A/N: Inspired by Child_of_the_Fae's "Rise of Paonne and Renard Rouge." A lot of stuff about the peacock powers came directly from her, but my story takes a more villainous approach. Warning now for future age gap ship that is made clear to be unhealthy in the end, so no hate mail please. In this universe, Marinette never got the Ladybug Miraculous. That's all I can think of for now. Onwards and upwards!
Chapter 1: Apprentice
Gabriel Agreste was a man who appreciated quality of the highest caliber.
He demanded it in his the work done by his employees, in the products that he purchased, and in people.
It was for this reason that he pushed his son so hard to excellence.
It was for this reason that many of his subordinates saw their boss as cold and unforgiving.
It was for this reason that he was very frequently disappointed.
However, his perceived "pickiness" meant that when he saw something or someone of high quality, he knew it right away.
He had an inkling about the potential of Marinette Dupain-Cheng from the moment he met her, via a tablet carried around by his personal assistant. The mature, level-headed way in which she dealt with the attempted plagiarism of the spoiled Mlle. Bourgeois indicated both her calm integrity and her cleverness. Gabriel Agreste had been impressed by not only her talent for fashion, but her personal attributes as well. The first was uncommon, the second was even rarer, and the two coexisting side by side in a single individual was extraordinary.
Gabriel decided to keep an eye on this unique girl and see if she showed further promise.
"Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng, I think you have potential. How would you like to enter a work-study program as my personal intern?"
"I- I would like that very much, Monsieur Agreste," she replied, clearly flustered by the unexpected offer, but also pleased. "Thank you for the opportunity. I promise you won't regret it."
The fire in her eyes as she resolved to excel in the program and get a foothold in the industry of fashion caused Gabriel to have to hold back a smirk. Shy and reserved as she was, there was a passion and dedication in her. This one would be promising, indeed.
He took her under his wing at Agreste fashion, and true to her word, he did not regret taking her on. She worked hard, was eager to learn, and had a true gift for design. He could see her rising all the way through the ranks at his company.
However, it wasn't until his home was attacked by the akuma Simon Says that Marinette Dupain-Cheng had his full attention.
He, Adrien, Adrien's hoodlum friend, Nathalie, Chat Noir, Ladybug, and Marinette were trapped in the mansion. The hypnotized zombie people battered down the gates and made it inside. Marinette, who had been visiting for some personal tutoring on inverted seams, surprised him by fighting valiantly against the attackers. Even without any sort of superpowers, she almost won. She whirled with violent dexterity and took out a significant number of assailants, but at last was overcome by the horde.
Gabriel was abducted and taken to that ridiculous show, but Marinette had not given up on him. She pretended to be hypnotized and followed the army to the studio, where she kept an eye on her boss. It was fortunate that she did, because he wound up on the roof utterly convinced of his ability to fly and would have gone over the edge had it not been for Mlle. Dupain-Cheng tackling him to the ground. The spell broke not long afterward, and he stopped struggling against the astoundingly strong tiny girl.
She jumped off of him as quick as a rabbit and stammered a dozen apologies, but he waved her off with a hand.
"You saved my life, Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng. No apologies are necessary. If you will return to the mansion with me, there is something I would like to discuss with you."
She obeyed, with trepidation. They stood in his office in front of the portrait of Mme. Agreste, which her mentor stared at silently for a long time, his back to her, hand hovering over his throat curiously.
"Monsieur Agreste? Why have you called me here?" she ventured hesitantly.
"You showed quite the fighting prowess today, Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng. Where did you learn that?"
"Maman suggested that since I'm hopeless at Chinese, I should learn something else that connects me to our heritage. I was leaning towards ink and water brush painting, but Kung Fu seemed more practical for self-defense and such. I also hoped it might help with my clumsiness," she admitted.
"Did it?"
"Well, no. But when I do trip, I have the reflexes to keep myself from falling and breaking anything important," she joked.
"Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng, I believe that there is something I need to show you."
