Never Alone
Chapter 1 : Unexpected Reveal
Was she really so replaceable?
Marinette felt crippling fear as she watched Lila smirk at her with everyone fawning over her. How was it that she could defeat villains as Ladybug but can't outsmart a petty liar in her real life?
She couldn't take it anymore.
Her head was throbbing as she felt a myriad of emotions. She felt ashamed, exploited and hurt. It wasn't Lila's lies or that her friends were gullible enough to believe them that hurt her the most... It was the fact that they had forgotten all about her, disregarded her opinions even after years of knowing her and that was humiliating.
Time and time again, she had been there for them and when she needed them the most, they weren't there for her.
She took her bag and ran out of the canteen.
She was powerless, inspite of being a superhero.
She wouldn't cry in front of them. She wouldn't give Lila the satisfaction of winning.
Marinette burst through the doors of the science laboratory and closed them before slumping against the wall. She felt so alone and worthless.
Mental anguish had turned into physical pain. Tears streamed down her cheeks. She couldn't breathe.
"It's going to be okay." Tikki whispered gently but urgently as she phased through her bag and nuzzled against her cheek. "Marinette, please. Think positive thoughts."
"I can't!" Marinette said through gritted teeth. "Am I really this worthless?"
"Never! You are Ladybug. You saved Paris countless times. Don't let a liar twist your truth, Marinette." The kwami pleaded.
Just then, a purple butterfly entered through the open windows and dived towards the baker's daughter, settling on her bag and a purple butterfly insignia appeared over her face.
"Princess Justice, I give you the power to right what's wrong and expose-"
"Fight it Marinette!" Tikki's voice cut through Shadowmoth's monotone.
"No!" Marinette screamed, clutching her head. "I refuse to be one of your puppets!"
"You can be powerful!" The villain urged.
"I don't need your power!" She dropped the bag and the butterfly fluttered out of it before Tikki grabbed it and swallowed it in one gulp. White energy swirled around her as a white butterfly appeared in front of them before flying away.
"That was close, Marinette." The kwami said worriedly. "If Shadowmoth akumatises you, he'll not only have your miraculous but also every other in the Miracle Box. You have to stay more positive."
"How? I try Tikki but after everything that's going on-"
"I believe I can offer an alternative solution, Miss Dupain Cheng or should I say, Ladybug." Another voice entered the conversation as they looked up to see Miss Mendeleiev glowering at them.
Miss Kayla Mendeleiev was checking supplies in the laboratory closet when she heard someone storming into the lab and then hurriedly closing the doors. Seriously won't these morons give a single second of peace? She was ready to hand out detentions and scold whoever was responsible for this unruly disruption. She peeked out of the closet to see Miss Dupain Cheng slumped against the door and crying. While others could say otherwise, she wasn't heartless. Marinette had been through a lot in the last few months. While the other teachers gave Lila a free pass, she knew exactly what that little devil was capable of. Most people could be won over by crocodile tears and cheap theatrics, she was different. Obviously, she had her own flaws, but she wasn't going to turn a blind eye to someone who needed help.
She was about to come out in the open and try to assuage the crying girl when a red kwami flew out of her bag and hovered around the girl. From her brief obsession with the strange beings and what Chat Noir and Chloe told her about them, she knew these creatures were responsible for transforming ordinary teenagers to superheroes. And the red kwami was Ladybug's! That only meant one thing… Marinette was Ladybug!
"Oh no!" She whispered. It was bad enough before, but everything was manageable. No one else could know about this, otherwise all hell would break loose. Now all those outlandish excuses by that girl and her 30-minute-long bathroom breaks made sense! Shit! Somehow the other faculty hadn't managed to connect the dots. Kayla doubted she'd have either if it weren't for seeing the kwami.
Just then, a black butterfly dived towards Marinette and akumatised her. Kayla watched on with bated breath. To her shock, Hawkmoth's purple insignia over Marinette's face shattered and the akuma was expelled from the bag before getting purified by the kwami.
"How? I try Tikki but after everything that's going on-"
Kayla had heard enough. Paris' hero cannot be allowed to lose hope. This little girl was fighting everyday to save them from Hawkmoth's monsters. The least she could do was make her time in school less miserable.
"I believe I can offer an alternative solution, Miss Dupain Cheng or should I say Ladybug?" She asked, stepping out of the shadows.
"Baah! Ladybug- Who! I'm just Marinette!" She shrieked, flailing her arms wildly.
The science teacher facepalmed. "Marinette, I saw and heard you talking to your kwami. Rest assured, I only intend to help you. I am not going to tell anyone else who you are."
Marinette grabbed Tikki. "Kwami? This is a toy from-"
"Marinette, please. I know what a kwami is. I was Kwamibuster, remember?" She saw the girl sigh and the kwami nuzzle her cheek.
"Please don't tell anyone."
"I won't. You were lucky that it was me instead of some fanatic like Damocles who found you." She sighed. "Now back to the issue at hand, we can't have Paris' superhero falling into depression. The least I can do is give you an amiable environment to study."
"What do you mean?"
"I know Miss Rossi is making your life miserable and nobody believes you."
"And you do?" Tikki asked suspiciously.
"I am not stupid and I know liars when I see them. Damocles and Bustier are at fault for enabling Miss Rossi's lies, but what else can you expect from a fourty something year old man-child and a woman who thinks life is a Disney movie? And somehow Lila has fooled all your friends into believing her lies. Did you tell them she is lying? "
"I did once but they didn't believe me."
"Preposterous!" She rolled her eyes. "I will never understand teenagers. They know you for years and her for a few months-"
"Lila tells them what they want to hear."
"And Caline doesn't step in-"
"She believed that Lila is actually in contact with celebrities including Ladybug, which I can't refute without revealing my identity." Marinette revealed slowly.
"But what if Ladybug refutes this claim and exposes Lila?" Mendeleiev's eyes glinted.
"Wouldn't that be using my powers for personal gain. That's against the rules-"
"Marinette, you are the guardian now. You do whatever is necessary to keep the miraculouses safe from wrong hands." Tikki reminded her gently.
"And clearly you can't afford to get akumatised." Mendeleiev said briskly. "The higher road is not always effective. Sometimes you have to stop being the better person. You are a person Marinette and you can't let people walk over you. Life isn't a fairy tale. And Marinette, I have seen you with the rest of your classmates. You care a lot about them and they reciprocate those feelings. Don't let Lila misguide you into thinking otherwise."
She stopped as she was engulfed in a hug by Marinette. She awkwardly patted her back. She glared at the kwami as she snickered.
"Thank you, Miss Mendeleiev. I really needed to hear that." Marinette said, letting her go.
"No Miss Dupain Cheng. Thank you for all that you do to save us." She gave a curt smile. Marinette beamed as she picked up her bag and opened the doors. Giving one last smile, she disappeared into the hallways.
Kayla felt her eyes water as the image of Marinette beaming transfixed itself in her mind. She smiled genuinely for the first time in a long time. Maybe this is what it meant to be a teacher. Uplifting her students and giving them hope, teaching them to believe in themselves.
I wrote this before Marinette reveals her identity to Alya. So this is set directly after Truth. Hope you guys liked this story and please review. :)