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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
- 6
- 7
- 8
Marinette had been expecting the worst when she came to school on Monday. She had thought to see people jeering and tormenting Adrien as he curled up in the foetal position in the corner. Instead, the courtyard was almost normal. The other students stood with their friends, talking and joking, as they waited for their lessons to begin. The only inconsistency was that no one neared the far right corner. Everyone gave the spot a wide berth, without acknowledgement or apparent reason.
Squinting, Marinette saw Adrien sitting on the ground in that corner, concealed by shadows, his elbows resting on his upraised knees as he stared at the ground.
Casting a wary glance toward the others, Marinette walked over to Adrien and sat down beside him. He looked up and smiled at her.
'Hey,' he greeted.
'Good morning. Here,' she said, pulling a paper-wrapped croissant from her backpack, 'breakfast.' She held it out to him.
Adrien accepted it, gratefully. 'Thanks. You have no idea how boring it is to have porridge for breakfast every day.'
Marinette screwed her nose up. 'I hope you have fruit, or something, with it.'
He shook his head. 'Just sugar.'
Marinette's eyes widened comically wide. 'The worst punishment,' she gasped.
Adrien laughed. 'Please, thank your parents for me, too, I really appreciate the food they sent. It was amazing.' He took a bite of his croissant and hummed, appreciatively. 'I'll never get sick of this.'
Marinette returned his laugh, and pulled another croissant from her bag. 'I grew up with these. I can guarantee you can never have too many.'
'How many of those do you have in there?' he asked, raising an eyebrow at her bag.
She tilted the bag to let him see inside. 'Two more, for Alya and Nino,' she explained.
'Are you going to bribe them to be nice to me with those?' he teased.
Marinette shrugged, trying to suppress a grin. 'Hey, whatever works, right?'
Their good humour diminished as figures approached and stood over them. Marinette turned, expecting to see Alya and Nino, but she only saw several pairs of legs before the contents of two garbage bins was upended over her and Adrien. Trash, and an unlikely amount of bin juice, spilled over them, soaking their hair and soiling their clothes.
She and Adrien sat in shock as fouled water dripped from their hair. Slowly, Marinette looked into her bag. It, all of her books, her tablet, and the remaining croissants were ruined. Tears came to her eyes as she stared at the pastries.
'What the heck are you doing?' Alya shrieked from the entrance. Running over, she slapped Kim upside the head hard enough to make him drop a garbage bin and stagger forward.
Alix put her hands on her hips. 'What did you expect? She's chosen her side, so she can suffer right along with him.'
'You made her cry,' Alya yelled.
Everyone turned to stare as tears leaked down Marinette's cheeks to drip from her chin.
Nino crossed his arms as he came to stand behind Alya. 'Not cool, guys,' he chided, with a heavy scowl.
Most of the group looked away, scuffing their toes and rubbing their arms, but Alix and Kim remained defiant. As an argument erupted over them, Marinette turned to Adrien. He was still unresponsive, his expression blank and far away. Anxious, Marinette grabbed his wrist and stood, pulling him up with her.
The crowd gasped and took a step back, but Marinette wiped her free arm across her eyes and headed to the exit, abandoning her bag.
'Marinette, where are we going? You know I can't go anywhere without permission,' Adrien reminded her, coming out of his stupor.
Marinette declined to answer. She bypassed the bakery door, opting to use the back door instead. She then led Adrien upstairs and pushed him into the bathroom behind the living room door.
'Hand me your clothes and I'll wash them for you,' she instructed.
A muffled affirmative came from beyond the door. A moment later, it opened a crack as Adrien held out a handful of carefully folded clothing. 'Thanks,' he mumbled, before the door closed again.
Marinette ran upstairs to undress and wrap herself in a dressing gown before heading down to the laundry. Sabine came in just as the wash cycle started.
'Honey, what happened?' she asked. She sniffed delicately, then held a hand over her nose. 'Do I even want to know?'
