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March 3rd, 2023 — Collège Françoise Dupont, Paris, France.

“Have you guys seen MDC’s latest post? I actually helped her with her latest designs!” The shrill voice of one Lila Rossi had Marinette Dupain-Cheng looking up from her sketchbook with a yawn. 

The majority of the class was gathered around the Italian girl, all looking eager as they listened, enraptured by Lila’s latest tale. 

Marinette rolled her eyes, dragging her gaze back to her sketchbook. She had long given up on trying to reason with her classmates. If they wanted to destroy their future by listening to the liar, it was their choice. She was on friendly terms with the class ever since she had left Lila alone, but took care in maintaining distance. 

While her classmates wasted time listening to the Italian girl filling their heads with nothing but air, Marinette focused all her energy on her schoolwork, and her hero duties as Ladybug and MDC. Without constantly trying to please her classmates by fulfilling their favours, she found herself with more time on her hands than before. 

Her eyes caught on Chloe who gave her a nod and she smiled back in acknowledgement. It had been unexpected when Chloe Bourgeois apologized to her. The mayor’s daughter had matured a lot throughout the years and even before Lila had come into the picture, the blonde had left Marinette alone for the most part. 

Chloe had been the one to help her launch her MDC website and has helped her a lot in working behind the scenes. It hadn’t been long after the launch of Marinette’s website that Chloe’s mother, Audrey Bourgeois— the renowned Style Queen— reached out and reconnected with her daughter. 

Marinette’s gaze caught on the Italian again who had moved on to telling the class about Felix Graham de Vanily. Lila’s green eyes met hers and there was a glint of challenge in the Italian’s eyes even as she continued to talk about the famous actor taking her on a date. Marinette gave a stiff nod before ducking her head to look down at her sketchbook. 

The quiet chatters in the room seemed to fade away as Marinette was lost in her own world of creativity. She felt a sense of calmness in the light sound of pencil scratching on paper as she let her mind guide her hand like water flowing in the direction it was meant to go. 

She had received a commission request from Clara Nightingale to design the concert outfit. Marinette was putting all her effort into ensuring the piece was the best it could be. After all, the works of MDC are nothing but exceptional. 

Marinette’s mind was once again straying away from the current task at hand and to the time when she and Lila had come to a truce. 

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A Few Months Ago — Collège Françoise Dupont, Paris, France.  

“Admit it, Marinette. You’ve lost,” Lila said, her eyes staring at the ravenette looking victorious. 

Marinette had been using the bathroom and upon walking out of the stall, she had been cornered by Lila yet again. 

Marinette went to wash her hands in the sink. It was silent save for the sound of water splashing. She could feel Lila staring daggers at her from the side. 

“Aren’t you going to say something?” The Italian asked, taken aback by her silence and unresponsive behaviour. 

Marinette turned to her with a bright smile, making Lila take a step back. “No. I’ve figured something out. Some people just don’t want to be saved. I should thank you, Lila, for showing me who my true friends are,” she said, watching in mild amusement as Lila gaped at her. “From now on, I stay out of your way and you stay out of mine. We have nothing more to say to each other.”

With that said, Marinette turned to leave. Lila, unsatisfied with not having the last word stopped her. “Really? After everything, you’re giving up on them? You won’t call me out anymore?” 

Without a glance back at the Italian, Marinette responded. “They gave up on me first. I’m only doing what I should’ve done a long time ago. I’ll leave you alone but only if you do the same for me.” 

She exited the bathroom, leaving Lila in the ashes of her empire. Lila Rossi might have won the battle, but she wouldn’t win the war. Retribution would come in due time. 

Marinette would take the high road and leave everything else behind her. Her classmates have chosen their path and she chose hers. She owed her former friends nothing. 

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March 3rd, 2023 — Collège Françoise Dupont, Paris, France.

Marinette broke out of her musings when Ms. Bustier spoke, the chattering of the class stopping as the teacher grabbed their attention. “Class, we have a new student. Felix Graham de Vanily.”

The class broke into surprised hushed whispers. 

“Felix Graham de Vanily, the famous actor? The one who acted in The Vengeance ?"

“You dimwit! Do you know any other Felix Graham de Vanily?”

“I love how his character was portrayed in The Vengeance, he plays cold characters really well.”

“According to my calculations, 75% of the time he wasn’t acting. He’s known for tearing apart the paparazzi with nothing but his words. He’s very reserved and he’s also known for his cold demeanour even when he’s not acting.”

Marinette looked at the stoic-faced boy beside her teacher, curious. The boy was well dressed like he had come from a family of money. He had neat blonde, lightly ruffled hair with pale skin and green eyes. With a start, Marinette realized except for his hair, the boy’s features were familiar. Almost like… Adrien Agreste. 

Marinette’s gaze flickered to the boy in question sitting near the front looking confused. 

“Felix? I didn’t know you were coming to Françoise Dupont!” Adrien exclaimed, smiling up at his cold-faced look alike. 

Felix looked back at the blonde, expressionless. “Not everything has to run by you before it happens, cousin.” His voice was sharp and held a bit of sarcasm. 

Marinette found herself drawn to him. He looked like someone who wouldn’t put up with nonsense. She didn’t know much about him, sans the news and reports of him she’d seen on social media but the media had a knack for blowing things out of proportion when painting people in negative light. 

While Adrien was all sunshine and daisies, Felix’s personality seemed to contrast with his cousin. He had a mysterious aura, even the media didn’t know much about his life beyond his acting career. 

“Hey girl, isn’t that your boyfriend? The one you were telling us about? Perhaps he transferred here so he could spend more time with you!” The excited voice of Alya— Marinette’s former best friend— speaking to Lila, drew the attention of Felix as he narrowed his eyes. 

Marinette could barely contain her amusement as Lila looked panicked when faced with the cold eyes of Felix. 

Lila tugged at Alya’s sleeve, looking nervous as she admitted, “Did I say Felix Graham de Vanily? I didn’t mean to say that. It’s… my lying disease acting up again.”

Alya looked disappointed, as did the rest of the class but they looked understanding. “It’s okay girl, you can’t control it. At least you do tell us when it does act up.” 

Marinette shook her head, refraining from scoffing. Chloe had no reservations and scoffed loudly enough for the both of them. They exchanged glances, looking amused. It was unbelievable how Lila avoided yet another crisis by backing up her lies with more lies. It was almost laughable. 

“And what, pray tell, is this lying disease you speak of?” Felix said flatly, staring daggers at Lila. 

Marinette set her pencil down on her desk. Someone else seeing through Lila’s lies within minutes of entering the class and calling them out? This was bound to be interesting. 

Lila widened her eyes, and to everyone else, she looked the epitome of innocence. “I’m diagnosed with a rare lying disease and because of this, sometimes I can’t control the things I say. I’m really sorry if I’ve offended you.”

Felix looked unimpressed by her confession. “A rare lying disease,” he deadpanned. “What you are doing is called pathological lying. Pathological lying can be a symptom of antisocial personality disorder or narcissistic personality disorder. I suggest you get some accommodation from the school so it doesn’t affect the people around you.”

Alya glared at him, unhappy with his tone. “She already told you she can’t control it! What’s wrong with you?”

Before a screaming match could occur on Alya’s end, Ms. Bustier intervened. “Felix, would you introduce yourself to the class?” 

Felix’s gaze flickered from Alya and Lila, then he looked at the rest of the class with disdain. “Felix Graham de Vanily. I am here to learn, not to socialize. Do refrain yourselves from conversing with me,” he drawled, making most people freeze in their seats from his tone. 

He then turned to Ms. Bustier, who looked taken aback. 

“R-right.” Ms. Bustier said, trying to regain composure. “There’s a seat beside Marinette at the back. Marinette, please raise your hand.” 

Marinette raised a hand at the call of her name, watching as Felix’s cold gaze focused on her. She sent him a hesitant smile, one he did not return. He ignored her sunny smile and moved to the back of the classroom where she was sitting. 

Lila raised her hand. “Ms. Bustier! My tinnitus is acting up again. I would feel better if I swapped seats with Marinette. I’m sure Marinette won’t mind, she would want to sit with her best friend again.”

Marinette’s smile faded away as she narrowed her eyes at the Italian girl. Was she breaking their truce after months? It was just like Lila Rossi to go for the next big thing. Adrien Agreste wasn’t enough, she had to try for Felix Graham de Vanily as well. 

Ms. Bustier’s composure wavered as she looked hesitant. “Well—”

“How about instead of deciding for someone else, you should let Miss…” Felix trailed off, looking to Marinette questioningly for her last name. 

“Dupain-Cheng,” she supplied. 

He continued without missing a beat. “You should let Miss Dupain-Cheng decide if she would want to swap seats with you.” 

“Of course, Marinette would be okay with it.” Alya snapped at him. “She’s always willing to help people, and right now Lila’s tinnitus is acting up.”

Marinette stared at Alya in disbelief. Was she being serious right now? Alya had missed his entire point. 

Felix set his bag on the floor beside the desk before he took his seat, unbothered by the unfolding conflict. “Well?” 

Alya frowned. “Well, what?”

“Ask Miss Dupain-Cheng for her opinion on the matter,” Felix said slowly as if speaking to a child. 

Alya bristled at the patronizing tone but turned to the ravenette. “Would you mind swapping seats with Lila? Her tinnitus is acting up and sitting at the back might help her.” 

Marinette blinked at the request, turning to Lila who was pouting at her and ever so looking pitiful. Marinette closed her eyes, preparing for the shouting match that was bound to happen at her response. “I do mind, actually.”

As predicted, Alya opened her mouth, ready to protest but Marinette went on. “You guys were the one who pushed me to the back months ago without asking me and now you were prepared to drag me back to the front without asking me, yet again.”

Chloe gave Marinette a thumbs up from where she was sitting. 

“But Lila—” Alya had started to protest when Felix cut her off. 

“You cannot expect every person to cater to Miss…” Felix trailed off, looking straight at Lila. 

“Rossi,” Chloe interjected while inspecting her nails. 

Felix continued without sparing the blonde a glance. “You cannot expect every person to cater to Miss Rossi’s every need. If Miss Rossi here has as many issues as she claims to have, perhaps she should speak with the school’s principal for accommodations. Or is the principal so incompetent at his job that he leaves these issues unchecked?”

Alya spluttered, not able to form a response. 

Felix ignored her, turning to Ms. Bustier. “We are learning, yes? I suggest you proceed with the lesson plans you have for today’s class before dismissal.” 

Ms. Bustier cleared her throat, looking flustered from losing control of the class. “Right, I’ll get the attendance before we start.”

“Best entertainment I’ve had in weeks,” Marinette muttered, a grin on her lips as she watched Lila turn on the waterworks and Alya take on the role of comforting the Italian girl.

“I am glad my verbal assault does not always elicit negative responses,” Felix said dryly, making Marinette startle, not having expected him to hear her. 

She looked sheepish. “I’m sorry if I’ve offended you with my comment.” 

he waved her apology off. “I was jesting. Is the class always this…”

“Chaotic?” Marinette offered. At his nod, she sighed. “It hadn’t always been this way. Lila Rossi has a way with words.” 

Felix scoffed. “So I have noticed. She attempted to manipulate me within two minutes of me setting foot in the class. It is pathetic, honestly.” 

“As the class representative, I’m obligated to warn you. This will not be her only attempt at manipulating you,” she warned, making him look at her with a grimace. 

“I am offended you think I am dim-witted enough to fall under her spell,” Felix said, before eyeing her, contemplating something. “Compared to the rest of the class, you and Miss Bourgeois seem to be of suitable company. I would not be opposed to making you an acquaintance.” 

At Marinette’s raised eyebrows he nodded to her sketchbook. “Your designs look familiar. They seem to be of MDC’s style.”

She looked like a deer caught in headlights and she moved to close her sketchbook, looking wary. Felix was more observant than she had given credit for if he had already figured out she was MDC just by her art style. She would have to be more careful around him if she didn’t want him to figure out her heroine identity as Ladybug. 

Taking note of her sudden reserved nature, he backpedalled. “I did not mean for that to come out as a threat. I know how vicious the press is and I will not give your identity away to anyone. You have my word.”

Marinette relaxed a little at his words. Felix did seem like someone who would honour his words. Still looking hesitant, Marinette nodded. “Thank you. Not just for agreeing to keep my identity as MDC a secret, but also for defending me back there.” 

He returned the nod, then faced the front as Ms. Bustier started calling names for attendance. 

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Chapter Text

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From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Date: 28 March 2023, 9:32 A.M.
Subject: Thank You

Marinette, 

Thank you so much for the dress! It’s beautiful and fits my album theme super well. As a thank you, I’ve sent over tickets for my concert happening on the 10th of April, they should be arriving in your mailbox in the next few days. There should be enough for your entire class to attend, as well as a few backstage passes for yourself and your trusted friends!

Xoxo,
Clara

From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Date: 30 March 2023, 10:02 A.M.
Subject: RE: Thank You

Clara,

Thank you so much for the tickets and backstages to your concert, I’ve just received them! You didn’t have to, but I appreciate it all the same! I’ll be sure to attend your concert along with the rest of my class.

Love,
Marinette

From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Date: 30 March 2023, 4:47 P.M.
Thank You: RE: Thank You

Marinette,

It’s no problem! It’s the least I could do after all your hard work on the dress. You kept insisting on giving me a discount even after I refused. I can only pay you back in another way. You deserve it!

Xoxo, 
Clara

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April 10th, 2023 — Collège Françoise Dupont, Paris, France.  

Marinette stumbled into the class just as the bell rang, her classmates giving her exasperated looks, used to her tardiness. She gave a tight smile before heading to the back where her seat was beside Felix, who looked up from his book to give her a look. 

“You live across the school. It is a wonder how you still arrive late to class every day,” he said, looking amused at her antics. 

She huffed, crossing her arms as she protested, “I don’t arrive late every day! It was my alarm! I turned my phone off yesterday and forgot to turn it back on before I went to sleep. My mom had to come and wake me up.” 

It wasn’t entirely the truth, Tikki had woke her up. There had been an Akuma in the middle of the night, she had to sneak out to deal with it as Ladybug and didn’t get any sleep until five. When her alarm rang, she had been too sleepy to get up. 

Felix tsked. “Today your alarm did not wake you up. What of yesterday? Or the day before? And the day before that?”

“Alright, alright. I get your point.” She grumbled, yawning as she closed her eyes and laid her head on their shared desk. 

She heard him sigh, and then he turned his attention back to his book, leaving her to catch up on the few minutes of sleep before class started. The familiar voice of Lila Rossi had Marinette muttering curses under her breath. 

“I’m really sorry for not attending our girl’s sleepover yesterday! There was a last-minute change of plans, Clara Night— Clara texted me about wanting to go shopping together and I just couldn’t refuse, it’s been a long time since our last hangout,” Lila said as she entered the class, making her way to Alya but still speaking loudly for the rest of the class to hear. 

Marinette sighed, muttering to Felix, “Here we go again.” 

He shook his head, scoffing. “She does this every day. How your classmates have not got tired of Miss Rossi’s voice is beyond me.”

The class raised to the bait, and in an instant, gathered around Lila in anticipation. 

Kim let out a gasp. “Clara Night? You mean Clara Nightingale? You’re close friends with Clara Nightingale? That’s so cool!” 

“Girl! You didn’t tell us you were besties with Clara Nightingale,” Alya said wide-eyed, bumping her shoulders with Lila’s. “And it’s alright, I get you. She must be busy a lot and it’s good that she still found the time to hang out with you.”

Lila gave a bashful shrug, smiling at them. “You’re my bestie, Alya. Clara and I are close, but not as close as me and the rest of you guys.” 

Rose let out a squeal, hugging her. “That’s so sweet, Lila!”

Marinette and Felix exchanged exasperated glances as Ms. Bustier arrived just as the bell rang, signalling the start of class. 

“Class, I have great news. Someone in the class dropped off tickets to the Clara Nightingale concert happening tonight—” Ms. Bustier had started to say when the class broke into excited chatters. 

“How much do you want to bet that Lila claims to be the one to drop off the tickets?” Marinette muttered, glaring at the girl in question. 

Felix shook his head. “Not taking the bet. Why fight a losing battle?” 

“Who could’ve sent the tickets to our class?” Sabrina asked, looking happy as she looked around the class, trying to figure out the mystery. 

Kim rolled his eyes. “Who cares? We have the tickets and we’re going to the concert— ow!” 

Alix had smacked him on the back of his head. “You gotta learn how to show your gratitude, man!” 

“Yeah dude, not cool,” Nino said, looking at Kim with disapproval as Kim looked chastened.

“Wow, whoever it is, it was nice of them to give the tickets to the class. It’s going to be my second concert after Jagged Stone!” Adrien said, his eyes shining with excitement as they flickered to the back of the class where Marinette was sitting. 

His bright smile dimmed as he saw her and Felix speaking in whispers to each other, envying their closeness. 

Lila, unhappy with the lack of attention she was getting, coughed. When everyone turned to her, she spoke in a shy voice, “I was actually the one who dropped off the tickets to Ms. Bustier.” 

Ms. Bustier blinked. She looked over to Marinette sitting at the back, who only shook her head. 

“Girl, why didn’t you say so then?” Alya asked, smiling as she linked elbows with Lila. 

Sabrina had stars in her eyes as she said, “Thank you, Lila!”

Lila soaked up all the attention as the class thanked her, no one paying attention to the two students at the back. 

Felix eyed the girl sitting beside him with a considerate look. “You were the one who dropped off the tickets.” It wasn’t a question and they both knew it. “They are taking advantage of your kindness. You don’t even get the recognition you deserve for your acts of kindness. Instead, the credit gets claimed by a lying snake.”

Marinette shrugged. “Clara Nightingale gave me the tickets specifically for the class. What else was I supposed to do with the 15 tickets?”

“Have you thought of selling them?” He said in a patronizing tone, making her faux glare at him. 

She shook her head. “It wouldn’t be right to. Besides, I don’t mind giving the tickets to the class.”

“They don’t deserve it,” He murmured, sending glares at their classmates who were surrounding Lila, Ms. Bustier having given up on trying to teach for today. 

Marinette smiled, it warmed her heart how Felix was always quick to defend her. “Anyway, enough about that.”

Felix watched with a curious gaze as she took out a lanyard pass from her purse. 

“A backstage pass, for you. Clara gave me three of them, including one for me. I’m going to give the other one to Chloe when I see her tonight as she’s currently not in class,” she said, placing the lanyard on their shared desk with a light clink and pushing it toward him. 

“Thank you,” He said, his lips quirking up into a slight smile and she took it as a win. 

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April 10th, 2023 — Le Grand Paris, Paris, France.

Arriving at Le Grand Paris with Felix in his limo, Marinette sighed in relief when she didn’t see any signs of the paparazzi. After her accidental tweet on her MDC Twitter account from earlier, the paparazzi were sure to be on the lookout for her tonight. 

“Paparazzi are not allowed anywhere near the property of Le Grand Paris, remember?” Felix spoke as the limo came to a stop. 

Marinette still didn’t let her guard down, eyeing the entrance with a cautious look. “That didn’t stop Vincent Aza from stalking Jagged Stone, did it? There’s always a few people who think they can get away with the rule,” 

She fidgeted with the hem of her skirt, lost in thought. What if someone discovers she was MDC because she arrived with Felix? The world knows Felix and MDC are dating— even though they’re not— and everyone knows Felix is not the type of person to get close to just anyone. After her slip-up from earlier on social media, her arrival with Felix is a big giveaway. 

