This is so short wtf? Oh well soon you shall have gang girls kicking butt and shit so have this for menow ^-^
16-Excuses
The first few times Marinette had new bruises, they were almost easy to explain away, but once the injuries started becoming more serious, more difficult to hide, the fake excuses were hard to ignore.
Sabine sat in the dark of her kitchen, her feet not touching the floor as she tightened her death grip on the flower-patterned mug. The tea had turned cold long ago, but she'd barely noticed, her ankles locked together tightly, back rigid in her seat as she worried at her bottom lip. She stole another glance at the clock. 3:03. Sabine lifted the mug to her lips and sipped the cold tea, eyebrows furrowing together before a creak from the floorboards behind her made her turn.
"Sabine love, come to bed." Tom said blearily, rubbing his eye. He wandered over and pried the mug from her hands and tipped it into the sink.
"She's late." Sabine whispered. "She's late."
Tom glanced at the clock and shook his head. "Three minutes behind schedule love. Considering her track record of being late, I'd say she's doing quite well. There's nothing you can-"
Sabine lurched out of her seat as a soft thump from upstairs alerted her to her daughters return. "She's back." She breathed, head whipping around to face her husband before turning back to the trapdoor above. "She's okay."
Tom placed the mug on the rack and put his shoulder around his wife. "She's been doing this for year's honey. She knows what she's doing. And she has Adrien."
"But why won't she tell me?" Sabine's eyes glazed over with exhaustion. They'd been having this conversation for months. Their daughter was Ladybug, and her best friend-Adrien-was Chat Noir. And Marinette wasn't aware that either of her parents knew her secret. But how could they not? Sabine wasn't anybody's fool and her unparalleled motherly senses allowed her to know things. The first few times Marinette had new bruises, they were almost easy to explain away, but once the injuries started becoming more serious, more difficult to hide, the fake excuses were hard to ignore. Sabine wasn't stupid and the lies were transparent, Marinette wasn't a good liar anyway-a trait she'd inherited from her both her parents-but Sabine wondered if there wasn't another reason behind the spandex-adventures. Sabine swiped a white bag off the counter and crept up the stairs and pressed her ear to the hatch.
"She's talking to someone." She hissed at her husband.
Tom smiled indulgently at the tiny woman at the top of the stairs and then shook his head. "Adri-I mean Chat is probably up there with her again, or her red fairy thing. It's nothing to worry about I'm sure."
"Tom." Sabine moaned, her frown deepening. Marinette's room was silent.
"Don't you go up there Sabine." Tom warned her. "She'll panic."
"But-"
"No buts, she'll tell us when she's ready. Besides, we don't know that Adrien stays over every other night remember? We know nothing about that."
Sabine scowled at her husband and pushed the hatch open.
"Sabine!" Tom hissed quietly, she ignored him and hoisted her body up through the hatch.
She walked over to Marinette's bed, bare feet silent on the linoleum as she carefully avoided the paper and fabric strewn around the room.
Why hadn't Marinette told her she was Ladybug? It would have made it easier on their whole family. Why hadn't she told her that Adrien was Chat Noir? They would be able to put a pull-out couch in her room for him to sleep on for the nights he was too tired or too lonely to return home. They could even keep a toothbrush in the bathroom for him. Why did it have to be her daughter? Her only child, her baby girl, was risking her life every day for the people of Paris, a burden she shared with no-one but her best friend. Why was Marinette keeping such big secrets from her own mother? Why she didn't need her mother anymore? Why, why, why, why? It twisted in Sabine's gut. The maternal motherly feeling she'd first experienced when she felt Marinette stir in her belly was roaring at her to protect her daughter as only a mother could. To take away her earrings and her Kwami, to move her to the lower bedroom so Chat Noir/Adrien couldn't sneak in and steal her away, to stop her daughter from risking her life, from putting herself in dangerous situations as she fought for her city, with Sabine only able to watch from the sidelines.
Sabine reached the top of the ladder that lead to the bed and she felt her worry slip away at the sight of her daughter safe, Adrien curled up beside her, her forehead pressed to his chest, his arms locked around her in a protective embrace while her leg was casually slung over his. Sabine let out a loud breath, these two children-her children-held the weight of Paris on their shoulders and they didn't even trust her enough to tell her that they were superheroes. But then again there was that...
She climbed down the stairs and opened the white bag, shuffling the contents she squinted in the dark. Tikki slowly emerged from Marinette's bag.
"Hello Sabine." She chirped, floating over to her. "It's been a long time."
Sabine sighed as she offered a cookie to the Kwami who took it gratefully. "I can't believe you chose my daughter. Out of all the people in Paris you could have chosen, you came to her. How dare you." The last words were intended to have more bite, but the malice simply wasn't there. In its place was weariness, the sort of tiredness a solider would have after returning home from years of fighting in a war he lost.
