This is a post season 1 divergent fic. I started it and outlined the story hoping to finish it before season 2 aired. Clearly that didn't happen. I tried my best for a while to incorporate new story developments, but once Frozer aired that pretty much became impossible. However, I maintain that any similarities between this story and the actual show are both unintentional and uncanny. You'll see what I mean.
Chapter 1: Like a Song
All afternoon long it's with me the same song
You left a light on inside me, my love
I can remember the way that it felt to be
Holding on to you
I can't forget you when you're gone
You're like a song that goes around in my head
And how I regret, it's been so long
Oh what went wrong? Could it be something I said?
~ Lenka – Like a Song ~
The day had dawned crisp and bright with a peaceful calm in the cool morning air. The students in Miss Bustier's class were enjoying a rare moment of freedom as they waited for their teacher's arrival. The last bell had rung ten minutes prior, and still there had been no sign of her. Most of the students were taking advantage of her absence, making small talk with their fellow classmates and going about their own devices. Of the students, only Alya seemed curious about Miss Bustier's whereabouts, a strong suspicion peaking her curiosity. After searching through news feeds on her phone, she leaned forward over her desk to speak to her boyfriend Nino in the front row.
"Look, there was another akuma attack this morning. Just my luck! I can't believe I'm missing it! That must be why Miss Bustier is late. It looks to be close by."
"Is everyone okay?" Nino asked dropping his headphones to his shoulders and leaning back in his seat so he could stare at the images displayed on her screen.
"I'm sure it'll be fine," Alya responded, with a dismissive wave of her hand. "Ladybug and Chat Noir are handling it like usual. Looks like they're wrapping it up now…"
Too caught up in their own amusements, the students failed to notice as a red and black blur swung by their classroom window. The same could not be said when moments later a dark haired girl rushed into the classroom and tripped over a wastebasket, screeching spectacularly as she tumbled to the floor, books and papers flying everywhere. Her classmates immediately burst into laughter as she scrambled to collect her belongings before slipping into her seat beside Alya, cheeks aflame. "That was so embarrassing," she grumbled.
"Ah, don't sweat it girl. It wasn't that bad," Alya said while trying to swallow her own giggles. "Honestly you lucked out this time. Miss Bustier's late too so you won't get marked tardy, and even better, a certain someone wasn't here to see that grand entrance you just made."
Marinette rubbed at the back of her neck sheepishly. "Yeah I guess. Where is Adrien anyway?"
"Probably got delayed by the akuma attack nearby. Nino and I were just reading about it," she said glancing back towards her boyfriend who'd already ducked out of the conversation and had gone back to listening to music on his headphones. Alya rolled her eyes slightly at him before turning her attention back to the article they'd been browsing. "Looks like it's over now though, so I'm sure he'll be along soon."
"You're probably right," Marinette said, trying not to worry as she thought of what could be keeping him. She hadn't noticed him amidst the chaos from the most recent fight she'd been in, but then she had been rather preoccupied.
"Is that what kept you? Did you get caught up in the attack from…" Alya paused glancing at the article on her phone again. "Siren was it? Did she put you under her spell?" she asked, waggling her fingers dramatically.
"No, nothing like that," Marinette laughed. "I was there, but I didn't get turned into one of her minions or anything. Her singing only affected men for some reason. And breakable objects. She shattered things when she hit really high notes," Marinette said, shivering slightly at the memory and massaging her temples. The constant, shrill singing really had been a nuisance.
"No way! That sounds so cool! Did you get any pictures I can put on the Ladyblog?"
"Sorry, Alya. It was pretty crazy. There wasn't much time!"
"Well, that's okay. I'll just interview you then!" Alya said, opening up the camera app on her phone.
Marinette flinched. When it came to giving Alya information about Ladybug, she always had to walk a fine line between revealing too much about her alter-ego and giving her best friend an awesome scoop. She loved being able to help out her friend, but she had to be careful. Alya already knew a lot more about Ladybug and Chat Noir than any of the seasoned reporters that tailed the superheroes' adventures. If Marinette wasn't careful, it would be no small task for Alya to discover Ladybug's true identity. But she reasoned it would be safe to divulge a little information about Siren.
"I doubt I can tell you anything other than what's already been publicized, but I'll be happy to answer your questions about it. Just don't film me. You know I hate being on camera!"
"Fine, fine," Alya groaned pulling out her notepad and pen instead. "You said her powers only affected men. Any idea why?"
