Miraculous Ladybug AU

Recollection

DM Notes – Let's see, let's see… Adrien knows Marinette is Ladybug, check. Marinette confessed her feelings to Adrien, check. Temporary heroes are now full time heroes, check. Wait… we have four new heroes now; Kagami, Luka, Max, and Kim (and Alix, at some point). And Kagami's episode is the one I couldn't finish… because of Marinette… Hrmmmmm…

Anyway, I guess I need to attempt to finish Kagami's episode, so I can give her the Dragon Miraculous in this AU.

Side Note: The Awakener chapter will be set after the episode "Desperada", the episode where Luka uses the Snake Miraculous. "StarTrain" will come in after Awakener, and "Ladybug" but before "Party Crasher", and "Puppeteer 2". "Time Tagger" will come in some time later. ["Ikari Gozen" is set before "Desperada", because Kagami is more comfortable disobeying her mother in "Desperada"] Now that I think about it, how will "Feast" play out if Nino, Alya and Chloe have their Miraculouses? It would have to be some time before Time Tagger, because of the joke Alix makes about the idea of a Rabbit Miraculous.

Hmm… Well, there's my next chapter then. Guess it would be set before "Reflekdoll". Oh shoot, I forgot "Reflakdoll"! That would most likely take place before Awakener. No, after, yeah. After Awakener, maybe before Puppeteer 2. But "Feast" and "Reflekdoll" would have to come in before "Ladybug"… Okay, I'm going to have to think this one through. You guys just enjoy the chapter.

(Also, I have a theory that Canon!Lila may know Marinette is Ladybug. See episode "StarTrain". And I want to use that theory in this AU. So, Lila will know who Carapace, Rena Rouge, Queen Bee, and Ladybug are.)

[Lila Rosse]

-Ladybug-

Adrien took the seat next to Lila, a scowl on his face. "I warned you once Lila, and you didn't listen." Adrien began, Lila turning to face him. "You hurt Marinette, and that's not okay."

Lila feigned a gasp. "Me? Hurt Marinette? But she's the one-"

Adrien cut her off, his gaze focused ahead of him. "I don't know how to prove you lied, Lila. Because you're good at it, a professional even. So, you're going to do it again. But this time, it will be convincing enough to prove Marinette's innocence."

Lila turned her gaze forward, knowing that the jig was up. "Now why would I do that, Adrien?" She asked coldly.

"Because we're friends, aren't we?" Adrien replied with his own question.

Lila glanced at Adrien before glancing over at Natalie, Gabriel's assistant. The dark haired woman gave a nod. "Alright, Adrien. You have a deal." Lila stated, she stated with a crooked smile.

"Good." Adrien replied. "And just so we're clear; having me as an enemy is a mistake you do not want to make. So don't try a stunt like this again." He warned, his words menacing.

-StarTrain-

Lila glanced behind her to see what all the whispering was about. Lila leered at the sight behind her. Marinette had fallen asleep on Adrien's shoulder and Adrien was just letting it happen, he was even smiling. Lila's vision then zeroed in on Marinette's earrings. When Marinette was infected by a Scarlet Akuma, she had begun taking off these earrings. Which was curious, unless Marinette was indeed Ladybug. And the earrings did match the image Lila saw in the book she temporarily snatched from Adrien before her time as Volpina.

Only one way to find out. Lila thought as she got up and walked over to Marinette. Lila leaned in and was about to pluck off and earring when she heard someone cleared their throat.

"Need something, Lila?" Ayla asked.

Lila pulled back and turned to the Fox Miraculous holder. "Actually, I get motion sick. And I know Marinette always has a solution to everything."

Alya crossed her arm, not quite buying it. "I get it, but she's asleep right now and super exhausted, so…"

Sabrina then jumped in. "Ooh! I have just what you need in my suitcase." She stated.

Lila smiled, thankful for the save. "Thanks a million, Sabrina. You're so sweet."

