Chapter 4 - The Reverse Heist
"If grief can be a doorway to love, then let us all weep for the world we are breaking apart, so we can love it back to wholeness again."
- Robin Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass
Marinette was having an awful day - well, night. Or maybe she had been asleep all night, so it was technically the next day? Regardless, the last twelve to twenty-four hours of her life had been some of the worst hours to date. Truly subpar.
First, there was an excruciatingly difficult and stressful exam in her chemistry class at lycée that made it hard for her to eat anything at lunch time. Then, because she hadn't eaten much at lunch, she almost passed out during gymnastics practice. Then, because she had barely stuck a solid landing once during gymnastics practice, she had to listen to Maman lecturing and Papa worrying all dinner long. Then - of course - was homework, including chemistry somehow, despite their having had an exam that day! Oh, then Ladybug was unmasked and an Akuma potentially won the day for Hawkmoth, but honestly, Marinette was too tired by that point to give more than a grunt towards the TV before she went to her room and collapsed in bed.
Marinette Buteau was done with today… but today wasn't done with her.
She was roused groggily from the sleep of the dead by the sound of shattering glass.
"Maman…?" she slurred. She desperately wanted to believe it was a one-off dropped wine glass or some such, so she could go back to sleep. Unfortunately, the shouts, maniacal laughter, and cries of her name quickly pumped her body full of adrenaline and made sleep a distant possibility.
She barely had time to scramble to her feet on her mattress and grab her side lamp as a weapon when her bedroom door was ripped away, taking chunks of the wall along with it. She had a hard time believing this was real and not a dream, but it was the noise that made her believe. Her own involuntary scream mixed with the tumultuous crashing and tearing of a wall being breached. Dust from the rubble plumed into her room, making her eyes water and gripping her throat in a dry, hacking cough. She could hear her mother and father shouting in the background, but they were nowhere to be seen.
At least they're alive, she thought, feeling detached from this situation. Her breath was coming out in shallow pants like she had just spent an entire practice trying to nail The Def Bars combo in gymnastics. Her palms made her grip on the lamp slick and unsteady. Her heart was so loud she thought she could hear it outside her body -
Wait, that's not my -
A gigantic, humanoid spider leapt at her from the settling dust.
"Come here, you little fly-weight!" A black and yellow blur of motion lunged for her with incredible speed. Marinette screamed and tried swinging with her lamp, but she could have been pelting her assailant with paper airplanes for all the use it did. Her lamp attack was blocked with one of six arms, and immediately she felt a vice-like grip around her when four more arms shot in to restrain her. She kicked and pedaled her legs, wildly grappling for purchase, but nothing mattered to this monster. A panicked scream ripped out of her throat as she stared into the blank white eyes of her captor. Disgust joined her fear and horror when the Akuma opened its jaws and shot a white stream of webbing across her face, halting her scream in its tracks.
"Not enough light to see by…" muttered the Akuma. Marinette was momentarily baffled - it could shoot webbing from its face, but couldn't see in low light? - when her confusion gave way to a fresh wave of panic. She flinched and closed her eyes reflexively as the spider Akuma shot out the closest window and scrambled up the side of the apartment building, dangling Marinette's body like a rag doll. Only years spent in gravity-defying sportsmanship kept her dinner contents in her stomach, but she still howled against the confines of her sticky gag.
The air was electric with lights, wind, and sound, and it was only then that Marinette realized that the pounding she had thought was her heart was actually the pounding of a helicopter's propellers. It was completely dark outside, the sky lit only by the lights of Paris. The search light of the helicopter cut through the remaining night like a stagelight on a play.
For a moment, to Marinette, all was still as the Akuma finally vaulted them onto the apartment building roof. The spider monster held her in the light, and she could have sworn she saw a purple symbol glow around the monster's face. Then the silent moment was shattered by a snarl.
"Wrong one, again?" The Akuma tightened its grip around her arms painfully, as though Marinette was nothing more than a squeezable stress toy. She cried out in pain against her closed lips and tried to breathe evenly to keep from passing out.
