Chapter Text
You took off from your balcony, eager to get reacquainted with Paris, and to get better acquainted with it’s superhero duo.
You ran across the rooftops, using your wings as a boost instead of just flying since flying exhausted your kwami and in turn made it so you had to wait longer between transformations.
It was early evening as you made your way towards the Eiffel tower, humming as you slowed down to take in the sights. You may have wanted to see Chat Noir and Ladybug, but there was no reason you couldn’t do a bit of sightseeing first.
It was a lovely afternoon, and you planned to make it a great one. Your first stop was naturally, a bakery. Since you found one that smelled absolutely delightful. You jumped down from the roof and de-transformed in a nearby alley.
The bakery was three stories by the looks of it, so you assumed the bottom floor was reserved for the bakery itself and the top two were for living. There was a cozy terrace on the top of the building, which looked very comfortable.
You shook your head, sighing. You didn't have time to admire the architecture, food came first. Especially when that food smelled heavenly and was only several feet away.
You made your way into the bakery, immediately admiring the cakes that were on display. You couldn't help your sweet tooth, really.
You went up to the counter with a kick in your step, eyes going over the various breads and sweets that lined the glass cases. You were greeted by a short woman with a warm smile, you couldn't help but notice she reminded you of someone.
" Good Afternoon, ma'am, " You politely greeted in turn.
" See anything you like? " The woman said with a hint of amusement, having noticed your eyes wandering the bakery. You laughed in response, feeling comfortable in the warm bakery. You could tell you were going to be coming to this bakery often during your stay in Paris, which would hopefully be a long one.
“ Could I just get a bit of everything? ” You said after several minutes of indecisive wandering. The woman laughed and began with little cakes, slowly filling up the bag she had gotten out. You hummed as you practically bounced with anticipation.
“ I’m going to the cinema with Al- Zinnia? ” You turned at the same time as the woman, a smile immediately lighting up your features.
“ Marinette! How nice to see you again, ” You greeted, silently high-fiving yourself on recognizing the resemblance between Marinette and her mother.
“ Oh, you two know each other? ” Ms. Dupain-Chang wondered, looking between you and Marinette. You nodded.
“ Yeah, this is Zinna, mama. The American I told you about? Oh, and it’s nice to see you as well! Uh, what are you doing in Paris? ” Marinette asked, turning to you after responding to her mother.
“ I moved here actually! I have an Uncle who lives here and a cousin my age, and I didn’t want to bother Rachel anymore, ” You explained. Marianette nodded, remembering you mentioning your second cousin who housed you back in D.C.
“ Will you be going to Marinettes school? ” Ms. Dupain-Chang asked, returning to gathering everything so she could ring you up.
" Yes, I will be !" You responded excitedly, moving to the counter to pay as Ms. Dupain-Chang finished gathering everything. It ended up being two bags, and a number you didn't want to admit to paying for a bunch of sweets and baked goods in general.
" That was.. A quick move, " Marinette commented. You nodded.
" Yeah well, I didn't have a lot in the first place. Just some clothes mostly. “ You responded offhandedly, humming as you followed Marinette out of the bakery. “ So, you were going to the cinema? ” Marinette nodded in response, still looking a tad uncomfortable. “ Do you mind if I tag along? I’d love a chance to see Alya again, and to get better acquainted with the city. ”
“ I’ll ask Alya. ” You nodded as Marinette took out her phone and called her best friend. You smiled as Marinette relaxed a bit, readjusting your bags in your hands. You briefly wondered how your own best friend was getting along without you, but you hadn’t really seen her when you had been in the same country, so you didn’t spend too much time on the thought. She got along without you for months at a time, you were sure she would be fine.
“ Alya said it was fine, and to tell you that she say’s Hi. ” You turned back to Marinette as she pocketed her cell phone. You laughed with a warm smile.
“ I say hi, too. Also, what direction is the theatre in? I wanted to see if I could drop off these, ” You said, lifting the bags in your hands as you referred to them.
“ Oh, it’s this way. ” Marinette gestured down a street and you nodded, sighing in relief.
