y'all if the collector luz theory ends up not happening we’re all gonna look so silly with our overanalyzing of shadows on luz’s face and panicking over similar circumstantial evidence
Pure bliss. You will see a new side of Will graham. So mellifluous and relaxed. It’s like he became another man
The moment you put your hands in his hair he’s gone. Simply gone. He could have been ranting about something,but the moment his hair move he’s already blissed out
Becomes a daily routine. There won’t be a single night where you aren’t playing with his hair, scratching and massaging his scalp
Oh dear. What’s this pleasurable experience? Is this how Heaven feels?
Legit you thought he didn’t know what a scalp massage was until you played with that luscious hair, that he felt himself become boneless
He knew you enjoyed it that much, but now he understood why you looked so cute when he did it
Hopefully you have nowhere to go, cause you will have a 6’ ft cannibal on his knees, head in your lap, letting you play with hair
It was your reward for being so obedient in the last few months, where he had been so stressed he was about to snap
He trusted you to take care of him, letting go just this time. Just for you my dear. He’s playing by your rules tonight
And, oh how you enjoyed moving your hand through his hair, scratching gently and massaging his poor brain
You could feel him purring, the sound making your chest vibrate. It was an incredible sight to see one of the most dangerous man so pliant and relaxed
It quickly becomes routine,cause he felt pure peace and joy, and truth be told, he never felt so relaxed in his life
Oh boy. What’s this new sensation? It’s fucking addicting, darlin. Won’t play with him some more, would you?
The trust he out into you, you have no idea. He was showing you his vulnerable side, and you didn’t disappoint him.
He literally became jelly after the first few minutes, and by the time you were done, he was already asleep, snoring happily away
Everytime he’s stressed about something, this will be his go to way to chill. And he gets to spend time with you
It was an accidental discovery. He was looking for something to eat and he heard you sing. And well..he could always eat later
He followed the sound and he saw you folding the clothes, while singing and wearing just shorts. Pure Heaven. Just pure Heaven
Doesn’t matter if you were singing something metal, country,pop or rap, he stood there listening to you for an indefinite amount of time
You noticed him leaning on the doorframe,but went on with your task. It wasn’t the first time he heard you sing, or so you thought
Will have his camera on for the moment. He needs to have this recording, cause he will put them to good use later.
Will make renovations in the house to hear your singing more clearly. That’s money well spent in his books
Does he have an entire file about you? He absolutely does. And it’s a lot of videos. Seriously, how much he paid for that 1T?
Is his ringtone one your singing moments? Absolutely. And what were you singing? Defence of Moscow by Sabaton
Probably the first time he heard you sing. He honestly spent a lot of time out for work, so he wasn’t exactly aware of this habit of yours
Pleasantly surprised. Your voice is like a calming balm. It doesn’t matter what happened before he set foot in the house, your voice has already washed away every problem
Will he set your voice as a ringtone? Yes, he has. And he has file audio of you singing to hear. So whenever he’s at work, you are always there with him
Did you just call him at lunch time to sing a new song you heard on the radio that , casually, reminded you of him? Of course you did.
Did he mind to? No, he did not. That small but true smile was only for you. You make his days brighter and lighter than they usually are
Did he make suggestions? Probably has,but you don’t mind. Leaving with him has given you a clear idea of what songs he may listen to
And yes, you had an impromptu song over Bach or Chopin. And he lived every second of it.
He heard someone singing Hayloft in his garage. And it was you. He heard also your rendition of Skillet, and he stopped dead in his tracks
Your voice…it was just mesmerizing. Like a siren for a lost sailor. And oh, he was drawn to you like a moth to flame
No matter what was on, you would gladly sing it, and he would stare like a lovestruck puppy. And yes, you teased him about this
He denies having ever gone soft whenever you sang in his presence. He will not give you this satisfaction,no matter how hard you try
As Asa, he will demand you to sing more for him. But you already do, so win-win situation
I didn’t tell you this…but you managed to sing together ‘Can you feel the love tonight?’ and record the event.
You are already his muse,but this…this goes beyond his expectations. You could sing? And you didn’t tell him?
He usually would listen to more classical music,but he didn’t mind putting on something different, just to hear your voice
His artistic side shine brighter the days you were down in the basement with him, singing while he worked the new statue
Will probably melt if you sing something romantic directly to him. You can see his face go bright red ,even from beyond the wax mask.
