Chapter Text
Paris was living in a Kwami darned fairy tale, apparently. At least until Ladybug and Chat Noir can clean up Hawkmoth’s latest Akuma mess, anyway. But that wasn’t going to happen, because their civilian selves had gotten caught up in Fairy Godmother’s, the Akuma’s, magic.
The class had been at the Eiffel Tower for a celebratory post-graduation picnic when Fairy Godmother came flitting through on fairy wings and trailing magical glitter over everything. Round and round she went, circling the Tower all the way to the top, clouding the structure and park below. There was no warning, or escape, before the glitter glowed gold and the world transformed.
“Oh, this really isn’t good,” spoke Nino from Marinette’s side as they looked over the marble balcony’s parapet and down to the ground.
They were at the top of the tower now, the structure turned into a giant round stone tower as wide as the original base had been and just as high. The base sat on its own little island surrounded by an oversized moat. The park outside of it had turned into a huge forest, which Marinette could have sworn she saw several deer and a horse in. The buildings surrounding the forest were also transformed into old stone and wood village structures, and cars had become carts and carriages. They could see where Fairy Godmother had come from since she left a trail of such transformations behind. If they weren't so high up and could see better, Marinette would have bet the people now looked like they were going to renaissance fairs.
Marinette gulped and stepped away, having seen enough and not wanting to find out what it would be like to fall from so high up as a civilian again.
“Did you see the dragon tail hanging out a window on a lower floor? Because I really wish I hadn't,” Nino stated as he joined her, then immediately got distracted from his fretting. “Dude, Mari, what are you wearing?”
“What are you wearing, Nino!?” She gasped as she took in her friend’s appearance. “You look like a street performer- Can you even play a hurdy-gurdy?”
“Well I mean, ye- Hey, that’s not the point right now. I never took you for a knight-in-training kind of lady.” He was right. Marinette herself contrasted his flowing and colorful clothes with more dull and firmly fitting padded clothes and partial covering of armor.
“Not what I would have wanted- Think we can trade? Wait, no, don't answer that, we have more important matters, like being stuck in a tower with an Akuma!” She bit her nails and turned away from Nino who had begun fidgeting with his new hat.
The top of the tower was a wide-open space, the ceiling held up by the occasional pillar. Small round tables and decorated chairs dotted the full balcony all along the edge. Curtains of silk separated one section of the area, the light filtering through with a glow and shadows cutting images across the partition. It looked like it could be a bedroom and a bath area. It appeared no one else was there with them.
“This place looks like it’s some kind of castle suite,” Marinette observed.
“What, like some kind of royal greeting room for tea parties and princesses?” Nino followed her as she made her way towards the silks rippling in the breeze. They walked past a trap door in the center of the floor.
“More like…” She flung open the curtain to reveal a large carved mahogany bed, encircled with more silks thin enough to see through. Laying on the bed was Adrien, asleep and dressed in his own beautiful nightgown. “...a waiting room for a princess.”
“Dang, that fairy lady went all out on this. Why are we up here with Adrien if everyone and the true love person is meant to start at the bottom?” Nino went to check on his knocked out friend as Marinette pondered.
“Well, all fairy tales are told differently, right? Maybe Sleeping Beauty can be treated more like The Sword in the Stone, with a line of suitors waiting to take their shot.”
“Ew, creepy. Don’t worry, Adrien, we won’t let anyone but Ladybug or Chat Noir kiss you,” Nino said with a pat on his friend’s shoulder.
Marinette choked on a laugh. “No, I- We are here because you’re the entertainer for the waiting guests, and I’m guessing I’m supposed to be the guard making sure nothing happens except for the kiss, anyway. But considering we’re the only ones here, we must be near the end of the story when everyone has given up.”
“So, what, we just wait for the curse to be lifted and get rescued by some random dude?” Nino furrowed his brow at the idea, and Marinette shook her head, quite agreeing with the show of distaste.
“No, I think we need to get out of here on our own for now. This tower is huge, it could take Chat Noir and LAdybug forever to make their way up as they look for the Akuma.”
“And Adrien?”
She smiles fondly at her protective friend. “He’s the princess, so obviously the story is going to protect him whether we’re here or not. Moving him could bring the Akuma to us, and we can’t afford that kind of attention right now.” Mentally, she apologized, wishing she could turn into Ladybug right then and there to save her friends.
Nino sighed and nodded, getting up from where he’d taken a seat on the bed. “Alright, let’s go.”
The pair made their way back toward the trap door. Marinette stopped and waited for Nino to haul the heavy wood up, stripping the padded top off along with the armor attached to it. Thinking better of it, she took the armor and put it back on, feeling a little more protected than if she only went out there with a black tunic, dull red trousers that had matched the padding, and half a set of basic iron armor pieces. Nino eyes her with a raised brow.
“What? It was getting warm in that thing!” She huffed. He laughed.
Marinette went ahead of him down the darkened spiraling stone stairs, keeping her hand on the carved wooden banister. She slowed to a stop almost immediately after her head cleared the stone floor, Nino bumping into her with an audible ‘oof’.
“What, what is it, let me…see.” Nino joined her in silence where he was stooped down and leaning over her shoulder.
The room below them wasn't much of a room at all. Pillars of living wood went from ceiling to floor, vines with glowing flowers winding their way up and across. The ceiling, close enough to touch, dripped with luminescent moss and clusters of crystals. The stairway ended on a little island surrounded by a pond of water, a bridge arching across to the rest of the room. The floor looked more like a garden, a path of tamped dirt and round stones leading away from the bridge. The walls, where they should have been, were just more pillars and endless glowing landscape.
“I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore,” Nono muttered, and Marinette broke out of her awe to laugh and smack his arm.
“We were never there in the first place, straw-for-brains.” He grinned at her and she rolled her eyes fondly as she resumed her descent of the stairs.
“I don’t see another exit, do you?” Nino asked as they neared the bottom.
“No, nothing. That’s really weird…” She stepped to the side as she got to the bottom, careful of the blooms hidden in the grass. She approached the edge of the pond as Nino went to inspect the bridge. He turned back toward her when she gasped. “Nino, look…”
“ Woah ,” was all he could say and she nodded in agreement.
Below the surface was an endless expense of clear water. The moss-covered edges of the pond dipped down and expanded, turning it into what could only be assumed as the entrance to an underwater cavern. Aquatic life could be seen swimming through the depths, their shadows rippling.