Marinette hugged herself and looked at the floor. 'A bunch of kids dumped a couple of trash cans over us. Adrien's taking a shower upstairs. I hope that's ok.'
'Oh, my Sweet,' Sabine murmured, pulling Marinette into a hug, despite the smell. 'Of course, that's ok. Do you need anything?'
'World peace?'
Sabine sighed mournfully. 'Would if I could, Darling.'
Marinette stepped back as Tom poked his head into the laundry. 'What happened?' he asked, sternly. 'We saw you and Adrien walk by. Do we need to take action?'
Marinette shook her head. 'I should go and find Adrien something to wear. Thanks, though.'
Upstairs, Marinette pulled out her favourite track pants and tank top. For Adrien, she dug out a pair of men's small pyjama pants and a shirt that was much too large for herself. Making sure she didn't drip on them, Marinette carried her bundles back to the bathroom and waited.
'Marinette, are you out there?' Adrien called through the door.
'I'm here,' she replied.
He stuck his head out. 'I don't suppose you have something I could wear?'
Marinette turned away with a furious blush. 'Here,' she held out the men's pants and large shirt. 'I hope it fits.'
'Thanks.' The door closed, then opened to reveal a clean and clothed Adrien. 'Your turn.'
Marinette ducked by him with a nod of thanks, her clothes clutched to her chest. When she emerged, it was to see Adrien sitting on the couch, staring at nothing, with his hands loosely clasped in his lap. Marinette bit her lip and placed a hand on his shoulder. He flinched before turning to look up at her.
'Are you ok?' she asked, sitting down beside him, hands pressed together between her knees.
'I'm fine. You?'
Marinette nodded. 'I'll live.'
Adrien looked away. 'Is it bad that I'm getting sick of this? I mean, it's one thing to target me, I deserve it. But they shouldn't pick on you. You haven't done anything wrong.'
Marinette sighed. 'Adrien, if you say we shouldn't be friends anymore, I swear,' she left the threat hanging.
'I don't want to stop being friends,' he admitted. 'I've mentioned before that I'm selfish.'
Marinette felt her heart twist. 'I don't think you're selfish. You're lonely, and a bit of a doormat, but not selfish.'
'Thanks,' Adrien replied, wryly.
'No problem.'
He turned to her with a slight smile. 'Now what?'
'I guess we wait for our clothes, then head back to school to make a bullying complaint.'
Adrien winced. 'Somehow, I don't think anyone will care.'
'Well, I do,' Sabine interjected in a clipped tone. She rounded the couch to sit on the coffee table in front of them. 'The full story. What happened?'
Adrien sat quietly, staring at his lap and wringing his hands, as Marinette recounted the events of the morning. Sabine tisked, then reached forward to take Adrien's hands as he looked at her in surprise.
'We'll make sure something is done, don't worry,' she vowed.
He could only nod in response, still staring at her with wide eyes. Marinette opened her mouth to protest, but closed it again without saying anything, smiling fondly at Sabine and Adrien.
Eventually, their clothes were clean and warm from the dryer. Marinette huffed as she fixed her hair, looking into her mirror with newfound resolution. She marched downstairs where Adrien and Sabine waited; Adrien fully dressed and fidgety, Sabine sharp and controlled. Together, they entered the bakery to find Tom waiting for them.
'You must be Adrien,' Tom said, holding out a beefy hand. 'I wish we could have met under better circumstances.'
Adrien accepted his hand and shook. 'It's nice to meet you, anyway, Sir.'
Tom smiled his approval. 'Shall we?' he asked, holding a hand out toward the door.
They trooped out the door, Tom turning to lock it once they were outside. Then, they all headed to the school.
'What about the bakery?' Marinette asked.
'We can afford to close it for a day,' Sabine assured her.
Tom led the way to Principal Damocles' office, banging on the door with a clenched fist.
'Enter,' called a voice from within.
Tom pushed inside with a fierce scowl. 'What kind of place are you running here, to let your students bully someone without being reprimanded?'
