Miraculous:

Origins of Ladybug and Cat Noir

The sound of the clock beside her head going off caused Marinette to leap out of bed, only to fall onto the mezzanine with one of her legs on her mattress. "Whoever invented alarm clocks – was a sadist." she grumbled before picking herself up.

Going down to her bedroom floor, she proceeded to change into a white button up blouse, and a pair of blue jean shorts with the bottoms rolled up to her hips, before sliding on her blazer. Heading down for breakfast, she saw her mother moving about the kitchen with purpose, a plate in her hands as she scooped up an omelet and set it beside the croissant. "Breakfast, honey."

Marinette's stomach growling reached her mother as she smiled at the shorter Chinese woman. "Thank you, mama." Sitting down, she cut into the still warm croissant with her butter knife, sliding in a couple of pats before adding a small scoop of the strawberry preserves they had on the table. Yawning, she rubbed at her eyes a second later.

"Are you feeling alright, sweetheart? It looks like you didn't get a lot of sleep."

She gave a slow nod "I had some really weird dreams."

"Considering what you saw yesterday, I'm not surprised." Sabine countered as she turned up the volume of the television, showing the end of the fight between Cat Noir and the gargoyle. "We were told that nobody was injured, but that was when you girls were at gym in the courtyard of Françoise Dupont, right?"

"Yeah." Marinette shook her head, she was too tired, and hungry, to say more, so she dug into her food until her stomach felt satisfied.

"Just be careful. Okay, Marinette?"

Offering her mother a smile, she nodded "You don't have to worry about me. I'm way too scared of that thing to get on its bad side." Walking over to her backpack, she picked it up and headed out the door.

"Marinette! Your lunch!" Sabine called out, but it was too late. The girl was already heading down the steps toward the ground level.


Adrien could've sworn his dining room came straight out of a survival horror game, right down to the fireplace, and the overly loud clock ticking down the minutes as he ate his "food". It could also be the preposterously long table meant for twenty people to sit at, only for one of the smallest families ever to send their lone child to eat. Curling his right hand into a fist, he felt the ring pull at his knuckles. "Okay, calm down~" he muttered, trying to remember what Plagg had told him last night.

'You should've used your Cataclysm to take down that pathetic excuse for a rock quarry!' Plagg complained 'At least, then you might have found out if that was the real threat, or just a minion.'

'Unfortunately, I couldn't get a good handle on him.' Adrien shook his head 'He may not have looked it, but that thing was fast, strong, intelligent and durable.'

'Then we're at square one, kid.'

'I still got him away from the school, didn't I?' Rubbing at his chin, Adrien pondered 'I wonder why he was there in the first place?'

'Who knows or cares?' Plagg waved a paw.

'Firstly, I care! Those are my classmates the creature was threatening.' Plagg watched the male scowl 'If he had hurt even one of them, I don't know if I would be able to forgive myself for not trying to help.'

'Just~ calm down. Remember my powers are based on emotion, the darker the feelings; anger, rage, hate, fear, they all power my Cataclysm, which is why you need to control your emotions whenever you transform.'

'Oh, how bad could it be?!'

Plagg took a solid look at the male, his eyes glowing 'Imagine you lose control of a Cataclysm, and the last thing you see before death, was the air igniting, turning Earth into a second sun.'

The door opened, breaking him out of the memory as Nathalie appeared with her ever present tablet in her arm. "Adrien, your fencing instructor, Mr. D'Argencourt has moved his instruction to Collège Françoise Dupont at four in the afternoon. Apparently, he has taken a job there as the physical education teacher."

Standing from where he sat, Adrien nodded. "He mentioned something about that last month, but wasn't sure he'd gotten the job after what happened to the last phys ed teacher."

"What happened to the last teacher?" Nathalie asked.

Adrien shrugged "I don't know. Just that she was fired because of some rumors at the school."

Nathalie gave him a curt nod before mentally charging herself to find out about what the woman might have done to get herself fired. "Either way, your scheduled for the hour long fencing instruction, then your piano practice. I am developing your schedule throughout the week while seeing how much time you need for homework too."

Giving the woman a smile, he nodded "Thank you, Nathalie." His eyes moved to the other end of the table. "Is there any chance father will be – present throughout my week?" The silence told him more in the next few seconds than her response ever could.

"New work has shown up, and Gabriel~"

"You don't need to make excuses, Nathalie." Adrien walked over to the door, pushing his way through as she watched him go.

Looking down at her tablet, she closed her eyes as she took a deep breath and let it out. "I'm sorry, Adrien."

Entering his room, the blonde male walked over to his satchel bag. "You okay, kid?" Plagg asked, having finished a couple of wedges of Camembert.

