Nadja, being a successful reporter, had met a lot of people in her life and made a lot of friends along the way. It was to be expected that the wedding was going to be big. And by big, we mean Castle of Esclimont big.

From what Marinette saw, chairs and tables outside were already set up randomly with people moving them to find the perfect placement and there were boxes of decorations waiting to be opened. The place was already being decorated with fake and cold-withstanding flowers to give in to the theme of the wedding. The family made their way into the castle, where the rooms for the guests of the wedding were supposed to be.

“Alright, Marinette. If you need us, we will be helping out with the decorations.” Her mother smiled gently, walking out of the room with her husband in tow.

Marinette looked around the room, taking in the details of it. The design of the walls, floor and furniture reflected the style of the building. It held the feeling of being in a royal bedroom. The furniture, while new and modern, was styled in a way that basically screamed ‘history’. But as traditional, antique, old-fashioned, however you may call it, as it was, the hand of modern technology did not just pass by the area without leaving something behind. There was a safe in the corner of the closet, a TV opposite of the bed and the bathroom the room was adjacent to was fully modern.

Which was completely understandable. As much as the old-time look of it all made Marinette admire the building, she (and, probably, everybody else) would certainly not want to pee in a bucket.

Checking the hallway in case her parents forgot something, she closed the door into the room and approached her bed, where she opened her suitcase.

“You can come out, Tikki.”

Tikki immediately flew out of her chosen’s pocket and looked around, darting to every corner of the room. Marinette let her kwami search for a hiding spot while she upacked a few of her things. She didn’t know how long they were going to stay, but if things all went according to plan, they would leave the day after the wedding. She didn’t want to unpack all of her things in case she wouldn’t even use them. She unpacked her hygiene products, her pajamas and casual clothes, putting them into the built-in closet next to the bridesmaid dress.

Last, she brought out her sewing kit and laid it next to the door, where it was easy to find and reach in case of a fashion emergency. Nothing could ruin such a special day. And nothing would.

Marinette could only hope that Hawkmoth wouldn’t decide to send out an akuma while the ceremony was held.

Tikki returned soon after Marinette finished unpacking her stuff and they both made their way outside to see the decorations and help out with the preparations.

When she got there, she saw a glimpse of her father helping carry two tables into the garden. Instead of calling out to him, she searched for her mom.

She found her by the entrance of the castle, carrying various sweats and pastries out of the van.

“Tom already brought the cake in, so all we have to do is take the other desserts over to the kitchen fridge.” Silently, Marinette started picking up boxes of treats from the van and followed her mother into the kitchens. She was pleasantly surprised that the kitchens were well maintained, unlike those in certain restaurants. The place looked properly cleaned, with small exceptions that could be pardoned in such a big kitchen.

After about half an hour later, the van was completely emptied and Marinette and her mother went over to help with the decorations. Being close to the bride, Sabine went over to the woman organizing the furniture and the two discussed the arrangements together. Marinette, not wanting to butt in on their conversation, helped various people with moving the furniture to the appropriate place and, occasionally, suggesting a change of the placement or décor.

They took a small break around lunch, to eat and relax for a bit, before going back and managing the details and making sure the staff at the hotel all knew about the wedding and had instructions on what to do. There was still quite a few things to décor, but that would all be finished in time for the wedding the next day.

At 7pm, they took another break to eat dinner and, again, relax. By that time, the majority of the venue was ready for the wedding ceremony. Sabine even sent Marinette away, saying that they’ve got it handled and she could do what she wanted. She helped out for a little while after that with table decorations, before she decided that she really was tired and went into her room.

She passed by a glass door and, with her curiosity taking over, peeked through the glass. She saw a garden; different to the one where the wedding was to be taking place, which was behind the castle. This one was on it’s side, so it seemed. There was a pretty big pool with folded chairs next to it. Since it was so late, she didn’t see anybody else in the pool garden, so she buttoned-up her coat and stepped outside. As she approached the pool, she noticed an archway on the side of it, connected to a stone wall that wrapped around the area of the garden. It was a pathway into another building that belonged to the castle grounds, trees were planted on one side of the sand path, the other being protected by the castle’s wall. She didn’t want to venture further, though. As guests, they had restrictions and she didn’t want to accidentally enter a place where she wasn’t allowed. She turned around, about to head back into her room, when she heard a rustle in the bushes nearby. Startled, she quickly turned around to get inside as quickly as she could – it was already hard to see outside, after all, when she bumped into somebody.

The impact wasn’t strong enough for her to fall over, but it did make her stumble. She began apologizing straight away.

“Oh my go- I’m so sorry, I wasn’t looking where I was going- I-“ Looking up, she froze in place.

Her first thought was Adrien Agreste.

Why?

Because in front of her stood a boy strangely too similar to her blond classmate.

