Rating: T+

Pairing(s): Adrien/Marinette; Felix/Chloe; Nino/Alya; Nathaniel/Lila

Genre: Romance; Superhero Action; Drama; Dark Themes

Notes:

Hello everyone! Zancrow here!

When I started this little story, two things had not happened yet. One, Felix had not reappeared in the actual show, and his characterization is a bit, different than what I'm using here. And Spider-man: Far From Home had not hit theaters (and shelves later on), which kinda deals with similar things I have Ladybug deal with here. So, I'll try by best not to follow those footsteps and focus on my initial plan as much as I can. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Don't own "Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir" or "Marvel's The Avengers".

From Zancrow: Please stay safe everyone. Do take care of yourselves and others, and know that I am here if you need anyone to chat with.

"I'm Marinette Dupain-Cheng!"

Alya was slightly taken aback by the genuinely cheerful greeting tossed her way, as Marinette extended her hand towards her. Alya finished taking a sip from one of the water fountains found around the halls during their break period, eyeing her new friend curiously.

"…I feel we didn't introduce each other properly," Marinette explained, smiling with her arm still extended. "You were too busy saving me from Chloe, I guess."

"You handled yourself pretty well, Marinette," Alya replied, taking the girl's hand and returning the smile. "Alya Cesaire, the ever-so cliché new girl in town. Well, one of them anyways."

"The one I'm glad I got to meet," Marinette assured. "Like, if you don't have anything else to do, you can always come back to my place. My folks own a bakery, and trust me, you haven't had sweets until you've had some of my dad's candy apples!"

"That actually sounds sweet, erm, pun intended, so I may take you one that-hold the phone," Alya shifted the conversation suddenly, causing Marinette to stare confusingly. "Six o'clock Mari, the boy you were drooling over."

"The what!? Where!?" Marinette quickly shrieked and landed behind an unimpressed Alya, hiding herself from the "threat". "I am in no way ready to talk to him again!"

"Girl, you didn't say a single thing to him," Alya retorted, moving to the side to face the cowering Marinette. "But, really? After everything that happened, is talking to a boy really that hard for you?"

"…You know, you're right! It shouldn't be! I promised myself I'd be braver!" Marinette declared, turning her full attention towards Felix, who was stepping out of another classroom down the hall, having stopped to presumably "say hi" to the other teachers he had not seen in five years. He was alone, she noticed, no other similar looking boy to be seen. That made it easier she imagined.

Marinette steeled herself, began to march, her face stern and ready to pour her heart out to the boy that had stolen it over a year ago (well, six years ago). She took a deep breath, took a few steps, then turned right back.

"I'll totally talk to him tomorrow, because really, he probably has way more important things to do rather than-" she never got to finish.

She should have seen the shove Alya gave her coming due to the latter's smirk, but she didn't, and before she realized it, she was knocked directly onto Felix, causing the two to topple onto the floor rather violently.

'…Ouch,' Alya mused to herself, as she innocently walked past the two downed teens. 'Usually in movies such a tumble is way more romantic. I nearly almost knocked them both out, oops.'

"Seriously!?" Marinette spoke out, her face beet red and her once perfectly brushed hair now a mess. Something had been caught in it, and she was shocked to see that something was Felix's hand.

"That should be my line," he voiced, not as annoyed as she had expected, more bemused than anything else. "You couldn't be clumsier if you tried."

"I-I, you know, yeah, I mean, no, it wasn't like, erm… Hi!" she greeted with a forced smile, which probably scared Felix more than anything.

"…Hi?" he replied.

"…Heh, heh, heh," she sheepishly laughed, slightly proud of the fact that she actually got that "hi" she had wanted for so long. "Yeah, sorry about that. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," he replied, trying to get up but realizing he was pulling onto her hair as he did, causing her to yelp out an "ouch" as he did. "…You've got to be kidding me."

"I-I think it's your mood ring," she told him, feeling herself tangled up in it. "If you remove it for just a moment."

"Really wish I could," he replied without thinking, which caused her to give a confused look, to which he realized his mistake and added: "I've worn it for a while, it doesn't come off easily."

"We could try!"

"We really can't," he replied quickly. "We could, however, cut your hair just a-"

"No!" she screamed so loud it honestly frightened him, and he froze in place. She stared, realized they were drawing in a crowd thanks to the show they were putting on, and her face turned the brightest of reds. "I mean, please no. My hair takes ages to grow."

"…I was joking," he replied, and she couldn't tell whether he was serious or not, but she stupidly laughed anyways.