A light touch on her arm broke her out of her daze and she turned to see Felix looking at her with a frown, his eyes holding concern as he reassured her, “No paparazzi would be foolish enough to step foot onto Le Grand Paris after what happened last time with Vincent Aza. He was sued by both Jagged Stone and André Bourgeois.” 

When she still looked convinced, he added, “I am sure Miss Bourgeois took proper precautions and security has been doubled, especially with tonight’s event.”

Marinette gave a slow nod, taking a deep breath. 

Felix nodded at the chauffeur out the window, who promptly opened the door. As the door slid open, Felix stepped out, eyeing the guards at the hotel entrance and the area around it. He then extended his hand, assisting Marinette out of the limo. 

The two showed their backstage passes to the guards standing at the entrance and they were granted entry. 

Chloe greeted them as they crossed the threshold. “There you are, Dupain-Cheng, you’ve made it. You as well, Graham Cracker.” 

Marinette huffed out a laugh at Felix’s annoyed look at the nickname. 

“How many times do I have to tell you to refrain from using that name?” he said, scowling at the Bourgeois heiress. 

Chloe went to link arms with Marinette, then responded, “Your last name is too long. You can’t seriously think I’ll call you Graham de Vanily every time I have to address you?”

Felix sent her a flat look. “Graham de Vanily is too long, but Graham Cracker is not?”

As the trio made their way to the ballroom, Marinette took out a backstage pass by the lanyard from her purse and handed it to Chloe. “Not that you need it since you technically helped host the concert, but it would avoid misunderstandings,” 

Chloe smiled, taking it. “Thank you, Mari.”

The three flashed their passes to the man standing guard and he unlocked the red velvet rope for them to enter. The ballroom was spacious, with a bar at the side serving drinks and a large stage at the far end of the room. Groups of guests were already gathered around, speaking to each other in loud excited voices. 

At their entrance, heads were turned and many were staring at Felix. Being the famous actor he was, he was recognized in an instant. Marinette shifted on her feet, feeling self-conscious as their gazes drifted to her and the chatters grew louder. 

“They’re only antsy because it’s a high-profile celebrity making an entrance. It would soon die down when the concert starts. After all, they’re all here for Clara Nightingale,” Chloe said to her, grabbing her hand in comfort.

Marinette nodded, her gaze flickering to Felix who had a blank look on his face as he appraised the crowd. Without her permission, her eyes had wandered away from his face to appreciate the rest of his outfit. 

She blushed when he caught her eye and a nudge from Chloe had Marinette dragging her gaze away from Felix’s. 

“Let’s go backstage, it’s way too crowded and I feel stuffy,” Chloe muttered and Marinette murmured her agreement. 

Marinette looked to Felix who was already looking at her. “Come along, Graham Cracker.”

Ignoring his look of disbelief and betrayal, she followed Chloe to the front where the stage was. The trio had walked passed their classmates when Lila’s faux sweet voice crooned at them. “Oh, Marinette!” 

Marinette exchanged eye rolls with her two friends before she turned to Lila with a fake smile that could rival the Italian’s. 

Alya went to link arms with Marinette, pushing Chloe out of the way, who glared at the spectacled girl. “Hey, girl! Are you excited for the concert? It’s all thanks to Lila that we all get to enjoy it,” 

“Yes. It’s all because of Lila that we get to attend Clara Nightingale’s concert,” Marinette said, her voice sarcastic but Alya didn’t seem to have noticed. 

Marinette removed her arm from Alya’s and was on her way to go backstage with her real friends when Lila’s voice stopped them again. “Where are you going, Marinette? Shouldn’t we enjoy the concert together as a class? After all, I got the tickets so our class can spend time together!” 

Marinette gritted her teeth. Lila was not going to leave her alone. “I have a backstage pass.”

Lila’s eyes widened as the class exchanged excited glances. 

“Wow, girl! Since when did you and Clara Nightingale become besties? You would have to be quite close if you managed to have a backstage pass,” Alya asked, looking happy for Marinette. 

“So cool,” Juleka mumbled as Rose looked at the ravenette in admiration.

Alix beamed. “That’s awesome! I wished I had a backstage pass,” 

“I was wondering where my backstage pass went. Turns out, you’ve had it all along,” Lila said, her eyes gleaming with greed as she looked at the pass around Marinette’s neck. 

Alya frowned at the implication before her eyes cleared. “I see what’s going on. Thanks for being such a great friend to Lila! But Lila’s here now, you can return the backstage pass to her,” 

Marinette narrowed her eyes at Lila. “Ms. Bustier personally handed out the tickets to everyone. We all saw she handed you one. If you had a backstage pass, you wouldn’t have needed a ticket.” 

“You’re the one with the backstage pass right now. I was confused when Ms. Bustier handed me a ticket when I knew I was supposed to have a backstage pass. I didn’t want to bother anyone at the time because I thought maybe Clara just forgot that she had promised me she would give me a backstage pass,” Lila said, her eyes widening with tears as she ‘figured’ out what had happened. 

The happy smiles on her classmates' faces melted away as they processed what Lila had said. 

“I have a backstage pass as well. By your logic, does that mean I also stole your backstage pass?” Felix intervened, glaring at Lila. 

Chloe waved her pass in the air in front of her. “And me.”

Lila’s eyes widened even more if possible while the class wavered with uncertainty. 

“Well…” Max had started to say when Lila sniffled. 

“I’m sorry, it’s my lying disease acting up again,” Lila cried as the class gathered around her, offering their comfort and sympathies. 

“Pathetic,” Felix muttered, taking Marinette by the arm as they headed backstage. 

Showing their backstage passes when prompted, the trio was granted entry and they spotted Clara Nightingale being interviewed by Nadja Chamack. 

“Marinette! You made it!” Clara went to hug Marinette, then murmured a greeting to Chloe before turning her attention to Felix. “You are the famous Felix Graham de Vanily! I love your work in The Vengeance, your portrayal of Octavius Valdez captured your essence.” 

Felix nodded in acknowledgment. “Thank you, I am flattered.” 

Nadja Chamack seemed surprised at the interaction, but her surprised gaze was on Marinette. “Marinette, it’s good to see you again! Manon misses you.” 

“It’s good to see you as well, Aunt Nadja. How have you been? Tell Manon I said hi,” Marinette said, accompanied by a warm smile. 

“Of course! I’ve never been better. I was just asking Clara Nightingale here some questions for my news report,” Nadja said, looking at Clara with a smile. “What’s your relationship with Marinette? You two must be close if you gave her a backstage pass.”

Marinette tensed but kept on a bright smile as Nadja looked at her for a reaction. Nadja Chamack might be a family friend, but Marinette couldn’t know for sure if Aunt Nadja would report her identity if she knew. Especially if Nadja sees the news as newsworthy and MDC’s identity is bound to create a buzz in the public. 

Marinette wasn’t willing to risk it. 

Clara swung her arm around Marinette’s shoulder, silently assuring her that MDC’s identity wouldn’t be exposed. “Ever since I thought Marinette would make a great Ladybug for my Ladybug and Cat Noir music video, we’ve been close ever since.”

Marinette nodded in confirmation, subtly squeezing Clara’s hand in thanks for her quick thinking. 

Nadja nodded, moving to jot down the explanation in her notepad when Marinette spoke up, looking nervous as she chewed on her lip. “Do you mind not including that question in the article you’re writing? I would like to stay out of the spotlight. After what happened the last time when the media caught me with Adrien, I don’t want a repeat of what happened,”

The reporter looked up, her face softening at the nervous look Marinette was sporting. “Of course, I understand.”

Marinette nodded, looking relieved. “That’s good.”

Clara smiled, rubbing Marinette’s shoulder in comfort as she suggested, “Why don’t you go hang out with your friends for now? I’ll come talk to you again before the concert starts.”

“Okay,” Marinette agreed, Clara gave her a gentle push towards her friends who had taken a seat on the couches as they lounged. 

“I was scared for you for a second, good thing for Clara’s quick thinking,” Chloe whispered to her friend as Nadja continued to interview Clara, their voices carrying over to the lounging area. 

Felix looked up from his book, adding his own two cents in a quiet voice, “You have to be more careful about which accounts you are posting on, Marinette. I only hope Ms. Chamack does not put two and two together and figure out your identity as MDC from your earlier tweet.”

Marinette nodded, taking his advice to heart. She would make sure to double, triple and even quadruple-check to make sure she posts on the right account from now on. It had been a close call. 

The trio settled into quiet conversations and bantering during the intermission of the concert. It was going to be a fun night. 

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Trending

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2.5M Tweets

3 • Trending Worldwide
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4 • Trending in Paris
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1.8M Tweets

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1.2M Tweets

What’s Happening

news • 58 minutes ago
Clara Nightingale Concert At Le Grand Paris

news • 1 hour ago
Felix Graham de Vanily Spotted At Le Grand Paris For Clara Nightingale’s Concert

news • 3 hours ago
Theories & Conspiracies: MDC’s Identity

news • 5 hours ago
MDC Accidentally Tweeted She’s Going To Be At Clara Nightingale’s Concert

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──────────

The Clara Nightingale Concert At Le Grand Paris
Nadja Chamack

Don’t be bemused, it’s just the news! Tonight, Clara Nightingale shook the world with the concert held at Le Grand Paris in honour of her latest album, Cherry Venom. Parisians and people from all over the world who hadn’t attended the concert had to live vicariously through clips and footage of the concert posted on social media. 

Cherry Venom is Nightingale’s most successful album up to date, garnering over 1 million plays on Spotify since its release and hitting the top of the Billboard charts within a month. 

        
[Source: Promotional shots and concept photos from Clara Nightingale’s Instagram]

I had the honour of interviewing Nightingale for my news report article tonight before she went on stage to perform. The most outstanding question was: What are you wearing?

It comes as no surprise when Nightingale said “The outfit I’m wearing is designed by MDC”. The renowned MDC, the fashion designer taking the world by storm could rival Gabriel Agreste and the Style Queen, Aubrey Bourgeois herself. 

The beautiful dress Nightingale had worn in her concept and promotional shots were designed by MDC as well. 

In answer to my question, “Is MDC your go-to designer when you require a dress or outfit for your music videos or concerts?” 

Nightingale responded, “I would like to say MDC is my personal designer, but Jagged Stone would fight tooth and nail for that title. I could only say MDC and I are very close friends, I often go to her when I need something designed. Her works have never once disappointed me.” 

Readers may be wondering if MDC and Nightingale are as close as Nightingale says, does that mean Nightingale knows MDC’s identity? Well, Nightingale’s answer will certainly shock some readers:

“Yes, I do know MDC’s identity. I won’t disclose her identity because it’s not my place to. MDC is someone who doesn’t like to be in the spotlight and we all know how vicious the paparazzi and the media can be. It’s also one of the reasons why MDC doesn’t take commission requests from just anyone.” Nightingale said. 

The reason for MDC remaining as an anonymous designer explained by Nightingale is understandable. With that said Nightingale and Stone are the only known ones so far to know of MDC’s identity. 

    
[Source: Photos taken from the concert, posted on Clara Nightingale’s Instagram]

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Chapter Text

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Jagged Stone Collaborating With MDC For His New Song?
Buzzfeed

Just a few days ago, Jagged Stone announced on his Instagram, along with a photo that appears to be from his new project, that he is collaborating with the elusive MDC ! Since his latest post, fans have been speculating on the project, but most of his fans seem to think it’s a new song. 

[Source: Photo from Jagged Stone’s new project posted on his Instagram]

It’s been quite a few months since Stone’s last release, his latest album being Rock Giant and fans are excited for his comeback. Stone has consistently hit the Billboard charts with every release, and fans believe his latest song would be no different. 

[Source: Rock Giant album cover designed by MDC, photo from Jagged Stone’s Instagram]

It’s no secret that Stone has claimed MDC as his honorary niece, which leads fans to speculate the anonymous designer might be younger than they think she is. It is a well-known fact and has been confirmed by Stone himself that MDC is his personal designer. The collaboration of Jagged Stone and MDC might be the collaboration of the century. 

Many fans have pointed out what led to this collaboration. As far as we all know, MDC is a fashion designer that has surpassed many other fashion brands, such as Gabriel owned by Gabriel Agreste, in a short period since her debut.

Since Stone's recent post, many conspiracies and theories about MDC’s secret singing talent have arisen. Does this mean MDC is switching careers from fashion design to singing? We’ll have to find out in the next few days from either Stone himself or MDC when they announce the project they have been working hard on!

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April 15th, 2023 — Tom & Sabine Boulangerie Patisserie , Paris, France.

Marinette woke in a panic, remembering she had school and scrambled to change out of her pyjamas. If she was late again, she’d never hear the end of it from Felix. 

Her kwami rubbed at its wide blue eyes, yawning. “Marinette, what’s the rush? It’s Saturday, you don’t have class today.” 

Marinette froze, dropping the purse she was holding and it fell to the ground with a light thud as she groaned. “All these Akumas are making me even more scattered-brain than usual.” 

“Is everything all right up there, Marinette?” She heard her mom call from downstairs. 

“Everything is fine, Mom!” Marinette said loudly before she sighed. “Might as well do something productive.” 

Tikki flew over to keep her company as she checked her inbox for any new messages. No one from anyone she knew, but the many emails about commission requests stared back at her, old and new, the most prominent request being from one Tim Drake. 

Her computer mouse hovered over the subject line that read ‘A Very Important & Desperate Attempt at Requesting for One of Your Famous To Die For Suits’. She blinked, rubbing her eyes to make sure she read the subject line correctly. 

“What’s wrong, Marinette?” Tikki asked, hovering over her chosen’s shoulder to peer at the computer. 

Marinette shook her head. “Nothing. I just find the subject line of this particular email odd, that’s all.” 

She doesn’t accept commission requests unless they’ve been vouched for by her previous clients, but she decided to open the particular email out of curiosity, albeit bewildered. 

────────── 

From: [email protected] 
To: [email protected]  
Date: 15 April 2023, 3:38 A.M.
Subject: A Very Important & Desperate Attempt at Requesting for One of Your Famous To Die For Suits

To one talented Miss MDC,

I am writing to request for a suit made by you. I know you have said you take requests by referral only but I will give anything for you to accept this request, name your price. Please consider this request very seriously, my soul is on the table.  

At my wit’s end, 
Tim Drake

──────────

As Marinette finished reading the email, she was baffled. The person appeared to be sleep-deprived as they wrote the email if the time was anything to go by. Perhaps they hadn’t meant to send it. 

“Wayne Enterprises,” She mumbled, the company sounding vaguely familiar. 

“Marinette! Felix is here to see you,” Her mom’s loud voice carried up into her room, making Marinette startled. 

Marinette closed her inbox, pushing the odd email to the back of her mind as she turned off her computer. “Send him up, Mom!” 

Tikki zipped away to hide out of sight as Marinette heard footsteps climbing up the stairs. Marinette busied herself at her desk, taking to grabbing her sketchbook and a pencil as the door to her room opened. 

Felix strolled in, settling himself on another chair near her desk as he looked at her with a knowing look. “Did that scattered brain of yours forget about our meeting today?”

She fumbled with the pencil in her hand as her voice raised an octave. “No, of course not!”

His expression shifted into one of unimpressed, making her sigh. 

“Okay, fine. Maybe I did forget. It slipped through my mind,” Marinette admitted, scratching her pencil on the sketchbook as she connected some lines in her design. “What do you need to talk to me about that couldn’t be talked about at school?” 

Felix tapped on his leg, looking uncharacteristically nervous as he did. “You can say no to this, I know you are already very busy as it is and have a lot on your plate but— “

“You don’t have to be scared to ask me for favours, Fe. What are friends for?” She interrupted his unusual rambling with a fond smile. 

It was eating at her curiosity as he stared at her in mere silence, contemplating. What was the favour that was making the usual composed Felix Graham de Vanily nervous to ask her about? 

“As a friend, I feel obligated to warn you this favour is a very big project and would take up a lot of your time should you decide to accept,” He warned, looking so ever serious. 

At her affirmative nod, he continued. “As you know, I have been working on a new film for a while now and I had not accounted for any issues that might lead to a cancellation of the film. The filming had been halfway complete when the director decided to drop the project, thinking it would be unsuccessful. The co-director took up the mantle of the director, but the problem is with the original director gone, some of the production crew did not think the film was going to be successful and resigned.” 

Felix paused, looking stressed as he ran a hand through his hair, making it look unkempt. 

Marinette noted the tired look in his eyes, feeling sympathetic. Despite not knowing specific details about the project because of his contract, he recounted his acting experiences about his latest projects to her a lot and she could tell he wanted the film to make it to theatres. 

Although she had only known Felix for a little over a month, she knew he wasn’t the type of person to do anything halfway. She set her sketchbook and pencil down on her table, giving him her full attention as he continued to speak. 

“The new director wants the film to be as much of a success as I do, but he can only do so much. He has been working around the clock to hire more people to fill up the production roles. I can tell he is on the verge of giving up. He would have given up ages ago if it were not for my faith in the film’s success. I have taken to help find suitable candidates to fill up the production roles as well.” He explained, looking at her. 

Marinette nodded in understanding. “What do you need me to do?” 

Felix had taken to tapping on his leg again as he responded, “You have experience with working with public figures and your skills are way more than adequate. I have faith in your abilities, you would take on the role of costume designer should you accept this favour. You would compensated generously, of course.” 

She gently took his hand, stopping his tapping on his leg. “I know you want this film to be a success and I’ll do everything in my power to help you. What other production roles are you missing?”

His gaze dropped to their linked hands but he didn’t make any move to remove it and neither did she as he hummed in thought. “We already have someone to compose the background soundtracks, but we would also like to have some original soundtracks with lyrics for some parts of the film.”

“What’s the genre and theme of the film?” Marinette inquired, looking thoughtful. 

He responded in turn. “Action, adventure, and fantasy to name a few. The film is about pirates,” 

It was silent for a beat as she considered a suitable candidate for the role. “I can ask Jagged Stone if he would like to do the singing for the original soundtrack with lyrics. I’ll also ask Chloe if she would like help, she could help with the hairstyling and makeup.”

Felix smiled, looking relieved as the gratitude could be heard from his voice. “Thank you for this, Marinette.” 

“Always happy to help, Fe.” She said, returning the smile even as she felt her gaze lingering on his genuine smile. 

He frowned as a thought came to him. “One more thing. If you take on the responsibility, you would have to reveal your identity as MDC to the rest of the crew. Are you sure this something you are alright with?”

Marinette opened her mouth to respond but he mused on. “You could wear a mask of some sort. I should have told you this first. I will not fault you should you decide to change your mind.”

She raised a brow, amused. “I’ve already thought of that. I’m revealing my identity next year anyway, I don’t mind a few people knowing a little earlier than planned.”

“You are revealing your identity next year? You have yet to mention it.” Felix said, curious. 

She shrugged, looking bashful. “I wasn’t sure how much I was allowed to reveal, but since Jagged’s announced our collaboration a few days ago I thought I’ll let you know now. I’ll be revealing my identity sometime next year in the project I’ve been working on with Jagged.”

He nodded in understanding, he’s had experience with keeping things on the low due to his contracts. “You will have to get the production crew to sign an NDA. Do you need me to help you with that? I can ask my agent to draft up the NDA and send it to the crew for you.” 

Marinette shook her head, smiling and finding it sweet how he was being considerate. “I can just ask Allegra to draft up the NDAs. But I’ll need you to send them to the crew if you don’t mind.” 

“You have a lawyer,” he stated, seeming surprised. 

She ducked her head, her cheeks tinging pink. “When I first debuted as MDC, Jagged and Penny insisted I get one in case anything happens.”