“Uh, Mari..?” Asked a little worriedly as he stepped back. “This is cool and all, but I swear I just saw something big move down there.”
“This has to be the exit, though!” Marinette protested, looking back at him over her shoulder as she stayed leaning over the water, braced on her knees. “Each floor is totally different, and I bet my favorite CD that the exits are, too! What if-”
She had no time to finish her thought as a splash sounded from the water and Nino yelled. He lunged for her as something wrapped around Marinette’s wrist and pulled. She was submerged in the water before he could reach her. As she was dragged away she could see him at the edge of the pond before her view was covered and her vision went dark as the world lost its glow.
Trying not to panic, Marinette focused on holding her breath and circulating it by breathing the air into her cheeks and then inhaling back into her lungs. She didn’t know if that actually helped, but she figured tricking her brain into thinking she was still breathing might help just a little.
Just before it became too unbearable, she was thrown from the water into open air, landing on rough stone with a pained gasp. She caught her breath, laying on the ground like a discarded wet towel. As her bearings returned to her, she looked around to gauge her circumstances. It looked to be a small air pocket within the underwater cave. It had the same glowing moss and little clusters of crystal as the room above, only now the water itself continued its own bioluminescence. A shifting shadow drew her attention and she scurried back and away.
“Now now, Marinette, no need to be shy,” cooed the creature- person- now with her. With a little hum the cave was suddenly a lot with a more magical and ethereal glow, revealing Lila. Or at least what should have been Lila. She looked rather normal up top, aside from her hair in a braided updo and clothes replaced with layers of netting and beautiful pieces of shells aligned like scales. Her lower half was best described as, well, orange-Ursula from The Little Mermaid Disney movie.
“Oh wow, and I thought Adrien had it bad,” Marinette couldn't help but remark.
Lila laughed and flexed her new appendages, sitting back. “This isn’t all I got out of this little predicament we’re in,” she said slyly. “I’m a powerful sea witch here, with everything I could ever need, and you’re just a helpless little squire in need.”
“And you brought me here to gloat, why?” Marinette asked warily.
Lila rolled her eyes and huffed, crossing her arms. “I’m offering you a deal, Marinette. I’ll even make it a classic!” she added a little too cheerfully as she clapped her hands. A glowing scroll of reed paper appeared before them along with a long sea urchin spine. The makeshift quill scratched into the paper as she continued to speak, letters filling in with dark color as they were made. “Marinette Dupain-Cheng, I, the sea witch Lila, offer you a deal. You can save yourself and your friends from this tower if you allow me to turn you into your True Self- and considering how we’re in a fairy tale and all that, you’ll probably just turn into some cool knight with holy weapons or something, I donno,” she added with a shrug. “In exchange for this generous deal, you’ll give me your voice. Ha, see what I did there? Of course you did. Now, do we have a deal?”
Marinette didn't like the idea of making such a broadly defined deal with a fairly blind outcome. Best case scenario was she would just turn into Ladybug and hopefully leave before Lila could see it. Worst case…Well, everyone has their fears of feeling like some kind of undeserving imposter every once and a while, so she could just become worse off and end up still stuck in this place. Actually, scratch that, part of the deal was saving her friends and that meant leaving this place. Worst case wasn't looking so bad after all.
One catch, though…
“My voice? Really? You sure you don’t want anything else, anything at all?” Marinette asked nervously. She needed her voice to activate her Ladybug powers, otherwise she was just some indestructible wall to get in the Akuma’s way and nothing more.
Lila scoffed and shoved the urchin spine into Marinette’s hand. “Just sign it and stop being annoying. You’ll get your voice back and everything will go back to normal when the Akuma is defeated anyway, so none of this is permanent. Besides, it’s your only option unless you wanna stay here with me until it's over.”
Marinette stared at the paper and bit her lip. No Ladybug if she was stuck in this cave. No Ladybug without her voice. No Ladybug no matter what choice she made. But then she realized, Ladybug was just a mantle. She had gone without it to save the day before, she could just do it again. This wasn’t such a huge disaster as she thought. Everything would be okay, somehow.
Mind made up, she signed.
The paper and ink glowed and the stale air bristled. Lila’s lips twisted into a feral grin as she leaned in unbearably close. “Good girl. Now, I’d ask you to play by the rules and sing for me, but we can skip it since I doubt hearing that would do me any good. Just tell me this: Was it worth it?”
Marinette glared hard and sat up confidently. “It will be.”
The room glowed bright and Marinette covered her eyes. Her throat felt suddenly constricted like she was trying not to cry. “Good luck being heard, then,” Lila laughed before disappearing with the contract in a splash of water. Something small and green fell out of the air behind Marinette and bounced across the floor, following the sea witch into the water without notice.
When all was calm again, Marinette finally stood. She didn’t feel all that different. Her throat stayed clammed up around her vocal cords, unable to make a single sound. She could hear her heart pounding in her chest and the water stuck in her ears sounding like a seashell. Her skin itched like it was cold and covered in sand. The glowing algae clung to her shirt making it look like a sparkling blue. That was what probably caused the itching, she thought.
All in all, she…still had no idea how to get out of there.
Attempting some frustrated and angry yelling hadn't worked for obvious reasons, and neither had stomping around. She even attempted to punch the wall. Surprisingly, the rock was rather brittle. She calmed a bit at that and looked closer.
It didn’t look like it should be brittle at all, actually. She would need a pick or some heavy machinery to break through this normally. So why did it just chip off at a single punch?
Allow me to turn you into your True Self-
Marinette’s theory was turning into Ladybug, but she clearly wasn’t- or was she? Ladybug had some incredible physical power and could easily punch through a few walls. Marinette lit up at the thought that she, as a civilian, still had a chance to be Ladybug. Heck, if she found someone else to use the Earrings, there would be two! Pumped up by this seeming revelation, Marinette pulled back and readied herself to finally get out of there.
With one last grin before she closed her mouth to not eat any debris, Marinette struck the wall with all her strength.
Boom. Boom. Boom.
Three good strikes was all it took before the cave wall crumbled and fell away to reveal the Akuma-altered skyline of Paris. Her victory wiggle was interrupted, however, by the laws of physics. The water surged up and pushed at her legs and she gasped, stumbling forward. The floor was flooded and covered in loose gravel now, and she lost her footing completely. Falling into the continuous surge of water, Marinette was pushed out through the very hole she just created.