Please for your sake don’t fluster him too much. He can’t sign when his thoughts have just been replaced by mush, y/n
If you find some drawings as a thanking gift, you know that Vincent had just been there.
A/n: these will be heavy. I won’t go into the rape details,but if you feel uncomfortable reading this, leave this fic alone.For Asa, it will be Arkin. If you want another slasher let me know
For those who don’t….enjoy your stay
Tw: toxic relationship, mention of violence (off-screen),mention of rape ( off-screen),yandere themes
The squelching sound of flesh pounding against flesh was defeaning. You could only feel that punishing pace he had set for you. You felt tears falling down your cheeks. You prayed that Asa was on his way to find you, or God help you with a quick death.
His hands were groping your body, making you feel incredibly dirty. Why? Why you? Why did he have to do that, when you were just a normal human being? Why…?
-Fuck…you are a tight slut, aren’t you? Look at you, taking me so well. What would your “beloved” think? Uh, seeing you bend for me like the whore you are,yeah that’s what you are, mine to use as I please-
You cried and cried and cried. It had been hours,maybe days,but who knew. It felt like an eternity. Everyday the same burning pain, the shame that accompanied this vile act. Would Asa accept you back, even after this? With that last grunts, he finished his business, re dressed and went away.
You were thirsty,hungry and hurt. You were desperate to find a way to escape. Anything to get away from that man.
You heard what seemed like a door being unlocked. No,not again, please,not again. Footsteps coming your way, light like the wind. And then….a hand. Asa, he was here, he came for you. You weeped even more, finally glad that he had come for you, that he hadn’t forgotten you. His hands were moving fast, and one after one,he freed your limbs from the chain. You fell into his arms with a low whine of pain. You didn’t remember much, apart from a voice shushing you, and the feeling of being moved. You were so tired.
He was furious. First he had let you get kidnapped by Arkin, and then….he….he raped you, right in front of his eyes. Cause that bastard knew he was there. That’s why he had been so rough with you.He would pay, dearly for his mistake. And he was quick to knock him out with a strong sedative, shove him in a trunk, and drive away. First to leave him at the hotel,secured. Then at home.
You were unconscious,the strain put on your body and mind to much to bear. He was looking at you, at your broken body, feeling an incredible sense of shame. He should have known that your disappearance was Arkin’s fault. He let himself be sidetracked and look what it brought upon him.
His hands, slowly and with care washed your limp body. From head to toe, trying to delete what had happened. His mind was a mess. He was feeling guilty. It had been his fault if this happened to you.
After washing and changing you into some clean pijamas, he brought you to your bed. It was then that you woke up. Slowly coming back, you felt…clean. As clean as you could feel. You noticed that you were in your bedroom. Then, maybe it hadn’t been a dream. He really did came for you.
-A..Asa….- his hands slowly came to cup your face, moving his thumb right under your eyes, brushing your tears away. His low voice shushing you gently.
With care,he hugged your form, letting you cry it out. Not once he let go of you. He was in need of this as much as you. He almost lost you, the only one who willingly stayed with him, the only one who loved him unconditionally.
After you calmed down a bit, he made sure to make you eat and drink something. You were on the brink of starvation and dehydration.
He left you only to go cook something. And let him be damned if he didn’t let his dogs on the bed with you. After thirty minutes, he was back with a tray of food for you. He didn’t let go of you while you ate, and he left the dishes in the sink. They could wait.
You could tell he was tense,and with a bit of flinching and whining for the pain, you managed to turn in his arm, laying with you head on his chest. His heartbeat was soothing,and soon you let yourself fall asleep.
-Asa…thank you-
It wasn’t going to lessen the punishment he was going to deal to Arkin,but it helped to quell his guilt. You were still with him, you still trusted him. And that was enough for him to sleep that night.
Dear please, what happened? Why are you crying, who hurt you? He’s gonna have them for dinner.
He’s furious, who had the gall to not only make you cry, but to even lay their filthy hands on you. Distasteful
He’s gonna check you up methodically, not leaving anything to the fate. And hopefully,your injury is not serious
After he will be at your side, unconditionally. Everything he had to do will be postponed. He has better things to do now
Don’t worry,he won’t push you to talk about what happened. He needs only a name, and he will have them disappear from existence
His dear baby, so distraught. He can’t have that. You are his precious diamond, and no one should have the gall to even breathe the same air as you
And if you hear the name of your attacker in the news the month later, you knew that Hannibal had done it
He should have known, that Arkin would give you a run for your money. He should have done something sooner. He should have killed him when he had the chance
And look what happened. His dear butterfly, crying, clutching their wrist in their hands. Shakingly telling him, through sobs and tears, that someone tried to hurt you, that he knew him and so on
And if that wasn’t the wrath of God he was feeling. Your tears were drawing knives in his heart, and he couldn’t help but hug you tight, shushing you oh so gently.
