Here it is, the 104th full chapter of Miraculous Quirks released on the right day as promised. Christmas is over but Adrien and Marinette still have a nice, private, moment awaiting them so it's time for them to enjoy that moment. Just another transition chapter in the longer than usual transition between arcs so not much more to say about it here. Anyway, that is all the administrative stuff I have for now and while there are no review questions to answer there are some clarifications and responses from reviews to make which I will do now. Do keep the reviews coming as I enjoy hearing from y'all and onto the clarifications or responses.
The first thing to clarify as there was some confusion is that according to MHA canon, Centipeder was Nighteye's successor as head of the agency and it is confirmed in the manga chapter 167. Next, for those wondering, the last chapter was in the anime, it was in the latter half of episode 101 in case you are wondering, and the hats were themed in the episode, that was something I realized while rewatching to prepare for this chapter. If you are looking for some fan service descriptions, check out the 5th School Briefs book as one of the chapters that I kinda referenced is where almost all the teachers try to deliver presents to Eri as she stays in the teachers' dorm while dressed as Santa or in Hound Dog's case a reindeer if I recall and Midnight's outfit is described in it so that should be what you're looking for. Next, this was mentioned in a review and from sources I've heard it is true, that in Japan they do tend to go to KFC for Christmas, but I wanted something more classic and in keeping with Marinette and Adrien's heritage plus in said Christmas episode Sato does make a traditional western style turkey for the class. As for Marinette's baking, while you no doubt can make a Yule Log with a normal pan, when I was researching it for the piece they did mention the special style of pan for it and as Marinette is a baker's daughter and Momo can make anything I feel like she'd want to do it as best as possible for her class. Lastly, to clear up any confusion over my mention of Shiozaki, I said that she was making it more in line with a religious connotations of Christmas and left it at that so I'll leave it to y'all's imaginations what that may be though I agree, I doubt she'd allow some of the more sacrilegious aspects and songs into it. I hope that clears up any confusion anyone might have had and also helps pinpoint where in the anime this story currently is.
That is all I have for this pre chapter note so that means that it is time to sit back, relax, and enjoy the 104th full chapter of Miraculous Quirks.
Disclaimer: I do not own either of these great works of fiction.
Chapter 104: Private Miraculous Moment
Marinette and Adrien appeared in the open plan living room and kitchen of the apartment in Tokyo that they'd lived in from shortly before they started at U.A. up until when the dorm system was implemented after Kamino and they move onto campus. While they hadn't known that they'd end up here both had suspected as much when Mage had said he'd arranged something private for them for after their class's Christmas party.
As such when the party ended they hadn't bothered to change, just retired to their rooms once the place was cleaned up, grabbed their gifts for each other, and waited for Christmas to end. The moment the clock ticked over to Boxing Day they had vanished and reappeared here.
The room was just like they remembered only fully decorated for Christmas with a Christmas tree in one corner, tinsel in gold, green, and red on the walls, large fake snowflakes on the windows, and all the other trimmings of Christmas one would expect in France. Soft Christmas music played from the speakers in the room and both teens recognized it as a classic French song from their era which just added to the whole atmosphere for them.
"I know that Christmas Day is over, but this is the only time Nezu would permit me to transport you here." A voice said from the kitchen area, and they turned to see that Mage had appeared there on the other side of the island as snacks and drinks, again French Christmas classics, appeared before him on the table. "He agreed with me that you two deserved this moment, but it had to be when he could control things from the school, and you wouldn't be noticed missing. On that front I've created facsimiles of you two in your rooms on campus to help sell your cover. You have 5 hours here from the moment I leave before you are taken back to your rooms. You can't leave this room, but you will be alone for this holiday moment together."
"Thank you." Adrien said with a bow of his head. "We do need this."
"Yes, we are grateful." Marinette said with a smile at the immortal being who was technically their legal guardian. "Um, do you celebrate this holiday or not?"
