La Red
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D/C: I own nothing.
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A/N: If anyone is interested, I have created a discord for La Red and other au's I have created for Miraculous Ladybug on in my profile. Go check it out!
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"I don't know what exactly is happening, but I sure as hell know enough to know you fucked up!"
Adrien doesn't remember how he ended up on the ground with a blossoming bruise just below his rib cage or how Alix managed to corner him in alone room in the museum. He was just at the location for a photoshoot when Alix came out of nowhere and just dragged him to an empty room. However, when Alix yelled those words at him, it made his blood run cold.
"Agreste, I don't know anything that has been going on but I'm pretty sure you are also involved. I want to know the truth, don't leave anything out sunshine." Alix huffed out, she digs a finger into
Adrien's shoulder at every other word she says. Adrien scrambled to get back up, wincing at the pain. "W-what do you mean? I'm n-not involved in anything!"
Alix did not hesitate when she pressed a finger onto Adrien's side, maintaining eye contact with the blonde. "Sunshine, I said the truth and don't try to deny anything. I am 100% sure you are involved-great Now I sound like Max."
"It's nothing, I promi-ouch!"
"What are you covering up?" Alix questioned, moving into Adrien's personal space once more. "I know it has to do with Lila's lies-"
Panic overtook Adrien. "There is no problem. Lila's lies aren't hurting anyone, really! I'm worried she'll get akumatized again is all. She only needs time, I'm sure that if we show her how to be a good person, she will be a good person in no time."
Pause.
"Are you telling me she gets akumatized for every little thing?" Alix knows some people are capable to fall victim to Hawkmoth's power more than once. But the way Adrien makes it out to be, sound like Lila has been akumatized more than…once. "How many times has Lila been akumatized? How many!"
"Th-three?"
"…All this time you've been worried about her getting akumatized…" Alix said in a low and dangerous voice. She slowly digs her finger into Adrien's side, wondering if his physical pain is the same as Marinette's emotional pain for what she's been going through since Lila came to Paris. "What about the rest of us? Aren't you worried about us getting akumatized too! What about Nino? Or… or Marinette…? Don't they matter to you?"
"O-of course, they matter! It's ju-"
"It's just WHAT Agreste! WHAT?"
Adrien broke eye contact with Alix, unable to think as she continued to press a finger on his side. "Nothing is really going on, really. It's just a massive misunderstanding and it just got out of control between Lila and Marinette."
"WHAT THE HELL DOES THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN!" Alix yelled, not caring for the fact they were in the museum. She knew the place like the back of her hand and know that the room they were in, is soundproof enough that no one will hear them. "Well?"
Whatever Adrien said next, caused Alix to truly wonder what the hell is going through his mind and how little he thought of the people around him. So little, to the point Alix wondered if he ever learned how to actually be a human being. Adrien's words revolved around with Marinette needs to disprove Lila at every turn. How Lila's small white lies are not hurting anyone, not even by a long shot. It wasn't so much what Adrien is saying that caused Alix to snap, it was his tone.
Adrien sounds like… he was annoyed with Marinette. Even disheartened at the fact Marinette is trying to disprove Lila's words. Those little white lies. WHICH ARE MASSIVE LIES THAT ARE HURTING A LOT OF PEOPLE! "What the hell do you mean, you made Marinette promise to take the fucking high road! You have no right to make her promise you that!"
-.-
Bugaboo2: So….
Little_Miss_Understood: This time… it's not my fault.
LetsRest6FeetUnder: I think we went a little too far…
Sweeter-Than-Honey: HAH! I'm surprised Alix hasn't killed him yet!
Marinette shut her phone off and stuffed it into her purse, being careful of Tikki in the process. Right now, she needed to keep her mind off things and get to work on a piece Jagged had commissioned her to do. To do that, she will need to do some shopping for the materials. Without much thought, Marinette proceeded to head off. Leaving her room, telling her parents of her going out for a bit of shopping and running out of the bakery… to only stopping herself from face planting into a limo.
