Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Edited: 07/07/2021

Cheesecake delivery

19 years old Marinette Dupain-Cheng was having the most difficult and worst days of her life. She had graduated this year and was officially an adult, yet she wasn’t sure what to do with her future. Luckily summer vacation had just started, and it gave her a fair amount of time to think up a solution.

Her main goal in life was always to be a fashion designer, so normally her first choice was to apply for a fashion college. However, such colleges were too expensive considering their current financial situation. Of course, she can always aim for a scholarship, which she was already preparing for by the way, but it wasn’t certain that she would get it, so she may as well have other back up plans. She could still go to a normal university and maybe take some fashion courses , internships would be really helpful right now and searching for a part-time job was well needed if she wanted to depend on herself, looking for an apartment though was off-limits since her mom wouldn’t approve of her moving away anyway and she couldn’t leave her alone either, they only had each other to rely on now.

Letting a long sigh, Marinette stretched in her seat, her head was pondering from all the thinking and she needed a quick break, she can work on her scholarship application later and see how things would go from there.

It really bothered her though, everyone from her class already knew what they were going to do, already made their choices and booked a place in their chosen university or whatever they were planning to do after graduation, everyone except for her, she wished things could be easy and that she wouldn't worry this much, but she knew too well that life wasn’t always fair or easy. She considered giving up on her dreams many times and just settle with working in the bakery or find some well-paying career or something, but her dear mother always brought her hope and kept cheering her and pushing her to go chase her dreams, and so Mari decided to give it a shot, but if it didn't work out this time then she would just drop it all and just settle for a normal job, after all not all dreams are meant to become reality.

She shifted her attention to her computer screen and started scrolling down the news feed, none of them caught her attention, but she noticed that the most popular articles were about the famous boy band 4Bs, especially about the sickness of one of their members.

Marinette wasn’t that interested in 4Bs, honestly, she mainly liked Jagged Stone or Clara Nightingale and would follow all news about them, but 4Bs being the most famous artists of their generations meant that she was bound to hear about them, mostly from her classmates; especially the girls. She had to admit that they did have some good songs that she liked and weren’t too cheesy for her taste but that’s it, she didn’t keep track of their news and whereabouts, nor did she go on and on about her huge crush on one of the members, heck she didn’t even know what these boys looked like or who they were for the matter, like she said she only listened to few of their songs; either on the radio or on the phone of one of her friends.

The ravenette clicked on a video with a bored expression and started watching.

“Famous band 4Bs has notably reduced their activities as well as appearances in the last few months, the release of their new album “Over The Moon” had also been delayed”, a bald energetic man spoke over the screen, Marinette immediately recognized him as Alec; one of her favorite show hosts, “turns out quiet member Nathaniel Kurtzberg; is suffering from some health problems, explaining why he was seen a few weeks ago leaving a local hospital. The band’s manager has reassured us that it was nothing too dangerous but our favorite red-head will have to take a serious break from the spotlight to avoid further complications. Get well soon Nathaniel!” Alec winked giving a big thumbs up.

“For all the fans going all sad about this news, don’t worry! 4Bs will still continue to bring you all the awesome melodies and even better! Our sources had confirmed that a new member is joining the band and would be signing a contract with Miraculous Entertainment soon. It’s not clear if the new guy will only take Nat’s place temporary or will be a permanent member, but one thing for sure is that not all fans are happy with this new revelation even if the agency had yet to confirm anything. ” he chuckled nervously before adding, “anyways stay tuned for more info’s next week! And now coming up next Clara’s new hit song 'Envy' had-”

“Marinette sweetie, can you come down for a sec!” upon hearing her mother’s voice Marinette quickly closed the video and went downstairs while shouting a small “coming!” in her way. 

She was greeted by Sabine’s smiley face, “honey I hate asking but can you do a small delivery for me?” her mother asked hopefully, “Henry is on his break right now and I’m busy with work here but we need to take this cheesecake to some costumer. Can you do it please?”

Her mother didn’t need to ask twice nor give her any justification really, Marinette was happy helping her mother out whenever she had the chance. The work at the bakery had gotten harder lately with only Sabine (Marinette being busy with her last year at school) which forced them to hire two more employees to assist them, Henry and Amy, both were in college and older than Marinette, and they only worked part-time but they were still a great help.

“Of course maman,” she smiled happily, “just give me the address and I’m ready to go!”

Her mother chuckled lightly, “maybe consider changing from your PJs first sweetie.”

She  looked down at her clothes before grinning sheepishly “oops! Be right back!”

“Ah, Marinette you’re clothes aren’t dry yet so wear something else.”

Not having the energy nor the time to think her outfit over, Marinette grabbed the first item from her closet- a light pink dress and a white t-shirt- and put it on, paring it with a pair of short white leggings.

Tying her hairs in two pigtails, --a signature look of hers that she adored and was not going to let it go just yet even if everyone insisted that she was too old for it--, and made her way downstairs, her mother wasted no time in giving her a small box with the bakery’s logo on it along with a sheet of paper with the address.

“Take the scooter and be safe” Sabine gave her daughter a small kiss on her cheek and went back to work.

Marinette grabbed the nearby keys and walked to the back of the bakery where a white and pink scooter was waiting for her there, she sighed, a fond yet sad smile making its way to her lips as she touched the vehicle. It was a gift from her father five years ago when she was only fourteen, she was so happy back then and was dying to try it out even though her mother protested saying she was too young to be driving. Now, it served as a precious memory of her late father.

Tom Dupain passed away three years ago due to cancer. He had suffered so much, and although Marinette and her mom were mentally prepared for to accept the tragedy that would soon befall them, it still hurts. The revenette had a hard time believing what had actually happened, sometimes it still feels like a dream, a nightmare, that she would wake up from anytime now and would find her dad healthy and happy, baking fresh pastries downstairs. Her dad was a great man, a loving husband, and a caring father, he always looked after everyone he knew, his heart filled with kindness and passion.

After his death things weren’t the same, her mother was deeply shaken and would often break into tears remembering him. Work at the bakery got slower and harder so they were obliged to hire helpers, their financial situation wasn’t at it best either; which made things difficult and stressful, it was one of the reasons why Marinette was so desperately considering dropping the whole fashion designer thing and just opt for something else more useful in supporting her mom.

As for now she really hoped they wouldn’t be obliged to sell the scooter as it held a special place in her heart and many memories with her dad.

Shaking her head slightly, she took a deep breath and put the helmet on, she placed the pastries carefully in the back and got on the scooter. Taking the note of paper, Marinette blinked a few times upon reading the address, ‘Miraculous Entertainment’, she recognized the name to be the famous talent agency that Jagged Stone worked for.

The agency was bit far from here actually, situated on top of a hill on the city's outskirts -something about creating a better work environment and the original founder's philosophical views that she had read about a while ago- and her scooter wasn’t that fast but Marinette was still so damn excited to go there! If she was lucky enough she could have a glimpse of him, maybe even ask for an autograph!

She smiled fondly and went on her way, enjoying the small breeze of wind and the sunny weather, it was a quiet lovely day, she could feel it, “today was going to be a good day”.

Finally, an hour later, Marinette arrived at her destination, and decided to stop a few meters away from the agency. The building was kind of huge; she decided, its name shining from the distance, she tried to guess how many rooms were there or how many people worked there, wondering if she could snatch a job here as a stylist or simply a secretary; no doubt the payment would be good enough and she could have the chance to see her favorite star every day and it would be a great experience.  

She shook her head trying to clear the unnecessary thoughts away, she can think about that later but now she had a job to do. Taking the box of cheesecake in one hand, Marinette walked in the road taking to the agency, her helmet was still resting on her head as she felt an urge to keep it with her. As she got closer, she could see a crowd of girls (and a few  boys) screaming and cheering. Upon closer inspection, it turned out that they were 4Bs fans, the band’s logo, and name being present in their shirts, flags, banners… everywhere!

Making her way through the crowd was a lot more awkward than she thought, everyone kept casting her looks of disgust, envy, and grudge, she heard some of them whisper things like ‘we were here before her!’ and ‘who does she think she is walking straight to them like that!’. She took deep breaths trying to restrain herself from replying to the provocations.  it also crossed her mind that these fans might have been waiting all day here, she saw how fangirls/boys acted on TV and honestly it made her feel both pity and disgust.

Finally arriving at the gates, she sighed and was very thankful for the helmet. She took a few glances around before shifting her attention to the two guards that were eyeing her carefully.

“Um… Delivery?” she wasn’t sure what to say, her deliveries usually consisted of their regular customers, she would drop at their house or workplace, exchanging polite greetings and chats before handing the pastries. This, however, was new to her. It didn’t help that the guards were extremely intimidating too.

One of the men raised an eyebrow but his gaze suddenly softened and he sighed as if remembering something, he fished a walkie-talkie and after a few seconds, he turned to Marinette.

“Do you have the cheesecake?” he asked a bit annoyed and she nodded her head furiously. He returned to the call before ending it and looking at her once more, “go straight to the entrance, first door to your right, your ‘client’” he said making an air quote, “should be there. And don’t try wandering off or think about going on a little field trip in the building kid, I got my eyes on you”.

Marie just nodded and the guard gave a signal to the small cabinet inside to open the door, ever so slightly; just enough to squeeze herself in without damaging the dessert.

She started walking straight to the big glass door, taking her time to observe her environment when she heard a load of screams and cheers from the outside, she turned around to see that all the fans were now yelling and crushing the guards trying to get inside, she raised an eyebrow and before she could realize what was going on, six bodyguards hurried in her way securing the path as four boys, not much older than her; walked outside of the building.

Marinette stood in awe unable to move, she didn’t know why though, maybe it was the rush of the moment or the fact that curiosity just took the best of her and she wanted to know what could make all this fuss.

 A boy with silk blond hair wearing dark clothes hurried her way, two bodyguards hot on his trail -- Marinette could swear that his attire screamed he was going to a high-class funeral. The boy gave her a sharp look making her flinch, before turning away with a disgusted expression “well excuse you!” she thought to herself but was shoved away by one of the bodyguards.

The sudden push took her by surprise and Marinette stumbled to keep her balance but failed, she tripped and felt the box flying from her hands as she neared the ground. She closed her eyes waiting for her face to be kissed by the familiar earthy dust.

Thoughts of what was she going to do now rushed in her mind, not only was she making a fool from herself; but the cake would be ruined, would their client be ok with her running back to the bakery and getting another one? Or maybe they wouldn’t mind mashed cake? “Wait…” all of a sudden it occurred to her that the contact with the ground hadn’t been made yet, there was no way she was that far from it, right?

Just then she noticed the strong grip on her arms, it wasn't tight but rather smooth and warm, comforting in a strange way. Carefully and slowly the girl opened one eye then the other, only to be met with two aqua-blue orbs starring at her with a mix of confusion and amusement, “Are you alright?” his voice was so calm and soothing like a sweet melody.

Marinette stiffened in her place and quickly shot up trying to stand properly and regain her composure, her action caused the boy before her to chuckle lightly and she responded by dumbly blinking her eyes at him, she wanted to say something, maybe thank him; really anything would be better than just standing there starring like a dumb idiot, but her mouth was firmly refusing to function right now.

“here you go miss, I believe you dropped something” a voice said from beside her and she turned to see a blond boy,  looking a lot like the first one but his face was more warmer even his emerald eyes looked more lively and kind compared to that jerk's cold and icy gaze.

Realization suddenly hit her, and she snapped her gaze to his hand to find the box of pastries unharmed, she sighed in relief knowing it was safe and sound. The boy  noticed her reaction and gave it to her, “good thing I caught it, huh?” she found herself nodding happily as she took it and held it closer to her, he gave her big grin revealing his shiny white teeth, the other boy with blue highlights in his hair also smiled gently at her.

The ravenette was about to thank both of them when someone walked past them, he stopped and turned to the two other boys holding his arm up for them and pointing to his watch, “late”, he said from behind his white mask and cast a quick look in her direction before continuing his way, Marinette found some familiarity in his red hair and light bored turquoise eyes, she had seen him before but couldn’t quite place when or where.

“Right.” The blond said with a sigh, but smiled at her regardless, “bye, Miss!” he waved at her and run to the exit, the last boy also gave her a curious look before putting a hand on her shoulder.

“Try being more careful, ok?” his voice wasn’t one of mockery but rather of concern yet it still held a hint of amusement, he smiled one last time before following the others, the last bodyguard right behind him.

Marinette found herself in more shock trying to process what had just happened, but the cheers outside snapped her from her frozen state. The four boys were surrounded by the many fans, some giving presents, the others asking for autographs and some just screaming loving statements to the band as a whole or one specific member asking for their attention.

Just then it hit her that the fans were screaming 4Bs, “so those are the infamous 4Bs” she said quietly to herself, not exactly the star she was hoping to meet but oh well, “lucky me I guess."

Shrugging off the rather awkward encounter, the girl walked straight inside the building. Taking her helmet off, she turned right just as instructed and found a red door. Wasting no more time in admiring the surrounding, Marinette knocked lightly and waited, no one responded so she tried again, and again before just shrugging and opening the door herself.

The room was very dark and stinky, the scent of cheese, sweat and something else she couldn’t quite recognize filled her nostrils and she had to physically stop herself from gagging. Marinette was starting to leave since the room looked kind of abandoned to her but stopped in her track upon noticing a body on the ground, the person was laying straight on their stomach with no movements coming from them.

she gulped hard and inched closer, “are they… dead?” she thought to herself, but the thought quickly vanished when she spotted the person shifting a bit, they raised their head in her direction, and owlishly blinked at her.

“I…uh…Delivery!” she said holding the box to them. Ok, she seriously needed to stop introducing herself like that.

“oh!” the figure said sleepily, they pointed to the light switch and Marinette obeyed by turning the light on, they grumbled a bit before adding “thanks, put it on the table right there, the money should be there too.”

She nodded and walked to the small glass table, she put the box then proceeded to take the money, unfortunately for her; her hand slipped and she accidentally knocked down a cup of coffee that was settled there.

“I-I’m so sorry!” she cried before attempting to clean it using a white paper only to make matter worst “I’ll fix it just give me a sec!”

“It’s fine,” the figure- a man- sat more properly on the ground and said, “it happens all the time, they’ll take care of it just leave already” he yawned and looked at her with a bored expression.

“O-ok” she turned to him and gave him an apologetic look, “Sorry again”, she sighed and was about to exit the room when he stopped her .

“Wait!” he yelled causing her to look at him again, his eyes were shot wide open with a weird glint of amazement and craziness that sent a shiver down her spine. She had a bad feeling and her instinct were screaming at her to get away from here fast.

“you!” he said again leaning closer on his hand, “just like him…” he murmured before smiling maniacally, he clapped his hands together and looked up to the ceiling, “thank you! For sending this angel, this savior to me!”

He closed his eyes in a silent prayer and Marinette took this chance to run away, she carefully walked out of the room without him noticing and before she knew it she was running out of the building.

Her heart beat faster from fear and surprise, “what the hell just happened?!” she thought to herself and gulped hard thinking about what he may have done to her if she didn’t take action. The guards opened the gate for her again, giving her a look but not questioning her running which she was thankful for, she just wanted to go home and not have to deal with anything else right now.

Just as she thought she made it safely out of the agency, she heard a voice calling, “hey stop! You’re my ticket for surviving this, kid!” she flinched and ran faster searching for her scooter, it was a good thing the number of fans crowding the gate were noticeably less than before, the remaining ones only looking at the scene before them of the girls running with a helmet attached to her and an old man --now wearing black sunglasses--right behind her.

Marinette thanked her stars as she got on her scooter and fled away, she let a relaxed sigh but still drove her vehicle as fast as it would go, not wanting to risk anything.

And indeed one cannot let their guard down at all; she realized when she spotted a black car following her, it was getting closer and closer to her and her small old scooter was no much to the fancy car chasing her.

After a brief chasing scenario, in which the man had shouted at her many time to just stop and listen, he was finally able to speed past her, and stopped the car right in front of her, blocking her way. Marinette was forced to stop and cursed under her breaths, she was so close to getting back to the city where she was sure she would've been able to lose him , but nooo her misfortune had to step in and ruin her chances.

The man got out of his car, his black jacket in one hand, his other reaching to his face to take his sunglasses off. He seemed to be either in his late twenties or early thirties, with tan skin and long dark messy hair that reached just below his  neck. He wore plain black slacks and a light green button-up  that was dirty and stained with different substances. What caught the girl’s attention though, were his electric green eyes, they were remarkably tired with dark bags under them, but had a narrow shape and a certain glint to them, they reminded her of a cat’s eyes.

The man carefully took a step closer to her, and Marinette wasted no time in jumping out of the scooter and inching away. The girl had read plenty of articles and watched countless movies and documentaries about the kind of people that worked in the entertainment industry, the ones who would ask for... disgusting favors and offer impossible deals to help young artists and she had a feeling this man may be one of them so she had to be careful. Her only hope was to find a way to distract him and hopefully be fast enough to run past him and find help. She noticed a large wood stick on the ground and  quickly took it, waving it in a threatening gesture in his direction. 

“look, if this is about the coffee; I told I’m sorry, it was an accident!” he laughed and shook his head, she gulped harder as he got closer, “get away you cat-like lunatic! I'm not interested in anything you have to offer so just leave me alone!” she screamed and he held his hand in the air.

“Relax I’m not gonna hurt you, I swear!” she didn’t seem convinced so he sighed and continued, “I know I may have come a bit too strong but I mean no harm! I was just too happy because a miracle just happened!” he grinned again and she frowned.

“No harm my ass! I'm warning you, I took fencing and I won't hesitate to hurt you if you come any closer!" that was a lie, but he didn't to know that.

“I'm sorry! sorry!” he took a step back clearly getting nervous, “Please just give me a sec, I really need to talk to you.”

"Didn't you hear me! I'm not interested in anything you have to offer you disgusting jerk!" he flinched feeling rather offended and slowly sniffed at his shirt.

"It's not that bad..." Marinette wasn't having any of it and only maintained her glare.

Look can we talk about this in a decent way like proper adults?,” she fought the urge to raise her eyebrow at him and point out that there was nothing decent in chasing a girl in the middle of an almost deserted area 'just to talk', "I probably scared you by chasing you and I'm truly sorry but give me a chance to explain, will you?"

She didn't want to but it looked like they weren't getting anywhere with this, so she slowly nodded giving him the ok to speak and his expression immediately lit up.

“I know this may sound crazy and we just met but I need a favor”, Ah, here it was, better get ready to hit this fucker where the sun didn't shine and make a run for it, “what do you say about posing as a male candidate in front of 4Bs for the day?” he asked in a serious tone, his eyes narrowing dangerously and never leaving hers.

What the fuck?

.

.

.

Little did she know, all hell would break loose from that moment on.

Chapter Text

Edited:07/07/2021

A weird kind of favors

“What do you say about posing as a male candidate in front of 4Bs for the day?” he asked in a serious tone, his eyes narrowing dangerously and never leaving hers.

Marinette stood dumbfounded, staring at him with wide eyes and trying to find a hint of sarcasm or joking in his features. There weren’t any, the man in front of her was indeed serious in his demand.

Well, it wasn't exactly what she had anticipated but it still counts.

“Yep I was right, you’re totally out of your mind!” The ravenette declared and held the stick more firmly, taking a fighting stance and started inching closer hoping that he would just get scared enough to let her pass.

“Hey, hey, hey! Let’s not go crazy there!” he said waving his hands in surrender and fear.

“Crazy! Are you honestly listening to yourself?” She asked a bit annoyed, “I’m pretty sure I’m the sane one here.”

He rolled his eyes and muttered something she couldn’t catch before walking to a fallen tree trunk on the side of the road, “I hate talking too much and going around the bush but I guess you deserve a better explanation.” He sighed and tapped at the empty space beside him, inviting her to sit with him.

Marinette hesitated the code that she had memorized in her early childhood “stranger danger” rang in her mind in warning and her brain screamed at her to leave now that the man was out of her way, but for some unexplained reason, a part of her urged her to not. 

This man and his statements looked crazy sure but she felt like he was desperate, his words from before indicated that he really needed her help and that she could get him out of whatever troubles he had, it was risky; she knew it, but she couldn’t turn her back to someone asking for help, she could at least listen to what he has to say, if it was truly dangerous or indecent she will just walk away (and maybe inform the police, who knows maybe he was indeed a molester, or a drug dealer, or perhaps just insane.).

With a long sigh, she finally managed to drag herself to the trunk, she sat at the very end and as far as possible from the cat-eyed man, he grinned at her and she narrowed her eyes, the wooden stick still resting in her firm hold.

“Let’s start with introductions, “ he cleared his throat and extended a hand to her, “you can call me Plagg, I’m the most recent manager of the famous 4Bs.”

She looked cautiously at his hand, blinked then looked at him again in distrust.

“Marinette” she simply blurted not wanting to give any personal information, and he just shrugged.

“Alright, so here’s the deal. You know how Nathaniel Kurtzberg will be out of the business for a while?” he asked expecting her to answer immediately, but instead got a confused look as a response.

“Who?” she asked flatly.

“You know the drum player of 4Bs? The mysterious lone wolf? The…”  the man known as Plagg was about to continue the many nicknames he heard the fans give the boy but decided to stop when he saw that Marinette was looking as confused as ever, he sighed and added “Red hair, turquoise eyes?” 

The girl took a moment to consider, remembering the boy with the surgical mask that she had seen earlier, her eyes suddenly widened and she let a small ‘oh’ when it finally clicked, she knew why he was familiar now.

“Yeah the one who’s sick or something?” she asked recalling the video she had watched this morning.

Plagg nodded in confirmation, “yes that boy, he's sick and was advised to take a vacation, so now we’re looking for a replacement that may or may not be recruited as an official member later on.”

“And all of this concerns me because…” she started while motioning with her free hand and waiting for an answer, not completely sure where this was going.

The man smirked and extended his hand to his jacket, he searched its pockets and Marinette grew cautious, getting ready to bolt up and run any second now.

He noticed and chuckled, “relax; I’m not getting a gun to threaten you or something.”

“Sure!” she thought sarcastically but dropped her stance when she saw a small white paper in his hand.

“This is the new member.” He simply said and showed her the paper.

It was a photo of a boy around her age; he was kneeling down, his hand on his chin and posing for the camera. Marinette was about to give it back and tell him she still didn’t get it, when it hit her.

Her eyes got wider and she held the photo closer to her trying to examine every detail. She couldn’t believe it. This boy...Looked exactly like her! He had dark hair that was shorter than hers arriving just above his neck, his bangs were brushed to one side (similar to how hers were) revealing his eyes, they were big and round but a bit sharper than her own -- she wondered if it was their natural shape or if it was due to the fact he was modeling and had to master a specific expression--, heck he looked like an exact replica of her, she resembled him or he resembled her --she didn’t honestly know anymore--from head to toe, his skin, his hair, everything! The only difference was that her eyes were a bright blue while his were darker.

How could this be possible? Why was there a male version of her? Was he a doppelganger? Did that mean she was going to die now that she saw him? Was this photoshop? Is he a stalker, a long-lost twin, maybe a copycat? Wait what if she was the copycat!

The man chuckled and took the photo from her before she could burn a hole in it with the intensity of her gaze.

“It’s crazy I know! You can imagine how weird it felt when I saw you walking in looking like an exact copy of my newest trainee!” he gave her a look of amazement, “Ha! Can’t blame me for my reaction now can you!“ he burst into a fit of proud laughs which made her a bit annoyed.

“Ok, so there’s a boy that looks just like me, now what?” her question brought him out of his joy and he cleared his throat.

“This is Brian Alvarez, I met him a few years ago on one of my business trips. I remember it well actually, how he sneaked in the room where many famous characters in the show business were having a small gathering, I think he was searching for a specific …”

“Sorry to interrupt, but can you please cut to the chase already? My time’s almost up.” The ravenette said while checking her watch, she didn’t mind listening to people’s stories from their younger days or just from recent incidents and rather enjoyed it, but she needed to go home, her mom would start to get worried if she didn’t show up or at least called.

“Ah! Right, my bad!” Plagg cleared his throat and replaced his nostalgic look with a serious one, “long story short, Brian was supposed to meet the 4Bs boys today and sign the necessary contracts but something came up.”

He looked hopefully at Marinette before continuing, “He’s actually in a hospital in America right now.” His face held a sad look and the girl gulped.

“Is he …OK?” she asked with a bit of concern and he nodded.

“Yes, some tests there and here, but….he won’t be able to return in time.”

“Oh…” Marinette was lost of words; she had a feeling of what he was trying to say, and based on his earlier words and the photo he showed her it was not good. However, she settled on not saying anything about it in hope she’d be wrong, “um, can’t you reschedule the thing or something? I’m sure they will understand, it’s not his fault if he’s sick.” 

“See this is the problem,” he sighed in a desperate manner, “this meeting had already been rescheduled a few times now. With my boy frequenting the hospital lately, the boss and the band in general are getting impatient, accusing me of making the whole thing up; since I was the one who jumped in saying I had the perfect new member.

"So if I want any chance to recruit this boy then he better shows up today or they’ll search for someone else on their own.”

Marinette took a moment to consider his words, not exactly sure what to say or how to respond; when suddenly the man turned her, his eyes hopeful and pleading with his hands clapping together.

“This is way out of character for me but…. Please, Ms. Marinette, take Brian’s place for today. You two look exactly like each other that I wouldn’t be surprised if he turns out to be your half brother or something! No one would suspect it. It won’t be for too long either I swear,  just a couple hours dressed as a boy and all you need is greet Bob, sign some paper and done! You would also have the chance to meet 4Bs and talk to them personally, a chance that any girl would kill for, right!” he smiled widely while still looking at her.

Marinette stiffened, his whole speech sinking in before she shook her head and regained her composure, she stood up and turned to him, a stern expression gracing her face.

“First of all, I’m sure I don’t have any siblings OR half brothers” she crossed her hands defensively, “well none that I know about anyways” she added in her head and made a quick mental note to casually ask her mother later.

“Secondly, what do you mean ‘a chance to kill for’? Not all girls are crazy about 4Bs you know? I didn't even know what these boys looked like until this morning let alone be their fan, so that argument is invalid." She rolled her eyes remembering the previous incident.

if she was completely honest though; the cheerful blond and the highlights dude seemed pretty nice, she could see herself enjoying talking to them unlike the other two --they basically saved her back there, but now she wished they didn’t, things would be much better if she had returned home- However, it still didn’t change the fact that they were celebrities and she didn’t know anything about them, they may be faking their entire attitude for all she knows, just to be more lovable and gain more popularity.

“And finally, are you out of your mind! I can’t just simply change my gender pretending to be someone I don’t even know and risk it all like that! I’m sorry but I can’t do it, so the answer is no.”

she looked away a bit, trying to both regain her cool and fight the feeling of regret that was starting to creep on her now.

She knew her words were a bit rude but she was done letting others stomp on her and tell her what to do, and while her kind nature would sure kick in trying to make her consider her decision; she couldn’t allow it this time. It wasn'at simple favor for a friend or an errand for an annoying neighbor, what this man asked was way beyond an average request; especially from someone she had only met.

There was no way a sane person would say yes, call her mean or a coward but she wasn’t going to do it, nope not gonna happen, not this time. There were too many ways for this little trick to go wrong, she could even be accused of Impersonation and fraudulence, or getting herself arrested in the process (she had to remember she was an adult now after all), she did not fancy going to prison any time soon, thank you very much.

She was about to excuse herself and leave; when Plagg quickly got on his knees pleading her, his eyes on the verge of tears, and his hand still clapped in front of him.

“Please I’ll be doomed as well! They will fire me for sure and I have my lazy butt to take care of!” Marinette groaned at his weird words, “trust me I guarantee nothing bad will happen to you, I’ll take full responsibility!” she gave him a skeptical look.

When it looked like she wasn't going to budge, he finally stood up, sighed and wiped the tears in the corner of his eyes.

“I made it sound like it’s all about me but it isn’t,” he met her eyes, giving her a more serious and genuinely concerned look, “please do it for Brian, the boy has nothing to do with all of this, he worked so hard to get here, waited years for this chance, leaving his family and everything behind just to fulfill this single dream of his.

"He’s not doing it for his self only but for his family as well so he can support them along with other reasons that I was too damn egoistic and lazy to hear them!” he lowered his head in shame, “it’s my fault, all of this… I was the one who kept pushing him to continue following his dream, making him work harder and harder, I promised him he’ll get this spot and here I am letting him down, he’ll be so broken when I tell him to go back home and that it’s all over.”

Marinette felt her heart ache; she couldn’t do this but what if…no! She can’t! It will only get her in more trouble, even if it’s only for a short while. She wanted to help him, really, but the entire idea was wrong, it was basically lying, and she hated liars and lying so so much.

She bit her lips and shook her head, “I’m really sorry but I can’t.”

“You have dreams too, right Miss?” he asked  and her eyes widened, “you’re just his age, I bet you have many plans for your future and all but…” he shifted his gaze to her again, “what would you do if it all crashed down in front of you? Put yourself in his place, how would you feel if you’re only a few feet away from something you’ve wanted your entire life yet you can’t have it and it’s not even your fault! You would be happy if someone came along and offered to save it all by just one simple gesture, wouldn’t you? You’re a kind girl Ms. Marinette; I can feel it, so for the last time please save this poor boy’s dreams!”

Again, for what felt like a hundred times this day, Marinette was lost. She didn’t know what to say, how to react or even how to think because she  knew godamn well what this boy must be feeling, she had a dream just like his, a dream she worked so hard for her entire life, only to be met with the fact that it may not be possible after all, and yes just like he said her perfect happy future was taken away from her the moment she received that call informing her that her father is in the hospital, a piece of her broke that day, and its shards were gone the moment her dad left. She had never been able to feel truly happy or complete ever since so she knew, she knew what this boy was feeling, what will he feel soon enough too.

And his family too, he was doing this to support them...God they were more alike than she thought.

So would it be that bad if she could prevent that empty suffocating feeling that she often felt; save someone else’s heart and dream from being possibly torn apart? The method felt so wrong yet the objective felt so right at the same time.

She took a deep breath fighting the tears that were forming in her eyes, “stop being selfish, you’re making a huge deal out of nothing!” she told herself, “this man and this boy need your help, didn’t Papa always ask you to help those in need even if they didn’t seek it? It’s just for a couple of hours, you would be in and out in no time, no one would suspect it and this boy would keep his career and future together!”

She looked up at him a determined look on her face, she didn’t know if this was the wrong choice or not but she’s going to help him, she could curse her kind nature later but right now she will just take action.

“I’ll do it,” she said in a quiet and hesitated tone.

“w-what?!” the man asked in disbelief like he was expecting her to refuse or just storm away already saying it wasn’t her problem, “really?! You will do it!”

She nodded and he quickly crushed her in a hug that left Marinette tense and awkwardly trying to break herself free from, his stinky smell making it even worse “l-let me go before I change my mind!”

He backed away as soon as he launched at her and gave her a big grin, “look, I did say I'll help but it will only be for short while, nothing past 3 hours, ok?” he nodded eagerly, “and you better know what you’re doing cause’ if anything happens it’s on you, I don’t want to go to jail! And don’t even think about throwing it all on me if something goes wrong, I have a strong pieces of evidence against you right here, sir!.”

She fished her phone from the pocket of her dress, revealing that she had been recording this whole time.

“You’ve recorded everything?” he asked in shock, but it was clear he wasn’t upset or frightened by the idea, just curious.

“Duh? I wasn’t sure what a complete stranger would do to me especially when he blocked my way and stopped me from leaving. Gotta be careful you know.” She shrugged like it was the most obvious thing and he found himself smirking a bit.

“Smart girl. Now let’s get going, we still have to find you a wig and some manly clothes.” He grinned again and started walking to the car.

She was about to protest but decided against it. Instead, she sighed and said, “wait a sec I need to make a phone call.”

“You’re not calling the police or the Psychiatric ward, are you?” he tensed and gave her a weird wide look, his gaze slightly drifting away as if reliving an unpleasant memory.

Marinette’s eye twitched a bit. Just who the hell was this man?

“No. At least not yet, I’m just calling my mom so she won’t be worried.”

He nodded and grinned again, going back to his more laid back nature and motioned to her to go on, she sighed and turned back dialing Sabine’s number before putting the device closer to her ear.

Unbeknown to her, the man behind her was doing a quick happy dance shouting silent ‘yes! it worked!’, he fished his own phone and tapped a message excitedly.

‘Brian it worked! I found you a replacement!’

Chapter Text

Edited: 08/07/2021

Dressing-up

Marinette walked lazily through the many sections of male clothes, sometimes contemplating a piece or two before shaking her head, dismissing the idea, then continuing with her way; she didn’t know what style this Brian boy sported and didn’t want to risk anything, so she opted to sit down at a nearby chair waiting for her companion to come back.

She sighed and massaged her temples in an attempt to relax and wash away her nervousness. She was emotionally and mentally tired, and she was starting to seriously question her decisions. Did she really make the right choice? Maybe she should have walked away? Well, she could always run away now while Plagg was busy; and just learn to live with the cloud of guilt and concern that would definitely follow her after.

When she had called her mother, the ravenette had managed to give her a half-hearted excuse about having met an old friend from high school and wanting to catch up with them for the rest of the afternoon. Sabine--being the literal angel she was--had even insisted that Marinette went, saying that she was glad her daughter was attempting to socialize more (considering that she didn’t have many friends nor did she usually hang out with any), she added that it was completely fine and wished her a good time.

The acceptance Marinette was faced with made her sink in guilt, she hated liars and lying but most importantly she hated keeping secrets from her dear mother, and yet here she was.

That phone call almost made her cancel the whole deal, but Plagg had been already at her feet pleading again and pointing to the fact that her mom would surely understand and would support her decision if she had known. Marinette had groaned in annoyance, knowing full well that her mother would indeed do just that, as long that her daughter agreed and that it didn't put her in any potential danger. Helping others, after all, was a must-follow rule in the Dupain-Cheng household.

With the task of informing her mother about her absence aside, another problem had arisen.

Plagg had said that they were going to buy her appropriate clothes and add some ‘touches’ to her appearance so she would look more like Brian. He had entered the car and got ready for the departure when he noticed that the girl didn’t follow him, instead she marched to her own vehicle. She was in the middle of adjusting her helmet when he walked to her once more and demanded to only use his car as they would be back later for her scooter, Marinette of course refused to leave it.

A short argument later, and he had finally agreed, thus creating another issue: who would take the lead. Apparently, Plagg didn’t trust her enough to let her drive behind him and ‘out of his sigh’ in fear that she would run away (a statement that had caused many eye rolls and frustrated mutters).

After many bumps (and wrong turns due to Plagg who sucked at giving directions) they finally arrived at their destination, a small clothing shop located in a quiet and a bit isolated street. Marinette had decided that although the name was a bit cheesy-really who would name their shop Oh-La-la! It was uncreative in her opinion- they had nice and affordable clothes. She made a mental note to check it out the next time she went shopping.

That would bring them to the current situation, Marinette waiting impatiently with Plagg running across the store and tossing clothes everywhere.

“Alright try these!” he said at last while handing her his findings.

She looked at it critically before shrugging and getting up.

“Ah wait!” he stopped and handed her a white bandage, “you know… for….” He whispered and motioned to his chest.

 Marinette surpassed the urge to slap him and opted for just giving him an irritated look and said, “Hey, since you mentioned it, how is this gonna work again?” he looked confused so she sighed and continued, “I may look like him but my hair is clearly longer, my eye color is kinda different and you know I am a girl?”

She expected a panicked expression or something -she’d be lying if she said she didn’t hope he would freak out and cancel the plan- but instead, he just grinned at her.

“No worries, I got you covered. I already brought a wig and some Contact lenses” he answered in a smug tone, “plus, Brian is kind of a late bloomer,” he laughed as if he had made an inside joke, “really his body’s not that well developed for a male and neither is yours, no offense by the way and his  voice too, like I kid you not he can pass as a girl any day.”

She felt her left eye twitching in annoyance so she tried taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, then walked to the changing room. Seriously, can this man be any more rude!

Marinette looked at the mirror and pouted in annoyance, sure she was naturally short and skinny and couldn’t gain weight even if she tried. And yes, her chest was more on the smaller side considering her age, but honestly who cared! Her appearance never bothered her before and she wasn’t going to let it now! She loved her body and herself the way she was and like her mother said ‘she still had a lot of time to grow perfectly’ and even if she didn’t, it wasn't anyone's business! 

Cutting off her internal monologue, Marinette began taking her clothes off, She carefully put the bandages on -she swore that if she suffered any health problems that she will sue this man- Moving on, she started wearing the rest of the clothes and items he gave her while trying her best to not shout at the man pacing in front of the changing room and asking if she was done every 5 seconds.

Finally, she put on the last touch; a short wig that had the same color as her hair. She ruffled it a bit trying to give it a boyish look then topped it with a cap.

“So…How bad is it?” she asked while stepping out of the room.

“Holy…” he gasped and started circulating her to take closer looks at her, it made her feel a bit self-conscious and she ended up awkwardly rubbing her arms, “it’s….it’s PERFECT!” he grinned while throwing his arms in the air, “it’s like he’s right in front of me!”

“I don’t know... I feel silly...” she added while staring at herself in the mirror.

“Nope, that’s exactly how Brian would dress! Trust me!”

“well he sure has a peculiar taste” she wasn’t an expert in guys’ clothes but she had designed a few herself and did her fair share of necessary research as a future fashion designer, and well she considered this to be a bit...too extreme.

Plagg had told her they were going with a casual-cool look, but apparently, they had different definitions of casual and cool. But then again a lot of famous people often dress o the extreme.

If you're wondering, then Marinette was wearing a white t-shirt with a sleeveless ripped denim jacket, and although the shirt was plain, the jacket had too many patches stitched into it and pins laying around in different colors and shapes, she felt stupid wearing it.

Her black jeans were also ripped but fitted her nicely, the only problem was that they kept falling down and Plagg refused to let her use a belt. She also tried matching the outfit with a pair of black snickers that she liked but again, Plagg said no and insisted that she wore some kind of combat boots instead.

What made her uncomfortable though, was the excessive amount of accessories he had made her wear: bracelets, rings, necklaces, along with this weird cap that had a jaguar pattern on it.

All in all, It was tacky, she won't lie. However, she knew she could make it work if she was actually allowed to make some changes, but nooo she wasn’t. Well, it didn't really matter anyway, it wasn’t her problem, and it wasn’t Marinette Dupain-Cheng that would be walking out of this door looking like a discount wanna-be gangster, it was Brian Alvarez; not her.

“Whatever. But can we just get a belt please?” she tried one more time while lifting her pants, again.

The man laughed a bit before waving his hand dismissively, “no way, using a belt would ruin the entire point of it! This is fashion kido, you gotta learn to roll with it.” He gave her a finger gun and marched to the cashier.

Marinette groaned in frustration as she held her original clothes in her hand and walked out of the store, thanking lady luck for the mostly empty shop and the cashier -who looked like he was done with all of this- that didn’t comment or even spare a glance to the boy who had walked in as a girl just a few minutes ago.

“Ok repeat it one more time!” The man demanded while pacing back and forth in front of her.

“Uh y-yes! I-I’ll walk in, let you introduce me, shake some hands, throw some smiles, sign the required papers, and get the hell out of there. Oh, I must also decline any and all invitations of celebration by saying that I have family matters to attend to. Correct?” she gave a hopeful look while adjusting her cap.

“Yes perfect! And remember there’s no need for you to say anything, I’ll do all the talking!” she nodded and they took a deep breath in preparation.