"I do what I can to keep up appearances, I am from a predominantly Christian and European nation, so it is expected of me, but I predate all of this and that's before it became so commercialized." Mage said gesturing to the decorations. "Though I am well aware of the pagan roots to Christmas and have seen them develop over time but actual Christmas I don't really pay attention to. I am not human; this stuff doesn't matter to me. However, it is still an important day for many reasons so enjoy it. Once this holiday ends, things will get busy again, so these moments are necessary and precious. I will see you two soon for some updates on things and then the start of the second work study."
With that Mage did his usual thing and vanished into thin air as he had his own business to attend to elsewhere in Japan and leaving them alone. That was to be expected from him, however, and now they were truly alone.
Marinette and Adrien hadn't had a moment like this in quite a while. Sure, they made time for each other at school as best they could but living as a class cut into that and their schedules were hectic affairs so a truly extended moment like this was something that they really needed. They could start with the gift exchange.
"I'm glad that they set this up for us." Marinette said as she turned and looked at Adrien and held out her wrapped present unable to keep her cheeks from flushing at actually giving Adrien a Christmas present, last year they'd been too busy adjusting in the immediate wake of the incident to do so, despite actually being Adrien's girlfriend at last. "Here my love, for the first time I can properly give you a Christmas present without, well, becoming a blushing mess and do so in person."
"You were cute like that though and you're still blushing my love." Adrien said with a smile as he took the soft feeling present and handed Marinette a small, wrapped box though it was too big to be a ring box which Marinette was fine with as they were far too young for that while blushing deeper at Adrien pointing out that she was, well, blushing. "And here bugaboo, I'm not great at this but I felt that this would be good."
"It's from you, it's going to be perfect." Marinette said as she took the box, and they unwrapped their presents together though Marinette missed Adrien's reaction as her own eyes went wide at what was in the box. "Woah, it's, wow."
Adrien had gotten Marinette an exquisite silver charm bracelet, at least she thought it was silver as it could be platinum for all she knew. Regardless, it was that one she could only really wear when dressed up or when she knew that she wouldn't be needed in the field, but she'd treasure it. It was just the kind of thing Adrien would do and he'd already added the first three charms to it and Marinette had to fight back tears at seeing them.
The charms were a circular one that was red with 5 black dots in a ladybug print, a black cat's paw with green claws, and a small Eiffel Tower that dangled between them. It was their personal Miraculous symbols as best as Adrien could find and one of the iconic landmarks of their homeland so a perfect summation of them.
As Marinette was getting stunned by this Adrien opened her gift and smiled at it. It was a classic Marinette one, handmade for him from the finest materials Marinette could find and a complete set of winter accessories as she'd made him a black scarf with green tassels and border, a black beanie had with a green cat's paw in the center and her signature in gold on the inside, and black gloves with green fingertips and cat's paws on the backs of them. They all felt soft and warm so would be great this year and the fact that Marinette had personally made them only added to it.
"Thank you." Adrien said with a smile as he tried on the items showing that they fit perfectly though he'd have to put them to the side in a moment. "They're perfect."
"I've been making clothes for you for ages, it's actually slightly creepy now that I look back on all that I'd done, so I've got a lot of experience." Marinette said flushing a little at how bad she'd been back when she'd first fallen for Adrien and distracted herself from that by taking out the bracelet. "So, it's nice to finally give you a gift for real without having to try and sneak it to you or what not. There will be many more to come my love but all in moderation and in good time, I don't have my stash anymore."
"I will appreciate all of them." Adrien said as he took off the accessors and carefully put them on the back of one of the sofas in the room while deciding not to question what Marinette meant by her 'stash.' "Here, let me help you with that."
"Thanks, it's beautiful." Marinette said as Adrien took the bracelet from her and help put it on her left wrist. "I don't really know what to say about it."
"Not as beautiful as you are my lady." Adrien said causing Marinette to go bright red, but she wasn't complaining about the compliment, she never did when hearing them from Adrien as it reminded her that their love was final happening and had been for over a year now. "I saw it online and liked it. Plus, I can add to it over time with other meaningful charms that represent things to us so it will only grow."