"I tire of this, Hawkmoth. You said you'd help me find my sister!"
Marinette stared into the white light of the helicopter, straining to see past the burning brightness and find another human face. Anyone who could help her, any sign of hope that this was just a horrible mistake or nightmare. Her legs kicked again, useless against her opponent. Her adrenaline was giving way to panic and despair, any rational thoughts of escape dissolving into unspent sobs.
Then the Akuma uttered one last word that had the finality of a death toll.
"Fine."
It tossed Marinette away like so much garbage, leaving her airborn for a few precious seconds. Marinette flung her body out like a starfish, hoping to grasp onto anything in the process - and was rewarded when her arms scraped against the rough surface of the apartment shingle roof, slightly slanted downward. She began to slide, and that was when the searing pain of friction burn ran up her arms, but she knew she was at the top of a nine story drop. She screamed again as she dug in with every part of her body she could - feet, knees, arms, and clawed hands into the rooftop to slow her descent. Her momentum finally halted about a foot away from the edge, and she simply perched there, trembling, in her cotton floral pajamas while the helicopter hastily let down a rope ladder to send aid her way. Dimly she could see the yellow and black of the Akuma leaping away in great arcs, before stopping about two blocks away. She was perched on top of a street lamp, looking down at something that was out of Marinette's range of vision. More civilians?
She stopped worrying about it when the police officer began strapping her into a harness, motioning her with basic sign language to indicate what he needed from her. In a few minutes that could have also been seconds or hours, Marinette was lifted once again, but this time to be transported somewhere safe. Her part in this insanity was over. Remembering the newscast that had aired only hours ago, she regretted her dismissal of Ladybug being unmasked. These Akumas were real, not just some faraway comic story that she could ignore. And without Ladybug to fix all the damages after an attack…
Marinette stared down at her raw, bloodied hands and knees, sparkling with debris that had yet to be washed out. Her limbs felt like lead now that the adrenaline was truly cycling out of her system, and she felt inexplicably numb. With slick fingers, she began picking at the webbing around her mouth, feeling nauseous all over again.
She wondered if she would have a chemistry class or gymnastics practice to worry about when the sun rose. Somehow, what had just hours before seemed like such a crappy day, now was something she would trade anything to go back to.
Half an Hour Earlier
Fu, Alya, Chat Noir, Marinette, and her parents all watched in horror as a news helicopter shot footage of a black and yellow spider-themed Akuma ripping the roof off a house in the 9th Arrondissement.
"This is the second residence that the Akuma has attacked, the first attack being on a seemingly unrelated residence in the 19th Arrondissement. The Akuma has not made any proclamations about its purpose or identity. No one has yet been able to figure out -"
The reporter stopped talking as the Akuma re-appeared from the wreckage with a blonde teen in its grasp, ironically using the spotlight from the helicopter as if holding a prism up to a sunbeam. Faintly, the reporter's microphone picked up on a scream from inside the house - a woman calling a name.
"Wait, did you hear that?" Marinette asked, horrified.
"The mother screamed the name, 'Marinette'," Sabine whispered. The normally poised woman looked pale, as though living this other mother's fear as her own. Perhaps she could have been, if Fu had chosen a different Marinette those months ago.
"The audio wasn't very clear," Fu mused, stroking his beard, and looking trouble. "We can't be absolutely sure."
"But it makes sense!" Marinette turned to them, eyes wide. "Hawkmoth is looking for me, just like we expected! Somehow he found a way to start looking for Marinettes, but he doesn't know which one is the right one, so he's just -" She gestured with a sharp movement to the television.
As if to prove her point, the Akuma tossed the girl unceremoniously back into her home. The camera, flying directly above the hole in the roof, was able to get a shot of a mother and daughter kneeling on a destroyed living room floor, holding each other and sobbing. Blue lights flashed as policemen arrived on the scene and sought to gain entry, seeking to offer protection and aid.