“ Good, do you mind if we swing by my Uncle’s to drop these off? ” Marinette shrugged and you took the lead.
As you approached the gate, you noticed Marinette freezing mid-step, staring up at the looming manor. You laughed as you buzzed the com. Alexander was the one to answer it.
“ Oh, hey fam. What’s up, ” Alexander greeted, laughing as you rolled your eyes.
“ Just let me in, moron. ” You watched Alexander disappear from the screen for a moment before it went dark and the gate swung open. You turned to Marinette and motioned towards the house. “ Coming, cupcake? ” You smiled as Marinette nodded quickly, rushing to follow after you.
“ T-this is your uncle’s house? ” Marinette asked, looking over all the shrubbery and flowers that bordered the long driveway. You nodded, humming as you walked beside the blackette. “ Uh, what does he do? ”
You hummed for several moments, thinking back to try and remember.
" I believe he's primarily an author but he's also the CEO of several small businesses, " You explained, smiling as Marinette just nodded slowly.
“ Uh, what’s his name? ”
“ Xavier Prince, he was my mother’s brother and since she never married, I got her maiden name. ” You moved to open the door only to see Marinette stopped in her tracks.
“ Xavier Prince?! As is the father of Alexander Prince? The singer?! ” You laughed at Marinette’s incredulous expression.
“ Yeah, well. Stardom does run in the family. ” You had grabbed the handle, only for it to be ripped out of your grasp as someone else pulled open the doors. You grumbled as the large oak swung to reveal your grinning cousin.
“ I heard my name? ” You turned at a choking sound and held in a laugh at Marinette’s expression.
“ Your turning purple Marinette, it’s only this fool. ” You playfully shoved your cousin.
“ If I’m a fool, can I be Touchstone, and this be Audrey(1)? ” Alexander joked, wrapping an arm around Marinette’s shoulders. You snorted, pulling your cousin off the bluette.
“ I’m afraid, cousin dear, that she is unavailable at the moment, so you’ll have to go find another girl in the woods, ” You responded in turn, shoving your bags into his arms. “ Now, off you go, put those away for me. Please and thank you. ”
“ Right away, madame. ” Alexander bowed mockingly and disappeared down a hall, you shook your head after him, sighing. You turned to Marinette after a moment.
“ Ready to go- Marinette? ” You tilted your head to the side as Marinette covered her face with her hands and sputtered. “ Oh, no. Did my foolish cousin break you? ” You resisted another laugh as Marinette lowered her hands and just stared at you.
“ I must be dreaming ,” Marinette said quietly.
“ Or just really lucky! Like.. Ladybug or something, ” You joked, missing how Marinette froze up for a moment before laughing awkwardly.
“ Haha, yeah. That would be--crazy. ” Marinette rushed back towards the fence. “ Let’s get to the cinema, don't want to get Alya angry! ” You rose an eyebrow but didn’t say anything as you let Marinette drag you to the cinema.
It didn’t take too long to get the cinema, and when you arrived Alya cheerfully waved you over.
“ Hey Zinnia, long time no see! ” Alya greeted cheerfully.
“ Only a month or two, ” You responded in kind.
“ So, you’re going to be living here now? ” Alya launched into a barrage of questions, and you only got in one-word answers as the three of you entered the cinema. It was seemingly endless until you had gotten your tickets and snacks and finally reached the door to the designated theatre.
“ You’re that really popular actress, right? From the “Deadly Dancer” movies, and that new TV show “High School for the Magically Inclined”? ” You laughed at the absolutely greedy expression on Alya’s face.
“ Yes, that’s me. Although it’s not called “High School for the Magically Inclined,” that’s too much of a mouthful for the younger viewers, ” You answered easily. Cue the choking sound.
“ You’re that Zinna Prince?! ” Marinette exploded, drawing the attention of several employees and other patrons.
“ Of course, doll. How many Zinna Princes do you think are out there? ”
“ Like.. two? I don’t know.. ” Marinette looked away, awkwardly shuffling in place. You huffed and shook your head.
