Chapter Text
It’s a slow morning and even slower classes. The day went by as if time was frozen but everyone was still moving. Thankfully it’s the final class of the day, which makes it the best. Well, that’s not the only reason. He’s in this class. Adrien Agreste.
Marinette has been crushing on him since the start of sophomore year. He’s smart, kind, brave, tall, his hair’s as blonde as the sun, and is perfect boyfriend material.
Alya, her best friend, has known she like-likes him for what feels like forever. And this entire time, she’s been sick of how shy her talented, fashion designer, best friend always is around him. She has enough courage to plan out her entire future and design all her own clothes for her and everyone in her life, but when it comes to saying “Hi.” to her crush? Impossible . Utterly impossible .
“Okay, class! Today, we are going to be learning about, the Mitochondria!” Ms. Mendeleiev announces.
The class groans simultaneously.
“Oh, don’t give me that groan! You think I want to be here, teaching you ingrates! I don’t! Bur I want my salary, so suck it up!”
Class groans even harder in harmony.
•••
After an hour and a half, the bell rings. Finally, Marinette’s energy is back. She bursts out of the school building with a huge smile, thinking she’s finally free to go home. Did she miss seeing Adrien, though? Of course she did. Did she miss being shy and speechless whenever he’s around her, and her knees feeling so weak she almost feels faint? Not one bit.
“Oh, thank God, we’re free!” exclaimed Marinette.
“Girl, calm down! It’s only Friday!”
“Yeah, but I don’t think I — or anyone else — can take Ms. Mendeleiev any longer. Should I switch classes?”
“Um, when did Marinette cheap out on tough situations? You can muster up enough courage to plan your own fashion business at 16, but you can’t handle a simple honors science class? “
“Ugh. It’s not like you like her either.”
“No one does! But we have to be here. The least we can do is complain, together.”
*phone chime*
Marinette, bakery emergency! Get home, ASAP! - Papa
“Oh, sorry Alya! Gotta rush home, see ya!”
“Later, baker girl!”
As Marinette biked away on her salmon-colored bike with a cherry-blossom-patterned basket on the front, she couldn’t stop herself from repeating that name in her head all the way home.
“ Baker girl ”? Is that who I am? I love Alya, and I know she was kidding, but … is that all I’ll ever be? I mean, I have my fashion business, of course . But I’m sixteen , how far can my “ business ”, really go?” She pondered.
When she reaches the Boulangerie Patisserie, Marinette takes a deep breath before opening the door and letting the bell chime. When she hears that bell chime, she always tends to stand there for a split second and let it sink in. She’s home. This is her family. She loves baking. It makes her feel calm, and it helps her bond with her family more. That bell reminds her of where she came from.
Maybe being a “baker girl” isn’t so bad? I mean, it’s nice to be known for something that’s peaceful and familial. I love my family. And I love baking. Sure, I can do this. Right?
“Oh, Marinette. There you are!” Marinette’s mother, Sabine exclaimed.
Once Marinette opens her eyes, she spots smoke coming from the oven in the far right corner of the restaurant.
“My god, Mom! What happened!”
“Your father tried to mix a pastry with a cake! He calls it a, “ Castry .” Sabine suddenly sighs exhausted.
Marinette giggles softly, but only for a minute the when remembering the small fire.
“Marinette, focus!”
“Oh, right! Sorry, Mom!”
Finally, after three towels blowing at it, the smoke is gone.
“Is the smoke gone?” Tom pops out sheepishly.
Marinette’s father, Tom, suddenly pops out of a corner and surprises the girls. Sabine and Marinette scream simultaneously.
“Sorry, girls. Didn’t mean to startle you! Well, how did the Castry’s turn out?”
“Well, how do you think Tom? They almost burned down the bakery!”
“Sorry, honey. I guess the creator in me got a little to carried away!”
Marinette could relate to that more than anyone. When she’s designing, she tends to unconsciously shut out the world and only listen her brain, and only look at the needle. All she hears is, “Up. Down. In and through. Now, around here. And grab that fabric. Now, do a cross.” And so much more. To Marinette, her mind is like her own instructional manual, that she made.