The reporter continued talking as the helicopter followed the Akuma, who seemed to not notice or care. Alya was shifting from foot to foot like a sprinter wanting to start a race, hands flapping in nervous shakes.
"We have to do something - we have to beat the Akuma to the next location!" She exclaimed.
"But we don't know where that is," Tom stated gravely, large arms crossed in front of him. The typically affable man looked frustrated and tense. "Whatever list Hawkmoth has, we don't have it, and I wouldn't know where to even begin in finding something like that. There isn't exactly an 'I Named My Child Marinette' club that meets around the city."
Chat Noir turned to Fu, looking hopeful. "Don't you have some sort of magic item that would help? Maybe we can track the Akuma, or read its mind to figure out its next location?"
Chuckling dryly, Fu shook his head as he paced along the edge of the massage mat that took up a large part of the room. It was a testament to the seriousness of the situation that no one had even thought to ask about it.
"No mind-reading artifacts I am afraid. I can see no way to beat the Akuma to its next location. But!" He held up a finger with a twinkle in his eye. "I believe I have the next best thing. As soon as the Akuma stops, I can get our heroes to the location, and we can begin the next phase of the plan." Then he coughed awkwardly into his hand. Was he… blushing…?
"This is rather embarrassing, but I will have to ask everyone to relocate to the other room again. You understand."
Marinette held back a fond eye-roll and acquiesced by ushering the group into the next room. "Come on, everyone, we can talk over the plan one more time while Fu has his privacy."
"Actually, Marinette," Fu said behind her. "I would like you to stay." His face had turned grave again.
"Just you, please."
Feeling like she had just swallowed an ice cube, Marinette turned to the old man and let everyone else disappear behind the sliding door.
Suddenly, she couldn't keep her hands still, and there was a knot in her stomach again. She had a sinking feeling she knew what this was about. As if reading her thoughts, Tikki appeared in front of her, large eyes sad and solemn. The kwami gazed a moment into Marinette's eyes, and she felt that both of them were memorizing each other's faces. Then the small magical creature turned to Fu.
"Master…" she trailed off instantly, as if not knowing the right words.
Fu sighed and stepped forward.
"Marinette, you are aware the position that this night has put us in. Anyone who knows you in Paris now knows that you are Ladybug, and soon Hawkmoth will know as well. It is only a matter of time."
Marinette's heart thudded painfully in her chested, and her throat burned and closed in on itself. She studied the wooden grain of the floorboards, suddenly finding it impossible to meet his eyes.
The older man pursed his lips and reached out to take her hands.
"You have not acted as Ladybug for long, but you have acted with amazing wisdom and courage, especially for your age. I believe it was a poor turn of luck, and perhaps your friend's intellect, that ran us into this course so soon. The statutes of my order tell me that once your identity is revealed, I must confiscate your Miraculous for your own good and find a new holder. Otherwise, you, your family, and any other person you hold dear is in imminent danger."
Marinette nodded numbly at her hand in his, his dry, papery skin oddly comforting against hers. She began to remove her hands, intent on taking her earrings from her ears, when his fingers tightened around hers. Startled, she met his gaze again. His eyes were warm, crinkled in the corners, if maybe a bit uncertain and tense. As though they were both standing too close to a cliff's edge, and he didn't want to make any sudden moves.
"Yet, against my better judgment, I am going to give you the choice. I see such incredible potential in you, Marinette. I do not want to see your journey as Ladybug cut so short. If you choose to keep the Miraculous, I will not take it from you.
"But you will have to take on a role within a role. Your family and friends, now aware to the possibility of your heroism, must not be given any reason to think you are still acting as a superhero. Your partner, Chat Noir, must believe you are a new person entirely. Your appearance would have to change, as well as your mannerisms. Even if we were to cast an illusion showing you as Marinette and you as Ladybug in the same place at the same time, the footage from Lady Wifi's attack will cast many suspicious eyes on you, especially among your peers. You may even have to relocate schools and start anew! As difficult as living a double life is for any normal Miraculous holder, yours would be twice as difficult, having to put on a mask over your mask."