He moved to the painting and swung it away from the wall, revealing a safe, which he opened. He reached in and withdrew a beautiful belt clip in shades of teal, shaped like a peacock's tail feathers. He presented it to her on the palm of his hand, and she took it, turning it over in her fingers.
"What is it?"
"Do you know what miraculouses are?" he asked.
"The thing Hawk Moth is always trying to take from Ladybug and Chat Noir?" she hazarded.
"Yes. They are the source of their powers, stored in her earrings and his ring. They have the powers of the black cat and the ladybug. This," he said, pointing to the item in her hand, "is the peacock miraculous."
"You want me to become a superhero?"
"Yes, I do. You have potential," he praised. "You proved that today when you fought off the minions of Simon Says, and as long as I have known you with your passion and dedication. I think you are fit to wield this miraculous."
"Did it used to belong to you?" she asked.
"No. It belonged to my wife, Madeleine. You remind me a lot of her with your temper and generosity," he told her. "She's been missing for a long time, but I think she would approve of you using it."
"To help Ladybug and Chat Noir?" she asked.
"Not exactly," he chuckled.
"What?"
"I want you to fight against them, to get their miraculouses," he said.
"Like Hawk Moth?" she gasped. "But why?"
"Better to show you. Wings up!" he called.
With a flash of dark purple light, he transformed into the villainous Hawk Moth, smiling in a self-satisfied manner.
"What do you think, my dear?"
"I think that I've discovered the identity of the supervillain who has been terrorizing Paris for a year! I also think I'm going to take you down," she growled, shifting into a defensive stance.
"You are outmatched against a miraculous wielder, Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng, kung fu skills aside."
"I'm holding a miraculous, though, aren't I?" she retorted with a gleam in her eye.
"You hardly know how to use it," he scoffed.
"I just have to find the right phrase," she retorted, tightening her grip on the belt buckle and stepping back, putting the desk between her and the villain.
Feathers flaredwhispered at the back of her mind, and because she had nothing else to go on, she echoed it aloud with more confidence than she felt as she snapped it onto her belt.
She didn't catch Hawk Moth grinning triumphantly.
"Feathers flared!"
A blue-green sparkle washed over her along with a tickling sensation like feathers against her skin, but black sparked in the edges of the bright light. Suddenly it was as though her brain was severed from her body. For a fleeting moment, everything was dark. Then, the shadows cleared and she blinked stars from her eyes.
Marinette felt for a moment as though she should be furious about something, or frightened, but it passed quickly. She caught sight of a familiar silhouette and beamed.
"My liege," she murmured, placing a fist over her heart and inclining her head.
"No need to be so formal, my dear. Consider this an extension of your internship. I will train you in the ways of the miraculous, then you will go out into the field to combat the heroes, and once we have Ladybug and Chat Noir's miraculouses, I will rise with you by my side to guide the world to peace and prosperity."
"You want to take over the world?" she asked skeptically. Her head was beginning to clear from the fog of a moment ago.
"The world as it is suffers under corruption and scattered leadership. With one person with its best interests at heart in charge, it will flourish and thrive."
She thought for a moment, then met his eyes again. She felt a slight hesitation, but his words made an overwhelming amount of sense. "I think that you might be right. I will follow you and I would be honored to receive your training."
"Excellent. I will have your excuses prepared, and you will join me here tomorrow, to stay in the mansion until your training is complete."
"Yes, Hawk Moth," she agreed. Her head felt a bit fuzzy, but she trusted Monsieur Agreste. He was a good mentor to her, and he was trusting her with something important. It would be rude to turn him down, right? Right.
"Would you like to see how you look, my dear?" he interrupted her dizzy train of thought.
She brightened. She liked the design aesthetic of Ladybug and Chat Noir, and now that she'd gotten to see it up close, admired Hawk Moth's as well. Of course she wanted to see what her miraculous form looked like. She nodded her head enthusiastically and let her mentor lead her over to a full length mirror. Marinette's face lit up. It was a truly spectacular sight to behold.
