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Redemption	By : Cat_Eyes Category: +M through R > Miraculous LadyBug Views: 2815 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Miraculous Ladybug. Miraculous Ladybug is the intellectual property of Thomas Astruc and released by Zag studios. No profit was made writing this story.

Chapter List
- 14
- 15
- 16
Marinette knocked on Adrien's door, juggling several bags of groceries and cooking paraphernalia. He was slow to answer, inching the door open as he rubbed his eyes.
'Hello? Marinette, what're you doing here?'
Marinette blushed and turned away. 'I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you. I knew I should've called first.'
He smiled sleepily her. 'S'ok. It's almost noon, anyway. Come on in.'
Marinette nodded her thanks as she hauled her load over the threshold.
Adrien looked at the bags in confusion. 'I'm not awake enough for this.'
'Oh, it's nothing to worry about. I just thought I'd make us some lunch.' She placed the bags on the benchtop and began to pull things out. 'Why don't you have a shower and get dressed. I'll have this all under way by the time you're done.'
'I'll do that,' Adrien nodded, walking backwards down the hall with his eyes fixed on the bags.
Marinette pulled out the steamer and placed it on the burners while she got everything else sorted. She was under no illusions as to what motivated her. Ever since Adrien had admitted to bearing some resentment against Ladybug, she had felt guilty. His exposure to the world may not have been entirely her fault, but she did carry some responsibility. Even if she couldn't confess her part in those events, she could still try and make amends in other ways.
Marinette's hands moved without thought, as she recollected that fateful night. A dangerous new akuma, the butterfly as it flew away, locating Papillon's lair, and the ensuing battle. Her reminiscences left her feeling nostalgic and lonesome; even now, she missed having Tikki by her side.
She was standing at the stove, absently stirring a pot, when Adrien came back.
'That smells amazing. What is it?' he asked, looking over her shoulder.
'One of Maman's family recipes. It's a noodle soup, one of my favourites.'
Adrien hummed, appreciatively. 'I think it'll be my favourite, too.'
Marinette laughed. 'I hope so.'
'Is there anything I can do to help?'
Marinette paused for a moment to think. 'You can slice the cabbage, if you want.'
He gasped. 'Like in the animes.'
She coughed, choking on air. 'Yes, like in anime. God, I didn't know you were such a weeb. My opinion of you just took a nose dive.'
Adrien harrumphed as he picked up a knife. 'Not all anime is garbage, excuse you. Some of it's really good; you just have to be selective.'
'Uh-huh. Whatever you say, Naru-tard.'
He spluttered and threw a strand of cabbage in her hair. Marinette curled her lip and threw it back, with an exclamation of disgust. At a stand-still, they glared at each other, the cabbage string falling to the floor between them.
'It's going to burn,' Adrien noted, nodding at the stove.
Marinette gasped and spun around. 'Damn it, Adrien. This is why you don't muck about in the kitchen,' she scolded, as she stirred vigorously.
He snorted. 'Yes, Chef.'
Finally, the meal came together - a standard Chinese lunch of vegetables and meat with rice, noodle soup, and steamed dumplings. Adrien set places on his coffee table, with pillows on the floor to cushion their seats. Marinette placed the dishes on the table, accompanied with two bottles of peach soda, before taking a seat opposite him.
Adrien grinned and raised his bottle, saying, 'à votre santé.'
Marinette smiled back, and replied, 'à la tienne.'
They clinked their bottles, then began to eat.
Adrien closed his eyes and hummed. 'This is fantastic. Nino was right, you are an amazing cook.'
Marinette chuckled. 'You ought to thank Maman. She insisted on teaching me, saying that all women should know how to cook. She's old fashioned,' she sighed.
Adrien nodded. 'It's a skill everyone should learn, though I don't get much pleasure out of it, myself.'
'It depends on your circumstances,' Marinette explained. 'If you have someone to cook with, it's a much more pleasurable experience.'
He looked thoughtful. 'I suppose you're right. Is Sunday lunch always like this at your place?' he asked, indicating the spread.
She shook her head, and swallowed. 'No. Usually, Papa bastardises it with typical French food.'
Adrien smiled into his soup cup, holding it to his lips with both hands. 'You're very lucky.'
'I am,' she agreed.
'Can I ask you a question?'
'Of course.'
'What do you think Ladybug would think of me, if she could see me now?'
Marinette gulped a mouthful of hot soup. She grabbed her soda and took a large swig, cooling her burnt tongue, before she answered. 'Well, actually, I think she would be proud of you,' she coughed.
Adrien met her eyes, surprised. 'Really?'
She nodded, enthusiastically. 'Yeah. I mean, look how far you've come.'
He looked around the small apartment, dubiously, before turning back to her with a raised brow.