He talked you through your panic attack, and when you managed to calm down just enough, he bandaged your wrist so gently, afraid of breaking you further
He would deal with him later, he couldn’t leave you alone,not when you begged him with your eyes to stay with you, afraid of that man
He would have gone after him, if you didn’t tell him that he had been following you. You didn’t know where he was now,but that enough was a reason for him to stay put
He couldn’t pass up an opportunity so precious like this. And if Arkin wanted to play with fire, he just had to burn him to ashes, didn’t he? And if the news told the tragic demise of another thief, you knew that Asa had made his claim clear.
You were his and his alone.
Oh, dear ol’ Vincent. No one,apart from his twin, knew how really vicious and brutal he was. Fortunately for them, no one had yet witnessed his carnage
It was Bi who brought you to him. You were too shaken and too injured to even move. He felt a pang in his chest. After all, you were his twin’s lover, you were family
He felt a chill tun down his spine, when he saw Vincent’s only eye change from that warm blue to an icy shade of cyan.
He made sure you were okay, needing Bo assistance to patch you up. He needed only a glance to his twin, to make him understand.
Before he left, he kissed your cheeks, then your forehead,and then your lips. He was comforting you,before he left. A promise
Bo was left as your guardian,and even flinched a little at the sight. Never he had seen so much hate, so much bloodlust
And if Lester ended up with nothing but pieces of a body to dump,then he knew that one of them had done a massacre.
There was nothing left of the attackers. And you would not remember them. They were just a faint memory.
He didn’t leave your side for the next week. He was making sure you were still there, with him. That was too close a call to
The second he heard you running sobbing through the house and into your bedroom,was the moment he knew. Something happened and would deal his punishment
He was tempted to see what was upsetting you,but Lester came in first and told him to come and deal with this motherfucker
Well he would just that. But what Lester didn’t tell him was that it was this bitchy piece of shit who made you cry. Their words like a hot knife cutting through butter
Oh,but he knew something was up with this one. The looks Lester was giving him about the asshole were telling enough. If Lester was this tense, then it was their fault
And how loved to torture them. To slowly take them apart, painfully dragging their death on. By the end,there was not a single piece of meat intact.
And if after that, you felt a strong pair of arms around you, and a soft southern accent shushing you, you knew that you were safe
Probably Preston was the cause of your current state. He was jealous of your husband, and by default, he was an absolute menace to you
If it wasn’t for his imposing figure, his character and edgy tongue did the work for him. But you were used to it. But the violence was new
He caged you, threatened you, and soon enough you were struggling to get free. His grip was hard and strong,and it would leave its mark
It was Jesse’s presence who made him let go, but it was too late. He was standing there, frozen. Looking first at you,then at your arm,and then at Preston
Oh,he was gonna have fun with him, wouldn’t him? And it would have been cute to see you hide behind him, if you weren’t panicking
Spann was already there,taking you to a much more safer place. She was the opposite of Preston,and you could understand why Jesse trusted her so much.
It wasn’t long after your escape that Jesse came back. And he didn’t waste time. He cradled you like he would a baby, and let you cry
He didn’t let go, not once. He was there for you. He would protect you, dear lover. And no one would stop him from doing so.
He won’t admit it, but he’s really glad you like to spoil him with such joy. He feels a something funny everytime you give him a gift.
The first time you tell him how much money you have,he isn’t going to believe you. It truly left him shocked when he saw how much zeroes had your bank account.
Anyway, he isn’t going to be shy in asking for new equipments for his traps. Better quality that he now can afford, with your card.Legit you froze him in place when you gave him your card and pin. That was the ultimate trust sign for him, and he…felt proud of that.
Once he was musing about which specimen he was going to buy, cause he didn’t have that much cash to spend. Until you waltzed right in.“ Have you seen something you wanted?”,followed by a quick nod. He wasn’t going to ask you to buy them, not directly at least.
