Oof welcome to my tenth story. I have five others that I started before this, but haven't got around to updating them. See the end of the story for free ideas.

I don't own our dorks but I do own this fanfiction.

I anxiously watched the Ladyblog's coverage of the latest akuma, Bakerix. All we knew was that the Dupain-Cheng bakery had turned into a steampunk factory that kept churning out delicious pastries-delicious, but they left a sour aftertaste. And then you turned into a slave and vyzhoom you disappeared in a blast of electric blue. The two main theories floating around is that they went off to make more desserts, or that they became the desserts.

Anyways, the fight seemed to be almost over, thankfully, since it would soon be nine. Ladybug and Cat Noir had closed in on the bakery and entered, thanks to Cat Noir's Cataclysm. They had found the slaves inside (thankfully not as food) and had to wade through them and finally found a pair of robot bakers. And that was when the fight started.

The shorter of the two spun around at the disturbance and almost immediately shot out one of two retractable claws: rubber on the end, but still had a death grip. Cat Noir's tail can attest to that.

Cat Noir was yanked off his feet and swung into the nearby wall. It was only his cat-like reflexes that saved him from crashing face first into the wall; as it was, he barely managed to redirect his trajectory into a nearby pile of dough.

Meanwhile, Ladybug had to deal with the taller and bulkier of the two. He had a chunk of steel as his left hand and a laser gun for his right hand. That meant Ladybug had to deal with wide punches and tiny beams at the same time, which didn't look easy, even for Ladybug. Just then, a pie hit the camera and the screen went cherry red.

I waited for the filming to resume for one minute, then five, only hearing the sounds of fighting. Finally, although it was hard to hear, a cry of "Lucky Charm!" was audible. And then a sizzle, a gasp, and the ladybugs swarmed into my room, removing the blueberry filling and the frosting.

"Nathaniel?" came my mom's voice from downstairs. "Nathaniel!" She appeared in my doorway.

"Oh, Nathaniel!" She rushed over to me and enveloped me in a tight hug. "Nathaniel, I'm so sorry!" she said into my shoulder. "I was so worried," she continued, pulling away and placing her hands on my shoulders. "Are you hurt?" she asked, her eyes scanning for any injuries.

"Mom, you know the ladybugs would've fixed it," I reassured. "I'm fine," I added. She sighed.

"I know. I'm just worried, ever since you were... you know. I don't ever want that to happen to you again," my mom said in a soft tone. Suddenly she surrounded me in another hug. "I love you, Nathaniel," she confirmed.

We just stood there in each other's arms, mother and son, and I couldn't have felt more loved.

I yawned, commenting, "It's getting late. We should get to bed." Mom agreed, and we each went our separate ways to bed.

{+-+}

AKUMA VICTIM FEARED DEAD was the headline as I ate my breakfast. I almost choked on my eggs when I saw it: didn't the ladybugs fix everything? I opened the article to read more, curious but apprehensive.

I couldn't breathe as I saw the news.

"Tom Dupain, co-owner of the local bakery with his wife, Sabine Cheng, suffered severe burns from last night's akuma attack. While the evidence is unclear, the most likely conclusion is that the burns were inflicted during his akumatization. It is not known if..."

I turned away, unable to finish the article. Why didn't Ladybug fix it?

I had lost my appetite, and so I decided to get ready for school. I climbed upstairs to put on a fresh set of clothes, noting my French essay that had to be finished by Friday. I brushed my teeth, combed my hair, and gathered all of my stuff into my backpack. I walked downstairs just in time to call a quick goodbye to my mom and then slipped into my shoes and walked out the door as well.

As I biked to school, my mind kept drifting back to last night's akuma attack. I had a pit in my stomach just thinking about what Mr. Dupain's family must be feeling right now.

Marinette.

Oh no.

Marinette must be feeling horrible right now! I wished I could do something to make her feel better, since I knew exactly how she felt.

And then it hit me: I could.

It was around this time I arrived at school, and so I started looking around to see if Marinette had decided to come to school today. [There!] I found her sitting at the bottom of the metal staircase in the gym, surrounded by her friends. Steeling my nerves, I walked up and waited for a break in the conversation. Not a minute later, I saw my opening.

"Marinette? Uh... I'm really sorry about your dad. I know how that feels."

Marinette just looked up with a sad smile, and I saw how red and puffy her eyes were.

"And I... do you want a hug?"

Marinette bit her lip for a long moment, and then nodded. I helped her up, not sure what to do next, and so I opened my arms.

Marinette crashed into me, wrapping her arms around me like I was the only thing that would keep her on her feet. I could almost feel the pain she went through as she buried her face in my shoulder. I lowered my head so it was resting on hers and I whispered, "It'll be alright. It'll be hard, but we're here to help you through it." I hugged her back with as much care as I could muster, knowing that she needed as much as possible to help her.

After what seemed like an eternity, Marinette's grip loosened and I stepped back. "Thank you," Marinette softly said. looking up at me.

"If... if you ever need another hug, just ask," I offered. Just then, the bell rang. "See you later," I smiled, walking to my locker.

{+-+}

"...and that is how we find the missing side length on a triangle. I'd like you to practice this..."

I kept glancing down at Marinette, not really paying attention to the lesson. Marinette seemed different today. Well, different from what I had expected. When it had happened to me, I was kind of empty for the first day. Marinette seemed... broken.

Let me explain: She was talking to her friends and staring at Adrien and being clumsy and doing all the things that make Marinette Marinette, but there wasn't that Marinette spark. She was admiring Adrien, but she wasn't doodling their future family. She was chatting with Alya, but her mind was elsewhere. She wasn't empty, just broken. And that's good, because I didn't know how to fix myself years ago, when Dad's absence left me empty, but I can fix broken things.

And from that point on, it became my goal: I was now fixing Marinette.

I legitimately have five other unpublished first chapters: 2 Miraculous AUs, a Miraculous oneshot, an ARMS fanfiction, and another oneshot. I should stop, but if anyone wants to take the AUs they're up for grabs.

Miraculous: Tales of Mister Charm and Minou Nuit- AU where Nathaniel and Juleka get the Miraculouses. Needs to have Nathleka and PenAndPetal (a new ship I made up with Rose and Marc) (they are my OTP change my mind)

Miraculous: Take 2- This one is epic and I have a storyline plotted out and I don't want to spoil it, so know that it has heavy Adrienette and the barest hint of LadyNoir, Cat Noir is the bad guy (?) and Marinette and Adrien are in a relationip. Also, Nathaniel gets the Fox miraculous.

:( Well, I hope I can manage TEN STORIES! Wish me luck!