"Her hair smells nice."

"You really think so?" Marinette quickly beamed, thanking the heavens she had washed her hair the day before. "It's nothing special, really, but still."

"Think what?" Felix asked, confused. Marinette stared, as he stared back. Was she hearing voiced now too? How hard had she hit her head?

"Oh, nothing, just… nothing," she replied, disappointedly.

"…Did she hear me?"

"Of course I did," Marinette answered, then paused as she realized that the voice did not sound like Felix at all. She turned to the side, to see who it was, but was stopped by Felix's hand which was still stuck to her hair. "Ouch! Oh, right."

"Just relax a bit, I'll fix this… and don't say anything," Felix told her, or at least she thinks it was directed at her. He motioned his hand for a bit, surprisingly far gentler than she had anticipated, almost as if he were caressing her hair, which made her almost faint on the spot. Within moments, his hand came loose, and she still had a full head of hair. "There we go."

"Oh, wow! Thanks so much, for a moment there I thought we were going to be stuck together for a whi-hey!" she called out, as the elder boy had already gotten up and walked away. He was awfully fast, she noticed, as she had to practically sprint after him. "Hey, since we just bumped into each other like this, don't you think we could, you know, plan something, like, I know, the upcoming Gala, I really wouldn't mind going with you, if you want!"

"No thanks," he called out, trying his best to get away from the chasing girl, who was way more persistent that he gave her credit for. He had already made his way out of the school and through the yard, and there she was, steps behind him.

"Maybe I came on a little too forwardly," she tried again. "I'll just give you my number, just in case you change your mind, and maybe, we can-"

"Good grief," Felix muttered under his breath, before placing his open palm against a nearby tree. He focused, and the ring emitted the softest of glows. Within moments, a strange energy surged throughout, and one of the apples fell from the tree and directly on top of Marinette's head, stammering the girl and stopping her on her tracks.

"Ouch, seriously Newton?" she muttered, rubbing her head. She turned back to Felix, but to her surprise, he was gone. She felt a numbness in her chest the moment she realized she had been left alone, but it was subsided by the cheer thrill of actually being able to exchange quite the few words with the boy. 'I did it! I really did it! I asked him out! And got rejected completely! I really shouldn't be happy about that last part, but just you wait! I know your family is going to be a part of that Gala, so I'll win your heart for sure once we get there!"

-0-

Two days later…

The Masked Art Gala was a masquerade event primarily hosted by Gabriel Agreste and his brand, the simply titled "Gabriel" designs; with an open invitation to all Parisians students to partake in the festivities and pay tribute to the heroes who had saved them all, with artistic designs for Paris' own greats. The sitting mayor, Andre Bourgeois was stated to make an appearance, which meant his bratty daughter Chloe was going to soak up all the attention, as usual. Security was tight, as counter measure for all the increase in crime since the Vanished had returned, with Lieutenant Roger Raincomprix and his squad in charge of keeping vigilance over everyone.

Even more impressive, the famous pop star Clara Nightingale was slated to have a showing that very night, her first appearance in public in five years, for obvious reasons.

The main stars, however, was the ever elusive Agreste family. Everyone wanted a glimpse onto that family, especially since the event itself was pouted as a fashion competition of sorts, with each student wearing an Avengers-inspired dress or attire of their choosing which would then get voted in as the most popular of the night by the guests. The winner would get a one-on-one meet-and-greet with Gabriel Agreste himself.

Marinette ended up going for a simple design, as she knew she couldn't force her parents to buy her nothing extravagant. A red and black dress her mother used to own, still in opt conditions, which had far more sentimental value to her than any expensive dress ever could. And, if anyone asked, she was basing it off the Scarlet Witch.

A black butterfly mask completed her design, matching her red lipstick just as well as the black and red of her dress matched.

Her "date" looked gorgeous, Marinette had to admit, with a red, white and blue designed tuxedo mirroring the color palette of the First Avenger. Alya had never looked better, Marinette thought, even if she only knew the girl for a few days now.

"You look dashing Alya," Marinette told her, which caused Alya to give a soft bow, as the two girls walked in through the crowds filled with costumed students already partying to the upbeat music. Again, it was a time of celebration, Marinette noted, so she had not follow suit. "Although, you should have worn the mask. Everyone is wearing one."

"Do you have any idea how annoying it is to wear a mask with glasses on girl?" Alya retorted, to which Marinette only laughed.

"You told me you have contacts, didn't you?"

"This does not warrant their use," Alya responded.