Felix nodded in approval. “That is a good move on their part. Does your lawyer happen to be Allegra Sinclair?”

She nodded, surprised. “You know of her?” 

“I should not even be surprised you managed to snag one of the best lawyers out there. In my early days of being in the film industry when I had not acquired a lawyer yet, Miss Sinclair represented me during a scandal I was involved in. She has a reputation for being particularly ruthless at her job, destroying the reputation of opposing parties with just a few sentences. There has yet to be a case that she has not won.” he explained, looking impressed. “I would not want to get on her bad side. She honest to god scares me a little.”

“Aww, is the Felix de Graham de Vanily admitting he’s scared of a girl?” Marinette teased, looking amused at his unexpected admission. 

He sent her a flat look. “If you have seen all the cases she has represented, you would be too.”

She shook her head, the amusement not going away. She was never going to let him live this down, finding materials to tease Felix about was no easy task. “Allegra might seem intimidating, but deep down, she’s a softy. You two have that in common, you’re also a softy deep down.”

“I am not,” he grumbled, huffing as he looked away. 

Marinette smiled at his behaviour, picking up her sketching and pencil again as their current discussion came to an end, melting into another conversation of teasing and banters. 

──────────

From: [email protected] 
To: [email protected]  
Date: 15 April 2023, 2:41 P.M.
Subject: A Request For Jagged Stone

Penny, 

I have a friend who’s acting in an upcoming film but there’s a bit of an issue with their production crew. Some people from the crew decided to resign because they didn’t think the film was going to be a success. 

I took up the role of costume designer, but the crew was also in need of a singer for singing parts in some parts of the film. The film is about pirates and the genres of the film line up with Jagged Stone’s style, I think he would be perfect for the role. I told my friend I’ll try asking Jagged for him. 

I understand if Jagged is very busy, but I thought it couldn’t hurt to ask. If you don’t mind, I hope you can help pass on my request to Jagged.

Love,
Marinette

From: [email protected] 
To: [email protected]  
Date: 15 April 2023, 5:12 P.M.
Subject: RE: A Request For Jagged Stone

Marinette,

Does your friend happen to be Felix Graham de Vanily? Jagged and I have seen the rumours about you two circulating online but we weren’t sure what to make of it. Out of curiosity, he is the friend you are asking the favour for, correct? 

I’ve passed on your request to Jagged and he’s more than happy to help. He’s happy you thought of him for the role. Jagged also thinks it would be a great opportunity for him to get clips of the filming experience for the documentary. 

If you can ask your friend to send in the schedule and times Jagged would have to be on set so I can note down the dates and times, that would be great. 

Sincerely yours,
Penny

──────────

From the phone of Marinette Dupain-Cheng:
Graham Cracker 

Me:
Jagged says yes! Would you mind sending the times and dates he would have to be on set? Penny asks for them
5:49 PM

Graham Cracker:
I will email the schedule to you. Thank you for this, Marinette.
5:52 PM

Me:
Of course, Fe!
5:53 PM
Read 5:53 PM

──────────

From: [email protected] 
To: [email protected]  
Date: 15 April 2023, 5:57 P.M.
Subject: Schedule

[See linked attachments]

From: [email protected] 
To: [email protected]  
Date: 15 April 2023, 6:01 P.M.
Subject: RE: A Request For Jagged Stone

Penny, 

Yes, Felix Graham de Vanily is the friend I’m talking about! 

I’ve attached the schedule to this email. Tell Jagged I say thank you! And thank you for the help, Penny!

Love, 
Marinette

[See linked attachments]

──────────

From the phone of Marinette Dupain-Cheng:
The Three Prodigies

Me:
Chlo, there’s a situation with the production crew of Felix's film project . Are you able to help with the  hairstyling and makeup?
6:03 P.M.

Queenie 🐝:
And Graham Cracker couldn’t have asked me this himself because…?
6:04 P.M

Me:
I offered to ask you for him, Chlo
6:04 P.M

Me:
He did ask me for help first
6:05 P.M.

Queenie 🐝:
@Graham Cracker @Graham Cracker @Graham Cracker @Graham Cracker 
6:05 P.M.

Me:
Chlo, don’t spam ping Felix, he might be busy
6:05 P.M.

Graham Cracker:
What is it, Miss Bourgeois?
6:06 P.M.

Queenie 🐝:
Don’t act daft, Graham Cracker. It’s unbecoming
6:06 P.M.

Queenie 🐝:
I know you’ve been reading the chat so don’t act like you haven't
6:06 P.M.

Queenie 🐝:
Did you or did you not ask Nettie to ask me for help because you knew I would say no to you if you asked
6:07 P.M.

Graham Cracker:
I did no such thing. You are just not my first choice when it comes to asking for assistance. If it were not for Marinette’s suggestion, I would not have even considered you. 
6:08 P.M.

Queenie 🐝:
You ugh! I was just asking. Why else wouldn’t you have just asked me yourself?
6:10 P.M.

Graham Cracker:
I would advise you to not ask questions you would not like the answer to, but it would be in vain as you never heed my advice anyway.
6:11 P.M.

Me:
Ok! Chloe, stop poking fun at Felix and Felix, stop riling up Chloe on purpose
6:11 P.M.

Queenie 🐝:
Hmph. 
6:11 P.M.

Graham Cracker:
Are you in or what? Some people have very busy schedules and cannot afford to wait all day for you to weigh the pros and cons.
6:13 P.M.

Me:
Felix…
6:13 P.M.

Graham Cracker:
I mean, please do take as much time as you need to think
about this offer, your Highness.
6:14 P.M.

Queenie 🐝:
I’m in, Mari
6:15 P.M.

Me:
That’s great! Felix will email you the schedule
6:15 P.M.

Allegra

Me:
I know you’re on vacation, Allegra, but are you able to draft up some NDAs regarding my identity as MDC? If it’s not an issue, you can send them over through email
8:45 P.M.

Allegra:
Of course! I’ll email them to you tomorrow when it’s all done
8:56 P.M.

Me:
Thank you so much!
8:58 P.M.

Allegra:
Happy to help!
9:14 P.M.
Read 9:18 P.M.

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Trending

1 • Trending Worldwide
#AwesomeGuitarSolo
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2 • Trending Worldwide
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11.3M Tweets

3 • Trending Worldwide
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What’s Happening

news • 42 minutes ago
Jagged Stone Announces His New Project With MDC: A Documentary

news • 55 minutes ago
Jagged Stone’s New Documentary With MDC: Awesome Guitar Solo

news • 4 days ago
The Collab We All Have Been Waiting For: Jagged Stone and MDC

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Chapter Text

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Everything You Need to Know About Felix Graham de Vanily’s Latest Film Project of April 20th, 2023 With Zoé Lee, MDC, Jagged Stone and More
Vogue

Alas, the new movie ‘ The Depths of the Black Sea ’ directed by Claude Albrecht coming to theatres in 2024 has been announced by Felix Graham de Vanily on his Instagram, accompanied by a photo of him allegedly on set. 

[Source: Photo from Felix Graham de Vanily’s Instagram]

Following Graham de Vanily’s announcement, Jagged Stone and MDC took to announcing on their respective Twitter accounts they were also a part of the project, surprising many fans. 

As far as we know, Stone has never taken up music production roles in movies. He is a popular singer amongst the younger generations and many of his fans are excited for his part in the project. 

It came as a big shock when MDC announced she was also part of the project as a costume designer. It’s no brainer that MDC has the talent and qualifications for the role, but fans weren’t expecting her to announce another project so soon after her announcement of collaborating with Jagged Stone on a documentary just four days ago. 

We received the main casting roles from Albrecht himself a few weeks prior and agreed to announce it today in this article. 

It’s no surprise when Graham de Vanily landed the main role as Jase Whitlock, the morally grey captain of the Whitlock Abode he built from nothing.

Cassiopeia Delacroix is played by the versatile actress Zoé Lee, who is known for having played a variety of parts in the film industry. 

While the rest of the casting hasn’t been yet accounted for, we hope to receive more news about the supporting casts as filming wraps up in the next few months. As of right now, there is no tentative release date, only that it’s releasing in the early spring of 2024.

Many fans are hyped up about the upcoming film and are certain it is going to be another huge success for Graham de Vanily after his latest role in The Vengeance.

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April 21st, 2023 — Starlight Studios, Paris, France.
3:15 pm.

“Ready?” Felix asked her as the car came to a stop and the chauffeur got out of the car to open the door for them. 

Marinette gave a nod. “As ready as I can be.” 

The two got out of the car and Felix added, “You can rest assured that no one on set would leak your identity. The people of this project are highly profiled and understand the importance of keeping your identity a secret. Under the circumstance that your identity does get leaked, I am sure your lawyer would be able to take care of the problem and would make sure to destroy the culprit’s reputation in the process.” 

She felt her cheeks warm at how he had been reassuring her the entire ride, a subtle acknowledgement of her nervous fidgeting. 

Before she could respond, the door to the car opened with a click and the two exited the car, Marinette thanking the chauffeur while Felix opted to nod in acknowledgment. 

As she entered through the door Felix held open for her, Marinette caught a glimpse of the giant neon blue letters that spelt Starlight Studios hanging off the ledge, casting an indistinct light blue glow around in the daylight. 

They were greeted by the receptionist, and with the assurance that Felix was checking them both in, Marinette looked around in fascination taking note of the quartz lining the floors and the comfortable expensive leather coaches in the lounging area that most likely don’t get used enough. 

A tap on her shoulder brought her out of her reverie and she quenched the Ladybug instincts to flip the person over her shoulder. She turned to see Felix raising a questioning brow and she ducked her head, glad she hadn’t yielded her initial instincts. 

She followed him as he led her to the far end of the hall and into a massive room that was as big as a football field. 

Gaping in awe, Marinette’s eyes zeroed in on the big wooden pirate ship, one of the various sets in the room. The amount of green drapes surrounding the many sets in an almost boxed shape was blinding. 

Cameras were set up at multiple angles on each set, ready to capture every perfect moment. The vast room echoed with quiet chatters as the workers were either taking apart or putting together a set. 

Felix made a move towards the far end of the room where a group of people gathered, Marinette following behind him as she continued to stare at the many sets she passed by with wide curious eyes. 

“Fe, you’re here!” 

The exclamation was shouted by a young man who looked to be in his early twenties, his hands waving around in excitement, nearly knocking into the cameras that were set up by his side.

Another man around the same age who wore headphones around his neck looked at his colleague in amusement. “Claude, you’re going to knock over the cameras again if you don’t stop with the hand waving.” 

‘Claude’ merely waved his colleague off in response, his bright grin not dimming in the slightest as Felix grew near. 

A crash had everyone whipping their heads to see Claude sporting a sheepish grin as a camera lay broken on the floor by his side. 

The people rolling their eyes looking exasperated while some sported amused looks told Marinette this was a normal occurrence. 

Felix sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as he stopped in front of Claude. “This is the third camera you have broken. How you landed the role of a director is beyond me.” 

Marinette looked at the hyperactive young man in surprise, she would have never thought he was the director. The young man reminded her of a hyperactive puppy, it was rather endearing. 

Claude lit up, not looking chastised as his employee chewed him out. “It’s only the third one I’ve broken? It’s not that bad, I would’ve thought I’d broken more.”

“The third camera you have broken this week,” Felix deadpanned. 

The man wearing headphones interjected, elbowing his boss’s side playfully. “I told you so.” 

Claude pouted, crossing his arms. “Alright, alright, I get it. I’ll be more careful.” 

“That is what you said the last time. And the time before. And the many other times before.” Felix drawled with a look of disapproval on his face. 

Claude opened his mouth to respond when he finally caught sight of Marinette standing beside Felix observing the interaction with interest. He dropped the act, a look of excitement on his face as he exclaimed, “Fe! You didn’t tell me you were bringing a friend! You’ve made a new friend and you didn’t tell me?” 

A smile graced Marinette’s features as she greeted him. “Hi!” 

“Oh my gosh, you’re so cute! A literal ball of sunshine! How did someone so bright and smiley get stuck with a gremlin like Felix?” Claude gushed, engulfing the raven-haired girl in a hug. 

“Claude, you’re going to scare the girl away,” Headphones man said, giving the girl a look of sympathy. 

Marinette’s smile didn’t waver as she responded, “It’s alright, I don’t mind.” 

A hand grabbed her arm, tugging her away from the enthusiastic Claude and she looked to see Felix shooting the brunette a heatless glare. 

“Not everyone can handle your overbearing nature,” he grumbled, avoiding Marinette’s curious eyes. 

Confusion clouded Claude’s eyes as he tilted his head, studying how Felix was avoiding their gazes, his ears tinging pink. A shit-eating grin tugged at the brunette’s lips as he shot the blonde a look that promised a lot of teasing later. 

“I’m Claude,” he said, taking pity on the blonde and taking it upon himself to do the introductions. He gestured to the man wearing headphones, “And this is Allan.” 

Marinette smiled, pushing the bangs that had fallen in front of her face and missing how Felix’s eyes tracked the action as she responded, “Marinette. It’s nice to meet you both!”

Claude clapped his hands, grinning widely as Felix snapped his gaze away from Marinette, a scowl tugging on his lips at the sudden loud sound. 

“What brings you here today, Mari? Can I call you that?” Claude asked but rushed on before the raven-haired girl could respond. “If you have any questions about the film industry, I can help you answer them! Or if you just want to observe, that is fine too.” 

Marinette blinked, shooting Felix a questioning look. 

The blonde sighed. “Mr. Albrecht, this is MDC.” 

“WHAT!?”

The studio went silent at Claude’s loud yell, everyone looking at the brunette like he had lost his mind. His eyes were rounded with shock as he stared at the sheepish-looking Marinette. 

“Honestly, Claude, didn’t you sign the NDA?” Allan asked, not looking perturbed by his boss’s behaviour. 

Felix rolled his eyes, scowling. “Don’t tell me you signed the NDA without reading the fine print. That is another level of idiotic even for you.” 

Claude unfroze, waving his arms around wildly, Allan took a step back and moved the cameras away from the energetic man to not cause another incident of cameras breaking. 

“No, no, no, I did read the fine print,” he protested rushing on at Felix’s skeptical look. “I just wasn’t expecting MDC to show up here! She’s known for being an anonymous designer, I thought she would work from home or something.”

Claude looked at Marinette with stars in his eyes. “Can I have your autograph, pretty pretty please? I can’t believe Felix managed to rope you into our project!” 

Marinette laughed, looking shy at being in the center of attention even as she took out a sharpie from her purse. “Of course! I appreciate the support. What do you want me to sign?” 

Claude scrambled, looking around and grabbed the megaphone sitting on the table, handing it to her. “I’m a huge fan of your work!” 

She flushed, scrawling on her loopy MDC signature on the smooth surface of the white megaphone as she stuttered out her thanks at his compliments. 

“Mari, Graham Cracker, there you two are! You guys are late. You arrived but didn’t think to notify me? Ridiculous, utterly ridiculous!” The shrill voice of Chloe had the group turning to face the Bourgeois heiress. 

Marinette smiled, greeting her friend. “Hey, Chlo!”

Felix on the other hand, rolled his eyes at the newest addition. “Miss Bourgeois, as your host, I have yet to reprimand you about your early presence but you have the face to complain I have arrived late when there is still,” he glanced down at his silver watch before continuing his verbal assault. “five minutes left till our rendezvous.” 

“Burn,” Claude whispered, Allan only shaking his head at the brunette’s antics. 

Chloe glared at the blonde, letting out a hmph. “Shut your trap, Graham Cracker. Come on, Mari, Zoe wants to catch up with you.” 

Marinette nodded at Claude and Allan before moving to Chloe’s side. Felix moved to follow as well, but Chloe rolled her eyes. “Stay where you are, Loverboy. I’ll have Mari back to you before you’re due on set. No need to act like her personal guard dog all the time, that’s Cesaire’s job to Lila.” 

“Chloe!” Marinette hissed, looking red-faced as the tips of Felix’s ears turned pink. 

The Bourgeois heiress flipped her ponytail, linking arms with the raven-haired girl as the duo made off to the wardrobe room. 

“Well, that was something,” Claude said, breaking the silence as his expression took on a teasing expression. 

Felix glared, daring the brunette to say a word. 

──────────

──────────

April 21st, 2023 — Starlight Studios , Paris, France.

4:00 pm.

From where Marinette was sitting, she had a perfect near close-up view of the giant wooden ship set as she worked on drafting up possible designs for the costumes. 

Claude had a table cleared out for her and at the moment, she moved quickly to add finishing touches to the sketches and jotted down the materials needed to make the costumes before ripping the page off her sketchpad and passing it off to the tailors or seamstresses. 

Since Felix had told her of his film project almost a week ago, Marinette had worked around the clock, living off of her high-caffeinated coffee to sketch out various outfit designs and when she showed them to Claude earlier for his approval, he merely waved her off with an enthusiastic, “Do whatever you see fit! I’m sure whatever you make will be awesome!” 

His approval and confidence in her abilities only drove her to be even more determined to put in all her effort and time into making sure the designs were the best she could do. 

A loud “Lights, cameras, and action!” had Marinette look up from her work to see Felix performing numerous sword-fighting stunts to fend off the invaders on the ship. 

She could see the many strings attached to the harness he was wearing, doing all the flips, twists and turns at appropriate moments. The cameras set up at multiple angles were there to capture them all and the cameramen moved in a choreographed dance to capture the scene at a closer angle. 

She found her gaze drawn back to the form of Felix, following his every moment in fascination. So lost in the scene in front of her, she was startled when a voice from beside her spoke. 

“He’s good at those stunts, isn’t he?” 

Marinette turned to see Zoe watching her with a knowing look. Flustered at being caught staring at Felix— although that wasn’t a crime— she felt like she had been caught doing something she shouldn’t be, which was silly. 

She found it interesting to see how movies were made, and the mechanics behind movie productions were intriguing to observe. It was an added bonus that Felix was the one performing the stunts as she watched, noticing the muscles flexing against his ragged suit. 

This really shouldn’t be something she should notice in a friend. But she couldn’t drag her gaze away from his form either. 

“CUT!” 

Claude’s voice was ten times louder as he yelled through the megaphone and it had Marinette flinching as she averted her gaze away from Felix’s form. 

Blushing when she saw Zoe’s amused face, Marinette returned the attention to her sketchbook, scribbling loopy scrawls of the required materials and fixing up some lines.

At some point while she was working, Zoe had left her side to rejoin Chloe, the two half-sisters getting lost in some conversation about shoes. 

A light clunk on the table drew Marinette's attention once more and she looked up to see Felix sliding a cup of coffee to her. She lit up with gratitude. “You’re a lifesaver!”

Setting her sketchbook and pencil down on the table a good distance away from the coffee— kwami knows any form of liquid near her sketchbook is a hazard due to her clumsy nature— and grabbed the coffee, shooting a blinding smile at the blonde before happily taking a sip. 

The blonde watched her in content, a rare smile gracing his features, though the smiles might not be as rare anymore when he found himself smiling more often whenever she was in his presence. 

The same couldn’t be said for the people around them, surprised looks were thrown and eyebrows shot up as they caught sight of the ice prince smiling and that the sunshine raven-haired girl was the cause of it. 

A squeal drew the attention away from the duo and onto the new commotion at the far front of the room.

“Felix Graham de Vanily, you not only managed to get MDC into the project but also Jagged Stone as well!? And you didn’t think to tell me?” Claude’s loud scandalized voice echoed in the enormous room and it had Felix scowling. 

People made their way to the front of the room while chattering in loud excited voices, Marinette and Felix following suit. 

“That was not my doing, it was Marinette. If anything, you should be thanking her,” Felix informed, looking smug at the uproar he had caused. 

