Chapter Text
After Marinette left, the class handed the class representative position to Lila, in a near unanimous vote. She accepted graciously, of course- and then artfully pawned off all the responsibility on her classmates. Even with the work spread out among a few students, it soon became clear to them all, just how much Marinette had been doing on her own.
The first time one of them had a birthday that wasn't celebrated with a Dupain-Cheng confection of some kind, or a thoughtfully handmade gift; the first time one of them had to make a decision or do something they were nervous about without her helpful advice or positive encouragement; the first time one of them was bullied by Chloe with no one there to oppose her... that was when they started to finally appreciate her.
Of everyone Marinette had left behind, Adrien had perhaps taken it the hardest. When his attempts at forgiveness continued to be rebuffed, he tried instead to bridge the gap using his alter ego.
"Hello," Chat greeted as he landed quietly on the rooftop. Marinette looked up from her seat on the balcony where she was busy sketching the Paris skyline in the setting sun.
A soft smile crossed her face when she saw him, and he relaxed slightly. He'd been worried about his reception. As Chat Noir, he and Marinette had an- interesting history. Then, the day she'd been akumatized, while he had been one of the ones to help her after her akuma had been released, he hadn't been as vocal in standing up for her as Viperion and Ryuko had been.
"Hello, Chat Noir." She set her pencil down in the crease of her notebook, giving him her full attention. "What brings you here?"
Gracefully leaping down from his perch, he eyed the seat beside her, taking it when she offered it to him. "Well, I was out on patrol when I came across something I believe belongs to you." He pulled the lucky charm he'd made her from his pocket and held it out to her, watching her reaction carefully. "Thought I would return this to you."
The smile fell from her face, her expression turning blank as she stared at it, but he could see the pain in her eyes. She blinked, turning away and again picking up her pencil as she made a few strokes on the page. Her voice was even, measured when she finally spoke. "Thank you for returning it, but I'm not so sure I really want it back. It didn't turn out to be very lucky after all."
Chat's heart squeezed in his chest at the rejection. It told him more about her feelings for Adrien than anything she'd said to his face. Retracting his hand, he carefully curled his fingers around the beads, before tucking them back in his pocket, out of sight.
"I'm sorry princess... Your friends really hurt you, didn't they?" It was more statement than question.
The skin around her mouth tightened as she pressed her lips together. He could see the grip on her pencil tighten, listened to her take a purposeful breath through her nose, before she nodded. "They did."
He watched her for a long moment, waiting to see if she would say anything else. When she didn't, he asked, "do you want to talk about it?"
He was taking advantage of her, he knew. She would never talk to him, probably wouldn't have even allowed him to join her if she knew who he was. Still, she was the one person he had always thought would be immune to Hawkmoth's power. He wanted to know, beyond the explanation she'd given their classmates, what had been enough to tip her over the edge.
"I was surprised when I heard it was you we were fighting. I had thought-" he stopped himself from saying he'd thought she was better than that. It wasn't fair. Before he could think of anything to complete that sentence, she spoke. Her words were quiet, but they hit hard nonetheless.
"It wasn't the first time." She set her pencil aside again and turned to look him in the eye. The intensity of her blue eyes nearly distracted him, but he forced himself to listen. "I've attracted akumas before. The first time, my teacher ended up taking it when she tried to protect me from it. The second time... I managed to calm myself down enough to deflect it, but it didn't go away completely. Somehow, Lila ended up with it."
Chat's breath stilled in his chest. He remembered both incidents in question. Zombizou, and Chameleon. In both cases, he remembered Marinette being unfairly treated, first my Chloe who had maliciously ruined the gift Marinette had worked hard on for their teacher Ms Bustier, and then when the class had essentially booted her from her seat upon Lila's return to the school without even consulting her.
And then, there had been the incident last week, when she'd finally succumbed. When the class had ganged up on her, calling her a bully, all because she hadn't been willing to blindly accept Lila's tall tales.
"And this time?" he asked quietly.
"By now, I know you've encountered Lila a few times. You're aware of what kind of person she is." She'd stated it as fact, but her eyes seemed to be pleading with him to agree. To believe her. He nodded. Marinette sighed, slumping back in her seat. "Well, I saw through her from the very beginning. I'll admit that, at first, I was partially driven by jealousy, but I still had a hard time believing her wild claims. They were too good to be true, and I didn't understand how no one else could see it. Suffice it to say, she also saw through me. She knew I didn't believe her, so she never really bothered trying to win me over like she did everyone else. Instead, she threatened me."
Chat stiffened. Lila had threatened her? Why hadn't she said anything?
"She basically said that if I continued to try and fight her, she'd take all of my friends away from me, including the boy I liked. She'd make me a pariah." Chat's brow furrowed, wondering who this 'boy' was. Luka probably, but how would Lila have known about him? He didn't even go to their school.