Her suit was gorgeous. It followed a gradient of green at her extremities to indigo nearer to her core, in dark hues, with gold feather designs on the shins, as though to indicate boots, and similar markings at the wrists to mimic gloves. There was a subtle pattern of gold over her bust that looked like chest plumage. She lifted her arms and took in the gold and blue feathers that stretched between them and her sides, forming little wings that would allow her to glide. The miraculous rested on a dark blue belt around her hips. Her mask was dark blue with beak protrusion pointing down her nose and crowning feather accents along the forehead. Her hair was pinned back from her face in a bun, with a few blue and green and gold feathers in front fanned out like a peacock's tail.
However, the most remarkable feature of her costume was the gorgeous blue and green tail that looked like a peacock's. Each feather was a blade, and she realized that she could detach it from the base of her spine. She did so, unfolded it, and tested its weight in her hands.
"Your fan can be used as a shield, its edges are wickedly sharp, and it can be flared up to protect your back when you're wearing it. It also splits into two smaller fans that can be used more easily in hand to hand combat and thrown like boomerangs to return to your hand unless interrupted," Hawk Moth informed her, using his hands to guide hers into separating the two halves of the fan so that she held two usably sized weapons.
They added more sections while decreasing in length before her eyes. She gave them an experimental twirl in her hands, opening and closing them with a flick of her wrists before recoupling them and attaching it to the small of her back once more. She shot him a satisfied smile.
"I take it you like the suit, then?" he inquired smugly.
"Very much!" she chirped. "How do I take it off?"
The moment the words escaped her mouth, the light and the feathery feeling swept over her again and she stood in her street clothes once more. They had shifted from her usual capris and jacket to a more professional grey pinstripe skirt and pink blouse since she began her work study at Agreste Fashion. They were still of her own design, though.
She looked down at her miraculous belt buckle and saw that it had faded to an unassuming grey. She frowned and was about to ask what was wrong with it when she looked up and noticed Monsieur Agreste had also shifted back to his civilian look and was speaking with a small, floating blue creature that looked a bit like a peacock-themed fairy.
"Who is this?"
"This, my dear, is Dusuu. He is a Kwami, an ancient mystical being who inhabits your miraculous. It is he who gives the buckle its power," he explained. "Introduce yourself, seeing as you two will be spending a lot of time together in the future."
"Hello. My name is Marinette Dupain-Cheng, she greeted in a friendly manner. "It's nice to meet you!"
"It's so nice to meet you, too!" the Kwami peeped. "Nice to meet anyone, really. I've been asleep in that thing for ages."
Marinette giggled at his dramatics. "Well, I'm happy that you're awake now, Dusuu."
"You're the new holder, huh. I like the looks of you," he decided. "You've clearly got an eye for design, and if there's one thing us peacocks can appreciate, it's fashion sense," he preened, fluffing his wispy tail feathers.
"Well, that's quite the honor. Thank you," she replied with a smile.
"Have you picked a name yet?"
"A name?"
"Yes, of course! Someone as fabulous as you can't allow the media to name you something as bland as 'Miss Peacock.' Sounds like a murder mystery game character," he humphed loftily.
"Well, there is a lot of blue..." she pondered.
"Oooh. We can work with that! Belle Blue, Cerulienne, the Cobalt Wing- no, that last one's terrible," Dusuu muttered to himself.
"What about Azura?" Marinette suggested.
"Perfect! A graceful name for a graceful girl," he complimented.
"Ha! Spend a few minutes with me and you may change your mind about that," she laughed.
"Pssh, all of the peacock miraculous holders were graceful, even if they didn't start out that way. It comes with the territory," he dismissed. "You'll come into it. Some dance lessons might help speed it along, though."
"Excellent suggestion, Dusuu. Mlle. Dupain-Cheng can select a type of class from the community center and I will pay for the lessons," M. Agreste said.
"Oh! Um, if you're sure," she stammered, blushing. "But please don't be too disappointed if it doesn't work out."
"It will!" the Kwami declared confidently.