She wanted to scream but couldn't around her cinched throat. She panicked as her body left the water, the forward momentum having pushed her out over the edge of the newly formed waterfall and clear into open air. All she could imagine was her deep and unfulfillable hope of feeling Ladybug’s yoyo pull taut just before swinging back up into the air.
And then it did.
Well, Marinette did. Her eyes blew wide open as the feeling overcame her whole body. There was no more falling, no more panicked silent screams. Just a feeling of being perfectly still and airborne. Catching her breath in great gasps, Marinette twisted around to see just what, exactly, was going on. There was no string, no yoyo, nothing to keep her afloat like this. She watched water drip from her nose and fall without her to the ground far below.
In a barely continuous desire to follow the drop and see where it lands, Marinette fell, choking on her own gasp. With the same want to stop falling as before, she stopped.
Oh, this was going to take some getting used to, and it would be agonizing, she just knew it.
Slowly untensing and stretching out, Marinette readjusted herself in the air, flustered from the awkwardness of not having a tool to work with. Soon enough she was positioned like she would be if she was hanging from her wire, only now her hands held nothing so she promptly used them for balance instead. Breathing steadily, she tried something else.
Desiring to go up, imagining herself yanking on the yoyo to pull her back in, she rose. She tensed at first, but as she reached the balcony of the top floor, she finally relaxed, dropping down with practiced ease onto the railing.
Then she promptly stepped off onto the floor and collapsed against the parapet.
She had no time to catch the rest of her breath, either, before Nino came barreling towards her with a sob-filled yell of her name and smothered her in a hug.
She immediately wanted to tell him to stop and keep his clothes from getting wet, but her throat only got tighter and she swallowed, choosing to hug him back instead. She gave him gentle pats as he cried and rambled on her shoulder and waited for him to be the one to calm down. Strangely enough, being in the company of a friend was all she had needed to feel better. If only it gave her voice back, too, then they'd be out of this mess in no time.
As soon as he sat back and wiped his face, Marinette smiled at him and waved. He sniffed before starting to talk in now-coherent words. “Mari, holy shell of the giant turtle, what happened? That thing took you and I couldn't see where you went and it never came back and, and, and- I’m just glad you're back now- Please don't you ever do that again!” Marinette nodded and gave him another hug before standing and pulling him up with her.
“Dude, is something wrong? You’re usually super reassuring when we’re worried, why the silent treatment?” He fidgeted with his hat again, looking down, “Are you mad at me for not saving you before it was too late?”
Eyes wide, Marinette waves her hands frantically trying to dismiss the idea from her friend. As he looked at her curiously, she waved at her throat, shaking her head vigorously. Oddly enough, she felt her hands start to shake before she could use any extra gestures to further clue him in. She looked at them questioningly while they stopped twitching, wondering what the heck that was about.
Her attention was pulled back to Nino as his hands rested on her shoulders. “No voice, can’t talk, got it. What did you do down there, pull an Ariel so you can walk on land again?” The jest was playful, but she could still hear and see the worry behind it. She smiled lightly and gave a little nod. “Well, dang. want me to find something for you to write on?” About to nod again, she felt her hands flex and cramp. Trying to relax them only made them shake. She brought them up between them worryingly. “That’s a no, then…” Nino filled in.
Good luck being heard.
Ah, so it was more than just her ability to talk, then. Lila had taken most of her ability to communicate at all. This was going to be tough.
Shaking away the doubts, she gave Nino another hug before pulling away and going into serious mode. She briefly mimed putting a phone up to her ear and looked at her friend questioningly.
His eyes widened and he shook his head. “No, I didn’t even think to check. Our pockets were empty when our clothes changed, and there were no bags or boxes anywhere.”
So telephone communication was a no-go. Maybe…
Biting her lip, Marinette looked around before reaching up to her ear and rubbing the magical studs. Nino was already her best friend and Ladybug and Chat Noir’s Turtle when needed. He could handle a different kind of carapace on his back, too. Without a doubt, she could trust him with that.
Besides, their only other option of escape at that moment was returning to the pond and swimming their way to the next level. That is, only if the water hasn't drained to the point of it being a hazard to jump in, or they got pulled by the current and out the hole Marinette had made earlier. Yeah, that wasn’t going to do.
Decision made, she pulled the earring out and then grabbed the other. Standing as confidently as she always did in the mask, she held out her hand to him. He clearly hadn't known what she was thinking or doing until that moment, his eyes blowing wide open and jaw hanging loose. She smiled sheepishly and gently pushed her hand closer. His mouth snapped shut and he nodded, taking them. The black studs turned into jade ear cuffs before their eyes.
Nervously, he put them on and their Kwami, Tikki, materialized. She smiled reassuringly at them both before addressing Nino.
“Nino Lahiffe, Holder of the Ladybug Miraculous, I am Tikki, Kwami of Luck and Creation. We entrust you with this power and our safety in the hopes of defeating evil and righting wrongs. Do you accept this calling?”
He nodded before stopping and quickly clearing his throat. “Uh, yes, yeah, I do. I’m going to need to process this later, but for now it can totally wait,” he laughed nervously, but his smile was reassuring. Marinette beamed and hugged him again. He patted her back and she could hear his heart racing. Hopefully, he would be okay until it was all over. She stepped back so he could do his thing.
Following Tikki’s quick instructions, he called out, “Tikki, Transform Me!”
His look was not unlike his Carapace one. Black hood with white spots and black lensed goggles framed his face. His back, lacking a shield, had a cape-like draping split down the middle, patterned with the classic five ladybug spots. Red jacket and loose leggings. Black boots and gloves with white detailing. It fit him well, and Marinette couldn't be prouder.
“Uh, Crimson Carapace, at your service?” Nino offered, and Marinette silently laughed.
Shaking her head fondly, she gestured to his yoyo and held out her hand. He handed it over and she flipped it open to the communicator with a grin.
“Oh, phew, I thought you were going to have me jump out there right away. Back-up would be super nice right now.” He sagged a little, tension draining away.
She quietly laughed a little more before trying to type onto the device. Her fingers shook and suddenly everything she tried looked like gibberish. She gripped the yoyo hard and bit at her lip again. This wasn’t going as she hoped. She tried again, instead switching to the tracker for teammates. Chat Noir’s symbol didn’t appear anywhere, and she started biting at her nails. Nino hissed in sympathy from where he was now watching from over her shoulder.
Yeah, this was…a disaster, to say the least. Crimson wasn’t going to be able to handle this on his own. She had no access to any other Miraculous. They were completely alone on this.