Plagg and Marinette were seated in the large lobby doing their last rehearsal -well Marinette was sitting, Plagg was just too anxious and kept pacing around in the room.

“I don’t know though, maybe we should go back and get the contacts?”

He shook his head and reassured her, “no need, we’re running short on time and I can manage an excuse later if anyone notices anything.”

After successfully returning to the agency and spending a good 30 minutes in the car discussing their plan, the two were finally ready to go. Plagg had handed her a small box and asked her to put the contacts on, but when she did, it turned out that he had accidently brought the wrong color and now Marinette's eyes were a dark shade of green instead of blue. The mistake had caused a mini panic attack for the man but he had quickly regained his composure and decided that they could do just fine without them as no one would notice much difference.

“Alright let’s do this! Just stay calm everything will be ok, if we stay calm no one will suspect anything right? Yeah I’m calm, you’re calm, all of us are calm and drowning in CALMINESS!” he screamed as he panted, a bed of sweat rolling down his face.

Marinette resisted the urge to point that the correct term was ‘calmness’, and instead stood up -and pulled her pants up for the nth time this day- she gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder, and he sighed before heading to the elevator.

Once inside, Plagg pressed the button to the third floor and started mumbling under his breath, trying -and failing- to calm himself.

Marinette found herself doing the same thing, taking deep breaths and shoving the guilt and fear deep under. She knew very well that all of this was wrong but it was for a good purpose, she kept telling herself.

She had a chance to save this boy’s future now, and she was going to take it, nothing bad will happen as long as she can just concentrate and push those negative feelings away. Who knows, maybe if she didn’t end up in jail then this experience could actually benefit her in the future. “Right, because knowing how to commit identity theft was such a helpful skill to have".

With a soft click, the doors were open, and after a few steps, they found themselves a few steps away in front of a double glass door. Plagg informed her that this was the main conference room where they’ll be meeting with the owner of the company along with his assistant and the company’s trusted lawyer, “good, less people means less anxiety,” she noted in her mind.

“You ready?” he turned to her and gave her a serious look.

She frowned and held her stomach trying to ignore the puddle of different feelings inside, “why do I feel like I just took part in a murder, and now we need to deceive the police if we want to survive and not be tossed in jail?”

The cat-like man laughed a bit and gave her a quick pat on the back, “tsk, don’t fret it’s just a one time feeling you’ll get used to it. Now just focus on the noble purpose we’re doing this for and you’ll be alright!”

She gulped ignoring his ambiguous words and parted her shoulders so they would look wider, leaned back, and started walking in big strides in an attempt look more masculine, it resulted in her tripping and almost falling down if it weren't for Plagg catching her at the last moment.

“Scratch that. Just focus on walking straight without falling and you’ll be alright.” She gave a sheepish grin and held two thumbs up trying to reassure him.

“Well, here goes nothing. Or everything. It depends really” he knocked once before pushing the door open and walking in, catching everyone's attention in the process.

“Ahh; Plagg, I was starting to think ya weren’t comin’ after all!” 

Chapter Text

Edited: 09/07/2021

Audition

“Ah Plagg, I was starting to think ya weren’t comin’ after all!” a strong male voice echoed in the room as the two entered.

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world, Bob!” Plagg replied with a lazy grin, he took a quick glance at the girl behind him and gestured for her to follow him.

“I see you actually brought someone with ya this time.” the man smirked and directed his attention to the small figure standing behind his employee.

“Yep.” The cat-like man answered proudly while patting Marinette on the back, pushing her slightly so she would be standing beside him, “Bob this is Brian Alvarez, the boy I’ve been telling you about. Kid, meet Bob Roth, the owner, the CEO, the big boss, you name it. All you gotta know is that he’s the head in charge here so better not get on his bad side!” although his statement was meant to be a harmless joke, Marinette could see the way Plagg was slightly sweating, how tense his smile was, and the nervous look he was giving her.

She quietly gulped as the man, now known as Bob, let a loud laugh before extending his palm for a handshake. The girl hesitated for a second before extending her hand as well.

“It’s nice to finally meet ya son, we were seriously startin’ to think that Plagg had finally lost his mind and made some imaginary friends.”  Mr. Roth laughed again at his own joke.

“So I heard ya wanna join 4Bs?”The ravenette nodded eagerly, causing the man to continue in a more serious tone, “good. But I got to warn ya it’s not a game, and even if you’ll be here temporary; you still gotta take this seriously.” He gestured to a young woman with long messy blue hair and crimson eyes.

The woman cleared her throat and hugged a black folder closer to her chest, “ Miraculous Entertainment is one of the biggest names in the showbiz, it has produced many famous stars and helped them exceed in their career, from solo artists to duos and bands, rock or pop, young and old, our agency makes sure that all her clients rise to fame and score in the top charts. In other words Mr. Alvarez, Miraculous will make sure to polish your talent to the maximum and offer you the best opportunities, however, we don’t take in lazy pushovers nor those who think  this job is a joke or a pastime.” She gave a sharp glance toward Plagg who just shrugged and rolled his eyes at her.

Marinette gulped hard, it felt like this woman was one of her teachers, giving a complicated lesson while warning the students that it will be on their next exam so they better be paying attention else they will fail. 

“Ah yes. Thanks Duusu! Couldn’t have said it better.” Bob smiled at his assistance who nodded and stepped aside, “So what do ya say kid?”

“No worries Bob! Brian understands completely what he’s getting into,” Plagg jumped in rescuing her from having to stutter an answer and slung an arm around her shoulders, “I assure you he’ll take this job more seriously than I do and will certainly give his best, right Bri?” he turned to her with his signature grin and she nodded in affirmation. “So, do we have a deal or what?”

The man hummed in understanding while scratching his chin, “his resume is quite impressive.” He stepped closer, his golden eyes scanning her, “he’s got a cute face, I’ll give you that, it can easily match or even surpass Adrien's. Fangirls go crazy for soft guys these days.” He stepped back and took some papers from the woman known as Duusu.

“Theoretically speaking, he got what it takes. But what about’ practically? We haven't seen him in action yet. Hell, we didn’t even hear his voice."

At this point, Marinette was completely frozen in place with a bead of sweat threatening to fall down her face at any given moment. Her falling pants were long forgotten, as she clenched her fists in nervousness. “Shit, shit, shit this is bad!" she thought while briefly looking at Plagg. She could easily tell that he was as tense and terrified as she was, even with the calm facade he was trying to maintain.

“To be honest with ya kid, I would’ve refused right away and probably scheduled ya to audition with everyone else once all of this is made official.” Bob crossed his arms and sighed as Duusu smirked with pride, her ‘ha-I-won-bitch!’ face mainly directed at Plagg.

“But…” he grinned a bit before continuing, “I have a good feeling 'bout this so I'll trust ya this time Plagg."

“What!” both Plagg and Duusu shouted in unison while Marinette openly gaped at the man.

“B-but sir, w-we can’t! we-” the woman started while fumbling with the papers in her hands but was quickly cut off by her boss holding a hand in her direction.

“No buts, I already made my decision. Though one mistake and you two are out! Am I clear?” both Plagg and ‘Brian’ furiously nodded as Bob’s expression morphed into a less serious one. “Alright! Time is money so let's sign those damn contracts already.”

He walked down to the long round table and took a seat while gesturing to the lawyer -who had kept silent this whole time, only observing the exchange-to take out the necessary documents. The crimson-eyed woman groaned slightly before stomping away to stand behind her boss.

“See kid? Told you it’ll be a piece of cake?” Plagg whispered while giving a quick wink.

“Yeah, sure.” She responded with a bit of sarcasm as she nervously glanced at Duusu. Plagg noticed and nudged her slightly while giving a reassuring grin.

“Don’t worry about Duusu, she may look all mighty and angry; but she’s just a big drama queen who cries for not having her morning coffee.” Marinette couldn’t help but chuckle at his statement before making her way to the table as well.

A good 20 minutes later and they were finally done. They could’ve taken less if Plagg hadn't insisted on reading every paper carefully while casting suspicious glances to Bob -said man had only shrugged and told her how her new manager was just too paranoid- Marinette on the other hand; just waited patiently and only signed the papers after Plagg had deemed them safe, she was also very thankful that Brian’s signature -as Plagg had shown her earlier in the car- only consisted of a simple scribbling of his last name, it was easy enough that a clumsy person like herself could pull it off without a problem, but she still stayed cautious as not to slip and scribble her own signature.

“And all done!” Bob exclaimed as Marinette handed him the last paper. She sighed in both relief and satisfaction, wanting nothing more than to get the hell out of here and back to the comfort of her home.

The man signed as well before returning it to the lawyer with a short nod “congrats Brian, you’re officially a member of 4Bs.” he stood up while offering a handshake, Marinette quickly reciprocated with a small smile.

“Now that’s off the way, what do ya say about having dinner to celebrate?”

“Sorry no can do.You see…” the cat-like man begun but was immediately interrupted by Bob.

“Give the kid some slack, Let’s hear what he has to say for once.” he frowned a bit while looking at her.

“Uhm, s-sorry sir, but I have some family matters that I-I gotta attend to,” she mentally gave herself a pat on the back for not stuttering too much and hoped that her impression of the so called-male-version-of-her- wasn’t that far from the original. “Maybe next time?”

“Shame, I was planin’ to introduce ya to the band, guess it can’t be helped. Though it’s good to know you can speak, I was startin’ to think you were mute for a sec there!” He laughed and the girl chuckled uncomfortably.

“Well, we’ll see you next week and I’ll swing by later to discuss Bri’s staying, debut, and all that.” Plagg got up and started stretching his limbs while Marinette was already walking toward the door in a slow pace, hoping he would just hurry up and get them out of here.

 “Pleasure doing business-”

“Mr. Roth we need to talk.” The double door were pushed open and a loud voice spoke, announcing his presence to the others.

 His outfit may have changed to a somehow more casual look, but Marinette hadn’t found any difficulties in recognizing that cold icy stare.

“Shit, double shit, TRIPPLE SHIT!" the bluenette cursed under her breath and quiclmy avoided the newcomer's gaze, “relax Marinette, it’s not like he saw you the first time! Just act normal and try to ignore him. Remember if you can't see them; they can’t see you either!” she took a deep breath and bit the inside of her lip trying to make herself as small and invisible as possible . Keyword: try.

Unbeknown to her, the blond male was starring right at her, scanning her from top to bottom with a solemn expression on his face.

“Félix! You came just in time!” Bob grinned happily as he walked toward the perplexed girl. He swung an arm around her shoulder and dragged her closer to Félix. “This is Brian Alvarez your new teammate, say hi kid!”

He gave her a light slap on the back that made her flinch. “Are the others here? I was goin’ to introduce him later this week but guess there’s no time like the present, huh?”

“So that’s him, the self-proclaimed ‘angel voice’.” He narrowed his eyes bending down to her level and started examining her features with a critical gaze.

Meanwhile, Marinette had the most stupid smile plastered on her face, while her eyes darted every way except the boy’s face. “Goddammit, Plagg! Do something!”

“Ah, so you did read those documents I forwarded to ya,” Bob smirked completely unaware of the tension surrounding him.

“ You think you’re that good?” the blond asked in an irritated voice before standing properly, “I don’t care about those damned contracts or resume. I need to check for myself.”

“W-w-wha…?!” before anyone could have the chance to say anything. Félix gripped her wrist and started dragging her out of the room.

“H-hey what do you think you’re doing Agreste!”  Plagg shouted already after him, “get back here!”

“Félix!” Bob started as well with his assistance hot on his heels.

“L-let go!” Marinette struggled against his grip trying to free herself to no avail. Despite his skinny appearance, this boy was actually strong.

“Whoa!” she almost fell over when he dragged her down the stairs but managed to compose herself at the last second. “Think Marinette! How to get out of this?”  She gritted her teeth in frustration and turned around only to find Plagg and the others speeding behind her. She gulped hard and tried to shake her hand free again. “Are you deaf or something? I told you to get the hell away for me!”

“Stop it, we've arrived.” Félix, who had been silent and ignoring her this whole time, finally spoke as they entered what seemed like a recording studio. The two men present in the control room only gave them curious looks.

The blond male wasted no time in tossing her in the recording booth, causing her to stumble again and almost fall face first if it weren’t for the two arms that caught her.

“Oh, you must be Brian, right?” a smooth somehow familiar voice asked. Marinette quickly looked up and jumped away from the aqua-eyed male.

“Huh, you’re shorter than I thought…” another figure spoke from behind her, “I think you’re even shorter than Nate.” He held his palm and tried to compare their high.

“You’re scaring him off, Adrien.” The boy with blue highlights sighed and stood up from his seat.

“Ma-Brian!” she shifted her attention to the glass door, Plagg was screaming at her, one hand knocking furiously and the other one trying to unlock the door.

“Dammit Félix! Open the door!” Bob shouted as well but was simply ignored causing him to turn to one of the men in the recording room and ordering them to go get the spare keys.

The ravenette gulped and tried to move toward the glass but was immediately stopped by her captor.

“Where do you think you are going?” he crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. Marinette had to surpass the urge to push him aside and tell him to fuck off, she was really tired of people dragging her in their problems, literally and figuratively.

“You Are not leaving, not until I or rather We deem you worthy of joining the band.” He tossed her a microphone that she barely caught, “sing.” He ordered.

“What?” she whispered in disbelief while looking at the microphone like it was some foreign creature that she was seeing for the first time in her life.

“I said sing. Anything that comes to your mind, just sing it.”

She furrowed her brows and turned to the other two boys. The one who she assumed was named Adrien only shrugged his shoulders, the other one gave her a sympathetic smile and an amused glance.

“I need to listen to your voice to see if we will accept you or not. If we don’t approve or if you simply refuse to do it all together, then you would be automatically considered ineligible to join and get fired from the agency.” Her eyes widened in fear as she tried to think of an excuse or anything to say really, but he quickly spoke up again, “I told you, I don’t care about the contract nor what Plagg or Bob think of you. If you can’t prove you deserve this position, then I suggest you just leave and stop wasting everyone’s time.”

She glanced at the door hoping to seek some guidance or help from-Mr. I’ll take care of everything don’t worry-only to find him gripping at his hair like a maniac and screaming at Bob to do something, the CEO ignored him and focused on her instead as if he wanted to see what she’ll do as well.

“Yep, we are fucked.”

She closed her eyes and tightened her grip on the microphone, trying to think of a solution. There was no way she could do it, she wasn’t supposed to do this, it wasn’t on the job description so why should she be forced to.

She could just refuse and get the hell out of here. After all, the deal was to sign some papers and get out, Plagg didn’t say anything about an audition, she had kept her end of the deal and it’s not her problem that something like this came up! Brian would still have another chance if she declined, right? “Mr. Roth said something about auditions, so he can always come back with the other candidates and try his luck next time! It will be better than me humiliating him.”

“Either that or maybe you can…” she shook her head dismissing the idea that was about to form in her mind. There was no way in hell she would actually sing, nope, not happening, especially not in front of actual professionals.

“Hey?” She opened her eyes and shifted her attention to the boy with the highlights, “You know, Bob has spoken highly of you, so I’m kind of curious about your talent too.” He gave her a closed-eyes smile and a pat on the back.

“Yeah! I heard you have an angelic voice too!” Adrien beamed at her and she swore that his grin was as bright as the sun, “don’t be shy and let us hear you please!”  

She was really grateful for these two boys, they were so considerate and actually tried to be nice and welcoming, unlike some bastard who dragged her here like a sac of potatoes.

“We don’t have all day, hurry up.” Ah, speak of the devil.

But still, she couldn’t sing. Even if she wanted to, she couldn’t. Well more like she wouldn’t, she wouldn’t let herself do it.

See, here are some facts about Marinette Dupain-Cheng:

1. She hated singing, no not only that, she hated any kind of public performance in general. It all started back in 5^th grade, and long story short, due to some 'unfortunate events' Marinette has stage fright now. It wasn’t anything massive, but she still preferred to not stand in front of a crowd or relive that experience, causing her to turn down every school play or public speeches, ironic for someone who wanted to be a world famous fashion designer that was bound to do interviews and appear on TV but she'd like to tackle that problem when -or if- the time comes. The crowd surrounding her now was nothing big sure, but they were still considered strangers,  famous, rich, talented, hot, strangers at that!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
2. Her signing sucked. Ok maybe she was exaggerating a bit, her voice wasn’t that bad, but it wasn’t good enough to  be compared to Brian’s or the others’ voices. Her mom and the few of her friends that had accidentally heard her sing said that it was really beautiful and that she should show her talent more but she absolutely disagreed. Her talent was designing and making clothes, signing was just something she would occasionally do in the safety of her bedroom or in the shower, not demonstrating it in front of real singers! Plus her voice would most likely be different from Brian’s and she would only cause him trouble later on.                   

“Still if I don’t do anything then it’s all over for him.”  The only reason she agreed to do this was to save someone’s dream, she wanted to help him achieve his goal, she wanted him to have the chance that she couldn’t have.

“What would you do if it all crashed down in front of you…”  “You would be happy if someone came along and offered to save it all by just one simple gesture, wouldn’t you…” Plagg’s words from that morning echoed in her mind and she found her heart clenching in sorrow, “please save this boy’s dreams!”

“And that’s exactly what I’m going to do.”

She knew she would most likely fuck the whole thing up, but she was still ready to try and fight for this boy's dream which had become her responsibility now. Even if she didn’t succeed, then she would at least be in peace knowing that she tried.

“It doesn’t matter if you succeeded or scored first place, sweetie, all that matters is that you did your best and gave it your all. Remember never give up Marinette ." 

Those were the words that her father had always told her whenever she would fail at some competition or just be frustrated with a design that didn’t meet her expectations, she held dearly to them, making it a necessity to always give her best, and that’s exactly what she was going to do right now. She may not be a singer, but she will still try, for herself, for Brian, and for her dad.

She took a few extra moments to think of an appropriate song, -Jagged Stone’s songs were too much for her poor vocal cords and she didn’t feel like signing a happy pop song either because the atmosphere was too tense and gloomy let's face it-.

She took a deep breath and held the mic closer to her, she ignored the muffled ‘finally’ that the blond had said and instead tried to concentrate, imagining that it was only her in her small bedroom, holding her brush and signing to one of her dolls. And it worked perfectly.

[Antidote by Faith Marie]:

Finding refuge in my own lies

"How are you"

"I'm doing alright"

Small talk is a great disguise

Just let me be just let me be

Saying Plagg was shocked was an understatement. The man had felt like his soul was brought back to him, and he thanked every star, every god, every deity that was listening that this girl could sing. It wasn’t like Brian’s but it was indeed similar enough and dare he says, her voice was truly an angelic one.

Just behind him, Bob had stopped his employee from opening the door and was now listening carefully, he turned to Duusu and gave her a sharp approving nod, said the woman only sighed in defeat once more.

Empty thoughts start to crowd my mind

Am I only living, living to survive?

Shake it off but I've lost the drive

Just let me be just let me be

Let me be, okay

Meanwhile, Félix eyed the boy in silence, his expression giving nothing away. His two friends, on the other hand, were rather enjoying it.

Adrien nodded his head to the beat, impressed by Brian’s signing, while Luka closed his eyes and hummed in satisfaction. He smiled before motioning to the piano that was placed in the room, and the green-eyed blond took this as his signal to start playing an accompanying melody that suited the song.

Marinette faintly smiled as the sound of the piano filled her ears, and it made herfeel slightly more confident.

No one knows what goes on up inside my head

There's a new kind of poison and it's starting to spread

No one knows what goes on up inside my head

They don't think I need help

But I'm scaring myself

I just want to be ok

I just want to be ok

Félix wouldn’t voice his thoughts out loud, but he found this boy’s voice... Shocking? Satisfying? No, the most suitable word would be acceptable. It was far from perfect and a bit too feminine-even though the resume did say that his voice was soft and a bit girlish-

He personally thought that a famous band such as themselves could do better, but then again he did listen to some clips sent by amateur singers who wanted to join the agency, and honestly speaking, Brian was fairly better than most of them.

Still, Félix didn’t like this boy one bit, something was off, something in his gut told him to not let himself be fooled by the ravenette. And no, he was absolutely sure that it had nothing to do with the fact that a complete stranger was going to intrude on their small group and replace one of the few people he considered as a tolerable friend, no it definitely wasn’t that.

All the voices in my head are coming to life

They're getting louder and I'm terrified

How do you run from your own mind?

Is this what I've become?

Take it back what have I done

No one knows what goes on up inside my head

There's a new kind of poison and it's starting to spread

No one knows what goes on up inside my head

They don't think I need help

But I'm scaring myself

I just want to be ok

I just want to be ok

“You’re doing great Marinette, just a little bit more!” Plagg secretly cheered as he wiped the sweat from his face.

No one knows what goes on up inside my head

There is a new kind of poison and starting to spread

But I didn’t think the antidote was in my hands

I can change my plans I can change my plans

I tried to find my reflection on the glass

But all I ever saw were the things I lacked

All the smudges on the mirror made me go insane

All I ever thought I was

Was a mistake

“Wow! Are you sure it’s a boy who’s signing this?” one of the men who were in the control room whispered to his friend.

“Yeah, I guess so.” The other one responded in aw, “I heard it’s the new recruit who will take Nathaniel’s place, he was actually recommended by Plagg.”

“To think that old lazy bum could find such a talent.”

No one knows what goes on up inside my head

There's a new kind of poison and it's starting to spread

No one knows what goes on up inside my head

Up inside my head

Up inside my head

The ravenette let out a deep breath before opening her eyes, she kept her gaze to the ground, too scared to look at any of the others’ expressions. “I hope it wasn't that bad! please let it be good enough for that stuck up jerk!"

“Brian!” Plagg burst through the door as soon as it was opened, “That. Was. Amazing.” He leaned on her, trying to catch his breaths. One would think he just ran a marathon from all the sweat and heavy panting.

“Gotta admit Plagg, ya do know how to pick ‘em.” Bob smiled from the doorway before turning to the boys, “isn’t that right boys?” the question was mostly directed at the blond boy who had a deep frown on his face.

Félix took a good look at the ravenette, before letting a dry unamused chuckle and storming out of the room. 

"What’s his problem?”  Marinette rolled her eyes remembering the incident from this morning, it seemed that this Félix guy acted cold and bitchy to everyone, “yeah, well now I know I’ll never be one of his fans for sure.”

“Don’t worry, I'm pretty sure that means he accepts you in Félix language.” the cat-like male added while giving a proud smirk.

“What about ya two? Luka you’re the one with the ‘musical vision’, what do ya think?”

“it's good. I think you’ll be a great addition to the team. Félix seems to acknowledge you as well so welcome to the band, Brian.” He gave her a pat on the head and a sincere smile. Adrien gave her two thumps up as well while she awkwardly smiled in gratitude.

“Good. I think I’m gonna faint now, or puke, maybe both.”

Plagg stood patiently outside the dressing room, waiting for the girl to finish up.

After everything was settled up, the two made their way out of the agency and drove back to ‘Oh-la-la!’ so Marinette can change her clothes safely-the same cashier from earlier had welcomed them with a bored expression and a dry “we don’t have a returning policy, sorry.”  Plagg had been too happy to argue and brushed it away saying that he would take the clothes anyway, and give them to Brian as a congratulatory gift-.

The entire trip had been filled with ‘thank you’ and ‘we’re saved’ with the man retelling all of the audition again with much more exaggerations. He had also kept asking her questions like ‘where did you learn to sing like that' and ‘why hadn’t you told me you could sing’. Marinette didn’t honestly know the answer either, but she couldn’t help but feel happy and proud for not only accomplishing their original goal but for also facing her fear, as a personal reward; she promised she would swing by the convenience store and get herself some Ice cream.

“And...Done!” the half Chinese girl exclaimed as she walked out of the changing room. She sighed as she smoothed down her pink dress, happy that she was back in the comfort of her own clothes. She handed him the previous outfit and they started heading to the exit.

“I would say that went pretty smoothly, what a great experience, huh?” the man asked while leaning on his car.

“Sure if you can call almost getting caught and arrested, jeopardizing every chance that boy had in the music industry, making enemies with the bandleader and finally me puking in your car: a ‘great experience’ then yeah, I totally learned something.” She chuckled humorlessly and put her helmet on.

“Oh, and what did you learn?”

“To never do deliveries for a lazy cat-like men who work for famous talent agencies.” She deadpanned, half-serious.

Plagg laughed a bit, before letting a deep sigh and regaining his composure,  "seriously though, thank you kid. You really saved our asses there, I’m forever in your debt.“, he gave a small curtsy bow and continued, “you can count on me for being a regular at your bakery from now on. Also Ikinda noticed you freaking out when we saw Jagged Stone on the way out, are you a fan? If so I can get you an autograph or a private meet-and-greet with him, you can also call me or come see me if you ever need anything, just tell them my name and-”

“Really Mr. Plagg there's no need, and you’re welcome.” She cut him off, feeling too tired to stay here any longer-although she would probably take him on for that Jagged Stone offer, or perhaps ask him if he can get her a job at the agency in the near future….well it can wait, because all she wanted to do now was go home, take a shower, and maybe marry her bed.

She got on her scooter and turned it on before looking at the man again, “wish Brian good luck for me, and tell him to never give up on his dream and to keep fighting no matter what. I’ll be cheering for him!”

Plagg grinned and nodded as the girl started to fade away in the busy Parisian streets. He smiled to himself once more and got in his car.

Just as he was about to drive off, his phone started ringing. He fished it up from his pocket and grinned when he saw the caller’s ID.

“Well if it isn’t the man of the hour! I got great news for you buddy.”

{Yeah? Well, I got terrible news for you.} Plagg raised an eyebrow at the angry and irritated voice coming from the other end of the call but decided to deliver what he had to say first in hope that it will lighten up the boy’s mood.

“What’re you talking about Bri? The plan worked perfectly! No one suspected it wasn’t you, they were even impressed when she sang and deemed her, which means you, worthy to be in the band! Everything is perfect we just need you to come back in two days and-” for the third time that day, -or maybe fifth? Seriously people kept cutting him off so often that he had lost count by now-, he was cut off before he could complete his sentence.

{News flash old man: Everything is NOT perfect!  We’re fucked, and it's all because of you and your stupid half-assed plans!}

Chapter Text

Edited: 09/07/2021

A second encounter

“Aaaand time for a break !” the ravenette yawned while stretching her arms and leaning back in her chair.

A week had passed since her fateful encounter with that crazy cat-like manager, a week since she broke every self-rule she had put for herself and impersonated a soon to be famous singer, a week since she saved someone’s dream, and she was low-key happy and proud of herself for it.

To be honest, the complete experience felt kind of surreal,  she wouldn’t have imagined ever doing something like that -and would never do it again for the matter-.

Nonetheless, all that crazy stuff had inspired her to work harder and aim to achieve her own dream as well, she was ready to give it an honest shot now and put some work in her portfolio.

She fished her phone and started scrolling through some pages, “hmm, still nothing.” She murmured with a small pout gracing her features.

If one was to check on her search history, then they would find a hoard of articles and websites that specialized in releasing the latest news about 4Bs, news about the new member to be more precise.

But can you blame her? Marinette wanted to know if her efforts had paid off sure, but most importantly she wanted to see her so-called male version in action, she kind of wanted to meet him, to be honest, and maybe learn more about him, especially after she was unable to ask her mother about a possible sibling or anything like that, it was just an uncomfortable topic that she would rather avoid.

“Marinette are you busy?” her mom suddenly popped out from the trap door and Marinette had to take a moment to regain her composure and calm her beating heart, she hated when her mother surprised her like that.

“Nah, just trying to make myself sound more talented and desirable as a scholarship student.” She motioned to her desk before getting up and heading out of her room.

“Don’t say that! You are talented and amazing sweetie, and I’m not saying that just because I’m your mom, it’s only the truth!” She held a scolding finger while the ravenette chuckled and let a small ‘thanks’, “but I think the meeting with your friend went very well, huh?”

Marinette tensed a bit at her mother's sudden interest and tried to play it cool, “what m-made you think that?”

Sabine gave her daughter a big smile and continued, “You just seem more lively and happier, you’ve been working hard ever since you came back too! You're more like the old you..."

“Yeah I guess…” the atmosphere was getting heavy and the sad smile and distant look on Sabine’s face only urged Marinette to hurry up and lighten the mood, “so did you need anything?”

“Ah yes! Did you change your mind? About Nadja’s housewarming party, I mean?”

“No, I’m good.” She gave an awkward smile and shook her head.

She knew the party will most likely be her; surrounded by older women whose favorite topic was her life choices, you know the usual: “what do you plan for the future?” “Do you have a job yet?” “Any special someone in your life?” “You should start thinking about marriage and children!” “I have a son just your age and you’re just perfect for each other!”….and the list goes on, she could already see herself getting both tired and embarrassed, which will lead her to go play with little Manon and her friends-which she didn’t really mind since she was used to babysitting the younger girl since she was five years old, but she wasn’t in the mood to any…socializing right now-.

“just go without me, mom.” She smiled at her and turned around, ready to go back to her room.

“Then, can you please watch over the bakery for me? Nothing serious, just run the front desk for half an hour or so, that’s when Amy should be back.” Marinette nodded and reassured her mother that she would take care of everything.

“That would be 3€, madam.” The ravenette said while handing the woman her paper bag, she took it and paid for her croissants before departing, waving a hand at Marinette, “thanks for buying from our bakery, come back again!”

“Another customer done.”, she hummed and picked up her pencil, returning to her sketching. The work at the bakery had been a bit slow today, so Marinette took the chance to unleash her creativity and add more designs to her new sketchbook.

The little bell suddenly rang, indicating that someone had walked through the door. The half Chinese girl sighed and closed her sketchbook, directing her attention to the newcomer.

“Welcome to Tom & Sabine Boulangerie Patisserie, how can I…wait…Mr. Plagg?!”  Of all the people living in Paris, Marinette did not expect- nor was she pleased- the cat-like man to show up anytime soon in her life. She blinked again just to make sure it was actually him.

And indeed it was Plagg. If the disheveled hair or the same dirty clothes hadn't given him away enough, then the huge grin he cast her way definitely did.

The ravenette found herself gulping hard. She had a bad feeling about this, still, she hoped that Plagg only came here to get some pastries as he had promised before and nothing else that involved more scamming.

“Yep! The one and only!” he took off his sunglasses and winked at her, causing her to roll her eyes in disgust.

“So what can I get you?” she raised an eyebrow upon noticing his tense smile and sweaty face, and sighed in frustration,  “this isn’t about food, is it?” he shook his head and she sighed again while messaging her temples, “I know I’ll regret this but, why did you come here Mr. Plagg?”

“Just to chat!” he grinned sheepishly and she gave him the ‘wanna-try-that-again?’ look, to which he let out a breath and continued, “It’s a long story, and it’d be better if we talked somewhere else.” He cast a dirty glance to a girl behind him that was admiring the displayed treats.

“Sorry but I’m busy right now.” He was about to say something but she quickly raised a hand to stop him, “and before you ask, no I can’t just ditch it even if it’s for a while.”

He groaned in annoyance and disappointment, “fine, how long it will take?”

“Half an hour. Maybe more.”

“Alright, I’ll wait.” He leaned on the counter and took a lollipop from the jar that was meant for the little kids that visited the bakery.

“Yeah, not gonna happen. You’re scaring the customers Mr. Plagg.” She motioned to the little girl that kept giving him suspicious glances, “so I’ll have to kindly ask you to leave. Immediately.” 

Although she had a sweet smile on her face, her menacing tone and dark glare left no room for arguments. Plagg knew better than to piss off a woman who was in a bad mood and had attainable and dangerous kitchen utensils at hand-he had had his fair share of romantic relationships and he worked with two maniac women on the daily, so he knew when to back off-.

“I’ll just take a stroll around or something, but you better not escape! I know where you live!” that sounded creepy, with a final huff, the green-eyed man finally left with the candy still in his mouth.

Meanwhile, Marinette tried to calm the previous girl that kept shouting and insisting that she saw that man on TV before, “Dammit! Nothing goes right when that man is involved!”

“Please get a hint.” Exactly 45 minutes later-she knew because she had impatiently counted each minute herself-, Marinette had regretted ever asking Plagg to leave.

You see when he had said he would take a walk around, she didn’t expect him to come back every ten minutes or so to ‘check on her’.

Oh and that wasn't even the worst part. You see, whenever he came back, he wouldn’t enter the shop and ask if she was done like any annoying civilized person would do, oh no, he was the creepy annoying type that would stick their face against the glass and keep staring at the people inside with angry glances, his black sunglasses -and whole attire in general-only made him more suspicious, which caused; you guessed it! Terrified customers and an irritated Marinette, who was done with all this shit and was ready to call the police.

“Miss, there’s a scary man outside your bakery!”

“Yes, I know p-please don’t worry about it.”

“Honey I don’t want to scare you but I think there’s a thug that’s stalking you, do you want me to help?”

“Thank you, mam, I’m aware of that and there’s no need.”

“Are you sure? My husband's in the police he can take care of it, you don’t need to be afraid of this criminal!”

“H-he’s not a criminal; he's just a very odd friend of m-mine, that’s all!”

The worst part of these awkward conversations was the fact that the customers hardly believed her lame excuses and thought she was being threatened. Plagg hadn't seemed to notice anything either or be bothered by it, and just kept his position.

At that point, Marinette was fed with everything, so when Amy walked through the door waltzing like the queen she was, the ravenette wasted no time in taking off her apron and leaving the counter, ready to go out and give Plagg a piece of her mind.

“Why the rush?” Amy teased while tying up her golden locks, “I know I’m a bit late, but I didn’t know you hated handling the front this much.”

“It’s not that, I just have some stuff I need to take care of,” the ravenette replied while walking to the door.

“Ah, just so you know, a creepy man is circling the area, so be careful, ok?”

“I know.” She was met with a dark expression which caused her to get a bit concerned.

“Should I be worried? Or maybe prevent you from going out?” she asked half-jokingly but regained a serious expression when the girl didn’t respond but rather looked like she was contemplating the idea.

Amy hummed in understanding before grabbing her bag and fishing a black and red bottle.

“Take this, and don’t be afraid of using it, as a fellow girl and dating expert I can guarantee that it’s efficient. Also if you don’t come back in an hour or don’t respond to my texts, then I will call the cops.” The ravenette took the bottle and read the label.

“Pepper spray...Why?” Amy quickly took Mari’s hands and gave her a serious look.

“Listen carefully Marinette. It’s time to have a talk-and no, not that kind of talk, don't make that face-, from a woman to woman, a friend to friend, a fellow college student to her boss’s daughter soon to be…”

“I get it, Amy, please continue, I’m in a hurry.”

The hazel-eyed female cleared her throat and spoke up, “Right. See as a lady, you’ll face many obstacles and difficulties in life, and while some can be resolved with your awesome good looks and incredible wits, some will demand some drastic measures. In your journey to adulthood, and more specifically womanhood, this…” she held the Pepper spray high in the sky, “this will be your most trustworthy ally in this dark world full of injustice. So embrace it proudly and use it wisely with no hesitation, don’t wait for a man to come and save you my dear flower, take matters into your own hands!” she finished with a dramatic pose, and Marinette couldn't help but chuckle.

“Umm, did you just copy that weird online commercial?”

“Yes! But I added some parts too.” The blonde girl answered proudly, still in her previous position, “Now off you go! And don’t forget to take it everywhere, and I mean EVERYWHERE! You’ll thank me later.”

“Sure.” Marinette shrugged but decided to put the bottle in her messenger bag anyway, “see you later!”

A short while later -and after struggling to find Mr. Plagg who decided to fight a poor old man over the best type of cheese to go with wine- the two were finally seated at a nearby café, with the man silently sipping his black coffee eyeing the girl in front of him.

“So, what did you want to talk about?” the ravenette started while fidgeting with her cup of tea. It caused the man to slightly choke on his drink and to start coughing.

“Whaaaat?! I just wanted to thank you and spend time with one of my new favorite people in the world!” he gave her a grin but she saw right through it, and she rolled her eyes in annoyance at his fake act.

“We both know that’s not true Mr. Plagg, so just cut to the chase please.” She took a sip from her cup but kept a sharp glance on him.

When a few minutes passed and the man still didn’t speak, she decided to slightly change the subject, “you know, I’ve been reading articles and watching videos about the band, and it seems that Brian still hadn’t made any official appearances, is everything alright?” the way Plagg flinched meant that she had hit the spot.

“A-actually, this is why I wanted to talk to you,” he ruffled his hair nervously and Marinette held her breath in anticipation. Seeing the usually bold and energetic man acting all tense and hesitant meant that something was seriously wrong. “I don’t know how to say this, so I’ll just blurt it out as it is."

“Marinette, how do you feel about spending 5 months with 4Bs, as Brian of course. You won’t even live with the entire band, just Luka, Félix, and Adrien since Nate is away. You’ll have your own room in the villa so no one will bother you, and the work is pretty easy, I’m sure you’ll be able to handle it just fine!”

He let a deep breath and looked at her expectedly. Marinette chuckled nervously, the corner of her left eye twitching a bit. 

She starred at the cat-like man in front of her with disbelief like he had grown two heads. And after what felt like an eternity with him starring back, she finally snapped out of her shock and spoke up.

"You're not kidding." He shook his head and she took a deep breath.

 "Ok, let me get this straight. You want ME to spend 5 months with three famous attractive boys in their super huge villa, all the way while skipping school AND pretending to be a boy too!" the man gave her a sheepish grin as if confirming what little doubt and hope she had of all of this just being a bad joke.

At that instant, Marinette Dupain Cheng knew that she was fucked up, yep she was in some deep shit right now. And what was the best way to deal with these situations? Run as fast as you can of course.

“Mr. Plagg, I think you should see a psychologist, or maybe a psychiatrist.” She whispered hurriedly before getting up and taking a few steps away from the table, “please stop following me and coming to my house, or else I-I’ll…C-Call the police!”

“Wait! Please! Let’s negotiate or something!” Plagg got up as well and inched closer to her, causing the customers to give them questioning looks.

“No way! You’re way out of your mind if you think I’ll agree! I don’t care what Brian’s excuse is this time but it’s not my problem! He should’ve known better than get in this mess if he couldn’t handle it in the first place!”

“It’s because he has cancer, ok!” Plagg suddenly shouted, and Marinette immediately stilled as silence filled the small coffee shop.

A beat of silence and the customers finally irrupted into hushed whispers and stray comments about the odd due that had just caused a scene.

Plagg walked back to his seat and held his head in his hands, the ravenette felt too awkward and guilty to leave just like that so she sat down as well and waited for him to speak.

“He…He’s been going to the hospital for a while now and …” he took a deep breath and started shaking lightly, “ he was diagnosed with… Eye cancer.”

Marinette gaped a little and lowered her head feeling a bit of shame for thinking that Brian was just lazy and manipulative.

Her heart beat faster as memories of her father rushed to her and she tried so hard to push down all the hurt and negative feelings, “I’m…I’m truly sorry. W-will he…?”

“Oh, no, no! There’s still hope, I guess. You know they’re doing tests, surgery, radiotherapy, and stuff like that…Though it will take around 5 months, maybe more, for him to be perfectly cured…”

“I see…” Marinette took a deep breath trying to calm her thoughts, even if this was the case, she couldn’t possibly agree.

This demand was beyond possible, her mom would never ever let her do something like that. School will start in two to three months and even if it’s college she couldn’t simply drop out and skip all her lessons, and what about her own dream? She was finally trying to achieve her goal now! She can’t give it all up just for him.