“ How many are them? Only three? Asa you know I don’t mind how many you buy, if you like them just buy them, I’ll pay gladly for them”
He could have cried there and then, if he had been another man. But that night,you saw a more affectionate Asa. It was his way of thanking you for the gift.
He will be flustered everytime you spoil him,but he won’t abuse his power. Maybe.
He could have sworn that you were some God sent. He couldn’t believe it. And he married you,and he still couldn’t believe it.
He thought he had seen it all,but this, this was something out of this world. He was left stunned st the amount of new equipment he found in his garage.
“Ya did all of this, fer me?”, and if you heard the slight tremble in his voice,you didn’t pay it any mind. He was happy and that was all that mattered.
And wait until he saw the new parts for his truck. He hugged you so hard, you felt some of your ribs crack. But you could put up with it,his smile was worth the pain.
He felt like a kid in Wonderland, and everytime you brought back a package he couldn’t help but bristle at the idea of a new gift.
Well, you indeed saw a new Bo, and you were happy to see him smile so much. It suited him.
Unlike his brother,he is far more flustered than he let on. He was shocked to see his husband spend so much money on him.
Even of he told you not to, you did it the same. And his reaction never failed to make you laugh. He was too cute for his own good
And the new batches of wax you bought, the new equipments, the tools…god y/n, how could he not love you to the moon then?
And when you came in with all those boxes, and left there for him, he could have swore he saw heaven. All those art supplies,and such quality,all for him
Well, hope you don’t have anything to do for the next few days,cause prepared to be showered in love from your man.
He will show you how much he is grateful for what you do daily for him and his brothers.
You being the husband of an entomologist, and being one yourself, would lose yourself in your reports. Period. All your free time would be spent discussing bugs and spiders
Another funny thing is this. Now picture your studio in y'all’s house, okay? You have your papers on the desk, and you simply went to get a glass of water. You come back and they’re gone.
You know that he stole them to study what you wrote. A curious man can’t help himself. But between those papers, there’s an application form you were meant to sign for a new expedition
You know where am going,all right?
He would, to your utter amusement, bother you to take him with you for the future expeditions. He jumped up from the chair when he read that.
He is worse than your dogs. At least they behave. He immediately questioned you about it, like he was interrogating some criminals.
“How long will the expedition last? Where are you going? What are the species you are going to study? Is there any possibility to bring someone else in? When are you going to leave?” And so forth
Fortunately,or not, you were the one who funded the trip, and you slightly adjusted the forms so he could come with you.
He is ecstatic to see your work on the field and to be allowed to come with you. He knew it must have not been easy to rearrange everything.
During the flight, if there are any violent turbulences, he will probably break your hand. Lucky you are a lefty, otherwise, you wouldn’t be working much.
You and the crew are used to this, but he is not. It’s the first time he went outside the country to work on the field.
Will apologize for the entire duration of your stay for your broken hand. He feels guilty, after all the time you took to plan this trip
He is a kid in Wonderland. You couldn’t have asked for a better assistant than him. And his reports are perfect.
After your wonderful trip, he will admittedly think about becoming your assistant researcher. He is thinking deeply about it y/n.
But, those times that you can’t take him with you, he will be practically texting you every free minute he has. He wants to know y/n
Please, for your sake, you better have some footage and some specimens for him. Or he will probably bully you into taking him there to the exact place.
Lucky you, you are packed with cash. Or you would have gone bankrupt as soon as you married.
In the end, you are the best husband he could ask for
Collector doesn’t maliciously kill, he just plays super hard that he fucking kills his playmates!! And doesn’t really understand the weight of this!
So Titan Trappers decided to kill Titans on their own?
Like, they worshipped him. They saw him kill the Titans and then they saw/knew a Titan trapped him. And they assumed they were at war or something.
Huh, basically what I thought.
I mean, he just wants friends, he wouldn’t actively hunt a species to the extinction. He saw Titans as the toughest to play with, and this means it’s more fun.
Like he was letting the gang to have a head start.
So the most important question now is: who is the traitor in CATs?
My bet is on Terra actually doing something to Raine. She is capable witch after all and the little exchange between Raine and Luz seems a little forshadowy.
I bet it’s King, just not realizing it. If King can see the Collector, then I bet the Collector can see King as well.
apollo dni but i haven’t seen anyone talking about how king could hear the collector in his head for some reason and it’s possible that his dad’s death was connected to the collector’s imprisonment given the ‘me who’s trapped beneath these bones’ line. idk man full of titan’s blood yk?
