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Two more weeks, just two more weeks,18 year old Marinette thought to herself as she watched her class flock around Lila as Lila spun yet another tall tale. Marinette no longer cared about her class as she had tried again and again to help them only to be rebuffed each time. Despite his promise Adrien had never had her back and when she had taken the mantle of Guardian which had led to her finding out who Chat Noir was, her decision had been simple.
Soon Ladybug had a new Black Cat and barely three months after that, Hawkmoth and Mayura were defeated and Ladybug and Nekomata disappeared.These days Marinette used the Fox Miraculous if she needed to go for a run to unwind but she only ever did so when she wasn’t likely to be seen.
“Well, Marinette?” A voice said, suddenly pulling Marinette’s attention back to the class.
“Um, sorry, what was that? I was lost in thought.” Marinette said calmly.
“We said we are having a party to celebrate our graduation and we said you could provide the food.” Alya spoke slowly as if explaining something to one of her much younger sisters.
“Sorry, can’t.”
“Geez, selfish much!” sneered Lila.
“Why is saying I can’t do something selfish?”
“You never do anything for anyone anymore that’s why!”
“Why should I?” Marinette asked with a raised eyebrow. “You seem to think I’ll do everything you want even if it’s inconvenient for me without thinking about if I want to do it or not. This is when I’m even invited to anything as nine times out of ten you don’t want me there or you change the location at the last second without letting me know.”
The class stared at her before Lila decided Marinette had been the centre of attention for long enough and made some crocodile tears fall from her eyes. Sure enough the class turned their attention back to the sobbing Lila and Marinette was back to being able to think about her plans as soon as school closed for the holidays. She had already graduated and received all her certificates so it wasn’t like she even needed to be in class anymore, after all
In all honesty the main thing that would change was that she would be moving to Italy, which would probably come as a surprise to most of her classmates. Why would she move to Italy when she couldn’t speak the language nor did she like the only Italian they all knew, after all?
The truth was, Marinette could speak Italian. She could speak seven languages fluently and was in the middle of learning at least three more simply because she enjoyed learning languages. The reason she could speak Italian in the first place was she had been born in Italy and had only moved to France after the Dupain-Cheng’s had adopted her when she was seven. Before that she had lived on the streets of Italy, her parents having been killed when she was three when they got caught in the crossfire of a mafia dispute. Her best friend had been a boy with wild dark hair and red eyes who happened to have the unfortunate habit of swearing and calling people trash even at the tender age of four. He had been presented to his ‘father’ by his mother but as far as both of them were concerned it meant nothing to their friendship.
Xanxus would often sneak away from his family and spend days with her or if it had been raining, he would fetch her and bring her back to his new home. When she had been adopted he had made sure she was still able to contact him and it was thanks to this she had been able to keep up with him when it came to his lessons. She knew he was now the leader of the Varia and she knew how angry he had been upon finding out he couldn’t lead the family due to not actually being related by blood.
Xanxus had been the first person she had told when she had become Ladybug and his reaction had been to send Squalo to help her train in secret. That had been five years ago and despite having beaten Hawkmoth, Squalo still came to France every three months to make sure she was keeping up with her lessons. He was due to arrive soon if she wasn’t mistaken, although since she was moving to Italy in just over two weeks, things might have changed.
Marinette was so distracted by her thoughts she didn’t notice Adrien coming to stand next to her. Nor did she notice the class was once again silent.
“Marinette?”
Marinette yelped then turned to look at who was talking to her now, only to have to stop herself rolling her eyes.
“Yes?”
“Would you please do the catering for the party? I’m sure you could join us?” Adrien’s voice held a slight whine as he spoke, almost as though he was trying to guilt trip her.
“Not happening.” Marinette said firmly.
“But Mari, you’re our-”
“If the next words out of your mouth are ‘everyday Ladybug’ I refuse to be held accountable for my actions, Agreste.” Marinette’s icy tone had the class staring at her. Didn’t she have a crush on Adrien? Isn’t that why she hated Lila?
