Disclaimer: I don't own ML.
I am autistic. I project myself onto Marinette. We're not all the same and we're not all like Kagami, who's more "obviously" autistic based on stereotypes of what we're like. Stop. Calling. It. Forced. Insertion. There's a reason it's called a SPECTRUM.
Gah. Just had to get that off my chest because I've had at least two people bitching about my autistic Marinette (and even my bisexual Marinette) and how it feels like I'm trying too hard to be inclusive and it's just like…if you don't like it, bugger off. I write them based on my own experiences and if that's not good enough for you, tough shit.
Thanks to Malicious hero, Shiranai Atsune, Rose Tiger, acosta perez jose ramiro, Evander1435, The Keeper of Worlds, DragoonSensei, yellow 14, HarmonyHarpshine7 and bunnywabbit29 for your reviews :)
"Don't forget to hand in your homework!" Ms Bustier says. Everyone dutifully rummages around in their bags, but Marinette's heart freezes in her chest when her fingers don't land on her paper despite feeling every inch of her bag.
"What! No!" she cries, feverishly tearing through her bag. "I know I put it in here!"
"You forgot your homework?" Alya says. "Girl –"
"No, I didn't forget it! I know I didn't!" Marinette says. "I distinctly remember putting it in my bag!"
"Marinette, where's your homework?" Ms Bustier says, having noticed the commotion.
"I didn't forget it, I swear!" Marinette says. "I know I'm a mess, but I know I had it this morning!"
But as she looks around the classroom, it's clear that no one believes her. No one apart from Adrien and maybe even Chloé, that is. Even Alya looks a little sceptical.
"It's not the first time you've forgotten to hand in your homework, Marinette," Lila says with a sympathetic tut. "Are you having trouble with your class representative duties?"
"Lila has a good point," Ms Bustier says. "It's not very responsible of a class representative to constantly forget their homework. Maybe we should –"
"Oops," Chloé says loudly. Everyone's heads swivel to her, where she's holding her bag open in plain view, while Sabrina shifts and makes a sound like crinkling paper. "Sabrina and I didn't have time to finish our homework, Ms Bustier. We should totally have another day to finish it."
"I – well –" says a flustered Ms Bustier. "I don't think –"
"– that my daddy would want to hear about this?" Chloé tilts her head. "Yeah, I really don't think he'd appreciate hearing that I'm being punished for not getting to finish my homework instead of being given an extra night to do it. He sent me here expecting me to get a quality education, you know."
Well. It's not entirely good of Chloé to threaten Ms Bustier with her influence like this but…Marinette had mentioned directing her attitude towards good, hadn't she? And it's not like Chloé's trying to hurt anyone, unlike every other time she's pulled the "Daddy" card. Baby steps.
"I suppose when you put it that way…" Ms Bustier says.
"Excellent," Chloé says. "Marinette, you're coming over tonight and we're doing it together. I'll make sure she hands it in tomorrow."
"Um…thanks?" Marinette says. It's not that she's ungrateful for what Chloé's doing. She's just…not used to Chloé being a force of chaotic good rather than chaotic evil.
"That's, um…very good of you, Chloé," Ms Bustier says. Chloé smirks and flips her ponytail, and her disguised Bee comb glints in the sunlight.
"I know."
Marinette ends up zoning out for the rest of class, until the bell rings for lunch. To her surprise, she, Alya, Adrien, and Nino are joined by Chloé and Sabrina on their way out, and even Nathaniel and Alix tag along.
"Thanks for what you did back there," Marinette says. "But I know I put my homework in my bag!"
"Yeah, you've said it enough times," Chloé says. "But do you really think anyone's gonna believe you? You're an airhead, remember?"
"Touching," Alya drawls. Chloé rolls her eyes.
"Don't worry, Marinette, I'll help you get it done!" Sabrina says. "Now that Chloé's doing her own homework and I'm tutoring her, I can help you as well!"
"I just don't get it," Marinette says. "It's not even the homework. Everything's been going wrong for like a week now."
"You know, you've got a point," Adrien says. "Like the time that bucket nearly fell on your head in the locker room."
"Or the time you tripped in the courtyard even with Alya holding your arm," Nino says.
"Or the time you sat in that bucket of paint in art club," Nathaniel says.
"And it so wasn't there at first!" Alix says.
"Or the time your pen exploded!" Sabrina says. "It's like you're cursed!"
"Or like someone's sabotaging her," Chloé says. "Duh."