Marinette felt her heart drop at the sight of the limo, this could go one way or another. The back-passenger window rolled down to reveal a patronizing Chloe, a giddy Sabrina and an anxious Nino.
"Get in loser, we are going shopping. I can't be seen with all of you in your… current state." Chloe's lips curled back as she looked at Marinette's outfit. "You need an entire outfit change."
"I made this outfit." Marinette deadpanned.
"Just get in. Chloe's buying the stuff." Nino said, opening the door from the inside for Marinette.
"Like any of you could afford any of my favorite brands." Chloe replied with an obvious eye roll. She shut the door once Marinette got in and ordered the driver to drive. The blonde made it a point to keep her focus primarily on the window, avoiding all eye contact with everyone in the car.
Sabrina could recognize this side of Chloe; this is her friend's attempt to be nice. Chloe's way of trying to make amends or at least, a step in the right direction. "Thank you, Chloe!"
"Humph." Chloe huffed, she looked over to see everyone staring at her. "What?"
"I'm surprised you are not demanding something in return." Marinette said honestly.
"If we are going to take down, Rossi, we are going to do it in style." Chloe stated, she pointed an accusing finger over at Marinette's hair. "You. You need a new hairstyle."
Marinette's hand moved up to her hair, defensively, wondering what made Chloe say that about her hair. She pulled out her phone, putting it on camera mode to look at her reflection. She has thought about cutting her hair, but with her being Ladybug it brought along the fear of what if someone made a connection. A connection that could ruin everything she tried to protect…
Then again…
"What is wrong with her hair?" Nino asked, looked over at Marinette's pigtails. "There's nothing wrong with her hair."
"I have… been thinking of getting a haircut…" Marinette confessed. "It just never felt like the right time to get a haircut."
"What sort of style are you thinking about, Marinette?" Sabrina asked, moving the conversation along.
"I do not know yet. What do you think, Nino? You've known me the longest here." Marinette asked, looking over at Nino.
Nino, in turn, stared at Marinette and thinking over the question. They all grew up alongside of each other, and throughout that time Marinette had a wide variety of hairstyles. Many of which were always passed her shoulders. Well, except for around the time they were around eight or nine when some new kid cut Marinette's hair for a laugh. This resulted with Nino, Kim, and Ivan beating up the kid for making Marinette cry and for cutting her hair. During that time, Marinette had to cute pixie cut… "Long as it's on your terms."
'In my own terms…'
-.-
Plagg watched as Adrien paced around his room, looking frantic and trying to call someone. Who? Will he call his now former best friend? Nino had made it clear that Adrien had crossed a line that should not have been passed. Will he call his now-former friend? Marinette just made it obviously clear, that she wants nothing to do with him. Can't blame the girl, there's too much crap someone could take before they snapped and she snapped. Ladybug?
HAHAHAHA! Funny really… really funny. How would Adrien convince Ladybug to help him? Yeah, the two interacted in the past, but Ladybug has been keeping her distance as of late. To the point she would keep a very healthy distance from everyone, except the former best-friend, bee girl and that girl that follows her everywhere.
Now… As Chat Noir, there is only actual person he could reach out to is Ladybug and his behavior has caused an ever-increasing rift to occur between them. When will he ever understand that Ladybug does not see him as a romantic light? This… love as the kid will call it, it's just an infatuation that will end badly if he doesn't get his head out of his butt. Then that stunt he pulled the other day, not helping Ladybug until she apologized for something that was way out of her control. Let alone the fact she's not even at fault for.
Since that day, Plagg knew that Adrien is going down a very dark road… he had seen many of his pass holders walk down his path. He had seen the repercussions of his kittens taking that dark road and many of them never return from it. By the looks of it… Adrien is just continuing the cycle.
"Plagg?"
"Huh?" Plagg looked up to see that Adrien is now looking at him with a questioning gaze. "What?"
"That Ladybug and Marinette need to understand that they need to leave Lila alone."
There it was… the snap. Plagg slowly floated into the air and went towards Adrien. His movement could be described as methodical. Flying up to Adrien's face, eyes narrowed, and the blonde shrunk at the stare. "Lila's lies will sooner or later come to light, perhaps when she is still in Paris or when she is already gone. When they do, and when the fact that you knew it all this time and you did nothing to stop her, along with everything you did to prevent Marinette and Ladybug from revealing those lies."