“Mari-”
“No!” Marinette slammed her hands down on her desk as she stood. “ I refuse to be held up to the image you have created for me! Some of the class think I’m little more than a petty girl, jealous over a crush. A crush that vanished when the recipient showed he has no spine. Others seem to think I’m a bully despite knowing me since I was eight and tripping over my words as I learned French. They seem to have forgotten that like Lie-la, I was born in Italy and didn’t learn French until after I was adopted.” Marinette’s eyes flashed angrily as she spoke.
She was so focused on trying to vent slightly that she didn’t notice someone walking up behind her until arms had snaked around her waist making her yelp and instinctively go to incapacitate her ‘assailant’. A chuckle caused her to stop fighting.
“ Un bel saluto, mia piccola signora cielo .” (A nice greeting, my little lady sky)
Marinette squealed happily as she spun round in his arms.
“XANXUS!”
“Indoor voice,” he grunted as he accepted the hug.
“What are you doing here? I thought Squalo was meant to be the one fetching me, or maybe Mammon. Even so, that’s only scheduled to happen in two weeks' time when school finishes!” Marinette babbled happily not noticing that she was switching languages with each sentence. Thankfully Xanxus was just as much of a polyglot as Marinette so he could understand what was being said. Her class was not as lucky.
“Marinette, it’s not polite to speak in different languages when there are others present.” Mlle Bustier admonished. Since Marinette’s back was to the class and only Xanxus could see her face, Marinette didn’t bother to stop her automatic reaction of rolling her eyes.
“Glad to see you haven’t changed,” he said with a smirk which only made the rest of the people in her class even more confused and added to Mlle Bustier’s anger.
Marinette huffed then stepped away from Xanxus and grabbed her bags. The class frowned as they saw her packing up. They knew there was still ten minutes left before the bell rang but Marinette didn’t seem to care.
“Where do you think you are going Marinette?” Mlle Bustier demanded.
“Away from the collective stupidity that seems to permeate the room whenever Lie-la opens her mouth. I’m done. No matter what I do it’s wrong. If I stand up for myself it’s me that gets punished. As a result the class seems to think I should be their resident kicking doll and I’m not having it anymore. I know there are still two weeks left of school but I don’t think I’ll bother being here. I’ve already graduated after all.”
Marinette flipped her hair over her shoulder absently as she spoke. Why had she chosen to wear it down today? She wondered adsently even as she stalked out the room, Xanxus following her silently. She could hear the pandemonium she had left behind but she honestly didn’t care anymore.
“Hey, Xanxus?”
“Yeah?”
“You ever going to answer my question?”
“Hmm,” Xanxus tapped his chin pretending to think, “Na!”
“Fine!” Marinette huffed. “Ice-cream then?”
“Why not? Shall we find a cafe then?”
“Actually I was thinking we should find Andre.”
“That could work, I can get Mammon’s latest information package from him at the same time. I said I’d pick it up since I was in the area.”
Marinette smiled as she walked with Xanxus towards where Andre had set up for the day. Andre smiled when they walked over to him.
“Ah I know just the thing for you two! Cherry, Dragonfruit and Peach.” As he said this he handed over the single ice cream, clearly meaning for them to share as well as the envelope for Mammon. He didn’t give them a chance to talk before turning to the next couple. Marinette and Xanxus looked at each other before shrugging and walking off to where they could sit and share their treat.
They spent the next hour talking about all-sorts and everything before Marinette sighed.
“I guess I better head back to the bakery. I don’t really want to though.” Marrinette flopped back onto the grass as she spoke.
“Oh?” Xanxus enquired.
“Yeah. As much as I love the Dupain-Chengs, recently I’ve been feeling very caged in that house. I know they adopted me with the best intentions in mind but honestly they barely notice if I’m there or not unless they need me for something. They knew I wasn’t happy at school but they refused to let me either drop out to do home-schooling or to change schools. It’s thanks to Mammon that I graduated early as they enrolled me in several online courses so I could work ahead.”