“Rock ‘n’ roll everyone! Are you the famous Claude Albrecht directing the film? I’m super grateful for the opportunity,” Jagged Stone said, chuckling at the younger man’s starstruck look. 

Claude fumbled for his megaphone. “Can I have an autograph?” 

Jagged grinned as Penny passed him a sharpie and he scrawled his signature on the megaphone. “Anyone else?”

Allan stepped forward, looking shy as he handed the rockstar his headphones. “You’re one of my biggest inspirations,” 

The rockstar’s grin widened. “Glad to hear it, young’un! I’m looking forward to working with you both on this upcoming project.” 

Jagged’s gaze landed on Marinette and he beamed. “Mari! My favourite niece, come and give your uncle Jagged a hug!” 

“I’m your only niece,” She quipped but complied with his request as she moved forward to hug him. She turned to give a hug to Penny as well. “How have you been, Aunt Penny?” 

Penny sent her a warm smile. “Besides constantly babysitting Jagged to make sure he doesn’t do anything too drastic? Never been better.”

Jagged gave an offended squawk. “Hey!” 

Claude bounced on the tips of his toes excitedly. “We have MDC and Jagged Stone with us on this project. This will be the movie of the century!”

“I second that,” Allan nodded, his eyes shining with excitement knowing he was working with his idol. 

“Marinette. Mari. You’re officially my favourite person ever,” Claude announced, hugging her and letting out a dramatic cry, Felix watching from the sidelines with disapproval. 

Catching sight of Felix’s scowl, Claude turned his attention to the blonde. “Don’t worry Felix, you haven’t been knocked off the podium just yet. You’re still my favourite person. After Mari of course,” 

Felix rolled his eyes. “Yes, Mr. Albrecht, because your opinion matters to me so much. Winning a Favourite Person award from you has been my lifelong goal, how can I bear to see you pass on the award to another person so easily?” 

His sarcasm had Marinette giggling and his lips twitched into a smile when their eyes met. 

“And you complain that I’m always dramatic, you have a flair for dramatics too, Mister Graham de Vanily,” Claude said, a look of amusement plastered on his face. 

“Mr. Stone, would you like to listen to a demo of the background track you would be singing to?” Allan asked the rockstar, looking eager to show his works to his idol. 

Jagged laughed. “None of the Mr. Stone with me, my friend! Just Jagged is fine. And yes, let’s go give it a listen,” 

Marinette watched with a smile as a starstruck Allan led Jagged to wherever they make music in the studio. 

Claude clapped his hands together, gathering everyone’s attention. “Back to work everyone!”

Marinette returned to her post at the table, grabbing her sketchbook and pencil once more, getting lost in her world of ideas as she buzzed with creativity. The chattering in the room faded into one background noise as she continued to scribble notes and fix up her designs, not noticing how Felix’s gaze would stray to her form every so often.

──────────

──────────

From the phone of Lila Rossi:
Girl Squad <3 

Alya:
Hey girls! The sleepover is still on tonight right?
8:05 AM

Alix: 
I have a bet with Kim later but I can still make it tonight so yes
8:06 AM

Rose:
Yes!! It’s going to be so much fun, we can do each other’s manicures! 
8:08 AM

Juleka:
yeah
8:09 AM

Mylene:
Yes! We haven’t had one in so long after how the last one got cancelled 
8:09 AM

Mylene:
Lila?
8:10 AM

Me:
I’m really sorry girls, but I don’t think I make it to the sleepover tonight. I was out late last night in my garden trying to pick out  flowers for Clara Nightingale’s new music video! You guys know how prone I am to the wind and after last night, I woke up this morning with a cold
10:36 AM

Me:
I really wish I could still go, but I don’t want to spread the sickness to you guys. I hope you guys can still have fun without me!
10:37 AM

Alya:
Girl, don’t worry about it! We’ll cancel the sleepover and we can reschedule another one when you get better
10:37 AM

Rose:
Alya’s right, Lila! Hope you get better soon <33
10:38 AM

Me:
Thank you girls! But I wouldn’t want you guys to have to cancel just because of me. I won’t mind if you guys still decide to have the sleepover tonight
10:40 AM

Mylene:
It’s not a problem, Lila. It wouldn’t be as fun if all of us weren’t there
10:41 AM

Alix:
Yeah! Girl squad stick together! 
10:41 AM

Me:
Aww thank you, girls! You guys are so sweet, I’ll be sure to make it up to you guys in some way! I really do appreciate you guys! <3
10:42 AM

Rose:
<333
10:42 AM

──────────

April 22nd, 2023 — Rossi House, Paris, France.
10:43 am.

Lila Rossi exited the messaging app with a roll of her eyes and tapped on the Instagram app. 

Spending time with the class that all shared one collective brain cell at school was already bad enough and yet, the girls were still trying to rope her into countless sleepovers. She had managed to evade most of their attempts so far, but she didn’t think she could hold out any longer. 

She would have to go to the next one if only to get the girls off her back. 

The Instagram app loaded and Lila went to search for Marinette’s account. The Goody-Two-Shoes had been all buddy buddies with the Felix Graham de Vanily ever since he started going to Francois Dupont. 

Not to mention, even Adrien had started paying more attention to the good-doer. Lila needed to up her game, Felix’s net worth was even more than the Agrestes’ combined and nothing would go her way if she didn’t get Marinette out of the picture first. 

Lila needed to find more material on the raven-haired girl and what better than turn to social media? Everyone posts what they are doing online these days, surely she should be able to find something on Marinette that she could take advantage of? 

──────────

──────────

She scowled at the lock that was preventing her from viewing the Goody-Two-Shoes posts on her main account. She seethed with jealousy at the amount of followers Marinette had garnered despite having a private account. 

How did Marinette surpass over a thousand followers with a private account when Lila barely passed 800 as an Agreste model? 

She huffed out a breath, switching to her burner account, the one that followed Marinette. 

Months ago when Alya and Marinette were still friends, Lila spun some sob story to Alya about how she wanted to have a way to contact Marinette in case of an emergency. Still, because of their ‘rivalry’, Marinette rejected her follow request (Lila never did attempt to follow her). 

So Lila ‘suggested’ that Alya pass on the burner account as her own and inform Marinette that it was her backup account. The Goody-Two-Shoes took it without question and accepted the follow request, unaware that Lila was behind the account. 

It was humiliating to say, how Lila would stalk Marinette’s Instagram account. The raven-haired girl can never know. 

Lila clicked on Marinette’s profile picture to view her story.

──────────

──────────

A photo of Felix posing greeted her and Lila stared, enraptured. Not only was the guy rich, but good-looking too. 

She had never seen Felix in casual clothes before, having only seen him wear expensive-looking suits. Once again cursing Marinette in her head for taking everything that was supposed to be hers, she pressed on the tag, leading her to Felix’s private account. 

──────────

──────────

The lock symbol that greeted her nearly made her growl in frustration and she glared down at her phone. 

It’s not like she could request to follow on her burner account either, Felix was smarter than Marinette and cautious too. With his fame, he would ignore all follow requests unless he wanted the person to follow him, but even then, he would ask and make sure it was the right account before accepting. 

Lila narrowed her eyes at the ‘1’ following. He wasn’t only following that Goody-Two-Shoes, was he? 

She gritted her teeth. Were they secretly dating? In her anger, she threw her phone across her room and it hit the wall with a loud clunk, the screen shattering. 

A beat later, there was a knock on her door. “Lila, dear? Is everything all right?” 

On instinct, she plastered on a sweet innocent smile even when the door stayed shut. One can never be too careful. “I’m alright, mother! I was cleaning my room and something fell.” 

“Are you okay? Nothing injured, right?” Her mother asked, sounding worried. 

Lila’s eyes sharpened on the door knob that twisted ever so slightly like her mother was debating whether to check on her or let her have her privacy. 

Her mother was too trusting. 

“Everything is all good, mother!” 

The smile fell away as she heard the fading footsteps of her mother and she took a deep breath, grabbing her now broken phone from the floor. 

Her lips drew up into a slight smirk as a plan came to mind. She would later have to refine it and figure out the logistics, but it was doable. 

Marinette Dupain-Cheng had long been a thorn in her side, it was time to dispose of the pest and this time, Lila would make sure to cover up her tracks well. 

──────────

──────────

Chapter Text

──────────

──────────

From the phone of Tim Drake:
Batfam

May 4th, 2023

Me:
B, I don’t care what you say, I’m lending our lawyers to MDC with or without your approval
8:42 PM

Jaybird:
The fuck do you mean you’re lending our lawyers to MDC? 
8:42 PM

Jaybird:
Not that I’m against it if MDC needs it, but wtf?
8:42 PM

The OG Robin:
??
8:43 PM

Jaybird:
You can’t just say shit like that and disappear Timbers
8:44 PM

Me:
Do you guys live under a rock? 
8:47 PM

Me:
You two are as big of a fan of MDC as I am and you don’t know what’s going on???
8:47 PM

Me:
https://www.tvi.com/bob-roth-does-it-again.html
8:47 PM

Jaybird:
WHAT THE FUCK
8:50 PM

Agent A:
Language, Master Jason. 
8:50 PM

Jaybird:
I’m sorry, but there are bigger issues to worry about here! 
8:50 PM

Jaybird:
I agree with Timbers. B, you have to lend our lawyers to MDC
8:51 PM

The OG Robin: 
I second that ^
8:51 PM

Demon Spawn:
Tt. I fail to see what the issue is. 
8:52 PM

Demon Spawn:
Father, don’t listen to these heathens, this MDC situation has nothing to do with us. 
8:52 PM

Me:
It’s a matter of principle, demon spawn! You’re only saying that out of spite and because you don’t get the hype surrounding MDC
8:53 PM

Me:
I bet you would think differently if it was that favourite fencer of yours, Kagami Tsurugi or whatever
8:53 PM

Demon Spawn: 
Tt. 
8:54 PM

B:
Boys, enough. Damian is right, this situation has nothing to do with us. As MDC is a famous figure, she would already have a lawyer of her own and there is no need for us to interfere. 
8:55 PM

Jaybird:
No need to interfere, my ass. 
8:55 PM

The Batboys (Minus Damian)

Me:
What do you say I hack into WE PR’s twitter to post an announcement
8:57 PM

Jaybird: 
DO IT
8:57 PM

The OG Robin:
Don’t you think that’s taking it too far? B does have a point, MDC would probably already have it handled
8:58 PM

Jaybird:
Not you too Dickward! The betrayal
8:58 PM

The OG Robin:
Well someone has to be the voice of reason little wing might as well be me
8:59 PM

Me:
I’m going to do it either way but I still want to know what you guys think
8:59 PM

The OG Robin:
What announcement are you posting anyway?? 
8:59 PM

Me:
Give me a minute and you’ll see
9:01 PM

Jaybird:
Well isn’t that cryptic as fuck
9:01 PM

──────────

──────────

Batfam

Demon Spawn:
Father has already said there was no need to interfere. And what did you imbeciles do? You had Drake hack into WE PR’s Twitter to send that unnecessary announcement.
9:05 PM

The OG Robin:
To be fair little D I did try to stop him but alas, it was all in vain 😔
9:06 PM

Jaybird:
And I fully encouraged Timbers to send out that very necessary announcement 
9:06 PM

Demon Spawn: 
Tt. 
9:07 PM

Me:
It was for the greater good demon spawn something you wouldn’t know until it hit you in the face
9:09 PM

B:
I don’t get paid enough to deal with your shenanigans. 
9:12 PM

Jaybird:
B, you don’t get paid at all so suck it
9:13 PM

Me:
Who mixed my coffee with decaf?!?
9:22 PM

Agent A:
I believe that would be me, Master Tim.
9:23 PM

──────────

From the tablet of Marinette Dupain-Cheng:

Annual Martha Wayne Foundation Essay Competition
Martha Wayne Foundation

After the announcement of last year’s essay competition winner in January, we are happy to hold this year’s essay competition for 2023! The winning class would spend next year’s spring break touring Wayne Enterprises in Gotham City and visiting Gotham Academy. 

    
[Source: Photo of Wayne Enterprises building from wayne-enterprises.com and photo of Gotham Academy from gotham-academy.com]

Eligibility 
Students must be between the ages of 13 and 18 and must be enrolled in a secondary school at the time of competition. Students will be disqualified if found to be over the age of 18 or not enrolled in a secondary school at the time of competition. Open to any schools or institutions internationally. 

Evaluation Criteria
Essays will be assessed on:

• Creativity and Originality: The ideas are presented in a clear logical order and the student has taken a unique approach to the chosen topic.
• Clarity and Organization: The organization is clear, and the student has planned and thought out their ideas. The essay is well constructed with a clear introduction, body paragraphs and conclusion, making it easy to understand.
• Writing Style and Grammar: The essay demonstrates clear and concise writing, with little to no grammar, punctuation or spelling mistakes.
• Analysis: The student has done their research and applied critical thinking to the chosen topic.
• Overall Impression: The essay will also be judged on the overall impression, the impact of the chosen topic and the effectiveness in conveying ideas to the reader in an engaging manner.

Submission Guidelines
The following must be included in the document’s heading of the participant: 

• Full Name of Student
• Teacher’s Full Name
• Email
• Chosen Topic
• Country 

Submissions must be:

• A minimum of 500 words and no more than 1,500 words
• Font size 11, font Times New Roman and double-spaced
• In a PDF document, no other formats or links will be accepted 

Submissions must be original and written in standard English, plagiarism will not be tolerated and students will be disqualified if have been found to do so. 

All essays are to be submitted electronically to [email protected] and the subject title in the format ‘Essay Competition: Full Name, Teacher’s Name Class

All submissions must be received prior to June 1, 2023. Late submissions will not be considered. 

Good luck to all participants, we look forward to receiving and reading through your entries!

──────────

May 6th, 2023 — Collège Françoise Dupont, Paris, France.
9:02 am

Marinette looked up from her tablet, considering. As class president, she had been asked by Ms. Bustier to start looking for possible class trip ideas for next year. Just her luck, Marinette came across the Martha Wayne Foundation Essay Competition article and it looked promising. 

Short of being the most dangerous city, Gotham was the perfect place in retrospect. Although she didn’t like to admit it, Ladybug and Chat Noir needed help to stop Hawkmoth. The miraculous war had been going on for almost four years now and as Ladybug, she needed to find a way to stop it. 

What better place to start than searching for Hawkmoth’s identity? If she knew Hawkmoth’s identity, she could take the butterfly and peacock miraculous back while he was most vulnerable— like at night while he was sleeping. 

With Lila in the class, it might not be the best idea for the class to go to Gotham, class trip or not. The class would get held for ransom because Lila decided to spread a lie about knowing the Waynes. 

Marinette sighed, bookmarking the essay competition article before contemplating some more. She considered a safer city, like New York. It’s not like New York didn’t have heroes that could help her track down Hawkmoth— they have the Avengers for Kwami’s sake. 

She weighed her options, New York or Gotham? Sure, New York has the Avengers, but Gotham has Batman, who was known as the world’s greatest detective. If anyone could help her unveil Hawkmoth’s identity, it would be the Dark Knight of Gotham. 

She considered her current objective, which was to find out Hawkmoth’s identity. If the Avengers were renowned for their powers and skills in combating, then Batman was well known for his detective skills. It would make sense for her to ask Batman and his team for help. 

She gave the desk a light tap with the stylus she was holding as she briefly thought it was selfish of her to use the excuse of a class trip to find Batman. But was she really being selfish if it was for the greater good? Gotham might be the most dangerous city in the States, but if things went well, Paris wouldn’t have to worry about Hawkmoth and his akumas anymore. 

Her phone lit up with a text message and she went to pick it up when Chloe all but stomped up to her desk. “Good to see you’re alive, Dupain-Cheng. I’ve been trying to get in contact with you all weekend!” 

Marinette smiled, looking sheepish. “Sorry Chlo, I shut off my phone for the weekend to limit distractions. I’ve got so much going on! Jagged’s documentary and the costume work for Felix’s film… not to mention the other commission works I’ve taken up!” 

And her duties as Ladybug. She buried her head in her arms, the workload starting to take a toll on her. 

“It’s just like you, Mari, to take on more work than you can do. Are you even sleeping?” Chloe asked, giving her a suspicious look. 

Marinette blinked, waving her arms around. “It’s my insomnia! I wouldn’t be able to sleep anyway, so I thought, why not put the time to good use?” 

The Bourgeois heiress sighed. “Of course, you blame it on your insomnia, Mari.”

Marinette perked up, looking at her with curious eyes. “What did you want to tell me?” 

Chloe snapped her hands, giving the ravenette a dirty look, as if it was her fault that she got sidetracked. “Yes, that! It—”

Before she could say anymore, her gaze caught on Felix who rushed to his seat— rushed by his standards, it was when he walked more briskly than usual— his focused eyes set on Marinette.

“Marinette. You need to check the article I sent you.” He said as soon as he reached them, not wasting time in pleasantries. 

Chloe nodded in agreement. “The issue is big, I’ll say your lawyer has already caught wind of the situation as well.”

Marinette looked between the two blondes with apprehensiveness, curious and nervous about what she might find. She set the stylus down on the desk and picked up her phone, doing a quick work of unlocking it and going to the messaging app. 

She could see texts from Chloe, Felix, and Allegra. She tapped on her conversation with Felix, reading through the texts he sent before clicking on the link. 

──────────

Graham Cracker 

Graham Cracker:
Marinette, have you checked your social media? 
May 4th, 9:01 AM 

Graham Cracker:
It is about Bob Roth, he took credit for an album cover that was clearly designed by you. 
May 4th, 9:01 AM

Graham Cracker:
https://www.tvi.com/bob-roth-does-it-again.html
May 4th, 8:32 PM

──────────

Bob Roth Does It Again
Nadja Chamack

Don’t be bemused, it’s just the news! Bob Roth does it again, this time, taking credit for the album cover Access to Memories, designed by MDC. Upon the post, fans recognized MDC’s art style right away, and with Roth’s reputation of stealing and taking credit for works that aren’t his, fans knew the album cover was not in fact, designed by Roth as he claimed. 

[Source: Access to Memories album cover designed by MDC, photo from Bob Roth Record’s Instagram]

Despite having gotten no confirmation from MDC herself, multiple celebrities such as Felix Graham de Vanily, Chloe Bourgeois, Jagged Stone, and more have spoken up about the situation in support of the anonymous designer. 

The hashtag trend on Twitter, #supportMDC, started by Graham de Vanily has been trending for over eight hours now, with the majority of the public in support of MDC. It isn’t looking too good for Bob Roth Records, but he had it coming. 

This isn’t the first incident of Roth plagiarizing another artist’s work. Unfortunately, he has won every lawsuit that had been served against him in the past but will this time be any different? 

Every incident so far had been Roth stealing from smaller artists, but blatantly stealing from a popular artist? It is up to MDC if she would take the current situation to court, but this time, we all hope it won’t play out in Roth’s favour. Will this be the end of Bob Roth Records? 

──────────

“The nerve of that man,” Marinette muttered as she finished reading the article. 

While she had been reading the article, Felix had taken his seat next to her. “I am unsure of what he had been trying to accomplish when he was suddenly inspired to steal from a popular designer.”

“Exactly, I’m not sure why he switched tactics to stealing from famous artists instead of smaller ones like he had been doing. He’s basically asking to be caught at this point, it’s utterly ridiculous.” Chloe chimed in, filing her nails as she did. 