'Not physically,' she chided, 'personally. You go to school, made friends, and even though you feel conflicted about her, it doesn't seem like you hold a grudge against Ladybug. That's great progress.'
He fiddled with his cup. 'At least someone thinks so.'
Marinette narrowed her eyes. 'What did your father say to you?'
He flinched, then cringed. 'How did you know?'
'Women's Intuition. You saw him, yesterday, right? What'd he say?'
Adrien wouldn't meet her eyes. 'It began well enough. He's glad I'm friends with Chloe again, he even asked what she's doing with her time, these days.' He paused as he ate another mouthful. 'Then, he asked about what I'm doing with my time.'
Marinette nodded encouragingly, but he still wasn't looking at her.
'I think Father wants me to pick up where he left off.'
'What?' she shrieked, her spoon falling out of her hand.
Adrien shook his head. 'He didn't say anything, overtly. But, when I told him I was just focussing on school, he gave me this look. It was his disappointed face, like I'd let him down. I think he expected me to continue looking for the Miraculous, while he's locked up. I think he wants me to bring Mother back,' he finished, quietly.
It was a futile dream, now that Fu had left the country, and since his disappearance, there had been no reports of miraculous wielders from other countries. Finding him would be impossible with such obvious clues.
'What did you do?' Marinette asked.
'I just pretended not to pick up on his cues. Besides, I think it's past time he accepted the fact that Mother's gone. If movies have taught me anything, it's that the dead should stay dead.'
Marinette hummed in sad agreement. 'Will you see him again, next Saturday?'
He nodded. 'Probably.'
She placed a gentle hand on his wrist. 'Just remember, he can't do anything to you.'
'But he can say things. Father's always had a knack for hitting where it hurts.'
She gripped his wrist a little tighter. 'Words only have power over you if you let them. If your dad starts in on you, just think of his voice as a fart in the wind.'
Adrien snorted and coughed through a startled laugh. 'Really?' he spluttered.
Marinette shrugged, nonchalantly, though her face was pink. 'Ladybug would tell you the same thing.'
Adrien sobered, folding his hands on the table. 'I've been really unfair toward her, haven't I?'
Marinette exhaled, resting her arms on the table as well. 'Not without good reason. Honestly, I think that was one of those times where there were no innocent parties. One could've wished for a little more understanding from everyone.'
'I agree.'
'What does your psychiatrist say about all of this?'
Adrien grunted in disgust. 'He just keeps rambling on about mindfulness. I know it's everyone's flavour of the month, right now, but that doesn't make it a magic cure-all for every single case. Personally, I've found it spectacularly unhelpful.'
Marinette blinked at him. 'I don't even know what that is.'
Adrien shrugged. 'I'm not sure I fully understand it, either. Mindfulness is about acknowledging your emotions, and seeing why you feel that way. Somehow, that's supposed to ease your negative emotions. Maybe that's an oversimplification, but so far, I have not found it a helpful tool.'
Marinette fiddled with her spoon as she thought. 'Like you said, one blanket cure isn't going to be suitable for everyone. Have you tried a creative outlet for your emotions? I like to draw and sew whenever I feel down.'
Adrien winced. 'I've never been particularly arty.'
'What about writing? I have an aunt who's been into poetry, lately. She's found it to be a great release for all her emotions.'
He looked thoughtful. 'That's not a bad idea.'
Marinette nodded, eagerly. 'The best thing is, you can keep it private. It's the process which is cathartic, not whether people see it or not.'
He looked up at her, then, with a genuine smile. 'Thank you, Marinette, really. You've helped me more than you know.
She felt her cheeks turn pink. 'That's what friends are for.'

Marinette hummed tunelessly as she got ready for school. Deciding at the last minute to try something new, she pulled the elastic bands from her hair, and brushed it out, leaving it to fall freely down her shoulders. It had been almost a year since her last haircut, she realised with surprise. She lifted out a strand to examine it, scowling at the split end. Realising she was running out of time, Marinette hustled downstairs and out the door, calling her farewells over her shoulder.
School was almost back to how it used to be. Students gathered on the steps, or in the courtyard, to catch up on the weekend's gossip, waving to acquaintances in other cliques as they passed. Marinette smiled at the idyllic scene, huffing a quiet laugh as Chloe managed to offend an entire group with a single, off-hand remark. Indeed, it was almost back to normal. The only notable difference was she now had a new friend in her group, and her relationship with Chloe had improved because of it. Chloe was still acerbic and thoughtless, but Sabrina insisted that was just how she expressed herself. Marinette rolled her eyes, thinking that only Sabrina would have the patience to read between Chloe's lines.
Flowers suddenly invaded Marinette's vision. A bouquet of yellow and peach roses had been thrust under her nose, startling her back a step.