"At first, I hadn't been so ready to give in. I didn't want to let someone like her frighten me. Then Adrien, the boy I liked-" Chat went rigid, feeling his eyes widen. What? "-said that we shouldn't provoke her. He was the only other person in our class that seemed to be able to see through her lies, and I wanted to believe he was right. Still, I couldn't quite stop myself from being at least a little petty. Whenever I had an opportunity to question something she said, something that could easily be proven or disproven, I took it."
"She was good though, she always knew how to counter, no matter what I threw at her, and she had the rest of the class wrapped around her finger. So, of course, whenever this happened, they'd shame me for it. They all knew how I felt about Adrien, and they all believed the image she'd managed to create that her and Adrien were- close. Everyone would just brush off it off as me being 'jealous'. Which was ridiculous of course. Adrien knew what Lila was. He wasn't interested in her. Not that anyone else knew that. It wasn't just because of him though. I think some of them think I didn't like all the attention she was getting because her life is so 'interesting'."
"Anyways, I guess enough time had passed for her to be able to worm her way between me and all of my friends, because when I tried to call her out again, they didn't just brush me off, they turned on me completely. Called me a bully. Me." She laughed bitterly. "I guess they'd forgotten about all the things I'd done for them. All the times I'd helped them, even when they didn't ask for it. Not that I'm the kind of person who needs a ton of recognition, but... it hurt."
Her throat worked as she tried to fight back tears, breaking Chat's heart all over again. He wanted to comfort her, but he knew he hadn't the right. Not when he'd been part of the hurt she was feeling. Still, he couldn't resist reaching out to lay a hand on her shoulder.
She smiled weakly. "This time, when the akuma came... I didn't want to fight it. I was tired of always being 'the good one'. For once, I wanted to indulge those feelings. The anger, the betrayal, even the jealousy. I wanted to be bad."
"I had hoped that after- that they would, I don't know, be more forgiving?" She shook her head, her smile turning bitter. "But no. They actually blamed me for what happened. Said I brought it on myself. Never mind that some of them had been akumatized for far less, and everyone forgave them." She shrugged. "So I left. Transferred schools. I'm much happier now, but it still sucks."
"Some of them have tried to apologize, to fix things. I suspect though it's more that they feel bad that I left, not because they're sorry for how they treated me. They still believe Lila's lies. Still think I'm just jealous... I told them I forgave them, but I couldn't bring myself to be friends with them anymore. I couldn't trust them."
Chat dropped his hand from her shoulder, his gaze trained on his feet. Guilt making it impossible to look at her. Hesitantly, he found himself asking, "What about Adrien?"
She scoffed, a sardonic look twisting her pretty features. "Let's just say I got over that pretty quickly."
Chat flinched, and fought not to react when she continued.
She shook her head, her eyes rolling heavenward. "God, when I think of all the things I did for him... I let him think the scarf I made him for his birthday was from his father. Humiliated myself in front of him more times than I can count when I tried, and failed to confess. I set aside my feelings for him to help him spend time with a girl he liked when he asked. I even made myself look like a fool in front of his father so he would let Adrien come back to school when he'd pulled him out for lying and 'stealing' his book. You remember the Collector?"
"He doesn't have the greatest home life. I'm sure you've probably heard the story about his mom disappearing a while ago, and his father- well, he's not the easiest man to please. He's strict, hardly ever let's Adrien leave the house or spend time with his friends. I felt bad for him."
She scoffed again, making him flinch again. "I had put him on this pedestal; like he was this perfect boy. He was always so passive though. He's been friends with Chloe since they were kids, but he never once bothered to check her behavior, even though I know he disapproved, and he was probably the only person she would have listened to. Besides Ladybug. Why I ever thought he'd stand up to someone like Lila, I have no idea."
She groaned, covering her face with her hands. "They broadcast my room, covered in pictures of him, on TV, and he still had no idea. I was such an idiot. He was never going to see me as anything other than a friend, but I still let myself hold on to this crazy crush for months. What a waste."
She turned to Chat then, and must've seen the stricken expression on his face, for she frowned and laid a hand on his shoulder this time. Her frown deepened when he jerked at the contact, and pulled her hand back. "Chat? Are you alright?"
No. He wasn't alright. He felt- raw. Exposed. Without knowing, or meaning to, she'd just shredded him to pieces, exposing all of his flaws; the ones he hadn't even been aware of. No, that wasn't entirely true. He'd been aware of them on some level, he'd just ignored them.
She was right. He was passive. It was a trait he'd picked up while learning to deal with his father. He just hadn't realized it had begun spilling into the rest of his life, or the impact it was having on others.