She would assume it was Adrien further, had she not noticed the distinct differences between the two. For instance, while the boy in front of her had the same shade of golden blond hair as Adrien, they seemed to be a bit longer and combed to the side. His face strangely resembled Adrien’s in the structure, but upon closer look, Marinette could see that he had sharper cheekbones and a more defined jawline. Lastly, the most distinctive feature, his eyes. Instead of green, Marinette stared into a pair of silvery grey eyes.

There was a pause, before Marinette realized the situation they were in and stepped away from him.

“Sorry, I- ” There was another pause, as Marinette took in his appearance. He had a coat on, unbuttoned, and she noticed he wore a formalwear. It was similar to what she saw some of the castle staff wear. Her eyes widened. “-I’m so sorry, I didn’t see any sign that this area was prohibited to guests. Please don’t tell the security, or call your boss, or anything, I was just curious and-”

“Miss, I assure you that you are not in any trouble. This area is indeed available to guests so you do not need to worry.” She sighed out in relief, “Also, I am not an employee.” She stiffened up again, her eyes widening slightly. Great, now she unknowingly insulted him.

“Oh, I’m so sorry! I just saw your clothes and assumed- I’m so sorry.” He nodded, a sign that he took her apology. The conversation seemed to end there, which Marinette didn’t mind. The situation was embarrassing enough and she was glad to head back.

The bush moved again, though, which cause both their heads to turn into it’s direction. She saw the stranger move towards it and reach out to it. A moment later, out of the bush emerged a black kitty. It was more of a cat, but still held the resemblance of a kitten, hinting on it’s young age.

“So that’s what was hiding in there. You really startled me, little guy.” Marinette whispered softly, making the kitty wince slightly before cautiously stepping fully out of the bush. Only after the stranger crouched down did Marinette notice a bag in his hand.

She watched as the stranger pulled the contents of the bag out and handed them to the kitty, who was obviously hungry. She smiled subconsciously, admiring the care he showed. Not in a romantic way, though, but Marinette always admired kind and good-hearted people. There weren’t many of them in the world, after all.

She turned around and left the two alone, walking into her own room.

Tikki scolded her only a little bit for wandering off somewhere this dark and alone. She knew that Marinette would hold her own against many people, but it didn’t ease her worry for the young heroine. If something were to happen to her physically after what she had to endure emotionally in school… Well, let’s just say we wouldn’t want another ‘Plagg accidentally uses cataslysm’ event.

She was simply worried.

Marinette returned to her room a little after 8pm, changing into her pajamas and turning on the TV, she grabbed the sketchbook and filled it with the many ideas for designs inspired by the old-fashioned style of the castle.

Her parents came back a little after 10pm, wishing her a good night before heading into their own room to rest. She followed suit and, after setting up a few alarm clocks to wake up in time to prepare for the wedding, she went to sleep.

The morning was hectic. Marinette couldn’t imagine what Nadja must be going through at the time, because she was nervous as hell, and she wasn’t even the bride. Her morning started normally, with her daily morning routine.

The wedding starts at 10, or at least, that’s when the vendors arrive to prepare for ceremony setup.

Nadja was already in the castle, having arrived in the middle of the night due to personal reasons, and will probably start getting ready for the wedding soon. Marinette wanted to stop by in case she needed help with the dress or to announce that if something were to happen at any time, she is prepared and to find her.

Stepping out of her room, she noticed that the halls were already busy with people running to prepare for the ceremony. She kept her guard up, evaded any possible collisions with others and made it all the way into Nadja’s dressing room.

Knocking on the door, she heard the voice of her mom yell out “Come in! But if you’re the groom, you’re gonna feel my foot on your back as I kick you out!” Giggling quietly, she entered the room and greeted the women. There was only her mom and Nadja that she recognized, then three other young women, who she assumed were friends of Nadja and probably the other bridesmaids.

Nadja was still out of her dress, and it seemed that the preparations were only starting, as the women were only spreading out hordes of make-up and bottles of nail polish on the table now.

“Good morning, mom. Good morning, Nadja. I hope you’re well rested.” Nadja gave her a sheepish and a little nervous smile.

“I mean, as well as a bride on her wedding day can be.” She smiled at the woman, before her attention was switched to her mom, who faced her suddenly.

“Good morning, sweetie, could you please inform your father that I’ll meet with him at the ceremony? I don’t think I will have enough time to tell him myself, so I would need you to give him this.” She handed her a notebook that she grabbed from a nearby table, “And, please, help him out with setting up the buffet.” Marinette nodded and headed for the door, before pausing.

“Oh, Nadja? If there is any problem, I brought an emergency kit. If anything happens, find me immediately.” Nadja bid her thanks and smiled at her appreciatingly. Marinette nodded again and made her way into the kitchens. She found her father and gave him the notebook, which she found out was filled with notes about certain foods and directions on where to put them.