"It is becoming late, my dear," M. Agreste interjected. "You should be getting home before your parents worry. Tell them that I've drafted you to assist with a very special project for an upcoming show, and that I will need you to stay here for a minimum of a month, if not two."
"A month?" Marinette yelped. "I don't know that my parents will go for that."
"They want you to have the best opportunities to pursue your dreams. They will listen to you if you make it clear that this is what you want, what is necessary to move up the ranks from intern to a paid position," he assured her. "I won't thrust you out into the cruel world unprepared. I refuse to leave you defenseless and inexperienced. This training is necessary, and you must convince them."
"Yes, Sir," she consented, bowing her head. "I won't let you down.
He laid a hand on her shoulder. "I know, my dear."
He watched as she walked out of his office and grinned at the closed door once she had departed with Dusuu in her purse. He touched his miraculous under his scarf and tested the mental connection to his new apprentice. The bond of influence and empathy was strong. Perfect.
"I know," he repeated to no one but the terrified Nooroo hiding in his inner pocket.
"Wait, so Marinette is coming to livewith you?" Nino asked his best friend during lunch the next day.
The two sat alone so that Alya and Marinette could have a little girls only time before she'd be largely unavailable for a month or more.
"Yeah. My father told me this morning. He said that her bravery during the akuma attack yesterday showed him that she was tough enough to handle harder projects, so he's taking her in as a special apprentice or something," he huffed.
"Dude. That's weird."
"I know!" Adrien cried. "He's never, ever done anything like this before. I mean, I know she's a talented designer, but..."
"You'd think that she could just come during working hours and then go back to her house," Nino finished.
"You would think," Adrien repeated bitterly.
"What's with the frowny face, bro? I thought you'd be over the moon to have the love of your life in your house with you... every day... all the time..." he sing-songed with a suggestive eyebrow waggle.
"Hanging out with Marinette more does sound like fun," he admitted with a blush, "but that's the thing. She won't have timeto hang out. If my father is willing to spend time with someone almost 24/7 for work, you can bet that work is what she'll be doing 24/7. And I will be barred from the sewing room so I'm not a distraction."
"Sounds like you're jealous," Nino commented with a sympathetic smile. "The question is whether you're jealous of your father for getting to spend all that one on one time with Mari or of Mari for getting to spend all that time with your father. If I was you, I'd be the first one."
"Both! Neither!" Adrien yelped. "I don't know," he groaned. "It's just odd, and my father neverrisks doing anything odd because it might hurt public opinion of the family name. Something rude that makes people mad, sure. But weird? My father doesn't doweird."
"Apparently, there are times he makes exceptions," Nino remarked, looking over at the table where Marinette and Alya sat, talking and laughing.
"It's suspicious," Adrien insisted. "I'm going to keep an eye on her."
"Hey, you don't have to make up an excuse for your Marinette stalking around me, dude," Nino teased. "I still say that you should forget your model diet and have an excuse to swing by the bakery sometimes so you can see her. Pastries andface time with your crush? Win-win."
Adrien muttered a sulky "Shut up" but otherwise remained silent. He would get to the bottom of this.
Marinette arrived on the steps of the Agreste mansion as she had several times before, except this time she dragged a rolling suitcase behind her as well as her caddy of fashion design supplies. The door opened before she could knock to reveal a flustered Adrien.
"Marinette! Come well! I mean, welcome!" he stuttered, brilliant smile on his face.
"Hello, Adrien. How are you?"
"I'm good," he replied evenly, having recovered his usual air of calm decorum. "How are you?"
"I'm fine. Monsieur Agreste told me that you would show me up to the guest room so I can drop off my things?"
"Of course. Right this way," he said, stepping aside with a sweeping gesture of his arm to indicate that she should come in.
She giggled at his theatrics and followed him to a room that was massive. The four poster bed dominated the space, but there was a large work table lit by a lamp and a vanity and an armoire, all in gleaming walnut wood. The linens were all luscious shades of deep cerulean blue and forest reminded her of her miraculous costume, and she smiled fondly. M. Agreste was so considerate.