For example, one time when making a silk beret, she ignored Alya’s texts for half a week. Alya thought she had died. And when Marinette was finished, she responded to her twenty thousand texts saying, “ Whats with all the frantic texts, bestie? I was only sewing! ” Fifteen minutes later, Marinette heard a rapid knock at her door; it was Alya.
The only reason why Marinette gets so in tune with herself when sewing is, because it’s her thing. She did this. All by herself. Nobody in her family can sew like she can. She gained this dream, and worked for this dream, all by herself. She still remembers her first piece of clothing she made, which was a baby pink bow with seashell white polka-dots all around it. And the middle part of it, features a 1-inch size ladybug charm in the middle.
Speaking of ladybugs, that charm is actually what inspired a whole new side to Marinette that nobody knows about. Her heroic side. Alya may think she has no courage to face a simple crush, but when it comes to crushing criminals and serving justice? She has no issue whatsoever! She is secretly the infamous, yet anonymous, super-heroine Ladybug ! She’s stopped criminals like, Mr. Pigeon, The Mime , you name it.
But the one thief she’s too fast for her reach, is the swift and silly … Chat Noir. His feline-like enigma makes her wonder his motives every time she spots him. He does steal, but suddenly she’ll find it in the possession of its original owner? So, is he a hero? But he breaks into private property majority of the time? So, is he a criminal? She remains unsure. But her uncertainty doesn’t stop her from wanting to find out who he really is, and put a stop to him, once and for all.
Speak of the devil. On Marinette’s computer, she suddenly gets an alert that he is on the loose.
“Um, Mom! I’m gonna be, uh … studying up here for a big science exam…? Don’t bother me! Love you!” Marinette yells.
“Wow, again? That sure is a lot of exams, sweetie. But education is important, so good luck! Love you, too!” Sabine yells back.
Marinette whispers to herself, “Great. With my folks distracted, hopefully this’ll be a quick and easy mission. And I will no longer let that cocky, conniving, kitty slip under my fingertips! I’m coming for you, Chat Noir!”
Marinette clumsily slips into her self-made superhero suit. It consist of, a red mask with a black outline surrounding her eyes and covering the top half of her nose, and a bright-red turtleneck crop with thick black polka-dots. As well as black joggers with a red line going down the outer sides, two black fingerless gloves, and finally, two strawberry-red converse.
“And, how could we forget my trusty weapon!” Marinette whips out her entrusted spotted yo-yo.
After opening up the hatch to the rooftop in her bedroom, she climbs down the ladder her dad never remembers to put away and runs towards the scene she presumes the sneaky feline is currently at.
After jogging half a mile towards the park, she suddenly spots a sneaky kitty tiptoeing around the area. Wanting to get a sneak peek at his plans, she hides behind a tree and eavesdrops.
“You got it?”
“Yeah, here you go.” Whispers the criminalistic feline.
Here it comes again. The burning question that the bug yearns to find an answer for. Marinette has never been one to judge a book by its cover. There he goes again. Simply returning items to their rightful owners. But if the item was purchased by the person he took it from, wouldn’t that be considered stealing? Is he really that bad of a criminal, or is he … a hero?
Marinette, suddenly feeling stupid for judging him, turns away and plans to head home with her head hung low. That is, until she overheard somebody yell at the top of their lungs.
“That is my property! Give it back, you rotten thief!”
“No, it’s not. This vase belonged to my great-great-grandfather before he moved here from Ireland! This has been in my family for generations! It was never yours to begin with!”
I knew it. I knew he stole it! Time to shine, Ladybug!
“Freeze, you filthy feline!”
“Oh, well meow m’lady! Nice to see you, again!”
“Pleasure’s all mine, kitty. Now, what’s going on here? Did you play with somebody’s toy, again?”
“Aw, come on, Bugaboo! You know I’m not that bad!”