"Well..." Marinette began, considering just how to answer the question. It was something she had been wondering about herself. Siren's powers had been rather specific, and something about it had left Ladybug feeling suspicious. "I think maybe it had to do with a story-line Siren had in mind," Marinette said, leaving out some of her more detailed thoughts on the subject. "The woman that got akumatized was a famous opera singer named Lorelei Fontaine. She was upset with the director of the opera when he gave a part in an upcoming performance of Homer's Odyssey to a younger soprano. She wanted the directors to change their mind and give her the part, so she developed the power to influence men when she sang, much like the sirens in the story. The men that heard her sing fell instantly in love with her and did whatever she wished."
"Huh," Alya said, sounding a bit disappointed. "Well that's hardly original. Isn't that exactly what Rose did when she turned Prince Ali and the mayor and Chat Noir into… Oh! Hey wait a minute," she said, enthusiasm returning as a thought struck her. "What about Chat Noir? Was he affected? Did he end up under her spell and start fighting Ladybug again?"
Marinette's face scrunched up slightly. "Noooo," she hedged. Speaking about Chat Noir was part of the day's adventure that Marinette would have preferred not to recount. For some reason Chat Noir had not been affected by the villain's 'Siren Call', although he had complained rather incessantly about the screeching vocals hurting his sensitive ears. Marinette chose to believe his enhanced hearing somehow made him immune. It was either that or… Well…
"Interesting," Alya said, referencing yet another article she had pulled up. "It says here that a lot of men exposed to Siren's singing weren't affected. I guess the theory is that Siren's powers only worked on guys that weren't already in love with someone. Ah, that's kind of sweet. True love conquers all! Right Babe?" she called to Nino. "Babe?" she shouted a bit louder.
Without turning around Nino nodded and gave her a brief thumbs up. Alya crossed her arms over her chest and glared slightly at her boyfriend's back. Meanwhile Marinette cringed slightly, partly because that wasn't the first time she'd heard the words "true love conquers all" that day, and partly because she was anticipating the inevitable conclusion her friend was about to reach. "Wait a minute!" Alya snapped her fingers suddenly. "If Chat Noir wasn't affected, that means he must be in love with Ladybug after all! Ha! Pay up girl!" Alya crowed.
"I will do no such thing!" Marinette bristled. "That is not sufficient proof that they're in a relationship!" she insisted, in reference to a longstanding bet she had with Alya. Alya, and most of Paris had recently become obsessed with the idea of Chat Noir and Ladybug becoming a couple. Marinette had been willing to bet 20 euros that it was never going to happen, and Alya, convinced that it was just a matter of time, had been out to prove her wrong ever since. Alya had even gone so far as to set up a request on the Ladyblog, calling for her followers to send in any information that suggested love was in the air for the two masked heroes. The blog had only served to ramp up the interest Paris was already showing in the duo. KIDZ+ TV had gotten wind of the concept, and had taken it a step further, offering 100 euros to anyone that could provide the station with a photograph that confirmed a 'Ladynoir' relationship.
It had certainly made Ladybug's job more difficult. Since the hype started, whenever she and Chat Noir had to fight off an akuma attack, groups of civilians would flock around and get in the way, all in hopes of capturing evidence of a relationship that didn't even exist. And of course Chat had been more insufferable than usual since the start of the whole media hoopla. He never passed up an opportunity to encourage the media's speculation about the two of them. He'd drape an arm over her shoulder before she could stop him or the photographer taking their photo, or would talk about how amazing she was, and how much he admired her in interviews. When asked blatantly if they were a couple, he'd grin mischievously and wink, making some kind of comment about how he wasn't one to kiss and tell. As Alya was quick to point out, the way in which he refused to comment was more a confirmation than anything else.
"True love conquers all!" came Chat Noir's voice from Alya's phone and Marinette shuddered as Alya barked out a laugh and an exclamation of how she'd just said that before returning her attention to a recording of an interview Chat Noir had given following the fight with Siren. Marinette attempted to tune out the sound of the interview, and pulled out her sketch book instead, quietly mulling over the events of that morning. Regardless of the reasons, Marinette was glad Chat Noir hadn't been affected by Siren. She always hated when he got put under some magical spell. He was a lot harder to fight than most of the villains they faced. He was stronger, faster, more experienced, and he was getting better all the time. Things just went so much smoother when she had him fighting alongside her instead of against her.