Sabrina then jogged off and Lila's face dropped into a sour expression.

Lila rapped her fingers on her desk in boredom and annoyance as she stared down at Marinette, more importantly, her earrings. Her gaze moved to Alya, the holder of her Fox Miraculous. Then to Nino's wrist, where the Turtle Miraculous rested, around his tangle of bracelets. To Chloe, the Bee Miraculous cleverly hidden under her sunglasses, unnoticeable to an untrained eye. 'All in one place. 'cept for Chat Noir. But Hawkmoth could have easily been tricked. Meaning Adrien may still be a candidate for the flea bag.'Lila then looked over to Adrien, who just raised his hand, putting his ring into view. 'Though the similarities are uncanny, Chat Noir and Adrien have two different personalities. So that may be where the similarities between the two end.'

But she then remembered something Chat Noir said during her time as Chameleon. "You'll see, it's an old acquaintance."

How would Chat Noir have known Lila was Chameleon, unless he was Adrien. Lila's eyes narrowed. 'So the plot thickens.'

[Nathaniel Kurtzberg]

Nathaniel was not sure how to feel about his seat partner. Lila seemed nice enough, at first. But then came Marinette's near Akumatization, and Nathaniel was not pleased. However, Nathaniel was not one for voicing his opinions, that would mean interacting with another person. Not to mention Lila's presence had this negative effect on the artist.

Nathaniel turned back to his sketchbook, where he was drawing a new cover for a comic he and Marc were working on. For this issue, the duo were inspired by Ladybug fighting her double. And with the bad vibe Nathaniel was getting, all he could think of was Volpina facing Rena Rouge. So, he had a rough sketch of the two vixens locked in combat with their flutes. Nathaniel was slightly unsettled by his creation and turned to a previous page. This page featured Queen Bee. She was in a startled pose as she faced none other than Queen Wasp; as if the two had been part of a scene for a female cover of the song "Confrontation" from the Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde musical.

Nathaniel was actually proud of this piece, because it showed the struggles of lingering guilt that toyed with the minds of many of Hawkmoth's previous victims. He then looked to his inspiration, Chloe. He knew she was dealing with quite a bit of guilt of her own, to which the reason this cover depicted the two alter egos of the mayor's daughter.

It was after Awakener's attack, when Queen Bee paid him a visit.

DM Note – Okay, so, we have next to no info on Nathaniel and his family. He is the only Kurtzberg we know. There have been a couple of writers who depict Nathaniel as a religious person, Jewish if I remember correctly. That's the thing, his life is basically puddy. So, I don't want to mess with that too much. I want to wait until we get more information about Nathaniel. At the very least, I want to know who his mom is. Anyways, the only thing I will give him in this AU is his home. Everything else is off limits. (Besides the fact that he's being paired with Chloe instead of the most likely canon alternative, Alix/Juleka)

It was dark outside. Night fell hours ago and the only light available was from the street lights below and a book lamp Nathaniel had attached to his sketchbook. Nathaniel was seated on the balcony of his family's apartment. He always found it peaceful, sitting out in the open. It was… calming.

The calm was soon broke when Nathaniel saw Queen Bee's trompo fly up and wrap itself around the railing of Nathaniel's balcony. Nathaniel was startled by this, causing him to drop his pencil. He then heard a grunt before Queen Bee whizzed upwards and landed on the railing. "Chloe?" Nathaniel asked. "What are you doing here?"

Queen Bee whipped her hair out of her face. "Obviously, I came to see you. Though, I didn't expect you to be awake."

Nathaniel deadpanned. "How do you even know where I live?"

Queen Bee scoffed. "Well, it's not rocket science to look up the school records."

Nathaniel raised an eyebrow. "First you kiss me, now you're looking up my record? Am I going to have to file a restraining order?"

Queen Bee stammered. "Shut up."

Nathaniel sighed. "So why me then?"

Chloe jumped down from the railing. "Because of what happened today."