He didn't agree with the way Chloe treated their classmates, yet all he ever did was excuse it as 'Chloe being Chloe'. She'd shown some small improvements from time to time, but never anything consistent or lasting. If he'd been more encouraging of those good behaviors, would she have changed? He couldn't say for certain, but he did know that by not discouraging her negative behaviors, he was just as complicit as she was in the pain she inflicted on others.
He thought about the way he sometimes acted with Ladybug. How she was constantly getting onto him for not taking their job seriously. For flirting at inappropriate times, and how, even after explaining she had feelings for someone else, he persisted with his attempts to woo her, blaming her for not returning his feelings. How he didn't take responsibility for his own mistakes, like with Copycat. That was a different form of passive behavior wasn't it?
Then, he considered the girl beside him. All the things she said she had done for him that he hadn't even realized. Apparently, he was the only one in the class who hadn't seen her feelings for him. Even Lila had. How many times had he called her 'a good friend', or even told her to her face that he liked someone else? Yet, she'd never failed to be kind to him.
She could've easily taken advantage of certain situations. Like the scarf. He'd thought it was odd at the time that his father had gotten him such a thoughtful gift when most of the things he received from him were usually so impersonal. She'd seen him wear it, heard him say it was from his father. She could've easily corrected him. Told him it had actually been from her. Instead, she had seen how happy it made him to believe it was from his father, and allowed him to continue to believe that.
She could've told him it had been her who'd somehow convinced his father to let him return to school. Instead she said nothing, content that he was happy. And the date she'd helped orchestrate with Kagami… by her own admission, she'd set aside her own feelings for him to help him do that without complaint.
All because it would make him happy.
She'd even tried to follow his request to not expose and humiliate Lila, and how had he repaid her? By failing to stand up for her when Lila turned their classmates against her. Because he'd been more concerned about Lila becoming akumatized again than he had about her.
He'd had the respect and adoration of an amazing girl, and he hadn't seen nor appreciated it.
"Chat?" she asked again, her voice achingly gentle. He didn't deserve it.
He swallowed past the emotion clogging his throat and nodded. "I'm okay. I just- I'm so sorry this happened to you, Marinette." He looked her in the eyes and took her hand. "You're an amazing girl. So kind and generous, and one of the bravest people I know. You deserve better."
Her cheeks pinked, but she still wore a concerned expression. Even in light of everything she'd been through, she was still thinking of others. He smiled ruefully, and leaned forward to kiss her cheek before releasing her and standing. He needed time to think, and he couldn't stay here, accepting her kindness as Chat when he hadn't earned it as Adrien.
"I'm sorry to cut this visit short, but I should get back to patrol," he looked out at the city that was now shadowed in the deep blues of dusk. "I'm glad you're doing better."
She smiled kindly at him, and it gutted him to the core. "Thanks for checking on me, Chat."
He nodded, still forcing a smile to his lips. "I'll see you around Princess."
He took off, running across rooftops, and pushing his body to the limit. When he finally came to a stop on a random rooftop, he pulled out the lucky charm from his pocket and stared down at it. He would do better. He would do his best to correct the behaviors she's called him on until he'd earned back her friendship. Until he was worthy of the feelings she had so freely bestowed on him before.
Then, perhaps she would accept the bracelet back.
Ladybug noticed a marked difference in Chat's behavior and attitude after he'd stopped by to visit her as Marinette. She wasn't sure what had brought it on, and while she would have gladly welcomed it before, the abruptness of the change worried her somewhat.
He no longer flirted with her, didn't even use the many nicknames he had adopted for her. He stopped trying to get her to spend time with him outside of their duties as heroes, and stopped confessing his feelings for her.
He began taking their training and battles more seriously, no longer taking as many impulsive risks, thinking through his decisions more thoroughly instead of just jumping in. He would allow her time to assess the situation, following her lead and offering solid ideas when she needed them. She was still worried about what had changed him so drastically, but she couldn't complain about the results. Their bond as partners grew stronger as she began to trust him more, the two of them working more in sync, like the team they were meant to be.
To her surprise, she began hearing stories about changes in Adrien's behavior as well. According to the stories she'd hear from Juleka (one of the few people from her old school she had actually opted to stay friends with, along with Rose), Adrien had begun standing up to both Chloe and Lila. Gradually at first, but more and more over time, until Chloe actually began correcting some of her behavior.
Lila on the other hand, hadn't changed at all, instead using Adrien's new attitude towards her as a way to try and turn the class against him as well.
He also hadn't stopped trying to win back her friendship. At least once a week, her parents would tell her he stopped by the bakery to try and see her. By her request, they always turned him away, yet, he kept coming. The longer he persisted, the closer she came to relenting.
Even if she let him back in her life, she told herself, she wouldn't allow herself to be fooled again. No more false friends, she promised herself. And yet, he was the only one who still bothered to keep trying. He hadn't just accepted her forgiveness to assuage his own guilty conscience, like the other's had, before going his own way. That, in itself, was enough to make her reconsider.