She set her suitcase on the pale leather trunk at the foot of the bed and launched herself onto the sumptuously soft mattress, sighing in pleasure as the cushiony surface cradled her every pressure point. She had a feeling that she was going to appreciate these sinfully comfortable pillows and blankets even more after a long day of training.
"Do you like it?" Adrien inquired shyly.
Her eyes flew open and she sat bolt upright. She had almost forgotten he was there.
"Yes. Very much. Thank you," she coughed, standing up.
She straightened her skirt and smoothed the wrinkles out of her blouse.
"I'm going to change into some work clothes, so, um, if I could have a moment?"
"Oh! Of course. I'll... see you at dinner, then?" he suggested.
"As long as Monsieur Agreste doesn't make me take dinner at my desk," she joked. At his flicker of a crestfallen face, she hastily added, "But I'm sure he won't. I'll ask for the break myself if I have to."
That seemed to cheer him up. "Good luck with the project, Marinette."
He walked out and she stripped out of her typical attire into workout clothing and then slipped on a pair of jeans and a blue cotton button-down as per her mentor's instructions. She made her way downstairs to the sewing room with which she was so familiar, and met him there. He locked the door and then led her to a secret door behind the shelves of fabric that opened into an open room with floors covered in mats and various training equipment scattered around the edges.
"We'll start with basic physical endurance. The world will show you no mercy, so neither will I. Prepare for the most difficult workout of your life."
Great, thought Marinette, but she pulled off her disguise clothes that would conceal their true purpose from Adrien and began some simple stretches in her leggings and tank top.
"Bring it on," she challenged with a defiant spark in her eye.
That spark was flickering out by the end of the session.
They broke half an hour before dinner to give her time to recover and appear presentable. She stepped out a side door to the showers and came back to the sewing room dressed in the casual outfit once more. M. Agreste was standing by the large work table with a book in his hands. The table was scattered with sketches to make it look as though they had been hard at work, some of which she had supplied at her mentor's request.
She sat in the chair in front of him, ready to listen. He had told her in advance that he would be giving her a brief history of the miraculouses after some sessions, and she was looking forward to learning more about Dusuu and the belt buckle he lived in- about all of the Kwami and their objects.
Speaking of Dusuu, he had spent most of the session shouting encouragement or wincing in sympathy. He brought her a water bottle at one point, proving how deceptively strong he was for his size. He now sat on her shoulder as she looked up at M. Agreste with rapt attention.
"We'll begin with the essential background. Long ago, the seven miraculouses were created to bring balance. The pieces of jewelry were forged to harness the ancient energies of certain essences, which took the form of Kwami. The two most powerful of these were the Ladybug and Cat, with the power of creation and destruction, respectively..." he began to lecture.
Marinette listened, completely spellbound, as he spun the tale of seven magical objects passed from holder to holder for thousands of years. He spoke with distaste of the Grand Guardian who was supposed to see the miraculous into the proper hands but instead hoarded them and kept them locked away. He explained the nature of the powers, how the bond between Kwami and holder strengthened the magic, how the best matches were made between Kwami and human with contrasting yet aligning traits. Marinette was fascinated, but they had to stop when the clock struck seven.
They dined in pleasant near-silence, with her and Adrien doing most of the talking, seated on opposite sides of M. Agreste who had his place at the head of the table. When they had finished eating, he stood and announced that they had better get back to work. She shot an apologetic smile at the disappointed Adrien and allowed herself to be guided back to the sewing room for another brutal round of physical exertion.
Adrien's eyes narrowed on his father's hand at the small of Marinette's back. Gabriel Agreste didn't docasual touching for any reason. Every action was planned and deliberate. That begged the question of what, precisely, his father's plan concerning Marinette was. What was he doing?
Training continued to be brutal.
The days followed a pattern that she did not deviate from:
Rise early, take breakfast with Adrien while M. Agreste worked in his office with Nathalie regarding scheduling and business stuff with a coffee and a slice of baguette.