"I know you will, I can't wait for them." Marinette said as Adrien finished and then pulled her in to wrap his arms around her as Marinette wrapped her own arms around his waist and rested her head against his chest enjoying the feeling she'd never thought she'd feel before the incident while also noting how much more muscular Adrien had gotten since they started at U.A. "It's still hard to believe all that has happened to us in the last 13 months or so."
"When we faced Hawkmoth back in France that cold November day back in 2019 after he'd gotten his hands on the Rabbit Miraculous we couldn't have foreseen this coming." Adrien said. "One moment we were facing our arch enemy once again, the next we were blasted out of the timeline and suddenly it was over 200 years in the future, and we were in Japan in the age of Quirks. To us it was but a moment but to everyone else it was centuries. I don't think any mortal could have seen this coming."
"Very true." Marinette agreed. "Nor could we see the whole Guardians thing but with the kwamis and our Miraculouses that was actually easier to adapt to as we already knew that the supernatural was possible."
"We knew magic and super powers existed, so we had an advantage over others who might have been through that." Adrien agreed. "But the whole adjusting to the new age of humanity wasn't easy even if we could accept that almost everyone had a super power now and that it was all genetic these days."
"It was thanks the Mage and the actions of the Guardians, along with the assistance of Nezu and All Might, that we were able to manage this, it would have taken a lot longer without them that's for sure." Marinette said not wanting to think about what might have happened if they hadn't have had the assistance that they did. "Thankfully, we had experience with our powers and being heroes so getting them made into our Quirks wasn't too much of a change or adjustment for us."
"Agreed and now look at us." Adrien said. "We've made Cataclysm and Lucky Charm our own, grown and developed them into something that Plagg and Tikki would never recognize because they're ours now. It took a bit to get used to but we're well past that now."
"I could never have imagined what I've done with Lucky Charm, that's for sure." Marinette agreed. "Changing items as my goal changes, almost 45 minutes activation now if it's a single small item, set styles for when a singular goal isn't enough, an Ultimate Move, and a broader range of goals to work with. All of that because it's now a Quirk."
"You were always amazing." Adrien said. "And I know, once I realized how Cataclysm actually worked, that it was truly a part of me rather than a tool Plagg lent me, I was able to truly become one with it and take full control over how it works. Add in that I can manifest it anywhere and it's beyond what I could have expected. I am glad that it only works on inorganic material though, I don't want to have that kind of power in my hands as it's too dangerous in my book as Shigaraki's Decay Quirk has shown and it differentiates it more from Plagg's power, so it truly is my own now. Besides, plenty of Quirks are solely inorganic affecting, or solely organic as is the case with Eri, so it helps hide it as well."
"Somehow all this training has shown me how we really needed it to adapt to this new age we are in." Marinette said. "I don't think we could have done what we did back in our time, at least not without proper training and oversight which is what we are getting now."
"The world is a darker, more unstable place these days because 80% of the world has Quirks." Adrien said. "So that is understandable that there would be issues when people have the powers that Quirks give them. There is a need for training to combat the ever-growing number and variety of Quirks. It is going to make us better heroes because we now understand how the world works with Quirks rather than how it was back before the advent. Even if we ended up at U.A. by chance it has been beneficial to us."
"More than we could have ever hoped for." Marinette agreed. "And just being there has helped us adjust to the new normal that our lives have become after the incident. To overcome all that we lost."
"Yeah, I'll always miss them." Adrien said sadly. "I always missed my mom back in the day, so I know the feeling of loss and now it's extended to dad and all of our friends who Hawk Moth ripped from us with his actions."
"You were better at that than me because you had at least experienced grief before, I hadn't." Marinette admitted her tone as sad as Adrien's. "I still remember them all, still cry for what we lost when it floods back to me, but I know in my heart that they never gave up on us being ok, on us being happy and living a good life. They made sure to honor us by continuing to live their lives to the fullest so that is how we honor them in return. We have to make the most of this second chance at life that we have been given. We have to embrace this new era and society we were sent to and thrive in it. We have to be who they loved for their sakes as well as ours."
