Miraculous Fanfiction: Gabriel befriends Marinette instead of Lila (Oni-Chan)

The Story Below is based on the characters from Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir. I own nothing of the show. This is purely fictitious and written for the enjoyment of my readers and myself. All rights go to the proper parties.

Description: This Fanfiction takes place around the time of the episode "Oni-Chan" in season 3 of the show. In this version, Marinette attempts to check on Adrien after Lila sends out the picture of her kissing his cheek. Nathalie and Gabriel allow Marinette to explain her concerns to them and Gabriel decides to befriend Marinette and have her help him with his son instead of Lila.

Chapter One:

~Marinette~

School has just ended at Collège Françoise Dupont and Marinette is ready to head home. She smiles as she collects her stuff before stopping when she notices Adrien walking up to a certain liar, Lila. She hurries to hide while watching them closely. She catches their conversation from afar.

"Hey Lila. Nino told me about your problem. I can still help you with your schoolwork if you want." Adrien says good naturedly.

"Really? You'd do that? You're such a great help! You're saving my life, you know." Lila responds with a fake sugary sweetness in her voice.

"No problem, Lila. Happy to help." He responds.

Marinette holds back a gag as she watches before she's confronted by Alya.

"Marinette." Alya says.

Marinette gasps, "I was so not spying on Lila. I was just…" She looks around and panics before spotting her shoes, "tying my shoes."

She inwardly cringes as she remembers her shoes have no laces to tie.

Alya shakes her head, "You've got nothing to worry about. Nino told me Lila said she definitely doesn't have the hots for Adrien."

Meanwhile, Lila notices Marinette and smirks to herself before speaking to Adrien once again.

"Why don't we go to your place to do our homework? It would be so much quieter, wouldn't it?" She asks.

"My father would never agree to that." Adrien responds succinctly.

"I bet I can change his mind." Lila exclaims before pulling Adrien out of the classroom.

Marinette quickly follows as Alya follows her.

"Marinette! Wait!" Alya calls.

Lila and Adrien make it to Adrien's bodyguard. Marinette watches as Lila attempts to persuade him to allow her to ride with them.

Marinette scoffs, "Pfft! There's no way Adrien's bodyguard will let her in the car." She gasps as he does just that, "Seriously?!"

"Don't tell me you're gonna follow them!" Alya exclaims.

Marinette quickly comes up with an excuse, "'Course not! I'm just gonna go… to the swimming pool."

She runs off as Alya facepalms and finds Juleka with her bike.

"Hey Juleka." She hands her her backpack and takes the helmet. "Can I borrow your bike? It's an emergency!"

She rides off before Juleka can respond.

"I guess?" Juleka mumbles as she watches her leave.

Tikki calls to her holder, "Marinette. You should trust Adrien. He knows Lila's a liar."

"I know, but if she keeps on lying like she does, she's gonna end up hurting someone. I refuse to let her hurt Adrien!"

~Adrien~

Adrien tries to reign in his annoyance as he rides home with Lila. He wants to be nice to her, to maybe help her stop lying, but she just keeps doing it. He can't help but feel annoyed as she hangs onto his arm.

"What's the worst grade you've ever gotten?" Lila suddenly asks.
Adrien doesn't need to think about his answer, "An A- in math. Listen, Lila, you should forget about this. My father can be harsh with anyone he thinks is an intruder."

For possibly the first time in his life, he is grateful that his father is a bit overprotective. He does not want Lila in his home and especially not in his room.

Lila just laughs, "We're not doing anything wrong. Leave this to me."

Adrien holds back his groan at her confidence. He really hopes his father turns her away for him.

They arrive at the Agreste mansion and walk up the steps together towards Nathalie.

"I'm sorry, Adrien. But you know your father-" Nathalie begins.

"Excuse me, ma'am. But is there any way I could ask him directly? Just in case?" Lila interrupts.

"Mr. Agreste is busy designing and must not be disturbed for any reason." Nathalie responds.

Adrien celebrates in his head, "I told you so." He says to Lila.

"Oh, Adrien. I so wanted to help you make up all the schoolwork you missed due to all the modeling you've been doing lately. What will your father think if he finds out about your lower grades, Adrien? Who will he believe?" Lila lies.

Adrien goes to rebuttal before Nathalie speaks, "Adrien, have your grades gone down?"