"you weren't able to help your dad. But maybe you could help him."

No, she couldn't. Yes, it broke her heart that she can't help him and it hurt really, but everything had a limit, she couldn’t ruin her future and life for his sake, it was selfish, but she was just a human after all and her kindness and selflessness can reach an end as well.

“You’ll be paid! As much as you want, just say your price! Or if you want anything else I’ll be sure to grant it for you, anything!” he clasped his hands and begged her, “Please, just until he recovers!”

Marinette closed her eyes and shook her head slowly, “it’s not about money, I just can’t do it. Something like that shouldn’t be asked from a random stranger, it’s not something that even the kindest can easily agree to. Please understand that, morals about me being a girl living with three boys along with the  fact of how dangerous and illegal it is to fake identities aside, I still have my own life, my dreams, my family, my future and I can’t just abandon it all like that.”

She took a quick glance at him and seeing his sad expression only caused more guilt and sadness to build up, “I think the best course of action here is to try and explain the situation to Mr. Ross and the others, I’m sure they’ll understand. Or if you really must resort to deceit, then maybe consider hiring a professional actor?”

She tried to smile and lighten the mood a bit, but Plagg seemed to be completely drowned in despair, his head hung low and his eyes lost that mischief vibe, he didn’t seem as energetic as he was back when they first met, he didn’t even attempt to give her those stupid arguments so she would agree to his grand plan, so she guessed he did indeed understand the seriousness of the situation and how it greatly affected her. she felt relieved that he was aware of how difficult his request was and that he respected her opinions enough to not try and make her more uncomfortable.

With a heavy heart, she stood up and slightly bowed her head in respect, “I’m truly sorry for Brian, and also for not being able to help him…But, i-if there’s anything else I can do other than…this, then please don’t hesitate in coming to me. I hope he'll get better soon. Thanks for the drinks.”

She walked out of the café, deciding to go to the park instead of heading home, feeling the need to clear her mind and regain her composure a bit-she’ll have to text Amy first though, for all she knows, the girl could be organizing a search party by now.

“Wait!” she stopped and waited for Plagg to catch up to her, “here’s my card, I still owe you after all. And…If you ever change your mind… just call or text ok?” he gave a weak smile, and Marinette could only nod and take the small paper as the man walked in the opposite direction.

“Ugh!” Marinette groaned silently in her pillow before lying on her back. It was past midnight and she couldn’t sleep, no scratch that, she couldn’t do anything today, not even think straight.

After that meeting with Plagg, her mind was clouded by all the different thoughts, from regret and sadness to possible solutions and ways she could help but nothing was right.

The hurricane of emotions only brought her mood down and affected all her usual activities. Even when her mom told her about her afternoon and all the jokes that were exchanged at Nadja’s, it still didn’t cheer her up.

She had hoped that she could just sleep all her worries away and that tomorrow could be better, but apparently, the universe just liked to see her miserable.

With a deep sigh, she decided to go downstairs and get herself a quick snack and maybe a warm cup of milk to help her sleep.

However, when she neared the kitchen, she could see that the lights were turned on, which was really odd considering that her mom was an early sleeper. The ravenette gulped and feared the worst as she slowly made her way to the door.

She sighed in relief when she heard her mom’s voice.

Her happiness was cut short when she heard what exactly her mom was saying though.

“There are so many taxes this time, the business is really slow too, then there’s Henry and Amy's payments and Marinette’s college tuitions, and I just….I-I don’t know what to do anymore."

Marinette took a quick peek inside, only to see Sabine seated at the dining table, papers scattered everywhere, and a framed picture of Tom lying in front of her.

“Ever since you left nothing has been the same anymore. I'm trying to stay strong Tom, tell myself that everything will be fine but…I just don’t know...We can’t borrow any more money, we still have some debt after all and I truly don’t want to sell the scooter, it was your last gift, and Marinette…No, we treasure it dearly. I want to support our daughter with her dream, I know that you would have done the same If you were here, but w-what can I do…”

The poor woman couldn’t take it anymore and burst into tears. Marinette bit down her lip trying to hold back her own tears.

She quickly but silently made her way back to her room. She wanted to comfort her mom but she couldn’t, she was too weak, she'd just end up crying while her mom did all the comforting.

She also knew that if she tried talking to Sabine, the woman would only brush her worries away and smile like it was nothing, she would rather bottle it all inside instead of worrying her daughter or possibly ask her to make some sacrifices even if Marinette was more than willing to do anything to find a job and help out.

But if Marinette can’t help with words or direct actions, then there was only one thing left to do.

With shaky hands, she reached for the small card on her desk then grabbed her phone and decided to go out to the balcony so she wouldn’t make any noise.

Every cell in her brain screamed at her that what she was about to do was wrong and dangerous, that she would eventually regret it, but she didn’t care, seeing her mom in that state crushed her heart and made her feel so weak and useless for not being able to do something and ease their sorrows, and knowing that the woman wouldn’t accept any of the more ‘normal’ ways to help only made her more determined to do it.

It may be wrong, she may regret it, it will cost her mother’s trust but she was willing to risk it, for her mom and for her dad, she refused to be a burden, she refused to drop everything on Sabine's shoulder.

She will help, in her own way.

She typed the number and hesitated a bit, thinking about her choices once more. At one point she almost opted for calling tomorrow since it was too late but she didn’t trust herself to stay as determined the next day.

She finally selected the dial option and waited, it rang one time, then another one, a third one, and Marinette started losing hope that he will pick up. “Maybe he’s already asleep, or busy with…”

{Hello? Who is this? Do you know what time is it?!} Her thoughts were interrupted as a voice exclaimed from the other end.

She took a deep breath and prepared herself for the words that were to leave her mouth, words she wasn’t sure she would be thankful she said them or be sorry she even thought of them later on.

“Mr. Plagg, it’s Marinette. I… Can we meet up tomorrow in the same café? I have something to discuss.”

Chapter Text

Edited: 12/07/2021

And they meet…

Marinette fumbled with her shirt as she waited for Plagg to arrive. Her orange juice was long forgotten as she tried to ease her mind by reciting the things she needed to say to the cat-like man.

Her waiting was cut short as the bell to the café signaled a new customer, she tilted her head in the direction of the door to find Plagg. The man noticed her immediately and slowly made his way to her table, taking a seat in front of her.

“Mr. Plagg” Marinette greeted nonchalantly, trying her best to maintain what she believed to be a stoic and professional expression.

“Marinette.” The man answered in an identical tone while taking off his sunglasses.

There was a brief pose where the two just stared blankly at one another, studying each other and waiting for one of them to make the first move.

“Want anything to drink? It’s on me this time.” The ravenette was the one to break the silence first, 

Plagg shook his head and declined politely, his expression morphed into a sickly one as he remembered the many, many gallons of iced coffee that he had consumed the previous night and he shuddered at the memory. He doubted that he would be able to even look at the thing ever again. Scratch that, he didn't think his stomach would be able to handle any kind of caffeine for a while.

Marinette ignored the look on his face and decided to dive straight into the subject. “So, about what I said yesterday, well technically this morning.”

“Yeah, you said you thought about it and you changed your mind. “He paused and contemplated on whether he should go for it and ask the obvious question or not, at the end he did, “so I get you’re gonna do it now?”

Marinette shifted her gaze away and nervously played with her glass, “I…I am. B-but I have a couple of…um…conditions.”

“Of course your highness” Plagg rolled his eyes with a knowing smirk and motioned to her to continue.

“F-first, I would like my fair share of…you know, the incomes. I’m not saying you need to pay me for doing this, I mean I am, but I’ll be doing all the work so I deserve something as well, you know.”

Plagg gave a dr chuckle and looked at her with boredom, “huh, so it’s like that after all. Alright, go on.”

Marinette raised an eyebrow at his answer, “what do you mean ‘like that’?”

“It’s nothing don’t worry about it.” He waved his hand dismissively, but it only urged her to know more, she narrowed her eyes at him causing Plagg to roll his eyes, “you know, it’s just that people change their minds immediately when money's involved, there’s nothing wrong with that though like I get it.”

The ravenette bit her lips and clenched her fists under the table to remain calm. She knew that he did have a point, she was doing this for the money, but the way he put it...It just made her seem like some gold digger or someone who would sell their morals away for the sake of money, and she wasn’t like that!

Marinette usually never cared what people who weren’t close to her thought about her, but that didn’t mean that she wouldn’t defend herself when insulted, she wasn’t about to just shut up and listen to some dubiously sane man judging her when he knew nothing-absolutely nothing about her and her life.

She was angry, spent the night crying, didn't have an ounce of sleep and she didn’t care if she was being way sensitive. She didn't like this picture he had painted of her in his mind and she was letting him know that.

“Listen here Mr. Plagg, I don’t give two shits about what people like you think about me, but that doesn’t mean I’ll sit quietly and listen to you indirectly trashing me. I don’t care about your money or how much I’ll gain from this, yes I am desperate but it’s not for the reasons you think. I-I want to help my mother, and I know that this is definitely not the best way but I don’t have another choice, ok? Because trust me I'd rather not be doing this. So don’t go judging people thinking you know better because you don’t!” she panted, face flushed and eyes glaring daggers at the man.

Plagg blinked once, twice, before grinning, “ just the answer I expected."

Suddenly, his tone turned serious and his eyes softened, “Sorry kiddo, I’m not judging really, I know it must be hard without your father and all. I was just testing something, don't take it the wrong way.”

Marinette was about to apologize for her outburst as well when she suddenly caught on a very important detail. She had never mentioned her father’s absence to Plagg before. Heck, she never talked about her personal life at all! Their conversations revolved around planning, him pleading her for help, and the both of them panicking and being nervous wrecks.

She opened her mouth to ask him how the hell does he know about this but he quickly interrupted her saying that “I got my ways,” and winked.

“Anyways, don’t worry about expenses. You'll get your fair share of the money Brian -which means you- earns. A portion of the band’s earnings is taken by the company- which ensure I actually get paid-, while the rest is distributed equally between the member of 4Bs. As for you, you get 75% of Brian’s share.”

“Wow! Wait 75%? Isn’t that a bit too much? I’ll be happy with just 25%!” honestly she knew 4Bs probably gains a lot considering they’re one of the most famous bands in Paris or maybe all of France, but she couldn’t imagine explaining to her mom why and how she got all that money, to begin with. Sabine was bound to think her daughter was involved in some shady business, “plus, Brian needs the money to continue his treatment right? It will be unfair if I profit from using his name while he suffers.”

“When you put it like that…I guess we can work with fifty-fifty then? But you’ll have to work hard since how much the band earns changes depending on your fans and your performance, it’s a matter of reputation you know?”

The ravenette nodded and gave a determined look, “don’t worry, I’ll take it seriously and do my best.”

“Good. Anything else princess?” he looked at his watch and frowned a bit, they were going to be late.

“Yes. I should let you know that apart from my piano class in seventh grade and some signing done in the shower, I don’t have any experience with music, instruments, or signing.” She really hoped he can arrange for her to take some lessons in whatever instrument she needed to play because she didn’t want to show up to rehearsals as clueless and inexperienced as she was last time, she refused to make a fool of herself in front of that stuck-up blond, or his friends even though they were quite friendly.

“No worries, it’s all been taking care of. I’ll personally make sure you learn all the knots of the show biz world along with what it takes to be a perfect member of 4Bs!” He smirked proudly and she nodded.

“Alright, what about living arrangements?”

“As I said before, you’ll be living with the boys in their private villa, and this is actually the tricky part. You’ll be given your own room and a bathroom that’s connected to it. However everything else will be shared with the boys, that’s why you must be extra careful in the way you act around them and how you interact with everyone okay?” he paused a bit while scratching his chin, “in fact I think it'll be best if you keep your distances and your interactions with them at the bare minimum. I won’t be with you at home-unlike the studio, so I won’t be able to help if something goes wrong.

"Félix and Nate are basically isolated from everyone the majority of the time, so no one would question another introverted member hopefully.”

Marinette slightly gulped and nodded, she already knew that it wouldn't be easy, but she'll have to be extra cautious all the time. One slip up and she’s dead meat.

“I’ll be careful.” She sighed then prepared for the question that had been haunting her mind ever since she made up her mind about this whole ordeal.

”Um…Last thing and this is more of a request actually. You see since I’ll officially be Brian for the next 5 months, Marinette will need an excuse for suddenly disappearing from the surface of the earth. Preferably an excuse that would fool her mother.” she gave a sheepish-pleading- grin and waited for his response.

Plagg hummed in understanding before closing his eyes and leaning back in his chair, Marinette took that as an indication that he was in deep thoughts- or as deep as Plagg’s thoughts could get anyways- and kept her mouth shut.

After a few minutes of silence, the man snapped his fingers and grinned, “you want to be a fashion designer, right?”

Again another piece of information that she was sure she did not share with this man, nonetheless she still nodded.

His smile grew wider as he got up from his seat, “perfect! Then it’s settled, let’s go!”

“Uh, what do you mean? And where are we going?”

“To put our plan in motion of course!” he fished his phone and started typing excitedly, “also there’s someone I’d like you to meet.”

  Meanwhile

Nino Lahiffe sighed for the umpteenth time that morning as he strolled through the busy Parisian streets, looking for a certain boutique.

He was very annoyed when he had received a text informing him that he needed to go to some clothes shop instead of the café that he had been inhabiting for the last hour and a half. He had that he awkwardly -yet not so swiftly- managed to leave without going through the embarrassment of explaining to the waitress that he wasn’t going to order anything even though he had spent all that time sitting uncomfortably in the corner and repeating the phrase of ‘waiting for someone’ that had apparently ditched him.

When he finally managed to arrive at his destination, he took a moment to scan the area and groaned in annoyance and disappointment when he didn’t spot any disheveled man waiting for him, “guess I’ll have to wait here like a weirdo for another hour. Joy.”

The brunet honestly didn’t know when his supposed DJ internship at Miraculous had turned into becoming Plagg’s personal assistance/errands boy.

It started simple, like the man asking him if he could get him a few documents on his way to the studio for example, but quickly escalated into bringing him coffee and cheesecakes every morning or doing all the paperwork HE was supposed to do.

And while Nino did gain a few privileges from all this unnecessary work that was NOT in the job description -like the time Plagg took him to some VIP party and introduced him to this famous DJ who gave him some pretty cool tips- it was still too much.

Yesterday’s dozen cups of iced coffee that he was forced to get from this specific shop across the city at 11 PM were quit the example of the unfair treatment he was facing every day.

Speaking of yesterday, the conversation that he had had with the 4Bs manager, along with this unplanned super-important meeting had left him feeling a bit uneasy.

“This is the last time I’m going to that place in the middle of the night.” Nino declared while slamming the coffee tray on the table in front of Plagg. Said man wasted no time in taking a cup and started gulping down its content.

“Well then, goodnight. Don't call me again unless someone's dying.” The boy started navigating through the many empty cups of iced coffee trying to make his way to the door.

“Yes, you go and leave me too…” the man replied in a bit of a slur and Nino found himself questioning if it was possible to get drunk on iced coffee. “I’m ruined, he’s ruined, it’s all goooooone!” he proceeded to collapse in a dramatic way on the table.

The DJ rolled his eyes and sighed, his boss was being a drama queen, yes, but something told him that if he didn’t say anything to comfort him, he’ll most likely never hear the end of it tomorrow.

So with a heavy breath, he propped himself next to Plagg and asked the question he had been trying to avoid, because God only knew how this man was so good at guilt-tripping him, “ok what happened?”

Plagg sniffed a bit then replied, “Brian’s chances to become a part of 4Bs are ruined, and Bob will definitely fire me after this!”

“But…I thought Brian was back and signed the contract already, right?” Nino had never seen nor talked to this Brian dude, but Plagg would never shut up about him and how suited for the band and talented he was. He had wanted to meet him but unfortunately missed his chance as it was his day off when Briand had finally decided to show up.

There was a bit of a long pause, too long, Nino thought, before the man finally spoke again, “Yeah, he did. But he had to go back for treatment…” his voice was hesitant and barely above a whisper as he spoke. It was weird and out of character for Plagg. It made Nino worry.

“W-why? Is he okay?”

“No….he…he has cancer.” The man’s face was covered with his arms, so Nino couldn’t see his expression, but the way his voice just cracked confirmed that he wasn’t messing around, telling one of his dark jokes as usual.

“Oh…I’m sorry… “ He was at a loss of word. he had never been good at comforting people in this kind of situation- time has proven as much. Still he attempted to pat Plagg on the back as his eyes shifted across the room trying to find something to say.

And that’s when he saw it.

A small picture, placed on the table between the mass of documents and coffee cups. “Wait…is that….” He found himself reaching for the picture; taking it hesitantly and inspecting it closely.

Sensing the sudden quiet atmosphere, Plagg raised his head and peeked at the young adult. He was about to ask what’s wrong when Nino turned to him, eyes wide and mouth agape in awe as he pointed to the picture in his hand.

“Is…Is this…Brian?”

“Yeah…Why?” Plagg raised an eyebrow as the boy’s expression morphed from shock to realization to…was that sadness, or maybe hurt? He wasn't sure what it was but something in the boy's eyes told him there was a heavy story behind all of this.

“It’s just…he looks like someone I know, well more like used to know…”  He sighed but his eyes never left the photo.

“Someone you know?” Plagg had this sudden feeling, a small suspicion, an idea that he wanted-no,needed to confirm. “It couldn’t be that he knows…” He thought to himself warily.

“Yeah, a girl actually.” There was a hint of nostalgia mixed with sadness as he spoke, “we were good friends…until I messed it all up.”

Bingo! The cat-like man knew exactly who he was referring to- unless of course Brian just had that common of a face, which also you know could be useful- he decided to humor him and feed his own curiosity, “really? What happened?”

“Well, I guess…” he hesitated a bit before continuing, “her dad died, he was a cool dude you know, super kind and so supportive, but I wasn’t there with her when she needed me. Then life happened and I moved away, and yeah…we lost connection.”

“Oh…” Plagg answered nonchalantly, his brain already coming up with a small plan that may solve his problem. “So, you don’t want to reconcile with her?”

“I don’t know dude, I mean her family’s bakery is a few blocks away from my house but…She’s probably too busy with her life, she always wanted to be a fashion designer, I’m sure she doesn’t have time for my sorry sad ass.” He chuckled humorlessly then put the picture back on the table.

“Yeah…” the man hummed in thoughts, and then quickly got up, “alright, I think it’s time to call it a night!” he helped the boy up then proceeded to push him to the door.

“W-wait, what?! Are you going to be ok? I…” Nino tried to protest but was immediately interrupted.

“Nope, I’m good. Now go home and sleep.” He shoved him outside then grinned, “make sure to keep your phone close tomorrow, there’s someone I may introduce to you if everything go as planned! Good night!”

The man shut the door and Nino was left speechless as he tried to understand what had just happened, one moment they were having an honest heart-to-heart and the next he was being shoved out.

He sighed then turned around ready to go back home. It wasn’t until he was laying comfortably on his bed that a sick and uneasy feeling hit him.

Plagg was a…unpredictable man, to put it nicely, and although he had good intentions most of the time, he still chose to follow roundabout methods without minding the feelings of those involved. And with him in this dejected state, he could do about anything.

Now the crazy things that that man could do were quite a lot, but for Nino, all the possiblities seemed to point at one half-Chinese girl.

The brunet hoped he was just paranoid and overthinking things, but he also prayed that his former friend won’t get wrapped up in this whole mess.

Just as Nino was about to fish his phone to help distract him, he caught sight of a familiar black car pulling a few feet away from him. He frowned and started walking towards it, ready to give the man a piece of his mind.

Then suddenly, he froze.

Plagg wasn’t alone. There was a girl around Nino’s age with him, a very familiar girl actually, looking as annoyed as he was at the man. She titled her head and their eyes met.

Nino gulped, feeling very cold and sweaty at the same time while his heart was bearing so loud he could barely hear anything else.

“No it can’t be…"  Plagg had really gone and did it.

He tried to speak but the words got caught in his throat, and no matter how hard he tried he couldn’t find his voice.

“N-Nino?”

“Marinette…”

Chapter Text

Edited: 20/07/2021

Explanations

“N-Nino?”

“Marinette…”

In this particularly awkward situation, Nino Lahiffe had found himself listing down three options for what he wanted to do next:

1. Hug Marinette. He wanted to do that and apologize to her. He had been the worst friend possible and abandoned her when she needed him most. He felt deep regret for his past actions. If he could, he would give anything to just go back in time and give his stupid past self a big slap and knock some sense into it.

2. Punch Plagg, scream at him, curse him, anything to express the frustration and anger he was feeling toward the man right now. How dare he get Marinette involved in whatever schemes he was planning. Plagg was way more sly and sneaky than he let on, and his best friend was so kind -too kind- and was probably tricked into doing whatever the hell Plagg was planning to make her do by bringing her here.

In a way Nino had called it, he knew he had made a grave mistake by bringing her into the conversation yesterday, and he briefly wondered if the person Plagg had intended to introduce him to was actually Marinette all along, he wouldn’t be too surprised if that was the case.

3. Run. Yes, he wanted to flee from the scene and maybe go cry somewhere private. He was a coward, he knew it, he was so disgusted with himself for thinking of this option and he hated himself for being so eager to go with it, but he couldn’t face her, he just couldn’t. He had hurt her, and she probably hates him now. So in all honestly, he would rather live with the burden of not experiencing her anger and disappointment rather than facing it first hand.

The gears inside Nino’s brain had started thinking of the best route when he suddenly felt something crashing in his chest and enveloping him tightly.

Marinette had launched at him, crushing his bones in a bear hug. Nino’s hands quickly found themselves around her as well, and he took in the familiar warmth.

“I m-missed you, you….you i-idiot!” she was shaking, her voice cracking at the end, and he tried his best to fight the smile that was creeping to his face.

“Me-me too…” he sighed.

He had really missed her, missed their night-long video gaming sessions, how she always invited him to sleep over and begged him to let her do his nails, how they would criticize each other’s work- a new design she had come up with or a remix he had recently composed- he had missed talking to her about everything and anything, having a shoulder to cry on and an ear to vent to, he had really missed his best friend so much.

The hug lasted a couple of minutes before Marinette pulled away, she raised her head and looked at him, eyes narrowed with tears threatening to fall at any given moment. She frowned, and Nino was too busy contemplating the new high difference between them and how Marinette was somehow much shorter than he remembered an-

SLAP!

Nino felt something warm and stingy on his left cheek, and his head was suddenly angled toward the right. His hand flew immediately to the red mark that was slowly forming on his cheek.

“This…. is for leaving me out of nowhere.” Her hand was still raised in the air as she breathed heavily, chest rising up and down not from the physical effort but rather sheer anger.

The brunet blinked trying to process what had happened, weren’t they having a moment just now? Why did she slap him out of the blue? His mouth opened and closed a few times before finally managing to sputter, “w-what the hell dude!”

“What the hell? What the hell were YOU thinking!?” Marinette was quick to retort, fists clenched at her sides as she eyed him with a familiar glare that he once thought would never be directed at him.

“You left…I needed you and you just disappeared! I went to your home and your neighbors said that you left for Morocco! And even when you came back you ignored me, changed schools, and pretended to not know me!”  Tears were pouring from her bluebell eyes as she spoke, “Three years…I-I haven’t seen you for Three goddamn years…No calls, no e-mails, not even a single visit to the bakery, NOTHING! Was our friendship just a joke to you?!”

“M-Marinette listen I’m…”

“No you listen, I’m not done yet.” She held a hand stopping him from inching closer or talking, “d-do you know how it f-feels…to not only lose your d-dad…B-but also someone you considered a b-brother? To have someone you’ve known a-all your life suddenly leaving you, with no-no explanation or…or nothing!… You just left and-and and I kept wondering i-if I’ve done s-something wrong…If it was my fault…”

She was fully sobbing now, her hands trying to wipe away the tears to no avail as she mumbled incoherent words. Nino felt his heart ripping to pieces at the sight, he wanted to beat himself up for being such a jerk, for making her cry and causing her so much pain. 

His mouth opened and closed but nothing came out, he didn’t know what to say anymore, he didn’t know if he even had the right to talk to her right now. His head hung low and he cursed under his breath. They were suddenly 15 years old again, with her crying and drowning in despair as he watched helplessly, unable to do anything because he was a fucking coward! He fucking ran away and now…And now…

“Alright, that’s enough.” A voice that had been way too quiet for the past 15 minutes suddenly made his presence known as he walked to the two young adults. Plagg placed a hand on both of their shoulders and started guiding them away and into the clothing shop. “You two have created quite the drama, huh? I swear  it can fill a crappy soap opera episode, passerby were starting to enjoy it a bit too much.” He cast a quick glance to where a bunch of people had stopped their daily activities and were now whispering and watching the scene.

Plagg stopped at the entrance of ‘Oh-La-La!” and smiled reassuringly at the two teens who were sending him death glares, “Tell you what, you two are gonna talk this out like the two rational adults you are, while I find myself some suitable clothes, ok?” he didn’t wait for an answer as he opened the door and dragged the two by their arms. He grinned at the cashier, who couldn’t be bothered to look up from his comic book, then proceeded to walk straight to a corner with a chaise lounge, he instructed them, forced them, to sit down before leaving to look at some suits like it was just another normal day of shopping for him.

An uncomfortable silence fell between the two, only Marinette’s sniffs were heard as she tried to dry her tears. Turning into a crying mess was definitely not on her to-do list for the day, but so was running into Nino, whom she thought she would never meet again, let alone talk to.

Thinking about it now, she guessed she had maybe overreacted a bit, she was so overwhelmed at seeing him that she just…bursted.

She glanced at her friend from the corner of her eyes, he was still sending annoyed glares toward Plagg, and honestly, she couldn’t blame him, she was feeling the same frustration -if not more- toward the cat-like man. However, she couldn’t deny that he was somehow right, they needed to talk, to settle this once and for all, because she was so tired, tired of all the doubt and regret and the unspoken what-ifs. She just wanted a bit of peace of mind and knowing the truth behind all of this.

And if Marinette were to be completely sincere, then a tiny bit of her wanted -hoped- that she and Nino could go back to the friends they once were.

With a heavy breath, she whispered, “So…” ok maybe she didn’t plan this through and was now at a loss of words, but what should she say exactly?

Nino was a bit startled. He didn’t think she’d be willing to talk to him so soon-or at all, still he replied nonetheless, just to let her know that he also wanted to have this conversation. “S-so….”

Marinette sniffed trying to think of something appropriate to say when a paper handkerchief was giving to her. She accepted it then looked at Nino who took off his cap with a huff and ran a hand through his hair before placing back the cape. It was a small gesture the brunet did whenever he was feeling nervous and stressed and Marinette couldn’t help but smile, somethings never changed.

“Why did you leave?” her voice was a bit shaky, cracking at the end but she ignored it and looked at her friend expectedly.

Nino blinked, still not sure if this was real or if it was just a cruel joke from Plagg. When he saw how intense her gaze was though- it felt like his answer would determine her whole existence- he gave up and looked away, “I…I guess I was just stupid…”

“Yeah, no shit Sherlock.” Again, he was surprised at the humor in her tone and chuckled along, a strong feeling of both regret and nostalgia filling him.

“Yeah, you’re right. As usual.” He sighed, “I thought I was doing the right thing when I was just being selfish jerk making everything worse for both of us.”

He felt a warm hand on his shoulder and turned back to her, a sincere reassuring smile that he had missed so much was gracing her features as she looked at him, “just start from the beginning.”

He nodded, Marinette did have that impact on people, reassuring them that everything was alright with just a simple gesture, he really admired that about her.

“Right before Tom…died…” the words left a bitter taste on his tongue and he didn’t miss the way her smile  slowly faded, “my grandmother got really sick and we planned to go back to Morocco to help look after her. Then the news about your dad came and honestly I was…conflicted. I was never good with deaths, you know that best.” She nodded remembering that time his grandfather died and how he had shut himself away from everyone, it had taken her ages to get him out of his shell again.

“Well, I was afraid. On one hand, I thought my Gran would die and be gone if I didn’t go to her, the idea of losing her just terrified me. Then, there was you. I didn’t want to leave you but I also didn’t know how to comfort you. When your dad was sick, I always tried to cheer you up by changing the subject because I was too scared I would say something wrong. And... I was weak, a coward, I couldn’t bear to think of losing anyone.

“I couldn’t handle seeing you so broken, the person who always inspired everyone, who was always so strong and positive…I couldn’t…so I ran away even though mom was ready to beat my ass and chain me to the fridge to keep me from making this stupid decision…”

His head dropped and he covered his face with his hands unable to face her, “I was selfish…Like villainous-bad-guy-level kind of selfish…I didn’t consider your feelings or anything I just wanted my Gran to be safe but…I think that I was just too afraid that I won’t be able to cheer you up, that I’d be useless, just another burden for you…I believed that you'd be better off without me.”

There was a small pause before she found her voice again to speak, “I needed you...Being there…Would have been enough…”

“I know …I’m sorry, so so so so sorry. I fucked up.”

“You did…” she hummed softly, “what happened after that….”

He gulped, not expecting her to want to hear him after that but he managed to regain his composure, and although she was avoiding his gaze, he continued, “my Gran got better, but I was still a coward and ignored your calls, because let’s face it, I abandoned you when you needed me most just like you said. I was a shitty friend and you deserved better, I thought that I should just do us both a favor and disappear from your life…I still believe I should. “

“So that’s why you pretended not to know me when you were back….B-but changing schools, don’t you think that’s too far…”

“That wasn’t planned, it was just a coincidence honest. I volunteered to stay with Gran since she lived alone and...Everything happened so fast, before I knew it I was enrolled in Morocco, balancing school and taking care of her…” he let a breath he didn’t know he was holding, it was so good yet painful to finally let all of that out of his chest. Now he just waited for her outburst, or for her to officially end their friendship. 

“H-how is your grandma…” her voice was sincere and genuinely concerned, she wasn’t mocking him or anything, and it made him feel even more guilty because that was just how Marinette was: sweet, kind, selfless and so caring.

“She’s better…” There was another long moment of silence before he dared to ask the question that had been on his mind for awhile now, “do you hate me? I-I understand if you do, also you’re not forced to be friend or even talk to me anymore I-“

“Nino Lahiffe, do you want me to slap you again?” he was interrupted by Marinette who gave him an unimpressed look, fresh tears were staining her cheeks but she was quick to wipe them away, “honestly, I leave you alone for 3 years and your stupidity and self-doubt reach maximum levels” she shook her head trying to look disappointed in him.

Saying Nino was once again left speechless, because apparently his friend was dead set on making him inter in shock with all her unexpected reactions, he was starting to suspect that she had actually been replaced with an alien or something.

The ravenette reached up and cupped his cheeks, her eyes full with determination as she spoke, “listen. I’m hurt, mad, and very disappointed, but I can never, ever, hate you! You're my best friend Nino! You’ve messed up badly yes, and it will take you more than a new case of color pencils and a month worth of ice cream to make it up to me but…I don’t want to lose anyone important to me anymore.”

She smiled and pulled away, “plus we didn’t complete half the things we put on our bucket list back in 8^th grade and I need my best friend to do that…so what do you say? Forgive and forget?” she opened her arms as if inviting him to a hug, and patiently waited for his answer.

Nino didn’t need to be asked twice, this moment was- until now- just a faraway wish, a dream never to come true. And even though the tiny voice in his head kept nagging him and reminding him that they can never go back to exactly the way they were three years ago, he didn’t care; they’ll figure it out as they go. He had finally got his friend back.

He smiled and moved to hug her as well, he allowed himself  a few tears of joy and relief because this was Marinette and she had seen him in worse states before.

“It’s good to have you back, Nino.”

“You too Mari, you too.”

Chapter Text

Edited: 20/07/2021

Planning in style (dressing up part 2?)

“And then Chris thought it would be a good idea to steal Nazim’s voodoo dolls collection, that God only knows why he has it, and long story short, the three of us ended up sleeping in the attic with no dessert for the whole week.”

“That sucks!” Marinette laughed along as Nino finished telling her another story of his adventures in Morocco, she sighed fondly as a feeling of relief and familiarity washed over her.

After the two had finally cleared out all the misunderstandings and dried their tears, an awkward silence had fallen between them, luckily Nino was quick to try and lighten up the mood by telling her some of the funny incidents that had occurred to him in the past few years.

Marinette was more than eager to hear them out, and within seconds all the awkwardness and uncertainties vanished while the two talked just like they used to be as if they have never drifted apart in the first place. 

“Hey, Nette?” Nino suddenly asked after their laughter had died down. The girl blinked in surprise hearing the long-forgotten nickname.

While most of her close friends and sometimes family called her ‘Mari’, and occasionally ‘Mar’, her best friend had established a special nickname that only he had the privilege to use. It felt so nice to be able to hear it again.

“Yes, Bubbles,” Marinette chuckled as Nino blushed and narrowed his eyes at her.

Back when they were children, Nino had developed a passion for blowing soap bubbles, this habit of his became a way to channel away his anger and anxiety

And of course, Marinette, being the ever faithful best friend that she was, had seized the opportunity to create a nickname to tease her friend. The boy obviously hated the name not because it sounded too girly for his taste, but because people immediately linked it to that one cartoon show upon hearing it. 

Nino had tried many times to convince her to change his nickname to something cooler, “call me Bubbler instead!” he had insisted continuously, and though most of the time Marinette compromised, she still brought the original name from time to time.

“Don’t call me that,” he groaned, but the smile gracing his features told her how didn't really mean it. “Anyways I just wanted to apologize for whatever Plagg did to drag you here.”

Marinette shifted her gaze to the small changing room that the cat-like man was occupying. She had completely forgotten about him being the main reason for her reunion with Nino and that he was still present with them.

True, she had caught some glimpses of him exiting the fitting room now and then to get more clothes, but her mind had automatically shoved those images to the back of her head as she gave her full attention to the conversation she was having with Nino back then.

“I don’t know what lies he told you to get you to come here, but trust me that dude is smarter and sneakier than he lets on.”  Her attention was brought back to the brunet and she couldn’t agree more, Plagg did give that kind of vibe, as if you shouldn’t take him so lightly and should be more aware of him.

“You’re not obliged to be here anymore Nette, let’s just go. I’ll talk to him later.” He threw a  look in the direction of the fitting room and was ready to stand up when Marinette stopped him.

“Wait Nino, the way you’re talking about him…you seem familiar with Mr. Plagg?” there was no doubt that Nino knew this man on a more than ‘just an acquaintance’ level.

“well, he works at the agency I’m interning in. Miraculous Entertainment, you’ve heard of it before, right?” he grinned already knowing her answer.

“Wait you intern there? Since when!?” she was sure she hadn’t spotted Nino in her two…not so pleasant trips to Miraculous agency, and she was glad she didn’t, she couldn't even begin to imagine how awkward it would've been having to explain the reason she was dressed as a boy and auditioning for 4Bs.

“Yep, summer vacation started a bit earlier for me, and when I came back I stumbled upon this ad online about internships for beginner DJs and I thought why not? Becoming a DJ was always plan B after movie directing so it won’t hurt to get some experience.” He shrugged. A look of faint regret and annoyance quickly crossed his feature as he shifted his gaze to the small cabinet again, “the work isn't much fun though and I ended up being more of an errand boy. Then I met Plagg and become his personal errand boy.”

He sighed in frustration and turned to his friend again, “but I guess it has its perks, dude kept his promises and I got to meet some cool people and even attend a VIP party with him it was rad man!" He grinned then paused as if gathering his thoughts,  "He’s really manipulative though, kinda shady, and has a weird way of guilt-tripping people into helping him.”

“Can’t agree more on that.” She rolled her eyes remembering how he had persuaded her to help him in their first encounter.

She bit her lips as a sudden thought occurred to her, “I can’t leave though…”

“What do you mean?”

“Um, well…I didn’t come with Mr. Plagg to meet you today….It’s ….Let’s say I've known him for a while too and we kind of made a deal today….” She looked away, avoiding Nino's eyes and concentrating on a particular shirt that she thought would look great with her pink jeans.

“What kind of deal?” she could feel his suspicious gaze digging holes in her skull as she struggled to find a believable lie.

But did she have to lie though? Nino was her best friend, she always told him everything, there were no secrets between them, but again that was the case with her mother as well, and yet here she was thinking of a plan to deceive her.

Though if Plagg had brought Nino along, then surely he must be planning to fill him in and have him help. there was no way he just brought them together just for the sake of reuniting them and mending their friendship, there had to be something more to it, some ulterior motive or a secret scheme of some sort.

She sighed and turned back to her friend. There was no use in lying to Nino now, if he really worked at Miraculous- and with none other than Plagg at that- then she would be encountering him more frequently in the future. Keeping the truth from him now would only lead to misunderstandings, it may even expose her true identity and put them all in trouble too.

Well on the bright side, by telling him she would at least have an ally and an emotional pillar to lean on once she entered that war zone because she knew her sanity would be tested in the next few months.

“Ok, so…It all started with this cheesecake delivery…” Marinette went on about her story, from the crazy car chase to her audition, to the reason why she was now accepting Plagg’s offer. She watched Nino's expression change through all sorts of emotions as she told her story: surprise, anger, sympathy, slight amusement, and heavy disapproval at the end, yet he didn’t dare say anything and waited until she was done talking.

“And so here we are!” she chuckled awkwardly as she waited for a response, even though she might already have an idea of what her friend would say next.

“This is….unexpected.” Nino took a deep breath before clapping his hand together and giving her a sharp look. “One, I want to say that what you did was very dumb and dangerous. Two, what you’re about to do is even more dumb and dangerous. Conclusion, I don't approve. There is no way in hell I’m letting you do this.”

Marinette sighed, her best friend had activated the ‘protective big brother’ mode now, and convincing him to change his mind would definitely prove to be a hard task.

“I know but I don’t have a choice, and well... Mr. Plagg had already guaranteed that nothing bad would happen t-“

“And you seriously believed him?” Nino had cut her off before she finished and she had to surpass an eye roll, “dude you’re dealing with celebrities here, big shot celebrities! They can and will toss you to rot in jail if they catch you! Maybe even worse!”

 “True, but I’m prepared.” She fished her phone and showed him various audio clips and even a video recording of her different conversations with Plagg, all the way making sure to hold a silencing finger to her lips, the last thing she wanted, after all, was for the cat-like man to discover her little safety net and attempt to a hold of it-and possibly sabotaging it.

“Still living with three strangers, even if you’re pretending to be a boy too…” he bit on his lower lips and sighed, “Marinette, dude, you know full well that there are other ways to help your mom, I can even help! We will figure something out! You don’t have to do this!”

“I know. But….But financially speaking, this way is the fastest and it’ll ensure that Maman wouldn’t worry about me. I know full well how dangerous and wrong this is, but if it means helping someone who has done so much to me…If it’s for my mother, then I won’t hesitate.” She took a deep breath and turned to her friend, trying her best to put on a perfect cheerful smile.

“Plus, I have you now! If anything goes wrong, we can pull one of our infamous escapades! Just like that time we tried to rescue Froppy from the school's science lab but got caught and had to escape, remember!” she forced a laugh but stopped when she noticed her friend giving her a calculating stare.

She flinched under Nino’s gaze as he studied her expression, his eyes were boring holes in her soul as if trying to detect a lie or a hidden truth. After what felt like an eternity to her, he finally spoke up.

“Are you sure that’s all?” she titled her head, giving him a curious look, he sighed and his gaze immediately softened, “Nette, I’ve known you since kindergarten, don’t you think I’ve learned to read you by now?

