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Knock Knock.
Marinette waited by the wooden door for any sign of a response, she knew she had come uninvited, but she was Alix’s girlfriend and she wanted to see her after being gone so long. She was scared that Alix might have stopped loving her after the time they had spent apart. Marinette paused for a second, as she had just realised she had finally worked up the courage to go to her girlfriend’s house completely uninvited.
She was giddy as the door opened to reveal Alim Kubdel. “Oh if it isn’t Marinette! What a surprise... Normally Alix would have told me to stay out of the apartment if you two were having couples’ time, as she called it.” Marinette blushed a nice shade of red as Alim laughed.
“You really are all Alix talks about sometimes… But weirdly she's started to talk about many versions of you…” Alim seems to have a confused look on his face as he lets Marinette in. “But none of that matters… She is in her room. It’s at the end of the hallway, just remember to knock three times… Lately Alix seems to be really strict on who can enter her room these last few months.” Alim gave one final wave before he went off into his study and left Marinette all on her own.
“No turning back now…” Marinette said as she walked down the halls. Alim’s words still remained in Marinette’s mind. “What did he mean by many versions?” Marinette was clueless as to the meaning of these words.
But as she walked, a voice in her head gave a dark suggestion. “What if she is cheating on us?” The voice in Marinette’s head whispered into her ear, as the hallways seemed to stretch on with an ending. As every step the voice got louder and louder, repeating the same question over and over again, until Marinette was starting to go crazy wanting to know the answer.
She finally arrives at Alix’s door, after what feels like an eternity walking down the short hallway. She admires the door, all the scratches and stickers from the hours the two would play by this door as kids. All those sweet memories warmed Marinette’s heart as she felt the pain of the cold nail being rammed into it when she heard Alix laughing.
Marinette’s mind was running a mile a minute as the only time she has heard that laugh from Alix was when Marinette does one of her cheesy romantic gestures. Marinette went into auto-pilot as she just opened the door, without even knocking. As the door opens she is met with the sight of Alix… surrounded by Marinettes!
“Marinette!” Alix looks towards the door with a mixture of shock and embarrassment. “I can explain!” Alix leaped to her feet as she rushed over to the Marinette by the door.
“You better Kubdel… Or else.” Marinette’s voice was a mixture of anger and sadness as she was at the point of tears at the confusing sight.
“Trust me… This will all make sense in a second.” A few of the other Marinettes nod along to Alix’s words, as Marinette took a breath. “Go on then… I’m waiting...” She was at that point of sound completely broken, but some crazy part of her still wanted to listen to her girlfriend in the hopes that this isn’t the end.
“These are versions of you from other realities… that don’t have anywhere else to go.” Alix in that moment looks much older as her eyes tell a story that Marinette could only imagine the horror of witnessing. “I couldn’t watch them die… I could watch you die… So I saved you… I mean them.” Alix’s older eyes looked only at Marinette as she reached out to grab the girl’s hand.
“I couldn’t keep them in the burrow… So the only place was in my room… Only until I could find realities that they could live in.” Alix said, the depression heard plainly in her voice. She is surprised when Marinette takes her hand and pulls her into a hug.
“You're an idiot sometimes...” Was all Marinette said as held Alix against her chest. “But your kindness is why I love you.” Marinette continued as she felt Alix crying against her chest.
“She only ever talked about you…” One of the Marinette said. Another much taller one then spoke. “She was telling us the tale of how you two first met. She was laughing about your romantic gesture, before you entered.” Marinette thanked her other selves as she turned her attention back to Alix.
“So what are we going to do with all these Marinettes?” The question almost sounded like pure madness, if it wasn’t for the sight in front of Marinette. “I’ve been trying to find new worlds in the burrow. But it's hard to find the right world. Plus more Marinette are being left without a world every second, so I’m only gaining more and more…” Marinette placed a finger on Alix’s lips to silence her spiralling.
“Why don’t we just let them live here?” Marinette's simple suggestion earned a collective gasp from the room. “Why search for a new home when there's one right here, plus all the benefits… More heroes to help fight Akumas, More Marinette making Paris a better place and More time that I can spend with my cute girlfriend.” Alix’s cheeks go a faint shade of red.
“You call me an idiot…” Alix mumbles to herself. “But are you sure? About this whole plan?” Alix questions to Marinette. Tallinette from early answers Alix question. “Alix… You should know better than anyone that when a Marinette comes up with a plan, she means it.” This answer gets a collective cheer from the other Marinettes in the room.
“Well I guess there is no arguing with my crazy.”
Alix sighs as Marinette takes her back into a hug with a massive grin on her face.
“Why are you grinning like an idiot?”
Alix asked while Marinette picked her up and took her into the bedroom, finally closing the door behind her. Operation Manynette was now underway.