In the end it was his cataclysm that had shattered the jeweled headpiece Siren had worn, which was the source of the akuma and all of Siren's powers. Everything had returned to normal after Ladybug had purified the akuma. The men under Siren's spell had returned to whatever they had been doing prior to the attack, and the shattered windows and objects that Siren had left in her wake were all repaired. In the end it had been a relatively easy fight.
Yet something about it didn't sit right with Marinette. She'd tried to say as much to Chat Noir, but he'd been stuck on some silly tangent about how there was no need to worry because their love would always triumph over evil, and in her annoyance she'd given up and simply left. But now that she had the time to think about it more thoroughly, her misgivings had returned. Why had Siren's powers been so selective? Was it possible Hawk Moth was losing his edge? Or was he using certain attacks in order to learn more about Ladybug and Chat Noir and their potential weaknesses? It wasn't the first time in recent weeks she'd considered such a possibility. A recent villain known as Nightmare had specialized in identifying fears. He hadn't been a particularly challenging rival. Once he collected someone's fears he could use them against that person, leaving most of Paris to run in fear from imaginary threats, but the illusions were only that... Illusions. They couldn't actually hurt anyone. Still, Ladybug had been particularly careful not to have her fears collected in the first place, not wanting Hawk Moth to know the things that scared her. Unfortunately, Chat Noir had been less fortunate, taking a hit that had been intended for Ladybug and revealing that his greatest fears revolved around the thought of something bad happening to his partner.
Marinette worried her lower lip and frowned at the recollection of that fight. Chat Noir had fought his best through the illusions, only truly breaking free of them when Ladybug caught and purified the akuma. Even after everything had returned to normal she could tell he'd been badly shaken by his hallucinations. She still remembered the way he shook as he clutched her tightly, muttering about how he was so sure he'd lost her. She'd merely returned his embrace and shushed him lightly as he recounted fragments of the illusions where he'd seen her torn to pieces by the akumas, or dropped from the Eiffel Tower without her yo-yo to save her. Over and over he'd lamented about how he could never get there fast enough to help her, and asked her to please tell him it wasn't real, wasn't real, wasn't real…
"I don't know what I'd do without you," he'd said softly. "I can't lose you too!"
Her heart had given an uncomfortable twinge at his admission, and she'd found herself considering for a moment that maybe those Ladynoir shippers were on to something in regards to the two of them. After all, she was pretty sure that she and Chat Noir had painted a pretty convincing picture of a couple in love that night, holding each other close under a starry sky and a full moon. She was fairly certain that if some opportunistic photographer had taken a picture of them in that moment, they'd have won the news station's promised 100 euros, presenting evidence of a relationship that even Marinette would have trouble refuting to Alya.
Ladybug had wanted to tell Chat Noir that she needed and depended on him too and that she cared about him in her own way. She wanted to ask who it was he had lost before. But their personal details and secret identities had to remain a mystery, so in the end she'd merely held him until their transformations were about to wear off, and whispered a promise that nothing was going to happen to her, and that she'd always be there for him.
"Ooh, is that what you've been working on lately?" Alya asked suddenly, pulling Marinette from her reverie. Alya had apparently satisfied her curiosity on the recent akuma attack and had shifted her attention to the open sketchbook in Marinette's lap. "Let me see!"
Marinette smiled, grateful for the distraction, and happy to talk about her designs. "It's nothing special really. But I did come up with this great idea for the lining of the pockets… See it's concealed so…"
"Ugh. Marinette, quit wasting your time with your pathetic little doodles. No one in the fashion industry is ever going to take them seriously," Chloe said, sauntering over to Alya and Marinette's table with her friend Sabrina, trailing behind her. "Here's what a real designer can do!" Chloe said as she thrust a portfolio upon the table, right under Marinette's nose.
Marinette rolled her eyes at Alya and glared up at Chloe, but couldn't avoid glancing over the designs presented. The first design was of an elegant but overdone white dress, overrun with feathers, diamonds and pearls. Marinette could certainly appreciate the artistry, but at the same time she found herself analyzing the places where a simple tuck should have been employed, or a ruffle should have been removed to create a more streamlined, aesthetically pleasing shape. However, Chloe didn't really subscribe to the less is more concept, so to her it probably seemed perfect. Marinette had to admit that she did find the second design to be truly awe inspiring. It was a black suit, with golden trim and an emerald green lining. Simple but elegant with just the right amount of accents. It seemed to suggest an air of royalty, and a strong hint of affluence, but the balance was just right, keeping it from becoming gaudy or overly frilly. Marinette was impressed, but then she wasn't about to fawn all over anything shown to her by Chloe.