Adrien usually spent his lunch breaks at home, eating alone in the massive, empty dining room. Today, however, he had managed to convince his father to let him stay at school instead. He had been working on a project for the last few weeks and he needed to be here with his classmates today to finish it. Or at least, that was what he'd told his father.
In reality, the 'project' was more of a secret, a surprise for his classmates, and he wanted to make sure everything went according to plan.
It had started with calling in a few favors; which were happily granted. Then, it had been a matter of making sure the right people would be present to witness. An anonymous note left in Alya's locker ensured the fledging reporter was waiting eagerly, with her phone ready to record. Apparently, she was planning to live stream, which really couldn't have worked out better for Adrien's plan.
As expected, she had also been sure to inform the rest of their class that she'd heard "something big" would be happening at lunch today, and she was sure they wouldn't want to miss out. They were all now lingering in the courtyard, brimming with curiosity. Even Chloe could be seen on the fringes of the crowd, wearing a deceptively disinterested expression.
Adrien checked his phone and seeing it was almost time, positioned himself against a pillar near the front of the courtyard where he wouldn't draw attention, but would still be able to see and hear everything that was about to happen. He heard a muffled snicker next to his ear where Plagg was hiding; peeking through Adrien's hair to watch as well.
Right on cue, he heard Alya gasp, raising her phone in front of her face as the first of their 'special guests' arrived. Adrien made himself comfortable, allowing a small smirk to lift the corner of his lips.
The show was about to begin.
"Oh wow! Jagged Stone!" Alya cried, quickly bringing up her blog's livestream and pressing the button to begin recording.
In a matter of seconds, she was surrounded by excited classmates as the singer walked into the building with all the swagger expected of the rock star he was. His assistant Penny followed behind him, being dragged along by Jagged's pet crocodile, Fang, on a leash. Everyone made sure to give them a wide berth.
Flashes from cameras went off all around as Jagged posed for pictures, smiling and winking at his adoring fans. Alya watched in awe for a moment before shaking herself. She couldn't just post a video of him smiling at cameras. She needed to get him talking.
"I can't believe it! What are you doing at our school?"
Jagged's attention snapped away from a group of girl's he'd been signing autographs for. "Oh, I'm looking for my favorite girl, Marinette. I had a rocking idea for a new album cover, and I wanted to see if she could do it for me." His brows pushed together as he scanned the group of students before him. "Where is she, anyway? Isn't this her school?"
All of Marinette's former classmates shifted uncomfortably.
"She, uh- left..." Alya said finally.
Jagged's face was full of concern. "Oh, no. Did she go home sick?"
More uneasy shifting.
"Uh- no. I mean- she left, as in, she transferred. To another school," Alya explained with a wince.
Jagged's frown deepened. "Did something happen?"
Several sets of eyes looked away guiltily. Alya caught sight of Lila near the back of the group and had a sudden idea to redirect Jagged's attention from Marinette. Reaching over, she latched on to the girl's arm, surprising her as she dragged her to the front. "I'm sure Lila can help you Jagged!"
"Lila? Who's Lila?" Jagged stared blankly at the pair.
Alya didn't notice Lila's barely concealed grimace as she tried to melt back into the crowd, but was unsuccessful with Alya still holding her arm. "Lila Rossi," Alya said, again pulling Lila to the front. "The girl who saved your kitten. Remember?"
"Kitten? I've never owned a cat. Just Fang here." He reached down to pet the happy crocodile, cooing softly. "And I have no idea who this Lila person is."
He looked up at the girl next to Alya, who wore a strained smile as her classmates looked at her curiously. Jagged, of course, knew exactly who the girl was, having already been informed of what she'd done to his girl Marinette. It was the reason he was here.
"Are you a fan dear? Would you like an autograph? I believe Penny has an extra copy of my last album that Marinette designed the cover for. I'm always happy to give to my fans," he said with a charming grin.
Lila let out a pained laugh as she scrambled for something to say that would save face. Before she could come up with anything, more gasps went up around the courtyard as Clara Nightingale strutted in. With everyone's attention momentarily diverted, Lila slipped out of Alya's hold and attempted to escape, but got caught up among the bodies of students as they surged forward to get closer to the new arrival.
"Clara! Darling!" Jagged leaned in to greet Clara with a kiss on the cheek as more cameras flashed.
"Hello, Jagged! It's awesome to see you! Are you here for the amazing Marinette too?"
"Ah, yes! Sadly, I've just learned our favorite little lady has changed schools." The pair exchanged sad faces.
"Oh, dear! I hope everything's okay. I was hoping she could, once again, save the day!"
Adrien's smirk grew as he watched Lila flush with embarrassment and anger at the attention Marinette was getting. And she wasn't even here!