She helped him out with setting up the buffet table and putting up final decorations on the tables. By then, it was already 11am and the vendors were hard at work with their own preparations. The first guests would arrive around 12 o’clock, so by then, she would have to be ready.

She released her hair from her pigtails and put on her bridesmaid’s dress. With a little bit of Tikki’s help, she managed to zip it up and move on to the hairstyle. She looked herself over in the mirror, deciding on what to do with her hair since the bridesmaid’s weren’t instructed on a specific type of hairstyle to use. She decided to leave it simple and put her hair into a bun, similar to the one she did when she was younger, only slightly different thanks to the difference in her hair length from then and now. Last, she let out a few streaks of hair on the sides of her head to better frame her face.

She felt satisfied with the results, the last thing to decide was whether or not she was going to put makeup on. She wasn’t very skilled with it, since she normally didn’t use it, hence her hesitation to do so. In the end, she used a red lipstick and a little bit of blush. At the very least, her red lipstick would match her red earrings.

When she was finally all done, it was almost 12 o’clock. She was surprised by how long it took her to get ready. She grabbed a small red purse (she silently celebrated that she brought it along just in case), where she put her phone and where Tikki would be hiding for the rest of the day – she didn’t need to bring any more of her stuff, since if she needed anything, it was like a five minute walk to her room. Putting the purse around her shoulder, she went over to her dresser where her bodice and flower crown were, put it on and swiftly left her room.

She arrived around the same time as the first guests did, for she saw a pair dressed in formalwear talking to one of the staff who was pointing towards where the ceremony would be held. She went out of the palace and into the garden, pulling the furry bodice closer to her form once she realized how cold it really was.

She waved at her father, who’s eyes widened when his attention switched to her. As she approached, he warmly greeted her with a hug.

“You look beautiful, darling.” Giggling, she did a 360 before walking over behind the buffet table.

“Thank you, same goes to you.” Her father wasn’t one for formalwear, he claimed that it was stretchy and uncomfortable, so he chose not to wear it unless he really had to. But Marinette had to admit, it did look good on him.

Looking over the notebook her mother provided earlier, she began arranging various items on the list into their stated places. She had no idea why the food had an order in which to be placed, but she didn’t question it. She just did as she was instructed. While she did that, her father kept bringing more and more of the pastries. At one point, Marinette worried that it wouldn’t all fit on the table.

She later found out that there was a secret fridge/freezer under the table, out of the eyes of the guests and easily available for the stuff to resupply the table.

They finished quite fast, not even half an hour later, they were finished and left the table for the staff to resupply when needed. She talked with her dad for a while before he was called by a group of people she didn’t know. By the way he greeted them, though, he seemed to know them quite well. She looked around, searching for a familiar face. Spotting none, she turned towards one of the people struggling with the cables for the lightning and sound. She approached them and offered a helping hand.

Halfway through the work, the guests were invited to head over to where the ceremony was being held, so Marinette bid goodbye to the workers (who thanked her for the help), and headed over to the ceremony stand. The ceremony itself wasn’t going to start right away, Marinette guessed it would take another thirty minutes, but she wanted to be able to relax before the main moment of the day starts. That, and in case she had to quickly run away.

She stood of slightly to the side, by the table where the drinks were served – there was literally a punch bowl like in those high school proms on tv. She opened her purse, checking subtly on Tikki while grabbing her phone and opening the news channel.

While Nadja might be absent for a while and a bunch of her coworkers were attending the wedding, there was plenty of reporters still working and being on call if there was an akuma present. She was glad that she didn’t see any alert for one and would had to hope that it would stay that way for the rest of the day. Putting her phone back, she turned around and decided to drink a little before the ceremony.

She went to pour herself a cup of punch, subtly even asking Tikki if she wanted to try it since she never had any and didn’t know how it tasted.

Meow.

She looked around, quite startled by the sound. Was that a cat she just heard?

Her eyes fell to the ground behind the drink table, where the same black kitty from the day before was hiding. Her eyes softened as it meowed again, it’s voice a bit strained.

“You, again? What are you doing here, little guy? You cannot be here.” A meow was the response she got. Her eyes fell on one of the bottles of water on the table. She grabbed one and approached the kitty. She filled the cap with it and offered it to the kitty. It seemed cautious for a bit, sniffling the cap before drinking the water inside.

After refilling the cup five times, the kitty no longer wanted to drink and only kept looking at Marinette and meowing.

“Perhaps it’s hungry?” She heard a familiar voice behind her, and only then realized that the kitty wasn’t looking at her anymore but at something behind her. Turning around, her eyes widened slightly before going back to normal once she relaxed.