Go to the sewing room and actually work on designs until her mentor joined her, looked over her work to make suggestions or corrections, then led her to the secret room.
Perform several kinds of physical exertion while M. Agreste barked orders until her aching muscles were granted reprieve in the form of lunch out. She typically chose to go home and eat at the bakery to see her parents and catch up with them. Sometimes she would run into her friends who decided to take lunch there as well that day. She noticed that Adrien was there more often than not, and she was glad that he was breaking his strict model diet a little to get some real food. She liked M. Agreste, but she thought he was a little too hard on his son sometimes. Adrien seemed to be looking at her whenever she glanced over.
Marinette walked to the dance studio next, where she had decided to take up traditional Chinese dance, which sometimes incorporated fans. She thought it would help with her ability to use her miraculous weapon, and it was working. She felt proud of her choice and of the increase in gracefulness it seemed to be granting her.
She would then return to the mansion and be thrust back into training once more, with few breaks. Marinette would be allowed to stop an hour before supper with time to cool down while she completed her schoolwork, sent over by the collège. Sometimes, her mentor would grace her with a history lesson about the miraculouses.
Then she would eat a somewhat tense supper with the Agrestes while she and Adrien attempted conversation until his father shepherded her back to the training room.
At the end of the day, once she was dismissed, she would finish any unfinished homework, or make at least incremental progress on the "project" that M. Agreste had supposedly brought her to the mansion to work on. Her task was to design an entire winter line that could be released by the company. Marinette wasn't sure it was good enough, but Dusuu assured her that her concepts were brilliant.
Then, finally, finally, she would get to trudge through the door to her beautiful guest room, change into her pajamas, and go to sleep. She had been right about the phenomenal mattress being a mercy at the end of a hard day.
Training started as simple physical exercise: everything from running a high number of kilometers to weightlifting outrageous amounts that she wouldn't have dreamed of attempting before she had superpowers- and this without calling for feathers flared!
But then it progressed to combat training, mostly against dummies, but sometimes against her mentor himself, who turned out to be much more formidable an opponent than he appeared upon first glance.
Marinette thought she knew everything from her kung-fu instruction, but it was only the tip of an iceberg of fluid, powerful fighting styles.
Then, once she had hand to hand down, she practiced using fans: the normal bladed kind before her miraculous ones. She was pretty bad at first, and almost sliced off her own hand trying to catch it by the handle and instead gripping the sharp edge. She had to laugh off her bulky bandage as a design injury using the fabric slicer when Adrien exclaimed over it at the dinner table. After she got the hang of throwing normal fans at targets and catching them without bleeding everywhere, she was graduated to lessons on using her actual powers, which took a month of brutal physical punishment.
M. Agreste became Hawk Moth when he instructed her on the use of her powers. She became skilled with the bladed fans and the gliding quickly enough, and he praised her progress. Her command over her miraculous power, Oracle Eye, was giving her trouble, however. She couldn't get it to cooperate and show her what she wanted to know.
It was supposedto give her a look at three possible outcomes of an action, warn her of any danger in the immediate future, or show her a person that she wanted to see, but her visions seemed random and disjointed.
When she wanted to see a person, it showed her three possible futures for them making some small decision like what to have for breakfast. When she wanted an advance warning of danger (Hawk Moth about to hit her with something), it showed her a random person about to be hit with something. When she wanted to look at three possible futures for an action, it showed her the next time shewas going to get hit with something. And so on.
Marinette was becoming frustrated, but Hawk Moth urged her to be patient and let it come naturally. In the meantime, he was teaching her meditation techniques to improve her focus.
So, the training was far less physical in this final stage, but she still had to keep up her physical fitness and continue the occasional combat training exercise, but now she was allowed to do it suited up. Though she missed Dusuu's constant encouragement, it was exhilarating to feel the thousands of years old power coursing through her.
She slowly got a better handle on Oracle Eye, but it still gave her trouble from time to time. She and M. Agreste had almost finished the winter line, and he was impressed by her skill. She glowed whenever he praised her stitching technique or her idea for an asymmetrical hemline somewhere unexpected. It had been nearly two months, and he was nearly ready to let her go home when a new development popped up.