He tries to answer her, but Lila beats him to it, "He'd never tell you himself, but when I saw Adrien crying the other day because he only got an A-, I just felt like I had to offer him my help. It would've taken half an hour." Adrien rolls his eyes as Nathalie raises a brow, "I understand. You're only doing what you think is best. I did what I could, Adrien. Good luck." Lila finishes.

Please don't believe her. Just let her go. Please Nathalie. He thinks to himself.

"If it's only half an hour…" Nathalie says as Adrien's stomach lurches.

"If you really insist, I'll do it!" Lila exclaims.

Adrien pleads with his eyes at Nathalie, hopeful that she'll send Lila away. His dreams are crushed when Lila pulls him inside and Nathalie says nothing.

"See? You never know until you ask nicely." Lila says.

Adrien holds back a scoff, "You didn't ask nicely. You lied, Lila."

"You told me yourself that your A- in math is your lowest grade, didn't you?" She responds.

Adrien rolls his eyes as he leads her to his room, unwilling to answer her question. They make it to his room and he goes through his cabinet as Lila takes in the scenery. He watches her closely as she stares at his computer monitor and the picture of his mother.

"Ah, is this your mom? You look so much like her. I look a lot like my mom too, you know. Isn't it just crazy how much you and I have in common?" Lila says.

Adrien doesn't grace her with an answer as she rummages through his drawers. Adrien gets up and moves to his desk chair, unaware of her blatant snooping.

"This girl in red is pretty. Who is she?" Lila asks as she shows Adrien the picture of his fencing class.

"That's Kagami. We take fencing classes together." He responds.

"She looks so nice. You'll have to introduce me to her sometime. Did you know I lived in Japan for a few years?" She asks.

Adrien ignores her lie, "Lila, didn't you want me to help you with your homework?"

Lila shrugs as she continues to snoop and Adrien goes back to ignoring her while he looks over his own homework.

He vaguely registers Lila talking before Nathalie knocks on the door.

"Time's up, Adrien. Your father could come out of his office at any minute." She says.

Lila smiles, "I guess I won the bet. How 'bout a little souvenir photo?" She kisses Adrien's cheek while taking a picture. "Feel free to ask if you need any more help with your math." She says as she leaves.

Adrien wipes off his cheek as he cringes. Just be nice. She'll stop lying eventually.

Plagg flies out from his hiding place, clearly annoyed with Lila, "Why are you so nice to that girl? She lies with every breath and snoops through your drawers as soon as your back's turned."

Adrien schools his expression, "You snoop through my drawers too, Plagg."

"Yeah, but we both know I'm only looking for cheese. But she… well, we have no idea what she's looking for." Plagg says.

"Perhaps she's just looking to be a little less lonely." Adrien responds, but even he knows that that's unlikely.

Plagg simply shrugs before he begins counting his cheese. As if Lila would have stolen a piece of his stinky stash.

~Gabriel~

Gabriel looks at his wife's portrait thinking of how much he misses her and wants her back before his phone goes off. He checks the message and seethes as he sees a girl, Volpina, or Lila he recalls, kissing his son's cheek in his room. He angrily leaves his office to confront Nathalie and the bodyguard before he comes face to face with the girl in question. How she got his phone number, he has no idea.

"Mr. Gabriel Agreste! I am such an admirer of your fashion designs. This is the best day of my life! I know how busy you are so I won't take up any of your time. Have a good evening!" Lila says before waltzing out the door.

"It's my fault sir. I'm…" Nathalie begins.

"In my office, NOW!" Gabriel angrily commands.

He returns to his office, seething, as Nathalie follows.

"What was that young girl doing in my house?" He asks Nathalie.

"I decided it would be good for her to help Adrien review his mathematics." She responds.

"I'm the only one who decides what's good for my son! This isn't the first time you've been fooled by his schoolmates." He chastises.

"Do you want… to take Adrien out of school?" She asks.

Gabriel goes to respond before they're interrupted by the doorbell and intercom. Nathalie lifts her tablet and checks the cameras.

She sighs and turns the tablet so Gabriel can see, "it seems that another of Adrien's classmates is here."

Gabriel eyes the tablet and sees the young designer from Adrien's class. Marinette Dupain-Cheng, he recalls.

"See what Ms. Dupain-Cheng wants, Nathalie."

She nods before heading to the intercom to speak to the girl. Gabriel listens in.

"Can I help you?" Nathalie asks.