"You’re selfless and would go the extreme and beyond for the people you care about, and that's really admirable but you’re not stupid or naïve either, you can't fall for something like this, hell you can't even stand lying, how will you pull this off?"

Her eyes briefly widened and she tried to remain as neutral as possible as she decided to listen to everything he had to say before reacting.

  “It’s because of your father isn’t it, it’s because Brian has a similar illness….I understand how you feel but…it’s not your fault, nor your responsibility, you know that right?”

She sighed and looked straight ahead with a fond smile, she had a feeling Nino would see right through her, he knew her too well after all.

“I guess…” her smile turned into something sad and fragile, “I wasn’t able to do anything for Papa, and…it still haunts me sometimes, so…so knowing that I may be able to give another chance to Brian to live, to reach his dream….even if I face some inconveniences, even if it’s stupid…as long as there is just a small ray of hope, I want to try…even if I fail, I want to give my best…I won't be able to rest knowing I could've done something but chose not to...” she chuckled then turned to Nino, “sorry that was kinda sappy, wasn’t it?”

The brunet opened his mouth to respond but was interrupted by someone emerging- more like jumping- out of the fitting room and announcing his presence.

“Ta-Da!” Plagg exclaimed, as he stroke a pose, “I look amazing right!” he grinned at the two adolescents who stared at him with awe.

And Marinette had to agree, he looked amazing and very different!

His creased and dirty suit was replaced by a clean white dress shirt underneath a dark crimson blazer, along with a pair of dark jeans and his old shoes. Even his hair was pushed back and out of his face while his sunglasses rested on his head.

The girl had a hard time processing that this man standing in front of her was the same disheveled hobo that she had met a few days ago.

She could see from the corner of her eyes that Nino was as shocked as she was. Who could blame them though, it felt like seeing Plagg’s 'better’ twin brother -or doppelganger because that was a thing now apparently.

The brunet was the first to snap out of it walked up to the man.

“I still can’t believe you guilt-tripped Marinette and dragged her into your mess.”  He growled and threw an accusatory index at Plagg.

“What are you talking about? She came to me out of her own free will, right kid?” he turned to her and she nodded her head weakly, “see?”

“I’m not talking about today and you know it." Nino was getting dangerously close to Plagg, jaw set and fists clenched firmly. The black-haired man wasn’t looking very impressed by her friend's behavior either and Marinette knew she had to intervene before something went wrong.

“S-so why did you bring us here?” she tried to make her voice higher so the two males would notice.

“Yeah, why make us meet? I doubt you only want two old friends to reconcile, so what’s the catch?” not exactly what she had meant but it would be nice to know that too.

“Well,” Plagg started as he pushed Nino away from him, “at first, I wanted the little DJ to help me convince Marinette to take my offer. Kind of like a reassurance that I’m trustworthy since her BFF would throw a good word for me, you know?"

“As if I would do that” the brunet grunted and Plagg rolled his eyes at him.

Ignoring the remark Plagg finished while addressing Marinette, “but! After you came it turned out we didn't him for this plan but rather for our new one"

“What new plan?” she asked dumbly, had she forgot something? As far as she could remember, Plagg had dragged her out of the café while going on and on about how she took the right choice and that she won’t regret it, the whole ride, they hadn’t discussed any plans yet.

He rolled his eyes again in frustration, “you know, about your mom?” he shook his head in disappointment when he was met with another ignorant look, “do I have to explain everything myself?”

“Ugh, just speak up dude, stop dragging it.”

“You want to be a fashion designer, so basically you need to study fashion, right?” he looked at Marinette expectedly, she nodded and his grin grew wider, “great and that’s what you’ll be doing! In Italy!”

“WHAT!” both adolescents screamed at the same time looking at him like he was crazy, and Marinette had to admit that every minute that passed proved to her that this man suffered from something.

“Yes! At least that’s what we need your mother to believe,” he continued completely unfazed by their previous outburst.

“And how do we do that exactly?” she was quite skeptical this plan would work.

“Easy. You’ll tell your mom that you’ve applied to this fancy artsy college in Rome and that they were so impressed by your talent that they had offered you a scholarship! The catch is, you have to leave immediately within this week because of a summer program shit or whatever. And I, “ he  motioned to himself with a flourish, “was sent here as an escort or scout or to deal with the paperwork whatever it is I'm just here and I'm representing your new college now."

Marinette hummed in thoughts while tapping a finger on her lips. At first glance, this plan seemed crazy and impossible, but the more she thought about it the more it made sense, “actually that might work!”

“Right! Genius I know!” Plagg laughed obnoxiously before pointing to Nino, “and to make it even more believable, we have the long-lost childhood friend that’s ‘coincidently’ going to the same college!”

“Wow, wow! Slow down, dude!” Nino chipped in while holding his hands up; “don’t drag me into this, okay. And Nette you can’t be seriously considering this!”

“Well…” she played with her fingers while trying to avoid his gaze.

“Come on you can’t lie to your mom like that! Even if she buys that, that’s just too low dude!” if looks could kill then Nino would be buried six feet under from Plagg’s murderous gaze.

“Hey! Stop messing with her head like that! It’s her choice and she already agreed,”

“No, you stop messing with her! You just want things to work for you,  you don’t actually care about what happens to her!”

Seeing the two men on the verge of fighting once again, Marinette quickly got up and stood between them while facing Nino.

“Listen, Nino, I’m grateful that you’re worried about me, I truly am, but this is the only way to ensure maman doesn’t suspect anything, if I tell her the truth she certainly won’t let me do it.” She ignored how the brunet mumbled ‘that’s exactly what should happen’ and reached for his hand instead, “I'm going to do this whether you agree or not, but it’ll mean a lot to me if I have you by my side in this.”

There was a brief mini staring contest between the two as if both of them waited for the other one to back down first. In the end, Nino lost.

He took a deep breath then let it all out before saying “fine.” Both Plagg and Marinette smiled triumphantly as if they have won some sort of trophy, “but just so you know I’m 100% against all of this. And it will backfire on us, mark my words.” He let go of Marinette's hand in favor of crossing his arms and slightly pouting.

The ravenette giggled and moved to hug her friend while thanking him, while Plagg waved his hand dismissively and dropped a comment about how paranoid Nino was.

“Alright let’s move it, we still have to add some details to our plan before we get to your house.” The man announced, and gathered his original clothes then walked to the register to pay for his new ones.

“Wait, we’re doing this right now?! Like today? In this instant?!” Marinette suddenly felt panic sneaking into her heart.

“Yep! Brian is supposed to move in with 4Bs next week, so we’re in kind of in a pinch. Now come on we don't have the whole day!” he opened the door and exited the store leaving the two best friends behind.

Marinette gulped, finding it hard to move. Yes, she was okay with the plan but she hoped she would at least get a few days to prepare for it, or more like prepare for the guilt of lying to her mother. She was certain she would slip up if they just did it out of the blue like this! She needed time to be ready people!

Her internal monologue was interrupted by a light weight on her shoulder, “hey I want you to know that it’s still ok to back down now,” seeing her distressed face, Nino sighed and pulled her close while resting his arm on her shoulder, “just know that I’m here for you, this time for real, so if you ever want to abandon all of this craziness just say the words and we’ll be out of there in a flash, just like with Froppy.”

“Just like with Froppy,” she chuckled at the memory, feeling a lot more relaxed now, and leaned into Nino’s touch, “thanks Nino, I don’t know what I would do without you.”

“Anytime Nette, anytime.”

The two exited the store as well after hearing Plagg’s annoying shouts from outside, and Marinette prayed that everything will go well, if not for her sake then for Brian’s.     

Chapter Text

Edited: 25/07/2021

The courage of your convictions.

Marinette took several deep breaths trying to calm her nerves and gather enough courage to help her with what she was about to do.

The trio of Plagg, Marinette, and Nino were finally standing in front of the girl’s home after almost three hours of planning in the car and getting their story together-with Plagg stopping quickly at Miraculous ‘something important ’.

They had agreed that Marinette and Nino would go first and talk to her mom before introducing Plagg. Their original lie idea of Marinette being accepted to some fancy university was dismissed in favor of a fashion campus that actually existed. The petite girl had been against choosing a real place at first, but she reluctantly agreed after some persuading from Plagg.

She sighed and glanced at the brunet beside her, his face was showing the same amount of discomfort and anxiety that she herself was feeling right now. 

“You don’t ha-” he began while placing a hand on her shoulder, but she quickly shook her head and gave him a look that clearly said ‘you know that I do and you can’t change my mind’. With a sigh, he nodded and waited for her to open the door.

“Come on, hurry up!” Plagg whispered while adjusting his black sunglasses.

The girl took one last deep breath and unlocked the door to her home, she allowed Nino to come in before closing the door again and announcing her arrival, “I’m home!”

“Welcome back honey!” Sabine’s cheery voice welcomed them from the kitchen, and as Marinette had expected, the woman was brewing some tea, like she always did on her breaks.

 Marinette cleared her throat, trying to get her mother to notice them.

"Uhm Maman...I-I brought a g-guest." She mentally cursed herself for stuttering.

If they wanted this to work, then Marinette needed to act confident. Sabine knew very well when her daughter was lying or hiding secrets so she must be careful not to blow their plans up. She shook her head lightly as if trying to clear her thoughts, and smiled as her mother emerged from the kitchen.

The ravenette watched as her mother's eyes grew wider and her mouth shaped a small 'o' when she spotted the man. The towel she was using to clean her hands was forgotten on the ground and Sabine raced to the brunet, enveloping him in a bone-crushing hug, just like she used to do to the ten years old boy that came to their home every day after school to play with their daughter.

"Nino! Oh dear, look at you! You grew up so much since the last time I saw you!" Sabine beamed at the perplexed boy who took a few moments before finally replying.

"Yeah...it's-it's been a while…" He laughed awkwardly.

Sabine looked back at Marinette her smile growing even wider, with an excited glint in her eyes, "Marinette you should've told me that the friend you were meeting the other day was Nino! I'm glad you two are mending your friendship back."

"Y-yeah me too…" Marinette gulped as her mother's attention was once again back at Nino, asking him about himself while leading him to the couch.

Marinette could tell that Nino was anxious before coming here and she understood why. Her mother had witnessed how heartbroken her daughter was when her only true friend left with no word, yet Sabine was never angry at the boy nor was she disappointed, maybe a little sad; yes, but she never spoke ill of him and rather always tried to find excuses for his unusual behavior.

Nino, of course, didn’t know any of that, so he had probably expected the woman to act cold toward him or even throw him out of her house, but Marinette was aware of how kindhearted her mom was and how Nino was like a second son to her -and previously to Tom as well- she'd never purposely hurt the boy or push him away.

And while Marinette herself had a special place in the Lahiffe household as well, Nino’s presence in the Dupain-Cheng family was more prominent, he was considered a family member with his own set of tableware and a spare blanket and pillow for when he was sleeping over. She was sure her parents would have adopted him a long time ago if they were allowed to.

Smiling a bit at how her mother and her best friend were getting along like old times, Marinette walked to them and took her place on the couch beside her mom and opposite Nino, she accepted the cup of tea that her mom handed her and took a sip to calm down her nerves.

She found her gaze wandering to the entrance door many times as she pondered on how she should open up the subject.

 “Marinette, are you alright?”

“Huh? Oh yes, I’m totally fine! Why?” she smiled at her mother and tried not to chuckle at the brunet who was filling his mouth with all the delicious pastries her mother had offered them.

“I asked if you wanted some macaroons or madeleines but your mind was elsewhere, is everything alright?” Sabine asked with concern evident in her voice.

“Yeah, it’s just…” she pursed her lips then let out a sigh, “Maman, I have something I need to tell you,” she placed her cup down; opting to play with her fingers instead.

Her mom nodded and put her cup as well, giving her daughter her full attention, while Nino swallowed the generous amount of goods in his mouth and gave his friend an encouraging smile.

“you see…I-I…well a few days ago I found this ad of a fashion campus that gave free courses for-for exceptional talents and…I may have applied and sent them some of my designs and….” She took a deep breath before letting the next part at such a speed that she doubted her mother understood any word of it.

“Theylikedmydesignsandofferedmeachancetotakesomefashioncouseswiththem!”

Her mother blinked once, twice, seemingly trying to decipher what she had said before her expression morphed into an excited and happy one, “sweetie that’s great! I’m so proud of you!”

She moved to hug her and Marinette accepted the gesture. She gave Nino a guilty look that he mirrored and gestured to the door with his head.

“There’s this teeny weeny little detail though.” She broke away from the hug and chewed on her lips before adding, “This campus is in…In Milan”

“Italy!” her mother frowned, “isn’t-isn't it a bit too far?”

“It’s just an hour and a half by plane! Plus isn’t grandma’s hometown in Milan?” she asked hopefully but the look of worry still remained on her mom’s face.

“Sweetie, Gina can’t stay in one place for more than two weeks let alone her hometown. How long is this fashion course anyways?” her mom asked with curiosity and Marinette prepared herself for what would come next.

“Uhm around…five months, maybe six?” she smiled sheepishly while averting her gaze.

“Marinette! Six months! That’s-that’s too long Marinette! You’ve never been alone for this long and in a foreign country too.”

Marinette had to admit that it was true, she had never been away from her parents for more than a month, and she never really went outside the country alone either, heck she only visited China maybe three times or so with her mom but that was it. It was only normal that Sabine would be worried; this was a big step for her little and only daughter.

“well…Nette’s and adult now Mrs. DC,” luckily for her Nino was with her and she sent him a subtle grateful look as he spoke, “it’s only natural that she starts you know…spreading her wings! She always said she wanted to be a world-known fashion designer and travel around so I-I think it’s about time she took the first steps."

Marinette nodded eagerly while her mom looked between her and Nino. She could see that Sabine was considering it, she knew what Nino had said was true but apparently, it was still difficult to agree to it.

“I know but…” she began but Marinette quickly interrupted her while interlocking their hands.

“Please Maman, this is what I've always wanted! This is the first step to achieve my dream and I can’t just let it slide like this, please.” Marinette resented herself more and more as each word left her mouth, leaving a bitter taste in her throat. She hated lying to her mom, and she hated trying to guilt-trip her like this. She normally despised people who lied and manipulated others in their favor, yet look at her now doing exactly that. 

She could only chant “this is for a good cause, you’re doing the right thing, and it’s for your parent’s sake.” Over and over again in her head to help fight the guilt bubbling in her throat and threatening to spill the whole truth at any moment.

The older woman opened her mouth to respond but a calm knock on the door stopped her. Both Marinette and Nino flinched, exchanging worried looks, “I wasn’t expecting anyone today.” her mother said with a hand on her cheek.

Marinette quickly got up and dashed toward the door, she held the knob before turning to her mother again, “actually, I invited som-someone else.”

She opened the door and Plagg came striding in like he owned the place, he was now wearing his sunglasses instead of letting them rest on his head, to add some kind of anonymity and secrecy - “do you know how recognizable my stunning eyes are?” he had said and Mari had to admit that it was indeed true.

“Maman, this is Antonio Di Schifo…He-he’s the head of the international section of the ‘il Cappello Rosso Fashion camp. Mr. Antonio this is my mother, Sabine Dupain-Cheng.” At that Sabine stood up and observed the man who walked toward her and extended his hand.

“Buona sera Madam! I’m Antonio Di Schifo, it’s an onore to meet the mother who produced such a talented ragazza!” Plagg said with such a thick accent that made Marinette want to facepalm, she could see that Nino was also cringing in the background yet her mother didn’t seem to notice, either that or she was just humoring the man.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you Mr. Di Schifo” she shook his hand with a polite smile and invited him to sit down while she poured him some tea.

“Per favore just call me Antonio.” He added as he took the cup and thanked the woman.

Marinette quickly moved to sit next to Nino this time and offered her mom an explanation, “you see Maman, Mr. Antonio was sent to be a guide for me in my stay in Milan. Of course, he does that to all the students who come from other countries, and when I told him that I would like my mother’s approval before doing anything, he insisted on meeting you personally.”

“Sì, sì Marinetta is very talented! We were blown by her designs! We insist that she joins our camp to hone her skills.” He took a sip of his tea while carefully eyeing the older Dupain-Cheng from beneath his sunglasses.

Said woman bit her lips nervously as she spoke, “I understand monsieur, but to have Marinette away all alone, for this long, I’m not sure I’m comfortable with this.”

“ovviamente, I understand a mother’s worry, however,” he fished a pamphlet from his jacket -Marinette wondered where he had got it from- and offered it to Sabin before continuing, “as you can see, we at ‘il Cappello Rosso, only offer the best for our students. We take care of their stays, their safety, their learning, and even food! This is a chance of a lifetime for your daughter Madame!”

While the woman was inspecting the pamphlet with an uneasy look, Plagg nodded at Nino, giving him a silent signal to participate in the talk causing the brunet to growl at him under his breath.

“Do-don’t worry Mrs. DC, Marinette won’t be alone there,” he draped an arm around the ravenette and tried to force a smile, “I’m taking some courses about….F-filmmaking there! In their new film-making program of the i-il…this camp!”

Marinette resisted the urge to facepalm at her friend for forgetting the camp’s name.

Sabine made a surprised face at the boy before looking back at the pamphlet, “there’s nothing here about filmmaking, though?”

“Sì, it’s a new addition, we only added it this year so we didn’t include it yet in our pamphlets.” The woman nodded before placing it down and looking at her daughter.

“Sweetie, are you sure about this?” Marinette could see the worry the uncertainty in her mother’s eyes and it broke her heart so she moved a bit and took the woman’s hands in her own.

“I am Maman, I know this is hard, for both of us, I don’t want to leave you alone either but I really want to do this.” She took a deep breath and managed to let a weak smile, “I promise to be careful and to call you every day, and-and it’s only a few months and I’ll be b-back, ok?”

Tears were threatening to fall from Marinette’s eyes at this point. She didn’t want to leave her mother, they only had each other now, and what was worse is that she was lying to this kind woman’s face and making her feel guilty when all she wanted was to make her daughter happy.

She felt disgusted with herself but she kept pushing the feeling away and replacing it with the determination to make her mother happy, she was doing the right thing, regardless of the method, she just wanted to help her mom and she was going to do it.

“Well, if that’s what you truly want. But you have to keep those promises, ok?” her mother gently caressed her cheek and gave her a sweet smile.

Marinette’s eyes widened and she whispered a small “really?”

Her mother chuckled and slowly nodded, “of course. What kind of mother would I be if I stepped in the way of achieving your dreams?”

That hit Marinette hard in the gut and she promised herself that once all of this drama was over, she was going to confess everything to Sabine and come clean to her, she’ll face whatever disappointment or punishment her mother and the universe wanted later. 

“Perfetto, magnifico! You have made a splendid choice Madame Dupain-Cheng, your daughter is in good hands!” Plagg shook hands with the woman before turning to Marinette, “I’ll send you the needed documents later, so you should start packing, we leave in three days!”

“THREE DAYS!?” the other three screamed at once completely baffled by the man’s words. Marinette shot her best friend a confused look, they hadn’t agreed on this, but he only shrugged indicating that he didn’t know any better either.

“Isn’t…Isn’t three days a little bit…too rushed?” Sabine asked while squeezing her daughter’s hands, afraid to let go too soon, and Marinette squeezed back while nodding.

Plagg laughed obnoxiously while waving his hand dismissively, “of course not!” he answered and Marinette panicked a little because he had just dropped his heavy accent, but luckily he noticed and quickly cleared his throat, “Marinetta applied last minute, we weren’t going to accept her if her talent wasn’t so…splendido! That is why we need to leave fast if we want to make it in time for her to adjust before lessons start!”

“Ah, I see…” Sabine said calmly, not noticing how her daughter and her friend were sending death glares to their guest.

“Well, then I should go.” Plagg got up from his seat and walked to the door, the other three right behind him. He stopped at the entrance and turned around, “It was a pleasure meeting you Madame! Marinette, I’ll see you in three days! boy with zero fashion sense… a pleasure as well” Marinette had to chuckle a bit at how deadpan he sounded while addressing Nino-who only glared in response.

“Yes, thank you for coming all this way Mrs. Antonio,” her mother smiled politely and slowly bowed.

Plagg grinned and waved his hand as he opened the door, “addio per ora!” and with that, he was out of the apartment leaving three, rather confused, adults behind.

“We still have a lot to talk about young lady,” Sabine said in a half-scolding tone before softening and taking her daughter in a hug, “I’m proud of you though.”

Marinette gulped, unable to say anything in fear of screwing everything up, so she just opted to return the hug.

Releasing her daughter, Sabine excused herself, saying she still had work to do and asked Marinette to tidy up the kitchen for her. She hugged Nino one last time, urging him to stay until later so she can give him some leftovers goods -the boy had become way too skinny!

Left alone, the two best friends exchanged confused glances before Nino spoke up, “that went…well, I guess? Are you ok?”

“If I’m being honest with you, no. I’m not the slightest bit ok but I guess I’ll manage.” Between the awful guilty feelings and Plagg’s declaration of only having three days left as …well ‘herself’, she was completely lost.

She’ll have to call that lunatic and give him a good chew for not telling her about their leaving date earlier, but for now, she wanted to give her mind a break and maybe channel her inner anger into something useful.

She sighed then looked at Nino, “wanna play UMSIII?”

Nino took a moment before chuckling, “isn’t there like a newer version?” he asked, already knowing her answer as they walked back to the couch.

“Maybe, but this one's my favorite, and I know it's yours too”

And thus began a long tournament between the two, it wasn’t until Sabine came back after the bakery was long closed that the two took notice of how late they had been playing. And of course, Marinette had obviously beaten Nino.

Chapter Text

Edited:25/07/2021

Goodbye Marinette

The three days had passed faster than Marinette had thought, and she found herself wishing over and over for some time machine to relive those days or a miracle to somehow expend her remaining time as Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

Right after Nino had left that night, Marinette and Sabine had a heart-to-heart.

The two talked about Marinette's departure and how it would hard it would be for both of them, Sabine had given her daughter advice and many instructions to stay safe and healthy which made Marinette feel like she had been back to being a small child again. The ravenette had also insisted that her mother took care and to not overwork herself, and to notify her if anything happened.

Sabine joked about how mature her little girl had become and the talk somehow escalated from there until they were crying their eyes out remembering Tom and grieving his absence.

It wasn't until one in the morning that Marinette had retreated to her room, and even then she couldn't sleep and instead found herself crying again, this time it was of guilt and frustration, she kept cursing at herself and punching her pillow.

That night she felt horrible and sick with herself and wished so many times that her dad was still alive, maybe then she wouldn't have gotten into all of this mess. At one point her frustration was directed at Plagg through angry three AM texts of "why the hell didn't he tell her that she needed to leave so soon". Those texts were unfortunately met with no response nor were they read.

And needless to say, that morning Marinette had woken up with puffy bloodshot eyes.

The Next day, both Amy and Henry were told about Marinette's little trip. Amy was over the moon with joy, her boss's daughter was going to Milan to become a Fashion designer! She kept gushing about it and asking Marinette if she would meet any celebrities and if she could get her autographs and souvenirs, Marinette had awkwardly chuckled and tried to dodge the questions.

Henry however was a bit suspicious, saying that these kinds of programs didn't usually offer free internships nor did they specifically send someone to escort the students. Marinette's blood had run cold at his words, Henry was the observing type that didn't let anything slide past him and took everything with a grain of salt, it didn't help that he had some experience in studying overboard.

Luckily Amy was fast to dismiss him calling him a killjoy before asking Sabine if she could take Marinette shopping after lunch.

And thus Marinette spent the rest of the afternoon navigating through the different shops and malls of Paris, and while it was quite exhausting keeping up with Amy, she couldn't deny that she had fun hanging out with a girl closer to her age instead of Nino or Manon for once.

She made a mental note to invite Amy out again once she was 'back' -they should try to invite Henry just to pester him and maybe Nino too so he can officially meet the two.

The day that followed, Sabine had surprised her daughter by closing the bakery and calling it a mother-daughter day. Marinette had tried to convince her otherwise but Sabine was dead set on spending the day with her daughter.

The girl had joked that it felt like she was never coming back with all of the attention she was getting and her mother's answer had sent her frozen, "anything can happen in five months, sweetie…" Marinette had felt her insides twist with guilt as tears threatened to fall from her bluebell eyes but Sabine quickly smoothed it down with a joke of her own and urged her to go get ready.

They went to all their favorite places in the city that held many precious memories, especially with Tom, both of them kept fighting the tears and tried to enjoy their time together, at least for the other's sake.

They concluded the day by visiting a local spa then having dinner at a Chinese restaurant owned by one of Sabine's old friends.

That night Marinette had slept engulfed by her mother's arm, something she hadn't done in quite a few years now if only to try and appear tough. And as her eyes finally surrendered to a sleep that was robbed from her for the last few days, she again made another note of how they needed to do this again in the future.

Her third and last day of being Marinette Dupain-Cheng -or rather before leaving Paris- was rather peaceful compared to the last two days. She spent time helping at the bakery before her mother shooed her out to go pack her stuff, a task Marinette had been avoiding for a while now for it just filled her with more dread and guilt.

Luckily Nino had come to help her, telling her that Plagg tasked him to take care of her current luggage once she officially became Brian and moved to her new home.

Knowing that whatever she would pack most likely wouldn't be used or even taken with her, she decided to go light, taking only a few items to fill her pink suitcase so that her mother wouldn’t be suspicious of why she left all her clothes here.

Once done, she used another black bag to put in the things she was actually taking with her.

Her diary had almost ended up in that bag but Marinette decided against it last minute, it was risqué enough that she was taking her sketching tools and sketchbooks with her -she just can’t leave those behind and she knew being in ‘Miraculous’ was bound to spark some creativity in her- taking her diary could result in getting it in the wrong hands and possibly exposing her. She hadn’t written anything about the recent events and her deal with Plagg, just some vague hints only she could understand, but she couldn’t think of an explanation if someone found a girl’s diary laying in her belongings.

From there, the day had passed in slow motion, just like a haze, even with Nino keeping her company and trying to ease her mind, she was just out of it. The brunet had even offered to stay the night, doing a traditional ‘Ninette’ sleepover, but Mari declined, she needed some alone time to prepare for the big dreadful day.

And now, at 10.AM in the morning, she was clutching her bag in one hand while the other rested on the suitcase placed beside her, Nino and her mother by her side, the latter trying to contain her tears.

They were at the train station, waiting for Plagg to get them their tickets so they can ‘leave for Milan’.

“Do you have your passport and your ID?” her mother asked worriedly.

“I do…” Marinette answered weakly, trying her best to stay strong.

“What about your phone do you have it? Your spare keys too?”

“Yes, Maman they’re all here.” She said while tapping the black bag.

“Just making sure. Let me go get you a bottle of water.” Her mother was ready to bolt toward a nearby kiosk but Marinette quickly took a hold of the woman’s arm stopping her.

“Maman it’s fine, I’m ok” she tried to smile and her mother nodded while letting a small sigh.

“I know, I’m just…” she bit her lips and she averted her eyes.

“Nervous? Yeah me too…”

“VA bene! We are ready to go!” Antonio, or rather Plagg -who was wearing the same outfit he chose three days ago- announced while walking to them, with two newly bought tickets in his hand.

He made eye contact with Marinette and nodded, she immediately understood that it was a sign that her mother couldn’t go any further since the two aren’t actually going to get on that train, hell maybe even those tickets were fake.

With a deep breath she turned to her mother and gave her a tight hug, “you should go back now Maman, I’ll be fine from here” she spoke in a muffled voice.

“W-what?” was what Sabine managed to whisper as she clutched her daughter.

“We need to go take our seats now but it will be a while before the train’s departure,” Plagg explained in his thick accent, “it will be better if you two went back.”

“He’s right Maman, they probably need you at the bakery and I don’t want to hold you any longer.” Her voice broke and small drops fell from her eyes, “N-Nino will-will accompany you back…”

“Don’t cry now Marinette you’ll make me…make me cry too…” Sabine replied with tears already streaming down her cheek and onto Marinette’s shirt.

It went on for a few minutes, mother and daughter hugging each other and quietly crying, forgetting the world around them. Surprisingly even Plagg was silent as he observed the passersby instead.

“Mrs. DC,” Nino spoke in a soft tone while putting a hand on said woman’s shoulder.

The gesture seemed to break the bubble the two were in, Sabine let go of her daughter and tried to dry her eyes, leaving Marinette to miss the comforting warmth of her mother.

She tried to give a comforting smile and reached to cup her daughter’s face, “Know that I am very proud of you, and I’m sure that your father is too.” At the mention of her father, Marinette’s tears intensified but Sabine quickly wiped them away, “Call me when you get there, ok?”

Marinette nodded weakly, and Sabine reached to plant a kiss on both of her cheeks, “I love you, sweetie, don’t cry or feel bad, ok? You’re just chasing your dreams and there’s nothing wrong with that.”

“If only you knew Maman, if only” Marinette fought the urge to say those words and instead kissed her mother and hugged her one last time, “I love you too, please take care of yourself.”

“You too, sweetheart.” She turned her attention to the man and asked in a pleading voice, "Mr. Antonio please look after my daughter"

The man nodded, and for the first time Marinette could hear complete sincerity in his voice as he spoke, "don't worry I'll make sure she's ok", She knew he was being genuine, there was no accent or lie in that sentence just pure honesty and it filled Marinette with a bit of relief.

The man wasted no time in lifting the girl's suitcase and walking away slowly, Marinette took a look at her mother's heartbroken eyes and knew that if she stayed any longer she would blow everything up.

"Goodbye Marinette," Her mother smiled weakly while waving her hand, Marinette could only nod before following Plagg.

Sabine watched with sad eyes as her daughter disappeared while she was led out of the station by Nino.

If she had stayed a bit longer or looked a bit closer, she would have noticed that her daughter had taken a left turn that would lead her to the back exit of the station.

Marinette was led to Plagg's car that was parked outside, he took both of her bags and put them in the trunk while the girl took her place in the passenger seat.

"You're ok?" Plagg asked sounding a bit concerned, but Marinette only nodded, unable to speak, "we're doing this for a good cause you know? It's the right thing to do."

Seeing that he was met with silence again, Plagg turned on the car and quickly checked his phone as if texting someone before finally driving away.

Marinette let a sigh as she watched the scenery outside the window blur. She wasn't angry with the cat-like man, it wasn't his fault -well even if a tiny part of her blamed him she knew that she was the one who agreed to all of this, it was her choices and decisions that brought her here- it was more like she didn't trust herself to speak at the moment.

Her mother's crying face was engraved in her head and she couldn't shake the heartbroken look in the woman's eyes, perhaps it would've been easier if Marinette actually had something to feel excited about- if she was truly going to achieve her dreams- but that wasn't the case.

Her mother's sorrow and tears were caused by a filthy lie she had told. Maybe that was the reason why she felt her heart clenching in her rib cage and the burning sensation in her throat, her tongue feeling like it was made of lead and her eyes stinging too much, that's how she knew that if she attempted to even open her mouth, her tears will spill and she would break down again.

So she opted to distract herself by looking out the window and trying to repeat in her head that everything will be fine.

The rest of the ride was rather fast and in no time the two were in the parking lot of Miraculous Talent Agency.

Marinette snapped out of her haze and asked Plagg if she could use the restroom for a bit. The man agreed and led her to the closest bathroom before giving her instructions to come find him on the second floor when she was done.

The girl wasted no time in washing her face and giving herself a small pep talk. When she was sure that she had regained control of her emotions- at least for the time being- and was able to form sentences without breaking into a crying mess, she exited the room.

The feelings of guilt and disgust and anger were still there with the dark thoughts playing in the back of her mind, but she ignored them and tried to get to the room she was instructed to go to.

She briefly wondered why they were in the agency, to begin with, sure she needed to change her clothes before going to her 'new home' and pass as Brian, but couldn't they do that in “Oh-La-la! “ like they usually did? Why come here of all places? Being seeing here as a girl is as dangerous as being exposed, people could still take notice of the similarities between her and Brian even if everyone was quite busy already, so why?

She decided to hold that thought and ask Plagg as soon as she found him,

After a few turns, she finally found her destination. A white door with a red and black polka-dotted sign that read 'changing room N° 3 '.

"So I am changing here, huh,"  she thought as she lightly knocked on the door, she heard Plagg shout an “It’s open!" And took this as her cue to open the door and step in.

She took in the interior with awe, the room was certainly bigger than she had anticipated. It was painted in pure white with different posters of celebrities pasted here and there.

Four mirrors with red borders were hanging on the wall to her right above a long table that hair straighteners, blow dryers, and all sorts of makeup products that Marinette was sure she wouldn't be able to name them all let alone afford them. 

Each mirror was decorated with small round lights, it gave her the impression of being in some movie set, and the four black folded chairs placed in front of the mirrors only helped to back that image.

To her left, three small cabinets were placed and covered with red curtains. Marinette guessed they were changing rooms like the ones found in clothing shops.

Two red couches were placed in the middle of the room side by side, with a black coffee table made of glass in front of the couches and a beautiful vase of flowers decorating it.

On the far end of the room, the walls slightly curved to make an oval space where two clothing racks rested- Marinette had to surpass the urge to go and take a look at all the clothes.

She noticed Plagg looking out the large window situated on that wall while playing with the red curtains and quickly made her way to him.

"Ah, you're here," He grinned then handed her an outfit he was holding and motioned to the changing area, "quick, go get dressed. Also, I got you a proper chest binder too, so tell me if it fits." She nodded and accepted the clothes before heading to change.

This time the outfit was more simple and fitting. Plain jeans and a black shirt, however, Plagg did include a thick black watch and a silver chain necklace that Marinette didn't mind putting on. She finished getting dressed but noticed that the wig was missing, so she collected her previous clothes and stepped out.

"Mr. Plagg you forgot the w…" Her words died in her throat as she was met with an unfamiliar figure.

A rather petite fair-skinned woman in her late twenties to early thirties, wearing a sleeveless black top and matching tight pants with red heels that definitely made the woman appear taller than Marinette.

Her black hair that was dyed a pinkish-red for the most part was held in a secure ponytail.

The woman's blue eyes studied Marinette before she spoke in a rather cute voice that still held a maturity to it, "looking for this," She held the wig high in her hands so the girls can see it.

The colors drained from Marinette's face and she felt so small under the woman's gaze, "uh...I...I can...it's not...not what it s-seems...explain...I can…" Marinette stumbled on her words as she tried thinking of an excuse.

A laugh caught her attention, suddenly Plagg appeared behind the woman and draped an arm around her, leaving Marinette more confused than ever.

"Man you should see the look on your face, it’s hilarious,"  he pretended to wipe away a non-existent tear as he grinned, "relax, this is Tikki and she's on our side."

The woman-Tikki- pushed Plagg away from her and dusted herself, "stay away from me, you reek of cheese again."

"Aw come on! don't you think I look dashing in this outfit?" He leaned in but was pushed away again as Tikki made her way to Marinette.

"So this is the poor soul that got dragged into your stupid schemes." She mumbled while examining the girl, and Marinette felt herself getting more nervous and nervous. Just what was going on here?

After a good moment, Tikki finally spoke up, "so why are you doing this?" She asked with her eyes narrowed suspiciously at the girl.

"P-pardon?" She managed to voice, not entirely sure what the woman meant.

"Why did you agree on doing all of this and putting yourself in such a situation?" She asked again and Marinette gulped not knowing how to respond. Should she tell her the truth?

She glanced at Plagg and the man nodded giving her the green light to speak.

And so Marinette told Tikki of how at first she had just wanted to help Brian because she knew how it felt to have your dreams crushed and wanted to help if it meant giving the boy another chance at life. She confessed that she did agree to this partly for the money, explaining that she wanted to help her mother after her father had died, the last part had almost sent her crying again but she managed to push the tears away.

When she finished, Tikki gave her a warm smile before warping her in a hug, causing the girl to freeze in surprise, "I think that it's really selfless and noble of you to want to help both your mom and Brian, even if the means are...unfavorable. You're a good person,  I think both of us will get along just fine." She said as she pulled away.

"Does that mean you're on board Sugarcube?" Plagg asked a bit too excited which caused Tikki to roll her eyes.

"Unfortunately yes, I can't let this sweet girl suffer alone with you," She directed her attention to Marinette again and offered her hand, " I'm Tikki, 4Bs' personal stylist, it's a pleasure to meet you!"

"It's n-nice to meet you too, I'm Marinette...Marinette Dupain-Cheng" The ravenette was still uneasy and didn't know how to react to all of this but she accepted the handshake.

"Tikki here knows Brian and agreed to help you out when I'm not around especially when costume changing and stuff. She can be annoying when she tries to make everyone a goody-two-shoes like her, but you can trust her," Plagg explained and got a light smack on his arm from Tikki.

"Anyways! Here, put your wig so we can go shopping!" The redhead said excitedly as she gave Marinette the wig.

"Shopping?" What was the point of shopping right now, shouldn't she be learning more about the band or trying an instrument?

"Yep! You’re not planning to wear dresses and skirts once you move with the boys now, are you?" Tikki giggled and Marinette felt her cheeks warming up in embarrassment, she really hadn't thought about that.

“Yeah, but make it quick, we're on a schedule and we're already late," The man declared while pointing to the ladybug-themed clock above the mirrors.

Marinette held the wig in her hand and stared at it for a while, thinking through the decision she was about to make.

"Actually I won't be needing this anymore," She put the wig away and started untying her hair, "The wig's too risky and it will just be annoying to wear it all the time. I'd rather just cut my hair like Brian's."

"Kid…" Plagg began a bit stunned, "are...are you sure about this?"

"You don't have to go to such a length Marinette!" Tikki added with a sad look, “And you have such beautiful hair too."

“Thanks but it's fine, it will grow eventually and… I kind of always wanted to try a shorter hairstyle!" She smiled sheepishly, "can you lend me a pair of scissors, please?"

Plagg and Tikki exchanged worried looks, the former shrugging lightly.

With a sigh, the woman led Marinette to a chair and pulled a pair of scissors for the drawer, "well, you're lucky I have some experience with styling hair."

"Thank you," Marinette smiled happily and turned to the mirror.

She took a deep breath and eyed her reflection, as the clicks of the scissors echoed and the chunks of hair fell to the ground, she realized how this was the last time she would look in the mirror and see Marinette Dupain-Cheng. At least for a while.

"Goodbye Marinette."

Chapter Text

Edited: 25/07/2021

Actually, holographic cards can be very informative

Marinette had to admit that Tikki was actually really nice. The two had gotten along better than she would've imagined, to the point where Plagg got bored and felt left out, eventually leaving to deliver her suitcase back to Nino.

Shopping with Tikki was different from Shopping with Amy, mainly because the woman wasn't dragging her left and right while chatting her ears off. It also helped that the two had similar fashion tastes and found themselves agreeing on a lot of the other's clothing choices.

They ended up with five shopping bags filled with men's clothing and a single blue dress that Tikki had urged Marinette to buy because it looked too good on her to leave it. The girl had been hesitant to take it since it would look weird and suspicious if someone were to find a dress like that in Brian's closet, but she ended up taking it anyway after some convincing, making a mental note to hand the dress to Nino later so he can put it with the rest of her stuff.

Something that had plagued Marinette’s consciousness while shopping was the money, because unlike Plagg, who shopped from a single cheap -yet nice- store, and Amy, who frequented small malls and loved discounts, Tikki only chose brand stores and expensive pieces.

Upon seeing the price tags, Marinette had been a bit shocked and joked that if she owned half of what these clothes cost, then she wouldn't be impersonating people right now, luckily Tikki had noticed her discomfort and reassured her that they were -in fact- using Plagg's credit card.