Hawk Moth had been sending out the occasional akuma to keep up appearances, and at the eight week mark of her stay at the Agreste mansion, he sent out another one while she stood in the skylight room to watch. It was the first time that she had been permitted in this inner sanctum, and she was giddy. Her mentor was explaining the process of akumatizing someone, how he sought out negative emotions and gave these people in pain a chance for retribution at those who hurt them in exchange for assistance in his goal.
Azura wasn't sure that targeting vulnerable people in pain to achieve one's own ends was entirely ethical, but his words and the reassuring, silent presence of Dusuu at the back of her mind calmed her doubts. She trusted her mentor. If he said that he was giving these people a gift in letting them feel powerful when they were at their weakest, then she believed him. Things were progressing smoothly as always, Ladybug and Chat Noir battling Hawk Moth's akumatized villain- when, suddenly, a new hero appeared on the scene.
Azura's first thought was that she was gorgeous, with crimson and white-tipped hair and cappuccino-colored skin and golden eyes and curves like a biology final. She looked a lot like Volpina had, but with subtle differences. She whipped the flute from her back and suddenly the minions created by the akuma followed an image of a running Ladybug and Chat Noir while the real ones stood dumbfounded in front of the fox lady and the akuma.
Hawk Moth was seething, and she could sense his rage through their connection. He only got angrier as the new heroine joined their foes in battle and helped turn the tide in favor of the two do-gooders. Once it became clear that she was going to help beat his akuma, which would cause him to lose visual, Hawk Moth commanded her to get down there and find out who this new girl was without being seen. Azura was thrilled. Her first time out in the field!
"Yes, Sir!"
She leapt from the skylight and glided over the rooftops until she landed on a low one with a good line of sight on the group of costumed vigilantes. She strained her hearing to catch their conversation and peered around the chimney as much as she dared so Hawk Moth could see what was going on when the butterfly symbol framed her face.
"Who are you?" Ladybug barked suspiciously. Her pretty face was scrunched in a frown and she held her yo-yo at the ready.
"Are you another akuma, like Volpina?" Chat asked.
"Hey! I helped," the fox lady protested indignantly. "And no. A mysterious Grand Guardian slipped me a box with a necklace in it and a Kwami came out and told me that I had been chosen. My miraculous is the real deal."
She knew all of the right terms, and her story matched up with the Grand Guardian's MO, so Azura would have believed her even if she didn't know for certain that she wasn't one of Hawk Moth's. The two heroes exchanged a glance that seemed to say that they had come to the same conclusion.
"Okay, I believe you," Chat said finally. "Thanks for the save."
"You're welcome. Now for a proper introduction: My name is Vixenne, and I am here to help," she announced proudly.
"Well, we're doing fine all by ourselves," Ladybug huffed suspiciously. "Why show up now?"
"I don't know exactly," she admitted. "But Trixx- that's my Kwami- said that the Grand Guardian sensed a new danger was about to arrive. She couldn't be any more specific than a vague warning about a new player on the board who is on Hawk Moth's side. I'm new at this whole miraculous holder thing, but I think I feel it." She placed a hand over her miraculous in the hollow of her throat. "A dark presence."
Azura held back from scoffing. Dark presence? Pfft. They might not see it, but she was on the right side here. She was a perfectly nice person. They were talking about her, right?
"Well, that's just what we need. More strength on Hawk Moth's side," Ladybug sighed. "Thank you for warning us, and thank you for coming to help. If what you feel is right, that means that we're going to need it."
"Anything for the Lucky Duo," Vixenne dismissed shyly. She was even prettier up close. Well, close-er.
"Lucky Trio now," Chat corrected with a grin. "Welcome to the team."
They shook hands and then made plans to meet for patrol in voices too quiet for her to hear. Then they split up to go their separate ways and Hawk Moth began speaking in Azura's mind.