"Uh… Um.. I wanted to check on Adrien." The designer replies.

Gabriel rolls his eyes, first the Lila girl and now the young designer.

"I can assure you that Adrien is fine." Nathalie responds.

Marinette hesitates, "I-I um. I saw Lila go home with Adrien, and he didn't seem very comfortable with her… Then I got this picture of Lila kissing him and I… Well, I just want to make sure he's okay. I know that Lila can be pushy and that Adrien isn't the most comfortable around her… He's too nice to outright shut her down though, and I'm worried about him. Just, please, can you make sure he's okay? I just…" She trails off.

Gabriel is shocked at the boldness of this girl. The determination to make sure his son is okay after a simple kiss on the cheek from a fan. He knows how cunning Lila can be, from her time as Volpina and from how she easily tricked her way into his home and into his son's room.

Nathalie speaks to Marinette once again, "We appreciate your concern, but-"

Gabriel interrupts and speaks through the coms, "Ms. Dupain-Cheng, you're a close friend of my son, correct?"

Marinette's eyes widened, "C-close? W-well, I sit behind him in class and he's best friends with one of my closest friends, Nino."

"Yes, yes, I'm aware of my son's friendship with this Nino, but I asked if you were close to him." Gabriel responds.

Marinette nods her head, "I believe we are, sir."

"Very well," he addresses Nathalie, "please escort Ms. Dupain-Cheng to my office. I'd like to talk to her."

Nathalie nods her head, "Very well, sir."

Gabriel watches as Nathalie leaves his office to grab the girl. This Marinette girl may just be what his son needs. If she can help keep him safe from poor influences, like that of Lila, then she would be invaluable to him. Not to mention her raw talent in fashion.

Moments later Nathalie and Marinette walk into Gabriel Agreste's office.

"Nathalie, please check on Adrien while I speak with Ms. Dupain-Cheng." Gabriel orders.

Nathalie leaves the room as Marinette shifts nervously on her feet, "I apologize for coming here so suddenly, Mr. Agreste. Adrien means a lot to me, and I… I just want him to be okay."

Gabriel keeps his face neutral as he speaks, "I appreciate your concern for my son's well-being. He means the world to me, and I'm not always the most perceptive person when it comes to his struggles."

Marinette watches him with wide eyes, remaining silent.

Gabriel speaks again, "I have a proposition for you, Ms… May I call you Marinette?" She nods, "Marinette, I'd like for you to help me keep an eye on my son, keep him safe."

Her eyes widened even more, "You want me to spy on him?" She asks incredulously.

Gabriel has to fight to hold back his laugh, "No, I simply want you to remain close to him. Continue to be his friend and let me know if any poor influences come around him. You seem to be a good judge of character and my son seems to be rather fond of you."

Marinette swallows, "With all do respect, sir."

"Please, call me Gabriel." He interrupts.

Marinette shakes her head, "Mr. Agreste, Adrien is a good judge of character on his own. He doesn't need me or anyone else monitoring whom he does and doesn't interact with. He can do that perfectly well on his own. He knows how Lila is, or at least, he knows that she lies with every breath. He has successfully made many great friends and doesn't need me interfering in his present or future friendships."

Gabriel watches her in shock at her audacity, but he's also rather impressed, "You really are quite protective of my son." He sighs, "Perhaps you're right. Adrien doesn't need me or anyone else monitoring his friendships, but I would still like for you to remain close to him. You seem to be a good influence in your own right, and perhaps you can protect him and keep him safe in whatever way you deem appropriate."

Marinette quickly responds, "You don't have to ask me to remain close to him, Mr. Agreste. I'll be by Adrien's side as long as he allows me to be there."

Gabriel smiles, "Very well, thank you for caring for my son, Marinette." He grabs a business card off his desk and hands it to her, "Please let me know if there's ever anything you need. I'll be keeping in touch from now on."

Marinette takes the card and nods her head, "Thank you, sir."

Gabriel dismisses her and calls Nathalie back to escort her out. He stares at the photo of Lila and Adrien on his phone before moving to his lair. Perhaps this photo can be useful to me in getting Lila in particular away from my son once and for all.

A/N The akumatization and battle with Oni-Chan is exactly like the show. You know me, I don't usually like to rewrite the battles unless I change something or they're relevant to the overall fanfic, this battle is unimportant to this fic, so I'm skipping it. We will continue with Gabriel's point of view.