"Mr. Plagg doesn't strike me as the generous type though," Marinette had remarked, and her suspicions were confirmed true with her companion’s response.

“Yeah…He’s probably going to cut it out from your next paycheck, sorry".

Marinette guessed it was fair, she wouldn't have accepted all of this for free anyways, and she told Tikki as much before the two went to meet up with the boys.

"Wow look at you!" Nino commented as Marinette sat in front of him in the booth.

"Hello to you too," She remarked sarcastically while rolling her eyes in amusement.

"Sorry, I just didn't imagine you'd look so much like Brian, I can hardly tell the difference," He hummed a bit before squinting his eyes at her, "wait, your hair…"

"It'll grow," She waved a hand dismissively, "and before you start assuming, no. Mr. Plagg didn't push me to do it, it was my own decision, so chill ok?"

She grabbed a menu and started reading, Nino grumbled under his breaths but did the same.

"Hey speaking of hair, what happened to yours? And where is your cap?" It was the first time since they have reconnected that Nino had shown up without his red hat.

"Well I had to outgrow it at some point, dudette," He smiled proudly, "I'll probably go back to wearing it once I'm a famous DJ though, after all, it’s my s-"

"Signature look, I know," Marinette cut in with a chuckle. 

Ever since middle school, Nino had picked up this red hat that he had found in their old attic and started wearing it all the time, an act that drove his mom crazy, and sometimes even Marinette when the cap didn't match with his outfit at all and made him look like a fashion disaster in her opinion. He refused to stop wearing it though, always declaring that it was his ‘trademark’, his ‘signature look’, ‘a part of his ' identity '. 

So seeing him without it now felt...odd, it didn't help that his hair, once so short, had grown and was a bit spiky at the ends, did he start using hair gel? She mentally scolded herself for not noticing this change earlier.

Just as she was about to ask him something else, Tikki entered the restaurant with Plagg right on her heels. 

Marinette got up and allowed the woman to slide next to her before sitting down herself, while Plagg shoved Nino away and took his seat, opposite Marinette.

"Had a blast emptying my credit card?" Plagg asked, completely ignoring the brunet complaining about his seat being taken.

"Oh hush, you're the one who told me to do what it takes," Tikki said as she picked up her menu, and Marinette couldn't help but smile sheepishly at the man.

"A-anyways, Nino how-how was Maman when you left her?" She had wanted to avoid the topic but she couldn't help but be worried for her mother, only two hours had passed since she had last seen her yet she already missed her dearly.

"No worries Nette, she's fine. I made sure everything was alright with her before I went to take your bags," Nino reassured her with a sympathetic smile.

"Thank you," She sighed in relief, her mother was ok and soon she'll be able to call and assure her that she was fine, "wait, you took the pink one right?"

"Yep, right to my place. Just tell me when you need anything from it and I'll bring it over." He threw a look at Plagg, “The other one's with him though."

“I’ll take it to your new house once the press conference's over. Just to avoid getting it in the wrong hands," Plagg's tone suggested that he wanted to say more but Mari's attention was rather caught by a particular word.

"Wait...conference? What conference?" She hadn't forgotten anything, had she? There were no interviews or anything planned for today, she was supposed to go to her new home, greet her new room/band-mates, then have the rest of the evening to herself, that was the plan.

Plagg motioned to her to stay quiet as a waiter came to take their orders. After he had left, the man sighed in annoyance and rubbed his temples.

"Trust me, I'm as surprised and annoyed as you are. I was planning to get myself a well-deserved nap later." 

"What? But aren't you like the manager of this band? MY manager? Shouldn’t you have a saying in this?" Was this man really this careless?

"Let me guess, Bob went out of his way to make a flashy introduction for Brian?" Tikki's question seemed like a statement that didn't really need a clarification, which caused Marinette to give her a curious look, wanting to know more, " He does this sometimes when he wants to-and I quote-shine more light on raw talents and get them out there. Though he mainly does this for his son, so uh…"

“Yeah well ever since XY's career flopped, he's been too interested in 4Bs. May as well hand him my job if he keeps this up." Plagg huffed again, looking pissed.

"Let's be frank here, XY's music sucked. Couldn't go far even with his old man's constant meddling," Nino added, "no wonder he's trying to monitor the new money makers .”

 Everyone hummed in agreement as the waiter came back with their orders, Plagg perking up once his meal was brought to him.

“Don’t worry though, since it’s your first time in the spotlight their questions will be mostly generic, we can prepare you for them later,” he took a chunk of his ‘triple stinky cheese special- and moaned in satisfaction while Nino and Marinette reeled away from the smell. 

Tikki gave a disapproving sigh before muttering something about ‘having a normal meal for once’.

“But right now we have to talk about your knowledge of the entertainment world!” he added with a full mouth.

“Is this really necessary?” Marinette asked, suddenly losing her appetite just by watching Plagg eat.

“Well, the entertainment circle along with the fashion and beauty community can be quite vicious and toxic,” Tikki explained, “it’s better to at least have an idea of who you’re dealing with, their attitude, background, and possible scandals, we don't want you angering the wrong people after all. It can also help you secure some good deals and collaborations, not to mention that the media loves inquiring celebs about each other.”

“It’s just like how you’re so engrossed in fashion that you know every designer out there and can pinpoint to whom a design belongs just by a look at it,” Nino chimed in, “though your knowledge of music is very concerning Nette, you can’t make heads or tails of it ” that earned him a flying olive to the forehead.

“Rude! I do know a thing or two about this kind of stuff too,” Marinette defended and Nino only smirked.

“Oh yeah? Name three hit songs in the last four years, that weren’t sung by Jagged Stone or Clara Nightingale? XY songs don’t count, no one listens unironically to that.” His expression turned smug when he was met with silence.

"Ok so maybe I'm not a music fanatic but who can remember all that anyways!" she crossed her arms defensively.

"Brian kinda did, but we can all agree he was an exception," Tikki added, and a proud smile graced Plagg's features.

“That can be fixed later, for now, let’s focus on your bandmates,” the cat-like gave her a knowing look before adding in a cautious tone, “You do remember them, right?”

She gulped, “y-yeah, I remember them,” but Plagg only raised an eyebrow and gave her a skeptical look, “Grumpy, Blueberry, Sunshine, and Tomato?” she mumbled.

That earned a good laugh from Tikki and Nino and a disappointed sigh from Plagg -even though the corner of his mouth quirked up in slight amusement. 

Meanwhile, Marinette, felt the heat rising to her cheeks in embarrassment. In her defense, she didn’t know she’ll be pretending to be Brian again so she didn’t bother to memorize their names, and even when checking the band’s news, she usually scrolled through an article and only stopped when she spotted the word ‘Brian’ and ‘new member’. At some point, her brain just started associating their faces with silly nicknames.

“Good thing I came prepared,” Plagg announced as he licked his cheese-covered fingers and pulled four cards from his jacket, he slid them to Marinette who looked at them in confusion.

“Holographic cards?” she asked, touching the sparkling silver cards that had the 4Bs black symbol printed in the middle, it kind of reminded her of the Yu-Gi-Oh holographic cards that she used to collect when she was a kid. Did Nino still have his?

“Informative fan cards actually,” Plagg corrected, “As Tikki said, Brian is basically a walking encyclopedia when it comes to 4Bs or any other celebrity, but for now we only need you to know the basics so these should do the trick.” 

He took one card and turned it up revealing a face Marinette wasn’t so fond of seeing, “let’s start with Félix Agreste.”

Her initially annoyed expression turned to a surprised one as she heard the name, she quickly picked up the card and scanned through the unnecessary information of birthday, zodiac sign, likes and dislikes... until her eyes caught a particular phrase, “son of fashion designer Gabriel Agreste…That means…” she shifted her attention to the rest of the cards and gaped when she found her desired one.

“Oh my god! You’re seriously telling me that these two are the sons of Gabriel Agreste, the Gabriel?!”

“I was wondering why you weren’t talking my ear off of how you met your idol’s sons the other day,” the brunet commented as he took a sip from his juice, failing to notice the worried looks Tikki and Plagg were exchanging.

“Can you blame me? This one hardly makes any public appearances,“ she motioned to the Félix card, “and Adrien did feel familiar but it’s been so long since he last modeled for Gabriel and I was pretty nervous back then so I didn’t notice but now-I mean…Wow.”

“Yeah, well let’s avoid bringing up Gabriel Agreste or anything that has to do with him in front of these two, ok?” Plagg explained as he averted his gaze.

“What do you mean? Why?”

“What he means is that this is a very personal matter for Adrien and Félix and it’s not our place to gossip about it,” Tikki said in a stern voice that was silently implying that Marinette shouldn’t ask any more questions.

The half Chinese girl understood and nodded, she’ll leave this subject alone for the meantime and just focus on what she needed to do.

“As I was saying,” Plagg cleared his throat gaining everyone’s attention once more, “Félix is our bass player and the eldest of the boys. He’s super serious, organized, a patronizing neat freak, and always trying to keep everything going exactly as he wants. Basically, he’s a perfectionist and the unofficial bandleader since he keeps everyone and everything in check.”

“AKA: He does Plagg’s job better than him,” Tikki added and everyone chuckled at Plagg’s annoyed expression.

“As if! He lacks my amazing charms and charisma.”

"I have to agree, he acted so rude and was such a jerk to me the other day," Marinette huffed, failing to notice the confused looks of those around her "seriously how can someone with such a crappy personality even become so popular?"

"I don't know dude, I met the band a few times, and if you ask me Félix's not that bad. Yeah he's a bit too uptight, but I think he's just polite and reserved," Nino added hopefully, "Closed off and a bit boring yeah, but not a jerk."

"He's right, Félix isn't a bad guy! He just has a hard time expressing himself. He's actually a very caring person once you get to know him!" Tikki gushed fondly looking like a proud mother praising her son, "he doesn't hate you Marinette, or Brian, he's just a bit upset."

"Upset? Why?" Well, this was new, she was sure he was grumpy and upset 24/7, she couldn't imagine that guy smiling or laughing. Even during old Gabriel© interviews and photoshoots, he was always so expressionless, serious, and sometimes annoyed at being there. She found it hard to imagine someone like that laughing or treating others kindly.

"He feels like Brian doesn't deserve to join the band, and that it's not fair to the rest of them. That little drama queen, " Plagg dismissed while gulping down his glass of water.

"Uhm...why?" She was asking a lot of what's and why's today, huh? Well, she needed to gather as much information about her enemies if she wanted to survive this.

"Think of it like….like you baking a cheesecake, and like you worked very hard to get the finest cream cheese and get this cake to perfection…" The man seemed to slightly zone out in his own world, before going back on track, "then out of nowhere, some lame nobody comes and eats it all by himself, before you can even take a bite! Like what the hell it's mine! MINE people! I paid for it Trixx and you know I'm the one that always buys the damn Cheesecake!!"

" Well...that escalated quickly…" Nino commented.

"Nevermind that. Just think of the band in your place, the cake as all the fame and success they managed to acquire over the years, and the newcomer that ate the cake as Brian-or you-," Tikki smiled brightly at her, " I think it's much clearer this way than trying to decipher Plagg's trauma about anything cheese related."

Marinette nodded in understanding, she could see where Félix was coming from, yet it didn't give him the right to act like that.

She was also sure that Brian was quite talented from what she had heard about him so far. Actually, this problem could've been avoided if Blondie acted more civil and talked about it with her.

"Still, doesn't give him the right to look down on people and forcing them to do stuff without asking first…" She frowned, not able to sympathize with Félix.

Nino raised an eyebrow at that, "Force? What do-"

"Let's move on to the next one, we don't have all day," Plagg cut in while handing her another card, this time containing information about the nice blue-headed guy.

"This is Luka Couffaine, our main guitarist, lead singer, and sometimes composer. He's the same age as Félix and coincidentally the one who can get along with him the most," He explained, "He started solo at our agency but ended up in the band after Bob tried to get rid of the competition for his son.

"He's selfless, gentle, and understanding but can be a badass when necessary. It makes him the dream of every girl that can't decide between a Prince Charming type of guy and a punk/ bad boy, 'cause he's a bit of both". 

"That was the cringiest description I've ever heard," She said earning a nod from both Tiki and Nino.

"Don't put it on me that's what the card says," He defended, "Anyways, Luka is the most knowledgeable when it comes to music, so I'd normally tell you to learn a thing or two from him. 

"However he's very observant and good at reading people, he also has this creepy thing where he can tell the 'melody of your heart'."

"Hey, it's not creepy! I think it's cool, plus it's super accurate too."

"Agreed, it's quite a charming gift!"

Plagg only rolled his eyes in annoyance at Nino and Tikki's replies, before pointing a thumb to Marinette, "Yeah, it'll be so charming, when he goes to Brian and tell him that his heart sounds like a spring maiden's lullaby."

"So stay as far away from him as possible." She had a bit of doubt of being discovered in such a way, but she wasn't about to take a chance to find out.

"Definitely. Next is Félix's younger brother: Adrien Agreste. And I believe you're familiar with him?" Marinette nodded happily.

 Adrien was her favorite model from the Gabriel brand. She had been disappointed when, years back, they announced that Félix and he were not modeling for the brand anymore. 

She had tried searching if they changed agencies or something, but nothing came out. After a while of radio silence, rumors started spreading about them joining a band. Marinette had been too busy to check it out, and in the end, it slipped her mind with all the chaos life threw at her at the time.

"Good. Well try and not mention his modeling career."

Huh? What's with all this secrecy surrounding the Agrestes?

"What Plagg's trying to say is," Tikki began as she put a hand on Marinette's shoulder, "it's best to not dig too deep. It's okay to ask Adrien a few simple questions, he won't mind. But please don't keep insisting on certain stuff, some things are hard to talk about especially with strangers."

Now normally Marinette would have felt a bit offended, but considering who Adrien is, he must have had his privacy violated all the time, and she understood that not everyone was open to discuss their past.

"I understand, don't worry." 

"I'm glad, also I'm sorry if I came as rude but sometimes...fans can get out of hand, " Tikki smiled sheepishly while Marinette nodded. She stole a quick glance at Nino, but he just shrugged, indicating that her friend didn't know any better than she did.

"Ahem, so Adrien is 4Bs' pianist, and as you can tell he's a ray of sunshine. Fans call him, angel face, cinnamon roll, sun child, you get the drill. He's a bit dense and oblivious so I don't think he'll catch on on anything, he'll just be dying to be your friend." Plagg let out an amused chuckle.

"Yeah! The dude's pretty nice and chill, he was the first to approach me while I was doing errands for Mr. Procrastinator her, so we hang out sometimes," Nino grinned as he added, "though he is really naive sometimes, makes you wanna protect him."

"So he's the one that is considered okay to interact with?" Not that she was planning to, but it still felt nice to have a possible ally.

"Ah...no. this one, stay away from him...just don't be too friendly with him, he-let's just say, lacks a lot of social boundaries." The man said with a nervous look.

"So basically stay away from everyone," She rolled her eyes, "but why though? Didn't you say he was the least to be a threat?"

"As I said, kid's most naive and oblivious person out there but he like...swings both ways-if you know what I mean- and we haven't had a talk about it yet but it's clear…" he huffed and ran s hand through his hair.

"Listen I don't care if you date him after all of this is solved, but for the meantime let's keep this a musical slice-of-life and not a dramatic rom-com. Ok?"

Marinette was silently shocked for a few seconds before she managed to clear her throat and speak, "Uhm...thanks but no thanks, I'm not interested."

"You sure about that 'Nette? He's blond,  you do have a thing for them." 

"Excuse you! I do not!" She defended while silently cursing at the heat running to her cheeks.

"Pretty sure you do. Remember that kid you had a crush on in 7th grade? Or that guy you went out with for a while? And don't let me get started on that substitute history teacher, Mr. Durand." Nino finished with a challenging smirk daring his best friend-whose face was getting redder and redder- to deny it.

"First of all, I liked and went on dates with guys that weren't blond too. And l did not have a crush on Mr. Durand!"

"Said every girl who kept ogling at him with dreamy eyes while he explained WW2," he rolled his eyes while Marinette frowned at him.

"If it matters, I think you and Adrien would make a very cute couple!" Tiki gushed ignoring the mortified looks Marinette and Plagg were giving her -for obviously different reasons- and the hysterical laughs of Nino.

"MOVING ON!" Plagg declared while slamming the last holographic card.

"YES!"

"Ahem, lastly this is Nathaniel Kurtzberg, the drummer and the one you'll be replacing. He may seem aloof but he's just generally quiet and shy, and he's pretty good at art too. 

"You won't be meeting him anytime soon though but just in case, keep away from him as well," Plagg finished with a wink, this whole stay away from every male thing was turning to an inside joke now, "any questions?"

"Yes, you said he was the drummer, does that mean that- as his replacement- I'll have to learn how to play the drums too?" Honestly, she hoped that wouldn't be the case,  they looked difficult, and knowing her clumsy self, she'll most likely end up dropping the sticks or blinding someone with them.

"I was thinking of asking Adrien to switch to drums since he had some experience, while we focus on sharpening your piano skills, but if you don't want that…"

"Ah, no! I'd like to play the piano too," She sighed in relief, "another thing. Am I -or rather is Brian- taking Nathaniel's place permanently? He-he's not...too… too sick, or-or anything, ri-right?"

"Nah, for now, Brian is Nate's replacement, hopefully, it's just temporarily until he can become a full-fledged member of 4Bs." He flashed her a confident smile, "also, don't worry Nate's fine mostly, he's just been too stressed lately and his repetitive colds are taking a toll on his vocal cords."

"He's right. Nathaniel's just been out of it lately, that's why we suggested he took a break, can't say he wasn't excited about though," Tikki chuckled dryly, and Marinette just nodded albeit a bit confused.

"Alright! Since we're done here let's go! We have a show to prepare for!" Plagg quickly bolted out of his seat and made his way to the exit before anyone could say anything.

"Tsk, typical Plagg. Running away so someone else would take care of his bill," Nino grunted as he looked at the clean plate that was once filled with an ungodly amount of cheese that no normal person should be able to consume without the need to barf almost immediately.

"No worries, this time I think he'll be fine with paying his share and ours too," Tikki grinned while twirling what Marinette recognized as Plagg's credit card from earlier.

"Sweet!" Nino smiled as well as he pumped his fist with the woman's own.

And although the idea of annoying Plagg and slightly turning the tables on him was quite appealing, Marinette couldn't revel in that too much as her mind kept going back to the upcoming press conference. 

She knew that things won't be easy when she signed in for this job, but they were turning out to be more troublesome and nerve-wracking than she had initially thought.

“I just hope tonight will go peacefully without any problems”.

Chapter Text

Edited: 26/07/2021

Welcome, Brian Alvarez.

Memorizing up to forty-five popular figures in the entertainment industry along with learning the proper answers to various questions chosen by her 'manager' in less than four hours was not something Marinette had ever imagined doing.

Sure by wanting to be a known fashion designer she was bound to learn information about future clients at some point or even the proper etiquette in interviews, however, learning all that in one setting while having her makeup and hair done was still far-fetched. But then again, everything that had happened since she had met Plagg was way out of her imagination's range, she should stop being surprised by now.

Still, she would like to believe she did fairly well and was perfectly prepared- way more prepared than she was for most of her exams at least- yet no matter how she thought she was ready for this, her continuous pacing in the hall outside the conference room while mumbling to herself was a dead giveaway about how nervous and frightened she was.

"My name is Brian Alvarez, I'm 19 and I'm the new member of 4Bs. it's an honor to be in such a great and well-known band like 4Bs. No, I'm not replacing Nathaniel…"  She kept repeating the information she had learned. Marinette had a bad habit of word vomiting when she was extremely anxious, it had subdued in recent years, but knowing her luck there was every possibility that it could return right here right now in front of all these reporters.

It didn't help that -according to Tikki and Plagg- Brian was a confident person with natural charms and charisma who loved crowds and attention, literally the opposite of Marinette. How was she exactly supposed to accurately portray someone like this? She was a fashion designer, not an actress!

 Even if Plagg had assured her that she didn't need to perfect Brian's personality to a tee, they both knew the importance of a good first impression in this industry and messing up your words and answers in a place where all eyes on you, taking in every detail about you to be written in world wide read magazines, was definitely not recommended.

She slightly yelped as she felt a hand on her shoulder, turning around she found Tikki smiling at her, "nervous?"

"Yeah...a bit," She smiled sheepishly. 

She had known the older woman for only a few hours now, but she felt comfortable around her. she didn't know if it was due to the fact that Tikki was the only female around that knew about her situation, or if it was just Tikki's cheerful nature and kind personality. Whatever it was, Marinette was glad she had someone like her at her side.

"Don't worry, you'll do great! After all, you managed to memorize everything in such a small amount of time," She praised and Marinette chuckled in embarrassment.

"It was all thanks to you guys' help though," along with Plagg, Tikki and Nino also did their best to help her, from reciting the information out loud for her to coming up with funny phrases and ideas to help her remember them, she was truly thankful for them

"It's just...I've never spoken before so many people-and important people at that," She sighed, "problem is, it's not my dignity at stake here, it's someone else's career and reputation, I just...ca-can't mess it up."

"I know it's scary but I think you're very capable Marinette and I'm sure you can do it. Think of it as a practice for when you're a famous fashion designer, you'll have to talk to journalists all the time, walk down the runway with your models, or go on national TV, this is just a small practice, ok?"  Mari nodded and Tikki smiled reassuringly before enveloping her in a hug.

"Don't worry, Nino and I will be right there just pretend you're rehearsing with us back in the dressing room," She stepped away and gave her a wink, "and if you mess up a bit, Plagg will be right there to fix it, he may be a lazy idiot, but he can be very when he wants to, I've seen him work before and trust me, his PR abilities can easily measure to his love for cheese, and that's a lot."

Marinette couldn't help but laugh at that, Tikki really knew how to cheer her up and lighten the mood, it made her feel a bit easy about the whole thing.

"Oh hey! It's Tikki and Brian!"

The two followed the voice, only to find the other three 4Bs boys coming toward them, sunsh-no Adrien giving them a small wave.

"Hello boys, it's been a while," Tikki greeted, "Since you're here, I guess it's almost time for the conference to begin huh?"

"Yes, we were instructed to come here immediately and prepare ourselves to be called in," Félix answered with a small nod, before turning to the door and proceedings to check his phone, not even acknowledging Marinette's existence-she was thankful for that though.

"Then I better get going. Remember to enter after the boys M-Brian, right after Bob calls your name," Marinette nodded and Tikki gave her shoulder a little squeeze, "good luck everyone!"

"Thanks, Tikki!"

"Thank you," The boy with the highlights-Luka, her mind supplied, shifted his attention to her and smiled, "Excited?"

"Uhm…" Should she talk to them? Plagg was very clear on his rule of avoiding everyone, but if she didn't reply to basic questions then they may think she was rude and would hate her, and she would damage Brian's relationship with his bandmates forever! Or worst they'll star scheming against her to get-.

"Uh, Brian? You're ok?" It was Adrien who asked this time, and Marinette noticed that the boys were now standing behind félix, both giving her confused glances while the older blond was seizing her with a side look.

Shit, she probably zoned out in the middle of the conversation, "s-sorry...I'm-I'm just...nervous." To hell with it, she will just have to be cautious and show basic human politeness, nothing more.

"Ah, is this your first time at something like this?" Luka asked with a small smile and she nodded, "it's alright, everyone gets nervous when doing something new. Just do your best, that'll be enough," 

She was about to thank him when Félix spoke up, "you'd better be on your best behavior and not tarnish the band's reputation and the company's name, no one can tolerate shameful people."

Yeah, she's updating his name from grumpy to jerk, she doesn't care what anyone says about him being upset or whatever.

Yeah sure, she can empathize with him but it still doesn't give him the right to treat people like shit. "Thanks a lot for shattering my already fragile confidence, I couldn't be more grateful, jerk."

"Félix! That wasn't nice," Adrien protested while Luka gave a disapproving frown.

"I wasn't aiming to be nice, brother. I was giving him a reality check," The blond simply said before returning to his phone.

"Sorry about him," Luka grumbled, as he turned to Félix and started engaging with him in a hushed conversation.

Marinette sighed and slung her arms around herself. Did they really need to come here? Especially that jerk, she was doing just fine moments ago, even feeling a bit confident after the talk with Tikki. But now it was as if she was back to square one, afraid to mess up and feeling the weight of the endless possibilities of how it could all blow in her face -in Brian's face- is she messes up. 

She just wanted to go home, hug her mom, cry while eating pastries and fall asleep on her cozy bed, instead of this messed up scenario she was living right now. Why, just why did she always make stupid decisions that she always ended up regretting later on?

Lost in her inner turmoil, she failed to notice the concerned look Adrien was giving her, or how he quietly leaned in before whispering, low enough for his brother and friend to not notice.

"Hey," Marinette blinked at him, before leaning away, suddenly aware of his presence and remembering Plagg's comment about how this boy didn't understand the meaning of personal space, "sorry, Félix can be a bit...difficult sometimes."

"A bit?" She was pretty sure that 'a bit' was an understatement.

"So...I don't know if this is useful but it used to work for me when I...modeled." He scratched behind his head awkwardly, a gesture that Marinette had to admit made him look cute, "I pretend like I'm putting on a mask you know? Like I'm covering my nervousness and what I'm not supposed to show with a perfect image of what they want to see, like pretending to be someone else, a better version of yourself. 

"It's probably bad advice to hide your true personality to please people like that but it's sometimes necessary in front of the media, I mean I don't do it anymore. Though, you could always imagine that everyone's in their underwear or something."

"No, that...actually makes perfect sense." That was exactly what she needed to do, she may be clumsy anxious Marinette but right now she's pretending to be Brian, she just needs to put on a mask of false confidence, for now, just truly pretend she is Brian, and play his role like she used to do for any other character in her school plays.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome," He smiled happily, all nervousness from before fading away once he knew that he managed to help, "Just don't pretend in front of us too, we're friends and...basically family now, so you don't have to hide behind a mask all the time."

" Sorry, but you guys are the ones that I specifically need to keep an act in front of,"   She thought to herself but decided to nod in affirmation anyways.

"Thank ya, everyone, for coming to this conference, where we'll try an' answer all the questions you've been' askin' us none stop for the last few months," a voice echoed from behind the door, and Marinette recognized it as Bob Roth, "please give an applause to the stars of this show, 4Bs!"

The room exploded in claps just as Félix mumbled a "let's go" and opened the double door, it closed immediately after the three boys entered but Marinette quickly pushed it just enough so she could see through the crack and without catching everyone's attention.

The room was full of reporters, photographers, and cameramen, stationed in three rows of chairs at the end of the room. As soon as the boys walked in, everyone stood up from their seats to get a better look, some clapping and some taking photos and video footage.

Marinette directed her attention to the boys as well, noticing how their personalities were showing through the way they walked and presented themselves.

Félix was striding confidently with a solemn look on his face, his eyes focusing ahead at the table where Plagg and Bob were sitting.

Luka was walking in a more relaxed manner, with his hands in his pockets and occasionally turning to a camera and flashing a smile. 

As for Adrien, he was literally beaming, grinning effortlessly at every flash of a camera and even giving small waves.

The three made their way to the small stage, and took their places at the table, with Adrien at the right end, followed by Luka, then Félix who was separated from Plagg with an empty seat between them.

That must be hers. Great, not only was she seated in the middle but also right next to that jerk, just great.

She sighed and took a few steps back allowing the door to close. "They'll be calling me anytime now".

She took a deep breath, calming herself as much as she can.  " Alright, once you're out of this door, you're not Marinette, you're Brian. Confident, charming, and dying to throw yourself in the spotlight. Don't fret, this is your chance so don't screw it."

She closed her eyes, imagining herself putting on a mask, and slipping into the role of Brian. "It's like acting, just like when you played the role of the heroine's evil sister in middle school. It wasn't you, but you still managed to do it. And yes your skills are mediocre at best but everyone had praised you then so it'll have to do. This isn't lying, It's just acting Marinette you can do it."

"An' now for the guy you've all been waitin' for. Please Welcome, Brian Alvarez! The new member of 4Bs!"

Marinette took one last breath and walked through the door. She stopped a bit at the entrance, feeling overwhelmed by the blinding camera flashes and the crowd echoing Brian's name.

It took her a minute to regain her composure,  she pushed the last of her fear away and forced her feet to move similarly to how Luka walked- and how Plagg had made her practice earlier.

She plastered what she hoped could be considered a confident smirk, thankful that she checked out some of Brian's selfies beforehand, and kept her eyes on her seat as she walked. 

As she neared the stage where the others were sitting, a few 'bolder' photographers approached her closer while calling her name- Brian's name- in an attempt to catch a photo.

She could see Plagg getting ready to stand up and probably offer her some help, but instead of walking away or cowering, Marinette turned to the camera and stroke a small pose, shifting her smirk to a more genuine lopsided smile. She did so with two more photographers before resuming her way.

Finally, she climbed the mini set of stairs and walked to her seat. She could see both Nino and Tikki at the right corner of the room along with some other employees and bodyguards. Tikki grinned as she gave her two thumbs up while Nino was clapping furiously, his expression a mix between tearful and prideful.

She grinned at them and took her seat, ignoring the grumble of the blond man on her left.

"I see you've made it in one piece," Plagg whispered to her as the crowd settled down and allowed Bob to speak.

"Miraculously, I did," She let out a small sigh, which was draining but at the same time, she couldn't help but feel a bit happy.

Plagg chuckled and gave her a small pat on the back, "now let's focus on surviving for the next hour or so. Remember just like we practiced."

She gave a firm nod and shifted her attention to Bob.

"...everyone will have a chance to ask so let's be civil 'bout it. And without further ado let's begin!"

"Finally, we're done!" Marinette sighed, as she stretched her arms.

Honestly, the whole thing went way smoother than she had anticipated. Plagg's predictions about the questions had been pretty accurate, and she had remembered all the answers.

Even when she was asked about other celebrities, the reporters were mostly curious about her relationship and opinion about her new bandmates-she was very tempted to expose Félix as the snob that he was but decided against it, not wanting any weird rumors to spread- and some three other celebrities which luckily, were the ones she memorized the best.

All in all, it felt like she did well on a test and was lucky enough to get questions about the things she understood the most.

Personally, Marinette considered her biggest achievement to be the fact that she had maintained the Brian-act quite well. She had only stumbled on her words a few times, kept a confident smile -that made her jaw hurt now- and even managed to crack a joke.

The few 'bumps' they had along the road -but managed to surpass- can be resumed in simply three points. 

Almost saying her greatest inspiration was Gabriel Agreste but quickly changing it to Jagged Stone, which caused her to go on a rumble about him and breaking her cool facade. Though the questionnaire had found her enthusiasm 'refreshing', joking that they had found a rival for Luka when it comes to being Jagged's biggest fan.

The other difficulty had come in the form of a question that could be thought of as embarrassing or maybe insulting even, but for her, it was more frightening and made her blood run cold.

One of the more aggressive journalists had asked why 'he' looked too soft to be a boy, after the shock of the question, she had tried brushing it off but only managed to laugh nervously.

However, Adrien- bless his heart, that boy was turning out to be her favorite of the four- jumped in to save her, saying that it wasn't a big deal as fans usually described him as soft and cute too. But The journalist kept insisting, going as far as asking 'are you even a boy? Are we sure you're not a girl?', to which Plagg had taken the liberty in answering him.

And Marinette learned that he can be menacing when activating his passive-aggressive mode and a damn good manipulator just like Tikki had said. But then again she shouldn't have doubted him, just look at where meeting him had led her.

The last bump, which Marinette didn't really consider as such, was Félix being...well, being himself. His answers to anything Brian-related and sometimes Nathaniel-related had been...troublesome as Plagg had described, and it had earned him a few dirty glares and threats from their manager.

Marinette hadn't found anything wrong with his answers though, because honestly, she would've said much worse if she hadn't been scared of the possible consequences.

If anything, his answers had proven to her that the dislike between them was mutual, and she was okay with that as long as he kept away from her, and stopped picking on her. She'd be fine if they continued to ignore each other's existence for the rest of her stay with 4Bs.

Zoning back into her current situation, Marinette scanned the now mostly empty area for familiar faces. She spotted Tikki chatting with a photographer and another employee at Miraculous, looking like she was giving them instructions of some sort. 

Plagg was also talking to a bunch of people along with Bob at his side-Duusu, of course, was standing right behind her boss just like she had been during the entire conference- the tone of their conversation seemed notably lighter than the one Tikki was having though.

She searched a bit more for a brunet in a red cap but was disappointed when she found none. "Did Nino go home already? No, he said he would wait for us to finish…" She thought while descending the stairs, "Maybe Mr.Plagg sent him on another errand".

"Hey! You did great!" A voice suddenly interrupted her thoughts, and she looked up to find Adrien smiling at her. Luka and Nino were both making their way to her as well while Félix was nowhere to be found.

"Thanks! Your advice helped a lot." Truly, everything felt like an acting experience. She was portraying a character the complete opposite of her, memorizing lines to be said at a right time, facing a crowd, and sometimes just improvising. 

"Dude, I almost didn't recognize you up there! You were really impressive! " Nino said as he engulfed her in a hug.

"I know, you almost cried too," She laughed while returning the hug.

"Did not!"

"Did too, You big drama queen!" She teased while breaking away from the hug.

"Please, you're one to talk about being dramatic," He scoffed at her and she was about to say something back when someone cleared their throat.

"Excuse the interruption but, did the two of you already know each other beforehand?" Luka asked while pointing at the two of them, Adrien giving a curious look as well.

"Ah, w-well...you s-see…" Crap, she was reckless. Of course, it didn't make sense that Nino and Brian were close when 4Bs themselves had only recently known of his existence, she needed an excuse and fast.

"You-you know being Plagg's errand boy and all, it was bound that we'd meet at some point," Nino spoke and Marinette couldn't help but nod excitedly, "Plagg talks about Brian all the time, and he wouldn't keep nagging until I met him. But gotta admit we clicked pretty fast, right?"

"Yep!" She agreed while throwing a discreet look at Nino "nice save!".

He seemed to get the message and slightly nodded at her.

"But, Nino you never mentioned you knew Brian personally when I was telling you about him," Adrien looked slightly hurt, reminding Marinette of a kicked puppy.

"Sorry bro, I probably forgot…" Nino laughed awkwardly before trying to change the subject to something else to distract the two boys from finding another plot hole in their story.

Marinette zoned out again, as she started to think of an excuse to get out of here, she was really tired and just wanted to sleep at this point.

"You did pretty well, for your first time. Dare I say you had the entire thing memorized beforehand," She turned to Luka who gave her a knowing smile.

"T-thanks...I kind of prepared a bit…" Well if you consider cramming her head with info for 4 hours 'a bit '. Speaking of which, she could sense a headache beginning to form causing her to sigh and massage her temples.

"You're ok?" Ah, she must've sighed too loud, since Luka noticed, and...he somehow gave her a pat...on the head.

She looked up at him but he didn't seem to find anything wrong with the gesture, "of course he doesn't. He did this back then when I sang for them too." She gulped, feeling slightly embarrassed.

The only males that she had received and showed affection to were mostly her...dad, and Nino. Smaller boys she sometimes babysat didn't count and she didn't go past hand holding with her minimal dates. Even Henry-who was always present in her life now-was too awkward and reserved, she only hugged him once at Christmas.

So having a boy, around her age, standing so close and caressing her hair may or may not have made her blush, "Oh god, snap out of it Marinette, it's not like that! He probably does that to people all the time and you're supposedly a guy too right now! Maybe this is a thing guys do with their friends and-"

"Ah, sorry," The hand was suddenly removed as Luka gave her an apologetic smile, " You seemed troubled and I tried to cheer you up. Usually, Adrien, Nate, and even my sister find this calming but you must've felt uncomfortable. I'm sorry."

"It's...it's fine," It was fine, she was just overreacting. God Amy was right, not dating for too long can turn you desperate sometimes and cause you to overthink simple stuff, "I just ...can't wait to go home right now, I'm really tired." 

"Well, sorry but you know we still have the after-party to attend."

"Wait...the what now?" No way, this was not happening, she just didn't hear it right or maybe it's just a term here that meant to regroup and discuss their progress for today.

"Oh, they didn't tell you did they," Luka sighed, "we're heading to a club to have a small party celebrating the new addition to the band." That's it she was going to kill Plagg, fuck this deal, she'll just have to go to prison for murder instead of identity theft.

"Ah, there ya are kids!" Bob greeted as he walked to them, Plagg and this time Félix too approaching them as well.

Marinette could feel her blood boiling and her eye twitching when she spotted Plagg. Bastard probably knew that he was in trouble as he kept avoiding her gaze and looking anywhere but at her.

"Ya ready to go?"

"Actually sir-" Marinette was ready to protest and not go, she still had the confidence from earlier- or maybe it was anger at Plagg now-, and was ready to stand up to her new boss. Alas, the universe liked to see her suffer.

"Ah, ah, ah don't even think 'bout it young man," He shook his index finger and stalked closer to her, "Ya got to flee last time but not this one."

He suddenly slung his arm around her neck causing her to yelp, both Nino and Plagg flinched but the three other boys were watching in slight amusement -and indifference in Félix's case-.

"Now come on, I won't take any excuses. This party was thrown in yer honor and everyone is expecting to see ya," He started dragging her along with him to the door, ignoring her attempts at freeing herself from his grip, "it'll be fun. And we don't want to disappoint those important people waiting for us now, do we?"

He gave her a sharp look and Marinette understood the message. The option of ditching wasn't present here, because those important people should not be disappointed. Attending was an order at this point.

She knew that all the good luck she had been blessed with during the conference hadn't been normal, this was the price she had to pay for it.

God, she was already dreading this party, "it's going to be a long night. And something tells me it's not going to be fun either..."

Chapter Text

Edited: 27/07/2021

Drink it don't Spill it-part 1-

If Marinette had learned one thing from the few hours that she had spent as Brian so far, it was that celebrities changed clothes a lot. This was her third outfit of the day already, not counting what she was wearing as Marinette.

After failing to evade going to the party, and her short attempt at murdering Plagg which was stopped by her dear childhood friend, Tikki had swept her to Changing room N°3 while giving Nino and Plagg instructions to go grab her an outfit from the things they had bought earlier.

Apparently, her bandmates had their clothes prepared already, promoting them to leave before her, as she stayed behind waiting for her own. She was half-convinced that Plagg had been lying about not knowing anything about the party since everyone except her, Tikki, and Nino were aware and already prepared, so it only fueled her anger toward her manager.

This leads us to her current situation, as one of the only three or so other people left at Miraculous; while the rest are partying in some club. She had half a mind to bolt away from here but then again she still didn't have a clue where she was supposed to live now that she was an official member of 4Bs, Plagg and Bob would also be at her throat if she didn't make an appearance.

"All done,"  She announced to the woman waiting for her as she stepped out of the changeroom, "what do you think?" She asked while smoothing her jacket.

The clothes were simple. A white shirt with grey jeans and a blue blazer that Marinette had rolled up its sleeves. The accessories weren't too much and the shoes were very comfortable. A welcomed change from what Plagg considered to be fashionable, with the best part being that she had a say in what to wear this time.

"You look amazing!" Tikki said happily while giving a thumbs up.

"Thank you! That dress looks gorgeous on you by the way," Tikki did a small curtsy causing the two to chuckle, "Though, letting your hair down gives a completely different...vibe."

"I get that a lot," Tikki smiled while heading to the door, "ready to go?"