He gave her a few moments to process this. Marinette allowed herself to envision it. Transferring schools - maybe even asking her parents to uproot their successful home and business to move somewhere else. Building friendships with strangers, avoiding the friends she had been making for years at her current school.
I wouldn't have to deal with Chloé anymore. The thought came unbidden, and almost made her smile.
But Chat. The thought of lying to him - even more so than usual - sent a pang of guilt right down through her fingertips and erased any trace of smile from her lips. Was it even possible to deceive her partner so thoroughly that he didn't suspect she was the same old Marinette? And if it was… would she want to? She couldn't imagine having to act like none of their shared history existed. Couldn't imagine hearing all of his flirtations and bad jokes as though for the first time, pretending that it didn't matter whether it was meant for her as Ladybug or her as… whoever she would become.
Yet, when her eyes slid to the side and met Tikki's again, she felt her heart breaking for all new reasons. The kwami had already become so instrumental in building her up, being a confidant, showing her a better version of who she could be. Could she really do life without Tikki in it anymore? Could she give up the dual freedom and purpose of soaring through the sky as Ladybug? How much more painful would it be to step back and let someone else clean up her mess?
"Or," Fu started again. "You can surrender the Miraculous to me, and learn to be a hero just as you are. You would be free to show your true self to whomever you wish. But you would have to keep your distance from Chat Noir, for your safety. And either way, you will likely find you are under greater scrutiny, and have less privacy, than before. I leave the choice in your hands, Marinette, difficult a choice as it is. And, unfortunately, you do not have long to make it - we need a Ladybug to pull off this plan, whether it is you in the mask or not."
He let go of her hands then, and gave her time to think, opening the gramophone again to retrieve another item.
Ladybug, or no Ladybug? Secrets, or no secrets? These powers that just a couple months ago she had tried desperately to pawn off on someone else had already become such a large part of her. Who was she without Ladybug, anyway?
Was she ready to go back to being just a normal girl, with a normal life?
She looked up at Fu as he placed a pair of gold-rimmed spectacles on his nose and closed the gramophone. There came a knock on the door, and Chat Noir spoke through it.
"Fu? Marinette? I don't want to interrupt, but they just announced the cross-streets of the next place that the Akuma stopped. Whatever you have planned, we had better do it soon!"
"Very well. Marinette, have you made your decision?"
Marinette swallowed.
"I have."
Tom Dupain was not a coward. In fact, he prided himself on being among the bravest of a brave line of pastry chefs. He daily slayed his fear of failing yeast, sleeplessness, and rising butter and flour prices. His devotion built a thriving family and pâtisserie. There was no new recipe he was afraid to try, and no failure he was unwilling to work at until it became a success.
Nonetheless, running down a street towards an active Akuma attack was not something he had ever envisioned for himself. He, therefore, did not let himself think too hard about what it was he was doing. Rather, he focused on his lines that he was meant to deliver for the plan - lines that, incidentally, were not too far from how he truly felt. He felt the pavement under his pounding feet, the light prick of metal inside his closed fist. His lungs were actually beginning to burn, whether with the exertion of running or with fear he wasn't sure, but it certainly had been a while since he had exercised.
I'll have to tell Sabine we need to resume our evening walks together, he thought detachedly. His wife had gently pointed out his bulk was not as muscular as it had once been, teasing him about the risk of what the Americans called "dad bod".
He wouldn't have had to run, except that Fu had wanted to open his teleportation portal a little ways away from the Akuma to minimize the risk of being seen using another Miraculous power. The less the world, including Hawkmoth, knew about the Miraculous, the better. Still, he really would rather he not have had to run after being ejected from a magical portal to meet with a supervillain who was actually a regular citizen being controlled by a worse supervillain.
When did life get so complicated? He wondered.
He was drawing near the apartment building that had been attacked. With a sinking feeling he noted the broken window glinting in the light of the helicopter. He'd been too late to keep this newest family from being attacked. He hoped everyone, especially the girl who shared a name with his daughter, was alright.