“We’ll see about that! Now, don’t worry kitty cat. I’ll go easy on you, only if you return that property to its rightful owner!”
“Which is me!”
“No, it’s me !”
“That’s what I was trying to do before he — and, to be honest, you — came in and stopped it! He stole this vase from this man and his family!”
“How do you know he’s telling the truth? Anyone can lie. I mean, we’ve done a little white lies here and there, haven’t we?”
“I suppose … but that doesn’t make stealing, okay!”
“Ha, funny. For a master thief you clearly aren’t clever enough to check the, “Made In China” tag …. Poor clueless Chat. You stole this artifact! Both of you did! If I were you, I’d start running.”
Ladybug begins chasing Chat and the other nameless criminal down the downtown area of Paris. The nameless one clearly isn’t as skilled as Chat is, seeing at how he dashed down an alley and hid behind a dumpster thinking she wouldn’t see him. After throwing a couple hits at him, she ties him up with a rope and leaves him waiting for the police to arrive.
While he’s there awaiting his arrest, unconsciously, Ladybug decides to chase after the elusive Chat. He’s always been known to be more swift, nimble, and sly than other criminals. And that has always been something that bothered Ladybug.
His nimbleness and his swift escape routes always leave Ladybug self-conscious and insecure, worrying that she isn’t the protective hero of Paris that she wants to be.
What kind of hero can’t catch one dumb little criminal? Especially, a lame one that cosplays as a cat . She ponders everyday.
As the two are running, Ladybug can spot him running on top of car hoods, climbing fences, basically roaming all around Paris. Finally, the kitty gets stuck in a traffic jam and leaves him cornered.
“Well, well, well. Lets see how the infamous Chat Noir can escape this one. I got you right where I want you. Your time is up, kitty.”
“Oh, c’mon M’lady! Don’t arrest me! It was a simple mistake!”
“A mistake that resulted in you committing breaking and entering, as well as burglary! I’ll go easy on you, if you just admit that you’re a criminal and take accountability for your actions!”
“I’ve told you a thousand times, Bugaboo! I am trying to return things to their rightful owners!”
“Without fact checking it? You’re just gonna take their word for it? And how is that the smarter way to go? You really never think things through, do you?”
The black cat sighs somberly and doubtfully. He knows deep down that what he’s doing is wrong, but he has good intentions. He doesn’t mean to break the law, but it’s a risk he’s willing to take to make people happy. As well as gain some freedom of his own. Freedom from his fellow citizen life.
Being “Adrien Agreste”, an aspiring model and the son of the infamous fashion designer Gabriel Agreste, there’s a lot of pressure. And with that pressure, results in lack of freedom. He feels like a bird in a cage. He wants out. But, as of right now, he feels like the key is nowhere to be found. And he knows that if he goes to prison, his worst fear will become his reality. The fear that he’ll be shamed for being who he is, will never get a chance to break free from this barrier, and break free.
“If I go with you peacefully, will you not send me to prison? Can’t I just do, I don’t know, like community service instead?”
“You really don’t take anything seriously, do you?”
“No, no, I am! I can’t do this! I had good intentions, I swear! Don’t you want to do what’s best for the Parisian citizens? If you keep letting these people rob everyone of their items, nobody will be safe! I am this close to finding out who’s responsible, but if I go to jail, it’s all over. I - I think his name is ... Hawkmoth. Please, Ladybug. Let me save Paris …”
For the first time, the heroine can sense somewhat of a genuine concern in his voice. Like he actually … cared for people. For Paris. Normally, the common offenders Ladybug faces don’t have any remorse for their actions, nor do they have any sincere reasonings behind their crimes. But Chat? Something’s … different .
Deep down, she has this gut feeling to follow her heart and follow to his lead. But her head is telling her that he committed a crime, and now he needs to face the music and take accountability for his wrongdoings.
“I … I’m sorry, Chat. But the law is the law. I have to do my job as the protector of Paris, and keep criminals off the street.”