Unless…
Marinette wanted to groan and curse, but she couldn't speak and she was far too polite to curse. So instead she went to the contacts, chose one she wished she would never have to use, and handed the yoyo back to Nino.
“Huh? Oh- Oh! Yeah, it really is that bad, huh? We really need help. They’re so not gonna like this,” he said nervously as he hit send. Together they held their breath as they waited, listening to the chiming of every ring. Then, the screen went black and Marinette pulled out of the way so that only Crimson Carapace was in view.
“This is Superman, answering the call from the Ladybug communicator. What’s the problem and how can I help?”
Marinette could see Crimson start to freak out at such a sudden and high-profile meeting, so she stomped his foot, flinching in sympathy as she hissed and hipped away from her.
“Uh, yes, right! This is Carapace, Crimson Carapace at the moment. Ladybug it, uhm, out of commission at the moment,” he settled on as Marinette nodded encouragingly, “and Chat Noir is MIA: we’re assuming also caught by the Akuma.”
“Are you the only available hero, Crimson?”
He gulped and nodded. “I’m meant to be a backup hero with an entirely different Miraculous. I’m in way over my head here, Mr. Superman Sir, and I only managed to call because Ladybug found me when she couldn’t do it. Please, we could really use some help right now.”
Superman nodded, already standing and looking ready to rally the troops. “We usually stay out of Paris due to risking the city with our presence. Is there an active Akuma?”
More nodding. “She turned the Eiffel Tower into something straight out of a fairy tale, and the rest of the area isn't looking so good, either. I, and a couple friends, got stuck all the way at the top, and there's no safe way down. I can get us down now, obviously, yoyo and all, but we’ve been up here a while and, well dude-”
“These things only ever get worse with time,” Superman finished off. “Active Akuma lessens the risk of Akumatization for us. I’m pulling up video feeds now to check the situation and determine who best to send.”
Crimson heaved a sigh of relief and smiled. “Thanks, Superdude, we owe you one.”
Superman cracked a smile. “You’re welcome. I might just cash that favor in to ask Ladybug to let me into Paris to search for Hawkmoth.” Marinette shook her head fondly and Nino laughed. After a moment, Superman spoke up again. “This Akuma seems to work with a lot of transformation magic. Anything significant stand out to you?”
Crimson glanced at Marinette before nodding. “It wasn’t the Akuma, but something it made. Ladybug tried helping us look for a way down, but ended up pulled underwater by something. Whatever it was, it looks like it took her voice in exchange for her escape. The Akuma, I think it’s bringing fairy tales to life. Someone up here is already sleeping like the dead, I don’t think I want to imagine what else is going on here.”
“You’re doing well, Crimson,” Superman said calmingly, looking like a proud mentor. “And you’re in luck. Your Akuma, Fairy Godmother, is an easy fix. Her magic acts mostly as a dust and only affects what it lands on, and she has no powers beyond that besides flight. And even that is slow.”
Crimson Carapace perked up with every reassurance and observation. “Sweet! Does that mean you know who to send?”
Superman smiled and nodded. “Indeed I do. I’ll be taking care of her myself.”
With a gasp, Crimson grinned wide and looked at Marinette. “Hear that? We’re about to get our butts saved by Superman! Is this the coolest day ever or what?” Marinette silently laughed as Superman chuckled. Crimson flushed red and fidgeted with the hem of his hood. “Uh, anyway- Thanks, Superdude, Sir. You know where to find us. Crimson Carapace, out.”
The yoyo snapped shut and there was a moment of silence…broken almost instantly by Crimson making noises of wonder, bewilderment, and relief. Eventually, he calmed down again and collapsed down into Marinette's old spot. She joined him, amused and relieved all at once, leaning her head on his shoulder with a sigh.
“...We are going to talk about this when it's over, right?” He asked softly. Marinette nodded gently, knowing they needed to. He nodded then, too, and lay his head on hers. “This is a mess.” She grinned and nodded again, and he groaned at being jostled.
The yoyo pinged, and Carapace opened it to an ETA for Superman and a new symbol on the tracker. With a weary sigh, he stood up, bringing Marinette with him. “Come on, let's get you over with Adrien. You’re wet, cold, and have no change of clothes. Least his sleeping prettiness can do is lend you a blanket.” Marinette bumped Crimson and he laughed, nudging her to move ahead of him. She sat down on the bed and looked back up at him with a soft smile that he returned.
“I promise to get this mess sorted, Mari. Now rest up. It’s time for me to do my job.” Crimson carapace saluted her with a determined look in his eyes and turned on his heel, running off and, with only a little hesitation he would never admit to, jumping down the tower.
Marinette leaned back with a sigh, an ache in her heart as she told herself everything would be fine.
It wasn’t long before Marinette could see flashes of color over the horizon from where she lay. Sitting up and grabbing a blanket to wrap around herself, she went to the balcony to watch. Crimson Carapace was making arching streaks in the air, using the yoyo and trees to slingshot himself at the flying Akuma. Superman flew nearby, speeding in and then immediately out to keep distance after every blow or stolen object. Crimson redirected her aim with the yoyo every time she tried to shoot magic sand at either of them, and Superman was using his breath to push it away from the fight. All in all, she was impressed with them.
That is, until she got distracted by the tower shaking.
Looking around in worry, Marinette dashed around the loop of the balcony, looking for what caused the tremor. To her horror, on the opposite side of the tower from the fight, a giant a third the size of the tower was fe-fi-fo-fuming their way through the moat. The tremor had been them tripping and using the tower to balance. She could see a hole in the stone wall where their hand had landed, making the situation that much worse. She couldn’t even scream if she wanted to as she watched the giant’s hands reach up and grab the tower, the walls crumbling beneath their fingers. They pulled away as though finally seeing what they were doing, but it was too late. The entire tower shook again, walls crumbling like a solid stone ripple, revealing floor after floor. It was a matter of moments before the lower half of the tower could no longer support the top, and it began to tilt.
Panic renewed, Marinette made a mad dash for Adrien. The world tilted around them and she slipped. Her brain went into overdrive trying to think of what she could do, considering she wasn’t Ladybug and couldn't just pull herself to him- Oh, and there was that floating again. She wasn't touching the floor of the tower anymore, but she wasn't falling, either. But the tower was, and the bed began to slip, and Adrien-
No more thinking, Marinette moved .