Hawk Moth watches through his connection to his akuma as Oni-Chan is defeated and his akuma purified.

"That girl is rather devious. Perhaps she can be a true asset to my work as Hawk Moth. I just have to keep her away from Adrien. Perhaps Ms. Dupain-Cheng can be of some help." He says to himself before detransforming and leaving his lair.

~Marinette~

Back at school Marinette gets her stuff and leaves the classroom after a long day of school. She doesn't hang back to hear what Lila and Adrien have to say to each other. She trusts Adrien's judgment, and after the conversation with his father, she's determined to allow Adrien to choose his own friends without hers or his fathers input. She knows he is aware of her lies, and she knows that he'll turn her away when he's ready.

"What? You don't have Adrien under surveillance anymore?" Alya asks.

"I trust him, Alya. Adrien could never love a girl like Lila, not in a million years." She responds before her phone vibrates in her pocket.

Alya walks off as Marinette checks her phone and sees an unknown number. She looks at it puzzled before answering, "Hello?"

"Ms. Dupain-Cheng?" The voice says on the other end.

"Yes?" She responds.

"This is Gabriel Agreste. I'd like to invite you to my house this afternoon. I may have an internship position available and I think that you could be a good fit for it. Please collect some samples of your designs and I'll send Adrien's bodyguard to pick you up when he collects Adrien from Fencing practice." He says.

Marinette struggles to find her voice, "A-an internship? W-with y-you a-and Adrien?"

"Perhaps I wasn't clear. I recall the derby hat design you made and after you left my house yesterday, I noticed the quality designs you wore, I can only assume you created your outfit and purse yourself. Not to mention the work I have seen you do for Jagged Stone and others. Simply bring a few more samples with you and I'm sure that we could come to an agreement on an internship for you." He clarifies.

Marinette is much faster to respond this time, "Thank you so much, Mr. Agreste. I'll go grab myself now and wait for Adrien and his bodyguard. I'll see you soon!"

With those words they say their goodbyes and she rushes home to collect her stuff.

"Tikki, did you hear that! Mr. Agreste, wants me to intern for him! Can you believe it?" She says to her kwami as they make it into her room.

"Congratulations, Marinette! You've worked hard on all your designs. You deserve this!" Tikki responds.

"Thank you, Tikki! Can you help me decide what samples to bring?" She asks.

Tikki nods as she flies around the room helping her holder pick the best and most dynamic samples to bring. By the time they're done sorting through all the clothes, accessories, and sketchbooks, Adrien and his bodyguard are already there.

Marinette hurries down the stairs with her stuff but crashes into someone on her way out of the bakery.

"Sorry! Sorry. I wasn't paying attention. I didn't see you." She blushes as she looks up and sees beautiful green eyes looking at her.

"It's okay, Marinette. Can I help you with these?" Adrien asks as he moves to pick up the designs.

Marinette nods, "T-thank you."

They quickly pick up everything and load it all into the car. Adrien guides Marinette inside the vehicle and climbs in after her.

"I didn't know that you were coming over until Nathalie messaged me to let me know we were picking you up." Adrien says.

Marinette turns her hands nervously, "O-oh? Well, your father called me after school. I didn't have time to tell anyone except my parents. I was in such a hurry to collect my samples."

Adrien smiles, "I understand, Marinette. I'm glad that my father has noticed your talent. You really are amazing, Marinette. I hope you get this internship. It'll be nice to have a friend on set with me during photoshoots."

Marinette's heart beats faster, "O-on set?"

Adrien looks at her quizzically, "Yeah, you'll have to be on set at least some of the time for your internship. Even if we don't get to interact with each other during photoshoots, it'll still be nice to know that you're there with me."

Marinette blushes even more but remains silent as they arrive at the Agreste mansion. Adrien and his bodyguard help to carry in her designs as they make their way to Gabriel's office.

Don't mess this up, Marinette. You got this. You can do it. You're talented and hardworking. Adrien sees it and Mr. Agreste seems to as well. Do good and you'll be able to spend your days at photoshoots with Adrien. You can do this! Marinette hypes herself up as they finally make it to the imposing doors of Gabriel Agreste's office.

"Come in." He calls from the other side of the door.

They all shuffle into the room where Gabriel and Nathalie stand patiently.

"Hello Ms. Dupain-Cheng. It's good to see you again." Nathalie says.

Marinette smiles, "Thank you for having me."