"Awakener? Yeah, I saw the news." Nathaniel replied.

"Are you alright?" Chloe asked quietly, her voice filled with genuine concern.

Nathaniel chuckled. "Chloe Bourgeois, asking if the guy who tried to erase her from existence is alright." He stated.

Queen Bee held her left arm. A pose normally used when someone is feeling shame. "I'm fine, but something is clearly wrong with you." Nathaniel stated.

Queen Bee nodded. "Which is why you're here." Nathaniel added, earning another nod.

"I… I would have gone to someone else, but you are the only one who knows I'm Queen Bee." Queen Bee stated.

Nathaniel blinked, a bit surprised she still insisted on talking to him. He then gave a sigh. "At least take a seat. You must be tired after today." He said, gesturing to the chair opposite of him.

Queen Bee hesitated for a second before taking a seat. "So?" Nathaniel asked.

Queen Bee sighed. "What was it like?" She asked. "When you got your memories back?"

Nathaniel tapped his chin. "Honestly, it was weird. I never thought it was truly me doing what I did. I mean, I invited Marinette to celebrate my birthday with me. Nathaniel Kurtzberg doesn't normally do that. Especially not with his crush. So that felt pretty good. And, other than getting back at you for mocking me, I didn't really cause anyone any harm. Well, minus trying to drop Chat Noir down a few floors. But, it was nice. I felt braver as Evillustrator. More confident." Nathaniel explained.

Queen Bee brought her legs closer to herself and wrapped her arms around them. "Glad to hear you enjoyed it."

Nathaniel looked at Queen Bee, not used to seeing the queen of mean like this. "Don't get me wrong Chloe, I didn't enjoy being a villain. I still hurt people."

Queen Bee looked at Nathaniel in surprise. Even though it was dark, Nathaniel could tell she was starting to tear up. "Well, what about you? How did it feel to get back your memories?"

Queen Bee rubbed her eyes with one of her arms. "At first, I was numb to them. I was somehow more focused on taking down Awakener. But once I got home…" She then hugged herself tighter. "It all sort of rushed in. I liked it. I like being Akumatized. And, that's what scared me. Being mean and nasty is all I know how to do!" Nathaniel could almost see the tears rolling down her face. "A-and Ladybug told Awakener how despicable I was. And-d how scared she was when she saw that I had the Bee Miraculous. S-she thought I was going to be her Hawkmoth." She said through her sobs.

Nathaniel wasn't sure what to do. What to say. Here he was trying to have a nice quiet evening and Chloe comes and fire off the waterworks. To him of all people. It was… sad. She was so vulnerable and he didn't know how to comfort her. "Chloe…" was the only thing he could manage to say.

"I don't even deserve to be called a hero! I've done so many terrible things! I never needed to be Akumatized to know that I am a monster!" Chloe cried.

Nathaniel had enough. He stood up walked over to Queen Bee and gave her a hug, causing her breath to hitch. "You are not a monster, Chloe." Nathaniel whispered. "Don't you dare think that."

Nathaniel then felt Queen Bee lower her legs and hug him back, gripping his jacket tightly. "Thank you, Nathaniel." She whispered back.

[Chat Noir]

Adrien put his hand back down and answered the question presented by the teacher. After his response, he glanced over his shoulder towards Lila. He felt the girl staring at him from her seat in the back like a vulture. So this is what having a harem feels like. Adrien thought as he turned his gaze to Marinette.

He then thought back to his own experiences after Awakener.

It was late. The sun was setting and Chat Noir and Marinette were on the latter's balcony. Chat was seated on the railing facing the city below while Marinette was leaning against the railing, facing the door used to get to her room. "So," Marinette said, breaking the silence between the two.

"So." Chat repeated.

"What do you think about me as your partner?" Marinette asked.

Chat chuckled. "Honestly I feel stupid for not figuring it out sooner."

"Glad you find this funny." Marinette said in a depressing manner.