Forgetting she wasn’t Ladybug for just a moment, instinct and split-second decision-making took over. Flying towards Adrien with the speed her yoyo usually afforded, she grabbed him and turned on a dime towards the nearest section of balcony with the least amount of obstruction. Forgetting that usually after the peak of a swing she would begin to fall again, Marinette only floated in the open air, clear of the falling tower. She held her breath as she watched it fall and crash, taking the giant down with it.
Adjusting Adrien into the proper princess carry that he deserves, Marinette began a slow and careful descent. When the torn open floor that once held only water and glowing life was level with them, she noticed Lila, hanging from the stones with her new limbs and trying not to fall along with the last of the draining water. Worried, Marinette moved closer.
“Tch, figures your True-Self-whatever would be able to fly,” Lila said in a way of greeting. “What do you want? Did you come to gloat? Well I can’t give your voice back so you should give that up, too.”
Shaking her head, Marinette only edged closer and, freeing up a nad for a moment, offered it to Lila.
“You’re helping me? Ugh, figures you’re too much of a goodie-two-shoes to just leave things alone. But, fine, yeah, I could use it,” she gives in after a glance toward the distant ground. “This means nothing; I still loathe your guts, Marinette Dupain-Cheng.”
Rolling her eyes, Marinette ignored the jabs and allowed Lila to grab hold of her arm. The octopus limbs went and tangled around her legs as Lila’s arms went around her shoulders. It felt weird to be so thoroughly held by only one person, and not to mention also weighted down without actually falling. Ignoring it and deciding she was just lucky, Marinette resumed their controlled fall to safety.
As they fell below the treeline, Marinette watched as a unicorn , of all things, watched them before dashing off. As cool as fairy tales were, she just wished she didn't get to see these things in the middle of evil-vanquishing battles. She sighed and looked away,
Dropping down near the edge of the moat, Marinette finally set her feet on solid ground. Lila immediately detangled herself and disappeared into the new watery depths. Marinette rolled her eyes at the lack of thanks and decided to just move on.
She went about finding a place to safely stash Adrien instead. Damn, they really needed to figure out this true love’s kiss thing. Adrien was always the best at figuring out where Chat Noir was, and they really could have used his assistance. Hopefully, though, he was at least safe, even if turned into a fairy tale character like the rest of them.
Marinette was silently laughing to herself about what kind of dramatic character Chat would be when the magical rush of ladybugs stormed the city. Immediately she felt weaker, struggling to continue carrying Adrien. Stumbling over to a newly restored park bench, she set him down with a groan, which he echoed as he began to wake up. “Oh, thank Kwami,” she murmured with her restored voice, giving her friend a hug and watching as the last of the magic washed away.
“Wa’d I miss?” Adrien said groggily, sitting up, and she smiled endearingly.
“Fairy Godmother Akuma. You got to be Sleeping Beauty, lucky you.” She chuckled as he groaned and flopped his head onto her shoulder. She patted it gently.
“And Ladybug?”
She hummed gently in thought before answering. “Ladybug and Chat Noir were a no-show, unfortunately.” She felt him tense and decided to keep explaining. “They called the Justice League for help at some point. A new Ladybug hero was wearing the spots and teamed up with Superman. The fight just ended, so everything’s okay now.”
Adrien slumped more. “That’s fair,” he murmured, before speaking up again. “And you? I can see the class back at the picnic spot from here. So why are we all the way over here?”
“Oh, uhm- I don’t know about everyone else, but you, Nino, and I got stuck at the top of the tower- great big magical stone one, it was a whole thing- we tried getting out, but I ended up dragged into an underwater cave and making a deal with a sea witch that was actually Lila, and even though it took my voice and I couldn't speak or communicate very well it gave me some cool superpowers that I used to bust out and save you and her when the tower was falling and…Well, now we’re here.”
“You lost your voice?” At that moment before she could answer, Crimson Carapace and Superman walked into view from the direction of the tower. Adrien brought his head up off her shoulder as he stared. “And, uh, who’s that?” He pointed.
“Crimson Carapace, the temporary Ladybug.” She watched curiously as Adrien opened his mouth, then closed it and swallowed.
“Carapace…Did he, uhm, try to rescue us from the top of the tower at all?” He sounded nervous, and it made her nervous, because what was he nervous for, what did he think he knew to be so nervous!?
“Uh, no- I told him we were fine up there and he could go fight with Superman- and we were, really, at least until the giant showed up and accidentally knocked the tower over and I ended up needing to use my new weird True Self powers to get us down and uhm yeah!” She chuckled awkwardly and looked away, ignoring the thoughtful look in Adrien’s eyes.
“It was really just us up there, before Crimson Carapace showed up? No Ladybug?”
“Mhm, mhm, yep!”
“And where did Nino go when the tower fell?”
She froze for a moment, eye twitching with stress at the obvious hole in her story. “He, uh, fell off! What I mean is- He just kinda tripped and fell off?? And Crimson Carapace saved him and took him to safety, and when he offered to take me down I chose to stay with you instead!”
She grinned a little too widely when she turned to look back at him. He looked into her eyes, searching for something. And then he smiled softly. Too softly for what the circumstance called for, if you asked her. Made her more nervous.
“Well, thank you for being there to save me, Marinette.”
She relaxed a little and bumped his shoulder with her own. “No problem, Adrien. I’ll always be there for you.”
“And I’ll be there for you, too. Us against the world.”
“Us against the world,” she echoed without thought, before freezing up and going wide eyed at him. His eyes were practically sparkling like a cat that caught the canary, and suddenly she knew exactly what he knew, and a little more that he had just given her.
The moment was interrupted by Crimson Carapace approaching, Superman not far behind. Marinette spotted Crimson holding a Lucky Charm box, wondering when he had time, or snacks, to summon a second one after the fight and still remain transformed.
“Adrien, Marinette, glad to see you, two absolutely, totally just acquaintances to me, safe and sound!” He said in awkward cheerfulness, and she could tell that Superman was suppressing a smile that told just how much he was falling for the act. “Here you go, dude, this is yours,” he continued on, offering the box to Marinette.
Confused, she took it carefully, noticing the heavy weight to the cool metal right away. “Mine? But I didn't leave anything like this behind, so what..?” She opened the box and looked inside, seeing a small green crystal. She looked up, still as confused as ever. As she shut the box, Superman stepped forward.