"I need to get to school." Adrien sighed out his frustration as the black cat Kwami floated over. Plagg, realizing that he didn't want to talk about what was going on, slipped into the bag without any complaint. Less than a minute later, the pair were in the silver sedan on their way to school.


Marinette had just opened her locker, preparing to remove the small lunch box from the bottom of her backpack, when she saw that it wasn't there. "Where did my~?" she then slapped the front of her face with her palm. "Perfect! I left home without my-" The bell rang at that moment, indicating that if she were to run back and pick up her lunch, she would be late for her first class on the second day of the school year. Slamming her locker door shut, she sighed. "I'll just have to go back home for lunch."

"Hey, girl!"

Turning to look, she saw Alya walk up with a wave. "You won't believe what happened last night!" Pulling out her phone, the more curvaceous female pulled up a news report from last night. "There were three more sightings of that gargoyle monster flying all over the city!" She showed the sightings on the map of Paris to Marinette.

Looking through the reports had Marinette nearly feeling dizzy. "Do you have the times in which the monster was seen?"

"Well, yeah, but why?" Alya asked.

"I don't know, but there's something." she rubbed the side of her head. "Ugh, I can't think with this throbbing in my head."

Alya looked at Marinette, her fingers opening one eye. "Did you get any sleep last night, girl?"

Pulling away a little, Marinette nodded then shook her head. "I kept waking up. That tune I kept hearing in the back of my head, and nightmares of that gargoyle monster replayed in my mind so many times, that I think I only got about two consecutive hours."

"You're not nearly that bad if you can use the word consecutive properly in a sentence." Alya teased with a smile. "Come on, let's get to class."

Walking toward their homeroom gave Marinette enough time to tell her newest friend all about how she seemed drained last night, even though she wasn't really tired initially. This led to her mother's comments about the tune being something she must've heard when she was younger, but for some reason was now coming back, and how that had kept her waking up half the night. Alya listened intently, not once interrupting her friend until the raven-haired teen finally wound down with her complaint about leaving her lunch back at home. "Ugh, I'm going to have to go back home, eat, resist the urge to take a nap, all so that I can make sure to get back to school on time."

"I~ think that's the least of our problems at the moment." Alya's lips twisted into a scowl as the pair walked into the classroom. Chloé and Sabrina sat in the seats right behind where Adrien and Nino would be sitting, the former looking smug and superior, while the latter tried to look disinterested, but only succeeded in appearing guilty.

"You know what? I'm too tired to fight with them about seating arrangement." Marinette sighed rubbing at her forehead as she made her way deeper into the classroom. When she saw the seat she would have to sit in, her lips curled in both frustration and anger at the over-sized pink glob right in the middle of the seat. Alya's side didn't seem to have one, but that hardly mattered, as it meant she would have a pink glob gracing her backside if she even tried to sit down.

Turning to glare at Chloé, she didn't even get a word out before the blonde said loud enough for her to hear. "I warned you, Dupain-Cheng, and I can do much, much worse!"

Returning her gaze to the gum, she could feel her resolve cracking when she heard. "Morning everyone!"

"Adri-kins! Good morning!" Chloé called out, her voice all sweetness and light while Marinette stood beside the seat, on the verge of tears.

Seeing the girl standing there, he walked over "Is everything alri-?" he stopped when he saw the distressed look on Marinette's face, and the gum on the seat. That caused him to shake his head with a soft "Chloé!" escaping his lips. Taking off his satchel bag, he then pulled off his white over-shirt "Here. Why don't you wear this around your waist so that gum doesn't get on your shorts?"

Marinette turned to look at him, her eyes welling up with even more tears. "A-Adrien, I couldn't do that~"

"Of course you can." Adrien smiled at her, handing over the shirt so that he stood there in a black t-shirt and jeans. "Just take it, Marinette."

Chloé all but leaped out of her seat with a shout of "What?!"

Taking the shirt, she smiled up at him and nodded before wrapping it around her waist, tying off the sleeves so that the shirt stopped at her calves. "You know, outside of the additional blazer, that's a good look for you." Marinette stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his waist, hugging the teen, shocking him for a couple of seconds before he wrapped his arms around her, returning the hug.

After a few seconds, she stepped away, blushing shyly and offered a soft "Thank you." before sitting down, the gum adhering to the fabric. In the bench seat next to her, Alya was about ready to start looking up wedding venues while Adrien turned around to glare at Chloé.

"Next time," his voice was a harsh whisper, "I'm going to demand that you sit on the gum, if I ever see anything like this again, Chloé!"

"I-" Chloé started to say, glancing at Sabrina who started to open her mouth.

