Chapter Text
Laughter filled the tiny apartment that was packed with cardboard boxes, empty beer bottles and a few pizza boxes with their leftover contents slowly getting cold and hard. Four friends sat on the floor around a coffee table that the boys had carried up earlier. Smiling faces and sparkling eyes, filled with love and emotion, could be seen on the four friends. Alya was leaning on Nino’s shoulder, as if the sheer act of laughing would cause her to collapse on the floor, Nino’s arm slung causally across her. Adrien, in turn, was leaning on Marinette, whose cheeks were flushed pink, whether from the alcohol or the proximity to the blonde boy, no one was sure.
Nino reached across the table for the stereo remote control, the one piece they had managed to set up after moving all the boxes that day. He raised the volume slightly as a song came on that he knew was Alya's favorite, causing the girl to jump from her seat in excitement. Alya pulled her best friend to her feet and the two young coeds started dancing freely in the small living room, Adrien and Nino staying on the ground as they watched the girls move to the music.
Marinette threw her head back, laughing out loud as Alya pulled Marinette’s arms around her neck and swayed against Marinette, enjoying the music. In that moment, in that empty apartment, surrounded by her family of choice. Marinette felt truly happy.
“Take a deep breath, Marinette.” Tikki said, as she floated next to her chosen, who was sitting cross-legged in the middle of her bedroom with her eyes closed. “You need to clear your mind.”
“This is impossible Tikki!” Marinette exclaimed, frustratedly, as she fell back onto the floor and stared up at the ceiling. Tikki had been walking Marinette through meditation techniques that were eventually going to help her channel more powers with the miraculous, especially now that she was the guardian.
“You need to try and focus. Think of calming thoughts,” the squeaky voice said cheerfully.
Marinette laughed, “Sure it’s that easy. Just forget about work and school, my friends, my commissions and saving Paris on a daily basis. Piece of cake.” Marinette rose from her bedroom floor and made her way to the kitchenette of the small dormitory shared with Alya. Grabbing a bottle of water and a cookie for Tikki, Marinette went to the living area and flopped down on the coach.
The current semester had started a few weeks ago and between her classwork and her duties as Ladybug, Marinette was completely swamped. The fashion design program she was in at university was top rated in the country and busied its students with enough work to simulate the pressures of working in a fashion house. Marinette loved it but the work was keeping her from having a social life. Despite living with her, she rarely saw Alya anymore, who spent much of her time outside of class at Nino’s studio apartment, which he got once he decided to forgo University and started dj-ing at the local nightclubs often frequented by university students. The only person she spent any significant time with was Adrien.
Oh Adrien.
Her once long time crush turned best friend. Marinette still saw her daily, they even shared a class or two given he was studying business to please his father, but both of their schedules allowed for little free time. Adrien was still modeling, and Marinette worked at her parents' bakery in addition to completing any commissions her website generated. The stolen moments giggling next to each other in class or sharing a coffee before class were still Marinette’s favorite moments of the week, but she longed for more. Longed to spend time with him without the pressures of the world hanging over her head. Longed to spend time with him without Hawkmoth in the background.
This was part of the reason for the meditation. After a lot of research and some very late night conversations with Tikki and Wazz, Marinette has learned much about the Miraculous and the role of the guardian. From what she had gathered from her poor interpretation of Master Fu’s books, the guardian of the Miraculous was capable of control all the Miraculous at the same time, much like Fei did as Ladydragon, once he (or she) was able to able to reach a state of complete peace and enlightenment, something Master Fu spent most of his life trying to achieve. The fact that Marinette had been able to weld all the Miraculous during Kwamibuster at such a young age, showed that she had the potential to achieve such a state. If only she could focus.
A pounding on the door drew Marinette from her daydreams and Tikki flew off to hide. Marinette opened the door and was greeted by the grinning face of the man she was just thinking of.
“Mari,” Adrien said as soon as she opened the door and stepped back far enough to allow entry. “I am in desperate need of cookies and cuddles,” he said with a smirk. She smiled back as he removed his shoes.
“Rough day?”