"Agreed, they wouldn't want us to wallow in sadness and pity for what we couldn't control, especially because we were trying to stop Hawk Moth's evil." Adrien said. "They would have known that we didn't abandon them, at least not by choice, that it wasn't our choice to leave them at such a young age. They would want us to live life to the fullest wherever we were just as they would have done for us. We will see them again in the next life, but we must make the most of this one now that we have it so that when we see them again we can tell them we didn't let what happened to us break us. We've gotten this second chance and we can't waste it."
"I know that we won't." Marinette said her conviction clear in her voice. "And being in a hero school with classmates who also want to be heroes, being where we aren't living a double life from everyone we know but instead actually doing what we love with who we love is helping tremendously."
"It has because there is no stress anymore, no hiding, we are who we are from the world the way we had to back in France." Adrien said. "It's been one of the best things for us because we don't live a double life anymore. It was still an adjustment to actually being open about our powers and making new friends is always hard, but we've done it. Plus, I'm actually getting a normal school experience, well normal for a Hero Course student at least, which is different and what I always wanted so that's helped me a lot."
"For me it was the Sports Festival where I really realized that we were truly established here, when I knew that we'd made a new home at last and been accepted by our new friends even if none knew the truth of our pasts at the time." Marinette said. "Just having that kind of school event, the thrill of competing, of going for gold with all my power while telling the world that I was a future hero was just what I needed. Could have done without being set on fire briefly or showing the world my taste in bras but it helped Todoroki get over his stupidity and was kinda expected from such a competition. It wouldn't have been fun if I made it through completely unscathed after all."
"It did and you made it to the top 4 in the Sports Festival." Adrien said. "A major accomplishment and should have reached the finals at least had it not been for, well, you know…"
"Spitting is a useful tactic some of the time." Marinette said. "That wasn't one of those times, but my mouth was full of blood from the punch and water from the ice I'd eaten so I kinda had to though looking back on it I could have handled it differently. I don't know if I would have won though, I was badly injured by that point, but I probably could have done well against Bakugo. I'll face him someday and really test my metal. Regardless, I still tied for 3rd in the Sports Festival, and I love looking at my bronze medal everyday not just to remind me to upgrade it next year but because it also symbolizes the moment I finally felt at peace here after all that had happened to us."
"Bakugo is good, he beat me with ease as soon as he deduced my strategy against him." Adrien said. "So, he's a tough challenge for sure but you'll be a good challenge to him. The Sports Festival was certainly fun, and your medal shows your work during it. For me it was Hosu that was the big moment that showed me that I was part of this new era now because that was when I truly saw the face of evil in this world. It was were I fought properly for the first time with my life on the line, so I understood what being a hero these days means. It was where I first bled with my classmates. What the four of use went through there, it forged us going forward."
"While I am not a fan of what happened there, or in the forest, I know you did what you had to do in those situations." Marinette said with a sigh. "And I know why Hosu was kept a secret, so I get it even if I don't like it. For me it was Kamino that showed me what this world was truly like seeing as I was close to the greatest evil in the Quirk era. All for One, he's something else, I've never felt that kind of evil or malice."
"I'm glad I didn't experience it." Adrien said. "But those experiences forged us as part of this world. We needed them to truly understand what we are getting into as heroes this time around."
"They really did." Marinette said. "It helped us finish our adjustment to the new normal for us."
"Then we had the Ultimate Move training and licensing exam right after Kamino." Adrien said. "As hard as it was, it did get us our provisional licenses which just made everything more real. It was like we were one step closer to being properly back as Ladybug and Cat Noir."
"We were." Marinette said. "Even with, well, you know, Momo learning the truth of us right before the exam. That was unexpected."
"It was bound to happen." Adrien said with a sigh. "Especially with Kagami being a potential connection between Japan and France there was always a small chance that it would happen, and we all know how smart Momo is. She did learn French in a few weeks just to talk to us in our native language out of her own sense of honor for our own assimilation into Japanese culture so it shouldn't have surprised us that if she found a thread to our past and pulled on it that she'd unravel the secret."