He'd told her once that she shouldn't hurt his friends. Yet, when the opportunity arose for him to defend Marinette, he'd failed. There was nothing he could do to undo that day, but he was determined to make sure that both girls got the justice they deserved.
He glanced at his phone again as Plagg cackled happily behind his head. Any second now...
A phone rang, followed by Rose's excited squeal. "Prince Ali is calling!"
Everyone gathered around her, pushing Lila further into the center of the action as Rose accepted, and the prince's face filled her screen.
"Miss Rose! So nice to see you again!"
"Prince Ali! It's nice to see you again too!"
"I hope I'm not interrupting?"
"No, of course not! I'm just at lunch break, with my classmates."
Rose perked up suddenly as she caught sight of Lila, again trying to escape back through the crowd. She spun around, pulling the girl into the frame behind her. "Oh! You probably wanna say hi to Lila too!"
The prince frowned in confusion. "Lila? Lila who?"
"Lila Rossi. Her family was just staying at your palace."
"There hasn't been anyone staying at the palace lately. Aside from a few foreign dignitaries, but none of their names are Rossi. I'm not sure who you mean."
Rose's pretty face scrunched in innocent confusion as she looked at Lila. In fact, the whole class was looking at her, and she rather looked like she wanted to disappear.
Adrien used the classes distraction to slip out of the courtyard unnoticed. His plans had almost reached their conclusion, but he had one final nail to hammer into the coffin. One last visitor.
He had considered enlisting the help of Ladybug, but was unsure his partner would entirely approve of his plans. She may well be angry with him later, but he'd find a way to get himself out of trouble. After all, sometimes it's better to beg forgiveness than ask permission.
Everyone's attention was suddenly diverted when Chat Noir landed on the roof overlooking the courtyard and called down to them all. "Hey guys! Have any of you seen Ladybug pass by, by chance? We were playing a game cat and bug and I seem to be having a hard time cat-ching her." He laughed at his own pun, which earned little more than blinks from his audience.
"Oh, wow. Is that Jagged Stone and Clara Nightingale! Hey!" He waved down at the singers who waved back with knowing grins. He was in on the plan too.
"Lila might know," Alya said lamely, still holding her phone in front of her, apparently too shocked to stop recording. Good.
Chat tilted his head to the side with a frown before extending his staff and sliding down to ground level. "Who?"
"Lila," Alix said in a bored voice, pointing at middle of the crowd where students had parted to bring her into view. "She's apparently Ladybug's best friend."
Chat's lip jutted out as he looked the girl up and down before shrugging. "I don't recall ever meeting her outside of the times she was akumatized."
"Times? As in plural?" He heard Alya ask, but ignored her.
"Even if she was Ladybug's friend, I'm sure LB would never want it to be known. It could put her in danger. I wouldn't keep telling people that. We don't want Hawkmoth to come after her, now do we?"
Murmurs spread throughout the crowd, many of Lila's classmates wearing thoughtful expressions, and Chat knew his work was done. Smiling cheerily, he waved at the group again.
"Well, I should probably get back to the chase. Wouldn't want my lady to think I've given up on her. Later!" he called over his shoulder as he extended his baton and vaulted away, leaving a rather stunned crowd.
For a moment, no one spoke. A few people stared at Lila, who seemed frozen to the spot. Finally, Alya realized it was time to stop recording and lowered her phone before taking a cautious step towards her classmate.
"Lila?"
Without a word of response, she burst into tears and ran from the courtyard.
Adrien watched Lila run blindly past, hands covering her face, and felt a brief flash of guilt. "Plagg, do you think we might've gone too far?"
The kwami swallowed a chunk of cheese and shook his head. "No way. She got exactly what she deserved, if you ask me. Besides, it's not like you were actually attacking her. Some famous people showed up, for reasons that had nothing to do with her, and your classmates simply asked about the claims she'd made regarding said famous people. You merely made sure they got the facts, straight from the source. Nothing wrong with that, that I can see."
Adrien grimaced, still feeling a bit guilty. "I guess you're right. She looked pretty upset though. What if she gets akumatized again?"
"So what if she does? Nothing new there. At least this time she might actually have a legitimate reason. Eventually Hawkmoth will get tired of using the same person when she keeps failing.... Then again... Mr Pigeon..."
Adrien cringed, but almost laughed. "I guess that's true. I put her feelings above others before; worried she would get akumatized, and instead, Marinette did."
"Exactly. Don't wanna make that mistake again."
Plagg disappeared into Adrien's shirt as he rose from where he'd been hiding, crouched against the stairs outside the school. As nonchalantly as possible, he made his way back into the courtyard, just as Jagged and Clara were taking their leave to "find Marinette". He nodded subtly to both of them in thanks as they passed. Neither said a word, but Clara smiled and waved, as did Penny, and Jagged winked. He felt his phone buzz and found a text message from Prince Ali. A thumbs up, to which he responded with two more and a smiley face.
