Returning to their universe after being saved by the alternate Ladybug and Cat Noir, Marinette and Adrien believed they were strong enough to avoid the Supreme for as long as they possibly could. The Supreme always wanted to keep the Miraculous a secret, so he wouldn't dare try go after them without a well thought out plan. Knowing he wouldn't be able to go after them for some time, the two decided to make their life better than when they left.

For Marinette, it was difficult. Unlike her parallel counterpart, her parents were divorced . . .

Because of her.

When she started to wear the darker, ripped clothing, along with the dark eye shadow and the black nail polish, her mother didn't approve at all. Sebine grew more and more irritable until she was continuously yelling at her daughter to change into something more presentable. One day, Sebine was so frustrated that she insulted Marinette, calling her a freak for wearing such ridiculous and hideous clothing. Tom, being the loving father that grew up with loving parents, defended Marinette, claiming she was just trying to find ways to express herself. Sebine forced him to choose: her or Marinette.

Without any hesitation, he chose Marinette.

Within a couple days, Sebine removed all her belongings, moved to China to live with her uncle, and had divorce papers mailed to Tom. In his way to cheer up his daughter, Tom mentioned redesigning the bakery logo to have both their initials. Within a matter of hours, the logo changed from 'TS' to 'TM'.

Even though she already spent extra time helping before, Marinette tried to be even more helpful in the bakery when she returned. She tried baking various pastries, interacting kindly with the customers, and putting in more hours after school so her father could have more time to himself. Somehow, Marinette managed to perfectly juggle work and school.

Speaking of school, Marinette decided Chloe wouldn't get the best of her anymore. Just because her mother was the mayor and her father a famous fashion icon that lived most of the time in New York didn't mean she could get away with all the horrible things she has done. She would no longer get any satisfaction out of bullying Marinette.

Marinette made sure to make that known when she returned to school. She kept her head held high as she ignored Chloe's taunts and banter the moment she walked into the building. Her annoying, snobbish voice grew louder and louder until Marinette turned around and finally snapped at her. Marinette sternly warned that her words no longer affected her, and she was proud to be the daughter of a baker. In fact, she enjoyed the nickname 'Baker Girl', instead of hating it like Chloe expected, because it reminded her of how much her father cared for her.

Marinette certainly didn't expect the applause when she stood up to Chloe. For nearly the entire day, students from various classes praised Marinette for her bravery. Her classmates even began to talk to her more, though she still sat alone in the second row of the classroom.

That is, until a familiar face became involved in her life once more.

Marinette had been working in the bakery, her back to the door, when the bell rang. Turning around, she stopped mid-greeting. Her eyes grew wide at seeing the handsome teen she secretly thought about since their return the week prior. At first, Adrien seemed all cool and collected, but the moment he spoke, his words became a jumbled mess, like he could no longer remember what he rehearsed. Finding it amusing how the roles switched in their universe, Marinette casually mentioned her shift ending at seven, so she'd be free for an evening stroll.

The 'stroll' turned into them running through Paris as Ladybug and Paw Noir, heroes that helped those in need. It was the first time they transformed since being back, so citizens didn't know what to make with their first appearance in public. Although their kwamis still couldn't speak due to the Supreme's curse, the two quickly learned how to communicate with them, though Tikki and Plagg preferred to be hidden away with little to no interaction.

Every day of that week, Marinette and Adrien spent most of their time getting to know each other better, since they knew each other's secret. Marinette learned how quickly her other self had fallen for her universe's Adrien, for she found herself falling in love with hers.

Marinette also discovered that Betterfly, the owner of the Butterfly Miraculous, was none other than Adrien's father, Gabriel Agreste.

It had been so incredibly casual when she found out his identity. During the second week of the couple patrolling the streets of Paris, they ran into Betterfly. With his arms crossed over his chest, Betterfly scolded Paw Noir for sneaking of the house, especially since he knew how dangerous the Supreme could be. The least Paw Noir could have done was tell Betterfly or his stepmother, Nathalie, where he was going.

Marinette thought her brain would explode once she made the revelation—

And that she would die of embarrassment when Adrien, his father, and stepmother came over for dinner just a few days later. Then again, by the end of the meal, their fathers were competing to see who could embarrass their child more with childhood stories. Nathalie became their saving grace when she managed to make the fathers stop for just a few minutes. Although her cheeks were most likely permanently red by the time the Agreste family left, Marinette was grateful to them.