When Ladybug and Reine Nuit slip through the window into Gabriel Agreste’s atelier, they’re greeted with the sight of framed pictures and broken furniture strewn everywhere, as though a tornado had torn through the room.
“Looks like someone had a tantrum,” Ladybug comments. She gasps. “Adrien!”
“Here!” hisses a voice. A dishevelled blond head pops out from underneath Gabriel’s desk, face chalk white and green eyes wide.
“Are you okay?” Ladybug helps him to his feet. His hand is warm in hers, and she’s strangely reluctant to let it go once he’s standing.
“At least I’m not a drawing,” Adrien says glumly. “I shouldn’t have taken that book. My father’s been akumatised, and it’s all my fault.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Reine Nuit says. “It’s nobody’s fault but Hawkmoth’s. Besides, your dad’s pretty cold anyway. Seems like nothing you do can make him happy.”
“Now’s not the time,” Ladybug says when Adrien’s face falls. “I’m sorry, Adrien. If I’d known taking that book would cause this, I would’ve come up with another way to get the information.”
“Now you’re being ridiculous,” Adrien says. “I can deal with it…I have to. If that book gets you the information you need, I don’t regret it one bit.”
Ladybug smiles and hugs him. He’s warm and smells of citrusy cologne, and when she lets go, Ladybug can’t figure out for the life of her while she feels warm and content, like she’s just drunk a mug of hot chocolate and snuggled up to a fire.
“Okay, if you’re done?” Reine Nuit says with crossed arms. “Ladybugreste, you get somewhere safe. We’re gonna go look for your dad.”
“He’s here in the mansion,” Adrien says. His eyes dart to the door. “That’s why I was hiding. I thought this room was the last place he’d look. I’ve tried going for a door, but he knows whenever I do that. It’s like he can somehow see my every move. With the cameras and security system, he probably can. I had Felix connected to my phone and he was keeping an eye on the Collector to give me warning, but…that was before Collector caught him.”
“Well, stay here then,” Ladybug says. She grabs his hand and squeezes it. “If he hasn’t looked here, he won’t find you if Reine Nuit and I keep him busy.”
Adrien nods and squeezes her hand back. “Be careful, Ladybug. You too, Reine Nuit.”
Reine Nuit salutes. She and Ladybug then burst out of the atelier and into the lobby of the mansion. Ladybug prays that they can catch Collector off-guard, but whoever’s out there seems to not be listening today, because he greets them from the staircase as soon as they enter the lobby.
“Mr Agreste, you need to stop this!” Ladybug says. Her heart sinks at the confirmation that Gabriel’s been akumatised. He can’t be Hawkmoth then, can he?
“There is no more Gabriel Agreste!” the akuma snarls. “There is only…the Collector!” He throws the notebook in his hand at Ladybug, who yelps and darts out of the way. When the notebook hits the mansion front doors, they vanish in a flash.
“Run!” Reine Nuit grabs Ladybug’s hand and vaults them up to the walkway around the lobby’s right wall. They leap back down, trying to knock the notebook out of Collector’s hand, but he’s too quick and easily forces them on the defensive to avoid being touched.
“Lucky Charm!” Ladybug calls in desperation. She receives a pair of bike pedals in return.
“Cool, we’ll drive him up the wall!” Reine Nuit says, leaping behind a chair when Collector throws his book at her. Ladybug’s head whips around, taking in the entire lobby, but she can’t figure out what the heck to do with the pedals! With a sigh, she tries to snatch the book with her yo-yo, but Collector simply uses the book as a shield. Her yo-yo vanishes just like the front doors, and she topples to the floor, suddenly unbalanced.
“No!” she cries. Before Collector can suck her into his book, there’s a crash from the depths of the mansion. A wide grin spreads across Collector’s face.
“Adrien! My son!” he calls, sprinting off in the direction of the sound.
“Why can’t that boy just do as he’s told?” Reine Nuit complains, helping Ladybug up. Before Ladybug can answer, Adrien pops above the railing of the upstairs walkways and waves to catch their attention, and she’s slammed with a sudden sense of déjà vu; only this time, it’s not the Louvre, and there’s not a shiny, sword-wielding akuma after them.
“Quickly! In my room!” Adrien says. “We can block off the doorway and buy you a bit of time.”