"And now, everyone, let's get ready to get this party into overdrive!" one of the students called out from behind the DJ's equipment, mike in hand. Marinette recognized him as one of the new students on her class, Nino Lahiffe, having also come dressed as Captain America, shield and all. "Let's put some real music in here! And let's hear it for the DJ! Who, may I add, I am not! Like, I just saw this empty and wanted to try it out! Collège Françoise Depont strong! Always!"

"Hey, lay off my equipment!" called out the actual DJ, which caused Nino to burst into laughter and run away from the stand, as the DJ stepped back into the spotlight before adding under his breath: "Damn it, everybody is always trying to mimic that cartoon."

"That one I like," Alya spoke up, which caused Marinette to turn to her with a knowing smirk.

"We do have quite the cast of characters on our school year, don't we?" Marinette noted, before seeing a friendly, well, unfriendly face in the crowd. "Speaking of which."

Chloe and Sabrina and a handful of others made their way through the crowds, and most student had no choice but to move aside. Despite all the attention she was getting, having turned down at least three boys even, Chloe seemed utterly pissed. "Where is he!?" she called out, and Sabrina stumbled to try and keep up with her pace. "His dad said he would be here tonight, we need to have that first dance!"

"We'll find him, don't worry," Sabrina assured. "It's just everyone is dressed up, so it's hard to find anyone really."

"Ridiculous, utterly ridiculous!" the princess complained, and the flock of followers quickly moved to try and calm her down and assist her in any way possible, to the utterly bemused look from Marinette and Alya.

"Who is she looking for I wonder?" Alya spoke up, cocking her head to the side. "Must be important for the little princess to be anywhere that's not in front of a camera."

"I'm more surprised she talks louder than the music, impressed even," Marinette added. "She's probably looking for Felix, because, truth be told, so am I."

"Color me surprised!" Alya exclaimed.

"Don't tease me!" Marinette shot back. "I have a plan, and it's going to work!"

"So go on," Alya shooed her away, even gesturing with her hands. "Bye-bye little butterfly, spread your wings and go find him."

"Wish me luck!" Marinette said as she gave Alya a thumbs up and moved through the crowds, trying to beat Chloe in finding Felix, or so she presumed. Sabrina turned out to be correct after all, Marinette noted, as it was incredibly hard to find specific people in a costumed event. She searched, trying to scan for his trademark blond hair, but every single blond she came across was either dressed up as one of the two Captains and none of them were Felix.

She did have time to see several of the tribute paintings spread throughout, which she found stunningly beautiful, even if some where somewhat heartbreaking. She had heard the stories, as most had, and most were still mourning. She shook her head, she needed to focus. So she moved, and moved, and moved.

Until she found him. It took her over twenty minutes, but she found him.

He was dressed all in black, looking less than a superhero costume and more like a formal attire, then again, he could brush it off as his tribute to the man under the Iron Man armor and no one would bat an eye. What she was not expecting, however, was finding that he wasn't alone. Instead, he was with a young woman. And not any woman, the one and only Clara Nightingale, who looked absolutely stunning in her fancy dress that was probably worth more than Tom and Sabine's Boulangerie Patisserie in its entirety.

Marinette peaked at the two, from the corner of the opposite hallway, finding the two of them hidden away from the crowds. She shouldn't be doing this, she told herself, but she needed to know why they were there together. Alone. They couldn't, you know, could they?

"So it was you that time," Clara told him, her voice just as amazing as Marinette knew it from her songs. Felix merely nodded.

"Yeah," he replied softly, as if afraid someone would hear them. Or, as if he knew someone already was. "I came to collect on that reward."

"I… Oh, I see," Clare stammered, which surprised Marinette.

'Even France's greatest pop star turns to jelly in front of this boy, huh?' Marinette thought, feeling slightly better about her own poor showings. But, that aside, what were they talking about?

"May I?" he asked her, and his voice was utterly intoxicating, Marinette noted. And given Clara's own wide-eye stare, she wasn't the only one affected. Marinette had never heard him like this.

"I know I promised, but, it's like, I'm not entirely used to-" she began, but her cut her off.

"I'll show you," he told her. Then he kissed her.

Marinette's eyes must have been as wide as Clara's.

Felix pressed his body against hers, his lips claiming hers as his own, one arm against her waist, while another brushed against her hair just as he had done to Marinette days before. It was such an adult kiss, a far cry from anything Marinette could even attempt to do, much less on her first attempt. And…

…It hurt. It shouldn't hurt. She knew for a fact he didn't like her. That he never had. He found her annoying at most. And he was now older, five years older. It had no way of working out, so why? Why did it hurt? Why had she placed all the feelings she had once had onto him again? Why had she held onto that crush as a way to hold onto any semblance of normality that she, and the rest of the world, had lost to the Mad Titan?

