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In the days following their return to their own universe Marinette was faced with several new challenges.
The first being that she had decided to enter a rebellion against the supreme and thus had to not only get used to working with new allies, but also be on constant guard for any of the supreme’s lackeys tasked with retrieving her and the newly named Paw Noir’s miraculouses.
Every mission had to be carried out in secret and no mistakes were allowed. Marinette’s anxiety had doubled since their return. Her world was cruel, and the people who did know of the supreme were far too afraid to take any action against him.
Even Tikki and Plagg still were not able to speak.
Marinette’s heart broke a little each time Tikki stared up at her silently with her impossibly big blue eyes. Her newfound rage at this injustice only fueled Marinette’s desire to defeat the supreme and free their kwamis.
So Marinette tried to find ways to communicate. She gave Tikki a notepad and pencil, tried to teach her how to type on her computer, and made a point to converse with her as best she could. She longed for the day she could hear the little god’s voice as she gave her the advice and encouragement Marinette had only just discovered she was capable of.
The second challenge Marinette faced was the daunting task of making friends with people who hated her.
Now going by Ladybug and aspiring to be as kind and loving as her other universe’s self had been, Marinette did her best to hold back snarky remarks and judgmental eye rolls from Alya and Nino. If she wanted to take the first steps at actually forming friendships, insulting the pair of resistance fighters was not the right way to go about it.
Fortunately, Nino seemed to not hold any particular grudge against her, even if he did squirm under her gaze and look for the first way out of any conversation she tried to start. His real issue was with her partner.
Unfortunately, Alya was open with her mistrust and took every opportunity to make it very clear that Ladybug would have to do far more than lip service to win her over.
Ladybug supposed she could respect Alya’s logic. It was silly to imagine they would instantly become best friends like the Marinette from another universe was with her Alya. But that didn’t stop the hurt she felt each time her friendly efforts were met with indifference.
No offers to hang out after patrol were accepted, and missions were carried out with clipped conversations. But when Alya’s cold shoulder and Nino’s fear of her felt unchangeable, the image of one day having a close group of girl friends to support her, and a best friend to confide in carried Marinette through the rejection.
So in her spare time Marinette knitted matching beanies and baked cookies hoping the gifts would convey her desire for a fresh start.
The third challenge Marinette faced was her barely existent relationship with her mother.
Every day Marinette was met with the same criticisms: her out-of-the-norm outfits, her passion for designing rather than baking, her constant disappearing, her clumsiness.
Each hurtful comment, each reprimand, each disappointed sigh dampened the hope that one day their relationship could resemble the single conversation she had had with her other selves’ mother.
Marinette was trying her best to look past her built up resentment. She tried to help out at the bakery without complaining or messing up, and she did her best to feign interest when her mother talked about their family history or the importance of fitting in.
One night Marinette even suggested that they have a family game night, which had caught her mother completely off guard. Her immediate reply had been that video games were a complete waste of time that rotted the brain was followed by an surprising admission that a board game night, however, might be fine.
Marinette would take it.
Later that day her dad had whispered to her that he would talk to her mother about possibly buying mecha strike as thanks for her hard work lately.
Marinette was so shocked it had taken her a couple minutes to notice the tears gathering in her eyes.
Despite the small victories, Marinette often wondered whether her actions would have any effect at all, and whether her attempts at kindness would ever be worth it since her mother continued to hurt her and arguments still erupted.
But, the gentle, sincere “Love you sweetie,” and “ Don’t worry, broken things can always be fixed,” that her other selves’ mother had said to her without hesitation often played in her mind.
It renewed her resolve to one day be that close with her own mother, even if it was hard to imagine her own mother comforting her when she broke things or clumsily messed up orders.
But Marinette supposed all she could do was try her best and hope her mother recognized that. So as often as she could, Marinette pulled out a canvas and paint and watched tutorials practicing over and over again.
Maybe if she painted her mother something beautiful, something that represented her heritage, it would show her that Marinette did care about her mother’s interests, that she did respect her lineage, and that she wanted to be closer and share the things she loved.
The final and most intimidating challenge that Marinette faced was getting to know her “new” partner.
Their turbulent history created so many mixed emotions that she wasn’t sure how to act around him. Even when he was Claw Noir and every interaction was tainted with the knowledge that he was her competition for the supreme’s favor, Shadybug had never viewed him as her enemy.
For all his complaining and mean spirited puns at her expense, Claw Noir had been by her side.
Although he had an aversion to ever doing exactly what she said and most of the time purposefully chose to work against her plans, he never left. He always worked with her in his own way, destroying the obstacles they faced and protecting her with his destruction.
For once, somebody followed her lead. Despite how trigger happy he was with his power, deep down she knew he would never turn it on her. In fact, she had been the first one to attempt stealing his miraculous out of annoyance, unworried about his reaction despite the likelihood he would cataclysm her in retaliation. Her cat (not that she would ever call him that out loud) was akin to a loyal stray that hissed and clawed, yet continued to come back.
Claw Noir had gotten under her skin so easily, yet Shadybug had felt a weird sense of release during their arguments.
She would much rather be screaming in Claw Noir’s face about how annoying he was, than silently pushing down all her hurt with her mother or her rage at Chloe. Shadybug was allowed to vent and scream and Claw Noir didn’t judge her for it. He returned it in full force before somehow making a joke and calming her down, setting her sights on what was important.