“What happened to staying hidden?” Reine Nuit says, but she and Ladybug follow Adrien to his room anyway.
“You’re welcome for the help,” Adrien says sarcastically as he carries his computer chair over to the door to help barricade it. By the time they’ve used up half the furniture in the massive room, they hear the footsteps of Collector pause outside the door.
“You cannot escape from me!” Collector cackles, kicking the door open and using his notebook to suck up all the obstacles in his path. “Adrien, come to your father!”
“You’d take it out on your own son?” Ladybug exclaims.
“That book was my inspiration!” is Collector’s reply.
“…You could have just said yes. Gah!” She tackles Adrien to the ground and rolls him behind his massive TV, out of the way of the boomeranging book.
“I feel so loved right now,” Adrien deadpans. “Really. Don’t akumas usually leave their loved ones alone?”
“You can have your neglected teen crisis later, Adrien!” Ladybug says.
“Does he have an unlimited number of pages or something?” Reine Nuit complains, leaping up to Adrien’s massive wall of video games and DVDs. Ladybug gasps.
“That’s it!” She peers around the TV and quickly concocts a plan with the wall of discs, Adrien’s foosball table, and her partner’s belt. “Reine Nuit, I need ammo! We’re gonna complete his collection!”
“Look out!” Adrien pulls Ladybug away just as the TV is vanished by Collector.
“Before I immortalise you, allow me to seize your Miraculouses for Hawkmoth!” Collector growls.
“Adrien, keep him busy!” Ladybug orders. Adrien nods and runs to his trophy cabinet to occupy Collector’s attention. Ladybug leaps up to Reine Nuit to grab her partner’s belt, then returns to the foosball table and uses the belt and bike pedals to create a makeshift hurler. “Ready, kitty?”
“Ready, angel bug! Cataclysm!” Once she’s got a pile of discs at her feet, Reine Nuit starts throwing them down onto the foosball table, which Ladybug uses to hurl them at Collector. He’s forced to abandon Adrien and use his book to scoop up all the discs that fly at him; by the time they run out of discs to throw, Ladybug once again prays, this time that Collector has no more pages. For once, her prayers are answered.
“No! It’s full!” Collector growls. Before he can erase a page, Ladybug kicks the book out of his hands for Reine Nuit to catch and release the akuma. Ladybug then tugs her Lucky Charm free of the foosball table to cast her Miraculous Ladybug, which rematerialises her yo-yo in her hands.
“No more evildoing for you, little akuma! Time to de-evilise!” Ladybug swipes the akuma out of the air and purifies it, then sends it flying off. On his knees, the Collector is enveloped in purple-black bubbles and reappears as Gabriel Agreste.
“Pound it!” Ladybug and Reine Nuit sing.
“Are you okay, Father?” Adrien rushes to kneel next to Gabriel, who frowns up at Ladybug and Reine Nuit.
“Ladybug? Reine Nuit? What happened to me? Why am I in Adrien’s room?”
“You were akumatised by Hawkmoth,” Ladybug says. “But don’t worry, it’s over now!”
“Thank you. Thank you, both of you.” Gabriel accepts Adrien’s helping hand up, then pulls his son into a tight hug. Adrien gasps, not hugging back at first. “Adrien…I’m sorry I was akumatised over a book. Did I hurt you?”
“Uh…n-no…I hid…”
“Good.” Gabriel grasps Adrien’s shoulders and looks him in the eye, then turns to Ladybug and Reine Nuit. “Thank you for keeping my son safe. He’s too precious to me. He’s…all I have left of my wife, apart from the book he lost.”
Ladybug’s about to reply to that, but her earrings beep loudly. “Oh, we’re going to transform back!” she says. “Goodbye, Mr Agreste. Bye, Adrien!”
“Later!” Reine Nuit salutes and follows Ladybug out of Adrien’s window.
.
“Wait, what?” Marinette says when she’s returned to Master Fu’s place after school. “But why can’t Reine Nuit know about you?”
“You weren’t even supposed to know about me,” Master Fu says. “Not for a while longer, until I’d deemed you truly trustworthy.”
“What, and Reine Nuit isn’t?”
“These are extenuating circumstances, Marinette. The book and Duusu forced our hands, otherwise Tikki would never have brought you back.”