Around them, the class was discussing the latest news as well. To no surprise of the trio, Lila was once again making this about herself. “It’s horrible! I’m sure Uncle Bob didn’t mean to take credit for MDC’s work, but it’s probably retribution on MDC’s end. It’s not like MDC was giving proper credit for her designs as well…” 

Marinette exchanged glances with the two blondes. 

“Uncle Bob?” Chloe muttered, glaring at the Italian. 

“Who would even want to willingly claim relation to the renowned plagiarizer? If it were me, I would be ashamed to be related to Bob Roth of all people.” Felix said airily, running a hand through his silky blonde hair as he did, the action catching Marinette’s attention as she stared.  

The tips of his ears turned pink as he noticed her stare, removing his hand from his hair and stared back with a raised brow. 

Having been caught in her obvious staring, the ravenette blushed and pretended to be focused on the article that was still open on her phone. The action proved to be futile though as Felix had taken to watching her, observing how her face turned a darker shade of crimson the longer he stared. 

The interaction went unnoticed by the Bourgeois heiress, who responded to Felix’s remark in kind as she decided between the two nail polish colours she had taken out of her designer bag, canary or electric yellow. “Apparently Liar Rossi does and without shame too. Two horrible people, with one actually making money from his lies— fitting if I do say so myself. Must be the genetics.”

“Yes, it does make sense for Miss Rossi to take on her ‘Uncle’ Bob’s legacy. They would have the same downfall too, destiny and all. Having the confidence to take things to court and end up losing. My, if only Miss Rossi put as much effort into having a stable career as she does in her lies, perhaps her lies would not have to be lies after all.” Was Felix’s sarcastic response as he dragged his gaze away from Marinette to settle on the Italian in question. 

No longer feeling Felix’s burning gaze on her, Marinette focused on calming her racing heart as she switched from the article and back to the messaging app, and pulled up her conversation with Allegra. 

──────────

Allegra 

Allegra:
https://www.tvi.com/bob-roth-does-it-again.html
9:06 AM

Allegra:
I’m assuming you do want to sue, right?
9:06 AM

Allegra:
I know how much you don’t like “using” your connections, but I’m literally a lawyer and was hired to take care of things like these
9:07 AM

Allegra:
As your lawyer and your friend, I’ll advise you to take action right away. I’ll draft up the legal documents and when you give your approval, I’ll have them sent over to Bob Roth Record company
9:08 AM

Me:
Yes, if it’s not too much trouble, suing is the best action to take
9:14 AM

Me:
People like Bob Roth will only continue to steal if not faced with the consequences
9:14 AM

Allegra:
Trust me Mari, it’s no trouble at all. Not to mention, it’s literally my job
9:14 AM  

Me:
Thank you, you’re the best <3
9:15 AM

──────────

“You are suing, correct?” Felix asked as she set her phone down on their shared desk with a light thud. 

Marinette rubbed her temples, a headache started to form from the current situation and she muttered, “It’s way too early for this. But yes, it’s the best course of action to take. Things are about to get messy in the upcoming weeks.” 

The air smelt of nail polish fumes as Chloe unscrewed her nail polish bottle, having finally decided on canary yellow. Marinette wrinkled her nose in response to the strong fumes, Felix wasn’t looking any better as he glared at the Bourgeois heiress and shifted closer to Marinette in response. 

Chloe shrugged in a deal-with-it-matter and started to polish her nails as she spoke. “Messy is okay, as long as Bob Roth finally gets what he deserves.” She snorted, pausing in her nail polishing. “He and his record company are done for, have you seen all those high-profile celebrities defending you on Twitter, Mari? Not a single one defending Bob Roth… except for Gabriel Agreste that is. But he doesn’t count because we already know how much of an ass he is.”

At the mention of his uncle, Felix rolled his eyes. “I am unsure of what Uncle Dearest was thinking with defending that imbecile, what does he think he is trying to accomplish? Besides painting his brand in an even more negative light than it already is, he has not done much. You would think he is trying to win an award for being the most dimwitted person out there and even then he still will not have accomplished anything because he will not be the first to have won such an award.” 

Marinette bit her lip to keep from laughing at the remark. She always did find Felix’s dry humour funny, and it was one of the many things she liked about him. His sarcastic quips delivered in his deadpanned tone never fail to bring a smile to her face. 

“I just hope everything goes well and Bob Roth gets what he deserves,” She sighed, unlocking her tablet, her stylus in hand and putting down relevant information about Gotham onto a Google Sheet for the class trip ideas. 

She switched from the Google Sheet app with a swipe of the stylus and back to Google to continue her search for other places. She’s decided on Gotham, but it couldn’t hurt to compile information on a few other places as well for backup in case her selected choice was rejected. It’s also not certain she would win the essay competition either. 

From beside her, Felix had leaned in closer than necessary and peered over her tablet to see what she was doing. “Have you found a suitable place for the class trip?”

Marinette hummed, giving her stylus a rhythmic tap on their shared desk. “I have a place in mind. You two would call me crazy,” 

Chloe screwed the nail polish bottle shut as she finished applying the polish on her pinky finger, taking to fanning her nails with her other hand and giving the ravenette a look. “You’re not crazy, Mari. Unless the place you have in mind is Gotham City.” 

At Marinette’s sheepish look, Chloe gaped. “Oh my god, it’s actually Gotham City. Are you out of your mind? You want… the world’s stupidest class to go to the most dangerous city in America?” 

The very idea was appalling to Felix. “With Miss Rossi’s habit of blabbering nonsense, the class would not last a day in Gotham, never mind an entire week. I bet we will all get held for ransom within two hours of being in Gotham after Miss Rossi runs her mouth with lies about knowing the Waynes.” 

Marinette sighed, having anticipated the reactions from her two friends. “I’m aware. But get this,” 

She pulled up the Annual Martha Wayne Foundation Essay Competition article she had bookmarked earlier and showed the two blondes. “If I win the essay competition, we won’t have to worry about the fundraising and budget at all. Of course, it’s not for certain I would even win, but it couldn’t hurt to try.”

Her friends still looked skeptical so she switched back to the Google Sheet. “Look, if it makes you two feel any better, I’ve got a few other places in mind too as backup. New York makes a great alternative, if we’re lucky I could even try to get the class a tour of the Stark Tower.” 

Chloe looked thoughtful. “The Stark Tower would be interesting to see. New York is a lot safer as well compared to Gotham. But I understand your viewpoint about the money and budget. Best case scenario I’ll get daddy to fund the trip.”

“Yes, but I don’t want you to have to use your dad’s money, Chlo. If it gets to that point, I’ll organize a last-minute fundraiser but if we’re talking about timeline, I’ll have more than enough time to plan for a trip to New York instead of Gotham if I don’t win the essay competition.” Marinette said, switching to Google Docs now to put together a proposal. 

“You do realize it is acceptable to ask us for help, right?” Felix pointed out. “You don’t need to shoulder all these responsibilities yourself. God knows you already have enough to begin with.” 

The last part was muttered but Marinette caught it anyway and tensed. What did he mean by that? Did he know she was Ladybug? She wouldn’t be surprised or worried that he knew her identity, she trusted Felix. The Quantum Masking would keep people from figuring out her identity, but it still can be bypassed if the pursuer is persistent. 

Seeing the concern on his face, she relaxed herself and responded, “I know you two want to help, but it wouldn’t be fair to ask that of you guys. I knew what I was signing up for when I decided to run for class president back then.”

Felix accepted her response but not before grumbling, “Fine. But my offer still stands, if you find yourself needing help of any kind don’t be afraid to ask me.”

Marinette had the sense that he wasn’t just talking about her duties as class president. 

“Alright. Just keep in mind you don’t owe these idiots anything. It’s utterly ridiculous how you would put others first before yourself,” Chloe tsked, flipping her ponytail with her non-polished hand and spinning around to head for her seat. 

“Miss Bourgeois is right, you know,” Felix mumbled like it was a pain for him to admit the Bourgeois heiress was right. 

Marinette heaved another sigh. “I’m trying to take care of myself better.”

He shook his head with a fond look, not hiding his adoration for her. “Somehow I find myself unable to believe that. I suppose only time will tell.”

──────────

──────────

May 14th, 2023 — Justice Hall, Paris, France.
10:00 am

“Defendant Bob Roth. Plaintiff Marinette Dupain-Cheng accuses you of plagiarizing the album cover she designed for Xavier-Yves Roth. Do you admit this?” 

The judge’s stern voice rang loud and clear throughout the room, making the figure of Bob Roth flinch from where he was seated on the far left of the room while Marinette, looking the perfect picture of calm sat on the opposite right, with her lawyer Allegra by her side. 

In the gallery behind the defendant and plaintiff— the seating area where members of the public sat to observe what happens in court— Marinette can see her friends, Felix, Chloe, Kagami and Luka, her parents, Jagged Stone, and Clara Nightingale had come to support her. 

Only very few select members were present in the gallery due to Marinette wanting to maintain her identity as MDC and no reporters were present. 

She hadn’t wanted to disclose her identity where Bob Roth could later use it against her, but Allegra had told her, “This involves the law. When it comes to legal matters, one would typically have to disclose their identity, especially when you’re involved in the case directly. But it’s possible to not involve the public in the legal proceedings, no reporters would be present during the case. You’d have to disclose your identity but you can still maintain your privacy and align with the legal protocols.” 

Marinette hadn’t liked it but it is what it is. A fact that relaxed her a tad bit was when Allegra managed to pull some strings to make it so that Bob Roth was required to sign an NDA to not go blabbing about MDC’s identity. But not even an NDA can fully assure her of Bob Roth’s silence if he was angered enough. 

Her eyes flickered to Bob Roth, waiting to see how he would respond to the accusation. The room was silent for a beat before he spoke, schooling his face. “Your Honor, I don’t understand. Don’t you have to thoroughly investigate the case first before proceeding with the trial?” 

Marinette narrowed her eyes at the response, catching on how Bob Roth appeared to have said something, while also saying nothing at the same time. 

Allegra from beside her gave her a gentle nudge and leaned forward to whisper an explanation, “Bob Roth’s obviously had experience with getting away with consequences but that doesn’t mean he can’t be beat. His response is a common legal tactic used to deflect and challenge the sufficiency of the complaint from the plaintiff. Look at the judge— having presumably presided over many cases over the years, he’s probably seen this type of tactic used a lot and doesn’t buy it.” 

Marinette nodded as the judge’s stern gaze didn’t leave Bob Roth as he responded, “What investigation do you speak of? Your answer will not suffice. I ask you to please answer my question.” 

Bob Roth’s gaze darted away from the judge as he looked to his attorney for help. Marinette expected his attorney to respond for him but what she didn’t expect was for the attorney to bow his head and avoid his client’s gaze. She caught Bob Roth’s eye flashing with anger but then forced it away as he turned back to the judge, swallowing and twisting the ring on his finger. 

It seems like he was alone in this. But why wasn’t his attorney saying anything in his aid? 

“Bob Roth. Please answer honestly to the question I have asked,” The judge repeated, his laser-focused gaze on the subject. 

Marinette could almost see the gears turning in Bob Roth’s head as he struggled to come up with a response now that his attorney had abandoned ship. 

He seemed to have come to a conclusion as he met the judge’s stern gaze, fixing his posture and standing up straight as he gained confidence. “Your Honor, I admit I didn’t make my expectations clear enough to MDC. I thought I was being clear enough, but perhaps I needed to emphasize more.”

A pause before he continued to defend his actions. “But if you’re saying I plagiarized MDC’s work, then that’s completely false and it’s a defamation to my character. There seems to be a misunderstanding because while I have taken credit for other artists’ work, that’s because they’re under the Bob Roth Record label. As a record company, I provide everything an artist needs that’s not limited to music promotion, managing contracts, and more. In return, I get to say the artist’s work is created by me in representation of my record company. I’m providing publicity for MDC by posting the album cover on my platform which has a big social media presence. I should be able to associate my name with the work of MDC.”

Marinette blinked at the response, bewildered. She turned to Allegra for an explanation. 

Her lawyer merely looked amused at the long complex explanation. “He’s doing it again. Saying a whole lot of something while also appearing to say nothing. Although it’s not really nothing because his explanation does seem plausible at first glance but if you closely examine what he has said, he’s basically saying ‘Yes, I did plagiarize but I have the justifications for it’. It's a tactic commonly used when the person knows they can’t completely get off scot-free and they’re trying to salvage whatever they have left by trying to lighten the consequences.” 

“Wow, I’d have never thought trials were this complicated,” Marinette whispered, bringing her gaze back to watch the judge, observing how his stern expression didn’t so much as twitch throughout Bob Roth’s long explanation. 

Silence rang as the judge didn’t respond and Allegra took it as her cue. Standing up with a stern expression that meant business, she spoke in a tone just as stern as the judge, “Your Honor, I would like to invite my witness, Allan Singh.” 

Marinette’s brows furrowed at the name. Allan? 

Bob Roth’s head whipped towards Allegra, his face paling as the judge responded, “I allow it.”

At the verdict, the doors swung open with a click as a familiar man with headphones walked in, his cool gaze flickering to Bob Roth who shrunk in his seat. 

Marinette hadn’t known Allan worked under Bob Roth Records, but it did make sense. Allan was an emerging artist and a lot of emerging artists sign with Bob Roth Records as it’s one of the biggest record companies out there. Granted, the company isn’t known for their ethical behaviour, but no one can deny they give better services than the other record labels. 

From what Allegra had told her, it had been a struggle to find someone within the Bob Roth Records label willing to testify. 

Marinette had a hunch the CEO of the record company had been blackmailing the artists to keep quiet. The few who had been brave enough to take things to court had lost the case and their reputations were ruined soon after and there would always be an article on the dirt Bob Roth supposedly had released to the press that added fuel to the flames. 

Those few incidents might have scared the other artists into submission. It disgusted her how far people like Bob Roth were willing to go to satisfy their greed. She might not be friends with her classmates anymore, but she still hadn’t forgotten how Bob Roth encouraged his son to plagiarize Kitty Section’s song and costumes. 

Her thoughts only made her even more determined to see Bob Roth held accountable for his actions, hoping to seek justice for not only herself but for all the other artists who had been wronged in the past. 

Allan had taken his place in the witness box, his eyes cool and giving nothing away as he met Bob Roth’s warning glare. 

It was a tense silence as the two were locked in a stare-down, neither wavering. 

The judge turned his stern gaze to Allan. “Witness Allan Singh. Please detail your testimony to the court.” 

Allan looked away from the stare-down with Bob Roth to look at the judge with a nod. “Thank you, Your Honor.” 

He turned back to face Bob Roth and recounted his testimony. “On the 1st of May in 2022, I met with Bob Roth to speak with him about the possibility of signing with his record label. At his request, I let him listen to my demos and after that, he kept pushing for me to sign the contract.”

Allegra stood up, her face stony as she addressed Allan. “Witness Allan Singh. Did you agree to sign the contract? To work with Bob Roth?” 

He took her questioning in a stride. “I made up my mind and agreed to work with Bob Roth. I read through the fine print carefully despite his many obvious attempts to stop me from doing so. I remembered clearly, as I was reading through the fine print, there wasn’t anything that seemed wrong but as I was about to turn the last page, Bob Roth told me he would offer a down payment of 50,000 dollars to show good faith and for the beginning of our partnership. It seemed like a good deal at the time and I signed the contract without reading the last page.” 

It was a strategic move on Bob Roth’s part, offering the 50,000 dollars to keep Allan from reading the rest of the fine print. The psychological pressure would have made the offer seem favourable and caused Allan to sign the deal as quickly as possible to receive the incentive. 

If Marinette’s earlier theory was right, not only was Bob Roth blackmailing his artists but he was also manipulating them using psychology to gain what he wanted. 

Allan continued his testimony. “I didn’t realize what was going on until one time, Bob Roth’s son whose stage name is XY, used one of my songs as his background track for his song ‘Life In Space’ without my permission. I found out it was Bob Roth who encouraged his son to plagiarize my work through sheer luck when I walked in on them arguing about it.” 

Bob Roth didn’t so much as twitch during Allan’s testimony. On the contrary, he looked smug. “Did you think that from slandering me you would get away clean as well? You’re not as innocent as you think, Allan. It’s not like you haven’t plagiarized in the past. How do you think your reputation will fare when the public realizes your track ‘Asteroids’ was plagiarized from Jagged Stone’s ‘Rock Giant’ Album, hmm?” 

His smug expression dropped when he realized Allan didn’t seem fazed by his last statement. 

That didn’t stop Allegra from standing up and interjecting, “Objection! Your Honor, Bob Roth is threatening a witness in court. According to the law, threatening a witness in court can lead to additional fines, imprisonment or other consequences imposed by the judge.”

The room filled with quiet chatters as the judge discussed with the other executives about what had just transpired. There was a shuffle of papers and pen scribbling. 

Bob Roth paled as he realized his outburst had cost him the benefit of the doubt from the judge and undermined his credibility. 

The quiet chattering faded to silence as the judge and executives wrapped up their discussions. 

The judge faced Bob Roth with a look of disdain as he gave the verdict. “Defendant Bob Roth. Your attempt to intimidate Witness Allan Singh into silence was highly inappropriate and disrupted the proceedings of this trial. Such behaviour will not be tolerated. As a consequence of your action, I am issuing a formal warning for contempt of court. Any further disruptions will result in more severe consequences. Do you understand?” 

Bob Roth seemed to be sweating profusely as he wiped his forehead with the sleeve of his suit. “I understand, Your Honor.” 

“Very well.” The judge nodded, turning his attention to Allan. “Continue with the proceedings.” 

With a respectful nod, Allan complied. “Your Honor, I still have the contract.” 

He looked to Allegra, who stood up with a packet of paper, walked up to the judge’s table and handed him the contract. 

The judge accepted it and reviewed it with the other executives. 

Marinette peered at Bob Roth from where she was sitting to see him shifting with a nervous look on his face and looking worried. 

“The evidence and testimony still might not be enough. People like Bob Roth never give up and will fight to the end. Good thing I have more tricks up my sleeve,” Allegra said to her, a smug smile tugging at her lips. 

“Allan Singh. This contract can only prove that on May 1st, 2022, you did meet with Bob Roth. But it does not prove that Bob Roth told his son to plagiarize your music,” The judge said, looking grave as he set the contract down on the table. “However, this contract does prove Bob Roth’s unethical behaviour as it condones plagiarism. There is not enough evidence to suggest that Bob Roth has a habit of exploiting artists in the past or present but it does impact his credibility.”

Allan nodded in understanding, looking resigned. 

“Witness Allan Singh, please leave the witness box.”

At that, Allan moved to leave the box and went to take his seat in the gallery. 

Marinette watched with a grim look as Bob Roth looked relieved. 

“Everything will work out. Have faith,” Allegra reassured her, letting her stern mask crack as she smiled. 

Once Allan had settled into his seat, Allegra stood up to speak. “Your Honor, I want to invite my second witness from our side to testify.”

The judge gave a nod of approval and as Allegra took her seat once more, the doors opened with a click and a familiar tall figure with blonde hair styled to stick upwards walked in, avoiding Bob Roth’s piercing gaze. 

Marinette squinted at the figure. She could’ve almost sworn it looked like…

“Your Honor, this is the second witness, Xavier-Yves Roth, the son of Bob Roth and known by his stage name, XY,” Allegra informed, causing Marinette to gap. 

Allegra managed to get XY to testify against his own father. Marinette whipped her head in Bob Roth’s direction just in time to see all the colour drain from his face. 

Allegra continued, her lips twitching as she struggled to not break her facade and smirk at the obvious panic Bob Roth was trying hard not to show. “Xavier-Yves Roth can account for the day his father Bob Roth encouraged him to plagiarize Allan Singh’s song and also testify for Marinette Dupain-Chang’s ownership of his album cover design, ‘Access to Memories’.”