She hadn't seen her father that happy or joyful since her mother abandoned them.

By the next week, Marinette truly thought her life couldn't get any better.

Her boyfriend proved her wrong when he enrolled in her school, placed in her own class. When Adrien was introduced to the class, the two pretended they didn't know each other. It was a bit tricky, especially since Adrien had been instructed to sit next to her. By mid-day, after returning from working at the bakery during lunch, Marinette truly didn't think anything of Adrien kissing her forehead when she took her seat.

Nearly their entire class freaked upon learning they were a couple. They asked so many questions about how long they've been together, where they met, and so many personal things that shouldn't have been asked. Chloe was certainly jealous that her childhood crush was no longer available.

Just as Marinette thought she had everything built to how she liked, an unfamiliar foe tore everything down.


It had been nearly two months since returning to their universe when a new student decided to join their school. The couple thought it was odd, considering there were only a few weeks left of school, but no one else seemed to care. The others were too distracted by all the wonderful things the new student has done. Apparently, she has met and befriended so many celebrities and helped with so many charities. Some have said she is super close friends with Ladybug and Paw Noir!

And yet, neither one of them have ever heard the name 'Lila Rossi'.

The couple didn't say anything when that fact was mentioned. They merely gave each other a look, like they knew something wasn't right, before heading to their first class of the day with Ms. Bustier—

Where the new student had stolen Marinette's seat.

Most of their classmates surrounded the new girl, fawning over her auburn hair or complimenting her on her charity work. She seemed to be soaking up all of the attention given to her. Her smile seemed more like a sly fox than genuine happiness.

While Marinette silently fumed at the situation, Adrien decided to do something about it. Practically stomping up the steps, Adrien glared as he stopped in front of the teen. Her only response was to perk up in feign surprise and mocking admiration. "Oh!" Lila exclaimed dramatically. "You're the famous Adrien Agreste! It's so nice to finally meet you."

"The feeling isn't mutual," Adrien spat as his glare sharpened. "Why are you in my girlfriend's seat?"

Acting as though she was a complete airhead, Lila giggled like she just received a compliment. "How sweet of you!" Lila commented with a sugary sweet smile. "No one has asked me to be their girlfriend that way before!"

"He was talking about me," Marinette corrected as she shoved her way through the thick crowd. "That's my seat. It has been for the past few weeks."

"Oh, I'm so sorry Marinette," Ms. Bustier apologized as she walked through the classroom door, immediately noticing the conflict. "I didn't have the chance to tell you. From today on, you'll be sitting at the back while Lila takes your old spot. She has a disease that affects her hearing one moment and her eyesight the next. Placing her in the front row would seem like a punishment."

"And yet you're punishing Marinette by making her move to the back," Adrien countered as his frown hardened even more than before. "Can't I move with her?"

"No, Adrien," Ms. Bustier denied firmly. "I'm sorry, but you will stay where you are. You still need to catch up on missed curriculum. Sitting Lila with you is the best way to do so."

"But—"

Before he could argue further, his beautiful girlfriend tugged on his arm, forcing him to lean down as she whispered in his ear, "Cool down, Furball. You don't want everyone to hate you. Give it a chance, and if you truly can't stand it, we'll talk to Ms. Bustier about it after class."

Not able to deny her logic, Adrien sighed in defeat. "You always have to have a solution. You are so much like her, Bug."

"Except she is a lot nicer," Marinette reminded. Giving him a light kiss on the cheek to cheer him up further, she promised, "We'll talk during lunch, if you're up for helping out at the bakery again."

"For you?" Adrien smiled, not having to think about his answer. "Always."

Still wanting to be a gentleman of a boyfriend, Adrien escorted Marinette to her new seat while everyone went to theirs. Taking a moment to give her a loving kiss on the cheek, Adrien reluctantly returned to his seat, silently hoping the class would end quickly without a word from the liar.

But of course, the universe wanted to give Adrien more of an excuse to be annoyed.

About ten minutes into Ms. Bustier's lecture, Lila thought that would be the perfect time to have a whispering conversation. "So, you two are really a couple?" Lila questioned with a shake of her head. "A famous model and actor like you could do so much better."

"No, I can't," Adrien denied in a low voice as he tried to ignore her to pay attention to the class lesson. Even if it was quiet, the growing anger was noticeable. "Marinette and I are meant to be together. There's nothing else to say about it."