"Yeah if anyone was to find out it would be her for sure." Marinette said. "We should have seen it coming when she showed her smarts with French though it did take her a while to get the pronunciations correct."
"It always will for nonnative speakers, especially those who's closest to a romance language experience is English which isn't actually a true romance language." Adrien said. "It's a hybrid romance and Germanic one similar to Dutch. She's proficient now though."
"True and I think it helped a lot because once she learned, or at least had an inkling of, the truth she handled it properly." Marinette said. "She came right to me to before anyone else so that I would be the one to confirm it to her and her evidence was overwhelming. She took it and the truth about Mage well though and it was a huge relief knowing that she knew the truth as well, that at least someone in our class could shoulder the burden we have and know what we went through. It wasn't until she found out did I realize just how heavy that weight was."
"It really did." Adrien said. "The acceptance was needed but it showed how good we all are in our class. We accept each other no matter what. In time I would like to tell the others but only when they're ready."
"Agreed but they're not ready to comprehend what happened to us, it is so unbelievable even in the Age of Quirks that it will take some explaining to sort out." Marinette said. "Momo got thrust into it by her own actions and had the evidence to confirm it, but it might take time with the others. It would probably be best to start with Midoriya and Bakugo, they have the best foundation to build on at the moment."
"They are aware of Mage's true nature, and we know of Midoriya's secret." Adrien said. "So, it could help but not until after the new work studies at least, those come first, and they are still processing what Mage told them, so they need time before another bombshell is dropped on them."
"And whatever they are preparing us for with these new work studies." Marinette said. "It's clear that something is afoot and they're getting us ready for it."
"No doubt so we have to make the most of them." Adrien said with a nod. "Learn all we can, get stronger through them, and grow for the experiences we have so that we can be ready for what is to come. The first work study helped a lot as we were heroes again, properly at least, even with how it ended."
"It showed us what being heroes again will be like and the costs this profession will truly take on us should we pay the ultimate price." Marinette agreed. "To an extend we were shielded from that in France and the second half of Lucky Charm helped a lot as well, but Mage couldn't make that part of my Quirk as it's so specific to his magic and wouldn't seem to be in line with my Quirk, at least not to normal people I feel. I don't mind though; I'd like it back but it's ok not to have it as it shows me more of the realities that we face when we have to look at the damage caused in battle and clean it up afterwards. It's also helped me focus on growing Lucky Charm and truly making it my own which it is now."
"That it is and who knows, as it grows the cure may return." Adrien said. "You never know with Quirk development after all, and Lucky Charm is your Quirk now."
"I'd like that but it's not a focus at the moment." Marinette said. "And even if it was, I doubt it would be as good as before or could have saved Nighteye. Best not to think on that and focus on getting stronger so that heroes like him don't die in the field."
"His death was the biggest wake up call to what is to come." Adrien said. "And we know that more will die as we continue to grow as heroes, especially now that the era of All Might has come to an end and the villains are getting bolder."
"Then we face that when the time comes." Marinette said. "Together."
"Always." Adrien said with a smile as he held Marinette. "So, we need to give our all to the next work study. The last few months have been great, the School Festival was a lot of fun, both the performances and out time walking around it to see the other classes' contributions, and the joint training exercise was good training, but we need to focus on getting stronger for the coming times."
"We will, we survived what happened to us, something few could even comprehend let along go through, we can get through this as well." Marinette said. "Adversity only makes us stronger kitty; we both know it."
"Very true bugaboo." Adrien said. "We will overcome what is to come, I know it."
"For now, though we should enjoy these moments." Marinette said. "I know Ida and Kendo are planning a hot pot party for the day before classes resume and once the new year starts it will be time for the second work study but moments like this are just for us. We should make the most of them as soon they'll be few and far between."
"Right the hot pot party, that should be fun." Adrien said. "Are you making the soup?"