“One of your classmates, Miss Lila, told us she helped you using a spell when her temporary form had given her access to magic. She said that stone had appeared when the spell took effect but thought nothing of it at the time. She didn’t realize it wasn’t just something formed from the magic and might actually belong to you.” He was looking at Marinette intensely now, and she couldn't tell why it was making her sit perfectly still instead of giving in and squirm from the awkwardness. It was like he was trying to figure out a puzzle and she was drawn in to help.
“Oh, I see. I can’t say I recognize it, sorry.” She tried offering it back, but both heroes shook their heads.
“No one else in the park recognizes it, Mari, we already checked,” Crimson states. “Besides, Superdude here says he might know what it is, but he said he wouldn't tell me, just you, and that you could share that information later if you wanted to.”
She raises a brow at the larger man, and he nods his head. “I’d like to speak to you about it in private, if you will.”
Looking to Crimson and Adrien for moral support, they both smile encouragingly and nudge for her to go. Gulping, she nods and turns back to Superman. “Suh- Sure,” she fumbled, cheeks red at being singled out. He only smiled gently and walked beside her as he led her away. “So, where to?” She asked nervously, looking around. They were headed back towards the Eiffel Tower.
“To the place any superhero can find the best privacy. The top of the nearest tallest thing.” She tried not to gawk at the fact that he was spot on about the Tower’s very common use and just followed him a little faster. He chuckled as he watched her, leading her towards the elevators.
“You’re okay taking these up? I mean- You can fly, and-” He interrupted before she could spiral into awkwardness, and she was honestly really appreciating that at the moment. The last couple hours of her day had been a mess already, she really hated to worsen it.
“I like to be on my feet when I can,” he said as the doors closed and the room began to rise. “It can be humbling, sure, but usually it just reminds me where home is. It’s comforting.” Marinette couldn't help but relax at those words. This was a hero, a super one at that, but just like her, he was just a person, doing what he felt was right.
“Flying is just a height advantage, anyways,” she chuckled. “It has nothing to do with what makes us human.” She froze, realizing what she said, and opened her mouth to profusely apologize-
Superman just laughed loud and full, enough to make him cross his arms over his abdomen. She smiled, confused, though found herself relaxing again. “Was it something I said?”
“Well, yes,” he said airily as he caught his breath. The elevator doors opened once more and they exited out to an empty platform. They went to the railing, looking over the city. It took a moment before he finally continued. “After every attack, I check everyone I can for injuries. The Ladybug magic repairs most things, but it’s limited to the scenario it's involved in, as those of Paris know well by now. Older injuries always remain. You have a scar on your left shoulder blade, correct?”
She nodded, reaching around over her shoulder to find the spot. She couldn't tell through her shirt, but somehow, the area felt… different .
“Well, your shoulder blade has a peculiar divot in it. Perfectly sized for a tiny little stone to have been embedded in up until very recently.” He watched her from the corner of his eyes as she reacted. Her breath caught before it was coming a little quickly along with her heart rate. Her eyes glued to the Lucky Charm box in her hands that contained a little piece of his homeland.
“I- I never knew- We never had a reason for me to go to the doctors, it’s so faint we thought it was just a birthmark- I- We-” She sucked in a breath and held it, then let it out slowly. She looked up at him, eyes imploring. “This can’t be all you called me here for?”
He smiled, and she could tell it was just a little bit sad. “I saw you flying earlier when the tower was destroyed. I heard what the ambiguous gift Miss Lila gave you was. I found a piece of Kryptonite, a piece of my home and my physical weakness, under the tower when everything was restored. And now, I’ve met you face to face. The puzzle just fit together after that.”
Marinette looked away, her eyes glued to the horizon. “I’m also adopted,” she added breathily, the pieces coming together for her as well. “Are you sure? Are you really, really sure?”
“Kryptonians look and act almost identically to Humans, to the point of being indistinguishable from each other if it weren't for our powers. Almost . Our anatomy is different, and enough grief and hope has driven me to learn, to recognize , the differences. For you, Marinette, I have no doubt. And soon, neither will you.”
Marinette gripped the railing, her hands shaking as her eyes stung. How much of her life did she not know? What was she missing out on with such a huge piece of herself lost due to a tiny piece of crystal, a stone from another world? Her world. A world gone forever, if the reports of the story were correct.
She shut her eyes tight and shook her head, willing the sorrow to leave. She couldn't afford these emotions right now, she just couldn't, she-
The railing bent with a loud squeak and she jumped back, alarmed.
“Uh- Oh, uhm, oops..?” She smiled sheepishly, trying not to panic further.
“Hmm,” Superman thought as he went over and very gently, with practiced ease, unbent the metal. “It’s setting in faster than I thought it would.”
“Setting in? Wait, what is setting in? Do you mean-?”
“Your powers, yes. I would have thought the Kryptonite in your system would take longer to filter out after so many years of exposure. Perhaps the Ladybug magic had something to do with it.”
Marinette, deciding not to touch anything again yet, tucked her hands into her sweater pockets. “Situational magic. Sometimes things that are better off broken remain broken, even after everything else is fixed. That’s why the- the Kryptonite was under the tower, and not back with me. Maybe- Maybe when the cure reversed the True Self spell, it didn’t put everything back into my system, either.”
“Just enough to let you get used to the change gradually, instead of getting it all in one go,” Superman said thoughtfully, nodding in agreement to the theory. “We should set something up before I send you back down to your friends.” He turned to her fully and she waited, nodding for him to continue. “Kryptonians are far and few between. Few humans on Earth will be able to help you figure out your abilities as they emerge, let alone teach you to control them safely. Unlike me, you won’t have the comfort of a gradual pace spanning your years of growing up. You’ll need someone and somewhere to go when things get rough. So Marinette, I’d like to formally invite you to join me on a visit to the place for my people, and my family, a home away from home.”
She could only stare and blink owlishly at him for a moment before it all caught up to her in full force. “I- That’s gotta be so far away-! You’re from America, and I super doubt the place for only, uh- Kryptonians is there, so that must be even further away, and-” A gentle hand set down on her shoulder and instantly deflated, looking up for guidance. She was met with an equally gentle, and understanding, smile.
“The invitation is open for as long as you need or want it. You will always be welcome to come and go as you please, and we will never fault you for keeping your distance, either. Here, there’s no need to contact me through the JL, just use this number to get me directly.” She wasn't sure how he ended up with her phone, but she accepted it back with as much grace as her burnt-out brain could muster. “I’ll be there whenever you call.”
