So...I stumbled onto french-fry-gallery's Miraculous Ladybug Spiderverse AU fanart on Tumblr and...I've been obsessed.

This is what happens when I think about an AU instead of doing my homework.

Alright, let's do this one last time.

My name is Bridgette Astruc. I was given a Miraculous by the Great Guardian, and for the past ten years I've been the one and only Miraculous Ladybug. I think you know the rest.

I fought akumas, saved the city, fell in love. Then I saved the city again, and again. Hawkmoth continues to elude capture but I have made it my sworn duty to protect the people of Paris from him, and any other villain that plagues this city. Even with no end to this journey in sight, I still love being Ladybug. Over the years, I've become a comic book, a cereal, I did a Christmas album, I have a stellar theme song, and a so-so collectible action figure.

So no matter how many hits I take, and no matter how many villains spring up, I will always find a way to save the day. Because if there's anything stopping the akumas from razing Paris, it's me. There's only one Miraculous Ladybug. And you're looking at her.

Marinette's alarm blared. She rolled over and pulled the sheets over herself. Just one more short snooze.

"Marinette!" came her mother's voice from below. "Your alarm has been going off for the past fifteen minutes! You're going to be late for the first day back at school."

There was no chance at more sleep now. "Coming..." said Marinette, turning off the alarm on her phone. It was time to get the day started. She got herself in her usual shirt and blazer, pink jeans, and then tied her hair up into two pigtails. Then it was down the door in her floor and into the kitchen. Her mother was at the counter.

Marinette gave her a kiss on the cheek before getting in the chair. "I bet you anything Chloé is in my class again."

"Four years in a row?" asked her mother. "Do you think that's possible?"

"Definitely." Marinette poured in some milk and added some cocoa flakes. "Lucky me." She put the box of flakes down, rattling the table enough to knock an orange out of a fruit bowl, which rolled down a piece of bread to hit the knife, knocking two sugar cubes into the air. Marinette tried to grab the orange, but before she could, it knocked over a carton of milk.

Great start to the new year.

Her mother did the clean up. Grabbing her backpack and heading downstairs, her father was already waiting for her, merrily humming the French anthem. His hands twirled a box of fresh macarons.

"Dad, these look great!" said Marinette. She took the box from his hands. "My class will love them! You're the best."

"We're the best." He ruffled her hair. "Thanks to your amazing designs."

Marinette grinned. I guess I am good for something. She gave her parents one quick peck each and bolted out the door. "See you tonight!"

Just a few minutes before the bell. If she ran, she could make it to class on time. The crossing light flashed red. Marinette screeched to a stop at the curbside, almost stumbling into the street. The crowds around her, and across from her, whipped out their phones, their focus falling to their screens.

An old man was crossing, his back hunched, and his walking cane making slow but steady progress across the street. A car honked. Marineete whipped her head around and found that the car was driving too fast. It wouldn't stop in time.

Before she could control herself, she leapt forward. Her hand reached out and grabbed the man's wrist, pulling him into the sidewalk. Her foot caught on the curb. She tripped. "Bleck!" The car zipped by behind them.

"Thank you, miss," said the man. Marinette looked up. The box had fallen out of her hands, opening and spilling some of its contents. Someone stepped on the macarons as they walked by. The light must have turned green again.

There was guilt on the man's eyes. "What a disaster..."

Marinette got up. "Oh, don't worry. I'm no stranger to disasters." She picked up the box and offered it to the man. "Besides, there are still a few left."

He happily tried one. "Delicious!"

The warning bell echoed across the street. Marinette's pulse jumped. "Oh no, I'm going to be late!" She gave the man a boy. "Have a good day, sir." Her surroundings passed in a blur. Street, entrance, stairs, hallway. Marinette pushed the door and blundered into the classroom.

Alya was already there, sitting at the second table from the front. She waved. Marinette beamed and stepped up to join her.

"What's up, girl?" Alya greeted. "Any new designs to show off?"

Marinette slid into her seat. "Since I saw you two days ago? No."

"Okay, but did you see the new post on my Ladyblog?"

I forgot. "Yes?"