'Excuse me?' Principal Damocles asked, raising his eyebrows.
Tom crossed his arms, Sabine beside him, while Marinette and Adrien stood to one side of the room.
'Your students have bullied and tormented one of their peers, while you turned a blind eye. You, and your staff, swore to treat Adrien as you would any other student, but you have repeatedly failed to protect him. Now, my daughter has become a target, just for being his friend. I demand you put a stop to this, immediately.' Tom was breathing heavily as he stared Principal Damocles down.
Principal Damocles stood up. 'Sir, I was not aware of any bullying. Nothing of the sort was brought to my attention, either by Adrien, or your daughter.'
Sabine snorted. 'I don't believe you. Those children are so rowdy, we can hear them from our house. I can't believe you didn't hear, or suspect, something was going on.'
'I'm sorry, Madame, but I'm a busy man, and procedure must be adhered to. Unless someone comes to me with a formal complaint, there's nothing I can do.'
'Then we're complaining now,' Tom replied. 'I want to know who was responsible for this latest attack, and I want to see them properly punished.'
Principal Damocles pinched the bridge of his nose. 'All right, then.' Turning to Marinette, he asked, 'could you tell me what happened, when, and who attacked you?'
Again, Marinette recited the story, Principal Damocles' face inscrutable as she spoke. When she had finished, he pushed a button on his desk and spoke into a microphone.
'Would Alix Kubdel and Lê Chiến Kim come to my office, please?'
They waited in tense silence, until a knock sounded on the door.
'Enter,' Principal Damocles called.
Tom and Sabine moved to stand with Marinette and Adrien, Sabine with her arms around Marinette's middle, and Tom with his hand on Adrien's shoulder.
Alix and Kim stood sullenly before Principal Damocles' desk, avoiding eye contact with Marinette and the others.
'Alix, Kim, do you know why you're here?' Principal Damocles asked.
Alix shrugged and looked away, while Kim put his hands on his hips and stared back.
'You have been accused of dumping garbage on two of your classmates. Do you deny it?'
'Nope,' Alix replied, insolently.
Kim shrugged. 'They had it coming.'
Marinette felt Sabine tense at her side.
'Whose idea was it to throw garbage on them?' Principal Damocles continued.
'Sabrina's' Kim and Alix replied, in unison.
Principal Damocles' eyebrows shot up, as Sabine's hands clenched painfully on Marinette's waist. Tom's scowl deepened and Adrien hung his head with a soft sigh.
'Sabrina Raincomprix, come to the Principal's office, please,' Principal Damocles said into his intercom.
Sabrina entered shortly after, her hands clasped primly in front of her. 'You wanted to see me, Sir?'
Principal Damocles looked down at her. 'Sabrina, Monsieur and Madame Dupain-Cheng have accused Alix and Kim of bullying their daughter. However, they say their actions were your idea. Can you refute that?'
Sabrina cast a brief glance over Marinette, Adrien, Tom, and Sabine. 'I had no desire to get Marinette involved.'
'But you don't deny bullying Adrien,' observed Sabine.
Sabrina's calm façade broke. 'Why would I? He deserves everything he gets. If it weren't for him, Chloe would still be here.'
Principal Damocles cleared his throat. 'That's not a reason, Sabrina, and not really his fault.'
She turned back to him. 'Don't act like you care about him, no one does. You just let him attend here to raise the school's PR image, and to get the payout Mayor Bourgeois offered. But all you've really done is make everyone uncomfortable.'
Principal Damocles turned back to Alix and Kim. 'Do you feel this way as well?'
Kim nodded, decisively, arms folded.
'Of course, we do,' Alix bit. 'You just let that monster come here without even asking us if we want him here, then we're expected to welcome him? He got to walk away after everything he did, without repercussions. We're just picking up the slack.'
Sabrina nodded vigorously in agreement.
Tom placed both hands over Adrien's shoulders. 'The court made its decision, and he's hardly walked away, scot-free.'