"Actually can you give me a minute? I n-need to make a call," Marinette shuffled uncomfortably but Tikki just nodded.

"I'll be out here," She went outside and closed the door behind her as Marinette let a small thank you.

Fishing her phone from her pocket, Marinette frowned as she saw the unfamiliar background. Plagg had been insisting that Marinette takes Brian's old phone instead of her own to avoid 'unnecessary complications'.

Of course, she had refused. It del wrong going through someone's personal stuff- and frankly wanting to keep at least something that linked her to her original self. In the end, she was allowed to keep her phone after agreeing to remove any clues that may relate to Marinette Dupain-Cheng, excluding the phone numbers of her family and some friends.

She sighed as she dialed her mom's number and waited. It took two rings for her to hear Sabine's eager, if not frantic voice.

{Hello? Marinette?}  The girl took a deep breath trying to prepare herself and hold back any tears.

" Hi Maman, sorry I didn't call you earlier."

{It's alright sweetie, I got your text}, feeling that she wouldn't have the time to call her mother, Marinette had managed to send her a quick text when they were getting ready for the conference, telling her that she had arrived and would call her later.

{How are you doing?}

"I'm doing alright, what about you?"

{I'm fine as well. But tell me, are you enjoying Milan? What about the fashion camp? Your room? You didn't face any troubles, did you?} Sabine's worry was becoming evident as she asked question after question not pausing or waiting for answers, it caused Marinette's chest to ache in regret as she bit her lips and forced the lies out.

"It's...pretty g-good, way-way better than I expected…"

{ That's a relief, I'm glad you're happy}

"Yeah…" Marinette answered weakly, her eyes getting hotter by the second and her throat feeling very sore all of a sudden.

{Ah sweetie, I've been meaning to ask but completely forgot,} Marinette sniffed and tried to focus on the conversation instead of the dark thoughts clouding her mind, {when is Nino going to this camp? I know you said that  he'll be catching up to you later but I'd feel more at ease if he was with you…}

If only she could reassure her mother that Nino was already by her side, doing all he can to help her through this crazy ordeal she had put herself into. But she couldn't, she couldn't possibly ask for her best friend to lie even more for her sake, to deceive his family as well and leave them to join her in an imaginary place just so her mother could feel at ease. 

She thought he was already doing enough for someone who was supposedly his best friend, yet hadn't spoken to him in so many years. Sometimes it scared her just how much she had missed and how much had changed between them already.

"I'm not really su-sure, you know, his program being a new addition and all-all that…" She mentally scolded herself for both; spacing out too long before answering and for her continuous stammering, "Also, I can take care of-of myself. I've already met good people too…", 

"among others less than… helpful." She added in her head thinking about a certain blond and an irresponsible manager.

{I know, I just get worried sometimes, but I trust you Marinette and I know you'll be fine.}

That part broke her, and she felt tears streaming down her cheeks as she held a hand to her mouth, stopping any sobs from escaping her.

God, she didn't deserve her mother's trust, no she didn't even deserve her worries after what she had done, what she was doing. Would Sabine even forgive her? Marinette didn't think she could forgive herself anyways. What would her mom think when she learned that her beloved daughter wasn't chasing her dreams in another country but just half an hour away, going against every principle she had been taught and lived by, and breaking her mother's trust for a couple of euros.

She was disgusting, pathetic, she shouldn't be allowed to feel this way when she was the one to agree to all of this with her own free will, not when she was the one that had pushed both Nino and Plagg to lie to her mother, she wasn't even sure if she was deceiving her to protect Sabine from the worry or to lift some guilt about what she was doing from her own consciousness.

It didn't matter though, because what had been done was done, and she was not the victim, no, not when she was the one who dug this hole for herself to begin with.

As Marinette struggled to talk and assure the voice asking what was wrong at the other end of the line, she heard the click of the door, opening to reveal a worried Tikki. The woman gave her a sympathetic smile, seemingly understanding the situation. 

She tilted her head toward the wall clock and Marinette immediately got the unspoken message. She would be lying if she said she wasn't relieved for the interruption.

Taking a deep breath, Marinette cleared her throat and tried to steady her voice as she spoke, "sorry Maman...I dozed off, I'm-I'm a bit tired…"

{Of course you are, you're probably exhausted by now. You should sleep, I will call you tomorrow, ok?}

"Yeah...goodnight Maman, I love you,"

{ I love you too sweetheart, take good care of yourself and don't forget to call me,}

"I won't...goodbye." She ended the call and let a shuddering sigh escape her lips, her arms falling limply by her sides as she stared at the ground feeling immense shame and regret.

"I didn't mean to overhear but...your mother doesn't know what you're actually doing, does she?" Tikki asked gently while walking closer.

Marinette couldn't find her voice just yet so she simply nodded her head.

"Can I ask you why you're lying to her?"

"I'm not lying! I'm…" Marinette quickly defended, her head shooting upward, but she bit her lip and looked down again just as fast, remembering that yes, she was lying and deceiving her mother, but even if she knew that the words still stung when uttered loudly.

She clenched her fists and spoke in a hesitant tone, "It's just...she has so mu-much going on and...and I don't want to worry her a-any further…"

She felt two arms wrapping around her and she was brought to a hug by Tikki, Marinette returned the hug, finding a bit of relief in the warm embrace.

"Oh, Marinette, I know that you only have your mother's best interest at heart but this is wrong," She spoke softly as if she was comforting a hurt child, it reminded Marinette of the way her mother would hold her when she was upset, except that right now it only added to her guilt instead of easing her mind, "Lying can only last for so long, and eventually your mother will start suspecting something was wrong. It's best that you tell her first."

The woman stepped out of the hug and gently titled Marinette's face up, giving her a sympathetic smile she said, "I'm not ordering you to tell your mother the truth, Marinette, I just want you to consider it because this is wrong no matter what your true purpose is. It'll make things so much easier for both you and her, just trust me ok?"

Marinette wanted to protest, tell her that she would only disappoint her mother, that she was afraid that Sabine will never trust her again, she would hate her, she would push her away. And even with the tiny voice in her mind telling her that no, Sabine would never do such things because she was her mother first and foremost and would always love her, Marinette couldn't bring herself to believe it, because the echoes of doubt, fear and self-loathing were drowning everything else in her mind right now.

Biting her lips, she gave Tikki a small nod and pushed the dark thoughts to the little corner of her mind, she would deal with those later and consider Tikki's words, but right now she needed all her focus to survive the night.

The two made their way down to the front entrance of the building where an impatient Plagg was waiting, Tikki threw him an irritated look -for whatever reason, Marinette couldn't really tell- and walked to the front seat of the car. Marinette wasted no time in entering the car herself and greeted Nino who was scrolling on his phone.

"What's up with you?" Plagg asked as he started the engine and gave Tikki a quizzical look.

"I just can't believe you sometimes," Tikki sneered at him, "you made a little girl lie to her mother just because it was convenient for you!"

"What? What are you talking about?"

Tikki didn't answer but instead pointed angrily at Marinette causing both her and Nino to flinch in surprise.

"Sorry, Sugarcube but I had nothing to do with it," Plagg defended sounding annoyed but not really angry, "The only thing I did was provide my help when Marinette requested it, she was the one that wanted to do it."

"Yes but you encouraged it! You're supposed to be the adult here!" 

"Uhm...can-can we just drop it?" Marinette chimed in from the backseat, feeling very uncomfortable to watch the two argue because of her -and just wanting Plagg to focus on the road ahead- "What's done's done and I'll take care of it…"

Tikki crossed her arms and turned her gaze to the window while Plagg said nothing, yet Marinette noticed the satisfied expression that graced his features.

After a minute or two of uncomfortable silence, she nudged Nino and gave him a look, silently pleading him to say something. The brunet frowned but cleared his throat and turned his attention to Plagg.

"Hey, didn't you say you needed to talk to Mari before we go in or something?" Plagg immediately perked up and his eyes found hers in the rear mirror.

"Ah, Yes! but first Marinette I want you to know that I honestly did not know about this party, trust me if I knew I would've prepared us beforehand,"  He let an exasperated sigh as he added, "I should've expected it though, this is Bob after all.

"Anyways, let's discuss some rules." 

"Again with the rules?" Honestly, maybe she should start writing those down somewhere so she can remember them.

"Yes, this isn't just some party your popular friend from school is throwing, this is a gathering of many celebrities, not only working from Miraculous but from all different kinds of agencies and from various domains of the entertainment industry as well, so in short you need to be on your best behavior to maintain a good reputation for yourself, your band, and our agency as a whole," Plagg explained in a serious tone and Marinette slightly gulped feeling nervous.

"Why-why is this necessary again?"

"It's a way to introduce you to the crowd, get you out there or whatever the hell Bob thinks it is," Plagg shrugged and she nodded in understanding," anyways, here are the three Golden rules that you need to remember at any event from now on.

"Rule number one: stay close to one of us at all times. God knows the weirdest scandals are born from these gatherings and we absolutely don't want that."

His eyes met Nino's and he fixed him with a stern gaze, "you, need to stick with her at all times tonight, I'm counting on you Lahiffe, ok?"

"What? Why? so you can go ahead and get wasted or whatever while you throw your job at me like usual?" Nino accused but quickly turned to Marinette and gave her an apologetic look, "no offense 'Nette, you know what I mean,"

"None taken," She shrugged knowing full well that her best friend was just calling Plagg out and not really holding anything against her. Or at least she hoped so because even after spending a night gaming together and catching up, she still feared that they would eventually drift again, all of their conversations were either about reminiscing the past or about her stupid decisions. What if Nino got bored or uncomfortable around her now?

Before she could go and overthink this whole thing again, Tikki - much to everyone's surprise- spoke up, "this isn't just a party Nino, many opportunities can open up from some socializing here and there, and we both need to be ready for that, so we might not be available through the whole night."

Plagg threw her a grin which she rolled her eyes at while Nino just shrugged, muttering something along the lines that he wasn't planning on abandoning his best friend anyways -something that Marinette was thankful for as it eased her mind a bit.

"Second rule: I know you're above the legal age, but there's no drinking for you tonight, we can make an exception for a toast or two but anything else is a big fat no. And while we're on the topic, there's no 'mingle' either but that shou-"

"PLAGG!" Tikki quickly scolded causing the said man to jump in his seat.

"I told you many times not to surprise me like that when I'm driving, woman!"

"Mind what you say around them then!"

"Oh please, they're hardly children!"

"Ahem, I'm gonna pretend that I didn't hear the last part," Marinette cut in not wanting this to escalate any further, "as for drinking, don't worry Mr. Plagg I'm not very fond of alcohol either."

"Good. Then number three: behave yourself and try to...please your audience. Some celebrities are easily offended, others are just dying for attention so be careful of what you say and how you act, try and not upset anyone." She nodded, already making a mental note to avoid all and any kind of socializing unless it was absolutely necessary.

"Last rule!"

"You only said three-"

"Keep away from reporters and paparazzi. They're literally vultures waiting to jump at you at any given chance," A grim expression crossed Plagg's feature, Marinette guessed that he had his fair share of interaction with annoying reporters in this field of work.

"You think he'll be here?" Tikki asked quietly, her face pulled into a frown, and if it wasn't for Marinette paying attention she would've missed it.

"Heh, I'd be more surprised if he wasn't," Plagg spat back with a strained smirk, his voice was devoid of any amusement.

Marinette wanted to ask them more about who this he was, because clearly if he could produce that sort of reaction from both Tikki and Plagg then she better watch out for him too.

"Hey, when you said you didn't like  alcohol...does that mean you already had your first drink?" Nino asked and her thoughts of inquiring more about this he were forgotten in favor of answering her friend.

"Yeah, once on my birthday. Amy wasted no time in dragging me to a nightclub once I was legally allowed to drink," Marinette cringed inwardly remembering that experience.

By the end of that birthday, Marinette had learned two important things. One: that Amy had zero self-control, she had been drunk and dancing before Marinette had even had a second shot of Vodka. And two: that Marinette herself couldn't hold her alcohol, she got drunk easily, and quite frankly, she hated it. Making a fool of yourself and having to suffer through a terrible hangover accompanied by viciously vomiting her insides was not fun and was not worth it.

That night was something she'd rather forget-not that she remembered it that well to begin with- and preferably not repeat. Thank God that Henry had been with them and had somehow managed to keep them both safe and get them home before 3 AM.

"Ah shoot, that means I missed it," Nino frowned, an evident hurt present in his tone, and Marinette found herself smiling slightly seeing as her friend cared about such a trivial thing.

"You didn't miss on a lot, trust me," She put a comforting hand on his shoulder, "but if you're still up to watching me embarrass myself after three shots, then let's hit a club or something on my next birthday," She did the math in her head and smiled slightly, her birthday should be a month after this…' mission' is accomplished and she'd be free to do whatever she liked by then.

"It will still hit differently dude," Nino protested but she just rolled her eyes and bumped her shoulder with his.

"We'll just pretend it's the first time we're getting drunk. I don't remember that much from my first experience but I know I didn't enjoy it as much," He immediately perked up at that and gave her a big grin.

"Then it's settled, on your next birthday we're gonna make sure you have the best newly drunk teenager night!" She chuckled at the silly name but otherwise decided not to point out her distaste toward alcohol, because quite frankly she wouldn't mind as long as she was with Nino. Amy and Henry were great, but Nino was her best friend and the person she enjoyed its company the most.

"Alright, keep it down you guys, we're here," Plagg announced and Marinette was reminded that she and Nino weren't alone.

She looked up at the club that they were parking at, "* Crépuscule " Was written in bright neon color at the entrance, and Marinette recognized it as one of the most famous nightclubs in Paris, generally frequented by celebrities and rich people. Clara Nightingale often came here, she noted.

Another thing that immediately caught her attention was the crowd of paparazzi herding the entrance as the tall guards kept them from advancing inside the building. She gulped, feeling suddenly uneasy when they started noticing them.

"Everyone ready?" Plagg asked, giving them all a determined look and they all nodded back, "let's not keep them waiting any longer then," He grinned and started stepping out of the vehicle.

Tikki was next, and Nino gave her an encouraging smile before getting out as well, Marinette took a moment to slip into the role of Brian Alvarez before following right after her friends.

Flashes of cameras were instantly upon her as questions were being thrown in the air, all at once and too fast for her to comprehend exactly what they were saying.

Two bodyguards appeared on each side of their small group, keeping the paparazzi from getting any closer. From the corner of her eyes, she could see Nino greeting one of them and Plagg giving a third bodyguard the keys of his car.

"Those are 4Bs personal bodyguards," Plagg answered her silent question before holding his arm to Tikki, said woman rolled her eyes but proceeded to link her own arms with his anyway. "Let's go, and don't answer any of them." 

The two went ahead and Marinette turned to Nino, trying to ignore the blinding flashes. The brunet grinned and similarly offered her an arm to Plagg.

"Thanks but I don't think that will work when...I'm like this," She gestured to herself and Nino chuckled slightly, his hands receding in his pockets.

"Right, forgot you're a member of a famous boy band trying to avoid unwanted rumors now, bro " He teased lightly before walking ahead, a fair distance from Tikki and Plagg, and Marinette fell into steps beside him.

"Don't forget to smile," He whispered and she immediately plastered the best 'charming' smile she can manage while internally having a mini nervous breakdown.

"God, this feels like we're going to a film premiere or something," She whispered back while maintaining her smile, "All that's missing is a red carpet."

"Right? Makes you feel like you're a celebrity...well you technically are a celebrity now."

"Well I'm pretty sure we will see you walking on an actual red carpet soon, Mr. Future director," She joked but Nino just shrugged.

"Don't think so."

"How come? Isn't that what you always said you'll do when we grow up?"

"I mean yeah, maybe I'll do it down the road when I'm fifty-something, but right now I wanna focus on my music," They came to a stop behind Tikki and Plagg, who was talking to the guards at the entrance of the club, "being a DJ, making my own songs and remixes, feels like the right thing to do, you know?"

"Yeah, I get it," She added, a genuine smile tugging at her lips and Nino grinned back.

They entered the club and Marinette was immediately hit with the loud music and the colored neon lights that made it hard to see.

"I see Bob rented the entire place," Plagg commented. She took a good look around, noticing how it wasn't as crowded as usual clubs were, still there was a fair amount of people inside and they all seemed to gravitate into small groups.

"Plagg look," Tikki announced as she tilted her head, they followed her eyes to the second floor where Bob along with some men Marinette couldn't recognize were chatting. though squinting her eyes allowed her to recognize a figure that looked suspiciously like her least favorite member of 4Bs, sitting opposite to a blue-haired lady that she instantly knew was Duusu.

"It was too much to hope he wouldn't come, huh," Plagg stepped closer to her so she could hear him more clearly and spoke up, "Hey, see that man on Bob's left, the one with the blond hair and pink tips."

"Yeah?" Marinette redirected her gaze in the direction of said man, nothing about him really stood up except his dyed hair and the small bag that he kept a protective arm around.

"That's Vincent Aza, the most renowned journalist of 'Écho', a famous tabloids company," Nino chimed from her other side, "I think you'll recognize him better as Jagged Stone's infamous obsessive fan."

"Wait...seriously? That's him? What is someone like him doing here?" Of course, she remembered the story of Jagged Stone's uncontrollable follower who had claimed to be his biggest fan and ended up being his number one stalker instead.

It's been a couple of years since that incident, but every fan of Jagged was aware of it as it had been a huge deal for many reasons, including that this Vincent person had posted a questionable picture that very well suggested that he had broken into the star's personal house, several stalking incidents, and even going as far as trying to fake all kinds of rumors about Jagged because the man had to resort to filing a restraining order against Vincent when the latter didn't stop after simple verbal warnings.

Marinette had recently started to listen to the Rock Giant back then, and she remembered being very creeped out by this dude, gaining a new kind of respect and admiration for Jagged when he insisted that the identity of his uncontrollable fan stayed confidential so as to not cause the fan any troubles.

She couldn't believe that someone like that was here, being all chummy with the head of Miraculous Agency, where Jagged himself worked.

"Don't go blabbing about it, his identity isn't a knowledge that everyone owns," Plagg warned. "As for your question, his ability to gather information was so impressive that Écho couldn't let it go to waste so they hired him, he's been working for them for five years now."

"What about all that BS he pulled with Jagged!" 

"Well, he apologized and promised not to pursue him anymore. Claimed that it was a phase and he was over it," Plagg sounded skeptical and Marinette shared his sentiment.

"And yet we're allowing someone who works at a company that can turn ours to dust with false rumors to wander freely in a place like this?" If anything she believed that he should be out with the rest of the Paparazzi.

"Keep your friends close and your enemies closer, I guess." Tikki simply said as she started to walk to the stairs and they all followed right behind.

"Bob's keeping him close because in a way, not only can he monitor what kind of rumors about us are spread, but also get exclusive knowledge on rival agencies and artists," Plagg explained, "but Vincent can't be trusted, he'll break that deal at any given time if the right scandal presents itself." 

"The right scandal being the new member of 4Bs posing as a boy when he's secretly a female…" Nino finished thoughtfully and received a sharp nod from Plagg.

"I guess there's no need for me to stretch how important it is that you stay careful around him," She nodded, knowing exactly how much was at stake in this situation, "Good. And a piece of advice for dealing with reporters in general. They'll believe what you make them believe, keep confident, and don't let them break you, let them see what you want, ok?"

"Got it," She replied confidently, it won't be easy but she'll have to control herself to survive this.

Plagg nodded to the bodyguard at the entrance and he opened the glass door that separated Bob and his crew from the rest of the people outside.

"Ah, Brian! Glad you could make it" Bob greeted and Marinette resisted the urge to tell him that she didn't have a choice since he had ordered her to come.

"Of course," She smiled instead and moved along with her friends to sit down. Some of the men that were present shuffled around to make a place for them, Plagg ended up on Bob's right, followed by Marinette then Nino, while Tikki sat down on another couch beside Duusu -Marinette noticed how Duusu perked up at Tikki's arrival and how their interaction was the complete opposite of how the secretary had acted with Plagg and her before.

Marinette also noticed that Nino was exchanging greetings with Félix, she glanced in their direction and was met with icy-blue eyes that sent her a silent threat. Never mind, she can live without greeting that grumpy blond.

"Let's have a toast in honor of Brian!" Bob, announced excitedly, a vodka shot already held high, "To Brian!" 

Marinette glanced briefly at Plagg, and he gave a small nod that the other couldn't notice.

trying her best to ignore the feeling of being glared at-and she was pretty sure she already knew the person that was radiating such a powerful I can't stand you vibe-, Marinette held her shot with everyone else and smiled shyly as they all cheered for her, she downed the small cup and fought the urge to wince as the burning sensation enveloped her throat.

"Ya enjoying' the party so far, son?" Bob asked, already drinking from another glass that contained what Marinette believed to be Whisky.

"Uh...yeah," She was uncertain because one, she didn't exactly come willingly, and two she just got here yet she was already feeling uncomfortable.

The man beside Bob cleared his throat and her boss just rolled his eyes, "Brian, meet Vincent Aza, a close… acquaintance of mine."

Said man grinned happily at her and extended a hand, "professional journalist and photographer, a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Alvarez,"

Marinette raised an eyebrow at his choice of words but didn't comment as she extended her hand for a handshake as well, ignoring Plagg's somehow disgusted gaze.

"Anyways, you shouldn't stay here cooped up with us old souls," Plagg said as soon as she retracted her hand, "go ahead and enjoy the party. Nino, go with him."

Marinette sent him a thankful look as she stood up with Nino, they were ready to bolt out of there when Vincent spoke up.

"Ah, I was hoping I could ask Mr.Alvarez a few questions actually."

"Why the rush?" Bob said while draping an arm around the scrawny man, "The night is long an' ya can interview him later, let the kids have some fun!" He turned to Félix next as he spoke, "how about ya Félix, ya don't wanna join them?"

The blond sent her a sharp look before looking away, "I'm fine, thank you."

Marinette rolled her eyes, internally thankful that he didn't agree to follow them as it would make things awkward for everyone. She bid goodbye to the others and went out with Nino.

"Ugh, glad that was over," She announced once they made it to the bar and sat down.

"Don't celebrate just yet," Nino replied while declining the bartender's offer of getting them drinks, "according to Plagg, Vincent is as persistent as he is noisy. You'll have to answer some of his questions eventually."

She groaned and made a show of slamming her head on the counter, Nino laughed and tried to mess up her hair while she swatted his hand away.

A few minutes passed with Marinette and Nino chatting when someone called for their attention. The pair turned around to be met with a smiling Adrien.

"I finally found you guys!" He greeted happily, "Nino, you won't believe who's attending this party! It's DJ Mallow!"

"No way!" Marinette was feeling kind of out of place in this exchange, mainly because she didn't know who they were talking about, she didn't know that Nino liked any DJ by this name, at least he didn't used to before.

"Yes, way! He's over there!" Adrien pointed to a corner on the second floor where many people were gathered, "let's go meet him, come on!" 

Adrien quickly moved to drag Nino excitedly, but as the brunet started to stand up, a troubled expression crossed his features and Marinette could swear that his eyes just flickered in her direction for a moment before he retracted his arm from Adrien's grasp.

"Sorry dude, I'll have to pass," Marinette gave him a confused glance while Adrien looked so shocked that one would believe that he had just found out that his new teammate was actually a girl in disguise.

"B-but why? You always wanted to meet DJ Mallow!" Adrien protested, "You know he doesn't make too many public appearances like this! This is a golden chance Nino, you can't let it go!" 

Nino was looking more and more conflicted by the minute, and before he could muster up a reply, Marinette spoke up.

"You better not be refusing for my sake," The guilty look he gave her said it all, and she crossed her arms while giving her best-unimpressed look, "Seriously Lahiffe?"

"I can't just leave you here! Plagg would kill me if I don't watch over you!" He mirrored her stance while glaring half-heartedly at her, "Even if it wasn't for his orders, there's no way I'm leaving you alone in this club."

Marinette was glad that he would decide to stick with her regardless of Plagg's demands but she wasn't about to rob her friend from this opportunity. 

If what Adrien said was true, then Nino did truly want to meet this DJ and she refused to stand in the way. The more selfish part of her wanted to keep silent and let her best friend stay near her but she ignored it and focused on glaring at Nino instead because if there was a way to get her point across, it was staring him in the eyes until he gave up. Nino seemed to have the same idea though.

"Why can't Brian just come with us then?" Their mini staring contest was interrupted by Adrien's question. The pair looked at the blond then back at each other again, Nino smiling widely.

"Uh...no thanks. I think I'll pass." Marinette quickly answered as her eyes flickered to where this famous DJ and his crowd were, "It's too...crowded."

And while that may have been true, as Marinette didn't feel like being pushed around while waiting or holding a conversation with someone that recognized her as the new 4Bs member, the true reason was that she didn't want to be left out.

Somehow Adrien and Nino were good friends, Adrien knew about Nino's current tastes and preferences more than she- his best friend- did. She will probably get left out in their conversations if she followed around and she didn't want to cling to Nino all night and prevent him from having fun just to babysit her.

"Listen, just go ok? I'll be right here waiting," He glared at her ready to protest but she shoved him out of his seat and pointed toward the stairs, "go."

Nino must've felt that she wasn't giving him any more room to object, or maybe he was just too eager to leave, because he finally gave up with a sigh, "Fine. But don't move, I'll be back in a sec, and if anything happens just call alright?"

"Yes mom" She snorted while the brunet rolled his eyes. He motioned to Adrien, who has been watching the whole exchange with confusion, to go, and they both bid her goodbye with promises to be back as fast as they could before making their way into the crowd.

Marinette watched their forms until they reached the stairs then turned around in her seat and leaned down on the bar counter, ignoring the feeling of sadness that crept in her chest.

Once upon a time, Marinette had brushed away the idea of her and Nino ever drifting apart. She thought that what they had was special and different, that they would be best friends till their hair went grey and their bones creaked when they moved. Fate had other plans for them though as they were soon separated without any prior notice.

And yet here they are now, they were reunited yes, but Marinette was still afraid that they would drift again, she liked hanging out with Nino and wanted them to be close again, but what if he didn't share that sentiment, what if he stuck to old topics and stories like she did not because it was still a bit awkward, but because he didn't want to let her know him any better.

And then there was Adrien, they couldn't have known each other for that long yet they looked close. She and Nino had other groups of friends throughout the years so why was she feeling a pang of jealousy right now.

She sighed heavily, trying to banish the negative thoughts from her mind, it wasn't the right place nor the right time for this.

"Are you alright, young man?" 

A voice interrupted her internal turmoil and Marinette looked up to her right, only to be met with a piercing gaze.

"Ah, y-yes, I'm sorry" Marinette straightened up unconsciously in her seat while avoiding the other woman's gaze. 

" Don't be," She waved away nonchalantly before scanning her form once more, "Say, aren't you the new boy Miraculous had recruited?"

"Yes! I-I mean yeah, I'm Brian Alvarez, 4Bs' new member. A pleasure to meet you, ma'am," Marinette extended her hand and felt immense relief when the other woman shook it with her own, taking it as a friendly gesture and not an amateur artist trying to offend a probably very important someone.

"Camila DuBois and the pleasure is all mine," Marinette gulped as the name confirmed her suspicions about the familiar face in front of her.

Marinette may have been clueless about the entertainment world before her friends' lesson, but even she knew who Camila DuBois was. A veteran singer and later actress, popular with both the old and new generation-Marinette's own parents owned several albums of hers-that made her debut with Miraculous at a very young age and quickly rose to fame. Although she left the agency a few years ago to open her own recording company, she still attended many of the events that Miraculous organized mainly to show her gratitude and appreciation to the place that had believed in her and paved the road for her.

The half-Chinese girl shifted in her seat as she glanced at her new companion. The woman was probably in her mid to late-forties yet looked way better than many stars that only hit their twenties recently, Marinette subconsciously wished she'd age this fine in the future.

"Not a great fan of parties I assume?" Marinette startled as Madam Camilla's voice brought her back to reality, "I haven't seen that many young artists that preferred to sit in a lonely corner during their own debut party. Everyone's usually all over the place celebrating and trying to make themselves known to other attendants."

"Ah, y-yes I don't really...like c-crowds." Marinette tried to look as calm and casual as possible while answering because Goddammit she was talking to a freaking celebrity that she actually knew was a celebrity and that could throw her away to rot in jail if she made a wrong comment. 

She internally sighed in relief when Camila hummed in agreement, "A relatable feeling indeed," She tucked a loose strand of chocolate brown hair before signaling for the bartender then looking to Marinette again, "what would you like to have Mr. Alvarez?"

"N-n-no it's fine! You-you don't h-have to…"

"Please, I insist." Madam Camila gave her a sharp look as if to tell her that it wasn't up to debate before her eyes softened for a second, "unless of course, you don't drink alcohol?"

Looking back on it now, Marinette should have said yes, it wouldn't have been much of a lie seeing how she normally avoided drinking, " N-no I do, it's just...I don't think I'm a f-fan of any alcoholic beverage in g-general so I-I stay away from it."

"Nonsense, you just haven't found your drink yet. Allow me." She turned to the bartender that had been patiently waiting  and held two fingers, " Two * Boulevard des Rêves, please."

The bartender nodded and went to prepare for their order while Madame Camila gave her attention to Marinette once more, "So, Is Ross still in charge back in Miraculous?" 

"Y-yes" At her answer, Madame Camila wrinkled her nose in disgust causing Marinette to give her a questioning look.

"With how that man handles things, I'm quite surprised the agency hasn't collapsed yet," Marinette couldn't help but agree, she didn't know Bob well but according to her researche he did indeed get into a lot of scandals in the show biz. He was still her boss though so Marinette could only nod, afraid of saying anything wrong.

The older woman sighed as a manicured hand went to lightly massage her temples, "Frankly speaking, I'm more afraid of what will go down if that lanky uncultured son of his gets in charge." Marinette nodded again albeit more enthusiastically this time.

Just then the bartender placed two identical drinks in front of them. Marinette gulped as she stared at her glass so intensely one would think it had all the answers of the universe.

The rule about drinking that Plagg had insisted on respecting played like a piece of background music in her mind, but it was soon overthrown by another rule, don't upset other celebrities. Sure Madame Camila seemed nice and all but she was still a big name in the industry, refusing a drink she just ordered for her after Marinette had confirmed that she could drink would just be rude. She didn't feel like discovering what would happen if she offended the woman either.

She snuck a look at the Madame only to see her raising her glass toward Marinette in a silent toast. She was already breaking rule one by straying away from Nino, what harm could it do to humor one more celebrity, she'll just have to be careful or excuse herself if she got tipsy.

With a deep breath, Marinette took her own drink and mirrored DuBois' action, the glass made a satisfying clink before the two women retreated their hands and took a sip.

Marinette's eyes widened as she let the taste of her drink roll on her tongue, it wasn't that bad, she could actually see herself drinking this more often.

"I take it that you like it?"  Her companion laughed lightly when Marinette nodded eagerly and thanked her before taking another sip, " Now, why don't you tell me more about yourself Mr. Alvarez."

"Do you need anything else, miss?" It was the damn fifth time that he had attempted to open up a conversation. 

This bartender was getting on her nerves.

She flashed him one of her charming smiles and shook her head, fighting the urge to roll her eyes as he blushed and scrambled away. People like him were just too easy.

She took a sip from her drink and let her gaze wander back to where Madame Camila was. Ever since she heard that the veteran singer was making an appearance, she made it her goal to hunt her down and have a small chat with her. It never hurt to get the favor of others, especially when they could give a boost to your career.

Unfortunately though, by the time she had located DuBois, the woman was already engaged in conversation with a young man that she believed to be the new 4Bs member -What was his name again? Blain? Ryan? Something like that- so she had opted to observe from a distance. And so far Madame Camila seemed to be enjoying herself, a rare sight for a woman who bore an air of formality in most interactions she had, perhaps it's due to her companion.

Speaking of which, that boy was fidgeting so awfully one could smell his nervousness and discomfort from a mile away. He reminded her of how Kurtzberg used to be in crowds back then, before he was able to mask his anxiety as aloofness and maintain a cool facade. But even then, the redhead would at least attempt to blend in the crowd by awkwardly sticking to his other band-mates, this guy, on the other hand, he had been lurking in the corner for a while now. Did Miraculous's standards really dip this low?

Oh well she shouldn't judge, she had seen his previous interview and he actually did pretty well. Plus celebs tended to act differently in front of crowds and cameras, she would know.

"Ugh, I couldn't find him anywhere!" 

She tried to mask her surprise and annoyance as a figure stomped to the stool beside her. Great just when it was getting a bit peaceful. 

She sighed and averted her eyes away from Madame Camila and that 4Bs member to focus on the other girl. "Who?" She asked as innocently as she can, feigning ignorance was bound to get on her companion's nerves.

"Adrien, duh! I looked everywhere for him and his other stupid band-mates but I couldn't find him!" She threw her hands in the air catching the other clubbers' attention, " I swear I saw him in that crowd talking to DJ Melon or whatever but when I got there he was nowhere to be seen!"

"Maybe he's avoiding you?" She smirked when the other girl looked offended and took a sip from her drink.

"He would never!" She shrieked and crossed her arms and murmured something along the lines of "gentleman" And "unlike his brother."

"Well if that's not the case, then luck must be on our side tonight," She didn't let the other girl respond as she quickly narrowed her eyes and pointed an accusing finger, "we're lucky we even got invited tonight after the last stunt you pulled, so you better behave yourself tonight and not cause a scene. I don't want to lose that contract we signed just because you're being a snob."

The other girl reeled away in shock, as if I said anything new , before narrowing her eyes and getting up from her seat, "whatever!" She snarled as she tossed her hair behind her shoulder and walked away.

She contemplated if her 'friend' had gotten the warning and if she should leave her be or tail her just in case. Well, screw it, she wasn't in a mood to babysit anyone tonight.

She drowned the last of her drink and turned to look at her previous source of entertainment only to find Madam Camila laughing, genuinely laughing, at something the boy had said. 

Interesting, maybe she should keep an eye on him, turn it to a learning experience.

"Are you ok? Do you need a refill?" 

This bartender was seriously getting on her nerves.

• Crépuscule: meaning twilight or dusk in French. 

• Boulevard des Rêves: a cocktail similar to a Boulevardier, which is in turn basically a Negroni made with whiskey rather than gin.

Chapter Text

Edited: 27/07/2021

Drink it don't spill it -part 2-

Half an hour later, and Marinette found herself emptying the second glass of whatever Madame Camila had previously ordered her.

She tried to ask the bartender for another drink but he nervously declined, saying that maybe she should take a moment to breathe first, and well Marinette couldn't really argue, her mind was really fuzzy and her body felt slightly lighter yet heavier at the same time, she also found it unusually hard to concentrate on a single thought or to properly articulate it.

She sighed defeatedly and leaned on the counter, it had been half an hour already and Nino still didn't come back! Maybe he did forget about her! Madame Camila too just forgot about her as she was swept away by an old grumpy man who insisted that she came to meet his daughter.

Everyone was forgetting about her, even her best friend didn't care, he was probably having the time of his life right now with his new best friend. She sniffed as she felt moist in her eyes but quickly shook her head and gave herself a good slap on the cheeks.

No, she won't cry! She was a big girl dammit! And if Nino or Blondie or anyone didn't want to hang out with her it was their loss! Either with them or without them Marinette was gonna have fun! She would prove to Nino and everyone else that she can take care of herself all while enjoying this party, it was in her honor after all!

"To the dance floor!" Marinette cheered as she hopped down from her seat, she stumbled as she struggled to walk properly.

"I see that you've found a new tactic!" She announced while narrowing her eyes at the ground, the little jerk was wobbling and moving around ever so slightly as if she wanted to trip Marinette but the girl was nothing if not prepared, her long and shameful history of face-planting and tripping on the floor was long lost and she would not let it be repeated.

"I shall triumph today, ground!" She announced as she took cautious strides, it gained her a few curious looks from the nearby clubbers but none paid much attention, after all, it wasn't uncommon for someone to drink way too much and end up embarrassing themselves, well at least it was a private party.

Despite this being a party at one of Paris' most famous clubs, Alya Césaire was not having a good time.

But that was to be expected, after all, she was here to work not have fun, and you know what they say: don't mix business with pleasure.

The brunette sighed as she took a seat at the bar and slowly massaged her temples, she threw a longing look at the rows of alcohol bottles on the shelves but quickly shook her head, it wouldn't do her any good to get drunk now or worse; get caught drinking by her boss.

"Why did I accept this job again?" Not for the first time this night - or since she had graduated for the matter-  she asked herself why she was still working as Vincent Aza's glorified errand girl or assistance as he insisted to call it, nevertheless it didn't change the fact that she hated it and made her consider quitting and going back to managing the Superhero Blog that got her in this mess, to begin with.

To be fair, the salary was good and while it didn't cover her College fees, it sure allowed her to rent a cheap place and provide living necessities. Yet her job still bothered her anyway.

Working for a tabloid magazine went against her moral code. Yes it was technically journalism and yes Ècho was more considerate towards the fact they gathered and the material they published compared to other tabloids but there was always that tiny truth that was overlooked and twisted in favor of sparking more drama, or that last-minute article that was way rushed with no concrete evidence. 

And while younger Alya might have been more eager to get her hands on a juicy piece of news no matter the means and facts, the now-Alya understood the importance of only reporting true stories and not harming anyone with speculations, it hurt her heart every time she had to overlook those principles of hers in favor of maintaining this job.

There was also the issue of her boss. When Alya had first discovered that Vincent Aza was the man behind the case of the crazy Jagged Stone fan, well she had been more than reluctant to work with him. Although after a year and a half of being under his wing, the brunette could admit that he did have his ways when it came to mingling with celebrities and extracting information, he also had a way of being way more sneaky and clever than what Alya was comfortable with, he would stop at nothing when it came to getting his hand on a scandalous story even if it meant bending the rules to his liking.

Additionally, he tended to drop all the tiring work on Alya while constantly belittling her abilities as a reporter and very often demanding the near impossible, all sprinkled with a good ol' threat of firing her -even though they both knew he didn't hold such authority- just to be sure that her life was a living hell.

Take today as an example, as soon as Alya stepped inside the club, Vincent was right there barking orders at her to go find him a good story, only to text her later with more specific instructions to find Brian Alvarez and have a little "chat" With him a.k.a make sure to corner him and get some juicy news out of him.

Alya welcomed the new task at first. Having a specific goal was nicer than wandering around trying to catch some nonexistent stories, Alvarez was also new to the industry so there was a good chance he didn't know who she was yet and would be more cooperative or at least well behaved, because believe it or not rubbing elbows with celebrities was no walk in the park.

A lot of celebrities were rude and snobbish, refusing to even acknowledge her existence, while the ones who were more "civil" Still avoided her like the plague, her association with Vincent and Ècho, in general, gave her the reputation of a noisy paparazzi ready to turn any word they utter into a scandal.

Needless to say, it made her job ten times harder as well as making her feel like shit 80% of the time.

So after a fruitless search for Brian Alvarez, Alya had the brilliant idea to talk to his bandmates first, get some insights, and maybe his exact whereabouts. It also helped that 4Bs were usually nice and didn't mind answering her questions, or at least two out of the four were actually helpful.

With Félix it was a hit-or-miss situation. On a good day, he would humor her by at least giving some generic statement -considered quite something for someone like him- On a bad day, however... well it always ended up with being escorted out by whatever security guards or bodyguards available around him.

When Alya had run into him earlier, previous experience and the sharp look he had thrown her way had told her that this was a bad day and she should just stay out of his way this time.