"You misunderstand me, Princess." Chat stated, spinning himself around. "I am over the moon to know I fell in love with you not once, but twice."

Marinette hugged herself. "You don't mean that."

Chat frowned, an eyebrow raised. "And why not, my lady?"

"Because I'm a disaster. A klutz. I'm-"

"Determined, talented, brave, quick witted, outspoken, beautiful, smart, selfless. May I go on?" Chat interrupted.

Marinette gave a half-baked laugh. "Thanks, but I'm anything but brave. Or selfless."

Chat gave her a sad smile. "You put everyone else before yourself. You have taken on hundreds of Hawkmoth's Akuma, one even by yourself. You shouldn't belittle yourself. Mari."

Marinette blushed. "You're too kind Chat. What did I do to have you as my partner?"

Chat gave a shrug. "Purrhaps it was fate that brought us together." He joked, earning a small laugh from the bakers' daughter. "But now I have to ask, my lady."

Marinette sighed, knowing what he wanted to ask. "Honestly Chat, I do want to know. But, I can't know who you are. Not yet. It's not safe. Hawkmoth could use me to get to you, o-or vice versa. I don't want to put you in danger like that."

Chat gave Marinette a small smile. "And that is why I am in love with you. Your willingness to protect others no matter the cost."

Marinette smiled back. "Thank you, Chat."

Adrien faced forward once more. A smile on his face. Other than Hawkmoth, Adrien's life was just about perfect.

[Queen Bee]

Chloe saw Adrien glance at Marinette before he faced forward with a smile on his face. Chloe gave a sigh, but smiled as well. It was nice to see him smile. Even if the reason for that smile was not her.

This was the first time Chloe saw Marinette's room, outside from seeing it on TV. It was small compared to her own room, but she was the mayor's daughter. She had no room to talk about space. Though it was still impressive how Marinette was able to fit so much stuff in a limited amount of space.

Chloe had recently found out Marinette was Ladybug, thanks to the help of Pollen, and she decided to confront her with this information. Marinette had gotten back from some trip to a wax museum. Now, they were behind closed doors, away from prying ears. Marinette looked ashamed that Chloe had found out her greatest secret.

There was silence between the two. It had been like this for about three minutes. Marinette was seated on her daybed, while Chloe stood about three feet in front of her. Chloe then sighed. "Okay, this is ridiculous, even for me."

Marinette looked away from Chloe. "You could have gone to anyone with what you know. You could have told my parents."

"I could have, yes. But that's not me anymore. I'm petty, but not that petty." Chloe stated, rolling her eyes. "Besides, if I did, it would somehow get to Hawkmoth and then we'd be without Ladybug. Unless there's a kwami of purification that we don't know about, putting you in harm's way is just stupid."

Marinette smiled. "At least your heart's in the right place."

Chloe smiled back before glaring. "Now about your little crush on Adrien."

Marinette rubbed the back of her neck in embarrassment. "He… now knows…"

Chloe gave a scoff. "Finally."

"He told me that he did want to return my feelings," Marinette stated, earning a raised eyebrow from Chloe.

"But?" Chloe asked.

"But he wants me to fall for the real Adrien."

Chloe rolled her eyes. "And boys think we're cryptic."

"Well, he does have his image as an Agreste to keep for his father." Marinette stated. "Lately he's been showing a side of himself that… I don't know, seems more relaxed."

Chloe gave a short laugh. "Well in either case. You two clearly need to spend more time together."

This surprise Marinette. "What?! But I, you-"

"Obviously, I can't compete with the Ladybug. Not to mention Adrien isn't exactly comfortable with my clinging. I'm just his friend. Which is fine."

Marinette gave a mischievous smile. "Why? Did Chloe find herself a prince charming?" She teased.

Chloe blushed. "H-hey, this isn't about me!" She stammered.

Marinette waved her off. "You're right," she then stood and offered Chloe a handshake. "So, are we good?"

Chloe accepted the offered hand. "More than good."