There was a whoosh and a clang above head that made Tom stumble to a stop, startled. He looked up and saw, perched on a streetlamp, the disturbing figure of the six-armed Akuma, eyes solid white and piercing the early morning darkness.
Now or never, Tom.
"You work for Hawkmoth, right?" He shouted up, trying not to feel lame.
"I am Anansi! Unless you know where to find a certain beetle and pussycat, get out of my -"
"Papa!" Just as Tom had been bracing for some sort of attack, Marinette came running up behind him. Right on cue. "You can't do this, it isn't worth it!"
"I know full well what I'm doing, Mar-in-ette!" He shouted back. He hoped he didn't sound too much like he was in a poorly rehearsed school play. As she lunged for him, and what was in his hand, he twisted his body away and simultaneously brought his other arm around to wrap around her waist, hoisting her on his hip like a sack of flour. She kicked and struggled, making it look realistic, but even if she had been really trying, it was unlikely she could break out of his grip. He was, afterall, roughly five times her size.
Tom spared a glance for the Akuma - Anansi - and noted with satisfaction that the name drop had worked. The villain had leapt down from her perch and was now approaching. Her voice had sounded feminine enough, and he could see a curve to her body, but boy was she muscular. She had two extra sets of arms sprouting from her rib cage area, clad in mostly black with yellow stripes, like some sort of venomous arachnid. Her headgear looked oddly reminiscent of a kickboxer's helmet, which didn't make him feel much more confident. He gulped and reminded himself to stick to the plan.
In the air above, the helicopter must have had time to deposit the other Marinette safely somewhere, for the beating of the air was returning. Soon they would have cameras back on them, if they weren't filming already.
Perfect - they wanted this as widely broadcast as possible.
"Did you say the name 'Marinette'?" Sneered Anansi. "I just so happen to be looking for someone by that name."
"She's the one you want, but you can't have her," growled the baker, feeling a very real protectiveness overpower his trepidation. Marinette stilled under his arm. "Take these instead!"
He threw what was in his right hand, letting the red and black earrings clatter to the ground in front of the villain. "I don't want my daughter caught up in this superhero business! It's too dangerous, and she's my only child. Take them and leave us alone!"
"No, Papa, you can't!" Marinette redoubled her efforts, thrashing. "Hawkmoth can't win like this!"
"So you are the right Marinette - you were Ladybug? This little fly weight?" Anansi laughed cruelly. "You wouldn't have been a challenge even with your superpowers, but this speeds things along nicely. I respect your father for trying to protect you." The villain knelt and scooped up the earrings. A glowing outline of a butterfly appeared in front of her face.
"Sure thing, Hawkmoth. But first, I have some questions for the little beetle."
Anansi pointed threateningly at Marinette. "You! You were the last one to see my sister. Where. Is. She?"
Marinette tapered off her attack again, genuinely confused. "Your sister…?"
Anansi growled, "Alya. Césaire!"
Tom spared a worried glance downward as his daughter's body went limp with shock.
"Alya Césaire is your sister? I…" He could see the cogs turning in her head. "I-I don't know where she is exactly, but I last saw her at Le Grand Paris! She passed out after our fight, and I ran to get help, but my father here intercepted me." She gave a little grunt and struggled for effect. "As far as I know, she's still there!"
Technically, this was not a lie. Alya was indeed lying in wait at Le Grand Paris, but not as herself. She had chosen the name Rena Rouge for her alter ego, and she was the next link in the relay race of this plan. Tom could only hope that they managed to pass off the baton smoothly.
The purple glow around Anansi's face returned, and she grunted in frustration. "I know, I know. You, flyweight!" She pointed again at Marinette. "Tell me where the scaredy cat has gone!"
This question, Marinette had been expecting. "He was locked in the freezer at Le Grand Paris! When Alya passed out, the door didn't Unlock for some reason - he's still trapped there! That's one of the reasons I was running to get help!"