Marinette watched as the clouds drifted before looking at Xanxus in surprise when his hand touched her arm.
“You could come back to Italy with me tonight if you wanted to.” He offered.
“But how? Sure I have pretty much everything packed and ready to go but-”
“You forget who I am, il mio piccolo inferno . One phone call and all your stuff will be on it’s way to the Varia mansion and before you ask, you can stay with me for the night. I do have a job to do but it shouldn’t take long.”
Marinette looked at Xanxus in surprise only to see he looked absolutely serious.
“You do remember I’m not blooded, right?” she said quietly in latin, using the language to hide what they were talking about.
“I am aware. That’s easy to solve though. As for your next objection of not being up to Varia standard, you speak enough languages and you have a strong enough Cloud secondary to fill that role in my Sky. We both know our primaries resonate enough to stabilise us and calm our more disruptive habits.”
Marinette closed her eyes for a moment as she thought before nodding.
“Fuck it, why not? It’s not like I have anything holding me here anymore.”
Xanxus smiled widely then quickly sent off a text to the mooks that were currently in the area with instructions to get all of Marinette’s things together and where those things could be found. Suddenly, a wicked gleam entered his eyes as he noticed several of Marinette’s classmates walking towards them.
“Xanxus?” Marinette queried quietly.
Xanxus didn’t answer verbally. Instead he leaned forward and kissed her. Whatever plan he’d had in mind when he chose to kiss her fled the second his lips touched hers. A feeling of ‘safe/ home/ loved’ flooded through Xanxus and although he didn’t know it, the same feeling had flooded through Marinette too.
“What the FUCK?” Ayla screeched as she looked at the scene in front of her.
“What the fuck, what Ayla?” Marinette asked slightly angrily. She had wanted Xanxus to kiss her for quite some time and as far as she was concerned Ayla was just being a menace. A feeling Xanxus agreed with if the look in his eyes was anything to go by.
“Girl, what is up with you? First you blow Adrien off, then you walk out of class without waiting for the bell and now you are making out with some random guy in public?” Ayla spluttered. Marinette glared at Ayla.
“And why should I answer you Cesaire?”
“Um, hello, cause I’m your bestie!”
“No, you’re not. You never were. Xanxus here has been my friend for practically my whole life so the title of Bestie would be his if his title wasn’t something more. You on the other hand were my friend for all of six months before Lie-la came along and you started chasing her instead. To be honest I don’t think you ever fell under the title of ‘bestie’. Besides, you haven’t bothered to text me in three years so how can you claim to know anything about me?”
Ayla stared at Marinette in surprise before she whipped out her phone to try and prove her wrong. Her face fell as she saw the Marinette was right, there was no evidence of Ayla contacting Marinette at all in over three years. Not even a single message through any of her social media pages.
Nino frowned at the tone in Marinette’s voice. It had made him have flashbacks to when he had first met her. She had just moved in with Tom and Sabine and she had constantly been getting into fights as she hadn’t wanted to be there. When she had finally learned enough French to be able to understand what was being said around her as well as to speak to them, she had made it very clear that she wanted nothing to do with them. It had taken about two years before she had seemingly resigned herself to being in France and thus calmed down enough to make friends.
“Ayla, stop.” Nino sighed.
“What? Why? I want answers, Nino, so why should I stop asking for them?” Ayla spluttered, flailing her arms.
“Because Marinette won’t answer. The last time Marinette spoke like this was when she first came to France. Most of us had forgotten just how closed off she was at first because she opened up eventually and you only met her after that happened. Clearly we’ve pushed too far if she’s treating us this way again.” Nino scuffed his shoe as he spoke.
Marinette watched the exchange with a small smirk as she relaxed against Xanxus. She knew he wasn’t a tactile person so when he drew her closer she couldn’t help the frision of joy that ran through her.