"Well, I'm surprised your father would approve of her, considering she's just an average girl that works in a rundown bakery."

"You don't know what you're talking about," Adrien spat venomously. "She is the love of my life. My father and Nathalie know that. And that 'rundown bakery' you're talking about is the most famous bakery in all of Paris."

"Who cares what that Nathalie woman thinks? She isn't your mother," Lila reminded. "If Emilie was alive—"

Adrien snapped.

Dramatically standing from his seat, Adrien caught everyone's attention as he glared viciously at the girl, who acted like she did nothing wrong. "Don't you ever," Adrien threatened angrily, "say her name again!"

Without a word anyone else, Adrien stormed out of the classroom, ignoring Ms. Bustier's shouts for him to come back—

Though, after a moment or two of silence, he heard his beloved's name being yelled as well. Slowing down in his strides, he waited until the familiar feeling of her hand in his retuned before he allowed the tenseness in his shoulders to leave. They walked in quiet silence as they repeatedly made circles in the upstairs path. Adrien knew he shouldn't leave the school grounds, for he didn't want his father to be upset with him.

After a couple laps of no words between them, Marinette decided to climb onto the railing and walk the path that way, keeping her balance with every step. At one time, she used to be such a klutz that she couldn't walk anywhere without tripping over her own feet. One day, she decided she had enough and did something about it by balancing on certain paths or objects until she was better. Walking on the railing didn't become a habit until after she embraced being Ladybug. She reasoned to Adrien that if she were to slip for any reason, she would just transform into her hero self before she could hurt herself.

Nearly ten minutes later, Adrien sighed, breaking the wall between them. "Lila was trying to convince me that we shouldn't be together. I kept defending you with everything she said, from working at the bakery to not believing my father would approve of you."

Marinette couldn't help the short laugh that escaped her lips. "Your father likes me so much he started asking me when I'll be over for dinner again after staying the weekend at your place," she reminded. Pausing to collect her thoughts, she chose her next few words carefully. "What did she say that triggered you?"

Clenching his hands into tight fists, Adrien reluctantly revealed, "She told me I shouldn't care about Nathalie's opinion of you, because she's not my mother. She tried to speculate about my mother's thoughts if she was alive, but I interrupted her as soon as she said my mother's name."

"I should have known," Marinette scolded herself. "Any mention of your mother riles you up."

"I can't help it—"

"I know," Marinette insisted calmly before Adrien could get too upset again. "Because you loved her so much. The thought of Nathalie replacing her still hurts and that's okay. It's a part of the grieving process. If you're never able to stop grieving, that's okay too. I will still love you."

Adrien stopped in his path, forcing Marinette to do the same, though she did jump down in assumption that they were going somewhere else. Raising a skeptical eyebrow, he commented, "That's the first time you told me you loved me."

"So what? It's the truth." Marinette shrugged, trying to act like the confession was no big ordeal when her pink cheeks gave away her true feelings. "Let's go back to class. If we talk to Ms. Bustier, we could talk her into you not getting in trouble."


And yet, when they returned to the classroom, it wasn't Adrien who would be getting in trouble.

Taking just a handful of steps inside, the couple noticed the class was surrounding Lila once again. This time, Lila had her face in her hands as she cried hysterically, putting on the waterworks for everyone. Judging by their reactions, her plan was working.

"I don't know why Adrien would yell at me like that," Lila sobbed as she wiped away a forced tear. "I was just trying to tell him I saw Marinette cheating on him a couple days ago when I first arrived in Paris. I watched her wait for Paw Noir on her balcony and saw them kiss."

"You are such a liar!" Marinette shouted.

The whole class jumped at her outburst, having not seen her walk in the seconds before. A furious Ms. Bustier declared, "Marinette Dupain, that is no way to speak to a new classmate and I did not give you permission to leave this room. To the principal's office, now! Everyone else, return to your seats! That includes you as well, Adrien."

Begrudgingly, Marinette left the room once more while everyone went to their original spots. Although he was angry about the situation, Adrien decided he would wait for his beloved to return before fighting for his cause. Reluctantly taking his place once more next to the new student, Adrien found a folded note waiting just for him. Sneakily reading the letter, all his anger faded into fear as unnoticeable knowledge and comments started to make sense.

This is just the beginning of the war. The Supreme and I will win. We will take back yours and Ladybug's Miraculous and there will be nothing you can do to stop us. No one can save you.

-Cerise