Marinette blinks. “Wait,” she says slowly. “So, you were just going to leave me and Reine in the dark? Hawkmoth’s growing stronger – he can make akumas with any powers he wants – and Reine and I are still stuck on timers and don’t have any clue about our Miraculouses beyond Lucky Charm, Miraculous Ladybug, and Cataclysm.”
“I had to exercise caution.” Master Fu doesn’t even look annoyed or irritated, which is honestly just hacking Marinette off even more, because he’s not been the one out there, risking his life against Hawkmoth! “If Hawkmoth was to get wind of me –”
“So, you’d rather stick two teenagers out there with exactly what Hawkmoth’s after?” Tikki says, crossing her tiny arms. “With no support, since they don’t even know each other’s identities, and no guidance?”
“Tikki!” says an aghast Wayzz. “You can’t talk to Master Fu like that!”
“I can and I will!” Tikki retorts. “I get that Master Fu’s old and can’t transform anymore without hurting himself, but MarinetteandReine Nuit have been the ones out there fighting to save Paris. Do you know how many times Marinette’s gotten into trouble because she’s had no support? She’s been grounded, she’s had to lie to her friends time and time again, she’s had to lean on someone whose identity she doesn’t even know –”
“You were one of the first to agree that secret identities were a necessity!” Wayzz shoots back.
“Because we’re up against the Butterfly! Not every Ladybug and Black Cat has had to keep their identities a secret, but the ones who have had to do so had a harder time, didn’t they? Do you want to unbalance the partnership between the Ladybug and Black Cat?”
“Oooh!” Duusu’s tail feathers flutter as they observe the kwami fight from between Tikki and Wayzz. “Drama!”
“You’re not helping, Duusu!” Tikki and Wayzz snap.
“Enough!” Master Fu holds up a hand. “Tikki, I understand where you’re coming from. But you must agree that it would not have been wise for me to reveal myself too soon. I had to be sure of these two –”
“If you weren’t sure of them then why did you give them our Miraculouses?” Tikki throws her hands up. “You know, the two most powerful ones in existence? Plagg and I should hope that you were sure enough to give us away to –”
“Stop!” Marinette cries, shaking her head. “Stop it! I didn’t mean to start a fight! I’ll keep it a secret from Reine Nuit!”
“No, you shouldn’t have to!” Tikki zooms down to nuzzle against Marinette’s cheek. “And you didn’t start this fight, Marinette. You have every right to ask these questions. You weren’t even initiated into this like previous Miraculous holders. You were just expected to step up and take on the mantle of Ladybug; no wonder you freaked out at first!”
“You did?” Master Fu frowns at Marinette and Tikki.
“She tried to give me up, Master,” Tikki says. “Perhaps it would have been a tad wiser to stop and explain the situation to her instead of expecting her to react well to a creature she’d never seen before?”
“Can we just move on?” Marinette says. “Master, can Gabriel Agreste still be Hawkmoth even though he was akumatised?”
Although Master Fu’s still frowning at Tikki, he thankfully seems to agree that it’s best for all of them to just move in instead of squabbling, because he nods and lets his brow smooth out. Good, because Marinette so isn’t in the mood to deal with this right now; not after the day she’s had.
“A Butterfly can’t akumatise themselves,” Master Fu says. “Well, that’s not entirely true. They can’t akumatise themselves when transformed. They can detransform and akumatise themselves, yes, but it’s a risk. They’re essentially removing the safety net of the Butterfly holder.”
“Safety net?”
“A kwami using their power without a holder can have devastating effects. It’s not quite the same thing with the Butterfly, but the holder does act as a safety net for their champion’s psyche. A buffer, of sorts, between the champion and the raw power of the akuma.” Master Fu sighs. “We learned about a past Butterfly in one of my last lessons before the fall of the Guardian. When he akumatised himself, his negative traits were amplified until he eventually went mad. No Butterfly with anything worth losing would try it.”
“I think I understand what you’re saying,” Marinette says glumly. “I was so sure! Maybe Mr Agreste really is just an eccentric enthusiast who collects Miraculous stuff…”
“You had a very solid lead with good evidence, Marinette,” Master Fu says. “Don’t doubt your instincts or your intellect.”
Marinette nods and smiles, but her smile quickly vanishes. “So…what can we do about the book? We can’t give it back, but if I don’t give it back then Adrien won’t ever be able to come back to school! And I know he said that he’d choose us over himself, but I can’t just do that to him! Not Adrien! He’s…one of my best friends.”