“ Honestly, Mari. You’re lucky you are cute. ” You held open the door and Marinette sputtered once more as Alya dragged her through the door.
“ This is going to be a fun day, ” Alya commented, smiling in contentment as she led your trio to some seats. You couldn’t help but agree.
**
After the movie, you ended up leaving Marinette and Alya, remembering your reason for leaving the house in the first place. You berated yourself for getting distracted by Marinette, and the Dupain-Chang bakery for that matter.
You were supposed to be trying to find Ladybug and Chat Noir, but somebody couldn’t help their sweet tooth.
That somebody was obviously your kwami and not you, whatsoever.
“You’re a terrible person, Zinnia,” Yuki whined from your pocket.
“Oh shush and let’s transform, you terrible excuse for a thousand-year old being,” You snarked, Yuki going into your choker as you transformed into Raven.
You quickly made your way to the rooftops and proceeded to wander along them, keeping an eye out for the fellow Miraculous users.
It was getting dark out when you remembered you promised to have dinner with your uncle and Alexander. You cursed and turned to head home--only to realize you had no idea where you were. You wrapped your wings around yourself and screamed into the feathers.
Why were you so easily distracted?
You jumped down from the roof you were on and dropped the transformation behind a bush, moving into the street to hopefully get directions from somebody.
You ended up finding a pretty little flower shop where a brunette was setting up displays.
“ Excuse me, ma'am, but do you think you could point me towards the Prince family house? ” You asked hopefully, the girl turned around to look at you.
“ You’re looking for that big ol’ manor place? ” The girl asked, pointedly looking over you.
“ Yes, I am. ” You sighed as the girl’s face lit up.
“ You wouldn’t happen to know that model--Alexander, would you? With those fancy clothes and all. ” The girl prodded, getting into your personal bubble. You took a moment to look down at your outfit, then back to the girl. Since when--why.
“ I would, and I might even introduce you to him--if you show me where the house is, ” You persuaded, eager to get back before dinner.
“ Of course! I’ll write down those directions for you, since I’m on shift right now, but you make sure to come back some time--with Alexander! I work Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, usually afternoon. ” You nodded minutely, storing the information away to be forgotten after sleeping.
You took the slip of paper handed to you and decided to walk back to the house, since you didn’t want to over-exhaust Yuki by transforming so many times in a day.
“When we get back, I want chocolate cake..” Yuki babbled from your pocket, slipping out when she noticed you were the only one on the sidewalk.
“Bleh, fine. I think we got a chocolate lava cake from Marinette’s family bakery anyway. Man, those bags were heavy!” You laughed and Yuki shook her head.
You reached the gate and proceeded to enter the gate as a guard buzzed you in.
“ Welcome back, Ms. Zinnia, ” the guard greeted with a respectable nod. You hummed in response with a small smile before heading to the dining room, which had thankfully stayed in the same room you remembered from your childhood.
“ Ah, Zinnia! You look lovely, all grown up! How long has it been? ” Your Uncle was immediately in your face and hugging you as you entered the dining room, you laughed awkwardly as you waited for your Uncle to release you.
“ Eleven years or so, I believe. It is nice to see you as well, Uncle. Perhaps we should eat before the food gets cold? ” You said, immediately heading to Alexander's side and sitting down, not too keen on suffocating any time soon.
“ Ah, yes, of course. I had your favorites made! You still like the same foods, yes? ” Your Uncle's excitement at seeing you was contagious and you couldn't help but smile back at the graying adult.
“ Yes I do, thank you very much , Uncle .” You accepted a plate handed to you by Alexander and began loading your plate.
“ It's nice trouble, it's so nice to see you after so long! When I last saw you, you could barely reach the table! ” Your Uncle exclaimed, laughing to himself. You and your cousin shared a look before you turned back to your uncle.
“ It's been a very long time, but hopefully I'll be able to stay here for a while yet! No more moving. ” Alexander and your Uncle both flashed you smiles and the three of you began to eat.
“I'll hold you to that,” Yuki mumbled, fondly watching you from the chandelier.