“You know it,” he said, flopping down on her couch. "A particularly difficult photoshoot, followed by an emotionally draining lunch with my father where he went over once again all of my shortcomings as an Agreste.” He propped himself up on his elbow and looked at the girl who meant more to him than anything in the world. “But do you know what can cure all of that?”
“And what’s that?” Marinette said as she placed a plate of cookies on the coffee table in front of him and sat down next to Adrien on the couch. Adrien wrapped his arms around her waist and brought her close to him. “Marinette time.” She giggled and rested a head on his shoulder. The two spent the afternoon laughing and cuddling on the couch as they ate their weight in cookies and watched cheesy rom coms until Alya came home and the group of friends made dinner.
“Bugaboo? Chat Noir asked, staring off into the night sky. Patrol had been quiet, ending with Chat and his lady sitting on a random rooftop, watching the people of Paris enjoy the warm spring evening.
“Hmmmm?” Ladybug acknowledged she was listening although her eyes were closed, the evening air caressing her cheek as the calm of the night filled her senses and relaxed her.
“Do you remember that akuma, back when we were like 16?”
“Which one?” Ladybug asked, a small smile on her lips.
“Two words,” he laughed, turning to look at his partner. “Red Jello.” Both friends began to laugh at the memory of a strange akuma, a patient fresh out of the hospital, who was upset about being served green jello instead of red. His powers turned the streets of Paris into jello, causing a sticky, slippery battle with the heroes bouncing haphazardly along the gelatinous mess. It was a month before Marinette could stomach the smell of artificial strawberries.
Marinette laughed, nudging her partner with her shoulder. “Of course, I do! My hands were stained red from the jello and I had to tell all my friends I spilled fabric dye on them to avoid anyone finding out my secret identity.” She laughed at the memory of Alya rolling her eyes, Nino laughing at her account of spilling fabric dye all over her room, and Adrien just smiling at her understandably.“Why are you bringing up that akuma now?”
“I was just thinking,” he said with a smile. “Shadow Moth really has a terrible sense of humor. I mean remember the Bubbler?”
“Or what was the name of the one that's only power was to make everyone talk backwards?” She contributed with a laugh.
“Back Talk,” Chat Noir giggled. “Naming isn’t old Hawky’s strong suit either. God, I hope he doesn’t have kids. Can you imagine their names?”
“Helga.”
“Arthur.”
“Appaloosa.”
“Hey, I have a great Aunt named Appaloosa.” The laughter of the two heroes carried across the rooftops of Paris and into the night, reminding the citizens that there was always someone watching out for them.
Marinette was lying in her bed, trying desperately to quiet her mind as ideas for the new outerwear project her professor presented that morning in addition to the laundry list of things she needed to complete the next day, when a bright light filled her room. Marinette sat up quickly in her bed, pulling the blanket to her mouth to muffle the scream that nearly escaped. It would do no good to wake Alya to something that was most likely related to the miraculous and her duties as guardian. Once her eyes were able to adjust to the bright light, Marinette saw that the light was in fact a portal, with the arrival of Bunnyx as confirmation.
Over the years, Ladybug, and on occasion Chat Noir, had many dealings with Bunnyx but never before had Marinette seen Bunnyx look anything other than stylish, cool and collected. That was not the case today. Even the events with Chat Blanc hadn’t rattled the heroine as much as she was now.
Dark circles and heavy bags sat under her eyes, red rimmed eyes that now darted around wildly, either from worry or just plain exhaustion. Her normal pristine white costume was smudged with dirt and her normally perky ears were drooping to one side. It was almost like she was dulled, as if some of the miraculous magic had lost its potency and she was struggling to stay in existence. The normally graceful rabbit stumbled out of the burrow, looking around anxiously for Marinette.
“Bug!” Marinette was quite happy when Bunnyx started forgoing the normal greeting of “Mini-bug” although she still referred to her partner as “Kitty Noir” whenever the fancy struck her. “This is it! This has to work!”
“What are you talking about Bunnyx?” Marinette asked, getting out of bed and approaching the hero. Bunnyx grabbed Marinette’s shoulders with both hands and looked into her eyes, the seriousness of the situation deserving of the dramatic pause.
“In two weeks, Shadow Moth will attack the city. He will win.”