Plagg quickly flew directly in front of Adrien's face, just hovering just an inch away from him. His tone had a clear warning edge to it, causing Adrien to shrink into himself. "When that happens, I doubt that your friends will trust you again. You will be left alone in a worse way than you are here… in your home."
Without saying anything else, Plagg flew back to his spot and left Adrien with his mouth agape.
Tired… this is how Plagg is feeling right now. So tired of it all and how he knew that he failed another kitten…
-.-
"Cut." Aurore motioned for the cameraman to cut the feed before she turned around to face a confused Lila. "What. Was. That?"
"What?" Lila asked, taken aback by Aurore's change of attitude. "I was ju-"
Aurore took in a deep breath, motioning for Lila to be quiet. She looked over at a small cook-off she had tasked herself to do for the show. It was to raise money for a local animal shelter and the volunteers of the shelters organized said cook-off. It was just any other day for the teen, doing another broadcast to spread the news of something good that is happening in the city.
Everything was going well… until Lila decided to drop by for a visit.
"You said that Ladybug told you about the cook-off?"
"Yes, of course! She told me about the cook-off and that she would come on by as she might drop by for a visit." Lila replied easily. "I come by to these events all the time, Ladybug and I. Just the other day, we were helping with a food drive just any other day."
"Is that so?" Aurore asked just as easily, she opened her yellow parasol and had it looming over Lila and herself. In a low voice so that only her and Lila could hear. "Tell me… who created the food-drive?"
"Ladybug and I, of course~" Lila replied cheerily, but her cheery smile started to look tense.
"Wrong. It was run by, Sébastien Gaudreau… I ran the story and helped him with the drive." Aurore tutted.
For her own part, Lila looked taken aback. She looked around, looking for a way to respond. A wily smile returned back on her lips as she continued to talk. "I know him personally and he asked me to help. I happen to know his son."
Aurore slowly blinked at Lila, not at all amused by her words. "Sébastien is a fourth-grader. Don't believe me, ask Marinette."
Aurore didn't blink or even looked remotely shocked when Lila took hold of her umbrella and got within an inch away from the blonde's face. "Did I strike a chord, Rossi?"
"Careful with what you say, Beauréal. Or you will just end up just like her." Lila sneered at Aurore.
"So, it is true you have been tormenting, Marinette." Aurore started, she watched as Lila's face lost color before she attempted to regain her composure in a span of a minute. "Well?"
Lila stared at the ice-blue blonde with complete distaste. "Like I said, careful with what you say or you'll end up just like her. I'll make sure to ruin every charity campaign and your reputation while I'm at it."
"Hm… How about this…?" Aurore said pushing towards Lila, making the brunette to move away from her. "You don't ruin any of the city's charity campaigns, stop threatening me and my friends… then I won't expose you."
"Hm, what proof? Everyone will believe me over you."
"That's the thing… only Miss Bustier's class believes you."
-.-
"What did you have in mind?"
Marinette gulped at the sight of her reflection as she sat in a styling chair to get a haircut. The beauty salon she's currently in, is the same one Chloe's goes to get her own hair done and the place intimidated her. It also did not help how her, Chloe and Sabrina were all getting either a haircut or their hair styled on either side of her. "I…"
"How about this?" Sabrina extended her phone out for Marinette to take hold of it.
Marinette took the phone and looked at the picture Sabrina had picked out. Her eyebrows shot up to her hairline at the hairstyle shown in the picture.
"Let me see." Chloe ordered, extending her hand out for the phone. Marinette handed the phone over, pensively. With one look at the photo, Chloe let out a humph and flung the phone into Marinette's lap. "It'll be an improvement."
The bluenette let out a squeak as the phone nearly slid out of her lap. She sent a glare at the blonde before showing the picture to the stylist. "Could you…?"
The stylist took hold of the phone and looked at the picture. "Of course."
TBC.