"But who?" Alya says as they reach the stairs leading down to the courtyard. "The only person who hated her enough to do something like this was you. No offence."
Chloé shrugs. "It's true. Not that I ever went this far. So, you must've really pissed someone off."
"I just wish I knew who!" Marinette says. "I can't think of any – wah!"
One moment, she's walking down the stairs. The next, something slams into her from behind and she's flat on her face on the concrete, with sharp pain zinging through her left arm every time she so much as breathes, while the world swims around her. There's a flash of gold and green that focuses into a mop of messy blond hair and striking green eyes, crinkled as they loom over her, and they flash when something touches her arm and she screams as the agony shoots up her arm and jabs her brain.
"– careful –"
"– who shoved me –"
"– pushed me into her –"
"– don't touch her!"
"– call an ambulance!"
"– is it broken –"
"Akuma!"
There's screaming all around her. Someone helps her up, careful not to touch her arm, and she's led away from the chaos by an iron grip, and she follows because what else can she do? The world's still fuzzy all around her.
"Oh, dear," the person tuts. There's a flash of red and brown. "Poor little Marinette. You've really hurt yourself, haven't you?"
Marinette lets out a weak groan.
"Not to worry," the person says. "I'll make sure you're safe and sound. We wouldn't want anything to happen to you, right? How would our dear hero Chat Noir focus?"
"Lila!" calls a familiar voice. Gold and green. Chat Noir? "I'll get Marinette somewhere safe. You should hide!"
"Oh, it's no problem at all, Adrien!" says the red and brown person. Lila? "I know how much you care for Marinette –"
"That's why I'll get her somewhere safe." This new touch is softer, gentler, not like a vice trapping her and leading her around. "Go and hide, Lila."
"But –"
"Go!"
Marinette finds herself spacing out as she's led in another direction, and she's not sure how much time passes before she's guided to sit down in…a classroom, right? That's what her hazy brain is telling her. Adrien squeezes her non-injured hand and says, "Stay here, alright? Ladybug and Chat Noir will take care of the akuma and then we can get help for your arm."
"K," Marinette slurs. Then Adrien's gone, and a small red figure is floating in front of her face. Tikki!
"Marinette!" Tikki says. "You have to transform!"
"Hurts," Marinette whimpers.
"I know but transforming will help you deal with the pain!" Tikki says. "It won't be healed or painless, but you'll be able to think clearly."
"T-Tikki…spots on…"
The searing pain in her arm dulls once the pink light around her fades. Although it still burns to move her arm even a fraction, the pain isn't so bad that Ladybug can't focus on what needs to be done. And right now, what needs to be done is defeating this akuma.
"This is gonna be hell," she mumbles when she staggers out of the classroom and her arm throbs in time with each step. Why can't the transformation take all the pain away? This sucks. And her Miraculous Ladybug won't even fix it, since it's not due to an akuma attack. What the hell had she tripped on? Then again, she doesn't need to trip on anything to go down like a bowling pin, what with her clumsiness.
"Milady!" Chat Noir skids to a halt next to her. His brow furrows when he takes in how she's trying desperately to avoid moving her left arm. "Are you okay?"
"Fine, kitty," Ladybug says with a forced grin. "Just a minor injury. I can still kick this akuma's butt!"
"Are you sure? It looks painful."
"I'll be fine. I just tripped and landed wrong. But Ladybug can't take a break, so let's go!"
A fresh wave of pain washes over Ladybug as she takes off running, and an involuntary gasp escapes her before she can hold it back. Chat Noir's immediately by her side, guiding her to the nearest classroom despite her protests.
"What are you doing? They need Ladybug! They need me!" she says when Chat Noir shuts the door.
"I know, bugaboo," he says. "They need Lucky Charm and they need the cure. But I can't watch you kill yourself trying to do this. Do you trust me?"
"What? Of course I do! What kind of question is that?" Ladybug says. Chat Noir stops in front of her, and his green cat eyes are so serious, devoid of their usual playful spark, that she's rendered unable to say another word.
"Close your eyes," Chat Noir says. "And trust me."
"Chat –"
"Just trust me! Please. I can't stand seeing you in this much pain."
Ladybug chews her lip, then reluctantly closes her eyes. After a moment, she hears, "Claws in" and there's a bright flash of light behind her eyelids.
"Chat!"
"Just detransform, Ladybug. I know what I'm doing."
"I don't – I just –" This is ridiculous! They have to get out there and face the akuma! "Spots off!" she blurts out, and the pain in her arm doubles as her transformation fades, and she would have fallen over and blacked out if not for Chat Noir guiding her to sit down, fumbling with his free hand since he's no doubt got his eyes closed as well.