Anansi smiled wolfishly. "Looks like I can kill two birds with one stone, Hawkmoth!"
Spitefully and rather appallingly, she opened her mouth and sprayed the two of them with a mesh of sticky webbing. Marinette cried out in surprise as the angle of the attack knocked them both backward and nearly covered the entire left side of her face, attaching her to Tom's body. Cackling, Anansi leapt and swung away, coating her path with webs. Cars, buildings, people - anything that lay before her, she laid a sticky trap for, as though to wrap the world in a protective layer of packaging.
Once she was gone, Marinette struggled uselessly against her bonds once again, but soon gave up, falling limp.
"Great. Now I guess we wait?"
Tom actually chuckled. He was lying in the middle of a street of Paris, looking up at the pitch night sky, trapped under a supernatural web with his daughter basically plastered against his chest.
"Not so glamorous on this side of the mask, eh kiddo?"
She sighed, and stopped struggling, instead resting her head over his heart. They were quiet for a few moments. It was actually almost… peaceful, despite the circumstances.
"I really messed up, huh?" She made it sound more like a statement than a question. With his super-dad hearing, he could pick up on the quaver of emotion right beneath her words.
"Oh, ma petite chouquette. This isn't a job that should ever have been yours in the first place. You're too young to have the weight of saving the world on your shoulders! And I -" now it was Tom's turn for his voice to break. He breathed deeply for a moment, trying to calm himself.
She's in your arms. She's safe. That's all that matters for now.
"I don't think I'd have been able to sleep a wink for the past few months if I had known what you had gotten yourself into." He finished. "It was very easy selling those lines to the Akuma, because to me, they're true. You're my little girl, and I would do anything to protect you."
Marinette sighed, "Oh, Papa…" She snuggled closer. She was silent for a moment longer, collecting her words.
"You've always been my hero. You've also always taught me to be strong, confident, and to face my fears. Ladybug or not, I can't promise I'll always be safe, because we live in a pretty crazy world!"
Tom snorted at that. "Crazier than I remember it growing up, that's for sure. Why did your generation have to go and take superheroes and supervillains out of the video games and make them reality, huh?"
Marinette huffed in exasperation. "Papa…"
He chuckled again. "Sorry, dear. Please continue."
He couldn't see her, but he felt like she was smiling.
"I am who I am because of you, and Maman. I know I can always rely on you to be my safe place to come home to. And for me, that made being a superhero all the more worth it, because I knew what I was protecting. I knew where I could go to rest and heal. You - you're my best friend." She gave another small little huff. "Besides Alya, of course. But between you and me, I'd rather have your hugs than anyone else's in the whole world."
The tears did come at that, irresistible. Tom sniffled quietly as the hot trails leaked down the corners of his eyes, annoyingly pooling in his ears. Darn things, so inconvenient. He could feel a suspicious dampness growing on his chest as well, where Marinette's head was resting.
"I love you, ma coccinelle," Tom said through the thickness in his voice.
Marinette gave a watery laugh. "I love you too, Papa."
They lay like that for a while, waiting for Chat Noir to come relieve them, and for the plan to progress. Secretly, they were both grateful for the interlude to reconnect and heal the wound of secrets, even well intentioned ones.
Unbeknownst to the father and daughter, Chat Noir was not, in fact, running late. He sat in the shadows of a nearby building, able to hear every word with his feline-enhanced ears. He hadn't meant to eavesdrop, really, but he also hadn't wanted to interrupt. Now he sat with a dull, throbbing ache in his chest, and he knew he wouldn't be able to free them until he had his own tears under control. His, unfortunately, were not the cleansing tears of a healing familial love. He shook with silent sobs, yearning for what was so simple and yet so unattainable for him. Chat Noir wasn't sure he had ever heard such supportive and comforting words from his own father. Had he really even known it was possible for a father to act that way towards his child?
Hearing it now, so heartrending and genuine in the dark of night, he faced the truth that this kind of love was possible and real. But the fact also remained that it was not his.