“Is she always like this,” Xanxus murmured into her ear.
“Pretty much,” Marinette replied just as softly.
“Do you think they’d notice if we left?”
“Ayla wouldn’t but I think one of the others might. Big might though.”
Slowly they got to their feet and started to walk away, not bothering to hide their actions.
“Marinette!” Adrien called out.
“Fuck!” Marinette swore quietly which caused Xanxus to laugh softly.
“You’ve been around me too long, il mio piccolo inferno. ”
“Why won’t you answer Ayla? And why did you act like that in class?” Marinette could see that Adrien was building towards the same sort of temper tantrum as the ones he used to throw as Chat Noir so she decided to be a bitch to kill the classes idea that she was their doormat once and for all.
“You know, now I understand why Ladybug took away your ring. For fuck sake, Agreste, if you were my partner and you acted this way I’d drop you for someone better too.”
The class stared at Marinette, stunned at her language and unsure of what she meant.
“What are you trying to imply?” Alix demanded.
“Oh, you didn’t know? Little Agreste was Chat Noir until Ladybug got sick of his attitude and not showing up for Akuma attacks and his constant flirting. She and I were quite close before she left. And unlike Lila I have proof of that! After all, Cesaire, who organised your only successful interview without an Akuma attack happening?” Marinette’s tone was so acidic and biting her classmates took a step back in shock.
Marinette smirked as her class finally processed what she had said and they rounded on Adrien shouting question after question at him.
“Nicely done,” Xanxus whispered into her ear, sending shivers down her spine. “Now, let's get out of here.” Marinette nodded and they quickly vanished before the class could notice.
Marinette smiled as they walked into the room Xanxus was using in the house the Varia was using as a base for the night.
“Well that went well,” she said with a smirk as she turned to face Xanxus.
“Agreed.”
“Hey, Xanxus?” Marinette started cautiously.
“Mmh?”
“About the kiss earlier… Was it just because of my class or…?” Marinette said hesitantly while fiddling with the hem of her shirt then trailing off to bite her lip. She looked up when she felt Xanxus walk over to her and lift her face with a finger under her chin.
“I originally kissed you to shock your class but that changed as soon as I actually kissed you. You already know that I’m not inexperienced in that area but honestly? Best kiss I’ve ever had was that one with you.”
Marinette’s face flamed as she saw the truth in Xanxus’s eyes as he spoke. They contained a heat she had never seen before and she squirmed slightly as it sent a bolt of heat through her. She recognised what she was feeling was lust not love but at the same time she couldn’t help but want to explore the feelings Xanxus was stirring in her.
Xanxus smiled at her as she squirmed, “I won’t do anything unless you ask me to Mari. I can see you don’t know how to handle what your body is telling you and I can wait. I’d prefer it actually. I’d rather you know what you want instead of acting on impulse and ruining what we could possibly have.” Xanxus said gently as he backed away.
“That said, we need to get you blooded soon. I had Mammon send me a list of the contracts for here in Paris and have a list of the ones I would normally send a newer mook on. I think we should take a look at them and do one that you feel sure couldn’t be traced back to you.”
Marinette sighed as she nodded, recognising that this was her Sky looking out for her rather than her long term best friend that she might or might not have a crush on. They spent a good three hours going through the contracts and trying to see which one was the best fit for her. Unsurprisingly there were contracts for Lila Rossi and her mother in the pile but despite being very tempted, Marinette knew she couldn’t fill those contracts. Her hatred of Lila was too well known and the last thing they wanted was for her first kill to be her last due to being imprisoned.
In the end they settled on a random mark that was on the same side of Paris as Xanxus’s hit was to take place so that he could be nearby should she need it. It was also on a side of town that Marinette never went to which made it even harder to trace back to her. Xanxus did his hit then they moved to where her hit would take place. While it didn’t take long for her to complete her task Marinette knew she would never be able to do it again. She managed to hold onto her reaction until they were safely at their base before she raced towards the bathroom and threw up repeatedly. Xanxus held her hair as she processed what she had done. Once her stomach stopped rebelling, Marinette felt herself dissolve into tears. All the while Xanxus held her. He didn’t try to placate her with empty words, he simply held her, letting her work through everything at her own place.