She could see his eyes alight with joy and hope, and it made her weak at the knees to know that someone wanted so much to have her join their world that was so far apart from everyone else's. She wanted to learn about this new piece of her ever-expanding universe. She wanted to belong there, too. So she nodded, and after only a second of thought, rushed forward and hugged Superman.
He returned the gesture readily with a chuckle, squeezing her tight, but not too tight. A little piece of self-control she realized she will need to learn someday very soon.
“Ready to go back down? Your friends are getting antsy without you, and Crimson is getting hounded by questions from your friend,” Superman teased, and Marinette laughed, whipping at tears she hadn't even realized were there as she nodded.
This time, he offered to fly back down and she agreed, allowing him to lift her in another hug and take her down. He set her feet steadily on the ground right in front of Adrien and Crimson Carapace, right where they had left them at a bench. “Stay safe, all of you. See you around,” he added with a knowing gaze. With a step back, giving one more smile and a wave, Superman was airborne again in only a moment, and gone the next.
“Yo…That was intense ,” Crimson breathed out. “Dude, you good? Want to talk about it? I, uh, totally have time before I gotta return the Miraculous to Ladybug, so just tell me what you need.”
Marinette laughed, interrupted by a hiccup. Adrien rushed her in an instant, hugging her tight. “I don’t know what happened but I’ll fight Superman for you if you need it.” Her laughter only burst and she suppressed it back down into giggles that she could hide in her friend’s shoulder.
“Thank you, guys,” she finally said, gently, pulling away from the hug and setting a gentle hand on each of their arms. “Actually, can I talk to you both? It’s…What happened up there is a lot, and I think I’ll need you guys for this one.” She bit her lip before adding tentatively, “On both sides of the mask, if you’re okay with that.”
Adrien had little reaction to that other than tensing up and side-eyeing Crimson Carapace. Crimson himself was looking wide-eyed between Adrien and Marinette, wondering when the heck Adrien had gotten a masked identity of his own and when Marinette had revealed hers.
A moment of tense silence later, they both nodded.
“Where to, dude?” Crimson asked, and Marinette glanced around.
“As much as I’d enjoy going up the Tower a third time today, let’s save that for later. My room instead? It feels a little…safer to talk about things there.” They both nodded in agreement and she smiled wide. “Perfect! Crimson, can you carry me? It’ll be way faster if we go like this. Adrien, you can meet us there, right? The balcony is always open to you if you don’t feel like going through the front door.”
Adrien nodded before dashing off. “See you there!” He added over his shoulder before he was gone.
Marinette turned back to Crimson, seeing the cogs and gears in his head turn. “Huh. Today is going to be a lot more informative than I thought. I was thinking maybe I'd learn everyone's favorite celebration food for the picnic or something, not…this.” She smiled fondly and gave him a quick hug, which he returned loosely, still looking a little dumbfounded.
“Let's just go, Crimson Carapace,” she chuckled as he shook himself out of the shock. “Think you can piggyback me?”
He sputtered and looked at her incredulously. “The last time we did that, we were both short and you were taller than me, so I wasn't the one doing the pigging!” She laughed and he huffed, crossing his arms for a moment before dropping them with a sigh. “Yeah, I guess I can. Hop up, dude, and hold tight because I'm pretty sure I'm going to drop you first slip I make.”
“I believe in you,” She said with a grin, climbing up on his back as he kneeled down.
He wrapped a forearm under her knee, hooking it into his elbow before tentatively reaching for the yoyo with his free hand. “Uh, run or swing, dude?”
Hooking her ankles together, she wrapped her arms securely around the top of his shoulders. “Swing. You got a lot of practice with Superman, I wanna see what you got.” She could feel him gulp as he nodded, grabbing the yoyo and hooking his free hand under her unsecured knee. “Ready?”
“Ready when you are.”
She laughed and hugged him closer. “I’m always ready, Nino. Now go!”
He threw out the yoyo and tugged as soon as it pulled taut. They were pulled through the air, both squeaking embarrassingly at the new experience: for her, the one being carried; for him, the one carrying. Yet they couldn’t help but laugh as they reached the end of the line, slingshotting into open air, untethered to anything but each other. When the fall began, he shot the yoyo out again and they dropped into their first swing. More laughter ensued as the worry was blown away and left behind elation.
Far too soon, the pair came dropping down into the park across from the Dupain-Cheng Bakery. Marinette fell off Crimson's back, stumbling and panting with the widest grin on her face.
“We should do that more often!”
“Yeah, no- This recolored Carapace is for emergencies only , no joy rides.” She pointed at him and he grinned. “So, front door or balcony, right?” They both looked over at the building, just in time to see Chat Noir drop down onto the balcony and dip inside. “Is that..?” Marinette only patted his back and nodded. “...Balcony it is. See you in there, Mari.” As he yoyo’d his way up, Marinette made for the side entrance.
“Maman, Papa! I’m home and I’m okay!” She called out as she went in. “I’m heading upstairs now!” After hearing their positive muffled replies from the bakery, she headed up quickly. When she pushed through the doors to the living room, she could hear the two boys in her room talking excitedly. Excited and nervous and smiling, she went up the stairs and pushed open the trap door into her bedroom.
She burst out laughing, finding the two laying on their stomachs in full costume and arm-wrestling. They shushed her without even a glance, continuing to goad each other in their attempts to win. They were just as evenly matched as when she was Ladybug doing the same thing with Chat Noir. Rolling her eyes fondly, she set her purse down and stepped over, stooping over Crimson. She plucked an earring from him, and with a startled shout of “Hey!” he lost the match.
“Dude, not cool! I almost had him!” He pouted at her indignantly as the transformation slowly faded away with only one earring still in place.
“Chat, Tell him our score,” was her only reply as she stared him down with a grin.
“Zero-to-zero, My Lady. No one ever wins,” he sighed dramatically, rolling onto his back and calling off his transformation as soon as he was done posing like he’d fainted. Nino’s jaw dropped from hearing the score, and she stuck her tongue out at him in victory.
Plucking the other earring from Nino, she plopped down beside them with a sigh. “Alright, fun time on hold, okay? Time for serious cool-kids business.” Unable to maintain a straight face after saying that, she smiled fondly at them both as they readjusted themselves on the floor to face each other in a little triangle, Nino sitting on his heels and Adrien splayed out on his side with his head propped up on a hand.
“Introductions are in order,” Marinette started off, nodding wisely as they snickered. “As you both know: Hi, I’m Marinette and Ladybug. Nino found out because I trusted him to save us while I was unable to use the Miraculous. Adrien figured it out because, well-?”