And in that other dimension, once she had finally handcuffed him, stolen his miraculous, revealed his identity, and failed miserably at making a wish, she wasn’t greeted with a cold look of betrayal or hatred, or even mocking disdain at her failure.
Instead, Claw Noir had been revealed to be Adrien Agreste who looked up at her with admiring green eyes, softly blushing cheeks and a face bearing the same makeup-covered scars as herself.
It was at that moment when he saw her identity for the first time, she truly felt seen.
His soft disappointment when she had snapped at her other self’s mother was so visible it shamed her more than it possibly should have. At the same time, she found that breaking down into tears in front of him didn’t shame her as much as it possibly should have. She had expected retaliation for her actions, but had gotten a soft hand on her shoulder.
This quiet boy was not the same mangy cat that reveled in his hatred of everyone.
Claw Noir was Adrien Agreste, a boy who was just as broken and hurt as she was. A boy who saw her true self at her most vulnerable and understood. If the Marinette from a parallel universe had already fallen in love with Adrien, then Shadybug feared she was already halfway there herself.
When Shadybug had read her other self’s diary she had felt jealous of her relationship with Chat Noir. Their friendly banter, unwavering support, and teamwork had seemed too good to be true. How could her partner trust her so completely that even when she messed up he believed in her and encouraged her?
But when she had seen the boy behind the mask, Marinette began to hope that it could be possible for her as well.
The first time she had seen Claw Noir again after her own change of heart and transformation she hadn’t known what to expect.
The boy had waltzed over to her with a compliment rather than his typical jab and, after a moment of surprise, Ladybug had found herself reciprocating. She had watched as his outward appearance changed to reflect his inner change and her heart pounded.
All the jagged edges, harsh colors and spikes were gone. In its place was blonde hair and oh-so–green eyes. The smile he wore felt so bright Marinette wondered if he somehow had gained the power of the sun as well.
She hadn’t been able to keep her hands off of him after that. Longing to reach out and hold this person who was meant to be her partner, who was already her best friend. He had welcomed her eagerly, awkwardly joking around without the usual malice. Eager to find a new balance between them. His newfound joy mingled with her own as they headed back to their dimension with Betterfly.
Facing the world together actually sounded possible. His hand in hers instilled a hope in the newly named Ladybug that she had never experienced before.
But things were never as easy as they seemed.
Recently, Marinette had noticed that Adrien was facing his own challenges. Their physical bodies had been healed, but both of their hearts contained scars that wouldn’t go away so easily.
Unused to being open with anyone, Marinette wasn’t sure how to reach out to him and ask about the sadness behind his eyes and the reserved demeanor of his civilian form. Behind the deranged need to prove himself unharmable by others masking his words, the boy beneath the mask proved to be extremely fragile.
While in the suits, they easily fell into banter that mostly stayed on the friendly side. His new encouragement for her plans and faith that she could pull them off boosted her confidence higher than it had ever been. His jokes calmed her down and she knew that he had her back. She felt overwhelmingly grateful to have him as a new pillar of support on the battlefield.
His tendency to sacrifice himself however, became a new anxiety. Never before had anyone been willing to give their own life for hers, and it terrified Marinette.
Their dynamic had shifted dramatically from their previous rivalry and she found it throwing her off balance on more than one occasion.
But outside of the suits, they both clammed up, not knowing what to say. Marinette was terrified to show him how much she already cared for him, the fear he would revert back to hating her always present. And she suspected that Adrien had hurt in his past that caused him to withdraw and shut everyone out.
She hated the shyness that would overtake him the moment his suit was off. She didn’t exactly hate his reserved nature (in fact it was very adorable when he got nervous), but she hated that he felt like he couldn’t speak without the courage of his suit.
Why was he so uncomfortable being himself? Marinette wanted so badly to know who this boy was. What was his favorite food? Did they listen to the same music? What gifts would he like the best? All the parts of himself that her partner had hidden from her begged to be discovered.
But Marinette determined that this boy who had unknowingly clawed his way into her heart would not remain a stranger. They lived in a world where working together and relying on others was a crime. But Marinette had seen a world where she was happy. Where she had a best friend, a loving mother, a large group of supportive friends and, most importantly, the best partner in the world.
Marinette remembered her other self’s advice. She had to change her own life. And that started by loving herself and the world she lived in, no matter if anyone else did or not.
So Marinette was determined to fight.
She would use every last bit of her strength, cleverness and courage to change this world into one where she was happy.
One day the city would be free from fear and the control of the Supreme and Tikki and Plagg would be free to speak again.
She would make her other self proud.
She would befriend Alya and win her trust.
She would repair her relationship with her mother piece by piece.
She would reach her partner in his civilian life, and show him that she would never leave.
She would stay by his side and watch until his polite smile grew into a real grin and his reserved speech turned into playful puns and full-bellied laughs.
Maybe one day they could go to the cinema together, or eat ice cream by the river. Maybe she could show him her designs and do his makeup. Maybe he would open up about his family and she would do the same. Maybe their stolen glances and gentle touches would turn into romantic dates and loving embraces.
There was so much to hope for that it almost hurt.
So Marinette had to try. And she would start by making Adrien a lucky charm and inviting him to hang out after patrol. And maybe, just maybe, he would agree.