Once she had calmed down Xanxus spoke quietly.
“You won’t have to do hits ever again. While I cannot guarantee you’ll never have to kill again, I won’t make you take contracts. If it makes you feel any better you can work as my secretary until we get your fashion line up and running. Once that happens, we can look at how to proceed. How’s that sound?”
Marinette simply nodded miserably even as she tried to cuddle closer to Xanxus.
***********************************************
Morning and their flight to Italy arrived all too soon for Marinette. Part of her was still reeling from the fact that she had killed someone the night before but her bad habit of locking away her emotions had made sure she would be able to function through the day. A quick check before they left showed Marinette that the mooks who had packed up her room had found the letter she had written for her adopted parents explaining why she was leaving and thanking them for raising her. It didn’t take them long to reach the airport and be on their way to Italy.
Since it was a Tuesday, Marinette knew it wouldn’t take long before her absence was noticed. She also knew that it would take till the end of the first period before anyone said anything about her absence though. Since the plane she and Xanxus were in was one owned by the Varia this meant the flight would take roughly two hours and fifteen minutes depending on if they managed to catch a tail wind or not. Following that logic Marinette calculated they would just have landed by the time anyone even thought to question her absence.
“Hey, Mari?” Xanxus broke into Marinette’s thoughts.
“Yeah?”
“Welcome to your new life, la mia piccola coccinella . And welcome home”
Marinette smiled and took a deep breath. It was good to be back in Italy after so long.
***********************************************************
It took Marinette less time than she thought was possible to adjust to living in the madhouse known as the Varia Mansion. She found it surprisingly easy to get along with each of Xanxus’s Gaurdians as she made sure to get to know them as individuals. When she wasn’t busy sorting out Xanxus’s paperwork, Marinette often found herself debating fashion with Lussuria. If Luss wasn’t available, Marinette could be found learning more about financial management from Mammon or failing all else, curled up in a sunny spot with Bel as she sketched her latest designs.
Due to her extended contact with Xanxus it was almost inevitable for the two of them to fall into a routine. The status of their relationship had become the topic of a number of betting pools. Some mooks were adamant that Xanxus and Marinette were just friends. Those that had worked in any sort of proximity to Marinette and Xanxus were just as adamant that the two were dating. And honestly who could blame them? Marinette and Xanxus could often be seen arguing like an old married couple. Bets were placed and then the inhabitants of the mansion sat back and waited.
Xanxus and Marinette knew about the betting pools but decided they were going to have a bit of fun. A mission had landed on Xanxus’s desk more than a month prior to the bets being placed. A mission that called for two people to infiltrate an event and kill the main host. In a fit of mischief Xanxus had asked Marinette to be his partner for it and proposed the idea of them posing as a married couple. By that stage Marinette had known what her feelings were and had agreed only to suggest that it not be a cover at all! A little help from Nonna Daniella and the cover was the truth with nobody the wiser. They were simply waiting for the mooks or in fact, anybody within the Varia Mansion to find out. Then something happened that made finding out inevitable. Marinette fell pregnant.
Fashion week was always stressful for Marinette. Seemingly endless streams of alterations, fittings and adjustments accompanied by an overabundance of coffee and a decided lack of sleep meant that Marinette was positively exhausted before the shows even started. The runway shows were then followed by a blur of interviews for a few days so by the time Marinette finally stopped to think, she was honestly ready to sleep for a month before facing anything else. Unfortunately for Marinette, Lus knew how run down Marinette got and dragged her into the medbay the moment she stepped foot in the mansion.
“Um, Lus? Do we have to do this now?” Marinette whined as she tried to keep her feet underneath herself.