'I would like to know why their teacher has done nothing to prevent the bullying in the first place,' Sabine muttered, darkly.
Principal Damocles sighed and turned to his intercom once more. 'Madame Bustier, come to my office, please.'
Caline Bustier entered with a look of trepidation. 'Yes, Principal Damocles?'
'Madame Bustier, is it true you have not reprimanded your students for their ongoing treatment of Adrien Agreste?'
Caline laced her fingers and hung her head. 'It's true, Sir.'
'May I ask why?'
She sighed, her eyes drifting to the far side of the room. 'I didn't know what else to do. There was so much anger and resentment directed at him, including my own, that I thought it best to let the students exact their particular brand of justice.'
'That's twisted,' scolded Sabine. 'If you felt like you couldn't teach him, why not request he be transferred?'
Caline looked pained. 'I thought I could rise above my own pettiness. I wanted to be a good teacher for all my students, including Adrien, and be impartial and objective, to set a good example. But when I saw him in my classroom that first day, I knew it would be a struggle.' She sighed again, and closed her eyes. 'I've let everyone down and I was wrong. I'm sorry, Adrien.'
'I forgive you,' Adrien murmured into the ensuing silence.
'What about you three?' Principal Damocles asked Alix, Sabrina, and Kim. 'Do you have something you'd like to say to Adrien?'
They turned to look back at him, obstinate and defiant.
'Nope,' Kim declared.
'Nothing,' Alix added.
Sabrina remained silent, her chin jutting out, mulishly.
Principal Damocles sighed. With a nervous glance toward Tom and Sabine, he made his decision. 'Then, you've left me with no choice. You're all suspended for three weeks, and I'll be sending letters to your families tonight. You're excused.'
They turned and left in silence, closing the door with a sharp snap behind them.
Principal Damocles turned back to Caline. 'I'm afraid the consequences for your bias and negligence are out of my hands. I'll have to make a report to the Board of Education, and see what they have to say.'
'Wait,' Adrien interrupted. 'I don't think any further actions are necessary. Madame Bustier has admitted she was wrong and apologised. That's enough for me.'
Tom leaned forward to look him in the eyes. 'Are you sure?'
Adrien nodded, firmly. 'I'm sure. Besides, it's not like her feelings were unjustified. No one's are.' He turned to Caline. 'But if you still feel like you can't have me around, I'll leave.'
Marinette gasped, a hand covering her mouth as her eyes widened. 'No.'
Caline gave a timid smile. 'Thank you for your thoughtfulness, Adrien, but I'd like to keep trying, if you would, too. I promise I'll do better from now on.'
Adrien's answering smile was wide. 'I'd like that. Thank you.'
Marinette smothered a sigh of relief as Tom and Sabine released their hold on them.
'So, is everything resolved to your satisfaction?' Principal Damocles asked Tom.
'For now,' he replied, coolly. 'I expect you to treat Adrien fairly from now on, students and teachers, alike. If I ever hear anything like this happening again, we'll have another talk. Understand?'
Principal Damocles returned the steady glare. 'Of course.'
Sabine turned to Marinette and Adrien. 'What are you two going to do for the rest of the day, stay here, or go home and rest?'
Adrien scratched the back of his head. 'I have to stay. Court's orders. I'm already going to cop it for leaving without permission.'
Marinette winced. 'I'll stay, too, but all my books are ruined.'
'The school can repair, or replace, what was damaged. For today, perhaps you could borrow what you need from a friend,' Principal Damocles said.
Marinette nodded. 'Thank you, Sir.'
Tom and Sabine went back to the bakery, while Caline, Marinette, and Adrien returned to class. The students were in an uproar after they had been left unattended for so long, and upset by the news of the suspensions. However, Caline soon restored order, and reminded them that bullying was not tolerated in their school. If any were found guilty of the crime, they would face punishment as well. The class subsided, with only a few grumbles and wary looks at Adrien.
The afternoon was blessedly peaceful, after that.
- 6
- 7
- 8
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Redemption