Nathalie directs them to set down Marinette's designs and nods her head to Gabriel once finished.

"Adrien, this will be a business meeting, so I'll need you to go to your room while I look over Marinette's designs." Gabriel says.

"But father, I'm a part of the business too, can't I stay to support Marinette?" Adrien asks.

Gabriel shakes his head, "I can't have you interfere with my decision to have Marinette join as an intern or not. Go to your room and work on homework while Ms. Dupain-Cheng and I go over her designs and the requirements of the internship. I'll have your bodyguard come get you once we are done here and you can accompany her home."

"Yes, father." He turns to Marinette, "Good luck, Marinette. You got this!"

Marinette smiles at him and watches as he leaves and his bodyguard follows after. She turns back to Nathalie and Gabriel and takes a deep breath.

"Thank you for this opportunity, Sir. I hope to live up to your expectations." She says.

Gabriel smiles at her, "I can see that you have a lot of talent already, and I have barely even glimpsed the designs you have brought with you. I didn't expect you to bring so much."

Marinette flushes, "I'm sorry sir. I-I wanted to bring a variety."

Gabriel nods his head, "There's no need to be sorry, dear. This simply shows your dedication and enthusiasm. Now, let's get started. Please show me what you have brought with you."

~Adrien~

Adrien paces his room as he nervously waits on Marinette and his father to be finished. He wants her to get the internship so bad. He never expected his father to have invited one of his friends over to discuss even the possibility of an internship, so this is huge. His father has never had such a young intern either. Adrien is the youngest in the company. It'll be nice to have someone his age to talk to while at fashion shows and while doing photoshoots. Having that person be one of his best friends is even better, especially because this person is none other than Marinette.

"Kid, you have to slow down. You're gonna put a hole in the floor with all that pacing." Plagg complains.

Adrien stops and looks to his kwami, "How do you think it's going Plagg? It's already been half an hour since I left the room. Do you think it's going well?"

"How should I know, kid? I'm sure Pigtails is doing fine. She's talented, isn't she?" Plagg responds.

"Yeah, but you know my father. He's picky." Adrien says.

"Kid, he invited her here to look at her designs. If he wasn't willing to give her an internship, she wouldn't be here." Plagg explains.

Adrien perks up, "You're right. I'm sure that Marinette has it under control. Father never allows friends over, but he invited Marinette on his own because he recognized her talent. She has to get the internship! This is just a formality."

Plagg nods his agreement before scarfing down his precious Camembert. Adrien moves to his computer and begins his homework as he waits. He's able to focus a bit better now that Plagg and him talked a bit.

Another half hour passes before a knock is heard from his door. Adrien goes to answer it and finds the gorilla waiting for him. He smiles and heads downstairs to find Marinette smiling up at him with her designs. He quickly rushes to help her carry them to the car along with Nathalie.

"How did it go, Marinette?" He asks once they get everything inside the car.

Marinette smiles wide, "I got the internship!"

Adrien's face lights up, "That's great!" He exclaims before rushing to give her a congratulatory hug.

Marinette freezes before returning the hug and melting in his arms.

Adrien smiles wide, "I knew you could do it, Marinette. I can't wait to work with you."

Marinette smiles, still held in his arms, "I'll be helping design some of your clothes, and your father said he may have me try out some modeling. I'm not sure how I'll do that, but he insisted it would be a good skill for me to learn as a designer."

Adrien finally pulls away from the hug and guides her to the car, "I'll be there to help you every step of the way, Marinette. You'll make an amazing model. Just as you make an amazing designer."

Marinette blushes, "Thank you, Adrien."

"You're welcome, Marinette." He responds.

They drive to her home, talking about her new internship and all it entails, and neither one notices how little Marinette stuttered. How comfortable and confident she seemed. This internship may just be a great thing for the both of them.

Hey guys! This is a new fanfic I'm trying. I'm not sure how long it will be. I'll update it at least weekly until it is finished. I can't tell you a specific day as sometimes I'll update early and sometimes I may wait the full week, but you will get at least one chapter each week before or on Friday. Please leave a review and let me know what you think of this first chapter. I plan to follow the internship storyline and continue to switch between the three perspectives. Most chapters will not be as long as this first one. This one is so long because it is a rewrite of sorts of the episode. It required a lot of details and I tried to stay as close to the show as I can while making my little changes.

Don't forget to comment/review and follow for more!