"Hey, Sugarcube," says a scratchy voice that Marinette had heard only once before, when she'd been cornered on the Eiffel Tower with Rena Rouge.
"This isn't the time for cute nicknames, Plagg!" Tikki says. "Ad – Chat Noir, what's going on?"
"There's no way Ladybug can fight like this," Chat Noir says. "But we need her powers. So…" A warm hand feels around on the desk until it finds hers, and then a small, cool object is slapped into her palm. A moment later, Chat Noir's hands scrabble at her head until they find her ears.
"Are you crazy?" Marinette bursts out, groaning when her head spins despite her eyes being closed. "We can't just swap Miraculouses! Do you have any idea how to use mine? We could be handing them to Hawkmoth on a silver platter!"
"We're definitely doing that if you go out and fight like that," Chat Noir says. Having finally unpinned her earrings, his hands withdraw, and he's silent for a moment. "I'm the cunning, ultra-charming Chat Noir, remember? Now you get to wear the clown costume for the day and take it easy."
"Chat –"
"Hey. We're a team, bugaboo. We have each other's backs. If you need me to do the heavy lifting this time, that's what I'm gonna do."
"I agree with Chat Noir," Tikki says.
"Tikki!" Marinette protests.
"You're hurt! There's no way you'll be able to fight nearly as well as you normally do!"
"Don't worry, I won't embarrass you too much," Chat Noir says. Marinette rolls her eyes behind her eyelids, even if he can't see it. "Look, I know there's no way I can get you to stay out of the fight. You're Ladybug, and you're stubborn and go for whatever you want, and that's why I fell for you in the first place. I know I'll feel better if you're in my costume and you've got my job, and I know Rena and Carapace and Honeybee would feel the same."
As much as Marinette loathes to admit it, Chat Noir's right. Wielding the earrings in her current state would pretty much be gift-wrapping them for Hawkmoth…not to mention that there would be an increased risk of someone realising that her arm's hurt and putting two and two together. If she's wielding the Black Cat and she's not the focus, she just might be able to get away with this.
"Fine," she sighs. "I don't like it but you're right. What would I do without you?"
"Crash and burn, milady," Chat Noir says. "What do I say to transform?"
"Spots on!" Tikki says.
"And claws out for moi," Plagg says.
"Wait," Marinette says. "Tell Ryuuko not to show up. I don't think we'll need her for this fight, and we want to keep Hawkmoth's attention away from the zodiacs for as long as possible. I mostly picked her to be sure that we'd have an even team but there's no point in revealing her until we absolutely have to."
"Right." There's the sound of shuffling as Chat Noir turns around so he can open his eyes, followed by the tapping of him typing out a quick message on his phone. "Alright. Tikki, spots on!"
"Plagg, claws out!"
Marinette opens her eyes at the same time as Chat Noir. For a moment, they say nothing, just drinking in each other's changed appearances. Chat Noir's Ladybug suit is armoured without being overly bulky, red with black spots down his chest, stomach, inner thighs, shoulders, and forearms, and black down his upper arms, sides, and the outside of his legs, to his ladybug-patterned boots. The ladybug pattern on his forearms tapers into a sharp point over the back of his hands, giving way to black gloves, and his golden hair is just as ruffled as when he's Chat Noir. But the most striking feature is the eyes behind his ladybug mask, just as bright, oceanic blue as when she's Ladybug. She's seen her eyes in pictures but…never in person like this.
"Wow…" Marinette pushes herself to her feet and takes a step forward, against her will, and reaches up with her uninjured hand to brush her fingers against Chat Noir's cheek. "Is that really what my eyes look like when I'm transformed…?"
Chat Noir swallows, but he doesn't back away and ask what she's doing like she's expecting. Instead, he cracks a grin and says, "Well, you look simply ameowzing in my suit, milady Noire."
Lady Noire. Hmm. She can work with that. "You pull off spots pretty well yourself, Mister Bug," she says. Chat Noir – Misterbug – groans.
"I am not going by that name," he says.
"Too late," Lady Noire sing-songs. "Come on, we've got an akuma to catch! Ready to step into the spotlight?"
Misterbug unslings his yo-yo and gives it an experimental twirl. Lady Noire fights to conceal a grin when he nearly hits himself in the head and is forced to dodge it with a yelp.
"So long as you're ready to be the clown, milady," he replies, then bows and gestures to the door. "After you."