As soon as he walked through the door, Nino slung an arm around him wearing a bemused expression. "Dude. You will not believe what just happened." His friend began relaying the story to him, but Adrien didn't need to listen, having seen it all himself.
Instead, he looked around to gauge the reaction of his classmates, who were all talking amongst themselves, wide-eyed. He spotted Chloe across the way, pushing her hair off her shoulder with a bored flick of her wrist, telling Sabrina, "I always knew she was a fake. The little attention seeker. There's no way Ladybug would ever be friends with the likes of her. Not when she has me." Sabrina nodded dutifully, though she seemed to be hardly listening.
He wasn't sure yet what the full extent of the fall out would be, but he could tell the plan had worked. He hadn't needed to debunk all of Lila's lies. It had been sufficient enough to cast doubt on some of those claims that were easily disproven. His classmates 'discernment' would do the rest.
He hadn't actually needed Clara to disprove anything, as Lila had made no claims about her, as far as Adrien knew. He was aware, however, that Alya (and many other of their classmates) had believed that the only reason Marinette disliked Lila, was because she was jealous. Utterly ridiculous in his opinion, as Chloe might say. Leaving aside what he'd recently learned about her feelings for him, Marinette had plenty enough notable claims to fame, which Clara helped remind everyone of. Plus, from what he knew of her, she didn't seem the type to want or need to be the center of attention. She had no reason to be jealous.
A satisfied smile spread over his face. The only thing that might have made this better, was if Marinette had been here to witness it all herself. Alas, Alya's video would have to suffice, since she wasn't currently speaking to him.
He thought of the lucky charm he had made for her; the one that had held her akuma. It saddened him to think he had lost a friend, and that it was his own fault. He hoped this made it up to her somehow. Though, in that moment, he realized it didn't matter if she knew he had been the one to arrange it or not. It was simply enough to think she might feel some peace, knowing she had been proven innocent.
As it turned out, Adrien's plan might have worked a little too well. It also seemed Lila wouldn't be the only one to pay for her lies being exposed either.
Once Alya got past her shock, it didn't take her long to realize that Lila being proved a liar would affect her too. She had previously cited the girl as a source on her blog; one she hadn't bothered to factcheck before posting about what she had been told. Those who were smart enough to put the pieces together, would realize Alya hadn't done her homework as she ought to have, and would likely now consider her an unreliable source.
She deleted the video from her blog the moment she realized this, but since it was a livestream, it had already been viewed, shared and uploaded several times over. She learned a hard lesson that day about being careful what you post online. Once it's on the internet, it's nearly impossible to erase entirely.
The video was quickly went viral, and was even picked up by a few local news stations. Mostly focused on the rather astounding coincidence of so many celebrities being present at a school all at once; a few of them looking for a specific student. To some viewers however, Lila's downfall was readily seen.
For instance, the French ambassador to Italy (aka Mrs Rossi), was sent the video by her secretary, who'd seen it on a news feed. "Isn't this your daughter?" She'd taken an immediate trip to the school to speak with the principal, and was soon apprised of many of the other claims her daughter had been making, of which she had been unaware.
Furious and thoroughly embarrassed, she had withdrawn Lila from the school to be tutored at home under strict supervision, and demanded she begin seeing a therapist to help deal with her apparent compulsion for lying.
The whole school was buzzing about it for several days after, while the entirety of Ms Bustier's class realized that Marinette had been right about Lila from the beginning. They had treated her very unfairly indeed.
Much to Adrien's relief, Lila did not end up becoming akumatized, despite her obvious upset. Little did he know, this was because Hawkmoth had been one of those viewers who had understood the true implications of the video.
"Sir," Nathalie said as she stood beside her boss, both of them watching the video on her tablet. "I'm not sure how this happened, but I don't think a continued alliance with Miss Rossi would be wise."
"No, indeed," Gabriel scowled. "Now that's she's lost her power to manipulate others, she's of no use to me."
"Will you send an akuma after her?"
"To what end? She's already failed three times," he sneered. "At least she served her purpose in upsetting Miss Dupain-Cheng enough to be akumatized. She was my strongest one yet. We'll simply have to find a way to turn her again. She will be the one to finally defeat Ladybug and Chat Noir, I'm sure of it."
"But Ladybug did not even show up to that fight. She sent the rest of her team in instead and let her kwami purify the akuma for her. What if she does so again?"
"Yes, but Ladybug has no powers without her kwami, all Miss Miraculous needed to do was capture it, and Ladybug would've been forced to come for it. In any case, I sensed some discord amongst Ladybug's team. I have a feeling it may be some time before we see another hero come to her aid."