“The buffet table won’t do, the items there seem to all contain chocolate. We might need to ask one of the cooks for a roll.” Marinette nodded while the blond approached the kitty slowly. She watched him interact with it, gently reaching out his hand for the kitty to sniff, before gently picking it up. Marinette wondered if she should let him take care of the kitty alone, but she replayed his sentence in her mind and realized that it held an invitation to come along. And, seeing as the ceremony room was still only half full of people, she came along.

It was a silent walk, something that Marinette found slightly uncomfortable for some reason.

“Sooo,” She started, seeing him slightly turn his head towards her as an indication that she had his attention gave her enough confidence to continue, “you’re a guest of the wedding, too, then.” He turned his head back into it’s original position.

“Yes, it would seem that way.” He responded quite blatantly. It would sound a little on the harsher side, but Marinette didn’t see any emotions of annoyance or anger on the boy’s face, so she assumed he was simply being polite. “Perhaps it was cold, it’s not meowing anymore.”

The two paused to look at the kitty. It seemed comfortable in the man’s arms. As soon as it noticed their eyes on it, it meowed again.

“Or not.” Marinette stated, before pausing. “Are cats even allowed in the castle?”

“Even if they’re not, we are just taking it into the reception before taking it right back outside. It shouldn’t cause any trouble.”

She nodded. The two made their way into the reception, where the man dealt with the receptionist who immediately ran over to inform them about the no pet policy.

Marinette left him alone with the kitty and the receptionist while she went into the kitchen. She asked one of the cooks who she met the day before for some rolls, if they had any. They offered her a baguette on the house and she happily accepted.

When she walked outside, she saw the man patiently waiting by the door outside, with the kitty secured in his arms. She walked over to him and the two walked back outside.

“I wonder what’s going to happen to it.” She wondered out loud. The boy looked at her questioningly. She continued, “I mean.. It’s still just a kitty. And it’s about to be winter and this little thing is clearly homeless.” The boy seemed to ponder over her words for a while.

“Well, you could take it in yourself.” She shook her head at the idea, already knowing too many reasons as to why that was a bad idea.

“I live in a bakery and we cannot have pets inside. The possibility of a cat hair being in one of the products is way too high.” She informed him, which he seemed to nod at.

“Perhaps we can ask around if anybody wants a kitty. One of the guests here might be looking for one.”

“Yeah…”

The two reached the garden with the pool, now occupied with a few of the guests. They walked over to the tree they found the kitty the day before and sat it down. Marinette crushed the baguette and picked out the soft inside of it for the kitty. They sat there for a while, just watching the kitty eat.

“Sorry again about yesterday.” The boy looked her way again, silently. He was not much of a talker, Marinette noticed. Or perhaps he just didn’t feel like making big talk with a stranger. “About bumping into you, I mean.” Suddenly, he made an expression different to the neutral one he wore up until now.

She cursed silently, she probably just made him uncomfortable now or something.

“Oh, that was you?”

Marinette blanched.

He didn’t remember her!

She suddenly felt embarrassed again.

What’s with this place always making me feel like a fool?

“Heh… Yeah…” The conversation went quiet after that, and Marinette actually thought about just turning around, saying her goodbye and bolting out of there.

“I apologize. I didn’t quite pay much attention to you yesterday. My focus was mainly on the kitten.” She sighed out, at least he was making an effort to lessen the tension.

“Well, let’s drop the topic. I’d rather not relieve that moment again.” The kitty sneezed and their attention was immediately on it.

“We should leave the little guy here for now. We’ll see if it remains here until after the ceremony is over.”

“Yeah.”

The two stood up and walked back into the gardens. The place seemed to be full with guests, most of them were already sitting in their assigned chairs. Marinette paused, unsure if she should stay and converse with the boy or head over to meet up with the other bridesmaids for the walk down the aisle. But, seeing as he didn’t seem to move either, she stayed.

“In what relation are you to Nadja?” She asked, actually curious.

“I am merely an acquaintance. It’s my mother that actually knows Madame Chamack.” He then looked at her in a way that suggested he was asking the same question.

“My mother and her are long-time friends and our families are actually really close.”

“I see.”

Right in that moment, it was announced that the ceremony was about to start. As the rest of the guests started to walk over into their assigned seats, she turned to the boy for the last time.

“I must say, even though our first encounter wasn’t the best, Mademoiselle…”

“Marinette. Marinette Dupain-Cheng.” She smiled kindly.

“Very well, it was very nice meeting you, Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng.”

“The pleasure was mine, Monsieur…”

The boy reached out his hand, which Marinette shook gently.

“Felix. Felix Graham de Vanily.”

[masterlist]

Okay so I fucked up and forgot to add a taglist, sorry guys, please forgive my dumbass self <3

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Really sorry guys.
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