And why was she crying?

They broke the kiss, Clara couldn't speak properly, while Felix quickly moved his hands together. He pulled on the ring, and it didn't budge.

"Okay, that happened," Clara finally spoke up, trying to catch her breath. "I hope you know you were only entitled to one, so don't go-"

"God damn it," Felix cursed under his breath, which confused the singer.

"Excuse me?" she asked.

"Nothing," he shot back quickly. "I'm needed elsewhere, see ya."

"What? Wait, I didn't mean it literally like-" and as she tried to explain herself, he was gone. She just stared, wide-eyed, still unable to process what had happened.

Marinette had not seen that part, it had hurt too much, so she had moved. She had made a beeline towards the outside, any place away from that sight. She moved, fighting back the tears, the heartbreak, that she felt stupid for even feeling. 'It's just a crush. Just a stupid crush, you stupid little girl,' she scolded herself. 'Forget the gifts you made for him. The times of yesteryear when you were in the same class… that was a lifetime ago, and it's not coming ba-'

And then her thought were interrupting when she tripped, crashing into another person, with no Alya to blame this time.

"I-I'm so sorry," she tried to apologize, but her voice betrayed her emotions and made it clear she was on the verge of tears. She wanted to keep on walking, but turning to the other person she had walked into, she noticed it was an old man that was struggling to get up. Immediately she pushed her tears back and quickly went to his aide. "I'm so terribly sorry," she repeated, her tone far more earnest and full of worry. "Are you alright, can you stand?"

"Ah, such a kind you lady," the old man said, taking the hand that was offered to him. "Quite strong too, I did not even see what hit me until I was on the floor."

"Sorry," she repeated again, helping him up. "I wasn't looking where I was going. But, are you alright?"

"Oh, I'm fine," he told her, and his voice sounded as sincere as Marinette had ever heard. "I'm still strong enough to handle a little fall. But, are you? Those eyes are much too young to house such sadness."

"Oh…" She had not noticed her tears were still evident. "It's… it's nothing really. Just misunderstanding."

"They most usually are," he replied. "But from misunderstandings, sometimes, we end up understanding our true selves best."

"…I, you think?" she earnestly asked, and he simply nodded as he patted the young girl softly on the head, which earned him a smile.

"I'm old enough to know these things," he answered. "So, go on, there is much to rejoice these days, don't dwell on the pain. Enjoy the night."

"Yeah, I'll, well, do that," she responded, not really sure of how to. He seemed like a very kind old man, she noted, so she should at least try and follow his advice. So she offered him one last smile, and went on her way.

The Chinese Master, Fu Wang watched her go, his expression unreadable.

Marinette ended up finding herself outside after all, on one of the balconies of the complex the city was using for the event. The sight was simply breathtaking, she noted. She had a clear view to one of France's most famous bridges, the Pont des Arts, a fitting name for a bridge so close to their event. They had picked this place for a reason after all. Even more so, from there, despite the distance, she could still hear the music, the laughter, the sheer joy of being alive from everybody within those walls.

She needed to follow suit.

So she took out her yo-yo, from well within her dress. The yo-yo that had turned to ash alongside her, and had returned just as she had. The one true companion she had ever had, a Christmas gift for her from her grandmother Gina Dupain when she was about five. It always helped to calm her down, even now. So she twirled it about, and just like riding a bike, she could spin it like it was no one's business. Her mother always said she could be professional if she wanted, which Marinette never really gave it much consideration. Maybe she should?

Then someone wondered into the balcony.

She was mid-spin, turning her entire body as she took the yo-yo around the world, and caught a glimpse of the blond boy dressed all in black that stared right back at her, his eyes captivated by her move. In a single instance, their eyes locked, the moment her dress and hair twirled in perfect harmony of her yo-yo.

He looked awestruck.

She was utterly embarrassed.

So much so that she almost failed on the catch and almost smacked herself on the face. Thankfully, years of practice gave her fast reflexes and she saved herself from another embarrassment. "Oh, hey," she tried, wondering how she was going to explain what a grown ass girl was doing playing with a yo-yo outside during this party. She had to look like such a massive loser.

"Wow," was the boy's response. The boy, she noticed, was a very peculiar blond, not unlike a certain other individual. "And here I thought all the art was inside the building."