Marinette had, of course, seen the video, as she was intended to; watching it with a sense of bittersweet satisfaction. Lila had finally been exposed, and by sources she knew her old friends would actually believe. This is no way negated the pain she'd felt in knowing they hadn't trusted her; that her word hadn't been enough.
Since neither Jagged nor Clara had actually come to seek her out after the video was made, not to mention that she knew for a fact that she and Chat Noir had not been playing chase across the city during school hours, she came to the conclusion that the video had been contrived with the express purpose of outing Lila. Whether Prince Ali's part in it was intentional, or mere coincidence, she couldn't say. What she did know, however, was that she could think of only one person who had the connections and influence to make it possible.
She landed on the appointed rooftop with a soft thud, to find Chat Noir already waiting for her to begin patrol.
"Evening, Ladybug. Are you ready?"
She crossed her arms over her chest and studied him. "I saw the video."
He froze, his tail pausing mid-twitch. "Did you?" he asked, his tone that of a child expecting a scolding. She almost laughed, but forced herself to keep a straight face.
"I did. Quite the coincidence that not one, but four celebrities would drop in at a public school on the same day. And you among them no less. Shouldn't you have been in school yourself?" She quirked a brow at him.
Chat leaned away slightly, watching her warily. It took all of her self control not to laugh at the silly kitten. "It was lunchtime?"
"Ah. I see." She nodded seriously.
Suddenly, Chat's posture straightened and he fired back with a defensiveness that both shocked, and warmed her. "You and I both know the girl's a liar. I mean, even her akuma forms rely on deception. After hearing what she did to Marinette- something had to be done about her. Marinette's always been kind to me, and she's even helped us with akumas a few times. So, when I was asked to help, I said yes! The only reason I didn't tell you was because I wasn't sure you would approve, but you know what? I don't care if you do! I still think it was the right thing to do, and I won't apologize for it!" He concluded his speech by folding his arms together and nodding sternly, as if to emphasize his point.
Ladybug blinked, her arms dropping to her side. "Wha- asked to help? You mean this wasn't your doing?"
Chat winced. "Well... no, not really..."
"Who then?"
"...Adrien Agreste?"
"ADRIEN?!?"
"Uh, yeah? He called in some favors. Clara and Jagged are both fond of Marinette, I don't think it was hard to get them on board. Prince Ali, I suspect was more concerned about making sure someone wasn't wrongly profiting from an invented connection to his family. And, well, you already know my reasons." Chat shrugged.
"But don't be angry with him," he added quickly. "He was just trying to help a friend."
Ladybug stared at him, mouth agape. She composed herself quickly, with a clearing of her throat. "I'm not mad at him, kitty. Or you. I'm just surprised."
Chat blinked, the tension dropping from his shoulders. "Oh. Good."
"Anyways," Ladybug said, after a short silence. "I'm glad Lila's been taken care of. The less power she has over others, the less effective a tool she will be for Hawkmoth. It disturbed me as much as anyone that Marinette was akumatized. She's perhaps the last person I expected to be a victim, and to be honest, if it were to happen again, I'm not sure we could beat her a second time."
"We might, if you were there. Not that I'm accusing you, I know I've been absent from fights before, I'm just saying."
"I know. She was able to take down our entire team though, and since I'm not sure how long it will take to replace them-"
"Replace them?"
She gave him a look. "Yes. I know you saw who a few of them were. They're her classmates. All of them are, if I'm being completely truthful. I also know you saw how they acted towards her after her akuma was released. We never treat victims like that. Would you really trust any of them enough to work with them again?"
Chat grimaced. "No. I suppose you have a point. What do we do now then? That's-" he paused to count. "-seven people to replace."
"Six, actually. Though I wish it were only five; but we both know we can't risk using Kagami again unless absolutely necessary. We can give out as many or as few as we want though. Given the way Hawkmoth's attacks have been ramping up lately, with the addition of Mayura, I think it's time some other miraculous start staying active on a more permanent basis. So, it's important we choose wisely, and I actually think I may have a few good candidates."
"Six? Who would you keep?"
"Viperion. He's not one of her classmates, and of all of them, he's the only one who behaved as he should. Plus, I think he may have been the only correct choice I made to begin with," she admitted sheepishly, knowing he hadn't even been her first choice. She still felt guilty for that. "Coincidentally, it's Viperion who recommended the people I'm considering. Though of course, he has no idea that he did so. It's still important for their identities to remain a secret. I just need some more time to observe them, to make sure they're a good match. We can always do 'trial runs' before making a final decision?"
Chat shrugged. "You're the boss. I trust your judgement."
She smiled wryly, having just finished confessing to choosing wrongly before, but she appreciated her partner's confidence in her nonetheless.
Perspective is a wonderful thing.