He glanced to Sabrina, silencing her with a single look before that burning emerald gaze went then back to Chloé. "I mean it!" Sitting down in his seat, the teen model glanced over at Marinette, his heart warming to know he had made her smile. Less than a minute later, Nino entered the room, and the pair started to talk among themselves with the two girls behind them being completely ignored.

That hug had Marinette's mind buzzing, her stomach feeling like butterflies were committed to a pitched aerial battle, and her heart pounding against her ribs like a trapped animal. 'I hugged him! I can't believe I did that!' She didn't mean to wiggle in her seat, but she was just so happy it happened normally. 'I can still smell him, and feel his warmth.' She was nearly incapable of thinking of anything else until she heard her name, which brought her out of her own mind.

"Yeah, dude, even Marinette was wishing you could've joined us for lunch. Something about you never having the experience before~?"

Blinking, her heart suddenly froze in place, not knowing if what he'd told her was in confidence or not. "I'll admit, it's tempting to just contact Nathalie and ask if it's alright that I have lunch at school. Eating in a dining room alone isn't all it's cracked up to be."

"Dude?! Alone? You mean that your old man doesn't-?"

Adrien shook his head. "Apparently when my mother-" he didn't finish that thought but shook his head, "my father hasn't done much in the way of work for the past several months, and he told me, through Nathalie, that he needs to work twice as hard now to get ready for the next show." Just that little bit of information broke something in Marinette while Nino was patting the blonde model's back.

"Please," she said softly, turning to look at Adrien, "call Nathalie and ask to have lunch with your friends." Turning to look at Marinette, he could see the soft smile on her face. "I- forgot my lunch at home, but if I know my mom, she'll have something ready if I tell her I'm bringing some friends by for lunch." She then shook her head. "If you get the okay from her, I'll call and let mama know to expect you, Nino, and Alya as well."

"You would-" Adrien didn't even know if he could finish the words.

"Consider it a thank you for helping me with the gum, and it will give me time to clean your shirt for you too." Marinette's smile widened a little more, reaching her eyes. Nodding, he pulled out his cell phone, and made the call to Nathalie. When he was done, he gave the raven-haired teen a nod and a thumbs up before she made the call to her mother. Sabine didn't have anything ready at the time, but after getting some more information about Adrien's diet, promised lunch would be ready for them.

Caline Bustier was just entering the room when Nino leaned over and whispered "Dude, you are in for a treat! Mrs. Dupain-Cheng is a fantastic cook!"


Lunch couldn't come quick enough for Adrien, and tortuously slow for Marinette, considering her lack of sleep, but when the bell rang the quartet arrived at the courtyard about the same time. Alya smiled at the two males as they joined the girls, and they left while talking animatedly about their day so far. Nobody even noticed the blonde back in the courtyard clenching a magazine with Adrien on it wearing a black suit and a bowler hat, her teeth biting down on the top.

It didn't take long for the teens to arrive at Tom & Sabine Boulangerie Patisserie, the door opening to reveal her father pulling pans from the oven. "Hi, honey!" he called out, setting the pans on the racks to cool. "Nino, it's been too long!"

"Good to see you again, Mr. Dupain." Nino called out, shaking the larger male's hand.

Marinette smiled as she proceeded with the introductions "Papa, these are my friends Alya and Adrien." Deep down, she hoped she wasn't being too presumptuous about their potential friendships.

She needn't have worried, because Alya shook Tom's hand with the confidence of a self-assured woman. When he took hold of Adrien's hand, the older male sized him up in half a second before he noticed his daughter with a new article of clothing. "It's a pleasure to meet you both, but Marinette, why are you wearing that around your waist?"

"O-Oh! I- Well, you see-" she started to say only for Adrien to answer.

"I'm sorry to say that Chloé decided to put gum on Marinette's seat, so as a gentleman, I offered to have her wear my shirt so that her shorts would remain clean." Tom had a feeling it would've had something to do with the mayor's daughter. Both girl's mutual hatred had been brewing for years, so when he looked at his daughter, he nodded in understanding.

"Just make sure to hand it off to your mother, so that she can get the gum off while you eat lunch." Smiling at the quartet, he then motioned for the stairs. "In fact, lunch should be done right now. How about you all head on upstairs?"

"Thank you, papa." Marinette walked up, planting a peck on her father's cheek before leading the way up the stairs to the living room/kitchen. Alya followed in her friend's wake with Nino and Adrien taking up the rear. Upon opening the door, she then called out "Mama, we're here."

Sabine had just set out the four plates around the table, filled with a slice of Quiche Lorraine, a bit of salad with a boiled egg cut in half, and a glass of orange juice in front of each plate. "Welcome home, honey." Sabine smiled at the quartet of children as they entered her home.

"Mom, this is Alya Césaire-" Marinette introduced only for Sabine to smile wide.