Luka and Adrien on the other hand were some of the few people she was always down to socialize with when attending these events. They were both very kind, respectful, and polite. Adrien especially, talking to him was like talking to an old friend and he never dismissed her unless he was in a rush or a no-comment-policy (established by Félix, mind you), and even then he was very polite about it.

So when Luka had given her a simple sentence about Brian being a great addition to their band and how talented he was then excused himself, while Adrien had given a rushed apology as he hurriedly made his way to DJ Mello with a brunet boy she hadn't recognized, well, Alya came to two conclusions.

Either Everyone is purposely being hush-hush about Brian for the sake of maintaining some air of mystery, or this Brian dude was more closed off than Félix or Nathaniel.

As her mind began spinning theories, she almost went on to look for Nathaniel in hope of gathering more intel before she had remembered that he probably wasn't here. 

It didn't discourage her however as Nathaniel wouldn't have been much of help anyways. It was said that he was once very shy around cameras and reporters but by the time she had started on the job, he was a sarcastic little shit that enjoyed throwing her off and knew how to evade questions too well -and yes she suspected Félix to have a hand in his changed behavior and had been glad to point it out to him.

With a heavy mind, Alya had continued her search of 4Bs' new member on her own while also gathering some bits and pieces of any information about anything really, after all the possibility of not being able to interview Brian Alvarez was still on the table and Alya would like to have something to present to her boss once he started berating her for not getting anything worthy to put on the first page tomorrow.

The brunette made her way across the sea of people while keeping her eyes alert. Making sure to avoid the dancing crowd, Alya suddenly stopped, eyes squinting hard at a moss of black hair, she quickly whipped her phone out checking the photo of Brian Alvarez.

An excited grin graced her features as she advanced to the dancing male -or at least she assumed he was dancing, it honestly looked more like he was simultaneously fighting the ground while trying to get rid of squirrels in his pants- among the crowd, it was dark and the lights were dizzying but she could see the resemblance to the photo she had, it was definitely Brian Alvarez.

Bracing herself, Alya caught him just as he finished his weird dance routine and started walking out of the dance floor, she called his name once but he didn't seem to hear her so she called again louder.

" Mr. Alvarez! excuse me, Mr.Alvarez, can I ask you a few questions!" the brunette asked excitedly, already fishing her phone and choosing the audio recording app.

"huh? pff, who's Mr. Alvarez? that's not my name!" He giggled uncontrollably-a sound that Alya found a bit too feminine to belong to a boy- before his eyes widened as if he just realized something, "oh shoot! it is! but you gotta keep it a secret k? shhh!" He put his index finger on his lips and gave the girl a wide grin.

"I'm sorry, is this your way of telling me to address you using your first name or...." honestly these 4Bs boys, every one of them was more confusing than the other, they made her job so hard! And clearly this one was drunk too. Great.

Shaking her head, Alya cleared her throat and extended her hand, "Alya Césaire, junior reporter at Ècho Magazine," Ok maybe she wasn't technically a junior reporter but those were minors details, it was fine, "As I was saying, I'm wondering if you could answer some of my questions?"

Brian blinked at her once, then twice as if processing her words before he took a step back, he formed a big 'X' shape with his arms and started frantically shaking his head, "No, nope, noppity, nope! I'm not allowed to talk to any reporter!" He pouted and Alya had to stop herself from giggling at his childish expression, yup he's definitely drunk.

"Ok...but you see the thing is, I'm not actually a reporter," She smirked at his obvious display of curiosity and anticipation, it was just like telling her sisters bedtime stories when they were younger.

"You're...not?"

"Nope! I'm an intern there and if I can't get an interview with you I'll be really, really, really in trouble."

 Now Alya wasn't one to play the pity card nor was she one to take advantage of a drunk person to win a story despite her boss' insistence, still you know what they say, "never look a gift horse in the mouth".

 It wasn't in her moral code to question someone who was most likely unaware of what was happening even if they're bound to be completely honest in this state, Still, she wasn't kidding when she said she would be in trouble if she couldn't get anything before the night ends. So resolving to only ask basic questions and swearing to protect Brian's privacy by omitting anything remotely embarrassing from the interview they were about to have, Alya decided to make the exception and go for it.

Before Brian, who was spacing out the entire time, could give her an answer or she could press him more, a short woman suddenly appeared behind the man, she sighed in relief as she spotted him and quickly ran to them.

"Tikki!" Alvarez shouted as he all but threw himself at the woman, almost knocking her down, and Alya started to finally recognize the woman as 4Bs' stylist.

"Oh god! I finally found you M-Brian!" Tikki said as she tried to separate herself from the clinging artist, "where have y- wait...are you drunk?!" She sniffed at him a bit before her face contoured in a horrified expression.

"Um...no…" He mumbled quietly while averting his eyes.

Alya then cleared her throat making her presence known. The redhead turned to her and her eyes slightly widened before she quickly straightened and pushed Brian behind her.

"Hello, I'm Alya Césaire and I was about to ask Mr.Alvarez some questions, Miss…"

"It's Tikki, 4Bs' stylist," She smiled while offering a handshake, "And I do know who you are Miss Césaire, however as you can see Brian is in no condition to hold an interview right now."

Oh no Alya was not about to let this opportunity get away, "Yes, but I assure you I'll just ask very basic questions and I will remove any…. Unfavorable footage that may harm Mr. Alvarez's reputation," She made sure to stare the woman right in the eye as she spoke, " So may I….Please?"

 Alya hated how her voice cracked at the added please but no matter how you look at it, she was at a disadvantage here, she had to use all her cards, that was why she shot the woman a pitifully pleading look just for good measures.

Tikki pursed her lips as she shifted uncomfortably then sighed, "listen I can't allow that…" The brunette was about to protest but Tikki held a finger to stop her, "buuut how about I answer your questions."

"You?" 

"Yes me! Who's better than 4Bs' personal staff to give you an inside scoop?" Tikki finished and smiled nervously at Alya's suspicious glance.

Well, it did seem like a good deal, especially considering Alvarez's current state. The brunette sneaked a glance at him only to find him attempting to catch the trail of lights coming from the disco ball. Yeah, this was definitely a better deal.

"Alright, let's do it."

"Great!" Tikki beamed at her then turned to the drunk man behind her, "Brian, I'm gonna have a quick chat with Miss Cesaire here. Meanwhile, I want you to sit at that chair in the back, don't move till I come get you, ok?"

"Hai, Hai Captain!" Brian gave a goofy salute before he sloppily made his way to the chair in the back.

Tikki shook her head and motioned to Alya to follow her to a quieter corner. If the two had bothered to turn around, they would've noticed Marinette walking right past the chair and straight towards the stairs.

"One...more...step…" Marinette huffed as she climbed the stairs that would hopefully lead her to a terrace.

She didn't listen to Tikki but can you blame her? She was feeling so stuffed! She was sure she was slowly suffocating and she needed fresh air now! Tikki would understand, plus she was a big girl, she could take care of herself.

Now if only the stairs were not conspiring with the ground, and swearing to bring Marinette down, as they shook and moved back and forth like ocean waves.

Arriving at what Marinette believed to be another floor much smaller than the previous ones, the girl took a moment to regain her breaths as she looked triumphantly down on the stairs, completely ignoring the person calling her male counterpart's name until she felt a hand on her shoulder.

Marinette turned around to be met with a familiar pair of aqua blue eyes, "Blueberry! Hi! hi!"

"Blueberry? Hey, are you ok?" Luka asked as he eyed his swaying bandmate.

"Yeah! Never been better!"

"Brian...are you drunk?" 

Marinette frowned as she stomped her foot, "No! Why is every-" She couldn't finish her sentence as she was suddenly falling to the ground head first.

Luckily, her face never graced the dust and she was saved from being mocked by the evil ground, as Luka managed to catch her at the last minute.

"You ok?" he asked in a worried tone, while Marinette kept staring at him.

"Déja Vu…" She murmured then burst laughing, only causing more confusion to the man who was trying to lift her up - and yes, he was confused about the reason that made his bandmate erupt into a fit of giggles and not because of the cute and adorable laugh that momentarily serenaded his ears, seriously that was it. 

Once she calmed down, her laughing turned to panting as she pulled the collar of her shirt, "it's so hot in here!"

Luka sighed while running a hand through his hair. He had a suspension something like this may happen, he had a slight hope Brian would have the mind to not get drunk but now it looked like he was worse than Adrien when unsupervised. 

"Try removing your blazer. Here I'll help," Luka didn't even manage to extend his hand as Marinette quickly hugged herself and shook her head.

"No!" She can't let Blueberry boy get that close! What if he was suspicious and wanted to uncover her secret and then tell everyone and send her to jail and her mom-

"Okay….how about I get you some water, maybe it'll help sober you up," Marinette nodded, as long as it would get him away from her and her secrets. "Alright stay here, I'll be back in a second."

Of course, she didn't listen, she wasn't stupid. She waited for him to disappear from her line of sight and rapidly climbed the rest of the stairs.

Félix sighed as he leaned on the railing, quietly observing the city lights and the buzzing nightlife of its people, despite it being way past 2 AM, it was still very much lively.

But truthfully he wasn't there to enjoy the view, if anything the terrace was surprisingly the only calm and decent place that wasn't infected with boisterous drunk semi-adults, it was perfect for killing time.

He supposed that at least it wasn't another gala or a charity ball that required him to rub shoulders with sneaky backstabbers and great pretenders in order to uphold the family name and not disappoint his dear father. Ah no, those were far worse and he was glad they were mostly behind him now.

Parties like this, he didn't particularly like but he was ready to tolerate them as long as he didn't spend more than two hours scooped in them.

Normally he would stay longer than that if only to keep an eye on his younger brother, Adrien had always been the rowdier and more lively of the two, once he was granted his freedom -albeit partly seeing as they were always under the public's eyes- he had gone pretty wild. After all, first times were always fascinating and exhilarating.

Luckily, -and while the first few parties were...troublesome, and the few after required his intervention- Adrien had gotten better at controlling himself, granting Félix some peace of mind and making his early leaves less guilt and stress-inducing. And if anything were to happen, well Luka was there with his brother.

As much as Félix hated to admit it, he trusted the older boy, considering him another brother. Same with Nathaniel. It was what helped them keep their band together and achieve so much success. They were friends, a family that started from scratch and faced all the obstacles together until they got where they were now. And yet an outsider just dared to waltz in and-

A loud 'thud' indicating that the door to the terrace had been opened caught Félix's attention, he turned around only to be met with the last person he wanted to see right now, or ever, he really wished this person would disappear from his sight forever.

"What are you doing here?" Félix asked as he made his way to a celebrating Brian -celebrating what exactly, the blond couldn't know, or care the matter.

Marinette looked up and immediately frowned at the blond. Lovely, as if her nausea and headache weren't enough, "oh it's you, great."

Ignoring the boy's tone, Félix crossed his arms saying, "I asked you a question."

"And I don't wanna answer." She swayed a bit but managed to stick her tongue at him.

"Why you…" He began but stopped in favor of sighing instead, "more importantly, are you drunk Mr.Alvarez?"

"None of your business!" She was really getting pissed at people calling her drunk when she was clearly fine, just a bit clumsier than usual and maybe had an urge to barf -but that could also be attributed to the fact that she had to see Félix's face at such a lovely night - but she was fine, thank you.

"Just come with me." The blond hissed and advanced to hold her wrist but Marinette evaded him. They weren't at the company or in front of journalists so she had no obligation to listen to him or play nice and polite.

She opened her mouth to give him a piece of her mind when she suddenly felt nausea strike at full force. Marinette doubled over, hand on her mouth trying to stop the content of her stomach from breaking free.

Félix immediately understood what was happening. He frantically looked around for anything that she could use and made a quick grab for an empty water bottle.

Marinette gave him a pointed look when he offered it to her, was he seriously telling her to puke in a bottle? She may as well just dirty the ground.

Luckily he seemed to realize that and grumbled as he made a beeline for a flowerpot, he brought it back for her but before he could properly hand it to her, Marinette doubled over again, hands hovering on the pot that Félix was still holding and started letting everything out.

Félix would forever deny the shriek that had left him that night.

He resisted the urge to release the potted plant and opted to turn away from his bandmate, his other hand on his mouth trying not to gag as well.

A few moments passed before Marinette slumped back sighing in relief as she wiped her lips with her sleeve, "much better!"

The blond peered at the flower pot and a horrified expression crossed his features, he hurriedly placed it back to its original place while keeping it a safe distance from him-he could swear he saw the poor flowers wilt a bit and he silently apologized to mother nature for his sin.

"N-now...get up!" He ordered the other boy, slightly creeped out and still keeping his distance.

"Are you the King of the Roof?" Marinette frowned at him before continuing, not bothering to listen to his answer, "you're not, so you don't have a right to order me around!"

Félix blinked a few times, then his expression shifted to anger. Firsts curled at his sides, he said in a raised voice, "I am merely holding up considering your state, but if you do not listen to me this instant I swear I w-"

The door behind them slammed open, interrupting the blond's threat.

"BRIAN!" Their other two bandmates shouted as soon as they saw him. Adrien heavily panting and Luka looking slightly out of breath as well and clutching a water bottle in one hand.

"Thank god you're here!" Adrien's shoulders sagged in relief.

"Oh wow…" Marinette whispered in awe as she stood up. She swayed, almost falling, but managed to steady herself, "you're all here! Grumpy, Blueberry, and Sunshine! All we need is Tomato head and the collection will be complete!"

Marinette giggled while the boys showed various shades of confusion -irritation in Félix's case- trying and failing to understand the drunk boy.

"Are you two going to explain what is going on?" Félix asked pointedly, ignoring the laughing Marinette.

"Ah...well...you see…" Adrien gulped while shifting uncomfortably, " Nino and I left Brian at the bar for a while and when I came back to check on him, he wasn't there. I told Nino and he panicked so we started looking for him. Then I bumped into Tikki who was also panicking because Brian was missing and drunk."

"Then I bumped into Adrien while fetching water for Brian and told him to come with me," Luka finished for the blond, "he wasn't there where I left him though, but I figured he would come to the roof since he was feeling hot earlier. So we both came here to find him."

"So our new member is more of a pain in the ass than I initially thought. Splendid."

"Félix!" Adrien shouted, nervously glancing at Brian, "that's not nice."

"I'm not trying to be nice, brother ." The younger blond winced, Félix only called him brother when he was very pissed, "that boy is a useless nuisance, we're better off without him."

"Seriously Félix calm down," Luka chimed in, eyebrows furrowed.

Meanwhile, as the boys continued their argument, Marinette's laughing spell had finally broken, and while she did feel lighter, her nausea was back at full force and her headache was amplifying the more she listened to the boys.

Quietly, she walked to the railing, hands wrapped around the metal bar, Marinette tipped her head back and took a deep breath while looking at the sky. It was so dark without the moon there but if she squinted hard enough she could make up the faint twinkles of the stars. "Hmm maybe if I can get closer…"

Spotting a bench to her right, Marinette smiled brightly and walked to it, slowly and carefully she managed to climb the bench, then she stood up, hands extended up as she reached for the stars.

" I am the King of the Roof, Slayer of the Ground, Conqueror of the Stairs! Fear my wrath!" She shouted at the top of her lung then started cackling. Man did it feel good to finally have some fresh air.

"Brian!" Someone called her name as the sound of footsteps echoed around.

"Get down you idiot-" Marinette whirled around, ready to scold whoever was firing a string of bad curses at her

"Brian watch ou!" Her foot missed, landing on air instead of sturdy wood and she was falling down.

The last thing Marinette could remember was the sight of three very handsome, very worried boys with their hands extended to catch her. And then darkness enveloped her and she was out cold.

Chapter Text

Hangover

The first thing Marinette's half-asleep brain registered once she opened her eyes was the awful headache. The second was that the ceiling was strangely unfamiliar, the bed she was laying on was also way larger than her own. 

The revelation caused her to immediately jolt up, wincing as the sudden movement worsened her headache. Marinette took a shuddering breath then glanced around the room. It took her -embarrassingly enough- eight long minutes to finally remember that yes, she wasn't in her room because she wasn't Marinette anymore but Brian Alvarez and this was supposedly her new room, not because she got kidnapped or anything.

Which brought another question, how and when did she exactly get here? However, she couldn’t ponder on that thought for too long as a wave of nausea suddenly hit her. She started to frantically look around then barged through the first door she saw, luckily, it led her straight to a bathroom.

After emptying the content of her stomach, Marinette stood up from the toilet seat and glanced at her reflection in the mirror above the sink. Great, she looked as shitty as she felt, with her hair sticking out in all kinds of directions and dried yellow spots on her white shirt -and good Lord what was this horrible smell?!

Taking a deep breath, Marinette gripped the sink and narrowed her eyes at her reflection, "ok, think Marinette. What’s the last thing you can remember."

She closed her eyes and tried to ignore the headache as she recalled the events of last night. However, she couldn't remember anything past the few words she had exchanged with Madame Dubois, everything after that was pretty much a blur.

"Shit did I accidentally get drunk?" She mumbled as she rubbed her eyes. She didn't think those drinks were that strong but there was no other explanation. 

Oh god, Plagg was gonna kill her, she just hoped her drunk ass didn't do any irreversible damage to Brian's reputation.

She sighed and made her way back to the bedroom, going straight to her nightstand where a glass of water and some Advil pills were placed with a hastily written note reading: "call me when you wake up, we need to talk. Plagg.'' Marinette gulped and shoved the note aside in favor of taking the medicine.

She turned her phone on next and almost dropped it as she gaped at the number of calls and messages she had missed: 14 missed calls and 48 messages- more than half of them from Nino while the rest was a variation of texts from Tikki, Plagg, and Adrien- along with three others from her mom.

Marinette quickly checked her mother's texts first, seeing as they were the generic "good morning and have a nice day"; she typed a simple reply and proceeded to the other messages.

They were all a variety of "where are you?" And "pick up the phone", with Nino's taking a more desperate edge the more she scrolled down. His last and longest text was sent a mere two hours ago and it made her heart clench, her best friend was blaming himself for whatever had happened yesterday, apologizing over and over, and saying he would understand if she was mad or wanted to end their friendship but just to let him know that she was fine first.

"Just what exactly happened yesterday." 

Marinette sighed as she massaged her temples, suddenly her stomach started rumbling as she was contemplating what to say to Nino. "Let's take a shower first, it will help me think more clearly."

Marinette took a moment to observe her surroundings.

Her new room was large, way larger than her old one with cream and brown colored walls decorated with some abstract paintings.

To the left of her double-sized bed was a small balcony that Marinette didn't dare to open yet, while a  mirror hung on the right wall and two matching nightstands on both sides of the bed.

A few steps away from her bed Marinette could see what she would like to describe as a mini living room, with a small couch and two little loveseats placed around a coffee table. There was even a TV screen on the wall.

Marinette ventured to one of the three doors in the room only to be led to a walk-in closet, complete with a space for her to change, two mirrors, and a desk-like thing with some skincare products on it. She couldn't help but marvel at it and at the dozen clothes hanging in there for a few seconds before snapping herself out of it.

She spotted her suitcase along with the bags containing the outfits that she had bought yesterday with Tikki and made a quick mental note to sort them out later as she grabbed a clean set of clothes.

Just in case, she made sure to lock the door-that she discovered led to a hallway- before entering the bathroom and proceeding to have what she considered to be the best bath of her life. Sure, using men's products instead of her usually more fruity and sweet-scented ones was kinda weird, but it was a small price that she was willing to pay for this relaxation.

She ended up spending an extra half an hour in there but she was way more refreshed and energized than she had been for the past few days, albeit very hungry.

So Marinette tried searching her belongings for some kind of snack to satisfy her growling stomach to no avail. She only found two pieces of candy that Nino had shared with her yesterday, "great. That means I'll have to get out."

She nervously eyed the door but quickly shook her head. It was fine, this place was her home as it was theirs. She'll just have to find the kitchen, grab something edible, then make her way back as fast as possible while making sure no one noticed her. Easy.

With a deep breath -and some trials and errors- Marinette managed to unlock the door. Her head darted left and right as she scanned the area and once she deemed it safe she swiftly stepped out and slowly closed the door behind her. So far so good.

Apparently, her room was located at the end of a black-colored hallway decorated with more paintings along with some photos of the bands and their album arts. As she walked through, she noticed two more doors before finally making it to the stairs.

Deciding to head down, she was met with an open living room with the same color scheme of black, gray, and cream. Marinette took a minute to wander there for a while before spotting the kitchen and quickly making her way there.

At first, she debated on whether or not she should open the fridge or look into the cupboards but...Was she even allowed to do that? What if she accidentally ate someone else's meal? What if someone found her and accused her of snooping around and stealing? What if…

Her mini-meltdown paused as she spotted a bowl of fruits sitting on the counter. Surely no one would notice if she took a small banana, right? The growling of her stomach indicated that it should be fine, so she got closer to the bowl and carefully took a banana, smiling when it turned out that it wasn't a plastic replica.

She was munching on her second one when the sound of laughing -and...was that barking?- caught her attention, she walked to a glass door, apparently leading to a backyard of some sort and squinted, immediately spotting her blond bandmate-the nice one, Adrien, she reminded herself- running around with a large Golden Retriever chasing after him.

The sight was honestly adorable and she would have been able to genuinely admire it if her mind wasn't so preoccupied with another issue: Adrien probably knew what had happened yesterday.

He seemed to be the friendliest and most outgoing of the three boys, he was good friends with Nino, and right now he was her only ticket to finding the truth considering that she didn't have enough courage to call Plagg or her best friend yet, whose versions of events would surely be way more dramatic. Adrien would prove to be a more reliable source, or at least that's what she was hoping for.

She finished the rest of her snack and made sure to readjust the fruit bowl so nothing looked missing, then carefully and quietly strode outside to Adrien.

The blond was too occupied with his dog to notice her, so she awkwardly cleared her throat. Adrian turned around only to freeze upon meeting her eyes, a tense silence descended on them as he just stared at her with a shocked expression while Marinette tried so hard not to fidget under his gaze.

"Umm….hi." 

"Oh! Sorry, hey!" He quickly straightened and offered her a hesitant smile, "you're awake! How are you feeling?"

 "Like shit." is what she would like to say but it probably wasn't the right thing to say to someone she barely knew and wanted to remain on his good side for now, "I-I've been better."

"Good, let me know if you need anything though," He gave her a more sincere smile and Marinette was thankful for the opportunity that had just presented itself to her.

"Actually… I was wondering if you had a minute? There's-there's something I wanted to ask you."

"Oh, sure! Let's sit down first." She nodded and Adrien led her to a wooden gazebo, they sat down around an unlit fireplace, with the dog following closely behind them. They shared a quick look before looking away just as fast, both waiting for the other to speak up first. 

Another five minutes of awkward silence passed as Marinette tried to gather her thoughts when Adrian finally spoke up.

"This is Choux, short for Pâte a Choux." She turned to Adrien who gently guided the Golden Retriever closer to her, "She's our mascot/lucky charm/the cutest most beautiful girl in the world!" He ruffled her fur and Choux barked happily as if agreeing with the sentence.

Marinette gently extended her hand and waited for Choux to approach her, said dog sniffed her hand cautiously before nuzzling closer, causing the girl to smile and give her a scratch behind the ear, "hey there Choux, you have quite the unique name, huh?" 

"It's a long story," Adrien chuckled as he joined Marinette in patting Choux. "So you wanted to talk?"

Marinette was brought back to reality and gave a hesitant nod, "yes...About what happened yesterday. I-I don't remember any of it."

"No surprise there, you were pretty wasted," He winced as soon the words left his mouth, realizing how harsh he sounded, "sorry."

"Don't be." She mumbled as she nuzzled closer to Choux, relishing in the comfort the cheerful pet was bringing her, "But for the record, it wasn't intentional. I didn't even plan on drinking, to begin with…"

Adrien gave her a questioning look, wanting to hear more, and she sighed before elaborating, "After you and Nino had left, I was approached by Madame Camila Dubois. She insisted on offering me a drink and I didn't want to appear rude so I accepted. I didn't know it would be so strong or that it would get me drunk so easily."

"I see…"

"Yeah...so can you tell me what exactly happened last night? Please?" She didn't miss how he slightly flinched then averted his eyes. He was clearly hesitant to answer her which meant that yesterday was most likely as catastrophic as she had guessed.

"Er...nothing! I mean it wasn't pretty but I've done worse you know! And-and no paparazzi saw what happened so really there's no point in worrying about it!" He went on a ramble then, hand extending to rest behind his neck. He was nervous, but Marinette wasn't about to drop it, if anything his behavior only served to worry her more and provoked her curiosity.

She put a hand on his shoulder and he instantly stopped talking and turned to face her, "Please Adrien, I need to know." She gave him her best puppy eyes look- trying to imitate Manon's as closely as possible since those never failed to win Marinette over- and watched intensely as his expression changed, seemingly trying to decide if he should tell her or not.

In the end, he finally caved in with a sigh and Marinette resisted the urge to smile, "Alright, but don't freak out ok? It’s fine and no harm was done."

That statement only served to increase her nervousness but she nodded nonetheless, knowing that she will, most likely, freak out.

"Ok, so when Nino and I got to DJ Mello, there was already a line of people that wanted to meet him. We waited for a while but Nino was getting antsy so I offered to go check on you…

~ Last Night~

“Excuse me!...sorry...passing through!” Adrien shouted as he made his way to the bar where they had left Brian, hoping that his bandmate would still be there so that Nino would finally manage to relax a bit.

It was something that had been nagging Adrien lately, what exactly was the relationship between Nino and Brian?

At first, he thought that the brunet was nice to Brian because of Plagg since it was very likely that their manager would make Nino ‘babysit’ the new member while Plagg did...Whatever Plagg did when he wasn’t barking orders at them or complaining about how hard his work is. And while Nino did confirm that theory, it was still strange how good the two got along, their interactions were of two people that had known each other for a good amount of time and who were familiar and comfortable enough with one another, not strangers who met because of work and happened to “click”. It just didn't sit right with him.

Adrien knew that it wasn't his place to question their relationship, even if the two did indeed know one another prior to Brian joining them it wasn't Adrien's business and he shouldn't be noisy about it but still…

He considered Nino to be the closest thing he had to a best friend even if they had only known each other for a few months, yes Félix would forever be Adrien's first-ever friend but he was first and foremost his older brother, his very protective and slightly bossy brother. Luka was cool but he also acted more of a big brother than a friend sometimes and Nate...well he just preferred to keep to himself for the most part.

 That left Nino as the only person Adrien could freely goof around with, shared his different interests, and genuinely trusted. 

And don't get him wrong, he always knew that the brunet had other friends, that Adrien considering him his best friend was a one-sided thing, so truly he shouldn't be surprised nor hurt if it turned out that Brian and Nino were in fact close.

Yes, Adrien will make sure to ask them again properly, and then hopefully the three of them could be closer friends too, after all having two best friends was way better than having only one!

With this newly strengthened resolve, the blond tried to walk faster to his destination only to freeze, slightly shocked, in front of an empty seat. 

He scanned his surroundings just to be sure but there was no mistake, he was at the right place, yet Brian was nowhere to be found.

Rationally speaking, it was entirely possible for Brian to have left, but Adrien decided to ask the bartender either way just to be sure.

"Yeah, he was here like half an hour ago, then left to prove his strength to the ground."

"I-I'm sorry, prove what to what now?" But the bartender only shrugged nonchalantly, as if he was simply talking about the weather.

"Don't know man, I get paid to serve and turn a blind eye not to ask questions." He started walking away, but Adrien could hear him mumble something along the lines of  'he shouldn't drink so much for a small guy'.

" No, it couldn't be…" Adrien gulped, refusing to entertain the thought, and fished his phone to call Brian instead.

Five calls in and the younger Agreste was getting worried. A lot of things could go wrong with Brian being possibly drunk in an unfamiliar place and with someone like Vincent Aza attending the party... Adrien needed to find him and fast, it was his responsibility as his bandmate, his friend, and the person that may be to blame for his current state.

Shooting one last text to Brian, Adrien didn't wait for a reply and was about to go look for the drunk boy when he got a text from Nino. 

He took a moment to consider his next move. A part of him didn't want to tell Nino anything yet, not until he found Brian-out of guilt or the fear of Nino's reaction he couldn't tell. But he couldn't do that, Nino deserved to know the truth, he would hate him if anything happened to Brian because Adrien kept the truth from him.

He shot him a quick text explaining what was happening and his message was read yet no reply came. Adrien bit his lips in worry before shaking his head and forcing himself to continue looking for Brian.

Fifteen minutes into his search party -which wasn't going that great by the way- he bumped into a familiar face.

"Adrien? What are- no, that's not important right now, did you see Ma-Brian anywhere?" Tikki was gripping his shoulders looking more frantic than Adrien had ever seen her -more than the time they were given ball gowns instead of the clothes they were supposed to wear for an important outdoor photoshoot. 

"No, I've been looking for him but I still haven't found him yet. You?"

"Good grief!" She sighed while massaging her temples, "he was with me just now but I got distracted and he left without me noticing."

"I'm sorry if I hadn't distracted Nino...If I had insisted that he comes along...I-" It was his fault. He should've tried more, he shouldn't have tried to hog Nino all to himself, if anything were to happen to Brian tonight then-

"Hey, it's not your fault," Tikki was giving him a stern look, maintaining eye contact despite being shorter than him, "what's done is done, we need to focus on the present right now."

Adrien gave a hesitant nod, yet he couldn't completely push the guilt away. He would do his best though, that's the least he can do.

"I'm gonna go inform Plagg and see if I can find Brian on the way, keep searching the area here and make sure to check the second floor. Tell Nino to check the bathrooms and the third floor." He started texting Nino again while nodding along.

"Try and stay subtle, we don't want to attract unwanted attention, also let's stay in touch, and if anything happens call me right away, ok?" She was barking orders at him like he was a soldier but Adrien didn't mind, he worked best while following instructions.

The two nodded at each other one last time before going their separate ways. 

Alas there was still no trace of Brian and Adrien was getting more and more worried, so he decided to try his luck on the next floor and made his way to the stairs leading up.

"Adrien!" The blond turned around at the familiar voice to find Luka running to him, a water bottle in hand.

"Luka! Have you seen Brian?" Adrien asked hurriedly as soon as his friend was close enough, not wanting to waste any precious time that could be used for looking for Brian.

"Yeah, he should be upstairs. Actually," He held the water bottle closer before continuing, "I went to get him some water so it would help him sober up."

"Oh thank god!" Adrien allowed himself a small relieved sigh, then started dragging the other boy behind him, "Come on, we need to find him now!"

Unfortunately, all of Adrien's relief and small happiness disappeared the moment they stepped onto the Brian-free floor. They tried searching the small space and even looked inside both the men's and women's bathrooms -just to be sure- but to no avail, and soon enough the two made their way to the last open floor, the terrace.

"BRIAN!" They both shouted as soon as they spotted him standing there with Félix.

"Thank god you're here!" Adrien's shoulders sagged in relief as he tried to catch his breath. Finally, this night could end, they just had to inform Tikki and Plagg then make a quick exit.

"Oh wow…You're all here! Grumpy, Blueberry, and Sunshine! All we need is Tomato head and the collection will be complete!" 

Wait, were those nicknames? Did Brian give them nicknames? That meant they were close now, that he considered them friends right?

"Are you two going to explain what is going on?" Félix asked pointedly, ignoring the laughing Brian.

Adrien gulped but started explaining the situation along with Luka, watching as Félix's frown grew deeper and deeper.

"So our new member is more of a pain in the ass than I initially thought. Splendid."

"Félix!" Adrien shouted, nervously glancing at Brian, "that's not nice."

"I'm not trying to be nice, brother." Félix sneered and Adrien resisted the urge to wince, "that boy is a useless nuisance, we're better off without him."

"Seriously Félix, calm down." Luka chimed in, eyebrows furrowed.

"I am calm," Félix responded clearly not calm, "I am simply stating facts and you know that Luka, this boy had already proved himself to be irresponsible and unworthy, we should get rid of him before things take a turn for the worse."

"He is worthy, Plagg and Bob both approved." Luka defended, getting more frustrated, "In fact, weren't you the one who decided to test him? He can sing-"

"Oh please, he was mediocre at best," The blond rolled his eyes, "and since when do we actually listen to any of Bob or Plagg's suggestions? We do not need a new member, the three of us can do just fine until Nathaniel returns."

"But Brian deserves a chance too! I mean he-"

"Don't interfere Adrien." Félix cut in sharply causing the younger Agreste to lower his head, he really didn't like it when his brother treated him like a kid, it reminded him too much of their time with their father.

"Félix." Luka warned while exchanging a long look with the blond causing him to sigh and run a hand through his hair.

"I-I apologize Adrien, but if you two could just listen-" The conversation continued between Luka and Félix but Adrien stopped listening. His brother was too stubborn and Luka could be worse than him sometimes, this was pointless.

Adrien shifted his attention to his phone. He had just received a text from Nino, asking him if he had found Brian yet. As the blond started typing his reply though, a shout cut through the air, causing the three boys to turn to its source.

"I am the King of the Roof, Slayer of the Ground, Conqueror of the Stairs! Fear my wrath!" Adrien froze at the sight, his heart beat fast and his phone fell from his grasp, his mouth opened but it wasn't his voice that cried out to his bandmate.

"Brian!" Luka shouted and it was all it took to push the three boys into motion, they ran trying to get to the dark-haired male before a catastrophe took place, each cursing and screaming at Brian to not move.

Their words were ignored as Brian turned around, still swaying, his foot missed and suddenly he was falling.

Adrien shouted again as he and the other two quickened their paces, hands outstretched and breaths held in, ready to catch their colleague.

It all happened in slow motion, Brian fell, luckily straight into Félix's arms, unluckily though, his monument sent the both of them falling to the ground with the blond taking the brunt of the fall.

Adrien didn't have the time to feel relief as he watched Brian lift his head, mumbling something about not feeling good, then proceeding to puke all over Félix before passing out on the blond's chest.

His hands flew to his mouth in horror, widely staring and waiting for his brother's reaction. Nothing came as Félix took one look at Brian and the newly created mess then promptly passed out as well.

Still in shock, Adrien stared at the scene then slowly turned to Luka who was as horrified as he was. They exchanged a look, both too stunned to react then turned to their two unconscious friends again.

"H-help me out." Luka suddenly spoke up and moved to lift Brian, Adrien blinked away the shock and walked to Brian's other side.

"N-now what?" The blond asked as they finished resting Félix and Brian against the railing.

Luka didn't answer, and instead used the bottle of water he had brought with him and a handkerchief to clean up Brian. Adrien immediately started doing the same thing for Félix while trying not to throw up as well.

"Should we wake them up?" He asked the older boy.

Luka shook his head, "Brian is out cold I doubt he'll be up anytime soon and-" He took a hesitant look toward Félix, "I would rather not deal with your brother if he wakes up right now."

"Agreed." Félix would be very very angry if-no, when he woke up, Adrien didn't want to be on the receiving end of that, they could postpone waking him up for after they got Brian away and safe.

"Call Nino and have him come here discreetly," Luka said as he got up, "I'll talk to Plagg."

Adrien nodded and went to retrieve his phone. He continued typing his previous text to Nino while also giving him directions to their current location, then sat back next to Brian's sleeping form and waited patiently for Luka to finish his own call.

Just then, the roof's door was thrown open as Nino raced through. He took a frantic look around before spotting them and hurrying their way.

"W-what…" He began as he kneeled in front of Brian and gently held his face, Adrien had never seen the brunet looking so scared and dejected. Nino noticed Félix then, and quickly turned to Adrien with a questioning look.

"Don't worry," The blond reassured as he patted his friend's back, "Brian just had too many drinks and passed out. As for Félix...well, he was always weak-hearted in these kinds of situations." He attempted a chuckle but it went over Nino's ears as he looked at Brian again.

"I'm so so sorry...this is all my fault…" He whispered weakly, probably unaware or uncaring that the blond could hear him. As for Adrien, he was quite confused. Was Nino scared of Plagg's reaction? If so then Adrien was fully ready to take the blame as well, it was kind of his fault too and he could always sweet-talk their manager to be more lenient in his punishment. However, looking once more at the broken expression on Nino's face and the gentleness in which he handled Brian, he knew that it was something else that made his friend so regretful and scared for their new bandmate.

"Alright, we're ready to go." Luka's voice interrupted Adrien's inner questioning as he shifted his attention to the older boy.

"Uhm...where to?" 

"I just finished talking with Plagg, they'll be waiting for us at the emergency exit but we'll need to get these two out of here without bringing any unwanted attention to us," Luka explained and Adrien couldn't help but gulp in nervousness, this won't be easy, not with Félix and Brian in this state.

"You two handle Félix, I'll take care of Br-" Luka didn't get to finish as Nino cut him off with a loud "no!"

"I...I will take care of Ma- him. He's my responsibility." Nino's eyes shone with determination as he stood protectively over Brian.

"Well he's our bandmate now so he's our responsibility as well," Luka spoke calmly and crossed his arms, "it will be more convenient if I carry him."

"Why?" Nino challenged again, his eyes narrowed, "you two can carry Félix, what's the difference."

Adrien was not liking the energy they were creating on this rooftop right now but the aqua-eyed man was taking it in strides as he continued to explain as calmly as ever.

"I'm the one that knows the way to the exit so I'll need to be upfront to lead us there. If we have to face any obstacles, then it would be easier to handle it while carrying Brian instead of struggling to coordinate with the other person helping me carry Félix." Okay, Adrien had to admit that that was a pretty solid argument, and it looked like Nino was thinking the same judging by his expression.

"B-but-"

"Listen Nino, I know you care about Brian and I swear I won't let anything happen to him but we need to move now, we're risking someone finding us and misunderstanding the situation if we wait any longer." There was a moment of silence where the two men exchanged a tense look while Adrien waited anxiously for their next step before Nino finally exhaled.

"Fine," He relented, "but be careful with him, alright? A-and don't try anything funny!"

Huh? What did he mean by 'anything funny'? And why would Luka do anything to Brian anyways? Adrien was getting more and more confused by his best friend's weird behavior.

"I won't, I promise." Luka nodded before moving to steady Brian under Nino's watchful gaze. He hummed a bit then proceeded to carry the younger boy in a bridal-style fashion, eliciting shocked gaps from the other two boys.

"What are you doing!" Adrien could swear that Nino just shrieked.

"It's more practical...He's so light…" Luka explained, adding the last bit in a hushed tone then shook his head, "come on, let's move."

Adrien immediately bolted to his brother's side and looped Félix's arm around his neck while his other hand went to support the older Agreste's back. He gave an expectant look to Nino who huffed but went to do the same on Félix's other side. Together they lifted him up and started trailing after Luka, trying their best not to wipe the entire floor with Félix's lower limbs- or maybe Adrien was the only one trying to, Nino was too preoccupied with glaring daggers at Luka's back as if the older male would attempt to kidnap Brian any second now.

After a bit of maneuvering, a few close calls, and some help from Luka's friends and a bartender, they had finally made it to the back "tunnel system" of Crépuscul as Adrien liked to call it.

The name fit quite nicely actually, with hallways that split and turned into all sorts of directions, illuminated by only some faint purplish lights. As a way leading to an emergency exit it was very impractical but as a horror movie hallway where the character gets slaughtered mercilessly after an intense chase then it definitely hit the spot. 

