Chapter Text
The last year of Marinette's life felt like a beating worse than she'd ever received from an Akuma before.
Hawkmoth's Akumas were becoming stronger - if less frequent - and defeating them took much too long. Even with the permanent team of heroes she'd established to help her keep Paris safe, it was hard to keep everyone safe and de-akumatized the victim now that Chat Noir stopped turning up to fights.
Don't get her wrong, Ryuko, Viperon, and Queen Bee helped a great deal, but she had had to learn how to fight with them. With Chat she had had an established rhythm that - while not balanced at all - worked. Even with his very inappropriate flirtations and annoying jokes, he'd been there since the beginning. She'd always imagined the two of them going up against Hawkmoth and coming out of the battle triumphant. Now she knew that wouldn't happen.
Truthfully, Marinette was very close to taking Plagg away from him. He didn't help, didn't even bother to turn up to Akuma battles since she'd finally gotten it through his thick, thick skull that she wasn't going to date him, ever. The first couple of times she'd been worried because 'maybe something happened to Chat!' but it didn't take long for her to realize what was happening.
So she had talked to Master Fu and he said to give him a little time to get over his hissy fit (what he didn't tell her was that Plagg came to him a little before she had with the same concerns she has. He'd almost brought the black cat miraculous back). That was a week before Marinette had returned for the Dragon, Snake and Bee miraculi. That's when Kagami, Luka, and Chloe along with Marinette became known as the Superhero Team of Paris!
But all was not great or even mending. Her school life, while not completely miserable anymore now that she'd found an ally in the form of Chloe Bourgeois, hadn't improved in the six months Lila had been back. The liar was hell-bent on making everyone hate her and it was working. Alya had completely abandoned her in favor of Lila. They haven't hung out in over four months.
The rest of her classmates weren't much better, completely ignoring her until they needed something from their class rep. They followed Lila around like a flock of helpless, idiotic sheep did their herdess, unquestioning and loyal enough to be lead right into the slaughterhouse without as much as noise. Oh, how Marinette loathed their situation.
Chloe had moved to sit next to Marinette after a month of having Lila in their class. Sabrina, much like Lila, completely abandoned the blonde in favor of the Italian girl. Marinette understood that and didn't say a word about the sudden change. None of their classmates even noticed. What had cemented Chloe into Marinette's new group of friends (Luka and Kagami, who she had started hanging out with outside of school soon after Lila arrived) was her heartfelt and tearful apology. The two girls had held each other in the girl's bathroom and cried until they had no more tears to shed. It was so freeing.
But really, what had hurt most was Adrien's insistence that everything was alright. That "she isn't hurting anyone" when was so obviously making Marinette - their supposed 'Everyday Ladybug' - absolutely miserable. In the beginning, when Lila had gone too far, Marinette sometimes opened her mouth to debunk everything that liar was saying, Adrien would send her a look that screamed 'Don't do it you idiot!' and 'Be a doormat, don't provoke her' which was probably supposed to mean 'It's not worth it' but feel far too short.
Her image of Adrien had started to crack around the edges the first time it had happened. Back then, a year ago, they were only hairline fractures but by now they were chasms that had torn him into teeny, tiny pieces that lay scattered at her feet. She couldn't even stand to look at him now. She was so disappointed.
When she had shared what had happened between her and Adrien when Lila had come back with Chloe, she had raged. The blonde had yelled herself hoarse before breaking down in tears. She was mourning her childhood best friend, who had wanted the best for everyone and hugged everything that looked even a little sad or lonely. That was the second time Marinette had seen Chloe cry and the second time she had cried with her. They both mourned a dear friend that night.
Marinette's life had been falling apart just as much as she had and if it hadn't been for Chloe, Luka, Kagami, Jagged Stone, Penny, and Clara Nightingale she was sure she would have been irreparably broken.
Jagged and Penny had welcomed her with open arms, the Aunt and Uncle she'd never had, distracting her from dark moods and taking her to concerts and events she wasn't sure she could even name! Clara had asked her to design her some outfits after Jagged had recommended the teenage designer and Marinette had somehow gotten roped into working alongside the pop singer on many many occasions and the older girl had made it her job to prepare the bluenette for the fame that she was sure to gain. That along with the support of her real friends got her through a very tough year.
Now, if only she could make it through planning this class trip and leaving Paris to Ryuko and Viperon....