Tikki swallowed her mouthful before grinning cheekily at the woman in front of her. "I couldn't help it. Being a good superhero runs in the Cheng family apparently."
"Oh hush." Sabine shushed the Kwami who was now munching through a second cookie. She cast a quick glance at the hatch. "Tom…"
"Still doesn't know that you were a Ladybug?" Tikki finished Sabine's sentence for her before snorting derisively. "You're such a hypocrite. You're worried because Marinette hasn't told you about her or Adrien, who actually only revealed their identities a month ago, yet, when you were Ladybug, you told exactly zero people about your identity."
"Is there any cheese?" A voice interrupted from Marinette's bag.
"There is cheese bread." Tikki reported, causing the black Kwami to zip out of his hiding place and dive into the paper bag.
"It's dangerous Tikki." Sabine insisted, ignoring Plagg. "My Chat Noir-"
"Died." Plagg said flatly, emerging from the white bag with a cheesy roll. "We're well aware of that Sabine. But with all due respect, which is none, she was a fucking moron."
"Plagg!" Tikki gasped horrified. "Don't speak of the dead that way."
"I don't know what she expected! You use cataclysm on yourself, you're gonna have a bad time. Literally! It was self-inflicted. I was against her being Chat from the start." Plagg crammed the whole cheese roll into his mouth, chewing furiously.
"That aside… Marinette is a very good Ladybug." Tikki turned to Sabine after sparing her fellow Kwami a disgusted look. "She's very brave and strong and she's very, very clever. You should know this, she's your daughter after all."
"And my Chat would sooner die than let anything happen to her so your daughter is fine." Plagg added.
"Adrien is as good as my son, don't you dare pretend like he's less important you stupid cat." Sabine snapped. She regarded him with distaste as he dropped crumbs on the floor. "I never did like you and your lousy attitude towards your charges."
"You're the one who quit because of an 'injury.' I never could recall what it was Sabine, do tell what was so important that you blatantly disregarded your duty to your city and by extension, my Chat Noir." Plagg sneered through a mouthful of bread.
"Plagg!" Tikki huffed. "Don't speak to Sabine like that."
Sabine opened her mouth to argue with him but was stopped by the sound of movement from the bed. She felt the blood drain from her face and she ducked under the table to avoid being seen if they sat up.
"Mari?" Adrien sounded groggy and half-asleep and her heart went out to him. His life wasn't what it should be for his age, having been forced to grow up too quickly by his demanding father and his dedication to the city and her daughter. "Where'd you go?" Sabine imagined his arms sliding across the sheets, fingers flexing as they tried to make purchase on Marinette. Sabine had seen him do it in his sleep once before, she must have rolled away from him in sleep and now he was looking for her.
"Here chaton." She heard her daughter reply, voice thick with sleep and exhaustion. Sabine felt the guilt roll over her in a wave. She'd never told her mother that she had been Ladybug, even though she was a superhero for a significantly less amount of time than her daughter or her grandmother. Tikki was right, she was being hypocritical, it was dangerous for Marinette to tell anyone of her identity, it would put people in danger, it was basically dressing them up as bait with flashing neon signs saying 'leverage against Ladybug, get them while they're hot.'
The attacks had been more frequent as of late, of course her daughter was suffering, that was why she hadn't pressed Marinette about her declining grades but she could still be doing more to help her daughter, even if Marinette had no idea that both her parents were aware of her alter-ego. They could invite Adrien over more, let Marinette sleep in and give her less work at the bakery, ensure there was always cookies and cheese in the kitchen, enough so Marinette could take some and Sabine could pretend not to notice, covering for Marinette at school as to her absences when there was an Akuma attack and pretending to believe the excuses.
There was shuffling and then silence. After a few moments, Sabine crept out of her hiding place and snuck back up the ladder. Adrien's back was pressed to Marinette's front, his head tucked under her chin as they struggled to share a pillow. Her leg slung over his hip and their arms linked at Adrien's chest. Sabine stifled a giggle at the sight of her daughter spooning her-by comparison-much larger friend. They'd kicked the blanket to the bottom of the bed even though it was freezing, and they were both still fully dressed. Sighing, Sabine reached over to slip off her daughters shoes and unpick the laces on Adrien's converses before shimming them off his feet. Sabine dropped the shoes on the floor with a soft thud and pulled the blankets over the sleeping superheroes. She brushed Adrien's hair back from his face and pressed a kiss to his temple before kissing Marinette on the cheek.
"Maman?" Marinette's eye opened wearily but Sabine had already descended back into the living room.
Ah Mama-Sabine is the true bae of the series let's be real here.
Don't forget to leave a review because I am a sad potato that requires constant validation \ ^0^ /
17-Vengence