They kept their eyes on Luka as he advanced, trying not to accidentally get lost in this labyrinth, but truthfully Adrien was having a hard time concentrating when Nino hadn't talked to him since he had arrived. The blond was convinced that his best friend hated him now and that he had ruined the first genuine friendship he had outside of the band, yet he knew that this was not the time nor the place to talk about it and potentially apologize.

They arrived at an intersection- because of course, this path wouldn't be complicated enough without them- and Luka motioned for them to stop. He took a quick look, left then right, before jogging to the other side and disappearing around the corner.

Adrien and Nino were ready to do the same when a loud voice made them freeze in their tracks. Luckily, the brunet quickly reacted and dragged them back where they wouldn't be seen.

"I don't care what Bob thinks!" The voice belonged to a young man, talking on the phone with an angry expression, "Wha-No! I won't be staying another minute here! She was cheating on me with XY man, XY! Who even does that!"

The man stopped, Adrien and Nino exchanged a look and held their breaths, praying that he wouldn't make a turn and just keep going.

"Whatever, just find me someone to get me out of here," The man looked around him once before resuming his walking, away from the boys' hiding place, "these goddamned tunnels are so fucking confusing, I think I'm lost. Again."

They stayed there for a moment, completely silent as the man's voice got farther and farther.

Adrien dared a look at Nino who was peeking from the corner and gulped. Should he say something? The guilts and possibilities were killing him, he just wanted to see if his friend was we're-done-kind of angry or just you're-shit-but-I-forgive-you- kind of angry.

He opened his mouth to say something but Nino beat him to it, "he's gone let's go." And the blond nodded and followed his friend, the opportunity lost for now.

They made it to the other side where they found Luka, crouched in front of a sleeping Brian with an unreadable expression on his face. Nino tensed but it went unnoticed by the pair of musicians.

"Luka? What's wrong?" Adrien asked in a hushed voice.

"It's nothing. Come on, we're almost there." The older boy replied while lifting Brian in his arms again and ignoring Nino's heated glare.

And sure enough, the exit presented itself in the form of a red door at the end of the corridor, with a blaring neon sign that read "EXIT". Adrien let himself exhale in relief before Luka stopped them again as he made his way to the door and peeked through the cracks.

Whatever he saw had made him relax and push the door open. Adrien craned his neck trying to have a glimpse at the scene waiting for them outside. 

He saw Plagg first, pacing back and forth in front of their team's van while a bunch of their bodyguards waited dutifully at one side. Tikki was standing at the other, biting her nails and looking deep in thought.

The creak of the door made everyone's attention snap back to the band and Nino. 

Adrien gulped as Plagg hurried to them. His eyes took in Brian's sleeping form in Luka's arm with something akin to regret and sorrow before taking him in his own arms and speaking some hushed words with Luka.

He walked to them next, his eyes sweeping over them before stopping on Nino and narrowing dangerously as one of the bodyguards approached them, Adrien immediately recognizing him as Ivan-who the blond had formed a good friendship with-he gave them a sympathetic smile then took Félix and headed to their car.

Seeing as Plagg was still staring down Nino who had been keeping his head down and eyes on the ground since they got out, Adrien decided to interfere. He was as guilty -if not more- as Nino and he would gladly take all the blame to spare his best friend.

"Listen Plagg, this isn't Nino's fault I-" Adrien commenced only to be immediately interrupted.

"Not now Adrien. Just get in the car." Plagg spat, his eyes not leaving Nino.

"But-"

"Get. In.The.Car." In all his years working for Miraculous, Adrien had never seen their manager this angry, at least not at them. He had witnessed the pissed-off glares and the loud yelling that was mostly directed to Bob or annoying reporters, but the dangerous glint in his toxic green eyes and the calm leveled tone were new. (Later Adrien would think that he did actually see Plagg like this before, once a long time ago before Félix and he were free.)

"We'll talk about this later." Plagg's words felt more like a threat and Adrien could see Nino's slight flinch and dejected look as their manager walked away with Brian.

He wanted to say something to the brunet but a hand on his shoulder stopped him, he turned around to find Luka. The older boy shook his head then motioned to the car.

Adrien sighed, taking one last look as Nino was gently dragged away by Tikki towards Plagg's car before he climbed in the van where the atmosphere was stifling, with Félix sandwiched between him and Luka while Plagg and Brian sat at the back, he couldn't see who was driving but he assumed it was Ivan, the only person Plagg truly trusted with their safety.

And as they sped up toward their home, Adrien couldn't help but wonder what the hell had just happened? It wasn't the first time one of them got terribly drunk and caused a scene so why was everyone acting all weird about it? Why was Plagg so angry and Nino so regretful? Why was Brian getting drunk such a big deal? 

With a sigh, he leaned back and closed his eyes. There were so many questions and things that didn't add up but thinking about it now seemed to be leading him nowhere, he was so tired right now he just wanted to sleep and forget about it.

"Then we got home and Plagg took you to your room while Ivan took Félix. He told us not to bother you and to let him know as soon as you woke up and….that's it I guess."  Adrien finished his recounting of last night's events, completely oblivious to the mini-breakdown Marinette was having in her mind.

"Holy mother of- what the fuck have I done!" As if Félix already hating her was not enough! Sure his attitude annoyed the hell out of her and made her want to put him in place but she was pretty sure that emptying her guts on him and consequently causing him to faint was not the way to do that.

And all the troubles she caused for everyone-and the embarrassment Ugh! Just end her now before Plagg has a chance to. 

"Nino's pretty angry at me huh...maybe he doesn't want to be my friend anymore." Adrien mumbled-more to himself really- as Choux nuzzled his hand.

His turmoil seemed to snap her from her own misery and she lowered her hands from her face as she thought about how to reassure him

"I don't think so. Actually, I don't think he's even angry with you." Adrien startled at that, seemingly surprised that she had heard him, "he was probably shocked at everything, too busy blaming himself to notice anything else."

"You...you really think so?" The hopeful look Adrien gave her made her smile a bit and she nodded.

"Mhm, trust me Nino doesn't hate you and he won't end your friendship. Sure he can make some pretty stupid decisions sometimes but... he's a loyal friend, he won't blame you for something that wasn't your fault to begin with." If anything she thought that Nino should cut his ties with her, she was the one who had been dragging him into her messes ever since they had reconnected. "Just talk to him, you'll see."

"I hope you're right… Say Brian, can I ask you something?"

"Uh...sure?" She was uncertain about this but Adrien did answer all her questions so she kind of owed him this, hopefully he won't ask anything that could compromise her.

"Ok, so I know that you said you and Nino kinda 'clicked' after meeting but did you know each other beforehand?" Adrien scratched his head giving a small smile, "sorry if this is personal, it's just that I couldn't help but notice especially after what happened yesterday."

Ah, of course, Adrien was Nino's best friend, it was bound that he would notice something and it didn't seem like she would be able to deny it either. Nino would have to play alone if asked later.

"We-we kind of knew each other. Before. When we were young. Then we met again because of Plagg." It wasn't a complete lie, actually it wasn't a lie at all if you think about it, she just omitted some unnecessary details!

"So like childhood friends?" She nodded and it seemed to satisfy Adrien, "I see...thanks for answering."

"Yeah," There was a small pause before Marinette turned to fully face him. "Listen Adrien, I'm really sorry about yesterday. I didn't mean to get drunk but I did and I caused everyone so much trouble and-and I'm so sorry, I won't let it happen again I swear."

"It's alright, really. I know you didn't mean for anything to happen and honestly I think everyone is blowing this out of proportion, anyone can get drunk sometimes-I know I do, and no one got seriously hurt, so all's well I guess." He gave her a big honest smile and Marinette couldn't help but smile back just as sincerely.

Suddenly Choux started barking and shoving the blond's leg causing him to chuckle, "silly me, we were supposed to go on a walk, guess she got too bored waiting."

He got up and the revenette followed before giving the dog a few head pats, "sorry for keeping you Choux," The Golden retriever barked in acknowledge as Marinette turned to Adrien, "sorry again for yesterday and thanks for telling me….also Adrien, you shouldn't be blaming yourself, I'm the one who let myself drink too much, it's my fault so don't feel guilty alright?"

The blond pursed his lips, a mischievous glint in his eyes, "I will, but only if you stop blaming yourself too. I mean let's be honest, no one would dare refuse a drink from the Camila Dubois."

"Alright, you do have a point." He gave her a big grin and she couldn't help but laugh, "well I'll be going now, bye Adrien."

"See you later!" Adrien waved as he and Choux took off while Marinette walked back to the kitchen, thinking about her next steps and if she should call Plagg or just wait for him to come and berate her face to face.

She was so deep in thoughts that she didn't notice the new addition in the kitchen, not until he cleared his throat and caused her to look up so fast that she almost gave herself whiplash.

"I see that you're awake." Luka smiled as he busied himself with fetching two mugs.

Marinette opened her mouth then closed it, then opened it again before finally responding with a smart "hi."

Luka chuckled but returned the greeting nonetheless, "Hello Brian, have a seat."

The girl hesitated for a bit but did as she was told, choosing to sit at the dinner table and waiting for him to join her.

"Are you hungry?"

"Ah not-" She began only to be interrupted by her stomach loudly growling. She snapped her mouth shut and risked a look at Luka, she couldn't see his face but his shaking shoulders gave away his amusement at the situation and caused her to sink in her seat in embarrassment.

"Don't worry, I ordered some food, it should be arriving soon." She couldn't find it in herself to nod, not when she was busy fanning her reddening face, "in the meantime, here." 

He put one of the mugs in front of her then moved to sit across from her with his own mug in hand, "it's ginger tea, very good for hangovers and headaches in general." 

Marinette took a cautious sniff at the beverage before hesitantly taking a sip.

"So, how are you feeling?" 

"I'm good, thank you." She took another sip before quickly adding, "for the tea too, thank you."

"You're welcome." He smiled and they fell in a comfortable silence, both enjoying their tea and occupied with their own thoughts.

Once her cup was empty, Marinette leaned back and sighed, feeling somehow a bit relaxed after enjoying the warm tea. Her eyes traveled back to Luka only to find him already staring at her, the surprise caused her to immediately lower her gaze, suddenly finding the mug in her hands very interesting. 

Taking a deep breath, Marinette decided to just voice her thoughts out loud and get it over with. "Hey Luka, about y-yesterday I-Adrien told me what happened and...I'm sorry, I know I just burdened everyone so I wanted to properly thank you for helping me and apologize for everything you had to endure for me."

There was a moment when the two made eye contact and Marinette felt like Luka was searching for something  before he smiled at her once more, "while I do admire you taking responsibility for your actions, I'm not the one you should be apologizing to." At her confused look he elaborated more, "I helped you because that was the right thing to do and I get it, things like that happen especially at parties like this. However, I think there's someone that does deserve an apology after what happened yesterday."

He patiently waited as Marinette went over the story Adrien had told her, her eyes widened in realization upon understanding who Luka was referring to and she slightly shook her head, "I don't-I don't think he would even like to see me right now let alone talk to me."

"Hmm, maybe," Luka began as he got up, Marinette quickly followed and offered to clean their mugs up while he prepared another drink, "Still, I think you two should work it out, we'll be living together and working closely with one another it would make things easier- for all of us if you two could get along."

"But Félix hates me." She watched as he poured the boiling water on the tea leaves and wondered why he was making another cup, "I actually think he hated me before he even met me."

"He doesn't hate you per se," He turned to her and took the now clean mugs to dry them off, "Félix is a very...stubborn and strong-headed person, when he puts his mind to something there's no way to stop him from achieving his goal, and when he has a certain opinion it's very hard to make him change it or see things from another perspective. You can say it's a double-edged sword."

"I don't understand what it has to do with me though?"

"Well, Félix has a hard time accepting you because he thinks you're replacing Nate, add to that the fact that we didn't have any say before you were quote-unquote "tossed" at us. For Félix, and all of us, this band is our own little family and-"

"I'm the intruder." She finished somberly and he gave her a small nod, "I get it but it doesn't give him the right to be a jerk to me or treat me like trash."

"No it doesn't, Adrien and I have been trying to talk to him about it but-" He sighed as he proceeded to remove the leaves and pour the tea into a small teacup, "Félix believes in actions more than words, so no matter what anyone would tell him I think the best way for him to accept you would be to show him."

Marinette hummed, mulling over what Luka had said. "I understand but what am I to do exactly? Keep begging and pestering him? Try and show him my good sides until he likes me enough?" Because if that was it then Marinette would like to respectfully refuse, her metaphorical contract did not mention having to please a stuck-up rich kid.

"Of course not, what I mean is that show him that you deserve to be in this band just like any of us, that way he won't have anything to complain about, and hopefully with time he'll accept you as a proper 4Bs member." Luka finished as he put the teacup on a small tray then gave it to her with a smile.

"Mhm, I'll do my best." Yeah, professionalism, she can do that, not because she wanted Félix to like her but because she was already planning to keep her distance while also giving it her all, Brian needed this and Marinette refused to let him down or half-ass this.

And apologizing...well it was the right thing to do she guessed, she already apologized to Adrien and Luka so what's one more? And if it would get Félix off her case then all the better.

"Wait, what's this for?" She asked, aware of the tray in her hands.

"A little something to help the great King of the Roof, Slayer of the Ground, Conqueror of the Stairs on his new quest." He gave her a knowing grin and she only stared, confused before it hit her.

"I'm never drinking again. Or going to any parties, that's it." She tried to hide her embarrassed face that only got warmer as he let out a small laugh.

"That could be a hard one. Just let one of us know when you plan on getting wasted again, we usually do that when we're out publicly, with one of us kind of keeping watch and making sure everyone is under control." He didn't say it but Marinette had a hunch that it was him that ended up playing babysitter for his friends- she didn't think Félix would let himself get drunk in public but she doubted that he would be any help when looking out for others either, probably just silently watching and judging.

"Noted. Alright, wish me luck." Marinette took three steps heading out of the kitchen before she whirled back, remembering that she didn't really know where she was going, "actually...where's his room again?"

"Second floor, turn left, it's the first one on your right, opposite to mine." He explained.

"Right, thanks." She took a deep breath starting to walk again but he called out to her making her stop.

"I know we're pretty much strangers but I'd like for us to be friends,"  He gave her a meaningful glance as he said, "You can rely on us, you know."

Marinette didn't trust herself to speak so she only nodded then hurriedly making her way to the stairs.

Admittedly, it took her a couple of deep breaths and pep talks before finally having enough courage to climb up. However, just as she was making a left turn, she came face to face with her target.

Félix, with damp hair and clad in a gray bathrobe, took one look at her and apparently decided that she didn't really exist as he moved to walk past her, only for her to quickly block his way.

"Move." He spat eyes dark and face angry. Marinette gulped but refused to let herself be intimidated by him, instead she held the tray higher and slightly motioned to the teacup.

"I brought you tea." He gazed at the cup with suspicion causing her to quickly add "Luka made it."

"I don't want it. Now move." Sheesh someone was in a bad mood, or maybe his mood just soured after seeing her, in that case great, they do have a thing in common.

"Can we talk?" No point beating around the bush now.

"No. I am not in the mood for whatever nonsense you decided to share with me so please remove yourself at once." He slowly pushed the tray back to her and crossed his arms.

At this point, Marinette was getting pretty angry too. She just wanted to apologize and get over with this already but no, he had to make everything difficult. "Listen, I just want to apologize for yesterday alright? I was drunk and not in the right state of mind, I'm sorry for...you know." She spoke through gritted teeth, trying not to cause herself any more headaches.

"Of course you were," He scoffed and leveled her with an unimpressed look, "how predictable, that you would go and get yourself carelessly drunk like that. I cannot say I'm surprised." He used her momentary shock to slide past her and made a beeline for the stairs only to be intercepted by her again.

"Excuse me?! How dare you assume things about me? You don't even know me!" Screw this guy, seriously how much of a douche can he be.

"I don't need to, I have met enough people like you to-"

"Just take the damn tea so we can both move on from this, alright?" She cut in, pushing the tray in his hands.

"I told you I didn't want it." He pushed it back to her again and Marinette was getting at the ends of her wits with this man. She didn't want to cause any more scenes though, she had already apologized, the fact that he didn't accept it was not her problem.

"What? You're afraid I'm gonna poison you or something? Paranoid much, don't you think?" She resisted the urge to smirk once she saw his face scrunch in anger and his mouth open with nothing coming out. After a moment he snatched the tray back and let out a frustrated grunt.

"Fine. I will take it just-"

Marinette often cursed her clumsiness and recently, she started wondering how and when she had developed a tendency to fall from high places that could very well kill her.

"Huh, maybe this is a forewarning of how I die." She absently thought as Félix's shocked and horrified face was getting further and she came tumbling down the stairs.

"Brian!" Plagg was suddenly crouching beside her with a panicked expression, and as she was about to tell him she was fine and ask him when did he get here, he picked her up. "What the fuck is wrong with you!" Marinette flinched at his tone but a look at his face told her that his ire wasn't directed at her but rather at Félix, who was still standing at the top of the stairs.

Plagg turned around, obscuring her view of Félix, and hurried down the rest of the stairs.

"Is he alright?!"

"Plagg you're he- wait what happened?"

Marinette registered Luka and Adrien's voices before she was whisked away by Plagg again, "not now I need to get him to the hospital, he may have a concussion or a broken arm!"

She didn't, but before she knew it, she was already strapped to Plagg's backseat as he sped to the city as if the devil himself was on his trail. And not for the first time this month, the only thing Marinette could think about was: 

"what the fuck is going on."

Chapter Text

Fast Food and honesty are the best remedy

Marinette blinked, trying to make sense of everything that had happened and led her to be strapped to the backseat of Plagg's car while said man maneuvered through the Parisian streets at an alarmingly high speed.

"Mr. Plagg we don't need to go t-" She tried to speak but was cut off by the loud horn noises and a stream of swears.

"Learn to drive you fucking moron!" Plagg shouted through his window before replying to her, "That's the concussion talking! We need to have you examined right now!"

"I don't have a co-"

"Now, now I know hospitals are scary, I myself can't stand them but it's for your own good, trust me." Marinette groaned and resisted the urge to facepalm at the man.

Taking a deep breath, she decided to cut right through the chase, hoping that he'll finally listen to her, "If we go to the hospital they'll know I'm a girl!"

Marinette was thankful for the double seatbelts that kept her from being launched at the window as the car came to an abrupt stop.

"Shit. You're right." She rolled her eyes then covered her ears as several car horns sounded behind them, Plagg had apparently stopped in the middle of the road and people were getting impatient.

After some muffled curses,  Plagg took a random turn and started driving at a normal pace, contemplating what to do next.

"Seriously I'm fine, I don't need to go anywhere," Marinette reassured, she was feeling fine and she was fine, she only had some back pains but honestly those had been there for a while now it probably didn't have anything to do with the fall. She appreciated Plagg's concerns but he was blowing it out of proportion right now.

"I still want a professional opinion though…" Marinette sighed and Plagg's eyes suddenly lit up, "a professional...alright! I know where we can go!" He grinned then took a quick turn before returning to his crazy speed driving, while the ravenette silently prayed in the back, hoping that a car crash wouldn't be the way that she had to go.

After what felt like forever, Plagg finally parked and quickly started helping her out of the car. Marinette was too busy trying to prevent the content of her stomach from spilling out to properly observe her surroundings.

Plagg whisked her away to a large room then gave her a bottle of water and told her to wait there before he disappeared into a nearby corridor.

Marinette slowly sipped her water, absently making a note to never ride with an emotional Plagg again.

"Are you alright, young lady?" Marinette slightly choked on her water upon hearing another voice that did not belong to Plagg.

Wiping her lips she turned to her left where an old Asian man was regarding her with amusement, "my apologies, I did not mean to frighten you."

"It's fine, I'm ok." She gave a small smile to reassure the stranger before she finally registered what he had said. Her eyes widened and she spluttered, trying to properly correct him, "um..no-no I'm a man." 

Marinette internally cringed at herself and the way she had worded her response, god she needed to get used to this, or else she might let her secret out.

The old man blinked in surprise before he cleared his throat, "I see, my apologies again, young man." He gave her a smile which she awkwardly reciprocated then took the seat next to her.

"You seem quite stressed, is everything alright?" Marinette nervously shuffled in her place, her eyes avoiding his kind yet piercing gaze.

"Y-yeah, just...life I guess…" The short man didn't seem satisfied with her answer and she couldn't really blame him. Letting out a tired sigh, Marinette busied herself with a loose thread on her shirt as she responded, "...It's just a new job, and some insufferable coworkers."

He hummed, mulling her words over before speaking again, "a new environment can be quite challenging to get used to indeed, especially when there's bad company…" 

Marinette couldn't help but nod, just thinking about having to work and interact with Félix on a daily basis was enough to spike both her stress levels and her anxiety, she honestly dreaded the whole thing.

"I apologize if I'm stepping out of line but...is this new job really what you wish to do with your life?"

The truth would obviously be no, Marinette had never wanted to join the music industry, she didn't know if she would come to enjoy it eventually either, the whole thing seemed so stressful and with Félix so stubbornly opposing her as well...it all felt helpless but…

"I have a goal I need to achieve, and people that are counting on me," She thought about her dear mother struggling to pay their bills, Brian who was strapped to a hospital bed and putting all his hopes on her, "even if it's hard and even if I hate it, I'm still gonna give it my all."

"An admirable answer," He gave her an encouraging smile and a pat on the shoulder, "do work hard to attain your goal but remember to also relax, I doubt you could do much with a tired body and an overflowing mind."

His eyes held a mischievous glint as he continued, "speaking of relaxation, may I present you with our limited-time membership? We offer a variety of different massages and oil treatments that are sure to chase your worries away and for an affordable price as well!" Marinette blinked wondering how on earth did their conversation lead to this but was presented with a small card before she could even finish that thought, "if you sign up now you'll get a 20% discount on your first three sessions, and if you get a friend to sign up you will both get 40% off on your first two months!"

Marinette inspected the card, "Fu's Massage Shop" Was written in big bold letters with some Chinese writing underneath that she couldn't quite decipher along with a phone number.

"Uh…" She blinked again at a loss of words, was this man just trying to recruit her by opening a conversation with her.

"Of course take your time to think about it, I believe this to be your first time here? You can get back to me after your appointment." Wait, what? Was this a massage shop? If so, did this man work here? Then why did Plagg bring her here?

All the questions made her head swirl and she could feel the headache that had subdued in the last hour coming back at full power.

"Well then, I must excuse myself. It was very...enlightening to talk to you." The man hopped off the seat and started walking away, but stopped again and turned back to her, "Ah, and young man? Don't disregard this new job as a nuisance just yet, beautiful miracles can appear from where we least expect it, so do try to enjoy it." He gave her one last smile before disappearing into another corridor, opposite the one that Plagg had gone into.

As Marinette contemplated the man's words and tried to figure out the reason behind coming here, a woman stormed out from the corridor, expression tight as she angrily looked behind her where a smug Plagg made his way to her.

"Come on, it's our turn!" He announced excitedly, completely ignoring the woman's glare, and started pulling Marinette along with him.

"W-wait, our turn for what? And why did you bring me to a massage shop?" 

"I told you we needed a professional opinion and here it is," He opened one of the doors and greeted whoever was inside, "Wayzz~ I'm back!"

Marinette curiously peeked from behind Plagg's back at the room's occupant. A tall man, around the same age as Plagg, with dusty brown hair styled in a loose ponytail and dressed in a traditional tangzhuang and loose pants. The handsome man narrowed his green eyes at her manager before approaching them.

"Marinette, this is Wayzz, a good old friend of mine. Wayzz, this is Marinette, the one I just told you about." Wayzz let out a long sigh then shook his head while Marinette was staring wide-eyed at Plagg waiting for an explanation.

"A pleasure to meet you, Miss." He gave her a polite smile, his expression much kinder than the one he directed to Plagg, Marinette felt compelled to offer her own small smile as she nodded in greeting.

"Wayzz here agreed to examine you so-"

"Yet I still insist that you go to a proper hospital instead." The man cut in with a stern voice causing her manager to roll his eyes.

"Like I said, I can't risk rumors getting out about Brian's "true gender", you're the only safe option I have," Plagg gave the man a puppy look and clapped his hands, "Come on Wayzz give your buddy a hand please!"

"I can't believe Tikki let you go through with this," He rubbed his eyes then turned to her, "fine I'll see what I can do. However, I'm not doing this to help you , I'm just looking out for the poor soul you dragged into your schemes."

"Can everyone stop painting me as the bad guy here?" Plagg replied then gave her a light shove, "I'll leave her in your care then. Say, is old Fu still here?"

"Yes, but please refrain from telling him about your new endeavors and possibly raise his blood pressure." Plagg didn't respond and simply grinned while exiting the room.

Marinette awkwardly shuffled in her place, feeling completely bare without Plagg doing all the talking for her. Wayzz seemed to feel her discomfort as he gave her a reassuring smile then gently led her to a seat.

"I specialize in Chinese Medicine, mostly giving massages, herbal remedies, acupuncture and so on but I'll do my best to check on you."

"Thanks, I don't think anything is wrong, just some back pains," She absently started playing with the stray thread before adding, "Mr.Plagg is just being a worrywart."

"I just wished he was as cautious as he was dramatic," Wayzz replied with an exasperated sigh and started examining her.

"Um...have you known him- Mr.Plagg for long?" Marinette asked, trying to distract herself from the awkward silence, it seemed Wayzz wasn't the type to indulge in small talks.

The man hummed, a faraway look gracing his green eyes, "Plagg, Tikki, Trixx...we all grew up together. I actually used to work at Miraculous as well."

"You? Really?" Marinette didn't take him for the type to work at a talent agency with him studying Chinese medicine and all. "Ah, I-I didn't mean it l-like that-" She tried to correct herself as she realized how rude she sounded but Wayzz cut in with a small chuckle.

"It's alright. I was never as talented as the others but I did work as a secretary for the previous CEO," based on the proud smile he was giving her, Marinette could tell that he was probably good at his job, "I quit once he retired and started working here instead and making use of my degree."

The two continued talking, with both bringing up their Chinese origins and Wayzz telling her about Plagg and Tikki in their youth. Once he deemed her in good health, he offered her a free back massage to relieve her from some stress but Marinette was too embarrassed and hungry to accept, still she promised him that she would return and bring her mother along too, she was sure that Sabine would like this place very much.

However, it escaped her mind completely to ask about the old man that she had just met, though she had a suspicion that he may be the owner of this establishment since he had started promoting the place for her. That or he was just a very devoted customer.

Plagg was waiting for them outside in the waiting room. He tried to pay Wayzz for his help but the taller man refused and made him promise to stay more in contact instead. They both bid him goodbye and he reminded them to be careful and stay safe and to contact him if they ever needed anything. Marinette could tell that despite Wayzz's initial annoyed facade toward Plagg, he did care about him a lot.

"Well, now that that's been taken care of, should we head back?" Plagg asked as they walked out of the massage place. Marinette opened her mouth to respond but the loud growling of her stomach beat her to it.

"...Or we could have some food? Seriously, those boys didn't even bother with offering you lunch?" 

"No, we had plans to eat but then...you know." She shrugged as she hugged herself in embarrassment.

"Hmm, how about MacDonald's?"

"Sounds good. Thanks Mr. Plagg."

Marinette, now seated at the passenger seat in Plagg's car, listed her order to the man one last time as they made their way to the local MacDonald's drive-thru.

She had expected that he would take them to where they had lunch with Tikki and Nino before but was pleasantly surprised when they pulled up at MacDonald's. 

Although it did make sense once she thought about it, Brian was now considered a celebrity that could get recognized at any minute so it was safer this way. Not that she complained though, after everything that had happened, stuffing her face with junk food seemed like the perfect option.

Plagg's phone suddenly started ringing just as it was their turn to order and after a small hesitation, he motioned to Marinette to get it when he saw the caller's Id.

"Hello?" Marinette gulped, expecting Adrien's worried voice on the other line.

"Alvarez?" A cold tone hissed, causing her to slightly flinch and widen her eyes at Plagg who was too busy ordering to notice her.

"Y-yes?"  Shit, she didn't want to talk to Félix right now and she doubted he wanted to talk to her either but why the hell would he be using Adrien's phone?

"Why are you using Plagg's phone?"

"Why are you using Adrien's?" She retorted all too quickly and allowed herself a small smirk when no comeback came.

"...fair enough. What hospital were you admitted to?"

"Pardon?"

"I asked what hospital you are at, I-we...are coming to visit you." She could hear more muffled voices on his end and assumed they belonged to Luka and Adrien.

"Uhm...W-well…" Before she could explain herself or think of some excuse to discourage them from visiting, Plagg started shouting at the drive-thru microphone.

"NO, NO! I SAID A CHEESEBURGER AND A MCCHICKEN! DO YOU GUYS HAVE THE MCFLURRY? no? of course you don't-"

Marinette quickly tried to cover the phone and scoot as far away from Plagg as she possibly could in the tiny vehicle but it seemed that it was too late.

"You're at McDonald's." Félix sounded so done and she slightly winced at his tone, "you didn't even go to the hospital, did you? I knew this was a waste of time."

She opened her mouth, intending to explain the situation but was interrupted by a beeping signaling the end of the conversation. Marinette groaned, not knowing if she should feel relieved or annoyed, because of course he had to misunderstand and get annoyed at her again.

"Hm? What's up?" Plagg asked innocently, finally done with the goddamned order.

Narrowing her eyes, Marinette slammed the phone in his hand and let out a sigh, "that was Félix."

"What?" Plagg did a double take at the phone, rechecking the caller's ID, "what did he want?"

"I don't know, he asked what hospital I was staying in but got flipped when he heard you order food then suddenly got angry that we were at MacDonald's and just hung up on me." She crossed her arms and let out a huff, possibly feeling as annoyed as he was, "I don't get him, like maybe I was discharged and we decided to get food.  Why jump to conclusions and get angry at me for no reason!" 

"Don't worry, I already intended to talk to him," Plagg responded in a surprisingly somber tone, his dark look causing her to avert her eyes and fidget with the loose string once more, it was becoming a surprisingly comforting habit.

"Just so we're c-clear, earlier, the fall, it was an accident, really. Félix didn't push me or intended for it to happen and… I take some of the blame too for being too stubborn." If she had not been so childish and just let go of the tea matter, they wouldn't be here right now.

"Yes but I still need to talk to him. We can't keep going like this," Plagg sighed and dragged a hand across his face, "I can't force him to like you but he'll need to be more tolerant and respectful if you two are going to be working together,  this mentality of his will cause a disaster if we let it be." 

Marinette kept silent, but internally agreed. It would make things easier if Félix behaved like a decent person instead of reminding her that he hated her and didn't want her here every other minute.

They moved to pick up their food and Marinette accepted the bags Plagg handed her as he fished his wallet to pay. Normally she'd offer to pay her share but she didn't bring anything with her, she was lucky that she actually had shoes on and that Plagg had the mind to grab them before shoving her in the car barefoot earlier.

"Speaking of having a talk," Plagg started as he parked in a more scheduled area, "I think it's time we had ours."

Marinette gulped and proceeded to take a big bite of her chicken burger, making sure to chew as slow as she could in hope to gather her thoughts.

Seeing as Plagg was still giving her an expectant look, Marinette took a sip of her drink and sighed. No point delaying it any further, at least Plagg was in a good mood.

Marinette began her story, up until she was too wasted and couldn't remember anything from after accepting Madame Camila's drink, then added some bits and pieces of what had happened based on what Adrien had told her.

Plagg hummed as she finished her story, taking a moment to let it all sink in, "well, it is hard to refuse the Camila I guess, and I did encourage you to humor other celebrities."  He started the car again, having finished his meal, this time driving much slower than the crazy action movie-esque drive they were having earlier.

"Still, you should've watched your alcohol intake more, or at least called me when you started to feel out of it." Marinette felt like a kid being scolded by their parent at this point, "As a precaution, we're not allowing you to drink in public anymore."

"I know, I don't think my paranoia would let me get near any alcohol any time soon either way," She sighed, fidgeting with the string again, "I'm really sorry Mr. Plagg, for making you all worried and possibly almost compromising our plan."

"It's fine, kid. I was very angry yesterday but I guess I was at fault too, I should've paid more attention since it's your first time at something like this. But as I said, let's try to avoid these kinds of situations in the future, alright." Marinette eagerly nodded, feeling a weight lift off of her shoulders. Yet she knew there was still one thing she had to discuss with Plagg before she allowed herself to relax.

"What about Nino?" She hesitantly asked. Plagg didn't answer, just narrowed his eyes and pursed his lips, so she quickly continued, "please don't be angry at him Mr. Plagg, it wasn't his fault, I was the one being stubborn and...pitty, I'm the one who pushed him to go and refused to follow along so I'm the one who should be punished, not him."

Plagg sighed, one hand on the steering wheel and the other massaging the space between his eyes, "I assigned him a job and he messed it up he-"

"But it wasn't his fault! I-I don't want him to keep on babysitting me, he's my friend not- I just-I just wanted us to be friends again not burden him like this." She bit her lips, eyes cast down as she declared, "please Mr. Plagg, just overlook it this time, I promise I'll w-work very hard and-and be more careful! So don't fire him please!"

"Calm down Marinette, I wasn't going to fire him." Marinette looked up to him, eyes hopeful and pleading and it seemed to work as Plagg loudly groaned, "fine, fine stop it with the puppy eyes, I'll let it go this time, alright!"

"Thank you so much Mr. Plagg! I swear I won't disappoint you!" Marinette grinned, feeling genuinely happy for the first time that day, "ah but don't tell him about this please."  She didn't want Nino to think that she was meddling with his work or anything.

Plagg gave her a look but shrugged, focusing on the road again, "you can choose what you tell him, we're meeting them soon anyways."

Marinette blinked, a mix of fear but also happiness boiled in her chest. She did want to see Nino, he was probably still freaking out since she didn't respond to his text, and knowing him he'd be blaming himself by now. However, a tiny part of her, the one she knew was irrational yet couldn't quite silence it, whispered her insecurities and doubts about Nino getting fed up with her, he could've lost his job because of her, she wouldn't blame him if he realized that her friendship was more trouble than it was worth.

"Thank you Mr. Plagg." She gave him a sincere smile that he mirrored, trying to shake away the negative thoughts.

"You know, you don't have to be so formal," she gave him a questioning look, not understanding what he meant, "while I do appreciate some respect, because I damn well deserve it, it's kinda weird when it comes from someone with the same face as Brian. So just call me Plagg, they all do. 

Marinette nodded, deciding to respect his wishes and focused on the road ahead. They drove in a comfortable silence with the radio playing in the background, Plagg seemed to be invested in whatever was being said while she occupied herself by gazing at the window trying to figure out the exact location of her new home.

The ravenette hadn't really put much effort into finding out where 4Bs lived, assuming that Plagg would show her around when the time came -instead of being taken there while drunkly unconscious- but if she had to guess, she'd say they lived on one of the 'private rich mansions' outside the city.

Plagg took a left turn, proving her theory right as he drove them to a closed neighborhood where some of Paris's most influential and famous people lived. Marinette had only glimpsed the tall mansions from afar when leaving the city, so she took her time appreciating the scenery.

Plagg parked in front of what she assumed was 4Bs' place and went out, he leaned on the car and started typing on his phone. Marinette waited a moment before following suit and standing beside him.

It had been around 15 minutes when another car pulled up next to theirs and Nino and Tikki hurried out of it. Upon noticing her, her best friend ran to her, taking her in a tight hug.

"I'm so-"

"I swear if you start apologizing I will dye all your hats hot pink." She leaned back to face him, heart clenching at his tired yet relieved features, "seriously Nino it was my fault, I should be apologizing I-"

Nino shook his head and cut her off, "If you apologize I will replace all your Jagged Stone albums with XY's trashy Christmas X New Year's remix, all the 20-something versions too."

"You wouldn't dare!" Marinette faked a gasp to which Nino responded with an equally fake frown.

"I would." 

"In that case, I guess the only solution is to forgive and forget?"

"Forgive and forget." He smiled and gave her another hug, less tight but still as safe and warm, and Marinette couldn't help but feel very thankful that she still got her friend by her side.

"You weren't the only one who was worried about her, you know," Tikki chimed in with a playful tone causing Nino to step away from his best friend and making room for the petite woman to give her her own hug. Marinette returned it, albeit a bit awkwardly since she wasn't that familiar with Tikki, but she had already figured out that the stylist was more on the physical affectionate side, so she didn't mind that much.

"I'm so glad you're ok," Tikki whispered to her and Marinette could hear the immense relief in her voice, it made her feel guilty for worrying the stylist but a small part of her felt very happy and reassured that she had all those people caring about her. 

"I'm sorry for worrying you guys," She said as soon as Tikki stepped away.

"It's alright, the important thing is that you're safe." Tikki reassured her with a smile and Marinette hesitantly nodded.

After that, the ravenette recounted last night's events again -hopefully for the last time- along with the little incident this morning, Plagg had to threaten Nino to stop him from going after Félix when even Marinette's repeated explanation that it wasn't exactly the blond's fault that she fell and that she was alright failed to calm her best friend down.

When everyone was calm enough, they made their way to the house, and were immediately greeted by Luka who stood up from his spot on the couch and walked up to them.

Marinette tried not to fidget under his gaze and looked to the side to avoid making eye contact.

"Luka," Plagg began with a nod then took a look around, "where are the other two?"

"Félix is either in his room or the music room and Adrien was feeling upset so I sent him to play with Choux outside, he's in the backyard." Luka explained in a calm tone.

"Upset?" Tikki asked worriedly, "did something happen?"

"He was already feeling anxious, then Félix and him got into a bit of a...squabble?" Luka hesitated, not sure on how to exactly describe the situation but an understanding seemed to down on both Tikki and Plagg as they exchanged a look.

"I'll talk to him later," Plagg sighed then motioned to the stairs, "be my moral support, sugarcube?"

Tikki rolled her eyes at him but still followed him upstairs nonetheless. Marinette bit her lips, hoping that their talk with Félix wouldn't complicate things more.

"Go rest Brian, you'll need energy for tomorrow." Plagg called out before they disappeared from view.

"Are you alright?" Luka asked, his hand resting on her shoulder causing her to freeze in place.

"Y-yeah, sorry for worrying you. Again." Luka chuckled and retracted his hand, while Marinette let out a sigh, happy that he wasn't asking any more questions about her not going to the hospital.

"I think I'm gonna listen to Plagg and go rest, I'm pretty tired." She wasn't exactly sleepy but she was tired from all the thinking and the complicated emotions and laying down on her very large and very comfortable bed seemed very appealing right now.

She started walking to the stairs then stopped, turning around, she found Nino right behind her. She glanced in the direction of the kitchen, thinking about her previous conversation with Adrien.

Technically it wasn't any of her business but she still felt somehow guilty for the misunderstanding between the two, she could also empathize with Adrien having experienced the same insecurities and fears in her friendship with Nino.

Having made up her mind, she looked back at Nino, "You should go talk to Adrien," the brunet gave her a confused look to which she only smiled, "trust me on this. I'll talk to you later, ok?"

Nino nodded then hesitantly made his way outside while Luka turned to look at her. Sensing his gaze on her she turned to him as well and he gave her an approving smile, she shyly smiled back then excused herself intending to relax as much as possible after all the stress that she had been into.

Meanwhile…

In a small Parisian apartment, a concerned junior reporter intensely stared at her laptop.

On the screen, a slightly blurry video of 4Bs' unconscious Félix and Brian being dragged away by the rest of the members kept playing on repeat.

Chewing on her lips, she quickly exited the video and turned off her laptop. This video could very well help her please her boss and keep her job for a bit longer...Now if only she could get the real story behind it...