“There isn’t a single problem that can’t be solved, Marinette,” Master Fu says with an understanding smile. He leads Marinette over to the low table where the spell book is resting next to a plate of plump grapes. Duusu squeals and dives down to start tucking into them.
“Of course!” Marinette facepalms when Master Fu starts photographing each page of the spell book with his phone. “Why didn’t I think of that?”
“These modern inventions really are quite incredible,” Master Fu chuckles. While he works, Marinette wanders over to the phonograph, where Tikki and Wayzz are taking turns jumping over the phonograph arm like a hurdle as the record spins. Marinette giggles when Wayzz trips and gets wedged between the record and the arm, and she lifts the arm to release him.
“There.” Master Fu closes the book. “You can take that back to Gabriel Agreste now. Also…” He crosses over to a drawer and pulls out a familiar peacock brooch. “As convincing as I could find. So long as Gabriel doesn’t touch it, he shouldn’t notice the difference.”
“Thank you,” Marinette says, tucking the fake brooch into her bag. “Thank you so much!”
“You’re welcome, Marinette. Also…I think you’re right.” Master Fu sighs. “This isn’t something that should be kept from Reine Nuit. Tikki was right to say that I would be unbalancing the partnership between you and Reine Nuit.”
Marinette’s face lights up. “Then you’re saying –?”
“Yes. Bring Reine Nuit here tonight and I will properly introduce myself to her.” With a rueful smile, Master Fu adds, “I suppose I forget that I never actually completed my training and I’m only the Guardian out of necessity.”
“Really? What happened?”
“A story for another time. Good luck, Marinette. I hope that Gabriel Agreste is fooled.”
.
“You’re gonna do what?” Alya says when she and Marinette are outside the Agreste mansion gates.
“I have to do it,” Marinette says. “If I make Mr Agreste think it was me who took the book, maybe he’ll let Adrien go back to school!”
“Or you could avoid validating Lila’s lies?” Alya says. “Look, just give the book to me. I got this.”
Marinette bites her lip but still hands the book over to Alya, who presses the doorbell on the gates. While she’s approaching the mansion, Marinette slips behind a tree to transform into Ladybug, then swing to the roof of the mansion. Once she finds an open window, she slips inside and creeps down to the ground floor, taking as much care as possible to not be seen.
“…was worried about this Lila girl once I saw her take the book,” Alya is saying to a stone-faced Gabriel Agreste as Ladybug jumps off the walkway on the left lobby wall and ducks behind a pillar. “So I followed her to the park, and I overheard her and Chloé Bourgeois planning to frame my best friend for it – Marinette, you know, the girl who won your hat contest?”
“Hmm.”
“Look, I’ve even got footage. I’ll show you.”
As Alya plays the video for Gabriel to watch, Ladybug sneaks into Gabriel’s atelier and detransforms underneath the desk. She hands the brooch to Tikki – who, Master Fu explained, as a kwami, can’t be seen on camera – and Tikki zips around the edge of the room to deposit the brooch at the foot of the painting of Emilie Agreste. There. Now it’ll look like it had just fallen out; hopefully, Gabriel hadn’t noticed its absence until now. Once Tikki’s returned, Marinette transforms back into Ladybug and makes her escape.
“So…will you let Adrien come back to school? Sir?” Alya’s saying as Ladybug slips out of the atelier.
“Well, considering that he didn’t actually lose my book, as this Lila girl stole it…yes, I will,” Gabriel says. Ladybug punches the air and resists the urge to hiss in victory.
“Yes! Thank you, Ga – uh, sir!” Alya bows awkwardly and follows Nathalie to the front doors.
“Thank you for returning it to me, Miss Césaire,” Gabriel says before Nathalie can close the doors on Alya. “It was a gift from his mother. I’m glad to see that Adrien has made good friends.”
Alya just smiles and waves. Once the doors close, Ladybug decides that it’s about time she made her escape.
.
“I don’t understand!” Gabriel hisses, combing through the safe. “Where could it have gone?”
A glimmer at his feet catches his eye. He sighs in relief when he realises that it’s the peacock brooch, and he pulls out a handkerchief to pick it up and place it back into the safe, just to be on the safe side. Hmm. It must have fallen out when Adrien had gone rummaging through the safe. But never mind. Everything is back and as it should be. And one day, the earrings and ring will join the brooch, and he’ll be able to make his ultimate wish.