"I have the recipe, I made sure to memorize it so I will do my best to make it." Marinette said with a nod. "Though I will make the last piece something more solid for the party but all that in time as the last ingredient is always different and special. First we should just enjoy this time we have. We only have a few more hours of it so let's be together as we can truly be. That has been the best outcome of all this, realizing our shared love for each other that our double lives had prevented it from blossoming. Being able to be a couple at last, that alone made all we went through worth it because we have each other."
"Agreed and so let's enjoy this time." Adrien said. "Just us, no more chatter of the past, future, or school, just us and our love."
As if to show what Adrien was getting on about the very song that they'd once danced to at Chloe's party so long ago now, began to play. It was the slow couples' song that Marinette had grown to love after that dance with Adrien, which had only been possible thanks to Alya's meddling, and which had become a song she associated with her love for Adrien. It was the perfect thing for this moment.
"My lady." Adrien said as he broke the hug they had and then took a step back before holding out his hand to her. "Will you have this dance with me."
"Always, kitty." Marinette said with a smile as she took his hand and let him pull her in.
Right away she raised her arms to put them around Adrien's neck as he pulled her close his arms around her slender waist. Marinette was over a head shorter than Adrien, standing like this as they swayed to the music reminded her of their height difference that had only grown over the last year as Adrien had grown more than her since they'd been kicked back into the timeline. They'd both gained a lot of strength, but he was the one who had grown taller not that she minded as they danced to the music.
As they slowly danced they were lost in each other and their love as they held each other. They'd been through something that no one should go through, that no one could ever imagine or understand without experiencing it for themselves, and not only had they survived it, but they'd not let it break them. Rather they'd grown stronger and closer because of it. They would always bear the scars of what had happened to them, along with new scars from their battles in their new lives, but they were past that as they forged their own future together in this new world they inhabited.
They would do that; they would become the heroes they once were again and then surpass that as they continued their journey together in the Age of Quirks. All that would come though, and they'd face some of the greatest trials in the months to come for there was a slumbering force that the HPSC was preparing them for as time ticked closer to the day that would change Japan forever.
That was to come though, for now they were just enjoying each other's presence in this private moment. As if to make things more so, Marinette looked up and realized that right above their heads, dangling from the ceiling on a string, was a sprig of green leaves with small white leaves or flower things on it that she hadn't noticed until now. Marinette smiled as she looked at it realizing that it was the real thing and not the fake stuff one got at the stores with the red fake berries on it though how it was here was beyond her knowledge as she didn't think it grew in Japan as far as she knew.
"Adrien, look up." Marinette said and Adrien did just that.
"Huh that can't be a coincidence." Adrien said as he saw the plant above them. "And knowing who we know it's definitely not one. I bet he put it there before he left, or the room itself did thanks to his spells."
"Just shut up." Marinette said getting Adrien's attention. "It's a sprig of real mistletoe and it's Christmas time, you know what that means?"
"Right." Adrien said smiling as he lent down, and Marinette got up on her toes. "Shutting up now."
Marinette just smiled that as she captured his lips with hers and they sank into another passionate kiss. It was the perfect end to a perfect day for them as the world vanished from them in that moment and they surrendered to their love.
I think I'll leave it there on that tender, sweet, moment and let y'all decide how the rest of the night went. That is it for this short, sweet, needed chapter, there really isn't much more to say about it as it's just a private moment for the Miraculous couple to enjoy together after Christmas and before what is to come while also thinking back on how they got here. There are still a few more chapters in this gradual transition arc before the Endeavor Agency arc but they're all about this length so short and simple to enjoy with some good moments to come as well as news on what else is going on in Japan. That is all I have for you however so I will leave this chapter off here. As always, if you like it or have any questions please let me know in reviews or PMs, I will try to answer them as best I could and post any questions asked between uploads at the start of the next chapter and do follow and favorite this, so you are alerted to future uploads. Do keep the reviews coming as I like hearing from y'all as you enjoy my work, it motivates me to keep producing the best work I can for y'all to enjoy. Until next time.
Stringdog