For Marinette, the change in perspective, that she always needed to be the one to fix things, changed a lot for her. She was a lot less stressed out for starters. That in itself changed a lot of things. She slept better, making mornings a bit easier to handle. She was more relaxed, which helped her creativity flow better. She had more time to spend doing things she enjoyed, with people she liked. Even her superhero persona benefited from the change.
She began to rely more on Chat Noir, giving him a chance to prove his worth, and strengthening their overall dynamic. Since she no longer called on her old classmates to help anymore, Luka began spending more time as Viperion, until Marinette began making new friends, finding others she could trust to wield the miraculous.
Art school turned out to be the perfect place for Marinette. Not only was she happier and more creatively fulfilled, she was thriving. Her skills improved exponentially with the benefit of better instruction, and the encouragement of her teachers and peers improved her confidence.
Luka had been thrilled when she transferred, and though he was almost two years ahead of her, he introduced her to all of his friends, all of whom went out of their way to make her feel welcome. Not wanting to let her previous experiences ruin any potential friendships in the future, Marinette set aside the hurt still lingering from her dissolved friendships and opened herself up to Luka and his friends, and was rewarded with a new group of fun, smart, and creative people, who were unfailingly loyal. It was these same friends she was considering to be a part of her new team.
There was the infinitely imaginative writer, Allegra, whom she thought would make an excellent Fox wielder; Claude, who was an aspiring actor with a penchant for causing chaos, that might make a good match for the Monkey; and the loyal and protective Allan, a talented musician, who she thought would be a good Turtle holder. The similarities between him and Nino were not lost on Marinette, but she still thought he would make a good hero as he seemed less easily led than the previous one.
And then there was Felix... She'd been somewhat surprised to find him considered part of the group of friends. He was rather quiet and reserved, serious in nature, but Marinette thought that was more because he wasn't particularly social, rather than because he was one of those vain people who thought himself above others. She wasn't exactly sure what his chosen art was, though she thought she'd heard someone mention ballet. The image of the brooding young blonde in a leotard and tights had nearly made her laugh out loud.
Still, she had already learned he was a rather renowned chess player and thought perhaps his head for strategy might be well put to use with the Bee or Horse miraculous. Possibly even the Rabbit.
During their battle with the futuristic Timetagger, future Alix had retrieved her miraculous from them in the present. However, she was fairly certain that the present day version of the Rabbit miraculous was still in the miracle box, which meant it could still be used by another. She wondered briefly how that might affect timelines, and decided to bring it up with Fu the next time she saw him.
And then there was Adrien.
Even after learning what he had done, orchestrating the video to out Lila, she had still hesitant to accept his attempts at friendship. She felt so stupid for the time she had wasted with her crush on him, and the fool she had made of herself in her failed attempts to gain his attention, but she was mature enough to recognize that that wasn't his fault. Yes, he'd done wrong by her with the way he'd handled the Lila situation, but clearly, he had taken her rebukes against his inaction to heart and had corrected his behavior. From what she'd heard from Juleka about his more recent dealings with Chloe, and his interactions with Lila before her ultimate downfall.
He might have tried to use the fact that he'd been the one to ultimately bring Lila down (in a rather brilliant and effective way, that had allowed her lies to expose themselves without calling her out outright), to gain Marinette's good favor, but he hadn't. If she hadn't heard it from Chat Noir, she still might not have known it was him at all. To her mind, that said a lot about his character, and ultimately helped her decide that he had learned his lesson.
About a week after the video had gone live, he'd shown up at her parent's bakery after school again (as he'd done nearly daily for the past few weeks), and this time, she consented to see him. He apologized again for not being there for her, but she interrupted him, informing him that yet another apology wasn't necessary. She'd already forgiven him. He held up the lucky charm he'd made for her birthday as a peace offering, and she'd held out her wrist for him to tie it on. They watched silently as she fingered the beads with a fond smile. They were both aware that their friendship still needed work, but it was a start.
While on patrol one night, Chat and Ladybug sat discussing the candidates Ladybug had presented as teammates, each of them having made an appearance during the last few akuma attacks, and Chat readily agreed, they were all perfect.
Since Ladybug still insisted on the need for identities to remain secret, they never mentioned names, but as she contemplated other possible candidates, she couldn't help speaking her thoughts aloud, ignoring her own rule. "What about Adrien Agreste?" she asked, entirely missing the way her partner stiffened beside her.
Chat's eye's widened as he recalled the one time Ladybug had attempted to give him a miraculous, unaware that he was already in possession of one. It had been a right disaster. "Uh- I think perhaps he might be a bit too busy to be a superhero. With all the modeling stuff and all."
Ladybug conceded with a sigh. "Yeah, I suppose that's true. Still, he probably would have looked good in catsuit. Chat?!"
Chat Noir had swooned, toppling off the roof with a dreamy smile. Ladybug thinks I'm cute!