"Are you Marlena's daughter?"

That stunned Alya "I- Yes."

"We were the ones that helped with catering that party last week." Sabine confirmed the unasked question. "Your mother wanted my Boeuf Bourguignon recipe, so I'll have it ready for you to give to her before you head back to school."

"I- Thank you. I'm sure she'll be surprised to get it."

Nodding in solemnity, Sabine sighed "I've been meaning to get it to her sooner, but business picked up, and we had no time to really write out the recipe yet." She then saw Adrien.

"Nín hǎo, hěn gāoxìng rènshí nín Dupain-Cheng nǚshì." Adrien said as he bowed low in front of the Chinese woman. (Translated from Mandarin: "Hello, it's a pleasure to meet you Mrs. Dupain-Cheng." ) Everyone stood there, stunned for several seconds before he continued "Wǒ de míngzì shì ā délǐ ān·ā géléi sī tè. Xièxiè nǐ ràng wǒ zhù zài nǐ měilì de jiālǐ." Sabine smiled in response, and bowed low to the blonde teen. (Translated from Mandarin: "My name is Adrien Agreste. Thank you for allowing me in your beautiful home." )

"Ā délǐ ān·ā géléi sī tè (Adrien Agreste) hěn róngxìng jiàn dào nín, gǎnxiè nín duì wǒmen fáng yuán de chēngzàn." Sabine then gave a soft laugh as she stood up. (Translated from Mandarin: "It is a honor and a pleasure to meet you, Adrien Agreste, and thank you for the compliment about our home." ) Everyone watched as Adrien stood from his bow, the older woman looking upon him with both kindness and pride. "Bàituō, ràng wǒmen yòngfǎ yǔ jìxù zhège, zhèyàng wǒmen jiù bù huì hùnxiáo qítā rén." At his nod, she looked at the other three teenagers. (Translated from Mandarin: "Please, let's continue this in French so that we don't confuse everyone else." ) "Adrien was just introducing himself, and thanking me for allowing him into our home."

"Du~de! I didn't know you knew Chinese!" Nino's eyes widened so much his glasses slid down to the tip of his nose.

"Yeah, my father insisted that I learn Mandarin, and it's fun, but I rarely get a chance to use it conversationally." Adrien admitted as he reached up, rubbing at the back of his neck.

"Whoever is your tutor is very good." She then motioned for the group to join her at the table. "Now let's get some food in your bellies before it gets cold."

"Thank you, mama." Marinette then stopped. "Oh, do you think you could do something about this?" She untied the shirt and showed Sabine the gum where she had practically ground it into the fabric with her constant shifting around during class.

"I can, but this isn't yours, right honey?"

"No, it's mine." Adrien admitted.

"Chloé put gum on my seat, but Adrien offered to have me wear his shirt to keep from getting any on me." Marinette explained.

Sabine looked at the teenage boy with a newfound affection. "That was a very kind and noble thing you did for Marinette."

Adrien shook his head. "Not really. Chloé has been a friend of mine for years, but – I don't like how she treats people. When I arrived, Marinette looked on the verge of tears because of the gum, and all I wanted to do was help. If that means it ruins a shirt, then I have no problem with it."

"That may be true, Adrien, but it doesn't mean your gesture wasn't kind or noble." Looking at him from only a foot away, she smiled in a way only a mother proud of a child could. "You offered a girl, whom you've known for less than a day, a way to avoid embarrassment and ridicule at the hands of a friend that you've known for years. That is exactly what it means to be noble, courageous, and honorable."

Everyone saw tears well up in his eyes. "Thank you, Mrs. Dupain-Cheng."

"You four go ahead and eat while I put this on ice." Sabine walked away with Adrien's shirt while the four friends ate and talked about their courses.

After lunch, Adrien, with his white over-shirt, gum free and newly pressed, bought a dozen Gougères before they left Tom and Sabine's. When asked about it, he explained that he needed a snack after school due to fencing class immediately afterward. Dropped the entire bag into his satchel bag, he could practically hear Plagg scarfing down each puff. Once back at school the quartet went their separate ways, with the male unsure of how he felt about being called "a friend" by Marinette.


I gave Marinette an alarm clock - sadist that I am.

Also, yes I did use google translate to type out the Mandarin Chinese Adrien and Sabine used in the story. No, I don't know if it's accurate, it's what translate gave me, so I used it.

If you're wondering, the answer is "Yes" the original gum scene had me shaking my head at Adrien trying to pick it up instead of just covering it, or waiting until the occupant of the seat arrived and offering his shirt as a barrier. It's the same basic premise of a gentleman setting his coat over a puddle for a lady in order for her shoes not to get ruined as she walks across the street.