She gestured to him and grinned proudly, “Hi, Adrien here, and I knew because I’m Chat Noir.” Mariette rolled her eyes and Adrien giggled.
“Oh, well, Ladybug and Chat Noir know me as Carapace and Nino, so that explains how Adrien saw through Crimson Carapace. Explains him questioning me about how I got to the tower and where Ladybug had been, too,” Nino sighed, Adrien chuckling and patting his friend’s leg.
“That makes sense now, actually. I told Adrien that only we got stuck in the tower- Adding that to him knowing you were Carapace, the fact Ladybug never showed up, and that I lost my voice? Well…” She shrugged, the conclusion obvious.
“Paints a pretty clear picture, yep,” Adrien nodded.
“This is…Wow,” Nino said, pulling his hat down to twist it, nodding. “Okay, not that that’s over, what’s next on the serious agenda?”
Marinette fidgeted, not quite knowing how to breach the subject on her own.
Adrien hummed, scratching his chin. “So, I heard you two met Superman, huh?” Adrien smirked teasingly, curiosity plain in his eyes as he saw Marinette relax at having to not be the one bringing it up.
“Yeah…He, uhm, he was the one to answer the call to the Justice League. Sent himself in to help us, and it was over pretty fast after that.” Marinette offered awkwardly.
Nino, on the other hand, had stars in his eyes. “Dude, nothing compares to working side by side with Superman ! He’s amazing at teamwork and encouragement, did you guys know that?? I swear I would have gotten us both caught if he wasn’t so good at guiding me through the plan he came up with. He even complimented my ability to use a power I’ve never had before,” he preened proudly, and Adrien laughed while Marinette chuckled softly.
“Sounds fun, I’m sad I missed it,” Adrien said without any actual regret in his voice.
“Dude, if you had been there, it wouldn’t have happened. We all would have missed out and it would be your non-sleeping fault,” Nino joked and the two laughed.
Turning back to Marinette, Adrien tilted his head curiously. “And you?”
“Me? Oh- Oh! Uhm, yeah, he, Superman, he did have something to say.” Setting the Lucky Charm box between them, she opened it up gently and lifted the little crystal out. “This is Kryptonite.”
“No clue what that is,” Nino stated plainly, and Adrien shook his head as well.
“Oh, right, Superman tries to keep that out of public knowledge, doesn't he…? Well, Kryptonite is basically pieces of Krypton, his home planet…our…home planet.” There was silence at that, two sets of dropped jaws and bugging eyes. Foundering, she aimlessly waved her arms around as she tried to explain everything through her nerves. “I, well, you see! That’s a working theory, really! See, I’m adopted, but you knew that already Nino, so this is news to you, Adrien, but anyways, I have this little scar on my back and Superman says there was a hole in my bones or something?? And that the hole was holding this little rock in it, and this little rock clued him in to look a little closer at me, and he did, and when he did that, he noticed I wasn’t actually as human as we all originally thought and now I have a whole new heritage I have absolutely no idea about and apparently I’m getting powers that I might not even be able to handle! Ahaha, haha, yeah, that’s such a funny story, right?” She caught her breath, looking between the two and trying to smile, but it refused to stay. It turned into a grimace and her eyes shut tight as they blurred with tears. Feeling their hands join hers, she squeezed tight, grounding herself as best she could while still trying not to crush them like the earlier railing.
“Guys, I’m scared ,” she whispered. She felt her friends pull themselves closer and envelope her in a hug from both sides; still holding her hands, they crossed her arms over her chest, making her join her own hug. Sobbing through a laugh, she leaned into them and let out the waves of emotion she’d been trying to ignore. Feeling the earrings pressed between her palm and Nino’s, and Adrien’s ring against her fingers, she knew it was okay to let it all out, just this once. She was safe. Scared, yes, but safe nonetheless.
“He offered to train me,” Marinette said in a low voice as she was finally calm enough to talk again. She blinked her eyes open, whipping her cheeks on her shoulders and looking to her friends for their reactions. They didn’t seem against it. Rather, it looked like they were trying to quickly think of ways to convince her to accept the help in case she even thought of turning it down. She smiled small and closed her eyes again, leaning back and forcing them all to flop on the ground in a little pile. “You guys will help me convince my parents to let me go, right?”
“I offered to fight Superman, I can take Tom and Sabine, too,” Adrien replied. She elbowed him, making him sputter and laugh.
“I’ll help, but what are you going to tell them?” Nino stressed. “We’re still kids in their eyes. What we want or say doesn't mean much if you can’t even go to something so important without someone else making that choice for you.”
“Ah yes, the shortfall of childhood: Not being responsible.” It was Nino’s turn to try elbowing Adrien, ending up thumping his shoulder with a forearm instead and getting more laughter.
“Also, you’re missing a big piece of the problem, Mari,” Nino added, but his eyes looked teasing instead of worried.
“Hm? What did I forget this time??”
“We’re adults.”
There was a pause. “Oh my Kwami, we’re adults.”
“We can make our own choices.”
“Oh Kwami, I can make the choice and just- just- just leave? Go where I need to and not worry about someone else saying no? That’s…Oh, that is much nicer than the disaster I thought telling my parents would be,” Marinette sighed, head falling back and thinking about the wood floor. The boys both chuckle at her derailed spiral and subsequent deflation into a pancake in their arms.
A moment later, she murmured her choice to them in the comfort of their shared little bubble. “I’m going to do it. I want to meet other Kryptonians, and Superman’s family, and I want to learn more about myself. I want- I need to learn how to control my powers. I don’t want to hurt anyone,” she added in an even quieter whisper.
They hugged her tight in support, and she couldn't help but cry again. This time, though, it was a much nicer cry.
“Can we move this to the bed? Your floor sucks, Marinette,” Adrien said, ruining the sirene moment with all his moment-ruining glory. Luckily, it only made the group laugh and fall apart into a loose puddle as they detangled themselves from each other. They did eventually climb the stair up to the loft bed, though, flopping down and sitting up against the length of the wall to fit.
Adrien quickly took the opportunity to bring out his phone and started sharing his favorite Reddit jokes with them. Nino claimed the honors of narrating them aloud in silly voices, making them all laugh that much harder. The moment felt nice, comfortable, perfect even.
And it was against their shoulders that she fell asleep, heart heavy but just a little lighter than it could have been if she was alone.