So did that mean something was wrong with him? Why else would his own father not be able to offer him the same love that M. Dupain did for his daughter?
I'm not good enough. I'm alone even in my own house. I'll never have what they have. Maman is gone, and now I am alone.
The words washed over him, threatening to overwhelm him with pain.
Pathetic. Alone. Worthless. Unlovable.
Never. Good. Enough.
The words sat like a burning ball of molten glass in his chest. He curled around its heat, feeling like the condensed emotions would make him crumble like the cinders of ash in a mantle. He scarcely breathed for fear that if he did, the dam would break and he would loose all control, along with his last shreds of dignity. Every muscle in his body felt tense with effort, eyes squeezed shut to deny the truth of his pain. He was overreacting. It didn't mean anything. He needed to calm down. His teeth ground, frustration at himself finally eclipsing his other emotions.
I don't have time for this.
Amazingly, in his mind's eye, he saw the red and black-spotted hand of his lady reaching out to him, as if to help him up.
"Come on, Chaton. You're my partner - I need you."
Chat Noir finally let out his pent-up breath, slowly, carefully. He hefted himself to his feet, making a concentrated effort to breathe regularly and relax his muscles. He would strive forward - for her. He would joke and flirt and smile as much as he needed to, in order to make her smile, to keep her around.
And if she has to stop being Ladybug...? a dark part of him whispered. He clenched his fists.
It didn't matter. He knew who she was now, after all. Marinette. He felt a stab of guilt and confusion at the thought that the girl he professed to love had been right under his nose - no, right behind him in class - this whole time, and he hadn't had a clue. But even outside of Marinette, he was learning how to build relationships. The one skill that his father had neglected to teach him, amid the piano, Mandarin, and fencing lessons. The one thing that was all his, and only his.
It was enough. It had to be.
"You're right, Milady," he said to himself. He started walking towards Tom and Marinette, still quietly trapped on the ground. "We've got work to do."
Hello friends! Thank you to Rando-Mando and Bookwormance for your reviews! They are very encouraging. . Yes, Rando-mando, Fu be crazy, and I too am excited to see how Adrien will treat Marinette now ;) Bookwormance, thank you, and I will do my best to post weekly and not keep anyone waiting too long!
Announcements: I updated a few things, as I'm still working out the kinks in the outline of this story.
.5) the French in this chapter was "ma petite choquette" - "my little pastry", and "ma coccinelle" = "my ladybug", both terms of endearment in France
1) The title has changed from "Voices Within Us" to "The Choices We Make".
2) The summary has also changed, as my original vision for this story was Marinette-focused, but I'm beginning to lean more heavily in Adrien's direction as well.
3) I altered the intro to the first chapter, taking a page from the book of one of my favorite authors, Leigh Bardugo. In her Alex Stern series, she starts off each book with a teaser from the future, but it's always from about 3/4 of the way through the book, or right before the climax. So I tried the same thing, and I think it turned out quite well! If you read the first iteration, I encourage you to go back and read before the page break!
Chapterly Question
I want to hear from you, dear reader - what directions do you think the story will take? What do you want to see? One of the beauties about fanfiction is that it is an ongoing thought experiment turned into storytelling. As such, I think at the end of each chapter, I'll ask a question for you to engage in (and of course, you can comment on more than the question if you feel so inclined).
I purposefully left Marinette's decision to be (or not to be) Ladybug vague, because I think it's an interesting topic for conversation. What would you do, dear reader, if faced with a similar decision? What do you want to see happen?
** BETA REQUEST **
I have literally PM'd over a dozen people at this point to beta, and the majority have never responded, and those who have cannot. If anyone is able/willing to take on this fic as a beta reader, I would much appreciate it! I want to grow in building good pacing, character development, building the scene, and generally improving my craft. The basics are helpful too, of course (syntax, grammar, spelling, etc), but mainly I want to become a more effective storyteller. Please please don't hesitate to reach out via PM or review to let me know you're interested!