“I would’ve never guessed protectors of a town choose who they want to save and care for. I stand corrected. Goodbye, Ladybug.”
A knife, right in the heart. That’s how that line felt. What he said stung worse than a bee’s stinger on a hot summer day. Never in her life, did she think she’d second guess arresting the one criminal she’d spent months trying to capture. And with that doubt in her mind, her insecurities on not being good enough of a hero runs so much deeper and grows even bigger than before.
•••
Later that evening …
Marinette, tossing and turning all night. Surrounded by guilt and doubt. And who would’ve thought that it’d all be because of a silly little cat burglar.
Marinette has never done anything as worthwhile as being Ladybug, and whenever she becomes her, she feels as though her life has a meaning. A purpose, if you will. A purpose she chose. Sure, being the “baker’s daughter” is a decent title and profession after all. And yes, her parents did make a wonderful living off of the bakery. But, Marinette aren’t either of her parents. She’s her own person. And that scares the hell out of her.
If she was her parents, she’d already have her whole life set up. Not one thing to worry about, because she’d always be prepared. But, as Marinette, her life and the discussion of her future is a bit … complicated. In fact, it’s one big ol’ undiscovered mess. And even though she still is completely clueless on who she wants to be, being Ladybug gives her the freedom to at least question her future. Which, not to mention, is a huge leap for her.
But what Chat said earlier? Made her question even more than she did before. Is she a good superhero? Do people look up to her? Is Paris better off without Ladybug? Is Chat actually a … kindhearted person? Sure, he broke a few laws here and there but … maybe he did have good intentions, after all.
"That’s it. No more doubts. I’ve had enough of this. I’m not going to let some silly criminal question my identity. I know what to do. But … I can’t do it alone. And, I can’t go anywhere without doing my research first."
Marinette leaps up from her bed and heads towards her desk, in hopes of finding something … anything … about this infamous “Hawkmoth” Chat Noir kept jabbering about.
As she scrolls through website after website, she finds something. At least, she hopes it’s something.
Illegal Auction ran in Normandy. Mysterious auctioneer, goes by the name Hawkmoth, bids highest number of $250,000 for priceless Vaughn Vase .
“Is this … it? Is this who he was talking about? How is this “ Hawkmoth ” a criminal?”
“Wait … it says illegal auction … what would someone that rich be doing at an illegal auction? Maybe Chat knows more about it … and him. I have to go find out.”
Never in a million years, would she have imagined herself doing this.
What stands in front of her, is a holding cell. Through the window, she can spot Chat Noir.
“He looks so … lonesome.” The bug whispers.
Suddenly, a knock on the window. It’s her.
“Oh, what do you want?”
“I just want to talk.”
“I have nothing to say to you.”
“Hey! Isn’t me being here enough proof that I care about what you said? And besides, I’m here to make a deal.”
“Pfft. What deal?”
“Look, if you be my partner and help me catch Hawkmoth I will,” the bug sighs whilst annoyed. “grant you your freedom, or whatever.”
“ Really ?!” The chat exclaims, as he opens the window and lets the bug sneak through.
“Yes.” Ladybug responds monotonously.
“Oh, thank you! Thank you, bugaboo!” The feline suddenly jumps up from his seat and embraces the superhero.
“Off, off, off!”
“What? I can’t hug you? But, we’re partners!”
“Yes,” Marinette says slowly so he can comprehend one of the many rules she has with him and this “partnership”. " but that doesn’t make us friends. I am a superhero; you are a criminal who’s just … doing a good deed. I guess.”
“Ok, when will I become your permanent sidekick?”
“Never.”
“Oh come on, you can’t say no to this face.” Chat Noir says cockily whilst pointing towards his adorable face.
“Actually, I can. And I can actually say no too, because I like someone else. And I am not telling you who he is!”
“So, it’s a he?”
Ladybug groans in exhaustion. “I have a feeling that this is gonna be a long mission.”
“The longer the better, m’lady!”
“Don’t make me regret this more than I already do, kitty.” Marinette begs with a exasperated expression.