Instead she graciously told Chloe that the designs were very nice before returning her attention to her own sketches.
"Aren't they though? Daddy commissioned one of the most sought after designers in Paris to create them for me for this year's Fairy Tale Ball thrown at his hotel."
"That's nice, Chloe," Marinette said in a bored tone, not bothering to look up.
"Aren't you going to ask who my lucky date will be?"
"No." Marinette and Alya said in unison.
Chloe gave a disdainful 'hmph' in annoyance that was only partly assuaged when Sabrina chimed in encouragingly.
"I want to know Chloe," she said. "Who's your lucky date going to be this year?"
"Why Adrien, of course," Chloe trilled, grinning like the cat that ate the canary.
The pencil in Marinette's hand snapped, her attention suddenly returning in full force. "You're going with Adrien? What? How? I mean… Why?"
Alya put a restraining, comforting hand on Marinette's forearm as Chloe gave a smug smirk. "Oh didn't you know? We always go together. Every year since we were children. It shouldn't be a surprise really. After all, we have so much in common, being rich and beautiful and all. Really we're perfect for each other, don't you agree?"
"Oh yes of course Chloe," Sabrina said. "A storybook fairy tale couple for sure if I ever did see one."
"This year our costumes are inspired by Swan Lake," Chloe said in a singsong voice. "Last year we went as Guinevere and Lancelot. And the year before that..."
The door slid open then and the girls all turned to watch the very subject of their discussion stroll into the room. "Ah, there's my Prince Charming now," Chloe crooned. "Oh Adrikins!" she called skipping lightly over to his side and latching onto his arm. "Look, I just picked these up this morning. Aren't they to die for?" she said displaying the designs for him.
"Ah yeah sure," Adrien said. "What are they for anyway?"
"They're for us of course! For this year's ball, silly."
"Oh," Adrien startled, an uncomfortable expression marring his face. "Um, yeah. About that… I wish you'd said something sooner, Chloe. I actually have plans for that night, so I can't go with you this year."
"What do you mean you can't go?" she screeched. "We always go together!"
"I know, I'm sorry. But maybe this is a good thing! Now you can take a real date this year instead of just your obligatory friend," he said, smoothly patting her on the shoulder as he slid past her and into his seat.
Chloe gaped at him for a brief moment, not quite sure how to respond. Behind them Marinette let out a sharp laugh that she immediately suppressed by slapping a hand over her mouth. Chloe immediately turned her attention to Marinette, giving her a sharp glare. She looked as if she was about to launch into a fit, but before she could, Miss Bustier rushed into the room and made her way straight for the front desk. "Sorry for the delay class," she called. "The roads were impassable this morning. Let's dive right in to make up for lost time, shall we? Chloe, please take your seat."
Chloe sputtered momentarily before spinning on her heel and slumping into her chair with an angry pout. Marinette let out a slight sigh of relief, having just narrowly avoided Chloe's wrath. She then broke into a wide grin, happy to find Adrien wasn't going to a dance with Chloe after all. Alya gave her one quick knowing smirk before opening her book and giving their teacher her full attention.
However, Marinette found it quite difficult to concentrate during the morning's lessons as her thoughts were overrun with daydreams of attending a ball with Adrien. She didn't know much about that kind of dancing, but she imagined she could die happy twirling around in a fancy gown in the arms of her one true love. Of course she knew it would never actually happen. Adrien wasn't going to the ball at all, and she wasn't naïve enough to think he'd ever consider asking her in the first place. The rational part of her mind insisted that Adrien probably didn't care much for such events anyway, but that didn't stop her from getting lost in idle fantasies.
What she couldn't have realized was that the idea of a ball did appeal to Adrien very much, and he spent most of their morning lessons with his mind similarly occupied as he imagined himself spinning around with a certain pretty girl with bright blue eyes set in a face concealed behind a mask of red and black. It was a particular dream of his that he was quite set on making a reality. By the time lunch came along he had very little in the way of notes to show for his day, and could scarcely remember a word spoken by his teacher. He was however very pleased with the plan he had worked out in his head during the course of his classes.
Rushing home, he made his way straight to his room, skipping lunch in the dining room all together in favor of working out details for the upcoming evening. Once behind closed doors, Plagg darted out from his hiding place under Adrien's over-shirt, and Adrien absently tossed him a wedge of Camembert before plopping down in front of his computer.
"Why'd you tell Chloe you can't go to that dance thing?" Plagg asked in between bites as he gestured towards the elegant invitation for the ball that Adrien had pinned up on the wall by his desk. "You were so excited about it when you got that invitation earlier this week."