"This means that we will have to accelerate your training. You will be out on missions within the next two weeks. Your time has come, Azura," he intoned.
Training focused almost exclusively on combat, especially multiple-opponent combat. During breaks, M. Agreste no longer told her about the rich history and legend surrounding the miraculouses, but instead taught her battle tactics and strategy. He explained what her role would be in the battle against the Lucky Trio. She was to guide and defend the akumas, attack the heroes, and get their miraculouses, especially Ladybug's. To a lesser extent, her job was damage control and recon. She was to prevent any fatalities and to attempt to figure out who the heroes were behind the mask. Marinette was excited to get out there. At last, a real mission! Her time was almost here. She felt ready, and she wasn't going to let her mentor down.
Adrien was truly concerned now.
His father and Marinette had said they were nearly done after two months of constant work, but then for who knew what reason, his father decided to extend her stay by two weeks. Would he keep doing that as long as he could get away with it? How long would that be?
How long did it take to design a winter line? They were locked in a room together for hours, only leaving for food. He said locked because he had checked, and the bolt on the door to the sewing room was definitely secured. Why did it need to be locked? What were they doing in there?
He had his suspicions. He had heard the occasional grunt or yell faintly through the wood in the evening, but he didn't want to believe it. He thought, at worst, his father might look at Marinette as more than an intern, but she was too innocent to understand what his over-attentive behavior meant. The way that he looked at Marinette when she didn't notice had Adrien worried about leaving them alone together.
But she seemed fine. She didn't look skittish around his father or overly cozy either. She treated him like a well-respected boss and nothing more. They always addressed each other formally as Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng and Monsieur Agreste, so perhaps he was fretting over nothing. Maybe it was all in his head.
But he knewhe hadn't imagined the casual touches on her arms and back, or the generous praise of her skill at designing (which was so unlike Gabriel Agreste that Adrien had choked on his branzino the first time his father had told Marinette that she was brilliant at the dinner table), or the lingering gazes at his friend's face. The fond smile when he said her name or listened to her speak. Adrien had also found out that Father had paid for Marinette's dance lessons. That wasn't normal boss-intern stuff, was it?
When it was time for Marinette to go home, he leaned on the stair railing and listened to his father tell her goodbye with narrowed eyes.
"Your work on the winter line is impeccable. I'll speak to my people about finding the budget to hire you on certain commissions and give you a modest salary for your regular duties. You will also come here for two hours twice a week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, for my personal instruction at 5 o'clock sharp. Afterwards, you have a standing invitation to join us for dinner," he was saying.
Adrien pressed his lips against a scowl that was fighting its way onto his face. His father almost never had dinner with him until Marinette came along. He shook off the resentment. He would get to see Marinette more often. This was a good thing.
"Thank you, Monsieur Agreste. I would be honored," she replied with a warm smile that made his legs turn to jelly.
"The honor is all mine, my dear," his father responded smoothly, taking her hand and pressing a kiss to the knuckles.
Adrien was screaming internally.
"Oh! I almost forgot that the winter recital is coming up for my dance class. I'll save you both a ticket to it," she offered politely.
"We wouldn't miss it," he replied, and Adrien's internal screaming reached a fever pitch.
Since when did his father make time for anything that his employees did outside of work? Gabriel didn't even always make it to Adrien's fencing matches and piano recitals.
"I look forward to it," Adrien pitched in as evenly and calmly as possible.
Her attention shifted to the golden-haired boy on the stairs, and when that warm smile turned on him, he almost tripped over his own feet to come and hug her goodbye. She seemed surprised at the contact, but hugged back quickly.
"It was really good to have you here," he told her.
"You'll be seeing a lot more of me, apparently," she reminded him.
"Good."
Her cheeks turned slightly pink a she smiled softly at him. "I think so, too."
"Goodbye, Marinette."
"Goodbye, Adrien. Monsieur Agreste," she said with a dip of her head.
Adrien looked at his father the second the door closed behind her, and he did not like the smile on Gabriel Agreste's face.
Not one bit.