Alya laughed. "Ladybug fought another akuma yesterday. Mister Pigeon, the news have been calling him."

"Sounds threatening."

"Oh he was terrifying," said Alya. "Imagine all those pigeons swooping in and pecking at everything. Ugh. What a nightmare."

They giggled. Marinette was beginning to feel hopeful about the day. She managed to make it to school in time, Alya's as great as ever, and there's no sign of––

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng." Mairnette flinched. She would recognize that voice anywhere.

Chloé paraded into the room, Sabrina close behind her. "And Alya Césaire. "Of course you two would be in my class again this year. And I believe you are sitting in my seat." With a daintily manicured finger, she pointed to the seats in the front row, the first students the teacher would see once they looked up from their desk. "That's where you losers belong."

Alya's eyes narrowed. "Does this chair have your name printed all over it, Chloé? Because last time I checked, it doesn't."

"Don't you dare get sassy with me. I know you're just jealous of how perfect I am."

Alya hissed under her breath. Marinette's eyes flitted across the room. Everyone was looking at them. Juleka, Rose, Max, Kim, Ivan, Mylene. Nino turned around from his seat in the front. Nathaniel looked up from his arms. Marinette gulped. Their eyes were all on them.

Miss Bustier entered the classroom. "What's going on in here?"

Before Alya could say anything, Marinette tugged her sleeve. "Alya? Maybe we could move? Just for today?" If they caused a scene on the first day of school...Marinette didn't want to think about it. They could deal with this later, without a teacher looming over them, without all the eyes of her classmates. Alya could handle it later.

For a moment, it didn't look like the fire in Alya's eyes wouldn't dim. Finally, she sighed. "Alright." Standing up, Alya grabbed her backpack and moved to the seats in the front row. Marinette quickly gathered her belongings and followed her. She tripped on her way down, the box of macarons once again falling out of her hands.

"Sorry," she squeaked as she lowered herself by Chloé. Her eyes and smile were smug.

Marinette couldn't bring herself to look Alya in the eye for the rest of first period.

"What was that?" After school, Alya was still fuming. They were walking through the court together, the exit to campus in sight. "Does she think she can just waltz in and tell us what to do? If she wants to claim a seat, then she has to get here early enough, not shoo other people off what they have the right to."

"It'll work out tomorrow," said Marinette.

Alya turned to her. "And I thought this year was going to be different."

"What do you mean?"

"Chloé's been bothering you since the beginning of time, Marinette. I thought you said things were going to change this year, that you were actually going to stand up to her."

Marinette rubbed the back of her neck. "I'm not sure I actually said that..."

"But you want to."

She sighed. "Yes."

"What's stopping you, girl?"

"What if I can't do it, Alya? What if I try and I end up screwing up because, as we all know, that's what I do best. Then the whole class would laugh at me. And then Chloé's going to make fun of me even more and–"

"Whoa, whoa. Calm down. Let's start with actually standing up to Chloé before we worry about the other stuff."

Marinette looked at her shoes. "I guess you're right. I just don't think I can do it, you know..."

An encouraging smile lit up Alya's face. Placing a hand on Marinette's shoulder, she said, "'All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good people do nothing.' That's what Ladybug says. Chloé is clearly a force of evil, and we're the good people. So it's up to us to do something about it!"

"I'll look like an idiot."

"No you won't. You just gotta look like a superhero. You do this." Alya pulled her shoulders back and placed her hand on her hips. "You make yourself visible, be confident and then say..." Alya's voice turned heroically dramatic. "'Hey.'"

A laugh bubbled out of Marinette. "I don't think that's going to work."

"It's a start."

"So what? I just do this..." Marinette put her palms on her waist. "And go 'Hey.'"

"No, no, no. You gotta really bring those shoulders back. Puff out that chest. And your 'Hey.' has to be more dramatic."

Marinette took a breath and tried pushing her chest forward. "Okay, this just feels ridiculous."

Alya gave her a series of pat on the shoulders. "Don't worry. You'll get the hang of it. When you're standing up to Chloé, just think of Ladybug."

At the very least, Marinette figured, she could try.