"W-What?" she almost choked on her own saliva, having not expected such an icebreaker. Had he honestly said what she had thought he said?

"Oh, sorry, my bad. That came off way too forwards, it had honestly sounded better in my head," he said with such a chill tone that she wasn't sure if he was sincere or mocking, but his eyes showed no sign of malice. "Let me try that again. That was a neat trick, and you looked very nice doing it… Well, you look nice regardless, but, you know what I mean."

"I'm flattered, really, I… erm, thanks," the masked Marinette said, hoping her butterfly mask covered her growing blush. "I was just, well, trying to relax a bit."

"And I interrupted that, my bad," he replied, and even in jest, his voice was like an angel's.

'Down girl, settle down,' Marinette told herself. 'One heartbreak is enough tonight. No more crushes for now, okay?'

"…Still, I'm glad I did, loved the show," he continued, and she was squirming in place so much she was sure he was going to notice. Why was she so bad at talking with cute boys? "I'm Adrien Agreste, by the way. And you are?"

"Oh, I'm M-" she froze mid introduction, his name registering in her mind. 'Agreste! You've got to be kidding me, he's Felix's family? That explains the looks! Wait! He was the boy I saw! But, come on, really?! Is this a curse? I can't do this, not now, not another one of these boys!' she screamed to herself, before realizing she was spacing out, given how he was looking at her funnily. "Oh, excuse me, lost my voice for a second there," she lied. "I'm…" she stammered, looking around, until she saw the Pont des Arts again, and it clicked. "…Bridge…ette; Bridgette!"

"Bridgette, huh?" Adrien asked, a bemused look on his face. "You always forget your own name Bridgette?"

"Are you always this pushy with girls, or am I the exception?" she teased back, with a part of her screaming "what did you even say?" at her because she knew she sucked at this whole flirting thing. Adrien, for his part, didn't seem bothered by it. In fact, quite the opposite, he seemed pleased. He offered her a smile which melted her heart, and extended his hand to her.

"You know, I don't have a date for this event," he proposed, and she felt faint. "Mind going back in there with me?"

In one gesture, she felt her heart becoming whole again. So she extended her hand, and interlocked her fingers onto his own…

"Adrien."

The chill she felt when hearing that stern voice call out to the boy she had just met made her freeze, and somehow, she knew that Adrien had felt it too. Adrien turned towards the doorway, and Marinette followed his gaze, as they both were greeted by the sight of the imposing man before them. She knew him, or, knew of him. The man responsible for the event; the biggest role model she could ever ask for.

Gabriel Agreste, dressed ever-so properly, his eyes fixated on his son. Was that… disapproval in his eyes?

"Dad…" Adrien seemed to notice it to, if his body language was any indication. "I… was just about to come back inside. I know we're starting now."

"We are indeed starting now," Gabriel repeated, his tone still dry, which made Marinette flinch. Why was it that there was not a single person named "Agreste" that didn't unnerve her? For differing reasons granted, but still.

"Yeah, I'll be right there, sorry," Adrien replied, solemnly. He took a step forwards, before he paused and turned back to Marinette, who had no idea if she was even allowed to breathe at this point. "Oh, and dad? This… this is Bridgette."

"Hmm…" Gabriel somewhat replied, but the elder man still offered her a nod of acknowledgment, which was a lot more than she had expected. The masked girl offered him a smile and a curtsy, which seemed to please him well enough. "Come Adrien, we mustn't be late."

"Yes sir," the boy replied, before he turned on last time to Marinette. "I-I hope we can pick up where we left off inside, after my father speaks to the crowd I mean."

"S-Sure, of course," Marinette replied. She hoped he couldn't hear her heart pounding against her chest, because she could barely hear anything but. "I'll be there!"

Adrien nodded and offered her the most charming smile she had ever seen, and within moments, both father and son were gone, back inside for their presentation. Marinette remained, her mind up in the clouds, her broken heart now slowly picking itself back up.

'Oh my God!' she mentally squealed. 'He's so dreamy! I could never have-'

Then she heard something she wasn't very familiar with. Her body froze, her eyes wide. Her mind was processing, as she couldn't quite believe what she had heard. She tried to tell herself she had most likely misheard, but then, she heard it again. Louder. Closer. And then she heard screams, first from afar, and then, within moments, so close it was like it was her screaming. It was here she could no longer deny the truth.

"…That was a gunshot," a now terrified Marinette voiced, her body beginning to freeze up. "W-What am I supposed to do now…?!"

Time Before The Appearance Of The Mini-Menace… Imminent.

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