'Sorry,' Adrien apologised, as he lowered the bouquet. 'I didn't mean to scare you. Here,' he tried again, offering the roses at a lower height. 'Please, accept these.'
'Thank you,' she replied as she took them. 'Why this?' she asked, too shocked to string a proper sentence together.
He rubbed the back of his neck. 'Oh, you know, for everything.'
Marinette frowned at the ambiguous response. 'They're lovely. I should put them in water,' she noted, glancing around the courtyard.
'Maybe there's a vase in the teachers' office,' he suggested. 'Sorry, I didn't think this through.'
'No, it's ok,' she assured him with a smile. She lifted the bouquet to take a delicate sniff. 'They really are lovely.'
Adrien grinned back at her. 'Hey, you changed you hair. It looks good.'
Marinette felt her cheeks warm. 'Thanks,' she murmured, suddenly feeling shy.
'Ooh, those're gorgeous,' Alya declared, springing up behind Marinette to place her hands on her shoulders. 'Hey, how come you never buy me roses?' she asked Nino as he stood beside Adrien.
'I'll buy you some when you do something to earn it,' he retorted.
Alya gaped at him, outraged. 'You see what I have to put up with?' she asked, turning to Marinette.
'You see what I have to put up with?' Nino muttered, vehemently, to Adrien.
Marinette giggled as Alya turned on him with exaggerated affront.
'I think I'll just run these back to the bakery, and ask Maman to find a vase for them. Be right back.' Marinette turned and sprinted home again.
She barrelled into the bakery just as a customer finished paying for his purchase. She nodded politely as he walked by, while he eyed her, questioningly.
'Aren't those beautiful,' Sabine cooed. 'What's the occasion?'
'I don't know. Adrien just gave them to me, but when I asked why, he said, "for everything." That's not an answer. But if you could put these in water for me, I'd really appreciate it. I have to go again. Bye.'
Marinette wasn't certain if Sabine had understood the speedily shouted rant, but the bell was due to ring at any moment, and she was still badly confused.
She made it back just in time, skidding across the classroom floor, but managing to maintain her balance. She took her seat as Alya applauded. Marinette pouted back at her.
The class was lively that morning. After Alix's and Kim's return, they were all slowly regaining their old dynamic. Even Adrien contributed to the dialogue, and was either met with heartfelt agreement, or good natured arguments. While Mylene, Ivan, and Nathaniel remained distant, Kim, Max and Nino didn't hold back.
Marinette had to suppress her laughter all morning, the pleasure of having her class back to how it used to be almost overwhelming her. She smiled openly whenever Adrien's contributions were met with eager discussion. He enjoyed it too, grinning wider than Marinette had ever seen.
They had lunch in the park that day, briefly stopping by the bakery first. They joined the rest of their classmates on the grass, who acted as a buffer between Adrien and the rest of the population who stared openly at him. True to form, Chloe acted as if they were there specifically to admire her, telling them to look all they wanted and offering to take selfies with them. No one stared too long after that.
Marinette lay down on the grass, and soaked in the sunshine. The boys, and Alix, had run off to chase a ball, while the rest of them sat in a loose circle and talked. They were soon joined by Nathaniel, as he collapsed on the ground beside them, panting heavily.
'Animals,' he muttered, as he retrieved his water bottle.
Marinette chuckled, closing her eyes as she folded her arms behind her head.
'Hey, Marinette?' Rose began.
Marinette hummed a questioning note, but didn't sit up.
'Why did Adrien give you a bunch of roses this morning?'
Marinette's eyes flew open. 'He said he wanted to thank me,' she stammered.
'Oh, you poor, simple thing,' Chloe muttered, from Marinette's left.
She sat up. 'What do you mean?'
The girls, and Nathaniel, exchanged a pitying look.
'What?' she demanded, but no one met her eyes.
'They grow up so fast,' Alya sniffed, sitting at Marinette's immediate right. She pretended to wipe away a tear.
Marinette huffed in frustration. 'What are you talking about?'
No one met her gaze.
'Their babies will be beautiful,' Rose sighed, dreamily.
'Whose babies?' Marinette queried. 'Is someone getting married?'
'And dumb,' Chloe added.
'I prefer the phrase, "adorably oblivious,"' Alya argued.
Mylene shook her head. 'Even obliviousness can be annoying after a while.'
Marinette thumped her foot against the ground. 'What are you all on about?'
'Nothing,' they responded, in unison.
She crossed her arms and pouted. 'Fine, keep your secrets. I don't care, anyway.'
They snickered at the obvious lie, but Marinette ignored them, opting to lie down once more.
The rest of the school day was quieter after the boys, and Alix, had run themselves to the point of exhaustion. But, the camaraderie was still present. They waved a tired farewell at the end of the day, before going their separate ways, pleased they were all friends again.
- 14
- 15
- 16
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Redemption