The judge focused his attention on the second witness. “Xavier-Yves Roth. Please provide your testimony to the court.” 

As Allegra took her seat, Marinette tugged at her sleeve. “How did you manage to get XY on this? And against his own father too?” 

Allegra couldn’t stop the smirk spreading on her face. “I have my ways. XY is the key player in this, he can testify for you, Allan and all the other artists that Bob Roth had stolen from. As Bob Roth’s son, XY would have front-row seats to all his father’s unethical and corrupt dealings.” 

Marinette nodded, still in shock even as she brought her focus back to XY. 

XY smiled at his father but it was a bitter one, one that promised retribution. “Father. Surprised to see me?”

Bob Roth turned away from his son to face the judge. “Your Honor, I know my son. He would never go against his own father. He must have been blackmailed by Marinette Dupain-Cheng to falsify and harm me.” 

“Father,” XY said in a tone that demanded his father’s attention. “Do you think that if you deny the truth, you would get away without any consequences? Sorry to burst your bubble, but after this, Bob Roth Records is done for.” 

XY turned to the judge, ignoring his father’s flabbergasted expression. “Your Honor. I know I’m not innocent if we’re talking about plagiarism and I’m not defending my or my father’s actions. I’ve only ever wanted to make my father proud.” 

He paused, a look of regret in his eyes as he looked at his father before he continued with his testimony. “The day Allan walked in on our argument, I had already finalized my new music. I asked Father if what we’d been doing was right. He justified our actions as taking inspiration. I’ve never enjoyed making music and only pursued it because my father wanted me to. When Allan walked in and threatened to sue, Father offered 100,000 dollars for his silence. Allan didn’t agree at first, but then father said something that I couldn’t hear to Allan that made him reconsider.” 

“As for MDC… sorry, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, I should say. I did commission her for an album cover for my new album, ‘Access to Memories’. The album cover was not designed by Father but by MDC. I don’t have evidence but I’m sure Marinette does of her rough sketches and ideas during the early process of designing the album cover.” he said, turning to the subject and waiting for the evidence to be presented. 

Marinette glanced at Allegra and the lawyer stood up, holding the pages of sketches and rough ideas that had been ripped out of Marinette’s sketchbook days earlier in preparation. 

The judge accepted the evidence as Allegra handed it to him and reviewed it with the other executives. “These concept sketches do prove Plaintiff Marinette Dupain-Cheng’s ownership of the album cover design but not Witness Allan Singh’s case. Although your testimony holds a lot of weight because of your relation to Bob Roth, we still require concrete evidence of your father’s history of exploiting artists.”

Bob Roth stood up, looking furious. “Objection! Your Honor, how do you know for sure Dupain-Cheng didn’t steal my sketches and presented them to you as evidence?” 

The judge looked unimpressed by his outburst. “Defendant Bob Roth, things are not looking good for you. Both Witness Xavier-Yves and Plaintiff Marinette Dupain-Cheng have more credibility than you, and the testimony and evidence line up. What do you have to back your claims up besides words?” 

Bob Roth spluttered and the judge shook his head.

The judge turned to XY. “Do continue with the proceedings.” 

XY paid his father’s spluttering no mind as he straightened up, prepared to deliver the final blow. “I have my father’s bank statements from the last ten years. It shows him to have transferred large sums of money to various artists and other people in exchange for their silence.”

Allegra stood up to pass the various sheets of papers stapled together for the judge to review. 

“You have my bank statements? Your Honor, that is an invasion of privacy!” Bob Roth all but shouted, his face turning red from anger. 

The judge addressed Bob Roth’s objection as he passed the bank statements to the other executives for review. “Bob Roth, in the case of privacy invasion, they are important but they may be outweighed by the need for justice.” 

“Your Honor, it’s not technically an invasion of privacy if I come across the documents by accident, correct?” XY interjected, and the judge nodded in confirmation. 

Bob Roth glared at his son. “You shouldn’t have looked through my things to begin with! Just you wait until-”

“Bob Roth, you are already on thin ice, I suggest you do not implicate yourself any further,” The judge said in a stern tone, effectively cutting him off. 

Bob Roth’s mouth snapped shut but not before leveling a glare on his son. 

The judge brought his attention back to the bank statements, whispers of chatters filled the tense room as he discussed the verdict with the other executives. 

He pounded his gavel, the sound echoing throughout the room and gathering everyone’s attention. “Everyone, please stand up.”

Holding a piece of paper in one hand, the judge gave the verdict. “The court bases on all the facts and evidence to sentence as follows. Bob Roth is liable for multiple counts of plagiarism, copyright infringement and fraud. The damages are to be awarded to Plaintiff Marinette Dupain-Cheng and other affected artists, $10 million each, totalling $210 million. This reflects the financial losses, reputation harm and emotional distress imposed by Bob Roth’s actions.”

Bob Roth sank to his seat, paling. His company would be going bankrupt with all the fines he had to pay, not to mention he had blown a lot of his net worth away in bribery and who knows what other corrupt activities he had partaken in that didn’t come up in the trial. 

The judge wasn’t done. “Furthermore, the court deems Bob Roth’s behaviour nefarious and warrants criminal charges for fraud along with copyright infringement. Bob Roth is hereby ordered to pay an additional fine of $10 million for these offences and will be subjected to further legal proceedings in the criminal court.”

He pounded his gavel once more. “This concludes the trial.”

Everyone stood up and the room burst into loud chatters, discussing the long trial that had just taken place. 

The crowd was oblivious to how Bob Roth was shaking with anger, and the light beating of wings revealed the Akuma heading straight for him. 

No one saw how a small crimson creature resembling a ladybug zipped towards the soon-to-be bankrupted CEO and secretly swallowed the Akuma in one gulp before spitting it out to reveal the purified butterfly. 

Tikki knew that her chosen identity as MDC would get revealed in the heat of the moment if Bob Roth was to be akumatized so she took action and if she kept a lookout in case Hawkmoth decided to send more, no one needed to know. 

──────────

──────────

May 14th, 2023 — Bob Roth’s Residence, Paris, France.
4:30 pm

Picking at the lock was child’s play, it was pathetic. Bob Roth was a millionaire but the man couldn’t be bothered to add any security measures to his house except for a crappy lock that could be picked by even a toddler. 

Felix had the door unlocked within seconds, the door opening with a click that had him smirking in victory. 

Twirling the lock picker in his fingers, he strolled in like he owned the place, taking note of the very messy place. It seemed like Mr. Roth had quite a temper, it was a miracle the man had trashed his own living space within hours. It was quite an achievement.

Deducing that the man would probably be plotting ways to ruin Marinette, Felix made his way to what he thinks is Mr. Roth’s bedroom.

Felix wouldn’t allow the plagiarizer to ruin Marinette’s life just because he shot himself in the foot and he was going to do everything he could to prevent that from happening. It didn’t matter that the man knew MDC’s identity and was willing to break the NDA to get his revenge, Felix had dug up more than enough dirt on Mr. Roth to ensure he would stay quiet. 

He stepped into the bedroom to see Mr. Roth typing furiously on his laptop. 

The man was so focused on his revenge plot that he hadn’t even realized Felix’s presence until he drawled, “Whatever you are planning to do to Marinette, I suggest you give up.”

Mr. Roth flinched, looking up and freezing at the cold look Felix shot at him. 

A loud screech filled the room as Mr. Roth stood up abruptly, stomping towards the intruder, a furious look on his face. “Who do you think you, walking into my residence like you own the place to tell me what to do?” 

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng deserves what she’s about to get and no one, not some rich spoiled kid will stop me from ruining her reputation like she did to mine,” Mr. Roth snarled, spitting out Marinette’s with hatred. 

Felix didn’t even blink at the man’s monologue, feeling no pity for the man who had ruined many small artists’ careers for his own gain. “You will do no such thing. Not if you want to spend the rest of your useless life in jail.” 

Mr. Roth laughed, not believing him in the slightest. “You don’t have the authority to send me to jail, kid. This is between me and Dupain-Cheng, I suggest you don’t involve yourself in this legal battle. Now leave before I change my mind and decide to start a smear campaign against you. It’s not like I have anything to lose at this point.” 

Felix’s cold expression cracked into a menacing smirk, making the man take a step back subconsciously. He dug into his pocket for the flash drive of evidence he had compiled on Mr. Roth’s crimes. It included videos of him blackmailing his clients, his early gambling habits and murder. 

“Do you remember how you got the money to start your company?” Felix asked in a deceptively soft tone, tossing the flash drive between his hands and catching Mr. Roth’s attention who paled. 

“What are you on about?” The man snapped back but Felix wasn’t fooled. He could see the sweat that had started to appear on Mr. Roth’s forehead as he turned even paler by the second, clutching the corner of his desk as he tried to keep himself upright. 

Felix held the flash drive in front of him. “I think you know full well what I am talking about. After all, did you not kill your own supposed best friend to steal his wealth to start your own company?” 

“That’s impossible! You shouldn’t have been able to find what the police couldn’t. I made sure of it,” Mr. Roth whispered in denial, now looking at him in fear, contrasting to his aggressive demeanour from before.

Felix went to take the seat Mr. Roth had vacated, brushing past him as he did. Felix set the flash drive on the table as a distraction while he slipped the prize he had stolen into his pocket. 

“There is nothing on the internet that I cannot find. I am proficient in hacking you see, breaking into security cameras is child’s play. Murder could get you a lifetime sentence… I wonder what other crimes could get you an even worse punishment than a lifetime sentence if we dig any further?” 

He sees the man eyeing the flash drive, contemplating something. “Feel free to destroy the evidence. These videos and files are backed up on all my devices and I have two other flash drives. Oh, and not to mention I have someone holding on to one of these just in case something happens to me, he would release the footage to the press and send one to the police as a gift.” 

Mr. Roth clenched his fists, his eyes flashing with anger before trying to control himself. “What do you want?”
Felix smirked, looking happy at his work. “Refrain yourself from releasing MDC’s identity to the press and we will not have a problem. Do we have a deal?” 

“Fine,” The man gritted out, looking pained as he did. 

Felix gave a slow clap, his voice cold as he responded, “Glad we can come to an agreement. For your sake, I do hope you honour it.”

Not bothering to wait for a response, he left the residence, satisfied by the turn of events. Mr. Roth would keep what he knew to himself unless he wanted prison to be his new home. 

Once he had exited the building, he took out the sleek black phone from the depths of his pocket. Mr. Roth’s phone. 

Felix hid in a nearby alley, leaning casually against the wall as he unlocked the phone on his first try with Mr. Roth’s birthdate. The man had not thought anyone would ever steal his phone if he set it as something as simple as his birthdate of all things. 

Making quick work of going into the photo app, he deleted the photo Mr. Roth had sneakily taken of Marinette in court and checked the hidden folder for good measure. 

He would have to create an encryption of some sort to protect MDC’s identity but for now, he would settle on manually deleting the evidence from Mr. Roth’s phone, tossing the phone in the dumpster behind him before dusting off his suit and leaving the alley behind. 

“FELIX GRAHAM DE VANILY!” 

Felix scowled and cursed under his breath. With all the anger Mr. Roth had been bottling up, it was inevitable that he would be akumatized. At least Mr. Roth seemed to be focusing on Felix and not Marinette. 

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Chapter Text

──────────

Felix Graham de Vanily’s Secret Girlfriend: Marinette Dupain-Cheng
Anonymous

Only just a few months ago, the internet speculated Felix Graham de Vanily was in a relationship with MDC and the rumour was never confirmed or denied. We were all wrong, as London’s Ice Prince, Graham de Vanily, has been in a secret relationship with one Marinette Dupain-Cheng. 

Just yesterday, we received a photo from a trusted source who wishes to remain anonymous, showing what seems to be Graham de Vanily and Dupain-Cheng on a date. 

[Source: Photo from Marinette Dupain-Cheng’s private Instagram account]

The trusted source managed to find Graham de Vanily’s private Instagram account through the tagged account in the post and can confirm the account is indeed Graham de Vanily’s private account as Dupain-Cheng follows it along with Chloe Bourgeois. 

[Source: Screenshot of Felix Graham de Vanily’s private Instagram account from a trusted source]

Our trusted source guessed that Graham de Vanily is only following his girlfriend, Dupain-Cheng, hence the 1 following. While Graham de Vanily is not known for being warm, we’re sure fans will find this fact sweet. 

In light of this unexpected development, some fans will inevitably be excited at the news of Graham de Vanily in a relationship. But will Dupain-Cheng be a good match for him?

In terms of social status, Dupain-Cheng is the daughter of bakers, Sabine and Tom Dupain-Cheng, who are the owners of Tom & Sabine Boulangerie Patisserie. How can we be sure Dupain-Cheng isn’t dating Graham de Vanily for his wealth? 

A trusted source who goes to the same school as Dupain-Cheng says, “Marinette does spend time with Felix a lot but this could still all be a ruse… Felix is still the cold person he always is even when dating Marinette. She could be blackmailing him for all we know. Of course, I don’t want to assume the worst, Marinette is such a sweet person to everyone else even if she hasn’t been the best to me!”

This suggests that appearances can be deceiving. Graham de Vanily and Dupain-Cheng may seem like they’re dating but is there more than what meets the eye?

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Graham Cracker 

Graham Cracker:
Marinette, are you okay? 
9:12 AM 

Graham Cracker:
Have seen the article and the tweets on Twitter?
9:12 AM

Graham Cracker:
Marinette, I can see you have read my messages. I will take that as yes.
9:13 AM

Graham Cracker:
Can you at least dignify me a response so I know you are okay?
9:14 AM

Graham Cracker:
I am coming over. I will be there in 5.
9:15 AM 
Read

──────────

May 21st, 2023 — Tom & Sabine Boulangerie Patisserie, Paris, France.
9:15 am

Marinette looked up from her phone, tensing as she gripped her phone tighter, meeting the gaze of her kwami. “Tikki, he’s coming over, what do I do?!? Maybe I should move to another country and get a new ID— I’ve always wanted to dye my hair pink. Kaalki can help, this is an emergency! Yes, we should pack right now and hurry before he gets here or my life will be over—” 

“Marinette!” Tikki screamed in her chosen’s ear, stopping her rambling. 

That didn’t stop the ravenette from pacing, waving her arms around wildly as she continued to catastrophize. “I don’t even know how this could have happened! My Instagram account is private, how could that photo have gotten out? I knew I shouldn’t have posted it but in my defence, it was a really great picture— oh no, Felix’s going to be so mad!” 

Tikki flew over to Marinette, trying to calm her down before Hawkmoth sent an akuma after her. “Marinette, I’m sure Felix would understand it wasn’t your intention for that photo to get out. Moreover, he seems more concerned and worried than anything.”

Marinette shook her head, her eyes wide. “Didn’t you see the text? He’s coming over! Here! He’s going to confront me about it and I’ll end up making a fool of myself. I would delete the post but it’s too late now, it would still be out there whether or not I delete it.” 

“Marinette, you’re focusing on the wrong thing right now. I’m sure Felix only wants to help and make sure you’re okay. You should try to find out who betrayed your trust and sent the photo to the paparazzi,” Tikki reasoned, grabbing the phone from the desk and waiting for her chosen to take it. 

Marinette took a deep breath, compartmentalizing everything and going to her Ladybug mindset. “You’re right, Tikki. The problem is, I don’t know who could’ve done this. I would’ve said Lila but she doesn’t follow me, she never sent me a follow request and I wouldn’t have accepted it even if she did. My classmates and I might not be close anymore but I don’t think any of them would do something like that.” 

“People can change, Marinette. If Chloe is capable of turning a new leaf for the better, then your classmates could be capable of doing the same but in the opposite direction, especially when they’re heavily being influenced by Lila,” Tikki explained, not wanting her holder to rule anyone out just yet. 

Marinette sighed but before she could respond, she heard her mother’s voice from downstairs. 

“Marinette, dear, Felix is here to see you!” 

Marinette squeaked, the panic coming back as Tikki zipped away out of sight. Marinette’s gaze swung to the window and she considered jumping out. She could transform and hide out on the rooftops until Felix went away. 

“Don’t even think about it,” Tikki hissed out from where she was hiding, making the ravenette pout. 

Marinette forced her panic away, reasoning that it was better to face him sooner than later. Ripping off the bandaid, you know?  

Felix was her friend. A friend who she may or may not have feelings for. It was that damn article’s fault. 

She cursed under her breath as she heard a knock on her trap door. 

“Marinette, I know you are in there,” The voice of Felix said, causing Marinette to freeze. 

When there wasn’t any response from the ravenette, Felix softened his tone. “Can I come in? I can leave if you want me to.” 

Marinette knew he would if she asked him to. She cleared her throat, taking a seat at her desk like she hadn’t spent the last ten minutes spiralling. “Y-you can come in.” 

The trapdoor to her room swung open and she didn’t look at him as he entered, shuffling to where she was sitting at her desk. 

She reached out blindly to grab for her sketchbook on the desk, knocking over the jar that held her pencils and pens in the process. Scrambling to clean up the mess, she grabbed the pencils before they could roll off the desk and she could see from her peripheral vision Felix reaching to help her. 

She set the jar back standing upright, placing the pens and pencils in it, being careful not to brush Felix’s hands with hers as he helped. 

Once the mess was cleaned, she flipped to a random page in her sketchbook and busied herself with ‘fixing’ up lines in her sketches as she waited for Felix to confront her. 

The silence stretched on until Marinette couldn’t take it anymore.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have posted that photo, I knew you were a private person and you definitely can’t be happy about this getting out.” She blurted out, the pencil scratching on paper growing more agitated as her movements grew frantic. 

She opened her mouth to continue when hands reached out to gently take the sketchbook and pencil from her hands. She looked up to see Felix looking down at her with a frown tugging at his lips. 

“There is no need to apologize. It is not your fault,” he said, setting her sketchbook and pencil on the desk in front of her.

Marinette shook her head, protesting. “But-”

“Were you the one who sold the photo to the paparazzi?” He asked, taking her aback. 

She looked affronted as she responded, “Of course not!”

His face softened like he wanted her to know he didn’t mean to accuse her of anything, merely proving a point. “Then I don’t see how this is your fault. You should not apologize for things out of your control. Someone else sold the photo to the paparazzi, if anyone should be held accountable for their actions, it would be them and not you.”

Marinette nodded, feeling relieved when he didn’t blame her for the leaked photo. 

She knew Felix must be feeling upset even if it wasn’t at her. She chewed on her bottom lip as she thought about how to comfort him, missing how his gaze drifted to her lips at the action. “This must be upsetting for you. There’s barely any information about you on the internet and now the media finally got something even if it’s just baseless rumours.”

She met his gaze just as his eyes darted away, his cheeks taking on a light pink hue as he mumbled, “Not as upset as I should be.” 

Marinette furrowed her brows, confused at his words. What did he mean by that? That he wouldn’t mind her being his girlfriend? She quickly shoved the thought away, not wanting to look for signs that weren’t there. 

He cleared his throat, composing himself before meeting her eyes again. “One of your followers sold the photo out. Any ideas on who it could be?” 

“I know it can’t be our classmates,” She said, taking a deep breath. “We might not be close anymore but I believe they won’t do something like this. The obvious answer would be Lila but we don’t follow each other on Instagram.”

Felix nodded, looking thoughtful. “We will not rule anyone out just yet but this does seem like Miss Rossi’s handiwork. She obviously will not try to discredit you herself, god forbid she gets caught. She is unfortunately smart enough to get someone else to do the work for her.”