"Because Adrien Agreste isn't going," he said matter-of-factly as he plugged his phone into the computer and started transferring a specific music playlist onto it. "Chat Noir is!" Having queued up the file transfer he spun his chair around and dashed over to his closet to start rummaging through various boxes he had on the shelves.
Plagg floated behind him lazily. "And who are you planning on taking?"
"Do you really need to ask?" Adrien said, not bothering to poke his head out from his closet. "You know perfectly well there's only one girl I'm interested in."
"Ladybug?" Plagg scoffed. "Yeah sure, that'll be the day. How are you going to convince her to go with you? Tell her that Hawk Moth's going to be attending and that the two of you should go together as undercover spies to try and apprehend him once and for all?"
Despite the fact that Plagg was clearly being sarcastic, Adrien paused in his rummaging and stood up straight to consider Plagg's suggestion for a moment before ultimately shaking his head and resuming his search. "Nope. Nothing like that. I'm just going to ask her the normal way," he said finally finding the box he had been looking for and pulling out a handful of white candles. "With music, and candles…" he paused as a thought occurred to him and he relinquished the box to dash back to his computer. "And lots and lots of flowers," he finished, calling up a florist website. "What kind of flowers do ladybugs like Plagg?"
Plagg sighed but answered indulgently. "Ladybug's kwami always liked marigolds and cosmos the best, but that doesn't necessarily mean…"
"Got it," Adrien called, already halfway through the design for an arrangement.
Plagg sighed again looking at the screen. "Add in the sweet alyssum. It balances everything out better," he suggested halfheartedly.
"Thanks Plagg! You're absolutely right!" Adrien said before happily continuing with his task.
"Look Adrien, I'm not so sure this is a great idea. Ladybug hasn't exactly been the most receptive to your advances in the past. Take this morning for example..."
"She just doesn't take me seriously," Adrien said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "That's why this is the perfect opportunity to ask her out. Once she sees I've made an actual effort she'll know I'm not just playing around. I just need a fresh approach. You'll see!"
Plagg was less than optimistic. "You know kid, I've been around for a while, and I have to tell you, relationships between miraculous wielders don't always work out so well."
"Oh yeah? Why's that?" Adrien asked, only half listening to Plagg's advice.
"For a number of reasons. It's a tough job you two have. It can cause a lot of stress and when your emotions are caught up in a life or death situation it complicates things. Not to mention you still don't know her true identity. And… Are you even listening to me?"
"Uh huh. Stress… Life or death… True identities… All good stuff," he responded automatically, still adjusting his order. "Do you think it needs more color? What about these…"
"Not the mums! Ladybug's hate those!" Plagg screeched. "Geez, you really don't know much about ladybugs do you? Or this girl for that matter. Adrien, why don't you find some nice girl in your class to take to the ball instead? Save yourself a lot of trouble," he insisted. "And heartache," he muttered under his breath.
"Like Chloe? No thanks. She didn't even ask if I wanted to go. Just assumed I'd take her," he said while rolling his eyes.
"No, not Chloe," Plagg grumbled distastefully. "What about that nice girl that sits behind you? Marinette? She's pretty cute. And you guys seem to enjoy spending time together. I think she might like you even."
"I highly doubt that," Adrien said. "Marinette's a good friend, but she always acts super uncomfortable around me. I mean she's sweet and cute and talented and all, not to mention she kicks some serious butt at video games…" he said fondly before ultimately remembering himself and shaking his head. "But she's not Ladybug."
"I hate to break it to you but Ladybug's not really Ladybug either. How do you expect to date a girl when you don't even know her real name?"
"Ah but 'what's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet,'" Adrien quipped dramatically. "Ooh! Roses! Duh!" he immediately turned back to his order.
"Unless it was called a mum," Plagg muttered. "Fine, do what you want. But don't say I didn't warn you when this whole thing backfires. What's your plan anyway?"
"Simple. They're setting off fireworks from the Seine tonight. I'll find some secluded roof, set up a romantic atmosphere, and get Ladybug to meet me there. Then when the fireworks start I'll tell her…"
"Bleh, on second thought never mind. I don't want to hear all the mushy details."
Not to be dissuaded, Adrien only smiled before turning back to his computer so he could finish up his order. "This is going to work Plagg, I just know it! Once she sees all the effort I've put into it she'll have to say yes. And then we can have our first real date! You'll see! It's going to be perfect!"