Chapter Text
“Thank you so much! Have a good night!” Marinette said enthusiastically as she left the Joann Fabric location. She was glad to have discovered such an expansive store during her trip. None of her regular chain stores from France were here, and she knew she would have been lost without them if it wasn't for the United States having its own well-known, nation-wide location. What would she have done without her stock of fabrics, paints, and handicrafts? Been bored to death, most likely.
Something had been putting her in a good mood the last few days, and she had to express it somehow. She thought that leaving the Hawk Moth-ridden Paris for ‘Crime Capital’ Gotham would have done nothing to her except make her feel worse, if anything. But better? Like the smog-covered sky wasn’t there and the lowering sun was a blessing instead of a warning of the coming night? She really didn’t know what was going on, but she was glad she decided to come on the trip.
The trip itself was an interesting one. After so many years of Hawkmoth with little progress on the Superheros’ side, the City Council had decided, after consulting with Ladybug and Chat Noir, to start a city-wide project to rally and petition for outside help. Petitions were open to all ages to sign, and votes could be submitted by anyone of 16, with parental permission, and over. After months of this, and countless more attacks, it was decided to send an envoy to America to request help from the most well-known Superhero organization in the world.
The Justice League.
Wonder Woman, Superman, and Batman were the top picks, but when were they not? Ladybug and Chat Noir were highly against the two Supers. Akumatized heroes were never easy to fight, and though all three JL founders were known for their scary levels of anger when provoked, those first two were simply the greater risks. And Batman? Well, no one really knew if he actually had powers or not, so he remained on the table.
They would have gone to the European branch of the JL, which was stationed in Paris itself, had it not been evacuated when the full scope of Hawmoth’s powers were revealed to be too risky. No members remained, only a few low-level secretaries constantly crunching numbers and reporting to the Head Office. They knew of the petitions and decision-making, so at least the JL would be prepared for when it was time to expect a visit from Paris.
And that visit had come.
Marinette was 17 with a year left of Lycée, not quite a full-fledged adult, so why was she allowed on this envoy mission for Paris? Well, it was rather easy, really. First, she already had a reputation alongside her class for several things: countless recorded volunteer efforts for the City of Paris; well-acquainted with the Akuma problem, often caught in proximity or a target themselves; casual connection to the Paris Heroes, thus trusted with being their representatives. And most of all, she was one of very few in Paris to have never been Akumatized. (But two million people live in Paris, you say, how can that be true? Well, let’s just say that a certain Scarlet version of Hawkmoth had become very persistent, creating hundreds of thousands of red butterflies with every appearance. It adds up fairly quickly.) That feat itself may have actually been a disadvantage since she couldn't explain what Akumatization felt like. But she remembered them all with excellent accuracy, more than anyone else- almost as though she had been there each time. And she was, though the City and the JL didn’t need to know that.
All in all, she was an asset, and her presence was permitted.
It has been a few days now since they arrived in Gotham, New Jersey. Metropolis was only a few hours away, some members of the envoy looking north with ungranted wishes to go request Superman’s help instead. But the two confirmed superpowered leaders of the JL were off-planet, only available to converse over interstellar communications. Batman had yet to approve of a consultation yet, either. The trip was bound to last quite a while. At the very least, they were glad that Wayne Enterprises was an official representative itself of the Justice League, having its own department to handle the tasks. Meetings with the Paris envoy were being held for hours on end in the daily now, little progress being made considering just how much information was needed to go over, years of compiled events and data.
Marinette was tired of attending all day, with little to do but listen and confirm when information was inaccurate or needed clarification. She didn’t like the stares she got, either, the whispers of how too many young people are putting their noses into adult business. She understood they still had their own internal bias related to some of their board members and major stockholders, but did they really have to project that onto her? She was doing great, all things considered! She bet their company’s heirs were doing great, too, and they were just being salty for prideful reasons.
She was glad Hawkmoth wasn't in this city with them. The place would be a minefield for the innocent and a flowerfield for the magical emotion terrorist. Marinette sighed. She looked up at the color-tinted sky, wondering what tomorrow would bring? Progress, hopefully.
Shaking her head, Marinette decided to think about something else, returning herself to the unnatural but welcomed good mood.
What could have caused it, she wondered. It wasn't something material, or anything related to the Paris Problem. Hawkmoth had even been active daily so far, and she was making tiring trips back and forth with Kaalki for every attack. Couldn't have been school, either: she was still expected to finish all her assignments and tests from across an entire ocean. It had to be something different, something new that she could only sense and react to with her emotions.
Maybe… Could it be? There’s no way, why would they be here, of all places? Marinette shook her head more vigorously again, trying to clear away the idea, not caring for the way her hair whipped and stung her face. It couldn't be my Soulmate, no way. It’s been years, and I've practically confirmed they weren’t anyone in Paris. That leaves the whole rest of the world, and there's no way I've traveled around enough to come across them already. But… Her steps slow, and she barely pays attention as her surroundings pass her by. I’ve never felt this way. It had to be something, so why not my…?
She slapped her hands on her cheeks, the bags on her arms hitting her sides. “No, stop thinking about it. You have a job to do, me!” She chastised. “Head back in the game, now,” she commanded herself, face scrunched in determination. Besides, I don't think it works that way, anyway, she sighed to herself. Not that anyone else has figured it out, either. Soulmates, another mystery of the Universe…