He brushed invisible dust from his pants, then settled himself onto the floor and took out his shiny silver Apple laptop from his bag. 

Marinette stared, looking baffled. “What are you doing?”

He hummed, clicking away on his keyboard. “Tracking who has taken a screenshot of that specific photo on your account in the last 24 hours, obviously. What does it look like?” 

She gaped at his casual revelation that he could hack. She should not have found the trait as attractive as she did but somehow Felix having advanced technical skills made perfect sense to her. 

“You can hack,” She said, making him look up to catch the awed expression on her face. 

The tips of his ears turned pink and he turned back to his laptop, continuing to manipulate the platform’s security into giving him access to the information from the server. 

“How else did you think I could keep things out of the media for so long? The information the media has on me does not go out unless I want it to,” he mumbled, flustered from her obvious admiration of his skills. 

She made her way over to him, taking the seat beside him on the floor to view his technical skills in action and the pink in his ears deepened in colour at her close proximity but he didn’t cease in his typing, determined to solve the mystery. It didn’t stop his heart from beating faster than usual though. 

Marinette scrunched her nose, looking adorably confused at the advanced lines of code on screen having only basic knowledge of HTML and CSS to build a simple website. 

She watched as Felix scrolled through the complicated blocks of code, his expression taking on the familiar scowl as he focused on the task at hand.

After a few moments of silence save for his occasional clicks on the keyboard and scroll of his mouse, he started to list names. “Miss Cesaire, Miss Beaureal, Miss Bourgeois…” 

He paused, highlighting the unfamiliar username within the block of code that logged the usernames of users who had taken screenshots of the photo in the last twenty-four hours. “TheLadyBlog_backup2. Is the Ladyblog not that tabloid blog Miss Cesaire runs?”

Marinette frowned, peering at his screen. “That’s Alya’s backup account. Why would she take a screenshot with her backup account when she already did with her personal one? A while ago when were still close, she told me that was her second backup account in case something happened to her first one, why would she—” 

She froze as she realized, feeling betrayed. “Lila.”

Of course, Lila must’ve fed Alya some lie and Alya bought it, who then told Marinette it was her backup account. Marinette accepted the follow request from her best friend, not knowing it was actually Lila’s account used to specifically follow and monitor her. 

A light feather touch on her hand brought Marinette out of her thoughts to see Felix looking upset on her behalf but his gaze held concern for her as well. 

She watched as he swapped to a new desktop, pulling up TheLadyBlog_backup2’s account on a new window. 

“Tracking the IP address, just to be sure it is Miss Rossi,” he clarified at her curious look.

Multiple clicks of his keyboard later revealed the geographical location associated with the device used to access TheLadyBlog_backup2’s account. 

He tiled the window to the left while simultaneously creating a new one, tiling it to the right and pulling up Lila’s personal account. He repeated his previous actions to get the geographical location but this time for Lila’s personal account. 

Once done, he looked at his work, cross-referencing the two identical locations. “There you have it, this is Miss Rossi’s doing. I could of course track her phone’s activity but I think this already proves it was her.” 

He scoffed, looking amused. “This is obvious fan behaviour, Miss Rossi created a burner account to stalk you.” 

He looked up and his breath hitched from seeing the awed look on her face, almost like… he swallowed harshly and looked away, lest he do something stupid, like kiss her. 

His traitorous eyes didn’t stay on his laptop screen as he intended and instead strayed back to the girl who never seemed to leave his mind. He let out a groan. “You might want to stop looking at me like that unless you want to prove that article true.” 

His voice was filled with sarcasm and too late, his jaw snapped shut with an audible click. He didn’t dare glance at her for her reaction. He hadn’t meant to be sarcastic but it was his default response and defense mechanism when he didn’t know how to express himself. He hadn’t meant to let that slip at all. 

Felix took a peak at her to see her eyes were blown wide in surprise, her lips parted and a pretty blush dusting her cheeks. She was chewing on her bottom lip again, conveying her nervousness and his eyes zeroed in on the action. Was she trying to torture him? 

He closed his laptop, setting it to the side and overcoming with a sudden nervousness from what he was about to do. 

A hand goes to cup her cheek and his other hand on her waist, and he slowly leans in for a kiss, giving her the chance to push him away.  

Marinette surprised the both of them when she met him halfway, closing the last bit of space between them, her hand going to his hair and threading through it as she stood on her tiptoe. 

Felix has never had his first kiss, having never found anyone worth his time. You would think being an actor would mean kissing on-screen but he’s never agreed to scripts that require kissing. He believes something as intimate as kissing should be shared with your significant other. 

As such, he's completely clueless about this and is content with Marinette leading them. 

The kiss was over as quickly as it happened, and he realized at some point during the kiss he had closed his eyes. Now opening them and looking dazed, he took comfort in how Marinette didn’t look any less dazed than he was so he must’ve done something right. 

His lips curved upwards into a soft smile as he watched her, her face turning pink at his besotted stare. “Marinette, I like you more than a friend. Would you do me the honours of being my girlfriend?” 

Her smile was bright and her eyes held amusement at his formal speech, making him feel self-conscious and he took to giving light taps on his leg. 

She took his hand, stopping his tapping. “I like you too, Fe. I would love to be your girlfriend.”

Hearing her say that, he was overwhelmed with happiness and overcome with the desire to kiss her again. He did just that because he could. 

He placed a chaste kiss on her lips before pulling back with a grin, happy with the turn of events. 

Marinette leaned into his side as he grabbed his laptop, fingers flying across the keyboard as he navigated through the lines of code to write a custom script designed to identify and block any of Lila’s attempts to follow Marinette’s account even when using different accounts. 

As lines of code appeared on screen, accompanied by his keyboard clicks, his focus expression was unwavering as he was oblivious to the fond looks Marinette was giving him. 

Felix grabbed his phone from his pocket to test out his work as he tapped on the Instagram icon, logging out of his account and hacking his way into Lila’s personal account. Upon gaining entry, he went to follow Marinette’s account and was met with an error 404. 

His lips twitched into a victorious smirk at the sight, knowing he had been successful. He turned to Marinette to see she had been watching the process with wonder. 

He preened at how she seemed to admire his technical skills, even if he had been using them in an unethical way. 

“Miss Rossi should not be able to follow you anymore, even if she made another account. I have created a custom script that will identify her IP address and it will block any of her attempts to follow your account, generating an error on her end,” He explained, wanting to explain his process while also not wanting to confuse her. 

On the contrary, she didn’t seem to be confused, only listening with rapt attention. 

“Thank you for this, Fe,” She said, smiling as she kissed him on the cheek, causing him to blush at the action. 

Felix returned the smile, taking hold of her hand. “Of course, Marinette. I will always help you.” 

And he meant it, he wasn’t just talking about the situation at hand. He hadn’t cemented his theory but he had his suspicions about Marinette being one of the Parisian heroes. 

She nodded, the gratitude clear in her eyes. 

“Now that one of our problems is solved, what about that… article?” She asked, scrunching her nose in an adorable manner. “It’s not exactly a rumour anymore because, you know.”

She looked at him and blushed, referring to the kiss that had transpired earlier. 

“We confirm the news through an interview with a trusted news source,” he murmured, considering. 

At that, Marinette lit up. “I can get Nadja Chamack to conduct the interview. I babysit her daughter so often that she’s considered as a family friend now.” 

Felix didn’t have any objection to the suggestion, except…

He squeezed her hand. “Are you sure you want to do this? Everyone will know who Marinette Dupain-Cheng is after this, it may never blow over and you will no longer have the anonymity that comes with being Marinette Dupain-Cheng. The media will constantly poke around and you would have to be even more careful with your other identity.”

He wasn’t just referring to her identity as MDC but also as Ladybug, it would be harder for her to sneak away with reporters in constant surveillance of the bakery. 

As much as he liked the idea of showing his girlfriend off to the world, he didn’t want to add more stress to her plate, she was dealing with enough problems as it is without him adding to it with his selfish desires. 

He could keep the reporters from finding any private information about Marinette on the internet as technology was his domain, but there were limitations of technology in real-life situations. He scowled at the thought of reporters digging for every tidbit of information on Marinette. 

“I’m sure, Fe. I was going to reveal myself as MDC next year, remember? Might as get used to the media sooner than later,” She said, accompanied with a poke to his cheek to get him to lighten up. 

It worked as his scowling expression shifted to one of fondness as he grabbed her wrist to stop her from poking his cheek. “If you are sure, then we can schedule an interview as soon as possible to get the statement out.” 

She nodded. “I’ll contact Nadja Chamack soon and I’ll text you the details when she responds.” 

──────────

──────────

From the phone of Marinette Dupain-Cheng:
Nadja 

Me:
Hi Aunt Nadja! You’ve probably seen the article by now and I was wondering if you wanted to interview me and Felix? We decided to confirm the news with a trusted news source and I suggested you
4:02 PM

Nadja:
Of course, Marinette! Thank you for the opportunity, I would love to interview you both if you guys don’t mind the prime-time show that is?
4:06 PM

Nadja: 
I’ve just checked the schedule and there’s an available slot in the next two days, on the 23rd if you’re both available then?
4:08

Me:
Yes, the prime-time show is fine! The date works for us. What time would the interview be?
4:13 PM

Nadja:
Will 8:00 pm work?
4:15 PM

Me:
Yes, that works! Thank you for this Aunt Nadja
4:16 PM

Nadja:
Of course, Marinette! It’s the least I can do after you’ve babysat Manon so many times. I look forward to interviewing you and Mr. Graham de Vanily!
4:17 PM
Read

Mon Chéri Graham Cracker 

Me:
Nadja just confirmed the interview to be in two days on the 23rd at 8:00 pm!
4:18

Mon Chéri Graham Cracker:
Noted. 
4:18 
Read

──────────

May 23rd, 2023 — TVi Studio, Paris, France.
8:00 pm

Arriving at the broadcasting studio, Marinette was hit with a sudden feeling of anxiety despite Felix’s arm on hers to ground her. She couldn’t help it, what if the interview went wrong and everyone hated her? She could never reveal her identity as MDC, lest they hated her even more for that. 

TVi Studio was a large skyscraper building, its walls consisting of almost entirely large windows with thin white framings. The towering structure seemed to loom over her, only contributing to her apprehensiveness. 

She could feel Tikki moving in her purse, trying to reassure her that she was there and for that, Marinette was grateful for her kwami. Tikki would be with her every step of the way, and so would Felix. 

Speaking of the blonde, he stopped as they reached the entrance, turning to look at her. “It is alright to be anxious. The feeling never fully goes away even with practice but rest assured, I will have your back no matter what.”

She nodded, still anxious but his words soothed her ever so slightly. He grabbed her hand, leading them into the building. 

Having been in the building many times as Ladybug to fight akumas, Marinette knew the way to the shooting studio from the back of her head but was happy with Felix leading them as she was pretty sure Marinette wasn’t supposed to know her way around, having never been in the building as her civilian self.  

Felix did seem to know his way though, navigating them through the twists and turns of the hallways with expertise like he had been there many times. He may as well have been, probably having done interviews at the particular broadcasting studio in the past. 

At the reassuring nod from Felix, she crossed the threshold and into the shooting studio where Nadja Chamack was already sitting on one of the two red chairs present on the light blue stage. 

There were cameras at various angles, reminding Marinette of her many times in Starlight Studios. The many light sources on the ceiling and surrounding the stage illuminated the main focus of the show. 

Felix’s hand was gentle, resting on the small of her back, ushering her to the loveseat in front of where Nadja was sitting, a gesture that didn’t escape the notice of the keen reporter who smiled fondly at the sight. 

“How are you, Aunt Nadja?” Marinette asked the reporter after they’d settled down into their seats, Felix grabbing onto her hand and resting their linked hands on her knee. 

She smiled at how he wasn’t afraid of being affectionate in public despite his reserved nature

Nadja smiled, tapping on her tablet at hand, seeming to give a final check on everything. “Everything’s going great. What about you, Marinette?” 

“A bit anxious about how this is going to turn out if I’m being honest,” Marinette admitted, feeling Felix giving a light squeeze to her hand and eliciting a sympathetic look from the reporter. 

Ladybug had been on TV before but never as Marinette and no one was supposed to know that. It was true that she was still anxious, Felix was right, the feeling never really goes away. 

“That’s to be expected, being on TV is always nerve-wracking,” Nadja responded before turning her attention to Felix. “And what about you Mr. Graham de Vanily? How are you feeling?”

The Felix with the soft expression whenever he so much as looked at Marinette was gone, leaving in his place the cold mask the media and most people were familiar with. “Good for now. Although that might change depending on the outcome of this interview.”

Nadja chuckled at the response, not deterred by the Ice Prince persona. “Let’s hope the interview goes well, then.”

No words were exchanged as Nadja adjusted her earpiece, looking up toward the window in the control room where the director is and nodded. 

“In 5… 4… 3…” 

Nadja began to count down as Marinette shifted in her seat, the anxiety not quelling even with Felix’s tight but reassuring grip on her hand. He looked the perfect picture of calm, a blank look on his face even as the countdown reached its end. 

“...2…1!”

At the end of the countdown, Nadja turned to the camera, saying her introductory part. “Good evening! I’m Nadja Chamack and this is face to face. This evening we are joined by our newly alleged couple that have taken the internet by storm, Felix Graham de Vanily and Marinette Dupain-Cheng, hello!”

Marinette took that as her cue to wave at the camera with a sunny smile, Felix opting with a nod and keeping his face clear of any emotions, their demeanour contrasting with one another. 

Nadja turned to the couple in front of her with a smile as she expressed her gratitude. “Thanks for reaching out for this exclusive live interview!”

Marinette’s racing heartbeat calmed down as she channelled her inner Ladybug and with a smile, she responded, “Well, thank you, Nadja! We’re honoured to be here.” 

Felix nodded, looking serious. “And we hope this 'scoop', as people might call it, will satisfy the many people out there who live their dating lives vicariously through me.”

He made the air quotes as he said the words, prompting a giggle out of Marinette and unknowingly causing many girls across the world to swoon at the action paired with his deadpan delivery. 

At the sound, he allowed the Ice Prince persona to crack a little, his lips gave an upturn tick, softening his expression slightly as he watched her. 

Nadja latched onto the slight change of demeanour in the well-known Ice Prince immediately, as did the rest of the world who were watching at that moment. “You’re right on that count, Mr. Graham de Vanily, I’m sure people all around the world have tuned in to watch you tonight. By your slight change of demeanour just now, I’ll wager you guys have been dating for some time now?”

Marinette looked sheepish as Felix answered, “A wasted wager, unfortunately. We have not been dating for long and only confirmed the status of our relationship two days ago.”

At Nadja’s surprised look, Marinette added, “We’ve been great friends even before we started dating since he transferred into my class.” 

Nadja looked delighted at the information being divulged. “Your relationship sounds like something out of a romance novel, I love a good friends-to-lovers romance!”

Marinette flushed, ducking her head as a light pink hue could be found on the tips of Felix’s ears, although he kept his composure. 

Chuckling at their flustered reactions, Nadja tapped on her tablet and the picture— the catalyst of this entire situation at hand— pulled up on the screen. “Confirming the details from that article, it is true that the depicted sweet moment was indeed a date between the two of you?”

“I would not say that is an accurate representation of what happened. We were merely on a friendly outing with our mutual acquaintance, Bourgeois.” Felix drawled, putting on an air of boredom, the pink in his ears not hiding how he felt by the invasive question. 

“Chloe was the one that took the photo,” Marinette added, not disagreeing with what he said. 

She could see the gears in the reporter’s head turning as she put the names together. “Bourgeois? As in Chloe Bourgeois, the mayor’s daughter?” 

“That would be the one,” Felix said dryly, his tone leaving no room for the elaboration on his connections with the Bourgeois heir, and Marinette wasn’t going to say any more than she had to either.

Nadia picked up on the hint and moved on. “So I’m sure most of us would like to know as well. How did you two begin dating?”

Marinette looked like a deer caught in headlights, unsure of how to respond. “Uh, well…”

She took a deep breath, squaring her shoulders and looking more confident in an instant, not seeing how her boyfriend watched the change with fascination. “It wasn’t planned, actually. We were hanging out at my place when he confessed and asked me to be his girlfriend.”

She blushed as she recalled the kiss they shared a few days ago.

There was a twinkle in Nadja’s eyes, her lips twitching into a smile as if she knew what the ravenette had left out but let it slide as she didn’t mention it. 

“No grand romantic gestures?” The reporter teased, looking at Felix in mock disappointment, the blonde scowling. 

“I believe it was unnecessary. As long as Marinette knows my feelings for her are sincere and genuine, there was no need to make a big deal out of it. However, I will be saving those for special occasions in the future,” he said simply, his cold grey eyes not hiding the adoration for his girlfriend as he turned to look at her. 

Nadja nodded, looking happy with what had been discussed. “It seems like London’s Ice Prince does have a heart after all. How— “

A loud crash interrupted the beginning of Nadja’s question and Marinette groaned internally. Of course, Hawkmoth would seize the opportunity to akumatize someone, knowing a handful of people out there were disheartened by the fact that Felix Graham de Vanily was off the market. 

"MARINETTE DUPAIN-CHENG! YOU KNEW I LIKED FELIX AND YET YOU CONFESSED TO HIM BECAUSE YOU HAVE A GRUDGE AGAINST ME!"

Marinette watched, dumbfounded, as the Akuma made its way toward her, emitting an air of regal authority. The Akuma wore a flowing gown in various shades of green and black, commanding respect with every step. Its hair was styled in an intricate updo adorned with shimmering jewelled accessories, topped by a crown of twisted vines and thorns that radiated a menacing aura.

From a distance, Marinette could see the Akuma's eyes glowing with an eerie green light, its expression alternating between false sweetness and sinister malice. Despite its innocent facade, the Akuma's voice dripped with venomous accusation.

The Akuma exuded dominance and regality, manifesting envy and resentment with every gesture. Marinette couldn't help but acknowledge that, in terms of fashion choices, this Akuma was one of Hawkmoth's most striking creations yet.

“I regret to inform you that it is not the appropriate time to appreciate Hawkmoth’s fashion choices, although I cannot help but agree that you are correct in your assessment,” 

Felix’s drawl drew her back to reality, making her realize she had spoken her thoughts out loud. She moved to grab his wrist, intending to get him away from danger before she could go off to find a place to transform. 

“Where do you think you’re going, Marinette?” 

The Akuma suddenly appeared in front of them, its saccharine voice making her skin crawl. The voice was familiar… 

“Lila?” Marinette asked, her face contorting to one of annoyance. Of course, Lila would get akumatized because her plan to discredit her didn’t work. 

The akumatized Lila caressed her bracelet, her face twisting into a snarl. “It’s Envy Empress to you, Dupain-Cheng!” 

Envy Empress pointed her bracelet at Marinette, pressing on a charm and a green light shot out, heading straight towards her. 

Felix having anticipated the move, pulled Marinette out of the way by the wrist and kicked the studio light, knocking it over and falling on top of Envy Empress, who screamed in frustration. 

At the temporary distraction, Felix tugged on Marinette’s wrist, leading her out into the halls and towards the women’s lavatory. 

He checked the stalls to make sure they were alone and upon confirmation, nodded towards one of the stalls. “Stay there. I’ll go distract her.”

Marinette grabbed his arm before he could leave. She knew he had known her identity for a while now but had never said anything about it. She didn’t want him to run headfirst into danger to let her have the illusion of him not knowing her identity when she knew better. 

“Tikki, spots on!” 

The transformation washed over her as she said the word and Ladybug stood in the place of Marinette a mere second later. 