“Of course it is! You never take care of yourself during fashion week and honestly you look a mess!” Las chirped. “Now sit down and stop your fussing!”
Lus spent the next fifteen minutes running Marinette through a standard physical including the blood tests that everyone had every three months. To many that number of blood tests would be crazy but this was the Varia, getting covered in blood was an occupational hazard and there were too many blood borne diseases that it was just common sense to be extra careful. All it took was to get covered in blood when you were already injured…
As soon as Lus was done Marinette planned to make her escape. Marinette knew it would take roughly two days for Lus to get the results of her tests back and all she wanted was to see her secret husband and get some sleep. She hadn’t counted on Lus demanding the blood tests be done before the rest of the tests, nor had she counted on them being labeled high priority and thus the tests being rushed so that the results would be ready by the time Lus finished Marinette’s exam.
“So, sweetie, who’s the lucky guy that managed to get into your pants under the boss’ nose?” Lus cooed.
“Huh?” Marinette asked sleepily, not quite catching what Lus was saying.
“Who knocked you up?” Lus said bluntly, changing his tactic as he realised just how tired Marinette was. Marinette blinked owlishly up at Lus before smiling.
“I’m pregnant?” She asked, avoiding the question and desperately wanting confirmation.
“Yes! Now, who’s the father so I can kill him for knocking up one of the few who can keep up with me when it comes to fashion?” Lus growled. Marinette smiled in wonder before her smile got even bigger and she bolted out the door. Lus moved to try to catch her but for once Marinette was simply too fast. By the time Lus had reached the door, Marinette was gone.
Marinette sprinted through the corridors of Varia headquarters towards Xanxus’ office and threw open the door. She dimly registered Vongola Nono was in the room with her husband but she was too excited to care as she wrapped her arms around her husband.
“ La mia piccola fiamma?” Xanxus asked in surprise even as he wrapped his arms around her. Marinette was laughing happily but she quieted down and pressed herself as close to her husband as possible before leaning to whisper in his ear.
“We’re home papa.”
Xanxus looked down at her blankly for a moment before her words registered. Papa? Why would she call him papa? Unless…
“Are you? I mean are we?” Xanxus asked hopefully. Marinette nodded and Xanxus grinned widely to the horror of Vongola Nono.
“Will someone explain what this is all about? This was a serious meeting young lady!” Nono blustered.
“And I had extremely important news for him.” Marinette said sassily with a predatory grin on her face. Since she was still plastered to Xanxus’s side she felt his reaction to her words and felt her own body stir to meet his.
“Do you know who I am?” Nono demanded even as his face purpled and he flared his flames at her. Marinette frowned at him.
“Yes, somebody who needs to learn some bloody manners!” Marinette returned even as she used her flames to shove the man out the room slamming the door behind him. A quick move from Xanxus had the door locked and once again facing her.
“You’re pregnant? I’m gonna be a papa?” He asked his wife in stunned hope.
“Yup!” Marinette chirped happily. Xanxus looked at her for a moment before he kissed her. It would be a while before his door opened again.
**************************
As for Marinette’s old class? Well, they were beyond angry when they realised Marinette really had left for good. The Dupain-Chengs had confirmed Marinette had been adopted and that she had been planning on leaving for quite some time. When the class complained about Marinette dropping out the Dupain-Chengs proudly showed off the numerous degree’s Marinette had completed on top of dealing with their nonsense. And when the class continued to complain, they were thrown out of the bakery and told never to return.
By the time they realised Lila had lied about everything, it was simply too late. Dream careers were beyond their reach for the most part and the liar herself was long gone.
Unfortunately for Lila, she had chosen to run back to Italy. The second the Varia got wind she was in their strike range, they reacted. They started small, a threat in her letterbox, a dead rat on her doorstep. By the time the mooks completed the hit on the liar, she was a paranoid mess. She had been driven into madness in a far more brutal way than she had ever done to her victims and far more effectively too!