Felix blinked, then nodded, a smirk on his face. “Miss Bourgeois owes me 100 euros.”

She gaped at the revelation that he and Chloe had been discussing theories of her being Ladybug of all things. “Chloe knows? You guys bet on me?”

He shrugged, the smirk hadn’t disappeared. “As much as I hate to admit it, Miss Bourgeois does have brain cells. It did take her a long while to figure it out after me but she was the one who said, and I quote, ‘Alright, I know you know Mari is Ladybug but haven’t said anything.’ We betted on whether you would tell us. Miss Bourgeois said you would never reveal your identity to anyone.”

Ladybug raised a brow, finding herself invested. “And you?”

“I betted that you would, to me,” he said, looking proud and smug at the same time. 

She looked amused, shaking her head at the antics of her two friends. “How did Chloe even find out? I understand if you did, you’re too smart for your own good.”

A hint of a blush dusted his cheeks at the praise and he huffed. “You will have to ask her for the story. Now, I believe you have an akuma to beat up and cleanse.” 

Ladybug nodded, grabbing the yo-yo at her hip and grabbed the horse miraculous from the pocket dimension of her yo-yo, holding it out. “Felix Graham de Vanily, this is the miraculous of the horse. I am entrusting you to fight by my side as a permanent hero alongside Chat Noir. You will use it for the greater good. Can I trust you?” 

He looked solemn as he responded, “Of course. I would be honoured to fight alongside you, my darling.”

She blushed at the endearment.

He took the glasses from the palm of her hand and upon wearing them, Kaalki materialized from the activated shades. 

“Are you glorious and famous?” The horse kwami asked with an air of haughtiness that could rival its new owner at times. 

Felix looked at the creature with wonder, looking like the teenage boy he was instead of the usual stoic teenage boy stuck in an 80-year-old body. 

Ladybug ignored the kwami’s antics and focused on introducing them. “Kaalki, this is your new permanent holder. Felix, this is Kaalki.” 

Kaalki sniffed, prodding at the blonde and looking skeptical. “Hmm, he does look prestigious.”

The horse was eyeing the expensive watch sitting on Felix’s wrist in appreciation. 

“You can complete your assessment later, Kaalki. Envy Empress could have manipulated half of Paris by now for all we know.” Ladybug said before turning to Felix. “To transform, it’s ‘Kaalki, full gallop.’”

Nodding, Felix repeated the transformation phrase

The transformation washed over him and Ladybug’s eyes briefly looked over his suit with appreciation. 

His suit was sleek and modern in appearance. Its design took on a futuristic aesthetic that spoke volumes of his expertise in technology. She had chosen the perfect miraculous for him, one that complemented his skills. 

She nodded, explaining what his power was and his role in the team. As the horse miraculous was the power of teleportation, it might not be needed for every battle so she had come up with a different role for him. 

“Your role would be to use your technical skills to provide Chat Noir and me with important information during the battle, such as where the akumatized object could be or any other tidbit of information we might not know. I think with your addition to the team, these battles could be over faster and we could spend more time looking for Hawkmoth’s identity.” 

Felix grabbed something from his side pocket, it was a sleek grey laptop with the horse insignia on the centre of it. “That is a good plan for the foreseeable future.”

Ladybug looked surprised at how he casually managed to find his ‘weapon’ that wasn’t anywhere in sight. She pulled out a communicator from her yo-yo and put it in her ear. “We’re going to have to stay in touch, your communicator should be on the laptop somewhere.”

He turned the laptop over, inspecting it before pulling out the communicator. As he was putting the communicator in his ear, they heard footsteps. 

“Oh, Marinette~ Did you think you can hide forever? I will find you~” The voice of Envy Empress was getting louder and the two heroes exchanged looks. 

“One last thing before I go fight the Akuma. What’s your hero's name?” Ladybug asked Felix, who was looking thoughtful. 

“Call me Shadow Sight.”

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May 24th, 2023 — Tom & Sabine Boulangerie Patisserie, Paris, France.
10:21 pm

“Now that your identity as Ladybug is out in the open between us, I have something for you,” Felix was saying as he entered her room, startling her as she squeaked, her arms knocking the balls of papers onto the floor as she spun her chair to face him. 

Her heart fluttered at the sight of him, with his laptop tucked under his arm as he eyed the balled-up papers on her floor. 

“Am I interrupting?” he asked, though the glint of anticipation in his silver eyes filled her with immediate curiosity. 

Marinette bent down to scoop the balled papers into her hands and tossed them to the trashcan near her desk, sighing. “You’re not. Just suffering an art block right now.” 

She turned to face him with her signature warm smile. “What is it?”

Felix hummed, moving towards her, setting his laptop on her desk and taking out his phone. “A while ago, I created an Akuma watch app that tracks all activity of Hawkmoth’s akumas. From locations to where the Akuma was first sighted, the app does it all. With enough data, we can utilize it to help us track down Hawkmoth. I was thinking the app can also help the citizens of Paris by giving them alerts of akuma attacks as soon as it’s been spotted.”

He moved closer to her so she could see the screen of his phone. Tapping on the icon with a purple butterfly logo, he said, “Akuma Hotspot. I already have the name trademarked and took care of the copyright laws. At your call, the app will be ready for launch.” 

He was speaking faster than normal as he showed her the different features and the functionality of the app, his expression looking eager and at ease, the remnants of the mask of London’s Ice Prince nowhere to be seen as he rambled on about the explanations of his programming process. 

Marinette watched him with a smile, loving it when he let his walls down for her to peek through and see the computer geek in him. 

Felix suddenly looked up, the tips of his ears turning pink when he saw her adoring smile and he cleared his throat. “My apologies for rambling, you probably don’t want to hear about the complicated coding process.” 

His hand moved to rub the back of his neck, a move making him look exactly like Adrien.

“You don’t have to apologize, Fe. I love it when you talk about your programming process.” She stood up from her chair and guided him to a spot on her floor. Sitting down with her legs crossed, she tugged at his arm, prompting him to follow suit and sit beside her. 

She leaned her head on his chest, his arm going around her shoulders as she looked at the screen of the phone in his other hand. A map of Paris with purple butterfly symbols of all akumas Hawkmoth has ever sent was blinking back at her on his phone. 

“I think this is a brilliant idea, mon chéri. Not only can we as heroes benefit from this but also the civilians of Paris.” She said, feeling his heartbeat speeding up at the endearment and she peered up at him through her lashes to see him sporting a soft smile as he gazed down at her. 

He leaned to give her a brief peck on her lips before bringing his attention back to his phone and tapping on it. “I am glad you approve, my darling. I will introduce the app through its own Twitter account but I will need Ladybug to announce it so people know it's legitimate.”

“On it.” Marinette pulled out her phone from her pocket, tapping on the Twitter app, and once she switched to her barely used Ladybug account, she typed out the message. 

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──────────

Upon tweeting it, the tweet garnered a hundred thousands of likes and retweets immediately. 

“Message sent,” She said, looking over Felix’s shoulder to see that he had his laptop opened with the app launched and sent out the account’s first tweet on his phone, which was racking up in likes and views after Ladybug’s announcement. 

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Marinette wasn’t going to ask how he managed to get himself a blue check within minutes of him creating the account. 

He looked up from his phone to pull up some live statistics about the app. “About half of Paris has already downloaded the app and the numbers are still growing as we speak. I can start looking into Hawkmoth’s identity by narrowing his approximate residence in the city by tracking the akumatizations. He will not send the akumas out far from where he resides as there is a chance the negative emotion will fizzle out by the time the Akuma reaches its victim.”

She nodded, his logic making sense. “You should probably track butterfly farms too. See who has bought large bulks of butterflies in the past year.” 

“Good point,” he affirmed, his fingers moving fast across the keyboard.

Marinette grabbed her sketchbook and pencil from her desk before retaking her position by his side. 

With the relaxing clicks of Felix’s keyboard and the sound of Marinette’s pencil scratching on paper, they sat in a comfortable silence doing their own thing.

Later, the two would fall asleep with their hands intertwined, oblivious to the shutter of a camera going off from Sabine’s phone. 

The mother of the ravenette looked at the couple fondly, going over to close the lid of Felix’s laptop and setting it on the desk along with her daughter’s sketchbook before leaving, closing the trap door behind her. 

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From: [email protected] 
To: [email protected]  
Date: 27 May 2023, 9:03 A.M.
Subject: Internship Offer

Dearest Marinette, 

I am once again offering you an internship with my company in New York for the summer. 

You’re already exceptional in the fashion industry but you can still gain work experience and value from this internship. I am also writing to you to inquire about the possibility of collaboration between us on a new line.

By the end of the summer, I plan to host the annual met gala to announce you as my protégé should you accept this offer. 

I do hope you consider this offer,
Audrey

Chapter Text

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From the phone of Tim Drake:
Batfam

Me:
Pack your bags, I just bought us tickets
9:06 AM

Jaybird:
What the fuck Timmy? Tickets to where exactly? The movies?
9:06 AM

Me:
Yes, Jason, bring your sleeping bags because we’re going to the movies and sleeping there overnight
9:07 AM

Me:
Bish, we’re going to New York!
9:07 AM

The OG Robin:
?? Why are we going to New York? Isn’t that a bit sudden? 
9:07 AM

The OG Robin:
Does B approve?
9:07 AM

Jaybird:
Screw what the old man thinks
9:08 AM

Jaybird:
Don’t care why we’re going as long as we get to piss off B
9:08 AM

Me:
MDC IS IN NEW YORK
9:08 AM

Jaybird:
WHAT THE FUCK WHY DIDN’T YOU JUST START WITH THAT
9:08 AM

The OG Robin:
WE DEFINITELY HAVE TO GO NOW, GOOD CALL TIMMY!
9:09 AM

Demon Spawn:
Tt. We are not going to New York just so Drake can stalk this MDC. 
9:09 AM

Jaybird:
We didn’t say YOU had to go, Brat
9:10 AM

The OG Robin:
I think it’s a good thing little D isn’t interested, he can guard the city with B and the others while we’re gone
9:10 AM

Me:
First of all, rude! I’m not stalking her either! I just want to meet her to get her autograph and hopefully snag myself a commission slot
9:10 AM

B:
Tim, why was my card just pinged for 5 train tickets in economy to New York?
9:10 AM 

Jaybird:
Timbers, what do you take us for, pheasants? We have a whole ass manor and more money than we could spend, practically owning half of Gotham and YOU GOT US TICKET FOR ECONOMY? 
9:11 AM

Me:
In my defense, the tickets were sold out so I got the next best option. At least we’re still going to New York
9:11 AM

The OG Robin:
Tim, we’re the sons of a billionaire, we could just drive there with our own car!
9:11 AM

Me:
Oh.
9:12 AM

Me:
I guess I forgot?
9:12 AM

Agent A:
Master Tim, exactly how long have you gone without sleep?
9:13 AM

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July 4th, 2023 — Glamour Grande, New York, USA.
11:30 am

“Rest assured, Marlene— erm, Marinette, dear, my employees have signed the NDA to not reveal your identity as MDC. If they so much as breathe a word about this to the press, they’ll be fired.” Audrey Bourgeois was saying, her heels clacking against the marble floor as she led Marinette to the private unused office she would be working in during her stay. 

Marinette nodded, heaving a sigh of relief. Even if she was revealing her identity next year, she wasn’t ready for more people to know ahead of time. 

More people knowing meant more chances of the news getting out, and the press would go ballistic. 

“This is the office you will be working in during your stay and oh—” Audrey’s eyes narrowed on the luxurious wooden-looking desk standing atop the smooth marble floor. “Didn’t I tell those people to switch out that wooden desk for marble? These people get nothing done, it’s ridiculous, utterly ridiculous!”

Marinette swallowed her giggles, knowing some things never change. Audrey Bourgeois’s behaviour might have gotten a tad tamer since reconciling with Chloe but like her daughter, the haughty attitude is still there. 

“It’s okay, Audrey. You know I’m fine with using anything… even if it’s not marble.”

Audrey sniffed, adjusting her shades even as she stared at the desk in disdain. “I know, dear. As MDC, you should be using nothing but exceptional materials and marble is the most exceptional. But as you’re fine with it, there’s unfortunately nothing much I can do about it.” 

The sound of clacking heels made them both turn to see Chloe crossing the threshold with drinks in hand. “Is Mother going on about marble again?”

She handed Marinette a cup of her beloved coffee before taking a sip of her own iced tea. 

Audrey huffed, sending her daughter a disapproving look. “Clover, dear, you know I have exceptionally high standards and tastes for everything. Although not everyone shares the same sentiment, I still can’t help but voice my disapproval.” 

Chloe’s lips twitched up at the name, her mother had taken to using any other C name but ‘Chloe’. 

It had been a running inside joke between the mother and daughter duo, and Marinette couldn’t be more ecstatic at seeing the two getting along enough to have formed an inside joke of their own. 

Audrey turned to Marinette, opening her mouth to say something when her phone dinged. The Bourgeois matriarch pulled out her phone, frowning at what she was reading. 

“Marinette, I’ll send you the documents containing the information about our brand’s possible collaboration over email. I apologize for having to cut this short and not explaining it in person but there’s an issue with the PR department.” 

Before Marinette could respond, Audrey turned on her heel, muttering, “Ridiculous, utterly ridiculous! No one in this building can do their job, they’re all fired!” 

Marinette and Chloe burst out laughing as soon as the sound of Audrey’s heels clacking on the marble floor faded away, 

They both knew Audrey was only saying that for show at this point and wasn’t actually going to fire anyone, they had seen the twitch of the Bourgeois matriarch's lips as she delivered the line in her usual drawl containing haughtiness. 

As their laughter died down, Chloe slid into the seat behind the desk, giving an idle spin in the chair as she sipped her drink. “So, how’s it going on Graham Cracker’s end?” 

Marinette didn’t mind taking the seat in front of the desk, despite the office being hers for the duration of her stay. “They’re wrapping up the filming process, it’s due to finish by the end of the month.”

Much to Felix’s displeasure, he had to stay in Paris to finish up with the filming of The Depths of the Black Sea, and he was not thrilled when they had to be separated for the majority of the summer due to their conflicted schedules. 

He had already used the horse miraculous to bring Ladybug back to Paris so she could de-evilize the akumas and they made most of their time then— and if their brief kisses turned borderline heated a few times, no one had to know— before he sent her back to New York, albeit looking reluctant as he did with a promise that he will join her as soon as possible. 

The blonde snorted, a teasing glint in her eyes. “Think he’s even more focused than usual? That vow he declared to everyone who can hear while seeing you off back in Paris was a bit dramatic. How does it feel knowing you’re the one motivating London’s great Ice Prince to work even harder and faster than usual?”

Marinette’s face turned red and she buried her face in her hands. “It wasn’t dramatic, it was sweet.”

──────────

July 2nd, 2023 — Aéroport Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Paris, France.
8:00 am

Seeing the beginning of Felix’s lips drawing down into an unhappy frown when they got closer to the security checkpoint, Marinette poked his cheek, successful in her attempt to get his lips twitched up into a smile as it lost the frown. 

“Cheer up, Fe, we’ll be calling every day or whenever possible. Prepare to be sick of me,” she said, clutching his hand a tad tighter while keeping a firm grip on her luggage which rolled behind her. 

“And me. We all know you love my esteemed presence despite how much you try to hide it, Graham Cracker,” Chloe chimed in, flipping her blonde ponytail over her shoulder to convey her sass, earning a flat look from Felix in return. 

Ignoring the Bourgeois heiress, Felix focused on Marinette, the cameras letting out periodic clicks by the paparazzi surrounding them. “I will see you in New York once I have finished my part in the film. It is about time the filming gets wrapped up anyway. Take care, and wait for me.”

The camera flashes intensified, even as Chloe rolled her eyes with a huff. “Don’t be utterly ridiculous. Mari isn’t going to move on from you in a month’s time, there’s no need to be dramatic with your unnecessary speech.”

Felix flushed, his brows furrowing into his famous death glare, about to turn around and shoot the Bourgeois heir a glare. However, before he could, arms went around his neck, stopping him in his tracks. Immediately, he softened, his arm going to the middle of Marinette’s back to reciprocate her hug, while his other hand moved to rest behind her head in a protective hold. 

“Don’t listen to Chlo about the speech being dramatic. I found it sweet,” She mumbled into his chest, quiet enough so only he could hear. 

His hold on her tightened whilst still being gentle. “At least I will always have you to appreciate my sentiments.”

A scoff from Chloe drew them from their own world. “I’m getting diabetes from watching this but more importantly, we’re going to miss our flight if you two don’t break it up.” 

“Miss Bourgeois, you are taking the private jet so we technically have all the time in the world,” Felix drawled, Marinette began to pull away from the prolonged hug but he wasn’t having it. 

Ignoring everyone around them, he leaned down to peck her lips. The blatant display of affection set off the paparazzi, the clicks from the cameras becoming louder and the flashes brighter. 

“Felix!” She squealed, blushing at the attention the action caused. 

His lips curled into a smirk, his grey eyes gleaming with pride and amusement. 

Chloe sighed, throwing her hands up in the air in a dramatic Chloe fashion. “Puh-lease, we are going to be here all day at this point. Get a move for goodness sake!” 

Felix shook his head, not bothering to respond to the Bourgeois heir. “You better go now before Miss Bourgeois has an aneurysm. Call me when you have landed safely in New York.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way, mon chéri.” Marinette gave his hand a final squeeze, then took off to the next terminal, Chloe at her heels, leaving behind the flashing lights and loud clicks of the camera from the paparazzi. 

──────────

July 4th, 2023 — Glamour Grande, New York, USA.

Marinette’s chin slipped from where it was resting on the palm of her hand, almost face-planting on the wooden desk had she not caught herself in time. Shaking her head to stay awake, she looked up to meet Chloe’s unimpressed stare. 

“Did you seriously daydream and almost fall asleep while we were in the middle of having a conversation about your boyfriend?” The blonde didn’t know whether to look offended or disgusted by the notion. 

A sheepish expression could be found on Marinette’s face as she ducked her head. “Sorry, Chlo, got lost in the memory.” 

Chloe waved her off with a sigh, her honey-yellow manicure looking sharper in motion. “Well, I’ll leave you to it, then. I should go help Mother with the gala invitations,” 

With that, the Bourgeois heir took off, her heels clacking on the ground.

Marinette watched her friend’s retreating figure with a soft smile, grateful for the brief distraction. As the sound of Chloe’s heels faded away in the halls, silence took its place and Marinette welcomed the serene atmosphere that came with it.

Feeling the sudden need to create, she took out her sketchbook and pencil from her pocket dimension purse and upon the pencil touching the paper, she was off— setting her creativity free onto the pages of her sketchbook.  

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Style Queen of Glamour Grande’s Annual Met Gala
The New York Times

Glamour Grande’s Style Queen, Audrey Bourgeois is hosting the annual Met Gala in late August, and word has it the invitations have already been sent out. 

Popular well-known celebrities from all across America and France, such as MDC, Jagged Stone, Clara Nightingale, Bruce Wayne, Tony Stark, and Lex Luthor have confirmed to be attending, alongside many others. 

Bourgeois’s annual met gala is the most exclusive social event in the world and guests can attend strictly through invite only. 

Recently, someone from the company leaked Bourgeois’s plan to announce MDC as her protégé during the Met Gala. 

The renowned Style Queen is a difficult individual to please, and MDC must be someone of “exceptional” talent for Bourgeois to declare the new designer as her protégé.

Bourgeois’s status as the harshest fashion critic has long been cemented, the media bestowing her the title of ‘Style Queen’ since the release of her first fashion line, Classique Couture about a decade ago. 

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